Armaan and riddhima smiled coming out of their memories world and slept. Next morning, armaan went to the office with others. He was in his cabin reading some files. He noticed one file was missing and remembered riddhima has the file. He didn't want to ask anyone to bring the file. He himself went to her cabin and knocked the door. "Come in" he heard her saying. He opened the door slowly and went in. Riddhima looked up from her laptop when she felt his presence. She didn't expect him there. She stood up from her chair looking at him. Their eyes locked, Armaan walked slowly not breaking their eye lock and went near her. Riddhima's heart started to beat rapidly. Armaan reached her table and took the file without breaking their eye lock. Riddhima stared in his deep blue oceans. There were so many emotions in his eyes which she couldn't understand. They stood like that for almost five minutes. Their eye lock was broken when they heard a phone ringing. It was muskaan's phone. She came there a couple of minutes ago and saw both of them lost in each other's eyes. She didn't want to disturb them and stood silently. Armaan and Riddhima came out of their eye lock and he moved away from riddhima. Silence prevailed in the room. Muskaan broke the silence "hey ammy, what are you doing here?" "I came to take this file muskaan" he said showing her the file. Muskaan nodded "All the Best Ammy. Take care" she said giving him a friendly hug. "Thank you Muskaan" armaan said with a smile. He then went from there looking at riddhima whose face was blank.
It's been five days since muskaan joined the office. Muskaan shifted to her room, but she slept in riddhima's room in the night. She noticed riddhima was more silent now in the last three days. She noticed her looking at armaan's balcony, the empty chair in the dining table when they eat and the empty chair in the lawn where they sit in the evening and armaan's cabin in the office. She noticed riddhima lost in her thoughts many times in those three days. Muskaan was sure she was missing armaan. But she couldn't understand why. Somewhere she knew the reason but was not sure of it. She was very worried for her friend. Armaan came back from Banglore that afternoon. Reaching Mumbai, he went to the office first and spoke to his dad, anji and atul. Then he went home. In the evening, others came from the office and as usual they all sat in the lawn after freshening up except riddhima and muskaan who were in the room. After taking a shower, Riddhima went and stood in the balcony. She smiled wide when she saw Armaan. Even though they don't talk to each other, she got used to him being around her. In the last three days, she missed him a lot then she already did if its possible. He felt her gaze on him and looked up at her. The smile on her face disappeared when she saw him looking up at her and turned to go in. Her breath stopped when she saw muskaan sitting in the swing. She breathed out when she noticed muskaan's closed eyes and the headphones on her ears. What she didn't know was muskaan saw what happened and she closed her eyes the second riddhima turned to her side. Riddhima patted her shoulders "Let's go down muski" she said and walked out. Muskaan went along with her. Armaan and riddhima didn't see each other that night as armaan was with his dad in his room the whole evening. They both didn't come for the dinner too.
Next day, the daytime went on with the usual office work. Everyone came late from the office around 7.30 PM. They freshened up and had their dinner. Atul and Anjali, Billy and Ananya retired to their rooms early. Riddhima and muskaan were in the garden. "Hey ammy, come here" muskaan called him when she saw him coming there. Armaan went near them. "Why are you standing? Sit there" Muskaan said pointing to the empty space beside riddhima in the swing. "It's ok Muskaan, I am fine standing" he said looking at riddhima. Muskaan saw him looking at riddhima and her blank face and didn't force him further. They both started talking. Riddhima got up from the swing and went from there saying she will come back in few minutes. She came out after half an hour and saw them still talking. She took a deep breath and went to them. "hmm, so you are a musician too. You know? ridz is a musician. She loves music more than she loves me. She said smiling side hugging riddhima. Armaan smiled. "I am saying the truth armaan. Yeah, it might seem a bit exaggerated, but that's the truth. We love each other soo much and can't stay without each other. We fight a lot, argue a lot but at the end of the day, we are best friends. Nothing and no one can ever change that, hai naa ridz? In reply, Riddhima hugged muskaan and kissed her cheeks. Armaan smiled wide. He was happy for them, genuinely happy for both of them. "Finally, you have found a true friend riddhima. I am happy for you" he thought to himself. His phone rang and he went away from them to answer the call. "Ridz, is everything fine between you and ammy? I mean, I never saw you both talking to each other". Riddhima didn't expect this question suddenly, her face was blank. She composed herself quickly and answered "Nothing like that muski. You know me, I don't talk with anyone so easily". "Yeah, I know you. But, I didn't see even ammy initiating any conversation with you" "Everything is fine muski. Don't worry" Muskaan nodded. She didn't want to ask anything further at that moment.
Riddhima was sitting in the bed looking at muskaan who was sleeping beside her. Sleep was far away from her. She was thinking how to clear muskaan's doubts. She knows her friend. If she doubts something is wrong, she will try to find out the reason behind it. She didn't want that to happen. She must do something before things go out of her hand. She got out of the bed and went to the terrace. She stood there thinking, she has only one way to hide the truth about her and armaan from muskaan. They can't avoid each other all their life. She will have to talk to Armaan, behave normally with him, at least in front of muskaan and others. But, is she ready to talk to him? Can she behave normally with him? Is he ready to talk to her? Can he behave normally with her? In the three weeks they both are here, she had seen him looking at her sometimes, but when she looks at him, he will turn to the other side. She thought he was avoiding her. But at the same time, she felt he was trying to talk to her. She don't know if he really was trying to talk to her or it's just her thinking so. Suddenly, Riddhima felt his presence there.
On the other side, Armaan was not able to sleep. He went to the terrace, only to see her there lost in her thoughts. Armaan took a deep breath and walked to the other side of the terrace where she was standing.
"Riddhima" armaan called her. She stood rooted to her spot when she heard him calling her. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She smiled wide, which came deep from her heart. Just hearing her name from his mouth made her heart swell with happiness. But as reality hit her, the happiness and the smile in her lips faded. She started to walk ignoring him. He again called her "Riddhima, I want to talk to you. Please listen to me once". "What do you want to talk Mr.Mallik? Whatever you had to say, you said them all five years ago. It's enough for a lifetime. I don't want to talk to you" she spoke angrily. Armaan looked at her hurt. What she said was true. After everything which happened he can't expect her to talk to him so easily. He knows her. He knows she will not let him near her again. He wanted to talk to her, tell her what happened, what made him broke their relationship. But he couldn't muster up the courage to talk to her after everything he did. At the moment, more than telling her the reasons for everything, it's important to talk to her about what muskaan asked him. "I have many things to talk to you riddhima. At the moment, I want to talk to you about what muskaan asked me". She looked at him with questioning eyes. "Riddhima, muskaan asked if everything is fine between us. I told her everything is fine and not to worry. But I think she is not convinced". "She asked me the same too" she said in a low voice. They were silent for a minute. Riddhima took a deep breath and spoke "There is only one way to clear her doubts. We should talk and be normal with each other in front of her and our family. I don't want anyone to know about us. I can't see them hurt. Can you do this? Armaan nodded. "Ok then, but we don't have anything between us, keep that in your mind" Armaan nodded again. After a minute of silence armaan spoke, "How are you riddhima?" he asked her in a whisper. Riddhima heard it and looked at him. She kept a straight face and said "I am fine MR. Mallik" pausing for a couple of seconds she continued "and happy in my life". Armaan looked at her, she couldn't understand what was he thinking. "How are you? How is life?" she asked him in a low voice. "I am good, life is good" he said in low voice again. They both looked up and their eyes locked. There were so many emotions in their eyes, but they didn't want each other to know what it is. Riddhima broke the eye lock and went down to her room.
Reaching her room, she ran to the bathroom and locked it. She cried letting out the tears which she was holding back. "I am sorry armaan, I am sorry, I am sorry" she kept on mumbling again and again crying hard. Muskaan knocked the door "Come out ridz, are you sleeping there?" "five minutes muski, I am coming" she said wiping her tears. She washed her face and went out. "What were you doing, you slept in there?" "eww , I don't sleep in the bathroom. If you want you can sleep" riddhima said hiding her tears and smiled. "I will never do that" muskaan said making a weird face. They laughed. "You were sleeping naa, why did you wake up?" "I woke up to drink water and didn't see you in the bed. So I came to check if you are here". Riddhima nodded. When they lied down in the bed, muskaan hugged riddhima and slept. All night riddhima tried to sleep and she slept only around 5 O' clock in the morning.
Next morning, Armaan went out somewhere after breakfast. In home, riddhima and muskaan had a blast. They cooked with Ananya and Anjali, ate with their family. They talked and talked, actually muskaan did most of the talking and riddhima and others were listening to her. They played basketball in the evening, all of them went to the beach and came back home around 8 O' clock. It was ten O' clock in the night. Armaan hasn't come home yet. Riddhima and muskaan were in the garden, listening to songs in Muskaan's phone. Riddhima was looking at the gate waiting for armaan. She turned to her side when she felt muskaan's head on her shoulder. She smiled looking at her friend. She didn't have the heart to wake up her. But she had to. She slowly patted muskaan's cheeks "Muski, muski, get up. Come on, lets go to the room and sleep". Muskaan woke up and they went to the room. Reaching there muskaan lied on the bed and slept again in a few seconds. Riddhima kissed her forehead and switched on the Airconditioner. She went out to the balcony and stood there. It was nearing 12 O' clock, armaan didn't come yet. Riddhima was getting more worried. She can't ask the others if he called and informed anything. She stood there not knowing what to do.
Armaan came home at 12.30 in the night. Riddhima breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him. Armaan parked the car and saw someone standing in the balcony when he came out of the car. The lights were switched off and he was not able to see the person. He knew it was riddhima. He wondered if she was waiting for him. Reaching his room he opened his balcony door and saw riddhima was still there in the balcony. He switched on the lights. Looking at her he knew she was very worried and was angry at him. Their eyes locked and did the conversation. Riddhima's green eyes questioned him if he is fine? In reply, he blinked his eyes saying he is fine and not to worry. They just stood there looking in to each other's eyes. For the first time after they met again, they didn't avoid each other and looked into each other's eyes deeply. Armaan broke their eye lock and both their hearts skipped a beat when they smiled at each other. It was the first time they smiled at each other after they met again here. When they realised what they were doing, riddhima broke the eyelock. They looked at each other again and went in their rooms silently.
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Madura
Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin
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