Hey Readers,
Here's the next part. Its pretty long. I hope you'll leave me some love or a word at least now that I am posting earlier ;)
Love..
Chapter 11:
The Gupta Villa sprang to life as the whole family got together in a long time. Padma and Shashank took advantage of the situation and spent every waking moment with their children to make up for all the years they were apart or unable to give them the due love and care. Days rolled by as Padma pampered the kids with their favourite home made meals and Shashank gave them his undivided attention and affection. Riddhima loved it all a lot. Being away and having missed this warmth that emanated from family bonding made it all the more special to her. As much as she enjoyed this phase she was on the verge of pulling her hair out as her parents and siblings took doting to another level. Not allowing her to come down or stroll in her own room unless it was necessary even after reassurance from Dr. Shubhankar and she had her brother and best friend to thank for this. Rahul and Armaan ignored all her pleas to convince her parents she was fit and fine. Instead all they did was side with them, deeming it important she rest well before the hospital duties begun next week.
"Traitors." Riddhima whispered blowing the stray fringe of hair from her forehead in annoyance. She sat perched on the window sill with a romantic novel trying to kill her boredom but to no avail. She had read the same paragraph thrice without as much as understanding a word. The beautiful clear sky and cool morning breeze allured her to step out. She hopped to her almirah to dress for the day throwing the novel on the side table. She had just the plan to escape the confines of the house, for however short period it was.
Riddhima stood behind Dr. Kirti at nurse station while she briefed the interns of their duties. She wasn't supposed to sign in until next week but it was a long wait till then and she had an important matter to discuss with her senior. Dr. Kirti acknowledged her presence as the interns dispersed and rolled her eyes at her senior doctor's impatience to submit her report.
"Dr. Kirti, there was something I wanted to talk to you about." Riddhima said hesitating for the first time ever since this idea appealed her. She wasn't sure how her request would be taken.
"Boliye Dr. Riddhima, main sun rahi hoon." Dr. Kirti said going through the file. She was impressed with the analysis and suggestions made in it.
"I wanted to ask if we could bring Rano here, that way we could treat her and ensure her safety too."
"Who is Rano?"
"Oh sorry. Here are all her details and case history that I could gather during the visit. Rest we can do when she comes here. Dr. Kirti, Rano lost her eye sight due to an illness few years back and I think, at least I hope, we can restore her eyesight with proper treatment. Plus she is an orphan and stays with her aunt who is already burdened with her family responsibilities. It would be so much better if Rano could stay here in our orphanage. She is a very bright child and I'm sure with correct guidance she will excel. Can you please take up her case with the authorities?" She asked hopefully.
"I see you are quiet attached with the little girl. I will see what I can do but I can not promise anything. So don't get your hopes.." Dr. Kirti stopped mid sentence as her eyes met with someone at a little distance who nodded his approval.
"We can bring her here."
"We can?" Riddhima asked confused.
"Yes. She can join us here."
"Really? Oh, thank you, thank you so much Dr. Kirti. I'm so happy." Dr. Kirti smiled seeing Riddhima babble happily.
"I'll leave now. I have to tell Rahul. He'll be so happy too. Oww!" Riddhima winced and stumbled forward. In all her excitement she had forgotten about her foot and put pressure on it. Her downward fall was broken as two arms steadied her by her shoulders.
"Armaan. Tum yahan kya kar rahay ho?" She said hopping closer to him for support.
"Mujhe kaam tha Dr. Shubhankar se. Good morning Dr. Kirti." Armaan said.
"Good morning Mr. Mallik." She replied.
"Oh. I forgot. I'm sorry Sir. I mean Mr. Mallik." Riddhima said uneasily as she remembered he was the owner of this hospital and not her friend here. Armaan frowned as she addressed him so formally and noticed her rigid posture.
"You can call me by my name."
"But.."
"No buts. Do as I say." He said firmly.
"I'll take your leave Mr. Mallik as I have a surgery planned in fifteen minutes. Dr. Riddhima, you should go back too. I don't want to see you here till next week. Have a nice day both of you." Dr. Kirti parted ways with them.
"You need to rest well before you start your duties, Princess." Armaan said as she pouted to show her disapproval.
"Where's Rahul? I was under the impression that he was going to turn in both of your reports from the camp."
"Woh.. He was very tired last night after his duty hours so I turned off his alarm quietly and came myself. I couldn't stay in bed for another day." She said sheepishly.
"So how did you get here Dr. Riddhima?" He asked walking them to the door, taking most of her weight so that she didn't have to exert pressure on her injury.
"Billy uncle came to see me in the morning, so I asked him to drop me here on his way to the office."
"You know our business associates wouldn't recognise Dad if they saw him with you. He's so stern and straight forward during his dealings that it's actually funny seeing him go all soft with you. He would do anything for you, you know that, don't you?" Armaan was really happy to see his family share such a strong bond with his love, even when they had no idea about his feelings.
"Of course I know. I love Billy uncle, Aunty and Bii so so much." Riddhima chirped stretching her free hand widely.
"What about me?" He asked softly.
"Of course I.." She sucked in a sharp breath realizing what she was about to say.
"You what?" He said lifting her chin to meet his eyes by placing his finger under her chin. He loved how her cheeks suddenly took a rosy tinge and her breathing fastened under his gaze.
"I.. Don't." Riddhima uttered two words with great difficulty.
"Why not?" He asked immediately.
"Because.. Because you didn't come to my aid when I asked you to talk to Papa and you sided with Rahul poking fun at me. You're a traitor." She said poking a finger in his chest but avoiding his eyes. His heated gaze made her feel weird sensations through her body.
"Liar. Look into my eyes and repeat what you said." Armaan challenged as she opened her mouth to retort.
"Nana." She was greatfull for the distraction.
"Aray o apple. Kahan tha itne din se? Milne kyun nahin aya mujhse?" Nana, a patient in Sanjeevani, inquired with his hands on his hips.
"Nana, kaise hain ap? Main bahar gaya tha city se is liye nahin aa saka. Ap ki tabiyat kaisi hai ab?" Armaan nearly groaned out his displeasure at being disturbed but fondness for the man in front of him kept him in check.
"Haan main aik dum first class. Bulbul, tu kaisi hai?" Riddhima tried to pry herself out of Armaan's grip but he didn't budge even after she glared at him.
"Main theek hoon Nana per ap apne ward se bahar kya kar rahey hain? Dr. Kirti ko pata chal gaya to bohat bura hoga." She said trying to divert his attention from assessing their close position to somewhere else.
"Main nahi darta us Hitler se. Wo mera kuch nahin bigad sakti."
"Haan kuch ziyada to nahin bus wo ap ki chutti kar dien gi hospital se." She mentally patted herself seeing her desired reaction. Nana ran inside the building as if his life depended on it.
"Armaan tum ab office jao, tumhien late ho raha hai. Hum baad mein miltey hain. Bye." Riddhima said and turned around quickly before he started to inquire what she was saying earlier. Armaan bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing loudly at her cute attempt of getting away from him.
"I'll go to work but after dropping you at home."
"Nahin us ki zaroorat nahin hai. Main auto kar loon gi."
"Really Riddhima? You think I'll let you go in an auto? I won't hear a word, just get inside." He pulled at her wrist and slipped the other arm behind her waist to help her in the passenger seat before he revved the engine and took off from Sanjeevani's reserved parking.
Armaan hummed as he took two steps at a time gliding downstairs after fetching an important file from his bedroom. The morning suddenly seemed more brighter and he found himself in a lively mood. He knew he owed it to the little meeting with his Princess earlier. He stopped as he caught the sight of his mother with a huge, satisfied smile. This was the first time in a long while that she smiled widely, the dent in her right cheek on display. The moment was short lived though as she noticed Armaan's rigid posture.
"What's going on Mom? Who were you talking with about me?" He had over heard her one sided conversation on the phone. She could see how hard he was trying to suppress his anger but she had also decided not to step down this time and give in to his demands.
"It was Sanya. Your friend from university."
"Why did she call here? I've not been in touch with her for years." He said frowning.
"Exactly. That is why I called her up and invited her over for a dinner this weekend. You should mingle with her and get to know her more. She seems like a good girl to us. I'm sure you'll like her too." Ananya said hopefully.
"Mom, why don't you understand I'm not interested in any of the girls you show me? When will you stop playing match maker? How many times have I told you not to do any such thing?" He asked exasperated.
"Aisa kya galat kar dia maine Armaan? I want to see my son happy. I want to die knowing there is someone to look after my boy and that he is loved. Tum se kitni baar bola hai keh khud kisi ko pasand kar lo per tum har baar mana kar dete ho. Is liye I've taken the matters in my hands, once again. This time I won't listen to you at all." Annie said with determination.
"I'm sorry Mom but I can't attend the dinner."
"Can't or won't?"
"Won't. I've already promised someone my time. Have you talked about this whole wedding thing with Sanya?" He asked trying to gauge the damage done. Annie just shook her head trying to string words together to make him agree this time.
"Good. Just cancel the dinner or you'll be entertaining her alone. You know Dad will be at Gupta's for the weekend." He sighed in relief realizing the situation was under control.
"Why don't you meet her once Armaan? Just as an old friend. I bet you're afraid you'll like her."
"There's no chance in hell." He replied with conviction.
"Well prove me wrong then." He knew what his Mom was doing. She knew he never backed down from a challenge and was playing that card. Well, that was in the past. Nothing anyone said or did would make him agree to dine or wine any girl.
"Tum aik baar mil k to dekho Ammy. Riddhima ne bhi kaha tha Sanya achi hai tumhare liye. Tum dono dost.."
"Riddhima? When did she say this? Why on earth is she involved in this crap?" Armaan cut his mother mid-sentence, his patience running thin very fast.
"We spoke to her before you returned. She is your best friend and knows you better than most of us. So we thought of asking her opinion for searching a bride for you. Now you can't say no."
"Whose 'we' here?"
"Nikki. Dekho Ammy us pe gussa honay ki koi zaroorat nahin hai. Wo tumse bohat pyaar karti hai or tumhien khush dekhna chahti hai bus. Armaan. Armaan, listen to me." Annie said rushing after Armaan as he strode to the main door and jogged down to his car without uttering a word in response.
Armaan sat hunched forward in the car with his fists gripping the steering wheel tightly waiting for Nikki to come out. He had messaged her to get ready for a late lunch with him not trusting his voice. Only he knew how he held himself back from leashing out his anger throughout the day. His employees kept their distance from him not wanting to bear the brunt of his fury. Armaan was briefed by Anjali on how rudely Nikki had treated Riddhima on earlier occasions as well when he called to inquire her health before returning back. He had kept quiet then thinking it was a mistake on her part but after today morning he wasn't really sure. Whatever it was, he needed to stop it because there was no way he would tolerate anyone insulting his love in any way. Armaan gritted his teeth as he felt a stab of pain in his chest thinking of how Riddhima must have felt when his mom and sister discussed his wedding in front of her. He wasn't hundred percent sure of her feelings for him but was certain that she did feel something for him, her eyes said so. He couldn't even bring himself to think about her alliance with another man and here she had to give approval for his to be bride. He banged his head on the wheel in frustration. It wasn't fair of his mother to put Riddhima through this test.
Armaan jumped out of the car and followed Abhi as he rushed inside his house to inquire about the urgency. Abhi hugged his wife and daughter close to his chest taking deep breaths.
"Mind telling me what's happening here?" Armaan asked bewildered from the main door.
"Armaan, tum yahan is waqt? Kya baat hai Nikki? Why did you call both of us? Are you alright?" Abhi asked just as confused and worried too.
"She didn't call me. I came to pick her and Pari for lunch. Niks what's going on?"
"Woh.. I called Abhi to join us too. You know he missed you a lot when you were gone, so I thought he would like to join us." Nikki said with a sheepish smile but was met with angry glares from both men.
"Really Nikki? This was your so called 'emergency'? Do you have any idea how I drove from office till here? You wouldn't even want to know all the worse scenarios that were running through my mind and here you are telling me it was an invite to a surprise lunch? Please spare me the crap." Abhi said frustrated running a hand through his dishevelled hair. He shook his head not allowing her to explain anything. He knew very well what this was about seeing the looks both his wife and friend exchanged. His wife was now scared of Armaan's reaction to her rude and aloof behaviour towards Riddhima and so thought of using him to cushion the fall. Abhi knew of Armaan's anger and felt sorry for his wife but he wasn't going to tag along because Nikki had brought this upon her herself and needed to accept the reality. With a tight kiss on Pari's cheek and a friendly hug with Armaan, Abhi left for his office leaving Nikki staring after him with an open mouth.
"Lets get going Niks." Armaan said picking his niece and her baby bag heading towards the door.
"Mom called you, didn't she?" Armaan asked Nikki as the waiter left to fetch their orders. They were seated in the corner booth of pizza hut which was buzzing with activity as the waiters rushed to and fro. She nodded her head.
"Kyun kya tum ne aisa Nikki?"
"I don't think helping Aunty with finding you a bride is wrong. Hum sab tumhien khush.." She was stopped from completing her sentence.
"What has Riddhima done so wrong that you're treating her so poorly? Why did you involve her in this match making stuff?"
"Oh to yeh gussa Riddhima ki wajah se hai. Hum samjhe tumhien ladki search karne se problem hai. Tum to yeh poocho hi mat us ne kya kia Armaan, yaad nahin kaise wo tumhien or sab ko chod kar chali gayi thi? Kitna hurt kia us ne tumhari feelings ko." Nikki said trying to coax him.
"Who told you that she hurt me?" He asked calmly yet his insides were brewing a storm.
"Huh poochne ki kya zaroorat hai, I know you well." She replied arrogantly.
"I thought so too but you proved me wrong Nikkita." Armaan said making her eyes go wide at the use of her full name. He never called her that. She was always Niks to him, his baby sister.
"Did you ever try to inquire the reason why she left? You saw her maintaining distance from me and assumed the worst of her. Galti meri bhi ho sakti hai, ho sakta hai wo meri wajah se yahan se gayi ho. Kabhi socha tumne us ke liye kitna mushkil hua hoga foriegn mein settle hona? How she spent all these years alone? Now that she has returned you are showing her the cold shoulder, which she doesn't deserve one bit. What right do you have Nikki to treat her like this? Agar wo yahan se chali gayi thi, tu ne kabhi koshish kyun nahi ki us se jaane ki kya hua? Bus itni hi dosti thi tumhari us se?" Armaan couldn't stop the words from flowing out of his mouth. He was deeply hurt.
"Armaan.. Tum yeh sab kya bol rahey ho? I can't understand." Nikki was confused hearing him.
"Isi baat ka to afsos hai ke tum mujhe samajh nahin payi. I can't believe, my oldest friend, my baby sister couldn't understand me." Armaan said rubbing his palms over his face.
It just wasn't in Armaan's nature to open up to everyone. He was jovial and lively in nature, enjoyed going out and partying with friends and proved himself as their rock but that didn't mean he put his own heart in the open. Armaan was someone who put himself at the back even when he was disturbed he pulled up a poker face. Hence nobody really got a whiff of what he suffered. Nobody except Riddhima and Bi. These two owned a heart of gold in addition to their selfless loving nature, weaving their way into everyone's heart effortlessly. He wasn't about to let anyone make them pay for that. So he narrated to Nikki the happenings from eight years ago and Anjali's wedding.
"I'm.. sorry.. Armaan. Mujhe.. Bilkul pata.. Nahin tha.." By the time Armaan finished Nikki was sobbing. She kept on uttering apologizes not believing what an idiot she had been.
"Shh.. Don't cry. You know I don't like it." He moved next to her and pulled her into his arms and distracted Pari by the colorful menu, as the baby was about to cry as well seeing her mother weep uncontrollably.
"I need.. to .. apologize.. to Ridzi." She stuttered.
"She wouldn't want you to."
"Phir kya karun?" Nikki asked with a pout.
"Behave normally with her, like you did years back and she wouldn't question you once. She has a big heart, you know that don't you?" He said with a small smile.
"She does and I.." She started crying again.
"Shhh.. Niks please chup ho jao. Everyone is looking at us. I don't want them calling cops on me for harassing a lady." She chuckled as he slipped down on the seat and made weird faces.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
CID
193