Listen Guys, I've posted a note above. Plz do read it. Plus this part is unedited or re read. I am posting from my cell, so pleaseee forgive me for the errors.
Chapter 5:
It had been three days to Riddhima's arrival in India. She and Rahul had flown together to Delhi and then parted ways. Rahul went to his home town in Punjab for a week whereas she headed to Gupta Villa. Riddhima like the previous time had kept her arrival a surprise from her family. She had wanted to capture that surprised, happy and contented look on their faces when she told them about her permanent return but in return a bigger surprise in the form of an empty house was waiting for her. The security guard had escorted her in and called the maids from the servant quarters. They helped her to settle in and informed that Shashank and Padma were out on an official trip and Anjali and Atul were away to celebrate their fifth month wedding anniversary. Riddhima had felt dejected by the turn of events but kept herself busy in unpacking and redecorating the room for Rahul. After three days of silence when she could take it no longer, she just dumped a few dresses in her bag and drove through a route that was well imprinted in her mind despite the long years of being away. Thus she found herself mumbling incoherent sentences sitting in her car parked a few houses away from Mallik Mansion, in case she wanted to flee at the last moment.
"Common Riddhima, you have to face him one day. Its better now then later. Jitna time guzre ga so will his anger increase. You don't want him to hurt more too, right? Just remember, whatever may happen, Armaan will never turn his back on you. He'll be an upset, grumpy little kid but all'll be fine when you apologize and then you can spoil him just like how he did. I lo. No. No going there Riddhima. Friends. We're only friends. Right. Let's do it."
Riddhima walked up the familiar set of steps searching for the people of the house. She found it odd that even after being together at home during a weekday, no one was out in the lounge or kitchen. Her heart thumped in anticipation as she stopped in front of Billy's bedroom. She sighed in relief hearing voices from inside and tapped the door softly.
"Am I not welcome here any more?" Riddhima asked as Billy kept staring at her with shocked expressions.
"Angel." She heard a faint voice call out to her from within the room so she rose on her tiptoes and waved at Annie. She ducked under Billy's stretched arm that held the door and rushed to hug Annie, whom she'd come to love as her own mother or even more. Billy smiled at seeing his wife smile after so many days. He walked over and joined them in the hug. Riddhima chatted animatedly about anything and everything she could think of and since she did very little of talks and conversations with co-workers, she had a load of stories to narrate which Billy and Ananya were all too eager to listen. The house came to life after a long time as its members talked, teased and laughed and all due to the return of their beautiful daughter.
"Nothing is the same when you're away. Promise me you'll never leave us again. I'm sure now that you're here, all will go back to normal. We'll all be together again." Riddhima looked at Annie with wide eyes as she spoke. She could see and feel the hurt in her eyes and voice but couldn't pin point its reason.
"I'm not going back or away from you all again, ever." Riddhima assured them.
The servants laid food on the dining table under Riddhima's supervision. She scraped the chair to help Annie sit and then served them first before sitting down.
"Riddhima aren't you going to eat Beta?" Billy asked her seeing that her gaze was stuck at the main door.
"I was actually thinking of waiting for Armaan. Ap loag khaye, main us ke saath kha loon gi." She said urging them to eat.
"Angel, Armaan is not here. He's gone out of city." Annie informed her.
"Oh acha. Why did he go? I mean, office work tha ya kuch personal? When will he be back?"
"He has worked a lot and that too continuously for the past seven years. I often told him to take a break but he never paid heed. Now finally he realized and decided to go away for a while. But you don't worry, as soon as he knows you're here he'll be on the first flight back." Riddhima smiled with a heavy heart and played with her food as her appetite was lost.
Riddhima had many unanswered questions bothering her but she didn't dare ask Billy or Annie as she understood they were also upset with Armaan's absence. She could now see that this was taking a toll on Annie's health and how hard Billy was trying to keep her health in check.
"Urghhh. Yeh stupid phone kyun nahin lag raha?" Riddhima mumbled angrily as her attempts of calling Armaan failed repeatedly. She had readied herself to face his outburst or worse even his silent treatment but no contact was driving her crazy.
"Bi. Bi." She called peeping in Bi's room.
"Aao Riddhima. Main yahan hoon." Bi answered from her prayer mat.
"Bi, Main kab se Armaan ka cell try kar rahi hoon per lag nahin raha. Kya us ne apna number change kar lia hai?"
"Wo apna mobile yahin bhool gaya jatay huey. Bohat jaldi mein tha na, is liye. Per tum fikr mat karo, wo call karey ga to tum baat kar lena. Ab chalo ja kar so jao, bohat raat ho gayi hai." Riddhima frowned seeing Bi averting her eyes and stuttering. She refrained from further questions seeing how tired Bi looked. She left for her room after helping Bi in bed.
"Good Morning." Riddhima greeted Annie cheerily. She walked into her room with a tray laid with breakfast followed by a maid holding their coffees.
"Aray tumhien yeh sab karne ki kya zaroorat thi Beta. Kishore se bol dia hota." Annie said looking at the variety of dishes.
"Zaroorat kaise nahin thi? Ap bhool gayin I always used to cook during weekends. Now that I'm back this is going to be our routine once again. Come I'll help you get fresh, Uncle will be back from his jogging any moment."
The trio spent most of the day holed up in the bedroom chatting. Riddhima did her best to keep them involved with herself so that they didn't Armaan's presence which was a huge task as they went through old videos and pictures. They went out for shopping later in the evening and then dinner followed by a long drive.
The gang gathered at Mallik Mansion after Anjali and Atul returned from their week long vacation. They were all surprised to see Riddhima as no one had informed them of her arrival and over joyed when she told them she was back for good.
"Aunty I think its time you should get Armaan married now." Nikki said as she saw Annie and Billy play with Pari.
"I wish the same too Nikki, per tum usey jaanti ho na, meri kab sunta hia? Ab tak kitni ladkiyan dikha chuki hoon per janab ko koi pasand hi nahi aati. Pata nahi kya ho ga is ladke ka?" Annie replied sadly.
"Annie I've told you so many times not to worry." Billy said putting an arm across her shoulder and holding Pari with one.
"Hold on, one second, I want to take a picture." Sapna said excitedly seeing her niece stand on wobbly legs.
"Aunty mujhe ap ki pareshani ka hal mil gaya. Riddhima. Yeh haina, is se zyada achey se Armaan ko koi nahin janta. I'm sure agar yeh us ke liye ladki pasand karey gi to wo mana nahin karey ga." Nikki said eyeing Riddhima who entered the lounge with snacks.
"Yeh to maine socha hi nahin. Riddhima tum meri help karo gi na Beta?" Annie asked hopefully. Riddhima steadied her shivering hands and nodded her head with a forced smile.
"Unbelievable." Abhi muttered under breath seeing Riddhima become the target of his wife's anger.
"What the hell Nikki? Tum yeh sab kyun kar rahi ho? Couldn't you see how your words were affecting Ridz?" He pulled Nikki out.
"She got hurt? Good. It was intended." Nikki said looking away.
"Dekho Nikki, I know you are worried for Armaan but that doesn't mean ke tum Riddhima ko pareshan karo. She's not the reason..?"
"She's not the reason? Really Abhi? Yeh tum bol rahey ho?" Nikki cut him off in the middle seething in anger. Abhi rubbed a hand over his eyes trying how to cool her down.
"I didn't mean it that way Baby but you have to understand that we can't target Ridz. She is unaware regarding all this mess. Plus we don't even know if they feel more than friends for each other or not?"
"Abhi please tum to us ki side mat lo. Don't you know how she hurt Armaan? Didn't you see what his condition was after she left without a word? Pehle jab gayi thi to woh bilkul khamosh ho gaya tha or is baar pata nahin kya kia ke he left his friends and family? He might not confess to us but his eyes and silence speak for themselves. Rahi baat Riddhima ki, she doesn't have a heart so won't feel a thing."
"Nikki you are thinking as Armaan's sister and that's correct. But you also know this frustration will get us nowhere. These two won't solve their differences on their own, we've given them ample time. Ab we need to bring them together." Abhi said tilting his head to look down in Nikki's eyes which she kept averted with a puffed face.
"Nikki tum bohat achi tarah se janti ho Armaan ko. Its been almost eight years and in all this time he hasn't complained once nor discussed Riddhima's behavior. You know how protective he is about her. Ab decide kar lo you want to cause him more pain by hurting Ridz or bring them closer?" He turned her face towards him.
"Closer? I am not letting Riddhima go back in his life. She made the decision to walk away and now she needs to stick to it." Nikki said crossing her arms across her chest.
"Fine. Do as you wish. I'm leaving." Abhi said before walking away. Riddhima witnessed the scene from the kitchen window and knew she was the reason of their fight. She couldn't hear anything but had seen the disapproving looks Abhi passed as Nikki went on about her mission to get Armaan settled.
Riddhima pressed a hand over her aching chest as she leaned on the balcony railing staring at the vast expanse of dark sky with not even one twinkling star in sight. It depicted her life at the moment so well; empty, lonely and hopeless. She realized even her friends weren't happy with her. They had no reason to be. She had hurt them all as much as she hurt Armaan by running away without an explanation. A gust of cold breeze made Riddhima wrap the shawl tighlty across her torso as she pondered over the last few years of her life. Her gains were very limited compared to all that she had lost and with nothing to look forward to. Right now she couldn't decide which of her decisions was wrong. Was she wrong in going away or returning? Riddhima's mind went to the only person who stayed by her side, supported her decisions, guided her through rough patches of life and never demanded an explanation for her irrational behavior. Rahul. She wanted to talk to him, seek solace in his warm brotherly hugs but first she needed to clarify and sort things here.
Riddhima was in awe of the magnificent blue glass sky tower that was The Mallik's head office and its interiors and working atmosphere didn't fail to impress her either. The receptionist guided her to the top floor which was solely preserved for the Mallik owners. She walked along the slient corridor lost in her thoughts when a lady in late 30's approached her from behind her desk and greeted her.
"Good afternoon Riddhima Ma'am. You must be here to meet Mr. Mallik but he isn't in the office right now. He's gone out for business lunch. Come I'll show you to the cabin where you can wait." The lady spoke without giving her a chance to ask anything.
"I'm sorry but I didn't recognize you Ma'am. Have we met before?" Riddhima asked confused as to how the lady knew her name.
"No we haven't but I've heard a lot about you from boss and always wanted to meet you in person. Come inside please."
Riddhima's steps halted just at the entrance as her eyes darted from corner to corner of the office. The room's interior was replica of the page she had picked for Armaan's office from a magazine many years back. Her heart raced feeling his scent and essence embedded in everything in the room. A small smile graced her lips seeing that he had remembered even the smallest of details she had mentioned.
"Armaan Sir speaks very often about you. He is very fond of you and missed you dearly when you were abroad. I sometimes thought he was exaggerating when he described how beautiful you were but seeing you today I must admit I agree with him." Riddhima wanted to thank the sweet lady for her compliment but couldn't move her eyes from the frame kept on the table. She unconciously moved towards it and picked it up gingerly. It was a picture of them. Riddhima remembered that day just like yesterday, every little detail of it. It was from when they had gone to the Mallik's farmhouse during one winter break. They were sitting under a tree in the backyard with her in between his legs holding a cup of coffee and smiling at their friends as they argued over starting a bonfire. She was unaware of Armaan's intense gaze and that someone had captured this moment.
"I'll bring in refreshments for you."
"Wait. I'm sorry. All this while I didn't respond to anything you said. Actually I just got absorbed in my memories seeing this room. Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad to have met you Ms.." Riddhima said walking forward.
"Mrs. Uma Rao. I'm Armaan Sir's personal secretary." Uma covered the remaining distance and shook hands with her.
"It must be hard for Uncle to look after the business in Armaan's absence, isn't it?" Riddhima asked Uma as they chatted over a cup of coffee. She was a sweet, well mannered, efficient and loyal lady.
"Yes a little tough since Mr. Mallik now has to attend the business events and parties. Boss had given him a break from all of it. He only had to sign and control things from here." Uma answered.
"So how is Uncle managing all this alone?"
"Boss might be away but he isn't unaware of what's happening here. He's doing his share of work from there. He briefs me daily and is communicating with the clients over internet." Riddhima felt a little jealous of Uma as she spoke to Armaan on daily basis whereas here she was dying to hear his voice once.
"Uma when did Armaan leave? Do you know where he's staying and when does he plan to return?" These questions had been nagging her from the first day but she didn't know how to ask anyone at home. Now she knew Uma was the best person to answer her queries.
"You don't know?" Uma asked with a confused face.
"Uh no I don't. I've been busy the last few months as I was shifting back. So we didn't have much of contact." Riddhima replied meekly.
"Sir has been away for around five months. In fact he left just after Atul Sir's wedding. I don't know his exact location but it's somewhere in the northern regions."
"What a pleasant surprise? Why didn't you inform me you were coming here Angel? I hope you haven't been waiting for long." Billy said upon finding Riddhima in Armaan's cabin.
"Hi Uncle. I came about an hour back but don't worry Uma gave me company." She said walking towards him.
"Well thank you Uma for entertaining my daughter. I have the papers that Armaan required, if you could please mail them to him." Billy spoke kindly.
"Sure Sir. Good day Riddhima."
"So what brings my Angel here? Did you need something?" Billy asked moving with her to the couch.
"I had got a call for an interview this morning from a hospital just two blocks from here. The hospital's resident gynaecologist offered me the job without any interview that too with a handsome package." Riddhima informed him in a monotone.
"That's wonderful. I'm so happy for you Beta. This calls for a celebration." Billy said taking her in a side hug.
"I had come here so that I could take you and Aunty for lunch."
"Oh I'm sorry Beta, I ruined your plan. Let me make it up by taking both of you out for dinner. What do you say?" Billy smiled and ruffled her hair lightly as she nodded her head.
"Which hospital are you joining Beta?"
"Sanjeevani."
"Really? That's great. How did you know about this hospital? Do you know someone over there?" Billy inquired surprised.
"No I don't. I had given my CV to Jeeju and somehow he managed to get me an interview plus job in only two days."
"Hmm that answers it. I mean maybe Atul has some contact there. Lets leave all this. Why are you so low even after getting into the best hospital of Delhi?" Riddhima didn't know how to explain her feelings to Billy so she just shook her head and diverted the topic.
"Armaan tum kab tak aisa karo ge? She has been waiting for your call daily for past one week. Now you're telling me you are not coming back. She isn't asking any of us but that doesn't mean she is unaware of your calls. Mujhe nahin pata tum dono ke beech kya baat hui hai but please.." Riddhima bit her trembling lip and leaned against the wall for support as her body shook with silent sobs hearing Bi's one sided conversation. Her heart sunk as her doubts were confirmed. Armaan had left due to her behavior that day. He knew she had returned and was staying at his home but refrained from talking to her. She had hurt him so much that now he didn't even want to speak to her once. She pressed a palm over her mouth and ran up stairs to her room. Riddhima fell back on her bed and decided to leave Mallik Mansion as she didn't want to be the cause of delay in Armaan's return.
Once again, A v Happy & Joyous New Year to all of you,
Much Love..
Edited by Rarepearl - 10 years ago
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
Hindi TV Shows
193