Part 8:
Baba stopped hugging Riddhima and moved back.
Baba: Armaan yahan aao.
Armaan moved to beside his Baba.
BAba: are yahan kahan karhe hoa...apni biwi kai pas karhe hoa...mein thumein ik saath dekhna chata hoon.
Armaan stood beside Riddhima..
Baba: mera cell phone kahan..photo kech loon.
Baba searched his pockets while Armaan and Riddhima just looked at each other. Both searching for answers to questions that they didn't even know how to ask.
BAba: mil gaya...acha..toh keech lein...Armaan..Riddhima thumari biwi hai..thumari behen nahin..thora sa kareeb hoa...
Armaan moved closer to Riddhima and put his hand around her waist.
Riddhima felt a chill go up her back...Armaan had never touched her like this. She liked it. She wished there was some truth in it.
Click...The photo was taken and Baba was a very happy person. Armaan and Riddhima quickly moved away from each other.
Baba: thumari pehli photo bahut achee hai..ise mein frame karhvadoonga...Beta Ridhu, pehle mein Armaan sai bahut naraaz tha, parh jab isne kaha thum iski patni hoa tho mein dil hi dil mein itna khush hoa ki mein thumein lavzoo mein nahin batha saktha.
Riddhima smiled. She was uncomfortable about this lie. She wanted to tell Baba the truth. But she was scared. The last thing she wanted was for Baba to get sicker because she had decided to tell the truth. She decided that Armaan and her should talk really soon regarding how they were going to get themselves out of this mess.
Ridz: Acha Baba mein chaltein hoon...ghar pai mera intezaar karthe hongai...
Baba: nonsense beta...ghar pai koi nahin mujhe maloom hai..sabh koi na koi kaam sai bahar gai hein. Aur dujhe baath, Armaan kai hote hoi thum kahin aur jaane ki kya zaroorath hai..thum apne pati ki saath rahogee.
Ridz and Armaan gulped. They had not planned or even anticipated that Baba would insist that Riddhima stay with Armaan. But after all that is what married couples did. They did not live separately. They stayed together. In the same house, same room and same bed.
Riddhima looked worriedly at Armaan, who gave her a look back telling her not to worry.
Baba: parh pehle kahlein kuch..mein abhi chinese order kartha hoon.
Baba moved away to the kitchen phone to order chinese food for dinner.
Armaan looked at Riddhima after Baba had left the room.
Armaan: Thank you Basket. Thumnein mujhe maran sai bachaleyah.
Ridz: Thank you mat kaho....maine yeh thumare liye nahin kiya...mein baba sai pyar karthe hoon...aur aggar unkoa kuch hoa jaye thoo mein apna aap koa zindagi bhar nahin maph kar paongi.
Armaan: chalo teek hai jaise ve hoa...mein tho bach gayan.
Ridzy: thum bhool gayen. yeh nakli shaadi hai aur is mein koi sach nahin...eventually baba koa maloom parh jay ga.
Armaan: thum hamesha negative kyun sochtee hoa
Ridz: negative ...is mein positive kya hai...let's see: jhoot, fareb, nalkipan...i'm sorry shall I carry on...
Armaan: acha acha...mein thora waqt doh mein kuch soch luunga...
Ridz: mere paas waqt nahin hai...
Baba: ahca bhao...dinner 10 mins mein aajaye gah...
Baba: Acha Ridhu beta thumein kabh maloom parha ki thum mere nalayak pothe sai pyar karthi hoon.
Ridzy: huh...ummmmmmmmm voh jabh...maine...um jabh...maine unkoa dekha tha ik jaan bhachate hoi...Voh bahut kaam kar rahein the...it looked really bad, lekin Baba Armaan nein har nahin manee.
Baba: very good bache...Aur Armaan thum.
Armaan: ummmm mein....voh jabh um...jab maine Riddhima koa jungle mein bachaye tha..voh kitne masoom lagthe thi, bhil khul ik dharee hoi bachi ki taran....saree rath bas use dekhta rahan...
Armaan thought to himself that there was some truth in this...He had looked at her the entire night and held her head. She did look really beautiful when she was scared....he thought to himself at that minute why nothing ever happened between them. Why had he never taken Riddhima out on a date to see where things went...He was confused and couldn't remember the reason.
Baba: Chalo ...thum dono ki pehli pyar ki nazaar sunkai mein bahut khush hua.
Ding Dong!
Baba: Dinner aah gaya...chalo kahlein.
Dinner was quite. Armaan and Riddhima sat beside each other and tried to eat. Baba would keep looking at them once in a while. Riddhima and Armaan noticed that he looked so happy. Had they done the right thing?
After dinner, Baba let know them know that he was tired and needed to go to sleep. He bid them a good night...but then remember that today was probably their first night in their home together. So he stopped in his track and decided to help clean up.
After the kitchen was cleaned up. He ushered Armaan and Riddhima out of the kitchen and towards the back of the apartment where two rooms lay opposite each other. One room belonged to guests and that was where Baba would be staying. The other room was Armaans....
Baba: yeh loa ridhu, apne kamreh koa samaloa....yeh armaan bahut khilara pathe hai, bilkul ik bache ke taran...aggar kuch chayeh aur armaan nahin help kartha....mein bilkul samne vale kamreh mein soa rahoon hai.
With that Baba went to his room leaving the door slightly ajar.
Armaan and Riddhima moved into his room.
In Armaan's room was a queen sized bed with blue sheets. Across the room was a sofa bed..and clothes, particularly jeans were all over the place, with bright shirts hanging in the weirdest places.
Armaan: um....I don't know..I guess thum bed parh soa jao..aur mein sofa parh soa joangha...ummm thumare paas night suit nahin hai..mein kuch dehta hoon.
Armaan moved into his walk in closet.
Riddhima sat down on the bed...carefully making sure that she didn't sit on Armaan's clothes.
She felt like crying, what was she doing here. How would she ever explain this to anyone.
Armaan came out with pyjamas...
Armaan: loa...i hope it's okay.
Riddhima nodded, took them and moved into the bathroom to change, while armaan changed in his room.
Armaan set up his sofa bed and waited for Riddhima to come out of the bathroom.
Riddhima slowly came out of the bathroom, she was wearing Armaan's clothes.
Armaan sat up in his bed as he saw and he smiled at her. Basket was wearing his clothes, and he liked it. What? He liked it...obvoiusly he was going crazy..so what that Basket was wearing his clothes..So what that she looked amazing and beautiful in them..so what that he couldn't stop looking at her...couldn't stop looking at her..Armaan looked the other way.
Armaan: sorry aur kuch nahin tha mere paas.
Riddhima: it's okay...it's comfortable.
Comfortable. ARmaan thought she feels comfortable..He was happy.
Riddhima got into bed and turned her lamp off.
Armaan got into his sofa bed and kept the lamp on.
Slowly Armaan drifted off to sleep with the blanket half on him and the lamp still on.
Riddhima looked up out of the bed. She smiled..Armaan thoa Armaan hi rahe ga.
She got out of bed and went to Armaan. She covered him with his blanket and turned off his lamp. Then went back to her bed. She closed her eyes. She was tired from all the lying today.
So she thought it best to quickly fall asleep.
5:30am.
Armaan's alarm clock rang. He sent it purposefully that early, he wanted to get out of the house before Baba had woken. He got up out of bed and walked to the bathroom. He saw Riddhima lying in his bed. He moved towars her and just looked at her...A strand of her hair was across her face and he could see that it was itching her. So he slowly ever so gently moved it away. He smied. He thought to him self that Riddhima looks really pretty in the morning. Riddhima could sense someone beside her...she slowly opened her eyes and smiled upon seeing Armaan.
Riddhima; Hi Armaan....kaise hoa...kitna acha tha yeh sa....omigod...i'm sorry.
Armaan: it's okay basket..don't worry.
Riddhima: kitna time hai....
Armaan: 5:45 in the morning...mein baba sai utnein se pehle hospital jaana chatha hoon...
Ridz: Good idea mein vi saath chalte hoon.
Armaan: okay good. 6ish we leave then.
Ridzy: okay sounds good.
Armaan and Riddhima got ready really quitely. Riddhima wore the same clothes as yesterday. After they were ready, they quitely moved through the apartment and left.
Both were sighed a sigh of relief...they wouldn't have to see baba in the morning...they could avoid a morning full of lies....
At home, Baba woke up.
Baba: Riddhima...Armaan, meri chai banadho bache...
There was no answer...Baba got up out of bed and wondered through the apartment to the kitchen. He noticed a note and it read:
Baba, hum kaam parh hai...shaam koa milthe hain....love, ARmaan and Ridhu.
Baba smiled...he was imrpressed Armaan was getting so responsible by leaving him a note....He didn't know that was Riddhima's idea...Armaan had wanted to leave without leaving anything. Riddhima had insisted.
Baba thought to himself that Bache toh kake bhi nahin gaye....So he decided to make them each a breakfast sandwich and coffee and take it to work for them.
Sapna: Ridddddddddddddddddhima......Mein Aa gayein.
Riddhima jumped. Her best friend was home. She ran into Sapna's arms while Armaan looked on.
Ridzy: Sapna..i'm so glad to see you. Maine thumein bahut miss kiya hai.
Armaan walked over to sapna and hugged her too.
ARmaan: kaise hoa Saps.....
Sapna: teek hoon...kal rath ay...yahan pai ay thee...lekin kisi ko mili nahin. Toh phir maine socha shift shura karne sai pehle mein thum dono koa mil loan ge.
Armaan and Ridzy togher: shift shuro karne sai pehle...
Sapna: that's the surprise....Riddhima maine thumein nahin bhathaya...maine Dr. Keerthi sai bhath ke thai ki mein Sanjeevani mein phir sai kaam karna chathein hoon.
Riddhima: that's great Sapna.
Armaan: Yeh...
Sapna: anyways mein bahut khush hoon ki mein apni best friend ki saath phirse kaam karoon gi..
Baba: Armaan....beta...Riddhu Beti.
Armaan, Riddhima and Sapna turned around.
Sapna: Are Dr. Malik, kaise hoa
BAba: oh! Sapna thum kaise hoa....vahan kaam finsih hoa gaya...
Sapna: jee sir. mein Sanjeevani vapas aah gayein.
Baba: that's so good...thoa thum phirse mere beta and bahu ki saath kaam karongi.
Armaan and Riddhima looked at each other wide eyed. They had not anticipated that anyone would find out about their fake union.
Sapna: jee....beta aur bahu?
Sapna looked confused.
Baba: thum ve bache na.....mere matlab he mere potha and aur poth bahu koa.
Sapna: potha...(sapna looked at armaan) aur poth bahu...huh?
Baba: are sapna...armaan aur riddhima In dono nein abhi bhataya nahin..in dono nahin chupa chupa shaadi kar laye.
Baba was so happy when he said this..and Armaan and Riddhima gave out weak smiles to Baba and Sapna.
Sapna: Armaan aur Riddhima....potha aur poth bahu...
Sapna looked at Armaan and Riddhima...she saw worry in their eyes....
Sapna: jee baba aap kai potha aur poth bahu...armaan aur riddhima kai saath phir sai kaam karongee. It's be such fun...
Sapna smiled sarcastically at Armaan and Riddhima. The only thought she could think was what had Armaan gotten Riddhima into now. And why had Riddhima again fallen for Armaan's words. She would get to the bottom of this.
Precap for Part 8:
Armaan and Riddhima tell Sapna why they did what they did. Sapna questions them as to whether they have thought this whole thing through. Armaan and Riddhima together with Sapna decide on a quick way to get out of this mess.
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
Mangal Lakshmi
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