This was something I started typing before I came to know the shattering news😭. Pity, we will never see JandA kiss now…but let's relive the memories!!😳
You know what….JandA have been close to kissing a whopping 15 times; but TnD are just too darn puritanical (and MandA too darn scared of You-Know-Who😕) to actually show us a real live smooch. Here is a record of "missed" and "actual" kisses on JJKN:
KISSES THAT COULD HAVE BEEN—
1. July 2004: The first time JandA were close to anything like ahem-ahem. In a desperate bid to prevent Purab from latching onto Jassi, Armaan makes a false confession of love to her, standing in the rain with his eyes closed. A stunned J hurries home, but A comes and parks his car outside the Walias' gate. In mortal dread of Papaji, J sits in the car and senses that A is drunk.
While J launches into a bhashan about the evils of drink—"meri Bebe kehti hain….", A begins to be entranced by the face that had once repelled him by its ugliness. He draws closer and closer…..
With a start J realizes that Armaan sir's face is very, very close to her own. She struggles to say something, but A silences her with a gesture of his finger. Sensing that he means business, J panics, opens the car door and slips out. Armu tries to stop her….but gets his hand caught in the door.
2. February 2005: A heartbroken J is preparing to leave GM. However, Armaan comes into her cabin one evening and begs her to save him once last time by fudging the balance sheets. Achingly sure that Armu is once again using her for his selfish purposes, J still can't resist and agrees.
Armaan's hand comes to rest on her own; it gradually slides up her arm till it reaches her shoulders; then, holding her face in his hands, Armu whispers, "I….love you, Jassi."
Their foreheads meet; A seems about to seal his love when……RRRRINNGGGG!! Armu's phone shatters the moment. It is Mallika, with her irritating sense of timing. Armaan has no choice but o leave.
3. Feb 2005: Having exposed Armaan in front of the GM Board of Directors, Jassi prepares to leave GM for good. A desperate Armaan rushes into her office. He insists that he loves her, that she musn't leave; but J refuses to believe him. Grabbing J' face, Armaan pulls her close and gasps, "I love you, Jassi". Just then Mallika barges in and asks in consternation,"Yeh ho kya raha hai yahan par?" (What a DORK—it was so obvious what was happening!)
4. June 2005: JandA are in Amritsar (mmmmm!) At night, Armaan's bed is on the rooftop while the ladies are dozing in the verandah below. Armaan can't sleep; Jassi still hasn't answered to his proposal. At last, after some prodding from Nandu, he sneaks downstairs. Carefully avoiding the other beds, he shakes J awake and demands, "You haven't yet told me…this night, this moon, these stars are all waiting for your answer."
Jassi blushes and whispers, "Main aapse shaadi karungi!"
Delighted, Armaan grabs her face and JandA prepare to kiss….but alas, one of he KMH ladies stirs and coughs….J scrambles back under her sheets while Armu makes his getaway.
5. June 2005: Still in Amritsar, JandA are running like wild through the fields. At last, panting, they come to a stop near a haystack. Armaan's face draws nearer and nearer to Jassi's….in confusion, she grabs a twig of hay and holds it between them, whispering, "Kya kar rahe ho? Ab to hamari shaadi honewali hai na?"
Armaan persists, gazing besottedly, "Phir bhi…ek baar, boyfriend-girlfriend ki tarah…?"
J lowers her eyes and A is about to get his request; but when there is a hair's breadth between them, J laughs hysterically and flees. Armu is left looking on bemusedly.
6. July 2005: Unaware of the drama that is about to descend on them (Angel's pre-nupital contract), JandA are basking in each other's company at their engagement party. Armaan drags Jassi away from a tense Nandu and says, "Jassi….main tumhe Nainital le jaana chahta hun." Jassi smiles and agrees; they forget their surroundings and are about to surrender their lips to each other when…..Nandu barges in impatiently. He wants to tell Jassi about the pre-nup plan. Another spell breaks.
7. October 2005: Armaan urges the GTD (thanks Sid!) to hurry him to Nainital; he is going to regain his lost love. Daydreams of Jassi haunt his journey; he drifts into a vision of what might happen when he arrives to reclaim her.
In his dream, he succeeds; J has melted into his arms. Then she pulls away and gazes at him; she assures him that she loves only him. Aching with long-subdued love, Armaan gently cradles her cheeks in his hands, and moves towards her…..but the dream breaks. Back to the harsh reality of estranged love.
8. October 2005: "I am glad that Raghav has found love….soon I will find mine too", thinks Armaan as he drives towards the Oberois' residence. A jealous Mallika has insisted on tagging along.
Arriving there, Armu has his breath taken away—he sees HIS Jassi in the crowd of indifferent faces. Unaware that she is Raghav's "wife", Armaan forgets everything, except that he and his bride are alone…and that the time has come to re-ignite their love.
J opens her lips to say something, but Armu places his finger on them. His hand trails gently, ardently from the crown of her head, down her forehead, her cheeks, her neck….Jassi gasps as he hooks his finger in her pearl necklace and pulls her closer….but the necklace breaks and the pearls scatter all over the floor.
9. November 2005: JandA meet again at a party to celebrate the success of GM. "Introduced" by a malicious Mallika to "my husband, Armaan Suri", J looks at Armu defiantly and holds out her hand to congratulate him. AS downcast dimpie looks down at the hand with its lone abngle, he remembers---
JandA in Armaan's room some days before their wedding. Armu has brought bangles for his bride-to-be because an astrologer recommended that he gift them to the person he loved the most. Jassi teases him, and he whispers, "you can see my love in my eyes"…….he leans over her on the bed, his face inching closer and closer, till Jassi giggles and makes her escape.
10. December 2005: At last, after months of misunderstanding and heartbreak, JAndA reunite…in Goa. Walking on the beach, they reach a secluded spot. Ardent Armaan makes his love sit down, his intent clear…Jassi shivers and is about to say something…but Armaan gently silences her with his finger on her lips. He gazes at her devotedly….but Jassi is haunted by guilt. Unable to bear it, she gets up and confesses, "I wanted to take revenge, Armaan…I wanted to ruin you…" but Armaan is in no mood to talk. He possesses her face in his hands, taking his own towards her…..but they move downwards out of the frame before we can see anything.
11. December 2005: Back home, together, JandA are in the flush of rediscovered love. Obligation forces J to live with the Oberois, but she meets A regularly…one night he drops her home, but before letting her get out of the car, he gives her a naughty look; J closes her eyes, expecting the inevitable…..but….all we get to see is Mallika's jealous face interposed in between the shots!!
12. January 2006: At long last, our lovebirds are married. In the comfort of their Malaysian hotel room, they cuddle up and talk…the way lovers do, sweet nothings that mean the world to the two people involved. Then A decides its time to get on with the suhaag raat; he moves closer, but just then the phone rings, shattering the moment.
13. January 2006: Though Raghav is no more, his father died leaving his property to Jassi and her child. Jassi is forced to accept the situation for the time being. But when Armaan comes to know, he is understandably anooyed. He is about to leavefor office in the morning without saying goodbye…but J ain't gonna let him go like that. She grabs his hand and apologises, giving him a surprise gift. After they make up, Armu decides its his turn to give J a surprise—he suddenly whirls her around and grips her tightly from the back. as Jassi stugglse to get out of his hold, reminding him that he has to go to office, A protests….but at last J succeeds in pushing him away.
She hasn't got over her giggles, though, when Armu whips back again and blows a kiss at her, much to her shocked amusement!!
14. March 2006: Aryan's scheming has drawn JandA apart. But Jassi, after much sweating and scheming, pulls off a secret meeting with her hubby at a lone, romantic spot. After a loooooooooong, hungry hug, they talk…..then they tease, caress, promise and hug again, tighter and tighter…till its Cindrella's time to leave her prince. As she forlornly walks away, she seems aware that Armu is watching her with soulful eyes…unable to hold back, she turns and runs into his arms.
After quite a while, when they look at each other, still clasped in arms, their foreheads meet and Armu whispers something to Jazz; she nods ,and it seems as if they will kisss……but they break away and Jassi leaves.
15. March 2006: GM has been regained, the family is in a mood of celebration…and JandA are together again. Standing at the window on a moonlit night (like the chandni raat dream long ago), Armman gently caresses jassi's bare back..his hands slide up to hold her shoulders. Jassi tells him that though they had been working separately, both were working towards the same purpose—like true jeevan sathis. She turns and whispers passionately, "I love you". Armaan murmurs back, "I love you, Jassi", inching his face towards her; it looks as if they will, finally, but…..Jazz throws herself into his arms and they get locked in a tight embrace.
Whew!! These were the missed ones!! Mean TnD!! Now for the actual ones—none on the lips, unfortunately—
1. Armaan's kiss on J's forehead after the miscarriage (*gazing meaningfully into her eyes all the time);
2. in the same scene, he takes hold of her hand while he "complains" about her fault….all te time lovingly caressing and kising her hand.
3. The kiss on the cheek in the flashback(awwwwwwwww)
4. J kisses Armu's hands when they lose everything to Aryan, consoles him……
5. When the said "everything" is regained, JandA walk the ramp…and armu kisses Jazz's hand.
These are the ones I remember….fill me in if I've missed out any!!!
Book Talk
Aami Daakini
