Previously On...
The Chronicles of Drunk Riddhima.
Chapter 82
The rest of the gang, apart from Dr. Shubhankar & Dr. Keerti, who'd left soon after Armaan & Riddhima, came back to the rooms in the wee hours of morning, having had a gala time at the party.
Anjali entered her room and couldn't help the happy sound that escaped her at the scene in front of her. Riddhima was sleeping on the bed and Armaan was sleeping on the floor. Both their heads were pressed close together and Armaan was holding one of Riddhima's hands tightly in his own. Her little squeal alerted the other girls and they also came to see what was happening. They all went awww looking at the couple.
Muskaan immediately took her phone out and clicked pictures of the two, smiling wide.
"Muski! Kya kar rahi hai?" Anjy asked.
"Arre, Anjy! Inki pictures le rahi hu. Dekhna kitne cute lag rahe hain!" Muskaan replied.
"Lekin..." Anjy tried to say but was interrupted by Nikki.
"Arre kya lekin? They look so good! Mera toh mann kar raha hai jaake dono ke zor se cheeks pull karu. Muski bohot saare photos kheech. Phir mujhe bhi bhej dena!" Nikki said.
Anjali looked at her two friends disbelievingly. Really, they had no concept of personal space.
"Chal, hum sab bahar hi adjust kar lenge. In dono ko sone dete hain," Muskaan announced.
"Hmmm. Okay," Anjali agreed. The three tiptoed out of the room quietly, not wanting to disturb the couple.
Since everyone had gone to sleep so late, they slept well into the afternoon, catching up on sleep that they'd missed during the last few days.
Armaan was the first one to wake up. The first thing he saw on opening his eyes was Riddhima's face. He sighed dreamily at that. This would be his new normal soon. Every morning, starting with Riddhima and every night, ending with her. He absolutely could not wait.
Knowing that she would still be nursing a mild hangover, he went out of the room and arranged for some lime juice for her.
He came back just in time to see Riddhima open her eyes. He sat on the bed and bent down to kiss her forehead. "Good morning," he greeted.
"Ahhh!" Riddhima exclaimed, holding her head in her hands. "Iss morning mein good kya hai?" She asked him.
Armaan laughed loudly on hearing her.
"Ssshhh!" She reprimanded. "Dheere. Mera sar phat raha hai."
"Sorry, Jaan," he replied softly. "Yeh lo," he said, giving her the lime juice with another tablet. "It'll make you feel better."
Riddhima took the tablet and gulped it down with the juice. Once she was done, he took the glass from her and got up from the bed, giving his hand to her to take.
"What?" She asked, confused.
"Chalo, freshen up. You'll feel better after a shower," he told her.
Riddhima shook her head. "Armaan... Mera bohot sar dukh raha hai. Abhi mujhe kahin nahi jaana."
"Baby," Armaan sighed. "Agar bed pe padi rahi, toh saara din nikal jaayega but you'll still feel low. Chalo, naha lo, take a warm shower. Phir hum thoda breakfast karenge toh it'll make you feel better. I promise."
"Armaan," Riddhima whined.
"Basket," Armaan replied. "I promise, it'll be okay. Chalo, utho."
After a lot of pleading and Armaan not budging, Riddhima finally gave in and took a shower, which did make her feel better. She got dressed in loose clothes, which allowed her to breathe better and went to look for Armaan.
She found him in the living room of their suite. He'd also taken a shower and changed into shorts & a tee while she was getting ready.
"Better?" He asked her, taking her in his arms and kissing the top of her head.
Riddhima nodded, snuggling closer to him.
"Good, chalo. Let's get breakfast," Armaan said.
The couple made their way downstairs to the restaurant, where Armaan loaded Riddhima's plate with some light food and his own with lots of greasy food, making Riddhima laugh.
"What?" He asked, affronted. "I'm on vacation. I'm allowed to gorge."
"Maine toh kuch kaha hi nahi," Riddhima replied.
"Basket," Armaan warned.
"Achcha, baba. Fine. Ab kha lein?" She asked.
Armaan nodded.
They took a seat in the far corner of the restaurant, away from the crowd with some peace and quiet, the only sound being that of the waves.
They ate in silence for the first few minutes, the food making Riddhima feel a whole lot better. When she was sure her head wouldn't crack into two, just because of the slightest whisper, she asked, "Armaan, kal kya hua?"
Armaan looked at her and then chuckled. "Kya hua? Jaana, yeh poocho ki kya nahi hua! Tum phir poori talli ho gayi thi!"
"Oh, no!" Riddhima exclaimed, holding her head.
"Oh, yes, baby!" Armaan replied. "Aur uske baad toh tumhe rokna impossible. Waise, kal jo hua... Last time se toh better hi tha. Lekin pol toh tumne phir kholi. Bas, iss baar apni."
"What?" Riddhima asked, confused.
"Simar Aunty ko tumne hi kaha tha na? Lyla aur Rahul ki baat chalane?" Armaan questioned.
"Haan," Riddhima replied. "Mujhe laga tha shaadi ki baat se Rahul Muskaan ke paas..." She trailed off. "Lekin tumhe kaise pata?"
"Mujhe hi nahi, sabko pata hai. In fact, Rahul ko bhi pata hai. Tumne hi toh bataya tha. Kal raat ko," Armaan told her.
"Shit!" Riddhima exclaimed. "Aur? Aur kya bola maine?"
"Kuch khaas nahi. Bas, Rahul pe tumne jo 1-2 pranks khele woh bata diye. Uske alawa toh tum generally badi khush thi kyuki Rahul Muskaan, Atul Anjy aur Yuvi Naina ki love story kaafi achchi track pe chal rahi hai," Armaan told her.
"Oh, thank god!" Riddhima replied.
"Waise, mujhe pata nahi tha ki tumne humaare future ki itni saari planning kar rakhi hai. Aur... Yeh bhi nahi pata tha ki tum shaadi ke liye itni zyada excited ho. Matlab... Excited ho mujhe pata hai, but so much? Not bad, Basket," Armaan teased, because of course he did. How could he let this golden opportunity slide away?
"Wh... What?" Riddhima stammered, blushing badly.
"Haan," Armaan replied. "Matlab, tumhe itni jaldi hai mujhe bilkul idea nahi tha. Kal raat ko 12 baje tum chaahti thi ki main Papa ko phone karke boldu ki engagement ekdum jaldi se ho jaaye."
Riddhima blushed even deeper and looked away, not knowing what to say. She was excited about the wedding. There was no question about it. Their journey had been through so many ups and downs and now, things were finally settling down, so of course she wanted to move forward in life. With Armaan.
"Kal toh bohot late ho gaya tha toh maine Father - In - Law ko pareshan nahi kiya, lekin tum chaahti ho toh main abhi phone mar deta hu. Bolunga, sasurjee, please! Shaadi jaldo karwa dijiye. Aapki beti se ab aur intezaar nahi hota!" Armaan said, causing Riddhima to blush even more, which Armaan hadn't thought was possible.
"Armaan!" Riddhima scolded, swatting his arm.
Armaan chuckled at her embarrassment and pulled her into a hug, kissing her temple.
Pulling back, he kept his fingers on her chin, making her look up at him. "Mujhe bhi bohot jaldi hai, Basket," he told her sincerely, his voice oozing passion.
Riddhima blushed and hugged him tight. Armaan smiled at her actions and put his arms around her, pulling her close to him.
After eating, they took a stroll around the hotel gardens, walking up to the small fort that was attached to the hotel premises. They sat there, looking at the sea, not saying anything.
All the peace and quiet, the sombre mood, helped soothe Riddhima's headache and after half an hour of sitting there, she was absolutely fine.
They clicked a few pictures at the fort, making goofy faces and teasing each other, each photograph funnier than the last, and then made their way back to the rooms, hoping that their friends had woken up.
The gang took it easy for the rest of the day, having partied hard the night before. So, they all lounged by the pool for the majority of the day, soaking in the sun and water together. No games were played because everyone was still nursing a hangover apart from Armaan and Keerti. So, the two were left to look after Navneeta and Samrat while their nanny took a nap.
While Navneeta and Keerti sat with their legs in the pool, catching up, Armaan sat on one of the pool chairs with Samrat in his arms. The two boys seemed to be having a gala time together as Armaan did something or the other to make Samrat laugh, his giggles echoing across the pool side, making the entire gang smile.
"Waise, Ridzy," Muskaan said, "teri toh life set hai, yaar. Yeh Hero toh bachchon ke saath bhi itna achcha hai! Aur khana toh woh itna tasty banata hi hai. Shaadi ke baad tujhe toh kisi cheez ki tension hi nahi!"
Riddhima blushed as Anjy & Nikki giggled at Muskaan's words.
"Really, Riddhima," Nikki added. "Armaan toh ab poora family man bann gaya hai. Ekdum house husband material. Uss din, woh Abhi ke saath koi stupid video game khelne ghar aaya tha, toh jaane se pehle usne meri safaai karne mein bhi help ki thi. Woh, kameena, mera pati toh bahana banake so gaya ki hospital mein bohot kaam tha toh thak gaya hu. Lekin Armaan ne meri poori help ki sab wind up karne mein."
"Awww," Anjy cooed. "Matlab... Jeeju abhi se tayyari kar rahe hain, shaadi ke baad ki."
"Di!" Riddhima whined.
The girls all laughed at Riddhima's embarrassment.
"Aap log kyu mujhe pareshaan kar rahe ho? Main dekh rahi hu. Aajkal toh kuch zyada hi ho raha hai," Riddhima complained.
The girls giggled.
"Ab, Ridzy, itna sharmati toh tu hi hai. Aur sab exciting cheezen bhi teri life mein ho rahi hai, toh tujhe hi pareshaan karenge na," Muskaan laughed.
"Kyu? Nikki ko bhi toh baby hone wala hai," Riddhima replied.
"Woh toh hai. Lekin, kya haina, Ridzy main teri tarah nahi hu jo har choti cheez pe waise tamatar ki tarah laal ho jaaye, toh mujhe pareshan karke kahaan inn logon ko mazaa aayega," Nikki explained.
"Right," Anjali agreed. "Aur waise bhi Nikki ke mood swings handle karne ki patience hum mein se kisi mein nahi hai."
"Hello, ladies," Armaan greeted, "kya ho raha hai?"
"Hi, Jeeju," Anjali replied. "Bas aapki hi baatein ho rahi thi," she teased as Armaan blushed.
"Awww. Hero, koi kaam tha? Ya bas Ridzy ko yaad kar raha tha?" Muskaan asked, adding more fuel to the fire.
"Waise, Armaan, main clear kardu, ki abhi Ridzy humaare saath baithi hai toh woh there saath kahin nahi jaa rahi," Nikki added.
"Ho gaya tum logon ka?" Armaan asked, annoyed. "Main kuch bolu?"
"Humne kab mana kiya. Bol na," Muskaan answered.
"Sapna aur Amit aa gaye hain, toh un dono ko rooms dikhake aa raha hu. Aur, Samrat mere saath hi hai, agar Dr. Keerti ya Dr. Shubhankar pooche toh bata dena. Bas, yehi keh na tha," he told the girls, making a face.
"Okay," they all replied in unison.
"Waise," Nikki said, "agar bas yehi baat thi toh tu kisiko bhi bata sakta tha. Yahaan kyu aaya? Rahul toh tere paas hi baitha tha na."
"Arre, Nikki Bhabhi," Naina said, "samjha karo! Riddhima Di haina yahaan! Isliye toh aaye hain, humaare Armaan Jeeju."
"Yaar, tum logon ko seriously aur koi kaam nahi hai kya?" Armaan cribbed.
"Nahi hai," Anjali, Nikki, and Muskaan replied in unison.
"Waise, hum itne bure bhi nahi hain. I'm sure tu Ridzy ko bohot miss kar raha hoga toh tujhe 2 minute diye. Jaa, jee le apni zindagi. Tu bhi kya yaad rakhega, kis dildaar se paala pada tha," Nikki boasted. And then, all the girls turned their heads around and closed their eyes, giving the couple a false sense of privacy.
Riddhima blushed, but Armaan just grinned at his friends' stupidity. They were all so cute.
Nevertheless, he wasn't going to let this chance go, so, he bent down to Riddhima's level and whispered that he loved her right against her skin, biting her earlobe, causing her to shiver. Then, he placed a lingering kiss on Riddhima's cheek.
Seeing him do that, Samrat also sprang ahead, placing a sloppy kiss on Riddhima's cheek, making the couple laugh. Riddhima kissed Samrat's cheek loudly, blowing a raspberry against his skin making him giggle.
Armaan moved forward, showing Riddhima his cheek, asking for a kiss, and Riddhima obliged, smiling widely.
"Ho gaya?" Muskaan asked, turning around and breaking the moment.
"Haan haan, ho gaya," Armaan replied making a face. He got up and walked away, muttering something to Samrat, making all the girls laugh.
"Kyu usse pareshaan kar rahe the?" Riddhima asked once Armaan was out of earshot.
"Oyye hoyye! Dekho toh. Pareshaan toh Armaan ko kiya, lekin aag yahaan lagi hai," Muskaan teased. "Dono ke dono aise ekdum Heer Ranjha type behave karte ho aur hum chidhaate hain toh humse hi poochte ho ki kyu pareshaam kar rahe hain. Waah!"
Riddhima just blushed and hid her face in her palms.
Here, Armaan reached the reception and asked about Amit.
"Uh, excuse me? Amit ya Sapna Mehta aaye honge, mere baare mein poochne. Uh, Armaan Mallik," he told the receptionist.
"Uh, yes sir. Aaye the," the receptionist, Taran replied. He looked around the lobby and pointed at Amit. "Woh... woh rahe," he said.
"Thank you," Armaan replied.
"Amit?" Armaan asked, keeping a hand on the man's shoulder, making him turn around.
"Armaan!" Amit exclaimed. "Kaise ho?"
Armaan smiled. "Main toh theek hu. Tum batao. How's life?" He asked.
"Bas badhiya," Amit replied, hugging Armaan.
"Waise, yeh itna cute baby kiska hai?" Amit asked Armaan, trying to take Samrat in his arms, but Samrat shied away, hiding his face in Armaan's neck.
Armaan chuckled, mussing Samrat's hair lightly. "Sorry, Amit! Lagta hai Samrat sir aaj mood mein nahi hai, warna toh yeh sabke saath bohot achche se ghul - mil jaata hai."
"Yaar, bada cute hai. Lekin, Sapna ne toh mujhe nahi bataya ki tumhari shadi ho gayi hai. I mean... tunhaari aur Riddhima ki official engagement bhi nahi hui haina ab tak? Toh phir baby?" Amit asked. Seeing how familiar the baby was with Armaan, Amit assumed that he was Armaan's son.
Armaan guffawed listening to Amit.
"Hans kyu rahe ho, yaar?" Amit asked.
"Hey, Armaan!" Sapna greeted, coming to stand beside the two boys. She'd gone to the washroom while Amit called Armaan.
"Hey, Sapna!" Armaan replied, hugging her.
"Sapna! Tum apne iss dost se poocho ki isne tumhe yeh kyu nahi bataya ki yeh ab Papa bann chuke hain," Amit complained.
"Papa?!?" Sapna asked, surprised.
Amit gestured to Samrat who was clinging tightly to Armaan.
"Sapna, meet humaare cute se, Samrat Rai. Tunhaara husband na, bohot easily kuch bhi soch leta hai. Upar se explain karne ka mauka bhi nahi deta," Armaan replied.
"Rai?" Amit asked, absolutely confused.
"Haan. Rai. Dr. Keerti aur Dr. Shubhankar ka beta hai. Mera nahi," Armaan explained.
"Ohhh! Sorry!" Amit apologized, smiling sheepishly.
"It's okay, yaar. Hota hai. Chalo, let's go," Armaan replied.
"Haan, chalo!" Sapna said. "Mujhe sabse milna hai."
The two men laughed at her excitement.
"Um, so, I hope you guys don't mind lekin boys aur girls alag reh rahe hain cause, you know, ab tak kisi ki shaadi nahi hui hai. Bas, Dr. Shubhankar aur Dr. Keerti ka alag room hai because of the kids," Armaan explained.
"Arre, usme kya problem. Ab, friends ke saath aaye hain, toh enjoy toh karenge hi," Amit replied.
"Great!" Armaan said.
"Lekin, Armaan, Abhi aur Nikki toh married haina... phir?" Sapna asked.
"Phir kya? Nikki ke aage uss Moody ki chalti hai? Tujhe aisa lagta hai? Usne toh keh diya, mujhe girls ke saath rehna hai. Bas. Ho gaya faisla," Armaan said.
Sapna laughed. "Nikki na, ab main kya kahu?"
The day that everyone found out that Armaan had proposed, Sapna had spent the entire day at the hospital and in the process gotten to know Nikki, of only a little. But, even she could tell how Nikki was when it came to such things, especially with Abhi.
The trio made small talk on their way to the rooms and Armaan showed them around.
"So, this is it! I hope it's all good," he asked.
"Cool!" Amit replied.
"Awesome. So, why don't you guys freshen up and come downstairs? Kal raat party thodi lambi chali thi toh aaj sab bas poolside pe pade hue hain," Armaan laughed.
Sapna who knew just how rowdy these people could get nodded in understanding. "Fine, fine," she said. "Tum sab relax karo. Main aur Amit thode time mein aate hain."
"Okay, then! See you!" Armaan said his goodbyes and left.
Amit and Sapna shared a smile before going into their respective rooms. This was going to be an amazing vacation, Amit knew, even though he'd just gotten here. And he was so very excited!
xxx
Frankly, I'm not particularly happy with this chapter but Armaan & Sammy together as so freaking cute! <333333
Lemme know how y'all like it! :D
Pati Patni Aur Panga
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
216