ILYLTF #5 (Chapter 145 - Page 110) - Page 23

Ohhh. All the best! Hopefully you'll start again soon! :)

Chapter 94

"Ummmm… What?" Armaan & Riddhima sputtered in unison. "What did you just say?" Armaan continued. 

"You're getting engaged today," Rahul repeated. 

"Today? As in, today today?" Riddhima asked. 

"Yes, Riddhu. Today. Now. In a few hours," Rahul explained patiently. 

"What?" Armaan & Riddhima cried once again. 

"Haan," Anjali said. "Kyu? Koi problem hai?" 

"Nahi!" They both answered, a little too quickly, making the gang chuckle. 

Riddhima blushed and looked down. These people were such idiots. Even in such a situation, they couldn't stop teasing. 

"Di… Woh aise achanak?" She asked. 

"Achanak kahaan, Ridzy? Armaan ne toh tujhe already propose kar diya haina," Anjali replied.

"Haan. Lekin… Yeh… I mean… Maine bilkul expect hi nahi kiya tha," Riddhima said. 

"Exactly!" Armaan seconded. "Tum ab aisa bomb fodoge toh koi bhi shock ho jaayega."

"Uh… Guys, woh… Actually… Pichli baar… Um… Pichli baar jo hua uske baad, Dr. Shashank aur Billy Uncle ko laga ki tum dono ko kuch batana nahi chahiye. You know… Kyuki unhe lagta hai, and I quote, jab bhi tum dono ko pata hota hai ki kuch hone wala hai, tum sab gadbad kar dete ho. Already do baar kuch na kuch galat ho chuka hai. Isliye iss baar kisiko koi issues nahi chahiye the. Toh humne socha ki…" Nikki trailed off. 

"Ki humein batao hi mat!" Armaan finished for her. The gang nodded. 

"Armaan…" Atul said. "Tujhe… Tujhe bura laga kya? Humne tum dono se pooche bina yeh sab kiya?"

"Oyye!" Muskaan jumped to their defense. "Isme bura lagne wali kya baat hai? Ek toh humne sab unke liye kiya. Unki engagement ke liye. Aur upar se… Ab yeh log humein attitude bhi de rahe hain!"

"Thand rakh, Muskaan!" Rahul told her, not wanting to agitate Armaan and Riddhima further. What they'd just revealed was bound to come as a huge shock to them both. Of course, they needed some time to process. 

"Look," Abhi finally spoke up. "Armaan, Riddhima. Agar tum dono comfortable nahi ho, toh main, Anjali aur Rahul jaake abhi Dr. Shashank aur Mr. Mallik se baat karte hain. We'll figure it out."

"No, no!" Armaan cried immediately. "Iski koi zaroorat nahi hai!" 

"Waah, Hero! Badi jaldi hai tujhe engagement ki!" Muskaan teased. 

"Armaan!" Riddhima scolded, blushing.

“Okay, but, jokes aside,” Rahul said, “Humein pata hai ki ekdum se yeh news… thodi shocking hai. Maine kaha tha Shashank Uncle se ki ek baar tum dono se baat karle, lekin unhone toh bilkul meri baat hi nahi suni. Do baar aisa ho gaya, toh woh toh bilkul convinced the ki sab gadbad isliye hui kyuki tum dono ko pehle se pata tha, aur agar tumhe pata nahi hoga toh engagement iss baar achche se ho jaayegi.

Lekin, woh tum dono pressure nahi karna chaahte. Toh agar tum dono abhi ready nahi ho, toh bata sakte ho. Koi darne waali baat nahi hai. Thoda time le lo, ek doosre se baat karke, soch samajhke jawab dena, okay?”

Armaan & Riddhima looked at each other and gave him a curt nod. 

“Okay!” Rahul exclaimed, clapping his hands once. “Let’s go!” Saying so, he ushered Armaan & Riddhima upstairs to an empty room.

“Take your time,” Rahul reiterated. “No pressure.”

The couple nodded meekly. Rahul smiled at them and then left, closing the door behind him. As soon as he did it, Armaan turned to Riddhima, a huge grin lighting up his face. “Are we doing this?” He asked her.

“We’re doing this!” She confirmed.

Hysterical laughter bubbled out of the both of them at the proclamation and Armaan wasted no time in gathering Riddhima up in his arms. “We’re getting engaged!” He shrieked, spinning them around in quick circles. 

“Armaan!” Riddhima shrieked, holding onto him with all her might. 

He stopped and gently put her back on her feet. Cupping her face in both his hands he rested his forehead on hers and said those words again, this time a soft whisper, meant for only her, only them, and no one else. “We’re getting engaged.”

Riddhima looked at him, her eyes full of unshed tears and saw that his were gleaming too. He placed a gentle, lingering kiss on her forehead and pulled her into a hug, his arms winding around her tight as they could, as if he was hiding her in there. She snuggled into him, close as she could get and kissed his chest, just above his heart and then rested her head there. 

“Are you sure?” Riddhima asked Armaan. “I mean, iss tarah achanak.”

“Of course, Basket! I am 200% sure,” Armaan replied. Then, he added, “Wait, are you sure?”

His only answer was a swat on his back, which he took to mean that he was stupid to even consider she wasn’t ready for this, and that was exactly what Riddhima meant.

A few minutes later, Riddhima pulled back. Armaan looked at her in confusion but she shook her head and took his hand in hers, leading her towards the door.

“Kahaan?” Armaan asked.

“Armaan! Bahaar, aur kahaan? Sabko batana bhi toh haina,” Riddhima replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, which it was.

“Ohhhh!” Armaan said, looking all mischief and pranks.

“Armaan…” Riddhima tried to warn him, but he cut her off.

“Shhhhh,” Armaan ordered. “Arre! Un sabne humse itni badi baat chupayi hai. Thoda toh unhe bhi sehna padega na.”

“Armaan!” Riddhima scolded.

“Kya, yaar, Basket! Thoda toh mazaa lene do. Tum hamesha aise teacher kyu ban jaati ho?” Armaan whined. “Please! Please! Please!” 

“Fine!” Riddhima agreed, exasperated.

“Good!” Armaan cheered.

Riddhima thought that they’d just lounge in the room for a while before telling everyone that they were getting engaged, but just as they were turning, chattering started from outside the door. 

Curious, Armaan moved to the door and opened it just a smidge to see their friends standing outside, looking completely tensed.

“Woh log aaj engagement kar lenge, right?” Muski was the first one to ask.

“Haan, Muski! Itni tension mat le,” Anjali replied.

“Guys. Agar nahi maane toh?” Atul question.

“Oyye! Idiot. Chup reh,” Rahul instructed. “Maan jaayenge.”

“Lekin nahi maane toh?” Nikki persisted.

“Toh kya? Sab party karenge aur ghar chale jaayenge,” Abhi replied, trying to soothe her.

“Noooooo!” Nikki whined. “I want them to get engaged!”

“Me too!” Anjali added.

“Me three!” Muski piped in.

“I think hum sab yeh hi chaahte hain,” Rahul intervened. “But, guys. Please. Koi bhi un dono ko force nahi karega.”

“Arre but…” Atul started.

“Champ,” Rahul reprimanded.

“Haan,” Abhi agreed. “Rahul sahi keh raha hai. Please tum log thoda control mein raho.” He looked pointedly towards Nikki, Muskaan, Atul, and for a good measure, at Anjali, too.

“Lekin…” Nikki tried to say something.

“Tum mein se kisine kuch ulta - seedha kiya toh sabki 2 hafte tak double duty. I swear,” Abhi threatened.

The gang looked at Abhi, absolutely scandalized but he just shrugged as if he didn't give a damn about what they thought. Which was, of course, absolutely true. 

"Awwww," Riddhima murmured from behind the door where the couple was stealthily watching all of this unfold. "They're so cute."

"Hmmmm," Armaan agreed noncommittally. 

"Armaan!" She whined. 

"Kya?" He asked, annoyed. 

"Dekho na. Yeh sab kitni tension mein hain. Hum kyu yeh sab kar rahe hai? Chalo na. Batate hain!" She said. 

Armaan just shook his head in denial. 

"Tum na… Tum ek number ke idiot ho. Jo karna hai karo. Main toh jaa rahi hu," she told him, trying to open the door wider to move out. 

"Basket!" Armaan whisper shouted. "Abhi nahi!"

"Abhi hi," Riddhima countered. "Tum apne yeh stupid ideas apne paas rakho. Samjhe?" 

Not giving him a chance to protest again, she tugged on the handle with all her might. The door opened with a jerk and slammed into Armaan. "Ow!!" He exclaimed loudly, keening over. Riddhima gave a weak chuckle before going outside, Armaan following her, still holding his stomach. 

The gang all looked up, startled, at the sudden commotion, to see Riddhima standing there, with Armaan close behind. 

"Hi!" Riddhima greeted them cheerily. 

"Hi!" The rest of the gang chorussed, looking at the couple with heartbreakingly hopeful expressions. 

"So…" Riddhima trailed off. 

"So?" Anjali prodded, catching hold of Riddhima's hands in her own. 

"Uh…" Riddhima looked around, wanting to keep them waiting a little longer. This was fun. 

"Ridzy! Please yeh stupid game mat khel. Jaldi bata!" Nikki ordered. 

"Haan, Ridzy! Hum kabse wait kar rahe hain!" Muskaan whined. 

"Aur upar se yeh… Dr. Modi. Bohot khadoos hai. Ridz, please, yaar! Batana!" Atul added. 

"Oh! Dr. Joshi! Tameez se. Senior hu aapka," Abhi butt in. 

"Tum sab usse bolne doge toh bolegi na!" Rahul cried. "Jabse apni hi bakwaas kiye jaa rahe ho! Shut up! All of you!" 

Turning to Riddhima, he added, "Tu bol."

Riddhima blushed and looked down, suddenly aware of all the eyes on her. Armaan smiled at her actions fondly and stepped forward. He wound his arms around her waist seeing as Anjali was still holding her hand and kissed the top of her head. "We're getting engaged, you guys!" He murmured softly. 

The gang broke into celebration. Hugs and cheers and shouts abound, but Armaan and Riddhima only seemed to have eyes for each other. For a change, no one seemed to mind. For now, at least. 

A few minutes of shouting and screaming and squealing later, the gang finally realized what was happening and smirked at each other. In unison, they opened their arms (yes, even Abhi, because Nikki glared at him) and cried out, “ISHQ HAYYE!!”

A startled Armaan & Riddhima looked at each other and then at their friends, with Armaan glaring at them while Riddhima blushed. “Hum dono tumhe Dr. Keerti aur Dr. Shubhankar dikhte hain kya?” Armaan asked irritably,

“Harkatein toh unke jaisi hi haina tumhaari bhi,” Atul replied.

“Exactly,” Anjali seconded. “Ab ek doosre ko ghoorna band karo aur chalo.”

“Kahaan?” Armaan questioned.

“Yeh… Inn kapdon mein karoge engagement?” Nikki fired back,

Armaan shrugged.

“Shut up, Armaan!” Muskaan shouted.

“Yaar, maine toh kuch bola bhi nahi,” Armaan pouted.

“Tu kya bolne wala tha na… sabko pata hai. Tu zyada oversmart mat ban,” Muskaan told him.

“Yes,” Anjali added. “Ab tum apne raaste, hum apne. Ridzy ko ready karna hai, khud bhi ready hona hai. Humein toh thoda time lagega, boys. Tab tak tum sab bhi iss bandar Armaan ko tayyar kardo. And please… he should look good, samjhe?”

“Of course, Anjali,” Atul replied promptly. “Armaan bohot achcha lagega. Pakka.”

The other boys laughed at this but shut up when their respective partners glared at them. Clearing his throat, Rahul said, “Anjy! Don’t worry. Sab achche se hoga. You guys focus on Riddhima, okay?”

Anjali nodded and the girls all crowded around Riddhima, pulling her away. As Riddhima went with them, she looked at Armaan who was staring right back at her, his eyes shining with love and anticipation. He mouthed an ‘I love you’ to her as she turned around the corner, causing her to grin and return the words before disappearing with the other girls.

Armaan just smiled widely and shook his head. Rahul clapped his back and Armaan looked up to see him sporting a sh** eating grin on his face. “What?” Armaan asked.

“You know what,” Rahul replied. 

Armaan refused to answer and just shrugged. “You know what?” Abhi intervened. “Main bohot thak gaya hu. Chalo room mein chalke thoda rest karte hain.”

Atul agreed and the two moved towards the room but stopped when they saw that Rahul was still holding Armaan in place. 

“Oyye! Kya hua?” Atul asked.

“Champ… tu aur Abhi jao. Mujhe Armaan se thoda kaam hai,” Rahul replied.

“Ab kya kaam hai?” Atul whined.

“Haina kuch. Tu jaa!” Rahul reprimanded.

“Mujhe bhi toh bata. Sirf Armaan ko hi batayega kya?” Atul questioned.

“Arre! Tu kitne sawaal karta hai! Engagement ke liye ready hone se pehle Armaan ko thoda warm up karwana hai. Tu chalega? Yahaan AC wale hotel room ko chodke dhoop mein?” Rahul asked.

Atul immediately shook his head. “Nahi, nahi. Tum log jao. Mujhe toh nahi jaana.”

“Kahaan?” Armaan asked, all confused, once Abhi & Atul had left.

Rahul ran a hand through Armaan’s unkempt locks in answer. “Yeh dekh,” he said. “Kitne uneven aur rough ho gaye hain. Haircut karake aate hain.”

“Seriously?” Armaan questioned.

“Seriously,” Rahul answered. “Tere liye appointment already le li hai. Bas 1 ghante mein aa jaayenge.”

“Fine!” Armaan agreed.

“Good boy!” Rahul cried, ruffling Armaan’s hair. “Chal phir.”

Quietly, Armaan followed Rahul outside the hotel.

Here, in Riddhima’s room, the girls were laughing and giggling as Riddhima sat in a chair, getting her hair and makeup done. 

“Aap log yeh batao, ki itni jaldi sab kuch plan kaise kiya?” Riddhima asked, bewildered.

“Isme itna surprise kyu ho rahi hai?” Anjali asked. “Kuch zyada toh karna tha nahi. Tujhe pata hai… yeh sab planning toh kaafi time se chal rahi hai. Rahul ne woh Kasauli ke tickets bas ainvayi gift nahi kiye the.”

“What?!” Riddhima cried, surprised.

“Haan,” Muskaan said. "Actually… Starting se toh hum sabko bhi nahi pata tha. Rahul keh raha tha ki woh Kasauli wala idea toh usse Ananya Aunty ne diya tha jab woh yacht party ki baat chal rahi thi toh. Phir usne Dr. Shashank se baat ki toh woh bhi turant maan gaye, aur ulta yeh kaha ki tum dono ke saath - saath hum bhi ho aayein."

"Yeah," Nikki continued. "Woh toh hum sab Goa se Mumbai aaye tab humein pata chala ki yahaan peeche se itni planning chal rahi thi. Jab hum nahi the toh venue, caterer wagerah toh sab almost finalize hi ho chuka tha. Humaare aane ke baad unhone humse suggestions liye, aur fir humne tum dono se, aur sab fix ho gaya!"

"Wow," Riddhima muttered, amazed. 

"Yes, my darling lil sister! Wow!" Anjali repeated. "Dad aur Billy Uncle ne bohot mehnat ki taaki sab kuch time pe ho jaaye. Actually, Dad ne toh tabse thodi - thodi preparation start kardi thi jabse Armaan ne unhe woh proposal ke baare mein bataya. Aur uss din, jab Billy Uncle aur Annie Aunty dinner ke liye ghar aaye the, jis din Armaan ne tujhe propose kiya tha… Toh Dad ne sabko apne plan ke baare mein bata diya. Bas, tabse sab preparation chal rahi hai."

Riddhima couldn't stop the tears that fell from her eyes after that. Her family loved her so much. She'd always known that they did, never doubted their love, ever. But this… Planning something this grand? She'd never thought someone other than Armaan could put so much thought into surprising her. But her family had. And it made her so very happy and content. It was overwhelming, to say the least. 

"Eh! Ridzy! Aaj toh happy day hai. Aaj no tears, okay?" Muskaan said, wiping them off. 

"Haan. Warna woh mushtanda Armaan hum sabki class le lega," Nikki added, trying to lighten the mood.

Riddhima giggled at that and girls shared a hug. 

"Woh sab chod. Dekh, tera engagement card. Waise… I know ki tujhe bohot pasand hai yeh design, but phone pe photo dekhna aur actual card dekhna bohot alag hote haina," Anjali commented, showing Riddhima the invitation card they'd gotten printed for the ceremony today.

"Wow!!" Riddhima exclaimed. "Sach mein toh aur bhi zyada achcha hai."

"I know!" Anjali cried. "Ab… meri Ridzy ki engagement mein sab kuch ekdum best hona chahiye na?" 

Riddhima blushed at that and looked down. "Awwwww!" The girls chorussed. 

"Aap log hamesha mujhe pareshaan karte rehte ho!" Riddhima whined. 

"Kaun kar raha hai meri beti ko pareshaan?" Shashank's voice boomed through the room before the girls could say anything. 

Riddhima looked at her dad and rushed to him, hugging him tight. "Papa!" She murmured. 

Shashank, understanding just how overwhelmed she was feeling at the moment, smiled and hugged her, gently rubbing her back. Padma, Nani, Ananya, and Billy looked at the duo with fondness, letting them have their moment. 

It wasn't easy for Shashank, they knew. Riddhima was his little girl, the apple of his eye, and she was taking a huge step in her life, a step that would eventually lead her to leaving him. Today, it would make it official. Someone other than Shashank would be number one for her, and of course, as a father, that had to hurt. But they also knew that Shashank admired Armaan a lot and he knew that Armaan would look after Riddhima the way he had for all these years, probably better, and that there was no one better than Armaan for his Riddhima.

Shashank pulled back a minute later and wiped the tears from Riddhima's eyes. 

“So! Riddhima! Bachche. Khush haina aap?” He asked, cupping her face with both of his hands.

Riddhima nodded shyly. Shashank smiled and kissed her forehead. “Good.”

Riddhima just looked down, not knowing what to say. Shashank stepped back, letting Padma, Ananya, and Nani pull Riddhima into a hug.

“Dekho toh! Meri beti aaj kitni khush hai!” Nani commented. She caressed Riddhima’s head and then stepped back as well.

Ananya and Padma both kissed her forehead before Billy moved in, pulling Riddhima into a tight hug. “Aaj main bohot khush hu,” he said. “Meri beti mere ghar aane ke ek kadam nazdeek jo aa gayi hai.”

Riddhima smiled and blushed at his words. Turning to the girls, he added, “Dekho, girls. Aaj meri Riddhima uss chuchunder Armaan se zyada achchi lagni chahiye, samjhe? Sabko pata toh chalna chahiye ki uske level ke kitne upar jump maari hai usne.”

Riddhima knew he was just teasing to get a rise out of her, and any other time she would have taken the bait, but today she was a little too busy blushing to say anything.

“Bhaisaab… Aap rehne dijiye. Humaara Armaan kisise kam nahi hai,” Padma commented.

“Okay, okay, okay! Ab aap sab please humein thoda time denge? Sabko ready hona hai,” Anjali stepped in.

“Oh! Sorry, Anjali!” Shashank apologized. “Hum sab baad mein aayenge. Chalo ab bachchiyon ko tayyar hone dete hain.”

The others murmured in agreement and left. Once the room was free of the elders, the girls all started prepping again, all of them helping Riddhima with something or the other. Nikki was ironing out the last of the creases from her dupatta while Muski painted her nails and Anjali helped her select her jewelry. In the next two hours, the girls helped each other and got ready for the ceremony, talking and bickering.

In the boys’ room, Armaan & Rahul came back an hour and a half later with Armaan sporting a gorgeous haircut - his hair all soft and shiny, and looking fuller. Abhi immediately pushed him into the bathroom, wanting him to take a shower before putting on his sherwani. Since the boys didn’t have as much to do as the girls, they got dressed in the next hour, just in time for the ceremony to start.

As they exited the room, on their way to the banquet where the engagement was being held, Rahul threw his arm around Armaan’s shoulder and asked in a whisper, “Ready?”

Armaan merely nodded, not knowing how to put it in words. He’d never been more ready for anything in his life. 

xxxxxx

Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, and also sorry ki yeh engagement ka chapter nahi hai! But, I thought showing all this was also important, so deal with it. :p

Waise another reason is also that I don't know what exactly to show at the engagement, so gimme some ideas, apart from a dance cause that's obviously a given. Uske alawa kya? And maybe if you wanna suggest songs for the dance, that's also cool.

And y'all better appreciate this because it took me forever to upload this chapter. My browser/laptop is acting up for some reason and the page wouldn't load! So, it took me 1.5 hours to put this up! UGHHHH!

So, yeah! Don't forget to comment, okay?

Res

Unresed

Amazing update... So shanky aise surprise bhi dete hai.. Kya baat hai... Waise toh i hate him the most during SADMA track..matlab itna sab kuch hone k baad bhi he found sid perfect for ridhima..  I was really mad at him that tym upar se he has that audacity to ask armaan to set everything ok between them.. Chalo yahan kuch toh accha kia

Love love love that AR lil moment..  Hahahaha abhi toh bossgiri karne laga re... 

And then when everyone sang ISHQ HAYYE even my reaction was exactly same like armaan😆

Yup..finnally you update... Arman and ridhima to sock se engagement ki bat sunake, rahul ne un dono ko time diya... And yes we know their answer... Love AR moments... Aha gang bhhi bahut utawali he unaka decision janane k liye..and yes their are ready to give their relationship a official name... 

Love the bonding which ridhima share with every member of family... Finally they are going to engage... 

Thanks for this, and please now update super soon... 

Riddhima k aage Armaan ki to ittusi bhi nahi chalti...Arre bhai gng ne itna bada bomb foda hai unk engagement ka to unpe bhi ek chotu sa prank to banta tha...Lekin Riddhima ka to Hitler mode always on hota hai aur Armaan to uski baat taal hi nahi sakta...

AR ki excitement to unk behavior se saaf dikhayee de rahi thi...Finally ab unk pyaar k rishtey to ek naam milnewala hai...

Shashank ne bhi khub logic lagaya taaki abki baar AR ki engagement mein koi bhi mushikil na aaye...Jinki engagement hai unse hi ye baat chupakr rakhi...

Lekin jo bhi Shashank n baaki family members ne kiya vo sirf is lie ki they love AR sooo much n nahi chahte ki is baar koi bhi problem unki khushiyo k bich aaye n is lie unhe jo sahi laga vo unhone kiya...

Thanks for the pm...Update was awesome..Enjoyed n loved it so much...And one more thing AR's engagement card design was very beautiful...

Eagerly waiting for the next part...Do cont soon..❤️❤️❤️

Loved the update especially the excitement of engagement

Finally an update . Thanks dea. Next part should be a big one plleashh....also u can get ridz sing a sing for armaan. Common everytime armaan signs a song. This time even let ridz sing a song for armaan.  Also a conversation of AR alone after the engagement. 

Kitna res? Kabhi seedhe comment kar diya karo.

Riddhima ke saamne kabhi Armaan ki chali hai kya? Never.

AR are so excited!! I'm also so excited. Everyone is so excited. It'll be glorious!!

Shanky is a good man. Ab toh he's accepted Armaan na. So he does thoughtful stuff like this.

So happy you liked it! The engagement card took me a long time to make so, glad you like it!

SO MUCH EXCITE. YAASSSS!!