Tu Hi Meri Manzil - An Armaan Riddhima Fic

Hi guys! It's been a while. But finally back with a new AR fic! Idk if anyone will read it so I'll decide if I want to post more on the basis of the response to the first few chapters. So, please like and comment if you want to read it.

Tu Hi Meri Manzil is a second chance romance set in the world of DMG where Armaan & Riddhima dated before they started working together at Sanjeevani.

Index

Chapter One - Page 1

Chapter One

“Riddhima,” he whispered softly, his breath fanning her face in the most delicious way, sending shivers down her spine. She looked up at him, getting lost in those gorgeous blue eyes that were deeper than the ocean.

He was close. So close. Their noses touching, their foreheads joined together, their bodies flush together. Every part of her was wrapped up in him. If she moved, even to take a breath, the movement would reverberate across his body too.

She loved it. Loved being so close to him that they were basically one, because they were. She loved the way they fit, as if they were made for each other, missing pieces of a puzzle that were only complete when together. She loved the way his mouth formed the syllables of her name, rolling off his tongue as if it was made only to be uttered by him, with soft reverence and indomitable love. She loved the way his eyes reflected her own love, her hopes, her desires.

“I love you,” he murmured lowly, his lips almost brushing hers as he did so. Riddhima hummed, melting into a puddle at the declaration. It was only his arms wrapped snugly around her that allowed her to keep standing.

“I love you,” she responded, dazed. Helpless against him, always. Her words were rewarded with the most brilliant grin, crinkled eyes, and somehow a tighter hug than the before.

“I always will,” he vowed.

“I'll love you forever,” she promised in turn.

And then, just as it always had, her alarm blared loudly, jerking Riddhima awake. She sat up in bed, confused. As she took in her surroundings, she realized that she'd been dreaming. Riddhima rubbed her cheeks and hurried to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face, chasing the remnants of the dream away. But, it didn't matter how hard she tried, because she never forgot. It had been haunting her for almost a year now. And she didn't think it would ever stop.

Determined to turn her day around, she quickly changed into her tracks, going for a jog. As she mapped a familiar path, she pushed herself to focus on what was coming, not what had already passed. Today was a big day. It was her first day of internship at her dream hospital. It was the start of what she hoped would be a promising career, and a fulfilling life. There was no place for ghosts of the past now, only for the expectations of the future.

She had worked extremely hard to get where she was. Only five applications got selected from the thousands that were sent to Sanjeevani. Getting in was no joke, even if your dad was the dean. Especially, if your dad was the dean, because he expected more from you than from your peers. She had poured blood, sweat, and tears into this opportunity, and she would not let anything get in the way of it. Not even her own damn heart.

Anjali always said she was too emotional. That was true. But now, she would be cool as a cucumber. She would be rational. She would take decisions with her head and not her heart. She would give everything to her job and not spend time thinking about a stupid, failed relationship.

Everyone in the world had gotten heartbroken at one point or the other. Yet, life never stopped for any of them. And it wouldn't for her either. She would do everything to make sure of it.

With a new resolve, Riddhima made her way back home. After a quick shower, she stood in front of her wardrobe, debating what to wear. Her fingers instinctively moved to a red salwar kameez. She clenched her fist. Shaking her head, she deliberately moved past it, finally settling on a deep blue anarkali.

Once she was dressed, she turned to wake her elder sister, still surprised that Anjali had managed to sleep through her morning routine. Riddhima would never understand how Anjali never got disturbed by her constant puttering as she got ready for the day. A mystery for another day, she told herself, looking at the time. They couldn't afford to be late. After all, it was Anjali's first day at Sanjeevani too.

As always, she smacked a loud kiss against Anjali's cheek. “Subah ho gayi, Di! Jaldi utho!!” She shrieked near Anjali's ear, finally eliciting a reaction. Anjali jumped up, startled by the loud noise. As Riddhima dissolved into giggles, Anjali rolled her eyes, understanding dawning on her.

“Grow up, Ridz,” she scoffed. “Ab tum bachchi nahi rahi. Jab dekho aisi stupid harkatein karti rehti ho. You're Shashank Gupta's daughter, for God's sake! Act like it.”

Riddhima quietened at Anjali's tone, haughty as it was. She cleared her throat in an effort to not cry. Oblivious to her harsh words, Anjali went about getting ready, not giving another thought to Riddhima. It had always been like that, for as long as Riddhima could remember. She never understood why Anjali behaved like that sometimes.

They were sisters. Yet, at times it felt like Anjali hated no one in the world more than her. She would thoughtlessly say something cruel, never considering how her words might hurt. She never apologized for it either. Throughout school and college, she had also befriended kids who would bully Riddhima, laughing with them even as Riddhima cried.

Riddhima had never told anyone in the family about these things. She didn't want her father or her grandmother to worry. She also didn't want to get her sister in trouble. Because even if Anjali despised her, Riddhima loved Anjali. But, at times it was really hard. She wished someone would hug her sadness away, would make her forget her sister's cold behaviour, maybe even take the stand she herself was too scared to take. But, there was no one around. It was only Riddhima and her loneliness.

“Anjali! Riddhima!” Nani called out. “Naashta tayyaar hai!”

Riddhima hastily wiped the stray tear that had managed to fall despite her best efforts and went outside, helping Nani set the table. Anjali came out just in time for Nani to have served both of them. As Riddhima sat down to eat, Nani ran her fingers through Riddhima's hair, making Riddhima look up at her.

“Achche se khaana,” Nani said. More than an instruction, it was a comment on how Riddhima's appetite had reduced over the past few months. Riddhima smiled in acquiescence, or tried to anyway. She doubted she was successful. She tried to eat well, if only to please Nani more than anything else, but ended up swallowing only a few morsels before she started feeling nauseous.

Her stomach was a bundle of nerves. She was extremely anxious. Doubly so today, for it was her first day at work. She'd already known that to try eating more than a few bites would be an exercise in futility, but when had that ever stopped her? Exhaling sharply, Riddhima abandoned her plate, excusing herself from the dining table.

In the two minutes it took her to splash water on her face and make sure she had all her things ready - wallet, phone, keys - Anjali had already left. Riddhima sighed, disappointed but not surprised. She should have expected it, honestly. And yet, it didn't lessen the sting of being left behind by her sister yet again.

However, she had no time to dwell on her feelings. She would be late if she didn't leave immediately. Getting a taxi would be a nightmare in itself that she was not looking forward to. Times like these, she really wished she'd learnt how to drive. And that thought opened its own can of worms that she was in no position to process or address at the moment.

The gods must have taken pity on her, given the morning she'd had, for she was able to flag a taxi in record time and they breezed through all the signals, encountering minimal traffic. And then finally, she was standing in front of the place that would be her home for the foreseeable future. Sanjeevani.

She had literally willed this moment into existence with her hardwork, had manifested it in every dream, had wished for it in every prayer. And now, it was here. In that moment, nothing else mattered. It was only Riddhima and her dream coming true.

Anticipation curled in her belly as she took her first step in. The air was different inside. She could smell the disinfectant keenly. People milled about in every corner. Doctors, nurses, wardboys, going about their day. Patients and their family & friends, desperately waiting to be called out. Multiple phones kept ringing incessantly.

Riddhima hurried along the corridor, only one goal in mind. When she reached the reception, she was greeted by a jovial nurse who introduced herself as Sister Lovely. “New intern batch?” Riddhima enquired politely.

“Oh ji! Aap naye intern hain? Bada changa hai ji! Congratulations! Lekin bachke rahiyega ji. Dr. Keerti bohot hi zyada strict hain. Unse toh bhagwaan hi bachaaye!” Sister Lovely exclaimed. And then, she directed Riddhima to the locker room, where she was instructed to keep all her belongings, before meeting with Dr. Keerti.

Riddhima was the first one in, and she took advantage of the fact by claiming an easily accessible locker. Privately, she felt vindicated for having reached before Anjali despite leaving later. Before, she would have never let herself feel such petty emotions, but she had learnt that sometimes, being petty was rewarding.

Just as she was about to put her phone away, it chimed with an incoming message. ‘All the best, Champ! Kill it!’ it read. Samrat, she smiled to herself, quickly sending a quick thank you. He'd been her junior in college and they'd kept in sporadic touch even after Riddhima had graduated. It was nice to know that he had remembered, especially because she hadn't expected him to. He could be a little scatterbrained and didn't pay attention to such little details.

Another message came in mere seconds later. ‘You got this! All the best! Sammy & I want all the details on your first day later!!’ This time, it was Dia. And then it wasn't so surprising that Samrat had remembered, because of course, Dia had reminded him. She was probably the closest friend Riddhima had, which was saying something, because the last time Riddhima had talked to Dia had been six weeks ago, the day she'd gotten her acceptance letter from Sanjeevani.

It was not the time to ruminate, she reminded herself again. Turning her phone off, Riddhima stuffed it into the locker and closed the door, locking it for good measure. “You're already here,” Anjali's voice was almost accusatory, as she sauntered in.

Riddhima took a deep breath before turning to her. “Yes,” she replied, not elaborating. Anjali stood there for a moment, expecting more, but Riddhima just shrugged. Anjali huffed, turning away.

It was eerily silent for a few awkward moments where Riddhima didn't know what to do, before someone else walked in. A boy. He looked about their age, dressed in dark jeans and a graphic tee, that he had tried to make look more professional by wearing over a long sleeved shirt. Doctor's sleeves did seem fitting, Riddhima mused. He looked as nervous as she felt, and Riddhima's heart settled, knowing she wasn't the only one feeling the jitters.

The boy introduced himself to Anjali first. “Atul,” he greeted, proffering his hand to her. Anjali looked at his outstretched hand, then at him, and then scoffed. “Whatever,” she sneered.

The boy, Atul, pouted, quickly turning his attention to her. “Hi. I'm Atul,” he repeated. Riddhima did take the hand he offered and shook it because she couldn't bear to be rude. “Riddhima,” she replied.

“First day?” He asked her. Riddhima nodded, feeling just a tad bit uncomfortable. She wasn't used to interacting with strangers, and wasn't good at making new friends. The last time she'd tried… Well, she was still nursing that particular wound.

“Mera bhi,” Atul stated, oblivious, or uncaring, she didn't know which, of her hesitation.

When she didn't say anything to keep the conversation going, Atul started humming to himself. Riddhima was glad for it. Perhaps, he hadn't been oblivious or uncaring. Or maybe, he didn't have anything else to say either. She didn't have long to ponder over it because another girl found her way into the locker room. Seeing the two of them standing together, she made a beeline for them, introducing herself as Sapna.

“Let's go,” Riddhima said, after the introductions were done. “Dr. Mehra despises late comers.”

And so, they all made their way to the conference room where they were meant to meet their reporting doctor. Dr. Keerti Mehra was already seated at the head of the conference table. “You're 20 seconds late,” she announced when Atul shut the door behind them all. “In our field, a delay of 20 seconds can be the difference between the life or death of a person. If you do not understand that, it's better to walk out of this door right now and never show me your face again.”

“Sorry, Dr. Mehra,” Riddhima mumbled. “Aage se nahi hoga.”

“Aisa aage na ho, toh hi aap sabke liye behtar hoga,” Keerti stated. Chastised, the four of them nodded.

“Aap sabke identity cards, lab coats, aur pagers yahaan hain,” she pointed to one side of the room. “Keep them on you at all times.”

As they all ruffled through the joining packets to find theirs, the door opened once more, and a silky voice, the same voice that had been haunting all of Riddhima's dreams and nightmares, said, “Hey, Doc. Dr. Armaan Mallik, reporting for duty.”

And oh, wasn't that the most devastating thing she'd ever heard in her entire life.

_____

So, here's the first chapter! Hope you like it.

Riddhima is nursing a broken heart and still dreaming about her ex. Life goes on though and she has much to focus on.

Why would Anjali be mean to her sister like that? Siding with bullies, and saying mean things. Why?

Her ex just walked in and he is the doctor? This will make it very uncomfortable.