Taming The Wild
Part-50
Angels And Demons
Recap : Ridhhima and Niki meet.. Armaan plans heart attacks for Abhimanyu.. Ridhhima and Niki try to cover the gaps between them.. Niki and Armaan reconcile.. Armaan wins a contract, Abhimanyu gets a call from a mystery man... Ridhhima starts questioning herself...
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Ridhhima woke up and busied herself with household chores but try as she might she could not put away what happened yesterday night. She felt as if that was something which went little beyond the definition of friendship, that had put Ridhhima on her guard... she wondered if 'she' was crossing the line of friendship ?!... The thought scared her.. made her very uncomfortable... Was she giving wrong indications ? Was she doing something that made him think that there could be more...? And what the heck ! Why is she raising these questions at all !? Again the part of her brain which always came to Armaan's rescue intervened... " but Ridhhima you know him that much by now.. He often acts so ,why are you getting hyper about it ?? " She exhaled fed up with this pointless, going nowhere debate with herself...
One thing was clear though ,she could not let her heart raise such questions again... What if Vivek was not here and she's married, she and Armaan, both know the truth of their ' marriage '. Moreover she cannot betray Vivek, He must be waiting for her... She wanted so many answers from him... And had faith in him that he will not betray her... He loved her, she was sure of it ,there must be something preventing him to come back to her, he might be in need of help... The thought again made her restless. She looked at Armaan and found him busy doing his favourite work... Pulling leg of whosoever was available.. well, Shashank was an exception to that, but by the look of it, he too was enjoying this session... Armaan seem to remember nothing of yesterday night and clutching of her dupatta may be it 'was' an accident and she's overreacting...
She couldn't have been more wrong because Armaan clearly remembered every detail of her presence with him in the room... She was engrossed in the magazine when he took hold of her dupatta, he was feeling really restless and uncomfortable fearing that she might go away. He childishly tied her dupatta around his hand, thinking it would prevent her from going away, he never wanted her to leave him ... Her sweet fragrance did wonders to soothe his restlessness and when he fell asleep ,he had no idea... But when he recalled his act in the morning ,he felt that she might not take it so easily... He could see that she had again raised her defences against him... he found her somewhat distant and knew that she would have found him sleeping holding her dupatta. He knew what to do, the best way to make her comfortable was to feign ignorance about the whole thing... if she feel that it was nothing to worry about ,she would be herself again... And he was right, the way she looked at him it was certain that she was looking for the clues if he had any idea what happened at night and was somewhat relaxed to see that she felt that he didn't knew (didn't show) if anything out of ordinary happened between them...
He found her falling for his act, he breathed in, making a mental note not to act in any foolish manner which could risk what he'd managed to build till now... He didn't wanted to loose her to that jerk... And yes, now that he remembers him, he must check out on him, see what he's doing ?... He hadn't given his weekly call to him but Armaan knew he can't be long after all the date was coming near...
He came out in the garden and Checked if he was alone, glancing at his watch which showed 11:35, He took out his cell phone and dialled a number... The phone rang twice before someone picked it up
" Hello " even with a twelve hour time difference the voice sounded as if the the person was wide awake...
" where are you ? " Armaan asked firmly
" like you don't know " came the sarcastic reply
" jitna pucha hai utna jawaab do "
" wahin jahan pehle tha " the sarcasm in the voice got replaced by a tone with a touch of loathing
" hmm " he was satisfied with the answer
" they're still after me ,I think we had a deal. You promised me something ,I've kept my side of bargain and you haven't fulfilled yours yet " now in even but angry tone
Armaan knew he was getting impatient " have you got what we settled on ? "
There was a pause for a moment " the first, yes. "
" And does anyone know apart from those who already know ? "
Another momentary pause " no "
" then you see I've kept my side till now. Your current status wouldn't have been possible had I decided to do something otherwise "
" but.."
" I'm not finished yet " Armaan said firmly the listener went quiet " just do as you are told to do. Until I say the work is done it's not done. You'll get a call sometime..." he checked his watch " tomorrow, he'll see to it that you get what you require "
He sighed resignedly " fine... Can I ask you something ? "
" make it quick "
" doesn't she ask about me ? I know Ridhhima well enough to be sure that she won't rest until she finds everything... Me "
This time Armaan went quiet " if everything goes well ,then she won't be bothered with anything "
He gave a small laugh " are you really so naive Armaan to believe that she would rest at whatever you've told her..."
" till now she does "
" How long are you planning it to delay ? you can't stop her forever... I know she still believes me, the meeting would be inevitable "
" That won't be necessary I think.."
" Really ? What are you planning to tell her ? I bet you have made me some kind of devil before her "
" to tell her ? not yet, but you are no less devil already and I have some principles ,unlike you "
He ignored the remark " once she comes to know what you did to me I'll be in good light again.." there was again the hint of triumph in the voice
" Are you sure about it ? " It was his turn to smile " I'm sure there are people there who will be interested to know more about you.."
" Why don't you let it be..." the irritation was back again
" Not until I think it's time..."
" but hadn't she asked about me ? "
" how many times will you ask ? " Armaan was not happy with his question, he didn't want to tell him that she hasn't forgotten him and neither let him forget " No, she's never mentioned you.." he lied
" Haha Mr. Armaan Malik you wouldn't have bothered yourself with me if she hadn't been after you. I too happen to know Ridhhima.. are you trying to say that she'd forgotten me.. Vivek, her love..."
" Bloody... Don't you dare take her name otherwise I'll see to it that you never see the light of the day " Armaan roared his patience was being tested
The effect was instant " Chill, chill man, your faithful here never let me forget it... But let me tell you she won't let it go... She's a stubborn girl and doesn't give up easily... Especially when it's about her love she blindly believes in... tumne theek nahi kiya Armaan she was supposed to be with me, here..."
" She was never yours and you were never hers ,otherwise you wouldn't have been in this situation... And don't push your luck i'm at my devilish best when I'm rubbed on the wrong side..." Vivek went quiet " get back to your work " and with that he cut the call...
Ridhhima had no idea what went on in the garden and Armaan had no intention of telling her that the man she was so badly looking for was just a call away from him... Today he would tell her that they'd found a lead but it will hit a dead end... the man he'd employed already know what to say, no matter when she called him... He felt bad for lying to her but he had no choice...
He was in his office, smiling to himself remembering the touch of her soft hand when she wiped the gravy off his face... when she sat by his side when he couldn't sleep... He sighed lying back on the chair, smiling broadly... They have come far ,hopefully if the progress continues then maybe he won't need to trouble that jerk at all... He was just thinking about it when there was a knock on the door ,coming out of his rosy world of thoughts he looked at the clock. He sat up, he had a meeting with some suppliers in an hour...
" come in " he called hurriedly
Sameer came in " I wanted to ask what should we do about the coming projects..? We can get them easily too.." coming to the point
Armaan got up taking off his coat from back of his chair " we'll follow the same course of action which was decided... But for now i've to go for a meeting . You carry on with the things ,just let me know the final stuff " and he left for the meeting
The lunch meeting was bit boring as he tried hard to concentrate but everytime found himself thinking about Ridhhima... Even the lunch didn't tasted good enough, he wanted something cooked by her, he was getting addicted to her cooking as well. The suppliers mistook his smile for a positive sign for a profitable deal... Somehow he gulped down the food and took notice of some important points of the deal but today he just wanted to go back home and be with Ridhhima. Little did he know that there was a surprise waiting for him right there.
Coming out of the restaurant he was bidding goodbye to the representatives when he heard a familiar voice...
" common yaar, you are looking fine ! " said an exasperated Abhimanyu
" no way Abhi ! I'm not going out like this ! Plz sweetheart, just two minutes " the lady said sweetly and Abhimanyu like all the men in the world couldn't say no to a request like that... The lady smiled broadly and giving a quick kiss on his cheek went away, probably to change
Armaan was shocked to see it, Abhimanyu had done exactly what he had expected but he should observe little more and not jump on conclusions... The lady by the look of it seem to belong to a good family, fair , had long black hair and was not unattractive all together... Okay she was on the beautiful side , BUT nowhere near Niki ! .
" Stop it Armaan ! you are again jumping to conclusions... Look first " his brain, which was shaken badly tried to reason out the logic behind Abhimanyu with another woman. He positioned himself so that he was out of Abhimanyu's sight but within earshot
Abhimanyu took out his cell phone " Hello, Niki... Haan actually aaj ek important meeting hai kuch clients ke saath to aaj main thoda late ho jaunga... Yeah okay bye " he smiled to himself
There was a tap on his shoulder and he turned to see that she was back ,changed now " wow you look gorgeous darling ! "
The girl smiled broadly at the compliment " thanks, waise what about Nikita ? "
" uski fikar mat karo, everything has been taken care of, she thinks i'm in a meeting with some clients " both grinned
" you're wicked "
" thank you, now let's go i can't wait I'm sooo hungry " and they both walked off arm in arm ,unaware that they were being watched
Armaan was disgusted , and was boiling with anger. Abhimanyu was just as he'd thought ,a scoundrel , a cheat... He was cheating on Niki his best friend ! .he won't leave him.
All through his way back the scene and Abhimanyu's words echoed in his mind making his blood boil everytime he thought about him and the girl who was clinging on to him... " bas***d ! "
He stormed into his cabin " Sameer come to my room . Now ! "
Sameer found him pacing up and down in the room " ohohh someone poked the lion... Man , who so ever you are ,you are gone, but may be he want to rush up with things. It's good that I brought the files along " with these thoughts Sameer knocked breaking his chain of thoughts " Sir, here's everything, just as planned... Should we get started with it...? "
Armaan sat down on his chair still fuming " yes.. But there is a slight change now, have a seat we've something to discuss " Sameer could not understand what is it this time but whatever it is ,going by the expressions on his face, was not a good news...
Abhimanyu stormed in the conference room and slammed few files on the table...
" what's the hell is going on Mr. Khanna, problem at site, problem at factory and that too when we have an important contract to bid for ! " he looked at the other managers, who shifted uneasily in their seats thanking god that they were not asked for directly. Abhimanyu slid a file towards him ,it was an emergency board meeting with head of each department . He then eyed Mr. Kapoor
" aur Mr.Kapoor kya aap yeh batayenge ki yeh Gurgaon factory main yeh achanak strike ki naubat kyun aa gayi ? " his even cold voice was even more threatening " and the workers ,how can they demand bonus ?! they were just given that and at present they are not even entitled to it ! "
Mr. Kapoor cleared his throat to speak. He looked at the line of board members sitting opposite him and other managers by his side but nobody intimidated him more than the figure sitting at the top chair of Chairman...
" we know sir and you're absolutely right about it. We have tried to reason it out to their leader but he's a stubborn man and says they were not given the just bonus " Abhimanyu sat down ,he knew that they had done so " the leader has threatened to take the matter to the court if the demand is not met " added Mr.kapoor
" but they don't stand a chance to win in court " An elderly board member interjected
" we know that sir and the thing is 'they' know it too " everybody looked at each other ,there was surprise on everyone's faces except Abhimanyu's who was thinking something . Mr.kapoor continued " when I talked to him ,he clearly said that even when they loose they won't stop... You'll see sir he said 'even when' not 'if'... "
" then what's the logic behind all this ? Can they even afford not coming to work ? " another board member quipped
Abhimanyu looked up at him " yes Mr.Mittal they can ,at least ' the leader ' can " all the eyes were now on Abhimanyu " there's a big reason behind all this, it's all planned... To hold us up for bidding for the next project . If this gets to the deciding committee that we have internal problems which we seem unable to handle and a huge work force ready to go on strike, the authority might not consider us for the bid even when we quote the lowest ,fearing that we might not be able to finish work in the assigned time period and that way we loose even before we bid " everybody seemed convinced of the explanation " and about being able to afford it... Well you just can when you have a billionaire backing you up " there was pin drop silence now " guess who'll be benefiting out of all this the most..."
Mr.Mittal whispered out " Armaan Malik.." all 6 board members and 7 department heads exchanged looks
" bingo ! But unfortunately it can't be traced back on him even when we know " someone shifted lightly on his seat glad that noone can hear his thumping heart or see the sweat trailing down his collar to his back
The meeting was concluded deciding the future course of action ,now only the board members remained in the room " gentlemen One thing i wanted to share only with you people... i think there's a leakage within our company " another ripple of shock passed through everyone
Niki had seen Abhimanyu troubled for quiet many days now, everytime she asked he just said that it's nothing but she knew that he was hiding something from her. He never looked so troubled before something was surely there and he wasn't telling her... He didn't even slept properly these days. She decided to confront him
" Abhi, mujhe tumse kuch baat karni hai "
" abhi nahi Niki, abhi main thoda busy hun " he didn't look up from his file
But today Niki wasn't going to listen to any excuse, she snatched away his file and sat before him " Nikiii ,kya kar rahi ho ?! "
" pehle tum meri baat ka jawab do, aakhir baat kya hai ? And plz yeh mat kehna ki kuch nahi hai. Main bevkoof nahi hun jo yeh nahi dekh sakti ki tum aajkal kuch jyada hi pareshaan ho... Kya mera itna bhi haq nahi hai Abhi ki main tumhari pareshaani share kar saku ? "
This was it, Abhi sighed, he was so happy that she was proclaiming his right on him... And anyway he trusted her more than anyone after all she was his love " huuuhh, it's Armaan "
" what ??! " she was shocked " Armaan ?? Matlab ? "
" Armaan has started troubling us, usne ek factory main strike karwa di hai... Site par bhi problems chal rahi hai... Pehla contract hum haar hi gaye the aur ab dusre main bhi yeh mushkil hai ki mil bhi paayega ki nahi even when we bid the lowest quotes... It is as if he want to wipe me out " Niki was stunned to hear it
" main yeh tumhe isliye nahi batana chahta tha kyunki main jaanta hun ki tum dono dost ho aur shayad yeh baat accept karne main tumhe dikkat hogi... Upar se main un logo ka pata nahi laga paa raha hun jo shayad hamari company main rehkar uske liye kaam kar rahe hain... It's chaos all over ! "
Niki was stunned to hear it ,she lnew Armaan and Abhi were rivals but Armaan would go to such an extent was unbelivable " Abhi are you sure it's Armaan... I mean koi uska naam le kar to.."
Abhi smirked " I knew tum yeh baat accept nahi kar paogi, after all wo 'Armaan' hai, he's flawless hai naa " his temper started rising more so because he could not bear her taking his side
Niki felt offended " nahi Abhi, aisa nahi hai main to bas isliye keh rahi thi ki kyunki sab jaante hai ki tum dono ki aapas main itni banti nahi hai aur kahin koi is baat ka fayeda to nahi utha raha "
" haan hamari nahi banti... I hate Armaan Malik " he shouted out and got up from the couch " aur iss baat ka ek hi insaan fayeda utha raha hai aur wo hai Armaan Malik... Tum jaa kar so jao Niki... I'll take care of everything, if he wants to play dirty then he'll get what he want " he said firmly
Whole night Niki couldn't sleep Abhimanyu's words kept on repeating in her mind like a tape set on loop... Now that she thought of it ,she found that Abhi couldn't be wrong Armaan was the only one she could find had the power, guts and resources to challenge Abhimanyu... And after her marriage the business rivalry had got a personal touch too... But what she couldn't understand was what happened to make the situation worse... There was nothing earlier...
She sat up and looked at Abhimanyu, Sleeping next to her, even in sleep she could see how troubled his face looked... She bent down and caressed his hair gently... He didn't stirred probably was deep in slumber... She then resolved that it's time that she put her foot down. She wanted to know why Armaan is doing this and if this is because she married Abhimanyu then it's high time that he knows what she think about it...
As soon as Abhimanyu went off to work she picked up the phone and dialled a number...
" haan main Niki bol rahi hun... Let's meet today... Yes that would be fine... Okay "
It was about ten minutes and none of them spoke. She'd called him to get things sort out... Armaan kept munching small bits of food and Niki watched him ,planning on how to start, but then decided to come straight to the point
" Tum yeh sab kyun kar rahe ho Armaan... Why ?? "
He had the inkling why she'd called him, that bas***d must have run to her to ask for help... Spineless maggot... He cursed Abhimanyu before answering her " It's for you Niki.. I told you to stay away from him, magar nahi... Tum itni ziddi ho ki kisi ki sunti hi kahan ho "
" Armaan seedhe seedhe bologe ki baat kya hai ? And for God's sake stop blaming Abhi for everything ! Main jaanti hun yeh sab gadbad tumhare alawa koi aur karwa hi nahi sakta "
" yes, you are right, yeh sab maine karwaya hai... And I have a very valid reson for it.. " he paused for a moment debating whether to tell her or not and then decided it's time that she should know " he's lying to you Niki, cheating on you.. usko sabak sikhana jaruri hai "
" Kya ? Cheating on me ?! Abhi ?? " she was totally taken by surprise but she knew one thing was for sure ,this was not true " he's not cheating on me..! You don't know him ,tum kuch nahi jaante uske baare main Armaan... Tumhe jarur kuch galatfehmi hui hai "
" ooh so now he's all goody goody angel and i'm a devil huh.. Wo kaisa hai mujhe achhi tarah se pata hai, and has he become more important to you than me. I'm your best friend, I care for you "
" main jaanti hun Armaan " she took a deep breath she had to calm herself down first " but for god's sake he's my husband ! And I trust him ! " she said with finality..he looked at her incredulous
" ohh then let me tell you something about the 'husband' of yours whom you 'trust' . i found that scoundral with a woman in the Park hotel..." Niki was rooted on the spot ,though she didn't believe it but somewhere felt scared that what if it's all true and Abhimanyu is really cheating on her " He lied to you when he said that he was going on a meeting with a client.. He was with that girl and was 'soooo hungry' I hope I don't have to explain what that means " he was now fuming
Niki sat still " yeh kab hua Armaan ? "
" last week.. Friday, I went there for lunch with some suppliers and ta da what do I see ,Abhimanyu Modi walking away arm in arm with this girl after lying to his wife ! " he slammed at the table
" did you say last friday ? "
" yes... Afternoon to be precise... The girl was of medium height black hair medium built, she looked fine and was clinging on to him " he made a face disgusted
Realization dawned on Niki and relief spread over, she smiled " Armaan... I was right, Abhimanyu is not cheating on me "
" what ?! " he looked incredulous " you think i'm lying ? "
" no you're not , but neither am i or Abhimanyu.. I know that girl "
" you.. You know that girl ! " she nodded " well then it's good, catch them red handed and divorce that bloody liar "
" I'm not going to divorce him Armaan " she said coolly
" are you crazy Niki ! You know naa what you are saying... Your-husband-is -cheating-on-you.. Do you get it ! "
" cool down Armaan, he's not cheating on me..." she explained him then that girl happened to be his favourite of all cousins... And she's older to him and engaged, she came to meet her fiance who was staying in the hotel for just few hours before he flew off for some meeting abroad... She herself called Abhimanyu to pick her up from the hotel and decided to surprise her " and that was when you found them, so now do you understand that he's not cheating on me "
Armaan had no option but to believe her, it was exactly what happened between that girl and Abhimanyu " but still, I don't find him trust worthy enough "
She rolled her eyes ,he was just impossible but she has to make something clear to him ,Abhimanyu had suffered too much " look Armaan jis tarah tum mere sabse achhe dost ho, mere liye important ho waise hi Abhi bhi mere liye khaas hain.. Aur shayad usse bhi jyada, behtar yahi hoga ki tum is baat ko jitni jaldi ho sake accept kar lo.. Warna.."
" Warna..?! Warna kya Niki ? " he narrowed his eyes
" Warna shayad hum dost bhi nahi reh payenge..." she looked straight into his eyes " You will loose me forever..again..." she was tired of making him understand.. but then soften up a bit " Main ab Abhi se alag nahi hun Armaan, agar tum mujhe apna dost maante ho to tumhe Abhi ko bhi accept karna hoga " A muscle tightened in his jaw ,he kept looking at her trying to read if she meant what she'd said
" I don't believe it.. You have changed Niki and that too for that bl.." She glared at him angrily and he stopped himself.
" Armaan ,I love Abhi Armaan... T.." she was about to say 'tum' but stopped " apne so called pehle pyaar se alag hokar hi mujhe ehsaas hua ki main jise pyaar samajh rahi thi wo to pyaar tha hi nahi... Abhi kab mere liye sabse jaruri ban gaye mujhe pata hi nahi chala, ab wo mere liye sab kuch hai Armaan... Aur agar unhe kisi ne bhi koi bhi takleef dene ki koshish kari to use sabse pehle mera saamna karna hoga... Phir chahe wo koi koi bhi ho... Tum bhi Armaan..."
He kept looking at her... " Tum badal gayi ho Niki.. Bahut.."
She added softly " haan.. Shayad, but it's for good ,trust me . plz don't make me choose between the two people I love the most, please I beg you... Stop punishing him just because he married me... He's not a bad guy Armaan " she tried desperately
He didn't look at her just kept staring at the glass in his hand then suddenly said looking up at her... " Let's go Niki... Tumhe daer ho rahi hai..." He quickly called for the bill and got up to go...
" why does it happen to me...? Why all the stubborn blockheads are kept in my share to deal with...? " She sighed wondering, but one thing she was sure of... Abhi is her everything... " More than Armaan ? " Her heart asked... " Yes.. Yes he is..." Came the firm reply... And she was glad there was no hesitation...
" What are you smiling at..?? " He asked
" Kuch nahi, Something got even clearer today..." She got up too... As they were about to go seperately to their cars she stopped... " Armaan plz... I don't want to loose my best friend again..."
" Niki..." He came closer... " No matter how much I dislike your ' husband ' i'll always be your friend... But don't expect anything more ,some things just don't change... I'm glad that he's not cheating on you " Her car came in meanwhile and driver promptly opened the door for her... " Go home Niki ,it's getting late..." She sat inside feeling she's lost him again... And as the car drove by he stood there watching her go..
Abhimanyu frowned when the shrill voice of his phone disturbed his sleep which was already difficult to find these days... He sleepily looked for his phone...
" h..hello "
" it's amazing that you can still sleep "
He jumped up hearing the voice " kaun ? "
" wrong question , ask how ? "
Abhimanyu didn't wasted time " how ? "
" you learn fast Modi... tell the union leader to either go to the court or ask the workers to be back to work by tomorrow max day after "
" what if he goes to court that'll take a long time which we don't have "
" you can survive but they can't there's already discontentment in the team you'll have no problem he won't dare to go to the court he knows they don't stand a chance. Tell the workers that those who return to work, their pay will not be cut and if we win the case then workers on strike will be fired. Don't worry you can do that."
He took note of it " there's problem on site too, is that by Armaan Malik ? "
" i just give solutions not names, make arrangement for a temporary stay for children and one time food service for workers there will be no problem when workers love you and yes fire away the head of security he's difinitely not in your party ,selling off your material in black " Abhimanyu was shocked ,he didn't knew this." and yes coming to next project the quote is fine don't change it..."
" Magar sun...o " But the line went dead, " damn ! " He wanted to ask about the people who were cheating, working for Armaan... But now he'd to wait till he calls next and he didn't knew when that would be
To Abhimanyu's surprise each and every word of the caller turned out to be true. He caught the security head red handed, the workers were delighted by the news of one time food service and that leader well... As said he dare not go against Abhimanyu's wishes when he found that he was busted , as soon as the workers were back he was nowhere to be seen, thrown away from the post as well as the factory... Abhimanyu tasted some peace after a looong time...
when in peace one tend to forget to keep track of time and before he knew he was sitting for the declaration for the next project. Armaan was there too but behaved as if Abhimanyu didn't existed
" welcome ladies and gentlemen... I know you all are eager to know the result so here it is... The second of three projects goes to Mr...." he opened up an envelope and put on the glasses just like an academy award announcer about to announce the best actor award " Mr.Abhimanyu Modi of Modi group "
Though Abhimanyu was surprised because somewhere he was still doubtful.. he didn't let it come to his face, he instead placed it with a smile... to top it all off he saw Armaan glaring at him, he gave him a smile which was returned with a scowl... Abhimanyu went to the head to sign up the papers ,most of the people had left by the time he came back and found Armaan talking to Sameer who looked sullen for some reason..
" so Armaan surprised !? ,as you can see I won..."
" Don't be over confident Abhimanyu, aisi chooti moti jeet se tum agar yeh sochte ho ki Armaan Malik ko challenge kar sakte ho to yeh tumhari galatfehmi hai... Is baar you just got lucky, but let's see ki tumhara luck kab tak tumhara sath deta hai..." Armaan said coolly
Abhimanyu smiled hearing it " oh you'll see Armaan from now on it always will... You know why ? coz I have got a lucky charm with me, I married her..." He smirked and Amaan was almost ready to kill him but Sameer stopped him Armaan knew he was talking about Niki... It was still difficult for him to digest that he married his best friend, who god knows why, loved him ! Yuck ! the thought made him want to puke, who in the right mind can love Abhimanyu- egoistic-loudmouth- jealous- no brain- Modi !!... But he knew one person who did, she happen to be her best friend ! He gave an award winning scowl to Modi who returned it with a triumphant smile.
He drove back home but his mind was still busy with the thoughts of what happened today. Sameer was not happy at the loss of project though it was hardly a matter of great importance but Sameer was not used to of seeing Armaan loose to anyone. Armaan smiled at it, he was indeed most loyal and got upset on his behalf too... He had been trying to make him understand that this is a win win situation if he had won the contract then he would have got another deal and if he looses it then he get to keep a friend. He would have got into detail but Modi inturrupted them making him angry with his stupid remarks but in the end it turned out that it was all well... Sameer's words rang in his ears
" I hope you know that the way you handle business is not the only thing I admire about you " Armaan looked at him " it's also how you deal your relationships " he got off the car and then he bent down again " and don't let that get into your head. Be normal "
" be normal " Armaan chuckled remembering the words ,yes he's trying his best to be....
The time flew by and it was almost a week since that day of contract announcement . Armaan and Sameer were out for a dinner meeting with the director of their branch in Germany . The director had gone leaving the two and it was then Sameer saw some people settle down at a table not far from theirs... Because of the decor it was hard for those people to see them but Armaan and Sameer could see them easily...
" oh my.. Are they with who I think they are ?! " Sameer exclaimed
" you bet, do you know them ? " Armaan looked at the direction and his brows shot up seeing them
" yeah ,tried their luck with someone back in London and.."
" and ?? "
" got lucky... But here with these ?! Don't they get tired ?! " Surprise clear in his voice
" apparently they don't, you'll be surprised that they tried there luck with me too and hadn't it been for some lucky coincidence i would have greatly suffered ,but here, it's completely different..." he looked at the group of four again " well then, best of luck to them.. it's good that we don't have to do anything Abhimanyu Modi will meet his doom himself... let the things be, don't hint anything... Poor Modi he's going to learn in a hard way " he smirked looking back at them...
Sameer was again left surprised.. ' What is with this guy ! One day he goes right other day goes left ' he shook his head, he had long before stopped trying to figure out how his brain works...
Abhi was busy with a file when Niki gave him his phone, thanking her he took it
" yeah ,who's it ? "he asked as he couldn't recognize the number
" how can you forget me Mr.Modi..." after a while when the caller cut the call Abhimanyu was left sweating...
" bloody hell ! " this was all he could manage to whisper out...
Armaan sat down for the breakfast it was almost a fortnight since the declaration of the contract and he decided to move on with the bid for final contract... planning mentally what to do today he flicked the channels on T.V. He stopped at one of the news channel which showed Abhimanyu's face all over the screen...
He read out the 'breaking news' - ek bade fraud ka parda fash !. He stopped eating ,Ridhhima too looked at what had gripped his attention more than his favourite paranthas... She was surprised to see the matter and sat down, intently listening to the reporter
" Mr. Abhimanyu Modi ne khud is baare main filhaal kuch bhi kehne se manaa kar diya hai magar unke spokesperson ke anusaar unke manager Mr. Khanna Par kaafi samay se shak tha ki wo company ke naam par kuch farzi deal kar rahe hain... Aur ab jis international fraud gang ke saath unhe pakda gaya hai uska network London, Singapore,China aur Korea jaise desho main faila hua hai... Wahaan par bhi yeh log kaye businessmen ko bevkoof banaa kar, unki company ka apni company ke saath merger karwane ke naam par dhoka de chuke the...
Modi group of companies ke chairman ko jab is deal main kuch gadbad hone ka andesha hua to unhone iski chhanbeen shuru ki aur paaya ki unka apna business manager unhe dhoka dene ki firaq main tha... Unhone turant police aur secret angencies ko alert kar diya jinhone ek secret mission ke tehat in frauds ko kal raat giraftaar kar liya.."
" is giraftari se naa kewal kayi cases solve ho gaye, kayi desho main wanted dhokebaaz giraftar ho gaye balki Modi group of companies ko karodo ka nuksaan hone se bach gaya "
Armaan switched off the T.V and looked disappointed at the news " Damn ! ab saara kaam mujhe hi karna padega. Main to soch raha tha... iss Abhimanyu ki kismat achhi thi ki iss baar bach gaya... But then ,he still has to face me " saying so he again got busy in his breakfast
Riddhima didn't like what he said about Abhimanyu but decided to keep quiet ,she knew this stubborn bull well enough now... And anyway she was relieved that Abhimanyu and Niki were safe from such a big trouble... She decided to call her later and get to know everything, in the past few days she found that they'd got even closer than they were before,sharing everything.. Well almost everything. Niki had turned out to be a gem of a person and Abhimanyu wasn't so bad either but it would have been a lot better if husbands were not after each others throat.. Wondering about it all she got ready to go for an inspection to their charitable hospital with Muskaan...
Armaan stirred as he felt thirsty ,sleepily he woke up,eyes still close and walked up to the table it was still dark outside. There was a sound of door opening up quietly and he saw Ridhhima coming in...
" Good morning " she said smiling a bit ,surprised to see him awake
He looked at the watch " Ridhhima tum itni subah..!? kahin gayi thi kya ? " Rubbing his eye still feeling sleepy
" Haan wo.. Actually Muski bhabhi ne kaha tha aaj subah jaldi uthne ke liye.."
" Muski ne ? Kyun ?? " Bit confused he poured himself a glass of water
" Wo... Wo aaj karwa chauth hai naa isliye.." she didn't knew what else to say, His eyes opened wide when he heard it.. Slowly he turned keeping the glass down... " Unhone sargi khane ke liye bulaya tha..." She too now felt bit awkward as in how to explain him..
" It's okay Ridhhima main samajh sakta hun.. Achha hua tum chali gayi nahi to unhe bekar hi shak hota..." He turned to go back to go to sleep... " Waise Ridhhima tumhe yeh vrat rakhne ki koi zarurat nahi hai.. Just treat it as any other day..." He gave her a small smile
Ridhhima stood there unable to decide... She herself didn't wanted to keep this fast at first place and now even he'd asked her not to keep the fast... She should feel happy but she wasn't exactly happy, there are people whose excitement made her feel guilty... But how can she keep the fast she and Armaan were not husband and wife in real sense, She was rather confused... She sighed ,angry with her own confused thoughts... She looked at the watch it was just 4:20 she decided to sleep for some more time and went to bed... Armaan was already snoring lightly, she chuckled today she found out another of his secret. She made a mental note to take this up when he teases her next time... The snoring monkey...!
Inspite of the day being karwa chauth, Ridhhima decided to go to hospital... She could not muster courage to face Muskaan's enthusiasm of doing everything special for her first fast, which she decided she won't keep...
But if she thought that she would save herself from the fast thing by going to hospital then she was proved wrong the moment she stepped in... Everywhere there were ladies ,patients and dostors who looked as if they were trying to prove their love for their husbands by dressing up in various shades of red and whatever they thought would be suitable for going to a party rather than to a hospital... But she had to admit ,it did brought some cheer to the place... Ridhhima felt compared to some she was very modestly dressed ,it was hell lot of effort to dress up normal when your dear sister in law want you to dress up in all the expensive kind of stuff from dress to jewellery emotionally blackmailing you, making you look like a model rather than a doctor going for a surgery...
Only the horror of loosing something in the patient's stomach while operating kept Muskaan from overloading her, still she felt she was overly dressed for the place... She sighed ,this was least she could do to keep her happy ,little did Muskaan knew that she hadn't kept the fast... Armaan seemed least affected by it, he had asked her clearly not to punish herself...
She found Sapna gripped in the fever of the fast. It was her first time too and as if this was not enough Aditi gave a surprise visit though Ridhhima felt that she wasn't her chirpy self but didn't had time to find out. Sapna hugged Aditi as soon as she said that she too had kept the fast for Chirag... And chirag ,well he looked as if he's just won a trophy... He had hugged her lovingly ,she smiled at their pure love.. her thoughts again trailed to Vivek, he too would wrap her in a hug like that... She jumped up when she heard Aditi scream
" Aditiii ! Kya hua ? " Ridhhima asked
" Ridhhima tum abhi paani peene waali thi, tumhara fast toot jaata " Sapna looked at Ridhhima, and she understood
" ohho Aditi wo fast se behosh ho na ho teri cheekh sun kar jaroor ho jaati... Aur agar aap logo ka romance khatam ho gaya ho to duty par chalein ? " and with that she drove them away with her... Ridhhima smiled at Sapna, mutely thanking her...
She was alone and her lunch came as usual to her cabin, she was about to take a bite when suddenly Muskaan's excited happy face came before her eyes... BP's smile and Virendra's loving blessings this morning came before her ,even Rahul bhaiyya was advising her... She smiled to herself thinking about everything ,she sat up stirring a spoon absently.... and Armaan... her hand stopped immediately again... Is this right ? They all love her so much, they trust her so much, would she be able to look them in their eyes knowing that whatever she's doing is a lie !... It's okay Ridhhima just think of it as a day of dieting...
She pushed the plate back and called for the wardboy to take away the food.. Another thing worried her now, same stupid thoughts. She wondered why she thought of Armaan and stopped and not of Vivek... Her thoughts trailed down to past. She had the oppertunity of keeping the fast before too but she didn't do it for Vivek... Even Aditi had kept it for Chirag and they aren't married...why..? Don't she love vivek?? She shook herself mentally, why was she troubling herself with unnecessary thoughts ? It was just becuase she didn't felt it necessary at that time and now it's a social obligation... A custom she had to go through... and it's was just to show the family anyway... She thanked god when a nurse came calling her for the surgery...
The day went by, due to her busy schedule she didn't realised that she hadn't taken anything since morning and surprisingly she didn't feel the pangs of hunger and thirst like others... She wondered if that was normal... But then shrugged it off ,there was nothing normal when Armaan was concerned... She was heartily welcomed when she went back home. She couldn't recognise the place at all, it was all decorated with flowers ,lights and a beautiful smell hung in the air... Was it flowers or perfume she didn't knew and didn't bothered...
Muskaan took her along and got her ready for the evening, Armaan didn't pick her up from hospital today as he had some work and she came early. As it was her first karwa chauth there was big arrangement done at home and Muskaan was bursting with excitement... Lots of people including her parents were invited.. This was not that worried her but the thing was that she had to go through all the coustoms before everyone and can't hide anything from anyone...
Armaan was bowled over when he saw her all dressed up in the beautiful saree. She looked like a new bride, he fell head over heels in love with her all over again, he just could not take his eyes away from her . Later when he could no longer get successful in talking to her privately since he'd come back from office he secretly pulled her to a corner when she went to kitchen for some work...
" Armaan ! Kya kar rahe ho ?? "
" shhh.." he looked here and there " wahan sab tumse chipke hue the isliye keh nahi paaya..."
" oh bas itni si baat... Bolo kya kehna hai ? Kuch chahiye tha kya ? "
He looked into her eyes... He wanted to say yes.. Yes, he wanted her to love him... To promise she'll be there, forever, by his side... To hug him and never let go... To kiss him and make every pore of his body feel alive.. He ran his fingers in his hair " bolo Armaan " she asked again when she got no reply
" wo.. Haan, actually main keh raha tha ki aaj tum bahut sundar lag rahi ho... Absolutely gorgeous " she was surprised and before she could understand he took out a small box and put a small black spot near her ear..
" Armaan yeh kya kar rahe ho ? "
" arre tumhe nazar se bacha raha hun... Bahar sab tumhe ghuur ghuur kar dekh rahe hain " he made a face, he didn't like it a single bit when other men stared at her, his thoughts were broken by her laugh
" aur tum yeh kaajal kahan se laaye ? "
" Muski ke room se, maine usko Angel ko lagate hue dekha tha to.. Maine socha..."
" oh Armaann you are soo sweet " she pulled his cheeks ,he flashed his dimpled smile, turning red for a change.. She became bit serious and looked at him " thank you Armaan " there eyes met and he wished that the moment would freeze forever, with both of them there together...
She came out of the eye lock when she heard Maria calling for her " Maria bula rahi hai " suddenly she found the closeness very awkward .she standing there with him dressed as a bride and... What the hell ! did he just put a black mark on her neck ! She could still feel his touch . Sirens started blaring and suddenly she was very conscious of the situation when she found him staring at her " main... Main chalti hun "
" Ridhhima " she stopped and turned " tumne vrat to nahi rakha tha naa... You look pale "
How can he know she never told him " n..nahi Armaan ,tumne hi to kaha tha " there was another call "okay gotta go " Armaan watched her walk away. He exhaled and stood resting by a pillar
"hayee i love her..."
Soon the moon was out and all the ladies performed the rituals... Ridhhima felt awkward but had little choice, she did what was expected of her, unaware of the eyes which had all the love of the world for her... and was glad that soon evrything was over... She felt as if someone was watching her but whenever she turned she found noone in particular, Armaan was as usual busy with other men and she just shrugged it off... Now she started to feel the pangs of hunger before she could put something to eat for herself Martin came calling for her
" maam Armaan sir had called you to the room immediately. He said it's an emergency " Ridhhima rushed to the room hearing it, worried if anything had happened. She went inside and found the sitting area empty, she went to the room and there to her surprise the table was set for two and Armaan stood by it's side with a sweet smile
" welcome madame, you table is reserved " he bowed and gave her his arm
" Armaan yeh ?! " she asked surprised
"you can't lie to me Ridhhima... Tumne subah se kuch nahi khaya naa." she bowed her head " kyun ? Maine mana kiya tha naa "
She looked up at him and to her annoyance she didn't remember any reason now, she had no answer to it ,he could see the confusion on her face and didn't press it further " anyway leave that ,mere paet main to chuhe kuud rahe hai... Let's attack " he pulled out a chair for her like a perfect gentleman and sat opposite her
" magar Armaan neeche sab hamara wait kar rahe honge "
" koi kuch nahi kahega, Muski sab sambhal legi. I've already told her aur tum baaki sabki fikar karna chhodo aur khana khao, kahin behosh ho gayi to main to tumhe utha bhi nahi paunga "
Her mouth fell open in surprise and she threw a napkin at him... That waved off all the awkwardness and they ate their dinner happily together... Laughing ,chatting and teasing... They had another fight when she told him that he snores which he vehemently denied... And the fight went on...
Ridhhima woke up sweating, for a change it was she who saw a nightmare. She turned and saw him sleeping on his stomach clutching his pillow . She breathed in running a hand over her face wiping off tiny bead of sweat .she thew off the covers and drank a glass of water... Everything was okay there was no fire... She took a deep breath... The dream was scary
she and Armaan were in a place ,somewhere with lots of grass.. she was laughing and running away from him and he followed her... But suddenly when she turned he wasn't there. She started looking for him and then there was a scream... He was calling her name ,there was fire all around him... She couldn't cross it, but tried anyway. She gave him her hand and then... she woke up... She didn't remembered if he held it or not... She breathed again " cmmon Ridhhima it was just a dream, go back to sleep.." She fell back again but this time had to wait a little before sleep visited her again.
She'd thought that the uneasiness would pass away by morning after all she'd seen the nightmare after a long time, and she was right everything seemed normal. She breathed in and hit her head for troubling herself for no reason at all.
She sat by his side on her way to Sanjeevani. For a weird reason the uneasiness was back. She looked at Armaan ,he was busy with his file...
" kya hua ? Kuch kehna hai kya ? " she was surprised she'd no idea he even noticed that she was looking at him. She shifted ,caught redhanded, she merely shook her head... She remembered what he said when she told him about the nightmare
Armaan laughed out " this is what happens when you remain hungry for silly reason..."
" it wasn't silly Armaan " she'd protested, her fast for a day had made so many people happy. Moreover, she just could not bring herself to lie. So ,for her sake rather than anything or anyone else ,she'd kept the fast and how can he say that it was for a silly reason, he didn't went through that non stop debate over it...
Maybe her feelings came to her face and his tone changed " okay, it wasn't silly. but don't worry. it's just a dream. I see nightmares all the time but do they effect me ? nahi naa.. then don't bother..." with that the talk was over and she too felt that she's streaching it. Though she wanted to say she'd seen him waking up from his nightmares ,twisting in sleep.. Only difference is he remembers nothing by the time he wakes up and she does...
A light jerk brought her back from her thoughts ,she got off the car ,he too got off and stood by the door. She started for her car but then stopped to look at him " Armaan... take care "
" don't worry I will " he gave her a thumbs up
She gave him a smile, she didn't know what made her say that " pata nahi Armaan magar kuch theek sa nahi lag raha " She sighed " may be I'm overreacting..." She thought
Armaan found himself smiling broadly. Her words " Armaan ,take care " rang in his mind. He was sooo happy ,her first words for him as typical words of advice from wifey... He grinned and just could not concentrate in the file anymore...
He was now at the new construction site... Checking out for the new development and to see how's everything was going on...
" sir, blasting shuru kar di hai ,ek hafte ke andar andar saara kaam ho jayega " the head engineer informed him
" good " he shouted back ,the place was noisy with big drills and blasts all happening together.. He consulted the blue prints again.. " blasting kis kis point par ho rahi hai ? "
" i'll just check " he called the other engineer " Raman blasting kis kis point par ho rahi hai ? " he repeated the question thrice ,frowning at the noise
" blast.. 5,27,33,9 aur 60 " he replied
" kyaaa ? last main kya tha ? 7 ? (Saat)" he asked in hindi seven
" haan haan 60 (saath) " he replied sixty in hindi
" okay, " he came back to Armaan and gives the number of sites where blasting was going on
" fine let's go to this last site " he pointed a mark in the site map " I think the blasting is done here , I want to check " and along with the head engineer he went for the inspection
Ridhhima was on her way back to her cabin when a nurse came calling..
" Dr.Ridhhima aapke liye phone hai... It's urgent "
" phone ? mere liye ? " she then remembered that she'd switched off her cell before going for the surgery, she quickly came to the reception " hello "
What she heard next left her stunned. She clutched the phone hard, trying to control herself... Her nightmare turned out to be true...
Seeing her ashen face the nurse asked worried " kya hua Dr.Ridhhima ? Sab theek to hai ?? "
" Armaan..." was all she could manage to utter...
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hi guys... dekho meri galti nahi hai kuch silly bachho ne net ki wire tod do thi aaj hi theek hui hai.... and yes, This would be the end of Abhi Nikki part, well.. not forever but for some time. Get ready for more cozy AR in coming parts...😃
Edited by mansibharti - 15 years ago
I KNEW YOU ALLREADY KNEW THAT , 😆😆
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