||Just One Breath Away-AN FF~VM pg 122|| - Page 2

Congratulations Khushboo on this new thread of yours...Its wonderful and I already told you in the AFT how much I liked it..... You have a great style of writing and looking forward to reading your FF.....

Hey Khush!!! 😃 So you did turn it into a FF!!! 👏 Congrats sweety!!! I really look forward to reading the rest!!! The title sounds interesting! 👍🏼

@Rati....🤗 So glad you liked it! Thanks so much for the sweet words....hotness, hmm?? I think I burned it.....😆 Oh dear....don't die sweetie, stay alive and keep the comments coming!

Part 2

"Don't fight!" he repeated incredulously.

Nikki frowned at him, confused at his sudden change of attitude.

"I should have known", he said, shaking his head at her, his lips twisting into a sardonic smile.

"Abhimanyu…what do you mean?" Nikki asked, getting the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

"I should have known", he repeated hurtfully. "You, your friends, your Armaan…" he let his words hang between them, his eyes boring into hers.

Her eyed widened as she realized what he was getting at. Your Armaan. That hurt. "My Armaan?" she whispered.

"Yes. Your Armaan. He can never be fair, can he?" Abhimanyu continued, his voice rising with every syllable, the subtle control he had had on his anger having broken. "He wanted me to back out. So he sent you along to seduce me into thinking that you actually cared…and that's why you came to stop me from fighting."

She gaped at him, his words hitting like daggers at her heart.

"How could you even think that I would-", she burst out, but he cut her off.

"I don't need to think, Dr. Nikita Malhotra. I know what you came here for. Well, I've got news for you. I'm not backing out. Tonight, I will give your Armaan what he deserves…we'll see who wins", he said with a tone of finality.

"No, please…you've misunderstood! I just wanted to-"

"You've said what you had come to say", he spoke, advancing on her, intimidating her till tears sprung to her eyes. "This match is going to happen. And you can't stop me from fighting."

She opened her mouth to say something, but the lump in her throat prevented her from doing so.

"But don't you worry, Dr. Nikita Malhotra. After defeating him, I will continue to give him all the respect he deserves as an intern…but tonight, I shall make no compromises." He finished, his voice poisonous.

Blinking away the tears that were threatening to fall, Nikita avoided his eyes, which she knew were spitting fire. He stood back, and she immediately ran out of the gym, and kept running, till she found herself in the locker room.

Standing there, in the empty room, Abhimanyu's cruel words seemed to echo in her ears. It was too much for her to bear. He was fighting with her best friend, but she was worried more for him…she had no idea why. She hadn't thought once before deciding to ask him not to fight. She hadn't gone to Armaan. Somehow, she had felt in her heart that Abhimanyu would see sense. He would listen to her, whereas, Armaan wouldn't.

She remembered the kiss they'd shared in the gym room. It had been a transient feeling…a sudden desire, a sudden burst of passion that had driven all sense out of her. But it had felt so good, so right.

And just after that, he had misunderstood her. He had misinterpreted her genuine concern and care for him as an attempt of seduction. It hurt. The tears flowed freely, and she sank down on the bench, and let her pain be washed away by her tears. Why did he always have to hurt her? Why did he have the right to get close enough to her to hurt her?

His eyes, his attitude, his voice, the way he shook her…it gave her so much pain. He always did that. But why did she always go back to him? In spite of all that, why did she care for him? Why did she trust him so much? Why did she feel so safe near him?

She sobbed into her hands, cried her heart out for Abhimanyu…the only man who could simultaneously, touch, and break her heart.

*****

The boxing ring was prepared, the spectators seated – with great enthusiasm, shouting for their star…for some it was Armaan Mallik, for others it was Abhimanyu Modi.

Nikita and Riddhima both stood near the ring, worried for Armaan and Abhimanyu. Atul, Anjali, Muskaan chatted animatedly behind them, debating on how many punches it would take for Abhimanyu to fall, unaware of their friends' worry.

Armaan and Abhimanyu entered from opposite sides of the hall, both ready to beat each other into a pulp. Riddhima rushed to Armaan's side, while Nikita moved towards Abhimanyu, in a last feeble attempt to make him see reason.

"Armaan stop this, please don't fight!" an agitated Riddhima urged Armaan, who was in no mood to listen.

"He needs to be taught a few lessons, Basket. And I want to make sure he learns them well", Armaan told her and Riddhima sighed resignedly at his words.

Nikita walked carefully to Abhimanyu, fearing another outburst from him.

"Abhimanyu…" she started saying slowly, unsure of his reaction. He remained silent and fixed her with a cold stare.

"I just wanted to tell you that…" she gulped, and continued, "Armaan didn't send me. I…I didn't even talk to him…I just…I just don't want you two to fight," she said, looking down at the floor, avoiding his eyes.

"Why?" His tone was sarcastic.

Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice, and she gathered some courage and spoke. "You'll get hurt", she explained simply.

"And?" his ever-penetrating gaze was starting to undo her.

"I…I'm worried for you", she replied softly, nervously looking into his eyes, which softened slightly, but the fire in them continued to burn. His hand came up and lightly brushed her hair form her eyes, tucking it behind her ear. The gesture startled her, but she proceeded along, hoping against hope that maybe he will understand.

"Please…please don't fight", she pleaded with him, unknowingly taking his hand.

He glanced at their hands, and said, "I can't do that." He extracted his hand from hers, and looked the other way, not meeting her desperate gaze. "I won't back out", he clarified. "This match will happen. Armaan needs to be taught some serious lessons, and he himself chose to learn the hard way."

"But I'm sorry for what I said earlier…" he said softly, turning towards her, his eyes expressing guilt. "I was angry and…" his voice drifted away.

She simply looked at him, her face unreadable. She sighed softly and walked away from him, shaking her head.

"What happened Nikki? Did he listen to you?" Riddhima asked her desperately when she walked up to her. She just shook her head slowly, indicating that the match was going to happen.

"I talked to Armaan, but he didn't listen either. Oh, these men!" Riddhima exclaimed, wringing her hands worriedly.

The match started, and the crowd around them roared in excitement. Abhimanyu and Armaan both dodged each other's punches for some time, and the interns watched on in anticipation. Anjali, Muskaan and Atul all encouraged Armaan excitedly while Riddhima and Nikita prayed that none of them got hurt.

Armaan landed a punch right on Abhimanyu's stomach, and he doubled up in pain. A sob involuntarily escaped Nikki as Riddhima gasped and Armaan's supporters cheered on. Abhimanyu straightened himself only to receive another hard punch from Armaan.

"Abhi…no…please, someone stop them…they'll get hurt…" Nikita said to no one in particular, and her eyes met Abhimanyu's. She saw the pain in his eyes, which reflected in her own. He winced, and slowly stood up again. Armaan was smiling at him humourlessly, throwing a challenge at him. Abhimanyu suddenly delivered a kick on Armaan's stomach, startling him and wiping that irritating smirk off his face. He groaned in pain and Abhimanyu took that time to recover. Riddhima gasped, and most of the crowd booed Abhimanyu.

A series of punches and kicks followed from both ends after that, and both men pushed themselves to the limit, panting and wincing in pain, covered with bruises and cuts, but in no mood to give up.

Nikita and Riddhima both had tears in their eyes, feeling helpless in the situation, unable to control their emotions as they watched the two men trying hard to knock the other out.

Armaan kicked Abhimanyu hard, and he was thrown off balance. Stumbling and eventually landing near the rings, he fell down, spitting blood. The entire crowd gasped when they realised the impact the kick had had on him.

Nikita seemed to see everything in slow motion as Abhimanyu fell and pitifully attempted to get up. Blinded by tears, she ran to him, and simply watched him try to wipe the blood from his mouth, unable to utter a word. He had taken the punches, but she could feel his pain in every fibre of her body. It was as if she had gotten hurt. She didn't know why she was so worried for him…it didn't matter. He was hurt, and it was all happening because of her. Guilt ate her up from the inside and she sobbed even harder when she felt that this was the culminated effect of her earlier misunderstandings and false accusations.

He looked at him, and she saw his eyes clouded with pain. She fell to her knees, sobbing hard, tears flowing unrestricted from her eyes. Abhimanyu watched her fall, and understood that she was crying for him. Those tears were for him…because of him. She had come to stop him from fighting not because she didn't want Armaan to get hurt, but because she cared for him.

He continued to stare at her, his realisation of his earlier misinterpretation of her innocent intentions hitting him hard. She shook her head sadly at him, desperation in her eyes, begging him silently to stop fighting, all the while sobbing hard.

Riddhima watched the silent exchange between the two, latching on to the pain and desperation in both their eyes. It struck her that maybe…maybe Dr. Modi was special to Nikki. Maybe they were special to each other. She ran to Armaan, and urged him to take one look at Nikki and stop fighting.

Unable to hear her over the roaring crowd, Armaan leaned towards her, straining his ears.

Nikki's reaction seemed to strengthen Abhimanyu. He slowly managed to push himself up. She still continued to look at him, shaking her head slightly, conveying to him to stop the fight. He took one last look at Nikki, and then turned towards Armaan, who had his back turned to him, facing Riddhima.

"Just look at Nikki, Armaan. Please…see her tears. For God's sake, stop this fighting", Riddhima begged Armaan. He confusedly listened to her and turned around to look at his best friend.

A punch right on the face from Abhimanyu took him by surprise and Armaan fell to the ground.

"ARMAAN!" Riddhima called out to him, frightened. Nikita froze as she saw her best friend fall to the ground.

Armaan tried to raise his head but eventually he blacked out. Riddhima shook him hard in a desperate attempt to wake him up, but to no avail. "Get up Armaan! Please…please get up…" she sobbed, trying her best to revive him.

Satisfied, Abhimanyu raised his hand in victory and his supporters cheered happily. He turned around towards Nikki, who had a shuttered expression on her face. He reached out to her, and tried to walk to her, but fatigue overtook him and he, too, fell to the ground.

Nikita's eyes widened, and she shouted his name, trying to wake him up. He gave no response, and she cried harder. "Wake up Abhimanyu…" she said in a strangled voice, shaking him.

*****

Supporting him on her shoulder, Nikki led Abhimanyu into his bedroom. She tried to make him sit on his bed, but they both stumbled and she fell on top of him. His hand tangled in her hair, and he stared into her eyes, unable to look away. The sudden intimacy reminded her of their earlier kiss, and she untangled his hand from her hair and moved away.

Bringing a few medicines from his cupboard, she proceeded to clean up his cuts and bruises. She took his hand and wiped the blood from his knuckles, and put some ointment on it. He stared at her, realising that she was angry with him.

She moved to clean up the blood on the corner of his lips. The touch of her finger on his lips sent a tingling sensation through them. He brushed the hair from her eyes and she looked at him, her eyes hard.

He took her hand and asked her softly, "Why are you doing this?"

"You're hurt, and you don't have anyone to look after you. I'm a doctor and I'm just doing my duty," she clarified, her voice brittle.

"Your duty", he latched on to her words. "So it is your duty to take care of me?" he asked her.

She did not meet his eyes, and extracted her hand from his, then took a bit of cotton and wiped the cuts on his arms with Dettol.

Her sardonic silence irked him. "Why were you crying during the match?" he put forth another question to her.

"What does it matter to you?" she replied, avoiding his eyes and concentrating on his cuts. "You were too busy fighting."

"Shouldn't it matter?" he countered her reply. When she didn't answer, he asked, "Why do you care?"

She looked at him now, her eyes brimming with tears. "What if something had happened to you? Then…" she spoke, her voice quivering slightly, but still maintaining an angry tone.

"Then what?"

She remained silent.

"Answer me", he urged her.

She didn't reply. Abhimanyu lifted her face with his finger, and two deep dark pools of pain stared back at him. "Why do you care about me Nikki?" he asked her softly.

"Why do you care to know?" she threw back at him.

"Why can't you just tell me?"

"Why can't you stop fighting?"

"What is your problem, Nikki?"

"You."

"You"…the word hit him like a slap on the face. He stared at her, hurt. "Me?" he mused out loud. She glared at him stubbornly.

"So I am the bane of your life?" he asked her hurtfully.

In no mood to continue the conversation, she got up to leave. But he grabbed her hand and pulled her back down on the bed, and when she tried to snatch her hand away, he just held on tighter.

"Answer me. How is it that you consider me to be the root of all your problems? You came to stop me from fighting…you didn't go to Armaan. You were crying for me during the match, and now you're taking care of me when I didn't even ask for it", he said hotly. "If I am your problem, then why do you come to me, huh? Why can't you just stay away from me?"

His words broke down the wall she had tentatively built up around herself to protect her inner turmoil. The tears she had tried to hold back broke through the barriers of her eyelashes. The helplessness, the hurt, and the pain she'd been trying to bottle up inside her burst out, and he stared at her, startled at her reaction.

Her tears melted him, and he held her tight as she sobbed into his shoulder. It pained him to see her cry. And the fact that he thought he was the reason for all her sorrows saddened him further.

"Nikki? I…what happened? Why are you crying?" he asked, worried for her and scared about the answer he might receive. He didn't want to hear it.

She freed herself from his arms and sniffled. "You two were fighting over me…if I hadn't misunderstood you that day then….then all this wouldn't have happened", she hiccupped. "I knew Armaan would never understand, so I went to you…and then you refused to listen to me, and you misunderstood everything…and…I felt so helpless…and now you've both gotten hurt…and I…it's all because of me…I feel so guilty…" she sobbed harder.

So that was it. She thought it was all her fault. Abhimanyu's guilt increased further. He looked at the woman sobbing before him, unable to believe that the feisty intern who refused to let him be in peace for even a moment was so soft from the inside.

"Nikki…" he wiped her tears with his thumb, and tried to calm her down. "It wasn't your fault…we…Armaan and I…we were stubborn, and I should have listened to you. I was an idiot. And I've also made you cry…I'm sorry", he said, looking into her eyes.

"But if I hadn't misunderstood you then-"

"Even I misunderstood you Nikki…I should have listened to you."

"But you've gotten hurt."

"I'll be okay. Don't worry about me. What happened has happened, and you can't change it Nikki. This wouldn't have happened if I had listened to you…it…it hurts, Nikki. Please don't cry", he requested her, not knowing how to control her incessant crying.

He wiped her tears and cupped her face. She looked up at him with red puffy eyes.

"You two…you never listen to me…" she whispered in a trembling voice.

Guilt seemed to eat him up and he avoided her gaze. Nikita Malhotra, the ever-fighting spirit, the strong, hard-headed, fiery woman, was crying helplessly in his arms tonight, and it was all his doing. He shook his head at his stubbornness and looked back into her eyes.

"I'm sorry", was all he could manage.

They looked at each other, both feeling guilty for having hurt the other, both wanting to repair the damage they had caused. They could feel each other's pain. They weren't themselves anymore…they had exposed their inner beings to each other. It was hard to believe that these two people had hated each other from day one since they met.

Abhimanyu had never been so sensitive to someone else's feelings. And Nikita had never cried like this before in front of anyone. He had never so easily admitted that he was wrong. She had never felt so guilty for hurting someone she supposedly 'hated'. Was it a change of feelings for each other…or was it just the aftermath of an emotionally charged evening that suddenly brought them so close to each other…they didn't know.

At this moment they needed the support that they knew that only the other could provide. They needed each other.

Only if they knew what a dangerous chain of thought and incidents that statement would lead to.

great job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ab naye parts kab likhogi???????????????

nice ...I read it again n it was even better the second...no wait the 4th time!! LOL!!
I love the ending para.....now plz update soon n don't u dare go on a vacation w/o putting up part 3!!

AWESOME Khush!!! Read it again!!! 😆 😆 LOVED it!!😳

AWESOME TWOSOME OOSOME DOOSOME!!!!!!

Nice Read Khushboo....Lovely recap to those wonderful scenes and beautiful insights into AN's feelings for each other....

this ff reminds me of the song