A very very hearty thank you to all those who commented, and pressed the like tab. And an even more bigger thank you to all those readers who have waited so patiently for the update.
Hola people, i am finally back, with another update. Hostel and study pressure doesnt allow me much time, but i managed to write this one, as i am on a vacation. I hope you like it, but there's a request. I am going back soon, so another update shall have to wait. Please bear up with the delays. Now go on and read the part.
RECAP:
Armaan and Riddhima confess their love. Riddhima tells him that her dad had already fixed her marriage, and Armaan promises to make her his. He asks her to celebrate her birthday with him, by spending the whole day with him.
It had been a few minutes, when Armaan was broken out of his trance, due to the buzzing of his cell in his pocket. But this seemed to have no effect on Riddhima, he slowly moved his head, and saw her asleep. He then gently pulled up his phone, and received the call,
"Haan Atul, sab preparations ho gayi, itni jaldi, thanks a ton dude, i couldnt have done it without you. Haan, wo am speaking softly because Riddhima so rahi hai, please Atul, baad mein chidaana, abhi Anjali ko call kar, n ask to her pack n send over Riddhima's belongings, haan, jo useh theek lage, daal degi. And ek baat aur, please ask her to inform Nikki, and... Abhi, ki Riddhima theek hai. Haan, once again thanks a zillion AJ, bye"
He shifted his position very gently, and lifting her in his arms, he placed her on the bed, covered her with the duvet. He sat next to her, kissed her forehead, and played with the tresses which came on her face, an act which made Riddhima smile in her sleep.
"Basket, this one day will be the most special birthday of your life, and the most important one, except for the day we get married, and also the day our first kid is born, and then the second one, and then the third, and......."
Armaan continued talking about his fantasies of his future with her, and later on, fell asleep sitting next to her.
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PART 24
Armaan saw her sleeping peacefully, and decided that he shouldnt wake her up. She deserved some sleep, and moreover, seeing his angel looking so beautiful in her sleep, he did not have the heart to go and wake her up. She looked so heavenly and magical, sleeping here, in his room, that he just couldnt stop dreaming about having her here forever. Just then, he recalled that there was lots of work to be done, and so, letting her stay there, he got up n started to pack his own stuff.
After he was done, he texted Atul to meet him at the airport with the necessary things, and Riddhima's luggage. He loaded his stuff in the car, and when it was time to wake up Riddhima, his heart still did not want to disturb her. So he very carefully picked her up in his arms and started moving towards the car. He had been very careful in his actions so as not to disturb her, but contrary to his thoughts, Riddhima seemed far away from being disturbed. Instead, as soon as he had made her comfortable in his arms, a smile crossed her face, which was not missed by him. At once he thought that she was pretending to sleep, and so to tease her back, he brought his face closer to her, very dangerously close, but getting no reaction from her, he knew that she was actually asleep. But with this realisation, came another one. He was too close to her, which was quite dangerous for his self-control. He could feel and listen to her smooth breath, which was an addition with her soothing fragrance. With great difficulty, and remembering the trust Riddhima held for him, he moved his face away from her, but it looked like fate wasnt with him today. Riddhima shifted more closer to him, and thanks to his unbuttoned jacket (A/N : I need to remind all that Armaan is wearing his white sleeveless jacket, n boy, doesnt he looks so hot, n sexy, n handsome, n adorable, n... oops, back to the story --> ), she managed to get in touch with his skin by placing her lips next to his bare chest. This immediately created a havoc in his heart, her lips burned his skin, and he had the immediate urge to just crush her lips under his, or to throw her away to get rid of this burning sensation, but he was helpless, as going with either of the options, he would land himself in an unwanted situation. Forcing himself to the extremes, he tried making a distance between them by pushing her a little away from him, never leaving his eyes from her enchanting face.
It was as if her favourite toy was being snatched away from her, and he saw Riddhima's smile change into a frown, as she put her hands around his waist, and snuggled even closer. Armaan felt shivers run through his spine, as he was losing his control because of their physical proximity. This time he really thought that she was doing it all on purpose, but observing her carefully, he knew he was wrong again. He again tried shifting her a little far from his body, and only he knew that it took him all his emotional and physical strength in doing this, but for once, her strength was stronger than his. She held him tightly, as if holding on for her dear life, and didnt loosen her hold at his numerous attempts. He finally gave up fighting her, and let her be comfortable however she may want. As a reaction to his surrender, he saw the smile return to her lips, as if she had been given the world's biggest and her favourite stuff toy to cuddle to. Little did he know that he was the most wanted stuff toy on every girl's list, and that Riddhima was happiest to have him all for herself.
He felt on top of the world to see her cuddled next to him, and carefully, he made way to his car. It was again trouble for him, as he knew that Riddhima wont leave him, and he pleaded to her in a soft voice,
"Riddhima, please, if you keep coming closer to me, i'll do something which we both will regret, and we also need to enjoy this day to its fullest, aur agar hum yahaan se hie nahi nikle, to aage ke mere plan par paani phir jayega. Meri saari mehnat kharab ho jayegi, and i wont be happy, is this what you want?"
Saying this, he tried putting her down on the back seat, so that she could lie down, and to his surprise, she let go of him, and slept peacefully, smile never leaving her face. He started off to the airport. He reached their in a few minutes, and had his luggage taken care of. Finally, he knew it was time for Riddhima to be disturbed in her beautiful sleep. He has pushed the moment till the end. He opened the back door, and called out to her. Getting no response, he bent down, and bringing his face closer to her ear, he said,
"Riddhima, we are here, uth jao!"
Riddhima stirred a bit, and slightly opened her eyes. In front of her eyes, was the blurry vision of the person whose dreams did not let her sleep, but today, his dreams brought an unknown smile to her face. She was still wondering if he was a dream, and would vanish as soon as she moved to touch him. She did not want this dream to break, she did not want to get up, she always wanted to see his smiling face in her dreams, and wanted to poke into his deep dimples. And that was what she was going to do right now, she knew he'll go away as soon as she'll try to touch him, but the urge to touch him was too high. She muttered, "Good Morning Armaan", and moved her hand to touch his dimples. She saw his smile deepening as he realised her intention, and moved closer to let her feel him. She was surprised to see him still there, even after she had poked him with her finger, his face was tilted on hers as he bent closer to her, and she moved her hand to caress him.
Warmth flooded in Armaan's body as he felt her finger move on his face, the warmth of her love and passion, intensity of which he could see in her eyes right now. Though her hand was moving on his face, but her deep eyes were looking into his, fixed just there, staring at him with all the love in the world. Her eyes spoke it all, n intuitively, Armaan kissed each of her eyes one by one.
"I love you Armaan"
"I know Basket, I love you too", Armaan grinned,
"Really, i didnt know this, you need to keep reminding me, very, very frequently", Riddhima said with a naughty glint in her eyes,
"Basket, someone's becoming very naughty, huh?", Armaan moved his hand in her hair softly,
"Aap ka effect hie kuch aisa hai Mr Armaan Mallik", Riddhima said this n winked at him. Armaan gaped at her as his mouth was wide open,
"Haw! Armaan, itna bada mooh kyun khola hai? Aakhir tumhara irada kya hai?", Riddhima threw him off by her wits, Armaan was pleasantly shocked by this new Riddhima, but he soon balanced himself mentally, and answered her.
"Irada nek to nahi hai Miss Riddhima Gupta, lekin agar aap poochh rahi hain to ek demo to de hie deta hoon", saying this, he pretended to move closer to her, when Riddhima suddenly got up and sat straight, facing him.
"Armaan! Tum na, tum na, tum na kabhi nahi sudhroge, koi sun lega to?", she frowned,
"Oye Hoyye! Aur Basket, tum na, tum na, tum na waise achhi nahi lagti ho, naughty wali. Naughtiness tum mere liye hie chhod diya karo", Armaan said,
Riddhima turned very serious, and widening her eyes with her pure innocence, she asked him with a pleading look,
"Dont you like me when i am naughty", she spoke,
Armaan's heart melted at the sight in front of him, Riddhima was sitting in the back seat facing him, and he was sitting out of the car on his knees. It was as if all her insecurities came out in this one single question, and it hurt him to see her like this. He immediately took her hands in his, and placing them on her lap, he spoke,
"Basket, tum to mujhe hamesha achhi lagti ho, tum jaisi thi, jaisi ho, ya jaisi ban jaogi, main tumhe har roop mein pyaar karta hoon, aur karta rahoonga. Mera pyaar kabhi kam nahi hoga, hamesha sirf badhega, i promise my life on this, Armaan Mallik promise, ye ek Mallik ka waada hai, kabhi nahi tootega. And even though i like you more in the strict and shareef wala role, still i cant deny ki naughty Basket ka apna alag hie maza hai, sexy you see, and i dont at all mind seeing her more regularly", he smirked,
"Armaan!", she tried hitting him, but he did not release her hands, instead brought them up and kissed them. She looked at him lovingly and mentally thanked God for this time she was spending here with him. She wished this moment to just stop here, and they could be together forever.
"Riddhima!", Armaan said, bringing her out of her trance, "Riddhima, flight ka time ho jayega, lets move"
At this Riddhima brakes her stare from him, and looks around her, and immediately recognized herself at the airport. Things about spending the full day with Armaan came back to her.
"Armaan, hum ja kaha rahe hain?", she asked as she climbed out of the car.
"Wo to tumhe abhi kuch hie der mein pata chal jayega, chalo andar chalte hain", saying this, both of them moved inside, pushing the luggage trolley in front of them. They entered the waiting area, and Armaan looked around the crowd.
"Armaan, what happened, kisiko dhoondh rahe ho", Riddhima asked,
"Huh! Main, haan, wo umm, nahi, kisiko nahi, ah haan, wo raha, aao Basket", he held her by her hand and pulled her in some random direction. Riddhima pushed off through the crowd and was suddenly engulfed in a rib-crashing hug. She was taken aback by the sudden action, she knew it wasnt Armaan, he was already holding her hand, and even more, she recognised his touch. Infact, this hug was also familiar, and realisation dawned to her,
"Anjie", she managed to squeal in between the hug,
"Happy Birthday Ridzi, many many happy returns of the day, i hope all your desires are fullfilled..."
An over excited Anjali was stopped mid-sentence by Armaan's cough.
"Uh uh, Saabhi ji, ab to inki sirf ek hie desire, yaani ki Armaan poori hogi, wo main ho chuka hoon, post reserved forever, no vacancy, and if you dont mind, my lady love is struggling for some fresh air, and i wouldnt want a fight between Atul and me, not here at this moment atleast", saying this, Armaan pulled Riddhima away from Anjali, and made her stand next to him, while his one hand held the luggage trolley, and the other hugged her waist. Atul came to stand next to a frowning Anjali towing the trolley.
"Armaan! You both are going na, and the whole time she'll be with you, you have her all to yourself. So whats your problem if i wanna wish her birthday properly, and ye 'saabhi' kya hota hai, is it some secret code, and why would Atul fight you, here, at this time, of all the places and moments?", Anjali was clearly irritated by Armaan's intrusion.
"Dekho Anjie, tum Riddhima ki behen jaisi ho, so you are my to-be Saali, but how can i ignore ki Atul mera bhai hai, and tum Atul ki (Atul coughed in between and Armaan winked at him) haan, to tum Atul ki 'uhm uhm' ho, ye to theek hai na (Armaan tuned to Atul to say this), to us naate tum meri Bhabhi hui. And tum to jaanti ho ki main apne kisi relation ko kam nahi samajhta, and even in the deepest core main tumhe Saali zaada maanta hu... (Atul glared at Armaan and Armaan grinned sheepishly) Bhabhi bhi utni hie maanta hu, sachi, isiliye tum ho Saali and Bhabhi ka fusion ho, Saabhi, get it? And dekho, i wouldnt like you manhandling my Basket, wo hak to sirf mera hai. I dont know what i may do to you if you keep squeezing her petite body in your bearly hug, and i am sure that even if Atul agrees with me, he'll still have to put up a fight for you, after all tum uski 'uhm uhm' jo ho, samjhi Saabhi ji? Main sahi hoon na Basket?"
Armaan turned his face to Riddhima, caressing her chin. Anjali stared wide eyed at Armaan, while Atul just shook his head thinking, 'ye kabhi nahi sudhrega'. Riddhima giggled listening to all this, and she also placed her hand around his waist.
"Riddhima, Anjie ko kaho na mujhe ghoorna band kare, i know am so hot and sexy and desirable, but mujhe bhi sharam aati hai, bolo na useh ki aise sare-aam line na maare mujh pe", saying this, he released Riddhima, and hid his blushing face in his hands. Riddhima and Atul laughed loudly, while Anjali looked at him with open mouth.
"ARMAAN! Tumhe to main...", saying this, Anjali moved forward to hit him, but Armaan realising the danger, immediately hid behind Riddhima, who tried her best to keep Anjali off Armaan.
"Anjie, chhod de na, jaane de", Riddhima pleaded,
"Haan haan, Ridzi ab to tu isi ki side legi. Ja, chhoda tujhe, tu bhi kya yaad karega Armaan ki kis Anjali se paala pada tha. Anyways, forget all this, Ridzi, here's your luggage, i've put all the necessary things that you might need. Yaha pe sab main sambhaal loogi, you just go and enjoy. Its is your day. Armaan, do take care of her, wont you?", a tear threatened to slip off her eyes as she spoke.
"Hey Anjie, hum log koi bhaag nahi rahe hain, its just a matter of 1 day, chill yaar", Armaan tried calming her down.
"Armaan, tum nahi samjhoge, i have been spending her birthdays with her since so long that i am just used to being around her, and today, when she'll be away, its like tum mera koi part mujhse door kar rahe ho", Anjali continued hoarsely, while tears made way into Riddhima's eyes too, n she slammed into Anjali for a hug.
"Anjie, i totally understand, meri Basket ka charm ahi hie aisa ki no one wants to go away from her (everyone smiled at that), i was just trying to cheer you, i know that i am guilty of separating you both, but thats not my intention. I just want to make for not being there previously, please understand, i dont want to hurt you in...", Armaan was cut midway by Anjali,
"Please Armaan, i didnt mean this, its just that i'll miss her, a lot, but i also know that she'll be happy, with you, because you are the best for her. I know tum iska mujhse zaada dhyaan rakhoge, dont worry, i'll be ok, you both go and come back as happilly as possible. I trust you with Riddhima", Anjali and Riddhima had separated, and now Anjali was hugging Armaan, "I am so glad for you both".
Riddhima watched the interaction between Armaan and Anjali. She wondered that when had this happened, when had Anjali started to trust Armaan so much, but all that mattered was that Anjali was with her, Armaan was always there, and so, she knew that she could fight for him, she could fight to stay with him forever. Just then Atul came and side-hugging her, he squeezed her just a little, and said,
"Happy Birthday Riddhima, i dont have anything to give you right now, but i promise that when you come back..."
"Atul, you brought Anjie here, and that is the best gift you could've given to me, thanks a lot"
"Well, you truly are a gem, and i am glad that Armaan is the lucky one to have you. Still, i just want to tell you something, Armaan seems to be very tough, and yes, externally, he is very tough. No one can harm him physically, but emotionally, he's very unstable, mostly because he missed an important part of himself, but now that its here with him, i am sure you will be there for him. Take good care of him", Atul said,
"I will Atul, i'll treasure him forever and ever", Riddhima promised,
"Hey AJ, tu meri Basket ke saath flirt ka raha hai?", Armaan suddenly came and separating them, pulled Riddhima to himself.
"Haan, wo maine socha ki tu aur Anjali humein bhool gayye ho, so like i thought...", Atul grinned,
"Its ok, keep your thoughts to yourself, future mein kaam aayengi, for now, we both are off, and you guys take care too", Armaan quickly pulled Riddhima as she waved her last good byes.
"Kuch aur der yahaan rahe to ye dono to tumhe yahi bitha lenge", Armaan muttered to Riddhima as they hurried off to the boarding counter.
"Armaan, please ab to bata do, hum kaha ja rahe hain?", Riddhima pleaded,
"Umm, abhi? (but looking at Riddhima's cute face), ok ok, bata deta hoon, we, my Basket princess, are running off to the heaven of lovers, to a beautiful place, that shall compliment our beautiful love. We are going to Paris".
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