Part 20
Riddhima sat on her bed staring into space. She was going to dance with Armaan. They had to rehearse for two months. Two MONTHS. Her lips curved into a smile and for a moment she forgot she was angry with him. On an impulse, she sent him a text.
Umm when do you want to meet for rehearsals?
-R
I dunno. You tell me! In order to put up an amazing performance in two months, how much time do we need? I don't mind leaving early from office if that's what it takes.
-A
How about, we start rehearsals at 4 pm? About 3-4 hours every day should do the trick! I'd have said more, but you dance reasonably well so...
-R
REASONABLY?
-A
Oh, so you mean to say you don't dance well at all? Oh okay. That's how it is then.
-R
Ha ha. Very funny. I dance well! Much better than that partner of yours!
-A
You wish. In fact, I should be the one saying that! I dance a MILLION times better than Brittany :P
-R
Okay, Imma have to agree to this one.
-A
*smiles widely* One extremely nosy question ' WHY did you choose her?
-R
Long story. I'll tell you when we meet tomorrow.
-A
I wanna know now! Type karne mein kitna time lagta hai?!
Don't be lazy :P
-R
Lazy, am I? Where are you right now?
-A
Are you trying to change the topic? I'm at home btw.
-R
Meet me at the starbucks near your place.
-A
Right now????????
-R
I thought you wanted to know why I chose Brittany.
-A
Not if I have to get up, change, get out, walk to Starbucks, and all that just to know why you chose that blonde? Puh-Leez :P
-R
Fine! I'll tell you tomorrow! :)
-A
Riddhima kept the phone down and smiled. It was so good to text him! It reminded her just how much she'd missed him! Usne mujhe startbucks pe kyun bulaaya? He could've called me or texted me or anything! Is he flirting- Naah. He can't be. Am I thinking too much into this? Maybe he just asked me as a friend? Argh...that conversation with Ishaan has got me thinking and over analyzing every damn thing between us! Shit. Maybe I should go to starbucks? I mean, at least pata toh chalega why he chose blondie!
Convincing herself that she was going to meet him only because she wanted to know why he chose Brittany, she went in the bathroom to get changed, but not before sending him a text.
FINE. -___- I'll meet you at starbucks in 15.
-R
I knew you'd come around ;)
-A
Armaan kept down his phone and went in the garage to get his car. He had no idea why he asked her to meet him at starbucks. He could have told her over the phone. What is WRONG with me? I hope it didn't sound like I was asking her out on a date? Shit. That's so embarrassing! She couldn't have thought of it like that, right?
Shaking his head at his craziness, he head out.
Riddhima opened the door to Starbucks. She saw Armaan sitting at one of the corner booths, loking outside. Unconsciously, a smile reached her face. He looked so amazing. He was so amazing. Smiling, she went in and sat in front of him. He turned and looked at her. They smiled at each other.
The waitress came and they ordered their coffees. She went back, to get their orders. There were only three other people besides them and the caf was relatively quiet. Riddhima looked at Armaan, thinking of something to say. She had no clue as to why she was tongue-tied in front of him. Words came easily enough while messaging him!
Armaan looked at Riddhima, trying to make conversation. He could think of nothing to say. They both looked away, the awkwardness settling in. Just then the waitress came back with their coffees and they clutched the cups like life savers. His hands brushed hers, and she looked up. And I thought the electricity thing happens only in movies. Damn...
She sipped her coffee.
"This is awkward..." they both said, simultaneously.
Hearing her say the same thing he looked up. They looked at each other for a moment and then gave out a peal of laughter. It wasn't awkward anymore.
As the laughter died down, Riddhima became curious as to why he chose Brittany. She asked him.
"It's quite embarrassing actually..."
"I want to know!"
"Okay, well umm Brittany usually comes with all my mail in the office and then she reads out the names while I say yes or no depending on whether the mail is to be kept or thrown away. Anyway, so that day she came with a huge stack of mails and read off all the names. I was preparing a presentation simultaneously and in the middle of saying all those "Yes" and "No"s, she asked me whether I'd be her partner. I said yes unconsciously, without listening to what she said. Then she asked me if we'd meet at her place in the evening. I asked why and then she told me I'd agreed to be her partner."
He paused, taking a sip of the coffee.
"And then I told her, that I was uh..your partner."
"What?" she exclaimed.
"Yeah, I admit I lied, but I didn't wanna dance with her. Anyway, she then told me that you had told her that you'd already asked someone else to be your partner. And then because I had no excuse, I agreed."
"But that's not possible!!!"
"Why not?"
"Well, because I was uh gonna ask you to be my partner!"
"What?!"
"Yeah...all that time she was in the office, I was outside, waiting to ask you But then she came out and told me that you'd agreed to be her partner and how she was so happy, blah blah and so I got Ishaan to be my partner!"
As her words sunk in, they both realized that they'd been played by Brittany. They were almost embarrassed at how they'd been fooled.
"Brittany." They said, unanimously. He said it as an explanation and she said it as an expletive.
Shaking their heads, they drank the coffee, smiling.
"I can't believe we didn't speak to each other for an entire week because of THAT!" she said.
"I know!"
Things were back to normal after that. He told her about the latest movie he'd seen and she told him about the football match that she'd watched. The silence was now filled with inconsequential talking, a mark of the comfort they shared.
She took the last sip of the coffee and they paid the bill.
They walked out, the smile never leaving their faces. It was a beautiful night. She looked at him, grinning.
Armaan saw Riddhima. Her eyes sparkling and mouth curved upwards in a grin, she looked amazing. On an impulse he went closer. Tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, he whispered "See you tomorrow.", before softly kissing her cheeks, his lips lingering for a second.
Riddhima was too stunned to respond. He turned and walked away, while she stood there, a blush covering her cheeks. As she walked home, she did a little pirouette on the empty street, the feel of his lips still on her cheeks.
"Oye Riddhima! Uth yaar!" said Muskaan, pulling the blinds up, sending the sunlight streaming into the room.
"Muskiii...curtains close kar na! Pata hai na, mujhe sote samay light nahi chahiye! Pleasseee..."
"Riddhima! It's EIGHT in the morning! Mujhe office jaana hai, tu uth na!"
"Rahul??? Mujhe toh laga ki Muskaan thi... See??? That's why I need to sleep...mujhe pata bhi nahi chala ki tum dono mein se kaun hai...my brain's screwed up...sone de na please!"
"Abe ullu ki patthi! Hum DONO ne tujhe ek ek baar uthaaya! Ab toh uth jaa meri maa!" said Rahul, pulling Riddhima's blanket off her.
She sat up, clipping her hair loosely. She rubbed her eyes and looked at Rahul and Muskaan, staring at her with puzzled faces.
"Ab kya hai? Main uth toh gayi!"
"Riddhima? Kal raat tum kahin gayi thi kya?" asked Muskaan.
Her foggy brain didn't completely register what Muskaan said. "Nahin toh...kya yaar Muski, subah subah time pass kar rahi hai! Hato, I need my coffee warna I'll fall asleep again!"
"Oye! Main time pass nahi kar rahi! Tere kapde dekhe? Raat ko tu jeans aur t-shirt pehen ke soti hai?"
Riddhima looked at Muskaan sheepishly, as last night came back to her. She remembered everything, right up to him pecking her cheeks. Involuntarily, a smile made it's way to her face.
"Riddhima?! Kya soch rahi hai? Bataa na!" asked Rahul, curiously.
"Umm woh main...kal raat ko...walk pe gayi thi! Woh kya hai na, mujhe neend nahi aa rahi thi toh I went for a stroll! Aur kuch nahi..." she said trailing off, hoping that for once they wouldn't be able to tell that she'd been lying. She knew that if they even got a whiff of what she'd been up to, she would never hear the end of it.
Muskaan looked at Riddhima with narrowed eyes. "Dekh, Riddhima ki bachchi...humse jhooth mat bol! If you'd gone for a walk, you wouldn't have bothered to change your night dress...ab sach sach bataa kahaan gayi thi tu?" she asked, a naughty glint in her eyes.
Riddhima knew she was caught. Riddhima saw that it was futile to lie to Muskaan because apparently Muskaan could do the third degree better than FBI. Sighing, she said, "I umm met Armaan at Starbucks last night..."
Before Muskaan and Rahul could react, Rahul's phone rang and he went out of the room to attend the call while Riddhima took the opportunity to slip into the bathroom and brush her teeth.
As she came out, she saw Rahul entering the room, while Muskaan looked at Riddhima waiting to finish what she'd said. "Rahul? Muskaan? Tum log abhi bhi yahaan ho?" she said, nervously.
"Arre, hum jaa kaise sakte hai! Not after that juicy bit of info you just gave us!" said, Muskaan giggling.
"Guys! I have to go! Client ke saath meeting hai. Muski tum baad mein aa jaana, hmm? Bye Riddhima! Oh and update me on all the "gossip", haan?" he said, pecking both their cheeks and making his way to the door.
"Oi! Rahul! "Update me on all the GOSSIP"??? That sounded gay!" said Muskaan in between fits of laughter, while Riddhima joined her.
Rahul came back and walked towards Muskaan until they were almost touching. "Gay, am I?" he said, smiling a little.
Riddhima smiled at the sight in front of her. She saw Rahul tip Muskaan's chin up and said, "Oye! Idhar nahi! Mahn...you guys are like...on it like ALL the time, nai? Yeh sab na, apne bedroom mein karo! Do you have any idea how weird it is for me when I see you guys like this?! Shoo! Jao ab!" saying that, she went into the bathroom for a bath, leaving a red faced Rahul and a crimson Muskaan behind.
Riddhima giggled as she stepped into the shower. She loved how she had a upper hand in teasing them.
She was sitting in the cab when she received the text from Armaan.
I've gotta pick up a few important clients at the airport and then take them to Marriot for our business lunch, over which I'm signing a contract. Point is, I won't be coming to office today! I'll see you directly at Ishaan's studio. Miss me :)
-A
Okay! Pssht. I'm not going to miss you! You wish ;)
See ya! Oh and wear comfy clothes, haan? Easier to dance in them :D
-R
Yes Maam. Anything else?
-A
Nah. Just be there on time!
-R
Sure thing.
-A
Armaan put his phone inside his pocket and switched on his laptop, hoping to finish some work before the clients came. He had an hour's time before their flight landed.
He stretched his neck and cracked his knuckles, as the hour passed. He'd finished with his work within the hour and he packed his laptop, getting up to receive the clients. Just then he heard an announcement and groaned. The flight had been delayed by 90 minutes. He groaned and walked towards a small caf in the airport.
Kya yaar...90 minutes more?! What the hell am I supposed to do for 90 minutes? Maine toh saara kaam bhi khatam kar diya! Aur aaj toh rehearsals ke liye bhi jaana hai, God, I'm going to be late on the first day?! Hope not!
He sat on the table for one. Taking out his laptop again, he went online to check his mails. He was just sorting them out when he received a mail.
Armaaan! Hey :D Umm aunty wants to talk to you, skype pe aa! Oh and Abhi and I have something to tell you as well! Come jaldi se! I'm so so so so so EXCITEDDD! Okay I know I'm excited waise bhi, but this time its amazing! Sachiii! Arghh...I gotta go. Abhi is telling me not to be so hyper and act like a freak. I'm gonna go give him a piece of my mind! Come online FAAASSTTT :D
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When I said fast I meant fast! I can see that little green button, telling me you're online, so come on skype R.I.G.H.T N.O.W! Or I'm going to be verrryyy angry! LMAO :D
-Niks
Armaan grinned, reading the message. He went on Skype.
A while later, he could see Nikki's nose in the camera.
"Nikki! Door ja! I can only see your nose! Which by the way is disgusting!"
"Eyyy! My nose is perfect, okay! Acha yeh batao, kaise ho?"
"I come online, leaving all my work untouched, only to know what the three most important people of my life want to tell me, and you ask me- Kaise ho?! Mrs. Nikita Malhotra, I'm a very busy man!"
"Oye! Shut uppp! I can see the coffee tables behind you, you're in a caf! By the way, it's Nikita MODI now! It's been 2 and a half years Armaan!"
"Oh yeah, I forgot you got married to Modi!"
"Ha ha. Very funny!"
"Yeah yeah...Woh sab chodo, yeh bataao, why aren't you at the hospital today? And where's Modi? And what did mom wanna talk to me about?"
"First off, yahaan pe raat ke 10 baje hain, so I'm home, Abhi is in the bathroom, taking a shower, and aunty ko jo baat kehni thi woh, woh khud aakar kahegi thodi der mein!"
Armaan smiled sheepishly as he'd forgotten the time difference. Just then he saw Abhi crawl up on the bed, beside Nikki and kissed her neck softly.
Armaan scowled and said, "Eyy! Modi! Kya kar raha hai tu! Ugh you guys! Keep your PDA under control! Mere saamne yeh sab karna zaroori hai kya? Jeez."
Armaan saw Abhi go red with embarrassment and he laughed. He looked at Nikki, who was also flustered.
"Shut up! Meri chod saale! Tu bataa, RIDDHIMA kaisi hai?" said, Abhi stressing on Riddhima's name.
"Usse kya hona tha?! Theek hai!" Armaan said, grinning.
"Toh aise smile jyun kar rahe ho? Waise, what happened in the dance thingy?" asked Nikki, excitedly.
"Woh jeet gayi!"
"And again I ask, why the hell are you smiling like that?"
"Because...she's my partner for the actual event!"
"Eeeks! That is freakin' amazing! So, did you tell her yet?"
"Tell her what?"
"Abe gadhe, wohi, ki tu usse luuurvvv karta hai!" said Abhi while Nikki and he burst into peals of laughter.
"Oh my God, you guys! Abhi tak usi baat ko lekar baithe ho? I don't-" said, Armaan but he was cut off by Abhi.
"Arre shut up yaar! Jab dekho tab "I don't love her." Love doesn't exist." jaisi faltu baatein karta rehta hai! Love exists, okay?"
Abhi's words hit home but Armaan was adamant. "No Modi, it doesn't!"
"Abey to kya main aur Nikki natak kar rahe hai?"
"Look, aap logon ki baat alag hai!"
"Armaaan!!!! It's NOT different! And I'm going to keep pestering you about this, until you admit that yes love exists and that there's a possibility that you've fallen for Riddhima!" said, Nikki glaring at Armaan.
Armaan blinked in surprise at the amount of anger in Nikki's tone. Fumbling for words, he tried to change the topic. "Woh umm Maa kahin dikhaay nahi de rahi? And you uh wanted to tell me something?" he said, hoping that Nikki would be distracted. Sure enough, she was.
"Aunty bas abhi aa hi rahi hai! Aur unke aane ke baad hi we'll tell you! Waise don't change the topic Armaan! Hum tumhaari aur Riddhima ki baat kar rahe the."
Armaan groaned. He should've known she'd never let go of this. "Nikki, look, as of now I don't love her, okay? But...umm I'll consider it?" he said, trailing on thin ice.
"Yeah you damn well will! And I'm going to PROVE it to you."
"Nikki, chchod na! Maine kaha na I'll consider it!"
"Saale! Tujhe hum bahot achi tarah jaante hain. Hume kaha ki you'll consider it lekin tu wahaan pe kya karta hai woh hume kaise pata? I agree with Nikki on this one!"
Nikki smiled in victory. "Okay, I'll umm say something and you tell me what you see when I say it, okay?"
"This is REALLY dumb..." Armaan said, but he changed his stance when he saw Nikki's glare. "But, uh... really interesting as well! I'll do it!"
"Awesome! Umm what do you see when I say Football?!"
Armaan remembered the way he'd played football with her. The way he'd wanted to kiss her. The way she'd exulted in victory when she had beat him. The smile playing on his lips was wiped off when he heard Nikki say, "Ha! I'm not even TRYING to continue this thing! It's so bloody obvious! Tum Riddhima ke baare mein soch rahe the na?" she asked, laughing at the dazed look on his face.
Armaan went red with embarrassment and tried defending himself. "Not at all! Main Riddhima ke baare mein nahi soch raha tha! I was uh...umm-"
"Save it Malik, you're screwed already! Man, I never thought I'd see this day! THE Armaan Malik in love? Wow! Wait till Smita aunty hears this!" said Abhi, grinning.
"No no no no no! You're not breathing a WORD of this to mom, okay? Not a single word!"
"Matlab you accept you love her?"
"Ha ha. NO. I gotta go in 10. Jaldi bolo what you guys wanted to tell me!"
Nikki said, "We were waiting for aunty to come, lekin lagta hai hume baatana hi padega!"
"Kya bataana hai? Say it quickly, man!"
"Woh ...I'm...I mean we're uh...having a baby!" said Nikki, excitedly.
"WHAT? A baby? Mahn you guys are fast! Do din pehle hi toh baat ki thi! Congratulations!" he said, grinning from ear to ear.
"Thanks!"
Armaan talked to them for about 5 minutes more, wishing them all the best and sharing their enthusiasm for the arrival of the baby. A strange feeling settled into him once he switched his laptop off. Abhi and Nikki are having a baby?! Time's passed by so fast! It's like just yesterday we were getting drunk at the graduation party! And now they're all set to become parents? Why does it feel like I'm stuck in a limbo? It's like the whole world is spinning around me, going about their business while I'm just standing here, doing nothing. What am I doing with my life? Is Nikki right? Am I really being stupid by denying this thing between Riddhima and me? What if I've fallen for...shit. What am I thinking about? The flight's gonna land any minute. Think about the client and then the contract. And then rehearsals with her. For 2 months...the CONTRACT Armaan. Focus.
Shaking his head, he went ahead to receive the clients, his thoughts a complete mess.
*Continued on Page 98...the update was too long :P*
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