PART 21
"5, 6, 7, 8! Right leg out..."
"Toes should be pointy. Yeah just like that! Now
stand for 5 minutes on your toes, hmm?"
She fired instructions at him as they rehearsed.
It was only the first day and Armaan now knew why they said dance looks easy
but isn't.
"Riddhima...bas na! I can't stand on my toes for 5
minutes in this awkward dance position you've made me do!"
"Armaan!!! This is dance! You HAVE to you're your
gestures correct! And you can't stand on your toes for five minutes?
Seriously?!" she said, rolling her eyes.
"Acha, toh tum kar ke dikhao, abhi pata chalega
how much it pains! Paanch minute toh main bhi kar sakta hoon but not in this
position!"
"Tum MUJHE challenge kar rahe ho?"
"Haan toh?! Koi aur dikh raha hai tumhe?!"
"Par main-" She was going to tell him that she'd
been dancing for years but he interrupted her before she could finish.
"Par war kuch nahi! Khud toh kar nahi sakti aur
mujhe keh rahi ho!"
Both of them glared at each other. It was 6:30 pm
and they'd been rehearsing for 3 hours now. With breaks of course. Armaan would
beg for a break and Riddhima just couldn't resist him when he brought on the
cute.
"MAIN nahi kar sakti? Pagal ho kya? I can do it a
MILLION times better than you! In fact I've stood on my toes for an hour at a
stretch! Tum...tum na ekdum fattoo ho!"
"Fattoo?! Aur woh bhi MAIN?! Tumhaara na dimag
kharab ho gaya hai! Arre yaar tumse achi toh woh Brittany thi! At least woh
meri baat toh sunti thi!"
"Haww! Tum mujhe BRITTANY ke saath compare kar
rahe ho? Jaao tum! Jaao uske paas! You know what? I'm calling Ishaan. He'll
definitely take out some time for this event and then we'll dance together. Tum
tension mat lo! Go to Brittany!" she finished with a sneer.
Armaan frowned. He didn't want her to dance with
Ishaan. Flashbacks of their dance came back to him. She was definitely NOT
going to dance with Ishaan. Hell no.
He looked at Riddhima. Her face was coated with a
sheen of sweat and she was glaring and probably cursing him in the process. A
smile played on his lips. It wiped off when he heard her say, "Kya hai? Aise
kyun dekh rahe ho?!"
"Meri aankhein hai, tumse matlab?!"
Riddhima furrowed her eyebrows as she heard him
say that. Their exchange of words played in front of her and she wondered what
the HELL was wrong with her. Dang! I'm
never SO childish! Aise to Rahul-Muski bhi fight nahi karte! Okay now that's
going a bit too far! They definitely fight more than this! But what am I doing?
I can't believe hum aise fight kar rahe the.
She looked at Armaan and saw him looking at her
with a similar look on his face. They eyed each other for a moment before they
burst out laughing.
"Shit! I can't believe we fought like that!" He
said walking towards her, laughing at their silly fight.
She nodded, still laughing.
"We need a break Riddhima!"
"That'll be the THIRD one in three hours!"
"Last one! Promise!!! Pleaseee?" he asked her,
pouting.
She frowned. He didn't have to look so adorable!
"Fine..." she relented.
They went to the very end of the room, near the
ice box. She opened it and they both put their hands in it, taking the soda
bottle out. A moment later they looked at each other and their eyes widened as
they realized what had happened. There was only one can and they were BOTH
holding it.
"Oh no no no no...don't even think of it! Ish
knows I love this drink and he's kept it specifically for ME."
"Too bad Riddhima, it's my favorite too!" he said
and with a naughty glint in his eyes he snatched the can and opened.
She lunged for him but he moved away, and holding
her off with one hand he finished the drink in one go, with the other one.
Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand he said, "Besides, I needed to
something to cool me off!" Grinning he threw the can in the bin and walked to
the centre of the room all ready for practice.
Riddhima watched him, her mouth hanging open. She
couldn't BELIEVE he'd actually finished the drink! Nostrils flaring, she took
the chilled bottle of mineral water and walked behind him.
Catching up to him, she opened the bottle and
poured the whole bottle of chilled water all over him.
"How's that for COOLING OFF?"
"SHIT! What the hell was that for?!" he yelped, as
the ice cold water stung his back.
"That was for finishing my drink!"
"It was a soda Riddhima...usske liye you put
chilled water on me?!" he asked, looking at himself as his damp hair stuck over
his face. He walked past her and towards the cooler. Taking a bottle, he made
his way back to her.
Riddhima didn't see him coming. She was staring in
the distance, waiting for him to come back and practice. She turned around
suddenly, only to be greeted with a huge splash of ice cold water on her face.
"Oh my Gosh! Armaannn! What the effing hell was that for?!"
"For throwing water on me!"
"That was 'cause you finished MY drink!"
"It wasn't yours!"
"Was too!"
"Nope!"
"Arghh...you're REALLY annoying!"
"Look who's talking!"
She took the extra pair of clothes she'd got and
headed towards the green room to change while she mentally cursed Armaan.
"Ugh..kutta...kameena! Apne aap ko samajta kya
hai? Ek toh MERI drink khatam ki, upar se mujhpe paani daala? Uski toh main..."
she muttered as she changed into the spare pair of clothes.
A few minutes later she was towel drying her hair,
because it was soaking wet, all thanks to Armaan. She wondered why she became a
whole different person with him. Main toh
kabhi aisi nahin thi! Arghh but he annoys me so much! Phir bhi, main aise
pagalon ki tarah jhagad kyun rahi hoon? Why the hell does he manage to bring
out the crazy in me! Forget it. I better get back.
She clipped her damp hair loosely with a clip and
went out.
Armaan walked out of the changing room, mentally
making a note about not arguing with her. Again.
He saw her sitting on the floor, her damp hair
hanging loose except for a tiny pin that held her flicks together. He couldn't
help but notice how pretty she looked.
"Hey..."
She looked back and saw him. Getting up, she said,
"Hey!"
"I'm sorry! I don't know what's wrong with me!
I've never fought like this before!" he said, frowning in confusion.
Her face broke into a smile. She assured him that
she didn't fight like this either. "Shall we dance?"
Nodding, he got ready while she played music. She
taught him the basics of posture, while he listened to her intrigued.
"See, put your arms out. Straight! Yeah, just like
that! Okay now hold. Your back should be straight. And look in the front. This
is really..."
She rambled on, teaching him a few basic steps
while explaining about the dance. Armaan listened to her, his interest rising.
Not to mention he was happy dancing with her.
It was almost eight when they decided to call it a
day. Tired, they both made their way out. Armaan saw Riddhima walk and asked
her how she was going home.
"I'll catch a cab!"
"I'll drop you! You're going home, right?"
"Yeah but I was uh planning to go to the office
first and collect my half done sketch!" she replied smiling. She wouldn't admit
it for the world but a small part of her hoped that he'd drop her home. Jeez. What the-? I have officially gone
crazy. I want him to drop me home? Seriously, Riddhima? What are you?! A 15
year old in love? God, Armaan ne sach much-
She came back leaving her train of thoughts
unfinished when she heard him calling out her name.
"Kahan kho gayi? Chalo, I'll take you to the
office and then drop you! I need to look at the mail anyway, Tracy said there's
something important!"
Nodding she followed him to his car.
"Hey Mike!"
They greeted the watchman at the entry of the
building. Armaan switched on the lights in the empty office. Riddhima headed
towards her cabin, while stayed back to check the mail.
She was about to open the door when she saw a
Post-it stuck on it.
Hey Ri!
I slipped an important
looking letter, under the door! Must be lying on the floor! Sorry, but your
cabin was locked when I came! :) Have a great day!
Tracy x
Pulling the note out she opened the cabin door and
switched on the lights. Sure enough, there was an envelope on the floor.
She picked it up and carefully tore the edges open.
Pulling out the letter impatiently, she started reading it, her mouth dropping
open with every second.
"OH. MY. GOD!!!!!!!" she shrieked, clearly happy.
"What's wrong?! Kuch hua kya?" she heard a worried
Armaan ask her.
Grinning, she handed over the letter to him. He
read through it, smiling. It said that the LEAF awards for this year were
shifted. The new venue was Paris instead of New York.
Riddhima looked at Armaan, her eyes sparkling.
Paris? No doubt it would be amazing! She'd always wanted to go there and now
she would.
He congratulated her and they went to his cabin.
He thought maybe there'd be an email regarding the details. They took out a
print out of the email and headed out, locking the office. Judging by the print
out they had quite a lot of stuff to discuss and they decided to head to
starbucks.
She sat on the chair looking out in the night sky.
The stars shone brightly and the smile never left her face. The award meant a
lot to her. And to receive it in Paris?! That was just the icing on the cake.
Suddenly the thought struck her and she frowned.
Armaan made his way back to the table, two coffees
in his hands. He saw Riddhima frowning in concentration and calculating
something. Sitting in front of her, he asked her what was wrong while handing
over the coffee.
She motioned him to hold on for a moment. A minute
later she sighed, satisfied. Looking at the questioning look on his face she
said, "I was calculating the expenses of the trip! Whether I'd be able to cover
them or not."
"Didn't you read the mail properly?" he asked her,
a glint in his eyes.
"Was there something I missed?"
"Yep...I'm coming with you."
"Where?"
"To Paris, silly! It says here that I've gotta
come with you as I'm your employer."
As his words settled in a slow smile made it's way
up her face. Her heart made somersaults at this piece of unexpected news. Not
bothering to look for rhyme or reason, she let it be.
He looked at her smiling face and was glad to know
she felt the same happiness. "Anyway, what I meant is, that I'll pay for
everthing!"
His words brought her back and she frowned. "Why?"
"Because-"
"Does it say that the company has to sponser the
trip?"
"No..."
"Well then I'm paying my half!"
"Don't be silly Riddhima, it's just a few grand! I'll
take care of it!"
"And why would you do that? Look Armaan, I may not
be filthy rich but I can pay for my own expenses, thank you very much."
He looked at her. Her green eyes were spitting
fire but her face was controlled. In that instant he realized how his words
sounded to her. She took it as an insult to her independence. He realized he may
have offended her, unintentionally. She probably didn't like people doing her
favors like this. A small smile played on his face. This woman was crazy.
She looked at him as she felt him squeeze her
hand. What did he think of himself? She could manage on her own WITHOUT his
help!
"Riddhima, I didn't mean it like that! I was
merely looking out for you." He said, softly, hoping she'd understand. "I
respect your independence, I'm sorry!"
Her anger melted as quickly as it had come. She
smiled softly, a little embarrassed at her short temper. "It's alright, I'm just
a little touchy about this." She explained sheepishly.
He smiled and shook his head. "Anyway, let's get
back to the mail. Umm we're lucky because we have to leave three days after the
charity event, it'll be a close call. Oh and come early to the office tomorrow,
we'll get the application for your visa, rolling. Uh we're supposed to stay
there for four days-"
"Why four?"
"On the day we'll reach there's a dinner at the
The Plaza. All the nominees, guests, and a lot of other important people will
be there as well. And then a day later there's the award ceremony! Next
morning, we leave!"
"Why the gap in the middle?"
"You're going to PARIS, Riddhima, thoda toh
sightseeing karenge na!" he said, chuckling.
"Oh okay!" She smiled, excited about the trip. She
was going to Paris. With ARMAAN. Oh stop
focusing on the Armaan part! You're crazy Riddhima!
He saw her smile to herself and grinned in
response. Paris was going to be interesting. Especially with Riddhima.
"What are you so excited about? Going to Paris or
going to Paris with ME?" He winked at her, and she turned pink.
Not thinking about what she was saying, she said, "Both!"
and turned an even deeper shade of pink, absolutely embarrassed about her
stupidity.
He laughed softly at her adorable expressions.
Taking it a bit further he said, "Haan haan. Pata hai! You just can't resist
me, can you?"
At that, she was back to her old self and said, "Oh
you WISH! It's the other way round, Armaan! Hum sabko pata hai!"
"Uh..NO!"
They fell silent for a moment, enjoying the peace.
She suddenly leaned towards him. Armaan looked in her direction and got
startled. She was tantalizingly close. Her eyes were wide and her hair was wet
at the ends, and a little curly. He looked at her, not being able to look away.
Riddhima looked at him and forgot what she was
supposed to do. She was just as lost in the moment, as him, all plans of giving
proof to him, forgotten. His electric blue eyes, pulled her towards him. She
blamed it on the fact that she loved blue eyes, but brushed it off the next
second. She knew it wasn't the color of the eyes that had her hooked. Regaining
her composure she leaned just a little bit closer and said, "Told you, you couldn't
resist me!"
Armaan snapped out of the spell and looked at her.
She was laughing but he was sure she'd been just as involved as he had been. He
joined her in her laughter as darkness fell around them.
A while later they left the caf and he drove her
home. The car was filled with a peaceful silence, not something that needs to
be filled with meaningless chatter.
They reached her house and he dropped her off at
the doorstep. She stumbled on the step and he caught her deftly. She stood
close to him and this time it was her who forgot where she was. He kept coming
closer and she was powerless to respond. With his breath kissing her ear, he
whispered, "Two can play the same game..."
She broke free of the trance and smacked his arm
while laughing, hoping he didn't notice the blush on her cheeks.
Giving him a hug, she went in, closing the door
after her, the smile never leaving it's place on her face.
"Rahuuul???! Muskaaan?! Are you guys
there?"
"We're right here, Ridzy!" They said, getting up
from the couch. "Hum toh bas wait kar rahe the, ki kab tera romance khatam ho
aur tu FINALLY darwaaza khole." Said, Muskaan coolly.
For the nth time that
day, she turned red with embarrassment. "What IS it today? Embarrass-Riddhima-to-death
Day???" she said, going to her room, trying to ease Rahul and Muskaan's
laughing into oblivion while she fought a laugh herself.
comment:
p_commentcount