Part One: The Life Left Behind
"It's only for a couple days Rhiddima. Hum yun gaye, aur yun aaye!" Siddhant Modi smiled reassuringly down at his wife, who stood enveloped in his hold, her back pressed against his torso as she fussed with a suitcase on the bed.
"It's a whole week," she pouted, "what will I do?"
"Miss me," he replied smugly. He laughed softly as she pouted even more, lips quivering as she attempted to rein in tears. Sighing, he squeezed her closer, dropping a kiss on her shoulder, before resting his chin in the nook of her neck.
"But Shilpa could've gone alone!" Rhiddima tried.
Siddhant snickered, "you and I both know that that's not possible, she's still an intern, remember, just like me. So two of us have to go so we don't screw up. And anyway, I'm the disciplinarian remember, what happens if she goes there and isn't disciplined," he joked.
Rhiddima turned around in his arms, beginning to play with his buttons as she replied in a childish voice, "exactly, you're the disciplinarian, what happens to the hospital when the disciplinarian leaves? Chaos I tell you, chaos. Which only means that you can't leave because the hospital is your primary concern- after me of course- and it would go helter skelter without you."
"You've been invading my Beatles collection haven't you?"
"What?"
"Nothing. And no, I have to go, Rhiddima. And the sooner I go, I promise the sooner I come back. Ok?"
Rhiddima refused to look up, still playing intently with his shirt, not entirely convinced with his reasoning.
He lifted her chin up gently, his soft brown eyes meeting her charcoal gray ones, "aur waise bhi, sasurji ki baat tho sunnahi padega, unke beti ki saath jo chahiye!" he grinned down at her as she giggled.
"Haath shaadi ki phehle poochtehai mere idiot patidev!" she teased.
Sid chuckled, "he's your father, haath kabhibhi wapas lesaktahai'"
"MATLAB?!" she gasped.
Sid shook his head, biting his tongue, "nothing."
Before she could query further, he shut her up the best way he knew how- with a kiss dropped right on top of her gaping mouth.
A while later, Rhiddima pushed Siddhant away, "Shilpa will get here soon." Siddhant groaned, pouting, now he didn't want to leave; glancing at the clock he shook his head, "we have half an hour," he reassured her.
"How do you know that?"
He beamed down at her, a devilish glint in his eyes, "Armaan must've gotten her at least an hour ago!"
Rhiddima's eyes narrowed, "I'm telling you Sid, you have got to stop trying to set them up! She is not-"
"Rhiddima! Rhiddima?"
"huh?"
"Main apni setting tho karsakta hoon na?"
Rhiddima looked at him confused, nodding hesitantly.
"Good, because we have half an hour and we shall be making prompt use of that time." With a huge smile he scooped her into his arms, shoving the suitcase away before tossing her lithe form on the bed and jumping on top of her as she squealed.
Rhiddima gently caressed the chain and locket as Sid fastened it around her neck. A simple chain held half of a heart, and on that half heart was inscribed a letter "S". "S" for Siddhant, she thought to herself, mere pyare pati.
She smiled as he finished his task, his arms already wrapping themselves around her. She turned slightly to kiss his cheek, "thank you," she said sweetly, "I love it."
"I know," he said with a smirk, "you've only said it about ten times in the last minute since I gave it to you- Ow!" Siddhant jerked away, rubbing the spot on his arm where Rhiddima's threatening blow had landed, "domestic abuse is a crime you know," he commented.
Rhiddima spun around as quickly as she could, huffing, "main tumhe abuse karti hoon?"
"Mere is dil ko," he said heroically, "yeh tumpe marte hai!"
"Sid!" she pounded gently at his chest as he broke out in laughter, sighing she lay her head on his chest, eyes closed, "I'll miss you," she said quietly.
Siddhant calmed down, laying a kiss on her forehead as he hugged her again, "and I'll miss you; isliye, yeh lo, mujhe pehnado."
Rhiddima opened her eyes, smiling to see the other half of the heart dangling from a matching chain before her. She grabbed it, running her fingers over the "R" that was inscribed in the silver metal, before turning fully to him and fastening it around his neck. Meanwhile he sat there smiling lovingly at her, a hand wandering over her frame. She gently patted the locket as it fell in place on his chest.
"I have got to be the first man to wear a mangalsutra," Siddhant commented.
"Yeh tumhe mangalsutra lagtahai?"
"Mereliye tho hai, Mrs. Modi," he said with a content look.
Rhiddima reached up to nuzzle his nose with her own, "I love you, Mr. Modi."
|-A little after the half hour when Armaan and Shilpa were supposed to-|
|-show up-|
Sid had just finished buttoning up a new shirt when the doorbell rang, Rhiddima ran to answer it, announcing back to him that Shilpa and Armaan had arrived. While Siddhant finished getting ready again, Rhiddima and Shilpa sat in the den chatting, while Armaan labored outside stuffing Shilpa's suitcases into Sid's black sedan.
Passing unnoticed by the women on the couch, Sid stepped outside with his own suitcase, setting it down, he looked around confused, "Armaan?!" he called out, "where are ya buddy?"
Almost out of thin air, Armaan jumped up from the other side of the car, "Yo Sid! I was tying my shoe laces," he said with a huge smile, "I don't what it is with these things, they come untied every other minute'" Armaan looked down with a frown, shifting his feet as if to test out the laces. Sid smiled, shaking his head; he stuffed his suitcase in with Shilpa's as Armaan walked around to join him.
"You ready for the trip?" Armaan asked.
Sid nodded, shutting the door, "I am, it's not that long anyway, only a week."
"Thing's don't always go the way we plan, Sid," Armaan replied gravely. Sid looked at him confused for a minute; he shoved away any dark thoughts that came, however, as Armaan suddenly grinned, "You could only be getting a three day break instead of seven!" he said with a light voice.
Sid joined him, all negative thoughts forgotten as he shoved memories of Armaan's grave face away and laughed with his friend and brother.
"But she's really sad, yaar," Sid said, catching his breath, "Uski khayal rakna."
Armaan nodded solemnly, "I got it buddy, I'll take great care of her," he smiled reassuringly at Sid, who smiled back.
As the two men leaned against the car, waiting for the woman, Sid's eyes fell on a silver gleam from within Armaan's shirt, "no way," he said with a look of despair. "You got Shilpa one of those?"
Armaan looked at him confused, following Siddhant's gaze to the locket that lay nestled on his chest, he nodded, "Yeah, she was sad to be gone for a week."
Sid shook his head in desolation, fishing out his own half heart locket. Armaan's eyes widened, meeting Siddhant's in shock. As if on cue they burst out laughing, "best. coincidence. ever!" they shouted together.
|-As Siddhant and Shilpa set off on their journey-|
"Byeee!"
"I love youuu"
"Miss you alreadyyy!"
"Byeee!"
With those few words and waves, Siddhant and Shilpa drove off; leaving Rhiddima and Armaan standing in the driveway the of Modi's flat complex. Rhiddima shivered slightly, somehow or another, she was more nervous than usual about Siddhant leaving; she had tried and tried to shake off the sense of despondency that crept up on her again and again, yet it kept coming back, each time more urgently. Right now she was fiercely fighting off the urge to run after the receding car and begging him to stay back. She shook her head, clearing off the thought.
"How about some coffee?"
Rhiddima's head shot to the man that stood beside her, observing silently, she'd practically forgotten about his presence.
"You look like you need it," he said good-humoredly.
Rhiddima smiled, "you're right, I do. Come on, I'll get us some."
With a swoosh of his hand, Armaan gestured for her to go first. Rhiddima gazed curiously at it, "what's that all over your hand, Armaan?"
Armaan looked down to his hand, his face lost color for a second; wiping at it furiously, he grinned at her nervously, "it's nothing Bas-Rhiddima. Shilpa was- it's a long story, and really not that big of a deal. Let's go inside?"
Rhiddima nodded hesitantly, then scoffed amiably, it was Armaan for keeps sake!
Edited by malluangel - 14 years ago
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