Anushka sat on her couch, reading some business magazines. It was a nice rainy night, which was very peaceful. Suddenly, she became alert hearing noises coming from her balcony. She placed the magazine on the table and slowly walked towards the balcony, making no noise. Suddenly she got pulled and was pushed against the wall behind her. She saw a familar pair a hazel eyes boring into her hers.
"Ranvir? Tum yahaan kya kar rahe ho?" He said nothing and stared at her. She could see the anger, the fire in his eyes. All was because of her and she knew it and did feel very bad for that reason. "Ran-Ranivr, chhodo mujhe."
"Pehle mere savaal ka javaab do."
"Mujhe tumhare kissi bhi savaal ka javaab nahin dena." She struggled to get out of his hold and tried pushing him, but he took hold of her hands and pinned them beside her face, reducing the distance between them.
"Tum khud ko samajhti kya ho? Jo dill mein aaya woh karogi?"
"Haan. Karungi. And why do you care Ranvir? Main kissi ke bhi saath rahun, why does it matter to you?"
"It bloody matters to me because I love you damn it!" He shouted in her face, making her freeze in her spot. His words played over and over again in her mind. She finally heard what she wanted to hear all this while- those 3 magical words. "And I can't see you with Armaan or any other guy in this world. Do you understand me!" She felt tears rolling down her cheeks. There was silence between them as they absorbed their presense. His heart melted seeing the tears in her eyes. He wiped her tears away with his thumb. She closed her eyes and exhaled sharply. She bit her lower lip and looked into his eyes.
"It took you so long to say these three words?" She whispered softly with a slight smile. Ranvir looked at her with confusion evident in his eyes. Anushka chuckled lightly and cupped his face. "I love you too Ranvir." A smile slowly made its way through as her words registered in his brain. She loved him too! He immediately pulled her into a hug and held her tight. Both let the tears flow. He pulled away from her and placed kissed all over her face.
"Say it again."
"I love you." He smiled through his tears as he held her face close to his.
"If you love me then what was all that about?" He asked with a slight frown.
"I wanted you to tell me you love me."
"Didn't you already know that?" Anushka chuckled and circled her arms around his neck.
"Yeah, I did... but I wanted to hear it from you."
"You are one unique girl."
"Yeah, I know. Ab, ek kaam karo. Kapde badal lo. Varna zukhaam ho jaayega."
"Yes madam. Lekin mere paas toh koi kapde nahin hain." Anushka made an 'O' face as she realized he was right.
"Um.. ek kaam karo. Tum jaake naha lo, tab tak main yeh kapde sukha deti hoon."
"Okay." She handed him the towel and he left to take a shower whereas she went to dry his clothes.
She was so happy today. Finally she found someone that loved her back. Someone that she wanted to spend her entire life with and not just some few moments. Someone she could trust more than herself. She realized his clothes were dry now and took them back into her room. She told him his clothes were on the bed and moved to the kitchen to make coffee for him.
Anushka was coming back to the room with coffee in her hands when she just stopped at the door, seeing the sight in front of her. Ranvir was standing in front of the bed without his shirt, wiping his back with his towel. She felt her eyes travelling down his back and felt her heartbeat increasing. It felt as if it was going to explode any moment. Her grip on the glass became tighter and looked away. She closed the door a little so he doesn't know she was staring at him and composed herself before knocking on the door. Ranvir turned around and looked at her.
"Since when did you start to knock on the door?"
"Umm... your coffee." Anushka kept her gaze lowered and handed him the coffee mug shyly. Ranvir smiled at her shyness. She pulled a lock behind her ear and tried walking away after handing him the mug, but he held her wrist. She gasped feeling his strong hand grasping hers. He placed the mug on the table beside him and pulled her towards him slowly. Her back crashed into his chest as a gasp escaped her mouth. He slowly turned her around and saw her looking at the floor, as if finding something very precious there. He placed his finger below her chin and made her face him. She looked into his eyes and gazed deeply into them.
Ranvir took a closer look of the love of his life. Her beautiful eyes refused to let him tear his gaze away from hers. With a lot of efforts, he let his eyes drop down to her lips. He slowly caressed her petals with his thumb making her breathe deeply. He leaned towards her slowly as he closed his eyes. He captured her lips and kissed her slowly.
They didn't even know when the slow, gentle kiss turned into a deep, passionate one. Their hands were moving around each others body, feeling each other close to them. They moved back towards to bed and fell on it with Ranvir on top of Anushka. They never realized when they were free of their clothes and when they were covered by the bed sheets.
Soon they turned into one soul as the Moon shone its light upon their love. But the Moon is the Moon. It sits there and becomes the silent witness of all the happenings in the world, whether its good or bad. And now, it was about to witness something which was going to change many people's lives.
****
Riddhima sat in her cabin, trying to concentrate on her work, but failed to do so. She kept thinking about Armaan and their moments. She didn't want to believe all that was a lie. Her heart just refused to believe it, but what about her mind which kept playing Lavanya and Tanya's words in her mind? Her mind kept telling her Armaan was wrong and had been using her all this while to fulfil his sexual needs. She closed her eyes and exhaled.
Oh God. What's happening? Was Lavanya saying the truth? Was Armaan really using me to... Ugh! This is so confusing. I don't know what's true and what's not. But why am I thinking about this so much? Why does it affect me? I mean... even if he's like that, why should it affect me? He's not the only guy that has ever looked at me like that. But... I've never felt this way for any other man.
I don't get goosebumps when anyone else touches me. I don't feel like I'm in some different world when anyone else is around me. Oh God! I swear I'm gonna go insane if I keep thinking about Armaan all the time. Why can't I just get over it and treat him like others? Why is he so freakin' important to me! And, what's up with this weird feeling I'm getting! I feel as if something very bad is going to happen. Something's going to change today. But what!
She was pulled out of her thoughts by the ring of her cell phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey Ridz." She heard Rahul talk into the phone and smiled.
"Hey Rahul. What's up?"
"Ridz. I need a favor from you."
"What?"
"Can you please bring me Mr. Joshi's file? I suddenly remembered I left it in my cabin. Please get it for me or else Armaan will murder me tomorrow!"
"Okay, I'll be there in 20."
"I love you Riddhima! You're a life savor!" Riddhima chuckled hearing his relieved voice.
"Whatever!" She hung up and walked to Rahul's cabin. She took the file and walked out of the office, unaware of the storm which was awaiting her.
****
Armaan stood in front of the window in his black vest and sweatpants, looking at the drizzling rain in front of him. He loved the sound the water made as it fell from the clouds and splashed onto the concrete. Its sound was so soothing and calming. He sighed feeling the cold night breeze brush past him, making him shiver slightly. He walked back to the table and filled a small glass of drink for him and drank it.
He suddenly heard some chiming sounds coming from behind him. The ones that are heard when girls walk wearing anklets. He turned around and saw a figure spinning outside in the rain. He shook his head lightly to clear his blurry vision due to his drinks and felt the image becoming clearer. A girl in white was spinning in the rain with her arms spread apart, enjoying the rain. He walked closer and heard a sweet, melodious giggle. The one that always brought a smile on his face. The one he could recognize from any part of the world. It was Riddhima.
She played in the rain like a small child with a smile on her face which was enough to brighten the world. Her almost transparent white clothes clung to her body, pointing out her curvy body. His eyes followed the trail the water went through as it slid down her body.
"Riddhima." He whispered softly. Riddhima stopped and turned around. She looked at him with something different in her eyes. Was it mischief? Naughtiness? Probably yes.
"Armaan!" She said his name in a naughty, teasing tone which made him smile.
"Vahaan kyun khade ho? Yahaan aao. Mere paas." She gestured him to come to her and he just stared at her, wondering if he was dreaming. "Aise kya dekh rahe ho? Mere paas nahin aana chahte?" She asked in a sad, hurt tone, but he didn't reply. Her expressions changed back into a naughty one and she smirked. She walked towards him with her hands behind her.
"Theek hain. Agar tum nahin aaoge, toh main aaungi. Tum chaahe jitni bhi koshish kyun na karlo Mr. Armaan Mallik. Yeh Riddhima, tumhara peechha kabhi nahin chhodungi. Tumhari lakh koshishon ke baavajood bhi main tumhare paas aati rahungi." She kept advancing towards him with a smirk playing on her lips. She came very close to him and blinked softly. She leaned closer to him and slowly moved her lips close to his face. Her warm breath kissed his cheeks, raising his heartbeat. Her lips came in contact with his cheeks, letting it linger there for a while. She pulled back with a smile and looked at him. He opened his eyes to look at her and saw shocked when he saw her disappear.
He looked around, trying to find her and realized he was hallucinating her. She wasn't there! He closed his eyes and sighed. He was going crazy. He turned around to go, but was blocked by Riddhima. She wore a blue dress, the one she wore on the day he found out about 'Rihanna'. She had a dreamy smile on her face and spoke up.
"Kya hua? Mujhe dhoond rahe ho?"
"N-nahin. Woh... main..."
"Jhooth matt bolna. I know tum mujhe dhoond rahe the. Missing me?" He didn't say anything but kept staring at her. How did she knew? Riddhima giggled seeing his blank face and advanced towards him.
"Mujhe miss karne ki kya zaroorat hain? Main toh yahin hoon." She stood in front of him and whispered huskily in his ears. "Tumhare dill ke kareeb." She pulled away a little and looked deeply into his eyes. She tilted her head moved her face closer to his, making him close his eyes. She smirked seeing his eyes closed and brushed his nose with hers. He opened his eyes to see her, but was shocked when he didn't see her there. He sat down on the couch and held his head in his hands. He was totally losing his mind. He was actually hallucinating her! How crazy could this get?
"Armaan?" He heard a voice and looked up. He felt his gaze going blurry again. He saw Maya's face for a few seconds before his vision went blurry again. He shook his head and instead of seeing Maya's face, he saw Riddhima's smiling face staring back at him. Her hair was fyling in the air due to the wind. He stood up and walked slowly to her. He saw her becoming nervous and moving back.
"Armaan? What are you doing?" She whispered softly, looking directly into his eyes. He kept advancing towards her until she hit the closet. He cupped her face and placed his lips over hers, kissing her softly. What he didn't realize, was he was imagining Riddhima in Maya due to the drink effects because Riddhima was somewhere else.
****
Riddhima arrived at the Mallik Mansion and payed the taxi driver. She took the files and walked to the door. She rang the bell and was let in by Bi. She asked her where Rahul was and went to his room. She knocked on the door and was called in by Rahul.
"Riddhima!" He hugged her and smiled widely.
"Thank you so much Riddhima! You're a life savor!"
"You're saying this for the second time Rahul. And no need to thank me. After all, tum mere hone waale jeeju ho. Toh thank you-vank you nahin chalega." Rahul blushed as he was indirectly refuered to as Muskaan's future husband. Riddhima laughed seeing her 'jeeju' blush like that and thought to have some fun.
"Arre wah! You know what? I'm gonna start calling you jeeju. After all, you two are gonna get married soon na. Right jeeju?" She emphasized on 'jeeju', making go redder.
"Shut up Ridz." She said, still blushing.
"Okay jeeju. I won't harrass you anymore. Now I'll leave. Bye."
"Bye. Take care." Riddhima smiled and left with a smile.
She was passing by the corridor, when she halted to a stop hearing some sounds coming from Armaan's room. She heard some sounds coming from Armaan's room. She heard a girl's voice saying 'Armaan' many times. It sounded as if they were... kissing? The thought itself brought a thin layer of water in her eyes. She felt her heart beating wildly, but tried to control herself.
She couldn't stop her curiosity and turned to the door. She opened it swiftly and was shocked. The sight in front of her tore her apart. Armaan was actually making out with Maya! It felt like someone had crumbled her heart and crushed it into pieces. She just stood speechless, not knowing what to do.
Armaan pulled out of the kiss hearing the sudden noise and looked at the door. He was confused seeing Riddhima at the door, looking at them in shock. Wasn't she supposed to be in his arms? He turned his gaze back to the person in front of him and was bewildered seeing Maya there, not Riddhima. He turned his head back to Riddhima and saw her glaring at him. She slowly shook her head at him in disgust and walked out. Armaan was about to follow her out but was stopped by Maya's hand holding his wrist.
"Where are you going? Let her go." Armaan passed her a murderous glare and shook her hands off him.
"Let go of me!" He ran out of the room leaving a shocked Maya behind and went after Riddhima.
Riddhima was literally running down the steps as fast as she could as the tears rolled down her cheeks and she wiped them off angrily. She felt so suffocated in this house now. She felt so disgusted and used. So Lavanya and Tanya were right. Armaan was like that, wasn't he? He used girls for his needs and threw them away. He probably wanted to do the same to her too. He probably wanted to use her and throw away and would've already done that, but they never went that far. As of now, she was just furious. She quickened her pace as she heard Armaan calling her, trying to stop her.
"Riddhima, stop. Riddhima listen to me. Riddhima!" He kept calling her but she wasn't going to stop.
She walked out of the house angrily and kept walking. She felt the harsh rain drops falling on her skin, making her shiver, but she cared less. She just wanted to get away from Armaan at the moment. Armaan became furious because Riddhima wasn't ready to listen to him at all, which was just unacceptable for him. He matched her pace and grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.
"Listen to me damn it!" He glared at her while she jerked his hand off her.
"Don't you dare touch me Armaan Mallik! Mujhe chhoone ki koshish bhi matt karna!" She spoke angrily. She tried moving away, but he pulled her back and pinned her against his car.
"Chhodo mujhe!" She struggled in his hold but he twisted her hands behind her.
"You are not going anywhere without hearing me!" He glared at her and so did she.
"I don't want to hear you out! You know what Armaan? You just disgust me! Lavanya and Tanya were saying the truth about you, but I was blind. Main yeh sochti rahi ke-ke woh jhooth bol rahe hain. Lekin tumne unhe sahi saabit kar diya. Mujhe tumse ghin aati hain Armaan. Tum-tumhari sagaai ho chuki hain Armaan. Aur-aur tum doosri ladkiyon ke saath... chhii!" She turned her face away in disgust. It pricked his heart seeing Riddhima turning her face away from him. He did have many questions in his mind, but cared less about them. Right now, he had to make Riddhima believe him. But how? He couldn't tell her he was imagining her in Maya.
"Riddhima. Riddhima meri baat maano."
"Kya sunana chahte ho tum mujhe Armaan? Maine jo dekha woh jhooth tha? Office ka poora staff jhooth bol raha hain? Tum aisa hi karte the na Armaan? Mujhse pehle tumhari jitni bhi secretaries thi, unn sab ko bhi tumne use kiya tha na Armaan? Aur... mere saath bhi aisa hi karna chahte the na?" She asked with her eyes slightly moist. She was very hurt because of him and wanted answers. Armaan just stared at her, not knowing what to say. She was right. He did do all that, but he never expected her to come to know about all this like that. Words were just stuck in his throat. What could he say now?
"You know what Armaan? I hate you!" She shrugged his hands off of her and ran out of the territory of Mallik Mansion. Armaan shouted after her to stop her but she didn't. He ran his hand through his hair frustratedly and suddenly punched the nonresponsive car.
That was the night neither of them slept a wink. On one hand, Riddhima cried because she was hurt, while Armaan kept wondering what to do. Neither of them knew why it affected them so much, but it did. Armaan couldn't bear to see the hatred her eyes held for him whereas Riddhima was devastated thinking it was just lust he had for her all this while. Both were unaware of the major turn their life was going to take in a few days.
****
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