Riddhima stormed into M.E like a furious gush of wind, startling everyone present there. She marched angrily towards Armaan's cabin, taking no notice of the curious glances she was recieving. Rage was evident in her big emerald green eyes. How could Armaan do this? He lied to her family about them? How could he? She was jsut too shocked to utter a word in front of her parents, but now she wanted answers and she would get them. She barged into Armaan's cabin without caring about what he was doing and saw him working on his laptop.
"Armaan!" She spoke loud and angrily and saw a smirk forming on his lips. He closed the laptop and looked at her leaning his back on his chair while she shut the door walked up to his table.
"Riddhima? Tum yahaan kya kar rahi ho? Tum toh Chandigarh jaane waali thi na? Toh phir tum yahaan kaise?" Riddhima didn't miss the tinge of taunt and mock in his voice, adding fuel to her anger.
"Amaan bas! Bohat ho gaya! Yeh naatak karna band karo! Mujhe sab pata hain!"
"Naatak? Main? Maine kya kiya?"
"Enough Armaan! Stop it! Tumne yeh sab kyun kiya? Why?"
"What did I do?"
"Tumne Mamma-Papa ko yahaan bulaaya. Unse humare beere mein jhooth bola. Unse kaha hum dono ek doosre se pyaar karte hain aur-aur shaadi karna chahte hain?! Aur ab tum poochh rahe ho tumne kya kiya? Why the hell did you do this Armaan?"
"Don't you know the reason?"
"Jaanti hoon. Bohat achhe se jaanti hoon tum yeh sab kyun kar rahe ho. Lekin main tumhe yeh sab nahin karne dungi. Main Mamma-Papa ko jaa kar sab bata dungi." She spoke angrily and turned to go, but was stopped by his voice.
"Tch... tch... tch... tch... tch. Riddhima... tum bohat naadaan ho. Very childish. Sab kaam bina soche samjhe karti ho." He said sadly and sighed. "Theek hain. Jao. Sab bata do unhe. Lekin usske anjaam ke baare mein achhe se soch lena." Riddhima became angrier and turned around, moving her hair to the other side.
"Kya karoge? Rihanna ke ko leke phirse mujhe blackmail karne ki koshish karoge? How many times do I have to tell you it's not gonna work on me Armaan Mallik. So just forget it!" She heard him scoff. He walked to her and stood in front of her, looking her dead in the eye.
"Who said I'm going to blackmail you? I have no intentions of doing that. It's you who is assuming that." Riddhima pushed her brows together, not understanding what he meant.
"What do you mean?" He smirked and walked around her.
"Tumhare papa ko government ki taraf se har mahine paise milte hain. Un paison se woh apna ghar chalaate hain. Unka Chandigarh mein jo ghar hain, woh unhone tumhare college ki fees ke liye girvi rakha tha. Aur woh ghar kissi bhi waqt bik sakta hain. Zara socho. Agar achaanak paise aane band ho gaye, toh? Agar achaanak kissi ne unka ghar kharid liya toh? Tumhare pyaare Mamma-Papa toh road par aa jaayenge. Aur... agar yeh sab main karun... toh?" Riddhima was drained of color by the time he finished. Was he a human or a devil? She never thought this guys could stoop down so low. Gathering some courage, she tried to protest.
"Tum aisa kuch nahin karoge! You won't do anything like that!" She said defiantly, making him smirk and advance towards her, as she kept moving back until she hit the wall behind her. He rested his one hand against the wall, coming close to her.
"Karunga. Aur tum mujhe nahin rok sakti. Agar mujhe kuch chahiye, toh main usse paane ke liye kissi bhi hadh tak jaa sakta hoon. Tumne ab tak sirf meri achhaayi dekhi hain. Now get ready to face the ruthless Armaan. I promise you Riddhima. I'll make you pay for every single word you said to me. I'll make your life a living hell. Now you'll pay the price of challenging me. Start counting your happy days. Kyunki bohat jald, tumhari saari khushiyaan gam mein badalne waali hain. I promise." He said in a dangerously calm voice, sending cold shivers down her body. Beads of perspiration started to form on her forehead.
She was scared of this Armaan. He wasn't the Armaan she knew. Not even close to it. Her heart was pounding against her chest due to their close proximity. There was this... this strange kind of determination in his eyes. Like he just knew everything will be the way he wants it. That determination and confidence was scaring her. His ocean blue eyes bore into her emerald green ones, touching her untouched soul. She just felt so weak and vulnerable in front of him. As if he had empowered her heart and mind. His eyes moved down to her tempting, rosy petals, already parted and back into her eyes. He moved close to her, wanting to kiss her, but she became scared. She tried to move away from him but he caught her arm and pulled her back, smacking his mouth on hers.
Riddhima's eyes widened with shock feeling his hungry, demanding lips probing hers. He kissed her hungrily, crushing her lips under his manly ones. She tried pushing him away, but it did not work. He was way too strong and powerful in front of her and her tiny efforts wouldn't make him move an inch. Not liking the little efforts made by her, he pulled her hands down harshly and pinned them above her head. Riddhima felt all her energy draining from her body. He pushed her further into the wall, minimizing the distance between them.
A gasp escaped her throat feeling his hard, manly chesst pressing against her bossoms. Legs were pressed against legs, bodies against bodies. The heart was starting to become intense. There was this strange fire ignited in their body. Sothing neither of them had ever experienced. He kissed her hungrily, sucking and biting her lips, extracting the juice out of it. Riddhima was trying to protest by not reciprocating at all, but it was becoming harder. Her defenses were falling, second by second. She was starting to drown into this ocean of desires. This world where it was him and her, no one else. He left her lips, as he went breathless. Both stood there, drinking in each other's presense. They were breathing heavily, their hearts thudding against their chest.
Riddhima opened her eyes slowly and gazed at him. His eyes were closed and his cool, minty breath was touching her lips, caressing them slowly. As if she got a jolt, she suddenly came back to her senses. Suddenly, all the hatred, all the anger came back to her and she pushed him away with all her might, making him stumble back a little.
"How dare you touch me Armaan!" she yelled. "You have no right to touch me! Do you understand!" Armaan, who was least affected by her yells, grabbed her wrist and pulled her close. She tried struggling to get out of his hold, but he twisted both her hands back and held them in one of his hands, pulling her into him.
"I have all the rights to touch you Riddhima. After all, you are my soon-to-be-wife." He moved a lock behind her ear with his free hand and she twitched, not wanting him to touch her. His cell phone vibrated in his pocket and he looked at the caller-ID with a smirk. "Oh. It's your mom. Shhh." He put his finger on his lip, telling her to be quiet and put the phone on speakers.
"Hello?"
"Armaan beta. Kaise ho tum?" Padma inquired in a sweet voice.
"Main theek hoon."
"Good. Achha beta. Riddhima vahaan hain kya?" Armaan looked at Riddhima with a smirk, who was looking at the phone.
"Nahin. Woh toh yahaan nahin hain. Kyun?"
"Woh kya hain na, aaj humne usse tum dono ki shaadi ke baare mein bataaya. Aur pata hain? Woh toh itni shocked thi na, ki baat hi matt puchho."
"Haan aunty. Riddhima ko surprise karne mein jo maza aata hain, usski toh baat hi kuch aur hain." He said meaningfully, making her look at him.
"Bilkul sahi kaha beta. Lekin usske baad woh yahaan se kahin chali gayi. Tumhe pata hain woh kahaan hain?"
"Jee nahin aunty. Main nahin jaanta woh kahaan hain. I'm sure woh jaldi ghar aa jaayegi."
"Ok beta. Ab main rakhti hoon. Bohat saara kaam baaki hain. Okay?"
"Jee aunty. Bye." She hung up and Armaan put the phone back.
"Tch.. tch.. tch.. tch.. tch... Riddhima, Riddhima, Riddhima. Kaash tumhara woh chehra dekhne ke liye main bhi vahaan hota. Lekin koi baat nahin. Mere paas toh ab puri zindagi padi hain. Kyun?"
"Tum theek nahin kar rahe ho Armaan. You'll regret this." Armaan scoffed lightly hearing her.
"We'll see who regrets what. Ab jao." He left her with a jerk, making her stumble back. "Ghar jao. Apni zindagi ki jitni bhi khushiyaan baaki hain, unhe jee lo. Kyunki kuch dinon ke baad, tumhe koi bhi khushi naseeb nahin hogi." He spoke with a smirk and walked back to his chair, while Riddhima left immediately. She rented the taxi and headed back to home.
She had no idea what to do now. Armaan was not going to stop now. She knew she hurt his ego badly and now it was impossible to stop him. She knew him. Armaan Mallik gets what he wants and now, he wants revenge. Was there any way to stop him now? No. Telling her parents was so out of questions. If she did, he will destroy everything and she couldn't let that happen. There was no way her family would suffer because of her. But was there any escape for her? She didn't think so. All she could do now was anticipate her future and his moves.
****
Riddhima walked into her house, both physically and mentally exhausted. Seh headed back to her room and thought to take a good, hot shower. Closing the door, she stripped her clothes off her body and turned the tap to the warm water on. The hot, steamy water fell on her naked body making her sigh.
She just stood there, her hands against the shower wall and eyes closed. She wanted to remove his touch from her body which was seeming very difficult. For the first time in her life, she was scared. The thought of her marriage with Armaan was just freaking her out. His words kept ringing in her ears. What would he do to her after marriage? All kinds of thoughts were passing her mind. But she wouldn't know, would she? Putting her thoughts to the side, she turned the shower off and went out after wrapping the towel around her.
****
Riddhima walked to her Mamma's room, and knocked onthe door, hesitantly. "Mamma?" She waited for her reply.
"Aa jao beta." She heard her and went inside. Padma was sitting on the bed, reading a magazine and was looking at her.
"Arre Riddhima beta. Yahaan aakar baetho." Riddhima smiled from her heart and nodded. She layed down on the bed and placed her head on Padma's lap. She became slightly alert seeing this.
"Riddhu? Kuch hua hain kya?" Padma asked worriedly as her motherly instincts kicked in.
"Nahin Mamma. Kuch bhi toh nahin." She lied, not wanting to talk about the real problem, but Padma knew she was lying.
"Toh phir aise kyun let gayi?" She inquired.
"Bas. Aise hi. Jab main aise tumhare paas hoti hoon na, toh bohat achha lagta hain." Padma smiled hearing her daughter and caressed her head. She knew something was bother her, but also knew she'll open up soon. She couldn't hide anything from her long.
Riddhima closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wasn't lying when she said that. It was the truth. The happiness, the satisfaction you feel when you're with your mother is different and something you can't feel anywhere else. It was hand to describe in words how light Riddhima felt of the moment. She opened her eyes and stared at something far away.
"Mamma? Ek baat poochhun?" she asked, not moving her gaze.
"Haan, puchho." Padma said, knowing Riddhima was going to start talking about her problem.
"Aise kyun hota hain ke jab hume lage ke sab theek hone waala hain, sab galat ho jaata hain? Hum ek aisi mushkill mein pad jaate hain... jiss mein se nikalna humare bas mein nahin hota. Agar hum apne aap ko bacchaane ki koshish karein, toh jo log humare apne hote hain, unhe takleef hoti hain. Aur... agar hum humare apnon ki khushi dekhein, unhe bacchaane ki koshish karein, toh hume bohat takleef hoti hain. Aise mein hume kya karna chahiye?" Padma was totally confused now. She didn't know what was wrong, but knew it was worrying her daughter a lot.
"Kabhi kabhi bhagwaan humari pareekshah lena chahte hain. Iss liye humare saath aisa hota hain. Aur kabhi kabhi jo hume pehle bura lagta hain, woh hi baad mein humare liye achha saabit hota hain. Situation jo bhi ho. Hume kabhi bhi himmat nahin haarni chahiye. Hume problem ka datt kar saamna karna chahiye." Padma explained softly and Riddhima listened to it carefully.
"You're right Mamma. Tum sahi keh rahi ho. Problem se bhaagna koi solution nahin hota."
"Hmm.. lekin ek baat batao. Tum yeh kyun poochh rahi thi?"
"Bas. Aise hi. Woh... main meri ek friend ke ghar par gayi thi. Usse bohat problems thi. Iss liye main pareshaan thi. Lekin ab shaayad usski kuch help ho jaayegi."
"Oh, theek hain." Padma smiled, convinced with her lie. She knew Riddhima would get worried if something was wrong with any of her friends so obviously she'll be worried for her friend. Riddhima just smiled and stood up.
"Thank you Mamma."
"Kis liye?"
"Meri friend ki problem solve karne ki help karne ke liye. Thank you very much." Padma smiled widely.
"No problem beta."
"Achha Mamma, ab main chalti hoon."
"Theek hain." Riddhima walked out of the room and went to hers.
After talking to Padma, she felt much better. As if a new kind of energy had come to her. She was no longer sad or worried about what Armaan would do or what would happen. She was ready to fight him back. Do everything she could.
Armaan Mallik. Tumhe jo karna hain karo. Main tumse nahin darti. Tumhare har ek vaar ka javaab dungi main. Tum mujhe barbaad karne ki koshish kar rahe ho na? Dekhti hoon tum kya karte ho. Tumhe mujhse shaadi karni hain na? Karo. Lekin shaadi ke baad, main tumhe chain se nahin jeene dungi. Tumhari zindagi ko maine nark se bhi batar na bana diya, toh mera naam bhi Riddhima Gupta nahin. Remember that.
****
"Ridzi!" Riddhima looked up from her book with a jolt and saw her friends standing in front of her. Before their arrival, she had been reading a book to separate herself from the reality and was so engrossed in her novel, she actually jumped in her seat when her name was called.
"Hey guys!" With a big smile on her face, she greeted them and stood up and embraced all her friends. It felt so nice to see all her friends together after what seemed like ages.
"Ridzi! Kaisi ho tum?" asked Abhi.
"Main bilkul theek hoon Abhi. How are you?"
"I'm fit and fine!"
"Oye kamini! Kahaan thi tum itne dinon se? Ek baar bhi hume phone nahin kiya! Office bhi nahin aayi!" Nikki blasted on Riddhima. She was truly angry at Riddhima because she hadn't conversed with them for about a week!
"Sorry yaar Nikki. Woh... daraasar meri tabiyat kuch theek nahin thi. Iss liye main aa nahin paayi. I'm very sorry. Maine Armaan aur Muskaan ko yeh baat bataayi thi."
"Haan, haan. Of course tum Armaan ko yeh sab bataaogi." Rahul said in a teasing manner, making Riddhima confused.
"Kya matlab?"
"Arre. Ab itna naatak karne ki zaroorat nahin hain. Hume sab pata hain. Hum jaante hain tum aur Armaan ek doosre se pyaar karte ho aur shaadi bhi karne waali ho." said Anjali. Riddhima realized why everyone was behaving so different. So they all knew about this? Of course they would. After all, they were very close to Armaan. She smiled, not wanting to spoil anyone's mood, but the others mistook it as her being shy.
"Kya baat hain Ridz? Bada sharma rahi ho?" teased Atul. Riddhima was amused hearing this, but decided to keep quiet.
"Mtch. Bhai. Kya 'Ridz-Ridz' kar rahe ho? Ab toh yeh humari bhabhi banne waali hain. Toh ab isse Ridz nahin, Bhabhi kaho." Atul bit his tongue realizing his mistake.
"Arre haan yaar Abhi. You're right! Ri-Bhabhi. Tumhe bura toh nahin laga na?" Riddhima smiled at Atul's innocence and shook her head.
"Lekin Atul, tumhe mujhe Bhabhi kehne ki zaroorat nahin hain. Mujhe Ridz hi pasand hain."
"Okay Ridz. No Bhabhi from now. Khush?" said Abhi. Riddhima's smiled got broader and she nodded.
"Anyways. Guys. Ab Armaan aur Riddhima ki Shaadi mein zyaada time nahin hain. Kapdon ki shopping, jewelries ki shopping, spa, make-up... uff! We have so many things to do, but so less time! We should start shopping from now on. What say girls?" said Nikki.
"Yeah, Nikki's right. Everything has to be perfect. After all, it's Armaan and Riddhima's wedding we're talking about! So every single thing has to be the best!" said Anjali. Atul, who had been looking at her, scooted close to her and whispered in her ears.
"Bhai aur Riddhima ki shaadi ke liye itna khush ho rahi ho. Jab humari shaadi ki baari aayegi, tab kitna khush hogi tum?" Anjali gasped slightly listening to his words and lowered her gaze, feeling shy, but replied back.
"Stop it Atul! Behave yourself!" Anjali hissed, unaware of Riddhima's gaze on them. She had been watching the two and was surprised seeing Atul flirt with her. She somehow knew what was happening, but still thought to have a nice little chat with Anjali.
"So it's decided. We'll go to the mall to shop this afternoon and shop a lot! Right girls?"
"Yes!" They all spoke with excitement clear their voice. The girls were actually surprised knowing the boys were actually excited to go for shopping, but didn't say anything.
"Okay Riddhima, ab hum chalte hain. Bohat saara kaam baaki hain." said Abhi.
"Yeah, okay." They stood up and moved out of the room, but Anjali was stopped by Riddhima. She turned around and looked at her.
"Bolo Riddhima. Kya hua?"
"Did you two confess?" Anjali blushed, knowing Riddhima was referring to her and Atul and nodded. Riddhima smiled widely knowing her friends were finally together. "Oh my God! Congratulations Anjali! I'm soo happy for you!" Both girls hugged each other in happiness.
"Thanks Riddhima."
"You know what? I want details! You're gonna have to tell me everything that happened. Okay?"
"Yes your highness, I will!" Both giggled at Anjali's 'nautanki' and then sat down. Anjali told Riddhima about her first date with Atul and how he made it so special for her. Riddhima was actually very happy for her friend. Now she was just awaiting the day the two will tell everyone about their love.
****
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
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