*Continued from Page 1*
Riddhima forced herself to keep her emotions in check. His hand hasn't left hers till they'd reached their room and as she sat on the bed, she looked at her hand. It felt tingly and warm. She hadn't known hand-holding could make her feel like this. She turned to the other side, shaking her head. Making sure her alarm was on, she decided to snooze for a while, before leaving for the awards.
He lay on his bed, smiling goofily. The hand-holding had gone better than he'd expected. Maybe he worried unnecessarily. Still grinning, he put the pillow on his face and slept; thoughts of confessing his feelings to her moving astray in his mind.
--oo0oo--
"Armaaan!"
"Armaaan!"
"Armaan Malik if you don't open your door this second I am breaking in!"
She took a deep breath. What the hell was wrong with him?! Ten minutes. She'd been calling him for TEN minutes and there was no sign of him. Briefly she had considered that maybe he had gone to the washroom but she'd let go of the idea. Washroom mein itna time?
His eyelids seemed to be permanently glued, or atleast that's how sleepy he was. Somewhere at the beck of his mind he heard someone screaming his name and threatening to break in, but the absurdity of it all trounced his desire to enquire who it was and he went back to sleep. Must've been a dream.
He was forced to open his eyes when the cold hit him. He sat up suddenly, where was his blanket? Yawning, he rubbed his eyes.
Riddhima watched him unfurl lazily, her anger ebbing away bit by bit. Her eyes trailed lazily over his abs. People like him shouldn't sleep shirtless, she mused. Realizing what she was doing she looked away trying to remember that she was supposed to be angry.
Finally feeling awake enough to focus, Armaan saw her standing over him. Arms crossed, eyes flashing; what he done to deserve that look?
"Ten minutes. Since the last ten minutes I've been screaming at the top of my voice and you're here, sleeping. I swear-"
He looked at her, she was flushed with anger; it made her look rather attractive he thought. She was also fresh out of the shower, which did nothing to help him. The wet hair clung to her neck and temple, the water making it glisten every now and then. And she looked adorable while shouting at him...
"...next time-" she was still mad at him but before she finished he managed to shut her up.
"You're beautiful."
Armaan watched her face turn redder with each moment and smiled lazily. He got up, only to their bodies almost touching, she was standing that close. He didn't know what made him do it; maybe it was the sleep induced haze that still clouded his mind, preventing him from thinking anything rational.
He moved a little closer, closing the distance between them and placed his lips near the corner of her mouth. Pulling back, he saw her blink with shock even as her mouth formed an "O" of surprise. She was thoroughly red now and he smirked wolfishly; she still hadn't moved.
Riddhima took a deep breath to control her raging emotions. What in the world was happening? What had shocked her more than the almost kiss was the urge that rose in her to fist his hair and kiss him senseless. His "bed-hair" made him look inexplicably sexy, jumpable, even. Shut up Riddhima. Shaking her head, she moved on to the actual reason she was here ignoring his wolfish smirk; she would figure this bizarre moment out later.
"Can I have your laptop?"
"Laptop?"
"Yes, laptop."
"What for?"
"I need to Skype Muskaan."
He looked at the watch. They had two hours before they left for the award and she wanted to talk to Muskaan? She wasn't even ready!
"Riddhima, it's three already, we need to leave at five! Talk to Muskaan later!"
"Uff, I know that you idiot! Muskaan is going to help me get ready! Jaldi laptop do!"
He gave her the laptop, his eyebrows raised. Girls; go figure.
She walked towards the door with the laptop in her hand and he followed her. Riddhima looked behind to tell him she'll be ready on time and that he should too, only to find his face inches away from hers. Her eyes widened in alarm and all she could think of was that he was going to kiss her. The spell broke though, when she saw the wire hanging in front of her eyes.
"You forgot the charger." He smiled.
Muttering a quick thank you she scurried back to her room, giving up trying to figure out what had just happened, it was way too ludicrous to think about.
--oo0oo--
"Oh my God, Ridzy I missed youuu!!"
"I missed you tooo!!! How's the trip?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows; the innuendo was not missed.
As an answer Muskaan pointed to the rumpled bedsheets and they laughed.
"No one misses me?" Rahul came in focus and Riddhima laughed, while shaking her head. "No, no one misses you Rahul, go back."
"Shut up."
"Ridzy, humari chhod, tu bataana! Teri trip kaisi chal rahi hai?" Muskaan winked, and hi-fived a laughing Rahul.
Riddhima raised one sardonic eyebrow. "Why don't you just tell me what you want to hear?"
"Which means, nothing happened." Muskaan added, the disappointment clear in her voice. "Ridzy you're in Paris. Do something!!"
"Uh-huh. In your dreams, Muskaan, really."
"Fine, be like that. Chal ab sach mein bataa, trip kaisi hai?"
She finished telling them about their trip so far and then Rahul went out while she and Muskaan were left. She glanced at the clock, they had an hour and a half.
"Dekh Muskaan, zyaada time pass mat kar, I have to leave at five!"
"Achha theek hai, tu jaa dressing table ke paas baith, I'll tell you what to do. Pehle toh, take all the make up from your bag."
"Yes ma'am." She murmured and got up.
--oo0oo--
It was an hour later when Riddhima was putting the finishing touches to her make up. She thanked her lucky stars that the dress that they'd given her went well with light and nude make-up, although Muskaan was disappointed.
"'Kay, now take the mascara and put it on."
"Muskaan, bas ho gaya! I'm tired!"
"Ridzy, chup kar yaar! Aaj na tu ekdum bomb dikhegi, sachi. Aur agar Armaan ke hosh nahi ud gaye toh mera naam Muskaan Chaddha nahi."
"Haan. Tera naam Muskaan Chaddha hai hi nahi. You're Muskaan Grewal, idiot."
"Shut up, smartass. You'll knock his socks off, no jokes."
"You do know I'm here for the award? And not on a knock-Armaan's-socks-off-mission?" she quipped, slightly annoyed by the fact that her friend seemed to have forgotten the awards.
"Yeah yeah whatever. Chal, go slip into your dress now. We'll do the hair next."
"Oh my God Muskaan you sadist, ab bas bhi kar. We'll leave the hair ainavyi hi!"
"Do as I say." And the look she gave Riddhima was scary even through Skype.
--oo0oo--
Armaan leafed through the magazine as he sat on the couch, ready. It'd taken him all of fifteen minutes to shower change grab everything they needed and so he was sitting, waiting for her. He couldn't deny it, he was curious. He hadn't seen the gown and if Riddhima was taking over an hour to get ready, the result would be worth waiting for. He smiled as he thought to himself; she was only taking so much time because of Muskaan. He knew her well enough to say that if left to her own devices she'd be out in twenty minutes tops.
And finally, her door opened. It'd seemed like he'd waited ages. Keeping the magazine aside, he moved towards the door, but stopped in stunned silence when he saw her.
Riddhima walked out of the door, wondering how he'd react. Although a major part of her was worried about the awards, a tiny part of her did wish that Muskaan turned out right. She looked up, only to see him looking at her in a way that made goosebumps erupt all over her arms. She took this moment to look at him, he was wearing formals, and looking hot, to say the least. Shouldn't there be some kind of law? It's not fair; he shouldn't be allowed to look like that...she thought to herself. Realizing that he was still looking at her, she cleared her throat a little, cutting through the silence.
Armaan snapped out of his trance and mumbled a quick sorry for zoning out. Without a word, he headed to the door, taking the keys to their rented car, while Riddhima looked on, miffed at his reaction. Or his lack of it.
They sat in the car and she frowned as the tensed silence carried on. Why was he being so weird? Or maybe he wasn't being weird...maybe she just wanted a reaction from him; and so on and so forth, the argument she had with herself didn't end until she decided enough was enough, she was going to make conversation.
"Uh, Armaan?"
"Yes?"
She paused, not knowing to say this tactfully. "Erm...am I overdressed?"
He looked at her, almost incredulous at the conclusion she'd arrived. Over dressed? He felt like laughing at her innocent question. Wait till she saw the others. He could almost imagine; the jewellery adorning their body wherever possible, their faces shining with bright make-up, not to mention the air of pretence they usually carried around with them. She was none of that. Realizing she was still waiting for her answer, he shook his head in a no, not trusting himself to speak just yet.
She frowned. No reply. How stubborn could he get? Huffing, she tried again.
"Am I underdressed?"
He grinned when he finally understood what she was trying to do. Smiling he looked at her, his breath catching in his throat. "You look beautiful, Riddhima."
She grinned right back, finally content with his response. For a moment she was overcome by the urge to laugh at her tactics to get him to comment, but she kept quiet, only smiling to herself.
--oo0oo--
They were at their seats, the ones in the front row, reserved for nominees and other guests of honor. Riddhima clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking; the nervousness was getting to her. A lot was at stake on this award. She'd borrowed money from Armaan and even though she knew he'd never actually ask for it if she lost the award but the independent woman in her would never be able to get over it. Her independence was something she valued highly, she knew only too well what happened when you took the plunge and depended on someone. She looked around her, anyone who was someone in their field was present. People she'd only idolized from afar were sitting across the hall and that did nothing to help her frazzled nerves.
Armaan looked at her, the stress clearly visible on her face. She was clenching her fist unknowingly, her nails digging into her palms. He held her hand still, prying her fingers apart.
"Relax Riddhima, trust me, this will be over before you know it."
"Relax? You want me to relax? There is so much riding on tonight, I have to win this!" she whispered back furiously. Did he not understand the importance of this night?
He held her hands still, when he saw her trying to move them from his hold. Being nervous didn't do you any good, his dad used to say. He remembered his own award night, he was sitting with his father, not to far from here and his dad had calmed him down. Maybe the same thing could work with Riddhima too.
"You know, there's really not much you're going to have to do. They're going to announce your name as the winner-"
"But how-" she started, trying to ask him how he knew she was going to win.
"Sshh. And then you're going to get up, walk confidently to the stage while smiling, shake hands with the people who give you the trophy and may be blow some air-kisses like they do in France, and then the trophy's going to be in your hands, you're going to say thanks and then get back to your seat. Done."
His voice painted the picture in front of her, she could see herself doing all of that. She could so this. Bit by bit, her nervousness faded away and she looked at him gratefully.
--oo0oo--
She closed her eyes in anticipation. It was here. The moment they'd been waiting for had finally arrived. He looked at her suddenly when she clutched his hand out of sheer nervousness and he squeezed it back in support. He was sure she'd win this.
And then they said it. Her name. She'd won. It took her a moment to realize that she'd actually won, it seemed so fantastical. Nevertheless, she got up, giving a quick hug to Armaan, she owed him one. A million emotions coursed through her all at once as she made her way to the stage, not one of them making sense. This would take time to settle, right now her movements were stilted, hesitant although the moment she saw the trophy in her reach it came through. She finally accepted it, she'd won the award. She shook hands with each of the presenters, doing things exactly like Armaan had said. And when the trophy was in her hands she took a moment to look at everyone. It was overwhelming, really. But it also made her feel successful, accomplished. It made everything she'd done so far seem worthwile. Every failure she'd had dimmed in comparison to this elation, this joy she felt right now. And in that moment there was no one else on her mind. She'd done this. She'd fought the odds and achieved this. And it made her feel proud.
As she walked back, she thought fondly of Rahul and Muskaan. They had truly been with her through everything. Their belief in her had never wavered, not even when she herself had doubts. They'd encouraged her, supported her in every decision and advised her whenever she needed it. And once again she was reminded of how much of a family they were to her.
She sat beside him and a moment later he hugged her, congratulating her. She in turn thanked him for giving her that chance to prove herself and a few minutes later they both burst out laughing. It wasn't like them to be so formal. Deciding to enjoy what was left of the evening, they watched the awards being given out, even as the heady rush of success refused to leave Riddhima alone.
--oo0oo--
"An interview. I can't believe I just gave an interview!" she exclaimed. It was ludicruous, to say the least. She wasn't even a celebrity or something but they'd asked her for a small interview for the newspaper. On receiving a nod from Armaan, she'd gone ahead with it.
He smiled at the disbelief in her voice. Armaan remembered his night as it came back to him. He remembered feeling the same emotions, the same heady rush, the same nervousness and the same incredulity. The memories brought with them the urge to design. But he couldn't, not just yet. There was still a little left to do before he had complete confidence in his ability to run the firm, while still designing. It was why he'd given up designing after his father's demise. He knew how important the company was to his dad and in the one year and few months that had passed, he'd worked hard, trying to understand the way things worked and he was almost done; soon he'd be able to manage both the company and his passion for architecture. The thought made him smile.
Armaan looked at her as she looked out of the window. He was happy for her. She was special, but more than that, she was strong, independent and had worked things out on her own; he respected that.
Breaking the silence he asked, "Do you want to go somewhere or do you want to head back to the hotel?"
She bit her lip as she considered his question. Although she was tired, she didn't want the night to end; not just yet.
"No, I don't want to go to the hotel. Can we go for ice cream? There's a Haagen-Dazs' near our hotel. We could walk down...but I'd have to change first. Is that okay with you?"
He agreed and they made their way to the hotel. Riddhima went straight up to her room and began removing the dress, the make up et al. She was tired, almost asleep on her feet but willing her mind to stay alert, she washed her face and changed into casuals, ignoring how inviting the bed looked. Hell she was so sleepy, the floor looked like a good idea. Shaking her head, she went out. He'd changed into jeans too and they walked to the ice-cream shop in peaceful silence, the slightly chilly weather reducing her drowsiness.
"I'll transfer the money to your account as soon as I get it." Was the first thing she said after they sat on the table to finish their ice-cream.
"It's okay, Riddhima, there's no hurry."
She nodded and went back to her ice cream. In the corner of her mind she wondered why they weren't talking. It wasn't as though it was awkward, or something had happened. On the contrary the silence was...nice. She needed time to get back to her senses, the win had completely blown her away and the silence was helping. She thought about him, her feelings, and wondered whether he reciprocated them just as strongly. She analysed her emotions regarding him in excruciating detail, drawing the conclusion that she'd tell him, confess her love but she was too scared of rejection. Nothing new there, she mused, it was probably the story of half the people in the world.
"What are you thinking about?"
His voice drew her out and before she could stop it, the reply came out. "Us."
He looked at her, heart racing, not believing what she'd just said. She thought of them, as an "us"? The thought made him grin but before he could continue her phone rang. A minute later he knew it was Rahul. That meant the call would last long. Running his hand through his hair in frustration he cursed Rahul for ruining a perfect moment.
Riddhima almost jumped in glee at his call. She couldn't believe she'd said "us". She told Rahul and Muskaan about her evening and smiled as they wished her the best and congratulated her. She then made the mistake of telling them that she just had ice-cream with Armaan, which lead to a merciless teasing session. A few minutes later she kept the phone, smiling apologetically at Armaan. Neither of them said anything on the way to the hotel.
He looked at her as he collected their keys from the reception. She was dead on her feet. Putting an arm around her he allowed her to lean on him as they walked to their room. Armaan unlocked the door with great difficulty, owing to the fact that she was sleeping on him, her entire weight on his. Shaking his head, he closed the door softly so that she didn't wake up. For a moment, he stood, not knowing what to do. Then he picked her up as he took her to her room, her breath fanning his neck, creating havoc in his senses.
He laid her down on the bed, covering her with the duvet. Dropping a quick kiss on her forehead, he made his way out.
Riddhima brought the duvet closer to her, the warmth surrounding her. She had a vague notion that he'd picked her up and brought her to her room and then kissed her and went out. A second later, she dismissed the thought, why would he do that? Before she could figure it out the warmth lulled her to sleep and the night fell, bringing with it the end of one day and the promise of another.
--oo0oo--
Finally done with the part, phew! As promised, the next part shall have the confession. How and when is for me to know and you to find out š
Important: I shall not be updating for the next 10-ish days. I'm not even going to write anything, reason being an important 6 hour exam that's breathing down my neck š¤
Let me know how this part was, I deserve comments after pushing myself to update š Read. Like. Comment <3
Thank you for being such amazing readers and sticking by this terribly slow FF š I love you guys <3
xoxo
Aanya
Pati Patni Aur Panga
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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