Rushed (AK-AR): Part 36 on Pg 148 (04/11)!!!!! - Page 73

Angad stopped his car in an empty parking lot of an Italian restaurant.

"Alright you two.  Get out." Kripa said to Armaan and Riddhima, who were sitting in the back seat, confused like no tomorrow.

 

"What?" Riddhima asked, clearly confused.

 

"You heard me.  Get out of the car.  We're going for lunch." Kripa clarified.

 

Kripa, Armaan, and Riddhima stepped out of the car.  Kripa grabbed Riddhima's hand and started walking towards the entrance.  Armaan stayed back to wait for Angad who was taking his sweet time turning off the car and getting out.

 

As they walked, Kripa squeezed Riddhima's hand.

 

"Do you remember that conversation we had at the bachelorette party?  About tank fish and an ocean fish?" Kripa looked at Riddhima.

 

Riddhima's thoughts went back to the conversation as it replayed in her mind.

 

 

Riddhima looked back at Kripa.  "Yeah...I'm the fish tank fish and he's the ocean fish."

 

"Right...so you also remember which fish has to adjust more?"

 

"The tank fish...means me...what are you trying to say?"

 

Kripa stopped at the threshold of the restaurant.  "This is me letting you out into the ocean.  You have to be open minded about this if you're going to become an ocean fish.  Forget about the restraints of the fish tank and enjoy the endless freedom of the ocean."

 

"Okay" Riddhima was confused.

 

Kripa giggled.  "It's just you and Armaan for lunch today...your first date technically..."

 

Riddhima looked scared all of a sudden.  Her head whipped around to look at Armaan and Angad who were finally walking towards the entrance and then she looked back at Kripa.

 

"You're leaving me here?  Alone with him?" Instinctively, Riddhima held Kripa's hand tighter.

 

"Riddhima...you live alone with him...and yes.  I'm leaving you alone with him.  That's the whole point of a date.  Now please...be open minded and for God's sake just accept what you feel for him.  I know you feel something."

 

Riddhima's cheeks burned red.  She was about to answer but Angad and Armaan reached.

 

"Oh crap...guys...I forgot something...I'll just go finish up something and come back...uh...you're coming with, right love?" Angad looked at Kripa. 

 

Kripa smiled and nodded.

 

"Lehh.  Where are you two off to?" Armaan asked with an arched eyebrow.

 

"We'll be back in like twenty minutes." Angad answered before grabbing Kripa's hand and walking towards the car.  When they'd walked away a few steps, Riddhima spoke.

 

"Hey Kripa!" Riddhima waited for Kripa to turn around, when she did, Riddhima went on.  "You're right.  There is something"

 

Once they drove off, Armaan put his hands on his hips.  "Something's off."

 

Riddhima suppressed a giggle.  When they walked into the restaurant, it was empty.  Confused, Armaan followed the waiter that led them to their table, Riddhima on his tail.

 

Once they took a seat, Riddhima remembered Kripa's words and folded her hands in her lap.  "You do know that they're not coming back right?"

 

Armaan looked at her over the edge of the menu.  She just shrugged.  "They're gone.  This was them trying to give us alone time."

 

A couple seconds later, Riddhima could pin point the exact second when the two pieces clicked together in his mind.  He folded the menu and set it back on the table.  Much to her surprise, he pushed his chair back and got up to leave.  Riddhima instinctively grabbed his wrist before he could leave.

 

Armaan turned to look at her, then at his wrist, then back at her again.  There was no anger on his face.  But there was definitely confusion...lots of it...and a bit of surprise.

 

"Can't we just stay?" Riddhima could feel her heart hammering in her chest.

 

"You want to stay?" Armaan asked, still surprised.

 

She just nodded.  A couple seconds later, he sat down.  She sat down as well, vaguely aware that she was still holding his wrist.  She wondered if he realized it too.  Reluctantly, she let go of his wrist.  In answer to her movement, he held her hand instead.  She was looking at their hands on the table but she could feel his eyes studying her.  Watching for her reaction.

 

"May I?" he asked, still looking at her.

 

Her eyes darted to him.  Was he really asking?  He was asking?

 

Be open minded.  Be open minded, Riddhima.  I told myself that over and over.  I couldn't move my tongue to talk but I nodded.  Instantly, I felt heat rushing to my cheeks.  I gathered the courage and looked at him.  There was a glitter in his eyes as he looked at me.  I knew that my red cheeks weren't hidden from him.  I just hoped that the dim lighting of the restaurant was covering some of the red.

 

I found my escape through the menu.  I pretended to be deeply interested in the menu but really, my mind was thrown into a whirlpool of feelings.   The hand he held felt like it was on fire.  Could he feel that too?

 

I was lost in my thoughts, and he must have noticed because when the waiter came to take our order, Armaan had to nudge me out of my dream world.

 

"What's wrong?" he asked once the waiter left.

 

Damn it.  I shuffled through my brain to find something to say but came up with nothing.

 

"I can tell you're trying to think of something to say instead of telling me what you're really thinking."

 

Well hell.  My face was getting red again. I knew it!  And the fact just got confirmed when he reached for my other hand.  No we were holding hands across the table like teenagers.  As he looked at our hands, he was smiling a little...almost as if he was trying not to laugh.

 

"You can laugh out loud if you want..." I said.

 

He looked at me, still smiling a little.  "I'm not laughing at you...you...you just...never mind."

 

"No...Tell me.  What is it?"

 

"You just looked really cute when you were turning red..."

 

I looked away because I knew I would blush more.  But to my surprise, I didn't.  I guess it's not possible to blush past all the blushing I was already doing.

 

"So tell me...what were you thinking about...?" He said giving my hands a gentle squeeze.

 

I looked at him and then looked at our hands knowing very well that I won't be able to say anything if I looked at him.

 

"I was thinking about what you wanted to say yesterday..."

 

--

 

 

"I was thinking about what you wanted to say yesterday..."

 

I felt my breath get caught in my throat.  I'd completely forgotten about that.  More so, I didn't think she would mention it.  Now I didn't know what to say.  Yes I was going to tell her that I love her...but now I didn't know if I should.  Just this morning we'd agreed to be friends again and I didn't want to throw in love just yet...I didn't think she was ready for it...but I also couldn't deny that she already knew what I was going to say.

 

I let my mind race through a few things I could say to her while she searched my face for a response.  A few seconds later, the perfect response flashed in my mind.  I smiled at her.  I saw her take a deep breath in...Readying herself for my reply.

 

"I won't say it to you Riddhima..." Her face fell very slightly so I went on quickly.  "I won't say it until you say it to me first."

 

Her eyes widened.  I waited for her to say something but she didn't.  Then the stupid waiter came back with our food.  I let go of her hands to make room for him. Once he left, Riddhima started nibbling on her food quietly.  Without a word.

 

So did I.  I let her eat quietly.  Let her sift through her emotions, her thoughts.

 

The silence lasted until we finished eating.  I looked at her while she looked at her hands; meanwhile the waiter cleared our table.

 

Just when I was about to speak up and ask her to say something, simply because her silence was killing me, everything went dark.  A spot light fell on our table and then another spotlight highlighted the small makeshift dance floor in the corner.  A soft melody started in the background.  Instinctively I held out my hand to her.  When she turned around to look at me, she was even more shocked.

 

She hesitated a second before putting her hand in mine.  I led her to the dance floor and her eyes bore into mine as we moved to the soothing music.  There was confusion and a slight fear in her eyes.  I tugged her closer and she gasped slightly in response.

 

"Say something...your silence is driving me crazy."

 

I pushed her away, still holding on to one hand and twirled her towards me again.  My other arm snaked its way around her waist as her back hit by chest, her head against my shoulder.

 

"After your statement earlier, I don't know what to say." She whispered.

 

"Why?"

 

"It was...wasn't what I expected."

 

"And your reaction yesterday wasn't what I expected..."

 

She froze.  Damn it.  I didn't mean to say that...the words just slipped out.  I'd promised myself last night that I wouldn't remind her of it. So I stood there, like an idiot that I was, and looked at her for her reaction.

 

We were stationary for a few moments and then she very cautiously turned her head and looked at me over her shoulder.  Eyes suddenly tearful.  ****!

 

I quickly turned her around and cupped her face.  As if that was her cue, tears spilled onto her tears and I wiped them off of her pretty face.  Her head was slightly bowed, her eyes avoiding my face. 

 

"I didn't mean it that way Riddhima...I just...I just don't want to risk that again.  I don't want you to be taken aback when I do tell you what I meant to tell you yesterday...and I'll never know when You're ready to hear it...that's why whenever you're ready for me to say it, you'll say it before me...that way I know for sure that you're not going to be put on the spot...This time I want to wait until you're ready to hear the three words."

 

She looked at me then.  And something about her expression gave me a chill down my spine.  Some instinct tugged at my conscious to go ahead and say the three words anyway.  Something was screaming inside me telling me that she was ready to hear them right now.  But that part of me was so small and the much larger side of logic over-powered it and I stuck to my decision.

 

"Believe me Riddhima...I will respond with the same three words once you say them to me...and I'll wait as long as it takes to hear them from you.  But until then we'll be great friends. And I'll try my best to be the best husband."

 

She smiled at me and rested her head on my shoulder.  After a few minutes of dancing, she pulled apart and looked at me as she took one of my hands and held it in between hers.  A sudden wave of shyness took over her and I could see her cheeks changing colour again.

 

"I'll try not to make you wait too long." She whispered.

 

Heart beat stopped.  Heart beat shot forward like a jack hammer.  A smile burst out on my face. Arms flew out and pulled her in an embrace.

 

"Take your time Riddhima…I'll wait for as long as I have to…"

 

It was then that she hugged me back.  I refused to let her go after that, so for the rest of the song and until the end of the next song, we stayed like that.  Moving our feet with the soft beat of the music, but in an embrace for the whole thing.  Somehow, suddenly, my mind and heart were sure that soon everything would be perfect between me and Riddhima.  In my mind, today was the first day of our marriage, of our relationship.