Pablo's Muse#2 - AR Part 35(Completed) Sept.1 Pg 51 - Page 28

i cant wait till you update!

Originally posted by: charmingkiller

Awesumm
fantsticcc
amainggg
cnt sooon
ad m to pm list

Originally posted by: fri42911

beautiful part!!!!!

now i need an update... :)

Part XXXIII

~~~

It was getting increasingly difficult for Armaan not being able to see Riddhima in person, this distance while both were recuperating at home made things very hard. So, he was actually glad work was starting in a few days because that meant both of them would be at Sanjeevani and thus actually be able to meet. Unusually restless and unable to stay put at his apartment, he took off to his studio with an urgent need to paint something, anything...or just dabble with colors, anything that would distract his mind. Little did he know that it was the pretty much the same at the other end, Riddhima was if anything more edgy following that conversation with her father and had taken off with this intense need to see him in person. So an unsuspecting Armaan walked into to Pablo's expecting a cold, dark studio instead something else entirely pleasant was waiting for him, "Woah!" his steps halted right away taking in the unexpected.

He noticed that the pendant light above the kitchenette was the only source of light on the lower level, and walked in cautiously closing the door behind lured partly by the ambience and partly by the aroma of freshly cooked food. It was then he heard the music, the old gramophone was playing some old Sinatra classic, and his heart leapt up in sheer anticipation because that could only mean one thing, Riddhima.

He virtually ran to the loft upstairs only to halt abruptly at the top flight; to find her curled on his bed, sleeping yet looking more vulnerable than he had seen all these days at the hospital or ever before. He walked up to the bed slowly and sat by her side, when the mattress shifted; she woke up with a start and gave him one of her weak ended smiles, like it took her all the effort in the world to conjure that up.

"Damn Riddhima" he scooped her up in his arms, and held her like his life depended on it. She relaxed finally finding the solace in his embrace. Even though a part of her knew this was going to be hard because she didn't have the answers yet; "I missed you too" she spoke despite the ambivalence brewing inside, would she be able to give this up?

Riddhima snuggled further into him feeling the warmth and at home, whispering "I missed you so much, god I thought I lost you"

"It's over Riddhima..." and he dropped his head on her shoulders, "Gosh I've missed you"

They remained like that for some time just holding on. They were alone for the first time after the accident, having experienced what it was to think of the worse which had quite simply been exhausting; this was a big relief. This want to be together was not surprising, "I thought I lost you... don't do that to me again" her words voiced her deepest fears even as she held on tight, not wanting to let go of him yet.

Armaan pulled apart slightly and cupped her face, "Shh...I'm not going anywhere" he meant to say something else but one look at her tear stained face, he knew there was more to his visit, "Riddhima, what happened?" he stopped midway.

"I missed you" and with those words she collapsed back in his arms like something that had been waiting precisely for this moment to fall apart knowing very well he would take care of the pieces. He let her cry safely cocooned in his arms till there were no more tears, no more creases of worry and no more fear in those eyes. He understood her fear because he too had gone through the same thing. Only then had he realized how lucky they were to have come out unscathed, twice now. Not everyone was as lucky, surely that was a sigh? Armaan didn't realize he had drifted off until her touch brought him out of his reverie. That's when he felt her fingers tentatively exploring the scar on his forehead, "Ouch!" he winced in mock pain causing her to withdraw immediately, "Does it hurt?" the concern evident in her eyes.

He smiled as he wiped her tears away, "Not as much as these..." it was true, he hated seeing her cry. "What did he say?" he asked out of the blue surprising her, "How do you ... ?" Riddhima shouldn't have been surprised but she was, "All this..." hinting at her tears, "Can only mean one thing..." he gently tucked the errant strands of hair behind her eyes.

"Dad...he..."

But he silenced her, "Shhh..." with his finger on her lips, "You think too much... and worry. Everything will be fine Riddhima...he will come around" at some level Armaan wasn't sure himself but he had this overwhelming need to reassure her. Sometimes a lie was fair. And truth be told, he didn't want to think about all that for now. He pulled away slightly as it just hit him, "How did you get here? You didn't drive did you?"

She chose to ignore his question choosing instead to snuggle back into his arms, and mumbled against his chest, "Don't let me go..." She had come looking for answers and a desperate need of an anchor to keep her from drowning. The fear of losing him and a part of her in that process was very real.

"Shh... Riddhima, I'm not going anywhere" He stroked her back gently, as she hid herself further in his embrace, turning her back to all her worries, how could something so right be ever wrong? And in that moment when she heard his heart beats and it resonated with hers; she knew - it wasn't wrong! She had found the answer to her question, to her father's question " there was no turning back now. This was her reality and she was going to live with it.

"Armaan..." she finally looked up at him, "Hmmm?" her fingers tentatively prodded the dent in his cheeks, "I love these" she continued to avoid his eyes though to which he raised an eyebrow, and when she didn't let up, he smiled further deepening that dent, "You look lovely when you smile you know" She looked up finally, their eyes met and all of a sudden it was just them. "You should have called me you know..." he spoke, "what if I hadn't come here?"

"I needed to be alone... so" she gave an honest response, his hold on her slackened, "May be I should head back then?" he replied pretending to let go of her but she wasn't buying any of that, "No...I like this better" and tightened her hold on him forcing him to smile back at her. They stayed like that just content in each other's arm. Until, his eyes dipped to her lips, a fleeting glance which she did not miss. And almost in reaction she pulled her hand away from his face suddenly aware of their proximity but there was no hiding anywhere, Riddhima was still in his arms. Sensing her slight discomfort, he let go slightly, "Riddhima..." trying to think of something to say except there was no need to.

There was only so much a man could resist so he tried to do the right thing, "Its late, let's get you home Riddhima..." he gently pushed her away and got up only to be stopped by her, "Armaan?" she asked holding on to his hand, "Riddhima..." his free hand cupped her face trying to make her understand his predicament.

He kept starring at her though the implication of her words not lost on either but was she ready, "Riddhima...you've been through a lot. And it's been taxing, I don't think it's a good idea..." he trailed off, heck this was hard! He backed away giving her space as she got off the bed.

She understood, "May be I shouldn't have come here..." he kept starring at her without saying much, "I should get going..." What was she thinking, she couldn't just expect him to understand when she hardly understood herself, and she was being very selfish here now that she had made her decision. Armaan watched her quietly as she paced about his room collecting her purse but he wasn't going to let her go yet. He stopped her before she descended the stairs, "Where do you think you are going?"

"I dunnoo" she hadn't thought this through.

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "May be I'll just go on a long drive..." she looked lost and was pushing him alright, "You don't have your car here"

She smiled nervously and it helped ease the tension somewhat and waved his car keys at his face, "But your driver is waiting right outside"

"You are not going anywhere Riddhima...come here" he took the keys and tossed it away, "Not like this..."

All of a sudden she felt this overwhelming need to keep speaking anything to break this awkward silence that had descended on them, "Dad emotionally blackmailed me today, you won't let me stay, I don't want to go home, you won't let me drive your car...fine, then I will walk away..." She didn't realize it of course but her words triggered his deepest fears that gripped him instantly, he wouldn't let her wander off aimlessly like that. "Riddhima..." and without any rational thought behind it, he pulled her towards him and kissed her; the only way he knew to stop her from talking. It took her by surprise though, the intensity of his kiss, he could tell but it wasn't long before she dropped her purse and wound her arms around his neck bringing him closer still, giving in...surrendering to the moment.

When they finally broke apart for air, she leant onto him for support while he cupped her face gently as he asked "Are you sure?" She smiled back "So" he murmured, and his hand moved lightly, a touch and another " rousing, enticing...his words seeking confirmation, "Just so we're clear..." the unsaid...he stilled suddenly, gone was the mischief in his eyes as he stared back at her, "I'm not taking advantage of ..." He fiddled with the top buttons of her shirt.

"Oh shut up and just kiss me"

~~~

As he lay there spent, Riddhima beside him he felt a strange contentment he had not experienced before. Through her palm resting on his chest, she could feel his pounding heart slowly normalize itself and was pretty sure it was mirroring her own heartbeats. Both of them didn't feel the need to verbalize their feelings, there really was no need to say anything. Except that big elephant in the room that had been conveniently sidestepped and sooner or later would come back to roadblock them. For now though none of that mattered.

After a while, it was Armaan who broke the blissful silence turning her towards him, "Riddhima...do you?" he wanted to know, he needed to know, "Shhh... don't talk too much" he saw that smile before she dipped her head and rested it on his chest.

"You are beautiful you know... just like this tattoo on your back" his hands lazily traced the contours of her back only to stop above the tiny butterfly. She didn't look up at him instead snuggled into him resting her head on the crook of his neck, he couldn't see but there was a content smile on her face too " as she recalled how many times he had said that already, still unable to look him in the eye afraid of getting swept once again by the fire in them. He understood her need for space, all this intimacy was new for her, "You'll have to tell me about it someday"

But he needed to hear her voice, "Riddhima..." he nudged her.

"Hmmm...?" her response almost sounded idyllic like she didn't want to let go, wanting this moment to linger for longer. But there was something he wanted to share, "You know what kept me alive when I was in that coma?"

Her hands suddenly stilled in anticipation, she shuffled slightly and moved her head to look at him, her body leaning on his. Their gazes met, he saw an endearing curiosity in them, gone was that hesitancy of an hour ago; she had come alive in the most beautiful way, and he had told her he wasn't letting go of her in the most primal way. And for a moment, his thoughts drifted elsewhere, this crazy woman was now his, in every way possible. Armaan smiled contently as he played with the loose curls framing her face, slowly to trace the lines of her face down to her lips. He kept her waiting; purposely slowing down time, playing with her...trying to soak it in, this new found reality, them.

"Armaan" Riddhima nudged him impatiently.

He loved that about her, the impatience, "There was a beautiful girl... one with eyes..." His eyes shot back to her eyes, almost as if they were reading them...observing the color and the emotions that flickered across reacting to his every word "like yours but with an added spark...she would wake me up every morning with this big sunny smile, a sloppy kiss" he reminisced, "and we would spend hours doing crazy things, things I have never done before..."Riddhima could tell by the way his eyes lit up what it meant to him.

"Like what?"

"Cook...bake...mess up the kitchen"

Sensing her confusion, Armaan smiled indulgently and brought her closer, their faces inches apart, "Sophia" he drawled.

"Sophia?"

"Armaan!" She was a little annoyed of where he was headed with all this and now? Why did he even have to talk so much? Was this even normal?

"She said Armaan like you just did, only a tad cuter... and louder"

"So you should have stayed back with her then" she mocked anger and tried to wriggle out of his arms, only he wouldn't let her, "not a bad idea...and I would have except... there is a problem..." He gave her a roguish smile, confusing the hell out of Riddhima.

"I can't believe you are bringing this up now" He loved getting her all riled up, "You look sexy when you're angry, this red nose..." he flicked it gently, "I don't have a red nose..." she tried to wriggle out of his arms instead he got her exactly where he wanted the next moment when he flipped her on the bed and pinned her comfortably under him, giving her no room for escape, "what are you..." she tried to push him off her with all her might but she was no match for his strength.

"Shhh..." he drawled dangerously close to her lips, his breath teasing her, caressing her "Stop fighting" like she had any choice after all that "because... in order to be with her" and drawled lazily, "I need you", a touch here. A second there, and she was on the verge of melting already. He loved it, this effect he had on her.

"You dis..." but her words died a passionate death hijacked by another one of his searing kisses, this time unlike the first kiss of the night, a deliberately slow decapitating kiss that disarmed her in moments. Slightly offended, she had meant to protest initially but that was being hopeful- he knew how to render her useless.

To her surprise, he relented soon, "you can't kiss your way through everything!" she complained without real conviction only to be greeted with a smug smile, which felt more like an open challenge, "Says who?" he asked almost in defiance, "That's not what you were saying a while ago..."

"Get that smirk off your face" she pursed her lips and looked away feigning anger.

"Sophia was our little girl Riddhima" And just like that he blurted out the rest of it.

This she was not expecting at all - instantly Riddhima turned towards him awestruck by his words, he closed her open mouth, "I don't know what it was; only it didn't feel like a dream but felt as real as anything else..." he continued, "so you see, whatever you say, or plan to do, to cut me out of your life is not going to work because I know somewhere in the not so far ahead future we have this cute little girl with pigtails waiting for us to bring her into our lives. You are stuck with me now whether you like it or not... "

Riddhima was still struggling to put things together, "Sophia, You believe in that?" surprised that a man cynical of relationships not so long ago was so convinced about something so surreal.

"I have no reason not to" he wiped the tears from her eyes, "no more of this... this is a happy story"

She gave him a tender smile, "Sophia..." she mused, "I like the sound of it"

"That you will"

He gave her a geeky loopy smile, "What? What are you smiling at, what's so funny?" She asked even as her fingers traced the scars on his forehead above his left eye.

"Just realized..." He paused to look at her, tuck those errant hair strands behind her ear,"you are not running away...not any more you aren't!" he looked at her and kissed her palms, "that you are not dumping me"

"Is that why you thought I was here?"

"I don't know..." his smirk grew into a full fledged smile, "let's find out shall we?" and without wasting any more time he kissed her again.

They woke up in the wee hours of the morning, "What's wrong?" she mumbled still in her sleep, he chuckled, this would take some getting used to, her like this, with him!

"Go back to sleep...I need to get something" but it didn't work, as the emptiness beside her on the bed only roused her back. She stared at him as he got up taking the bed sheet with him leaving her scampering for the duvet agast "Really?" he looked back at her with a happy grin.

She threw a pillow at him, but couldn't help getting caught up in all of this which was very new, them like this.

"What?" He asked mischievously when he caught her starring a moment later, "Like what you see?"

"You look good in that..."he cocked his eyebrows arrogantly, "in it ... or without it?"

She blushed, "Someone thinks highly of himself"

"You may lie but your eyes never do... admit it Love"

"Have I ever told you, you are very filmi?"

"Nope, but you can tell me over dinner"

"Dinner?"

"Yes Riddhima...I'm hungry" he gave her a sheepish grin.

"Still?" she blushed.

"Riddhima snap out of it... I know I'm irresistible but a man needs some food..."

"ARMAAAN!!"

"I'm heating up that food you cooked up Riddhima, you need to eat something. Then..."But" she interrupted him, "It'll be time for breakfast soon" Trust Riddhima to mess up a perfectly romantic moment!

"colors colours what difference does it make" he rambled as he walked away, "I'm going to heat up the food you cooked last nite, get your ass" and he stopped, gosh no! not now, don't turn back...not while my mind is..., Riddhima wanted to say but it was too late, his eyes roved suggestively over her form hidden under the duvet, "I'll be waiting downstairs" he didn't need to say it of course, but she hated how transparent she was to him; damn she knew exactly what he was hinting at! And he knew that too.

She watched him walk away with a smile on her lips everything else including the decision she had already made in her mind lay forgotten, for now.

~~~

Part 34 - 04/11/13 - Pg 44

wow u update the part.

Will comment after reading.

Lovely part.

Please update soon.

Thanks for PM.

WOW! You know you've kept armaan.riddhima alive for me? I love you for that.
yes, your excessively late unexpected updates annoy me to no extent hut I love you regardless because you have been my only link to armaan riddhima, the most enchanting armaan riddhima, for a long long time and I never want that link to break.

besides, this story and you are among the most amazing things to have ever happened to me through this forum. No pm, and I mean no pm or update makes me as happy as yours does, you cannot even imagine the smile on my face when I see your pm. Just now, when I received the pm for this , I literally jumped in my place causing my sister to enquire what all the excitement was for.

coming to this chapter. it has to be one of the most beautiful chapters of this story for me. Only armaan and riddhima, in their own magical world, just the two of them, together, always together, happy, in their own world. it made me so happy. my most favourite couple in the world, after such a long time. just wonderful.

thankyou for keeping my armaan riddhima alive.

lots of love
sonia

I read the part and then re-read it and re-read and went on till I could seep in all the words and emotion, only then I am ready to comment now. I know I am maybe not making sense but you have left this part at such a crucial point. I hope Riddhima is able to sort this situation in her heart and mind. Great going!

Originally posted by: -Dee-

It's strange how I keep nagging you for an update and then when it comes to commenting I am at a loss of words. It was certainly a leap here and that's what is needed further, nahi? It seems surreal to be preparing for contingencies when they aren't really contingent and might really be transferred unsecured liabilities. Wonderful update but too short! I'd love a longer and a faster! 😊