Hues Of Love(AR) SS#2 Just a Number?! PT-7A&7B PG.39 Note PG.40 - Page 14

Armaan was sitting in the bed staring at riddhima. He had called a doctor immediately when she fainted. The doctor who checked her said riddhima is much stressed and she must have not eaten anything, and that is why she fainted. She also said riddhima must take rest and she must eat after she wakes up. She will be fine then and nothing to worry. Armaan understood her sudden happiness and shock of seeing him after eight long years also added to it and she fainted. Armaan looked at her handbag when he heard her phone ringing in it. He took the bag and was hesitant for a few seconds to open it and take out the phone. It is not manners to take a girl's bag and open it without her consent. But then he thought she will wake up if the phone keeps ringing. So he immediately unzipped her bag and took out her phone. Something else slipped out with it and fell on the floor. He put the phone in silent and kept it back in her bag. He took the small diary from the floor. The diary had opened when it fell. When he took it in his hand, armaan saw his name written in her handwriting. He got curious seeing his name and contemplated if he should read it or not. He looked at her sleeping form and smiled. He heard her murmuring something in her sleep and leaned down close to her lips to hear her properly. His heart stopped a beat hearing her murmuring "don't leave me armaan". Tears blurred his vision. He softly pulled her head on his lap. He bent down placing a soft kiss on her forehead with moist eyes and lingered his lips on her skin for few seconds. Pulling back, he saw her smiling in her sleep and she snuggled close to him. He smiled looking at her with tearful eyes and caressed her head with love. He sat looking at riddhima who is sleeping with a smile. After few minutes, he looked at the diary in his hand and decided to read it. His heart said he must read it. He saw except one page the whole diary is empty. He saw tears stains on the page where she had written and also the diary was new. He began reading.

Armaan couldn't read anymore and closed the small diary. He couldn't hold back the tears and slowly lifted riddhima's head off his lap and placed it softly on the pillow. He rushed out to the adjoined terrace and cried his heart out. Her every single heartfelt word stabbed his heart with a million knives. He couldn't bear the pain which she was enduring all these years. He kept crying and crying. After long minutes, he stood up and went inside the room. He lied on the bed beside her and hugged her close to his heart tightly, kissing the top of her head.

*******

Riddhima stirred after an hour and she opened her eyes slowly, only to look into his blue-grey eyes. She smiled wide. She thought it is one of her dreams again. She lifted her hand weakly to touch his face and was shocked when she felt his skin. Everything which happened before she fainted rushed to her mind and she sat up looking at him with wide eyes. He sat up with her. "Ar..ar..arm..armaan aap..aap.." she mumbled as tears filled her eyes. Armaan took her in his arms hugging her tight. She hugged him back crying terribly and he caressed her back calming her. Nikki came there to check if riddhima had woken up and smiled seeing them. Armaan gestured nikki to bring food for riddhima and she went out nodding. He tried to part her a little from him but she held onto him tightly. "I am not going anywhere riddhima. You must eat first. You are very weak" he said and he felt her shaking her head in "No". "You will go away from me if I leave you" she said choking. "I Will Not Leave You Riddhima. I Will Not Leave You Ever Again" he whispered with all the love and she smiled wide hearing him. She parted very little from him. "Promise?" she asked him with hope and love filled eyes. He also saw the fear in her green eyes. "I Promise Baby. I Will Not leave You Ever Again" he said with all the love and kissed her forehead and cheeks. Blood rushed to her cheeks and she looked down blushing. He smiled looking at her. "You must eat now and after that you call your parents and tell them you are safe and you are in nikita's house" armaan said giving a glass of water to her. She drank the water and nodded quietly. Nikita brought the dinner plate and gave it to armaan. She smiled at riddhima giving her a side hug and she smiled back at her nervously. Nikita understood riddhima's discomfort and went out nodding at armaan who smiled back at her.

Armaan lifted riddhima's chin with his finger softly and forwarded a spoon of the food to her. She looked at him tearfully and ate. She took the spoon from him and fed him. He smiled with moist eyes eating from her hand. They didn't think about anything and just let each other's presence sink in their souls. Finishing the food, armaan gave her the phone to call her parents. She called her parents who had gone out of city. She didn't say she is not in their home and just said about her day in the office and ended the call saying them to take care and wishing them good night. Armaan smiled seeing her talk to her parents. She still talks to them like she used to do eight years back. She looked at him keeping her phone aside and stood up from the bed. She slowly walked and stood near the window staring out at the dark sky. She felt his hand on her shoulder and turned to look at him. He tenderly pulled her closer to him to by her shoulders. They looked at each other's face glowing in the moon light and of happiness. She saw what she was yearning to see in his eyes from long years..Intense Love. "If i have to go away from this world this very second, I would peacefully go from here. I am seeing the love in your eyes which I was craving to see from long years" she whispered to him. "I didn't come to see you go away from this world riddhima. I came back to you to live with you. To share my life with you. To heal the wounds which I gave you. And most of all to tell you that.." he paused for a moment. He looked more deep into her eyes reaching for her soul. He doesn't want to wait anymore. Years of pain and torture are enough for both of them. She still love him..infact more intensely than she loved him eight years before. "I Love You Riddhima. I Am Irrevocably in Love With You" he confessed as tears trickled down his cheeks. He said the heartfelt words which he wanted to tell her from the moment he realized he is in love with her. She looked at him Stunned. "Did he just say what I heard? Did he just say he loves me? Did he just say in words what I am seeing in his eyes?" she thought staring at him and a wholehearted smile crept on her lips which reached her tearful green eyes. "I Love You Armaan. I Love You Too With All My Heart and Soul" she whispered back to him and they hugged each other with the Best Ever smile of their life. They felt like they are born again as they stood embracing each other. They stood hugging for a long time. She opened her eyes when he pulled back of their hug a little. He held her face in his palms and looked into her eyes. She stared back into his blue-grey oceans. They wanted to talk so much, they wanted to tell and ask each other many things. But words refused to come out of their mouths. Their eyes spoke instead of their mouths. At that moment they understood there is no need of words when two hearts converse through eyes. Tears were pouring out of their eyes like rain. Their heart screamed seeing the excruciating pain, all the years of torture in each other's eyes. Simultaneously, the reality that they are finally together now, made their lips curl in deep smiles which born from their heart.

Riddhima stood on her toes and began kissing every inch of his face holding his face in her palms. He pulled her closer to him by her waist. He felt her body shivering and her lips trembling against his skin as she kept kissing him. His hold on her tightened with each of her kiss and their tears flowed out more. Their love filled heart felt the happiness it deserves. Shivers ran down their spines. Armaan felt his body which was like numb all the years, reacting to her soft lips. She was awakening his desires and passion which only she could do. She kissed the corner of his lips and stopped realizing what she did. She looked into his eyes for a couple of seconds and lowered her lids standing straight, suddenly interested in the floor. Armaan leaned on to her smiling. He smiled more seeing her closed eyes, red cheeks and quivering lips. She was shocked when he suddenly lifted her in his muscular arms. She closed her eyes burying her face in his neck shyly. She never expected he would lift her like this. She heard the door sliding and shivered when she felt cool breeze caressing her. She opened her eyes and looked around. She realized they were in adjoined terrace of the room. He sat in the swing there with her in his lap hugging her close to him as much as he can. She snuggled into him smiling and he cradled her like a baby, kissing the top of her head. "I Love You riddhu" he said taking her one hand in his and kissing the back of her palm. "I Love You too" she said against his neck shivering with their closeness. "You never called me riddhu before" she said. "Yeah. I never called you riddhu before in front of you. But I started calling you riddhu after I realized I am in love with you. I call you riddhu in my heart thousands times a day" he said tilting his head slightly to face her and looking into her eyes. Her smile deepened hearing him. They sat quiet and felt peaceful like never before being so close to the love of their life.

After a while,

Armaan caressed her hair talking to her looking into her eyes and she listened to him staring back into his eyes, running her finger through his hair in the back of his head. "I liked you when we were friends riddhu. I liked you a lot. I cared for you. But it wasn't love. As the days passed I realized you have feelings for me. You were too young. I decided I should move away from you and put an end to your feelings for me before it grows deeper and becomes painful for you. So I distanced myself from you. Trust me riddhu, it hurt me to be away from you more than I thought. I knew it was hurting you more than me. But I had to do it for your good. You were just a teenager then. On my birthday when we last met, i understood the damage was already done and you were in love with me. I realized I am your first love. I couldn't bear it when you cried that night. You were too young to endure such pain and hurt. I blamed myself for causing you pain and hurting you. The night when you walked out of the park and my life, I cried terribly for the first time ever in my life. After that, I immersed myself in business and spent every second of my life trying to become a successful business man. But somewhere in the deep corner of my heart, I missed you a lot. Mom dad began to talk to me about my marriage and I kept avoiding it. At a point, I couldn't avoid it anymore and agreed to see girls. But I liked none of them. I didn't feel anything with them. Suddenly one night mom told me she wants me to attend her friend's son's wedding with her. I tried to avoid but she was stubborn and made me say okay. That night, weirdly, my thoughts kept wandering on you. I relived every single moment I spent with you. After I cried in the park on the fateful night, I cried hard that night. I missed you loads riddhu and I realized you are not just another girl in my life. The next morning, I saw you in the wedding with some girls. I saw only your face coz a girl was standing in front of you. I felt so happy seeing you riddhu. I don't know how to explain it in words. Suddenly you started looking around as if searching for someone. I didn't wanted you to see me and rushed out of there. I felt like I was leaving a part of me behind. I was a mess after that. I was going crazy. A month after I saw you again, slowly I realized I am in love with you. It was a shock for me. I don't know when I fell for you. But I knew you are the one with whom I want to spend my life with. I understood the reason why I didn't like any of the girls I met. Coz I was looking for you in them. I was searching you in the girls. I was twenty eight and you were twenty when I realized I love you. I was not sure if your feelings would be the same for me still. You were a teenage girl and your feelings might have faded. Just that thought stabbed my heart. I wanted to meet you. I wanted to know if you still love me and if you did, I wanted to marry you. But I thought of our parents. I was sure they would not agree to our marriage even if your feelings had grown strong and you were still in love with me. I know how much you love and respect your parents. I love and respect my parents the same. I did not want to hurt them. When I was struggling hard to control my heart with immense difficulty, I got an opportunity..a project in LA. I worked on the project and it was successful. Then after a lot of thinking, I moved out of India to Los Angeles and I settled there. But I couldn't forget you riddhu. I stopped trying to forget you and move on. At a point I realized it is impossible. Our memories were all I had and I started living with it. And I want you to know one thing, I don't regret distancing myself away from you then. I did what is right and good for you. But I regret not giving us a chance and leaving India when I saw you again and realized i am in love with you. I am sorry riddhu. I.." she hushed him keeping her finger on his lips and kissed away his tears.

"I agree with you. You were right in distancing yourself away from me then. I was angry about it on you at the beginning when I exited your life. But later, I slowly understood your point of view and you were absolutely right. And understanding it made my respect and love for you grow million folds. You are the only man I ever loved with all my heart and soul. Numerous times I told myself to forget you and move on. I tried to do it but failed terribly every time. I was stuck in life. I don't know what to do. I didn't know if my love for you has a future or not. I tried to give myself many logical reasons to forget you and move on. I know I would have to marry someone for my parents'sake. But just the thought of it disgusted me. How can I marry someone else when I am in love with you? My future was blank. I couldn't think of a future without you. I couldn't even imagine it. I felt like I was in middle of nowhere. I was lost. I was not living life. I was just spending every second of it just because I had to. I had no other choice.." armaan interrupted her kissing away her tears. "Your future is not blank anymore. You have a future with me. We and Our Love have a Beautiful Future. From now, you don't need to spend every second of your life just for the sake of it. We will live every second of our life together happily. You are not lost anymore riddhu. I found you and I will never let you get lost again. I Love You riddhu. Age difference or anything doesn't matter to me. It doesn't matter to you. Its you and i who are gonna get married and live our life together till our last breath. So it shouldn't matter to anyone apart from our parents. We will talk to them together and make them understand. Please don't cry. Please get rid of all the negative thoughts in your heart and mind. Everything will be alright soon. I will make sure it is. I am with you now riddhu. Your Armaan is with you till I take my last breath and if possible even after that. hmm?" he said looking into her eyes and she nodded at him smiling wide. Riddhima was stunned. She saw his love, truth and honesty of his words in his deep ocean eyes. Speechless, she hugged him tight with all the love she holds for him. He hugged her back with the same love as her, eliminating all her negative thoughts, insecurities and fear from her being in that soul touching hug. "Please don't hold back your tears armaan. I know you are holding back your tears giving me strength. Let it out" she whispered to him pulling back from their hug a little after few minutes. Armaan looked back into her emerald eyes and the dam broke. He cried hugging her tight and she soothed him being his support and strength. They parted after several long minutes and kissed away each other's tears smiling at each other. She hugged him again keeping her face on his neck.

"I Love You Armaan" she whispered to him against his neck. He smiled hearing her and groaned inwardly feeling her breath caressing his neck. He softly pulled her face from his neck. "I Love You Too Riddhu" he whispered to her staring into her eyes and wiping her tears. She smiled at him wiping his tears which made his smile deepen. Blood rushed in her seeing his eyes trailing down to her lips. Armaan looked back into her eyes questioningly and she closed her them shyly, inching closer to him such that they could feel each other's breath on their lips. Smiling, he caressed her dark pink cheeks with his thumb, making her tremble with his touch and their proximity. He softly pressed his lips on hers. He didn't move his lips and just kept feeling her lips against his. She held on to him tightly. Her hold on him tightened as he began kissing her tenderly. She responded to him kissing him back following what he was doing. They parted after a few minutes leaning their foreheads on each other's and their lips still touching. "Main tumse beintehaa mohabbat karta hun riddhu" he mumbled against her lips. She beamed elated hearing him and wanted to say something. But words failed her. Suddenly she captured his lips and he responded to her immediately. They kissed each other hard and passionately pouring out everything which they couldn't say in words. They felt something which they had not felt till now in their heart and body. Fresh tears escaped their eyes and mingled in their kiss. She pulled him closer to her holding his collar and his one hand moved to the back of her head, his fingers entangling her hairs and pressing her face and lips as close he can. They parted after almost fifteen minutes to breathe. They hugged each other by their necks feeling blissful.

Armaan spoke after few minutes. "We should sleep now riddhu. Its getting late" he said caressing her head and she nodded. He stood up lifting her in his arms again and she held onto him by his neck. "I will get you something comfortable to wear for the night" he said making her sit on the bed. "No. its okay. I am fine with this" she said looking down still blushing and shy with their passionate kiss. "You are wearing your formals riddhu. You can't sleep comfortably in this. I will get you night clothes" he said and walked to the closet. He came back with a shopper and gave it to her. She looked at him questioningly and he gestured her to open it and see. She opened the shopper and took out a Mickey&Minnie night pajamas. She smiled wide at him. "I know you like mickey&minnie. I saw this yesterday on a shop when I was hiding and looking at you and bought this for you" he said smiling. "So my feeling was right. You were really there" she said and he nodded. "Does Nikki and her husband know about us?" she asked him and he nodded. "I told everything to nikki on your birthday and then i, nikki and abhi came here". "You.." he interrupted her keeping his fingers on her lips. She shivered with his touch. "You can ask me everything in the morning. Now you need rest. Change to your night wear and sleep" he softly said to her and she nodded. "I will talk with nikki and abhi till you come out" he said and went out kissing her forehead. Riddhima went to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She herself could see the happiness glowing in her face. Happy tears rolled down her cheeks and she blushed red seeing her swollen lips. She felt his every single touch lingering on her skin making her shiver. She took a quick shower and changed to her night clothes. She came out and saw armaan was not there. She went out to the adjoined terrace and stood there feeling the nature from her heart after long years. She felt so happy and the smile never left her lips.

Outer in the living hall, nikki and abhi hugged armaan as soon he went there. He hugged them back happily. They parted after a minute with wide smiles. "How is she now? Did you guys eat?" nikki asked armaan. "She is fine now. And yes, we ate" he answered her. "Did you confess?" abhi asked and armaan said "Yes" with one of his best smile. Abhi and nikki hugged armaan again in happiness. Armaan doesn't know how to thank them both and responded their hug with tears conveying his thanks to them. "Okay now you go. She must be waiting for you. We will talk with you both in the morning. Good night" his friends said parting form the hug. He nodded at them and went back to the room wishing them good night.

Armaan entered the room and locked it. He saw her standing in the terrace and walked to her. Riddhima felt his presence and before she could turn, he hugged her from behind by her waist. She gasped with his sudden hug and stood still in his arms. She then relaxed after a few seconds and leaned back on his chest, making him smile deep. They both trembled with the proximity. Armaan closed his eyes controlling himself and went to her front. "You look cute riddhu" he said lifting her in his arms. He went in and made her lie on the bed and covered her with the comforter kissing her forehead and cheeks. She pulled him back when he got up and kissed his cheeks, which deepened his dimples. He closed the terrace door and lied on the couch facing her. They kept staring at each other, she in the bed and him in the couch. There was a knock on the door and armaan went out opening the door. When he came back, he saw riddhima sitting on the bed. "Why are you sitting? Go to sleep" armaan said sitting on the bed. "I don't feel like sleeping" she whispered. "Why riddhu? You need rest" he said turning her to face him. He was worried seeing her eyes glistening with tears. He immediately hugged her. "What happened? Why are you crying now?" he asked her caressing her back. "All these years I craved to sleep in your arms. But you weren't there. Now you are here with me but.." she said crying. It was more like a mumbling to herself but armaan heard her clearly. "I am sorry riddhu. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable with our sudden closeness and that's why I didn't come to bed with you. I am yearning to hold you in my arms as much as you are riddhu" he whispered kissing her forehead and wiping her tears, parting her a little from him. "I am not uncomfortable with you armaan" she whispered to him and he captured her lips. They kissed with all the love they possess for each other. Ending their kiss, armaan lied on the bed on his back hugging riddhima and she kept her head on his chest closing her eyes. They both shuddered coz of their intimacy and hugged each other tight. They drifted to a content and blissful sleep after long years.

**************


THANKS A LOT
Everyone for All the Likes & Comments on the previous part.
REALLY VERY SORRY for disappearing again 😳
Hope you all like the part.
Read, Like & comment




Love & Regards
Madura