"I know we've known each other for a short time, but I think I'm falling for you." I opened my eyes and looked into his with a puzzled expression. "Armaan?" I moved my forehead away from him. "I'm falling for you, Shilpa" He moved closer but I moved back and looked down. "Armaan... I don't know what to say. I- I just don't know. You're a great guy. But I need time." "I understand. I'll wait Shilpa. Until you're ready to give this a chance, I'll wait." I gazed into his eyes once again and I saw 3 things: understanding, concern and love. He moved closer and kissed my forehead again. He backed away, smiled and then left the kitchen. I stood rooted to the spot thinking about what just happened.
When I moved out of the kitchen too, I looked around the house and didn't see him. Where did he go? I looked through the window facing the front of the house and saw him backing out of the driveway and leaving. I walked back to the couch and sat with my head in my hands. Millions of thoughts ran through my head, I didn't know what to do. A few minutes later I heard the doorbell ring. "Who could it be?" I got up and opened the door and saw Armaan standing there. "Armaan? Didn't you leave?" Just as he opened his mouth to answer, Muskaan jumped out from behind him. "Hi Shilpa!" She hugged me and then entered the house. "Yea, I went to get Muskaan. When I walked to the living room I saw I had a message from her on my phone saying she wanted to come visit you and help with the packing." "Oh. Come in." I saw Muskaan walking around looking at the picture frames I had on the table. "Aww Shilpa you were so cute! Armaan look at her!" She ran toward Armaan with the picture. "Look at those chubby cheeks!" Armaan chuckled and Muskaan put the picture back picking up another frame. "Shilpa, who are these people?" She brought the frame to me and I sighed remembering the day we went to take a professional family picture. "They're my parents and younger brother." I held back the tears, trying to be strong. "Shilpa your family is beautiful." She noticed my wet eyes and hugged me. "You're a strong girl Shilpa."
I lead Muskaan and Armaan to my room and pulled out a large suitcase from under my bed and opened it. I found family albums that I hadn't look at in such a long time. So many memories. I picked one up and opened it. It was from our trip to Italy for my birthday a few years ago. I ran my hand over a picture of my parents and my brother. I remembered how much fun we had during that trip and smiled. I closed the album and put it back in the suitcase. Armaan sat on my bed and started going through the pictures while Muskaan helped me organize my things to pack. Every now and then I noticed Armaan glancing at me and whenever he noticed me glancing back he would smile and go back to the pictures. "Shilpa, I think you should move in tomorrow." I turned my head to Muskaan when I heard her. "Or better yet, how about tonight?" She saw my muddled expression and continued, "It's up to you. I'm not going to force you." I smiled at her, "If you don't mind, I think tonight would be fine." Muskaan smiled wide when she heard me. "I don't mind at all!" We spent the next hour finishing the packing and then headed to the man who had rented my family the house. I handed him the keys and left in Armaan's car with him and Muskaan.
When we arrived at the house, Muskaan opened the front door and left it open as Armaan and me brought in my things. She met us at the door and led me to a room. "Okay, so this is your room! My room is right next door and there's a connecting door too. So if you need anything at all, just come right through!" "Thanks Muskaan." "It's no problem at all. Armaan, help her unpack. I'm going to go get something to drink, I'm so thirsty. You guys want anything?" When we both shook our head 'no' she left the room. I grabbed the large suitcase and laid it down to open. I grabbed some of the clothes and headed to the closet. As I walked over, I hit my foot on a bag with something tough inside it and tripped but was caught by Armaan. He held me by the waist, my hands were on his chest and the clothes I held were mushed between the two of us. He helped me up and grabbed the clothes that were about to fall out of my hands. He placed them on top my hands and then moved his hands underneath to hold mine. "You okay?" I nodded and continued to the closet. He followed my movements while looking over his shoulder. "What can I help with?" "Umm.. you can put the picture frames on the table over there." He walked over to the bag with the frames and moved it near the table. He took out each frame one by one and placed them onto the table. I resumed unpacking the rest of my clothes and organized them in the closet. Muskaan returned and helped with the last bits of unpacking.
"Armaan mom said that she's going to be home late and to go get something to eat." Muskaan put down the phone and walked back over the lounge area. "Alright I'll go get something then." I saw Armaan getting up to go. "Wait, guys, I'll cook something." I didn't feel like eating out. "Shilpa, its ok you don't have to." Armaan walked over to the counter to get his keys. "No seriously, it's the least I could do for all the support you've given me." "I guess if you want to. Armaan come sit down." Muskaan lead me to the kitchen and showed me where everything was and propped herself on the counter. "So what are you going to make?" Grabbing a pot and a few ingredients I responded, "You'll see." She jumped off the counter and started to walk out, "Fine, I'm going back to watch some TV. Let me know if you need anything." I continued to cook for a while. I opened the refrigerator door to grab some more things and when I closed it I saw Armaan leaning against the side of the refrigerator. "Hey." I got up from my kneeling position, "Hey." I walked back over to the stove and continued. "So I thought that you may need some help. Do you?" I shook my head no, "Not really, I'm almost done. If you want, you can take out the plates." "Sure." I put the meal into a large dish and made my way to the table. I saw Armaan place the last plate and then yell for Muskaan." She walked into the room taking in a deep breath, "Wow! The food smells amazing!" She immediately sat down and reached for the food. Before Armaan and I could even finish taking it out for ourselves, Muskaan as stuffing her face, "Shilpa this is awesome!" Armaan took a bite as well, "Wow, she's right. It tastes great!" I beamed at the responses, "Thanks guys." I took a bite myself and we continued with dinner.
After cleaning up, Armaan hugged the two of us and left for his house. Muskaan followed me to my room and plopped onto the bed. "Thanks for dinner, Shilpa" I grabbed some track pants and a tank top from the closet, "It's no problem Muskaan." I sat with her on the bed. There was a long silence between us. I ran my finger against the sheets making random designs. "You know... Armaan really likes you." I brought my head up and looked at her. "He told me about you when he first met you a few months back. He used to talk about you the following days too. But then he gave up hope of ever meeting you again. Then when you called the other day, he was both happy and sad. He's a great guy Shilpa, just give him a chance." With that said she got up from the bed, gave me a hug and headed to the door. "Good night." "Good night Muskaan." She shut the door and I was alone. I sat on the bed thinking about what Muskaan told me. I took a deep breath and got up to change.
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If you didn't get a PM I'm sorry! It wouldn't let me send it to some of you guys.
I was awoken by the sounds from outside my door. They were muffled voices, I couldn't figure out who it as though. I shut my eyes and then opened them wide trying to keep them open as I got out of bed. As I grabbed a scrunchie and tied my hair in a loose bun as I walked to the door. I opened my door to find the backside of someone who was whispering to someone in front. I yawned and tapped the person's shoulder. The person turned around and as none another than Armaan. He had a surprised expression on his face. Then I saw Muskaan peek from the side of his arm. "Shilpa, you're awake?" I scratched my head, "I heard voices outside the door. That's what woke me up. By the way, what are you guys doing outside the door?" Armaan started, "Uhh... well... you see.." "We were wondering if you were awake since breakfast is ready." Muskaan butted in. Armaan shook his head in agreement. "Well now I am. I'll be at the table in 10 minutes." "Alright, see you at the table then." Muskaan grabbed Armaan's hand and pulled him with her.
I quickly changed and got ready. I made my way to the table and found Muskaan's mother putting down some food on the table. "Good morning Aunty." Good morning beta." She gave a warm smile and handed me a plate. "This all looks so yummy. I don't know where to start." Muskaan picked up a dish and handed it to me. "Try the omelet." I took a piece and put it in my mouth. "Armaan made it." I slowed my chewing and looked over at Armaan. He looked so engrossed in his food. I swallowed, "It's delicious." Armaan looked up and thanked me with his eyes. I smiled back at him. I looked at Muskaan and saw a smirk playing on her lips as she watched Armaan. "Beta, I'm heading off to work. I'll see you in the evening." She made her way around the table kissing each of our foreheads and then she left. I smiled at her gesture. She's so sweet.
I helped Muskaan clean up the plates and dishes while Armaan cleaned the table. "So what are your plans for today?" Muskaan asked. "I don't know. Nothing really. Do you have something in mind?" She shook her head no. "Actually I was asking because I have to go in for work today. I won't be home till late afternoon. Around 5 o' clock." "Oh." I looked back down at the dishes and continued cleaning. "You can hang out with Armaan." "Umm.. I guess." I had been thinking about Armaan. Maybe I should give him a chance? Who cares if it's a quick jump in our relationship? He's done more for me than anyone else. And I trust him more than myself. I need to talk to him. "So.. you stay lost in your thoughts, I'm going to go to work." Her hug brought me out of my thoughts. I hugged her back and she left the kitchen. I put the clean plates back where they belonged and headed out of the kitchen. I bumped into Armaan on the way out. "Umm.. Armaan." He moved back a little, "Yea?" "I need to talk to you." "Sure, go sit in the living room I'll be there in a minute." I made my way there and waited. A few seconds later I saw Armaan walking in from the kitchen and making his way toward me. I immediately stood up. "Shilpa, sit. I'm not some professor or something that you're standing up as I enter the room." He chuckled. I sat back down and he followed by sitting right next to me.
"Alright, so what'd you want to talk about?" He had his hands together, elbows on his knees and his head turned toward me. I looked straight I front of me, "Us." I heard him sigh. "Armaan, I've been thinking a lot about us. And well, I think I should give you a chance." As I finished saying this I looked over at him and he had the biggest smile on his face. It was huge. I don't think I've seen him smile like that before. He locked his gaze with mine and reached over to hold my hand. "Shilpa, I promise that you won't regret this." With that he pulled me into a hug. A tight hug. It felt good. And it felt better when he kissed the side of my head. I knew I wouldn't regret my decision. I wouldn't regret it at all.
Armaan ended up taking me to the beach. He was walking next to me with his hands in his pocket. I rolled my jeans up a little since were walking on the water's edge. The cold water felt amazing. Armaan started up a conversation about sports. Basketball. Football. It was then that I realized how long it had been since I had watched any game. I used to be such an avid fan, but now, I don't even know what's going on in the sports world. As Armaan filled me in on what I missed, I realized that Armaan had removed his hand from his pocket and was trying to hold my hand. Instead of waiting for him to do it, I placed my hand in his and continued on as if nothing happened. As soon as I did that, he stopped mid-sentence and glanced down at our locked hands. A smile appeared on his face and he continued on with the conversation.
Hand in hand, we walked along the beach for hours. Probably around two hours. I knew it had been a long time because we ended up reaching a fence that indicated that the rest of the shoreline was private and hotel property. We started to walk back instead of strolling like before. As we made our way back to where we started, Armaan moved our joined hands behind my back. Our hands were still united as they rested near the side of my waist. I leaned my head slightly on his shoulder. I felt him kiss the top of my head and I inwardly smiled.
By the time we made it to the car, it was a little past 3 o' clock. "Do you want to go get something to eat?" I bit my bottom lip, "Can we get something sweet? Like ice-cream?" I looked at him with my lower lip still under my teeth and eyes full of hope as a small played on my lips.. "Shilpa, we haven't even eaten lunch." "I know.. but I really, really want some ice-cream. Please?" He sighed in defeat, "Ok, fine. We'll go get ice-cream." I hugged him tight and then made my way to the passenger side of the car. He got in and drove us to the ice-cream parlor that was in the line of shops along the beach.
"So Shilpa, which flavor do you want?" I looked at the choices. So many. I couldn't just pick one. I felt like a kid in a candy shop. I turned and looked up at him, "Armaan can I get more than one scoop?" "Sure, which ones?" I turned back to the display, pointing from one flavor to another. "Chocolate and vanilla obviously. Cookies 'n' Cream. A little bit of Cookie Dough. And some of the Strawberry Cheesecake!" I loved ice-cream. And the fact that I hadn't had it in forever didn't help. I turned back to Armaan and saw him staring at me with his mouth slightly open. "Armaan?" Armaan looked up at the person behind the counter, "Uhh.. whatever she said and one scoop of plain vanilla for me." The person behind the counter prepared our frozen treats and rang it up on the register. As soon as Armaan paid, I grabbed the cup and a spoon and dived into it. It was absolutely amazing. We sat down at a table and ate our treats. "You must really like ice-cream." I looked up to see him watching me eat. "I don't like it, I love it." I slowed down my eating speed a little so we could actually talk. "Why did you only get vanilla?" He put his spoon down, "Vanilla because its classic. I've tried the other flavors too, but I'm fond of just plain vanilla." "Whatever floats your boat." I shoved another spoonful in my mouth. When we finished, or more like I finished since he was done 5 minutes into eating, we threw away our cups. I started to head out but he pulled me back. "What?" He leaned forward and brought his lips to my cheeks. The area tingled as he lingered there for a bit. As he pulled away, I looked away with a shy smile. "You had some ice-cream on your cheek." Before anything else could be said I hurried out the door and to his car waiting for him to unlock the door.
He hit the button on his key and the door unlocked. I sat down and buckled myself in waiting for Armaan to sit. Once he sat down too, he grabbed my hand and placed it between his and the gear-shift. Even though he had held my hand before, I still felt my cheeks warming up so I looked toward the window. It was almost 5 o'clock, Muskaan would be home soon so we headed there. By the time we got to Muskaan's house, her car was already in the driveway. As we approached the door, Armaan pulled out his keys and opened the door. I figured since they knew each other for so long, it was normal for him to have the keys. We walked in to find Muskaan sitting on the couch with her hands crossed across her stomach. "So where have you both been?" She eyed us suspiciously. Her gaze moved down to our hands which were linked. "Just the beach, Muskaan, now stop your drama." And just like that, she began to laugh. "I was just kidding guys. Had fun?" She kept her gaze on Armaan as if they were talking through their eyes and the spoken words were just there to divert my attention. "We had a great time." Muskaan's face lit up as if those five words communicated something to her that she had been waiting to hear for who knows how long. I was still confused by what was going on. "Congrats Shilpa!" She ran up to me and hugged me. I looked to see Armaan smiling at Muskaan's motion. She then gave Armaan a hug. "Congrats for what?" "Shilpa, congrats to you and Armaan. You know, on you relationship." "But neither of us said anything about it." Muskaan looked over at Armaan and they both snickered a little bit. "Let's just say Armaan and me have a way of talking to each other without saying anything." So I was right. There was something going on between the two of them.
After telling Muskaan about my day, I looked over to see Armaan playing video games. He was so absorbed in the game that he didn't even notice me sit down right next to him. "Woohoo! Yes! I won!" I couldn't help but grin at his childish behavior. When I reached to grab the other controller, he noticed me. "Do you want to play?" "No, Armaan, its ok. I don't know how to." With one quick move he shifted behind me and brought his arms around me. He held one of his hands open, "Give me your hand." Looking over my shoulder he positioned it on the controller. "Now give me the other one." He held his other hand open and I placed mine into his. He positioned that one as well. He rested his chin on my shoulder and explained what each button did. "Okay, so you're going to use this to move. This button is to jump. This one is to change your weapon. Press this to shoot. And hold this down to deploy a temporary shield. Got it?" "I think so." I didn't get it. I'll just see how this goes. He brought the difficulty down for me so it would be easy. I aimed the cursor at one of the enemies and then looked at the controller looking for the button he said would shoot. By the time I found it, I was already dead. I tried a few more times but it resulted in the same thing. Muskaan was sitting on the couch laughing while Armaan contained his laughter. "Shilpa, not like that. Let me show you." He brought his arms around me again and put his hands over mine on the controller. The game started again and he moved my fingers with his. All I did as look at the screen. He did all the controlling. "Yes! I got one!" Armaan chuckled behind me. "Now you have another 29 to go." He continued to control my fingers on the controller as I enjoyed myself watching each enemy die one by one.
When all were defeated, he let the controller go and brought his arms around my waist. I lightly tossed the controller ahead of me and leaned back onto his chest. "Ok guys I'm going to go to my room. Tell me when you're done." Muskaan got up and left leaving a smiling Armaan and a giggling me.
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