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This update is specially dedicated to Palika (aroramaina)! You are a sweetheart dear! Thank you for your messages and comments! Love ya!
Part 32: At Last!
Kripa watched Khushi pace back and forth
impatiently. She was starting to make
her dizzy.
"Will you stop that?
They'll be here any minute." Kripa said trying to grab Khushi's hand.
"I know but...I wanted to be there at the airport when
they reached..." Khushi pouted.
Kripa rolled her eyes.
"No one told you to stay back with me!
You could have easily gone with aunty and uncle!"
"And leave my niece or nephew behind? I don't think so!" Khushi frowned.
She paced some more and checked her wrist watch for the
umpteenth time. Kripa groaned when her
stomach growled. She stood up and made
her way into the kitchen, muttering some things about pregnancy and having to
eat like an elephant. Khushi continued
to pace around. She wanted to rush in
after Kripa and start making jalebis but then she remembered what happened the
last time Khushi had shoved a platter of jalebis in Kripa's face. Kripa had gotten nauseated.
Khushi's hand was automatically making circular motion as
if she was making jalebis as she paced.
A couple of minutes later, she heard chattering outside and she readied
herself. Armaan and Arnav broke into the
house, nearly sprinting. As soon as she
saw him, she ran towards him at full speed and jumped onto him, wrapping her
hands around his neck while he hugged her around the waist. And then she started her crying two seconds
later.
Armaan looked around for Riddhima but couldn't find
her. Angad walked up and stood next to
him while Naina and Dilip took their seats on the couch. Arnav managed to make Khushi sit down, though
she continued to cry on his shoulder.
Angad and Armaan looked at her and then exchanged a look. Armaan's eyes scanned for Riddhima once more.
"Slow down!" Naina
barked an order at someone behind Angad and Armaan.
Both men turned to look.
One froze in his place while the other rushed up and hugged her.
"Armaan!
Careful!" Kripa pulled apart and
put a hand on her tummy protectively.
Khushi got up and walked towards Kripa, frowning at
Armaan while Arnav followed. Angad
watched on as Arnav and Kripa also shared a hug.
"Look at you!! You
look adorable!" Arnav held her at an
arm's length and scanned her head to toe.
He was right.
Kripa's face was glowing as if there was a light bulb inside her head
that was constantly on. The pregnancy
was really enhancing her beauty. Khushi
dabbed at her eyes with the end of her dupatta.
"And why are you crying?
I'm supposed to be the one with the mood swings...not you!" Kripa looked at Khushi.
"I know...but I didn't realize it until I saw him...God
Arnav! I've missed you so much!" And she started wailing like a little kid
again.
Arnav just shook his head at her and wrapped his arms
around her, trying to calm her down.
That was when Kripa saw Angad. She
smiled wide and walked towards him. She
was glad to see him. There was this
weird sense nagging away in her mind ever since he'd been gone and now that he
was back, in front of her, the same old Angad...she felt a lot happier than she
had in days!
Naina and Dilip exchanged a look as they watched Kripa
pause a couple of steps in front of Angad.
Armaan was seeing what was happening but his mind was more focused on
Riddhima. Where was she?
Angad closed the remaining distance and wrapped his arms
around Kripa. No matter what the
circumstances, he couldn't deny that he loved her and he had missed her a lot
in the past eight weeks. He kissed her
forehead when she pulled apart and in response, she smiled at him. He looked down at her tummy and his smile got
just a little bit smaller. She was
obviously pregnant. She hadn't changed
her mind about this in the past eight weeks and he knew now that it was too
late to even try to change her mind.
Almost every day either Arnav or Armaan had tried to
convince him to consider it but he just couldn't. He simply wasn't ready. He'd rather not keep the baby than be an
awful father. He did feel this weird
feeling that he couldn't put into words when he saw her baby bump. He knew it was a good feeling and he pushed
it out of his mind. He looked back up at
her.
"How have you been?"
Kripa shrugged and gestured to herself. "Don't I look hale and hearty?" She said in a
teasing tone. "I've been great. Khushi, aunty, and uncle have taken good care
of me...and Riddhima has been like my personal doctor. Wait...where is she?"
Kripa looked around and focused on Armaan. "Where's Riddhima?" She asked.
Armaan looked confused and surprised. "What do you mean? Aunty told me she was here..."
Kripa and Khushi exchanged looks. "Yeah...she said she was going to stay but
minutes after aunty and uncle left, she went to the airport too...she was too
restless to stay here." Khushi
explained.
A few seconds of silence took over the room. "Let me call her." Armaan pulled out his phone and dialled Riddhima's
number.
The phone rang twice before it was directed to
voicemail. He tried calling a couple
more times but she didn't respond. He
was about to call her again when Kripa's phone rang.
"Hi Anjali...WHAT!
But...Armaan's trying to call her and she's not picking up! What the hell happened?" Kripa put a hand to her heart and Angad
automatically placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Did she say where she's going?...okay...I'll try to contact her
but if you hear anything...let me know!" Kripa said panicking.
"What happened?"
Armaan and Khushi blurted as soon as Kripa hung up.
"I don't know...Anjali said that Riddhima called and she
was crying...something about how Armaan doesn't love her and stuff." Kripa said dialling a number. Armaan stood there, shocked to the core.
He had to mentally force himself to pick up the phone
when it rang. He looked at the screen
and he instantly became animated.
"Riddhima! What's
going on! Where are you? Do you know how
worried we've been! I was about'"
"I'm sorry Armaan.
I'm sorry that you had to deal with me for all these months. But now I've understood that you don't love
me...that's okay...you won't have to deal with me from now on...I'll leave the
divorce papers on the bed. Goodbye
Armaan."
And with that she hung up. Armaan's hand slid down from his ear
robotically. Khushi shook him by the
shoulder.
"What's going on?"
"She's...she's leaving me..." Armaan said defeated. "She thinks I don't love her..."
"What the! But...she
called you to tell you that? Why would
she do that? What number did she call
from?" Arnav questioned.
"It's the landline." Armaan said after checking his
phone. Angad, Armaan and Arnav exchanged
a look.
"What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" Kripa announced and the five
started out the door.
Arnav drove like a maniac to Armaan's house. Angad and Armaan ran towards the entrance of
the house as soon as the car stopped while Arnav and Khushi helped Kripa out of
the car. Armaan unlocked the door and
rushed in, screaming Riddhima's name over and over again while the other four
followed.
Armaan found her standing in the middle of their
bedroom. He was so relieved to see her
that he gathered her in a bone crushing hug while Riddhima struggled to not hug
him back.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you think of doing something like
this! This is what I come back to after
eight weeks of staying away from you? Didn't
all those conversations over the phone mean anything to you Riddhima?! All that I've said to you in the past eight
weeks! Does that hold no meaning? The bond we share...what about that? How dare you think I don't love you?? I love you more than life Riddhima. I love you more than anything in the
world! I'd die without you!"
Kripa bit her lower lip from screaming out in joy while
Khushi was nearly jumping out of her skin in excitement. Arnav looked at Khushi and winked. Their plan was successful. Angad smiled at Kripa too. Of course Arnav and Angad were in on this
whole plan. It was Khushi's idea. The four turned back to look at Armaan and Riddhima.
Riddhima was tearful as she'd finally heard the three
words she wanted him to say first. She
wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled him even closer, hiding her face
in the curve of his neck.
"I love you too, Armaan."
She whispered.
Angad, Kripa, Arnav, and Khushi quietly turned around and
left. Now that their work was done, they
left the couple alone so they had some privacy.
Armaan hugged her tighter and beamed a smile as her words
registered in his mind. He repeated the
three magical words for her again and she reciprocated by repeating them too.
Armaan pulled apart from her but didn't let go. "But...you said you were leaving!"
Riddhima cupped his face gently in her hands. "I'm sorry about that...that was Khushi's
idea...I just wanted you to say it first..."
He took her hands off of his and held them in both of
his. "Promise me you'll never do
anything like this...ever!"
Riddhima pulled his hands and held the next to her
heart. "I'll be here until you tell me
to leave Armaan...I don't think I'll survive if I have to live away from you!"
Armaan smiled and gathered her in a hug again. "I never thought I'd hear you say it!"
Riddhima lightly punched his chest. "You knew it though! You knew before the day you left
after...after I..."
Armaan chuckled at her when she didn't complete her
sentence. "After you seduced me? Yeah I knew...I just wanted to hear you say
it!"
Armaan touched his lips to her shoulder and felt her arms
tighten around him in response. He left
a trail of small kisses on her shoulder, leading up her neck and along her jaw
line. He stopped at her chin and looked
at her for approval'a force of habit.
Instead of giving him the approval and waiting for him to lock lips, she
leaned in and kissed him.
This move wasn't as bold as what she had done the night
before he had left and now that both had verbalized their feelings, everything
she did and everything he did was justified as long as it was done with mutual
consent.
The urgency in the kiss increased from both sides but Riddhima
had better self-control than he did. She
could feel the control slipping as Armaan threw her emotions and feelings into
a whirlpool with his lips dancing in synch with hers. When she felt his fingers lingering near the hem
of her t-shirt, she pulled apart a little bit gently. They were still only an inch apart but their
breathing was ragged and Riddhima's face was as red as a tomato.
She looked over his at the door and was surprised to see
that no one was standing there. She had
been so engrossed in Armaan and the kiss that she hadn't realized when they
left. Interpreting her glance
incorrectly, Armaan let go of her and walked out of the door, leaving a
confused Riddhima behind.
When the confusion cleared, she followed his footsteps
but bumped into him at the threshold of their bedroom. Armaan wrapped his arms around her waist and
walked into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him.
"So where were we Mrs. Mallik?" He asked but didn't wait
for a response.
The next second, Riddhima felt his demanding lips on hers
again and she gave in to his demands.
Her head was feather light with the rush of the passion she felt. Her heart was thudding in an unstoppable and
unsteady rhythm.
He hadn't realized that he had been taking steps forward
until both of them had ended up flat on the bed. She pulled apart and smiled at him.
"Are you going to repeat what you did the other night?"
Armaan said with a teasing tone.
Riddhima turned red in the face and hid her face in the
curve of his neck. He could feel the
slight tremors in her body. He could
almost picture what her face must look like 'red and hot, a tiny smile on her
face, her eyes closed because of shyness.
He loved this woman and now it seemed silly to him that
he had waited the past eight weeks so that she could say the three words before
him. He could have saved eight weeks of
painful anticipation if he had just told her the night they'd first made love.
"I love you." The
words escaped his mouth automatically.
She pulled apart and smiled at him, looking at his face
confidently. "I love you too, Armaan."
The tips of her fingers caressed his cheeks. Armaan leaned down and kissed her forehead. That one kiss was followed by many
others. His hands automatically reached
at the hem of her shirt and his hands caressed the soft skin of her
abdomen. He was so engrossed in her that
he didn't even realize when she had managed to pull his shirt away from his
body until he felt her lips trace his collar bone with feather soft kisses.
It wasn't long before the two lovers had completely
surrendered to each other as they marked each other as their own with claiming
kisses. Tears of joy flooded from her
eyes as he gently and lovingly made love to her.
Everything in their life was finally set right. Their love was confessed, their marriage consummated,
their friends by their sides, their differences resolved and put away. The only thing left on Riddhima and Armaan's
to do list was to get Angad and Kripa's life and relationship back in order.
As this couple reminisced in their reunion, on the other
hand, Angad sat looking at Kripa as she chatted with Naina. Dilip came and took a seat next to him.
"You still love her." Dilip stated.
"Yeah..." Angad said, still lost in his own thoughts, not
even realizing that his father was having a proper conversation with him!
"Yet you left her in a time like this."
"It was a mutual decision...our priorities are
different...she wasn't to have the baby...I'm not ready to take that
responsibility." Angad looked at his
father. "I'd rather not be a father than
be a bad one."
Dilip looked at his hands, unable to meet his son's
eyes. Angad was right of course. Dilip had been so wound up in his own misery
of not having a daughter that he had pretty much neglected his son.
"I know I've been a bad father Angad but that's exactly
it...regardless of being a good or a bad one...regardless of wanting to be one
and not wanting to be one...you'll still be that child's father. Not dad, but you're still the child's father."
Angad frowned in thought and looked back at Kripa's
bulging stomach.
"You may not give the baby your name, may not give the
child the right to call you 'dad' but you can't deny that the child is yours. Don't let my failure at fatherhood define
your future fatherhood Angad. Just
because I was a bad father, it doesn't mean that you'll be one too." Dilip gingerly placed a hand on Angad's
shoulder. "You don't want to be a bad
father, I understand that but think about it...are you being a good father by
leaving Kripa alone to deal with the pregnancy?"
"Kripa will find someone dad. I'm sure of it. She's too amazing to be single all her life."
Dilip laughed. "You
think she'll find someone else? Someone might
fall for her, sure. But do you really
think that she'll let him into her life?
After what she feels for you?"
Dilip shook his head at Angad. Their conversation was interrupted by Naina.
"Uh Dilip...I just spoke with Gayatri (Kripa's mother),
and they'll be here tomorrow...how do you want to do this?" Naina sat down
opposite to them.
"Do what?" Angad questioned.
"Tell Kripa's parents about the pregnancy." Naina said avoiding Angad's eyes. Angad knew she was upset with him. He had felt it as soon as he'd hugged her at
the airport. She hadn't hugged him
back. She had given him a short 'hello, how
was your coop experience?' and that's it.
"You mean you haven't told them yet?" Angad sat up
straighter.
"Kripa's been dying to tell them. She doesn't like keeping secrets from them
but we were waiting for you to get back.
I expect they won't react as calmly as us...having a daughter pregnant
out of wedlock isn't a pleasant news no matter how westernized you are." Dilip explained.
Angad looked over at Kripa who was now chatting with Khushi
while eating a chocolate bar.
"We'll need you to be here tomorrow. Make sure you're at home." Naina said before
she left.
Angad's eyes followed his mother. Dilip patted his shoulders.
"Think about what I said...and don't worry about
Naina...she'll come around. She's trying
to cherish every moment with Kripa before the baby is born. Kripa said she'll leave once the baby is
born." Dilip explained.
Angad turned to him slowly. "What do you mean she'll leave?"
Dilip took a deep breath.
"She's been living here since the day you left. Naina brought her here once she found out but
Kripa's condition was that she'll leave once the baby is born. Naina has given her word that she won't stop
her but Kripa will stay with us until the delivery."
Dilip got up and left at well leaving Angad alone on the
couch. His eyes were automatically drawn
back to Kripa.
Kripa laughed as Arnav made a face at something Khushi had
said. Khushi pouted and Kripa patted her
shoulders. Kripa moved her chair back to
stand up and both Khushi and Arnav jumped to their feet to help her up. Khushi walked with Kripa to the room.
Kripa, however, stopped at the threshold of her room and
looked over her shoulder at Angad. She
smiled at him. "Welcome back!" She said
excitedly before walking into the room.
Angad sank back into the couch, something similar to
guilt clutching at his heart.
Next part: page 135
Updated at last!! Sorry for the long wait! My exams started yesterday and I have one today in like four hours! I hope you guys liked this part! a Big BIG BIG thank you to all those who 'liked' and commented on the previous part! unfortunately, I dont have time to reply to them this time! But Thank you for the amazing comments! I'll try and update the next one quicker!
Love,
Katie <3
Edited by love_iqbal_khan - 11 years ago
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