Riddhima took a cab home and ran up to her room,
her mind still reeling with what she'd done. Nothing was making sense anymore.
There was no reason, no absolution for her lapse in control. Her mind was in
frenzy. She wasn't used to having holes in her armor, lapses in her wall of
control that she'd so carefully built around herself. She wasn't able to think
of anything right now...it was all too confusing. So, she headed for a hot
shower. Maybe that would calm her down and then she could figure it out?
Armaan came out from the bathroom. He was glad
he'd taken that cold shower. He needed to wake up and make sense of things.
Changing into his boxers, he sat on the bed, his mind still trying to come to
terms with what had happened. Oh
shit...I seriously can't believe I kissed her. I KISSED Riddhima Gupta?
Arghh...trust my low tolerance for alcohol to make me do things I didn't want
to!!! Attraction tak theek tha...I shouldn't have kissed her. Not when we
hadn't even acknowledged this 'thing' between us. What is wrong with me? Since
when did I become so out of control? Do I really like Riddhima that much? Huh.
Stupid question. Of course I'm attracted to her. There's enough proof of that.
She occupies my mind, like ALL the time...there are times when I find myself thinking
about her involuntarily... her infectious laugh...her smile... her green
eyes...they all plague me to no extent...I didn't want this! I've been
attracted to women before...par aisa kabhi feel nahi kiya. Why does she affect
me so much more than the others? I enjoy being with her...woh toh hai. All
those little arguments...her smile when she sees something she likes...time
flies when I'm with her. I feel bad when she's sad...all this isn't normal is
it? Is it lo-? Naah. Love doesn't exist, remember Armaan? Okay. So maybe I'm
seriously attracted to her. More than I've ever been to anyone else. But this
can't be love. No freaking way. She is important to me maybe because she's so
different...humesha mujhe surprise karti hai...I value our friendship. That's
all there is to it. Yeh attraction ki wajah se I don't wanna lose her.
Armaan sighed. Things just got more and more
confusing. He wanted her friendship. He really did. She was different. A nice
different. He could be himself with her, no worries. She didn't ask him
unnecessary questions. She accepted him, just the way he was. He liked spending
time with her. A little too much. So maybe this attraction would pass? It
wasn't something for which he'd jeopardize their friendship for.
He lay down on the bed, closing his eyes. He would
talk to her tomorrow at the wedding. They had to sort this out. He closed his
eyes, satisfied that he'd decided on something. Sleep took over him soon
enough.
Riddhima sat on her bed, hugging her knees. The
hot shower had calmed her nerves. She could think about the fiasco now. I kissed Armaan Malik?? I KISSED Armaan
Malik. I kissed Armaan Malik! Damn. What made me do it? The alcohol? Shut up
Riddhima. Tujhe pata hai ki alcohol gave you the guts to ahead with it.
Attraction toh pehle se hi tha na? Oh God! Sabko sirf meri hi life milti hai
complicate karne ke liye? WHY couldn't I just be friends with him! I thought
this attraction would pass. This is getting out of hand! He's so nice to me all
the time! I enjoy being with him. I really do. Woh mujhse kabhi sawal nahi
karta...he knows there are things I don't wanna talk about and he avoids them
too. And then he does all these things for me. The chocolate cake...the way he
told me sorry...he even offered to take me around NYC! Why do you do it
Armaan? Kyun karte ho yeh sab?
She sat there, wondering what on earth made him do
all this. He didn't have to. But he did it just the same. Ha! You know the answer to that one Riddhima. He's your friend...dosti
ke liye ussne kiya yeh sab. Then does that mean I'm over thinking this
attraction thing? Maybe it's just friendship and he's nice to me all the time,
that's why? Naah. Who the hell am I trying to kid? Of course I'm attracted to
him. For the first time, I've been attracted to this extent. Yeh normal hai?
She groaned, and hugged her knees tighter. She
didn't want all these complications! Why couldn't they just be friends! This
attraction wouldn't leave her alone, now. Did that mean their friendship is
over? But as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she shuddered. She wanted
him in her life. She really did. He made her smile and laugh and he understood
her. More than most people! Hell, she'd even begun to trust him! What do I do? I can't let our friendship go.
I value it. A bit too much, maybe. But was it possible to be friends
anymore? With this attraction coming out
in the open, could we ever revert back to that easy sense of comfort I shared
with him? Yes, I like him. More than I anticipated. MUCH more than I
anticipated. But is this 'liking' worth spoiling our friendship? Was it really
worth dealing with all this shit...and then they couldn't even be friends
after that? No. That's not happening. I'm not letting it happen. So maybe I'm
attracted to him. But that doesn't mean I want to threaten our friendship. It's
way more important than this attraction. I'll talk to him tomorrow. After the
wedding.
She plugged in her iPod then, hoping to relax her
mind, to calm herself. Lying down on the bed, she listened to music until she
felt sleepy. Switching off the iPod, she fell into deep slumber, setting an
alarm to get up early tomorrow.
Sleep failed to engage Riddhima for long, and she
was up at 5 am, an hour and a half before her alarm was supposed to ring. Stretching
lazily she sat on the bed, wondering how to talk to Armaan. Oh God...this is totally weird. How do you
talk to a guy after you kissed him? 'Hey Armaan! We kissed last night, but I
don't want it to ruin our friendship. Can we still be friends?' Ha! I sound
stupid, even to me. Couldn't he be a little less good looking and a lot more
mean or something? I mean agar woh acha nahi hota...toh I'd never be in this
mess! I know how to put jerks in their place. The only problem being, he's not
a jerk. Uff Riddhima...soch! Baat toh tujhe karni hi padegi...Warna hum
hamesha awkward rahenge! Let me try again. 'Hey Armaan! Umm about that kiss, it
was a... uh umm...' Shit. I can't even do this much! Since when did I become
so nervous? Oh wait, I remember- since I KISSED Armaan. Arghh...Wait. He was
drunk yesterday right? What if he doesn't remember anything? OH MY GOD. That
would be freaking amazing!!! Phir toh mujhe baat hi nahi karni padegi!! Yay! Oh
well, job hi hoga dekha jayega...lemme get ready.
Turning up the music, she went to have a shower,
feeling more upbeat.
A while later, after a hot shower, Riddhima came
out and put on her jeans along with a loose t-shirt. They were all getting
ready at the hotel, next to the church in which the wedding was going to take
place. Grabbing her necessities for the day, she made her way to the hotel.
Armaan woke up, his head heavy. Groaning, he took
an aspirin and went for a shower. As he stood under the shower, letting the
water pour over him, he thought of how he'd talk to Riddhima. Arre yaar...iss baare mein kaise baat
karoon? I've never talked to a girl about this! What if she doesn't acknowledge
me only? What if she's angry? Pichli baar gussa thi toh thappad maara tha...ab
kya karegi? No dude. You are NOT thinking about the negative aspect. Ek baar
wedding khatam ho jaaye phir tu jaa aur usse baat kar. How do I start? 'Hey
Riddhima! Woh kal raat jo kuch bhi hua, uske liye I'm sorry.' NOOO! That sounds
horribly filmy... plus it sounds like I slept with her...agar pehle nahi maara,
toh yeh sunke pakka maar dalegi. Arghh..this is a million times tougher than I
thought! Chal chod...baad mein dekha jaayega.
He got out of the shower, got ready and left for
the hotel. There was a lot to do today.
He reached the hotel on time, parked his car and
rushed in. He was just about to ask the staff where the boys were put up when he
heard her voice.
"Umm put these up there," she said, holding up
decorations, "And these orchids should be in this part of the room, opposite
the white Roses okay? And I DON'T want a single mistake, okay? I've already
been here more than 3 times...I still have a lot to do!" she said, walking out
of the room.
Riddhima was mentally going through the list she'd
prepared. She had to oversee almost everything! Oh well. Kam se kam flowers toh ho gaye...teen ghante baaki hai wedding
ke liye...I need to check on the food, the dr-
She bumped into someone and looked up to see who
it was, and to apologize. "Oh! Are you okay, I'm so-"
She stopped speaking when she saw who it was.
Armaan Malik was standing right in front of her.
Armaan looked at her. She looked flustered and
preoccupied and he could see that she was as shocked as him. They hadn't
expected to meet so early...
"Uh...hi!" he said. And then he mentally chided
himself for sounding so stupid...
"Hey..."
And they stood there not saying a word. The silence
was killing Riddhima. She wanted so much to talk to him about that kiss but her
mouth had taken the opportunity to shut up right this moment.
Armaan wondered what he should do. Baat karoon? Ya phir...maybe I should just
tell her that I have work and I gotta go? Naah...that sounds rude... Oh
no...mujhe kya pata tha yeh mujhe abhi mil jaayegi! I haven't even decided what
to say!!! Kuch toh kehna hi padega...I better start talking. She probably
thinks I'm a jerk...Ugh get over the nervousness dude and TALK!
Riddhima stood there looking at him. She hoped
he'd start talking...because she certainly didn't have the guts...NO. I'm Riddhima Gupta. I can do anything
right? Toh yeh n badi baat hai? Tu usse baat kar sakti hai Ridzy. You can and
you ARE gonna do it.
Taking a deep breath she prepared her self.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you-" they both
said unanimously.
They broke off, realizing they both said the same
thing in unison and gave nervous smiles.
Before Riddhima could say anything, Armaan said,
"Look Riddhima, I wanted to talk to you about what happened back there. Sssh.
Let me talk." He said when he saw her open her mouth. "See, the thing
is...umm...I...uh I'm sorry! Honestly. I knew I shouldn't have done it...thing
is, I was uh drunk and umm I've been attracted to you since-"
He stopped abruptly and closed his eyes. Oh shit. Yeh maine kya keh diya!!! I was just supposed to
tell her ki I still want our friendship. Why did I blurt out that I'm attracted
to her? Ab toh main gaya
kam se. She'll never forgive me now. Oh no...
Riddhima stared at him in shock. He's attracted to me??? What the hell! I
thought it was just me!
Without thinking she said, "Umm I'm attracted to
you to." Wait. Did I just say that? Oh
shit. Yeh toh zyaada awkward ho gaya!
Ugh..what did you do Riddhima! You stupid, stupid girl!
Armaan's eyes flew open. She liked him too? He
looked at her, astonished while his heart danced for reasons unknown to him.
Willing himself to complete what he'd started to say, he said, "Well, the thing
is...I think this attraction is umm... not worth endangering our friendship. I
mean, we both don't believe in love and all...and I'd really, really, really
like to put that kiss behind us and be friends, if it's possible for you. Think
about it okay?"
And without waitng for her to say anything, he
went away leaving Riddhima's mind spinning.
Riddhima stood there, rooted to the spot, while
her brain was busy doing somersaults. Did
he just say what I think he said? Oh my God! He thinks just like me! So he
wants to be friends! Lekin reply sune bina hi chala gaya! Now how do I go upto him and tell him I
agree? 'Armaan, I agree with you. I think we should be friends.' Ugh...doston
se koi aise baat karta hai kya? Naah. I'll think of some other way to tell him.
Totally Riddhima ishtyle.
Laughing to herself, she went to get ready. After
all she was the Maid of Honor.
"Well, the thing is...I
think this attraction is umm... not worth endangering our friendship. I mean,
we both don't believe in love and all...and I'd really, really, really like to
put that kiss behind us and be friends, if it's possible for you. Think about
it okay?" His words echoed in her mind as she tried to
find the perfect way to tell him. She wasn't comfortable with directly going and
telling him- 'Hey Armaan! I think we should be friends.' Nope! That sounded too
formal...who in the world talks like that?!
Aur kaise kahoon? I don't
even know how to do those sweet things he does for me! Ussne sorry kitne acche
se bola tha...main hoti toh I'd have gone up to him and said, 'I'm sorry
Armaan. I really didn't mean what I said. Please mujhe maaf kardo!' Huh. Isse
toh woh kya...Muskaan bhi nahi maanti. Oh God...for the first time in my entire
life I'm feeling that I shoud've got a little bit of romance in me. Kam se kam
ideas toh mil jaate! Naah. Why would I wanna change myself? Main jaisi hoon
waisi hi theek hoon. Yeh sab romance-shomance mere bas ki baat nahi hai. But
then how do I tell him? Ugh...think of something Riddhima!!!
"You're done now! Come to the next chair please."
The hairdresser's voice cut through her thoughts and wrapping her freshly
washed hair in a towel, she moved to the next chair. She was still in her jeans
and t-shirt. The hairdresser Claire messed with her hair for a long time. She
washed, conditioned, cut and blowdried her hair. Riddhima looked at her hair.
She'd told Claire that she didn't want to shorten her long hair. And she
hadn't. But she'd given it a whole new look. She gave her more layers, bringing
out the dark black colour of her hair. She had more flicks now and the
hairstyle managed to make her look sophisticated but sexy at the same time.
Riddhima was amazed.
They moved her to the nest chair where one girl
worked on her make up and the other, did an intricate updo with her hair.
Riddhima looked at Ashley who was already on the next 'stage' of getting
dressed and then looked at Tracy
who was in the previous one. The girls smiled at each other. Having someone
pamper you always feels amazing. Riddhima sighed in contentment. Everything was
perfect. Ashley's nerves had fizzled out and she was actually looking
satisfied. Armaan had also made things easier. She was completely fine except
for one thing. She had to figure out how to tell him. Suddenly her cell phone
buzzed.
Hey Ridzy! Kameeni...ek
baar bhi phone nahi kiya?
Chal chod...menu pata hai
tu busy hogi...humne sirf best of luck kehne ke liye text kiya tha. Love you!!!
Miss us :)
-R & M
Riddhima smiled at the phone while replying. Who
said she was an orphan? Her family was right here.
Kameeni hogi tu :P Tujhe
toh pata tha na ki main busy hoon? You could've called! Haha :D Thanks...yahaan
sab PERFECT hai. Seriously. Pfft. What makes you think I miss you gus? LOL.
Love you too :)
-R
Haan haan. Hume kyun miss karegi? Tera Armaan jo hai wahan pe. ;) Kya status hai tum dono
ka? Yaar...tum dono bade ajeeb ho! Log pehle dosti karte hai...phir pyaar aur
usske baad min ek dusre ke ghar sote hain. Tum dono ki
toh baat hi alag hai! Already so liya? Hahaha. Ab gussa mat hona okay? =) I
won't tease you further. Tera yeh bestfriend mujhe badi badi aankhon se dekh
raha hai. =D
-M
Hawww...yar tum dono
muhe Armaan ke saath chidhaana kab bandh karoge? Humaare beech kuch nahi hai!!!
Tu toh chup hi reh. Meri love life mein bahot interest aa raha hai. Jaake Rahul
se romance kar...bichaara shayad isiliye tujhpe gussa kar raha hoga! Haha :D
Ttyl =) love ya both!
-R
And suddenly, she knew how to tell Armaan. She
knew the perfect way. She'd do what she did best. Surprise him.
Smiling, she drifted off while they buffed and
polisd every inch of her face. Her hair was next. Claire put a multitude of
sprays, serums and whatnot, to make it stay the way it was. Riddhima was almost
exhausted after the whole routine was done, although she'd done nothing but lie
down.
Claire being a Frenchwoman and being known for
having a flair for the dramatic put her hands over Riddhima's eyes before she
could see herself in the mirror. She then made her stand up, inspected her from
every angle and when she was satisfied, she made Riddhima stand in front of a
mirror and tok her hands away.
Riddhima looked at herself in the mirror. Oh my God. I don't believe this!!! It looks
like I've put minimal make up instead of the layers that she dolled my face up
with! I actually look nice...
She ran a hand over her face. Her face looked
devoid of make up but her eyes were full of it. The smoky make up that adorned
her eyes, made the green in them enhanced. She smiled, satisfied.
"Ri!!!! You look totally sexy babe! People are
gonna be blown away!" said, Ashley excitedly.
Riddhima smiled embarrassedly and said, "Yeah
right...like you don't look sexy yourself! Nick is not gonna be able to keep
his hands off you. Seriously." And Ashley blushed.
Armaan stood there on the altar. It was time. They
should be here soon. Nick, Joe and he were already at the altar. It was time
for the girls to come now. Ashley had decided to make her entry in the end,
escorted by her dad. Armaan could see the tension on Nick's face. He whispered
to him to calm down and that this was what he'd always wanted. Suddenly the
music started and they all looked at the doorway.
And Armaan stared and stared and wished he could
stare forever. It was Riddhima who entered first. She took his breath away. She
was followed by Ashley and then the flower girls but it was Riddhima who
captured his attention. She looked beautiful. She was wearing blue, a personal
favorite of his. The gown had sequins all over but it still managed not to look
gaudy. Infact, it gave her a glow. The fabric covered her figure as if it was a
layer of skin. It showed off every curve and accentuated the grace with which
she walked. It was like this dress was made for her. It wasa tube dress which
left her shoulders bare and Armaan could see the slender curve of her neck even
at a distance. Her usually open hair was bound in an intricate hairstyle,
leaving a few loose, curly strands of her hair o adorn her face. There was a
rapturous smile on her face but it was her eyes that looked the most beautiful.
They were heavily done with smoky make up and it made her green eyes sparkle.
As blissful and calm was her smile, her eyes held all the mischief in the
world. As if there was some great secret which only she knew?
Armaan shook himself and mentally reprimanded
himself for staring so blatantly. Still not able to look away, he looked at
her, with a little more subtlety in his gaze.
Riddhima looked at Armaan and noticed him staring
at her. For some reason, that made her happy. Not being too obvious, she
checked him out. Wow. He looks hot.
Really hot. Make that really, really hot. Sirf black suit hi toh pehna
hai...uff how on earth does he manage to distract me all the time? What if he
saw me staring...that would be more than a little embarrassing. Stop checking
him out Riddhima!
She walked to her place, momentarily turning her
back on Armaan.
Armaan looked at her and saw something that
surprised him. Riddhima had a tattoo? She
has a tattoo? Wow. He never fails to surprise me man. I dunno...woh tattoo
types nahi dikhti. Huh. But then, woh kisi bhi type mein fit nahi hoti. She's a
whole other person only!
As she passed by him, her fragrance flooded his
mind. She always managed to smell like strawberries; tantalizing and gorgeous.
He struggled to see what was written in her tattoo and saw the word 'Hope' in
detailed calligraphy, right on the nape of her neck. Huh. Hope? Wonder what's the story behind that...and how many other
tattoos she has...oh God...what the hell am I thinking about? Seriously Armaan?
Concentrate on the wedding dude...after all tu Best Man hai!
Suddenly there was a hush in the church, and
everyone stood up to watch the arrival of the bride. There was a collective
sigh of admiration from the guest. Ashley looked absolutely radiant. Riddhima
smiled fondly at her. She looked lovely...angelic. She already had the soft
angel like features and the dress only enhanced them. She was truly the belle
of the ball. That enraptured smile didn't leave her face, even for a moment.
She looked amazing. Just like her whole world was at an arm's length and she
was about to embrace it. But what Riddhima loved most was the look on Nick's
face when he saw Ashley. Till the day she'd die she wouldn't forget that look.
It was filled so much love. You could practically hear him shout, "She's all
mine! And I love her." Riddhima's heart squeezed for a moment. She'd give
anything for someone to look at her like that. Brushing aside her wistful
thoughts, she concentrated on the ceremony.
Armaan saw her face twist in pain for the span of
a heartbeat before it became normal. He wondered what bothered her. He wanted
to take it away, whatever it was. What? I
wanna take it away? What is wrong with me? I'm practically kaput everytime I
look at her. And take her pain away? Gosh. My brain is more damaged than I
thought it was. Friendly concern. It's JUST friendly concern. NOTHING else. The
wedding Armaan. Focus.
Riddhima listened to the traditional marriage vows
being taken as the Priest, after a long ceremony, finally asked Ashley. "Do you
Ashley Peterson, take Nicholaides Aristedes as your lawfully wedded husband, to
have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for
poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"
A small tear escaped Ashley's eyes when she said,
"I do."
The Priest then asked Nick and he said I do and
his voice rang victorious.
The Priest finished giving them his blessings and
then permitted them to kiss, which they did passionately, until a few coughs
and cheers were heard in the church, upon which they broke apart smiling from
ear to ear.
Ashley and Nick along with Armaan, Riddhima, Tracy
and Joe moved to a side room to sign the marriage agreement.
They came out only to be received by hordes of
family members and friends. After all the congratulations, the hugs and a few
tears they left in their car while the guests threw confetti, flowers and rice
on them.
The wedding was over and Riddhima had fnished
seeing everone home. She'd also removed her gown and changed back into her
jeans and tee but the make up was still there, making her look striking.
Finally wrapping everything up she and Tracy went down to find Armaan and Joe
on the bench in the garden. A while later they bid goodbye to Tracy and Joe.
Riddhima looked at Armaan and smiled inwardly. She knew how she was gonna do
this.
Armaan saw her looking at him and patted the seat
beside him on the bench. She sat down.
"So..." he said.
"So..." she repeated, not saying a word. Wordlessly
she took out her cell phone and started typing.
Armaan saw her text. What the hell? How rude can she get? I though she was above this kind
of rudeness. Huh. Guess I was wrong. Here I am, attempting a serious
conversation and she's TEXTING?
Suddenly his phone beeped.
What time are you picking
me up tomorrow?
-R
A grin split Armaan's face. She was original. And
amazing.
Picking you up? What for?
-A
For the NYC tour
obviously. Looks like SOMEONE forgot.
-R
The NYC tour? We're still
on for that?
-A
Of course we are! You
promised me remember? Or do you forget promises in friendship so easily?
-R
Promises in friendship?
You mean we're friends???
-A
Seems like it. :)
-R
Armaan looked at her. She was grinning at him. He
gave her one in return. Winking at him, she got up and surprised him with a
quick hug, one he was only too glad to reciprocate.
They walked back together, talking about
inconsequential things. The world was back on its axis.
The noisy alarm woke her up. Reluctantly she got
up. Armaan was picking her up at 8...she had an hour to get ready. Sighing at
having to wake up early, she got up and went into the bathroom.
Muskaan laid the table for breakfast. She'd have
to wake Riddhima up quite soon. They'd come back yesterday to find Riddhima
sleeping and decided not to wake her up after the wedding.
But she looked in surprise when she saw Riddhima
come down the stairs. "Ridzy??? Tu khud uthi? Whoa."
Riddhima looked shocked for a second on seeing
Muskaan, but a second later, she went up to her and gave her a bear hug.
"Muski!!!!! Tum log kab aaye? I missed you guys! Aur, of course main khud uthi.
Just because I prefer you guys waking me up, doesn't mean I can't wake up on my
own." She said, rolling her eyes. "Waise bhi, tum log nahin the toh man uth
jaati thi na! Acha...umm Armaan is coming to pick me up today..he's showing me
around NYC! Woh abhi 10-15 minuute mein aat hi hoga. And we're having breakfast
together too, toh..."
Muskaan looked at Riddhima appalled. "Armaan is
showing you around NYC? Riddhima Gupta...is there anything you're not telling
us? Maybe something like, he's your BOYFRIEND?"
Riddhima slapped her forehead in frustration. Just
then, they heard, "Riddhima? You have a boyfriend? YOU?" They turned back to
see Rahul coming up to them. Before Riddhima could stop Muskaan, she told Rahul
all about Riddhima's plan for the day and by the end of it Rahul too was
aghast.
"Uff...tum dono ko toh main chodoongi nahi! Armaan
mera boyfriend NAHIN hai. He's a friend. JUST a friend. Ugh...you guys are
never going to stop teasing me are you?" said Riddhima, a little annoyed. Rahul
and Muskaan laughed at her.
"Oye Ridzy! Tu toh
dekhti jaa! Hume kitna chidhaati thi! Ab mushkil se humaari baari aayi hai...maze lene
de!",said Muskaan, winking at her.
"Haan haan. Le lo maze." Just then the door bell
rang. "That must be Armaan! Bye guys!"
Muskaan ran to the door and blocked it before
Riddhima could open and escape. She then opened it to receive Armaan.
Armaan looked at the girl in front of him. She
must be Muskaan. Offering his hand he said, "Hi! I'm Armaan. And you must e
Muskaan. Umm I'm here to pick up Riddhima. Is she ready?"
Riddhima quickly pushed Muskaan aside, and told
Armaan, "Haan. Main ready hoon. Come!" She was about to step out with him when
Muskaan intervened. Arre yaar! Agar
Muskaan ko zyaada der isse baat karne di toh yeh meri saari pol khol degi. And
what if she teases me with him? Oh no...
Riddhima mentally cringed at the scenario. Muskaan
continued, "Hi! Yeah, I'm Muskaan. Waise tum andar kyun nahi aate? We'll have
breakfast together, then you guys can leave!"
Riddhima looked at Armaan expectantly. Please Armaan. Na kehdo. You have NO idea
what's in store for you. Please...
Armaan looked at Muskaan. Riddhima was lucky to
have such nice friends. He already liked Muskaan. "Haan. Chalo! I'm okay with
it, it's okay na Riddima?"
Riddhima fumed mentally. WHY couldn't he have said
no?! Putting on a fake smile, she said, "Haan haan. Of course!"
They went in to have breakfast. Armaan saw a guy
at the table, reading the news paper. Must
be Rahul. Bada serious types lagta hai. Huh. Ussko Muskaan jaisi bubbly types
se pyaar kaise hua? Strange world. Love is apparently dumb, along with being
blind. But from what Riddhima talks, he sounds nice. I hope he isn't the
overprotective best friend types.
Riddhima went up to Rahul and said, "Rahul! This
is umm Armaan. Armaan, Rahul."
Then dciding to make Armaan pay for saying yes,
she said, "Remember, RAHUL? He's married to Muskaan. HAPPILY."
Armaan
looked at Riddhima, red with embarrassment. She
had to bring that jealousy thing up now???? Oh no. Gayi meri first impression.
"You promised not to say anything about that!"
"Armaan, I promised to stop talking once you show
me around NYC! Hum toh abhi tak ghar se hi nahi nikle!"
Armaan panicked. That meant if they stayed for
breakfast, she could blurt out anything. Breakfast cancelled. Big time.
"Umm Muskaan?! I just remembered, hume jaldi
nikalna padega..umm I have a few reservations at a few places...chale
Riddhima?"
Riddhima grinned, having got her way. When Armaan
wasn't looking, she stuck her tongue out at Muskaan. They were just about to
leave, when Rahul called Riddhima aside and whispered something in her ear,
which caused her to break out into peals of laughter. Smacking him on the arm
she said, "Uff Rahul! You self obsessed person. Of course not!!! Chal, I've
gotta leave. Bye!" Giving him a peck on the cheek she left with Armaan mulling
over what could've made her laugh like that.
They walked outside and came to a halt at Armaan's
car.
"Come, sit." He said, smiling.
"No way! We're going in this?" she said,
displeased.
Armaan was baffled. Ajeeb hai. Car mein nahi jaayege toh kaise jaayege? Is she CRAZY?
"Riddhima, obviously hum isme jaa rahe hai." He
said, saying each word as if he was talking to a child.
"Armaan...we're going to experience NYC right?"
"Right."
"Toh phir let's go in those little red tourist
buses na! It'll be the complete experience! Pleaseee!!! I've always wanted to
sit in one of those! Chalo na!"
Armaan
grinned at her. She was impossible to say no to. He relented and they walked to
the nearest bus stop and caught the bus in time. Taking their seats they sat
down with Riddhima looking out of the window excitedly.
Armaan smiled at her obvious enthusiasm. It was
infectious. Although he'd been brought up in NYC all his life, the city had
never failed to amaze him and to this day when he showed someone around it, his
heart swelled up.
The bus started and Riddhima leaned back on the
seat. Today was gonna be amazing. She looked at Armaan beside her and smiled at
him in gratitude, she was already enjoying it. She asked him about the finals
of the Premier league, she'd missed it, much to her dismay.
"Man U won. Ha! Now everyone knows who's the boss!"
"Man U won??? You're kidding me right? Against
Arsenal? Huh. Match fix kiya hoga." She shot back, disgruntled to know that her
favorite team had lost.
"Haan haan. Haar gaye toh 'match fix kiya hoga'! Just
admit it...Chelsea
doesn't have it in them to beat Manchester United!"
"Oh Puh-leez. Chelsea is SO much better. Tum log fluke se jeet gaye."
"Bahaane mat banao.
Pehle, 'match fixing' aur ab 'fluke'!!! Tsk, tsk...Chelsea
supporters are sore losers."
Riddhima was about to argue when the bus stopped
and brought them to the Museum
of Mordern Arts. Riddhima
dragged Armaan in, so that they wouldn't have to wait in the line. Football was
forgotten.
Having obtained the ticket, they entered the
majestic museum. Riddhima was left amazed. The museum was beautiful and
awe-inspiring. The building itself looked modern from outside, but inside it
recreated the historical charm. Each artifact was precious and unique. The silence
in the museum gave it an atmosphere of tranquility and although there was no
need, Armaan and Riddhima talked in whispers about the museum and it's fascinating
displays. It had the most marvelous collection of paintings from Van Gogh to
Picasso to women artists like Frida Kahlo.
Riddhima loved the painting 'The Starry Night' by
Van Gogh the most. She was captivated by it. And somewhere she could relate to
it. The village in the painting depicted normalcy but it was the high black
tower that beckoned her. It portrayed an overwrought and discomfited mind.
Something that noone understood. Trying not to be too disturbed by the picture,
she moved on to the exit, joining Armaan.
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