Previously On...
The girls have a sleepover at the Gupta
House. They make plans for a vacation. Armaan sneaks in to see Riddhima.
Riddhima and Nikki talk. Riddhima tries to reason with Muskaan about Rahul.
Chapter 58
The next morning, the girls all got dressed
together, laughing and giggling. Anjali noticed that Muskaan, though was pretty
quiet the entire morning. She didn't make any comments, she didn't shout, she
didn't laugh in her stupid style and she didn't crib about being hungry either.
Anyone who knew Muskaan, knew that she couldn't not talk. So, of course, seeing
her all mum was a surprise for her. When she asked Muskaan about it, Muskaan
shrugged it off saying she was very tired because of work. Anjali tried to
prod, but Muskaan didn't budge. She needed to understand what was going on
before she talked to anyone about it.
Muskaan knew that Riddhima meant well and all
she really wanted was for Rahul and Muskaan to find peace, but she was still
really scared. Last night had made her think and now Muskaan was ashamed of
herself for what she'd actually put Rahul through. She needed to come to terms
with her mistake before she could face Rahul and talk about everything. She
just needed some time.
After breakfast, they all went to the hospital.
Riddhima needed to meet Armaan and tell her about how she'd talked to Muskaan
last night. They'd been thinking of various ways to get the two back together.
They'd decided that they would approach Rahul with a plan only after they were
sure that they wanted to implement it and they thought it would have some
positive result instead of bombarding him with ideas because they didn't want
to get his hopes up in case stuff didn't pan out the way they wanted it to.
She rushed to his cabin, hoping he would be
there, but on the way, she was pulled into (yes you guessed it right!) the fire
escape.
"Armaan! Tumhaara subah subah chalu ho gaya na?
Riddhima asked before he'd even pulled her in completely.
"Kya, Basket! Kabhi toh achche se hi hello kar
liya karo. Ek main, paagal deewana, tumse milne ke liye itna tadapta rehta hu
aur tum ho ki mujhe bhaav hi nahi deti, Armaan replied, pushing her against
the wall and covering her body with his.
"Achcha. Aur yeh achche se hi hello kaise karte
hai? Riddhima asked.
"Bata du? Armaan fired back, moving his head
closer to hers and rubbing their noses together.
Their breaths mingled and Riddhima quivered at
the proximity as Armaan wrapped his arms around her a little tighter and pulled
her body towards his. He started peppering kisses on every part of her face
that he could reach. Riddhima caught hold of the collar of his shirt and held
him tightly, which only encouraged him.
"Bolo na, Basket. Bata du? Armaan asked again
against her ear, his voice extremely husky.
"Armaan, Riddhima whispered breathlessly.
"Riddhima, Armaan replied, his baritone making
Riddhima weak in the knees.
"Armaan.
"Riddhima.
"Armaan.
"I love you, Basket, Armaan whispered, against
her skin and he skimmed his mouth from her ear to her lips.
"I... I... Riddhima wasn't able to finish her
sentence because she was so lost in the sensations running through her body.
"Bolo na, Riddhima, Armaan prodded, his lips
pressed to the corner of her mouth. "Please.
Riddhima's fingers curled around his collar a
tighter.
"Arm... Arm... Armaan, Riddhima said, as if she
wasn't capable of saying anything else at the moment.
"Main sunn raha hu. Bolo, Armaan commanded
gently. He didn't know why, but in that exact moment, it was very important for
him to know that his Basket loved him.
"I... I... Riddhima still wasn't able to finish.
Knowing that their proximity was causing this, Armaan moved back but kept his
arms firmly around her waist.
"I love you, Riddhima whispered finally. Armaan
grinned on hearing that and before Riddhima could understand what was going on,
captured her lips in a passionate kiss.
They kissed for what seemed like hours, Armaan's
hold on Riddhima getting tighter by the second as she pulled him even closer to
herself. When it became necessary to breathe, Armaan pulled back, only to
shower Riddhima's neck and collarbone in kisses as Riddhima returned the favour
with kisses on Armaan's ears and hair.
"I love you, Armaan whispered against her neck,
holding her tight. The two of them stood like that for a while, wrapped around
each other, not exchanging any words or actions, basking in the other's
presence.
After a few minutes, Armaan pulled away from
Riddhima and sat on the stairs, pulling her down with him.
"Aise bolte hai achche se hi hello, Armaan
instructed Riddhima. "Next time se yaad rakhna.
"Armaan! Riddhima snapped back, swatting his
arm. "Tum na, poore paagal ho, she said, resting her head against his
shoulder.
"Hmmm. Pata hai, Armaan replied, kissing her
head as he entwined their hands together and started playing with her fingers.
"Achcha yeh sab chodo. Mujhe tumse kuch
important baat karni hai, Riddhima told him.
"Kya? Armaan asked her.
Riddhima smiled and narrated the incident from
last night to him, telling him that maybe now, Muskaan would at least talk to
Rahul.
"Hmmm. Not bad, Basket. Mere saath rehke kaafi
smart bann gayi ho, Armaan told her after she'd finished talking. "Agar
Muskaan iss baare mein soch rahi hai, toh achcha hi hai. Waise bhi bechaare
Rahul ki toh life hi beech raaste atak gayi hai. Muskaan na, ab thoda zyada hi
bhaav kha rahi hai! Ek baar toh usse baat kar sakti haina? Armaan ranted.
"Armaan! Riddhima tried to pacify him. "Isme
Muskaan ki bhi galti nahi hai. Maana ki woh Rahul se kuch zyada hi gussa hai,
lekin jo Rahul ne kiya woh bohot galat tha na.
"Haan, Riddhima. Tum sahi keh rahi ho. Lekin...
Armaan hesitated.
"Lekin kya? Riddhima prodded.
"Lekin jo maine tumhaare saath kiya woh bhi toh
galat tha. Tumne toh Muskaan ki tarah behave nahi kiya na, Armaan finally
said. He didn't want to bring up those memories, but he couldn't help but
compare Riddhima and Muskaan's reactions. If Riddhima would have put him
through what Muskaan was putting Rahul through, Armaan wasn't sure he would
have been able to handle it.
"Armaan, Riddhima sighed. "Tum kya yeh puraani,
bekaar baaton ke lekar baith gaye? Humne decide kiya tha na, ki hum iss baare
mein baat nahi karenge.
"Kiya tha, Basket. Lekin phir bhi. Main bas soch
raha tha. Agar tum mere saath waise behave karti jaise Muskaan Rahul ke saath
kar rahi hai toh? Main toh marr... Riddhima cut Armaan's rant off by placing her
palm on his mouth.
"Armaan, bas. Ab yeh baat aur nahi. Aur humaari
situation Rahul Muskaan ki situation se bohot alag thi. Hum dono bhi Rahul
Muskaan se bohot alag hai, humaara rishta alag hai, humaara pyaar alag hai. Fir
tum compare kaise kar sakte ho? Riddhima asked him.
"Shayad yahi farak hai hum mein aur unme,
Riddhima. Shayad Muskaan Rahul ko utni achchi tarah nahi samajhti jitni achchi
tarah tum mujhe samajhti ho, Armaan said, kissing her head. "Thank you.
Riddhima shook her head at him. "Tumna sach mein
paagal ho, she commented.
"Waise, un dono ki kahaani aage badhaane ka ek
aur idea hai, Armaan told Riddhima.
"Kya? Riddhima asked.
Armaan grinned and removed an envelope from his
pockets, giving it to Riddhima.
"Yeh kya hai? Riddhima asked him.
"Arre, kholke toh dekho, Armaan commented.
Riddhima shook her head and opened the envelope. It was an invitation to
Armaan's college reunion.
"Yeh kya naya drama hai ab? Riddhima asked him.
"Drama nahi, Basket. Invite hai. Mere college
reunion ka, Armaan said.
"Toh? She asked.
"Shayad tum bhool rahi ho. Lekin Rahul aur main
ek hi college mein padhte the, Basket, Armaan reminded her.
"Jaanti hu, lekin iska Rahul aur Muskaan se kya
connection? She asked him.
"Dekho, reunion yahi hain, Mumbai mein. Toh,
obviously hum jaayenge. Aur hum Muskaan ko bhi lekar jaayenge, Armaan told
her.
"Toh? Riddhima asked again.
"Basket... Tumna poori Basket hi ho. Dekho, tumne
kabhi Rahul ki college photos nahi dekhi hai, lekin woh na, poora Daddu tha.
Seriously. Aur ab dekho usko. Kaisa happening, hip, dude ban gaya hai. Toh,
obviously, college ki saari ladkiyaan jo usse ghaas bhi nahi daalti thi us par
line maarne ki koshish karengi. Yeh sab dekhke Muskaan toh jealousy se marr hi
jaayegi! Armaan explained to Riddhima.
"Hmmm. Idea toh achcha hai, Riddhima
commented. "Lekin Muskaan ko Rahul ke saath jaane ke liye convince kaise
karenge?
"Muskaan ko Rahul ke saath nahi, mere saath
jaane ke liye convince karna hai. Aur woh toh bilkul mushkil nahi hoga! Armaan
replied.
"Hawww! Armaan! Tum mujhe nahi leke jaaoge?
Riddhima asked him.
"Basket! Tumna duffer ho duffer! Muskaan kabhi
bhi Rahul ke saath jaane nahi maanegi. Isliye hum usse mere saath aane
bolenge, Armaan replied.
"Achcha. Aur Muskaan maan jaayegi ki main
tumhaare saath nahi jaa rahi! Tumne apni harkatein dekhi hai? Poora din mere
aage peeche mandrate rehte ho, kaam kuch karte nahi. Aur Muskaan maanegi ki tum
mere bina jaa rahe ho? She asked him.
"What do you mean by mandrate rehte ho? Tumhe
achcha nahi lagta na, toh aajse nahi karunga. Yehi tumhaari dosti, yehi tumhaara
pyaar? Armaan asked Riddhima melodramatically.
"Oh, hello! Nautanki. Zyada acting mat karo.
Tumhe bhi pata hai aur mujhe bhi pata hai ki tum apni harkaton se baaz nahi
aane waale. Yeh batao Muskaan ko kaise convince karenge? Riddhima asked.
"Uske liye bhi ek plan hai, Armaan replied.
"Hum Muskaan ko bol denge ki Rahul ne tumse poocha toh tumne usse promise kar
diya. Ab tum uske saath jaa rahi ho toh main akela pad gaya.
Riddhima pretended to think it over. "Not bad,
Dr. Mallik. Not bad at all. Theek hai. Done. Lekin Muskaan ko convince karne ka
kaam tumhaara, Riddhima wagered.
Armaan nodded. "Okay, fine. Done. Chalo fir,
Rahul se baat karte hai.
Convincing Rahul was not as easy as Armaan was
expecting. The stupid idiot didn't even want to go for the reunion.
"Armaan, tujhe pata haina, college mein mere
itne friends nahi the. Aur upar se sab mujhe bohot pareshaan karte the, you
know, because of my appearance. Ab wahaan waapas kyu jau? Rahul asked.
Armaan rubbed his hand over his face in
frustration. He put his hands around Rahul's shoulders and pulled him aside.
"Abbe, Dadu. Muskaan chahiye na? Armaan asked
him. Rahul nodded.
"Toh bas. Jaisa main bol raha hu, waisa kar.
Zyada bhaav mat kha.
"Armaan... Rahul started.
"Zzz... Armaan cut him off, moving his hands
in front of Rahul's mouth as if he was zipping it up. He then pretended to
throw the key away. "Not a word, Dr. Grewal. Main jaisa bolunga, tu karega.
Rahul nodded his head miserably.
"Good boy, Armaan replied, patting Rahul's
head. "Chalo ab. Time for work. Saying so, Armaan pulled Rahul out of the
locker room, still telling him about his nefarious plan to get him and Muskaan
together. He turned back to look at Riddhima and winked at her, puckering his
lips in a kiss. She smiled at that and shook her head, causing Armaan to laugh.
Rahul looked at the exchange and laughed, punching Armaan on the shoulder and
dragging him away as he waved to Riddhima.
These boys were such lovable idiots, Riddhima
thought fondly as she turned to the locker to get some stuff. It was times like
these that she was glad that they'd convinced Dr. Keerti to let them keep their
lockers in addition to their cabins. The locker room was their abode. The gang
had such amazing memories in this place and all of them were reluctant to let
it go. So, Armaan had fought tooth and nail to convince her that she should
allow them to keep their lockers too. After a lot of begging and pleading, Dr.
Keerti had agreed.
"Morning, Bhabhi, Yuvi greeted her as he came
in, making Riddhima turn and smile. Yuvi had started calling her Bhabhi lately,
which had been cause for a lot teasing within the gang and interns. Over the
months, Armaan had gotten really close to both Sid and Yuvi and they'd started
looking up at him like an elder brother. Which prompted Yuvi to start calling
her Bhabhi. The first few times he'd done it, Riddhima had been so embarrassed,
she'd blushed a brilliant red for hours later. Which, of course, had started
the teasing. God, her friends were stupid.
"Morning, Yuvi, she replied. "Aaj badi jaldi aa
gaye.
Yuvi shrugged his shoulders. "Woh Naina ko aur
practice karni hai. First performance haina, isliye thodi nervous hai, he
explained.
"Oh! Riddhima said. "Don't worry. Tumhaari
performance bohot achchi hogi. I know. Itni mehnat ki hai sabne. Tum zyada
fikar mat karo.
"Mujhe toh koi tension nahi hai. Lekin woh ladki
haina! Kya karu main uska? Yuvi complained.
Riddhima laughed.
"Main usse baat karti hu, okay? She offered,
making Yuvi smile in gratitude.
"Thank you, Bhabhi! You're the best! He
exclaimed before pulling her in for a hug.
Riddhima laughed at him and hugged him back.
Yuvi was such a sweetheart sometimes.
"Yeh kya ho raha hai? Mere aur Armaan ke saath
itna bada dhoka?! Naina exclaimed as she entered the locker room with Su &
Sid, causing Yuvi and Riddhima to pull back.
"Naina! Riddhima shrieked. "Tumna, kuch bhi
bolti ho.
"Kya, Di, main toh bas mazaak kar rahi thi,
Naina replied. "Aur waise, aapke paas toh Armaan jaisa itna hot aur happening
hunk hai. Is Yuvi ko kyu hug kar rahi hai aap? Iski toh shakal hi itni kharab
hai. Dafford kahin ka.
Riddhima, Sid & Su laughed at that while
Yuvi looked at Naina incredulously.
"Excuse me? Tumne meri shakal ko kharaab kaha?
He asked her.
"Haan. Kaha. Toh? She asked.
"Kabhi aaine mein shakal dekhi hai? Khud toh
chudail jaisi dikhti ho. Mujhe kya bol rahi ho? Woh toh tumhaari kismat achchi
hai ki tumhe mujh jaisa ladka mila, warna koi aur toh tumhe ghaas bhi nahi
daalta, Yuvi replied.
"Tum... Tum samajhte kya ho apne aap ko? Gadhe
dafford kahin ke! Tumhe ehsaan maan na chahiye ke maine tum jaise stupid ladke
se pyaar kiya. Waise bhi kismat hi kharab hai meri. Kitne aur mil jaate lekin
dekho, tumhaare saath phas gayi, Naina told Yuvi.
This sparked a huge argument between them and
they started pulling at each other's hair and hitting each other. It was
getting really barbaric.
While Sid & Su stood there laughing,
enjoying the free show, Riddhima was trying her best to pull these two apart
but they had a freakishly strong grip and weren't ready to let go.
"Arre bhai! Yeh kya ho raha hai yahaan? A voice
called from the entrance of the locker room, causing Yuvi and Naina to stop
fighting a look up.
"Dad?! Riddhima exclaimed, surprised as she
moved ahead to greet.
"Hello, my princess, Billy greeted as he pulled
Riddhima in for a hug.
"Aap yahaan kaise? She asked him after they'd
parted.
"Kuch nahi, bas apni beti se milne ka mann kiya
toh chala aaya. Aur baaki sab se bhi toh milna hai. Nikki, Rahul, Muskaan,
Anjali aur woh Atul. Maine sunaa hai Nikki toh pregnant bhi hai, Shanky bata
raha tha mujhe. Aur tumhe pata hai na, mera beta toh hai hi nikamma. Kuch hota
hai nahi usse. Arre, itne din baad hum usse milne aaye hain, aur kuch nahi toh
ek choti party hi rakh deta. Lekin nahi, usse toh bas saara din hospital,
hospital, hospital. Bas aur kuch nahi dikhta! Toh maine socha party ko hi
yahaan le aata hu, Billy ranted, making Riddhima laugh.
"Achcha. Kya party? Dad aapko pata haina, aap
zyada hard drinks consume nahi kar sakte. Itni mushkil se aapki diet control
mein aayi hai. Main aapko nahi karne doongi, Riddhima told him.
"Yaar, tu beti hai ya dushman? Bas jab dekho
mere khaane pe hi hoti hai teri nazar. Ab main ekdum fit aur fine hu. Kuch nahi
hua hai mujhe, Billy whined.
"Haan, haan. Sab pata hai mujhe. Mom ne bataya.
Dr. Bajaj keh rahe the ki aapka cholesterol fir badhne laga hai. Main sachchi
biryani band karwa dungi. Fir aap dekhiyega, Riddhima threatened. Billy
absolutely could not live without biryani in his life. And he knew that
Riddhima could actually do that. All the cooks back home listened to Riddhima
over him and it would take just one phone call for her to get them to stop
making him the delicacy.
"Achcha baba. Dhyaan rakhunga abse. Waise bhi
teri daayan maa hamesha mujhpe nazar rakhe rehti hai. Kabhi kabhi na, mujhe
lagta hai jaise ki main Indravadan Sarabhai hu aur woh Maya. Billy doodh peelo,
Billy tumhe samose khaana allowed nahi hai, Billy aaj khaane mein sprout salad
hi hai. My god! Billy exclaimed.
This caused everyone in the locker room to burst
out laughing. Billy looked around surprised as if he was only noticing the
others now. He'd gotten so involved in his conversation with Riddhima that he'd
forgotten that there were other people in the locker room too.
"Yeh sab cartoon kaun hai? He asked Riddhima.
"Dad! Cartoons nahi hai. Interns hain yahaan
ke, Riddhima admonished. She then took his hand in hers and pulled him forward
to introduce him to them.
"Dad, this is Naina, Yuvi, Sid & Su, she
introduced them, pointing at each one. They all smiled at him. Who was this
man? Why was Riddhima calling him dad, they wondered.
"Guys, this is... Before Riddhima could complete
her sentence, Billy cut in.
"Hi, he said, moving to Su and offering his
hand.
"Hi, Su replied, smiling, as she took the
proffered hand and shook it.
"I'm Billy. Armaan ka bada bhai, Billy
introduced himself, smiling flirtatiously.
"I'm Suvarna, intern, Su replied, loving the
attention.
"Dad, Riddhima reprimanded. She pulled his hand
away from Su's.
"Uh, Su, he was just joking. Yeh Balvinder
Mallik hai. Armaan ke dad, she officially introduced him to everyone in the
room.
Before Billy could say anything, Muskaan entered
the locker room. "Arre, Billy! She exclaimed seeing him.
Billy turned around and grinned. "Muskaan! He
cried, moving ahead and taking her in a huge bear hug.
"Kya baat hai! Aaj yahaan kaise? Muskaan asked
once they'd pulled back from the hug.
"Haan. Tumse milne aaya hu. I was really missing
you, yaar, Billy told her.
"Itna pyaar? Kya baat hai, Billy? Kya chahiye
aapko? Muskaan asked. "Aaj aapne flirt bhi nahi kiya, Tiger bolne bhi nahi
kaha. Kuch toh gadbad zaroor hai. Kya hua?
Billy smiled sheepishly. "Chal, tujhe na, detail
mein batata hu, he said and pulled Muskaan out of the locker room.
Riddhima smiled at the duo as she watched them
leave. Billy was the best. She'd missed him so much. It was good to have him
back, no matter how short the time, though she hoped they'd stay for sometime.
She turned around to see the interns looking
surprised and confused at the scene in front of them. It would take them
sometime to get used to Billy's boisterousness, she knew.
"Interns, report to duty. Now, she announced,
leaving the locker room herself.
The next few days were going to be great.
xxx
And, there you have it! Woohoo! I am so proud of myself for churning this out especially cause I'm reading the best novel ever and it is so difficult for me tear myself away from it to do anything else! But I have managed to write this and it was awesome! So, sorry, no concert or a lot of gang interaction, but we got to see that the interns and gang share a good rapport. And some Billy! And so much AR! Last update mein zyada nahi the AR scene so people were sad, isliye iss baar toh itna saara AR hai. Khush ho jao sabke sab!
I am still writing TDBU's next chapter. But, hopefully it will be updated on Friday! Cause I'm going to a friend's house for a sleepover in an hour. Toh aaj aur kal ab bohot kam time milega. Maybe I'll write, maybe I won't but pakka, TDBU Friday tak update karne ki koshish karungi. Agar Friday nahi toh Saturday 110% done!
I hope you liked this chapter! And if you're wondering what book I'm reading, it's the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo and if you love conmen and thieves and heists and such (basically Dhoom but 10000000000000000 times better) please go read it!
Till next time,
Prags! XOXO
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