Previously On...
Gang moments Armaan, Muskaan &
Nikki and Riddhima & Rahul.
Rahul meets Sonia who flirts with him.
Armaan & Riddhima make a big deal
about it and joke about how Rahul liked Sonia in college, which makes Rahul
angry.
Chapter 64
"Oops, Armaan laughed. "Aisa nahi karna chahiye tha na?" He asked
Nikki.
"Armaan," Nikki warned. "Thoda zyada ho gaya tha."
"I guess," Armaan agreed. "Main dekhta hu." Saying so, he rushed
behind Rahul.
"Wow, Sonia," Neha commented. "Rahul admitted he liked you. Bada
stud hai yaar. I think tum dono saath mein bohot achche lagoge."
Sonia nodded in agreement, smiling happily. Her and Rahul would
indeed make a good pair. Sure, she hadn't given him any bhaav in college, but
then, he'd been such a champu. She was having a hard time believing that this
handsome, dashing man standing in front of her now was the same nervous,
fidgety, average boy she knew in college. She wouldn't have been caught dead
with him then. But now, she wouldn't mind dating him. At all. In fact, she was
sure that she'd love it.
"Excuse me," Riddhima interrupted their chatter.
"What?" Sonia asked rudely. She was getting fed up of this girl.
"Stay away from Rahul," Riddhima ordered.
"Right," Sonia replied, her voice sarcastic. "Tumne kaha aur maine
maan liya. Sure."
"Listen, Miss Sonia Whatever. Tumhaare liye achcha yahi hoga ki
tum Rahul mein interest na lo. Tum jaise fake logon ki uske life mein koi jagah
nahi hai," Riddhima warned.
"Fake? How dare you call me fake!" Sonia thundered.
"Fake ho toh fake hi bolungi na. I know all about you. Tum jaanti
thi ki Rahul tumhe college mein kitna pasand karta tha. Aur iss baat ka tumne
bohot faayda bhi uthaya. Homework, projects, sab usse karwati thi. Khudke bhi
aur apne friends ke bhi. Lekin uske aage kabhi usse baat bhi nahi ki. Use kiya
usse. Lekin ab, jab tumne dekha ki woh kitna alag hai toh tum chaahti ho ki woh
tumhe date kare. Kyu? Kyuki ab woh champu' nahi hai? Ab bhi, tum Rahul
ke baare mein jaanne mein interested nahi ho. Tum bas yeh soch rahi ho ki Rahul
itna good looking hai, toh agar tum aise ladke ko date karogi toh tumhaare liye
hi faayda hai. Isse fake nahi toh kya bolu?" Riddhima asked.
"Look, tumhe beech mein padne ki zaroorat nahi hai," Sonia
replied. "Main Rahul ko kisi bhi reason se date karna chahu, woh mere aur uske
beech ki baat hai. Tumhe itna interest lene ki koi zaroorat nahi hai."
"Rahul mera sabse achcha dost hai," Riddhima said. "Uski life mein
interest lena haq hai mera. Aur beech mein main nahi, tum aa rahi ho. So, stay
away."
"Hah," Sonia scoffed. "Tumhe lagta hai, ki Rahul mujhe chodke
tumhe choose karega? Wow! Maana ki tum itni bhi badsoorat nahi ho, in fact,
you're pretty. Lekin, tumhaara aur mera koi comparison nahi hai. I'm sure Rahul
bhi yeh jaanta hai."
"Haan, I'm sure woh jaanta hai. Ki uske liye better kaun hai. Aur
waise bhi, maine apni baat toh ki hi nahi. Rahul mera dost hai. Dost.
Matlab toh samajhti ho na. Aur waise bhi, tum kitne bhi haat pair maar lo,
Rahul kabhi nahi maanega," Riddhima stated.
"Kyu?" Neha asked, interested.
"Kyuki Rahul kisise pyaar karta hai," Riddhima said simply,
looking meaningfully at Muskaan, who immediately looked elsewhere, not wanting
to make eye contact with Riddhima.
"Oh," Sonia replied. "Isme kaunsi badi baat hai. Aaj karta hai,
kal nahi karega."
Muskaan looked really angry at that. Nikki placed a hand on her
shoulder to calm her down.
Riddhima laughed. "Yahi toh problem hai. Rahul usse kabhi nahi
chodega. Tum nahi jaanti woh usse kitne pyaar karta hai, kya kar sakta hai uske
liye. Woh ladki, woh ladki Rahul ki zindagi hai. Aur un dono ko, koi nahi alag
kar sakta."
They were now standing nose to nose, glaring at each other. Abhi
thought that it would be better to break this argument before things got out of
hand. So, he moved forward and caught Riddhima's shoulder.
"It's okay. I'm sure Sonia aapki baat samajh gayi hai," he said,
looking at Sonia intently.
Sonia wanted to say something, but Neha placed a hand on her
shoulder and shook her head. Defeated, Sonia nodded.
"Good," Riddhima replied smugly.
Armaan chased after Rahul and found him in a secluded corner.
"Rahul," he called. Rahul looked up at him, scoffed and turned
back around.
"I'm sorry," Armaan continued. "I know thoda zyada ho gaya.
Muskaan ke saamne yeh sab nahi bolna chahiye tha. Lekin, main bas usse jealous
karne ki koshish kar raha tha," he explained.
Rahul sighed and looked at him. "Jaanta hu, Armaan. Lekin phir
bhi. Tune kuch zyada hi bol diya, yaar. Dekha nahi tune, uska chehra? Kaise
utar gaya tha. Main bhi chaahta hu ki woh meri life mein waapas aa jaaye, lekin
aise, uska itna dil dukha kar nahi."
"I know," Armaan agreed. Holding his ears, he said, "Mujhse galti
ho gayi. I'm sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry." He said cutely.
Rahul smiled despite himself. "Tujhe kya lagta hai? Main Riddhima
hu? Teri aisi shakal dekhke main pighal ne nahi wala."
Armaan laughed. "I know."
Rahul grinned.
Armaan pulled him in a brotherly hug. "I promise, tere aur Muskaan
ke beech mein sab kuch theek ho jaayega."
Rahul nodded against his shoulder. Pulling back, he said. "Pata
hai. Mera bhai, tab tak chain se nahi baithega jab tak woh meri problem nahi
solve karta."
Armaan grinned at his words and hugged him again. Then, he pulled
back and said, "Ab chal. Wahaan pata nahi yeh teeno deviyaan kya kar rahi
hogi."
Rahul nodded. Armaan started walking ahead, but stopped when Rahul
called. "Thanks, yaar," Rahul said gratefully.
"Chal, manners ki dukaan, saale," Armaan joked and pulled Rahul
with him.
When they walked back, they were relieved to see that everyone was
talking amongst themselves again. And no one made any comments on seeing Rahul,
so they assumed that Riddhima had refrained from making a scene. But, seeing
Sonia constantly glare at Riddhima made Armaan mad. He tried to walk towards
her to say something but was held back by Rahul.
"Rehne de, Armaan. Yeh Sonia toh hai hi aisi. Tu dekh, Riddhu
kitni khush lag rahi hai," Rahul said, pointing to Riddhima who was laughing
with Abhi over something Nikki had said. Muskaan was giving them a stink eye,
which could only mean that Nikki had made a joke at Muskaan's expense.
"Fine," Armaan agreed, grudgingly. "Lekin agar usne zyada
smartness dikhayi toh fir tu mujhe mat rokna."
"Nahi rokunga, baba. Tu abhi toh chal," Rahul said.
"Hey, guys," Armaan greeted when they reached back.
"All sorted?" Nikki asked by way of greeting. Armaan and Rahul
nodded in unison. Nikki smiled happily. The two of them joined the gang and
they made small talk for sometime.
Armaan sneakily pulled Riddhima close to him when the others were
busy and moved a little away so that they could talk privately.
"Hi," he said softly.
"Hi," Riddhima replied, smiling.
Armaan smiled at her and took her hand in his, bowing down to
place a kiss against it. His lips lingered at the back of her hand for longer
than necessary. He slowly moved his lips across the expanse of her hand,
dropping small kisses.
"Armaan!" Riddhima exclaimed breathlessly. Armaan smirked against
her skin before standing back up. But, he didn't let his grip on her hand
loosen.
Before they could say anything else, Muskaan got there. "Oyye,
Hero. Yeh cheating hai. Tune mujhe promise kiya tha ki agar main tere saath
chali toh poora time Ridzy ke aage peeche nahi ghoomega," she complained.
Riddhima raised an eyebrow at him when she heard this. Armaan
smiled back sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry," he mouthed.
Riddhima grinned at him and shook her head.
"Ridzy ko dekhna band kar aur meri baat sunn," Muskaan ordered.
"Ek toh waise hi us kameene Rahul ne saare mood ki aisi taisi kardi. Bas, jab
dekho ladkiyon se chipakta rehta hai," she whined.
"Muskaan," Armaan cut her off. "Rahul Sonia se nahi, Sonia Rahul
se chipak rahi thi. Aur waise bhi, agar Rahul chipak bhi raha tha, toh tera kya
jaata hai?" He asked.
Muskaan didn't have an answer to that. "Tu... Tu kyu us kaankhajure
ke baare mein baat karke mera mood kharab kar raha hai? Chalna!" She insisted,
holding his wrist and pulling him with her. As she forced him to walk away,
Armaan held Riddhima's hand and pulled her with him.
"Hey guys, tumhaare baare mein hi baat ho rahi thi," Jai joked
when they rejoined the group.
"Kya baat?" Armaan asked.
"Arre, hum iss Nikki se kabse information nikalwane ki koshish kar
rahe hai. About how you and Muskaan met. Lekin isse toh kuch pata hi nahi.
Kaisi best friend hai tumhari?" Neha whined.
"Ohhh," Armaan laughed. "Woh, Nikki doesn't know. Actually, main
Muskaan se toh almost 3 saal pehle mila tha. And this Nikki toh I met 1.5 years
ago. Toh, she doesn't know."
"So, how did you guys meet?" Neha asked.
"That's a funny story," Armaan declared. "Uh, I was driving home
from Lonavla. And, this girl was just standing in the middle of the road,
looking for a lift. Madam ki Dhanno kharab ho gayi thi. Toh meri gaadi
ke saamne aayi aur zabardasti andar ghus gayi, yaar."
"Armaan!" Muskaan scolded, swatting his arm.
"What? Sahi toh bol raha hu. Tu aise dadagiri dikhake andar nahi
ghusi thi? Aur, teri woh khatara scooter. Usko kaise maine meri car mein fit
kiya mujhe hi pata hai," Armaan cribbed.
"Wow, that sounds interesting," Neha commented lightly. Frankly,
she didn't really like the comfort level between the two of them. They seemed
to be so close. And, Muskaan had successfully pulled him away from a girl who
he found beautiful. That was something. Neha didn't know of anybody before her
who could've done that.
"Yes, yes. It was," Armaan replied sarcastically. "Poore raste yeh
madam ki chapad chapad hi band nahi hui. Finally, I dropped her and thought,
Thank God, peecha choota. Lekin mujhe kya pata tha ki next day se yeh mere hi
hospital mein kaam karne lagegi?" Armaan asked rhetorically.
Muskaan laughed in her typical style, making everyone else laugh
too.
"And, what about you, Rahul?" Sonia butted in. "Tum aur..." She
turned to Riddhima, wanting to know her name.
"Riddhima," Rahul supplied, his voice terse.
"Yes, so, tum aur Riddhima kaise mile?" She asked, making a face
when she said Riddhima, which didn't go unnoticed by either Rahul or Armaan.
Armaan glowered at her, but Muskaan stopped him before he could do anything.
Similarly, Riddhima squeezed Rahul's waist in warning, not wanting him to
create a scene.
"Not that it's any if your business," Rahul started, coldly, "but,
Riddhima and I work together."
Rahul moved to leave, pulling Riddhima along, but was greeted by
Roshni and Alisha when he turned.
"Hi girls," he smiled forcefully.
"Hi, Rahul," Alisha replied, blushing. She ducked her head.
Armaan noticed the exchange and smirked. It was so obvious to
anyone who saw them together that Alisha had a crush on Rahul. He would have to
use it to their advantage to get Muskaan to talk.
"Rahul, yaar," Alisha began. "Humlog kabse tera wait kar rahe the.
Lekin tu aur Riddhima toh waapas hi nahi aaye." She cribbed.
"Hi, Armaan," Roshni greeted, smiling shyly.
Armaan taken aback by the unexpected greeting, waved to her
tentatively. "Hi," he said. This caused Roshni to blush even more. Riddhima
glared at the exchange.
Armaan wanted to ask the girl her name because he didn't know her
but stopped short on seeing Riddhima's murderous expression.
"Um, this is Alisha and this is Roshni," Rahul introduced them to
the others. "They're my friends."
A chorus of half-hearted hellos filled the crowd.
"Chalein?" Alisha asked Rahul impatiently.
Not wanting Rahul to leave, Sonia said, "Why don't you guys join
us?"
Alisha was taken aback by the offer and replied negatively, but
Roshni jumped at the chance, not letting Alisha get a word in. "We would love
to!" She exclaimed enthusiastically. "I'll go get the others."
Rahul shook his head at her antics. It was obvious that she was
doing this in a bid to get closer to Armaan. But, Armaan Mallik wasn't
available anymore. He could only imagine the look on all these girls' faces
when they found that Armaan was in a committed relationship. Had been for
almost 3 years now. No girlfriend of his had lasted 3 months in college.
"What are you smiling so much about?" Riddhima asked him, watching
his expressions with a bemused smiled.
"Nothing," Rahul replied quickly.
Riddhima looked at him weirdly before returning to her
conversation with Nikki and Muskaan. These women never ran out of things to
talk about, Armaan thought snidely. He hadn't had the chance to spend two quiet
moments with his gorgeous girl the whole evening and now, she was being
monopolized by these two.
"I think woh bhool gaye hain ki hum bhi yahaan hai," Rahul
lamented to Armaan. Abhi nodded in agreement.
"Yaar, yeh girls toh jab dekho bas ek saath ho jaati hain. Kabhi
socha hai kya ki hum yahaan kitne bore ho rahe hai?" Abhi whined.
"I know," Armaan seconded. "Ek toh, itne time se Basket se baat
bhi nahi hui aur ab dekho," he made a face, pointing at the three who were
talking continuously.
"Hey guys, kya baatein ho rahi hai?" Neha asked, interrupting
their whining session. She looped her arm through Armaan's effortlessly and
made to keep her head on his shoulder, but was surprised when Armaan moved
away, not allowing her to do so.
She looked at him, confused and shocked, trying to figure out why
he did that. In the past, Armaan had never had any issues with any girl
invading his personal space. But, seeing him behave like this had not only
surprised Neha, but also many others who'd been looking.
"Uh... Neha... Um... Woh... I'm really sorry," Armaan stuttered. Rahul and
Abhi laughed at his weak apology. He glared at them, effectively shutting them
up. He looked to Riddhima who was looking at the exchange with a smirk on her
face.
"Kya hua, Armaan? Pehle to tumne kabhi aise react nahi kiya," Neha
asked.
Before Armaan could answer, Riddhima said, "Haan, Armaan? Kya
hua?" She asked. She walked to stand beside Rahul and rested her head on his
shoulder as the two of them snickered at Armaan's predicament. He glowered at
them before turning back to Neha.
"Uh, Neha, I'm not comfortable agar koi aise achanak aake mujhe
hug kare," he replied. "Ya, you know, close aane ki koshish kare."
Riddhima burst out laughing at that. He absolutely loved it
when Riddhima would hug him or kiss him without warning. He glared at
her again, but this only made her laugh more.
"Oh," Neha answered, shocked. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Armaan brushed off, desperate for this conversation
to be over. "You didn't know."
After that, things were a little awkward between Armaan &
Neha. She didn't engage him in conversation like she was doing earlier.
Riddhima was really thankful for that, though. However, Sonia didn't look
pleased. Neha was one of her closest friends and she didn't like the way Armaan
had behaved with her. She resolved to do something about it as soon as she got
the chance.
xxx
So, yay! Some AR scenes, no matter how small and lots of gang masti! I hope you guys liked it. Especially the way Riddhima told Sonia off and the moment with Armaan in the end. I think that Armaan thing was really cute. :P
YAY ON NEW THREAD! I hope you guys continue to love this story! :D
Just keep commenting and showering us with love so that I can be motivated to write more. :)
Prags, XOXO
Edited by DMGThings - 5 years ago
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