When he parked the car outside the Gupta Mansion, Riddhima leaned over the console and gave him a soft kiss. Armaan smiled at her and turned to pick some stuff out of the backseat. He handed a bag to Riddhima.
"Ab yeh kya hai?" She asked.
"Dinner pe pehenne," Armaan explained.
Riddhima just shook her head, exasperated. "Tumhaara kuch nahi ho sakta."
Armaan grinned at her. "Jaanta hu."
He opened his door and walked around the car, opening Riddhima's as well.
He helped her out and immediately pulled her into a hug. "I'm gonna miss you."
"Armaan, bas ab thode time mein hum waapas milne waale haina," Riddhima placated him.
"Haan, lekin main miss toh karinga na," Armaan pouted.
"Ab tumhi chaahte ho aise tayyar hoke dinner pe jaana toh main kya karu?" Riddhima asked. "Kaha tha kahin nahi jaate, lekin tunhaara surprise aaj hi dena zaroori haina!"
"Jaan, please! Ab aise mat bolo. Mujhe pata hai ki main hi insist kar raha hu, lekin toh bhi, miss toh karunga hi. Magar dinner pe toh hum jaayenge," he declared.
"Achcha, baba. Main kuch nahi bolungi. Ab tum jao. Jaoge nahi toh waapas kaise aoge?" She asked.
"Hmmm," Armaan mumbled, pulling her closer and nuzzling into her neck.
"Ar... Armaan!" Riddhima giggled. "Jaane ke liye kahaa maine, paas aane ke liye nahi."
"Hmmm," Armaan answered, still making no move to let her go.
"Armaan! Baby! Please! Mujhe tumhaara yeh surprise dekhna hai. Toh ab tum jao. Hum 1 ghante mein milte hai, okay?" Riddhima asked, pushing him away.
Armaan made a face, but nodded.
"Okay, fine!" He agreed. Then, he proceeded to kiss the breath out of her.
"I love you! Bye! He mumbled, letting her go. He sat in his car and drove off, leaving Riddhima in a daze.
Riddhima walked inside the house, still reeling from Armaan's passionate kiss. She went up straight to her room, not stopping to talk to her mom like she usually did.
Her room was still full of the flowers from morning and the thought made her smile. Then, she realized that they hadn't brought any of Armaan's other presents back home and pouted. She decided that after dinner, her and Armaan would go to the hospital and bring everything home.
She opened the bag Armaan had given her and pulled out a gorgeous dress, a set of heels and matching earrings.
She paired it with the charm bracelet and pendant that Armaan had given her on various other occasions.
After getting ready, she found the present she'd bought for Armaan a couple months ago, intent on giving it to him for their anniversary. A promise ring of her own, just like the one Armaan had given her in Paris. She knew that Armaan was still battling the idea of moving forward and though she'd told him time and again that she didn't mind waiting, she wanted to give him a tangible reminder that she was really okay with waiting.
The ring was no match to all the presents he'd showered on her since morning, but she hoped Armaan would appreciate the gesture.
When she was done, she went downstairs to wait for Armaan, but was surprised to see Mom & Dad sitting in the living room, laughing and joking with her parents.
"Mom! Dad! she exclaimed. "Aap kab aaye?"
Billy and Ananya hugged her before Billy said, "Bas abhi hi. Ab tum aur Armaan toh jaa rahe ho dinner pe, toh humne socha hum saath mein hi khana kha lete hai. Kyu Shanky?"
"Haan, bhai. Ab bachchon ke paas toh humaare liye waqt kahaan hai?" Shashank lamented.
"Papa! Aap aisa kyu bol rahe ho? Aapke liye toh mere paas hamesha time hota hai. Aap sab hi itne busy hote ho. Mom aur Dad bhi toh itne time baad Delhi se aaye hain milne," Riddhima pouted.
"Sorry, Princess. But, kya karu? Wahaan bhi itna kaam hota hai. Mera bas chale toh main yahin aake rehne lagu. Lekin... Woh tera Armaan haina? Ek number ka Hitler hai! Saara din bas kaam hi karta rehta hai. Party sharty toh karna bhool hi gaya hai. Aur thoda sa kuch enjoy karne ki koshish karo, toh itna bhaashan deta hai, kya batau main!" Billy whined.
The others in the room laughed at that.
"Tum rehne do, Billy. Armaan bilkul sahi karta hai. Warna tumhaara kya bharosa? Uske ghar ko kabaad khana bana doge tum," Ananya stated.
"Waise, aaj toh meri beti bohot hi zyada pyaari lag rahi hai, haina?" Billy asked.
"Haan, bhaisaab. Bohot pyaari lag rahi hai," Padma seconded.
Riddhima blushed a deep red on hearing their compliments. Before she could be embarrassed further, a horn blew, demanding everyone's attention.
"Lo... Aa gaye laad sahab," Billy said. "Ab tum bahar nahi gayi toh aise hi horn bajata rahega. Jao."
Riddhima smiled and hugged everyone.
"Have fun, beta," Shashank told her.
Riddhima grinned at him and rushed out of the house. Armaan was waiting with his arms across his chest, leaning against the bonnet of the car.
He was looking absolutely dapper in his tuxedo.
"Hi, baby!" Riddhima greeted him. He smiled at her leaned down to kiss her cheek.
"Hi, Basket," he replied.
"Chalein?" He asked. Riddhima nodded eagerly. He helped her into the car and sat himself before driving away.
He drove them to the basketball court. Riddhima was absolutely mesmerized on seeing it. The entire court was covered in candles and rose petals, with a table right in the middle.
"It's absolutely beautiful," she breathed.
"Not as much as you," Armaan replied. "You look stunningly breathtaking," he said, fingering her pendant.
Riddhima blushed at his compliment. Armaan grinned and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her softly.
"Dance?" He asked.
"There's no music," Riddhima answered.
Armaan chuckled & pulled her closer. He hummed softly in Riddhima's ear before singing.
When your legs don't work like they used to before
And I can't sweep you off of your feet
Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love?
Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks?
(Riddhima rested her head on Armaan's chest, listening to his heartbeat.)
And, darling, I will be loving you 'til we're 70
And, baby, my heart could still fall as hard at 23
And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe just the touch of a hand
Well, meI fall in love with you every single day
And I just wanna tell you I am
(Armaan kissed Riddhima's head and nuzzled his face in her hair.)
So, honey, now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart
I'm thinking out loud
Maybe we found love right where we are
(Riddhima kissed his chest, causing Armaan to tighten his arms around her.)
When my hair's all but gone and my memory fades
And the crowds don't remember my name
When my hands don't play the strings the same way (mmm...)
I know you will still love me the same
(Riddhima snuggled closer to Armaan and sighed in contentment, making Armaan smile and kiss her temple.)
'Cause, honey, your soul could never grow old, it's evergreen
And, baby, your smile's forever in my mind and memory
I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe it's all part of a plan
Well, I'll just keep on making the same mistakes
Hoping that you'll understand
(Armaan pulled back, just a little and rested his forehead on Riddhima's, looking her directly in the eye.)
That, baby, now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart
Thinking out loud
Maybe we found love right where we are (oh, oh)
(Riddhima blushed at his intense gaze and Armaan grinned, pulling her closer and kissing her nose.)
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, lo-ud
So, baby, now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Oh, darling, place your head on my beating heart
I'm thinking out loud
But maybe we found love right where we are
Oh, baby, we found love right where we are
And we found love right where we are
When Armaan finished singing, he leaned in and kissed Riddhima, softly yet passionately. They kissed for a few minutes, wrapped up in each other before the sound of a firecracker bursting pulled them apart.
"Wow!" Riddhima exclaimed, forgetting all about the music and the dance, as she looked up in the sky.
Armaan took a deep breath in anticipation. He was not nervous. Not at all. He knew that this was the right step. He was ready. And, he knew Riddhima had been ready forever. She wouldn't say no. He knew she wouldn't.
Riddhima watched in fascination as the fireworks started to transform into alphabets.
"Marry me, Basket," she read out loud and gasped.
She hadn't been expecting this at all. Armaan hadn't given any indication that he was ready. She definitely did not see this coming.
"Armaan!" She breathed turning to look at him. He was already kneeling in front of her. On both knees.
Sitting on one knee seemed insufficient. He wasn't asking a girl to marry him. No. He was praying to the one woman, who he thought was a goddess, the one who'd changed his life completely, who'd made him a better man, who'd filled his life with insurmountable love and happiness and togetherness.
"Riddhima Gupta," he began. "I know... Main thoda late hu. Actually, bohot late hu. Poore 3 saal, par, kya karu? Tumhe pata haina, main thoda stupid hu. Waise toh yeh teesri baar hai, but, woh kehte haina, third time's the charm, so I hope ki iss baar sab achche se ho.
Main, Armaan Mallik, tumse vada karta hu, ki main tumse bohot pyaar karta hu. Aur apni saari zindagi, sirf tumse pyaar karunga. Marrte dam tak, aur uske baad bhi.
I love you, Basket. Tabse jabse tumhe pehli baar dekha hai. Jab hum ladte the, ek doosre ko prank karte the, tabse. Tab bhi tumse pyaar karta tha jab sabse kehta tha ki tum sirf meri dost ho aur tab bhi jab tumse baat tak nahi karta tha. Jab accident hua aur amnesia ho gaya, tab bhi, mere dil ko tum hamesha yaad thi, hamesha sochta tha, aisa kya hai iss ladki mein jo main khichaa chala jaata hu.
Sanjeevani mein aane ke baad, meri zindagi itni haseen sirf tumhaari wajah se bann gayi. Tumne mujhe itni khushi di hai jo maine kabhi socha bhi nahi tha. Tumne mujhe family di hai, Basket. Woh cheez jo mere paas isse pehle kabhi nahi thi. Mere liye iss baat ke kya maayne hai, shayad main tumhe kabhi nahi samjha paunga, lekin koshish karna chaahta hu, ki tum jaano tum mere liye kitni important ho. Aur hamesha rahogi.
I know ki main tumhe bohot satata hu, bohot pareshaan karta hu, but I really love you, Jaan. And, I promise, ki main hamesha, sirf aur sirf tumse hi pyaar karunga. Forever and ever. Chaahe hum kitna bhi lade, main tumhe kitna bhi chidhau, chaahe kuch bhi ho jaaye, main chaahta hu ki tum hamesha mere saath raho, mere paas raho.
Isliye, aaj, uss din jis din humne pehli baar apne pyaar ka izhaar kiya tha, uss jagah par jahaan humaari kahaani shuru hui thi, tumse ek sawaal poochna chaahta hu. Chaahta hu ki tum haan kehke mujhe iss duniya ka sabse khush aur lucky insaan banao.
Bolo, Basket, kya mera saath dogi? Har mausam mein, dhoop mein, chaon mein, achche waqt mein, bure waqt mein, har din, har pal, kya tum hamesha mere saath rahogi? Shaadi karogi mujhse?"
Riddhima couldn't stop crying at his heartfelt words. Try as she might, tears just kept falling and falling. Sometime during his speech, Riddhima gave up on trying to wipe them and just admired the beauty of this moment. It was everything she'd ever wanted and more.
She dropped to her knees too, and kissed Armaan with everything she had.
"Hamesha tumhaare saath rahungi!" she answered breathlessly when they pulled back.
Armaan teared up at her answer and kissed her again, their tears streaming down both their faces, large grins on their faces.
"I love you, Baby," she whispered.
"I love you, too, three, four, five, raised to infinity," he replied.
Smiling he removed the ring from his pocket and made her wear it.
"Bohot zyada sundar hai, Armaan," Riddhima breathed, admiring her ring.
"Tumhaare saamne toh kuch bhi nahi hai," Armaan replied.
Riddhima blushed. Armaan grinned and kissed her passionately, pulling her into him such that there was no space between them. They kissed for a few minutes and then Armaan pulled back, hugging Riddhima so that her entire frame was wrapped in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and they both stayed like that for what seemed to be an eternity.
"Thank you, Basket. Aaj... Aaj tumne mujhe itni badi khushi di hai ki main... Main express bhi nahi kar sakta," Armaan told her, a few tears leaking from his eyes.
Riddhima smiled and pulled back. She was crying too.
"Jaanti hu," she said. "Aaj... Main bhi toh utni khush hu."
"Really?" Armaan asked.
"Really, really," Riddhima replied.
"Mujhse zyada khush toh bilkul nahi ho," Armaan teased.
Riddhima laughed. "Waise main bhi tumhaare liye kuch laayi hu," she told him.
"Kya?" Armaan asked excitedly.
"Pehle aankhen band karo," Riddhima instructed.
"Jaan! Aise hi batado na," Armaan whined.
"Armaan! Aankhen band karo. Aur haath aage badhao," Riddhima told him stubbornly.
Armaan sighed but did as he was asked. Riddhima removed the ring from her clutch, the one she was going to give Armaan as a promise of togetherness and slipped it into his finger.
Armaan opened his eyes when he felt it and looked down at his finger in awe.
"Basket..." He breathed, disbelieving.
Riddhima grinned sheepishly. "Yeh tumhe dena chaahti thi, mera vaada ki hum hamesha saath rahenge."
Armaan hugged her tightly, swallowing her frame in his arms as he cried at her words. It was the perfect gesture and he was overwhelmed by everything that had happened in such a short span of time.
Riddhima understood what he was going through and hugged him close to her, letting him drain his excess emotions so that he could feel better.
Sometime later, Armaan pulled back and smiled at her. "Thank you, Basket. Aaj ka din meri life ka sabse achcha din hai."
"Mera bhi," Riddhima replied, grinning.
They hugged again, losing themselves in each other, forgetting the rest of the world. In that moment, it was just Armaan and his Basket and their promise of forever.
xxx
There you have it! The much anticipated proposal!
I know sabne iska bohot, bohot, bohot wait kiya hai! For that, I'm sorry, but I hope that this update made up for waiting for 3.5 years. Yes, the proposal was first mentioned in Chapter 11 of this story which was uploaded on 22 Jan 2015. Aur ab, 3.5 years baad, finally, Armaan ne propose kar hi diya!
So, I hope you enjoyed it!
A whooping 11,250 words in this chapter, but ab, Armaan propose kar raha tha, yaar. Itna toh banta hai. I tried to incorporate all the elements that made DMG DMG and put them in this chapter, and I hope I succeeded.
Agar iss chapter pe kisine chota sa comment kiya, toh laptop mein ghusske maarungi! Likhna toh kya, iss chapter ko word se IF pe upload karne mein mujhe 1.5 ghante se zyada time laga hai!
Waise, I was going to update on the weekend, but mujhse control hi nahi hua, isliye kal raat mein late tak likha aur ab aaj update kar diya! Sach sach batana, kisine expect kiya tha ki yeh wala chapter proposal ka hoga? Ya sab yehi soch rahe the ki ab trip ki planning start ho jaayegi? :p
It was so difficult to net let any clues, even small ones slip in the promos isliye aise wale daale the. Promo dhoondne mein hi kitna time lagta tha kyuki iss chapter mein toh har 2 para ke baad koi clue hai. :p
Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed! Please COMMENT!
xoxo,
Prags!
comment:
p_commentcount