Previously On...
Rahul
tells Armaan that Muskaan confessed her love.
The
gang, along with Jaanhavi, Tamanna, Shilpa, and Karan, decides to bring RaMusk
back together.
Track 36 - Wonderwall, Ed Sheeran
As Armaan
had expected, Tamanna really did have a choice of words for Rahul, from what
she narrated to him after her talk with said man, but also, like he expected,
Rahul wasn't moved by Tamanna's impassioned speech. He was still holding on to
his stubbornness, hiding behind his walls stating that what he was doing was
for Muskaan. Armaan felt like literally banging some sense into Rahul, even
though he'd seen all this coming, but kept quiet and plotted instead.
They'd
decided that instead of Armaan & Riddhima, Muskaan & Rahul would be
doing the remainder of the wedding planning. Muskaan had been reluctant, but
agreed to it after Armaan made her understand that it would be a great
opportunity to spend time with Rahul and make him realize what he was missing
out on.
"I guess
you're right," Muskaan agreed. "But, Rahul will never agree to this."
"Don't
worry about that. That's on me. I promise, he'll be there," Armaan assured her.
"You
think you can get him to agree to this?" Muskaan scoffed. "You're good, Hero.
But not that good."
Armaan
laughed, Muskaan's old nickname for him bringing him joy that he couldn't
really express in words. "I can make him do it, Muski. Are you doubting my
skills now?" He asked, shoving her playfully.
"Newsflash,
Dr. Mallik! I don't think I ever had any faith in your skills! Itne siyaape
kiye haina tune!" Muskaan joked.
Armaan
chuckled along with her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her
into a side hug. "I swear, he'll be there. Just be ready at 8 tomorrow morning,
okay?"
Muskaan
nodded. "Fine. We'll do this your way. I'm telling you again, Mallik. Don't you
dare f**king make me regret this."
Armaan
nodded. "I won't. I promise."
Telling
Rahul went as well as could be expected.
"No way!" Rahul all but screeched, when Armaan informed him about the change in plans.
"Yes
way," Armaan replied calmly.
"Armaan,
I'm not doing it. That's the end of this discussion," Rahul insisted.
"You're
doing it, Rahul. And that's the end of this discussion," Armaan countered.
"I'm not
playing your games, Armaan! Don't you think I don't know that there's no
pressing emergency and you're doing this only so that I have to spend time with
Muskaan?" Rahul questioned.
"I know
you know," Armaan replied simply. "Doesn't exactly take a genius to figure it
out, eh?"
"So you
must also know, that I'm not doing it," Rahul replied.
"Oh, no!
You're doing it. And you're going to do everything I ask of you till the time
Muskaan is here. You don't get a choice in this," Armaan explained.
"Armaan!
How many times do I have to tell you? I don't f**king want to!" Rahul yelled.
"And you don't get to interfere in this! It's my life, my choice. As if all
this isn't enough, you sent Tamanna to talk to me! The day after her filthy ex
came out of prison! Tamanna! Have you no shame? Making her do this for you?"
Armaan's
only answer was a bitter smile.
"What?
You don't have anything to say? Of course you don't because you know you
shouldn't have done it!" Rahul continued his tirade. "That was low, even for
you! But... You've done all you could. I'm not playing by your rules anymore!
Just leave me alone! And don't try to set me up!!"
"You know
what?" Armaan replied. "I'm gonna let that jab about Tamanna slide because I
know you're worked up right now, but you and I both know I would never ever ask
her to do something like this. She volunteered to do it. You know why? Because
she f**king cares about you, Rahul! Just like I do. Just like we all do. And
it's clear as day that you're hurting yourself and Muskaan unnecessarily. We
don't want this for you, which is why we're doing what we're doing. You know
that. You very well f**king know that I would never do anything to hurt you on
purpose. And yes... I agree. I'm meddling. But, don't think for one second that
this isn't my business because it is. When my best friend is heartbroken, it is
my f**king shit business to make sure he gets better. That's what I'm doing. We
both know you love Muskaan. You always will. So, don't be a saint and don't you
dare deny yourself these few days with her, even if you decide against your
heart's desires in the end. Make sure that these few days... This time that
you're getting with her is beautiful. Make memories, Rahul. Because, maybe, at
the end of it all, these memories will be all that you have of Muskaan."
Rahul let
out a long sigh. "I'll be there at 8 tomorrow morning," he said, all fight
leaving his body. Armaan was right. Why was he being such a stubborn mule? He
was getting a few days to spend with Muskaan, to love her, to be near her, to
weave a thousand different memories. And he would deny himself that? For what?
His misplaced ego? No way! He'd be there. He'd be there every f**king day, and
he'd make enough memories to last him a lifetime.
Armaan
looked at him with an understanding smile and pulled Rahul into a hug, whatever
animosity that was prevalent during the short argument vanishing with a snap.
"I knew you'd see it my way," Armaan mumbled smugly, still hugging Rahul.
Rahul let
out a snort. "You know just the right thing to say every time, don't you?" He
asked rhetorically.
"It's my
special talent," Armaan laughed.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
"I can't
believe you got Rahul to agree," Tamanna said. Her, Armaan, Jaanhavi, Nikki,
Riddhima, Atul, and Anjali were sitting in the living room, plotting their next
move. "Even though I definitely should not have been. You guys can make each
other do anything."
Armaan
chuckled. "Eh, not everything! I wasn't able to convince him to stop being this
stubborn asshole and just get together with Muskaan without this drama."
Tamanna
sighed. "He is so annoying! Gods. Why? I'm so mad at him!! And... I'm mad at
myself because I'm not mad enough because..."
"Because
you know exactly how he feels," Armaan finished for her.
"Yeah," Tamanna agreed, resting her head on Armaan's shoulder. "I really want to be
there for him! And I need him to understand, what he's been trying to make me
understand for so long!"
"He'll
come around," Nikki told Tamanna, smiling gently. "He always does. Especially
when Armaan is involved."
Armaan
sent Nikki a grateful smile, which she returned. Armaan had been wanting to
talk to Nikki, really talk to her, for a few days now, but he didn't want to
cross the boundaries they'd created for themselves all those years ago, and so
he didn't. He didn't want to open those unhealed wounds again, to hurt both of
them and so, even though he so badly wanted to talk to her, he kept quiet and
he maintained his distance, even though it physically hurt sometimes.
Nikki had
been his friend since they were kids, the first person outside of his little
family that he'd loved, the first person who became his family, even though she
wasn't related to him by blood, the first person he'd come to rely on after his
Bua Maa. She had such a special place in his heart, and she always would. But,
he still couldn't have her in his life now, and it hurt. It hurt so much, but
there was nothing he could do about it.
"He'll
tell her he loves her, right?" Jaanhavi asked, scared, breaking Armaan away
from thoughts about Nikki.
He gave
her a placid smile, not knowing how to tell her that as of now, it may very
well not happen. Armaan knew Rahul very well, which is why, he knew just how
hard headed and stubborn Rahul could actually be, especially when it came to
Muskaan. Armaan had seen Rahul love Muskaan from afar for almost a decade now,
8 years of which, she hadn't even been in his vicinity. He had absolutely no
doubt that if he so decided, Rahul would be able to live with just her memories
to keep him company.
"We'll
try our best, okay?" He finally told her, not wanting to lie.
"No!" She
retorted sharply. "That's not good enough! They love each other!! They should
be together! It's as simple as that."
Armaan
gave her a sad smile. "Sometimes... Sometimes it's not as simple as that, Jaan.
Love isn't always enough."
His eyes
shot to Riddhima for a quick second before he looked away. He couldn't help it.
There was once a time when he shared the same beliefs as his beloved sister,
when he thought that love was enough, that it was all that was needed. After
all, hadn't The Beatles also said the same? But, life had taught him, the hard
way, that love wasn't enough. It never had been. Yes, it was important, but it
wasn't everything, not like he'd believed, not like Bua Maa had taught him.
Because, if love was enough, him & Riddhima would have never separated.
There had never been a shortage of love in their relationship, in fact, some
would say that the abundance of love between the two was too much. But, that
hadn't been enough, because there had been a shortage of so many other things
in their relationship, shortcomings he hadn't even realized at the time. Lack
of trust, communication issues, making single handed decisions - all of it
demonstrated that though they loved each other so much, their relationship was
weak, something neither of them had ever acknowledged, but what he'd learnt
quite soon after he'd taken a look back at their relationship after coming to
New York, through his therapist's eyes. Love hadn't been enough. It never had.
"Why?" Jaanhavi asked. "Why isn't love enough? I... I don't like this! Rahul Bhaiya is...
I want him to be happy, Dada!"
Armaan
smiled at his baby sister and pulled her into his arms, giving her a tight hug.
She only ever called him & Rahul Dada & Bhaiya when she was feeling
particularly emotional.
"Ayyyee,
Jaan! Don't lose hope, okay? We'll make him see, I promise. Main... Main hoon na.
Pehle bho bohot baar usse line pe laa chuka hu. I'll do it again," he said,
hoping with all his heart that it be true.
Seemingly
placated for now, neither Jaanhavi nor Tamanna pushed the issue. But, the
others looked at each other skeptically, all of them hoping that they'd be able
to convince Rahul this time round. They'd tried so hard the last time, but
Rahul hadn't listened to anyone and had left Muskaan. He couldn't do it again.
"So, abhi
ke liye toh I think there's nothing else we can do. Let's see how their little
excursion pans out tomorrow before we reconvene, yes?" Armaan asked. The others
nodded and decided to call it a night.
The next
morning, as promised, Rahul & Muskaan took over the wedding planning from
Armaan & Riddhima. It was a little awkward at first as the 4 of them sat in
the living room with Armaan & Riddhima bringing them up to date on all
they'd done, but soon, they'd found a rhythm and were working flawlessly
together. Armaan & Riddhima exchanged hearty smiles on seeing the two
interact, happy to see some positive change in the couple's relationship. Once
they'd left to meet Elizabeth for more wedding stuff, Riddhima went back
upstairs to chill for sometime while Armaan took the opportunity to put
together some things for Rahul's birthday. He was so winning this year.
Come
evening, Rahul & Muskaan returned home with wide smiles on their faces that
instantly put everyone in a better mood. The couple didn't say much, but from
what Armaan could gather, they'd decided to enjoy this time they had together
instead of being sad and grumpy about it. The gang all gathered in the main
hall that evening, laughing and joking, sharing anecdotes with the others, and
it felt just like old times.
Rahul's
spirits rose further after receiving a call from his mom.
"Hello,
Mummy!! Kaise ho aap?" He answered, a wide smile on his face. However,
listening to his greeting, Armaan's face lost its shine. "SHIT!" He mumbled.
"Armaan, beta! Aaj toh tu gaya. Barsi ki tayyari kara le."
"Um, is
everything okay?" Riddhima, who'd heard him, asked.
Armaan
gave her a smile that said, "SAVE ME!" but shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure."
"Oyye,
Armaan!!" Rahul called him. "She wants to talk to you."
"Ha...
Haan! Aa... Aaya! Armaan stuttered. With shaking hands, he took the phone from
Rahul and before Simran Grewal could say a word, started apologizing.
"I'm
sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so, so, so, sorry!!" He chanted down the phone. "There's
so much to do. In all the helter - skelter, I forgot to call you back! I'm
sorry! I just... I'm good! And... I have not died or been in accident and I'm
definitely not in a coma and I'm so sorry for worrying you!" He rambled.
Rahul
burst out laughing at his words. Armaan glared at him, but Rahul did nothing to
stifle his laughs. So, Armaan moved out of the hall as he continued to assure
her that he was fine.
Jaanhavi
joined Rahul in his mirth, falling on him as she laughed at her brother's
plight. "Don't you think Masi is a little overprotective when it comes to
Maani?" she asked Rahul once their laughter had subsided. Rahul smiled at the moniker Jaanhavi had given his mother. Masi. He really liked it.
"Little?" Rahul scoffed. "Are we living on the same planet, Jaanhavi?"
Jaanhavi
giggled. "I'm just trying to soften the blow."
Rahul
chuckled. "Nah. Everybody knows she's really overprotective of him."
"Yeah," Jaanhavi agreed.
"Do you
remember when Armaan had his first night duty here?" Rahul recalled.
"Oh my
gods!!" Jaanhavi exclaimed. "How can I ever forget?"
"What had
happened?" Anjali asked, curious.
"Well...
Armaan had just started working at New York Sanjeevani. I mean... he'd been there
for 2 weeks, tops. That's when he got a night shift at the hospital, to cover
for some other resident who had fallen sick. Ab... Armaan is Armaan. He wasn't in
the habit of calling someone to let them know he wasn't gonna make it home at
night, you know?" Rahul asked rhetorically.
And while
everyone murmured in agreement, those words, simple facts, cut Riddhima's heart
so deep. She'd never ever thought about it. Armaan never had anyone waiting
for him at home, worrying about him. She'd always had someone. First, it
had been Nani, then her mom. Even when she was married to Sid, he'd make her
call him whenever she'd be working late. And after, her and Muskaan had always
made it a point to let the other know of their whereabouts so the other didn't
worry. She'd always had someone, even in the worst phases of her life.
But... Who had Armaan had? Who waited for him at home, losing sleep because they
didn't know where he was, like others did for her? No one. He'd never ever had
anyone do that for him. The simple realization broke her heart.
"So, anyway," Rahul continued his story, completely unaware of the havoc his words had
created in Riddhima's heart and mind. "He didn't call back home. And mom was
beside herself with worry. When I came home, she asked me about him, but I
didn't know anything either because both of us had been busy with work and
hadn't had the chance to talk. We never bothered each other with logistics
because we didn't keep the same timings and went to the hospital and back home
as it suited us, so I didn't even think of checking on him before leaving. When
she found out that I also didn't know anything about his whereabouts, she lost
it. I'd just gotten home from a 16 hour shift, but she made me drive her to the
hospital to make sure Armaan was fine. And when she found him there, she made
the reporting doctor cancel Armaan's shift because he'd already worked too much
and needed rest!" He laughed as he finished narrating the incident.
"After
that, the reporting doctor made sure to let her know that Armaan would be
working longer than his assigned duty hours for all the years she was here," Jaanhavi added,
chuckling.
Listening
to the story made Riddhima's frantic heart beat slower. She'd been so addled by
Rahul's words, of her epiphany, that knowing Armaan had people who cared about
him, worried about him was exactly what she needed to hear. The more time she
spent in New York, the more she got to know about Armaan's life here, it
cemented her belief that coming here was exactly what Armaan needed. Coming
here had made his life so much better, so full, so happy. Yes, in leaving
Mumbai behind, he'd left her, he'd left their friends, but in New York, he'd
found a family, people who honest to god cared about him so much, and weren't
afraid to show it either. He'd grown so much, as a doctor, as a friend, as a
person. Yes, this move to New York was the best thing that had happened to him.
And that made her happy. It gave her the satisfaction that all those years
she'd spent pining after him hadn't gone to waste, because in leaving her,
Armaan had found himself. More than that, he'd found happiness. And that was
all she'd ever wanted for him.
Armaan
came back to living room just as Rahul finished narrating some other incident
of his mom's overprotectiveness towards the man in question, a huge, dreamy
smile lighting his entire face up. He plopped down the floor beside Rahul and
hugged Rahul's legs, snuggling closer, resting his head on Rahul's thigh.
"I miss
her," he mumbled. Rahul smiled. "I miss her too," he replied.
"When she
comes here for the wedding, I'm not letting her go back," Armaan announced,
making Jaanhavi and Tamanna chuckle.
"You
know, if it would've been up to you, you'd never let anyone leave this house," Tamanna joked.
"That is
correct," Armaan said, not an ounce of regret in his tone. He would never let
them leave. Not Jaan, not her, not even his friends, now that he had them back.
But, Mummy was so much more special to him. She was his mother, in all ways
that mattered. She was his mother in his heart, and his soul.
"But,
Mummy is Mummy. I want her back," he said, his voice croaky. He missed her so
much.
Rahul
smiled fondly at Armaan's childish demand and bent down to kiss Armaan's head,
just like he'd seen his mother do, countless times before.
"You're
cute," Rahul declared, pulling back.
"I'm
always cute," Armaan responded without missing a beat. "But that doesn't mean I
don't miss Mummy. Rahul, you'll help me na? We'll convince her to move back."
"Oh, no,
no, no!" Rahul exclaimed, raising his hands in surrender. "I'm not getting in
between the two of you. Please don't involve me."
"Pch," Armaan whined. "How useless, Jaana."
Rahul
just showed Armaan his tongue. "You love me, baby!"
Armaan
rolled his eyes.
"Yaar, ek
baat batao," Atul started.
"Bolna
Champ," Armaan urged, burying his face deeper in Rahul.
"Yaar,
tum dono ek doosre ko yeh baby, jaana karke kyu bulaate ho?" Atul asked,
confused.
Armaan
& Rahul looked at each other, then burst out laughing.
"Woh kya
haina Champ..." Armaan began.
"Yahaan
sab hum dono ko couple samajhte hain," Rahul continued.
"Kyu?" Atul questioned.
"Arre,
Atul Bhaiya!" Jaanhavi whined, "Aapne dekha haina inn dono ko. Kaise ek doosre
se chipke rehte hain poora din!"
"Haan,
that I've seen," Atul confirmed.
"Yes!
Exactly," Tamanna took over. "So, many people think they're a couple because
they're so close. Pehle toh they used to deny, but you know how it is. People
still assumed. So, they embraced it. Starting behaving like a couple for real,
just to get everyone off their backs. And, in the process, the nicknames of baby
& jaana were born," she explained.
Everyone
started laughing at this, while Armaan & Rahul just shrugged. It seemed
like the best thing to do. If people were just going to assume they were
together despite them telling that they were not, even a million times, it
seemed easier to go with the flow.
The rest
of the evening passed in a similar fashion - all of them laughing and merry
making about one thing or another. It was the happiest everyone in that room
had felt in a long time and it seemed like they'd started healing, if only a
little, the presence of the others, helping them move on.
But, as
Riddhima sat in her room at night, she still couldn't get Rahul's words out of
her head. Nobody cared, she thought. Until she realized that someone
did. So much. Determined to pay Armaan back for the kindness he'd bestowed on
her since she'd met him again, wanting to see her friend smile his brilliant smile,
she made a phone call, not realizing just how much upheaval it would cause in
the life of the one person she wanted to make happy.
xxx
Um, surprised? Me too! Inspiration struck today and I ended up writing 3.5k words in one sitting! WOW! So, y'all get this as a treat. Now, don't moan about the cliffie because it had to be done! I is sorry. :p
(The song in the title is originally by Oasis, but I like the Sheeran cover more, so :p)
Anyway, please pray for me!! Results out tomorrow. I desperately hope that I clear this time. :)
Love, Prags
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