And then she said it!

PART 5

RAHUL'S ENTRY.

"Saale, get up. Enough of your
dreaming!" I heard that voice again,
though faintly. My sleepy brain tried
processing it. Who could it be? Mom
wouldn't wake me up this early. And
definitely it was not Riddhima, for
she wouldn't use those words.
Muskaan, no way was she going to try
waking me this peacefully. Saale- I
am only addressed with that word by
Rahul.
"Rahul?" I jumped awake at the
realization. It's still a wonder as to
how much his presence excites me.
Even at 27, I couldn't help but
rejuvenate at meeting him, though I
stay with him 24x7 at Hyderabad.
"Thank God, you didn't take the
name of Shakira or Madonna."
"Riddhima, one minute." I called for
her. "He is Rahul, my friend." I
introduced him cheerfully. "And
Rahul, this is Riddhima." I added.
"Hie." Rahul's voice was calm and
strong as always. I turned my
attention to Riddhima, she gave a
nervous smile and an equally nervous
Hie. The next moment, I noticed her
lips curled up completely. I then
noticed her struggle to refrain herself
from smiling.
"Is something wrong with me?" Rahul
asked perplexed.
After a moment, it hit me. "You were
my gay partner, according to her
theory." I chuckled looking at his
horror stricken face, before bursting
into laughter. I then narrated him
the whole scene and we again burst
into a fresh fits of laughter.
"She must be crazy." He remarked
after a while. She indeed is crazy
and mysterious too, isn't she?
"According to me this was the plot
where I enjoyed due to the GAY
Chemistry you introduced."
After five minutes Riddhima opened
the door. She looked as if she woke
up from sleep. And I was right, for
the moment she realized it was us,
she rubbed her eyes stifling a yawn.
And I was surprised. There Muskaan
was leaving no stone unturned in
dressing up extravagant, since
something like afternoon, and here
this girl was probably sleeping in
glory. I mean, come on my readers,
she is a girl too. And most of the
girls, if not all, would atleast spend
minimum of two hours in getting
ready for some parties. Even mom or
Padma aunty takes an hour.
"Hie Rith-" Rahul stopped his word,
looking at me seeking help.
"It's Riddhima." I helped him. "Hie."
I greeted her moving in while she
adjusted her hair, smiling slightly.
God, this girl is a great miser when
it comes to spending a smile.
"And yeah Riddhima, mom called me.
Sorry we had our lunch out. But you
should have called me when you
prepared lunch." I said turning back
at her.
"Oh! I thought of calling you." She
started slowly. "I even took your
number from aunty." She quickly
added.
Rahul smiled at me, moving towards
kitchen and I simply stood waiting for
her to complete.
"But then I thought I would disturb
you if you were busy, in some work.
So" She left the sentence incomplete.
There she goes again. The gist of her
three statements- She was scared to
call me and ask me to come home for
lunch.
"Oh wow Riddhima, you made
Biryani?" I heard Rahul's voice from
kitchen. He was already fond of her.
While our drive back home, I told
him that she was an orphan and his
eyes sparkled as if he had found his
long lost friend. I guess he
empathized with her, fully aware of
the consequences in which she had
grown up that led to her
nervousness. "Armaan, my mouth is
watering. I am going to eat again."
He added.
Riddhima's eyes twinkled in joy at
his words. Well, that kind of amused
me. I was dying to understand her
from the past five days and here he
was right on the target. "Really?" she
asked excitement clear in her voice.
She smiled wide when he nodded.
Didn't I just remark that she was a
miser when it comes to smiling? I
kind of felt ignored, so butted in
quickly saying I would join him too.
And I had to admit one thing.
Neither was the food extraordinary
nor was it ordinary. It was good. She
made aloo kurma with biryani and
then raitha. And I was baffled when
Rahul, who was not so interested
vegetarian food, showered praises on
her culinary skills till she turned red
in embarrassment. When she looked
at me expectantly, I nodded in his
response. "Yeah Riddhima it was very
good." And there was no end to her
smile. Me and my theory of her
misery!
" Here I saw a completely different
riddhima for the very first time with a
STRANGER, maybe due to Rahul's
behaviour. I mean m a little
confused as she mixed up with Rahul
like she knows him from her
childhood...while she just kept a
distance with Armaan. Maybe due 2
Armaan's mother Ananya or maybe
Armaan's angression or I think there
1st encounter. Jealousy is too taking
place somewhere down the line in
Armaan's heart but he's not able to
recognize it or maybe ignoring the
fact that he likes her.. GOOD for
US ;))"
It just irked me that Rahul was able
to gain her attention in just one day,
while it took me five freaking days to
befriend her.
("As the story is getting unfolded it's
getting more and more interesting.
Armaan is not getting attention from
Riddhima and Rahul is getting which
is too an interesting part of the
story...and it will soon help him to
recognize his feelings for her. I love
Armaan getting annoyed as that is d
reason he'll try to FOCUS on
something better than management")
I checked the watch. Its 7.45 pm.
"Well, let's see if Riddhima turns out
to be a wonder girl." I smirked at
Rahul, while he hit my abs, sitting in
the living room.
"I somehow feel she is going to come
down in time." He replied, while I
frowned. "Armaan, is she orphan
from her birth or ...." He started the
question but couldn't complete it.
Rahul wasn't an orphan by birth. He
was abandoned by his parents when
he was four years old, as per the
records.
"I am not sure Rahul. Mom must be
aware of that. I didn't actually talk to
her much." I replied. "She is always
so nervous and uncomfortable when I
am around. I had to frame my words
twice so as not to scare her. Infact
our encounters were a bit sour." I
told him about how I had shouted at
her the very third day almost scaring
her to death.
"Oh" That's all he said after listening
to me. "Well, maybe that's why she is
still nervous around you. But she
spoke to me well." He added. "I
guess your charms didn't work well
this time."
That irked me more. I was very
popular among the female clan right
from my school days. Be it at college
or the company, I was ahead of Rahul
in reaching girls; the only exception
being Riddhima. And another point
to be noted, is the gist of our
discussion. We, being guys, often
discussed about girls but mostly
about their figures and oomph
factors. This sort of discussion, that
too about Riddhima, is something
unique.
"Rahul it's already 20 minutes now. I
told you that girls couldn't get ready
in 15 minutes for a party." I said, as
a matter of fact, shuffling the
channels. But then I didn't get any
reply from him.
"Abe what happened?" I asked him
once again, my eyes stuck on some
chick doing belly dance in some
song.
"Rahul" I turned around to face him.
"What happ-" I followed his gaze and
gulped the remaining words down.
There, on the staircase, stood
Riddhima in a black saree adorned
with rich silver work. She didn't put
on any make up, I could notice that.
Neither did she put on many
accessories except for a usual thin
chain around her neck, small
earrings and a watch on her left
hand. She left her hair open and for
the first time I noticed how black
and thick her hair was. She was
pleasing in a graceful and delicate
way, not to forget quite attractive.
The saree accentuated her height
and petite figure very well.
And her appearance and that saree
was very familiar. I wondered why
and then it struck me. It was mom's
saree. Mom being the person she
was would have insisted her on
wearing it. And mom was right on
the choice. The dark shade of the
saree added to the glow of her skin.
Suddenly realizing that I was gawking
at her agape, I shut my mouth and
turned sideways to face Rahul. And I
chuckled looking at his face. He was
no less than me, probably too
shocked to speak. "Wow." He uttered
when I shook him.
Riddhima noticed us staring at her
and shifted her weight to the other
foot nervously and that's when we
averted our gaze away from her. From
the corner of my eyes I watched her
come downstairs and stand infront of
me.
"umm.... shall we leave, Armaan?"
she spoke slowly putting a strand of
her hair behind her ear.
"Huh? Yes, let's go." I said
stammering. "You want to come
Rahul?" I asked him. What would he
do at home alone? It would take
atleast an hour for me to drop her
and come back. He might as well
keep me company during the drive
for I am not sure what crap I would
speak to Riddhima if I open my
mouth infront of her. She was looking
so awesome.
"No. you guys carry on." He replied.
"And by the way Riddhima, you look
awesome." He added and I stared at
him. That was my thought!
Riddhima mumbled a shy 'thank you'
before we left for the college.
The moment we entered the hall, the
strong smell of cocktails hit me. I
was right. It still meant the same in
MBA in my college. Work hard. Party
Harder. The music was very loud and
I saw guys and girls sprawled across
the dance floor. My professors who
dragged me in, requested me to
make myself comfortable and left.
After a moment, the music grew
louder and I felt Riddhima clutch my
shirt at my upper arm.
"Where is Riddhima?" Mom asked me
the instant I entered the room. I
noticed the urgency in her voice.
"Relax mom. She might be
somewhere around the hall. She is
not at the dance floor." I said.
"And Shekar?" She asked and I raised
my brow. "That guy with French
beard?"
Who was he? "I didn't find him there
mom. He might be with his friends.
What happened?" I asked confused
at what mom was arriving at. Why
were we discussing about this
Shekhar guy and why is mom
panicking.
"Look Armaan." She pulled me aside.
"Please go and search for Riddhima
once. Or Shekar. Call me if you find
her." She told worriedly.
"Mom whats happening?" I probed
her.
"Armaan, Shekar has been hitting on
Riddhima for the past few months."
She told me. Whats the big deal? Its
common. "But his records aren't
clean. So go and check on Riddhima
once.
I felt my head spin once. "Does
Riddhima know about him?" I asked
one last question.
"Yeah. She told me he tried to
misbehave with her once. Now go."
Mom literally pushed me out but my
brain stopped working for a minute.
If Riddhima knew about that guy,
why didn't she refuse it when I
agreed for his request to let him
dance with her? Oh my God! I now
understood the meaning of the look
she gave me. Why didn't she say
anything then? With a speckle of fear
slowing taking its origin at the pit of
my stomach, I ran to the ballet hall.
I tried finding Riddhima but in vain.
As much as I tried to block out the
thoughts, my mind was flogged with
the probability of that guy
misbehaving with Riddhima again.
What the hell did I end up doing?
"Excuse me; do you know where Mr.
Shekar is?" I asked a group of
students. When raised their brows at
me, looking not so interested, "I am
Armaan Mallik, HR- Global Insight
Inc." I added and noticed them
standing erect. I knew the effect my
position would have on them.
Probably few of them might have
been placed in my company.
"Sorry Sir." One guy apologized
instantly. "I guess I saw him head
towards the guest room at the other
end of the block." One more guy
replied.
"Did you also notice a girl with him?"
I asked and by the look on the guy's
face, I didn't want to listen to his
answer. With panic slowly gripping my nerves,
I then ran to Muskaan who was still
at the bar. "Muski, call me if you
find Riddhima." I told her and ran
out of the hall, bumping into few
people on my way.
By the time I reached the other end
of the block, I was panting badly. I
was scared and more I was angry.
Not at that guy as much as I am at
Riddhima. Couldn't she tell me that
she didn't want to dance with him?
That anger might be a result of my
guiltiness at having agreed to it
without asking her. But then, she
was at fault, isn't she?
I kicked open the door of the room
which was probably unlocked. The
sight infront of my stung me bitterly.
Riddhima was pinned against the
wall, with a palm over her mouth,
probably to refrain her form
shouting. That French beard guy's
face was buried in her neck while
she was whimpering against him. I
lost my head. I pulled the guy back
and punched him hard on his face.
He fell on the floor mumbling
something and I realized he was also
drunk.
I looked at Riddhima. She stood still.
I felt bad for her but my anger
surpassed the other feelings and I
pulled her harshly out of the room. I
didn't even want to imagine what
would have happened had the guys
in the ballet room not noticed them.
I headed straight to our car and
pushed her on to the passenger seat
and shut the door with a loud bang
that she flinched at the sound.
"Mom, Riddhima is with me." I called
mom immediately. "Yeah she is fine."
Pause "I am taking her home. You
continue with your work." I said and
cut the call. She didn't further
question me. She might have noticed
my cold voice.
I sat in the car and while I put my
hands on the steering, I noticed
stains of blood on my palm. I looked
at Riddhima's hand. Her watch
wasn't present on her left hand and
there were scratches in its place with
blood oozing out. That only increased
my temper.
I drove back home roughly. From the
corner of my eyes I also noticed
Riddhima clutch her seat tightly. But
I didn't care. When we reached
home, I pulled her out of the car and
to our flat. The door was open. I
pushed her inside not so gently and
locked the door behind me.
"What happened Armaan?" Rahul
jumped from the sofa with the bang
of me closing the door. But I ignored
him.
"What the shit were you thinking?
Couldn't you just tell me about
that guy when he asked for a dance?"
I yelled at Riddhima. This was the
second time she had been at the
receiving end of my temper in the
last five days.
"Armaan, stop shouting." Rahul tried
to stop me, taken back.
"You shut up Rahul." I blasted at
him. And he shut his mouth. He very
well knew about my temper. "And
you?" I took two steps towards her
and she stepped back. "Speak." I
glared.
"I- I thought- thought to say- but-"
She tried to speak wiping her tears,
her voice breaking. But that didn't
melt me.
"But what? You thought to wait till
he forced you to warm up his naked
body?" I seethed with rage and she
looked up at me mortified.
"What the hell Armaan! Shut your
mouth." Rahul shouted back at me
and pulled me by my collar to our
room. While leaving I also noticed
tears rolling as a rivulet down her
cheeks.
I shook his hand off my collar when
we reached our room. I went and sat
on the bean bag beside the bed with
my head in my hands. I knew I
shouldn't have spoken the words I
have, I regretted them the moment
they left my mouth. But I don't
know. I was angry, hell lot of. May be
at that guy. Or may be at Riddhima
for staying mum back then. Or may
be at myself for somehow paving the
way for all this.
"Why were you shouting at her?
What happened?" Rahul demanded
in a strong tone. I told him. He
listened to it silently. "But why on
earth were you shouting at her? She
would have been already hurt and-"
He demanded again.
"Cut the crap Rahul. She brought it
on her, herself." I yelled at him,
pacing to and fro. "Couldn't she just
tell me a word?"
"By now you should have known that
she isn't the one who would tell that
to you." He said calmly.
I stopped dead at my tracks.
Ofcourse, I should have known. And
deep down I knew that too. Being
the person she was she wouldn't say
anything to me. Even if she wanted
to tell, what would she say? 'No
Armaan, I don't want to dance with
him because he tried to misbehave
with me.' That too right on his face?
Well I guess it was my fault, isn't it?
I should have asked her first, if she
wanted to go with him or not. And I
shouldn't have left her and gone to
mom when I promised that I would
take care of her.
"What are you searching for?" Rahul
asked me, irritated, when I went to
search for first-aid kit in my shelf.
"Cotton and dettol. I saw few
scratches of Riddhima's wrist." I said
calmly and Rahul smiled at me. It
still surprises me as to how he could
handle me so well when everyone
else backs out.
"Was she hurt?" He asked not looking
at me. "I mean, u know what I am
asking."
"No." I almost shouted in haste. "I
reached in time." That pricked my
heart badly, even the thought. "I'll
be back." I mumbled and went to
Riddhima's room.
The door of her room was slightly
open. I pushed it open and peeped
in. Her bed was empty and so was
the chair beside her bed. Even the
door of her washroom was open and
empty too. Now where did she go
again? I thought of leaving the
cotton and dettol on her bed. I don't
even know if she has them. So I
went in and placed the kit on her
bed. When I turned around, I gasped
as my breath got struck in my throat
looking at a body against the wall.
Riddhima curled herself into a ball,
hugging her knees her face buried in
between them. She was still in the
saree. I didn't understand if she was
crying. But if she was, I am not yet
ready to face her. What would I say
to her? When I approached her with
the kit and kneeled beside her, she
was so still.
"Riddhima?" I spoke softly so as not
to scare her, but in vain. She woke
up with a startle and looked at me
frightened for a second before
relaxing. I put forward the kit and
waited for her to take them. "Your
wrist is hurt." I said slowly when she
looked confused. Her cheeks were
full of stains of dried tears. She took
the cotton and cleaned her wound. I
noticed her eyes filling up again.
"I am sorry Riddhima." I whispered.
For uttering crap. For not keeping my
words of taking care of you. "But you
should have told me. Why did you
agree to go with him?" I asked again.
"I thought you wouldn't let anything
happen to me. When he tried getting
close to me, I searched for you but
you were not there. I was scared and
by the time I realized, he pulled me
to the room." She told looking
straight into my eyes, her eyes
questioning me.
In short, she trusted me to keep her
safe. But I failed that. It hurt me
bad. I felt as if someone stabbed
me. I didn't understand why it hurt
me to that extent, but it really did.
"I am sorry." I mumbled looking
down. What else could I say?
"I was so scared. I thought you
wouldn't come and I-" She couldn't
complete.
I pulled her into a bear hug. I didn't
understand how to comfort her. I
wish mom was here. "I'll be there for
you Riddhima." The words came out
of my throat before I could rethink. I
didn't mind that. And surprisingly,
she didn't recoil back. I felt her
moving closer in my embrace. So I
tightened my grip on her and pulled
her closer gently. "You will be fine." I
whispered into her hair.
I still can't comprehend what I was
doing? Why I was doing? But I felt
this strong need to protect her, to
soothe her. I am not sure if I would
have felt the same towards any other
being. But with Riddhima being so
delicate and fragile, I wanted to take
care of her. Was it gallantry? I think
not. May be it was this aura of her
that binds everyone to her. That
makes everyone like her; love her.
I sensed her hands at my back. I
also sensed her hesitating to hold
me back. I felt mom was right.
Riddhima was truly an innocent child
searching for a world of her own. I
don't know what hardships she had
faced in her past. I somehow felt,
with her in my arms, she was asking
for something. It was as if she was
tired of herself, tired of her
loneliness and tired of her solitude.
Could she be asking for comfort?
Could she be asking for support?
Could she be asking for............
.........
"LOVE. This is all she needs Armaan.
And I think that it's just you who
can shower her with all the love and
happiness she is asking for since her
childhood. Here I found a completely
different Armaan. Here he came
closer to a Stranger who doesn't
belong to him but he loves to take
care of her maybe call her as his
own!!! And that's where the story is
moving. A caring armaan is back. He
wanted her to open up but forgot
that his short tempered behaviour is
d soul reason why riddhima didn't
let open her heart out in front of
him, well she wanted to tell him
what was bothering her. But she felt
a little awkward and uncomfortable
to tell him because she must have
though he would not at all believe.
She is an INTROVERT. There is
hesitation which is normal and that
impressed me. The Factors in these
parts were-
TRUST
UNDERSTANDING
CARE
PROTECTION/SECURE.

I hope you all loved the surprise! Yeah! Rahul's entry was the surprise. So thtat's it for today. I hope you'll loved the new side of Armaan. Bye. -Isha