And then she said it!

PART 13

THE JOURNEY OF MY LIFETIME.
As our cab pulled into our colony, my
heart raced, filling each and every
cell in my body with a mad thrill of
something which was alien to me.
Sure, I have been through this
feeling of eagerness as well as
anticipation a couple of times before
but this time it was so intense that I
couldn't ignore it. And then there is
this grin on my face, which doesn't
seem to fade away for a second.
Rahul, sitting beside me, chuckled
way too many times glancing at me
but I couldn't help it.
I waited patiently, while Rahul paid
the fare to the driver. There wasn't
much luggage we have brought. Just
a bag for each of us for all we had
back in Hyderabad was formal
clothes. Now, I don't think people
would approve of me if I roam
around in formal clothes in my own
wedding, will they? Even the time
taken for the elevator to slide down
from fifth floor to the ground floor
seemed to have taken few hours.
While we were waiting for the
elevator, few of the aunties from the
flats wished me, few of them said
Riddhima was lucky- which made me
almost fly in the air, few of them
spared me curious glances and few of
them enquired Rahul when he would
get married- to which he turned red
around his collar. I grinned at them
as usual. They might be genuinely
happy or might be curious as to know
how on earth we Malliks have
decided to let Riddhima into our
family. But some things are out of
the range of mind and logic, aren't
they?
Finally, with God's grace, I stood
infront of our door, waiting patiently.
I couldn't help but remember my
first encounter with Riddhima. My
position was more or less the same;
with the exception that now I was
waiting to meet Riddhima instead of
mom. Ofcourse I am as much eager
to meet mom too. But you, my
readers, know what I am talking
about, don't you? And I prayed it
would be Riddhima opening the
door. For once, I wanted to see that
surprise on her face. That's the
reason why I asked mom not to
mention anything to Riddhima about
today.
As the door opened, I was glad I
decided against hugging the person
who opened it. It was our maid,
smiling brightly. My grin would have
been wiped off my face for a moment,
for Rahul laughed out loud. I spared
her a smile and rushed upstairs after
dumping my bag beside the sofa.
"I am going to meet Padma aunty." I
heard Rahul's voice.
"Fine!" I said briskly.
I came to a halt infront of
Riddhima's room, adjusted my shirt
and hair, and knocked at her door.
Frowning slightly as the door was still
shut after a couple of minutes, I
opened the door slowly and entered
her room. The frown only deepened
as the room was empty.
Disappointed, I turned around to
leave the room, when her wardrobe
caught my attention as its door was
slightly opened.
To my utter shock, her whole
wardrobe was completely empty. And
so were her other shelves. Even her
laptop was missing from her study
table. Turning around, I found that
the bed was neat as if it were not in
use. With pinch of panic slowly
gripping my nerves, I took my mobile
and dialed mom's number. How
could Riddhima disappear?
"Armaan?"
I heard Riddhima's voice and turned
around quickly. I eased my breathe
out realizing I held it. There she
stood in one of her usual T-shirt and
a Capri pant, hair tied back in a
pony, not a pinch of make-up on her,
yet looking absolutely beautiful. And
at the very moment, I was glad I
decided to get married to her the
next week. With each passing second,
my feelings towards her only turned
intense and something deeper.
As I took a step in her direction, I
realized the presence of our maid
beside Riddhima and stopped. She
was looking at me and Riddhima, as
if expecting something. But
Riddhima's entire attention was on
me, her eyes big-to their complete
size, sparkling and a shy smile on
her lips. Oh, I just wanted to hug
her!
"When did you come?"
"Huh?" I was disoriented for a
second. "Just now." I added,
composing myself. "Where were you?
I mean, the room's empty."
"Aunty asked me to shift to Padma
aunty's house. So my entire
belongings are in Muski's room." She
said slowly. "I just came to get
another small box." She added and
instructed the maid to do the same.
I stepped aside and waited patiently
as the maid pulled a small box from
under the bed. Riddhima stepped
ahead and checked the contents.
When she was satisfied, she nodded
at the maid who took it downstairs.
When the maid left the room, I
turned around and found Riddhima
standing beside the bed. She was
trying her best to start a
conversation, I could see that. But
that was the last thought on my
mind.
Taking a couple of steps ahead, I
embraced her tightly, giving in to my
heart's desire. She didn't expect
that, for she stood stiff for a couple
of moments. I almost released her
from my hold when I felt her body
slowly relaxing against mine.
Discarding the thought, I held her
against me, savoring a moment of
togetherness. I don't know, but I just
wanted it. Just to feel her.
"I missed you, Riddhima." The words
left my throat of their own accord. I
did miss her. It might sound funny
as I was away from her only for a
week, but it was true.
I felt her hands slowly and hesitantly
rising up my back. I didn't
understand if she was doing that
deliberately, but it kind of sent some
electric jolts right into my body. That
soft brush of her fingers, that just-I
don't know what to say- somehow
turned me on. And her body which
was soft and fragile, pressed up
against mine didn't help it either. I
wondered if she felt the same. But it
being Riddhima, I knew she wouldn't
let it out of her even if she felt
something.
When I was lost in the most beautiful
phase of my thought, I was brutally
pushed away from her. Too dazed
and stumbling to balance myself, it
took me a couple of moments to
realize that it was Riddhima who
knocked me away. And I just stared
at her flabbergasted, while she
looked away from me. She then
lowered her eyes and I lost my
source to read her.
Now what did this mean?
Feeling guilty that I might have
imposed myself on her way too much,
I saw her about to run to the door.
But I need some answer before she
could do that. Turning around, I held
her wrist to stop her only to leave it
the next moment when my eyes took
in the presence of the third party at
the door. I am sure my eyes would
have popped out of their sockets.
Frozen at my place, I watched
Riddhima run away in haste leaving
me to face the consequences. Hell, I
am about to marry her, so what's
wrong in just a hug! Convincing
myself, I tried smiling at them,
already thinking about what excuse I
could cook up at the back of my
mind.
Standing beside the door were
Padma aunty and my mom- aunty
with a smirk on her face and mom
biting her lips, probably to refrain
herself from laughing out loud.
Putting up a straight face, I walked
up to them, hoping against hope
that they haven't seen any of my
intimacy with Riddhima. There are
few things that I would like to keep
to myself and this one falls into that
category. Well, one more trait of
mine- I absolutely don't like public
display of affection. According to me
they are the private moments
between two people which should be
kept to them. Even be it mom!
"What was happening in here?"
Aunty asked, raising her brow.
I sighed. I knew where Muski got her
devilish acts from. "I mistook
Riddhima for mom." I said sheepishly
smiling.
"Acha? Since when did you start
wearing a shirt and a pant Ananya?"
Aunty turned to mom and asked
feigning surprise.
I was sure I would have turned red
with embarrassment as I felt hot
around my ears. Who was I trying to
fool? I scowled at her when she
grinned at me. But mom came to my
rescue immediately.
"Leave it Padma." She patted aunty's
hand and hugged me. "Glad you
came soon."
"As if you would have postponed the
arrangements if I come late." I
whined slightly, remembering that
they had started with the
preparation even before they had my
consent.
"Why?" Aunty came barging ahead.
"There's still time. We didn't send
the invitations. We can set the date
after dussehra." She said with a fake
frown adorning her forehead.
"NO!!" The words left my throat
before I could gulp them down. "I
mean, I have already taken leave
from my office and I have informed
all of them. And also the auditorium
was booked, so-" I stopped my
rambling and found both the ladies
grinning.
"I never knew you were desperate to
get married." Aunty stated plainly
yet dramatically.
"I still don't understand how uncle
puts up with you." I tossed back.
"Shut up." Mom smacked my head,
leading us downstairs to the living
room. "Shashank loves her; he
doesn't put up with her."
"And so do I." I added quickly when
I found aunty's cheeks turning
colour. It's always a wonder what
love does to people. Aunty's
blushing!! I wished dad would have
been there to love mom the same
way now. When I looked at mom, she
smiled at me. I guess she had been
thinking about the same.
In the afternoon, after lunch uncle
joined us - me, mom, Rahul, aunty,
Muski and Riddhima, to discuss
about the budget and preparations. I
felt strange somewhere- I am getting
married !?! I glanced at Riddhima
who was sitting beside Muski. Since
the morning I didn't get time to talk
to her, with someone or the other
being tagged along with her. She
appeared to be nervous. I wanted to
make sure she is okay with the
sudden decision of wedding date. I
found her stealing glances at me
every now and then.
I took the notepad uncle had written
something in and started going
through the contents. He made a list
of things to be done - ranging from
sending invitations, guests list,
miscellaneous shopping items, and
then clothes. But he put a star mark
against my name in the shopping-for-
whom list.
"Uncle, why is there a star mark
against my name?" I asked him.
Everyone- mom, aunty and uncle
turned to me suddenly looking
serious. I wondered if I had asked
something wrong. They looked at
each other and then at Riddhima,
before turning their attention to me.
"As a custom, your clothes must be
bought by Riddhima's family. But-We
thought of talking to the pandit
before we go to buy." Aunty said
slowly looking at me and then at
Riddhima. Mom nodded at me.
I turned to Riddhima. She seemed to
be upset for a brief moment before
she put up a straight face. If I am
not wrong, I have also seen a thin
layer of water in her eyes. And I felt
a pang in my heart.
"I have few savings. We can use
them. I got them deposited in the
bank." Riddhima said. But I could
see the desperateness in her voice.
And I knew what that desperateness
meant. I recalled her words that day
when I had asked her to marry me
for the first time. She told me that I
deserved the best. And now I could
see her every attempt to make it the
best. And for the first time, I was
convinced that she is the best I
could get.
"No, Riddhima, wait." Rahul
interrupted when she stood to go to
her room. He then turned towards
us. "I was thinking about this from
few days. But I didn't understand
how to talk about this." He said
nervously, glancing around. "I know
may be its against your sentiments
but I was just wondering -" I didn't
understand where he was coming
from and why he was hesitating so
much. "Can I do all the rituals from
Riddhima's side?"
Before we could understand his
point, Riddhima spoke immediately.
"No Rahul. Its fine. I can mana-" I
was sure she was at the edge of
tears.
"I want to be a real part of this
marriage. Can I, please?" He asked,
looking at Riddhima.
"I-"
"Please?" Rahul's eyes were pleading.
These actions from him that make us
love him more and more. I wished he
was my real brother.
Riddhima looked at mom. She and
aunty already had tears in their eyes.
Uncle's face was lit up. I am sure
Rahul will have his line cleared up
when he finally decides to ask for
Muski's hand. I can already see
uncle counting on him. I guess Muski
was already dreaming about him with
that goofy smile on her lips. And
then there was Riddhima, with Rahul
standing beside her - two perfect
people of my life. Mom nodded at
Riddhima and then she turned to
him. I could almost virtually see
Rahul holding his breath or rather
his heart.
"Thank you." Riddhima finally forced
the words out of her mouth and
Rahul, his breath. Rahul smiled at
her and gave her a side hug
affectionately.
"And I thought you were my
brother." I added before hugging
him.
And in the process my hand
accidentally brushed past Riddhima's
waist who was standing beside us.
She jerked back immediately and I
felt a few amperes of current flowing
through the veins in my hand. Her
face was flushed in a matter of a few
moments and I felt my heart skip a
beat at that. There was this innocent
timidity in her that I couldn't help
but wonder at. I mean, I haven't met
a girl who was this shy at such
simple physical gestures and for
some reason it excites me to no
extent leaving me craving for more.
She is an ordinary girl, yet so
interestingly unique. And I am
happy to have her all to myself.
By evening, everything was settled -
the budgets, the daily plans, the
things-to-do lists and the work
assigned to each person. Mom,
aunty, uncle set about visiting the
relatives and friends in the city and
invite them. We had sent the
couriers to the others. Mom asked
Rahul and Muski to get done with
their shopping for the wedding. Our
wedding clothes were scheduled for
shopping the next day. Muski was
hyper to buy as many dresses as she
wants and not to forget her mobile
she had blackmailed me for -
everything as my gift for her as she
had termed it. Muski tagged a
hesitating Rahul with her for
shopping and he tagged me along.
Grabbing the chance I pulled
Riddhima with us. So when mom
went for inviting, we went to the
nearest mall for shopping.
When we reached the mall, Muski
pulled Rahul to the mobile
showroom. I gave her my credit card
beforehand, so she didn't bother
with me. When I saw them moving
towards the store, I typed a message
to Rahul.
'Enjoy shopping with your Juliet.
Riddhima and I will meet you in the
food court in two hours.'
Having sent the message, I pulled
Riddhima, who was silently following
them, away.
"Sshh. Let them enjoy themselves." I
whispered in her ear when she was
about to scream.
Due to the force, she stumbled on
her way and landed in my arms when
I tried to help her. And it only
added to my misery. Unlike her usual
choice of clothes, she wore a jeans
and a perfectly fit T-shirt. And she
carried a dark black handbag which
increased her oomph factor that I
found in her suddenly. I was sure it
was Muski's idea. I had thought she
looked beautiful, pleasant, amazing
etc till then, but today she looked
absolutely sexy, giving me a hard
time to keep my eyes and hands to
myself.
As if that didn't do it, she had left
her hair open. I noticed that she had
cut her hair by a couple of inches
and had done a bit of styling. All
thanks to Muski, whenever her hair
brushed past her cheeks or neck, I
had to struggle not to put them back
myself. Overall, Riddhima's attire
today left more than half part of my
brain to manage to keep my hands
off her. And to my irritation, she
attracted not only my eyes but also a
few other guys' in the mall. And I
had nothing left but to wrap my arm
around her waist while we went past
a couple of guys. And then too, I had
to make sure I don't rub my fingers
over the side of her waist. Everything
in her tested my control.
Amidst my struggle, I felt a wave of
sadistic pleasure when I found
Riddhima quiver slightly when I
touched her or brushed past her.
Atleast, I had a company! I also
found her stealing glances at me
when we roamed around the mall
randomly. She used to slip her
fingers into mine and hold them
sometimes whenever a girl passed a
flirtatious smile at me. It gave me an
odd sense of satisfaction to know that
we were equal and that she didn't
hesitate to claim what was hers.
Though we spoke less, these simple
gestures from our side did the job.
And I got to know about her taste
when I pulled her to few stores to
buy us a couple of casuals. As usual
she hesitated when I said I wanted
to buy clothes for her. But I
requested, begged, intimidated and
finally convinced her. She had inkling
for simple ones without any flashy
stuff on them- be it shirts, pants,
jeans or her dresses. And to my
horror, she was extremely choosy
unlike me. I usually try 10 shirts and
buy 8 of them while today she made
me try almost 50 shirts for five. And I
was glad there wasn't any providence
for bargaining or I wouldn't have
understood where to put my head.
Finally we bought a couple of jeans
and T-shirts for both of us and a
couple of her chudidars. When we
decided to move towards the food
court, I found a saree store with a
display of black saree. That
immediately reminded me of the day
of her farewell when she wore a
black saree. She was gorgeous. So I
pulled her to the store, but she
hesitated and the reason was quite
different this time.
"I am not very fond of sarees,
Armaan." She told me.
I was disappointed. "Oh, but I like
you more in saree." I told her
absentmindedly and she blushed. So
I didn't make any attempt to change
my comment. I didn't push her and
turned around. But she held my
hand and stopped me.
"Well...But.." She looked away
putting her hair behind her ear.
"You can buy me one."
Smiling, we checked the sarees. Well,
I just told the choice of colours and
she checked the material asking
about the quality. She resembled
mom while checking the sarees. She
then told me that mom taught her
about picking the sarees. After a lot
of digging she finally settled with a
purple one and a black one- that I
chose for her.
By the time we reached the food
court, Rahul and Muski were already
waiting for us. Muski had a wide
smile permanently plastered on her
face and showed me her new mobile.
But Rahul's face caught my
attention. It was a bit flushed up
and he didn't look into my eyes. And
somehow I felt they had a cozy
moment during their shopping.
Though I knew Rahul wouldn't harm
her, I wasn't comfortable knowing
the fact. May be something like
sibling possessiveness- which I felt
towards Muski.
When we had our stomachs filled, I
suddenly remembered that I haven't
talked to Riddhima seriously about
the quick marriage. By her face, I
knew she was happy but I just felt
like talking to her.
"Rahul, wait for us near the bakery
beside the mall. We will be there in
10 minutes." I told him, giving him
the car keys. Muski raised her brow
at me with a smirk but I ignore it
and pulled Riddhima to the secluded
corner in the food court.
"What happened? Is something
wrong?" Riddhima asked me
worriedly. My face might have been
serious.
"No." I smiled at her and the frown
on her forehead eased a bit. "I just
wanted to talk to you."
"Here?"
"Yes." I don't know when I would get
this chance to be with her again.
"Riddhima, are you comfortable with
everything?" I asked her. "I mean,
the marriage was quick and all. Can
you adjust with everything?"
"Yes." She whispered looking down.
"Yes?" I probed again.
This time she looked up at me. "I
was never this happy before Armaan.
And I know I will be happy with you.
I trust you." And that made my heart
swell. I remembered mom telling me
that Riddhima wouldn't trust anyone
easily and listening to her words
made me feel like I had done
something extra-ordinary. "But-"
I sensed her hesitation and waited
for her to speak. "But it might take
some time for me to get used to it as
I didn't...I mean haven't...I don't
know how to handle all the
relationships at once." She fumbled
with words but completed it. "Will
you give me a little time?"
She appeared so cute and earnest
asking that I couldn't help but smile
at her nervousness. I drew her closer
with my arms around her waist and
hugged her. She wrapped her arms
around my neck and moved in closer
by herself. It felt good as I held her.
This time she was so relaxed, and so
was I. And I vaguely felt her nuzzling
her face in my neck. May be I was
imagining but she didn't seem
hesitant for a moment.
"What does your trust in me answer
for that?" I asked. She didn't answer
me. Rather I felt her fingers on my
nape. I wondered if this would turn
out to be a make-out session
because her gestures only made my
heart race faster. And that thought
rang another bell in my mind. I
recalled her words previously and
wondered if it was what I was
thinking. The naughty side in me
kicked in.
"And don't worry; I'll make sure that
you willingly make love with me." I
whispered the words slowly in her
ears with a deliberate touch of
huskiness in my voice.
I didn't get any response from her
for a couple of moments. But the
next moment, she sprung back, her
mouth agape. She then turned
beetroot red when I grinned at her.
The expression on her face was
worthless. And I knew I had
embarrassed her to the core. She
looked away and walked out of the
food court briskly while I followed
her chuckling.
Later that night, as I lay across her
bed, I watched mom take her
jewellery out from her shelf. And
then she showed me few other boxes
which had some gold ornaments in
them. I stared at them simply but
my mind was stuck somewhere.
"Mom, when did you realize you were
in love with dad?" I asked out of blue
which left mom startled for a second.
"On our first wedding anniversary."
She replied smiling.
"What? That long?" I asked surprised.
"Yes." she said, still smiling. "We
both were highly educated, Armaan
and we were practical. So it took us
time to realize what we felt for each
other.
"Oh!" I nodded at her. "How did you
realize that?"
"I don't know. It just happened. I
knew I was falling for him right since
we were married but that day my
heart convinced me that I am in love
with your dad." Mom was almost
blushing, I smiled at her. "Why do
you ask that now?"
"I have an inkling I am falling for
Riddhima." I told her frowning.
"You do?" She asked.
"I guess." I nodded and sighed at
her. Ever since we had returned from
the shopping, I couldn't wipe that
stupid smile off my lips and
Riddhima's face off my mind. It was
as if both of them were etched. And
I somehow felt it was past
infatuation as I had crush on few
girls before. So I could differentiate
infatuation from what I felt towards
Riddhima. It was something new,
intense and deeper. It makes me
happy.
I found mom smiling. "I sometimes
feel guilty that I am getting you
married in haste. I am sorry for that.
You guys weren't even engaged due
to the complications in Riddhima's
kundali." I squeezed her hand in
response. "Because during the time
before wedding, when you spend
time with your fiancé, you experience
new feelings- beautiful and honest.
These feelings make or break the
relationship between the couple. It's
a beautiful journey of one's life
time."
I smiled at her. She had a dreamy
smile on her lips and I was sure she
was reminiscing her moments with
dad. Not to disturb her, I lay silent
on the bed staring at the fan.
Rewinding few hours of time I had
spent with Riddhima, I had to agree
to her. I knew I wouldn't have much
time alone with her before the
wedding. But I am glad I had spent
the evening with her. We didn't talk
about our life, didn't discuss about
our future but whatever interaction
we had non-verbally, it was more
than enough to make our
relationship stronger. If that is what
mom had been calling as the journey
of life time, I was sure I had mine.
So, finally they are getting married!Please vote! -Isha