Part 6
"bas han rahul! Mere sath flirt karne ki adat gayi nahi na ab tk tumhari. Or to kisi k sath nahi karte. Chalo! andar chalo."
Ridhima brought rahul and muskaan inside.
Arman was sitting inside feeling uncomfortable, he didn't knew why. As ridhima brought rahul and muskan inside she saw arman,
"oh. Arman ye rahul hai or ye muskan and guys ye arman hai. Dr. Arman malik." Ridhima introduced them and arman stood up to meet them.
"oh hi arman" said muskan and both of them shook hands.
"hey arman. nice to meet you"sadi rahul and he shook hands with him as well.
Arman smiled at them and then looked at ridhima.
"per ridzy ye yahan kaise??" muskan asked.
"ridzy??" arman smiled at the nick.
"ya we call her ridz or ridzy, pyar se!" said rahul
"pyar se!!" arman said
"yes ofcourse she's our so close friend. Wouldn't you prefer to call her by that name as well. I mean we all do!" said muskan as they all sat down.
"no! I prefer ridhima just ridhima!!" he said and ridhima felt uncomfortable. She started twitching her fingers and arman saw this.
"errr…well… errr hum yahan park main mile thay and… since we are friends" said ridhima.
"just friends ya phir…" said muskan and she giggled and gave rahul a high five.
"tum log betho main abhi ati hun"
and ridhima with drew herself and went in kitchen. Arman's eyes were following her.
"so arman. what do you do here??" asked rahul and they started conversation with eachother while ridhima was preparing something to eat. After a short while arman asked to leave,
"ok guys main chalta hun. Mujhe kuch kam hai"
"array betho na. itna acha lag raha hai tum se batain kar k" said rahul and ridhima came out of the kitchen hearing this and brought a trolley with her.
"arman thordi dair baad chale jana. Waise bhi aj kitne dino bad aye ho"
"so you felt that??" he asked in front of rahul and muskan which made ridhima feel even more uncomfortable and this time rahul and muskan glanced at eachother to try to understand what was going on between them. Arman sat down silently and ridhima served them all. When she had served everyone she once again went inside the kitchen. She stood there keeping her hands on the counter thinking to herself,
"kaise bulaon arman ko yahan?? Abhi bulaon ya bad main?? Bad main kahin wo chala na jae or mujhe moqa hi na mile?? Nahi nahi abhi bulati hun!" and she moved forward to the window and called arman,
"arman suno!!" arman stood up and went inside the kitchen feeling a little surprised that ridhima had called her like this. She took out a small tiffin from the refrigerator and handed it to arman.
"ye kiya hai??" he asked
"laddoo. Errr…tumhare liye. Wo kal raat ko banaye thay"
"tumhain kaise pata tha k main aj aonga?"
"aise hi laga tha"
"or agar main na ata to??"
"to main… to main khud tumhain ye dene ajati" she said looking at him. Arman saw straight in her.
"itni bhi kiya bechaini thi ridhima??"
"arman ye tum…"
"ARRAY GUYS tum logo ka kitchen main hi khana khane ka irada hai kiya??" came rahul's voice.
"nahi nahi hum arahe hain" said ridhima and said to arman,
"chalo" and he nodded his head.
Soon Minnie came and as she walked inside, she saw arman and ran to him screaming in delight,
"ARMAN BHAIYYA!!" she threw her arms around his neck and said,
"kahan chale gaye thay ap?? Apko pata hai di or main apko kitna miss kar rahe thay!! Or abhi kal to di ne rona…"
"Minnie!!" ridhima stopped Minnie from saying any further and everyone looked at ridhima. Rahul and muskan were now sure that there definitely was something more than fishy in their relation.
"oho im sorry Minnie. Wo mujhe hospital main bohat kam agaya tha isliye achanak busy hogaya"
"per ek bar phone to karte!!"
"ya you'r right mujhe phone karma chahiye tha Minnie se baat karne k liye. Right??"
"Han or di??" Minnie asked. Arman looked at ridhima who was looking at the floor.
"Han tumhari di se bhi."
"Acha to phir ab ap promise karo k itne dino k liye kahin nahi jaogay" Minnie moved back and gave her hand to arman to promise her.
"Han baba promise kahin nahi jaonga ab. Waise bhi ub zaroorat bhi nahi hai kahin jane ki" he said and rdihima felt shivers running down in her body. She dint knew why she felt as if he was talking that concerned her but soon she shook those thoughts out of her mind. She was sitting still like a statue and couldn't look up while rahul and muskaan were quietly examining the relation between the three of them.
"why?? Main itna kiyun ghussa horaha hun k rahul or ridhima itne close hain? After all muskaan bhi to ridhima k utne hi close hai…. Per nahi wo rahul kuch ziada hi irritating hai… dude m confused" said arman holding his hair. He was in his home pacing around.
"or ridhima ne to mujhse theek se pucha tak nahi k main itne dino se kiyun nahi aya phir main kiyun itna feel kar raha hun ye sb. Kahin main…. Nah idiot aise kaise main ridhima se… pyar… kar sakta hun!" said arman taking out the word 'pyar' with a sigh from hios mouth.
"to phir mujhe ye shabd 'pyar' itna khoobsurat kiyun lag raha hai aj?? Pehle bhi to kitni bar ye shabd bola hai per itna sundar nahi laga jitna aj. I think i… nah man"
"yar ye lardki hai k kiya hai?? Aj tk itna confused apni poori life main nahi hua jitna aj horaha hun. Kiya karun kuch samajh nahi araha. Let's see kal ridhima k ghar jaonga and ye sb usko bata dunga jo main feel kar raha hun. Cool?? Ya cool!!" he said and smiled.
Next day arman woke up and after his hospital he drove to ridhima's house. The door was opened and arman thought that perhaps Minnie has gone to play outside so he walked in and saw that rahul, muskan and ridhima were all dancing on loud music. Arman was jealous to see ridhima and rahul so close to eachother. The brushing of their shoulders was killing arman. he couldn't see that muskan was also with them but he only saw rahul and muskan. He wanted to walk out of there but instead he knocked the door with a stiff expression. All of them stopped and turned to see that it was arman at the door.
"array arman ao na! come on" said ridhima and called him in.
"hey guys" said arman and walked in.
"kiya logay? Juice, coffee, tea, green tea, pink tea, milkshake, icecreamshake" asked ridhima happily and breathlessly.
"lagta hai ridzy ne apna caf khol liya hai jo menu batane khardi hogayi hai" said muskan sitting on the ground beside the table and she poured water in a glass from the jug that was placed on the table.
"green tea chalegi" he said.
"cool" said ridhima and was about to turn when she heard arman say,
"sath main zeher bhi mila dena" ridhima was shocked to hear this.
She looked at arman with her mouth dropped open.
She wanted to say something when suddenly muskan and rahul screamed,
"hum bhi piyenge!!"
"y…ya" she said with a fumble and slowly went in the kitchen while looking at arman who looked at her as well.
Ridhima was shocked that arman said this. She wanted to know why he said this but how was she going to ask him this infront of everyone.
"oye kahan khoyi hui hai??" said muskan snapping her fingers in front of ridhima, "kab se bolrahi hun kuch sunayi nahi deta kiya??"
"im sorry kiya kehrahi thi tum??"
"ridzy!! What's wrong with you?? I was asking k kuch help chahiye per tu to pata nahi kin khayalon main gum hai" said muskan and walked to washbasin and started washing the utensils that were there.
"nahi kuch nahi bas aise hi"
"aise hi ki chachi! ek baat bata! Tere or arman k beech kuch hai kiya??"
"kiya?"
"dekh ridzy mujhse kuch chupane se to rahi tu. Dekh mujhe itna to pata tha k tujhe ispe crush tha per yahan a k to halaat hi badle huay hain. I mean I never thought k wo istarha tere ghar pe hoga"
"muskan ye jo kuch bhi hai sb just accidently hua. Nothing was intentional. Matlab main ne jan boojh k usko…"
"array main kahan keh rahi hun k tu ne jaan boojh k usko phansaya hai. Main to bas ye pooch rahi hun k tum dono k beech kuch hai kiya??"
"nahi to"
"hmmm half truth, half lie" said muskan with a sigh and she walked out of the kitchen leaving ridhima with her thoughts.