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A panicking and worried Sid parks his car outside Armaan's house , his mind in a frenzy and his hands trembling. As he gets out of the car in the thundering rain at 1am in the night , you see that he is least bit bothered about having water run down his fair skin and blind his vision with it's raging knives. He is just not able to see or think straight. He keeps looking at his cellphone again and again as though expecting a call any given minute. He walks up the driveway to Armaan's house and rings the doorbell frantically .....
Sid ( to himself)- This is not possible at all! Just not possible... but... but why will Dr. Shashank lie .... no, he won't. Paddy Mom was also crying so much... (rings the doorbell again)....i hope everything is alright...I hope.. I hope she is ... she is okay.....Armaan! Open the damned door, will you?
Just then, the door is opened by a servant who is stunned to see a drenched and worried Sid at the door of his employer's house at this hour of the night,
Servant - Saab...
Even before the servant can utter another word, Sid holds up his hand to shut him up.
Sid ( grimly)- Armaan... where is Armaan? Call him down here right now!
And then, Sid hears footsteps coming down the staircase... slow, calm footsteps. Sid pushes the servant aside gently and comes into the main hall. He sees a smirking Armaan coolly walking down the staircase - dressed on his vest and draw string pajamas , his hair messy but his eyes tired and intense......
Armaan ( looks at Sid )- Whoa! What's up with you Dr, Siddhanth Modi? You have been splashing in the rain or something , dude? ... (looks at his wrist watch and makes a face)... it is 1am , Sid. What wind blew you in here, eh?
Sid looks furious and approaches him....
Sid ( angrily)- As if you don't know what happened, Armaan! ... And stop giving me those cute expressions! You very well know why am here .
Armaan ( talks to the servant but his eyes don't leave Sid's face)- Kaka, will you go and make some coffee for my friend? And please , get some fresh clothing as well.... can't let him fall sick... he is precious........
Kaka senses the tension between the two men and backs off... leaving the two men face-to-face in the dim lamps of the living room as lightening strikes outside , highlighting their handsome profiles.....
Sid( jaw tightens)- Enough Armaan.... where is she?
Armaan (shrugs his shoulders)- Who?
Sid ( looks ready to punch him)- Don't you dare sound so casual , Armaan! I am talking about Riddhima! She has not reached home, her parents are worried sick , her cellphone is off and I... I mean we have no idea where she is!
Armaan ( settles comfortably in his couch and rubs his chin )- Oh, i see.... Riddhima is nowhere to be found? That is why you are at my house at 1 o' clock in the night , drenched in rain and ready to kill me?.....( chuckles)... since when , Sid?... I mean , since when did you start worrying so much about Riddhima?
Sid ( controls his temper)- Armaan, i don't understand what you are trying to say... just tell me where is she? I dropped her outside the gates of your house and she was supposed to be here ... with you. But I can see that she is not. WHERE IS SHE?
Armaan ( coolly )- I have no freakin' idea , man. Seriously. ....( gets a little darker in mood)... but i don't think you should be raising all this hue and cry either, Sid. You did your job, didn't you? You took the decision that she should be with me. You told me that you were bringing her here . You dropped her at my doorstep..... your job was done, right? ... I mean , c'mon , you finally achieved what you had to through your I-AM-MAHAAN mode....so, i don't understand why you should be concerned about her getting lost or whatever!
Sid ( gets agitated)- Why should I be concerned? Are you like crazy, Armaan? i have every right to be concerned !
Armaan ( gets offensive)- Right? What right?
Sid - She is my friend!
Armaan - Friend? You are here for your friend? ....
Sid ( loses it)- Shut up Armaan! I am here because my wife is missing! ....( tears sting his eyes)... stop it! Stop it! Stop testing me like that! .... I am worried sick because i don't know where Riddhima is ... and now, i feel like a fool having left her with you when you couldn't take care of her!.... ( shakes Armaan by his shoulders).... speak up Armaan!
Armaan looks at Sid with a stunned troubled expression and a pensive smile comes over his face as he gently eases off Sid's hands from his shoulders and gets up....
Armaan ( smiles sadly)- Fool. Yes, Sid . You have been a colossal fool and more than that I have been such a giant fool...( shakes his head) ....First you and Riddhima fooled me and then, i fooled myself ... but it is over now ... because I can see everything clearly.....( looks at Sid)...You are a strange man , Sid. When I first met you, i saw a reflection of myself in you.....you were so endearing.... and then, i shared my heart with you.... not knowing that the man am talking to is my basket's husband.... trust me ... i had no idea what the weight of marriage is until i came to know that you and Riddhima were married... (laughs at his self and shakes his head).... and you.... you are a greater fool than me. ... what were you trying to do, Siddhanth Modi? Handing over your wife to me?.... Do you even realize the magnanimity of what you were trying to do?.....
Sid ( looks away)- I did the right thing, Armaan.... I mean... Nobody saw Riddhima's yearning and undying love for you like I did... she could kill herself for you , she went insane looking for you,. Then , how could i not do it for her? ... I mean, what was the point of keeping Riddhima away from the one she loved..... ( not meeting his eyes)... i have told you before and am telling you again.. i just wanted to make everything okay for Riddhima....even if it meant being with you....
Armaan ( runs a hand through his hair and tears well up in his eyes)- Isn't it so so strange, Sid? You have always taken decisions for Riddhima or waited for her decisions... yet... yet you never tried to find out what she wanted or how she felt? I kept loading her with my affection and you kept loading her with sacrifices... fantastic! .... Sid, i was trapped in time that was long gone , I knew nothing! But you! You were in real time and in reality , how could you not see?
Sid ( puzzled)- What do you mean,. Armaan?
Armaan ( holds Sid by his shoulders)- Sid.... I....oh, how i hate to say this...I ... I am .. I am long gone, Sid... I mean... I am on the other side of time... time that WAS... time that could not happen. What me and Riddhima shared was beautiful and will always be special... but the fact is that our past , our present did not make it into the future.... I am still the Armaan that i was... but you and Riddhima are no longer the people that you were ....
Armaan is not able to speak and there is a lump in his throat as he wipes off a lone tear rolling down his cheek. Sid gets concerned and looks at him searchingly....
Sid ( kindly)- Armaan....
Armaan ( raises his hand )- Let me speak, Sid because if i don't , i will start crying and i hate my good-looking face when i cry... Sid, i don't know what you and Riddhima have shared when I was not around and ... i... i don't want to know... my heart will just burst, you know. But what i know is that you....( taps him in his chest )... you gave her a new lease of life , you taught her to smile and be happy again, you married her knowing fully well that she will perhaps never love you!.... and i hate this goodness of yours!
Sid ( begins to cry)- Don't say that Armaan, please... I... I know that Riddhima will never love me...You must not hate me... Please don't hate me, please.
Armaan (still holding Sid's shoulders)- I hate your goodness, Sid! Because that means I can never hate you!.... Because that means Riddhima cannot leave you!
Armaan's words slice through Sid's heart as Armaan takes a few steps away from Sid and rubs his eyes to clear his vision off the tears stinging it.
Sid ( his heart pounding)- What do you mean , Armaan?
Armaan goes and stands at the door of his house.....
Armaan - She was standing right here and I stood at the staircase..... I did not open my arms to her because I knew she wouldn't run into them. I just kept looking at her , in both hope and despair. .... but she did not move.... she lifted her eyes to my face and i saw in them what i have been seeing ever since I came back.... a distant profoundness , an inexplicable turmoil.... tears of feeling that were not for me.......
Sid ( taken aback)- Armaan... was she ... I mean , is she okay? Why was she... crying like that?
Armaan ( looks back at Sid with a sad smile)- She was not crying, Sid.....she was realizing that life and her heart really have taken a leap... and there is no road that leads back to me. But before she could say it, I .... ( closes his eyes)... I knew it..... And I told her to stop right there......
Sid looks shell shocked as Armaan walks back to him....
Armaan ( looks affectionately at Sid)- Siddhanth, a love like mine and Riddhima's comes just once in a lifetime..... but... at the same time , a relationship like yours and .... and Riddhima's also happens once in a while.....
Sid understands what Armaan is trying to say and his face crumbles with emotion....
Sid ( chokes with tears)- Does she....
Armaan ( grins)- Love you?
Sid says nothing.
Armaan ( wounded)- Riddhima has never loved anything or anyone more than me, Sid.... and if thinking of you she stopped her steps towards me .... then , better than you or Riddhima... I know the answer, dude.
Sid ( intensely)- Where is she ?
Armaan ( tries to joke but fails miserably)- You love her and I know that. So, wherever she is ..... you would know.... follow your heart. For once , Sid..... follow your heart....
Sid smiles through tears and in one heart-stirring moment , he hugs Armaan and Armaan looks emotionally struck. Tears roll down his cheeks as he hugs Sid back.....
Armaan ( breaking away)- Go now, Sid. Get your wife.... ( looks away)... and I ... i cannot say that again......
Sid looks at Armaan with an inexplicable pensive gesture and runs out in the rain.....Armaan keeps looking at the door and then, he slowly walks towards the door and shuts it. He slides down the door and crashes on the floor.
Armaan( his voice quivering)- I always wanted to hate you, Sid... I wish I could but no.....I can never hate you. .....Just take care of my basket like you always have ... so that I can be happy thinking that I brought an end to this endless agony for the three of us.......
Armaan puts his head between his knees and bursts out crying , his wails echoing in the night........
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