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arima_mallik
--->> arima_mallik <<---
The next day had been busy like hell. He was deep drowned in work till his neck. But every time that the frustration was about to explode he would think of her face that would greet him with a sweet smile and that heavenly hug that would always made him forget everything; and that would automatically calm him down.
Around 11.30 he quietly entered the house; making sure he was making no noise. In same manner he opened the door to his room expecting her to be fast asleep by now. But as the door opened he found the lights still on and the bed empty which meant she was still wide awake.
Briefcase placed neatly on the table; he removed his blazer throwing it carelessly on the bed as usual and started undoing his tie when she walked out of the washroom. Her eyes closed while she looked tired;
Hey...tum ab tak soyi nahi?
His words startled her and that was clearly shown on her face as she opened her eyes wide in surprise while her hand instantly went to her chest trying to console her heart.
Aap...vo...haan; aapka hi... intezar kar rahi thi.
She said in broken words and closing the washroom door walked past him picking his blazer to put it away.
Kafi der ho gayi aaj aane main aapko!
She was looking really worn out. Afterall she was an early bird; rather she had to be as she was supposed to get the breakfast and all the things ready for him every day. And today all thanks to him she was too late to grab her beauty sleep as well; so all of that must have drained her out.
Riddhima tumhe so jana chahiye tha. I told you I am going to be late na!
She kept his things away and got his night clothes out of the wardrobe almost ignoring his words. So he just grabbed her arm and made her face him;
Arey...ye sab rehne do tum. I'll do all that don't worry. Tumne khana khaaya?
She nodded her head negative as expected!
Tch...now why didn't you? I told you don't wait for me. Chalo koi baat nahi I'll freshen up quickly fir we'll have dinner together theek hai.
He started unbuttoning his shirt hastily to quickly freshen up and join her for the dinner but she interrupted;
Nahi Armaan...vo actually maine sham ko jyada hi snacks kha liye the shayad toh mere peth main thodi jalan ho rahi hai. Main...main aapke liye khana laga deti hu; mujhe vakai bhuk nahi hai Armaan!
He approached her with quick steps and held her as if she was a glass doll; lovingly yet delicately;
Hey; tum theek ho na? Everything fine?
A small smile broke on her face instantly;
Jee main bilkul theek hu; bas thoda sa dudh peeke so jaungi toh I'll feel better. Nothing to worry about Armaan.
A: Sure?
She nodded her head giving her assurance.
--------------------
His hand tapped his side; all his four sides on bed but couldn't reach it's destiny. Now that made him open his eyes with annoyance filled in his veins; eyes half closed due to lack of sleep; a frown on forehead and a cute pout on his lips.
Sitting up on the bed rubbing his eyes he tried to find his lovely wife who was missing from the bed; but unfortunately even the entire room didn't give him the answer of her whereabouts.
He walked downstairs still in a sleepy state and found Joseph setting the breakfast table.
Jo: Good morning sir; should I get your plate ready?
A: No...umm...vo Riddhima...
Jo:
Oh yes ; Ma'am has gone out for some work. Unhone mujhe inform karne ke
liye kaha tha aapko. Vo kuch hi der main aa jayengi tab tak aap nashta
kar lijiye aise bol kar gayi hai vo.
He nodded his head getting the message but not really happy with it.
It had been 3 hours now; he was ready in his office clothes all set to go but there was no sign of Riddhima. Her phone was never picked up neither was she replying to any of his messages. Her mom dad had no clue about her as well! Rahul too was already at office so he had no clue either.
As the clock struck 11:15 he stood up to go in search of her when she entered the house and came face to face with him. She was a little surprised to find him home;
Arey aap; ab tak ghar par hi hai?
He just glared at her in the worst way possible making her divert her gaze. His words came out in most harsh way possible but he cared less;
Where the f****** hell were you? And do you even know how this thing functions?
He held up his mobile in front of her demanding an answer.
She was soo terrified by his hoarse voice and hard glare that she couldn't even make sense to what he was asking for.
Armaan vo main...
He cut her in between grabbing her arms tightly;
For past 3 hours you are missing and you better have a nice explanation for this. Aisa kya kaam tha itni subah jo mujhe inform kiye begair tum gayab thi. And to add to it; you were too busy to revert back or answer my calls!
He left her and stood a few steps back folding his hands against his chest but still the hot look on his face demanding an answer on urgent basis.
I am listening Riddhima! SPEAK!!
She blinked her eyes trying to fight her tears back and gulped hard trying to frame some statement;
Vo...mera phone silent pe tha. Mujhe...kuch kaam tha...aap so rahe the toh...I...I had informed Joseph...us...
So now Joseph will give me your updates from now on! Is it?
Armaan main...I am...
He walked past her and taking the briefcase moved out so swiftly full of anger that she jerked due fear. She saw the glimpse of his other side which was surely not affordable for her she concluded.
Jo: Arey ma'am aap aa gayi. Sir was waiting for you since long. Vo kaha hai?
R: Vo...chale gaye office.
Jo: Office? Pa unhone toh breakfast bhi nahi kiya; aur ye tiffin box bhi yahi chod kar chale gaye.
R: Kya? Armaan ne ab tak naashta nahi kiya tha!
Jo: Nahi ma'am...unhone kaha tha aap aayengi toh aap dono saath main nashta karenga. Anyways main aapke liye breakfat laga du?
R: Umm...nahi; I don't feel like it. It's okay aap jaiye.
She felt guilt engulf her veins as she found out that he left without having anything. It increased even mor as she checked her cell which showed 22 missed calls and 10 messages back to back.
Now she knew why his anger had triggered at such a high level terrifying her! She couldn't undo her mistake but could surely try to make up to him.
Around 1 she entered the premises of his office and went straight to the reception.
R: Excuse me; can you pease guide me to Mr. Armaan Mallik?
Receptionist: Sorry ma'am I can't. He does not want to meet anyone for now. Do you have an appointment?
R: No I ...
Receptionist:
Then I am really sorry ma'am you will have to take an appointment
first. He doesn't meet anybody without an appointment.
R: Well actually I don't think I'll need one.
Receptionist: Excuse me ma'am?
Riddhima gave her a warm smile and replied back with pride;
Well actually I am his wife. Mrs. Riddhima Mallik! Now can you please tell me where is he?
Receptionist: Oh I am so sorry ma'am; I didn't know. But still ma'am; vo is waqt bohot ghusse main hai I don't think...
R: Mujhe pata hai; aap sirf mujhe unka cabin kaha hai bataiye; don't worry I'll handle everything else.
Receptionist: Umm...vo yaha se straight jaake 4th cabin. But ma'am unke orders hai kisiko andar na bhejne ke toh...
R: Aap tension mat leejiye he won't be angry on you I promise.
He heard a knock on the door and the door flung open;
How dare you enter without my permi...
His words stuck in his throat as he found Riddhima standing in front of him with a beautiful smile platered on her face. But his loud voice had grabbed the attention of the receptionist and she came running towards his cabin.
Recptnst: Sorry sir; I tried to stop ma'am but she said she's your wife so...
A: It's alright; leave!
R: Aapke liye tiffin laayi thi; aapne naashta bhi nahi kiya tha toh...
A: What are you doing here?
R: Tiffin dene aayi thi Armaan.
A: De diya? Now you may leave!
Saying so he turned his attention back to the file; lying on his desk.
R: Par main...
A: I am getting late for my meeting; excuse me!
He stood up and walked past her completely ignoring as if she never existed there.
Her heart broke into pieces while she felt the tears brimming in her eyes. How she thought they will have their lunch together after she would apologize for her morning stupidity and he would hug her as always forgiving her.
But he did not even bother to look into her eyes to see how much hope they held; and left just like that.
The clock struck 7 and he entered the house with a grim face. He found her sleeping with her head on the dining table with a few dried tears near her eyes; which showed she had slept there waiting for him.
His heart twisted in pain and his feet on their own accord moved in her direction. Moving the fringe off her face he wiped the lone tear and caressed her cheek.
He knew he had been really rude to her in the afternoon but he did not intentionally do it. Her carelessness had taken a toll over him and the anger just poured out by default.
As he was busy staring at her; she opened her eyes bringing him out of his revive.
R: Aap aa gaye? Aap fresh ho jaiye; main abhi coffee banakar laati hu aapke liye.
A: Nahi mujhe nahi chaiye...
R: Par; aapne subah se kuch nahi khaya...
She said in a low voice with her heart almost at her throat.
A: Mujh...
He was about to retort back reminding that she was the reason for it; but seeing her pale face ready to burst in tears while the hope in her eyes killed his courage of doing so. So he simply sighed no more wanting to upset her;
A: Hmm...theek hai.
She thought once that he was back from his shower she would talk to him and sort everything. But to her luck; Rahul came over by the time and they both started discussing about some stupid deal making her plans go in drain.
For the first time her Spiky had come in her way and she so wanted him to leave!
Ra: Kya baat hai Jerry; aaj badi chup chup ho? Everything fine...
R: Nahi Rahul; nothing...bas aise hi. Umm...tum log batein karo main khana lagati hu tab tak.
Ra: Woow khana; I am so famished. Please jaldi lagao na; I just can't wait.
A: Abey oye Rahoool; ye file toh poori kar le, bhukaad kahi ka!
Ra: Toh haan main kaha mana kar raha hu; par unlike you main normal insan hu aur mujhe bhuk lagti hai; vaise bhi Riddhima ke yummy dishes ki khusboo aa rahi hai which is so tempting. Tu toh bas ek number ka akdu hai; Riddhima I feel so pity for you; ise toh ye sab kabhi nahi samajh main aayega.
A: Actually mujhe vakai kuch samajh nahi aata; maybe isi liye log mujhe kuch batana jaruri hi nahi samjhte!
She bit her lip as she understood his underlying words; but nonetheless giving a small smile to Rahul she left the room to set the table.
Throughout the dinner Rahul could see Riddhima stealing glances at Armaan; but Armaan never bothered to look up.
He sensed that there was something wrong between them and thought of leaving them alone; so quickly finishing his dinner he moved out of the house without any further exchange of words. Any other time he would have tried to talk to her but he could see that it was something serious so he just let them be.
After dinner he still remained buried in his files while she kept arranging things which; was actually a pretext as she was actually waiting for him to get done with his work because she knew otherwise he would just ignore her words giving the reason of his work.
Even after 2 hours when he still remained busy with his work; she felt really sad and low. SO grabbing her cell phone she quickly called her mom hoping that it would make her feel a little better.
Armaan on the other hand was actually busy in his work to even notice what she was doing. He knew that she wasn't going to sleep without having a conversation and so she was just setting up the things in room which were already well settled!
But after sometime he actually became too busy to even realize that now it had been 2 hours that she had been waiting for him. Just as he felt a little pain in his neck he tried to twist it a little and that is when his gaze fell on her.
She stood by the balcony having her back towards him; while she spoke on the phone she stared at the night sky steadily while her other hand played with the window ledge. He looked up at the clock and realized she must be really sleepy as she woke up too early today; went out and of course because of their fight he was pretty sure she must have cried for the entire day after coming back from his office.
She turned around to have a look at him but found him still working on his laptop. He knew that she was watching him but purposely did not show it. Quickly closing his files and laptop he finally decided to go and talk things out. Or else he knew she would cry the night out blaming herself.
Oblivious to everything around she continued her phone convo. watching the moon. But suddenly she felt some presence besides her.
There; he stood right next to her leaning on the window; his hands crossed while he stared down at her watching her every little act. She turned a little nervous as he looked straight into her eyes.
R: Maa vo main...
He walked slowly towards her and took the phone from her hands while she continued staring back.
A: Hello aunty; kaise ho aap?...
Jee...jee aunty
Vo sorry aunty can I call you back later; actually mujhe Riddhima se kuch kaam tha;...
haan nahi vo ek file nahi mil rahi thi meri toh...
P: Haan haan beta koi baat nahi. Vaise bhi kaafi raat ho gayi hai; main Riddhima se yahi keh rahi thi ki vo bhi so jaaye. Chalo fir main rakhti hu tum dono apna khayal rakho...good night beta.
A: Good night aunty.
She stood fiddling with her fingers. He kept the phone away and just stared at her for two minutes making her even more uncomfortable. He could clearly see the tears that she was very well hiding; maybe by now she was a little expert in doing that.
She wanted to start the conversation but was choked by tears.
A: Hmm?...don't you want to sleep tonight?
She just looked up at him as that was the most normal thing he spoke to her throughout the day. She just kept staring into his eyes unable to speak and he felt really bad now. Maybe he shouldn't have been so rude to her.
A: Riddhima...we need to talk!
Grabbing her hand he tagged her along and took her to the bed. He could see her eyes red and gave a second thought on whether to have a conversation or let her just take some rest.
Do you want to talk now; ya fir tum bohot thak gayi ho; toh fir hum kal subah baat kar lenge...
She simply nodded her head;
Abhi baat karni hai.
Her choked voice shattered his heart and he instantly softened.
Ok...don't cry; we will talk; come. He made her sit next to him and placing a pillow on his lap patted it inviting her.
A tear somehow finally dropped down her eye making him shut his eyes in agony.
Riddhimaaa...baby come here. Don't cry; come lie down we will talk...shh... stop crying.
Grabbing her arm he pulled her down making her lie her head in his lap while he caressed her head.
I am sorry Riddhima; I shouldn't have been so rude. But now don't cry over it; har baat ka solution rona thodi hota hai!
Well but to be frank I am not having this conversation because I forgive you; main sirf is liye baat karna chahta hu tumse because I know ki agar ab main tumse baat nahi karunga toh tum raat bhar sirf rote hue nikalogi jo main nahi chahta.
She gulped her tears and made an effort to explain her deed;
Armaan main...
But she was instantly cut by his stern voice shutting her up almost instantly as she could se the anger surging in him;
I am not done yet!
3
HOURS!! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA RIDDHIMA KI 3 GHANTE; MAIN PAGALON KI
TARAH JAB TUMHE CONTACT KARNE KI KOSHISH KAR RAHA THA LAGATAR AND YOU
DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO ONCE ANSWER MY CALL OR MESSAGES TOH WHAT WAS I
GOING THROUGH?
YOUR MOM DAD DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE ABOUT YOU; RAHUL SE KOI BAAT NAHI HUI TUMHARI AUR TUMHARE DOSTON KE CONTACT NUMBERS HAI NAHI MERE PAAS. DO YOU EVEN REALISE HOW HELPLESS I FELT AT THAT MOMENT. AND ALL THAT YOU HAD TO SAY AFTER COMING BACK WAS; YOU WERE UNAWARE BECAUSE YOUR CELL PHONE WAS ON SILENT! THAT'S IT!! I MEAN SERIOUSLY ARE YOU FOR REAL?
Mujhe pata nahi tha itna waqt lag jaayega Armaan. Main...mu...jhe...vakai kuch jaruri... kaam tha.
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