~If Tomorrow Comes (AR OS)~

RECAP: AR fight...They don't talk for nearly 3 days and finally Armaan who was returning home from his shoot decides to break the ice but as soon as he reached home he was greeted with a sight that literally shook the earth beyond his feet...

PART-B

There stood in the middle of the living room was Ridhima with none other than Abhimanyu Modi and they both were sharing a deep, passionate hug. Abhimnayu was just about to kiss her shoulder when Armaan who all along stood numb in shock roared in extreme anger "RIDHIMA... As soon as Ridhima and Abhimanyu heard him they parted from the hug and looked towards Armaan who was shaking with rage. Without even waiting for them to say something or asking anything he marched angrily towards them and grabbed Abhimanyu by his collar...HOW DARE YOU, TUMHARI HIMMAT KAISE HUI MERE GHAR ANE KI AUR MERI PATNI KE KAREEB ANI KI... yelled Armaan as he began punching Abhimnayu making Ridhima gasp in horror. "Ar...Armaan chodo use...leave him said Ridhima trying her best to part Armaan away from Abhimanyu as he was beating him really badly. "Nahi Ridhima...I will kill this man today...ISKI HIMMAT KAISE HUI TUMHE CHUNE KI...replied Armaan, again punching Abhimnayu...Armaan, chodo use...Abhimnayu ko yaha maine bulaya tha...I called him here...just leave him Dammit Said Ridhima, now raising her voice as well and just as Armaan heard what she said he stopped beating Abhimanyu and left him abruptly while he immediately turned towards Ridhima, confusion written all over his face...Tumne bulaya? Kyu? Are you mad, tum achi tarah se janti ho yeh kaise admi hai phir bhi tumne use yaha bulaya...WHY? asked Armaan highly annoyed at this piece of information. Ridhima stood mum hearing his question which only increased his irritation "Ridhima main tumse kuch puch raha hu, tumne is admi ko yaya kyu bulaya...ANSWER ME DAMMIT... "Because she loves me...pyaar karti hai mujhse said Abhimanyu getting up from the floor where Armaan had literally thrown him before. Hearing Abhimnayu's words Armaan clenched his fists as tight as he could trying his best to control his anger "Ridhima I am asking you something and I WANT AN ANSWER said Armaan with his fiery gaze stuck on Ridhima who did not dare look up at him. "Ridhima...ab sach bata do sweetheart, there is no point hiding the truth anymore said Abhimanyu in a sugary tone as he walked towards Ridhima and placed his palm at the small of her back making Armaan furious...HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HER He yelled angrily and was just coming ahead to give him another blow when Ridhima held him back and finally broke her silence  "Abhi sach keh raha hai Armaan, we...we both love each other she said, still looking down. "Ridhima, you need not lie and defend this ass...main janta hu yeh tumhare sath batameezi karne ki koshi... "I am not lying or defending anyone Armaan, main wahi keh rahi hu jo sach hai...I...I love Abhi and...and main usi ki sath rehna chahti hu ab... she said cutting him in between "Sun liya tum... Abhimnayu tried saying something but Armaan just pointed his finger at him and said in a no-nonsense tone "I am talking to MY WIFE and I do not APPRECAITE some third person to speak in between...To ise pehle that I lose my temper and break every little bone in your body I suggest that you shut your mouth." Armaan then held Ridhima's wrist angrily and without saying anything further he dragged her towards their room and banged the door shut behind him, he had enough already and he now wanted some answers. He pulled her harshly towards himself making her bang against his chest...To Ridhima tell me, You love this...this Abhimanyu right? Uske sath rehna hai tumhe ab. Clearly all the years we were together, all the love we had does not matter to you anymore...Fine! Sab man liya maine he said while she finally looked up at him almost shocked at how easily he got convinced but soon enough recovered from her shock as she heard his next words "Lekin sirf ek baar, meri akhon mein dekh kar yeh sab kaho...Sirf ek baar Ridhima and I swear I won't ask you anything else Ridhima kept looking in his eyes but soon averted her gaze making him smirk a little...I knew it, janta tha ki tum nahi bol... he went to say something but was cut short by that one line that pierced his heart "I love Abhi she said in one breath, looking up in his eyes. "Sun liya? Now leave me... She said getting out of his hold while he stood numb hearing her, how could she betray him "Why??? he asked in mere whisper but that whisper was so painful that it could make the coldest of hearts cry. "I...I don't think the why's or how's  are of any importance anymore...Plus tumne hi kaha tha, that you won't ask anything Said Ridhima softly. "Huh... he chuckled sarcastically "You know what, you're right, main Jana bhi nahi jata ab, I am clearly not interested in knowing about your so called *Extra Marital Affair* He said emphasizing on the words extra marital affair, while she just turned her face away from him. "Tumhe us Abhimanyu ke sath rehna hai na, you love him right? To you're absolutely free to go koi nahi rokega tumhe, infact tum chaho to mein khud hi tumhe drop kardunga...You know why Ridhima? he asked walking extremely close to her and holding her shoulders he made her turn towards him "Kyuki now I DON'T want to stay with you, main ek aise ladki ke sath reh hi nahi sakta jisne mujhe dhoka diya ho...Infarct meri life ka sabse bada regret yahi hoga ki maine tum jaise dhokebaz se pyaar kiya, that I showered my love on a woman who deserved none of it...Isilye Please tum chali jao yaha se... He said in a tone that nearly tore Ridhima's heart. She looked up at him to see nothing but fire in those eyes that once held eons of love of her "Good Riddance He said literally jerking her away from himself and walking out of the room angrily, while she just stood there watching go away from her and wiped off the lone tear that had made its way through her eye.

...

A very angry Armaan went towards his study and banged the door hard behind him. KYUUU...WHY he yelled thrashing everything that came in his way. He could just not believe the fact that the woman who he loved to death cheated on him. How could she do that do him "Kyu Ridhima...kyu kiya tumne aise...AHHH He said while he infuriatedly pulled his hair as angry tears poured down his eyes...He stayed in the study for quite some time quietly cursing his fate and crying his eyes out an only came out when he heard some noise come from out. As soon as he came out of the study he wished that he had not for there he witnessed a site that he would have never wanted to see, Ridhima was walking down the stairs with all her luggage in hand and he knew that it was it she was going away...forever.

 

Tum mere ho iss pal mere ho
Kal shayad ye alam naa rahe

Armaan just kept looking at her as she slowly made her way towards Abhimanyu who was stood there with a shameless grin plastered on his face. Abhimnayu took the luggage from her and bending forward placed a kiss on her cheek making sure to let Armaan see it, while Ridhima just stood there devoid of any expressions or emotions.  Armaan who had his gaze fixed on Ridhima boiled with anger when he saw Abhimanyu kiss his Ridhima in front of him, but what actually triggered him was that Ridhima did not say anything; rather she just let him do what he was doing, It was as if she was someone else altogether...Somebody he did not know at all.

 

Kuch aisa ho tum tum naa raho
Kuch aisa ho hum hum naa rahe

"Chale... said Abhimanyu and holding Ridhima's hand he made his way out of the house, while Armaan just watched her go away with someone else leaving him all alone. He was just so upset and hurt, it was as if someone kept stabbing his heart and he could do nothing about it.  Just then his eyes landed on a small photo frame that held a picture of a cutely sleeping Ridhima and just in the heat of the moment he grabbed it and without thinking twice he thrashed it on the floor.

Yeh raaste alag ho jaaye

Chalte chalte hum kho jaaye

He kept looking at the broken picture frame on the floor forcing his heart to forget the person in that picture. He tried his best to find some peace by looking at the broken glass scattered all over her picture but that did nothing but increase his pain because no matter what said and done he still loved her...He just could not help it, he loved her a lot and that was that fact could just not be  changed. And so having lost the battle with his heart he walked slowly towards the broken picture and bending down he slowly removed all the broken pieces of glass from it.

Main phir bhi tumko chahunga
Main phir bhi tumko chahunga 

Is chahat mein marr jaunga
Main phir bhi tumko chahunga

Armaan then took the picture and placing it close to his heart cried so bad that even the angels above were weeping at his state. "Please come back...Please come back he chanted between his cries no longer able to bare this pain anymore. Yes he was very angry at her but more than that he was devastated, for him life meant Ridhima now that she left him he had no idea how to live.

Meri jaan mein har khamoshi hain
Tere pyaar ke nagme gaunga

Main phir bhi tumko chahunga
Main phir bhi tumko chahunga
Is chahat mein mar jaunga
Main phir bhi tumko chahunga

...

On the other hand, Ridhima who was by then in the car with Abhimanyu sat absolutely motionless as the later drove through the empty roads of the city. Soon enough he stopped the car and that brought Ridhima out of her zone, she looked around to see that he had stopped in front of her old apartment and without saying anything she opened her door and was just getting down when he stopped her "Ek minute, Yeh mat samjhna that now you can do as you please...I have my eyes on you 24/7 so just one wrong move and you are well aware of the consequences so be careful...Is that clear? Hearing him Ridhima just nodded robotically and without any further exchange of words she took her luggage and walked towards her house. She unlocked the door and walked inside the place she once called home, but now it was nothing but a place of shelter. She suddenly felt so cold on the inside, she felt so lonely and deep down she knew that this loneliness was going to be her companion for life, especially after the decision she took. Just at that thought her eyes welled up and unable to hold her emotions any longer she broke down and fell down on her knees crying her eyes out. She could not forget the accusations and pain that Armaan's eyes held as she left their house. She wanted to go hug him right then and tell him that she loved him and only him but she could not do so... "I am sorry...I am so sorry Armaan she said between her cries feeling complete broken just as the thought of being the reason behind his pain, but she had to do that, she had to hurt him to save him. She pulled her knees to her chest and sobbed hard, she closed her eyes and let herself drift back to that unfaithful day that changed their life for the worse, the day when she went to meet Abhimanyu Modi...

~FLASHBACK~

It had been nearly a week since Armaan's accident and since the day Ridhima received that horrible message from that unknown number which had taken away all her peace. It was around afternoon when Ridhima had woken up from her nap that she had taken on Armaan's insistence. She looked at her side and smiled seeing Armaan still fast asleep with a small frown as he had lost the warmth of her body against his. She bend down and placed a light kiss on his cheek which instantly erased that frown and brought a sweet smile on his face. Giving one last glance at him, she got up from the bed while tying her hair in a messy bun. She picked up her cellphone from the side table and was shocked to see another message from the same private number that had sent her that message about Armaan's accident a week back. With trembling fingers she managed to open the text and read its contents: 

"If you want to know who am I and what I want then meet me at the location sent below...And yes you better not tell anyone about this message or the consequences will be borne by your dear husband and trust me it won't be nice...so just do as told and be there by 5pm

Ridhima almost stopped breathing for a second after reading that message. God she was just about to consider the earlier message to be some nasty prank but after reading this she was assured that this was something very serious and not just prank. Her mind began racing with a thousand questions as to who could be behind all this but she could not think of anyone. She re-read the text and wondered what to do, should she go? It could be very risky she knew but if she does not go then how will she know who the culprit is? She debated on whether to tell Armaan or not but the small threat in the message was enough for her to decide against doing that. Finally after weighing all the pros and cons she decided to just go and find out and so leaving a note for Armaan, she quickly got dressed and left the house. Ayush her personal security insisted on accompanying her but she refused saying she was going for some personal work and did not want to be disturbed and so having no choice he too backed off and let her go alone.

...

After Driving for nearly 30 minutes and following her GPRS she finally reached the mentioned location. Taking a deep breath she got down of the car and with a thumping heart she walked inside to meet the so called blackmailer. As she walked inside the place which seemed like an old, disowned garage she found a young man standing there with his back towards the entrance. "Agayi tum...Kafi der nahi laga di ane main said the guy still with his back towards her. "Kaun ho tum? Aur humse kya chahte ho? she asked back in a voice as firm as she could manage. "Areyyy, itni bhi kya jaldi hai humse milne ki, vaise bhi you know me very well...Humare bohot purana rishta hai you know he replied back and she could clearly hear the smirk in his voice. "Dekho...mere pass yeh faltu time nahi hai, so just stop with the drama and just tell me who you are and what you want... Replied back Ridhima."Ahaan...I like firm women, they are just so sexy he said in a flirty tone while she cringed her nose feeling disgusted at his tone. "Khair tumhe zyada wait nahi karaunga... Dekh lo main kaun who I am right in front of you... Said the man and slowly turned around to face her. "Abhimanyu Modi... she whispered in complete surprise to find him there.  "Bingo! Bilkul sahi jawab" said Abhimanyu shamelessly folding his arms across his chest. "Iska matlab...woh accident?Woh text? Woh sab tum...you are behind all this. Lekin kyu? WHY? What do want? Asked Ridhima in a perplexed tone. "Tumhari pati ki barbadi, that's what I want, I want to destroy your husband replied Abhimnayu as he angrily threw the nearest object making Ridhima flinch. "He beats me every damn time, He always takes away the best chahe Woh College ho ya films. He is always everyone's first preference kyu? Kya kami hai mujhme...Lekin ab nahi, ab main use batana chahatu ki harna kya hota hai, I want him to feel pained, I want to hurt him to the best that I can and I WILL...aur is kaam mein meri help tum karogi said Abhimanyu, while Ridhima shook her head in disbelief "Tum pagal ho gaye ho, Just because Armaan is doing well or has done well for himself has nothing to do with yopur failure. Armaan apni kaam ki izat karta hai, he worships his work that's why he is so successful...Unlike you jise lagta hai ki success bas baithe baithe milta hai. Woh tumhari tarah nahi hai who takes things for granted and then blames others for being a bloody LOSER... "ENOUGH... Yelled Abhimanyu cutting her rant there and there. "Tumhari bakwas sune ka mere pass koi time nahi hai, and yes let me warn you before you say anything else ek baar yeh video dekh lo it might just make you shut your mouth" spat a highly pissed Abhimanyu and then without waiting for her to say anything he showed her a video that got her breath stuck in her Thorat. "Yeh...how?Kaise ? Ho...How did you get this ?" Stammered Ridhima..."kya hua awaz kyu band ho gayi tumhari?Don't you have anything else to say ? Or wait you can't say anything else anymore right? "Smirked Abhimanyu "I am sure your aware ki Agar ke yeh video media ke hath agayi, ya for that matter social media par bhi leak ho gayi to tunhare Armaan ka career humesha- humesha ke liye khatam ho jayega" said Abhimanyu while Ridhima still stood numb watching the video that had Armaan reading out the entire script of the film that he is currently working on with Mr. Sinha to his manger. Now the fact the he was reading the script to his manger was not the problem but the fact that it was recorded and if gone viral the entire story of the film would be out was the problem. "I am sure tum Mr. Sinha ko itna to janti hogi to know that he will not spare anyone who leaks anything about his movie...aur yeh to puri ki puri script leak hui hai" "But yeh tumahre pass Aya kaha se ?" Asked Ridhima trying her best to hide the fear in her voice. "Yeh sab mere pass kaise Aya is not really important you know, let's just say I have my sources..." he replied back then walking extremely close to her he said in a very dangerous tone "tumhe andaza bhi nahi hai ki main Armaan Malik ko barbad karne ke liye kis had tak ja sakta hu...Aur Agar tum chahti ho hu main aise kuch Na karu to tumhe bas Meri ek baat mani hogi" "kaisi baat?" Asked Ridhima in a small voice, "tumhe Armaan ko chodna hoga, you have to leave him forever...Bohot gurur hai use Na tum par, bohot pyaar bhi karta hai lekin main uske isi gurur ko todna chahta hu, I want him to know how is it to be lonely and alone and yeh sab sirf tab hoga jab tum use chod dogi" replied Abhimanyu in a negatively determined voice. "What rubbish? Aise kaise ho sakta hai, how can you even think ki main tumhari yeh baat man jaungi. Bilkul nahi main Armaan se bohot pyaar karti hu and I will not leave him under any circumstance" said Ridhima with equal determination in her voice and just proceeded to leave when she heard him speak yet again "Karna to tumhe padega hi sweetheart, nahi to be ready to pay for the consequences...Abhi to sirf ek chota sa accident karwaya Hai but if you do not listen to me to I promise you, not only will I spoil his career but will also KILL HIM, the rest is your choice".  Ridhima gasped hearing his words, what on earth was she supposed to do. She knew for a fact Abhimanyu was serious, she could read the fire in his eyes but how could she just adhere to his demand? How could she just leave Armaan like that? How was she supposed to live without that one person who was literally her life? But was her love, their love greater than his life? All these questions kept running in her head like a broken tape recorder and not knowing what to say she just walked out from there .She somehow drove back home with a heavy heart and on reaching home she came face to face with a very pissed off Armaan for she had left without security. She did not want to fight with him, she did not intend to but she her mind was so pre-occupied that she ended up lashing out on him and a petty issue which could have been solved right there was dragged for no reason. How she wished they did not  fight that night at least she could have been in his arms for one last time but destiny was probably not very nice to her. The next few days were pure torture on one hand Armaan had not spoken to her at all and somehow she was glad for she was sure she would have broken down in his arms and that she could not afford and on the other hand Abhimanyu's words kept haunting her. Eventually having no choice she made up her mind to give in to Abhimanyu's demand for she could bare anything but would not be able to bare anything happening to Armaan moreover she knew that he loved his career a lot and she did not want him to face that sort of criticism. She called Abhimanyu to tell him that she would do as told provided he promises that he would keep his word and cause no harm to Armaan to which Abhimanyu instantly agreed because he knew that nothing could hurt Armaan more than Ridhima leaving him and from there was derived the whole scene of Ridhima having an affair with Abhimanyu.

~End Of Flashback~

Ridhima who was thinking about the last few days and her decision to leave Armaan, had fallen asleep in the same sitting position still near the door. "ARMAAN... Screamed Ridhima as she woke up with a thud from a very bad dream where all she could see was Armaan looking at her with the most pained expression in his eyes and as much as she tried to go near him, the further away he went. She looked around to understand where she was and that's when reality hit her, she was in her house away from Armaan and now there won't be any Armaan either. 

Aankhen khule toh main dekhun tujhe
Sirf yeh hi farmaish hai
Pehli toh mujhko yaad nahi
Tu meri aakhiri khwahish hai

 

She hurt him beyond words today and he would definitely hate her now and this very thought killed her a million times. She hugged herself closer and cried, she cried thinking about all the good times she had with Armaan and that those would remain just memories from now.

 

Seh loon main ab teri kami

Mujhse yeh hoga hi nahi

Tum aise mujhme shaamil ho
Tum jaan meri tum hi dil ho
Shaayad main bhula doon khud ko bhi
Par tumko bhool na paaungi

"Infarct meri life ka sabse bada regret yahi hoga ki maine tum jaise dhokebaz se pyaar kiya, that I showered my love on a woman who deserved none of it... Armaan's words kept ringing in her ears tearing her heart every single time. But she felt he was right she actually did not deserve his love,  she deserved every bit of hate from him for  hurting him so much.  I AM SORRY ARMAAN...I AM SO SORRY she cried helplessly...

Main phir bhi tumko chaahungi
Main phir bhi tumko chaahungi
Iss chaahat mein marr jaaungi
Main phir bhi tumko chaahungi

...

It had been nearly a month since Ridhima left Armaan and life was pure hell for the both of them. The happy go lucky Armaan had transformed into a complete workaholic he had stopped interacting with anyone on the sets, he had stopped playing pranks on set and was only bothered with giving his shot and leaving. On the days when his work got done early he would just come home and lock himself in his room and brood over whatever happened. He wanted to hate Ridhima after what she had done to him but he just could not. The more he tried not to think about her the more she came in his mind. On the other hand Ridhima too was in the same condition maybe worse actually. Abhimanyu forced her to leave the film that she signed and when she tried refusing he not only threatened her again but also beat her black and blue. That was the day she realized that Abhimanyu was way more dangerous than what he seemed and she had to be more careful as he could very well just back off from his word and still hurt Armaan. Fortunately for her both John and Ayush were aware of the actual situation and she could trust them to be extra cautious. The day Armaan met with an accident John suspected something to be fishy and started investigating more into the matter, they happened to track both Armaan and Ridhima's phones to get any clue and that's when they found out about  the texts Abhimanyu had sent Ridhima. They confronted Ridhima directly and having no choice as they were very clever she did tell them everything but made them promise not to tell Armaan anything, they were against the idea but when she literally broke down in front of them and was on the verge of begging them, they had to agree but on the condition that Ayush would stay with her and protect her and though reluctantly she had to agree. 

After a few days there was a huge bash thrown by one of the biggest producer in town. He had called the who's who of the industry and everybody made it a point to tick their attendance for this man was someone who everybody wanted to please. Armaan had come alone and the media literally pounced on him as he walked in asking him various question about the alleged rumors of his separation with Ridhima that had been doing the rounds since sometime now but he remained tight lipped and without bothering to answer any question or pose for the camera he walked in straight inside the party. After sometime Ridhima entered the party but what caught everyone's attention was that she walked in with Abhimanyu, the media had already gotten some hints about the fact that AR were separated but they had no clue about Abhimanyu and Ridhima being there. Without wasting anymore time the media surrounded Abhimanyu and Ridhima bombarding them with questions about their relationship status Ridhima was just going to answer no comments and move ahead but was highly surprised when she felt Abhimanyu slip his hand on her back and reply "Well, all I can say for now is that I am a lucky man I have a beautiful lady in my arms what more does one want. Ridhima tried moving out from his grip but he held her tightly "Right? Ridhima he ask looking at her with an extra big smile and then looking up and as she followed his gaze she saw Armaan standing in the far corner of the lobby looking at the two of them with absolute fire and unexplainable pain in his eyes. Ridhima kept looking at him without blinking, she had seen him after a whole month and oh boy did she miss him, He seemed to have grown a slight beard while his hair was a little longer. She was just taking in his presence when she felt Abhimanyu dig his nails on her waist a little harshly making her hiss inaudibly " Right Ridhima? he asked again while giving her a meaningful look and this time she just nodded and forced a small smile out of her lips. She looked up again to see Armaan but he was no longer there and she knew that she hurt him again, her eyes welled up at being so helpless, at being the reason behind his pain but she had no choice she herself was stuck. Ayush who was escorting Ridhima and Abhimnayu for the evening sensed Ridhima's emotions and somehow dragged them away from the media saying that it was late and they should just get in now. The party was on in full swing, everybody was enjoying except of course Armaan and Ridhima who were very much lost in their thoughts. Abhimanyu purposely kept Ridhima very close to himself and kept touching her just to piss Armaan off.  And Armaan  who had his eyes constantly fixed on them felt so torn up, he wanted to kill Abhimanyu for as much as laying his eyes on Ridhima but how could he, his Ridhima...oops sorry not his anymore, Ridhima herself let him come close to her. Ridhima looked up to see Armaan staring at her with the most wounded expression, his eyes held questions that in spite of having answers of which she could not answer them. Suddenly she felt suffocated in that huge, properly ventilated room, she could not take it anymore, she could just not stand the accusations that those grey eyes held in them. Moreover she felt disgusted with Abhimanyu's touch; it was like everything was against her and so feeling very restless she excused herself and went towards the restroom where she immediately splashed some cold water on her face to calm herself down a bit. After a while when she did feel a bit better she came out from the washroom  but was in no mood to just go back to the party as of yet so she decided to go up to the terrace for a little while, right now she really wanted to just be alone for some time so without any further ado she went towards the elevator that and call it some sort of divine planning that just then even Armaan who was planning to just leave the party entered the same elevator just on time before the doors shut. He looked up to find Ridhima alone in there trying her best to not look at him, an awkward silence surrounded the air as they desperately waited for the lift to stop so they could just get out which was actually weird because normally they would die to have a few moments of alone time for themselves and today they wanted to run away from each other. Just as they both were thinking about this the light went off and the elevator stopped abruptly. "Yeh...yeh kya ho..ho raha hai?Li...light kyu chali gayi? stammered Ridhima as sweat beans started forming on her forehead as she was highly claustrophobic and very afraid of the dark. "Uhmm I don't know...Maybe because the weather is a little bad replied Armaan taking out his phone from his pocket to get someone to help them but unfortunately the network was really bad so he just left a message to John hoping that it gets delivered soon. He then looked up to see a very, very frightened Ridhima standing in the far corner of the lift. She looked so terrified that he just wanted to go and engulf her in his arms, he wanted to soothe her and tell her that it's okay everything would be fine for he was well aware about her anxieties but their current situation in life forced him stay right where he was and not move and inch. Suddenly the lift jerked loudly taking away even the little breath that Ridhima had left within her "Ar...Armaan she called out for him in a very scared tone, her voice sounded like she would stop breathing any minute now and that's it the moment Armaan heard her call for him he could no longer hold himself and without any further thought he went towards her and took hold of her hand to provide her with some relief "Ri...Ridhima its okay, I am right here okay...kuch nahi ho... he tried his best to calm her down but she cut him in between by hugging him very tightly "Mu...Mujhe bohot da...dar lag raha hai...Please mujhe bacha lo... she cried hiding her face on his chest. For a second he did not know how to react it was just so unexpected and he had no clue if he still had the right to hold her in his arms but soon enough he felt her tears soak his shirt and her small fists pulling him closer all inhabitations flew out the window and he securely wrapped his arms around her. At this point all he could think off was that Ridhima needed him and he HAD to be there for her, Shh...it's okay Ridhima abhi bas light ajayegi...sab theek ho jayega...You just try and realx hmm? he said gently rubbing his large palm over back to ease her fears. 

"Na...nahi ku...kuch theek nahi hoga... She said shaking her head against his chest making him frown at her words...Tu...tum please mere pass raho...muj...mujhe bacha lo please...Tum please ba...bacha lo...tum she kept on chanting this hugging him even tighter if possible while he did not understand why was she behaving like that, he knew she was scared but her voice was so helplessness it was like she was actually asking him to save her from something but what. However keeping all his thoughts aside he first decided to calm her down for she was crying really bad and he was scared that she would fall ill if she does not stop. He very gently detangled her from himself which was a task in itself, then he lovingly cupped her face in his hands "Ridhima, look at me...meri taraf dekho...I said look at me baby he said almost as if it was the most normal thing to say, he then forced her to open her closed eyes and look at him and even though it was very dark she could still see his face and his greyish blue eyes through the slight light coming from his phone. "Do you trust me? he asked hoping against hope that her answer would still be a yes in spite of everything that happened and he was not disappointed for thought after a moment but she did nod her head making him smile wide "to bas is mujpar vishwas rakho...I promise I won't let ANYTHING happen to you, just trust me baby he said lovingly wiping off her tears, while she simply crashed herself in his arms once again and this time he obliged without a second doubt because at that point the only thing that he could think of was Ridhima, for that one second it was as if everything was back to normal and it just felt so right, suddenly even the darkness did not feel that dark anymore. Ridhima on the other hand sobbed silently on his neck but this time it was not because of the dark but because she wanted this moment to stay forever, she wanted him to hold her in his arms and protect her from thus unruly world, she cried because she missed him so much and she wanted to savor every second of being with him, it was like she was trying to bask his presence within her as much as she could...

Baahon mein teri aake lagaa
Mera safar toh yahin tak hai
Tumse shuru tumpe hi khatam
Meri kahaani tumhi tak hai

It had been nearly twenty minutes that they had been stuck without any help in the elevator. Armaan even tried banging the door but he got no response. The lack of ventilation was making Ridhima really sick, she had started sweating profusely and even her breathing had turned heavy plus all the crying that she had been doing had only added up to her problems. Armaan was really worried looking at her state, he once again tried calling someone but the networks were really bad. He sat in a corner with Ridhima almost jammed on his chest; he kept rubbing her sweaty palms and also ran his hand through her back time again to give her some sort of relief. He tried to detangle her from himself lest she felt more suffocated but the harder he tried the more she resented and eventually he gave up and just let her be in his arms since that's what she wanted and honestly that's what he wanted too. After a few minutes he felt her eyes drop and that really made him panic "Ri...Ridhima don't close your eyes...akhein khuli hi rakho bacha please...Ju...Just sometime more sab theek ho jayega he said worriedly patting her ice cold cheeks in order to keep her eyes open but he really was not sure of how long will she be able to resist. She kept clinging to him even in her partially unconscious state afraid that if she let go he would leave her. "Tu...tum yahi rehna mere pa...pass...stay wi...with me " she kept chanting through her half open eyes making his eyes moist. She looked so vulnerable at that moment and that very site pinched his heart real bad. "Main yahi hu Ridhima...I am right here sweetheart" he mumble pulling her cold body closer to himself as he placed a comforting kiss on her forehead...

 

Dil ko jo de raahat si

Tujhme hai woh khamoshi

Sau baar talaash liya khudko

Kuch tere siva na mila mujhko

Saanson se rishta tod bhi loon

Tumse tod na paungi.. hmm..

 

As time passed by Ridhima's condition only worsened, it was getting really difficult for her to breathe but she somehow managed to keep her eyes open because Armaan just did not let her close them. After some time thankfully there was somebody who realized that the elevator was stuck and that there was someone inside. An electrician was called ASAP and after a little effort they did manage to get the door open. As soon as the door opened Armaan took an almost unconscious Ridhima in his arms and brought her out, completely ignoring the thousand gazes that followed him. He made her lay on a couch placed on the lobby of the building and immediately called for some water which was brought to him without any delay. He took some water in his hands and sprinkled it on her face at first she just stirred a little bit as he sprinkled some more water she started becoming more aware of what was happening. Everyone present there stood watching the scene, highly confused at what was happening for as far as they knew Armaan and Ridhima has parted ways but it did not seem so. Abhimanyu who was was also a part of this audience stood there with boiling blood as he watched Armaan gently run Ridhima's palms. This angered him so much because he could clearly see that Ridhima too did not resist his touch and he feared that she must have told him everything. However keeping the place and people around in mind he forced himself to calm down and taking a deep breath and masking on an expression of fake concern he walked towards Ridhima "Arey Ridhima? Yeh kya Ho Gaya ? Are you okay dear ?" He asked as he approached her and almost pulled her hand out of Armaan's grip. The look he gave her was enough to remind her the harsh reality she was stuck in. Oh god how she would die to go back to that dark place at least she could be with Armaan but one look at Abhimanyu and she knew that her dream is over now, it's time to get back to reality. She tried getting up to which Armaan was going to help her but she stopped him by showing him her hand and called for Abhimanyu to help her, she did not even need to look at Armaan to guess the amount of pain she caused him. She closed her eyes to stop the tears that threatened to pour down her eyes. Abhimanyu helped her sit up and then turned towards Armaan "Thank You so much Armaan MERI JAAN ka khayak rakhne ke liye...I owe you for this" said Abhimanyu purposely  stressing on the words Meri jaan to make sure that Armaan burns in the fire of jealousy. Armaan felt so humiliated at how Ridhima refused to take his help, just sometime back he built some hope that possibly things can get back to where they were but destiny really had its own plans. He saw Abhimanyu caress Ridhima's hair and clenched his fist tight to stop the rush of anger flowing through his veins. "Chale?" Asked Ridhima meekly to which he nodded and helped her get up. All this while Armaan just stood there watching her go with Abhimanyu, this was not only painful but also humiliating! The way she clung to him sometime back actually had raised some hopes in his heart of possibly getting his love back but all she did was crash his hope into a million pieces, how could she do that to him ?This was definitely not his Ridhima, she could never do that to him. Involuntarily a lone tear slipped off his eye and he turned around to hide his pain and just then Ridhima too turned to take one last look at him, God she hated herself for what she just did but she had no choice. The moment Armaan held her in arms it was as if she reached her heaven but unfortunately she did not have the liberty to stay there forever, she had to leave. She loved him (Armaan) beyond death and so even if it killed her to do so she had to do that for him, for his safety, his wellbeing. "I am sorry Armaan" she mumbled deep inside her heart as she walked away with Abhimanyu but left her soul behind with Armaan.

Main phir bhi tumko chaahungi

Main phir bhi tumko chaahungi

Iss chaahat mein marr jaaungi

Main phir bhi tumko chaahungi

~CONTINUED IN NEXT POST~

TaniDMGlover2017-06-04 13:35:21