Originally posted by: AbhiNikiLuver
<font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif">I was so desperate that I read it. I read it. I READ IT. That's how despo I was. Ab please, woh wala track update karo na. Pls pls. Pleaseee.</font>
Previously On...
Armaan & Billy show down.
Armaan has Billy arrested.
Track 38 - Titanium, Sia ft. David Guetta
Unable to see his condition, Rahul sat in front of Armaan and wrapped him up in a big tight hug. He soothed Armaan the best he could, but Armaan's sobs refused to subside.
"She's... She's going to h-h-hate me, Rahul. S-s-s-she'll be so disa-a-appointed in me," Armaan wailed in Rahul's shoulders, his words muffled by sobs. "I called the c-cops on my own father. What kind of a son am I? Bua Maa will be so disappointed. How will I ever face her?"
"Hey, hey, hey," Rahul soothed, running his fingers in Armaan's head. He pulled back and cupped Armaan's face, making Armaan look at him. Armaan turned his face away, unable to meet Rahul's eyes. He was suddenly feeling so ashamed of himself. He'd gotten his father and uncle arrested!
"Look at me, Armaan," Rahul said. Armaan only shook his head slightly, refusing.
"Look at me," Rahul commanded, turning Armaan's face.
"She's not going to be disappointed in you," he told Armaan. Armaan scoffed. "Shut up. She's not going to be disappointed in you. In fact, I'm sure she's proud of you."
"Proud of me for throwing my father out?" He asked sarcastically.
"Listen to me. You remember the promise you made her?" Rahul asked. Armaan nodded. Of course he did. All of this had been about keeping his promise to her.
"You promised her that you'd protect Jaanhavi from everything. That you'd never let anything happen to her. That's what you did today. You kept your promise to her. You were in a situation that caused Jaanhavi pain, and you dealt with it. You made it so that she wouldn't be in pain anymore. Those two vile excuses of humans have given Jaanhavi nothing but grief for the past 18 years. And today, they got their own. Shalini Aunty would be so proud of you. You kept your promise to her. She'd be so proud," Rahul told Armaan.
"Jaanhavi's so lucky," he continued. "You're the best brother, Armaan. You're not a failure, you hear me? Not at all. You're one of the strongest people I know. And, you're the best son, the best brother, the best friend anyone could ask for. Anyone would be lucky to have you in their life. You're such an amazing person. I'm so lucky to have you in mine. And, I'm so very proud of you."
Armaan scoffed again. Rahul sighed.
"Listen to me," Rahul commanded. "I am proud of you, Armaan Mallik. So very proud of you."
"Even after today?" Armaan asked him, his voice uncharacteristically vulnerable.
"Especially after today," Rahul assured him.
Armaan hugged Rahul again. "You really think Bua Maa is proud of me?" He asked Rahul.
"I know she's really proud of you. How could she not be? You're the best son," Rahul replied.
Armaan smiled through his tears and pulled Rahul into a hug. "I love you, Rahul."
Rahul smiled at that, his eyes get teary. "I love you, baby," he replied. Armaan always did like being called baby whenever he was sad. It made him feel as though he wasn't alone, that someone was there who cared for him, who thought of him affectionately. Yes, it had started out as a joke, but it was anything but a joke now.
Rahul sighed when he felt Armaan have an anxiety attack. The tell-tale heavy breathing, the shivering and the jumbled whispers gave it away, like they always did.
Rahul had been through too many similar situations with Armaan to know that. The abandonment issues that Armaan battled each day, were staggering. All his life, people who he loved had left him, making him feel like he didn't have anyone. His parents, his aunt, Jaanhavi, Nikki, his friends, and even Riddhima.
Really, it was a miracle that Armaan was able to trust anyone after everything he'd been through, that he was able to forge new relationships with people everyday.
But, any mentions of his past always brought the vulnerability that Armaan tried to bury deep inside of him and made him extremely anxious and jittery. It was only in those moments that Armaan really let the wall he'd built around himself drop. He gave himself over to his grief, wanting to plunge it out of his system and purge himself of the hatred and helplessness he felt, but he was never successful, because they all returned tenfold after something like this happened.
It was only Rahul who'd been able to successfully calm Armaan down on the occasions that it had happened. Yet, it never helped much because Armaan would always be a bundle of nerves after every incident and it took him a few days to pull himself out of his funk. Rahul could already foresee increased therapy sessions in the near future.
As if the 3 days a week that Dr. Reynolds had prescribed after the recent events wasn't enough. Rahul prayed for a day when Armaan would be able to finally overcome all his issues, the day when his mental illnesses, his panic attacks and anxiety would leave him behind. He knew that it was a long way away, but everyday was a step forward in the right direction and with everything that Armaan had already achieved, Rahul knew that one day, Armaan wouldn't need therapy anymore. Or his anti anxiety medication.
Rahul sat with Armaan on the floor, hugging him tight and soothing him best as he could with murmured words of comfort and periodic movements of his fingers along Armaan's back. Sometime later, Armaan stopped shivering and his breathing returned to normal, his panic attack seceding.
Rahul didn't let go immediately though. He sat there for a few more minutes and ran his fingers through Armaan's hair and rubbed Armaan's back, bringing him back to reality.
When Rahul was sure that Armaan was okay, he pulled back. Armaan smiled at Rahul and held his hand out. "Chal ab."
Rahul took Armaan's hand without hesitation and hoisted himself off the floor. "Where?"
"Where else? Gotta check on the ladies," Armaan murmured, smiling softly.
Rahul nodded his assent. Jaanhavi had been so shaken on seeing those two men at their doorstep. He'd never seen her so scared, so helpless. She hadn't even uttered a word before running back upstairs to the sanctuary of her room. She would definitely need some strength right now. And, in this situation, he didn't think anyone would be able to handle her better than Armaan.
When they reached Jaanhavi's room though, he stopped Armaan from opening the door. There was just one thing.
"What?" Armaan murmured.
"Um... After that... Uhmmm... That very... Uh... Very public display of hatred... Um... I'm sure that... Uh... That the others will have questions," Rahul stated anxiously.
Armaan sighed. Of course. He'd been so wrapped up in everything that he'd forgotten that everyone had been there to witness everything that had transpired a few minutes ago. And, they would definitely have questions. All of them. They were his friends, and he knew that they were all fond of Billy, too. Riddhima & Anjali had told him time and again, how much they adored him, and even though Muskaan was wary because he flirted with her so much, it was obvious that she held some affection for Billy, too. He didn't like that. He didn't like that at all.
But, they didn't know what he'd done. How he'd ruined Armaan's life, Jaan's life. How he'd separated Armaan from Jaan. How he'd hurt them all. How, he didn't think there was a way he'd ever be able to come back from it all, how he wouldn't be a part of Armaan's family ever again.
"Tell them," Armaan whispered, determined. They all needed to know what a vile man Balvinder Mallik really was. "Tell them everything."
"Are you sure?" Rahul asked, surprised. Armaan hated to people about his past, his childhood.
Armaan nodded. "They deserve to know, Rahul. They adore him, too," he said. Just like Rahul once had, before he'd found out what had happened.
"I'll tell them," Rahul promised. Armaan passed him a grateful smile.
Their little discussion over, Rahul opened the door to see Jaanhavi crying on Tamanna's shoulder. They both looked up on hearing the door open.
Jaanhavi immediately flinging herself in Armaan's arms, clinging to him tightly.
"Shhh, bas, Jaan. Bas. Tu toh mera achcha bachcha haina?" Armaan soothed her, just like Bua Maa used to do for them, whenever they were upset.
Rahul and Tamanna smiled seeing them together and quietly left the room, closing the door behind them. Once outside, Rahul hugged Tamanna really hard.
"It'll be okay, right?" He asked her, worried.
"It has to be," she replied.
Rahul nodded against her shoulder, kissing her head. "I'm so worried," he said.
"Don't worry," Tamanna assured him. "They'll be okay. They have us. And Jeeju and his family. We'll pull through this. Like always."
Rahul came out of the hug and smiled at her. "Thanks, Tammy," he told her, kissing her forehead. Tamanna smiled and pulled Rahul downstairs with her.
Here, everyone was stunned seeing Armaan behave like that. No one knew what to say or think. They'd never seen Armaan that way. They knew Billy had done something huge to warrant this kind of reaction from Armaan. But what? Riddhima refused to believe that the man she'd come to respect like her own father could have done something so heinous that his son didn't even think twice before calling the cops on him. In all these years, she'd never seen Armaan lose his cool like this. Not even when he found out that she was married. The only instance that came close was when Tamanna's ex had shown up, but even then, Armaan's eyes hadn't held such deep hatred. It was like, if he could have, he would've killed Billy Uncle and Jaanhavi's dad on the spot. What was wrong?
Seeing Rahul and Tamanna coming down the stairs, Nikki rushed to them. "What happened?" She asked. Rahul sighed. He knew this was coming. He knew. But, he didn't want it. He didn't want to tell them, if he could. It would cause them so much pain, especially Nikki. He didn't want that.
Rahul knew, just how much Nikki adored Armaan & Jaanhavi. Jaanhavi had once told him all about their childhood. How her and Armaan had been together since she'd been in diapers, and how Nikki had joined their little duo when she was just a kid. The three of them had been each other's lifelines. In Nikki, Armaan had found a friend, a confidant, and she'd found an adoring elder sister who loved her almost as much as her own family did. When her mother had passed away, after Armaan, it had been Nikki who she'd turned to for support. Nikki had also been immensely protective of Jaanhavi, almost as much as Armaan. Knowing what had happened would hurt her so very much.
"Rahul, please. Don't do this. What don't I know?" Nikki asked desperately. Armaan & Jaanhavi were her family, and they were in such intense pain. She wanted to be there for them, so very badly.
"I..." Rahul hesitated. He didn't know what to do. Yes, Armaan had given him permission to tell them everything, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. So much pain, so much heartache. How would they even deal? He'd known for almost 5 years now and there were days he still didn't know how to deal with it. This was the kind of stuff that changed people, gave them nightmares.
There were times he wished he could undo it all, that he could go back to before. Before he knew what had happened, before Armaan had given into his therapist's suggestions (really, they were demands) and told Rahul everything. Before he knew just how much Armaan & Jaanhavi had actually suffered in life at the hands of the people who were supposed to love them the most.
"Rahul, please!! Tell me. I need to know," Nikki all but begged.
"Nikki," Rahul sighed, "it's just... It's... I don't... I just... I..."
"Rahul, Nikki is right. Armaan is... He's family. We all love him. We care for him. We want to know what's wrong," Atul cut in.
"Please, Rahul," Anjali added. "We only want to help."
"Rahul... Please. Armaan is... I've never seen him that way. He's never behaved like this. Please, tell us," Riddhima all but begged. This all started because of her. She was the one who'd called Billy here. She was the one who told him that she'd found Armaan. She'd told him that Jaanhavi was getting married. It was all her fault!
She'd only wanted to do something nice for Armaan. Never had she thought that it would all go so horribly wrong.
"Rahul... I... I'm sorry! I didn't know!" Riddhima wailed. "I... I thought... I only thought I was doing something nice for Armaan. I thought... I thought he'd be happy on seeing Billy Uncle. I never thought... I didn't even imagine..." She trailed off, sobbing.
Rahul looked at her, stunned. "What?"
"I..." Riddhima hesitated. "I... I called Billy Uncle, Rahul, she admitted. "I mean... The other day... But I just... I thought... I thought it would be a nice thing to do. That it'd make him happy. I never even imagined..."
He couldn't fathom her reasons for thinking that, but it was clear that she was really regretting doing so.
But, seeing her like that, sobbing and so upset, Rahul was unable to turn her away. He hugged her hard and shushed her. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you. Just, don't cry. It's okay! You couldn't have known," he tried to comfort Riddhima.
No matter what, Riddhima was his friend. And, much as he was uncomfortable to admit, Armaan's too. He'd seen how she'd silently supported Armaan through everything, especially when Aniket and Adhiraj had come back. She'd leaned on Armaan when she found the truth about Shilpa. They'd come to trust each other with such stuff and were becoming friends again.
She was their friend, and he couldn't see her so upset over this. He couldn't see anyone upset over this. Armaan and Jaanhavi were upset enough.
Riddhima passed him a small smile as they came out of the hug. "Please tell me."
Rahul nodded. "I'll tell you. I promise. But... I just... I want to let you all know that... Well... This is a part of Armaan that he's never really shared with anyone. Just his therapist. And... Me. Because, well... Because his therapist thought it'd be good for him to talk about it with someone other than him (his therapist). Armaan has told me it's okay to talk about this now, without him here, but after this, if he doesn't want to talk about it... Just leave it alone. It's a big thing for him to do even this, I'm sure you all know that. Umm... Jaanhavi doesn't know everything. So, please... Don't tell her."
Turning to Tamanna and Nikki, he added, "Especially the two of you. Please... Don't talk to her about this stuff."
Nikki nodded immediately, used to Armaan's overprotectiveness when it came to Jaanhavi. "I won't tell her, I promise. I have a lot many secrets of Armaan that I've collected in all these years. It's not gonna be difficult for me to keep one more."
And, it was true. Nikki was the bearer of many of Armaan's secrets. She always had been. She could keep one more. Satisfied, Rahul nodded.
Then, he turned to Tamanna. "I need you to do this for me, okay? And for Armaan. Please."
Tamanna nodded her assent.
Relieved that no one would talk, Rahul began talking.
"Armaan... Ever since he was a baby, he'd always been really close to his aunt, his dad's sister - Shalini Bua. I think we all know that he doesn't have the best parents out there and that's where it all really began.
Billy & Ananya Aunty never wanted to marry each other. Annie Aunty was one of Shalini Bua's closest friends, and the two had grown up together. Armaan's grandparents loved Annie Aunty like her own. So, they suggested the alliance, wanting to bring her home. But, Billy & Annie Aunty had never liked each other. And they didn't want to get married. In the end though, succumbing to family pressure, they both gave in, and were married shortly after.
Of course, with an unwanted marriage, came tons and tons of issues and problems and fights. Divorce wasn't really an option back then, so, the elders suggested that maybe having a baby would make things better for them. Thus, Armaan came into this world. Of course, his presence didn't solve any problems for the couple, only increased them, because now they had one more topic to fight about - their son.
But Shalini Bua didn't want their fights to affect Armaan, so she kept him with her, almost all the time. Of course, spending all his time with her, he grew really close to her. For him, she was his mother, not Annie Aunty.
When Shalini Bua got married, Armaan was affected a lot. She did her best, but of course, she couldn't give Armaan as much time as she used to before. So, his grandparents tried their best to make it better for him, to make it so that he didn't miss her as much. Those few years, he became really close to them also.
Armaan was 4 when Jaanhavi was born. He quickly became really attached to her. She was his mother's daughter, his sister. And he took the role of being a big brother very seriously, spending as much time as he could with her and Bua Maa.
A couple years after Jaanhavi was born, Armaan's parents sent him to boarding school, because they thought that would be best for him. He didn't want to go, neither did his grandparents want him to leave - he was only 6 then, after all. But, his parents won in the end and he went to Mussourie. Dadi couldn't handle the separation. It became too much for her, and she passed away soon after Armaan was sent there. And then, Dadu, heartbroken over his broken family and the absence of his wife and grandson, followed her soon after.
That changed Armaan. He became even more protective of Jaanhavi, of Bua Maa. Now, those two were his only family and he couldn't let them leave him too. There was a time when he was obsessed with knowing they were okay. He would call back home often, almost daily. Sometimes twice or thrice a day. It got so bad that the authorities had to have a talk with his parents about it. He was put in counselling sessions, but they weren't really fruitful because he didn't speak at those sessions. In the end, the counsellor decided that they should all let Armaan grieve the way he wanted to. He was only a little kid at the end of the day.
And... Things smoothened out eventually. He was about 10 when Nikki joined his school," Rahul recollected what Armaan had told him.
It was such a heartbreaking tale, riddled with pain and loss everywhere. He still remembered how traumatizing it had been for Armaan to talk about all this. His pain on losing his grandparents, his fear that maybe he'd lose someone else too. Rahul had never known Armaan carried so much heartache every single day.
He looked at Nikki, who also had tears in her eyes. She was someone who had seen Armaan go through all of it in person. The fear, the anxiety, the loss, the pain, all of it. She'd been through it. With him. Armaan had told him several times that had it not been for Nikki, he might not have survived. She'd been his strength. His entire support system.
"He really admires you, Nikki," Rahul said, holding her hand in his own. "And he loves and respects you so much! He's always saying that if he wouldn't have had you, he wouldn't have been able to even move a finger, that you'd been the most amazing friend he could have asked for."
"He does?" Nikki asked, surprised.
"Yes," Rahul replied. "All the time. He really missed you."
"I missed him, too!" Nikki said, absolutely ecstatic to know that Armaan still thought about her after all of it.
Yeah, right! Rahul scoffed at her words, but wisely kept his mouth shut. He didn't need to create another drama on top of what was happening.
"Armaan was..." Nikki sighed. "He was the best best friend anyone could have asked for," she said, smiling fondly, as she remembered all the times that he'd been there for her and supported her. It was true that she'd seen him through some really tough times, but he'd been there for her too. She never would have been able to get over her parents' divorce if not for him.
"Yes... But that doesn't explain his behaviour with Billy today," Shashank cut in. Listening to what Rahul had said had definitely softened him towards Armaan, but it still didn't excuse his deplorable behaviour with Billy.
"I'm getting to that, sir," Rahul answered. "So, where was I? Haan. Nikki. So, things definitely turned around after Nikki came. She was this terror, Armaan told me. So loud and in the face. Always ready for a fight. And, she fought for him, when some idiot kids were bullying him. Uss din se, the two became friends and slowly, Nikki helped Armaan break out of his shell.
Armaan was getting better, leaving behind the sadness that had been his shadow since his grandma's death. He would laugh more, smile more. He told me that Shalini Bua said that she felt like he'd born again. Looking at him smile, play, joke... It was all such a big relief for her. He was slowly becoming her happy boy again.
And then... Everything changed. One little oversight, one promise... And Armaan's life changed forever."
"What... What do you mean?" Riddhima asked hesitantly.
This look into Armaan's life was horrifying, to say the least. No wonder he'd never wanted to speak about it, the few times she'd tried. Who'd want to remember all this? She remembered all the times she'd tried to talk to him about it and felt guilty for putting the least bit of pressure on him. At the same time, she felt cheated that Armaan wasn't telling her all this himself, Rahul was. She felt like she'd fallen short somewhere, in convincing Armaan that she loved him, that she cared about him. Why else would he have told Rahul all this and not her? Somewhere, she realized that it was because of therapy, that Armaan had told Rahul all this because his therapist had insisted on it, during a time when she hadn't been a part of Armaan's life. But, she couldn't help but wonder, if she had been, would he have confided in her? Would he have trusted her? She hated the fact that she was in a position that she was questioning Armaan's beliefs, his faith. There was once a time when she knew that he trusted her blindly, a time when she knew that if something was going on in his life, she'd be the first person to know. More than that, she hated that she was making this about herself, when this was all about Armaan, and how much he'd suffered during his childhood.
"Rahul?" Atul asked, taking a tight hold of Anjali's arm. "Kya hua? You're scaring me."
Rahul shook his head sadly. How was he supposed to continue? The only thing on his mind were Armaan's nerve-wracking sobs as he told him about the accident.
"Rahul, it's okay. I've got you," Nikki said, reassuring. "It's in the past. It can't hurt him again. It's okay."
She knew what he was feeling, because she'd felt the same way once too. Just as helpless, just as hopeless. Rahul nodded and smiled gratefully.
"Shalini Bua... She passed away in an accident," Rahul finally said out loud. His declaration was followed by multiple gasps across the room. He sat there quietly, his grip on Nikki's hand tightening.
"Yes," Rahul continued. "She did. But... Before that... She made... She made Armaan... She made him promise that he'd always look after Jaanhavi. For Armaan, that promise was everything. It was the one thing he held most dear. They'd been the last words he'd said to her, the last conversation they'd had, and he'd spoken those words with all his heart and soul. For him, nothing means more than that promise to her. Absolutely nothing."
"But... Rahul... I don't understand..." Nikki said. "Um... Why did... Why did he lose it with Billy Uncle so badly? I know that their relationship has always been rocky, and Armaan isn't fond of him. But this... This was something else."
"Would you believe me?" Rahul asked her. "Would you believe me if I said that he did to keep his promise?"
"Rahul!" Nikki exclaimed. "What are you saying? Avinash Uncle is Jaanhavi's dad! You think he'd do something to hurt Jaanhavi? And... And Billy Uncle? Billy Uncle loves Jaanhavi more than he loves Armaan!"
"Loved," Rahul corrected. "Loved, Nikki. You think they'd have gone so quietly if it hadn't been their fault? All those years that you knew them, did you ever think either of them is the kind of person who would do that? Who would suffer such humiliation without saying a word if they were right?"
Nikki shook her head disbelievingly. No, it couldn't be true. It couldn't. They both loved Jaanhavi so very much. They'd never hurt her. Never.
"You're lying," she told Rahul, just as tears fell down her face, because she knew he wasn't. He wouldn't lie about something like this. Ever.
"You know I'm not," he replied. "I'd never lie about this."
He took a deep breath before continuing, "Jaanhavi never told any of you, but nothing was the same after the accident. Mr. Sarcar... He blamed Jaanhavi for Shalini Bua's death. He forgot she was his daughter. Hit her many times. He was always drunk, no matter what time of the day. Jaanhavi was almost left to fend for herself in that house. The cook made them food, but other then that, she had to do everything on her own. It was... It was a really difficult time for her.
Thankfully, one day, Annie Aunty saw Mr. Sarcar hit her. She'd gone to check on them, to make sure they were doing okay, and she came face to face with a cowering Jaanhavi as Mr. Sarcar stood over her, ready to strike. That was the day that Annie Aunty brought Jaanhavi to the Mallik House, hoping to take her away from all of that.
Little did she know, things wouldn't be all that great in her house either. The same Balvinder Mallik who swore to anyone who would listen that Jaanhavi was the light of his life, that he loved her more than anyone could now not bear to even look at her. He would always taunt her, shout at her. He didn't like to see her anywhere near him. If he did, he'd shoo her away. He... He absolutely loathed the sight of her."
"NO!" Nikki screeched. She held Rahul by his collar and pulled him close. "You're lying, you're lying, you're lying!"
"I wish I was, Nik. I really wish I was. Jaanhavi admitted to all this to Armaan herself," Rahul replied.
"No, no, no!" Nikki sobbed. "This can't be true."
Unable to do anything to soothe her, Rahul pulled her into a hug. "Shhh," he murmured. "I know it's really difficult for you, Nik. I know. But... You have to know, this is the truth. It's not easy to digest, I know. But it's all in the past now. Jaanhavi is here with us and she's happy. That's what matters, right?"
Nikki nodded infinitesimally. "Yes," she agreed.
Hesitantly, she added, "Is this... Is this why she ran away?"
Rahul nodded. "Yeah."
"Why didn't... Why didn't she tell us? Armaan? Anyone?" Nikki asked him.
"Things were really complicated back then, weren't they? Armaan told me that he was slipping into depression because of Shalini Bua's death. It had really affected him badly. And then... Your parents' divorce. Even you weren't in the right frame of mind. So... Jaanhavi decided not to tell either of you about all this," Rahul explained.
"Armaan ko bhi abhi pata chala, a few years back. Jaanhavi finally told him the truth about why she'd run away from home, why she'd never contacted him. Before that, Armaan used to think it was because she couldn't handle Shalini Bua's death."
"Jaanhavi ran away from home?" Riddhima asked, shocked.
"Yes," Nikki replied. "She would have been 15/16 then. Armaan and I were in Kasauli by then, in college, but Jaanhavi was at home, in Delhi. We were all coping with different stuff, but were getting better, or that's what I thought. And then one day... Out of the blue... Armaan got a call from his mom saying Jaanhavi had run away from home. Armaan lost it after that. Everything that kept him grounded seemed to have been snatched. I tried my best, but... All those losses, so quickly, so young... He couldn't handle it.
He thought... Well, he thought that Jaanhavi ran because she couldn't deal with Shalini Aunty's death. And... It hurt him because he knew he hadn't done enough to help her, to support her after she passed away, like he'd promised her. It was a lot for him to handle, because he felt like he'd broken the promise he'd made to Shalini Aunty, that her dying wish would not be fulfilled because he couldn't cope."
"Where did she go though?" Anjali asked.
"She'd gotten a scholarship from NYU. The Dean of the Admissions Office at the time, Dr. Rebecca Holden, was very sympathetic of Jaanhavi's plight and had her flown to New York almost immediately after Jaanhavi called her. She left the country within a couple of days after running away.
Back then, she didn't tell anyone where she was going, just that she was leaving, that she'd gotten a scholarship and so they didn't have to worry about her because she'd be safe at school," Rahul explained.
"I remember," Nikki continued. "We'd all gone crazy then. Looked for her everywhere. All her friends, a few relatives, her school, bus stops, train stations, even the airport. We couldn't find her anywhere."
"Yes," Rahul agreed. "Armaan told me that Mrs. Holden had chartered a private plane for Jaanhavi under her own name so that no one would be able to join the dots."
"Why would... Why would a complete stranger go to such lengths to help Jaanhavi?" Tamanna asked, speaking for the first time since the conversation had started.
She'd known that there was trauma, a lot of trauma, in Jaanhavi and Armaan's past, but she'd never known it was so deep, so aching.
"Well, according to what Jaanhavi told Armaan... Mrs. Holden herself had gone through abuse when she was younger at the hands of her father, and even an ex boyfriend, which is why she was very understanding and empathetic for Jaanhavi. She offered to help her in anyway she could. In fact, till the dorms opened, Jaanhavi lived with her," Rahul said.
Nani was really taken aback with everything. She was feeling really guilty for shouting at Armaan after hearing this story. "Itna sab ho gaya," she cried. "Armaan ne toh kabhi humein bhanak bhi nahi lagne di ki uski zindagi mein yeh sab..." She trailed off. "Aur aaj maine usse kitna sunaa diya!" Padma Aunty consoled her by hugging her.
They'd all been thinking it, but only Nani had said it. None of them had liked the way Armaan was talking to Billy. But then, none of them had known his reasons behind doing so either.
Now, knowing what they knew... It was so difficult to comprehend that Armaan could have behaved in a different way after seeing Billy and Avinash. He shouldn't have to either. None of this was his fault. But yet, he still felt so guilty about everything. And, instead of trying to understand his reasons, they'd all thought the worst of him, just like they always did.
How many times had it happened before that they'd all jumped to the wrong conclusion about Armaan without knowing about his motivations? It had happened so many times that they'd lost count, especially Riddhima and Shashank. They'd always misunderstood Armaan and judged him too fast, too harsh, just like Shashank had done today.
Riddhima, on the other hand, was drowning in guilt over calling Billy Uncle here. She'd only done it to make Armaan happy, to do something special for him, to let him know how much she cared about him. She'd never imagined that the truth behind Billy and Armaan's non existent relationship would be so bitter.
In trying to make Armaan happy, she'd caused him such insurmountable pain. And for that, she'd never be able to forgive herself. Ever.
xxx
Heavy af chapter, I know! And, some insight into Armaan's past. This isn't all of it, but yes, it covers a major part of why Armaan is the way he is and why he is so overprotective of Jaanhavi, why he was always so overprotective of Riddhima when they were together.
What Billy & Avinash did to Jaanhavi qualifies as abuse, and knowing this, Armaan could never let them be anywhere near her because he would never want her to revisit those unpleasant memories.
I hope y'all liked it! Hopefully, the next chapter will be up soon.
You shout it out
But I can't hear a word you say
I'm talking loud not saying much
I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet
You shoot me down, but I get up
I'm bulletproof nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium, I am titanium, I am titanium, I am titanium
Cut me down
But it's you who has further to fall
Ghost town, haunted love
Raise your voice, sticks and stones may break my bones
I'm talking loud not saying much
I'm bulletproof nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium, I am titanium
Stone-hard, machine gun
Firing at the ones who run
Stone-hard, thus bulletproof glass
You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium
I am titanium
- Titanium, Sia ft. David Guetta
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