"Dumbo get up I need your help! Ut na yaar" pulling at her arm gently Armaan did his best to wake the most beautiful woman in the world
"Sod off mujhe sonna hain"
"Oh my god I'm about to die here and your going you want to sleep! Ya khuda koi toh iss bechare ki akhri icha suno" throwing his hands into the air for a dramatic 'akhri icha' scene Armaan chuckled at his humour before going back to now vigorously shake Ridz to wake her up.
Jumping up in bed Ridz pushed Armaan with all her might making him tumble off the bed in one sweep. Eyes blazing, hair flying she looked the breath taking, morning anger bought the glow to her face that only he would have the pleasure of seeing... forever hopefully.
Unfortunately in Ridz's mind Armaan would never noticed anything beautiful about her; she was and would always remain dumbo for him, the girl from next door who was now dearer to him then his own family but only ever that... nothing more.
"What do you want!!? Tujhe pata hain na I don't wake up till 1 in the afternoon aur... aur..." quickly glancing over at the wall clock she felt her eyes pop out as a new bout of anger swept over her... "AND ITS 8 GOD DAMN AM!!"
Picking up her pillow Ridz launched at him jumping off the bed with her hair still wild, pj's slightly dishevelled attacking him with everything she had. Feathers flew in the air but the fighting continued with both of them struggling to gain control of their morning fight.
Finally managing to grab hold of her arms Armaan held them tightly either side of her as she struggled now sitting on his torso, legs either side of him still looking like she could eat him alive given the chance. Armaan's heart skipped several beats as he watched the fire dance on her face, he loved the fiery side to her, along with the sweet, innocence that came with it; here she was sitting on him completely oblivious to what she was arousing within him. Knowing this wasn't the time to let his heart rule his head Armaan quickly decided to placate the situation.
"God dumbo what's wrong with you? At least hear me out" sensing her calming down slightly Armaan couldn't help but add in "Waise bhi it's not like sleep is going to turn you into sleeping beauty overnight" winking Armaan held Ridz's hands firmly as he knew right at that moment she was about to burst at him... unfortunately for him he only had 2 hands, Ridz dug her knees into the sides of Armaan's chest making him yelp out in pain and immediately let go of her.
Standing victoriously above him now Ridz raised her arms to show her win to the imaginary crowd while Armaan rolled around on the ground clutching his sides in agony. Smiling from the ground as he looked up at her and her childish antics Armaan notice her top had lifted slightly as her arms went up, showing off the alabaster smooth mid drift. Not wanting to allow his eyes venture further up Armaan closed his eyes tight until he felt her weight move away.
Stepping away from him Ridz returned her flattened pillow to the bed and started to get back in, getting ready to go back to sleep, after all according to her she had a few more hours of sleep owed to her.
Sighing Armaan got off the ground, he had hoped his act of pain would have coaxed her into helping him but all she seemed to be interested in was sleep. "Please dumbo I need your help yaar" sitting down on the bed Armaan put on his puppy face he knew she couldn't refuse... if she bothered to look at him that was.
Rolling her eyes Ridz turned over in bed so she was now facing Armaan "What do you want monkey, this has better be an emergency warna kasmey aaj toh tu geya"
"Erm dumbo... you know that girl I was telling you about..."
"MONKEY!!!!" her pillow smacked him in the face before he could blink, catching him off guard Ridz now dropped the pillow and began pounding his head as hard and fast as her little fists could work "YOU MENTAL APE!!! YOU DISTURBED MY SLEEP FOR A GIRL! GRRRRR"
Taking control of her fists Armaan now grabbed them behind her back while he pushed her firmly into his chest to stop her from moving. "Listen to me god damn it... I really think she may be the one. I love her dumbo" the words had the effect he had hoped for... a little too well though, feeling Ridz go limp in his arms he immediately let go of her and looked down to see her looking... well he couldn't quiet put a finger on it. Bringing his hand up to her face he tapped gently trying to bring back to earth "kya hua? You okay?" searching her face he saw nothing...
Ridz turned away slightly flustered, trying not to let her tears show... "Again another girl, how long before he notices m... oh forget it"
"What are you mumbling? Dumbo what's wrong with you? Idhar dekho... I need your help" knowing she would be disappointed beyond repair Armaan tried to hide his smile of his own little victory
"What is it Armaan? What do you need this time? And how can I be of service? You want me to go talk to the girl, tell her how 'cool' you are and what a 'fool' she'd be to go out... er I mean not go out with you? Is that it? Couldn't this wait till after my sleep?"
"Woaw breath" holding her arms he led her to the bed and made her sit down. They only ever used each other's proper names if one of them was really miffed off, and apparently Ridz was... well that had to be sorted and fast if he was going to get his plan to work "what's wrong dumbo? Subah subah why are you so riled up? You don't have to help me if you don't want to... it's just... forget it. You go back to sleep. I'll see you later."
Holding his hand she stopped him from going any further, it wasn't his fault she gathered that he didn't feel the same way about her as she did for him "Hey sorry monkey, bata what do you want?"
"Nahi leave it, jaane de, I'll figure it out myself"
"Enough drama monkey seedhe seedhe batao what you want, I won't offer again you know"
Smiling from ear to ear Armaan grabbed Ridz in a bear hug. Loving the embrace Ridz enjoyed their proximity for the shortest of split seconds before going back into character "Get off me, you stink monkey"
"Ha ha I stink Ms I've yet to wash my face!"
"Shurup I didn't ask you to come and wake me up remember... you needed me so now you can deal with the smell that comes with me" wiggling her eyebrows up and down Ridz was the epitome of cuteness.
"Hell no I don't do stinky women... I'm out of here"
"Eh chup, bett, bata what do you want?" forcefully pulling Armaan back to sit next to her on the bed Ridz picked up her cell from the side table and started playing with it, getting ready to hear yet another love story from the Armaan.
"Acha well you know that girl Muskaan... the one I've been..."
"After for months... yeh yeh what about her" the details of this Muskaan was more than she could bare at this time of the morning, this mysterious woman had been the only thing he'd been going on about for months now
"Well I was thinking of telling her how I feel on Valentine's Day... I kind of need your help in setting it up though... you think you could do that for me?"
"Oh my god Armaan, Valentine's day is like tomorrow! How do you expect to get anything ready by then?"
"So you'll do it?" smiling he went to hug her again but Ridz raised her fist at which he instantly puts his arms in surrender and backed off.
"Haan I'll help you... I don't know how but if you've been moping around after this woman for so long I guess she must be something... but are you sure you love her?"
"I couldn't be more certain"
"Fine go down, I'll be down in 5, we need to go shopping... you're going to have to get her something as a present to start with"
"Thank you dumbo" pinching her nose affectionately he literally skipped out of the room looking forward to his day leaving a rather heartbroken Ridz behind him.
***********************
Picking up a sweater Armaan turned towards Ridz who was busy looking at perfumes, "Hey dumbo what do you think of this?"
"Monkey a sweater? Don't you think that's a little too personal and a little unromantic for a valentine present... come on you can't possibly know what size she is to get her that? Although..." coming over and stroking the multi coloured sweater she couldn't help but fall in love with it, colours of every shade had always been a favourite to her but having all the colours on one sweater was heavenly.
Ripping the sweater Armaan bought her out of her thoughts "your right... this sweater is kind of ugly anyways... I don't think the colours would suit her..."
"Be quiet the sweaters gorgeous... she must be the ugly one" stomping with the sweater held tightly under her arm Armaan couldn't stop himself from laughing, this was going better than he had hoped, the jealousy was starting to surface which only reassured him that what he was doing was for the best. As abruptly as he had started laughing he stopped, his eyes resting on the most exquisite bracelet he had ever laid eyes on made his mind go into overdrive. The silver laced bracelet adorned with deep set emeralds was the perfect shade of her eyes, a perfect gift for the perfect woman; grabbing Ridz from behind he spun her around taking her by surprise and quickly placed the bracelet on her wrist.
Shocked Ridz looked up "Monkey... yeh..."
"Shh I just need to check if this fits" turning her wrist around Armaan checked all around to make sure it was perfect "Perfect, Muskaan is going to love this" swiftly taking the bracelet of her wrist he could see the heart ache he was causing and he apologise a million times in his head but this was how it had to be.
***********************
Walking home Armaan went on and on about the plans for the following day, starting from text message wishes at midnight to the small presents he would be gifting her throughout the day, making them appear everywhere she went to the final dinner date where he would tell her how he felt.
"If you ask me this Muskaan seems a bit materialistic, if she needs so many physical gifts to make her like you then maybe her love is just as kokla as her head is" irritated Ridz kept staring straight ahead as she tried to keep her cool, putting her foot down further gas she willed the car to go faster so she could be out Armaan's company. The Muskaan plans were beginning to suffocate her, in attempt to release some of the tension she opened the window only to be hit by the icy winds which immediately made her close them again.
"Ha ha and what would you know?" tongue in his cheek Armaan tried to hide his amusement at the commiseration he was causing knowingly
"I'm a girl monkey, but I guess you've forgotten that, I know what a girl wants"
"Oh yeh, and what would you want from a guy on Valentine's Day?"
"Uski saath, aur kuch nahi, just being with someone you love should be enough"
Staring at her incredulously as she stepped out of the car Armaan realised they were home... and that this woman was so much more then he could have ever imagined.
***********************
Standing on his balcony Armaan counted down the seconds to the moment his life would change forever. He knew she'd be sitting on her bed in the dark more than likely typing away in the dark letting the keyboard take the punishment that only he deserved for being the muppet he was all day. But what to do, she was asking for it, since he could remember Armaan had always harboured the softest spot for Ridz but she never once reciprocated it, even though he knew deep down she must have felt the same way. But she was always so adamant at hiding her feelings from him that the only he could do was resort to going out with other women... in the hope that she would own up to her feelings so that he could finally reveal his.
It was only the night before he had overheard his mother and Ridz talking about a proposal that had come for Ridz, panic stricken Armaan decided there and then he would tell Ridz how he felt, whether she reciprocated or not he had to let her know.
Just as the lights went out in the opposite balcony Armaan quickly jumped off his 1st floor balcony and made his way across the street to Ridz's house, the velvet night sky covered his tracks as he snuck out like a thief.
Meanwhile sitting in her room Ridz reached under her bed in the dark to take out her laptop so she could write a her diary entry... feeling around she almost panicked when she couldn't feel the laptop, climbing out of bed, onto all fours Ridz reached under the bed in the dark and fumbled around a bit more till her hands came across a fluffy substance, yelping out quietly Ridz quickly withdrew her hand, scared for a split second she didn't know what to do, the light couldn't go on otherwise there would be a million questions about what she was doing still up if she had complained about being tired and left for bed early.
Racking her brains in a split second which seemed forever for her Ridz had a brainwave and grabbed her mobile from the bed side draws and turned the light on to check under her bed. Looking around frantically the light finally came to a halt on a big stuffed monkey, raising a questioning eyebrow Ridz reached under and took it out.
Clutching the monkey she climbed back into bed, the laptop long forgotten and sat there staring at it in the limited moonlight that trickled through the curtains Ridz notice the monkey was holding something in its Velcro hands. Reaching down Ridz took it out, it was very snugly tucked in; taking the round box out Ridz stared at it, where had this come from and what the heck was it? Not on for patience Ridz immediately ripped the paper off to reveal a black velvet round box, it felt so smooth and luxurious, Ridz was almost tempted not to open it, just so she could savour this moment of suspense... after opening it all would be gone so this was the best part according to her.
Unable to take the intense emotion and control her curiosity any longer Ridz opened the box and shone her phone over the open box only to stare on shocked. There sat was the very same bracelet Armaan had bought early that day... for Muskaan..., picking the bracelet up Ridz stared at the paper that laid now in the bottom of the box. Holding the monkey and bracelet close to her Ridz fumbled to open the paper, squinting at the writing as she tried to read it with the little light the phone offered Ridz got annoyed and quickly went over to her balcony door, opening the curtain slightly so more light could come in she read the note
Tum hi mere Muskaan ho,
Tumhe dekhte hi hote par muskaan aajata hain,
Aise hi humesha rehna mere saath dumbo.
I love you. Tumhara Monkey XXX
Staring at the note Ridz felt the tears of joy, happiness, completeness... anything and everything she wasn't feeling moments before now trickle down her eyes like she had just discovered how to cry and now that was the best thing ever. She stared at the note for longest of seconds in her life only to be interrupted by the vibration of her phone on her bed. Knowing it could be no-one but her monkey she ran towards the bed not caring how much noise she now made and answered the phone breathlessly.
"Hello"
"Hi"
For the first time in all their lives they had so much to say to each other but no words to express them with. Silence stood between as the emotions played havoc with the two each lost in their own worlds. Just hearing the uneasy breath of the other on the phone was enough for them.
"Aren't you going to say anything dumbo?" Armaan who was still standing outside was anxiously waiting for Ridz to make an appearance again... anything to put him out of his misery and answer his question... did she love him? Hearing her breath become ragged he gathered she was on the move again looking up at her room he saw her peek out through the window, she was obviously trying to see him at his window; smiling from ear to ear Armaan sighed in relief she looked ethereal in the moonlight and she had the most beautiful smile on her face he had ever seen.
"God I love you" he whispered into the phone and smiled wider as he saw the blush colour her cheeks even in the dark. "Down here dumbo, I'm standing under your nose"
Watching Ridz hug the monkey tighter Armaan felt his own heart take a squeeze, the sight before him was better than he could have planned. She loved him and that was all that mattered. Caught up in his own emotions he nearly missed the words Ridz whispered back "I love you too Monkey" standing there staring at each other Armaan had half a mind to just shout at the top of his lungs, to let the world know how happy he was, but before that he had to do one thing, he had to hold Ridz in his arms.
Watching Armaan come closer to her house Ridz panicked thinking he was going to come through the front doors, but when she saw him turn away and attempt to climb the drain pipes instead she couldn't help but laugh. He really was a monkey, hugging the monkey tighter she felt as though he was there with her... always and laughed a little more as she watched Armaan slip several times.
Only when a dog in the background started to bark did she realise how serious the situation was, if Armaan got caught then this could lead to major trouble. Opening the balcony door she leant over and hissed harshly "Oye monkey boy, go home! Kissi ne dekhliya toh dono marre jayenge! Go!"
"Nahi, I want to hug you first... please"
"Armaan go, I'm serious if Dad see's this his going to kill me and then you! Jao na"
"Fine, I'm going... on valentine's day I'm going without so much as a hug" making a puppy face Armaan sulked as he turned away from the house, only to be hit on the back of his head by Mr. snuggles. Now Mr. snuggles was a the scruffiest looking the only one-eyed stuffed elephant in the world, and he also just happened to be the very first present Armaan had bought her for her 5th birthday. The story goes he actually saved up for the teddy all by himself and chose it especially for her; it was his dumbo present for his dumbo friend. Picking up the teddy Armaan stared at in disbelief; he had no idea she had kept dumbo all these years, shocked he looked up at her and saw her hugging monkey even more tightly as she shied away behind it knowing what he was thinking. Without a second thought Armaan too wrapped his arms around the teddy while still whispering into the mobile "you're not getting this back ever now, yeh mera dumbo hain" Kissing the dumbo on its head Armaan winked at Ridz
"Aur yeh mera monkey"
Anupamaa
Hui Ghum Yaadein
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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