Armaan-Abhimanyu part 17

The evening turns into a celebration of sorts … Dr. Shashank has been reinstated and Dr. Keerti is back as well. Abhimanyu will stay on for some time, to help resolve the financial issues, as all the funds have not been recovered. So all’s well that ends well. (dia’s note – and the strike is over as well – as is this story!) Everybody stays on for dinner at Shashank and Padma’s invitation, and it becomes a party atmosphere. All are in a very good mood and it is late by the time they all leave.
As soon as they all go, including Anjali for night duty (dia’s note – had to get rid of her), Riddhima waits for her parents to retire to their room, and almost runs to Armaan’s room, heart beating fast. She had not talked to him all evening … had not known what to say, and she didn’t want to say it in front of so many people.

She enters his room very quietly … he is standing with his back to the door, a letter in his hand. She closes the door and leans against it, looking at him …

Then he turns … and sees her ….

There is no need for words.

The letter falls to the floor as he opens his arms … and she runs into them. They close around her tightly, they hold each other close, her tears finally flowing, tears of sheer relief.
He lifts his head. She looks at him, smiling through her tears. He holds her face in his hands, wiping the tears with his thumbs.

Rid: Armaan … I’m sorry …
He shushes her, a finger on her lips, shaking his head slightly.
Ar: “voh … kab …?” gesturing to the letter.

Rid: “kal raat … tumhare phone ke baad … tum night duty par the …”

He smiles softly.
Ar (in explanation): Main tab se kamre mein aaya nahin … aaj subah jab se ghar aaya, tumhare papa ke saath tha, phir Abhimanyu … abhi dekhi …

She nods ... it doesn’t matter. He knows now that she trusted him even before she knew the truth … that was all that mattered to her … to them. She looks at his face so close to hers, his eyes smiling and sends a silent prayer of thanks to whatever diety had prompted her to write … She recalls what she wrote in the letter …

“Armaan,

Tumne mujhse aaj ek sawaal poocha … kya main tum par bharosa karti hun?

Tumhe papa aur Abhimanyu Modi ke saath dekh kar mujhe bahut bura laga … laga ki tum Modi ke saath papa ke khilaaf ja rahe ho …

Magar phir maine socha … main itna zaroor jaanti hun ki tum kabhi aisa kadam nahin uthaoge jo tumhe galat lage … aur tum sirf apne liye Modi ka saath nahin doge … tum tabhi uska saath doge agar tumhe lage ki voh sahi hai …
Iss liye … mera jawab hai … haan, Armaan, mujhe tum par bharosa hai … ki jo tum kar rahe ho, use peeche koi vajah zaroor hai … jise tum sahi samajhte ho.

Lekin, Armaan, tum hi kaha tha ki Riddhima Armaan alag nahin hain … main tumhare saath khushiyan hi nahin, tumhari pareshani aur dukh bhi baantna chahti hun. Jab tumhe sahi lage, mere saath apni yeh pareshani bhi baant lena … sab kuch seh sakti hun, lekin tumse doori ab nahin seh sakti.”


He holds her close again.
Ar (softly, apologetically): main tumhe batana chahta tha … lekin tumhare papa ne mana kiya … aur voh theek bhi the … kaise bolta ki unhe fraud ke maamle mein suspect kiya ja raha hai? Tumhara dil toot jaata … aur unka bhi. Ek aadmi apni beizzati saari duniya ke saamne bardaasht kar sakta hai, lekin apne bachchon ki nazaron mein girna, uske liye bahut mushkil baat hoti hai …
He stops and looks at her, as though searching for her understanding.

Rid (she looks at him questioningly): Armaan … ek baat bataoge? (he nods) … agar papa tumhe chup rehne ko nahin kehte … kya tum mujhe yeh baat bata dete?

He thinks for a bit … then slowly shakes his head.
Ar: Shayad … nahin. Yeh ek aisi baat thi, jo shayad unke bina kahe bhi … main tumhe nahin bata sakta … (he starts to say more, but she stops him with a finger on his lips.)

Rid (softly): Tum mujhe sachmuch bahut achchi tarah se jaante ho, Armaan. Aur kuch chupane ke liye main shayad tumhe maaf nahin kar paati … lekin … yeh baat … main sachmuch seh nahin paati. (she looks up at him, lifts a hand to his face and says simply) … thank you …

She reaches up to kiss his forehead. He holds her close again, his cheek close to hers.

Ishq leta hai, kaise imtihan ….

After some time, she looks up at him, a very small smile on her face.
Rid (mock-scolding him): lekin abhi maaf kar diya, iska yeh matlab nahin ki tum mujhse aur kuch chupao … kuch bhi … Dr. Armaan Mallik … samjhe? Kuch nahin … aur kabhi nahin! Agli baar maafi nahi milegi! Mujhe sab kuch batana hoga! Chahe papa kahen ya koi aur … chahe usse mujhe kitna bhi dukh ho …!!!

Ar (teasing her back): chahe kitna bhi dukh ho? Oh, to apni pehle ki teen biwiyon ke baare mein abhi bata dun … unke baare mein bhi sun kar tumhe dukh to hoga … lekin mujhe sab sach bata dena chahiye … hai na?

She punches him with her fists.
Rid: Armaan!!!!

They both laugh, then he links his arms around her waist, and looks at her lovingly.
Ar: I love you, Riddhima (kisses her very gently).
Rid (smiles back at him tearfully): I love you …

Now it’s really … The END!!!!