...She went back to the main room to touch up on her make up; she searched her bag for the eye liner when she found a small gift box; she opened it slowly to find a small square card, she took it out to find a silver heart shaped necklace with one shiny diamond sparkling in the right side of the heart; she smiled while staring at it then opened the card to read a small note;
"Just for you my love...you deserve all the happiness in the world...congratulations for entering your first step into your life's dream..."
She smiled happily and thought for a second of how Armaan knew about her dream; but her thoughts were interrupted as a loud cheer came from the hall, she put the necklace on and looked at it on her neck through the mirror and smiled then she walked backstage to see the models excited after they had been on stage; now the younger group was modeling their hats that they had made in class and after that the dance was lined up to entertain the crowd.
Everything was going perfect; Riddhima looked around for a sign of her friends but they were nowhere in sight; she rang Muskaan who answered the phone after the fifth ring; "Where are you guys?" she asked.
Muskaan shouted over the noise; "Sorry...we're on the balcony watching the show...everything's just amazing!"
Riddhima smiled; "Okay...I'll see you guy's later..."
"Yeah okay...all the best!"
"Thanks!" she replied.
The entertainment was almost over; the dance and singing performance was enjoyed but the crowd loved the standup comedy the best. After a few minutes of the crowd shouting "once more" it was time for the year thirteen's to model, they walked around the stage showing off their dresses and outfits. When it had finished the host was back on stage asking the audience if they had enjoyed it; they answered with a loud cheer and was quietened down after a few moments.
"Okay, okay..." the host calmed down the audience; "...now last but not the least we have with us an outstanding student...whose favourite quote is "fashion is my passion"...she has designed and created a few too many outfits during this year...here she is with one last beautiful outfit...Riddhima Gupta..."
The crowd erupted once more; louder than before; as Riddhima paraded around the ramp in a beautiful blue; green and turquoise blouse and skirt, with a flowing sequined trail, the entire hall glistened as the light hit the sequins showering multi coloured light beams around the place; the crowd hooted and cheered as she made her way back onto stage where she was met by a few teachers and the host. They presented her with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a few gift vouchers.
"Thank you Riddhima for putting together such a wonderful show...it has been brilliant and we would like to tell you all that we have raised £2010 for the charity..." the host said and the crowd cheered; "...so Thank You..." he said to the crowd and then to Riddhima; "...Congratulations..." he handed her the mike.
Riddhima waited for the crowd to quite down; "Thank You...thank you all so much...but I'm not the only one who deserves this..." smiling full of joy; "...I would also like to thank my friends..."a loud cheer erupted from the balcony making Riddhima smile; "...without whom this show would not have been possible...they have put in a lot of hard work to make this such an eventful evening...so I think we all deserve this together..." then only to her friends; "...come down guys...this one's for you..."
The crowd cheered as Armaan, Muskaan, Rahul, Nikita and Abhi disappeared from the balcony and appeared a few seconds later downstairs by the hall door, they made their way onto the stage and had a group hug as the host signed off for the evening and the models poured out from backstage onto the stage parading the ramp once again...
...Half an hour later; everyone had changed back into their normal clothes and was packing their things away in their bags talking excitedly about how great the show was. On the way out the students congratulated Riddhima as they said bye.
Finally they left the changing room making sure they had all their belongings and walked into the courtyard which was full of families. As the gang neared their families they were welcomed by a loud cheer and applause as they were congratulated; everyone separated and went off to their families.
Anjali hugged Riddhima; "Congratulations my little sister...that was an amazing show...you guys were brilliant..."
Riddhima hugged her sister tighter; "Thanks dii...I'm soo happy everything went so well and you all were here..."
"Of course we were going to be here...we wouldn't miss it for anything..." Atul said.
"Dumpling you did a great job..." Radha said nudging her.
Riddhima rolled her eyes with a smile as Aagam complimented her and the others agreed.
"Really Riddhima...you looked so beautiful up there...and your outfits looked stunning..." Juhi told her.
"Thank you aunty..." she smiled brightly.
"I'm so proud of you..." Padma hugged her daughter.
"Mama!" she sighed.
Neha put a hand on her shoulder; "Congrats Ridzi..."
"That was one amazing show you guys put together...and you were brilliant Riddhima..." a young girl came up to Riddhima and spoke with a friendly smile.
Riddhima smiled curiously; "Umm...thanks..."
Before she could say anything more Armaan walked towards them and leaned his arm on the girl's shoulder who shrugged him off; "Ridz...meet Tannu...and Tannu...Ridz..."
Riddhima smiled warmly and said hi and they introduced each other, completely ignoring Armaan.
Shashank suddenly called over the noise; "Umm I think the care taker would like to close down the school now...we're the only ones left..." everyone laughed; "...okay...my treat...everyone meet at Oasis...dinner on me..."
Everyone made their way out of the school site and into their cars towards the restaurant for dinner; the Shergills' left for home while the gang and their families went to the restaurant. They had to wait a long time until they could be seated for twenty plus people as all their friends and families were also invited to celebrate the success of the show. The evening was great as everyone chatted away and made their way home late that night...
...The weekend after the fashion show Riddhima spent the day at the Maliks' home; Armaan was out with the guys while Riddhima spent the afternoon with Tannu and Anjali; they were having a great time and Tannu was getting to know the sisters better. Later in the evening once they had dinner Riddhima and Tannu were chilling out in Armaan's room and both were slightly overexcited and were in fit of giggles which kind of annoyed Armaan.
To make matters worse Tannu had started telling Riddhima about Armaan's embarrassing moments to which he was fuming.
"Tanisha Shetty Will You Stop NOW!" Armaan shouted and threw a book at her.
The girls continued giggling; "And...and then there was this time when we both got new roller skates...we were skating around the neighbourhood...and Armaan's crush walked by...he tried to show off with some stunts and he fell flat on his face..." as Tannu came to the end of yet another embarrassing story both girls were holding onto their stomachs laughing away.
Armaan rolled his eyes at them and put on his headphones to block them out but Riddhima noticed his cheeks had gone red which made her laugh all the more louder; "Seriously...you should've videoed him..." she laughed.
"Oh that was nothing...the one I have on my camera is even better..." Tannu giggled; "...we were in our usual hang out...the guys were shooting hoops...the ball bounced away and one of our mates went to get it...then our friend Priya who has nothing upstairs...if you know what I mean..." she pointed to her head and laughed while Riddhima nodded; "...yeah so she said the most hilarious thing we were all rolling around laughing...and Armaan...he was laughing soooo much...for like five minutes...he even continued laughing when he took a free throw to the basket....but the ball bounced off of the backboard and hit him in the face with a bam..."
They laughed all over again and Armaan turned around angrily but she continued; "His...his nose was red and puffy for a whole three weeks...he had broken it..."
"Okay that's enough..." he got up and walked over to his bed taking a pillow he started to smash it against Tannu's head; "...I told you to stop!!"
"Armaan stop...you're hurting her..." Riddhima told him still giggling.
Tannu grabbed a pillow and started to hit him back just as hard; the three of them had a full on pillow fight which went on for more than twenty minutes. They finally came to an end as they were all out of breath and lay on his bed gasping for air and still gigging. After a while Armaan demanded an apology but the girls refused; Riddhima decided to tidy up the room while the best friends argued.
"Okay guys that's enough..." Riddhima said finally turning back to the pair.
"No way...she needs to say sorry..." Armaan shouted at Tannu.
"NEVER!" Tannu yelled back.
"Fine...you guys argue as much as you like...I'm off..." she replied walking to the door.
Armaan instantly jumped off of the bed and rushed to her; "No wait...please..." he held her hand; "...stay for a while..."
"I have to go Armaan..." she said with a smile.
"Please Ridz...just stay for a bit more...I didn't even get to spend any time with you...because of her..." Armaan turned back to Tannu and frowned.
"Hey...that was your fault...Ridz was here all day...you could've been here with her if you didn't have to go play football in the park with your friends..." Tannu argued back.
Riddhima sighed; "It's okay Armaan...we'll meet in school tomorrow...but I have to go now..."
Armaan frowned again; "But I don't want you to go so soon..."
"Armaan!" Riddhima said slowly.
"Okay fine..." he huffed and pulled her into a warm hug; moving back he placed a kiss on her cheek to which Tannu cleared her throat in the background and he rolled his eyes; "...bye..."
"Bye..." Riddhima smiled; "...see you later Tannu..." she said before walking out of the room.
The Guptas' said bye and thanked Juhi for a lovely dinner before heading home...
...The next day Riddhima walked down the stairs with a smile on her face as she remembered the night before and how much she had laughed. She settled down quickly at the breakfast table wishing her parents good morning and waiting for Padma to serve her breakfast.
"So my princess...looking very happy this morning..." Shashank noticed as she started to eat.
Riddhima nodded; "Yes...it's the last few days of school...the weather is lovely...I just can't wait for the holidays..."
"Oh...toh yeh baat hain (so that's what it is) ...well enjoy..." he smiled at her.
"Do you have any plans for the holidays?" Padma asked her.
"Not yet mama...I haven't thought of anything yet..." she shrugged.
Suddenly the doorbell rang and Padma went to open the door; returning a few moments later with Armaan who waited in the doorway of the kitchen for her as she said a quick goodbye to her parents. They quickly settled in the car without saying anything to each other; it was like a peaceful silence until Armaan turned on the radio and Riddhima sent him a brief smile as he drove out of the estate.
After a few minutes Riddhima frowned as she looked out of the window before turning to him; "Armaan...you took the wrong turn..."
"Did I?" he asked without looking at her; "...It's okay..."
"What do you mean it's okay...school is in the opposite direction..." she told him.
"I know..." he replied again without looking at her but continued driving.
"Armaan what are you doing?" she asked now sitting up; "...We're going to be late..."
"No we won't..." he smiled.
Riddhima frowned deeper; "...Where are we going?"
"It's called a surprise..." he said finally turning to her with a wide smile.
She frowned and sat back in her seat wondering what he was up to; she was quiet for about eight minutes until her eyes widened in shock.
"Armaan..." her voice was getting louder; "...why are you going onto the M1...??" she asked as he was now driving on the motorway without any worry but instead a huge smile while she on the other hand looked confused and annoyed.
"Riddhima...will you just calm down and enjoy the ride...?" he said calmly.
"What do you mean calm down...?" she fumed; "...We are supposed to be going to school...and you're here taking me elsewhere...how can I calm down...?"
"Okay...let me explain...I'm taking you for a long drive...think of this as payback from last night..." he said turning to look at her and her mouth fell open in shock; "...I saw how much you was laughing at me...now it's my turn to get my own back...so calm down...enjoy the ride...because you are going to bunk your next two hours of lessons...and spend that time with me..." he grinned.
"I don't believe you..." was all she could say; and without another word she settled back in her seat and enjoyed the ride.
After half an hour of driving Armaan stopped the car in the parking lot of Cassiobury Park in Watford and turned to look at Riddhima with a smile; "C'mon let's go..."
She frowned at him before getting out of the car mumbling; "I really can't believe he made me bunk..."
"Enough of your complaints..." she turned to see him standing by her side a moment later; "...time to have some fun..." he put his hand around her waist and pulled her closer to him.
She gave a sad smile and sighed; "Might as well...now that we're here..."
"That's more like it..." he kissed her cheek and they walked into the park.
They started their morning out with a calm walk along the canal holding hands and talking generally. They had then walked past the Dell with Riddhima telling Armaan about her past; how her and Anjali use to come to the park with their parents when they were children and use to have the best time.
She continued talking all the way until they had reached one of the children's playing area; they sat down on the bench and looked over at some toddlers with their parents but Armaan was too busy looking and listening to Riddhima who was still talking with a smile on his face.
"What's wrong?" she asked as she noticed he wasn't fully there.
"Huh?" he questioned.
Riddhima raised her eye brow and waved her hand in front of his face; "What's wrong with you...why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing..." he shook his head with a smile; "...I just love to hear you talk..."
"Armaan..." she moaned; stood up and walked away.
He grinned then followed behind her calling out her name but she didn't want to listen to him and continued walking away. He ran and caught up to her; tapped her on her head and ran away.
"HEY!" she called to him and ran after him.
They both continued running until Armaan had ran towards another children's play area where there were three huge pools. Once Riddhima had caught up to him he had already taken off his shoes and socks and rolled up his jeans till his knees and was standing in the pool.
"Armaan...what are you doing?" she laughed.
"Come join me..." he waved her over.
She shook her head; "Are you mad?"
He bent down and splashed some water at her which made her squeal and take a few steps back; "That's freezing cold...how could you do that...?"
"Simple..." he said walking towards her as she walked backwards; "...like this..." he ran to her and held her around her waist; lifted her off the ground and spun her around.
They were both in the pool and were splashing each other with water having a great time. They continued for another ten minutes until Armaan noticed that they were almost drenched from head to toe and needed to dry up before heading back to school.
They were back to the car and Riddhima was now wondering how she would dry up her hair and clothes when Armaan handed her a towel; "Seriously..." she took it and looked back at him; "...you came prepared..."
"Well obviously..." he smiled; "...c'mon dry your hair before you catch a cold..."
Once they were all set they made their way back to London and were just a road away from school when Riddhima took a deep breath and turned to Armaan; "Oh My Gosh...what are we going to say to the guys...!"
Armaan grinned; "We don't need to say anything..."
"They're not going to leave us..."
"We will go through it together..." he gave her hand a slight squeeze.
Armaan parked the car and they both got out; Riddhima was busy biting away at her nails while Armaan grinned and put his arm around her leading her into school. They made their way up to the sixth form common room as they had reached just in time for break; they spotted their friends and walked over to them.
"Where were you guys?" Muskaan asked the moment she spotted them.
"How did you guys miss double I.T?" Rahul added.
Nikita was raising her eyebrow; "You guys were together..."
"Hi to you all too..." Armaan said ignoring each and every question; he sat down and pulled Riddhima down to sit in his lap as there wasn't much room.
"Hey dude...hey Ridz..." Abhi smiled; "...why didn't I think of bunking...that lesson was so boring..."
"Hey everyone..." Riddhima smiled guilty.
Muskaan frowned; "You didn't answer our questions..."
"Actually...who umm...Musk...umm..." Riddhima started to fiddle with her bag strap unable to look at her friends.
"Go on Ridz..." Rahul urged.
Armaan grinned as he leaned his chin on Riddhima's shoulder; "C'mon you lot...stop grilling her...I made her bunk...I took her on an early morning date...any problem?"
"Seriously Armaan...early morning date...you guys have time..." Abhi sighed; "...if I had to bunk I would sleep in..."
"You would...wouldn't you...you're so unromantic and boring!" Nikita told him.
Abhi threw a chip at her; "Shut it dumbo..."
She scowled while the others quickly changed the subject; Riddhima was let off the hook and they decided to head down to the lawn area to enjoy the sunshine as they had a free lesson. They continued talking amongst each other when Riddhima felt a nudge in her side and she turned to see Muskaan motion for her to follow.
"Excuse me...I'll be back..." Muskaan said getting up.
"Where are you going?" Rahul asked.
"Just to the washroom..."
"I'll come with..." Riddhima said getting up and Nikita followed.
As the girls were walking away Armaan sighed; "I never understand why girls need to go to the washroom together..."
...Once the girls were behind the closed door of the ladies they both rounded on Riddhima with eager expressions; "So...tell us...how was your date...?" Nikita asked.
"Seriously...is that why you called me here?" Riddhima rolled her eyes but they noticed the blush creep up on her cheeks.
"Yes now tell us...how come you never mentioned it before that you guys were going to bunk..." Muskaan asked.
Riddhima gave a small frown; "It wasn't planned...he gave me a surprise...and only because we didn't get to spend enough time with each other during the weekend...you guys think I would bunk...?"
"Aww...that's so sweet...but where did you go?" Nikita was eager to find out.
"Can you believe he drove all the way to Watford to spend time in the park...?" Riddhima blushed.
"What...seriously?" Nikita said.
Muskaan grinned; "He really did want to spend time with you away from any praying eyes..."
"Aww...it's good you guys had a nice time..." Nikita said dreamily.
"Don't worry Niks...you'll find your match soon..." Riddhima told her.
Muskaan suddenly picked up on an idea; "I know...we'll find you someone..."
"Thanks girls...but I'm not really up for it..." Nikita said seriously; "...I'm happy being single..." she lied.
"If you say so..." Muskaan winked; "...but if you were to get with someone...what would he be like...?"
Riddhima grinned; "Yeah tell us Niki..."
She thought for a moment; "I don't know...but I just hope he's as romantic as Armaan..." Nikita winked at Riddhima who blushed.
"C'mon let's go..." Riddhima grinned walking out of the ladies.
She walked right into Vivik who was standing in the corridor with his friend Mike; taking a few steps back she frowned as she saw who it was; "Hey Ridz..." he moved closer to her and was about to put his arm around her.
"Please Vivik...not now..." she warned him.
The girls came out and noticed Riddhima in a compromising situation; "What's going on...?" Nikita asked.
"Oh you have your bodyguards..." Mike sneered.
"Let's go girls..." Riddhima said seriously.
The girls started to walk ahead but Vivik and his friend tagged along with them. Vivik was right next to Riddhima; their hands almost brushing each other while Mike walked in between Muskaan and Nikita...
_______________
Hey everyone...what do you guys think of the chapter...please comment and vote!