IX

♪♫ Kya kahoon?

Aankhon ne meri sab keh diya

Ik tu hi,

Jeene ka matlab keh diya

Ab saansein chale na chale kya fikar,

Tu chale saath to khubsurat safar,

Teri raahon mein mera jahan

Ke rang lageya ishq da,

Ke rang lageya ishq da

Mai tera hoya iss tarah,

Ke rang lageya ishq da ...♪♫

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ting Tong!

Rivaah opened the door to see Armaan in front of her with tulip bouquets in hand.

"You were supposed to come back after a week." She said while moving aside so he could come inside.

"Yes, but then, I got to know about your health so I came back." He gave one of the bouquets to her and pressed a kiss on her forehead. "How are you, now?"

"I'm fine."

"No, she is not!" came Sia's voice. She stood in front of the sofa with her hands on her waist. "She still has a fever but she doesn't listen to me."

Armaan hugged Sia and gave her the second bouquet and they talked in hushed voices for a minute. Suddenly, Armaan stood up to come near Rivaah and picked her up bridal style without a word.

Rivaah gasped. "Armaan, what the—Sia is watching!"

"Sia doesn't mind." He stated then asked Sia, "Do you kiddo?"

She grinned. "Nope. Not at all."

He smiled and walked toward Rivaah's room with Sia trailing behind them. He gently put her on her bed.

"Have you eaten something?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Lying is bad manners, Mumma!" Sia interrupted and added when she saw Rivaah's glare, "You once told me that."

Armaan chuckled. "I'll make something for you, till then, take some rest."

Armaan left her room with Sia.

Rivaah had been sporting a high fever for a day now. She knew Sia would have told Armaan about this but she didn't know that he would leave his work and come back for her.

It felt selfish but she liked the feeling of having someone who cares about her.

She came out of her thoughts when the door of her room was opened by Sia. Sia came running and launched herself onto the bed beside her, earning giggles from Rivaah.

Sia suddenly sat up and scoot near Rivaah. "Mumma?"

"Yes, bacha?"

"Armaan uncle asked me if I'd like him as my Papa."

"So," Rivaah opened her arm for Sia and she complied. "What was your answer?"

"Yes!"

Rivaah kissed her daughter's forehead with a smile. "That's a great answer."

Sia looked up at Rivaah with wide eyes. "You are not mad?"

"No, I think he'll be a great father to you."

"I think that too." Sia grinned.

Rivaah looked up to see Armaan smiling and leaning against the door frame with a tray in hand.

He walked in and put the tray on the nightstand while Sia left the room saying she has some homework to complete.

"So," Rivaah paused. "You asked my daughter if you could be her Papa?"

Armaan scratched the back of his neck. "Yes and now," he sat in front of her and took her hands in his. "I'm asking you if you'd like me as your husband?"

"What about your parents? Wouldn't they have a problem with this?"

"They wouldn't care. They hadn't been a part of my life for a decade now."

"Why?"

"They were poor when they came and started their own business here in Mumbai, so, when the business started doing well they only focused on the business because it was more important to them and left all three of us to nannies. They only cared about our grades and started training us so we could take over their business. I wasn't interested in their textile business, so when I turned 18, I started the publishing firm. They were so mad that they told me to either follow their path or get out of the house and their lives. I chose the latter.

After three years, Veer and Vian came to me. Apparently, when they told our parents they were interested in IT, they kicked them out of the house. From then on, we started living together. Our mother sometimes visits Veer and Vian but that only happens once in a while when she wants something from them."

"I—I don't know what to say."

Armaan smiled sadly. "It's alright. My brothers had always been the only family I cared about."

They sat there in silence before Armaan sat up straight. "You didn't answer my question!"

"Question? What question? I can't remember." Rivaah feigned innocence.

"Would you like me as your husband?"

"Yes, I would love you to be my husband and my daughter's Papa."

He grinned and kissed her cheeks. "You have made me the happiest person alive!"