Armaan was coming back from a photo shoot for the album cover. The driver stopped the car in front of his penthouse building. He quickly thanked him before pulling his hood over his head and stepping out of the car. He was about to enter the building gates when his eyes caught a familiar face just a few steps down the road.

He took a detour and walked up to the car which had the bonnet pulled up. "Car trouble?" he asked, and the figure emerged from behind it.

"Armaan? Hi, what are you doing here?"

He smiled, "Hi Sapna, yes. Me. I live here. Are you stalking me?"

She scoffed at his teasing, "Please. I don't stalk people like other journalists. You guys come to me."

Laughing at her response, he reached forward and shut the bonnet, "I'd offer to take a look but I'm afraid I wouldn't be of much help."

She offered a sad sigh, "That's okay. My driver went somewhere saying there's a mechanic shop nearby but..."

She glanced at her wrist watch, and he got the idea that she was getting late to be someplace. He nodded behind her towards where his car was, "My driver can drop you if you want?"

She admitted with an embarrassed chuckle, "Uh... thanks, but I actually don't know the address. My driver does."

He only spent a moment to think before making another offer, "Alright, come on. You can wait at my place till your driver is back... unless you'd rather stand out on the road when it's getting darker?"

She silenced her protest to politely refuse the offer when he added the later part, logic catching up to her. "You're inviting a reporter to your place?" She questioned, for no one in their right mind would dig that hole for themselves.

"I trust you, but you're welcome to prove me wrong." He casually commented, starting to walk around her towards his building, leaving the choice to her.

A second later, he heard her rushing up to fall in step with him. "Thank you."

He held the gate open for her to enter first and she passed him, he added his reason. "You're a female first, reporter second."

"There is more to you than meets the eye, isn't it?" She questioned while he shut the gate and both started walking to the elevators.

He didn't want to sound cocky, but it was the truth. "Yes."

After getting to the top most floor, he pushed his keys in and stepped in, moving aside to let her in before locking the door. He took his shoes off by the entrance and she followed his actions.

Riddhima yelled out from the kitchen, "Armaan, you better have brought my chocolates you stole this morning!"

Sapna questioned, "Sister?" for she couldn't think of anyone else who could be at his place.

He laughed as they turned the corner to enter the kitchen. Riddhima's back was to them as she was chopping potatoes. Shaking his head, he went up to her and commented. "Really, Basket, you should think of putting some clothes on." As she always dressed when she was home, she had on a sports bra and yoga pants with her hair tied up in a ponytail.

Ignoring his comment, she pointed the knife to him. "Did you or did you not bring me my chocolates?"

He exhaled and pulled them out of his pockets. "Yes, love. I don't have a death wish after all."

She grinned at him, "Good boy. Put them in the fridge?" She turned the other way and finally noticed Sapna. "Oh. Hi?" She glared at Armaan for not warning her about another presence.

He defended himself, "Why do you think I said something about putting on some clothes?"

She retorted with a roll of her eyes, "Well how would I know? You don't ever bring any guests home."

"Okay, my bad. I'll give you a warning next time. Anyway, meet Sapna."

Riddhima's eyes widened, "The reporter?!" She couldn't believe he invited a reported into the flat.

"Yes, the reporter. I'm going to quickly freshen up." He added the later and then pressed an affectionate kiss to her temple. "Please don't scare her away with that knife." She pressed her lips in a thin line, moving the knife aside. Before exiting, he spoke to Sapna. "Make yourself comfortable. Don't worry; she's harmless."

He wanted her to feel welcome, but Sapna could only gulp in concern for her life. She dared to question, "So... I'm going to take a guess and say you're not his sister?"

Riddhima laughed, just as Armaan had when Sapna had asked him. "Oh lord no." She pointed the knife to the fridge where there was a photo of all three of them back from their senior year. "That would be Khushi."

Sapna glanced at it, and understood the second girl on the other side of Armaan was his sister. "They don't look anything alike."

"Ofcourse they don't." Riddhima answered, turning away to finish cutting potatoes. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Oh no, I'm just waiting for my driver to get back. Car troubles." She quickly caught her up before going back to previous conversation, "You said that as if it would be obvious why they don't like siblings."

"I suppose all reporters are curious in nature even when they try not to be a reporter?" Riddhima teased her by arching a brow.

Sapna flushed, "Sorry. Job hazard."

Riddhima turned serious, giving her a proper answer and trusting her with that since Armaan trusted her enough to invite her here when he never invited anyone from the industry or the media. This was his sacred safe haven and he had let her in – that said something to Riddhima. "He was adopted, so yes. It would be obvious they don't look alike."

Sapna didn't mean to be rude by being too surprised, but she was. It was complete news for her. Riddhima understood that. Armaan always kept his family on the low profile in the media. "Wow, it's true. You never really do know a celebrity."

Riddhima offered her a kind smile, "Maybe, but never been a problem for me."

"Because you know him from before he became a celebrity?"

"Because I know him from before he even dreamed of being a celebrity." She corrected her statement, picking up the tomato and start cutting it.

Sapna asked yet another question, "Who are you?" She had recalled Armaan calling her Basket, and she was sure that wasn't her name.

Riddhima stopped cutting and flickered her gaze to the ever-curious gal. With a confirming smile, she said. "I think you know who I am."

She was right. Sapna did have a guess for Armaan wasn't the kind to be this affectionate around just anyone. She had known him to bring someone or the other with him to music awards, events, launches, others parties, but she didn't think he would bring them to his place afterward. And if that photo on the fridge was any proof, she wasn't just a flavor of the month.

Armaan walked back in changed in a fresh black colored wife beater and red track pants with a question of his own, "Did Sid come by with...?"

Riddhima answered before he had the chance to finish his question, "Yes. It's in my closet."

"And did Abhi...?"

"Yes. He called back. And no, he doesn't need anything for now."

"What about..?"

"Muski and Rahul have patched up. For the thousandth time."

"Nikki..."

"Still pissed that Abhi is her supervising resident. I don't get why she doesn't like him. It's not like he's ever been a jerk to her."

"By association. I hated him for being with you so she hated him too to support me."

'You two have a weird friendship."

Sapna interjected, "You know, I feel like I'm watching from soap opera which is at its 1000th episode but I don't even know the names of any of the characters." Riddhima and Armaan turned their attention to her, giving her a weird look for her crazy metaphor. "That didn't make any sense, did it?" She meekly confused the two and they shook their head at her in amusement. "Sorry, I say weird things when I feel lost. Out of nowhere, I am finding out that the famous singer Armaan Gupta's life is nothing like the world imagines it to be. Like seriously, neither of you have said a name that I would have recognized from the industry."

Riddhima pointed out, "His life is more normal than you think."

Sapna muttered, "Yeah, I'm starting to realize that."

Riddhima handed him the knife, "Your turn to cut the onion."

Armaan frowned, "You're going to make me cry in front of a guest?"

Riddhima smacked the back of his head bringing him out of his pickiness with a quick scolding, "Stop being Mr. Celebrity and cut this onion. Small pieces, the same size as the potatoes."

He grumbled while picking up the wretched onion, "You honestly don't care about my reputation, do you?"

She placed a bent arm over his shoulder, pulling his cheek just to irk him further. "Being a loving guy who doesn't mind helping around the house doesn't ruin your reputation. In fact, chicks dig that. Right, Sapna?"

Sapna found it in herself to chuckle amidst all her confusion. "Right."

Riddhima suggested, shifting away from Armaan. "Come, why don't we go chill in the living room while this crybaby here cooks?"

"Who said anything about cooking?" Armaan raised his voice, "I only cut onion every other time, Riddhima. You do all the cooking." He felt the need to make it clear incase Sapna would get a different impression.

"And you'd starve if I didn't." She yelled back, nudging Sapna away from the kitchen.

As they took a seat on the couch, Sapna pointed out with a knowing smile. "I am starting to understand your appeal." The reason Armaan kept her hidden was coming to focus. The kiss on her temple that she had observed earlier was her proof.

Riddhima put it simply, "It's nothing, just a result of knowing him since childhood."

Sapna's eyes widened slightly, "That long, huh?"

"Why else do you think he is so picky?" Riddhima pointed out indirectly the reason behind Armaan refusing to sing his songs that aren't written by her.

"I'd love to interview you one day."

Riddhima laughed, for she would call this nothing short of that. "So this wasn't an interview?"

Sapna bobbed her head to the side as she reached in her purse to take out her phone that had beeped with a message, "You know what I mean. The world should know exactly who Armaan is. Right now, they think they know him but they don't know that they just know a glimpse of him while you... you are a walking encyclopedia on who he is." She looked up from the message, "And that's my driver. He's back."

It had only seemed to be short fifteen minutes since Sapna had walked into the house. Riddhima and she stood up and walked back to the kitchen where Sapna thanked Armaan, "Thank you for inviting me in, Armaan."

Armaan gave her his dazzling smile, "Your most welcome, Sapna. And hey, you say anything about tonight to anyone, I will deny it."

Sapna laughed, patting his back. "You don't have worry about it. I do happen to know a thing or two about earned trust."

Armaan nodded in response, relieved to learn putting his trust in her wasn't a wrong call. "We'll see you around then."

"I'll look forward to it. Bye, it was nice to finally meet you." Sapna bid her with a kind smile as the two walked her to the entrance and she slipped into her three inch heels. Just before she would leave, she turned to them. "And hey, anytime you two decide to stop hiding, I'd love to be the one to have an exclusive interview."

Then, she left with a secretive wink that until then, their secret was safe with her.

Riddhima complimented at a retreating figure, "That girl was born to be a journalist."

"She does have a knack for picking up subtle hints." Armaan went on to agree while locking the door and both returned to the kitchen.

Armaan simply stood leaning against the kitchen counter and listening to her tell him about her day at the hospital while she cooked flawlessly maneuvering around the kitchen. After she had spiced everything and closed the pressure cooker to boil the vegetables, he stopped her from going to sit at the island chair by wrapping his fingers around her elbow and pulling her to him instead.

"Have I ever told you how sexy you look when cooking?"

She held on to his waist, standing against him comfortably. "No, I would have remembered that compliment."

He gave a sly smirk, tucking her hair over her ear, "Well, you are."

She sighed and decided to bring up the topic while they had this alone time, "You know, I have this idiot boyfriend."

He arched his brow at her play, "Oh?"

She went on talking to him as his friend for the time being, "Yeah, I kinda have to complain about him a little. You see, he asked me to be his girlfriend about a month ago and don't get me wrong. He's very affectionate and all with his words, but he still hasn't kissed me. It sort of kills my self-esteem that he doesn't seem eager to kiss his girlfriend that he claims to be in love with for years now."

He offered, defending his perspective, "Maybe he just doesn't want it to seem as if he's in this relationship just for the physical things."

Her features around her eyes softened, things finally starting to make some sense. "Then I would be right to call him an idiot, because there is no way I can think that of him. He doesn't know me as well as he thought."

His hands leave her elbow and rest on her sides, talking to her in first person again, "I'm sorry if that's how it came off, Riddhima. I guess I just wanted to take things slow. Do this right. We've both changed a lot in the past 3 years. I just wanted to give each other the time to adjust to how we are now first."

"Armaan, we can still learn things about each other," She suggested, moving the ends of his hair off his forehead and caressing his skin. "I know our life is going to take a turn tomorrow when we make our first public appearance together at the pre-launch, but wouldn't it be nice to be our natural, carefree selves instead of holding back on our emotions just because of the uncertainty that it might lead to something physical?"

"Is that how you really feel? You aren't just saying it because that's the norm in relationships?" He proposed the question, wanting to be absolutely certain.

She smiled gazing into his ocean blue eyes that always left her enchanted. She placed her hand over his chest, "Your heart is in the right place, Armaan, and I am touched that you are thinking so much about us. But, yes. I know we've always felt strongly for each other and there is a lot of history, but it's not going to scare me away. We agreed on giving each other a real shot and that is what I am ready for if you are too."

"I'd want that more than anything." He confessed, resting his forehead against her. She was about to tilt her head up and he attempted to reach forward when the sudden whistle from the pressure cooker went off and startled, they jumped away from each other.

Their eyes met when the whistle simmered down, and they burst out laughing. Some way to end such an emotional conversation. "Take two?" He asked, wondering if the moment was over.

She took the step forward towards him again, ready to give this as many takes as it needed to get it perfect. 

His hand rested on her neck, angling her head as he leaned down to lessen the distance between their lips. With the softest touch, their lips met. People talk about feeling tingles, fireworks exploding, shiver down the spine, butterflies in the stomach, and more. And yes, usually his touch did do that. But, she realized one thing. It brought about those emotions when she used to think he was some unattainable thing... something just out of her reach. But now, when he was hers and she was his, they were together, all she felt was utter bliss and satisfaction.

Surely, this kiss was everything she imagined, but more than that, it was filled with peace and comfort, the assurance that he loved her and this was emotions coming from the depths of the heart, not just a rush of hormones or lust for each other.

She seemed quite at ease, but his lips slightly trembled against hers. He'd had only two kisses in his life: the first kiss with Riddhima and the drunken kiss with Nikita. He hadn't kissed anyone in the past two years. The first two kisses as well, they had been so brief, he wouldn't count them under experience at all.

He gently kissed her bottom lip, feeling a taste of her cherry lip balm on her. Her lips parted and in sync, he kissed her upper lip. He'd have never thought it, but she set the slow pace of it, as if understanding his dilemma without him even having to express it. No, it didn't turn into a heated make-out session. This was simply the briefest taste of each other that only confirmed their emotions for each other.

Another reason dawned on her as to why he hadn't kissed her until she brought up the topic and they discussed it. He was afraid of his inexperience. 

He was a confident guy on the outer appearance, always in his zone and aware of his capabilities. But, when it came to Riddhima, it was all vulnerability. This was the real Armaan: one who needed Riddhima to reassure him he could do anything he set his mind to; one who needed Riddhima to turn everything perfect in his life and rest his concerns; one who needed Riddhima to be the best version of himself.

===

authors note:

A glimpse of how things shape up roughly halfway through the book ;) PS: this is my hint that MCS won't be like MCC with last chapter being sad, hehe. 

If you have questions about some of the characters, you're on the right path :P This is a piece of the puzzle. 

Please vote & comment & if you have friends who'll be interested in reading, share! More the merrier! (Yes, I am getting into the Holiday spirit) Chapter 1 will be up on the 20th! See you then <33