TDBU #2 [An AR FF] - (Teaser - Page 142) - Page 101

Originally posted by: DMGThings

Toh main kahaan bol rahi hu he should have all qualities. 4-5 toh ho sakti haina. One of them should be this.

Originally posted by: DMGThings

"Woh tunhara CHEATER pati!"
I just love this dialogue. God knows why! And the way Adi says it. 🤣

Originally posted by: DMGThings

Tujhe sab pata haina?
Maa Priyanka Devi Swamini. 🤔

Originally posted by: Prizi

Sob sob. . Poori ki Poori armaan chahiye thi

aise sapne nahi dekhte jo kabhi poore na ho. Armaan toh sirf aur sirf Riddhima ke paas hai. Humaari aisi kismat kahaan ki humein bhi mile.

Originally posted by: Prizi

Hai na???? Initially Initialli used to watch BP cuz of adi and his epic one liners

Oh, yes!! His one liners were just amaze.
But I hated Zo tab. She didn't do anything except cry, cry and then cry some more. I like her now. She's a happy person who doesn't let others put her down. Pehle toh woh uski sad si sasuma usko sunaati thi aur woh roti thi. "Spineless" is the word that comes to mind. And, whooosh. KRPKAN memories with that word. 😆

Originally posted by: Prizi

Sau putribati vabo. .. (Ab hum lafkiyaan kam hai kya?)

Tu kyu chahti hai mere 100 bachche ho? Paagal hai kya?

Previously On...

Padma & Riddhima talk.

Riddhima & Nikki have a long overdue conversation.

Track 30 - Head Full Of Doubt, Avett Brothers

Riddhima and Shilpa reached an understanding that day, some sort of unspoken agreement. And though, things were far from perfect, they were getting better.

Riddhima's talk with Padma had relieved her of a lot of her doubts and misgivings and she was glad that her mom would support her, no matter what decision she took. It was painful for Riddhima, knowing how difficult it would be for Padma to see Shilpa day in, day out, a constant reminder of her shitty past, but she also knew that her mom was one of the strongest people she'd met and she'd power through this too.

With all these changes, Riddhima's relationship with Atul and Nikki also changed. Riddhima would forever be grateful to Nikki for speaking up that day, and being the first one to support her decision, no matter what. She knew that her and Nikki had had their issues in the past, most of them stemming from Armaan's departure, but seeing Nikki being such a staunch ally in this situation, warmed Riddhima's heart to the core. It showed her that no matter what, Nikki still cared. That she still considered Riddhima to be a friend.

After Nikumbh's birth, and the long hours of labour that Riddhima had supported Nikki through, their relationship had definitely improved from the cold professional one that Nikki had maintained since coming back from Delhi. They'd become somewhat tentative friends and though they didn't interact like they used to, at least Nikki didn't shun her outside of work, and even initiated conversations on occasion, even if they were about the weather. Riddhima had thought that that would be the extent of their relationship, that they'd always behave like polite acquaintances for the rest of their lives, but now, everything had changed.

In supporting Riddhima through the whole Shilpa ordeal, Nikki had started warming up to her again. Maybe, seeing Armaan so happy helped too. Whatever the reason maybe, Nikki now laughed and joked with Riddhima, if only a little. They'd taken a step forward, and that was all Riddhima could hope for. Maybe, they'd take more baby steps ahead, and things could someday be the way they had been before Armaan had left, but for now, she was content with this progress, no matter how small.

And then, there was Atul. Atul, who though mad at Riddhima, had done his best to continue their friendship, but had failed. Even with all the issues, when Riddhima and Sid had announced their separation, almost 4 months after Atul had come back to Mumbai, he was the first one to support them. The others were all taken aback by the sudden announcement and had tried, repeatedly, to change their minds, especially Dr. Shashank, but neither Sid nor Riddhima had budged. And, during all this, Atul had been a pillar of support for her, at least publically. He had vehemently defended the couple's choice to part ways, and had helped Riddhima talk to her parents.

But, even after all that, their relationship had severely deteriorated and they weren't friends. They were colleagues, and that's the way Atul had liked to keep their relationship for a long time. Only after his marriage, did he change his stance. But that too, didn't extend as far as Riddhima hoped.

It was true that once Atul and Anjali had gotten married, Atul had taken efforts to repair his relationship with Riddhima. He had not apologized to Riddhima because somewhere, he felt justified in being angry with her because she was the reason that Armaan was away. Yes, it wasn't technically her fault because it was Dr. Shashank and Padma Aunty who had insisted that Riddhima marry Sid and Atul had been a witness to it all, but when he had come back to Mumbai to find that Armaan had left and Riddhima was carrying on with life like nothing had happened was when he snapped. He couldn't believe that Armaan leaving hadn't seemed to affect Riddhima in the slightest. That's when the issues between the two creeped. Atul knew that Armaan's entire world revolved around Riddhima and here he saw Riddhima going about her life as if she hadn't hurt the one person who loved her most, even though it hadn't been entirely intentional.

After he'd gotten married to Anjali, he had started to interact with Riddhima, but he still didn't talk to her like he used to. Like Atul, her first friend at Sanjeevani, the one who was always there to cheer her up, the one who had been the first to support her relationship with Armaan after the truth about them had come out or the one who had been there for her at every step of the way after she'd come back to Mumbai from Boston, still nursing a broken heart over Armaan's supposed betrayal. He'd become Atul, her brother in law, who only talked to her when the situation demanded for it.

But now, he'd started talking to her, really talking to her, over and above the pointless surface chatter he used to indulge her in earlier. Maybe it was knowing that she was going through a lot with Shilpa or seeing that Armaan was happy or maybe he'd just missed her or a combination of it all, Riddhima didn't know what, but he was talking to her and that was enough for her. She wouldn't question Atul if he wanted to be her friend again.

"Ready?" Armaan asked Riddhima, bringing her out of her thoughts. They'd come to a caterer for a food tasting. They'd visited a few in the past couple days, but unfortunately, neither Armaan nor Riddhima had liked any of them enough to want them to cater the wedding. Elizabeth was quickly running out of options and they were down to their last two options today. Armaan really hoped that one of them was good enough.

6 hours later, they'd finally finalized a caterer and were on their way back home.

"Armaan, do you mind if we go shopping?" Riddhima asked.

"Shopping? What for?" Armaan questioned, confused.

"I wanted to buy something for the baby. A present. Anjali Di would love it," Riddhima told him.

Armaan grinned at her words. Riddhima was really excited about becoming an aunt. She really, really was.

"Absolutely," Armaan agreed. "Let's go!"

Armaan drove them to the nearest mall.

"So, what do you want to buy?" Armaan asked.

"Let's just browse and I'll pick what I like. I haven't given it much thought," Riddhima answered.

Armaan agreed. As they window shopped, Armaan couldn't stop himself and said, "Uh... So... Um... You and Shilpa... That... Uh... That seems to be going well."

Riddhima passed him a small smile. "Yes, kind of, I guess. I mean, it'll take me time to come to terms with it all and accept it. Maybe, she'll never be my sister, but, we can be cordial and friendly. Like you said, it wasn't her fault, what her father did to mom and me. So, punishing her is unfair."

Armaan grinned at that. "I know. After everything, it is a big thing to ask of anyone, but I'm happy that you guys are trying. If not all in, at least to be friends. It takes a lot of courage, even attempting to do what you are. And I'm really proud of you."

"Thank you," Riddhima replied. "It means a lot to me. And, everyone has been so supportive. It's just really overwhelming. But, I'm getting there."

"Well, that's all we can hope for," Armaan smiled at her.

"But, let me tell you, Shilpa is really happy with all this. She always knew that you guys accepting her was far fetched, but even after everything that has happened, the fact that you're trying, it means a lot to her," he said.

"Tumhe bada pata hai, how she feels," Riddhima commented.

Though, her words were joking, but somewhere, it pinched her that Armaan knew so much about Shilpa. She knew that it was totally unfounded and there was no reason for her to feel jealous, because it was clear as day that there was nothing going on between Armaan and Shilpa, but their closeness hurt Riddhima in ways she hadn't thought was possible.

While earlier, it was Shilpa's romantic interest in Armaan and Armaan's seeming acceptance of her presence in his life had made her feel jealous and envious of the budding relationship between the two, it was now the ease and comfort that Armaan shared with Shilpa, their obvious friendship, the way they understood each other and supported each other that was causing her to feel this way.

Granted, her and Armaan had come a long way in the very limited days they'd spent in each other's company and given their history, even this progress was a lot, it still hurt her that Armaan wasn't as comfortable with her as he was with Shilpa. There had been once a time when Armaan had been so comfortable with her that he'd shared all his secrets with her - his parents' broken marriage, a childhood spent away from home and family - or at least, she thought he'd been. Coming here, seeing this new Armaan, had made her realize that there was so much that she never knew about him.

But, it still meant a lot to her that he'd opened up to her about his past, however little it had been, and found solace and comfort in her presence. It had made her uncharacteristically smug. Now, he had other people in his life who had filled that void created in his life by her absence. Shilpa was one of them. And much as she tried not to let it affect her, after all, she couldn't have expected anything else especially after she had been the one to let him go, she couldn't stop herself from feeling jealous or envious. And, with this came the guilt that she was feeling like this when obviously, the more important thing was that Armaan had people in his life who truly, genuinely cared for him.

Armaan looked at her, confused. He may not know Riddhima as well as he once had, but he could detect the undercurrents of jealousy in her words. What he didn't understand was why would she feel jealous of his equation with Shilpa. She had moved on, gotten married, started a new life, all within a few months of him leaving. For him, it had been 7 years. Almost 8. Wasn't he entitled to finding someone else, too?

The fact that he hadn't was another thing altogether, but the way Riddhima had said those words, he couldn't help but think how unfair she was being.

But then, he remembered how he'd felt when he'd found out that his Basket was now someone else's wife. It wasn't a feeling he could describe in words. Was it the same thing that Riddhima was feeling now? Thinking he'd found someone else? Back in Mumbai, Armaan hadn't interacted as much with Shilpa because he found her interference in his life a little annoying and because he wasn't in the best state of mind after the revelation of Riddhima's truth. He hadn't been the best version of himself then (well, he hadn't been the best version of himself since 1999, but that was another thing), drowning in pain and guilt and jealousy.

But, when he'd met Shilpa again, after Karan introduced them some 2 years ago, he'd been in a decidedly better place and just the change in his outlook towards life had been enough for him to realize everything that was wrong with his friendship with Shilpa when they'd been in Mumbai. And, after that, there was no going back. In a short time, Shilpa had become one of the few people he could trust, who he relied on, who he cared for. It had been the beginning of a beautiful friendship and Armaan was so very happy that he'd gotten a second chance with her.

"Well, technically, Karan knows how she feels and he just blabbed it to me, so it's not me," Armaan told Riddhima. It was true, too. Shilpa told Karan everything. And Karan was the hugest blabbermouth in the history of blabbermouths who absolutely had to tell it to him.

Riddhima smiled knowingly at that. No matter what, she really wished that Shilpa found love this time round.

"When will he realize that he's absolutely head over heels in love with her?" She asked.

Since Riddhima had found out that Shilpa was in love with Karan, she'd been observing him a lot. And, anyone with vision could tell that he was in love with her. It was the most obvious thing in the world.

Riddhima had noticed how he'd stare at Shilpa with a small smile when he thought no one was looking, how he'd include Shilpa, even in a small way, in any discussion he had with anyone, how he would go ballistic when Armaan or Rahul teased her (which was frankly a lot), how he was incredibly protective of her. And, the way he was with her! All soft and warm and understanding and loving. Were these not the signs of a man in love?

Armaan chuckled at Riddhima's question. So, she saw it too. That was nice to know. At least, she'd started understanding what was going on around her. Armaan still couldn't believe that the others had been so oblivious of his & Riddhima's & Rahul & Muskaan's relationship back during their internship days. Really, all his friends needed to get their eyes and brains checked.

"I'm not entirely sure," Armaan replied. "He's a little slow on the uptake. And, he doesn't even believe in love, so I'm not sure he's ever going to accept it."

"Is there something we can do to nudge him in the right direction?" Riddhima asked.

No matter what her issues with Shilpa were, she wished Shilpa got her happiness. When she'd opened up to Riddhima about her father, and also about Karan, the pain in her voice was so tangible that a few tears had made their way out of Riddhima's eyes too. She wanted to help reduce it.

"Rahul & I are working on it. But, if we require help, I'll let you know. Thanks!" Armaan answered.

Riddhima grinned in response.

"It's so good to see that you care about Shilpa," Armaan commented off handedly.

"She's such a good person, Armaan! What her father did, it wasn't her fault. And, I can't blame her for that. And really, how can I wish for bad luck in anyone's life? I know I haven't always been warm when it comes to Shilpa, but a lot of it was my fault. Back in Mumbai, my life was a mess and I was so confused and frustrated about everything and unknowingly, she became the target of all that and I just used her as someone to take my anger out on various times. I shouldn't have done that. I realized that a lot later, after I was somewhat settled in my life. But by then, it was already too late to apologize.

Thinking back on those times, I think that I was always so rude to her because she reminded me so much of you. I mean, you know what a mess our relationship was back then. Seeing her, it reminded me of you a lot. So, she was an easy target," Riddhima sighed.

Armaan was a little surprised that Riddhima came outright and admitted to disliking Shilpa because of her similarities to him. Armaan had always seen how him and Shilpa were the same in so many ways. When he found out the entire story about her father, he understood why. They'd both had very similar childhoods with their parents always ignoring them in favour of other things that were deemed "important". Maybe, growing up in that way when all you ever wanted was a little attention from your parents made them the people they were today. Because, when he was a kid, Armaan didn't know any other way to grab his parents' attention than to create ruckus or pull a prank. Then, they would at least talk to him, even if it was to reprimand or scold him. And, that trait had carried on to his adulthood where he would do things to anger the person whose attention he wanted. It explained why he was always pranking Riddhima so much.

But, he didn't really want to talk or think about that stuff because it always put him in a sombre mood. He wanted to have fun on this little excursion with Riddhima and have a gala time choosing stuff for the baby.

"Hmmm. Toh bolo, kya lena hai?" He asked, changing the topic.

"I'm still confused, but I love this," she told him, holding up a cute stuffed toy of a lion.

"Let's browse some more," Armaan suggested. Riddhima agreed.

"Man, I miss shopping," he sighed after a while.

"You? You miss shopping?" Riddhima asked. "As far as I remember, you hated the very idea of it."

Armaan chuckled lightly. "No. What I hated was the fact that you took forever in choosing between stuff."

Like Sid & me, he added snidely in his head, but didn't say out loud. And then, immediately backtracked for thinking that way. He understood her position, somewhat. She was married to Sid, but per her own admission had still been in love with him. Choosing between happiness and responsibility is always a tough choice. Something he understood all too well.

Hadn't he chosen to leave Riddhima out of the same sense of responsibility post the shootout even though his happiness lied in staying with her?

"I didn't take that long!" Riddhima defended herself, bringing him out of his thoughts.

He looked at her and couldn't help but grin. Same old Riddhima, he thought. Just the way she was standing with her hands on her hips, her lips drawn in a pout and stubbornness in her stance reminded him of the countless times she'd done that when they'd gotten in argument.

Remembering those times automatically brought a smile to his face. Even when there had been thousands of issues between them, he'd always loved arguing with her. It was so much fun to see her get so irritated and agitated even over the slightest of things. The fact that she looked absolutely gorgeous when she was angry was just an added bonus.

"Oh, please! Remember when you bought that blue suit? It took you almost an hour to choose between the blue and the yellow!" Armaan exclaimed.

Riddhima smiled widely as the memory hit her.

9 years ago, Mumbai.

Armaan had just come back from Singapore, and after his spectacle on her birthday, her sister and the rest of the gang had been keeping a close eye on the two of them, making it almost impossible to spend time together.

Thankfully, Nikki had been absolutely godsent, agreeing to help them in anyway she could, despite the numerous protests from Armaan. And, it seemed to be working too. Anjali's suspicions were deteriorating by the day and she'd stopped sending her watchdogs, also known as Atul & Muskaan, to keep an eye on her.

Which was an absolutely great thing because the gang was out shopping right now. Rahul & Muskaan had wandered off sometime ago, followed by Anjali. And of course, where Anjali went, Atul followed. Then, sensing the couple's need for some privacy, especially after the last few days, Nikki had also made some excuses and left the two alone.

So, at present, they were in a branded clothing store and Riddhima was looking at a few salwar suits. After choosing a few, she went to the changing room to try them on while Armaan waited outside, waiting for her.

She tried a yellow suit on first and stepped out of the changing room.

"Armaan, kaisa hai yeh?" She asked him.

"Basket, tum bohot bohot bohot khoobsurat lag rahi ho," he replied, looking deep into her eyes. "Like... Itna..." He added, spreading his arms wide to show her just how beautiful she was looking.

Riddhima shook her head at his cute antics. "Okay. Wait. Main doosra bhi try karke aati hu and then we'll decide."

"Ek aur?" Armaan moaned. "Kyu? Ab tumne chose karne mein bhi kitna time lagaya tha! Yeh wala achcha lag raha haina. Aur doosra kyu dekhna? Yeh wala lelo aur chalo!"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Mallik, but yeh possible nahi hai. Agar aap bore ho rahe hain toh aap jaa sakte hain," she told him.

"Pch," Armaan replied. "Fine! Go try the other one. Mera kya hai? Bas... Tumhaare intezaar mein baitha rahunga. Aur kya?"

"Armaan!" Riddhima said, blushing deeply. "Tum bilkul paagal ho."

Armaan grinned. "I know. Ab please, yeh sharmaana band karo aur doosra try karke aao."

Riddhima shook her head and stepped back into the changing room.

"Armaan, how do I look?" she asked, coming out a few minutes later, clad in a blue suit, looking positively ethereal.

"Gorgeous," Armaan mumbled, causing her to blush.

"Really?" She asked.

"Absolutely," Armaan replied, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. "So much that... I want to marry you right now."

"Armaan!" Riddhima reprimanded, swatting his arm and hiding her face in his chest, not wanting him to see her blush so deep.

Armaan chuckled and kissed the top of her head. He then hugged her tightly, resting his head on hers, seemingly oblivious to the rest of the world.

"Armaan," Riddhima muttered after sometime, "sab dekh rahe hain."

"Toh?" He asked as if it made a difference to him.

"Toh mujhe chodo," she replied.

"Chodne ke liye thodi pakda hai," he replied. "Kabhi nahi chodne wala main tumhe."

It had taken Riddhima almost half an hour to chose between the two, because she'd loved them so much, but hadn't wanted to buy both. In the end, she had decided on the blue suit after seeing Armaan's intense reaction. It was still one of her favourites, which she wore only on special occasions.

"Hello! Yoohoo! Anybody there?" Armaan snapped his fingers in front of Riddhima, bringing her out of the memory.

"Yeah... yeah," Riddhima stuttered, a little taken aback to find that she wasn't in a changing room hugging Armaan like she had been a moment ago.

"Where were you?" Armaan asked.

"Nowhere," she replied quickly. "Uh... Just remembering the day I bought the blue suit."

"Oh," Armaan answered. "Do you remember how long you took to chose one?" He asked.

"But, I was confused! They were both so nice," Riddhima pouted.

"Toh I told you to buy them both, but you didn't even want to do that. Really, Riddhima. I never understand you women!" Armaan replied.

What he didn't tell her was he still had the yellow suit. Seeing how much Riddhima had loved it, he'd bought it for her, thinking he'd gift it to her someday, but hadn't ever found a chance. So, now, it sat in the back of his wardrobe, along with a few other clothes he'd bought for her before and after they'd broken up.

"Waise, why did you say you miss shopping? Ab apne liye kapde bhi nahi khareedte kya?" She asked.

"Sadly, no," Armaan replied.

"What?" Riddhima asked, confused.

"Uh... One of my friends is a fashion designer. So she overhauls my wardrobe everytime she has a new collection. Ab, usme hi saare kapde aa jaate hain, toh what do I shop for?" Armaan questioned.

"You have a friend whose a fashion designer?" Riddhima asked.

Armaan nodded. "She likes doing stuff like this. And, her stuff is premium, so it's not like anyone can afford it. But, I can. So, I let her go wild. I get clothes and she gets to have fun. Win - win. Upar se, all the clothes she discards on every overhaul are usually lightly worn, so I donate them all to charity so those people also get to wear designer apparel," Armaan answered.

Riddhima chuckled. "That's such a nice thing to do. You're a good friend, Armaan Mallik."

"Thanks," Armaan replied, smiling.

"Ab, tell me the truth. Do you miss shopping, or do you miss goofing around in the trial rooms?" She asked him, smirking knowingly.

Riddhima had shopped with Armaan enough times to know that the man absolutely loved to do crazy stuff in the trial room. He'd try on the weirdest combinations of clothes and then make funny faces at any passers-by to scare them.

Armaan smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "You got me."

"Okay! Come on!" Riddhima declared, taking his hand in hers and guiding him out of the babies' section into the men's.

She'd done this several times before. So much that, Armaan didn't even remember how many times. But, today, seeing Riddhima take his hand in her own, without any prompting, made him smile. She only ever bossed people around if she thought she had any kind of rights on them. And her doing this today, commanding him and then guiding him, made him happy, because it meant that Riddhima had, on some level, started feeling comfortable in their friendship and thought that she could get away with stuff like this.

"Go wild," Riddhima announced.

"What?" Armaan asked, confused.

"You said you miss this. So, let's do it! Pick some stuff, go to the trial room and do whatever you want," Riddhima told him. "Put on the weirdest clothes. Scary as many people as you want. I'll even click pictures, if you so desire."

Armaan looked at her in awe. "Really? You'll let me do that?"

Riddhima had always hated when Armaan did such silly things. They'd fought over it several times in the past.

"Yes. Now go," she instructed.

So, Armaan did exactly that.

They spent almost an hour in the trial rooms and it was the happiest Riddhima had felt in a long, long, long time. She laughed louder than she had in 7 years, and her eyes twinkled with happiness & mischief for the first time in 8. She never wanted this to end. If she could have lived right here, in the chairs outside the trial room, with Armaan making funny faces at her and posing for photos, she would have. Happily.

"Thank you," Armaan told her sincerely. "This means a lot to me. Knowing how much you despised it, but still sat through it all, just so I could have some fun."

Riddhima shrugged her shoulders, embarrassed. "It wasn't that big a deal, Armaan. It was kind of fun for me too."

Armaan smiled.

They picked up a few toys for the baby after that, and, unbeknownst to Riddhima, Armaan purchased a few expensive unisexual outfits too. After paying for it all, they left.

"I'm hungry," Armaan announced once they'd left the mall.

"Arre! We just ate so much at the tasting session. How can you still be hungry? And you should've said something inside na. Food court chale jaate," Riddhima replied.

"Haan, but at the tasting toh we just ate one or two bites from everything. Ab bhook lag gayi mujhe. And I didn't want to eat inside. So I didn't say anything then. Will you also eat?" He asked her.

Riddhima shrugged. "I'm not that hungry, but if we're going anyway, I could eat."

Armaan snorted. "Seedhe seedhe bolo na that you're also hungry. Faltu drama karne ki aadat gayi nahi."

Riddhima bit her tongue and smiled sheepishly. "Italian okay?" Armaan asked. She nodded. "Good. I know just the place, he told her.

They drove to a high profile restaurant, and to Riddhima's surprise, were attended to immediately. Apparently, Armaan was a regular customer.

"Uh, get me one chicken parmesan, one mushroom ravioli and a margarita pizza, Chicago deep dish style," Armaan ordered. Turning to Riddhima, he asked, "What about you?"

"Armaan! You'll eat all that alone?" She asked. "I thought you ordered for both of us."

"Hawww! Why would I share my food? Tumko jo chahiye order for yourself. I'm not giving you anything out of mine," Armaan told her.

"One mixed vegetable risotto, please. Pesto base," Riddhima ordered, sighing.

Once their orders were placed, they made small talk for a few minutes, before Armaan said, "Uh, Riddhima... I... Uh... I wanted to asked you something. A couple of things, actually. And, I understand if it's too personal and you don't want to talk about it, but not knowing is killing me and I just... I have to know."

"Uh, yeah. Sure," Riddhima replied. "What did you want to ask?"

"Um... The other day, when we talked in my room... You said I was your best friend. Did you really mean it? Or was it just something you said, you know... Like... Because you got nostalgic or something?" He asked.

Once Armaan had come out of his shock of Riddhima calling him her best friend, he'd really wondered why she'd said it. Because, well, sure, Armaan had been a friend to her when the situation called for it and yes, he'd supported her through tough times in those days, but so had the rest of the gang. They'd always supported each other in the face of adversity. So, why was he her best friend? Why not Muskaan? Or Atul? Or Nikki? Or even Sapna?

"I said it because I meant it, Armaan," Riddhima answered. "You really were my best friend. You'd supported me through everything. When I found out about the adoption, and then through Mumma's tumour. You were there to help Papa when Sanjeevani was in crisis. And, you were always happy and eager to help me, in any way possible. Mujhe koi problem hoti thi na, I think tumhe mujhse zyada tension hoti thi.

And, with you, I could always be myself. You understood me, even when I didn't say anything. You didn't push me unnecessarily, but you didn't ever let me wander off in my head in the name of space. No one understands me as well as you do, Armaan. And, you never judged me for who I am. You just accepted me, exactly the way I was - stubborn arrogant little know it all that I was, that I still am. I could say anything in front of you, and you never took it in the wrong way. I could be open and honest and tell you what I really felt, and you'd understand what I meant. And, you'd also know what to say in that situation to make me feel better.

No matter how sad or upset I was, you could make me laugh. You would crack a silly joke or play a stupid prank, and make me forget all my worries, if even for that one moment.

If all that wasn't enough, you were such an amazing person. So full of life and happiness. It was just... Do you even realize what a huge ball of energy and positivity you are? It's like dripping from every pore of your body. I don't know why, or how, but you always had such a positive effect on everyone around you, especially me.

And... Well, I love how you're so... How do I describe it? You're just... You're so Armaan. Like... This one person who is one of the best people I've come across - understanding, accommodating, selfless, helping, kind. I mean, you're all this and so much more.

You know, you were an unwavering, constant fixture in my life in those days. So sweet and caring and understanding. That's what you want in a friend, don't you? And, you were the best, most helpful one of all of them. Yes, I had Di and the others too, but you, you went above and beyond everytime.

Being who you are, being there for me the way you were, how could you not have been my best friend?" She asked rhetorically.

There was so much more she wanted to say, so many more things that he needed to know, but, it was like there weren't enough words in any language to explain to him just how important he had been to her. Yes, he'd been the love of her life, he would always be the love of her life. But, he was also her best friend, the one person who understood her, who supported her and helped her when no one else did.

Armaan was deeply touched by Riddhima's words. He'd only ever supported her the way he had because he loved her. He cared for her, deeply. Seeing her sad made him sad. And, he absolutely couldn't handle it when she cried. His heart hurt too much. So, of course, he did everything to make her happy, to make her smile. He supported her because he knew she needed someone to lean on. But, knowing that she appreciated his presence in her life so much, made him extremely happy.

"Wow... I'm just... I'm so surprised. I never knew..." Armaan said, looking at her in shock.

Riddhima sighed. "Meri hi galti hai. Duniya ki saari baatein karti thi tumse, but I never told you how important you were for me. But, trust me, Armaan. You always were. I'm sorry I never said it before."

Armaan smiled. "You didn't have to say it, Riddhima. I knew. Itna toh tumhe jaanta hu ki you don't have to say everything for me to know how you feel. I'm just surprised ki I was so important."

"Well you were," Riddhima replied. How did she tell him he still was? Maybe even more important than before.

At the same time, she hated the fact that she'd never expressed herself completely, especially where he was concerned. She didn't know why, but something always held her back. Maybe it was nervousness, maybe insecurity, or maybe it was the fact that she didn't know what to say, to do because she'd never been in a relationship before. Whatever the reason, she'd never openly told Armaan just how important he was to her, and now, he was surprised when she finally was telling him. Now, when it didn't matter as much as it would have then. When Armaan was madly in love with her, when validation from her was all he ever asked for.

"Aur kya poochna tha?" She asked, wanting to change the topic.

Armaan sighed. He didn't know how to say it. But, he needed to know.

In the past few days, since Riddhima and him had started afresh, he'd noticed how strained her friendship with Nikki, and to a certain extent, Atul seemed. They didn't talk like they used, and the few times he'd seen Nikki & Riddhima interact, it felt a little too formal. Atul was, well, Atul was incapable of purposely hurting someone, but even he seemed to be a little standoffish where Riddhima was concerned.

"Riddhima, everything is okay, right? I mean, between you and Nikki? And Atul? I... I couldn't help but notice. In the last few days, you've never talked like you used to. Especially with Nikki. She seems to be so stiff and formal. Champ, too. He... He doesn't talk to you like he did before. Maybe it's just my imagination, but I feel like things have changed between you guys and... Well, it's just... I'm worried," he ranted, not knowing how to express himself properly.

Riddhima smiled sadly at him. So much had changed in the past 7 years. What was she supposed to even say?

And, if this is what he had to say for their interactions when they were so much better than before, all Riddhima could think about was what would he say if he'd ever witnessed any of their talks prior to coming to New York. Especially with Nikki. They'd been practically strangers all these years.

"Riddhima? Everything is okay, right?" He asked again when Riddhima didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"It's fine, Armaan," she finally replied, sighing. "You can't expect everything to be the same. Nikki & Atul... They're a little mad at me. And, I get why. They were your closest friends and after everything that happened between us... Let's just say, I'm not their favourite person anymore."

It physically hurt Riddhima to get those words out of her mouth. Why did all of that have to happen between them? Why couldn't they have had their happily ever after like they'd dreamt of for 2 years before everything went to shit? What had been her fault in all this? What had been Armaan's? Just that they'd loved each other a little too much for their own good? Was that it? Should she have not come in between the bullet and Armaan? Would that have changed everything? Or, would it have all been fine had Armaan never taken the noble route and left her after his diagnosis?

But, she backtracked quickly. That wasn't possible. Because, she knew herself and she knew Armaan. Had either of them not done what they had, maybe their relationship would have survived in that instant. But, the guilt of not doing their best for the betterment of the other would have eventually created a huge rift between them, one which might not have healed with time, like the one now. Now, despite everything that had happened, her and Armaan were friends. But, she didn't think it would have been possible in another life where she didn't take the bullet or the one where Armaan didn't leave her.

Well, Nani always did say that whatever happens, happens for a reason. So, maybe, that was the reason why everything happened the way it had back then. So that, after a few years, when time had healed their wounds, no matter how little it had been able to heal, it would be possible for them to forge a friendship. And so that she would be able to have Armaan in her life, no matter what way it happened.

"What? They're mad because of that? Why? It's been so long!" Armaan asked, shocked.

It was a little surprising for Armaan that his friends had held a grudge against Riddhima for marrying Sid, even after so many years. Rahul had always hated what had happened and he'd always been vocal about it, too. Now, he was learning that Nikki & Atul were the same. Though it warmed his heart to know how much his friends loved him and cared for him, it also hurt him deeply to find out that his friends, all three of them who had, once upon a time been such amazing friends to Riddhima too, had turned their back on her.

He never ever wanted the differences between him and Riddhima to cause a rift between anyone else. What happened had happened between the two of them. They were the ones who'd borne the brunt of it all, while all their friends had been too busy in their own lives to see what was happening in theirs. And now, they'd passed judgement on Riddhima as if all it had been her fault? Hadn't he been the one to start it all by leaving Riddhima after the shootout and then again in that hut in Panchgani when she'd come to look for him? So, why was everything blamed on Riddhima? Just because she got married and he didn't?

"It's not right! It wasn't all your fault!" He finally burst, not knowing what else to say.

Riddhima gave him a small smile of gratitude. Despite everything that happened, despite the fact that she'd brutally broken his heart over and over again, he was still defending her. It warmed her heart that he still cared so much.

And, maybe he was right. Maybe it hadn't been all her fault (even though she strongly believed it kinda was), she still thought that Nikki & Atul were justified in their behaviour. Because, they both might have been wrong, but what Armaan had done had been a mistake while she'd committed a sin. She'd married someone else. She'd taken someone else's name. The one place in her life that had solely belonged to Armaan had been occupied by someone else, no matter for how short a while. It had still happened, and for that, she didn't think that there was any penance to make things right.

Her decisions, or rather, the decisions she had been forced to make, hadn't just shattered Armaan or her, they'd shattered their friends too. Their friends, who'd always supported the two of them, who had dreamt the same things as Armaan and Riddhima themselves - of seeing the most "romantic, in love" couple of Sanjeevani tie the knot and find their Happily Ever After.

When that hadn't happened, it hadn't just affected the two of them, it had affected everyone, especially Nikki & Atul. It had affected Muskaan, too, but she'd been able to come out on top of it and somehow find it in herself to forgive Riddhima for everything, unlike the other two and Rahul (who she suspected hated what she'd done almost as much as she hated it, but still had tried to be civil to her because that's just the kind of person he was).

"Sometimes time isn't enough to heal all wounds, Dr. Mallik. Some never heal. I can't even blame them, especially Nikki. She adores you so much, Armaan. I think, in the past 7 years, she's the one who has missed you the most. And, she doesn't even know the circumstances in which Sid & I got married. So, her being mad at me is a given," Riddhima explained, trying to defend her friends. Because, maybe she understood them better than Armaan did. She'd seen them struggle with all of it for a long time to know that it didn't give them any sort of happiness or sadistic pleasure to behave that way with her, but they were just so mad at her for what she'd done, that they just couldn't bring themselves to behave as if nothing had happened.

In the flow of the conversation, she didn't realize what she'd said. Didn't even think about it. The repercussions of that one sentence from her would be so far reaching that she couldn't even imagine.

"Circumstances? What... What circumstances?" Armaan asked, absolutely baffled. He'd always assumed that Riddhima had given her consent for the marriage of her own will. But, had that really been the case? Or, was it something else?

"What?" Riddhima asked, surprised.

"You said, Nikki doesn't know about the circumstances in which you got married to Sid. What circumstances, Riddhima?" Armaan demanded.

Riddhima gasped. She hadn't even realized. Till date, almost 6.5 years after the annulment, nobody from their group of friends apart from Atul knew the real reason as to why Riddhima had married Sid. Anjali, Nikki, Muskaan & Abhi all thought that even though Riddhima wasn't completely sure about Sid (still being in love with Armaan), she'd been somewhat happy about the whole thing. That she was trying to move on. And that's the reason why she got married. Not because her parents pressured her into it.

Even Atul didn't know that she'd tried to commit suicide the night of her wedding, so that she wouldn't have to go through with it. Only Sid knew that.

How was she supposed to tell all this to Armaan? If Armaan ever found out about how badly Sid had behaved with Riddhima, she didn't know what he would do. And, she couldn't take that risk. It had been years since it all happened, and while she hated that all this was the reason that she'd lost Armaan, she'd forgiven Sid. Because, he'd mistake and genuinely repented for it. Not to mention it was difficult to stay mad at him after he'd been so calm and understanding as a husband and then as a friend.

"Woh... Woh kuch nahi. Forget it. It was all such a long time ago. And at that time, everything happened so suddenly, sometimes it feels like a complete blur," Riddhima replied, looking at everything other than Armaan, afraid to make eye contact lest he realize just how grave it was, the meaning of the words she'd just uttered so thoughtlessly in the spur of the moment.

"Riddhima..." Armaan started saying something, but then stopped. He didn't want to force Riddhima to tell him anything she didn't want to. And, it was clear that she was uncomfortable discussing this with him. So, he wouldn't push her.

He didn't want to make things any more awkward and he definitely didn't want to take a step back in this newfound friendship of theirs.

"It's okay. You don't need to give me explanations," he finally told her. "But, if you want, I can talk to Nikki. And Champ."

Riddhima shook her head vehemently. "No, no. Don't do that. It's okay. We're good. Fine."

"Are you sure?" He confirmed. Riddhima nodded.

"Don't worry about it, Armaan. We're all working on it. I promise," she placated him. And it was true. The three of them had been working on making things better, no matter how slow it was.

"Okay. If you don't want me to, I won't," Armaan promised.

Riddhima's words played in his mind over and over again. He realized that there was something, something huge that he was missing. That he didn't know. But, Riddhima wasn't comfortable talking about it. So, who should he ask?

He knew it was wrong to go snooping into things that didn't concern him, but something about the way that Riddhima said those words didn't sit right with him. It felt like there was something very big that he was missing. Something that would change everything. And he needed to know what it was. If not from Riddhima, then somebody else. But who?

Anjali, he realized. Riddhima would definitely have said something to Anjali. She'd know. Armaan decided that he'd talk to Anjali at the earliest and get to the bottom of this, because something was fishy. And he needed to know what.

xxx

WOOHOOO!

So, despite what you people believe, here is an update. Prizu, itni bhi nirdayi nahi hu main ki time mile toh update na karu.

I hope you guys enjoyed this ARilicious chapter with so much going on! Armaan and Riddhima have definitely gotten closer after this little heart to heart and there were certain revelations happening too. Finally, Armaan knows that something was amiss at the SR wedding.

This is kind of a huge landmark chapter, because a lot of stuff has been foreshadowed here and you'll get to see it all unfold in the coming chapters.

Also, it was super long, so DO NOT complain about the length. It is almost 8k words, which is the length of roughly 3 chapters on an average. So, please, have some mercy on me.

aur, jaldi update ke badle gift dedo. Let's finish this thread over the weekend and then, we can have the next promo on a new one. :p

Kya aisa ho paayega?

Okay. That's it for now! Enjoy this one! :)

There's a darkness upon me that's flooded in light
In the fine print they tell me what's wrong and what's right
And it comes in black and it comes in white
And I'm frightened by those that don't see it

When nothing is owed or deserved or expected
And your life doesn't change by the man that's elected
If you're loved by someone, you're never rejected
Decide what to be and go be it

There was a dream and one day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage I broke in
And demanded that somebody free it
And there was a kid with a head full of doubt
So I'll scream 'til I die
And the last of those bad thoughts are finally out

There's a darkness upon you that's flooded in light
And in the fine print They tell you what's wrong and what's right
And it flies by day and it flies by night
And I'm frightened by those who don't see it

There was a dream and one day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage I broke in
And demanded that somebody free it
And there was a kid with a head full of doubt
So I'll scream til I die
And the last of those bad thoughts are finally out

There was a dream and one day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage I broke in
And demanded that somebody free it
And there was a kid with a head full of doubt
So I'll scream 'til I die
And the last of those bad thoughts are finally out

There's a darkness upon me that's flooded in light
In the fine print they tell me what's wrong and what's right
There's a darkness upon me that's flooded in light
And I'm frightened by those who don't see it

- Head Full Of Doubt/Road Full Of Promise, The Avett Brothers

HAWWW. Am I reading this right? *squints eyes* *takes glasses off* *rubs eyes*