ILYLTF #5 (Chapter 145 - Page 110) - Page 77

So sweet being serenaded like that. But then a scare when they got separated.

Chapter 140

Armaan derailed their plans for the next morning by insisting on taking Riddhima shopping, just as he had planned in his head the day before. There was no way that they were ever stepping out of their house for the rest of their lives without Riddhima wearing a dress with pockets. He would have all her salwar suits stitched with them if he had to.

"Baby, don't you think you're going overboard?" Riddhima asked as they made their way to one of the boutiques near the hotel. A look from Armaan silenced her. The truth was, even though she was trying to joke about the whole thing, it had spooked her too. She was a grown adult and she didn't need someone to hold her hand in a new place, but Armaan had been right there with her and then in the next breath he wasn't and it was her worst nightmare come to life.

"Riddhima," Armaan sighed, and she nodded. He rarely ever used her given name. She would always be Basket to him.

They ended up buying lots of dresses. Turns out that every boutique had something for women who wanted pockets, and Armaan insisted on buying them all, for future use as well. They also bought stuff for the rest of their group because what if they get lost too?

Riddhima was a little skeptical about some of the options because it wasn't stuff she'd usually wear, a little to revealing for her taste, but Armaan kissed all protests out of her mouth before she even voiced them, stealthily shoving her against the wall in the changing rooms and locking the door behind them. He let Riddhima know just how much he appreciated how good she looked with his mouth and his wandering fingers, his knees shoved between her legs. Riddhima ended up buying them all.

It was late afternoon by the time they were done shopping, so they got an assortment of gelato for lunch. "Should we go see Pompeii?" Armaan asked as they ate. "Thoda late ho gaya hai, but I think we have just enough time."

"Sounds fun," Riddhima agreed.

It was most definitely not fun, actually. The ruins of Pompeii were located near the beach of Sorrento. They got there by boat and had a great time aboard, which was okay. But, the moment they stepped down, there was an eerie feeling that made its home in Riddhima's chest. What remained of Pompeii was mostly just ruin. Fallen buildings, unfinished towers, huge rocks on the floor. The town had been burnt when a volcano erupted and it showed. They saw the arena that was used for gladiator shows, the huge baths that used to once be teeming with crowds, marketplaces that definitely never saw a dearth of tourists. All of it was just rubble now.

"This is so scary," Riddhima whispered. "Ek second mein life kahaan se kahaan chali jaati hai… Pata hi nahi chalta."

Armaan hugged her to his side and kissed her temple. "I know. But, kar bhi kya sakte hain? Such is life."

"Ek second mein humaari zindagi bhi badal sakti thi," Riddhima murmured. "Socho, agar engagement wali raat, woh goli mere badle tumhe lag jaati? Ya phir uss din maine Papa ki baatein nahi suni hoti aur mujhe nahi pata chalta ki tum mujhe kyun chodkar gaye the? Agar uss din cottage mein tum mujhe nahi dekhte toh? Toh shayad aaj hum yahaan nahi hote."

"Agar maine uss din phone karke tumhe I love you bolne nahi bola hota, toh shayad humaari shaadi aur pehle hi ho gayi hoti," Armaan acknowledged. He had always regretted his choices that day. He never should've insisted that Riddhima come see him, no matter how much he missed her. He could've held out for a few hours.

"Agar maine uss din terrace pe tumse jhagda karke alag hone wali baat nahi ki hoti, toh humein itni saari problems hi nahi face karni padti," Riddhima countered. She had been the catalyst who had started it all. She should have handled the situation more maturely. Yes, she'd been mad at Armaan, but that didn't mean that she didn't want to be with him. She'd said those words in the heat of the moment, because she was angry. She'd never meant them.

"Lekin, agar maine pehle hi tumhe Pari ka sach bata diya hota, tumse kuch chupaya nahi hota, toh humaari ladaayi hi nahi hoti," Armaan replied, not letting her take the blame for something that wasn't her fault. He had been the dishonest one in the relationship. He should've had more faith in Riddhima and her faith in him, shouldn't have immediately assumed she'd react badly.

"Armaan, ek raat pehle maine tumhe uss ladki ke saath dance karte hue dekha tha toh main itni gussa ho gayi thi," Riddhima mumbled. "Mujhe tumhe baat karne ka mauka dena chahiye tha, aur achche se explain karne dena chahiye tha." She had behaved badly that day. Armaan was only being friendly. She'd always known that her boyfriend had been a social butterfly and had a knack for befriending everyone he met. It had been some harmless dancing. He hadn't been doing anything wrong. She'd known it, even then, but had been so upset because she thought she'd find him sulking over her going to the meeting with Abhi, and instead had found him having a good time. She'd been jealous. She just didn't want to admit it at that time.

"You know what? Forget it. Ab hum past toh change nahi kar sakte toh yeh meri galti tumhaari galti wala game nahi khelte. Let's just be happy that we're here together," Armaan said. Riddhima smiled, though still morose.

"Come on, Basket!" Armaan wheedled, wrapping her up in a hug. "Tum na, faltu ki cheezein sochti rehti ho har waqt. Apne chotu se dimaag pe itna zor mat daalo!"

Riddhima pulled back, her jaw slack. "Mera dimaag chotu sa hai?"

"Haan," Armaan shrugged. "Toh kya tumhe laga bohot bada hai?"

"Armaan, mera dimaag chotu sa nahi, okay?" Riddhima fired back. "Tum kuch bhi mat bolo."

"Main kuch bhi nahi bol raha, Jaana. Bas woh bol raha hoon jo sach hai," Armaan argued.

"Yeh bilkul sach nahi hai!" Riddhima protested. "I'm smarter than you."

"Sureeeee," Armaan drawled.

"Listen, har baar main hi har bet jeet'ti hoon, cause I'm smarter, wittier, sharper, and more intelligent than you!" Riddhima exclaimed.

"Tum jeet'ti ho ya main tumhe jeetne deta hoon?" Armaan asked, egging her on.

Riddhima snorted. "Armaan, please! Tumse zyada competitive insaan maine apni life mein kabhi nahi dekha. There's no way that you'll willingly let anyone win. Not even me!"

"Hmmm, you're right," Armaan hummed. "Maybe it's just luck."

"Excuse me!" Riddhima scoffed. "It is not just luck anything! It's proof that I'm better than you!"

A moment later, she realized just what he was trying to do, and cried, "OH MY GOD! Stop trying to distract me!!"

"I was trying to distract you," Armaan mumbled, defeated. "Clearly didn't work if you realized that."

"Armaan," Riddhima sighed. "I'm sorry. Bas… Yahaan yeh sab dekhke… I don't feel so good, especially kal jo hua uske baad. Hum waapas chalein?"

"Of course," Armaan agreed immediately. He guided them onto the boat. As they set sail, he took a seat beside Riddhima. "I'm sorry. Shayad aaj humein yahaan nahi aana chahiye tha. Bad idea."

Riddhima smiled. "I don't think it would have mattered. Hum kabhi bhi aayein… I think it would've affected me. I mean… All those people just died, Armaan. Thoda toh jhatka lagega na?"

Armaan nodded in agreement. "Hmmm, you're right. But maybe aaj shayad nahi aana chahiye tha. Kal jo hua usse hum dono thoda zyada hi affect ho gaye hain. But, aisa pehle kabhi hua bhi nahi na humaare saath."

"But it's more than that," Riddhima insisted. "What if something happens, Armaan? Abhi sab theek hai, hum saath hai, lekin agar kal phir kuch galat ho gaya toh?"

"Kuch galat nahi hoga," Armaan reassured her. "Aur agar hua bhi, toh hum phir bhi saath rahenge. Maine vaada kiya tha na… Aur tumhe pata hai, mujhe vaade todne ki aadat nahi hai."

"Har baar hum har cheez control nahi kar sakte, Armaan," Riddhima pointed out.

"Yeh cheez main bilkul control kar sakta hoon," Armaan said. "I know ki meri history thodi flakey rahi hai, but ab sab badal gaya hai. Main tumse keh raha hoon… Chaahe kuch bhi ho jaaye, main kabhi tumhe chodke nahi jaunga."

"Agar engagement waali raat jaisa phir kuch hua tab bhi nahi?" Riddhima pressed. "Agar tumhe lage ki tumhaare saath rehna mere liye harmful hai, tab bhi nahi?"

"Tab bhi nahi," Armaan vowed. "Waise main yeh promise pehle bhi kar chuka hoon, lekin phir bhi… Let me say it again. Chaahe kuch bhi ho jaaye, main tumhe kabhi nahi chodunga. Tab tak nahi jab tak tum mujhe jaane na kaho. Phir yeh humaare liye achcha ho ya bura, I don't care. Mujhe tum chahiye, Riddhima. Main aur tumhaare bina nahi rehna chaahta."

Riddhima hugged him. "Mujhe bhi tum chahiye. Hamesha, hamesha, hamesha."

Armaan ran circles around her back, wanting to soothe her. "I know. I know. Meri Basket… Mujhe kabhi kahin jaane nahi kahegi. Isliye main nahi jaaunga. Aur hum dono hamesha ek saath rahenge… Apni happy family ke saath. Humaare bachche, humaara dog, woh bada sa ghar with the picket fence and the green lawn. Aur hum. Sab ek saath. Forever."

"Really?" Riddhima asked, looking up at her husband.

"Really, really," Armaan replied, placing a lingering kiss on her forehead. He slowly let his lips roam all over Riddhima's face, kissing her eyes, her nose, her ears, trailing from her neck to her cheek to her jaw, before finally capturing her lips in a soft, reassuring kiss. Riddhima pushed her mouth harder, slipping her tongue in Armaan's mouth, always wanting to feel closer to him.

"I'm sorry," Riddhima muttered. "Pichle do din se sab mood kharaab kar diya maine."

"Tum kyun sorry bol rahi ho?" Armaan asked. "Isme tumhaari koi galti nahi hai! Situation hi aisi ho gayi thi. Aur phir… Hum sirf achche waqt mein saath hai kya? How does that saying go? Kabhi khushi, kabhie gham, right? Tum kabhi bhi mere saath kuch bhi share kar sakti ho. You don't need to feel sorry for how you feel."

"Haan, but hum yahaan —" Riddhima tried to say something but was cut off.

"Kuch but nahi," Armaan said. "Tumne kuch kharaab nahi kiya hai. Toh yeh sab sochke stress mat lo. I'm happy to be with you, Basket, phir chaahe jo bhi ho. Baat toh tum aise kar rahi ho jaise pata nahi tumne kisi ka murder kar diya ho yahaan… It's just some mellow mood. Uske liye itna sorry bolne ki bilkul zaroorat nahi hai tumhe!"

Riddhima hummed, choosing not to say anything more. Instead, she snuggled closer to Armaan, feeling his warmth warm her up too. She was so lucky to have found him, and even luckier to have married him. She vowed to never take it for granted, never take Armaan for granted. She had made that mistake in the past, but she would never do something like that again. She'd always cherish every single second she got with him because life was short and she didn't want to have regrets. Her husband was the most amazing person in the world and she felt happiest with him, so she would bask in the feeling he always arose in her by his mere presence. She'd learnt many a thing from Mr. Shah Rukh Khan, but one that rung true right now was probably the harshest lesson of them all, even if she didn't realize it back then.

Haso, gao, muskurao. Kya pata… Kal ho naa ho. How cheesy it had seemed, when she'd heard Aman say these words to Naina in a movie theatre. Now, she was realizing how true they had been, how profound. Life was too short. And she wouldn't waste that short time. She would enjoy every moment she got with Armaan, with her friends, with her family. And, she would be happy.

"Okay, yeh chodo," Armaan said, bringing her out of her musings. "Let's do something else. Something actually fun!"

"Kya?" Riddhima asked him.

"There is this winery tour…" He started, extolling the virtues of the vineyard they would be visiting and how it had some of the best wine in the world. Riddhima was only half listening to his incessant chatter. His excitement was enough for her to agree to it, but she liked that he was talking about it in such depth, even though she didn't really understand what he was talking about.

"So, what do you think? Chalein?" He asked her at the end of his little tirade. Riddhima made a show of thinking about it for a minute, always happy to let her husband sweat it a little, before agreeing. "Chalo, chalte hain!" She exclaimed, garnering a whoop from Armaan at the proclamation.

Thankfully, it didn't take them long to get there. The winery they'd visited was an old one. It was a family run business that had been passed down several generations for more than a hundred years.

Their tour guide, Sarah, the daughter of the current owner, had been working there since she'd been a teen. "Did you not try something else, ever?" Riddhima asked her.

"I always knew I wanted to do this," Sarah told her. "Ever since I was a kid, I'd see my parents working here and I was awed by everything. So, when I turned 16, I started helping around. My parents didn't let me actually do much till I graduated from college, because they wanted me to focus on my studies, but the moment I was done, I was here full time. And I'm so happy. I'd never trade it for anything in the world."

"That's so nice," Riddhima commented. "There is always pressure when your parents are very accomplished at their jobs and sometimes it can be difficult to love it when everyone just assumes since you're a child that you're going to follow in their footsteps."

"It is difficult," Sarah acknowledged. "But I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Armaan was looking intently at Riddhima and filed away this conversation to bring it up later when they had some privacy. He'd always known, that there would be some expectations on her as the daughter if Dr. Shashank Gupta, but he'd never examined too closely. Riddhima loved her job. Anyone could see that. Despite the hard times it brought with it - the long nights, the way they'd be forced to drop everything for an emergency, that endless void that filled you every time you lost a patient - it was very obvious to Armaan right from the day they'd met that Riddhima was very passionate about what she did.

She had been the best intern in their batch, constantly outperforming all of them. Armaan was the only one who'd managed to come close to her when it came to it. He'd beat her to intern of the month a few times, but she'd won it far more times than him. And she'd deserved it every single time. She'd always been an overachiever and it was just something that Armaan had made peace with, that she would always be on the go, that there would be times when she'd ignore the entire world, even him, when she was involved in a case. There had been a few times that he'd even had to remind her to eat and sleep. And it had been okay, because Armaan himself was like that. When he got too busy with work, he did those exact same things, and he had been able to identify that behaviour and stop it over the years, because he hadn't had a family to tell him to stop. But, he'd chosen this for himself. He had rebelled against his father to go to med school when Billy had wanted him to go to business school and join his business. Had Riddhima also chosen this, or had she just done what was expected of her as the daughter of the best neurologist of the country?

Armaan had never thought of it much, because it was what had brought them together. Riddhima's decision to become a doctor had landed them at the same hospital. Her competence had enamored Armaan. Her brilliance had knocked him breathless. Maybe, he should've asked before. But it had never crossed his mind. Maybe, he'd also given into the stereotype and assumed. Like everyone else had. He'd never asked Riddhima if she'd ever had career aspirations other than being a doctor. Even her decision to become an OBGYN was because Smriti Maa had been one. Was it because she looked up to her mother or was it because she thought it was what was expected of her?

"Baby?" Riddhima's voice anchored him, bringing him out of his spiral. "Where were you?" She asked him, when his eyes focused on her. Armaan shook his head. He pulled her into a hug, kissing her temple. "Just thinking about all the wine I'm gonna drink here," he said, making Riddhima chuckle.

"Uske liye humein tour start karna padega," Riddhima pointed out. "Shall we?"

"We shall," Armaan agreed, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his side.

For the rest of the evening, Armaan resolutely thought of everything but his little epiphany. He took it upon himself to cheer Riddhima up, behaving like a snooty wine connoisseur. "Hmmmm, very woodsy, but too much cinnamon," he said for one of the drinks they tried.

"Oh, I love how it settles in your palate," he said for another.

"This would go so well with some brie," he added for a third. Riddhima laughed every time because it was so clear Armaan had no idea what he was talking about, but he spoke with such confidence that even the vintners behind the counter were enraptured by his words. She didn't drink much, only trying a sip from her husband's glass every so often, wanting to remember every little detail of their excursion.

Which turned out to be the right idea because Armaan got more and more tipsy as the evening wore on. Riddhima realized that a drunk Armaan was an affectionate Armaan. He absolutely refused to let go of her at any point, pressing a kiss to any part of her face he could reach, every so often.

She realized that she'd never really seen Armaan drunk before, because she was always the one who would lose her bearings first and he had to spend the rest of the night looking after her. It felt so good to look after him for a change. She had to support his weight all the way to the hotel, not that she minded. It felt so nice to have him wrapped around her so tight. When she helped him to bed, she removed his shoes and socks, and changed him into a pair of pyjamas, which turned out to be more challenging than she'd thought, mostly because any time she got close, Armaan would use the opportunity to pull her close to him for a kiss. It took a little while, but she did finally manage to get him changed.

When Riddhima stood up to slip into her own nightwear was when Armaan protested. "Kahaan jaa rahi ho?" He whined, holding her arm.

"Change karne do na, Armaan," Riddhima replied. "Bas do minute."

"No," Armaan pouted. He used the leverage he had on her and gave her arm a tug. Riddhima, who hadn't been expecting it, fell on top of him. Armaan used it to his advantage, rolling them around in bed so that she was under him, trapping her to the bed. "Yahin raho ab," he ordered. Riddhima laughed. The dress was a little uncomfortable to be sleeping in, but really, she didn't want to move either. She wrapped her arms around her husband while he snuggled closer, hiding his face in her neck. In no time at all, Riddhima felt his body relax and his breathing go even. The tell-tale snores started not a second later, making her laugh.

It had been one of the things she'd discovered later in their relationship. Unlike what Armaan liked to believe, the Mallik genes had worked their magic, and he really did snore. She just never had the heart to tell him because he was so adamant that he didn't. Riddhima didn't mind it one bit. It was so adorable to hear him make those little noises. And, it brought her peace to know that Armaan was near her. She'd gotten used to them surprisingly quickly. Laughing, Riddhima hugged Armaan tighter to her, falling asleep as well.

Originally posted by: coderlady

So sweet being serenaded like that. But then a scare when they got separated.

Armaan is <3

It feels so good how Armaan notices small things he hears in their talks and making a note to have a convo on it later...

I mean itna gehra kaun sochta hai

He's ❤️

He is so tuned in to her. He wants her to be happy with her choices. Whatever they are.

Originally posted by: Batul22

It feels so good how Armaan notices small things he hears in their talks and making a note to have a convo on it later...

I mean itna gehra kaun sochta hai

He's ❤️

He's definitely raising all our standards lol

Originally posted by: coderlady

He is so tuned in to her. He wants her to be happy with her choices. Whatever they are.

He is!! I love that about him the most <3

Chapter 141

Given the two extremely charged up days they'd had recently, both Armaan & Riddhima felt that they needed to do something fun. So, Armaan found them a different cooking class. They'd actually never managed to go to the one Riddhima had booked for them in Ravello, so it seemed like a good idea to try another one. Thankfully, he found one in Positano itself.

Wanting to make the most of their day, he found them an early morning slot. The look Riddhima had given him when he'd woken her up would've been enough to kill him, but he persevered and got her out of bed. All her anger was promptly forgotten when she was standing in the massive kitchen of the San Pietro. "This is a dream come true," she whispered fervently as she ogled over the pristine kitchen, taking in the appliances and utensils. Armaan agreed. It was extremely impressive.

"I wanted to stay here," Armaan lamented. "But when we pushed the trip, the booking fell through."

"Awww, baby," Riddhima soothed. "It's okay. Nikki ke saath rehna zyada important tha."

"Of course," Armaan agreed immediately. "Agar mujhe poori trip bhi cancel karni padti toh bhi main Nikki ke saath hi rehta, but… This hotel is the best, Basket. Maine jab online photos dekhe the… Wow!! Not that jahaan hum abhi ruke hain woh hotel bura hai, in fact that is equally amazing, but you know…"

"I know," Riddhima smiled. She understood what he meant. He'd had his heart set on this place, had maybe made bookings months in advance to get a good room. And then, they hadn't been able to stay. Such a petty thing, complaining about how they had to trade one luxury hotel for another, but Riddhima knew what Armaan meant. This trip had been about having the dream vacation, and this little thing had made it not entirely so.

"Maybe we should ask them now," she added, an idea making a home in her head.

"Ask who what?" Armaan asked, confused.

"Yahaan abhi vacancies hai ya nahi! Hum yahaan kuch din aur hain, toh bacha hua time hum yahaan reh lenge!" Riddhima exclaimed.

"That…" Armaan started. Stopped. Thought about it. Then shouted, "That is such a good idea, Basket!"

"I know," Riddhima replied smugly.

"Okay, done!" Armaan beamed. "I'll speak to them after the class!"

Just then, the chef joined. "I was surprised to have a booking this early," he greeted them. "Everyone usually sleeps in and takes a later slot."

Riddhima laughed. "Yes, but we wanted to get a head start on the day. We're only here for a few more days and there's still stuff to do."

"I understand," the sous-chef replied. "There is always so much to see along the coast! I hope you're having a good vacation."

"It's been absolutely wonderful, thank you," Armaan answered.

"We have one more couple joining us," the chef, Nicholas, explained. "As soon as they get here, we can get started."

"Sure!" Riddhima cried. "Oh, I'm sorry," she added sheepishly. "I'm just very excited to be here."

"And we're very happy that you're so excited!" The sous-chef, Nora, laughed. "Don't be embarrassed. It's always good to see people so enthusiastic about the class."

Two women stumbled in a moment later, apologizing for being late. "We're so sorry!" One of them cried. "The alarm didn't ring and then there was an issue with the suitcase and… You don't want to know that. Sorry. We're sorry we're late."

"It's okay," Nora calmed them down. "You're barely late. Not even 5 minutes."

"Well, that's a relief," the other woman breathed.

"Yes, good morning!" Nicholas greeted. "Well, usually we do things differently here, but seeing as this is such an intimate setting with just the 6 of us, Nora and I thought we could shake things up a bit.

If you're by any chance unaware, I am Nicholas, and I'm going to be your teacher this morning. Nora, my lovely wife, is going to be the sous-chef. And, I thought we could start with a little bit of an introduction of sorts, so here it goes. We've been married close to 20 years now, and been teaching this class for 6 of those years. We met at the kitchens of this vey restaurant when we were both starting out and now we take turns in leading the class. Because I won the toss this morning, I get to be head chef while she is the sous-chef. We're both very excited to have you here, and we hope that cooking brings you together the way it brought us closer too."

"What my husband said," Nora added. "And also, just between us, I let him win so I could sit back and relax. It's too damn early to be teaching! I am not equipped for this any longer. I like my bed way too much for that. But, that said, I am also happy to be here because it's always so good to see two people in love finding new things about themselves in the kitchen."

The four of them clapped, making Nora do a curtsy. Laughing, she added, "Why don't you tell us a little about yourselves?"

"Aurora and Zoya, why don't you go first?" Nicholas requested.

"Sure! Hi, I'm Aurora," the curly haired black woman introduced herself. "And this is my girlfriend, Zoya. We're here on a surprise vacation cause our friends thought we needed a break, so they just packed our bags and sent us here. And, we only got in last night, which is why we're late this morning. Sorry!"

"You don't have to keep apologizing!" Nora repeated. "We're all good here. But it's great that you have such nice friends."

"Yeah, they're really nice," the brown woman stated. "We're glad to have them."

"And Zoya… Why don't you tell us more?" Nicholas asked.

"I'm a little awkward about these things, so please excuse me. I'm Zoya. My girlfriend, Aurora, and I are here from London on vacation, hoping to find some quiet time in the middle of our stressful jobs. It's just our first day here, but I'm so happy already! And I'm really excited to be a part of this class!" Zoya exclaimed.

"Excellent. We're excited that you're here too," Nicholas stated. Turning to Armaan & Riddhima, he added, "Why don't you have a go then!"

"Ummm, sure. Hi, hi. I'm Armaan," Armaan started. "Riddhima, my wife, and I are here for our honeymoon. We've been here for almost a week and are actually nearing the end of our holiday, so we thought, well… We need to learn how to make some authentic pizza, so we took this class."

"Oh, congratulations!" Aurora cried. "You two look so cute together."

"Thank you," Riddhima blushed.

"You're so pretty," Zoya added. "I'm sure you looked absolutely gorgeous in your lehenga. Oh, I can imagine!"

"She did look ethereal," Armaan confirmed.

"ARMAAN!!" Riddhima cried, whacking his chest. "Stop it!"

"Really cute," Aurora repeated, making Armaan laugh.

"And what about you, Riddhima? Anything you'd like to say?" Nora encouraged.

"Hi," Riddhima greeted them timidly. "I'm really excited for the class because I'm positive this is going to be a great experience and also because I really just wanted to give this couple cooking thing a try. Armaan & I almost never cook together, so this will be new territory for us and I'm very excited about that!"

"You can find out a lot about your partner by cooking with them," Nicholas agreed. "It is also a very fun activity to do together, in general. And well, since we're all couples here, I always give them all one piece of advice, which is really the entire crux of this class… Forget anyone else is here and imagine you're on a date. After all, we're all here to get closer to our partners. That's what this entire exercise is about… Not just cooking, but spending time with your better half. So, don't be shy, because no one is going to judge you here… Mostly because we'll all be busy ourselves. Sound good?"

He was met with murmurs of agreement, so he continued. "Now, all your registrations say that you can cook, so I'm not going to spend time teaching you the basics. We'll focus more on bringing an authentic flavour to your pizza. So, let's start. We need to knead the dough first!"

Armaan looked at Riddhima at Nicholas' words, a huge grin already on his face. Riddhima ducked her head to hide the pink dusting her cheeks. She knew what Armaan was thinking about, because she was thinking the exact same thing… Dr. Keerti and Dr. Shubhankar's wedding, when the two of them had kneaded the dough together, finding that little moment of happiness in the middle of all that chaos. "Shall we?" He asked her. She nodded. He gestured for her to step aside, and when she did, measured the flour they would need as per the recipe already placed on their kitchen table.

"After you," he murmured softly, asking her to start. Predictably, as she did, he fell into step behind her, pulling her flush against him. His hands found hers as she kneaded.

"Actually, Dr. Basket," Armaan mumbled conversationally, "Mujhe aata kaise goondte hai yaad nahi hai. Toh, aap please mujhe sikha dengi? Aapke fiance ki permission ho toh, of course."

Riddhima laughed. "I'm sorry, Dr. Armaan. You're late. Meri ab shaadi ho chuki hai, toh mera fiance nahi, husband hai. But, lucky for you, he's busy, toh mujhe unse kuch poochne ki zaroorat nahi. I'll help you."

"How kind of you," Armaan replied. He kissed the base of her neck, making her shudder in his arms. "Let's start then!"

Knowing it was pointless to get him to budge and move away from her, Riddhima got on task, Armaan's eager fingers following hers. He kept a steady stream of kisses along her cheek, ear, and neck, and she didn't know if she loved him for it or hated him. He knew just how to push her buttons. When she was finally done, taking longer than she usually would have for something like this, she looked up to see that the others were still far behind them. Aurora and Zoya seemed to have abandoned the task at hand to dance slowly while Nora and Nicholas were talking more than they were moving their hands.

Armaan chuckled, pouring them both a glass of wine from the mini-fridge they were provided. As they enjoyed their wine, murmuring softly to each other, Nicholas called them back to order, finally done with the first step of the recipe.

"We'll put these in the oven now," he told them. Armaan followed him to the huge oven in the back of the kitchen along with Zoya. While the bread was baking, they started working on the toppings for the pizza.

"I'll chop," Armaan announced, not giving Riddhima a choice in the matter. "Tumhe pata haina… Dr. Armaan ko sab kuch aata hai. I need to show off!" She agreed with a smile, leaning against the kitchen counter as he bent over it to slice some tomatoes. Everything was fine for a while till Armaan managed to cut his finger, causing him to hiss loudly.

"Armaan!" Riddhima cried, abandoning her wine to rush to him. She kept the knife to the side and gently caught hold of his finger, immediately sucking on it to stop the blood. A moment later, she let it go to blow on the small wound.

"Dhyaan kahaan rehta hai tumhaara? Hamesha itna careless hona zaroori hai kya?" Riddhima scolded. Armaan kept silent, looking at her with a huge grin. She was so cute like this, getting worried over a tiny little scratch. If the same thing would've happened to her, she'd have kept going like nothing was wrong, but of course, because it was him, she had to create a fuss over something so small. Not that he wasn't the same when it came to her, but he always cherished watching his wife coo over him, especially because she so rarely did.

When Riddhima reached into the pockets of her dress to pull out the bandaid she'd carried, just in case, Armaan laughed. These dresses really were so much more functional with their pockets. She expertly wrapped the bandaid around his finger. "There, all done."

"Thank you, Basket," Armaan replied, placing a lingering kiss on her forehead.

"Ab tum rehne do, main kar dungi," she instructed. Armaan tried to protest but she didn't give him a chance, instead pushing him back. Her deft fingers quickly got to task and very soon, she was done.

Nicholas had been waiting for her to finish, and when she did, moved to the next step which was to saute the tomatoes and garlic into a sauce. "This is the most important part," he told them. "The sauce is what brings the flavour to the pizza. You need to be careful to make it just right."

Riddhima took it upon herself to do that too, and Armaan stood beside her, making her laugh with his silly jokes. She looked so beautiful, happy and carefree like that. He needed to see her like this more often, unburdened with the woes of the world. Back at home, there was always something or the other going on for her to be worried about. A patient, her dad, Armaan himself. Very rarely did Riddhima get time where everything in her life would be going great and she wouldn't have to worry about a single thing. Armaan knew that their profession was such that it didn't allow for any repite and they always had to be ready to go, but he hoped that at least on a personal front, he could make things easier, going forward. Not that a lot of his plans had been awry lately. In fact, things had been suspiciously great. Almost all his harebrained schemes had been yielding great results. Must be the lady luck he had in the form of his wife, he thought to himself.

By the time the sauce was getting prepared, Nora tasked the others to get the bread from the oven. Riddhima had protested when Armaan had gone to get it, but he'd not let her win that argument. "Basket, main gloves pehenke oven kholunga na. Mujhe kaunsa aise hi kuch touch karna hai? Inn gloves mein kuch pata bhi nahi chalega aur jaldi se main bread nikaal lunga. And I'll be very careful. Promise!" He'd even done the pouty lips and puppy dog eyes. Riddhima had had no choice but to relent.

Once everything was ready, they quickly spread the sauce on the hot bread, adding the toppings they desired and shredding the cheese they wanted on it. "Oh, this looks good!" Nora commented on seeing the final products laid on the table. "And now, for my favourite part… We get to eat it!"

"Now, as a general rule, we all eat what we cooked, but since there's so few of us today, I think we should all taste what the others made too. What do you think?" Nicholas asked the four of them and was met with unanimous approval.

They exchanged slices and filled their plates, moving outside to eat the food. Nora guided them to a section in the hotel's restaurant that had been cordoned off for this purpose. The area was pretty big but given there were just six of them, they all fit on one table.

"Oh, absolutely heavenly!" Armaan moaned around that first bite. "Not bad, Basket! I am extremely impressed."

Riddhima, very predictably, blushed. "Thanks."

"This is really great," Aurora agreed. "Oh, I'm so glad! I really wanted to learn how to make some authentic pizza because even though I only ate it once last night, I was worried that I would never be able to eat pizza outside Italy again."

"Oh my! Absolutely. Same!" Riddhima exclaimed. "We went to this eatery in Naples and it ruined me so badly. I have been worrying about this too."

"Such first world problems you lot have," Zoya said. "This is a non-issue."

"Zo! Don't start now, sweets," Aurora interjected. "It might be a non-issue to you, but clearly not to Riddhima and me."

Zoya raised her hands in surrender. "I was just saying."

"Don't say anything then," Aurora replied.

Nora laughed. "Don't worry, Zoya. This is not the first time we've heard someone say this. It's actually why cooking classes are such a huge tourist attraction here. Everyone wants to learn how to make pizza."

"I can imagine," Armaan agreed. "We had signed up for a class in Ravello initially which fell through, but it took us like an hour to just get registered in person because the queue was so long."

"Ravello is seeing more footfalls because of the summer festival," Nicholas informed. "But yes, they have this very famous chef there… Mama A'Gata. Her classes are divine. Nora and I have also been there a couple of times, just for the experience."

"That's the one we were going to go for," Riddhima said.

"There's always a next time," Nora offered her consolation, making Riddhima smile.

"This is so good," Aurora observed. "Just, sitting here, eating amazing pizza for breakfast, chatting with complete strangers as if we've been best friends for years."

"Your best friend was probably a stranger to you at some point," Armaan answered. "Think of it that way."

"You are right!" Aurora exclaimed. "Can't believe I'm saying that to a man."

Armaan laughed. "It's okay. Sometimes, women can make mistakes too."

"Oh, I like you," Zoya breathed. Armaan did a little curtsy in the small space he had.

"Is this how you got your wife to marry you?" Nora asked, curious. "Being empathetic and feminist?"

Riddhima laughed. "No," she said. "He got me to marry him by being absolutely pathetic in love."

"I was not pathetic!" Armaan protested.

"You made a silly bet to get me to fall for you, then waited outside my house in the rain to apologize to me when I found out about it, took so many extra shifts at work to impress my dad that you started sleeping at the hospital, and even filled your room with large portraits of me on every single inch of space you could find," Riddhima rattled off. "What about any of this is not loser behaviour?"

"It's called being in love," Armaan shot back. "And you're talking as if you have not done worse things!"

"What did I do?" Riddhima wondered out loud.

"Let me remind you that you were the one who serenaded to me in front of an entire village to confess. And there was that time when you got jealous that I was friendly with Pari even though we were engaged by then? Oh, let's not forget how you purposely lost a basketball match to me to make me smile!" Armaan replied with a list of his own.

"That basketball match was a group effort," Riddhima protested. "It wasn't just me!"

"The whole thing was your idea," Armaan countered. "Don't even try to deny it. I know it's true. You and Bi concocted that whole plan together, but the basketball match was all you. No one else could've thought of that. I know."

"Fine, fine," Riddhima gave in. "You're right. It was my idea. Also, that's not loser behaviour. Do you know how hard it is to lose a match on purpose? It's much more difficult than actually winning a game!"

"I wouldn't know," Armaan shrugged. "Cause I'm not a loser like you!"

"Yes, cause you're worse!" Riddhima cried. "I barely scratched the surface with those examples. I have so many more!"

"Oh? Do tell!" Zoya interrupted them with an excited shriek, reminding both of them that they were not alone. It was so easy to forget that other people existed when the two of them were together.

"We'll be here all night," Riddhima laughed her request off. "Maybe even multiple nights."

"That's so cute," Nora stated. "I can see how he got you to marry him."

Riddhima grinned. Under the table, her hand found Armaan's. He looked up at her, a surprised yet pleased smile on his face, but she resolutely did not turn to him, keeping her attention focused on whatever it was that Aurora was saying. Shaking his head, Armaan dug into the food. His wife was just too cute for words.

Oh I am loving this honeymoon series.. it just flows

so so so good!!

They are so in love and as always Armaan is love <3

Dude...Roz Roz padhne ki adat hojayegi😭

Itna acha lagrha to get an update daily..❤️

And these 2 are cute.

You were right, they are setting goals high for me

( you are by writing them like this ❤️)