ILYLTF #5 (Chapter 145 - Page 110) - Page 55

Thanks for the update! I am really really really crossing my fingers for an AA/RM/SK/SP/AN/literally anyone else centric chapter next though haha. I've had enough of AR (never thought I'd say that since I love them SO much) but you've given us so much AR that I want something else to happen 😆

Anyways, hope your exams are going well and you're staying safe. Are you in a program? I'm trying to figure out why your exams are at the beginning of the school year.

Payal

Hello hello...finally your back with one of my most favourite story, Vaise to I am very upset that you haven’t updated regularly but since your reason is so valid isliye I am forgiving you...heheh, just kidding! 

Anyway now coming to the best part that is the update...Vaise To na in all your updates my most favourite scenes are always the AR scenes no matter how small they are but this one part is an exception...I mean of course the little AR conversation was amaze (although I am waiting for you to give more such cute AR scenes in the coming parts) but but but for this particular part the show stealer ought to be the scenes of Ridhima and Billy! Literally from the moment she entered the house to when he took her to the room and told her to not hear any nonsense from anyone till he actually stood up for her...it was all penned down to perfection and I couldn’t get my eyes off it! 

Also of course the way Armaan understood what his aunt must have done and the way he tries to console Ridhima Jabki she is so calm was also so beautiful! Can’t wait to read ahead (my demand for tee next part to I have already told you, more and more AR scenes cuz I absolutely adore how you show them two together *hides face* 

Loved every bit of this part and eagerly waiting for the next one, to jaldi se exams dedo Aur phir part bhi dedena...hehe! 

Previously On...

Riddhima and Rahul arrive in Delhi and are greeted by Armaan's orthodox aunt, who taunts Riddhima. This does not sit right with Billy, Ananya, or Armaan, who all take to making it abundantly clear that no disrespect towards Riddhima will be tolerated by any of them.

Chapter 103

After a long day at work, Armaan was sitting in the cafeteria, enjoying a mug of steaming hot coffee, wanting to wash the day away. He’d been busy all day, and not talking to Riddhima as much as he was used to hadn’t helped, especially after he found out about Tayaji and Taiji being around her.

“Hey!” Nikki chirped, taking a seat beside him, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Hey,” he replied weakly.

“What’s up, lover boy? Riddhima ke bina ek din bhi nahi reh sakte kya?” Nikki teased.

Armaan chuckled mirthlessly. Yes, he was missing Riddhima, but he was feeling anxious because of his “relatives”. He hoped that he hadn’t made things worse for Riddhima after that angry phone call.

“Armaan,” Nikki murmured softly. “Kya hua?”

He shrugged. “It’s okay, Nik. I’ll handle it.”

“Doesn’t mean you should,” she replied. “I’m your best friend! Mujhe nahi batayega toh kisse batayega?”

“Nikki, itni badi baat bhi nahi hai aur main tujhe apni stupid stories sunake tension nahi dena chahta. Baby aur tu hamesha happy rehne chahiye,” he pouted. “My favourite kiddo should not be worried about anything, chahe kitni choti baat ho.”

“Armaan!” She blubbered. “Tu itna cute kyu hai?”

“Main cute toh bachpan se hoon. Tune notice aaj kiya toh main kya karu?” He asked cheekily.

“Shut up!” She replied. “Tujhe thoda compliment karo toh tu sar pe hi baith jaata hai. Idiot kahin ka!”

Armaan just laughed. “I miss you, Miss Wow!” He murmured a few minutes later. And he did. In between long duty hours, spending time with Riddhima, hanging out with the gang, and Nikki resting as much as she could the more her due date got closer, the two of them had hardly spent any one - on - one time together.

“I miss you, too, Mister Supercool!” She answered. “Let’s get dinner today! Sirf tu aur main. It’s been so long!”

“I wish,” Armaan mumbled regretfully. “Maine already Nani ko promise kar diya hai ki aaj main dinner unke saath karunga. Can’t stand her up. But! Hum kal chalein? Please!”

Nikki pretended to think, making Armaan roll his eyes. His best friend could get overly dramatic at times.

“Fine, fine,” she finally agreed. “But sirf isliye kyuki tune Nani ko promise kiya hai!”

“Yes, ma’am! But… abhi ke liye… tu kya khayegi? Have you been eating and sleeping properly? Due date nazdeek aa rahi hai, Nik. Only two and a half months to go. Tujhe ab zyada dhyaan rakhna chahiye.”

“Yes, Doctor Mallik, I know,” she quipped sarcastically. “Not like I’m not a doctor or anything. Or my husband.”

“Sorry I care,” he fired back.

“Armaan! Relax! I’m fine. Main apna bilkul achche se dhyaan rakhti hoon. Aur Abhi bhi mera bohot achche se khayal rakhta hai. I promise,” she pacified.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled. "I'm just worried about you."

"I know," Nikki replied. "And it's very sweet! Who knew Mr. Supercool Armaan was such a mother hen!" She giggled.

Armaan shrugged. "Whatever."

"Riddhima's really changed you," she said. "For the better. I'm glad, Armaan. I'm so happy ki teri life mein Riddhima jaisi amazing ladki hai. You deserve it."

Armaan looked away, trying to hide his blush. These girls were always waiting for a moment to tease him.

"Armaan! So cute!" She cried, pulling his cheeks. She'd seen the blush, despite his best efforts to hide it.

He shrugged her hands away. "Stop it, Nikki!"

"Theek hai, yaar!" Nikki cribbed. "No teasing."

Her pager beeped then, signalling the end of his break. "Duty calls," she muttered.

"But… you and me… dinner tomorrow, okay?" He confirmed.

"Aye, aye, cap'n!" She replied.

They both stood up and Armaan walked Nikita to the ICU, hugging her and kissing her cheek.

"Later, Miss Wow!" He waved goodbye.

He drove to the Gupta’s, a wide smile on his face. It always felt so nice to be around them, in any way he could. From being Riddhima and Anjali’s colleague/friend to Riddhima’s boyfriend and then fiance, he was now a member of the family, in his own right, different from his relationship with Riddhima. He loved that. He loved that his relationship with not just Anjali, but also Mumma and Nani, and in so many ways Papa, was not dependent on his relationship with Riddhima now. He was their son too and that was it. Nothing else mattered.

There was once a time when he was hesitant to go there even with Riddhima around, but now, he had no qualms barging in when she was in another city. Nikki’s words echoed in his mind. He had certainly changed a lot since Riddhima, for the better. That was because his life had changed. He’d finally found someone who loved him, understood him, the way he’d desired for for so long. And with Riddhima, had come an entire family. His family. He loved them all so much. He’d never envisioned himself to be a homebody, someone who adored their family so much, especially after the way his childhood had been, but here they were, and here he was - a man who would do anything for one smile from the people he loved.

Lost in thought, he didn’t even realize when he reached home. Ah, the Gupta Mansion was home now, too. For someone who had had no place to call home for a long time, it sometimes baffled Armaan that so places were home now - Sanjeevani, the place where he’d met the love of his life, his own house, the place where he was planning a future with Riddhima, the house in Kasauli, that finally felt like home after Riddhima and him made so many happy memories there, the Mallik Mansion in Delhi was home now too, where his parents lived, and the Gupta Mansion, where his family lived. But, most of all, he realized, his home was where Riddhima was, where she was happy, where she was loved. The rest of it was just science. Home was Riddhima, her smile, her laughter, her happiness, her love.

Armaan whacked himself in the head, blushing wildly. Riddhima sure had made him a cheesy poet who waxed poetry about her at any chance he got, whether to himself or others. He was so far gone and so in love, Armaan surprised himself sometimes with the love he had for Riddhima. Some days it felt like it would burst out of his chest because how would he keep so much love inside him?

Shaking his head, Armaan walked up to the door, and rang the doorbell, patiently waiting. He did have a key now, but he loved watching Nani’s and Mumma’s face light up when they opened the door to see him standing on the other side of it. And he loved being able to ring the doorbell, knowing someone would be there to welcome him home, instead of opening it with his keys like he had for most of his life.

“Armaan!” Nani cried, opening the door a few moments later. She greeted him with a wide smile and a tight hug, like she always did and Armaan grinned. It was so, so, so great to be home.

“Nani! I missed you,” he whined. Nani laughed and ushered him in, insisting that he freshen up immediately to eat. Armaan did so, knowing how much Nani liked to fuss. He went up to his bedroom (even after all this time, it would never cease to amaze Armaan that he had his own room here. But at the same time he couldn’t wait till he was married and Riddhima’s room would become his as well), and took a quick shower to wash the hospital off of him, dressing in one of his comfier tees and jeans for dinner with his family.

He was surprised to see the table laid for only two. “Nani, sab kahaan hai?” He asked.

“Riddhima aur Rahul toh tujhe pata hai Dilli mein hai. Anjali ki bhi aaj night duty hai. Aur woh… Nishank haina… Shashank ka chota bhai, uski tabiyat kuch theek nahi hai. Toh Shashank aur Padma Pune gaye hain uske paas,” Nani explained.

“Nishank Chachu, right? Riddhima ne bataya tha mujhe. Woh remission mein haina? Isliye engagement pe nahi the,” Armaan clarified.

“Haan, wahi,” Nani replied.

“I hope kuch zyada problem na ho,” he murmured.

“Tu fikar mat kar. Sab theek hai. Padma ka kuch time pehle phone aaya tha. Woh dono kal raat tak waapas bhi aa jaayenge,” she answered.

Armaan nodded, relieved. “Theek hai. Lekin phir aaj raat yahin ruk jaata hoon. Aapko pehle batana chahiye tha na, Nani! Main jaldi aa jaata. Iss tarah akele kyu reh rahi thi aap?”

“Pehli baar thodi main akeli thi. Padma ke aane ke pehle toh main akele hi rehti thi na saara din. Mujhe aadat hai, beta,” Nani told him.

“Aadat ki baat nahi hai, Nani. Uss waqt aapke paas koi aur choice nahi thi lekin ab toh haina? Phir aap kyu akeli rahengi?” Armaan pouted.

Nani smiled at his words and caressed his head. He was such a good kid, such a good son. She couldn’t help but feel thankful to have him in her life. In so many ways, big and small, he never failed to bring a smile to her face, not just now, but since the day they’d met. She still remembered it clearly. Anjali had invited her friends over for her birthday party, and Armaan was one of them, though right from the start, she had an inkling that Armaan had come more for Riddhima than Anjali. The way he looked at her might have been subtle for others, but not her. She’d seen the adoration shining clear as day in his eyes. And then, he’d won her over with his cute flirtations and easy affection throughout the dinner. The way he didn’t think twice before throwing an arm around her shoulder and hugging her goodbye might have seemed too forward to some, especially for a first meeting, but she saw the honesty in those actions and understood them for what they were - a gesture meant for comfort and belonging. He’d somehow accepted her into his fold from the moment they’d met and she felt thankful for the trust and love he’d bestowed on her, and continued to do so everyday since then.

“Nani…” he asked in between mouthfuls of food, “Dinner ke baad main Papa ki study use kar sakta hoon? Mujhe reference books dekhni thi.”

“Shashank ki study ke baare mein mujhe kuch nahi pata. Woh tu usse hi pooch le, beta,” she replied. Armaan nodded and immediately called Shashank. For a second he was surprised that he felt comfortable enough to just call Shashank in the middle of dinner without a second thought and smiled. He really had come a long way.

After a quick chat to ask after Nishank Chachu’s health (“He’s doing much better. Nothing to worry about.”) and asking for permission to browse through the study (“Of course you can, Armaan! Yeh bhi koi poochne ki baat hai? Bas mere desk pe saare papers waapas waise hi arrange kar dena jaise rakhe the.”), Armaan said his goodbyes. It felt good, he decided. This domesticity that he hadn’t realized he had before. Dining with Nani, calling Papa, having dinner plans with Nikki… such mundane things, but yet brought him so much happiness.

He was so domestic now. So grounded. It felt really good. Extremely good, in more ways than one. This was something he'd been missing out on his whole life. It was so wonderful to just be.

Shaking his head again at the thoughts clouding his mind, he smiled. He'd been doing a lot of introspection about the definition of home, and it's connotations for him. But right now, he needed to go to the study and browse some books.

Papa's study was as immaculate as it had always been. Armaan hadn't ever spent much time in this room, but enough to know that Papa's impeccable discipline was reflected in everything in the room. Right from the desk that was neat and tidy, to the books shelved, by discipline in alphabetic order marked for every author. It made his work that much easier and he was thankful for Papa's organisation skills. He found some really enlightening texts on cardiology and pulled them out, browsing through a few chapters and highlighting the ones he found interesting. After going through a couple of books, he let his eyes wander through the rest of the shelf and found a sizeable gynaecology collection. He pulled out a particularly well loved book and opened it up, surprised to see it belonged to Smriti Maa. But then again, he shouldn't have been. He knew she'd been an OBGYN, and it was obvious she'd have her own reference books too.

It was then that Nani entered the room with a mug of steaming black coffee, just the way Armaan liked it. She was surprised to see him leafing through Smriti's books, but smiled. She should have known. He was so easily distracted sometimes.

"Shashank ne woh book Smriti ko unki 10th anniversary pe di thi," she told him, taking a seat beside him.

Armaan looked at her absolutely flabbergasted. "What?"

Nani laughed, nodding. "Yeh Shashank toh hamesha se hi aisa buddhu tha. Lekin Smriti ko uski yeh baat sabse zyada achchi lagti thi."

"She must've been so amazing! Kaash main unse mil paata," he lamented.

"She would've loved you," Nani told him.

"Nani… mujhe unke baare bataiye na!" He demanded.

Nani nodded and launched into a detailed story about her beloved daughter and just how amazing she was. She didn't get to talk much about Smriti these days, because it always made Shashank and the girls sad, and they all missed her presence in their lives. But Armaan's eyes lit up the more he heard and watching that expression of child-like wonder on his face warmed her heart.

There had been a time when Riddhima looked at her like that too, while listening to stories about Smriti, having been too young when she'd passed away, and Nani had been all too happy to indulge a little Riddhima with countless stories. Times like this was when she was stumped at how similar Armaan & Riddhima were, despite the glaring differences in their personalities. It was so heartwarming to see them together and Nani always revelled in it, happy that the two of them were so happy and so in love.

And then, quietly, very hesitantly, Armaan told her about what he wanted to do for Riddhima, as a welcome back surprise/gift, and Nani smiled the widest she had the entire day. Her grandson was too precious and she couldn't have asked for a better life partner for her Riddhima. 

__________________

Happy 10 year reunion anniversary, y'all!

To celebrate, new ILYLTF! Finally! Yes! I'm so proud of myself.

I hope y'all like it! This was fun to write. Armaan Mallik best boy <3

Please leave comments and votes and let me know how you like it!

Love, Prags

Awww Lover boy missing his basket so much❤️

Maine bhi Riddhima ko miss kiya 😔

Armaan n Nikki's cafeteria scene was nice bahot time baad Mr Supercool n Miss WOW ka koi scene mila hai...

Thanks for the update...It was very nice... Enjoyed it very much...Do Update next part soon 😘

Aww..u r the best❤️.

Nikki and arman are luv.

Arman and nani❤️❤️.

I would have loved to read smriti ka descriptions also..

But still it felt so good to read after a long time.

I hope your exams were good😊.

Update soon

Yet another small one.... Y are u doing this with us. 

But i luv armaan indulging in the definition of home and love. Niki said it right he had changed for btr n best.. 

Luved it all. 

He is really missing his girl. Nani will help him plan a nice surprise for her.

A chapter full of Armaan

I was jus smiling throughout.

He is the best 😊

Awesome update.. Can't wait for more

It's short but awesome one

Short and nice but next wala plz Update and thoda big pleashh....