ILYLTF #5 (Chapter 145 - Page 110) - Page 57

At least the baby will not be named armani. It was just a prank.

It's awesome..loves everybit of it...

Welcome backkkk!!!!!

It felt so so good to read this story after ages (you already know how much I love it).

Pehle to can you tell me where can I find your story wala armaan in real life ? *sigh* damn yaar..,I love how he wants the wedding to be according to ridhima and I love how he wants everything to be according to just her.

Actually you know what I love everything about him and this story…The last bit to undoubtedly was my most fav!!!

can’t wait to read further (legit waiting for the AR scenes) I have taken the Liberty to imagine their life even post marriage, post kids, post everything *hides face*

so ya I am giving hints of apka kitna kaam bad chuka hai :p

loved the part…Pls update soon!!!

wow mindblowing part.part ki liye bohot sukriya.love the part.sangeet colour code kya hoga isme larai horaye hai 😅.armaan ne rukh liya sabko 😁. ridzy Colour decide kiya 😍.armaan nikhi sath nei jo prank kiya maja aygaya 😆.becara abhi.ridzy armaan part is beautiful.beautiful outstanding story.pls post asap.eagerly waiting for next part❤️

Previously On...

The gang argues about the name of AbhiNik's baby.

Chapter 107

As the wedding drew closer, preparations picked up in earnest in both the Gupta and Mallik households. Billy and Ananya wanted to leave no stone unturned in welcoming the newest member of their family and were pulling all stops to ensure that their daughter got the homecoming she deserved. They’d already ordered Armaan to buy her an entire new wardrobe that the two of them had funded, knowing that Armaan knew her choices better than them, but had also bought a few select pieces themselves. Ananya had gone jewellery shopping on more than one occasion and came back with lots of stuff for her new daughter. But, the most important inclusion they made, to show Riddhima that they truly considered her family, was to include her in Billy’s will. Being such a successful industrialist, Billy had had a will and testament prepared years ago, before he ever thought that Armaan would get married. His son had never shown any interest in marriage before Riddhima, and Billy wasn’t too sure if he would ever do so, which is why he had never thought of the possibility of having a daughter - in - law. But, now that he did, he wanted her to feel like she was a part of the family, which she was, presumably the most important part. And hence, the addition to his will was necessary. They hadn’t told Riddhima about this yet because they didn’t think she would be totally on board with it. Any discussion of wills peeved her a lot and she would always end the discussions before they even started. Billy could understand her hesitance and so didn’t push her.

The Guptas were not any better. They had a hundred things to look after to make sure that the wedding happened smoothly. Since it was decided that the wedding would take place in Mumbai, they had been handed the responsibility of organizing the entire shindig. Seeing as it was the first wedding in the Gupta family among all of the younger Gupta cousins, everyone wanted it to be grand, bordering on ostentatious. With Shashank being so busy with his work, most of the planning was done by Nani and Padma Mumma, with the help of the gang.

The gang were, undoubtedly, the ones who were the most excited about the wedding. It was the most awaited wedding among their little group of friends. Everyone had been waiting for Armaan & Riddhima to get married for literal years and now that it was finally happening, there was no end to their happiness and exuberance. They all happily volunteered to help in any and all ways that they could and the Guptas had put all of them to work.

In the absence of Armaan, since everyone had forbidden both Armaan & Riddhima to work for their own wedding, Rahul had been appointed as the ringleader. In 2 days, he had new found appreciation for Armaan, who had always managed to coral all their friends into doing his bidding, while managing their crazy schedules at work, and also somehow finding the perfect job for everyone to oversee. He would never be responsible for organizing anything with their friends ever again, Rahul thought to himself. Armaan could do the job whenever he pleased. Rahul had had half a mind to call Armaan on board anyway, but he knew that if Shashank Uncle, or god forbid, Padma Aunty found out, he would be in big trouble. So, he said his prayers and got to work. Hopefully, Armaan and Riddhima’s wedding wouldn’t be a total failure.

Thankfully, Anjali had been godsent. She handled both Atul and Muskaan with a finesse he had never seen before. Anjali knew just which buttons to push for the two of them to get work done and for that he was grateful. It gave him time to deal with Nikki’s frequent emotional outbursts and smooth things through. Abhi was the only person who Rahul could rely on to do stuff properly, but he was extremely busy at the hospital with some important investor meetings and wasn’t able to dedicate as much time to planning as Rahul had hoped.

But, despite all the roadblocks, things were moving in the right direction. With one exception. Armaan & Riddhima had taken great offense to their exclusion from planning their own wedding and spent most of their time mad at the gang. Especially Armaan, who was quickly turning sulking into an Olympic sport. Despite them being heavily involved in the decision making process, Armaan was miffed that he wasn’t allowed to be there for the groundwork. Riddhima was a little more understanding if still mad, so she did agree to help him on certain occasions to get Armaan’s tantrums in control, which Rahul was eternally grateful for. When the time came, he vowed to harass Armaan just as much in payback.

But, that would have to wait. At least for now. Things were really good between him and Muskaan, and he was thinking of proposing soon. Not just yet though. With Nikki's baby and Armaan & Riddhima's wedding, they already had too much excitement to handle. He didn't want to add to that, or worse yet, have the proposal overshadowed by all this. That moment would belong solely to Muskaan and no one else. So, he'd wait a few months before he popped the question. It was really hard for him to do so, but he would. Seeing Armaan & Riddhima in the past few weeks had him itching to get married. The two of them looked so happy and blissful. He didn't think he'd ever seen either of them so happy about anything before. He wanted that too. With Muskaan. He'd almost asked her a few times but had stopped himself at the last moment, because he knew it was not the right time. But hopefully soon, it would be.

All that was for another day, though. Right now he had to concentrate on the wedding. Billy Uncle and Ananya Aunty would be arriving in a few hours, and he had to have some semblance of a plan to go through with them after dinner. He was grateful that the two of them had decided to arrive so early because he needed a lot of help, and while he wasn't so sure about how Billy Uncle would reduce his burdens instead of increasing them, he knew that he could count on Ananya Aunty to help him at any point.

He'd taken the day off just to put things together, and of course, to go pick them up from the airport because they'd wanted to surprise everyone with their early arrival. Only Rahul, Nani, and Padma Aunty knew they'd be coming today. They were already busy whipping up a feast in the kitchen with everyone else at the hospital.

"Nani, main airport ke liye nikal raha hoon," he informed them a couple hours later. "Annie Aunty ki flight abhi bas 1 ghante mein land ho jaayegi."

“Theek hai, beta!” Nani called back. “Unhe seedhe yahin le aana. Thoda rest karenge tab tak baaki sab bhi hospital se waapas aa jaayenge.”

“Okay, Nani!” Rahul agreed before leaving.

___________

“Yaar, aaj kitna zyada kaam tha,” Atul moaned, banging his head on the table.

“I know!” Muskaan agreed. “Aajkal bohot kaam hota hai, yaar!”

“Dr. Keerti ko samajhna chahiye na,” Anjali added. “Agar hum itni zyada duty karenge toh shaadi ki preparation kab karenge?” Riddhima blushed at her words.

The gang had gotten together in the cafeteria to wash the day off before going home. It had been a very busy day at Sanjeevani and they could all use some relaxation before braving the Mumbai traffic. Assisting other doctors for their specialization was just as gruelling as they had all expected, and it was taking a toll on them. They were all used to long and hard days at work, some days without even a second to breathe freely, but it was tough all the same.

“Kya preparation karni hai?” Armaan butt in, trying to extract information from them. Rahul had been running a tight ship with Anjali and the two of them were very secretive about how far along they were with things. No matter how much Armaan asked, begged, pleaded, demanded, or threatened, neither of them budged, nor did they let the others breathe a word to the couple. While it made Armaan happy to see that they were all so invested in the wedding, it also made him mad that they would be so stubborn.

“Very smart, Armaan,” Anjali replied. “Tumhe koi kuch nahi batane wala. So, don’t even try.”

“Anjy!” He cried. “That’s not fair, yaar! Tum log hamesha aise hi karte ho!”

Anjali just shrugged.

Before he could reply, all their phones beeped, making them look. Padma Mumma had sent a message on their text chain for the wedding, the one which also had Armaan & Riddhima, ordering them all to be at home by 8pm for dinner together.

“Strange,” Riddhima commented. “Mumma sabko dinner pe kyu bula rahi hain?”

“Woh mujhe miss kar rahi hogi na, Basket,” Armaan answered. “As you know, I’m her favourite.”

Her only response was a whack on his arm.

“Abbe tujhe miss kar rahi hai toh humein saath mein kyu bulaya hai?” Muskaan asked. “Mujhe ab bas ghar jaake sona hai! Dinner wagerah karne ki bhi patience nahi hai mere andar.”

“Muski, that’s not right,” Riddhima said. “Tu aajkal bilkul achche se nahi khati hai. Itne meals skip karna is not healthy, tujhe bhi pata hai. Tu ghar chal. Aaj achche se baithke tujhe main hi khana khilaungi.”

The others smiled at Riddhima’s words. Rahul was right, Armaan realized. Things had changed so much between Riddhima and Muskaan. At first Armaan thought that Rahul had just been exaggerating, but he’d been noticing how particularly attuned the two were becoming to each other. They always sought the other out for company and for advice. Armaan knew that working together had brought Riddhima and Anjali infinitely closer, those starting days at Sanjeevani when Anjali had always been too brisk with Riddhima now only a part of all their distant memories. Riddhima had even befriended Nikki very quickly, especially after knowing how important she was to Armaan. Nikki proudly claimed Riddhima as her best friend now. But, with Muskaan, it was somehow a little different. Rahul had told him how Muskaan had always adored his little sister and had been very sad when she’d passed, and with him and Riddhima being so close now, having seen them interact in ways that were somehow similar to how he behaved with Chutki, Muskaan had sensed that the two were going to be sisters. Not that they didn’t consider each other as close before, Armaan had thought. Muskaan had very loudly exclaimed how Armaan would have two sisters - in - law once he married Riddhima, but this was not that. It was more. He didn’t really know how to put into words what it was. Watching those two together made him happy. That was it.

“Okay, guys,” Atul announced, bringing Armaan out of his thoughts. “Padma Aunty ka message hai toh humein definitely nikalna chahiye. Kuch zaroori kaam hoga isliye hi woh bula rahi hongi.”

“You’re right. Chalo! Muski tu aaj raat mere saath ruk jaana, theek hai?” Riddhima commanded Muskaan, who reluctantly nodded.

They all arrived home to Billy’s raucous laughter ringing through the living room. Riddhima immediately made a beeline for him and hugged him tight, just as Armaan pulled Ananya into a bear hug. One by one, they all greeted the couple, absolutely ecstatic to have them back.

“Mom… aapne bataya bhi nahi ki aap aa rahe ho! You should have told me. Main airport pe pick karne aa jaata na,” Armaan whined.

“Batate dete toh tum sabko surprise kaise dete? Aur waise bhi, Rahul ko pata tha. Woh aa gaya tha humein lene,” Ananya explained.

“Aap log sab Rahul se bohot kaam karwate ho,” Riddhima commented. “Kuch toh kisi aur ko bhi bol diya karo! Sab log poora din bas Rahul - Rahul poochte rehte hain. Itna kaam kaise manage karega woh?”

Rahul laughed and sat beside her to pull her into a tight hug. He kissed her temple and said, “Haan toh theek haina. Mujhe nahi bolenge toh kisko bolenge? Aur waise bhi,” he added, hugging her again, “teri shaadi mein kaam nahi karunga toh kiski shaadi mein karunga? Tu itna offend mat ho!” He tweaked her nose, making her smile.

The rest of the evening passed pleasantly with everyone merry making and catching up with each other. The gang exchanged stories about their respective patients and the elders all regaled about their own days. Rahul and Anjali brought everyone up to speed with the wedding preparations and everyone was pretty happy with the way things were progressing. All in all, it was a great night, one that they would all remember for a long time.

______________

“Armaan!” Nikki moaned. “Itni subah subah kyu bulaya hai?”

“Haan, yaar! Aaj toh meri duty late thi! Thoda late toh sone deta,” Atul lamented.

“Yeh Armaan na… hai hi gadha! Tujhse toh kuch expect bhi nahi karna chahiye,” Muskaan added her two cents in.

“Yaar, tum log har baat mein mere upar kyu chadh jaate ho, iss tarah? Important baat karni hai isliye bulaya hai!” Armaan told them.

“Armaan, yaar, agar tum Riddhima ka liye firse koi surprise plan karna chaahte ho ya uspe koi prank karna chaahte ho… toh sorry, I’m out!” Abhi announced. “Waise bhi bohot kaam hai mujhe.”

Armaan just stuck his tongue out at Abhi.

“Sorry, we’re late!” Anjali stated as she entered with Riddhima and Rahul in tow. “Busy morning.”

“Bolo, kya baat hai?” Rahul asked, taking a seat beside Muskaan, giving her a light hug and kiss on the cheek.

Armaan got up from the chair he’d been sitting on, commanding their attention, before he spoke. “So, you know… finally shaadi ki preparation mein kaafi progress ho gaya hai… but jo main baat hai… woh toh humne ab tak discuss hi nahi ki!”

“Kya? Tera honeymoon? Please, Armaan! Humko woh saari details nahi chahiye!” Nikki exclaimed.

“Exactly!” Anjali agreed. “Tu hai besharam, par hum toh nahi haina!”

“Yuck, guys! Dimaag poora time tumhaara hi gutter mein rehta hai. Mujhe blame mat karo! Aur honeymoon ki tension lene ki tumhe zaroorat nahi hai, woh sab main manage kar lunga. This is different,” Armaan told them.

“What?” Riddhima asked. “Itna bhi kya important kaam hai?”

“Finally! Glad you asked. Thank you, Basket!” He cheered. Everyone else at the table rolled their eyes.

“So… main baat yeh hai,” Armaan started. “That humne yeh toh decide hi nahi kiya tum sab kiski side se shaadi attend karoge!”

The gang all looked dumbstruck at the announcement. It was true. They had all been so excited that the wedding was happening and then got busy with preparations immediately, but hadn’t sat down to decide who would be on Riddhima’s side during the wedding and who would be on Armaan’s.

“Duck, yaar!” Atul exclaimed. “Seriously yeh socha hi nahi! Ab kya karenge?”

“Ab kya? Main aur Riddhima decide karenge ki kaun kiske side se hoga,” Armaan stated.

“Kyu? Tum dono kyu decide karoge?” Muskaan asked, scandalized.

“Uhh… Muskaan… humaari shaadi hai toh hum hi decide karenge na?” Armaan asked rhetorically.

“Nahi! Aise kaise? We should also get a say in humein kiske side se attend karna hai. Right?” Nikki intervened. “Sirf tum dono decide nahi kar sakte.”

“Arreeee…” Armaan whined. “Sab kuch bas tum log hi decide karlo. Shaadi tumhaari hai ye meri? Nahi… tum logon ko kya chahiye… I don’t care. Jo hum dono decide karenge… wohi karna padega.”

“No, no! I don’t agree to this,” Anjali joined Nikki. “Humaari baat bhi sun’ni padegi.”

They started arguing again, so Riddhima decided to step in. “Guys!! Stop it!!” She screamed, making them all stop.

“Ek kaam karte hain… main aur Armaan decide karke aapko batayenge but you will have veto power to choose the other side? Yeh theek hai?” She asked and everyone nodded, defeated.

“Great! Let’s start!” Armaan cried. “Since I’m so nice… Basket, you can go first.”

“Di,” Riddhima stated the obvious. Of course she would start with her sister. It was a given that Anjali would attend the wedding as the bride’s sister, but she still wanted to make it official in case Armaan decided to make things difficult.

“Aise kaise Di,” Armaan replied. “No! Anjy will attend from my side.”

Everyone was surprised at the announcement, even Anjali. How could Armaan think she’d not be on her sister’s side during the wedding?

“Armaan! What rubbish? Di tumhaari side se kaise ho sakti hain? She’s my sister!” Riddhima exclaimed.

“So? Woh sirf tumhaari behen hai kya? She’s my best friend!” Armaan fired back. Turning to Anjali, he added. “Don’t you remember, Anjy? Right from day one, it’s been you and me! Of course I want you there with me when I finally get married.”

Anjali was visibly touched by the sentiment and now seemed to be in a dilemma about what to say.

“Armaan, tum Di ko iss tarah manipulate mat karo! Come on, Di! How can you side with him? Aap meri Di ho. There is no question. Aapko mere side se hi attend karna padega. I can’t believe ki iss baat pe humaari discussion ho rahi hai,” Riddhima cried.

“Of course it’s a discussion!” Armaan said. “Just because woh tumhaari behen hai iska yeh matlab nahi ki by default you get her.”

“Fine… Di tumhaari side se attend karegi na? I’ll just call Diya and tell her to attend the wedding from my side,” Riddhima threatened.

“WHAT THE!??!” Armaan exclaimed. “How can you do that? Diya is my cousin!”

“Exactly, Armaan. Woh tumhaari cousin hai, but she’s my friend. Toh usse bhi choice honi chahiye na,” Riddhima explained. “If you can take Di, main bhi Diya ko apne side laa sakti hoon.”

“Ugh! Fine,” Armaan finally conceded. “You know what? You can keep Anjy.”

“Thank you,” Riddhima replied sarcastically. “Not that I needed your permission.”

“Okay, since Riddhima chose Anjy… mere side se… Nikki!” Armaan announced. Nikki smiled widely.

“Arre! Aise kaise? Nikki mere side se attend karegi!” Riddhima interrupted.

“Basket… she’s my best friend since college!” Armaan whined.

“I think tum bhool rahe ho but Nikki is also my best friend,” Riddhima reminded him.

“She’s been my friend longer,” Armaan countered. “Tumhe itna shauk hai toh tum uske Moody husband ko apne side se invite karlo. But Nikki will attend from my side.”

“Mine,” Riddhima declared.

“Mine,” Armaan refused stubbornly.

“Mine.”

“Mine.”

“Maine kaha na, Armaan! Meri side se.”

“Nahi, Riddhima! Meri side se!”

“Armaan.”

“Riddhima.”

“Armaan!”

“Riddhima!”

“Armaannnnnn!”

“Basket, please, yaar!”

“No!”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“YES YES YES!”

“Guys! Stop it!” Rahul finally interrupted them. “Tum dono ladna band karoge? Hum Nikki se hi pooch lete hain usse kiski side se attend karna hai.”

The entire gang turned to look at Nikki expectantly who cowered under their gaze. “Umm… guy -- guys… mu -- mujhe… mujhe nahi pata! Tum log hi decide karlo!”

“Kyu, Nikki?!?! Abhi 2 minute pehle toh bada keh rahi thi ki we should have a right to decide kiski taraf se shaadi attend karni hai! Ab bol rahe hain toh karna!” Armaan exclaimed.

“Haan, Nikki! Itna footage mat kha. Achcha mauka hai! Isko waste mat kar aur fatafat choose karle,” Muskaan egged her on.

“Umm… thoda toh time do, sochne ka! Please,” Nikki begged off making a decision instantly.

“Nahi, nahi. Tu abhi bata!” Armaan ordered.

“Main abhi nahi bata rahi,” Nikki answered resolutely. “I need more time to think.”

“Okay, guys! I think we should move on,” Anjali stepped in. “Abhi ek insaan ke peeche hi ladte rahoge toh baaki logon ke baare mein kaise decide karoge?”

“Right, Di. Okay!” Riddhima said. “Kyuki Armaan ne last choose kiya, ab meri turn.”

“Oh, hello! No yet,” Armaan cut her off. “Nikki is not on my side yet, so ab pehle main hi choose karunga. You already have Anjy.”

“Armaan, Nikki ne tumhe choose nahi kiya, toh main kya karu? You had your go, ab meri baari hai!” Riddhima argued.

“No, Basket! This is not fair. Abhi bhi meri turn hi chal rahi hai,” Armaan insisted.

“Cut it! Tum dono ab iss baat pe ladna please mat start karna,” Abhi pleaded. “Aise har baat pe ladte rahe toh hum yahin reh jaayenge aur shaadi ki date bhi aa jaayegi.”

“Finally! Abhi ne life mein first time mudde ki baat ki hai,” Muskaan joked.

“Hahaha, so funny,” Abhi replied sarcastically.

“Woh toh main hoon,” Muskaan agreed.

“Guys…” Rahul stopped them. “Ab tum dono bhi mat start karna. Matlab… jo main kaam hai, woh kar lein?”

At everyone’s nod, he continued, “Riddhu… Armaan is right. Abhi uski hi turn honi chahiye kyuki Anjy tere saath hai, but uske saath koi nahi hai, so let him choose, okay?”

Riddhima made a face but did not argue while Armaan cheered.

“Okay! Uh…” he looked around and then finally settled on, “Champ!”

Everyone cheered, and even Riddhima grudgingly did not take an objection to Armaan choosing Atul. She knew just how badly Armaan wanted Atul by his side during the nuptials. The two of them were brothers in everything but blood. Just the way she couldn’t get married without Anjali by her side, so was the case with Armaan and Atul. But, surprisingly, it was Atul who looked skeptical at being chosen. Riddhima had thought he’d be over the moon, but he was clearly not.

“Uh…” Atul started nervously, looking around.

“Kya hua, Champ? Tu toh mere side se hi attend karega na?” Armaan asked.

“Armaan… dekh, yaar… tu mera bhai haina?” Atul questioned.

“Of course! Yeh bhi koi poochne ki baat hai?” Armaan answered.

“Toh… samajh na… mujhe uss side se attend karna hai jis side Anjali hai…” Atul stated.

“Champ! Tu… tu aisa karega mere saath?” Armaan cried. “Bas… girlfriend mil gayi toh bhai ko bhool gaya? Yehi teri dosti, yehi tera pyaar?”

Atul looked very upset, but did not budge. He whispered closely into Armaan’s ear, “Yaar, dekh… teri toh love story set ho gayi. Ridz se shaadi ho rahi hai. Shashank Sir bhi maan gaye! Lekin mera kya? Mujhe toh unko impress karna haina! Abhi shaadi mein Ridz ki side se attend karke, bohot kaam karunga toh woh mujhse impress ho jaayenge na!”

Armaan made a face but could not deny that Atul had a point. Knowing how hard it had been for him to impress Papa, and also remembering how he’d reacted when he thought Riddhima had been dating Atul, he knew that it would take Atul time to get approved. And, he shouldn’t lose such a golden opportunity to get into the Gupta parents’ good books. It was too great a chance to miss.

“Fine! Champ can attend from Riddhima’s side,” he grudgingly announced. “I’ll take Muskaan.”

“Oyye, Hero! Sochna bhi mat,” Muskaan ordered. “Maine tujhe pehle hi kaha haina… teri ek nahi do - do saaliyaan hain! Main toh Riddhima ke side se hi attend karungi.”

“Nahi… ek kaam karo… tum sab na… sabke sab bas Riddhima ki side se attend kar lo. Main akele hi baaraat leke aa jaunga,” Armaan cribbed. “Sabko toh uske side hi attend karna haina… mere side se kyu karoge? Main hoon hi kaun?”

“Armaan…” Riddhima started, trying to calm him down.

“Nahi, nahi! It’s okay! Mujhe yeh topic start hi nahi karna chahiye tha. Meri galti hai,” Armaan announced. He then got up and left from there, leaving everyone feeling immensely guilty.

It was obviously not that they didn’t want to attend the wedding as part of his retinue… it was just that they were all too excited and they couldn’t exactly pick a side. Even Anjali, despite being Riddhima’s sister, was in two minds about the whole thing, because she wanted to be there for her best friend when he finally tied the knot. Nikki & Rahul were in the hugest dilemma because both Armaan & Riddhima were their best friends and they knew that even the couple was closest to the two of them. When the others hadn’t known about Armaan & Riddhima dating, the four of them had been a team… trying to smooth things over. Out of everyone else, Rahul & Nikki had been the ones who had been looking forward to this wedding the most. They wanted to be there for both their friends and be a part of their happiness. Similarly, even Atul & Muskaan were torn. They both adored Riddhima, but Armaan had been their go - to since a long time. He’d been there for the two of them in some of the toughest phases of their lives, but Riddhima was equally important to them. And, it was selfish, but Anjali and Rahul’s parents would definitely be attending the wedding as Riddhima’s family and they couldn’t miss the chance to get to know them better and spend time with them. They just couldn’t choose one.

“I’ll talk to Armaan,” Riddhima finally announced, leaving the rest of the gang still lost in thoughts.

“Guys…” Rahul said, a few moments later. “I have an idea.”

______________________________

Riddhima found Armaan at the fire escape, just as she’d known. She quietly sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder, not saying anything. He had every right to be upset after whatever had happened in the cafeteria. Frankly speaking, Riddhima herself had been surprised with everything that went down. She was so sure that everyone would fight over Armaan. He’d always been the glue that held their group together and was close to everyone in their little gaggle of friends. Them fighting over him made sense to her. Fighting for her? Not so much. It wasn’t that she didn’t doubt their sincerity, because she knew that their friends loved her. It was just that she thought they were a tad bit closer to Armaan than they were to her.

Armaan sighed and took her hand in his, while he put his other arm around her shoulder to pull her close.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured.

“It’s okay. Waise bhi tumhaari galti thodi hai,” he replied, dropping a quick kiss to her temple in a bid to assure her that he meant what he was saying.

He wasn’t mad at Riddhima. He wasn’t even mad at their friends. He knew they were all extremely excited and had always anticipated them having a hard time choosing one of them over the other. He was just frustrated at this situation. He wanted to have his friends by his side when he got married. He also wanted them to be there for Riddhima as well. He wanted them to have fun at the wedding. All these conflicting desires were making things difficult.

“Lekin Armaan… I don’t know… I didn’t like kis tarah sab aise achanak mere side se…” she trailed off, not knowing what exactly to say without sounding ungrateful.

“Kyu? Tumhe nahi chahiye ki tumhaare friends tumhaari shaadi pe tumhaare saath rahe?” He asked her.

“Chaahti hoon. Lekin woh sirf mere friends nahi haina. Woh tumhaare bhi friends hain. And I want you to have your friends as well. Aise kaise chalega? Pata hai… jab Mumma Papa aur Dr Keerti aur Dr Shubhankar ki shaadi ke liye humne itne easily khudko divide kar liya tha… mujhe kabhi nahi laga tha ki we would have so many issues with our wedding. Lekin mujhe sochna chahiye tha na… I mean, when Mumma and Papa got married, it was obvious that Di and I would attend from his side, toh Muski bhi humaare saath aa gayi. And with Dr Keerti and Dr Shubhankar, you boys had always been close to sir while we had been closer to ma’am, toh humein tabhi bhi nahi sochna pada tha. But iss baar…” she stopped, not needing to explain more.

“I know,” Armaan agreed. “But… isme kisi ki fault nahi hai, Riddhima. I understand why Champ and Muski would want to be there with you. Tum toh wahaan rahogi hi, but wahaan Rahul aur Anjy ke parents bhi honge… they would want that time with them na… for whatever reasons. Kal agar unhe bhi Rahul aur Anjy se shaadi karni ho, toh it’s important that they have some sort of relationship with their parents. So I don’t blame them.

Aur Nikki… I know she’s my best friend since college, but jabse woh Sanjeevani aayi hai, she’s always been so close to you, sometimes even more than me. Plus, I know that Abhi would want to attend the wedding as your guest. Hum dono mein ab itne problems nahi hai, but he’s always been more comfortable with you and I know you two are friends. Ab Nikki ki pregnancy last stages mein hai toh she will want to stay near Abhi at all times.

So, I can’t really blame them. Agar main unki jagah hota toh shayad main bhi aise hi sochta. But… woh mere bhi friends hain, so I feel bad. Isme koi wrong ya right nahi hai. Situation hi aisi hai that we’re stuck here.”

“Toh ab iss problem ka solution kya hai?” Riddhima asked.

“I don’t know,” Armaan replied honestly. “But… hum sabne milke itne bade problems face kiye hain… uske saamne toh yeh problem kuch bhi nahi hai. We’ll think of something.”

“Promise?” She questioned.

“Promise,” he assured.

Riddhima turned to him and put her arms around him in a tight hug that Armaan responded to in kind. In that moment, they both felt infinitely better, content to just be in each other’s arms and forgetting about everything else.

___________________

Rahul knocked on the door to Dr. Shashank’s cabin, with Anjali in tow.

“Doctors, kya kar sakta hoon main aap sabke liye?” Shashank asked once they were inside and standing in front of him. Billy was sitting on the visitor’s chair, looking at them with interest.

“Uh… Shashank Uncle… it’s personal,” Rahul said. “Armaan aur Riddhima ki shaadi ke baare mein…”

“Oh!” Shashank exclaimed. “Kya baat hai?”

“Uncle woh actually…” Rahul proceeded to tell them about what had transpired in the cafeteria just a few moments ago.

“Rahul, I’m really surprised,” Shashank said, once they’d heard the entire story. “Mujhe toh laga tha tum sab Armaan ki side se shaadi mein shaamil hone ke liye ladoge.”

“Arre, Shanky!” Billy interrupted. “Inn bechaare bachchon ko kyu daant raha hai? Inki koi galti nahi hai. Mera bas chale toh main khud bhi Riddhima ke side se hi shaadi attend karu.”

“Billy…” Shashank reprimanded.

“Okay! No joking,” Billy acquiesced. “Lekin iss problem ka kare kya?”

“Um… Uncle if you don’t mind… mere paas ek solution hai,” Rahul stated.

“Haan, of course! Batao,” Shashank urged.

“Uncle… main problem toh yeh hai ki sabko shaadi dono taraf se attend karni hai. Ab… zaahir si baat hai itne time se hum sab wait kar rahe hain toh sab bohot excited hain aur kuch bhi miss nahi karna chaahte. Toh maine socha ki alag alag ceremonies karne ke badle… agar hum saari ceremonies ek saath karein toh? I mean… mainly toh sirf mehendi aur haldi hi alag se hoti haina… we can do those two together. Aur… hum sab rotate karte rahenge? Ek ceremony ladke waalon ki taraf se aur ek ladki waalon ki. I mean… if that’s okay with you?” Rahul requested.

Shashank looked at Billy who raised his hands in surrender. “Mujhe toh mat hi dekho,” he said. “I think it’s a brilliant idea. But what do you think? Main mudde ki baat toh woh hai.”

“I think it’s a great idea!” Shashank cried after watching them all squirm for a couple minutes. “Waise bhi, sab manage tum logon ko karna hai aur prepare bhi tumhe karna hai… so you will have to make sure ki sab achche se ho. Aur ceremonies ka kya hai? Woh toh bilkul saath mein ho sakti hai. In fact, hum sabko bhi achcha lagega Armaan ke saath sab functions attend karna.”

“Thank you so much, Dad! You’re the best!” Anjali squealed, pulling Shashank into a hug.

“Thank you!” Shashank laughed. “Now go! Baaki sabko bhi yeh good news suna do. I’m sure cafe mein jo hua uske baad sab pareshaan honge.”

“Thanks, Uncle!” Rahul cried, pulling Anjali away.

Shashank and Billy chuckled as the duo hurried outside. It was such a pleasure to watch their kids be so happy and excited about the wedding. For the longest time, Armaan & Riddhima’s wedding had been such a sore spot for everyone with everything that was going on. But now… They were all moving on and Shashank couldn’t be happier. This wedding would be the forebearer of a lot of happiness in all their lives. He was extremely sure of that.

______________________

Hey guys!

Ab, 20 August ho and yeh story update na ho? NO CHANCE. ILYLTF is my dream version of DMG so I couldn't not update today!

Seeing as it is anniversary day, I have tried to give y'all a longer chapter that is also well rounded with gang, AR, and family moments. I hope you like it!! :D

Happy 14 years, everyone! Let's all keep loving DMG just as much forever. <3

Drop me a line to tell me how you like this one! :D

Love, Prags

Riddhima may not the discussions about wills, but it is a necessary one. They put her in and that was the right thing to do.

Rahul is right to make sure Muskan gets her moment and not be overshadowed. Hope she knows it.

The gang is so close to both, they actually have to pick sides for the wedding.

The side picking has turned into a battle of its own.

Why do they have to choose sides? Can't they attend from both?