ILYLTF #5 (Chapter 145 - Page 110) - Page 65

Chapter One Hundred & Fourteen

“Billy?” Armaan asked when he saw his father sitting in the living room, deep in thought, later that night. “Kya hua? Everything okay?”

“I’m not sure,” Billy answered after a moment. 

“Baat kya hai? Kuch pareshaani hai toh mujhe batao… maybe I can help?” Armaan asked. Everyone else had retired for the night, leaving the father-son duo to their devices.

Billy sighed. “Pata nahi tujhse kaise kahoon,” he admitted. “Aisi kuch baatein hai… jo main tujhse karna chaahta hoon… but shayad ab woh mera haq nahi hai… ya phir shayad, main kehne se ghabrata hoon.”

“Dad,” Armaan replied. “Aisa kuch nahi hai. Aisi kya baat hai jo aapko kehne ka haq nahi hai? Aap mujhse kuch bhi keh sakte ho.”

“Kuch bhi?” Billy confirmed.

Armaan nodded. “Haan,” he added. “Kuch bhi.” Wanting to lighten the mood, he joked. “Haan, but kisi Bollywood movie ke villain baap ki tarah mujhe shadi todne mat kehna… cause woh main nahi karne wala.”

“Yehi toh main chaahta hoon, Armaan,” Billy answered, Armaan’s joke falling flat on him. “Ki tu Riddhi ko kabhi nahi chode.”

“Billy… kaisi baatein kar rahe ho aap? You know I love Riddhima… Main usse kabhi nahi chodne wala!” Armaan rebuked.

“Har baar,” Billy whispered. “Har baar sirf pyaar kaafi nahi hota, Armaan.”

“Aap… aap jabse aise ghuma fira ke baat kyu kar rahe ho? Seedhe seedhe bolo na taaki mujhe bhi samajh aaye,” Armaan requested.

“Armaan… kal subah se teri shadi ki rasmein shuru hone wali hai. Kal hum sab iss ghar se niklenge, aur jab waapas aayenge, toh tu akela nahi hoga… Riddhima tere saath hogi. Teri wife,” Billy started. 

“Riddhima bohot zyada achchi ladki hai, Armaan. Uske jaisi, maine aaj tak koi bachchi nahi dekhi. Itne saaf dil ki, itni sachchi… tujhse kitna pyaar karti hai woh… hum sab se kitna pyaar karti hai woh. Itne kam time mein woh hum sabki life ka itna important hissa ban chuki hai, humaari family ka itna important hissa ban chuki hai… hissa kya… humaari toh family hi woh haina? Aaj hum sab yahaan hai… main yahaan baitha tujhse baat kar raha hoon, tu meri baat sunn raha hai… sab uski wajah se. 

Riddhi… woh iss duniya ki har khushi deserve karti hai, Armaan… aur uski khushi tere saath hai, tere paas hai… usse kabhi yeh khushi mat cheen’na, beta. Please.”

“Dad, aap yeh sab… aap iss tarah kyu baat kar rahe ho? Mujhe darr lag raha hai,” Armaan whispered, astonished at seeing this side of his father. Billy was always the moment. He was the life of every party, the funniest and happiest person Armaan knew. To see him so sombre and serious… he didn’t think it had ever happened before. 

“Pata hai, Armaan… shadi ke baad na… life bilkul badal jaati hai. Chahe woh love marriage ho ya arranged… humein kitna bhi lage ki hum apne partner ko bohot achche se jaante hain… actually hum unhe nahi jaante. Jab rishta bandh jaata hai, jab hum ek doosre ke saath rehne lagte hain… sab kuch change ho jaata hai. Aur, har couple… har couple yeh change sahi tarah se face nahi kar paata.

Main aur Annie bhi nahi kar paaye. Armaan, main Annie se bohot pyaar karta hoon, hamesha se. Lekin… maine bohot galtiyaan ki hain, beta. Khaskar Annie ke maamle mein. Maine usse apna pyaar hamesha diya, lekin apni understanding? Respect? Space? Yeh sab main nahi de paya… shayad isliye hi hum dono alag ho gaye. Main nahi chaahta jo galtiyaan maine ki hain, woh tu kare. 

Main Annie se itna pyaar karta hoon, lekin uska dil sabse zyada buri tarah maine hi toda hai, Armaan. Maine uska saath tab nahi diya jab usse meri zaroorat thi. Main ek achcha boyfriend toh tha, but ek achcha husband nahi ban paaya, aur isliye Annie mujhe chodke chali gayi. Main yeh nahi kahoonga ki sab meri wajah se hua, kyuki ek rishta judta do logon ki wajah se hai toh toot’ta bhi do logon ki wajah se hai… lekin maine hi aisi situations create kardi ki Annie ko kuch aise decisions lene pade jiski wajah se hum alag ho gaye.

Uss waqt maine yeh baat realize bhi nahi ki main kitna galat hoon. Maine yeh nahi socha ki mujhe apni wife ko support karna chahiye, uski situation samajhne ki koshish karni chahiye, usse adjust karne mein help karni chahiye. Main bohot zyada arrogant ho gaya tha, Armaan. Aur meri arrogance aur ego mein aake maine Annie ko dekhke bhi andekha kar diya.

Tu Riddhi se bohot pyaar karta hai mujhe pata hai. Tu usse kabhi dukhi nahi dekhna chaahta yeh baat bhi main jaanta hoon. Lekin kabhi kabhi, hum apni galtiyaan hi nahi dekh paate, aur jab tak baat samajh aati hai… bohot late ho jaati hai, Armaan. Humaari zindagi kab humaare haath se nikal jaati hai, pata hi nahi chalta… aur woh insaan jisse hum iss duniya mein sabse zyada pyaar karte hain, jo humaara humsafar hota hai… humaari zindagi ke safar mein woh hi peeche choot jaata hai. 

Tu mujhse promise kar… tu kabhi aisa kuch nahi karega jisse Riddhi ko lage ki tum dono mein differences aa gaye hain. Tu har kadam pe uska saath dega. Uss har cheez mein support karega. Usse apni baat rakhne ka mauka dega aur uski baaton ko samjhega. Tu… beta, tu kabhi aisa kuch mat karna jis wajah se Riddhi ko lage ki tum dono ka alag hona hi better hai. Karega na?”

“Dad… aap yeh…” Armaan trailed off, not knowing what to say. Billy had never been so open with him ever before. Had never admitted his mistakes, had never admitted he loved his wife. Overwhelmed by his words, a few tears spilled out of Armaan’s eyes, and he pulled his father into a hug. He thought about what to say, to do, to make this easier. To make Billy see that things would be better. “I promise,” he finally settled on. “Main Riddhima ko kabhi aisa mauka nahi doonga, Dad. Hum dono hamesha saath rahenge, I promise.”

Billy breathed a sigh of relief at Armaan’s words, some tension leaving his body. He relaxed into Armaan’s embrace, happy to have gotten what he wanted. It might not seem a big deal, but Billy knew that Armaan understood the weight of the promise he had just made. He didn’t know how he knew, but he did. Armaan would never break this promise. He was sure of it. 

“Dad, aapne kabhi Mom se yeh sab…” Armaan trailed off, the question clear in his hesitance.

“Maine aur Annie ne sach mein apne saare differences resolve kar liye hain, Armaan,” Billy assured his son. “Ab hum dono ke beech sab kuch ekdum perfect hai… but iska yeh matlab nahi hai that I don’t have regrets. I have a lot of them. Main nahi chaahta ki tu kabhi apni zindagi pe peeche mudke dekhe, aur tujhe kabhi koi pachtaava ho, aur especially Riddhi ko leke toh bilkul nahi. 

Shadi se pehle, har parent apne bachchon se yeh baatein karte hain, I think. Ki unki zindagi kaise badalne wali hai, kaise ab sab kuch alag hoga… But shayad mera experience thoda bura raha hai isliye yeh saari baatein hopeful aur exciting lagne ke badle darawni lag rahi hai, nahi?”

Armaan laughed through his tears. Trust his father to make a joke at a time like this as well. “Don’t worry, Billy. Aapke yeh sab bolne se main dara nahi. Waise bhi, Basket se shadi toh main karke hi rahoonga, chaahe kuch bhi ho jaaye.”

“That’s my boy!” Billy cheered. “But, on a lighter note… mujhe pata mujhe kehne ki zaroorat nahi hai, but main phir bhi kehna chaahta hoon… I’m really happy, Armaan. Riddhi se better tujhe sach mein kahin milegi.”

“I know,” Armaan agreed.

“Woh bechaari… pata nahi usne tujh mein kya dekha,” Billy lamented jokingly. “Lekin yeh tera good luck bohot achcha hai ki usne tujhe ghaas daali, toh please ab uska dhyaan rakhna… warna Shanky baad mein, main tujhse pehle ladne aa jaunga, samjha?”

“I know,” Armaan replied, rolling his eyes. 

“I’m proud of you, son,” Billy murmured a moment later, all pretenses gone. Billy didn’t know the last time he’d told Armaan that, if ever. He had definitely never been a good father, but he was learning now. And Armaan deserved to know how proud he was of the person his son had become, so much better than him, just as Billy had always hoped.

“Thanks, Dad,” Armaan mumbled, suddenly shy. He always put up a brazen front, but the truth was that all it took was one word of appreciation from the important people in his life, especially his parents, to render him a mess. Maybe it was because they so rarely complimented him that it seemed surreal whenever they did. At one point of time, he’d felt the same way when Riddhima used to say nice things about him, but in the past few years, he’d learnt to take a compliment from her, and especially in the last few months, because she had gotten so generous with them. The same was not the case with his parents, and especially with his father. Though their relationship was much better now, they still didn’t do emotional talks well. 

“I love you,” Billy added, pulling Armaan into a hug, and shocking Armaan to the core. This was definitely not what he was expecting, but he couldn’t deny that it made his heart swell in happiness to hear his dad say that to him. 

So, no matter how difficult it was for him to reciprocate in kind, no matter how awkward and shy he felt, he managed to stutter out, “I love you, Dad,” in response, as his arms tightened around his father, finally sharing an embrace his heart had longed for for years.

_________________

“Pata nahi…” Armaan sighed. “It was very awkward… but it was also… nice??? Billy ne kabhi aise mujhse pehle baat nahi ki hai,” he explained. Armaan was on the phone with Riddhima, regaling the tales of what had transpired between him and Billy. 

"But it's good na… Ki Dad is trying. He wants to do better," Riddhima replied. 

"Haan," Armaan agreed. "It is. But wohi na… I'm not used to it. Aur yeh sab… Jo Mom ke baare mein bol rahe the… And all those things about being a good partner… It felt very… Pata nahi main explain bhi nahi kar paa raha."

"I get it," Riddhima said. "Main aur Papa toh hamesha se itne close rahe hain… Lekin aisi sab baatein hoti haina… Even I get awkward. Tumhe pata hai… Jab Papa ne finally humein accept kar liya tha, aur roke ke baad, agar woh kabhi aise hi mazaak mein bhi mujhe tumhaara naam leke chedte the na… Mujhe kitna zyada ajeeb lagta tha. I never thought ki kabhi main aur Papa aisi baatein karenge."

"No way… Papa, tumhe mera naam leke chedte the? I don't believe you!" Armaan exclaimed. 

"Armaan, abhi important yeh nahi hai ki Papa kya karte the aur kya nahi. Hum tumhaare aur Dad ke baare mein baat kar rahe haina," Riddhima reminded him. 

"Right," Armaan mumbled. "Billy."

"Tumne kya kaha unse?" Riddhima asked. 

"Main kya kehta? Mujhe toh kuch samajh hi nahi aaya but then he asked me to promise ki main tumhe hamesha support karunga aur tumhe samjhunga… As if woh mujhse promise nahi lete toh main yeh sab nahi karta… But I felt that he needed me to not laugh at him for asking this… Toh jabki mujhe bohot zor se mann kiya yeh kehne ka unhe yeh sab baaton ki tension lene ki zaroorat nahi hai… I promised him to look after you," Armaan told her. 

"Good boy," Riddhima praised him. Armaan grinned toothily at that. 

"Woh sab toh theek tha… But then he said I love you, Basket," he added. "I love you! He actually said that to me. Mujhe samajh hi nahi aaya main kya bolu!"

"Samajh nahi aaya matlab kya?" Riddhima cried. "You obviously say I love you too! Tumne kaha naa?"

"Haan, baba," Armaan replied. "I did. But it was so weird. Ugh. I just shuddered remembering that."

"Armaan!" Riddhima scolded. "Aisa nahi kehte… Aur isme weird kya hai? Mujhse I love you bolne mein toh tumhe kabhi weird nahi lagta? Din mein 100 baar bolte ho. Aur Dad ko ek baar bolne mein itni problem?"

"Tumhaari baat alag hai," Armaan protested. "You're my wife!"

"And he's your father," Riddhima snarked. 

"Exactly," Armaan said. "Woh Dad hain… Don't tell me tumhe Papa ko I love you kehne mein awkward nahi lagta."

"Ummm…" Riddhima thought about it. "I mean, I guess… A little. But woh toh mujhe sabse kehne mein lagta hai. Tumhe bhi. Woh toh tum itni baar kehte ho isliye ab mujhe itna weird nahi lagta but tumhe yaad hai jab humne date karna bas start kiya tha? It took me so long to get properly comfortable in saying it!"

"See… You find it awkward too!" Armaan cried triumphantly. 

"But," Riddhima protested. "Like I said… I find it awkward with anybody, not just Papa. Tumhe toh sirf Dad ke saath problem haina!"

"Haan, but… It's Billy, Basket. Kabhi kabhi na… Main bhool jaata hoon that this is not the same Billy jo apne business mein itne busy the ki meri school ke annual day function pe nahi aaye, jinhone mujhe boarding school bhejna aasaan samjha taaki woh apna life bina kisi rukawat ke jee sake, jinhe iss baat se bhi koi fark nahi pada ki unke bete ne med school mein top kiya hai, aur jo tab bhi time nahi nikaal paaye jab unke bete ko jail ho gayi," Armaan replied. 

"Aisa nahi hai that I don't see how many efforts he's taking now. Jabse Nikki ne unhe phone karke Papa se milne bulaya hai, he's genuinely tried so hard, Basket. Humaari shadi ho ya tumhe accept karna ya fir meri treatment mein mujhe support karna… He's gone above and beyond. I know he regrets whatever happened in the past… With me and with mom. Aur main sach mein aage badhne ki koshish kar raha hoon… Lekin yeh sab bhulana asaan nahi hai. 

Pata hai… Kabhi kabhi lagta hai ki main sab kuch bhulke aage badh chuka hoon but fir kuch aisa hota hai jisse mujhe kuch yaad aa jaata hai… Koi choti si hi baat, but woh achanak itni badi lagne lagti hai. I just don't know how to handle it," he confessed. 

"I understand, Armaan," Riddhima soothed. "Dad has made many mistakes. Just because ab sab theek ho raha hai iska yeh matlab nahi hai ki puraane ghav bhar jaayenge. Yeh sab baatein bhulane mein bohot waqt lagega… Shayad tum inhe kabhi bhula bhi na pao… But important yeh hai ki tum apni inn yaadon ko iss nayi shuruat ke raaste mein aane na do.

Dad bhi jaante hai, Armaan. Woh samajhte hain. It's not easy for you. I know that he won't hold any of these emotions against you. But you should be honest with him. And yourself."

"Kabhi kabhi toh yeh sab kitna easy lagta hai… Aur kabhi aisa lagta hai ki zindagi nikal jaayegi aur main yeh nahi kar paunga," Armaan sighed. "Tumne kaise kiya, Basket? How did you manage this?"

"Tum kya keh rahe ho?" Riddhima asked. "Maine kab…" She trailed off, confused. 

"Basket, I know ki hum iss baare mein zyada baat nahi karte… Shayad tum yeh sab mere saath discuss karne mein comfortable nahi ho kyuki hum dono shuru se itne close hain… Lekin, Jaan… Anjy bhi toh tumhaare saath… I don't know what word to use… But… The two of you didn't have the best relationship, did you? Anjy tumse kitni jealous hua karti thi… But woh… Proponol wale incident ke baad… Things changed between you two, didn't they? I know ab sab bilkul theek hai, and Anjy is the best sister, but she wasn't always, was she?" Armaan asked. 

Riddhima didn't say anything for two long, heart-breaking moments, before she finally replied in a soft voice. "You're right," she said. "Main aur Di hamesha aise nahi the… I don't know ki kya problem thi… Shayad Di ko lagta tha ki main Papa ki favourite hoon aur woh mujhse zyada pyaar karte hain… I don't know. 

Par… Proponol wale case ke baad, Di tried to make an effort to make things better. I think… Kyuki galat humaare saath hua, hum yeh bhool jaate hain ki jisne galat kiya, uske liye bhi kitna mushkil hota hai, Armaan. To realize that you've hurt someone so close to you so badly, to face that guilt everyday… I'm not excusing their actions, but it must have been hard to make amends. 

I saw that. Di struggled a lot in the initial days. Aisa nahi hai ki hum dono ke beech sab kuch ekdum se turant theek ho gaya… Shayad bahar se kisi ne dekha ho toh unhe yehi laga hoga ki Di ka behaviour meri taraf ek tarah se overnight hi badal gaya… But it took us time to build that rapport. 

Maine bhi kaafi struggle kiya tha uss waqt. I love Di so much, Armaan. I always have. Lekin unhe maaf karna mere liye utna asaan nahi tha jitna maine socha tha. Tumhe pata hai… Bachpan se, I always used to dream about the day jab mere aur Di ke beech ke saare differences khatam ho jaayenge… Aur jab aisa hone laga, jab Di ne meri taraf kadam badhaya… Main darr gayi, Armaan. I didn't know if it would last. I was so scared to trust Di. 

But, I wanted her to be a part of my life. Isliye maine bhi kadam badhaaye. Tumhaari tarah… Mujhe bhi waqt laga sab bhoolne mein, aage badhne mein, Di ko poori tarah trust karne mein… But har din, maine bas ek nayi shuruat ki. Di ko ek mauka diya, khud ko ek mauka diya. Bohot filmy dialogue hai, lekin agar kisi cheez ko shiddat se chaho, toh woh mil jaati hai, Armaan… Sirf isliye nahi kyuki qayanat yeh chahti hai, but isliye, kyuki agar hum kuch sachche dil se chahte haina… Toh usse paane ke liye hum koshish bhi sachchi karte hain, poore mann se, apni poori jaan laga kar. 

Agar tum Dad ke saath kadwi yaadein bhulakar sab theek karna chahte ho, toh tumhe bhi sachchi koshish karni padegi… Aur mujhe poora yakeen hai ki mera Armaan yeh kar sakta hai."

"If you say so," Armaan murmured. "Kabhi kabhi mujhe lagta hai ki tumhe mujhpe kuch zyada hi confidence hai… Utna jitna mujhe khudpe nahi hai."

"Hai," Riddhima told him. "Kyuki main jaanti hoon tumhe. I know ki tum jo chahte ho uske liye sachche dil se koshish karte ho. Humaare liye bhi tumne ki thi, haina? Aur dekho… Ab humaari shadi hone wali hai. Dad ke saath bhi sab theek ho jaayega, agar tum chahoge toh."

"I hope so," Armaan sighed. 

"I know so," Riddhima assured him. 

A knock on Riddhima's door halted their conversation. "Riddhima, beta," Shashank called out softly. "Kya hum andar aa sakte hain?"

"Ek minute, Papa," Riddhima called back. 

"Okay," she said into the phone. "Ab mujhe jaana padega. Papa bula rahe hain. But tum itni tension mat lo. Sab theek ho jaayega, okay?"

"Hmmm," Armaan hummed. "I'll miss you."

"Armaan," Riddhima sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Armaan agreed. "I love you."

"I love you," Riddhima replied, and then hung up. 

"Jee Papa?" She asked, opening her door, surprised to see Shashank standing there along with Padma. 

"Hum andar aa jaaye?" Padma prompted when Shashank didn't say anything. 

"Haan, Mumma… Yeh bhi koi poochne ki baat hai?" Riddhima replied, standing aside to let her parents in. 

"Kya hua?" Riddhima questioned once they were seated. "Sab theek haina?"

"Sab theek kaise hoga?" Shashank murmured softly. "Meri bachchi jaa jo rahi hai mujhe chodke."

"Papaaaaa," Riddhima choked out, immediately wrapping Shashank in a hug. Shashank kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tight. 

"I'm going to miss you so much, Riddhima," Shashank said. "Tum kal jab yahaan se jaogi toh phir… Armaan ke saath chali jaogi, lekin yeh hamesha tumhaara ghar rahega, okay?"

"Mujhe pata hai, Papa," Riddhima replied. "Yeh ghar, aur aap sab… Aap hamesha mere rahoge. Just because main Armaan ke saath rehne lagungi, aap yeh mat sochiyega ki mujhse peecha choot gaya. Main aap sabse milne itni baar aaungi aapko lagega hi nahi ki ab main yahaan nahi rehti."

"Yehi toh hum chaahte hain," Padma said. "Ki tum yahaan par hi raho… Humaare saath. Hamesha. Armaan bohot achcha ladka hai, Riddhima. Tumse usse zyada koi pyaar nahi karega. Humein pata hai ki tumhaari zindagi uske saath bohot khush-haal rahegi. Lekin tum humse alag rahogi… Yeh baat sochke dukh hota hai."

"Ab jab main ghar waapas aaunga, tumhaari smile nahi rahegi mujhe welcome karne… Anjali ki cooking ka mazaak udaane bhi koi mera saath nahi dega… Mere saath subah jogging jaane koi nahi rahega… Koi nahi rahega jiske saath dair raat (late night) baithke main movies dekhu… I'll miss you so much, Riddhima bete. 

Shayad, mujhe iss baat ki jitni khushi hai ki tum apni life ka ek naya chapter shuru karne jaa rahi ho, uss insaan ke saath jo tumse itna zyada pyaar karta hai, usse zyada mujhe dukh hai, ki yeh nayi shuruat tumhe mujhse door le jaa rahi hai. I don't know mujhe tumse yeh kehna bhi chahiye ya nahi, lekin yehi sach hai. Aur hum ek doosre se kabhi jhooth nahi bolte, right?" Shashank asked. 

"Right," Riddhjma blubbered. "Papa… Kya aisa nahi ho sakta ki hum sab yahin rahe, ek saath? Shaadi ke baad main aur Armaan yahaan shift ho sakte haina… Humein alag kyu rehna padega?"

Padma laughed through her tears. "Buddhu…" She said. "Hamesha se aisa hi hota hai, Riddhima. Aur waise hum toh rakh lenge tum dono ko yahaan… Lekin mujhe sach-sach batana… Tum dono ko apni privacy nahi chahiye kya? 

Beta, mujhe pata hai ki tum Armaan ko bohot achche se jaanti ho… Lekin ek saath rahoge toh tumhe samajh aayega ki shayad tum apne partner ko jaanti hi nahi. Shaadi sab kuch badal deti hai, Riddhima. Nayi zimmedaariyaan, naye log, naya rishta… Sab sambhaalne mein waqt lagta hai. Aur yeh sab… Hamesha achcha yeh hota hai ki husband aur wife yeh sab akele manage karein. Isse ek doosre ko leke understanding bhi badhti hai aur ek saath waqt bitaane ka mauka bhi milta hai. 

Jab tum aur Armaan yeh sab figure out kar rahe hoge, tab wahaan humaara kya kaam? You should start your new life together without outside influence."

"Aur… Tum hi toh keh rahi thi… Ki itni baar yahaan aaogi ki humein pata hi nahi chalega tum kahin aur rehti ho," Shashank added. "I'll hold you to that."

After a few moments of silence, Shashank spoke. "Riddhima, beta… Mujhe pata hai ki yeh shaadi sirf aur sirf tumhaari marzi se ho rahi hai. Tum aur Armaan ek doosre se bohot pyaar karte ho, aur ek doosre ka saath paane ke liye tum dono ko bohot mushkilon ka saamna karna pada… Meri naraazgi ka bhi. Lekin, beta… Iska yeh matlab nahi hai ki ab tum humaare paas, especially mere paas, nahi aa sakti kisi problem ko leke. 

Hum sabko pata hai ki Armaan kitna achcha ladka hai, aur mujhe poora yakeen hai ki tumhaari zindagi mein aisa din kabhi nahi aayega, lekin agar… Kabhi bhi tumhe lage ki tum Armaan ke saath nahi rehna chaahti ho, yeh ghar hamesha tumhaara tha aur tumhaara rahega. 

Mujhe pata hai ki shaadi se pehle shayad mujhe aisi baatein nahi karni chahiye. Yeh waqt khushiyaan baantne ka hai… Lekin kya karu? Tumhaari fikr toh ab bhi hoti haina mujhe… Aur main kabhi nahi chaahta ki tum iss ghar se yeh sochke niklo ki ab tum yahaan waapas nahi aa sakti. Tum aa sakti ho. Din ho ya raat, chaahe koi aur chaahe na chaahe, lekin agar tum yahaan aana chaahti ho, tum aaogi. Aur koi tumhe kuch nahi kahega chaahe tumhaare yahaan aane ki wajah kuch bhi ho. I promise you, beta. 

Please, kabhi khudko akela mat samajhna. I'm always there for you. Tumhaare har decision mein main tumhe support karunga. I just want you to be happy, Riddhima. Phir woh jaise bhi ho, jahaan bhi ho. I will always make it happen. I promise."

"You're the best, Papa," Riddhima cried, hugging him once more. "I love you. Aur aap chinta mat kariyega. Aap sahi keh rahe hain. Armaan ke saath mujhe kabhi inn cheezon ki fikr karne ki zaroorat nahi. Agar kabhi ho bhi, toh aap haina… Bas… Mujhe aur kuch nahi chahiye."

"Riddhima… Tum dekhna… Tumhaari zindagi ka yeh naya mod, tumhaari zindagi ko itni khushiyon se bhar dega ki tum samajh nahi paogi ki unhe sambhalogi kaise," Padma smiled. "Tum duniya ki har khushi deserve karti ho… Aur mujhe pata hai ki Armaan tumhe usse bhi zyada khush rakhega."

"Mujhe bhi," Riddhima agreed. "Thanks, Mumma. I love you," she said, hugging her as well. 

"And I love you," both her parents chorussed at the same time. Shashank kissed her forehead, making Riddhima tear up. 

A knock sounded on the door once again. "Agar aap sabki senti baatein khatam ho gayi ho, toh hum aa jaaye?" Anjali asked, making the trio chuckle. 

"Darwaza khula hai, Di," Riddhima called out, not making any move to step out of her parents' embrace. 

"Awwww, family hug? Mujhe bhi!" Anjali cried once she entered the room, hugging the three of them. 

Then, she said, "Okay… Ab aap jaaiye. Ab hum Ridzy ke saath time spend karenge," she gestured to Rahul who was still standing by the door, letting the Gupta family share a moment together. 

"Of course," Shashank agreed instantly. "Have fun! Hum yahaan se chale jaate hain. Waise bhi abhi kaafi tayaari karni hai kal ke liye."

"I'm gonna miss you, Ridzy," Anjali whined, hugging her once more after Shashank & Padma had left. "So, so, so much."

"I'm gonna miss you too, Di," Riddhima echoed. "Lekin hum har roz hospital mein milenge na? And I promise, main aapse milne ghar aati rahungi."

"Aur mujhse?" Rahul asked, pouting. 

"Tujhse mile bina kaise rahungi main?" Riddhima asked rhetorically. "Waise bhi ab toh Armaan ko aur mujhe teri help ki zaroorat zyada hogi na. Poora time saath rahenge toh soch hum dono mein kitne jhagde honge… And as always, you'll have to play peacemaker," she said, hugging him as well. 

"Of course! Armaan ne tujhe zyada pareshaan kiya toh mujhe batana. Achche se class loonga main uski," Rahul promised. 

"Okay, guys! Ab yeh sab bohot ho gaya, let's have some fun!" Anjali exclaimed. 

"What fun?" Rahul & Riddhima echoed. 

"Well, cause aaj Ridzy ki last night hai yahaan, toh I thought we should watch her favourite movie!" Anjali cried, pulling out DVDs of Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and Om Shanti Om. Riddhima had watched those movies so many times she remembered all the dialogue from them, yet she cheered at the sight and hurried to the DVD player. 

The three of them spent the rest of the night merry making and laughing, making enough memories to last a lifetime. Things would change between them, but the love they had for each other would not, and really… What else could they ask for? 

Chapter One Hundred & Fifteen

The next day, Armaan woke up early, a huge smile on his face. It was here. It was finally here. The first day of her wedding ceremonies! Armaan had insisted on going all out, and for once, Riddhima had agreed. He was so happy that she had. He wanted them to have the most beautiful wedding, a marker of the beautiful life they’d live together.

The wedding would take place over the course of three days. The first day would mostly be spent in greeting guests who had arrived either late last night or would do so early in the morning, followed by some fun activity that Rahul was being very tight-lipped about. The next morning, they would have the mehendi ceremony in the morning and sangeet in the evening. The haldi ceremony would be on the morning of the wedding, followed by the actual wedding happening in the evening.

It felt like a dream to him still, that they'd managed to come this far. They'd had the worst luck, and for a while, Riddhima had been afraid that they'd never be able to make it, just like Armaan had, but he'd always believed in them. Even when they were fighting or upset, unhappy in the moment, he knew that he would rather spend his entire life being unhappy with Riddhima than being happy without her. He knew that that wasn't entirely the right way to look at a relationship, that staying in an unhappy relationship wasn't the right thing to do, but it's how he felt… Maybe because he knew that his unhappiness would never last as long as Riddhima was around. It was something he could say in theory, that he'd spend his life unhappy if he had Riddhima, because he knew it wasn't something that would ever come to fruition. They would definitely have their ups and downs, highs and lows, and most importantly, they would have lots of fights, times when they would be angry at each other, or upset with their relationship… But he also knew that at the end of the day, they would always find each other again and find happiness with each other. That's just how their relationship had always been. And he couldn't wait for it to be their relationship for the rest of her life. 

“Armaan? Are you ready?” Saumya called out, knocking on his door. “Late ho raha hai! Come out quickly.”

“Do minute, Bhabhi!” He shouted, setting his hair just the way Riddhima liked it.

“Tere 2 minute na… aadhe ghante se chal rahe hain! Riddhima wahaan bas pohonchne wali hai but tu bas yahaan baithke sajta sawarta reh!” She scolded.

“Bhabhi, pakka wala 2 minute!” Armaan insisted. He hurriedly sprayed Riddhima’s favourite perfume on his clothes and applied some moisturiser on his face. Fixing his collar, he gave himself a once over in the mirror and once he’d deemed that he was looking as good as he was physically capable of, joined the others. They all piled into the already waiting cars, all thanks to Rahul, and made their way to the hotel.

“Armaan,” Vishal asked as they drove, “aaj sirf close family hi hai ya aur log bhi hain?”

“Bas sirf close friends and family, bhaiya. Baaki sabko main shaadi aur reception pe invite kiya hai, but yeh sab functions mein nahi. Lekin waise toh… yeh log bhi kam nahi hai,” Armaan laughed.

“Itne kitne log hain?” Krish asked, curious.

“Let’s see,” Armaan replied, calculating in his head. “Hum sab aur Riddhima ke cousins. Humaare saare hospital ke dost… uss din sab party pe bhi the. Lekin, apart from them, there are a few other people from the hospital who are going to be there. Aur fir Riddhima ke thode friends aaye hain London se specially, just to attend the wedding, so they will be there. A few of my friends also. Aur haan… woh humaara Lonavala wala Sanjeevani ka orphanage haina? Wahaan ke sab bachchon ko humne invite kiya hai, and Riddhima ek retirement home kaafi jaati hai, toh wahaan ke sab dada dadi and bachchon ko bhi bulaya hai… toh sab mila ke actually… bohot saare log hain!”

“Agar itne saare log abhi aa rahe hain toh reception pe kaun aa raha hai?!” Meera asked, stupefied by the amount of guests already.

Armaan chuckled. “Well, Billy & Papa ke associates wagerah sab sirf tab aayenge. Nani ne bhi kuch logon ko invite kiya hai. And I think Mom and Mumma ne bhi kiya hai. Plus there are some of Anjali’s friends who she has invited for the wedding too. And hospital ke staff mein thode log aur hain who are only invited then.”

“This wedding is the event of the year, isn’t it?” Vishal joked.

“Well… meri shaadi hai. What else did you expect?” Armaan snarked. “But yes… it kind of is. Sab log bohot zyada time se wait kar rahe the. You don’t even know half of it.”

“I don’t want to either!” Vishal exclaimed. “Bohot hi zyada dramatic story hogi, knowing you.”

“Your loss,” Armaan shrugged.

The group bantered back and forth till they reached the hotel where they were greeted by the staff with huge smiles on their faces. Everyone was welcomed with a tilak and sweets, along with some ice cold lemonade to beat the heat. Armaan was even presented with a welcoming garland, being the groom. 

“Rahul ne kaha tha sab garden mein milenge,” Vishal announced, pulling the group to the garden once everyone had arrived. 

When Armaan arrived there with his entourage, Riddhima was already present in the garden. She was busy being hugged by her friends from her time in London. Armaan walked up to them and greeted them too, accepting their hugs. He remembered them all from the time they’d met in Paris for another wedding. That time seemed so long ago. Armaan had been so unsure then, so scared. He hadn’t wanted to move forward in his relationship with Riddhima because he was so convinced that things would go wrong if he did. And now, here he was, getting ready to marry her. They’d come such a long way since then.

“Armaan!” Cole cried, pulling him into a hug. “Congratulations! I’m so happy for you!”

“Thanks,” Armaan replied. “I’m happy for me too!”

“See?” Cole boasted. “I knew you’d be happy. Marriage will suit you well, my friend. I’m sure.”

“Let’s hope so,” Armaan laughed.

“Nervous?” Cole asked.

“Very,” Armaan confirmed. “My whole life is about to change, isn’t it? Hers too. I mean… being a husband is so different from being a boyfriend. I dunno… I just don't want to disappoint her.”

“It’s a learning curve, that is for sure,” Cole agreed. “But you’ll both learn together, won’t you? Things will change but you’ll have each other to rely on. It won’t always be smooth sailing, but you have each other and that’s what is important.”

“You’re right,” Armaan agreed. “As long as I have her, I’m going to be just fine.”

“That’s the spirit!” Cole cheered. “Here’s to you and your lovely wife - to - be having a beautiful marriage.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Armaan confirmed, clinking his glass with Cole’s.

They greeted Bi and Vani Aunty next. Bi had arrived the prior night and had elected to stay with Abhi & Nikki, knowing that Armaan would be entertaining other relatives. While they'd planned to make the drive to meet Bi last night, neither Armaan nor Riddhima had been able to because they'd had conversations with their respective parents. They both bent down and touched her feet to seek blessings. 

"H se hamesha k se khush raho tum dono," she told them. "Hamesha ek doosre se itna hi p se pyaar karo aur l se ladayi kam karo."

The couple laughed, pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank you, Bi," Riddhima murmured. "Humne aapko bohot pareshaan kiya na? Itni jaldi - jaldi Mumbai bulakar. I'm sorry!" She apologized cutely, holding her ears. 

"Iss sabke liye toh r se roz y se yahaan aane t se tayyar hoon," Bi replied. "Apne A se Ammy ko s se settle hote hue d se dekhne toh maine kabse i se intezaar kiya hai."

Armaan blushed at her words and looked away, making the women coo at him. Riddhima put her arms around his stomach in a quick hug. "Tum dono saath mein kitne pyaare dikhte ho," Vani commented. "Sach… Jab bhi main tum dono ko dekhti hoon na, mujhe itna achcha lagta hai, ki main kya hi batau."

"Thank you, Aunty," Armaan replied bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck. "Aap shaadi pe aaye… Thank you!"

"Aana toh tha hi," Vani replied. "Teri shaadi main kaise miss kar sakti hoon? Sirf Bi thodi hain, jinhone wait kiya hai. Maine bhi kam intezaar nahi kiya hai!"

The group chuckled at her words. Turning to Riddhima, Vani added. "All the best, Riddhima. Iss Armaan ke saath rehna itna bhi easy nahi hai. I hope tum sab manage karlo… waise toh mujhe pata hai ki Armaan tumhaara poora khayal rakhega, but fir bhi ek baar keh rahi hoon… Uska achche se khayal rakhna, Armaan! Samjhe?"

"Yes, Aunty," Armaan promised, rolling his eyes. 

Riddhima saw RK & Madhu waltz in, and interrupted Armaan’s conversation with Vani to drag him to the couple. “RK!” She exclaimed, hugging him tight. “Thank you so much for making it! I know tumhaare liye manage karna difficult raha hoga… but it means so much to us that you’re here.”

“Of course,” RK replied, returning her hug just as enthusiastically, and then pulling Armaan in for one as well. “Tum dono ki shaadi hai… toh aana hi tha! How could I miss it?”

“Hi, Madhu,” Riddhima greeted, hugging the woman as well. “Thank you so much for coming!”

“Congratulations!” Madhu said. “Aap dono sach mein itne khush lagte ho ek saath. Isse achchi baat toh ho hi nahi sakti ki ab aap dono ki shaadi ho rahi hai! Main aap dono ke liye bohot khush hoon. Sach mein!”

“Awwww,” Armaan cooed. “Thank you, Madhu! That’s so sweet of you!”

“So… all ready? Kitni excitement ho rahi hai?” RK asked the couple, smirking knowingly at both of them, making them laugh.

“Pucho hi mat,” Riddhima answered. “The last few days have been a whirlwind. Mujhe ab tak believe nahi ho raha hai ki finally humaari shaadi ho rahi hai.”

Armaan put an arm around her waist and pulled her close, kissing her head. “Believe it, Basket!” He cried. “Ho hi rahi hai… finally!”

“Lekin, I’m sure tum dono se zyada excitement toh unn sab namoono mein hogi,” RK joked. “Event of the century, am I right?”

Riddhima scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Woh log kuch zyada hi enthu ho rahe hain… but that was to be expected.”

“I mean… mere alawa unn sabko bhi bohot papad belne pade yeh din dekhne… toh khushi toh hogi hi na,” Armaan added cheekily, setting their little group off.

“Waise hai kahaan yeh sab? Koi dikh nahi raha?” Madhu questioned. She had become somewhat friends with Muskaan in the past few months and had been looking forward to seeing her.

“Yahin kahin honge,” Armaan told her. “Subah se bas idhar udhar bhaag rahe hain. Humne bhi actually unse zyada time baat nahi ki. I guess organizing a wedding is a tough job.”

As they kept conversation flowing, talking about anything and everything, Armaan saw that Emma had arrived too. She had flown in to attend the wedding with her husband, Ron, and their daughter Rose. He was so happy that they were all here to celebrate this special occasion with him, with them. Wanting to introduce Riddhima to Emma’s family, he excused them.

As the two walked hand in hand to greet Emma, the others couldn’t help but look at the gorgeous couple. They seemed to be lost in a world of their own, sharing smiles and laughter, clearly very happy and excited about the upcoming big day. 

“Emma!” Riddhima cried, hugging her tight. “Thank you so much for making the trip.”

“Of course,” Emma replied. “We wouldn’t miss it for the world. Would we, Ronnie?”

“Of course not,” her husband, Ron answered. Turning to Riddhima, he greeted her. “It’s so nice to finally meet you,” he said. “I’ve heard such good things. Congratulations on the wedding. It looks beautiful.”

“It really does,” Emma seconded.

“Thank you so much,” Riddhima replied. “But I can’t take the credit. Our friends are responsible for the whole thing. Armaan and I had little to no input in the entire arrangement.”

“That’s true,” Armaan confirmed. “I don’t know why, though. Everyone knows I throw the best parties.”

“Shut up,” Emma scolded jokingly. “It’s so nice that your friends did this for you.”

“It is,” Armaan agreed. “You know I’m just kidding. They’re the best. I’m very thankful that they all stepped up like this.”

“Well, I’m very excited for the festivities,” Ron declared. “As is Rose. Aren’t you?” He asked his daughter, who nodded enthusiastically.

“That’s my girl!” Armaan cheered, hi-fiving her. “Tell me, Rose… did you miss me?”

Rose nodded. “I missed you!” 

“How much?” He asked.

“So muchhhhh!” She showed him, spreading her arms wide. “Lots and lots.”

“I missed you lots and lots too,” Armaan replied, bending down and opening his arms for her. She immediately hugged him, making everyone smile.

“Armaan… why don’t we talk for a bit?” Emma asked a few minutes later. “I have so much to say!”

Armaan looked at Riddhima who nodded in encouragement. “Sure,” he agreed. “Whatever you say.”

The two of them walked away arm in arm, Emma already saying something to him the second they were out of earshot. “Don’t worry,” Ron tried to reassure Riddhima, who was looking at their retreating backs apprehensively. “It’s nothing bad. Emma just wants to check in with Armaan to see how he’s doing with all these changes. But just by looking at him, I can tell you he’s very happy and excited. I’ve never seen him so lively ever before.”

Riddhima smiled at his words. It made her extremely happy to know that her presence and their relationship had made a positive difference for Armaan. She only ever wanted him to be happy. “I’m glad,” she said. “I hope he stays happy forever.”

Riddhima went to greet other guests after that, leaving Ron to mingle with the others. Just as she walked away, she saw Sukanya Bhushan enter the garden and rushed to meet her.

“Sukanya Aunty!” She cried in hello, hugging the woman tight. “It’s so good to see you!”

“You too,” Sukanya smiled. “But ab toh Masi bulane ki aadat daal lo tum.”

Riddhima blushed. “Of course, Masi,” she repeated.

“You remember Ravi?” Sukanya asked, turning to her husband.

“Yes, of course,” Riddhima replied. “Namastey Uncle. Kaise hain aap?”

“Bilkul badhiya,” Ravi answered. “Welcome to the family, Riddhima.” He proceeded to press a quick kiss to her forehead.

“Thank you, Uncle,” Riddhima replied, blushing. Turning to Sukanya, she asked, “Dia aur Uday nahi dikh rahe, Au… I mean Masi?”

“Woh Samrat aur Mayank ke saath aayenge,” Sukanya answered. “In fact, they’re already on the way. Aate hi honge.”

“Oh! Samrat aur Mayank dono aa rahe hain? That’s so great! Mujhe laga tha pata nahi itne short notice pe aa paaayenge ya nahi,” Riddhima confessed.

“Well, to be honest… I think woh dono hi invitation ke baare mein sunnke thode surprised the but they were very excited. Dia keh rahi thi ki they agreed to come almost immediately. I mean… tum sab college ke waqt kaafi close the na? Despite you and Anjali being their seniors, I know tum sab ek saath hi hangout karte the,” Sukanya said.

“Haan, Aunty. Woh actually, mere basketball aur Di ke dramatics ke extracurriculars ki wajah se hum unn sab se kaafi close the, right from the start… but still… I was not sure,” Riddhima replied.

“Don’t worry!” Sukanya laughed. “They’re very excited!”

“There you are!” Dia’s excited cry interrupted their conversation. “Main kabse dhoond rahi hoon!”

“Dia!” Riddhima shouted jovially, pulling her into a hug. “Finally! Main kabse wait kar rahi thi!”

“Sorry, Ridzy,” Dia lamented. “Woh sab Nupur ki fault hai. Tum usse kehna!”

“Nupur?” Riddhima asked, confused.

“Main! Hi, I’m Nupur,” someone said, making Riddhima turn. Behind her stood Samrat, whom she took a minute to recognize because he was dressed so differently than she was used to seeing him, and two beautiful women who Riddhima didn’t think she knew.

“Hi??” She greeted, but it came out more like a question. “Hum pehle mile hain? Sorry, maine aapko pehchaana nahi.”

“By God!! Tum kaise pehchaanogi? Hum kabhi nahi mile hain! Main Nupur hoon, Dia ki cousin,” Nupur introduced herself. Riddhima smiled. She looked between Dia and Nupur for a second, before guessing, “Mayank’s wife, right?”

“WOW!” Nupur exclaimed. “Tum toh badi smart ho, by god! Itni jaldi pehchaan liya?”

Riddhima laughed. “Dia ne mujhe bohot kuch bataya hai. Isliye.”

“Oh! Dia,” Nupur turned to her. “Tum meri buraayi toh nahi kar rahi thi na?”

“Of course not, Nupur!” Dia replied. 

“Don’t worry,” Riddhima assured. “Dia ne sirf bohot achchi baatein boli tumhaare aur… Gunjan?” Riddhima confirmed looking at the woman she was sure was Gunjan, and getting a nod in reply, continued, “Gunjan ke baare mein. Which I think is right. I mean, tum dono ne jinn idiot ladko se shaadi ki hai… you two have to be saints! No other explanation.”

“Excuse me!” Samrat interjected. “Agar tumne notice nahi kiya ho, Champ, toh main bata du… main yahin par khada hoon, aur mujhe tumhaari saari baatein sunn rahi hain!”

“I know, Sam!” Riddhima replied, laughing. Her chuckles set Samrat off as well. He stepped forward to pull her into a tight hug. 

“Congratulations, Champ!” He said. “I’m so happy for you. Aur shaadi pe invite karne ke liye thank you so much!”

“Well, I’m a good person,” Riddhima replied, stepping back. “Tumhaari tarah nahi jo shaadi karli aur invite karna toh door, apne puraane doston ko inform bhi nahi kiya!”

“Actually, sab kuch itni jaldi - jaldi mein ho gaya…” Samrat tried to justify himself.

“Theek hai, theek hai. Rehne do. I know everything. But you should have told me na, Sam,” Riddhima argued. “Yaa tumhe darr lag raha tha ki main tumhaari saari poll khol dungi toh Gunjan tumhe chod degi?”

“Please!” Samrat scoffed. “Chashmish mujhe kabhi nahi chodegi.”

“Aww, you’re so cute!” Riddhima replied, pulling his cheeks. “Mr. Commitment Phobe, so happily married. Kabhi socha nahi tha maine ki aisa din aayega.”

“Main kabhi socha nahi tha ki aisa din aayega, Ms. Bookworm,” Samrat fired back.

Chuckling, Riddhima turned to Nupur and Gunjan and hugged them both too, introducing herself and thanking them for making it to the wedding. Then, she asked, “But, Uday, Benji, aur Mayank kahaan hai?”

Dia looked around to search for them, and finally found the three of them walking into the party, Mayank and Uday having a baby strapped to their chests respectively. “Hey guys!” Riddhima greeted them enthusiastically.

“Riddhima!” Mayank was the first one to notice her, rushing forward to pull her into a light hug, careful not to disturb the sleeping boy. “So many congratulations! Main tumhaare liye bohot bohot bohot khush hoon!” He cried, dropping a quick kiss to the top of her head. 

“Thank you, Mayu!” Riddhima replied, pulling back and ruffling his hair.

“Riddhima!” Mayank cried, scandalized. “Not the hair!” After a beat, he added, “Aur please ab yeh Mayu wali nonsense tum chod do. Ab toh Maa bhi nahi bulaati!”

“Main kya karu, you’re such a cute grump!” Riddhima replied, holding his cheeks in one hand and shaking his head.

“Riddhima! Main bhi hoon,” Uday grumbled, wanting her attention. Riddhima pulled him into a hug. “I know! Hi, Uday!” 

“Tumhe pata haina tum meri favourite sister - in - law ho… fir bhi mujhe bhao nahi deti tum!” Uday whined.

“Uday… main tumhaari only sister - in - law hoon, toh by default favourite bhi hui na?” Riddhima asked him.

“Sirf tum ho toh iska yeh matlab thodi hai ki tum favourite bhi ho, Champ! Khudko itni bhi importance nahi deni chahiye,” Samrat teased her.

“Woh toh maine tumse hi seekha haina, Mr. Shergill… khudko itni saari importance kaise dete hain woh tumse better kaun jaanta hai?” She asked rhetorically.

“Yeh baat toh tumne bilkul sahi boli,” Nupur agreed. “Samrat hamesha khudko bohot importance deta hai!”

“Nupur, yaar!” Samrat whined. “Tu aur main toh ek hi thaali ke chatte - batte haina… fir bhi tu hamesha mera mazaak udaati hai!”

“Samrat… tumhe muhavre use karna aa gaya?” Riddhima asked, surprised. “I’m impressed!”

Samrat grinned smugly. “Of course! I’m a well educated man!”

Riddhima laughed at that. “Of course you are!”

Then, she turned her attention to the cute babies. “They’re so cute,” she gushed, peeking into Uday and Mayank’s carriers. “Yours?” She asked, looking up at Mayank.

Mayank nodded proudly. “Yes! Raj aur Rahul,” he introduced them. “Twins hain… abhi bas 4 mahine ke hain, but they’re the smartest babies in existence.”

“Ab tumhaare bachche hain toh smart hona toh guaranteed haina,” Riddhima joked. “But… Raj & Rahul? Shah Rukh Khan movies dekhke naam decide kiye kya?”

“By God, Riddhima! Tum kitni smart ho!” Nupur cheered. “Yes! Humne Shah Rukh ke naam pe hi rakhe hain dono ke naam… actually, maine… yeh Mayank mein itna talent kahaan,” she boasted.

Before Riddhima could reply to that, an arm grabbed her around the waist, Rahul’s voice crying, “Riddhu!!” in her ear loudly.

“Hey,” she greeted once she’d gotten her bearings. 

“Hi,” Rahul replied. Turning to the others, and realizing he knew only Dia and Uday, he greeted the duo. “Hey, Dia! Hey, Uday! So glad you could make it!”

Dia nodded in acknowledgement, smiling widely. 

“Rahul… meet your namesake!” Riddhima laughed, gesturing to the baby strapped to Mayank.

“Oh… Rahul, huh? Naam toh sabne suna hi hai… but good choice of name. Congratulations,” Rahul told Mayank.

“Thank you,” Mayank replied. “And congratulations to you, too! Shaadi ke liye. Riddhima is the best. I’m sure you two will be very happy together.”

Rahul & Riddhima looked at each other, absolutely stunned at Mayank’s words before they burst out laughing. “Main aur Riddhima?” Rahul huffed between laughs. “No way!”

“Oh,” Mayank mumbled. “I’m sorry. Mujhe laga…”

“It’s okay,” Riddhima waved him off. “Kabhi kabhi ho jaata hai. This is Rahul, by the way. My best friend… and definitely not fiance. Rahul, these are my friends… Samrat and Mayank, aur yeh unki wives, Gunjan aur Nupur… and this is Benji, my other college friend,” Riddhima introduced all of them.

They all greeted Rahul and vice versa, before Riddhima turned to him. “What’s up? Itni khushi kis baat ki mana raha hai tu? Mujhe ab tak sunaayi de raha hai,” she asked, rubbing her ears to get rid of the echoes of Rahul’s exuberance.

“Maine finally uss idiot chef ki biryani recipe change kar di!” Rahul crowed.

“No way!” Riddhima screamed, absolutely jubilant. The menu for the wedding was decided and Riddhima loved everything the chef had presented her with, except the biryani which she absolutely abhorred. Rahul had been trying to get the chef to agree to use his recipe for it because Riddhima loved his biryani so much with no luck for the past few days. It seemed that he had finally managed to get the chef to agree.

“Yes way!” Rahul told her. “Ab tujhe apni shadi pe woh stupid biryani nahi khani padegi!”

“Rahul, you’re the best! I love you!” Riddhima cried, hugging him tight.

“Waise toh I love you too,” Rahul answered. “But seriously, Riddhu… teri shadi ne na mujhe bohot tension di hai. I’ve started getting gray hair because of you!”

“Shut up, Rahul!” Riddhima scolded. “Tujhe kitni baar bola hai aise bakwaas mat kiya kar… aur suna mat mujhe… I know jab teri baari aayegi you’re going to make me repay all this tenfold.”

“Woh jo bhi ho,” Rahul shrugged. “I have gray hair, Riddhu! GRAY HAIR!”

“I see aaj sab yahaan jamaa ho rahe hain,” Armaan walked up to the group. “Hello!”

“Sukanya Masiiiiii!” He cried, hugging her tight. “I missed you so much! Look at you! 2 mahine hum nahi mile aur aap itni zyada gorgeous ho gayi hain. How?”

“Charmer,” Sukanya scoffed lovingly, ruffling Armaan’s hair. “Congratulations, beta! I am so, so, so happy for you,” she said, kissing Armaan’s forehead.

“Thank you!” Armaan replied. He then hugged Ravi who echoed his wife’s sentiments and then his cousins.

He looked at Gunjan for a moment too long, making her conscious under his stare, holding Samrat’s hand tighter in her own. “Gungun, right?” Armaan murmured after a moment. He looked up at Sukanya for confirmation, who nodded, making Armaan smile widely. “Of course. Gungun! I knew it. Look at you! Kitni badi ho gayi ho, yaar. Aur… pehle se bhi bohot zyada cute. Waise… generally bachche bade hote hain toh unki cuteness kam ho jaati hai, but tumhaari toh aur badh gayi!”

“I’m sorry… kya hum ek doosre ko jaante hain?” Gunjan asked, surprised.

“Jaante… tum ne mujhe nahi pehchaana? I am hurt. I thought I was your best friend, Gungun!” Armaan cried dramatically.

“Aap yeh… baar - baar Gungun kyu keh rahe hain? Woh toh sirf Maan Bhaiya hi…” Gunjan trailed off when Armaan pointed at himself. “Maan Bhaiya,” he explained. “Woh… uss waqt tum bohot choti thi na… aur tumhaare saamne ke cute se daanth toh the hi nahi… isliye tum Armaan bol hi nahi paati thi… bas poora din sirf Maan Bhaiya… Maan Bhaiya… Maan Bhaiya!” 

“Oh!” Gunjan exclaimed. “Maan Bhaiya!” And threw herself into his arms for a hug. “I missed you! Itne saal ho gaye… aap kahaan the ab tak? Aapko idea bhi nahi hai how much I missed you… aap itne saalon se Mumbai mein ho? Ek baar bhi baat hi nahi ki mujhse… aise koi karta hai kya? Aapko meri bilkul yaad nahi aayi na, Bhaiya? I see how it is!”

“Bas, bas, bas!” Armaan laughed. “Kitna bolne lagi ho tum! Itna bolna sikhaya kisne tumhe? Pehle toh bas aankh neeche karke ground pe nazrein tikaaye baithi rehti thi. Ab dekho…”

Gunjan pouted. “Aap har baar ki tarah phir galat cheez pe focus kar rahe ho, Maan Bhaiya!”

“Right!” Armaan agreed. “Sorry. Haan woh… maine call nahi kiya na? I’m sorry… but mujhe kya pata tha ki tum Mumbai mein ho? Yeh Dia… tumhe pata hai… yeh toh mujhse kabhi baat hi nahi karti. Agar woh mujhe nahi batayegi toh mujhe kaise pata chalega? Isliye saari fault uski hi hai.”

“Armaan!” Dia cried. “Not fair! How was I supposed to know you knew Gunjan?”

“Of course I know her! Hum tumhaare ghar pe hi mile the na, Dee Bee!” Armaan exclaimed. 

“Humaare ghar? Kab?” Dia asked, confused.

“Jab tum sab bohot chote the, I think,” Ravi intervened. “Armaan apne summer vacations mein humaare yahaan rehne aata tha… aur Shashi Bhaisaab bhi aaye the Nupur aur Gunjan ko leke kai baar… toh bas tab tum paanchon ki pehli baar mulaqat hui thi.”

“Haan,” Sukanya agreed. “Mujhe yaad hai… Armaan aur Gunjan ki hamesha bohot zyada banti thi. Armaan guitar bajata tha aur Gunjan gaati thi… taaki Nupur aur Dia dance kar sake. Aur tum chaaron ki audience hota tha Uday. Poori summer vacation tum 5 ek saath khel mein hi bita dete the.”

“Right,” Armaan added. “Lekin jab main 5th mein gaya toh Billy ne meri boarding school Panchgani se Shimla change kardi toh wahaan se main har summer mein nahi aa paata tha… and I think uske baad Nupur aur Gungun ne bhi aana band kar diya tha, right? I think tab tum sab sirf 6-7 saal ke the. Toh I guess it makes sense ki tumhe yaad nahi hai.”

“Gunjan teri yaadasht bohot achchi hai,” Nupur lamented. “Mujhe toh yeh sab kuch yaad hi nahi tha, by god!”

Armaan laughed. “Nupur… tum toh bilkul nahi badli, I see! Don’t worry… mere paas bohot saare photos hain. Tumhe saari bhej dunga.”

“Thank you, Armaan Bhaiya!” Nupur expressed her gratitude.

“Any time,” Armaan replied. 

“Maan Bhaiya… this is my husband, Samrat!” Gunjan introduced Samrat, bursting with excitement.

“Hey!” Armaan greeted and pulled the man into a light hug. “I feel like I know you,” he murmured. “We’ve met before, right? I just can’t place you!”

“You never liked to remember people who were better than you anyway, did you?” Samrat cribbed. “Of course, tum bhool gaye. Classic Three Point Ammy!”

“Three Point Ammy? How do you know that?” Armaan asked, shocked. “Wait… Oh my God! Fade Away Sam?” 

“In the flesh!” Samrat agreed. “It’s good to see you!”

Armaan laughed disbelievingly and pulled Samrat into another hug, this one much tighter than the one before. “I can’t believe it! It’s been years!”

“It has,” Samrat agreed. “Tumne humaari team… I think 2000 mein chodi thi? It’s been almost a decade.”

“Dude… don’t say chodi thi… makes it seem like I abandoned you! I graduated!” Armaan rebuffed.

“Same difference,” Samrat shrugged. 

“Ab tum ek doosre ko kaise jaante ho?” Nupur butted in. “Armaan Bhaiya… aap thode zyada hi world famous nahi ho?”

Armaan laughed. “Arre, meri shadi hai… toh mujhe toh saare guests pata hone chahiye na kaun hai! But waise… Samrat aur main same hi boarding school mein the. And we both played for our school’s basketball team, toh hum kaafi achche dost hua karte the kisi zamaane mein. But jab meri schooling khatam ho gayi aur main college ke liye Kasauli chala gaya uske baad hum touch mein nahi reh paaye.”

They made small talk for a while after that, and then Armaan & Riddhima left them with Rahul to meet the others. One by one, Armaan & Riddhima greeted all their guests, thanking them profusely for making the trip and exchanging stories from the time apart. These were people that they hadn’t been in touch with regularly, but who were all an important part of their lives and it was so nice to finally have some time to catch up with them. Riddhima was grateful that Rahul and Anjali had thought of having this time together instead of just plying them with ceremony after ceremony.

Once they were done with lunch and catching up with the guests, Armaan and Riddhima changed into more casual clothes for an afternoon with the kids. Everyone from the Lonavala Orphanage and Udaan Foundation had reached late in the morning and had been resting earlier, but now, they had planned to just relax by the beach. Muskaan and Rahul joined them for a while too, but it was mostly just Armaan & Riddhima with the kids. All in all, a beautiful start to their wedding celebrations. Neither of them could have asked for anything better.

Wow. So many chapters all at one time.

Chapter One Hundred & Sixteen

"Are we ready, kids???" Armaan questioned rhetorically as they all gathered at the beach. He'd changed into a pair of shorts and a tee, matching perfectly with Riddhima, who was sitting on the sand with all the grandparents, conversing with them. Their laughter echoed in the air as Armaan wrangled the kids in an attempt to get them to play in the sand. They'd set up a volleyball net and Armaan was dividing all the kids into groups so that they could play. 

"Readyyyy!" The kids cried. 

"Okay, then! Let's start!" Armaan cheered. As they played, everyone cheered, watching their match intently. Armaan played referee for the two teams to everyone's delight. 

"Armaan kitna achcha ladka hai," Dadi murmured for possibly the hundredth time. "Usse milke hamesha itna achcha lagta hai. Sach mein, Riddhima… Hum bohot khush hain ki tujhe woh mila."

"Thank you, Dadi," Riddhima replied, a huge smile lighting up her face. For them to approve of Armaan was a huge deal to Riddhima. She knew that they'd all been very skeptical about her choice before, when they hadn't met Armaan. They felt that him leaving after the shoot-out was all the information they needed to make a judgement about the kind of person he was. And they had. It was only after meeting him in person that they began to change their thinking. It had taken a while, but slowly, Armaan had won all their hearts. It didn't surprise Riddhima one bit. Armaan was such a naturally lovable person, and it didn't take long for anyone to be captivated by his charm. 

"Mujhe toh pehle din se hi pata tha," Bua commented. "Ki tum dono ek doosre se kitna pyaar karte ho. Yeh Riddhi kitni bhi koshish karle… Mujhse chupa nahi paayi ki yeh Armaan ke liye kya feel karti hai. Dono ke dono bas ek doosre ko hi dekhte rehte the… Aur aise dekhte the jaise koi aur hai hi nahi inke saath."

"Buaaaaaa!" Riddhima whined, blushing a deep red. "Kya aap bhi!"

"Main bhi kya, haan?" Bua asked. "Tu kaise keh rahi thi… Armaan bas mera colleague hai," Bua scoffed. "Jaise tu uske saath behave karti thi waise koi sirf apne colleague ke saath koi nahi karta!"

"Woh toh main…" Riddhima tried to defend herself but didn't know what to say. 

"Rehne de, Riddhi. Tujhe shuru se hi Armaan pasand tha," Bua told her. 

"Armaan hai hi itna pyaara," Dadiji said. "Hum sabke saath bhi toh kitni jaldi ghul-mil gaya tha. Pehli baar jab woh aaya tha, laga hi nahi ki uski pehli visit hai. Aisa laga jaise woh saalon se aa raha hai humse milne."

"Jab shaadi ka nyota aaya," Dadu told Riddhima, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Uske baad hum sabne party ki. Hum sab kitne khush the. Tu kabse Armaan ka intezaar kar rahi thi aur itne mahino ka tera yeh sapna jab poora hua… Sab thode emotional ho gaye… Isliye cake khate waqt sab rone lage. Rohan toh darr gaya ke pata nahi kya ho gaya hain humein."

"Main toh isliye bhaavuk ho gayi… Kyuki nyota aaya," Dida confessed. "Hum mein se kuch aise bhi hain jinhe apne ghar ki shaadiyon mein bhi shaamil hone ka mauka nahi mila… Toh jab teri shaadi ka bulawa aaya, toh ek baar ke liye, aankh bhar aayi."

"Dida!" Riddhima chided. "Aap aisa kyu keh rahi hain? Aap meri family nahi hain kya? Aap mere liye bilkul waisi hain jaise mere liye Nani hai. Aapke bina main kaise shaadi kar sakti hoon?"

Dida hugged Riddhima, sobbing into her embrace. Riddhima gently shushed her, murmuring soothing words into her ear. She was aware that not everyone who lived at Umang had good relations with their family. While many of them had maintained a good rapport with their kids and grandkids, a few of the elderly had had little to no contact with people from back home. It hurt, thinking that these amazing people had been left alone by their kids when they needed someone's support the most. Riddhima tried her best to be there for them, as did Armaan. Riddhima knew that the NGO had a few other patrons who did the same, but she knew that them being there didn't reduce the pain of not having a family. She wished she could make things better for them, but she couldn't. This was the best she could do, and sometimes, it broke her heart that it wasn't enough. Still, she tried her best to remain positive and not let such gloomy thoughts spoil anything, especially not now. Not when she was getting married. 

A few moments later, Dida's sobs subsided and Riddhima pulled back after one last squeeze. Wanting to lift the sombre atmosphere that clouded them, she started talking about the upcoming ceremony and what she was most excited about. The others indulged her and made some more small talk. They weren't paying any attention to Armaan or the kids, which was why they were all surprised when Armaan appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and lifted an unsuspecting Riddhima into his arms. 

"ARMAAN!" Riddhima cried. "Kya kar rahe ho?" 

He didn't say anything, ignoring her words. "Armaan, you're getting me all wet!" She whined, realizing that Armaan was wet himself and being in embrace was getting all her clothes soiled. 

Armaan still didn't reply, hurrying towards the sea, dumping Riddhima in the water. "ARMAAN!" She cried once more. "Yeh kya kiya?!?!"

"Come on, Basket!" He needled. "Beach pe aaye hain hum toh yeh toh banta haina!"

"Haan, Didi," the kids all shouted in unison. They'd been playing in the sea as well, only having stopped when Armaan threw Riddhima in the water. 

"Tum sabke sab Armaan ke chamchon!" Riddhima exclaimed. "Ruko abhi batati hoon tumhe!"

She started splashing water on all of them and that started a fight with everyone throwing water on everyone. Armaan lifted Riddhima in his arms and twirled her around amidst happy giggles and laughter. They played around for a while before the adults decided it was time to get some rest. 

"Armaan! Riddhima!" Bua called out. "Chalo… Bohot ho gaya ab! Pani mein se bahar aao!"

"Haan, Bua!" Riddhima screamed back. "Abhi aaye!"

It took a while, but they were able to convince all the kids to get out of the water. Chatting amicably, they all made their way back to the hotel, excited for the upcoming wedding. 

__________

"Yeh lo, Neelu! Achche se paani peelo," Atul murmured lovingly, as he watered the plants in one of the hotel's gardens. He'd been at it for a while, having nothing else to do after Anjali had banished him from the cake tasting. 

"Champ! Kya kar raha hai, yaar?" Rahul asked, as he entered the garden. "Kabse dhoond raha hoon main tujhe! Itna kaam pada hai aur tu yahaan timepass kar raha hai?"

"Main timepass nahi kar raha!" Atul cried. "Tu isse timepass mat keh. Main yahaan inn paudhon ko paani de raha hoon! Kitna important hai inke liye paani tujhe koi idea bhi hai? Isse yeh paudhe kitne pyaare khilenge na? Aur phir… Armaan aur Ridz ke shaadi ke functions yahin honge na… Toh sab kitna achcha, happy, aur green lagega!"

"Champ! Kya karu main tera?" Rahul wondered out loud. 

"Tu mera kuch mat kar!" Atul told him. "Mujhe bas yahaan shaanti se baithke inn plants ko paani dene de."

"Champ… Itna kaam hai… Tu yeh sab… Ummm… I agree… Yeh bhi imp — important hai… Lekin, isse zyada zaroori kaam hain humein!" Rahul exclaimed. 

"Yaar, main kya karoon?" Atul lamented. "Main gaya tha Anjali ke saath final cake tasting ke liye, lekin usne mujhe wahaan se nikaal diya!"

"Woh isliye kyuki tum wahaan ke saare cakes kha rahe the!" Anjali cried, showing up with Muskaan in tow. "Main tumse keh rahi thi ki bas jo cake Ridzy ne select kiya tha woh taste karna hai but tumhe toh wahaan ke sab cakes taste karne the!"

"Haan, toh Anjali humein check karna chahiye na… Agar jabse Ridz ne selection kiya uske baad se koi usse better cake aa gaya ho toh?" Atul asked. 

Rahul and Anjali shared a look at that, but wisely refrained from passing any comments. "Nikki kahaan hai?" Rahul asked instead, successfully steering the topic away from Atul's shenanigans. 

"She's resting," Muskaan told him. "Woh kaafi tired lag rahi thi."

"Haan," Anjali agreed. "Abhi is with her… But oh my god, being pregnant is scary," she shuddered. "Aaj kal usse dekhke lagta hai ki usse saans lene mein bhi problem hoti hai."

"Usse dekhti hoon toh lagta hai ki koi bhi jaan boojhke khudko itni takleef kyu dega," Muskaan murmured. "I mean… Hum kabhi aise toh sochte hi nahi hain? Ki pregnancy kitni difficult hoti hai. Sab bas pregnancy ke baad kya hota hai uspe focus karte hain. We think about the baby and how that will change our life, but not how pregnancy will, especially for a woman."

"I know," Anjali agreed. "We don't. But ab we'll have to do better. Right?"

"Yes!" Muskaan nodded enthusiastically. 

"Hey, guys!" Dia greeted them, along with her posse, which consisted of her brother and cousins. 

"Hey," Rahul replied. "Did you guys settle in okay?"

"Yes," Dia smiled. "Thank you, Rahul! Everything is great."

"My pleasure," Rahul told her. 

"Rahul Bhaiya… Woh Maan Bhaiya kahaan hai? Hum actually ek baar unhe milke firse thank you kehna tha invite karne ke liye," Gunjan said. 

Rahul laughed. "That's cute… But actually tumhe Armaan ne nahi Riddhima ne invite kiya hai."

"Right," Samrat jumped in. "Champ ne invite kiya hai humein!"

"Maine toh tumhe invite nahi kiya," Atul said, making everyone look at him. 

"Tumne?" Mayank asked, confused. "Tumhaare baare mein toh kisine kuch kaha hi nahi."

"Abhi toh isne kaha!" Atul pointed at Samrat. "Ki Champ ne invite kiya hai! But maine toh nahi kiya!"

"Atul! Relax!" Anjali shushed him. "Tum itna hyper kyu ho rahe ho?"

"Main nahi hyper ho raha!" Atul cried. "Yeh log hi mujhe beech mein ghaseet rahe hain!"

"But tumhaari baat ho hi nahi rahi thi," Mayank said. "Humne kahaan tumhe beech mein ghaseeta?"

"Aise kaise? Abhi Champ kaha na? Toh main hi toh hoon Champ! Fir aur kiski baat ho rahi thi?" Atul probed. 

"Main Riddhima ko Champ bulata hoon!" Samrat explained. "Uski baat ho rahi hai yahaan!"

"Ohhhhh," Atul finally got it. "Ridz ki baat ho rahi hai. I'm sorry! Mujhe laga meri baat ho rahi hai. Woh actually, Armaan aur Rahul mujhe Champ bulaate haina… Isliye main thoda confuse ho gaya tha."

"Champ!" Rahul rebuked. "Tera na… Kuch nahi ho sakta!"

"But yeh dono hain kahaan?" Dia asked. 

Just then, loud indistinct chatter could be overheard. They all turned in the direction to see a gaggle of kids running towards the rooms with a few elderly people accompanying them. At the rear of the group, Armaan & Riddhima were walking hand in hand, sharing a laugh. They stopped near the entrance and waited for everyone to go inside. They waved everyone inside and stood there for a minute, Armaan hugging Riddhima tight. He pressed a quick kiss to her temple and buried his face in her hair. 

"Awwwww," Anjali, Muskaan, and Dia chorussed. 

"Are they always like this?" Dia asked. 

"You don't even know the half of it," Rahul replied. 

"Hero!! Ridzy!!" Muskaan called them out, pulling their attention from each other to the rest of their group. A smile lit up Riddhima's face at the interruption while Armaan made a face at them. Nevertheless, the couple started walking in their direction, still hand in hand. 

"Hello!" Riddhima greeted them enthusiastically. "Aap sab yahaan?"

"Don't even ask, Ridzy," Anjali replied. "Atul is…" She rolled her eyes. 

"Atul is kya haan?" Armaan immediately jumped at his best friend's defense. 

"Bhukkad," Rahul answered for Anjali. "Actually," he pondered. "Galti meri hi hai. I thought ki cake tasting pe saath mein bhej doonga toh yeh dono ek saath thoda time spend kar lenge… I should have known better. Jahaan baat khane ki aati hai toh Champ pe bilkul trust nahi kar sakte."

"Hmmmm, you're right," Armaan reluctantly agreed. "Sorry, Anjy!" Anjali scoffed and waved his apology off. 

"You guys are funny," Samrat commented, drawing attention to himself. 

"Thanks, Sam!" Armaan cheered, taking it as a compliment. 

"Hahaha," Samrat enunciated sarcastically. 

"Tum sab yahaan kya kar rahe ho?" Riddhima asked them. 

"Kyu? Yahaan kahin likha hai kya ki hum nahi aa sakte?" Mayank questioned in return. 

"Mayank… Kabhi ek second agar tum ulta jawab nahi doge toh kuch ho jaayega kya?" Nupur scolded. "Riddhima Bhabhi bas generally pooch rahi hongi. Aur tum ho ki…"

Mayank rolled his eyes while Riddhima said, "Thanks, Nupur! Tum kitni achchi ho. Aur ek yeh tumhaara husband!" She scoffed. "I'd hug you but iss idiot Armaan ne mujhe samundar mein fek diya tha… So ek hug pending!"

"Aap theek haina?" Gunjan asked, immediately concerned. "Kahin lagi toh nahi?" 

Turning to Armaan, she added, "Maan Bhaiya, aapne aisa kyu kiya?"

"Ohoooooo! Bhabhi abhi 2 minute pehli aur tumne abhi se team badal li?" Armaan questioned. "Wow, Gungun! I didn't expect this! Aur waise bhi… Tumhaari bhabhi itni bholi nahi hai jitni dikhti hai. Usne bhi mujhpe bohot paani udaya!"

“You started it!” Riddhima protested vehemently. “Ab tum mujhe blame mat karo!”

Armaan scoffed but looked away, not having a comeback for it. “Chal, chal ab! Nautanki!” Muskaan cribbed. “Hamesha tere drame chalte rehte hain, Hero! Humein aur bhi kaam hai. Tu yeh sab karna band kar!”

“Whatever,” Armaan waved her off. Turning to Gunjan, he asked, “Tum sab theek se settle ho gaye na?” To Dia, he added, “Your room up to your standards? Maine Rahul se kaha tha tumhe bada wala room dene!”

“Don’t worry! Hum sab achche se settle ho gaye hain,” Dia assured him. “And everything is great! The rooms are awesome! Thank you!” 

“Haan,” Nupur agreed. “Bathtub toh bilkul badhiya hai. Usme baithke mazaa hi aa gaya, by god!”

Armaan barked a laugh at her words. “Diiiii!” Gunjan scolded. Turning to Riddhima, she said, “Woh hum actually aapko hi dhoond rahe the.”

“Mujhe?” Riddhima asked, confused.

“Haan,” Gunjan replied. “Woh… aapne humein apni shaadi pe invite kiya… thank you so much! It means a lot to us!”

“Gunjan! Please… isme thank you kehne ki kya baat hai? In fact… I should be thanking you. Itne short notice pe bhi aap sab humaari shaadi mein shaamil hone aaye… thank you!” Riddhima insisted. 

“Nahi, nahi… aap aisa kyu keh rahi hain? Aap Samrat aur Jeeju ki itni achchi dost hai… aapki shaadi kaise miss karte?” Gunjan answered.

“Okay, okay. Agar aap sabka thank you thank you khatam ho gaya ho… toh please kuch kaam kar lein?” Rahul interrupted.

“Ab kya hua?” Armaan complained.

“Woh… Shikha Bose haina… woh aa gayi hai. Usse mil lo ek baar tum dono!” Rahul told him.

“She’s here?!” Riddhima exclaimed, excited.

“She is!” Anjali confirmed. “Shreya did so well!”

“She did!” Riddhima agreed. “I’m so excited! Chalo, Armaan! Jaldi se change karlo. We have to go meet her… aur please… achche se tayyaar hoke aana. We need to make a good impression.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Armaan said, mock saluting Riddhima. Riddhima shook her head at his antics. 

"Ab chalein?" Armaan asked, offering Riddhima his hand, which she promptly took. "See you later!" He addressed the group at large before tugging her out. 

"Meet her here in half an hour!" Rahul called out to the couple's retreating backs and received a wave in reply before they disappeared around the corner. 

"They're going to go get dressed, right?" Anjali wondered out loud. "No detours?"

"Agar Armaan ko yeh shaadi shanti se karni hai toh woh meri har baat maanega. Trust me," Rahul assured her. Anjali looked skeptical, but nevertheless did agree. If anyone could handle Armaan other than Riddhima, it was Rahul. 

________

True to Rahul's words, Armaan was in the lobby 20 minutes later, freshly showered and dressed in a crisp white shirt and dark washed jeans that he'd paired with a blue blazer, looking dapper and charming. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. Riddhima was late. They were supposed to be meeting the wedding photographer soon and she was nowhere to be seen. He fished his phone out of his pocket and dialled her number, only for the call to be transferred to voicemail. 

Riddhima's melodious voice greeted him. "Hi! I can't answer the phone right now. Agar yeh Nani hai toh, haan Nani, main aaj ghar time pe aa jaungi. Agar yeh Rahul hai toh, nahi Rahul, main Muskaan ka gift lene mein meri koi help nahi karne wali. Agar yeh Di hai toh, haan Di, Atul ke new plant ka naam sach mein Anjali hai. Aur agar… Yeh Armaan hai toh, tum please 2 minute ruko! Jab tak yeh message poora hoga, main aa jaungi! Baaki sab… Beep ke baad message chod dein. I'll call back when I'm free!"

Armaan chuckled at the message. She'd started recording such messages after hearing him do the same. It was funny and absolutely hilarious. Their friends hated the two of them doing this, but neither of them ever budged. And, true to her word, by the time the beep had sounded, Armaan could sense the rapid beating of his heart and anticipation curl in his belly, tell-tale signs that she was near. Sure enough, not even a minute later, she was traipsing across the expansive lobby, looking absolutely ethereal in her white chikankari anarkali and a gorgeous smile. 

"Hi!" She greeted him, standing on her tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his cheek. 

"Hi," he breathed, mesmerized. Riddhima rolled her eyes, even as she blushed at the attention. After a moment, she snapped her fingers in front of him. "Chalein?" She asked. "We're getting late."

"Fine," Armaan replied, pouting. He held her hand in his, pulling her along with him. The two of them chatted about random topics on the way, both of them excited about the meeting. 

Shikha Bose was already waiting for them in the courtyard when they reached there. Standing tall in a sharp baby pink business suit, she looked every inch the successful woman that she was. "Hi," he greeted them when they were in her vicinity. "Shikha Bose," she introduced herself. "Armaan & Riddhima?" She asked them in query. 

"Hi," Riddhima replied. "It's such a pleasure to meet you! I'm Riddhima and this is my fiance, Armaan."

Shikha smiled at them and profered her hand. Riddhima shook it, followed by Armaan. "Congratulations," she wished them. "You two look very beautiful together."

"Thank you!" The couple chorussed. Riddhima blushed, looking at the floor. Armaan laughed at her shyness, pulling her close to him and dropping a kiss to her cheek. 

"Excited for the wedding?" Shikha probed, having to refrain herself from cooing at the sight before her. The two of them were really cute together. 

"Very," Armaan confirmed. "Thank you so much for accommodating us. I know it must not have been easy."

Shikha laughed. "It wasn't," she agreed. "But Rehaan ke liye itna toh main kar hi sakti hoon. Besides, he owes me one now."

"Still," Riddhima insisted. "Thank you so much. It means a lot!"

"Well, you're welcome. Tum dono ko dekhke… Main bhi ab iss shaadi ke liye kaafi excited hoon. Jab Rehaan ne mujhse kaha tha that I wouldn't want to miss shooting such a happy couple, I had my doubts, but ab mujhe samajh aa raha hai what he meant," Shikha answered. 

Riddhima blushed once more at her words, causing her to grin. "The picture perfect blushing bride, I see. Tumhaare photos lene mein toh bilkul mehnat nahi karni padegi! Har baat pe itna sharmaati jo ho."

Armaan chuckled at that. "Please, meri koi photos lo ya na lo, Riddhima ke har moment ki photos lena. Aur special copies mujhe zaroor bhijwa dena!" 

"Awwww," Shikha finally gave in to the urge and cooed. "You guys are really cute. I was thinking… If you're okay with it, ek chota shoot hum aaj karle? I mean… Iss tarah all of us will get comfortable with each other and ek photoshoot bhi ho jaayega. Anjali has assured me that you're free for the next few hours. So, we won't do anything big, but yahaan hotel mein hi… Gardens mein we can do one. Tum dono ko tayyaar bhi nahi hota padega cause frankly you two look too good the way you're dressed right now. What say?"

Armaan looked at Riddhima in askance, his eyes sparkling in anticipation. Looking at him,  there was no other answer she could have given. He was so excited. How could she say no then? "I mean… Can't hurt, right?" She questioned out loud. 

"Right," Shikha agreed. She introduced the couple to her team and they immediately got to work, striking a few colourful poses around the courtyard. 

This photoshoot was definitely more intimate and couple-y than their last one had been, which was a surprise, because they'd clicked such romantic pictures at the basketball court. But, Shikha Bose was not the most sought after wedding photographer for naught. She somehow brought the love out in the couple very effortlessly, keeping them distracted with endless wedding chatter. In the middle of conversing with her and telling her their story, it didn't even register as they posed for photo after photo, each more beautiful than the last. 

Once she was satisfied with the entire process, Shikha showed the two of them the pictures. "These are so gorgeous!" Armaan exclaimed. He loved all the photos, but the way his eyes lingered on a shot of Riddhima leaning against a tree while he towered over her, both of them lost in each other's eyes, made Riddhima decide that that photo would have a special place in their bedroom. Her own favourite - a relatively chaster shot - of Armaan hugging Riddhima from behind, with Riddhima turned to look up at him as they both laughed, would look very good in the living room. 

"Very beautiful," she agreed. "Thank you so much, Shikha. I know ki yeh photos humaare ghar ko aur bhi zyada pyaara bana dengi."

Shikha smiled, absolutely pleased. "Great! I'm so glad. This photoshoot was so much fun. Aur haan, photos bhi bohot zyada achchi aayi hain. Main yeh saare apne portfolio mein add karne wali hoon. You two really are a pleasure to work with!"

"So are you," Armaan assured her. "You made us feel very comfortable with the whole thing, so thank you so much!"

"Just doing my job," Shikha replied. "Wedding photographer hoon. Wedding jitters aur anxiety ko kaise theek karte hain achche se aata hai mujhe."

Her words made everyone laugh. "Chalo, I'll not keep you guys any longer. I know ki tumhe aur bhi bohot kaam honge. I'll see you at the next ceremony!"

After giving both Armaan & Riddhima quick hugs, Shikha & her team left them alone. "Ahhhh! That was fun, but also exhausting," Armaan murmured, pulling Riddhima into a hug. 

"It was," Riddhima agreed, melting into his embrace. "But don't worry. I think aajke liye we're done."

"So then, ab tumhaara saara waqt mera!?!?" Armaan exclaimed, suddenly excited. 

Riddhima laughed, even as she blushed. "Mera saara waqt toh waise hi tumhaara hai."

"Oyye hoyye," Armaan murmured, his voice a sensuous whisper in Riddhima's ear. He placed a kiss there, before dragging his lips across her cheek to her lips, and capturing them in a kiss. 

Pulling back a few moments later, he asked, "Kya baat hai, Dr. Basket! Aajkal bada pyaar ka raha hai?"

"Abhi pyaar nahi aayega toh kab aayega, baby?" Riddhima fired back, pinching his nose. "We're getting married!"

"We're getting married," Armaan echoed, a silly grin making its way on his face at the words. Nothing had ever sounded sweeter than those three words. Ever. 

Chapter One Hundred & Seventeen

“Today was a good day, wasn’t it?” Riddhima asked Armaan, smiling happily. “Sabse milke kitna zyada achcha laga mujhe, Armaan. And they were all so happy for us… it was so nice!”

“It was,” Armaan agreed.

The two of them were sitting by the pool, reminiscing about the day’s activities, finally finding some alone time in the midst of all the chaos. Dinner would not be served for a few hours still and Armaan had plans to spend all the time with Riddhima, and no one else. It seemed that the closer the wedding drew, the less time they got together. In between greeting and looking after guests, dress fittings, menu selections, and spending time with their families, there was no time left for each other. Armaan understood intellectually that it was a given that this would happen, especially after they’d been barred from leaving their homes alone, but he missed Riddhima, dammit! And he needed to spend some time with her so that he could get through the next few days.

As excited as Armaan was about the wedding, and so happy to celebrate Riddhima and himself, he could not deny that it was a taxing affair. Pandering to relatives he had not spoken to in years, always having to laugh and smile and greet everyone happily, and even trying to remember everyone from Riddhima’s extended family, and make small talk with them… it was utterly exhausting. Armaan wished that it could have been just them - him and Riddhima, their parents, and their closest friends - for the ceremonies, but he also knew that everyone, including him, had wanted a grand wedding to celebrate. It was very tiring, but he wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

“So…” Riddhima murmured, breaking the companionable silence they were sharing. “Meera aur Ishaan ka kya scene hai?” She asked him. She had been curious about what was cooking since last night. Seeing the two of them interact, it was easy to see that whatever was happening between them was more than friendship. Riddhima did not think she had seen Ishaan look at anyone else the way he looked at Meera. But, maybe she was wrong. While the two of them had been extremely close at one point, it had been a long time ago. Ishaan had changed a lot in that time, as had she. And, she didn’t know the inner workings of Ishaan’s life as well as she used to. Maybe she had been reading too much into it, but her instinct told her that Ishaan liked Meera as more than a friend, and she knew that Armaan knew something.

Armaan chuckled. He had been expecting her to ask sooner rather than later, and she did not disappoint. “Okay… main tumhe bata raha hoon, but you cannot tell anyone else. Matlab… Anjy ko bhi nahi bata sakti tum. Yeh baat ekdum strictly hum dono ke beech rehni chahiye. Meera did not want me to tell anyone, but ab main tumse thodi chupaunga… so just… hum dono, okay?” He instructed.

“Done,” Riddhima readily agreed. “Bas hum dono. Promise!”

“That’s my girl!” Armaan exclaimed, pressing a quick kiss to the side of her head. 

“Ab batao naaaaaa,” Riddhima whined.

“Haan, baba! Bata raha hoon…” Armaan replied. “So apparently, Meera aur Ishaan kaafi time se ek doosre ko jaante hain. They work at the same company and in the same team. They’ve been very good friends for years now. And… well, Meera usse like karti hai… you know, romantically… but usne kabhi Ishaan se kuch kaha nahi kyuki woh nahi chaahti ki iski wajah se unki friendship kharab ho jaaye.”

“That is…” Riddhima trailed off, not finding the right words to say. While she understood Meera’s hesitance, it seemed very unfounded. If Riddhima was right, and she was starting to think maybe she was, Ishaan was already halfway in love with Meera.

“Meera has ordered me not to meddle,” Armaan added. “And you know… matlab, I get it. Mujhe beech mein nahi padna chahiye. Par tumhe pata haina… jab aisi baat hoti hai… it’s almost impossible for me to not want to say something! Tumhe kya lagta hai?”

“Agar Meera nahi chaahti toh humein interfere nahi karna chahiye,” Riddhima agreed. “But I think Ishaan also likes her, Armaan. Ho sakta hai woh bhi inn reasons ki wajah se kuch keh naa raha ho? Actually, jabse woh yahaan aaya hai, woh Rahul aur Di ki help karne mein hi itna busy rehta hai ki hum dono ko baat karne ka mauka hi nahi mila… but kal jab maine unn dono ko party mein baat karte hue dekha… pata nahi, but aisa laga jaise… Ishaan jis tarah Meera ko dekh raha tha, maine usse pehle kabhi aise nahi dekha, Armaan. 

You know, school mein bhi kaafi baar usne mujhe apne crushes ke baare mein bataya, aur college jaane ke baad bhi, hum jab Skype karte the, he used to tell me… lekin jo chamak uski aankhon mein kal thi woh maine pehle kabhi nahi dekhi. Hum dono ab itne close nahi hai ki main bina kahe uski baatein samajh jaau, but usse dekhke mujhe yehi lagta hai ki woh Meera ko bohot zyada pasand karta hai.”

“Haina? Mujhe bhi unn dono ko saath mein dekhke laga ki kuch toh baat hai… waise, jab mujhe pata bhi nahi tha ki woh dono ek doosre ko jaante hain… I still thought they would be a good match,” Armaan admitted sheepishly.

Riddhima barked out a laugh. “Yeh tum cousins ki puraani aadat hai lagta hai… apne doston ko apne cousins ke saath match make karna… nahi? Dia bhi keh rahi thi humaare baare mein… aur ab tum.”

Armaan shrugged. “That’s cause we’re awesome,” he simpered. “Tum sab bohot lucky ho ki hum tumhaari life mein hai!”

“I agree,” Riddhima replied, hugging Armaan around the shoulders. “I’m very lucky ki tum meri life mein ho!”

Armaan grinned brilliantly at her and bent down to capture her lips in a kiss, but before he could actually do it, they were interrupted, as always. “THERE YOU ARE!” Rahul cried. “Kabse dhoond raha hoon!”

“Kyu?” Armaan asked, extremely pissed at him. “Ab kya hua?”

“Bhadakta kya hai?” Rahul questioned, smirking at him. “Tujhse kitni baar kaha hai… har jagah shuru mat ho jaaya kar!”

“Apni sidey commentary jaane de, aur yeh bata… Kya kaam hai tujhe?” Armaan probed. 

“Armaan!” Riddhima scolded him, but he just shrugged, making a face.

“Right…” Rahul agreed. “Kaam hai. Chalo tum dono… it’s time!”

“For what?” Riddhima asked.

“Chalo naaaaa!” Rahul begged. “Wahaan jaake sab dekh lena!”

“Fine! Chalo!” Riddhima gave in, pulling Armaan along with her. Rahul guided them through the meandering pathways at the hotel till they arrived at the basketball court, which was already full with their family & friends.

“Tadaaaaa!” Anjali cried, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. “Welcome!”

“Yeh… yeh sab kya ho raha hai?” Armaan asked, a delighted yet disbelieving laugh leaving his mouth.

“Did you really think you could get married without basketball?” Anjali asked, very much rhetorically. “I mean… tum dono ho. We had to do it!”

“Stop staring and come on! Let’s go!” Rahul cried, pulling both of them to the court.

They were met with deafening applause at their entry. “Thank you, everyone!” Rahul cried. He had procured a mic from somewhere and was speaking into it. Both Armaan & Riddhima were still reeling from the surprise to actually know when he’d gotten hold of one. 

“So, as you all know,” Rahul continued, uncaring of the couple’s amazement. “Aaj yahaan hum sab ek basketball match khelne waale hain… as always, Armaan vs Riddhima! SO GIVE IT UP FOR THE DULHA DULHAN!”

Rahul’s pronouncement was met with louder cheers. “Ab… iss baar hum thoda kuch different karne waale hain. Armaan & Riddhima will not get to choose who plays in their team. Humne team already assign kar rakhi hai… and they will have no choice in the matter.”

Finally, this snapped Armaan’s attention. “NO!” He cried. “This is not done! I want to decide ki meri team mein kaun hoga!”

“Sorry, Jeeju,” Anjali replied. “Rules are rules!”

“Mujhse poochke banaye the kya yeh rules? No. I refuse to follow them!” Armaan announced.

“Kyu?” Riddhima stepped up. “Darr gaye kya? Kahin iss baar bhi… har baar ki tarah haar gaye, toh thodi zyada bezzati ho jaayegi… nahi?”

Her words were met with a lot of boos from their audience, which spurred Armaan on. “Excuse me! Main koi haarta - waarta nahi hoon. Woh toh bas… I let you win.”

“Oh? Aisi baat hai?” Riddhima asked, already calling bullsh*t. “Toh itna kya darrna? Tum agar itne achche player ho… toh team kaisi bhi… jeetoge toh tum hi, right?”

“Yes!” Armaan answered, determined. “Let me tell you… Dr. Basket. Jeet toh meri hi hogi. I’m sure.”

“Main bhi dekhti hoon, kaise hoti hai!” Riddhima replied.

“Woooooh!” Rahul cried. “Things are heating up! Bohot hi mazaa aane waala hai, so I suggest all of you settle down and get ready for a very entertaining night!”

“Ab thodi footage khana band kar aur jaldi se bata humaari teams mein kaun hai!” Armaan cribbed.

“Haan, haan… bata rahe hain,” Anjali replied. “Have some patience!”

“Okay… so, ab jab humein captains pata hain, so let’s call on our teams!” Rahul cried. “Sabse pehle… Minnie for Team Bride and Navneeta for Team Groom!” 

Minnie and Navneeta walked onto the court, sporting a red tee that said Bride Tribe & a yellow tee that said Groom Squad, respectively. They were met with thunderous applause, but both Armaan & Riddhima were confused. While it was true that they adored both the girls and the girls adored them in return, Minnie had always favoured Armaan while Navneeta had favoured Riddhima. It was a little confusing to see them play for the opposite teams.

Bride Tribe - 

Groom Squad - 

“Coming up next, we have Muskaan for Team Bride and Atul for Team Groom!” Anjali continued. The worst basketball players in their gang, as all of the crew knew very well. It seemed like they were being set up to lose.

“For Team Bride, the next player… Samrat! And Abhi has very graciously agreed to play for Team Groom!” Rahul cheered. Clearly, Rahul and Anjali hated Armaan, because why else would they give him Abhi and not Samrat? Abhi and him were on better terms now, but everyone knew their history. Abhi had always been more of Riddhima’s friend than Armaan’s. And, while Samrat and Riddhima were friends too, it was Armaan who had played in the same team as him. Him & Riddhima would never gel as well as they did because they might have dribbled around together, but had definitely not played in the same team from what Armaan knew, unlike him.

“And finally, finally, finally… Switching things up, we have Ishaan for Team Groom & Meera for Team Bride!” Anjali announced, making everyone cry out loud. 

Once all team members were on court, Rahul spoke once more. “I think aap sab samajh gaye honge… but still, ek baar zara explain karna hi better hai… so, kyuki hum yahaan Armaan aur Riddhima ko celebrate karne aaye hain, unki shaadi pe, we wanted them to get to know each other’s families better. Ek doosre ko toh woh kabse jaante hain, but everyone else, not so much? Isliye, we decided to switch things up to get them to understand their friends and family better. And also, kyuki bada mazaa aayega yeh dekhne mein ki Meera apni team ko jitayegi, ya apne bhai ko… am I right?”

“Yayyyyy!” The crowd cheered.

“So, okay, guys! Ab tum dono jaake change karke aao, and then the match shall begin!” Anjali said. “Rahul is going to be the commentator and for fairness, humne Nikki ko referee banaya hai kyuki… well woh tum dono ki taraf equally biased hai, so no scope for cheating!”

Once Armaan & Riddhima had changed into their yellow and red tees too, the match began. Rahul walked to the middle of the court and flung the ball up high. Armaan tried to nab the ball, but Riddhima was faster. She had the advantage right from the first second of the game and used it to her advantage. Thankfully, she had Samrat on her team who was a great player. Between the two of them, they managed to score a basket in the first minute of the game itself.

“AND WE HAVE A BASKET!” Nikki cried. “Riddhima’s team on attack and they managed to gain the upper hand right at the start, as expected! Agar aap logon ko pata na ho toh main sabko bata doon… Armaan aur Riddhima ki basketball rivalry bohot puraani hai, with Riddhima in the lead since… well, day one! Congratulations, Team Bride!! YOU GO!”

Riddhima walked up to Armaan and gave him a thumbs down, making him scoff. “Abhi toh bas shuruat hai, Basket! Itna mat uchlo. Kya pata, bohot zor se gir jao.”

“Hahaha,” Riddhima replied sarcastically. “Sure… itne saalon se kaun kitne pani mein hai yeh sabko pata hai. Toh… zyada smart ban’ne ki koshish mat karo.”

“Koshish nahi kar raha, sweetheart,” was Armaan’s prompt answer. “Hoon.”

“Armaan… yeh line ab puraani ho chuki hai, tumhaare saare basketball moves ki tarah. Why don’t you try something new?” Riddhima mocked.

“Uh… guys? Game?” Nikki reminded them. “I know ki tum dono ko time aur jagah ka concept nahi samajh aata achche se… but still, iss waqt toh please apni yeh weird flirting band karo!”

“Right… sorry!” Riddhima called out. “Game pe focus!”

“Thank God!” Rahul mumbled. “Let’s go again, guys!”

The game started in earnest once more, with Abhi in possession of the ball. He passed the ball to Navneeta, who managed to pass it to Armaan just in time for him to score a basket and even the scores out. Armaan’s team started cheering at that, making Riddhima’s team scoff.

“That’s how it’s done, baby!” Armaan called out to Riddhima who rolled her eyes at his smugness. “Tum thoda intezaar karo, Basket. Aaj toh tumhe achche se basketball khelna sikha hi dunga!”

“Yeh toh game ke end mein hi pata chalega ki kisne kisko kya sikhaya hai!” Riddhima replied. Armaan laughed her words off, running back to his team.

Armaan was in possession of the ball once more, dodging Riddhima’s team beautifully. He passed by Minnie, Meera, and Muskaan, with the ball still in his possession. Samrat blocked him, intent on stealing the ball, but Armaan somehow managed to defend himself. Seeing as he was nearing the basket, Riddhima went on offense, doing her hardest to take the ball in her possession. When it was clear that Armaan would not let go, she decided to use other tactics to gain the upper hand. Bending down so that Armaan could look her in the eyes, she winked at him, grinning widely. Of course, that was enough for Armaan to lose focus, and he immediately let the ball go. Riddhima took control of the ball and ran as fast as she could, passing the ball to Samrat, who managed to score a basket in the time Armaan was still trying to figure out what had happened.

“JEEJU!!” Ishaan cried. “Yeh kya kiya aapne? Di ko ball lene kyu di?”

“FOUL!” Armaan finally shouted, spurred into action by Ishaan’s words. “FOUL!”

“You don’t get to decide that!” Nikki told him. “Kya foul foul chilla raha hai? Kuch foul nahi hai!”

“Foul hai!” Armaan insisted. Walking over to Nikki, he added, this time in a softer tone. “She winked at me!”

Nikki didn’t even try to hide her laughter at his words. After spending more than a moment, laughing at his words, she asked, her voice laced with humour. “What did you just say?”

“She winked at me! Usne mujhe aankh maari!” He repeated.

“Toh?” Nikki asked.

“Toh? Toh kya toh! That’s cheating!” Armaan cried.

“How is it cheating?” Nikki probed. “I mean… did she hit you? Did she block you?”

“She made me lose control of the ball!” Armaan shouted. “On purpose.”

“Yes,” Nikki answered dully. “That’s the entire point of the game.”

“She should not have winked,” Armaan whined. “That’s a foul!”

“Armaan, tu uspe itna zyada lattu hai, yeh kisi aur ki nahi, sirf teri galti hai,” Nikki waved him off. “Plus, maine toh usse nahi dekha tujhe aankh maarte hue. How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” 

“Tujhe lagta hai main match jeetne jhooth bolunga?” He asked her.

“Sirf lagta nahi,” Nikki corrected him. “Poora yakeen hai!”

“You’re…” Armaan sighed. “You’re unbelievable!”

“Sorry, Armaan… iss baar there was no foul. Ab please game fir se shuru kar, warna main Riddhima ko winner declare kar dungi,” Nikki threatened.

“NO WAY!” Armaan shouted. “Fine… ab agar tum logon ko yeh sab karna hai, toh main bhi chup nahi baithunga. Jeetunga toh main hi.”

He walked back to the court, keeping his eyes fixed on Riddhima, who stared back, unflinching. He made the universal I’m watching you gesture at her, which made her laugh, before calling for the game to be started again. Somehow, the ball ended up with Meera after Rahul flung it up. As Armaan watched her dodge Atul, he was mildly surprised. Meera had never been a good player. In fact, in many ways, she was worse than Champ, which was why he had not been too cut up about her playing from Riddhima’s side. If anything, he was secretly happy because he thought she would bring the team down. This was not what he was expecting. 

Ishaan moved forward to block her, and it seemed like he would be successful, which clued Armaan in as to why she was so good now. Maybe Ishaan was coaching her. If that was the case, he would definitely take the ball back, Armaan thought happily. But, he soon realized his celebration was way too premature. In the next second, both Ishaan and Meera lost their footing in the little tussle they had going on, and fell down, rolling down the court. 

Or maybe, it was a good thing… because it had ended with Meera under Ishaan, both of them staring at each other. Armaan smirked. Usually, it would be him and Riddhima who ended up in a similar position while playing… and he could not deny that those moments had always been electric, sending his heart pounding, and making his breaths leave him in pants, his closeness to Riddhima and her unfaltering gaze on him, making every part of him react. Just as it was happening with those two, he realized, watching them not make any move to detangle from each other. He looked up to see that Riddhima was watching the scene unfold in front of her with a victorious smile on her face, one he was sure was reflected in his own. Their eyes met and a silent communication passed between them, both of them happy at this turn of events.

Armaan cleared his throat loudly. “FOCUS ON THE GAME, GUYS!” He cried, bringing Ishaan & Meera out of their little eye lock. They both blushed a deep red and immediately sat up, looking anywhere but at each other. 

The game continued along similar lines after that. Despite their mismatched teams, or maybe because of them, both teams gave each other a tough fight, and the game ended in a tie, as was expected by a lot of people. They had been salivating for a one on one between Armaan & Riddhima, as had become tradition with them, but then, to their surprise, Nani put an end to that.

“Koi one on one ya extra time nahi hoga,” she stated, taking to the middle of the court to make her announcement. “Yeh match tie hai. Bas yehi final decision hai.”

“NANIIIIII!” The gang cried in unison. “NAHI! PLEASE!!”

“Nani, hum log hamesha ki tarah khelke winner kyu decide nahi kar sakte?” Armaan whined.

“Kyuki maine keh diya na… bas, isliye!” Nani replied.

“Par kyuuuuuu?” Riddhima joined in. “Hum har baar winner decide karte hain, Nani. Aaj tak mera aur Armaan ka ek baar bhi tie nahi hua hai.”

“Toh yeh toh achchi baat haina?” Nani asked. “Ki aaj finally tum dono ka tie ho gaya? Ab tum dono ki shaadi hone wali hai, toh kya bas zindagi bhar ek doosre ko neecha hi dikhaate rahoge yeh sab karke? Tum dono ko saath mein aage badhna hai, aise alag - alag nahi, aur ek doosre ko hara ke toh bilkul nahi. Match tie hai, bas.”

Nobody protested Nani after that. As disappointed as they were, they did understand the message Nani was trying to give them, the lesson she wanted them to learn. There was no winning or losing in a marriage. It was them sharing everything - the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

But this was basketball! And there should be a winner, shouldn’t there? Armaan looked up at Riddhima, not surprised to find her looking at him already, and nodded, watching an uncharacteristic smirk light up her face. They were in agreement. A match later at night when no one else would be around to watch. Nani was right. They would share everything, but not this. Never this. Which is why, truly, Armaan had no one else to blame but himself when he lost to her later that night, as he was pretty sure he would. But, as he heard Riddhima laugh uninhibitedly, so proud of her victory, he decided that losing to her was the best way to start his marriage.

___________________________

That's it for today! Hope you guys have fun reading this!

More chapters incoming tomorrow and the day after, and hopefully on Sunday too. It depends on how long it gets, really. But, it's 15 years of our baby, toh celebrate karna toh banta hai! And what better way than this? 

It's taken us 8 long years, but we're finally here! Armaan & Riddhima are getting married!! I'm so excited. I hope you take this journey with me and have as much fun reading this as I have had in writing it. It's like my fingers are flying on the keys these days. I wrote like 5k words on this just today, when it's a work day LOL. 

So, stay tuned for more! Once again, thank you so much for reading and loving this story so much. Y'all are the best readers out there and I'm so lucky to have you!

Love, Prags

Originally posted by: coderlady

Wow. So many chapters all at one time.

hahaha yes! i've been waiting to finish writing the wedding so i could upload all chapters together! :D

Just wow...sab ek sath dekh it was a overdose literally...par maza aya.

Billy arman convo was the highlight..loved it so so much. Too emo...

I loved the way how you so easily made everyone rltd to each other.

Mjht and dmg reunion...haha

Looking fwd to much more amazing chaps

Originally posted by: Batul22

Just wow...sab ek sath dekh it was a overdose literally...par maza aya.

Billy arman convo was the highlight..loved it so so much. Too emo...

I loved the way how you so easily made everyone rltd to each other.

Mjht and dmg reunion...haha

Looking fwd to much more amazing chaps

Billy and Armaan have my heart! I had been looking forward to writing that conversation for ages. And finally it was time! ❤️

MJHT & DMG MY BABY SHOWS! So yes, had to include this! 

Thank you so much for reading and commenting! Can't wait for you to read the rest of the chapters as well! 🥰

Bapre

6chapters together😲

Suraj kahan se nikle hai aj?