ILYLTF #5 (Chapter 145 - Page 110) - Page 78

Chapter 138

"Oh, this is divine!" Riddhima exclaimed, as she stood on the deck of the yacht that Armaan had booked for them to journey to Capri. A neighbouring island from Positano along the Amalfi Coast, Capri had come highly recommended as the place to be. At first, Armaan had mulled over docking in Capri for the duration of their stay, but had ultimately decided on Positano because it was easier to travel to the other islands from there as opposed to Capri. He didn't want them lugging their bags around everyday to check into a new hotel. Positano has been perfectly located to take day trips to whatever other islands they wished to. So, it had won in the end, but Armaan was especially excited for their day in Capri. 

To get there, Armaan had decided to get them a private yacht, not wanting to travel with strangers. Plus, the benefit of the private booking was that they could take their time to get to their destination. It had always been a dream of his to go deep sea diving from a yacht. 

"It's okay," he countered, standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her back flush against his chest. 

"Yahaan har jagah paani itna saaf kaise hai? Despite so many tourists?" Riddhima wondered as she peaked at the ocean. 

Armaan laughed. "That's because yahaan pe isse maintain karte hain. Plus, tumne dekha hai yahaan kisi ko bhi kuch kachra fekte hue? Toh it's easier, I guess."

"Hmmm," Riddhima hummed in agreement. "I wish humaare beach ka paani bhi itna saaf hota. That would be so nice, nahi?"

"It would," Armaan nodded. "But Mumbai ke samundar ka paani itna saaf karne mein saal lag jaayenge. Which, I don't even think koi yeh sab karne mein interested hoga."

"I know," Riddhima sighed. "Such a shame."

"Yes," Armaan agreed. "But hum kyun aisi sad, depressing baat kar rahe hain? We should be having fun!" 

"Toh humein kya karna chahiye?" Riddhima asked.

"So glad you asked, Jaan!" Armaan cheered. "Let's go!" He took Riddhima's hand and tugged her inside the yacht. They went to the captain's cabin. 

"Hello!" Armaan greeted the woman. "Can I drive for a while?"

"Armaan? You know how to drive a yacht?" Riddhima asked, surprised.

"No, but how hard can it be?" He wondered.

"A lot," the woman, Brianne, laughed. "I only trained for a year to do this."

"Can you teach me the basics? I'll drive for like, 5 minutes. Please!" Armaan pleaded. Brianne laughed. "Sure."

She was no stranger to people wanting to try taking control of the yacht, especially when they realized their captain was a woman. It wasn't the easiest profession for women to get into, but the sea had always been her calling. After a few years on the job, she was used to men assuming she didn't know anything about sailing, and they would be better at this than her. Armaan was one of the very few men who actually asked her to teach them. And well, he was paying an exorbitant amount for this whole thing, so she could humour him for a bit. 

She turned the yacht into auto-pilot mode and showed him the basic functionality of the controls. "Here you go," she said, taking a step back. "Let's see how well you do."

Armaan enthusiastically stepped in the place she'd vacated and captained the ship. He was surprisingly good at it too, for a first timer. He managed to wonkily manoeuvre the boat to the left and change their direction for a bit, just like she'd shown him. "That's good!" She complimented him. He absolutely preened at the praise. 

"Can we dock for a bit and go swimming?" He asked Brianne after steering for a while.

"Sure!" She agreed. "Let me find a good place to stop."

Armaan grinned brightly. "Thanks!"

He handed the reins back to Brianne, and the couple left, already chattering about his little stint as captain. They were a cute couple, Brianne realized. She had seen her fair share of couples by virtue of her job, all kinds of them. Messy, toxic couples. Awkward, new couples. Couples who were in it for everything but love. And couples who were madly in love. Thankfully, they seemed to fall in the last category, which made her job easier. She had been through too many fights and screaming matches to care about them any longer, but they were still annoying. So, it was always good when she had to chauffeur a googly eyed couple, cause really all they did was giggle and laugh at each other's lame jokes and indulge in some PDA, while forgetting she was there entirely, which really was the best situation for her. She got to experience the sea the way she wanted. 

Finding a respectable spot that wasn't too crowded, Brianne stopped the yacht. "You can go swimming!" She told the couple. 

"Thanks!" They chorussed, quickly dressing down to their swimming costumes. 

"I can't believe you're making me do this," Riddhima murmured. Armaan chuckled. "It'll be fun, Basket! We'll do it together, like everything else."

"Okay, let's go!" Riddhima agreed, steeling herself after taking a deep breath. They both jumped at the same time.

They swam for a while, enjoying the relative calm and separation from the crowd. The entire exercise was so soothing, just floating away where the tide took you, being disconnected from everything else in the world. The spectacular view only added to the charm of the whole thing. Riddhima also requested Brianne to click a few pictures of them, which Brianne was happy to do. After spending time in the water, they went aboard the yacht, continuing to Capri.

Once they'd docked, Armaan & Riddhima took some time to wander about town. Capri was definitely more upscale than Positano had been with the streets littered with big brands, lesser crowds, and more clubs than cafes and bistros. They took the opportunity to go shopping, ticking a lot of items in the list that their friends had given them, buying everything from clothes and shoes to decor and books. Armaan made them try a gelato at every shop they came across. 

In the afternoon they stopped for lunch at a beach club. "Apparently yahaan bohot celebrities aate hain," Armaan told Riddhima as they took their seats.

"Oh?" Riddhima asked, looking around to see if she could find a recognizable face in the crowd. 

"Wahaan dekho!" She exclaimed, subtly pointing at a table on the other end. "Woh raha George Clooney!"

Armaan whipped his head at the speed of light, wanting a glimpse, only to be disappointed when the man was definitely not George Clooney. "Haha," he huffed. "So funny, Basket." 

Riddhima giggled. "I know. But seriously, Armaan. Tumhe sach mein laga ki George Clooney wahaan baitha hai? How can you be so naive?"

Armaan shrugged. "You never know."

"Oh my god! Woh dekho SRK!" He said a moment later, garnering the same reaction from Riddhima. He burst out laughing at the look she gave him when she realized he was joking. 

"I hate you," she announced.

"Basket, don't you think tum mujhe jitna I love you bolti ho usse zyada I hate you bolti ho? So much violence for what?" Armaan asked.

"Tum harkatein hi aisi karte ho, toh main kya karun?" Riddhima fired back.

"But, agar main aisi harkatein nahi karunga toh humaari life kitni boring ho jaayegi. Thoda entertainment toh chahiye na!" Armaan defended himself. 

"Whatever," Riddhima scoffed. But then, of course she couldn't let Armaan have the last word so she said, "Oh. My. God. Armaan!! Aishwarya Rai looks so hot!" 

"What?! Where?!" He burst out, frantically searching for her.

"That was an objective observation," Riddhima laughed. "Aishwarya Rai haina hot. Toh main bas keh rahi thi."

"That was a low blow!" Armaan accused.

"You started it with SRK!" Riddhima pointed out. 

They spent the rest of their time at the club name-dropping more celebrities, each more ridiculous than the last and somehow feeding off each other's frustration. They both knew that it was impossible that these very big A-listers would be hanging out at the same place as them, yet on even the 0.01% chance that it was true, they kept taking the bait. 

"Why are you so annoying?" Riddhima cribbed while walking down the harbour back to their yacht. 

"Kahaan jaa rahi ho?" Armaan replied to her question with a question. 

"Yacht pe, aur kahaan?" Riddhima scoffed. "Kyun?"

"Tumhe aur nahi ghoomna?" Armaan questioned, surprised. "We hadn't explored the entire town."

"Armaan, iss waqt mujhe tumhaare saath kahin nahi jaana," Riddhima answered. 

"Basket!" He exclaimed, running up to her. "Tum kyun gussa ho rahi ho? Gussa toh mujhe hona chahiye na? Start toh tumne kiya tha!"

"Maine start kiya tha?" Riddhima looked at him, absolutely appalled at the insinuation.

"Yes! Tumne hi pehle George Clooney kaha tha," Armaan reminded her.

"But tumne SRK kaha!" Riddhima accused. "You know that you shouldn't take his name in vain like that!"

"He's not god, Basket," Armaan laughed. Riddhima raised an eyebrow at that.

"Fine, fine," Armaan agreed. "I know you love him more than me and want to marry him. I shouldn't have done that. But phir tumne Aishwarya Rai kehke badla le liya na!"

"Toh uske baad tumne kyun Chris Pine ka naam liya? You started it again!" Riddhima exclaimed.

"Toh tumhe uske aage baat nahi badhaani chahiye thi na!" Armaan responded.

"Tum bhi toh chup ho sakte the!" Riddhima pointed out. "Tum nahi hue toh main kyun peeche hatu?"

Armaan mulled over it for a second. "Okay, fine. Meri galti thi," he agreed. Riddhima looked absolutely victorious. "But sirf meri nahi!" He added. "Tumhaari bhi thi!"

"Okay… Fine," Riddhima sulked. "Meri bhi thi. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry," Armaan echoed. He opened his arms and Riddhima immediately stepped into his embrace, hugging him tight. 

"Did we just have our first big fight as a married couple?" Armaan wondered out loud. They'd had their minor arguments before, but those were to be expected. If the two of them didn't pass any smartass comments about the other at least once a day, Armaan doubted either of them would get a good night's sleep. But, this time, it had been different. A little harsher than their usual banters, especially towards the end. They'd been purposely catty to each other in a way they rarely were. Riddhima had actually started walking in the opposite direction because she didn't want to talk to him. Armaan didn't remember the last time that had happened. 

Riddhima's laughter went straight to his heart, making all other thoughts disappear. "I think so," she said. "That definitely counts as a big fight in my opinion."

"Of course we fought over something so silly," Armaan mused.

"Hmmm," Riddhima hummed in agreement. "But at least iss baar yeh stupid ladaayi kuch serious nahi bani warna humaari almost hear ladaayi aisi kisi stupid cheez pe hoti aur phir bohot badi bann jaati hai."

"Yes, like a mustard mountain," Armaan replied, making Riddhima giggle.

"Raayi ka pahaad, Armaan," she corrected.

"Haan, wohi. Tumhe samajh aa gaya na!" Armaan answered.

"Haan, aa gaya," Riddhima laughed. 

"Okay, toh ab toh ghoom sakte hain ya ab bhi hotel jaana hai?" Armaan questioned.

"Lead the way, captain!" Riddhima announced, winding her arm around Armaan's.

He guided her in the direction of the docks again, giving her a pause. "Baby, hum uss direction mein kyun jaa rahe hain?" Riddhima asked.

"Cause agli jagah hum boat se hi jaa sakte hain, sweetheart," Armaan explained. Riddhima's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed. "Are we going to see the grotto now?"

Armaan laughed. "Haan, kyunki sunset ke pehle dekhenge toh better hoga na! Natural lighting rahegi. Kya pata phir baad mein achche se dikhe na dikhe?"

"Armaan, Amalfi meri dream destination sirf isliye hai kyunki mujhe woh grotto dekhna hai!" Riddhima cried.

"I know," Armaan told her. 

"Aaahhh!" She squealed, throwing herself into his arms. "You're the bestest husband ever! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!"

"Anything for my wife," Armaan replied. He put his finger under her chin and gently raised her head so that he could look her in the eye. Then, he bent his head to press his lips to hers in a kiss, which turned out to be an impossible task seeing as Riddhima was grinning so wide. Armaan laughed against her mouth. 

Pulling back, he said, "Let's goooo!"

Riddhima took his hand and practically ran the rest of the way. Once they were on-board their rowboat (because you couldn't enter the grotto on a tall ship as its opening was short), Riddhima talked Armaan's ears off about the place. The Blue Grotto in Capri was a cave in the water that was possibly one of the most beautiful places in existence. The water inside the grotto was a clear crystalline blue, flowing in the middle of huge rocks. The place was once a temple but now was just an empty cave that was a hot tourist attraction.

She hadn't even finished extolling about the beauty of the place before they reached there. Since Armaan had paid extra, they were able to bypass the queue and enter the cave immediately. It was even more beautiful than Riddhima had imagined. She was absolutely in awe, gasping at every little movement of the water. Armaan lost interest in the picturesque location pretty quickly, instead focusing on Riddhima's reactions. His heart warmed at the sight of her bright smile. They ended up spending the rest of the day there, only leaving once the authorities closed entry to the cave.

"This was the best day ever," Riddhima whispered into Armaan's neck as they lay in bed that night. "Thank you so much. I love you."

"I love you," Armaan replied, kissing her temple. He gathered her close, squeezing her in a hug. "See you tomorrow, Basket."

"See you tomorrow, baby," Riddhima replied, already half asleep. Armaan laughed, placing a kiss to her forehead before following suit.

Hahaha that he's there to handle her if things go wrong :p

They deserve!! <3

MUJHE BHI JAANA HAI!!

She was enchanted by the cave. Who wouldn't be? He planned a perfect itinerary.

Chapter 139

"You look so pretty!" Armaan complimented, as he watched Riddhima dress up in the mirror. They were going to Ravello for the day, another island along the coast. They'd already spent some time by the beachside in the morning so that Riddhima could get her fill of the place. 

Riddhima blushed as her eyes met Armaan's through the mirror. "Thank you," she murmured. "Tum bhi bure nahi lag rahe."

That was an understatement. Armaan looked extremely attractive in his loose blue bohemian print shirt and white chinos. "Thank you so much for such a huge compliment, wife!" Armaan exclaimed, stepping into her personal space, wrapping his arms around her. He smelled divine. 

"You're welcome, husband," Riddhima giggled. 

"Are we ready?" Armaan asked. "Agar humein wahaan saari cheezein enjoy karni hai toh abhi nikalna padega. Ravello yahaan se thoda door haina. It'll take us a little more time to get there."

"Ready, baby," Riddhima assured, standing on her tiptoes to give him a kiss.

"Mmmm," Armaan moaned into it, his arms tightening around her waist. "Waah, waah," he whispered. "Aaj bada pyaar aa raha hai."

Riddhima shrugged, hugging him. "Kyun, nahi aa sakta kya?"

"Oh, bilkul aa sakta hai. Main toh bas soch raha tha ki har din kyun nahi aata?" Armaan asked.

Riddhima snorted. "Tum har din itne cute nahi lagte na!"

"Basketttttt," Armaan whined. "Tumhe kitni baar samjhaana padega? Don't call me cute! I'm hot, handsome, charming. Inme se koi bhi adjective use karlo. Just not cute! Kids are cute. Adults are not."

"But I find you cute toh main kya karun?" Riddhima questioned. 

Armaan rolled his eyes. "Kuch mat karo tum. Chalo ab!"

"Okay, okay," Riddhima gave in. "You look very dashing," she told him, reaching up to give him a smacking kiss on his cheek. "Very handsome."

Armaan grinned widely. "Thank you! Ab chalein?"

"Haan," Riddhima agreed. As they made their way across the lobby, she handed Armaan her phone. "As usual, please hold onto this. Aur iss baar please kisi ko bhi koi waahiyaat message mat bhej dena!"

"What do you mean by waahiyaat?" Armaan questioned. "Aisa kya kiya maine?"

"Kyun? Tumne Di ko woh disgusting messages nahi bheje mere phone se?" Riddhima fired back, making Armaan laugh at the memory. Since he'd been holding onto Riddhima's phone for her on most days, he had taken to randomly messaging people in her contact list with the weirdest of messages. Once, he'd texted Anjali some pretty R-rated things. It had been in good fun and Anjali had obviously immediately understood that it was him who had sent those messages. The two of them had a laugh over it when she called him. But Riddhima had been embarrassed.

"Fineeeee," Armaan drawled. "I won't send any 'disgusting' messages," he said, making the air quotes as he said disgusting. "Is that all, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, my loyal subject," Riddhima replied a little too smugly. "Let's get on with the day then!"

They hopped on to the yacht captained by Brianne for the journey. This time, instead of jumping into the water for a swim, Riddhima put on some music and they spent almost the entire time dancing. Their laughter, louder than the music somehow, echoed around the boat as they did so, making Brianne smile. Really a very cute couple, she repeated to herself.

When they got down at Ravello, they ate first, because they were both hungry, finding a cute patisserie right by the docks. Then, it was business as usual and they went about exploring the town. Riddhima found a restaurant that provided one day cooking lessons for tourists and immediately signed them up. The class would only be for a couple of hours in the evening. They even had one of those midnight course options for people who wanted to cook under the moonlight, so they had plenty of options to choose from. 

"Basket, hum yeh kyun kar rahe hain?" Armaan asked as they took to the streets after. "Tumhe cooking aati hai, mujhe bhi aati hai. Plus, Keerti Bhabhi ne diye the na woh vouchers shaadi pe. Yeh time jo hum kuch aur karne use kar sakte hain usse cooking classes mein kyun waste karna hai tumhe? We're in Italy and instead of exploring or eating good food and drinking amazing wine, we're going for a cooking class!"

"Armaaaaaan!" Riddhima whined. "Tum chup raho. It'll be so fun! Woh humein authentic pizza banana sikhayenge. Aur maine front desk pe poocha tha… They said that cooking classes here are a must for every tourist. Yeh bhi toh ek naya experience haina. Aur phir, as long as we're spending time together, hum kya kar rahe hain usse kya fark padta hai?" 

Armaan pouted. He thought about it for a while before giving in. "Fine, fine. Whatever you want."

Riddhima grinned brightly. She stood on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss. "Thank you, baby! You're the best!"

They resumed their little tour after that. A little over an hour later, they found a festival of sorts. Riddhima looked positively ecstatic to see that. She caught hold of Armaan's arm and rushed there, pulling him along. The first thing they came across was a mini concert. A singer had attracted a crowd under a tree. They stopped to listen at Riddhima's insistence. He was singing in Italian so neither of them understood any of the lyrics, but the melody was great and the singer had a beautiful voice. When he invited others to take the quasi stage and perform, Armaan was the first to volunteer. Riddhima looked at him in disbelief, but he just grinned at her, bending to steal a kiss. "For luck," he said when stepped back. 

He borrowed the singer's guitar and turned to the crowd. "Thank you so much for the wonderful music you've been playing us," Armaan started by thanking the guy for his brilliant performance. "Ummm… Hi, everyone! I'm Armaan! I'm here all the way from India for my honeymoon!" That garnered him a lot of hoots and whistles, making him laugh.

"Yes, thank you!" Armaan exclaimed. "That right there is my beautiful wife and I'm so grateful to have her in my life!" He added, pointing to Riddhima, who blushed at his words, and also the attention. Armaan chuckled, blowing her a kiss. 

"So, I thought, in keeping with the spirit of the honeymoon, I'd sing a romantic song. I hope you don't mind some Bollywood music, because I am only good with that," Armaan told them. The crowd clapped their approval.

"Awesome, great, splendid. Thank you! So, this song is dedicated to my lovely wife. Thank you for marrying me, Basket," Armaan said, before he broke into a beautiful rendition of Tujhe Dekha Toh. Many people in the audience clearly recognized the song because surprised gasps filled the area as he struck a chord with them. 

Riddhima was crying happy tears as she watched her husband serenade her with one of the most beautiful songs she'd ever heard in her life. Every girl had dreams of finding her Raj after watching DDLJ, but not all of them were lucky enough for it to become a reality. As Riddhima pondered, she realized that Armaan actually was a lot like Raj. He was stupid and silly and an idiot most of the time, a huge prankster all the time. He could also come across as rude and arrogant, misbehaving miscreant. And just like Raj, when he fell in love, he fell completely and wholly. He fought the whole world to be with Riddhima. He even fought with her family - her father and her sister - for their approval. 

And suddenly, Riddhima realized that whenever Abhi made fun of the two of them saying their life was like a Bollywood movie, he had actually been speaking the truth. They'd been annoyed by each other when they first met, and despite their tiffs, Armaan had always been there to support her and look out for her. Then, they'd fallen in love somewhere along the way and had had to keep their relationship a secret because her father wouldn't approve. When he found out, Armaan had to take on so much just to gain his approval. Barring the fact that Simran had been forced to almost marry a man she didn't want to, their life was exactly like DDLJ. Why hadn't she realized that before this moment, standing here on a street corner in Italy and listening to her husband sing to her? How was it possible? How was her life exactly like the greatest romcom of their generation? It seemed too fantastical an idea and yet, it was so true.

The entire time that Armaan was singing, his eyes were firmly fixed on Riddhima, watching her very attentively. He could make out every little shift in her expression as she watched him sing. The tell-tale tears were there as was the blush and the wide smile, which were enough for Armaan to gauge just how pleased she was by this performance. But, then her eyes took a faraway look as if she was a million miles away. She was clearly having an epiphany if the rapidly changing expressions were any indication - surprise to shock to disbelief. He'd have to ask her immediately after he stepped away from the crowd. 

He may have fumbled on the last verse of the song in his haste to finish it and get to her, but the crowd was kind enough to let it pass without incident. When he was done, he was met with a loud cheer, but all his attention was for one person and one person only. He returned the guitar and hastily walked up to Riddhima, who by now had figured out whatever she was thinking about. The minute he was within touching distance, she threw her arms around his neck. "You're the best," she blubbered into his chest. Armaan laughed, wrapping his arms around her waist and squeezing her tight. 

Once Riddhima had calmed down enough to let go off him, Armaan pushed her towards the stalls for some shopping. "Tum aisa kya soch rahi thi?" He asked her, picking up conversation as they browsed the various displays.

Riddhima immediately blushed at the question, which is how Armaan knew it was gonna be good. "What?" He pressed curiously.

"It's nothing," Riddhima mumbled.

"It definitely is something!" Armaan countered. "Do you see that blush? Kya soch rahi thi tum? Kahin uss bhari bheed mein mera faayda uthaane ke tareeke toh nahi soch rahi thi na? Basket! Tumhaare ghar mein baap-bhai nahi hai kya?"

Riddhima whacked his arm. "You are insufferable!" She cried.

"But you love me anyway," Armaan replied.

"God help me, I do," Riddhima agreed.

"No, but seriously. Kya hua? Tum kaafi lost lag rahi thi," Armaan asked gently, all joking aside.

Riddhima sighed. This was so embarrassing. She knew he'd never let her live this down. "I was just thinking that you're real life Raj."

"I'm sorry what?" Armaan questioned, confused.

"You're like Raj in real life," Riddhima repeated. Armaan was struck dumb at her insinuation. He knew how much she loved that movie. For her to compare him to Raj, the ideal boyfriend in her opinion, was the best compliment she could ever give him.

"Please elaborate," Armaan pleaded.

"I will not," Riddhima huffed. "Tumhaari ego aur nahi badhaani mujhe."

"Come on, Basket!" Armaan cried. "Tum aise bolke nahi chod sakti. Tumhe batana padega!! Please, please, please!"

"No," Riddhima remained resolute.

"Do you want me to beg on my knees?" Armaan questioned. "Because I will. Without hesitation."

It was more of a warning for Riddhima than anything else and she saw it as such. Armaan would definitely get down on his knees in the middle of the road and refuse to budge till she talked. It wouldn't even be the first time he did it. "Fine," she agreed. "I'll tell you."

"That's my girl," Armaan praised. "Chalo, ab batao! What did you mean?"

"I mean… I was just thinking. Humaari story bilkul DDLJ jaisi hi hai. Jab hum mile the toh har cheez pe ladte the. Mujhe tumhaari shakal dekhke hi gussa aa jaata tha. But phir, I don't even know how, we fell in love. Isliye, Papa ko impress karne tumne kitni mehnat ki. Humaare ghar shift ho gaye, unki aadatein copy karne ki koshish ki. Aur jab Papa ko sab pata chala, toh taaki hum saath reh sake, tumhe sabse ladna pada. Yeh ekdum same to same DDLJ ka hi toh plot hai!" Riddhima explained.

"Thank God! At least tumhaare Papa kisi aire-gaire ko nahi le aaye tumse shaadi karaane!" Armaan joked. Riddhima shook her head at his silliness.

"So, kyunki humaari story DDLJ jaisi hai, isliye main Raj?" Armaan probed, smirking.

Riddhima threw him a dirty look. "Now you're just fishing for compliments." So sue him, he was. But it wasn't always that his wife would be so poetic about him, and he deserved to have nice things. 

He gave her the puppy dog eyes and she felt helpless. Her husband knew just which buttons to press. "It's not just because of that," she admitted. "Tum bilkul Raj ke jaise ho! Let's be honest, you're a terror. Absolutely annoying, thode badtameez, always being boastful. But, at the end of the day, you have the best intentions and the warmest heart. You love your friends and your family so much. Tum unke liye kuch bhi kar sakte ho. And like Raj, you were a self proclaimed casanova, but when you fell in love, you did everything to make her happy."

"Everything, huh?" Armaan asked, fixating on the last part, because of course he did.

"You know you did," Riddhima shrugged, trying to not make a big deal out of it when it was in fact, a huge deal.

"I love you, too, Basket," Armaan confessed, pulling her into a hug. "I always will."

"Longer than forever?" She asked.

"More than always," he answered.

"That was cheesy," Riddhima laughed through her tears.

"You started it," Armaan replied without skipping a beat.

"Okay," Riddhima acquiesced. She stepped out of his embrace. "Ab chalein? Thoda zyada emotional ho gaya na."

Armaan agreed. He wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her into his side as they walked milling about the crowd. For the next couple of hours, they stopped at every stall they came across, buying something for themselves or their families. They got little trinkets, home decor, clothes, shoes, jewelry, even some art. 

Armaan was checking out a particularly tasteful wall clock when it happened. One second Riddhima was next to him, the next, she wasn't. As the day had started to go by, the crowd at the festival only increased. Armaan and Riddhima had kept a tight hold on each other in fear of separating, but Armaan had let go to hold the clock and examine it closely. And now, his wife wasn't there next to him like he'd been expecting. Abandoning the clock, looked around, hoping that she'd be somewhere near. "Basket!" He called out, wanting to gain her attention. No response. 

"Basket!" He repeated, this time louder. Still nothing.

"BASKET!" At the top of his voice and yet no reply.

"RIDDHIMA!" He cried out, wishing and hoping and praying that she'd hear him, yet she still did not call his name back.

Heart thumping wildly, Armaan tore through the crowd, his frantic gaze looking through the mass of people in search of her. When he didn't see her, he pulled his phone out to call her but then cursed himself when he felt her phone ring in his pocket. Fuxk dresses without pockets, he thought to himself. The first thing they'd do after he found her would be buying her a whole new wardrobe with clothes that had pockets in them so that she could have her phone with her all the time.

"RIDDHIMAAAAAAA!" He screamed once more, to no response one more time. He opened his photo gallery and clicked on a picture of Riddhima he'd snuck in while she'd been admiring the sea, showing it to the passersby, hoping against hope that someone had seen her, but to no luck. 

He kept walking around the area he'd lost her, slowly increasing his orbit to look around more places in search of her. Finally, after hours or days or weeks or years, he found her. She was talking to a woman, hands gesturing wildly. The relief he felt, knocked him down to his knees. He had never been more scared than now. Since the moment he'd realized she wasn't there, till this moment right now when she was in front of his eyes, there had never been a worst experience in his life, not even when he'd lied to everyone to leave in the dark of the night while Riddhima was still unconscious from the bullet she took for him. At least then, he'd known she was safe, surrounded by people who loved her. 

"Basket!" He called out, his throat aching, his voice barely above a whisper. But, she heard him. As she always did. Her eyes turned to him and he saw his relief mirrored in hers. She immediately abandoned the person she was talking to and ran to him, dropping to her knees. His arms shot out and wrapped her up, gathering her in a tight embrace. The tears didn't stop then, for either of them. Armaan kissed all over her face, his tears mingling with hers as she returned every frantic kiss with one of her own. 

"Kahaan chali gayi thi tum?" He asked through sobs. "Jaan nikal gayi thi meri!"

"Main toh wahin thi," Riddhima replied, crying just as hard. "Tum hi mujhe chodke chale gaye."

"Never," Armaan vowed. "Tum… Tumne mera haath kyun choda?"

"Maine nahi choda," Riddhima told him. "Mujhe bohot darr lag raha hai, Armaan."

Armaan hugged her close once more. "Hey, it's okay. Main yahaan hoon, okay? Tumhaare saath. It's okay."

He could hear her heart beating wildly in her chest, or maybe it was his. Maybe it was both of them. He just hugged her tighter, running his hands across her body, trying to remind them both that they were fine, that they were together. When he finally stopped hearing the loud, uneven thumps, he pulled back. Wiping her tears and then his, he slowly stood up, bringing her along with him. He'd lost at least half his bags when he was searching for her, but without bothering to look for them, he lifted her in his arms. Riddhima immediately wound her arms around his neck, hiding her face in his chest. 

Wordlessly, he walked them back to the docks, requesting Brianne to take them to their hotel. The entire journey, Armaan refused to let Riddhima down, holding her up in his arms. Only once they were in their room with the door locked behind them, did he finally let her go, gently placing her on the bed. He got in behind her and wrapped her up in his arms.

"I love you," he mumbled into her neck, in between kisses.

"I love you," Riddhima replied, turning in his arms to press her lips to his. She was here, in his arms, and they were together. That was all that mattered. 

He did!! <3

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

Chapter 140

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Sounds fun," Riddhima agreed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Sureeeee," Armaan drawled.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Kya?" Riddhima asked him.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Armaan is <3