ILYLTF #5 (Chapter 145 - Page 110) - Page 79

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

I mean itna gehra kaun sochta hai

He's ❤️

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

He's definitely raising all our standards lol

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

Chapter 141

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Ask who what?" Armaan asked, confused. 

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

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

"I know," Riddhima replied smugly. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Thank you," Riddhima blushed. 

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

"She did look ethereal," Armaan confirmed. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Riddhima, very predictably, blushed. "Thanks."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I was not pathetic!" Armaan protested.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

so so so good!!

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

Dude...Roz Roz padhne ki adat hojayegi😭

Itna acha lagrha to get an update daily..❤️

And these 2 are cute.

You were right, they are setting goals high for me

( you are by writing them like this ❤️)

Chapter 142

"So, ab aage ka kya plan hai?" Riddhima asked, as they stepped out of their hotel. After they'd bid goodbye to Aurora, Zoya, Nora, and Nicholas, Armaan had spoken to the receptionist at the hotel and managed to snag a suite for them for the rest of their time there. The hotel had been very helpful and had agreed to transport all their luggage from the Sirenuse. However, they'd needed to rush back to pack all their stuff and check out of their room over there. The hotels had some sort of tie-up which meant that they hadn't lost any money in the cancellations, for which Riddhima was grateful.

Their room at the San Pietro was definitely more lavish. It was a large suite, with a huge master bedroom that boasted a king size bed, a dining room separate from the living room, a balcony with a small breakfast table, and a separate balcony which housed the swimming pool part of which doubled as a hot tub along with lounge chairs. They even had a jacuzzi in the bathroom. Riddhima had had half a mind to stay back at the hotel to make full use of their luxuries, but Armaan had assured her that he'd kept in mind to keep a couple of lazy days in their itinerary where all they would do would be stay in bed, so she had agreed to go out and explore, but not before Armaan had talked her into christening the jacuzzi. 

"Let's go on that moped tour!" Armaan suggested. 

"Moped? Tumhe chalani aati hai?" Riddhima asked.

"Of course!" Armaan sniffed. "What sort of question is that?"

"A normal one?" Riddhima replied, her response coming off more like a question in her confusion.

"Basket! Tumhe aisa kyun laga mujhe moped chalani nahi aayegi? Tumne meri bike dekhi haina?" Armaan probed.

"Haan, but bike aur moped same thodi hai!" Riddhima defended herself. "Plus, I can't really picture you on a moped."

"Well, lucky for you, you won't have to picture it any longer! Tumhe live dekhne mil jaayega!" Armaan exclaimed. "Chaloooo! Let's gooo!!"

Riddhima laughed, letting herself be swept away by Armaan's enthusiasm as he basically ran through the streets in his bid to get to a rental place fast. When they finally found one, he took ages to finally pick a vehicle.

"Armaan!!!" Riddhima cried, annoyed, as he sat on the 4th scooter, testing it out by bouncing on the seat a little. "Kya kar rahe ho tum?"

"Basket," he explained patiently, "we have to choose the right one! Warna phir agar beech raaste mein kharaab ho gayi toh humaare saare plans pe paani phir jaayega!"

"Aur iska engine sahi hai ya nahi yeh tumhe seat pe jump karne se pata chalega?" Riddhima questioned.

"No!" Armaan exclaimed, the proverbial light bulb going off in his head. "You're right. Wait. Let me ask if they'll let me do a test drive!"

"That was not what I wanted when I asked you the question!" Riddhima protested, aghast. She'd thought it would deter him from trying out various scooters and just pick one. She hadn't thought it would make the entire process more cumbersome. But, that was on her. She should have known. This was her husband. When had he ever done anything to make her life easier? It was like his entire purpose of existence was to annoy her. And he was accomplishing his objective really well!

"Too late, sweetheart!" Armaan called out as he walked to the office. Riddhima rushed behind him.

"Hey! Can I take them on a test drive to choose one?" Armaan asked the clerk manning the counter. 

"Sure," the man, Matt, replied. He pulled out a key and gave it to Armaan. "I'll come with you."

"Wow," Armaan mused. "Thanks! This was so easy! I thought I'd have to try harder to convince you."

"It's okay, you're not the first one who asked for a test drive," Matt assured. "We'll take that one," he said, pointing to a deep blue scooter.

"Cool," Armaan agreed. "And after that we can try the yellow one and the red one! Oh, and definitely the orange. I think the pink one should also not be ignored."

"Wait…" Matt paused. "You want to test drive all the scooters?" 

Armaan nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! How else will I know which one is the best?"

"I thought you wanted to try out only one," Matt clarified. Riddhima snorted. Oh, this naive fool. She almost pitied him. Almost. 

Armaan looked positively aghast at the insinuation. "Why would I want to try only one when you have at least 6 of them right here… And more in the back? How will I know which of these is the best one for me if I don't try all of them out?"

"Sir, we don't have that kind of time on our hands," Matt responded.

"Speak for yourself," Armaan snorted. "I have nothing but time."

"That we're supposed to use to explore the island!" Riddhima cried. "Not waste on test driving scooters!!"

"But, Basket… It's necessary for the tour to go well. We have to be very careful when we choose the moped!" Armaan insisted. "I told you this already."

"Sir," Matt cut in. "I can assure you… All our vehicles run very smoothly. They have great mileage too. You don't have to worry on that front."

"How can I believe you without checking it myself?" Armaan questioned. "When we were driving down from Naples, I was duped the same way! They said the car is in a perfectly good working condition and then it broke down in the middle of nowhere!"

"That won't happen here, sir," Matt promised. "I guarantee it. If it does, I'll refund the entire rent to you."

"It's not about the money, though!" Armaan cried. "It's about the inconvenience it would cause if your scooter stopped working. What if we get stranded again?"

"I was under the impression that you were going to be touring within the city limits?" Matt probed. "Because, if you're planning to go outside the limit, I'm sorry but I won't be able to help you with a rental!"

"We're not going out," Armaan clarified. "We'll be here in the city itself."

"So, there's really no chance of you getting stranded then, is there?" Matt questioned rhetorically. "You can ask any of the locals for help! And we're pretty much in the heart of the town right now, so anywhere you are, you can easily journey back here on foot as well. You won't get stuck anywhere."

"So, what you're saying is no test drives?" Armaan asked.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't afford to give you multiple test drives," Matt confirmed.

"Fine," Armaan sighed. "Can we at least try out the yellow one? Just one?"

"Sure," Matt agreed. "Let me get the keys."

The moment Matt was out of hearing range, Riddhima started laughing. "Hahaha," Armaan intoned sarcastically. "Haslo tum. Tumhe toh mazaa hi aa raha hoga na mere saath yeh sab hua toh."

"Awwww," Riddhima cooed, still giggling. She wrapped her arms around his neck, brushing their noses together in an eskimo kiss. "Thoda sa," she admitted.

Armaan pouted. "Come on, baby!" Riddhima exclaimed. "You have to agree… It's a little funny!"

Armaan harrumphed, not deigning her words worth a response. "Achcha, baba! Sorry! It's not funny at all! Okay?" Riddhima gave in. 

"Whatever," Armaan muttered. "Agar phir kuch gadbad hui, toh meri fault nahi hogi!"

"Okay," Riddhima agreed. "Tumhaari fault bilkul nahi hogi! I promise."

When Matt came back with the keys, he said, "You can circle the parking lot itself to check it out."

"No need," Riddhima told him. "We'll take it."

"Are you sure?" Matt asked, doubtful.

"Positive," Riddhima assured. "If something goes wrong, we'll call you. Or, like you said, walk back here. It'll be fine."

"If you say so," Matt shrugged, dropping the keys into her open palm. "Here you go, then!"

"Thank you!" Riddhima exclaimed, expressing her gratitude.

"It's my job," Matt reminded her with a smile. "Now, helmets are in the trunk under the seat. Please wear them when you're riding the scooter. Also, you have to pay half the rent upfront as an advance."

"Of course," Armaan replied, reaching into his pocket to get the money. He paid Matt and then, were on their way. 

"Kaske pakadna, Basket," Armaan warned before he started the engine, and then immediately zooped off. Startled, Riddhima held on for dear life, both her arms wound tightly around Armaan's waist, her body practically glued to his. Armaan purposely drove over a few potholes and stones, jerking the moped and making Riddhima's arms tighten around his body. 

"ARMAAN!!" Riddhima shrieked after one very jerky bump. "Bandh karo!"

"Maine kya kiya?" Armaan shouted over the noise of the engine, acting innocent.

"Tumhe pata hai tumne kya kiya!" Riddhima cried. "Ab zyada bhole mat bano!"

"Nahi, Basket," Armaan replied. "Mujhe sach mein nahi pata kya hua."

And then, he rode over another pothole. "Yeh!" Riddhima screeched. "Yeh hua!! Tum jaan-boojhke aise khaddon pe se chala rahe ho na?"

"Main kuch nahi kar raha," Armaan promised, driving over a stone. The scooter jerked harder and Armaan actually had to stop for a second to gain his footing.

"Armaan!! Kya kar rahe ho? Stop!" Riddhima ordered. "Abhi accident ho jaayega."

"Kuch nahi hoga, Basket," Armaan assured. "Trust me!"

"No, thanks," Riddhima answered. "Ek kaam karo, tum rehne do. Ab main chalaati hoon."

"Tum?" Armaan laughed. "Tumhe aati bhi hai kya scooter chalaani?"

"Cycle chalaane se kitna hi different ho sakta hai?" Riddhima asked. "Woh toh aata hai mujhe!"

"Bohot different," Armaan told her. 

"Pch… Mujhe try toh karne do! Please, baby!!" Riddhima pleaded, batting her eyelashes just so.

"Tumhe sach mein seekhna hai?" Armaan asked, sighing. Riddhima nodded eagerly.

"Okay. Phir main achche se sikhata hoon," Armaan said.

"Thank you!" Riddhima cried, giving him a quick squeeze.

"Chalo, aage aake baitho tum," Armaan told her, getting down. Riddhima slid to the front. 

"Okay, ab… Scooter chalana cycle chalaane jitna easy nahi hota, but usse zyada difficult bhi nahi hota," Armaan explained. "Tumhe bas weight sambhaalna hai aur balance banake rakhna hai, okay?"

"Okay," Riddhima said, carefully listening to his instructions. "Tum peeche se pakadke rakhoge na?"

Armaan chuckled. "Of course, Jaan," he assured her, kissing her forehead. "Tum tension mat lo. Main hoon. Kuch nahi hoga. Okay?"

Riddhima nodded. "I know."

"Toh, shuru karein?" He asked. At Riddhima's confirmation, he taught her how to get the engine running. Slowly, Riddhima began to drive the scooter along the streets while Armaan held onto it from the back, just in case. He knew if something happened, he wouldn't be able to stop it, that controlling a scooter was not the same as a bicycle, but Riddhima had asked him to hold on, so hold on he would. 

"This is so much fun!" Riddhima exclaimed, as she increased the speed just a tad, making it so that Armaan had to jog to keep up with her. 

"You're doing so well, baby!" Armaan encouraged. "Bas ab thode time mein mujhe peeche se pakadna bhi nahi padega!"

Riddhima giggled at that, her happiness absolutely infectious. Armaan kept up with the scooter for a while but then let go, standing still as Riddhima moved forward on her. He stood back, watching proudly as she drove the moped without any help, doing a pretty good job for her first time. He didn't think he was capable of feeling this way. That someone else's small achievements would feel like big triumphs to him. But here they were. Riddhima hadn't done anything huge like cure cancer. She'd just learnt how to ride a scooter. And yet, here was, feeling as if he should be handing out awards to her for this feat. Love truly did make you blind, he realized in that exact moment.

Well, he'd known before, of course. Had even felt it in his own actions, when he chose to wilfully ignore things, or to overlook situations. But, never before had he felt it so keenly. He felt like the love he felt for Riddhima would pour out of his body and spill onto the sidewalk, because he was sure he wouldn't be able to keep it in. How would he be able to anyway? His body wasn't big enough to hold the unending love he had for his wife. No body on this planet was big enough. He doubted there ever would be. 

"ARMAAN!" Riddhima's shriek brought him out of his thoughts and he realized that she'd turned back, seen him standing away, and promptly started to lose control of the vehicle. He darted forward, running like his life depended on it. He reached Riddhima just in time to cushion her fall to the ground. The wind was knocked out of his lungs as Riddhima's head banged against it, their arms and legs tangled together in a mess of limbs. Thankfully, the moped fell on the opposite side instead of over them. 

"Are you okay?" Armaan asked, breathless. "Kahin lagi toh nahi?"

"Nahi," Riddhima replied. "Tumhe lagi?"

"I… I don't think so?" Armaan answered, more like a question. He couldn't feel any pain so that was good, but maybe it was because Riddhima was still squishing him and he just hadn't realized. Riddhima seemed to have come to the same conclusion because she immediately scrambled to sit up. It took her a couple of tries because her urgency only made her keep falling back on him. 

When she was finally sitting, she helped Armaan sit up too. "So? Kahin dard ho raha hai?"

Armaan thought about it for a moment, feeling his body to make sure everything was okay. "Haan, dard toh ho raha hai! Aur bohot zor se!"

"Oh my god!" Riddhima whispered. "I'm so, so, so sorry! Kahaan? Dikhao mujhe!"

"Aahhh," he moaned. 

"I'm so sorry, Armaan! Mujhe aur dhyaan se chalana chahiye tha!! Meri wajah se tumhe bhi chot aa gayi… I'm… Main… I'm sorry!" Riddhima repeated. "Batao… Kahaan dukh raha hai."

"Yahaan," Armaan pointed to his heart. 

"Kya? Kahaan?!" Riddhima quickly bent forward, twisting his shirt to get a better look at his chest.

"Haan… Woh… Tum itna door baithi thi na… Toh dil dukh raha tha. Ab sab theek hai," Armaan added, using the opportunity to slide his arms around her waist and pull her into his side.

"ARMAAN!" Riddhima cried, whacking his chest. "Jaan nikaal di thi tumne meri! Aise koi karta hai kya?"

"Sorry!" Armaan exclaimed, not sounding apologetic at all. Riddhima huffed and looked away.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Armaan repeated, punctuating each apology with a kiss - to both her cheeks and a quick peck on her mouth.

"Theek hai, theek hai," Riddhima murmured. "Sach mein theek ho na tum?"

"Haan, Basket," Armaan promised. "I'm okay. But I think… Ab moped main hi chalaata hoon. What do you think?"

"Yes, please!" Riddhima agreed. She got up and helped Armaan up too. Armaan dusted his pants and then did the same for Riddhima before he picked up the moped. 

The rest of the day was a lot of fun. They explored the town and all the nearby areas, enjoying the beautiful landscape and heavenly views. They indulged in gelato for all their meals and had their fill of fresh fruits and juices along the way. Of course, Armaan somehow managed to go shopping too, and they bought more stuff for themselves and their friends. At the end of the day, Armaan returned the keys of the moped to a very smug Matt much to Armaan's chagrin. When Matt winked at Riddhima over Armaan's shoulder, she laughed, and for that, Armaan forgave his misplaced pride at the scooter having functioned smoothly through the day.

They went to the hotel extremely excited to test their new bed out. The moment they were in the room and the door was closed behind them, Armaan leapt onto the bed, and started jumping. Soon, Riddhima joined in. The two of them kept using the bed like a surprisingly efficient trampoline till Armaan lost his balance and fell down, taking Riddhima along with him. As Riddhima's breathless giggles echoed around him, Armaan sunk into the mattress, happy to have found his home in her laughter.

Hahhaha I'm sorry about that lol cannot promise daily updates sadly. 

They're so cute I'm <3

They're the best!! Thank you for reading :)