ILYLTF #5 (Chapter 145 - Page 110) - Page 80

Awww this one was cute.. Armaan is so adoringly annoying while testing the scooters :P

They got their cooking class after all. With all the jokes and comaraderie, it was a good session.

Armaan and his test driving frenzy. Good thing Matt put a stop to it.

Uff you always melt my heart with your stories…So beautifully penned, so beautifully expressed *heart eyes*

The Armaan in your story is setting my standards very high *sigh*

Chapter 143

The next day was baby's day in, as Armaan was fondly calling it. Basically, it was the one day that he'd kept aside for them to relax at the hotel and do absolutely nothing but stay in bed and order room service. Riddhima was extremely grateful.

While they'd been enjoying their time in Amalfi a lot, going out everyday had been tiring. There was never enough time to do everything they wanted, but a day in bed sounded absolutely heavenly. She wouldn't even have to change out of her nightwear and could lounge around in one of Armaan's too big tees for the entire day. That sounded even better.

They started off their day with breakfast in bed. Riddhima had ordered an assortment of snacks for them, ranging from healthy options like fruits to very unhealthy options like ice-cream. "Ice-cream for breakfast?" Armaan laughed when he saw it.

"And?" Riddhima questioned, raising a perfect eyebrow.

"And nothing," Armaan conceded. "Clearly, you are correct. Ice-cream for breakfast sounds awesome!"

"Good boy," Riddhima replied, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

"BASKETTTTT!" Armaan whined. "Mat karo!!"

Riddhima giggled. "But you're so cute, baby!"

Armaan rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Ab naashta karein?"

"Haan! Bohot bhook lagi hai!" Riddhima exclaimed. They dug into their food with gusto, taking turns to feed each other.

"Baby, tum yeh taste karo," Riddhima instructed, shoving a bite of the mint chocolate chip ice-cream in his face.

"No way!" Armaan exclaimed, moving away. "That tastes like toothpaste. Main woh bakwaas flavour nahi khaane wala!"

"Hawwwww!" Riddhima exclaimed. "Tum isse aise toothpaste bolke iski insult kaise kar sakte ho? It's so good!"

"Toh tum khao na! Mujhe mat khilao!" Armaan said. "Tumhaara mint chocolate chip tumhe hi mubaarak. Main normal logon ki tarah butterscotch mein khush hoon."

"But butterscotch is so boring," Riddhima wrinkled her nose. "Mujhe laga tumhaara favourite flavour thoda exciting hoga!"

"Exciting?" Armaan questioned, confused.

"Haan! Jaise ki… I don't know… Papaya on Chocolate, ya maybe woh Guava with Chilli. Aisa kuch," Riddhima explained.

"That sounds like a hate crime," Armaan announced. "Aise flavours bante bhi hain?"

"Haan," Riddhima told him. "Bilkul bante hain!"

"Lekin ice-cream mein mirchi kaun daalta hai?!" Armaan cried. "Ice-cream ka poora point hi hai ki it's dessert! Since when is dessert spicy?"

A second later, he added, "Wait, no. Don't answer that. I know when it can be spicy. Lekin iss context mein!"

Riddhima guffawed at his words. "Dirty mind!" She exclaimed. "Main waise nahi soch rahi thi."

"Jhoothi," Armaan stated, his accusation having no weight compared to the wide grin on his face. "Tum bilkul soch rahi thi!"

"Just because tumhaara dimaag poora din gutter mein pada raha tha, iska yeh matlab nahi ki sabka rehta hai," Riddhima replied primly.

"Agreed," Armaan said. "Sabka nahi rehta. Lekin tumhaara toh rehta hai, sweetheart."

"Tumhaari hi company ka asar hoga," Riddhima stated. "Agar tumhe aisa lagta hai toh. Jo, by the way, you're wrong."

"I'm not," Armaan insisted.

"You are!" Riddhima protested.

"I can prove it to you!" Armaan said.

"You can prove what?" Riddhima asked him.

"I can prove that you have a dirty mind," Armaan asserted.

"Aur tum yeh kaise karoge?" Riddhima wondered.

"Very easy, Basket," Armaan told her, a mischievous grin on his face. He reached to his side of the bed and picked up his phone. "Main tumse kuch questions poochunga aur tumhe bas unka jawaab bata na hai."

"Bas?" Riddhima questioned.

"Bas," Armaan assured. "They're riddles, though. Toh ho sakta hai tumhe thoda sochna pade, but other than that, it's all good!"

"Fine," Riddhima agreed. "Thode se riddles hi toh answer karne hain! How hard can it be?"

Armaan raised his eyebrows at that. "STOP IT!" Riddhima thundered, whacking him. "Phir tumne double meaning nikaala. You know very well what I meant!"

"Hmmm, did I?" Armaan asked rhetorically, pretending to think.

"Bakwaas mat karo and ask your questions!" Riddhima ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!" Armaan agreed. "Let's do it!"

"Okay. So. First question," Armaan rattled off, reading it from his phone. "What does a bride get on her wedding day that’s long and sometimes hard?"

"I'm sorry what?" Riddhima asked, wondering if she heard him right.

"What does a bride get on her wedding day that’s long and sometimes hard?" Armaan repeated.

"That is so inappropriate!" Riddhima shrieked. "Yeh sach mein ek riddle ka question hai?"

"Yes," Armaan answered smugly. "And get your mind out of the gutter! The answer is a new last name!"

"Rubbish!" Riddhima scoffed. "We both know that's not what you thought either."

"But we established that I'm always thinking dirty thoughts," Armaan countered. "Tum hi keh rahi thi ki tum hamesha aisa nahi sochti!"

"Kyunki main nahi sochti!" Riddhima insisted. "This was too obvious. Koi aur question poocho."

"Are you sure?" Armaan asked.

"Yes," Riddhima replied, determined.

"Are you really sure?" Armaan pressed.

"Yes!" Riddhima exclaimed, irritated.

Armaan gave it some thought. "Hmmmm, if we're gonna do this… Thode stakes badhaane chahiye, don't you think?"

Riddhima rubbed her face. "Fine. Name your terms."

"That's like my Basket!" Armaan cheered. "Theek hai… Main tumse 5 questions aur poochunga. Agar tumne at least 3 ka sahi jawaab diya, toh tum jeeti, warna main. Aur jo haarega usse… Uh… Woh ek mahine tak jeetne wale ki har baat maanega! Aur… Aur woh taana nahi maar sakta aur naa hi ladaayi start kar sakta hai. Okay?"

Riddhima paused at that. A month without taunting her husband? Seemed too much. But, she couldn't back out. She had a lot at stake. Not taking the bet would be worse than losing. Armaan would not let her live it down for the rest of their lives. She could not give him such ammunition against her. There really was no option. She had to take the bet and just pray that the next few questions would be easier. "Shake on it?" She asked, offering Armaan her hand.

Armaan used it as leverage to pull her closer and pressed their lips together in a hard kiss. "Deal," he mumbled once he'd let her go. "Let's start then!"

"What does every woman have that starts with a “v” that she can use to get what she wants?" Armaan asked.

Oh, much tamer, Riddhima realized. She thought about it for a moment, not wanting to jump to conclusions. "Her voice!" She finally answered, pretty sure she was right.

"That is correct," Armaan sighed.

"YESSSS!" Riddhima crowed.

"Itna uchlo mat," Armaan cribbed. "Abhi 4 questions baaki hai!"

"Tum agla question poocho!" Riddhima instructed.

"What’s in a man’s pants that you just won’t find in a girl’s pants?" Armaan questioned.

"Pockets!" This time, she didn't even have to think. Lack of pockets. The bane of every woman's existence. And a few days ago, her husband's too.

"That is correct," Armaan agreed. "Next. What’s a four-letter word that ends in “k” and means the same as intercourse?"

"ARMAAN!" Riddhima shrieked. Her reaction was instantaneous. She couldn't help herself. Then, she bit her tongue, palming her face with a sigh as Armaan started laughing.

"Riddhima : 2, Armaan : 1," he declared smugly.

"I'm still ahead," Riddhima reminded him.

"Let me celebrate my win!" Armaan pouted. "The answer was talk, by the way. In case you were interested in finding out."

"Oh," Riddhima breathed. "Yes, that makes sense."

"Next one, then!" Armaan cheered. "I start with p and end in o-r-n, and I'm a major player in the film industry. What am I?"

"WHY ARE YOU SO VULGAR!!" Riddhima cried, hitting him with a pillow. Armaan fell back on the bed, laughing. "The answer is popcorn!!" He shouted between chuckles. Pushing Riddhima, he snatched the pillow from her. "You're the vulgar one," he told her, caging her beneath his body.

"I hate you!" Riddhima declared, falling back on the bed. Armaan laughed, his head in her neck. "We have one more to go! Come on! You can salvage this!"

"Please," Riddhima scoffed.

"Are you forfeiting then?" Armaan asked.

"And admit defeat? Never!" Riddhima snarked, turning. She took Armaan by surprise and he didn't resist, letting her climb on top of him. From her perch on his stomach, she said, "Ask away."

"Fine, fine," Armaan agreed. "Last one, Basket!! Aur phir ek mahine ke liye tum mujhe taana nahi maar sakti!"

"Abhi se decide mat karo! What if I win?" Riddhima shot back. Armaan laughed out loud. At Riddhima's catty expression, he asked, "Oh… Tum mazaak nahi kar rahi thi?"

"So funny… Not," Riddhima sniffed. "Please ask the next one!"

"Okay, then! The moment of truth is finally here!" Armaan announced. "The deciding question. Kya hoga? Basket aaj jeetegi yaa haaregi? Kya woh ek mahine tak bina koi sarcastic comment kiye reh paayegi?"

"Stop it!!" Riddhima cribbed. "Yeh KBC nahi chal raha jo tum itni footage kha rahe ho!! Just ask the question!"

"Spoilsport!" Armaan mumbled. "Fine. Have it your way. I have a long shaft. I always penetrate with the tip first and I always come with a quiver. What am I?"

Riddhima looked at him, dumbfounded. This riddle was rather difficult. She couldn't think of what it was, besides the obvious, of course. But she wouldn't overreact like she'd done for the past couple questions. Even if she couldn't get the answer right, what she wouldn't be doing is getting it wrong.

"This is… A difficult one," she finally admits. "I don't know."

"Are you sure?" Armaan asked her. Riddhima nodded. She'd just realized. If she didn't answer, she wouldn't answer incorrectly, which meant they'd both tie and the whole thing would be over.

"I don't know," Riddhima repeated. "I guess it's a tie."

Armaan crowed. "It's not! I win!!"

"How did you win?" Riddhima asked. "Maine 2 ke sahi jawaab diye aur 2 ke galat. Toh, yeh tie hua!"

"But, the terms were ki tumhe 3 questions ke sahi jawaab dene hain. Tumne sirf 2 ke diye. That means I win!" Armaan explained.

"That's cheating!" Riddhima cried.

"It's not cheating! Them's the rules. Tumne haan kaha tha!" Armaan told her.

"But I thought you meant that…" Riddhima started, but Armaan cut her off. "Maine kaha tha tumhe 3 sawalon ke sahi jawaab dene honge, toh tum jeetogi warna main jeetunga. Toh, as per pre-approved rules, main jeet gaya!!"

"I hate you," Riddhima declared, setting Armaan off once more. "Uh, uh!!" He teased. "Ab tum ek mahine tak mujhe taana nahi maar sakti!"

Riddhima threw her hands in the air and fell back on the bed with a huff. Armaan was on top of her not a moment later. "Here's an idea," he mumbled into the skin of her neck. "Let's put those dirty minds to use. What say you, Basket?"

With an annoyed grumble, Riddhima pulled him back by tugging his hair and promptly pulled him into a filthy kiss. Why was even his annoying behaviour turning her on now? This did not bode well for her in the long run, but she would examine it later. Right now, she lost herself in the feel of his lips on hers, his hands running down her sides, the weight of his body on hers, pressing her into the mattress.

Later, after they'd both showered to clean off the mess they'd made, they made their way to the beach to have some down time. "But, jawaab kya tha?" Riddhima asked Armaan.

"Kiska jawaab?" Armaan questioned, confused. He was laying down on one of the lounge chairs sipping on a delicious cocktail, and soaking in the sun. Obviously, his brain had turned to lush and wasn't working properly with all the relaxation.

"The riddle, Armaan!" Riddhima exclaimed, frustrated. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. What could the answer be?

"Oh, that," Armaan murmured, finally catching on. "It was an arrow," he told her with a shrug.

"Huh?" Riddhima wondered. She thought back to the question. Always come with a quiver. Oh. Of course. A quiver of arrows. That was… Diabolical, actually. In her opinion.

"Why did I not think of that?" She thought out loud.

"I thought we already established that. Dirty mind, sweetheart!" Armaan laughed.

"YOU DID THIS TO ME!" Riddhima accused. "I was not like this before!"

"Sure," Armaan agreed easily. "But now you are. It's not my fault I'm so charming that I rubbed off on you."

"OH MY GOD STOP IT!" Riddhima screeched as Armaan cackled.

The rest of the day passed without any fanfare. They lounged at the beach and went for a swim, before heading out to a bistro for lunch. After some lip-smacking food, they decided to go back to the hotel to stay in bed for the rest of the day.

"We should stock up," Riddhima suggests. "Armaan, I'm so tired, I don't think agar hum hotel gaye toh ab main waapas bed se niklungi."

"We can order room service for dinner," Armaan assured. "But yes, snacks are a must. Let's go!"

They find a supermarket somewhere along the road and go wild, buying any and every half appealing packet of food that they see, because when else will they get a chance to taste local Italian delicacies such as this? Perhaps never. So, they do it.

Once they're back at the hotel, Riddhima insists on taking a nap, and Armaan follows. They change into their pyjamas and fall into bed together. Armaan holds Riddhima close and buries his face in her hair, nuzzling into her. He doesn't even realize when he falls asleep. When he wakes up, Riddhima is already up. She's sitting beside him, leaning back on the bed, a book in her hand, glasses perched on her nose. She's biting her lip as she reads and it's too much for him, so Armaan surges forward and pulls her into his arms, the book falling from her hands. Riddhima doesn't get a chance to understand what's really going on before Armaan has crashed their lips together in a hard kiss.

"Sleep well?" Riddhima asked, panting, once they finally pulled back.

"Hmmmm," Armaan hummed, rubbing their noses together. "Good morning."

"Evening, actually," Riddhima replied.

"Whatever," Armaan rolled his eyes.

After taking a moment to freshen up, Armaan talked Riddhima into watching a movie. They mindlessly surf the channels on the hotel's tv before settling on what looked like a romcom. "Tumhe kya lagta hai? Hero heroine se kya bol raha hai?" Riddhima asked as they watched the movie. It was in Italian with no subtitles, so of course, they didn't understand a word, but the scene was clearly an intense scene, going by the way the two actors were emoting.

"Main tumhaare bachche ka baap ban'ne wala hoon," was Armaan's immediate reply, making Riddhima yelp. Of course, he'd do this. She should have guessed.

"Armaan!" She scolded, though it barely had any effect given how she was giggling.

"What?" Armaan shrugged. "Woh yehi bol raha hai! Aur dekho… Ab heroine keh rahi hai… Nahi, tum iss bachche ke baap nahi ho sakte! Woh toh Ranjeet hai!"

"Shut up!" Riddhima managed to say through a snort as she cackled. "Usne aisa nahi kaha."

"Usne aisa hi kaha, Basket," Armaan responded, a smile bright enough to light up her whole life. She didn't know how he could say such a thing with a straight face, but she applauded the effort.

Of course, Armaan didn't stop there and then had to give a play-by-play breakdown of the movie in ridiculous dialogue for the rest of the night, not that Riddhima was complaining. It was fun to see just how many bizarre Bollywood twists Armaan could add to what looked like an art film. He did a fine job and Riddhima was in stitches. She didn't remember the last time she'd laughed so much that actual tears had spilled out of her eyes. It amazed her that this was her life now, that Armaan would always be there with his silly jokes, making her laugh, and filling her life with such abundant happiness. She really was so lucky.

_____

Fun Fact! The riddles that Armaan asked Riddhima are all lifted from a game that my friends and I played at a friend's bachelorette, asking the bride-to-be the same ones and she also failed miserably. :p

Originally posted by: tanvi_mitt

Awww this one was cute.. Armaan is so adoringly annoying while testing the scooters :P

Armaan is always cute!!

Originally posted by: coderlady

They got their cooking class after all. With all the jokes and comaraderie, it was a good session.

Yes finally!! They deserve to have all the fun! <3

Originally posted by: coderlady

Armaan and his test driving frenzy. Good thing Matt put a stop to it.

Hahhaa he can get paranoid!

Originally posted by: TaniDMGlover

Uff you always melt my heart with your stories…So beautifully penned, so beautifully expressed *heart eyes*

The Armaan in your story is setting my standards very high *sigh*

Hello, hello, hello! Let me just say I am very much looking forward to your comments when you get the time to read properly! <3

Thank you so much. Armaan will always be the gold standard so we need to make sure he stays there!!

Ice cream for breakfast? Why not? Its vacation time after all.