meet me in the afterglow

Chapter Ten

Things were getting better, but they were also somehow getting worse. When Armaan had suggested therapy, he had known it would be a far cry from sunshine and roses, but he hadn't expected it to be this. He really had tried his best, but the more things progressed in therapy, the more it seemed that the distance between him and Riddhima increased.

Armaan had not known that both of them had been brushing so many things off just to appease the other, how they'd both let go off hurts to keep the other happy. He'd always known that communication was something they struggled with as a couple, but he did not know how bad things had gotten.

They'd had a rocky start and neither Armaan nor Riddhima had been comfortable with the first couple therapists they'd tried out, but had finally had luck with the third. Third time's the charm and all that, eh? But, even then, it had taken them a few sessions to start digging deeper into their issues and actually opening up about things that had gone wrong and how they were hurting.

Armaan was only now realizing just how much Riddhima had forgiven him for. He'd been far from a perfect boyfriend. He'd always known that. But the extent to which some of his actions had hurt her had left him reeling. He felt wholly inadequate to call Riddhima his wife.

He'd seen a similar tussle in Riddhima's eyes. It hadn't been just him who had mistakes. Riddhima had made them too, and while hers weren't as many as his, they'd still hurt him. It hadn't been easy for him to brush those things off, just as he suspected was the case for Riddhima.

But, they'd both been too scared to actually voice their opinions and so things had gone awry. Now though, Armaan had vowed that he'd not do it anymore, neither would he let Riddhima do it. They were so in love still, but everything else between them was making it difficult. He never wanted them to reach a point like that again. They both would learn how to talk things out and not let their hurt fester.

Wanting to reduce the awkwardness that had surrounded them as of late, Armaan decided to take Riddhima out for dinner over the weekend. Ever since he'd come back, the two of them had gotten busy with finding rhythm in their new normal, but hadn't done anything really coupley in this time. When they'd been dating, they'd have countless dates, even if they were at the hospital cafeteria instead of some fancy restaurant. They'd take that time to be a couple over anything else. Maybe, having some time like that would make things better.

And, how long had it been since he'd given his wife a surprise? Earlier, a surprise from him for her, no matter how small, had been a regular thing. Sometimes, something just as simple as a rose when she wasn't expecting it, to sometimes doing something grand like decorating the entire terrace in flowers and photos of her. He'd always done things to surprise her, to see that awed smile light her face up. He would do something this weekend too.

When the weekend rolled around, Riddhima was immediately suspicious. Armaan had been behaving a little weirdly in the past couple days and she knew him well enough to know he was planning something. She didn't know what it was, but she was cautiously excited. It had been a long time since he'd done something to surprise her.

They'd both been a little harsh to each other in the past week, their old wounds resurfacing the more they talked about them, and things had gotten a little tense. She had been angry at him and he'd been wary of her. They'd been tiptoeing around each other for the last couple days, not wanting to step one toe out of line and do something that would strain things further. So, maybe, this would make things better. Riddhima could only hope.

But then, most of the weekend passed without any fanfare. They both went to work on Saturday, and had dinner together later in the day, but the awkward silences still reigned. Sunday was a little better with Armaan making an effort to cook for both of them, which ended in a disaster and they ended up going out for a late brunch. And then, just as the clock struck 6pm, Armaan was in front of Riddhima, a gorgeous red salwar kameez in hand, asking her to get changed because they were going out.