I'll Love You Longer Than Forever

Chapter One Hundred and Eleven

Previously On...

Wedding prep ft. Rahul & Anjali.

Riddhima's cousins arrive.

Armaan & Muskaan meet Rahul's parents.

As the wedding drew closer, more and more of Armaan and Riddhima's friends and relatives started flying in for the ceremony. It was a loud and boisterous affair, but extremely happy and joyful. It hit Armaan then, that he truly was building a full and happy life with Riddhima. Before meeting Riddhima, before coming to Sanjeevani, the only person he could count on apart from himself had been Bi. Bi had been there for Armaan through thick and thin, more of a guardian than his parents had ever been, and he would be eternally grateful to her for all the love and care she'd bestowed on him, but right now, seeing how he'd let so many people become a part of his life, all of whom loved him, made him deliriously happy. Before Riddhima, all this had been a fantasy, a dream he didn't think would ever be fulfilled. But, here they were, and here he was. With so much love and happiness filling his heart he sometimes wondered how it hadn't burst out of him.

There was so much that had changed in his life in the past few years, and sometimes he would debate whether it was a good thing to have so many meddlesome people in his life, but when he looked at the same people having the time of their lives at his wedding, he knew that it was a good thing. The best thing, perhaps. It was a testament to how much he'd grown up himself in the past few years. Falling in love with Riddhima had helped him mature in ways he hadn't thought possible. In the past, he would never have tolerated so many people in his business, let alone in his house, content in his loneliness. He had always thought that having people who loved him was a dream, but he knew that was a dream because he knew himself.

He knew that he was afraid of being vulnerable, of letting people in, of letting others see his true emotions. He hid behind his mask of nonchalance, posing as a careless and flirtatious playboy, someone who didn't care about anything, because the alternative was too hard to fathom. He'd seen how being vulnerable in front of his parents had ended up with him being sent to boarding school, had ended in the three of them never talking, and had ended in the broken pieces he called family. So, yes. He knew better, or so he thought. Till he met Riddhima.

Meeting Riddhima, meeting their friends, had changed everything. He didn't have to worry about being needy because he knew Riddhima would indulge him if he did. He could crib as much as he wanted to and he knew that Anjy would listen. He could eat whatever he wanted and Muskaan would never judge. He knew that he sometimes got a little too excited about stuff but Atul always took it in stride and didn't tell him his ideas were stupid. He could rant about the stupidest of his problems but Rahul would always help him find a solution. He could always ask for a hug and Nikki would never deny. They all saw him, broken and all, and yet loved him the way he was. They taught him that being vulnerable didn't make him unlovable, especially Riddhima. She looked past his charade, saw his vulnerabilities, and still loved him enough to want to spend the rest of her life with him. She looked at him as if his imperfection was a gift, as if he was a gift. She made him who he was, breathing life into his listless existence. And he would forever be grateful for that.

Riddhima taught him how to live a fuller, happier life. And here he was, in the middle of a big, fat Indian wedding, laughing and dancing with his family, getting ready to marry her. Sometimes, he was surprised that he made it this far, that they made it this far. It had been such a long and arduous journey, that at times he wasn't sure they would. He knew that they weren't perfect, that both him and Riddhima had made mistakes, him more than her, and they had both lost faith. But, when that had happened, the other would always be there, a hand to hold, a shoulder to cry on, a hug to reassure. They had built this relationship together, brick by brick, with their tears and heartache, but also overwhelming love and laughter. And their journey had only just begun.