I'll Love You Longer Than Forever

Chapter One Hundred and Forty

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.