I'll Love You Longer Than Forever

Chapter One Hundred and Forty Four

"It will not fit," Riddhima insisted.

"Basket!" Was Armaan's exasperated reply. "Thoda aur try karo na. Just a little push!"

"Armaan, I've been pushing for 15 minutes. Kuch nahi ho raha! It won't fit!" Riddhima exclaimed. "Now stop it before we get hurt!"

Sighing, Armaan flopped onto the floor. Riddhima climbed down from the top of the suitcase she had been sitting on, the one that both her and Armaan had been trying to close for a while. "This is a travesty," Armaan moaned. "Ab hum kya karenge?"

"Maine kaha tha tumse," Riddhima reminded him. "We're shopping a little too much! Tumse na, thoda bhi control nahi hota. There was no need to buy so many things!"

"But ab toh khareed liye na! Ab kya karein?" Armaan asked.

"How do I know?" Riddhima fired back.

"Be a part of the solution, Basket," Armaan encouraged. "Not the problem!"

"You're the problem," Riddhima protested. "This is not my fault."

"Bol toh tum aise rahi ho jaise tumne bilkul shopping nahi ki hai," Armaan accused. "You shopped a lot too."

"Not as much as you," Riddhima pointed out. "Because I have common sense."

"There's no other way. Humein aur suitcases hi khareedne padenge," Armaan decided.

"Well, unless you want to return some stuff," Riddhima suggested.

"New suitcases," Armaan announced.

"New suitcases it is," Riddhima agreed. "Abhi chalein?"

"Well, not a lot of options, sweetheart. We're going to Rome tonight," Armaan reminded her. Since there wasn't a direct flight back to India, they were going to be flying out of Rome. And since it was Rome, and they had seen what Amalfi had to offer, Riddhima had suggested they leave a day early so that they could explore the city. Armaan had been too happy to oblige.

"Let's go, then," Riddhima said. "But shower first."

"Let's use the hot tub," Armaan suggested. "After all, aaj humaara aakhri din hai yahaan."

Riddhima rolled her eyes but agreed. They had used the hot tub before, just once. It would be a shame to not do so again. She was a little in love with it, maybe. It felt so heavenly to sit in it while the low thrum of the water massaged her back. If it wouldn't have been so impractical, she would have suggested they get one for their house back home. They didn't have enough space for it now, nor was it feasible to spend a fortune on such a luxury, so she hadn't. But, she had quietly filed it away into her ever-growing list of things that their dream home should have. At this rate, Riddhima thought, they'd take 50 years to have that. But, it was a dream, so she could add whatever she wanted to it. Maybe she'd not get all of it, but she would get some of it. Of that, she was certain. She wouldn't put it past Armaan to move heaven and earth to fulfill her every little whim, but she knew that some things would always be a fantasy, no matter how hard they tried.

They pruned themselves in the hot tub for a while, making out almost furiously, desperate lips and wandering hands. "Maybe we should just live here," Armaan panted breathlessly. "We can just live in this hot tub for the rest of our lives."

Riddhima laughed. "Armaan, we have a life."

"I want this to be my life," Armaan whined. "Just us together, doing whatever we want."

"That's what we'll do at home too," Riddhima assured. "But we'll have our family there."

"Kabab mein haddi," Armaan muttered. "Wohi toh nahi chaahta main!"