The Distance Between Us

Track Thirteen - Love

After a lot of discussions and pleading, it was decided that Rohan and Jaanhavi's wedding would be pushed by 2 weeks, giving Jaanhavi time to recover. Though her injuries weren't serious and they were completely manageable, Jaanhavi point blank refused to get married while she was still in a cast because she didn't want to feel uncomfortable during the wedding. And, she sure as shit wasn't gonna wait for weeks after she got married to go on her honeymoon. She knew that if they got married right away, no one would let her travel. Yes, it made her vain, but her wedding was something she was looking forward to and she refused to look anything than her absolute best on that day.

Juhi Ma and Chote Papa had been really skeptical about this choice, mainly because they'd consulted a pandit who'd said that after the initial date they'd chosen, there was no auspicious date for the next 2 months. They'd agreed to postpone the wedding for that date, but Rohan had vehemently made his issues clear regarding that. He refused to wait so long.

In the end, it had been Armaan who'd finally convinced them to let Rohan and Jaanhavi do things their way. It was their wedding and they should get to decide what they wanted, when they wanted it and how they wanted it. He'd lectured everybody on how no auspicious date made a difference, that everyone was responsible for their own destiny and if there was love and trust in the relationship, they could overcome anything. Looking at the expectant faces of their kids, they didn't have the heart to deny them and so, the wedding date was fixed.

Since then, Armaan had been on a phone call with the wedding planner, discussing their next course of action. Because of the delay, they weren't sure if they could get the same services they'd paid for, be it the venue or the food or the flowers. The wedding planner, El, assured Armaan that she'd call all vendors and depending on the availability she would compile a new list of prospective vendors and bring it to him to chose.

After several reassurances on El's side and numerous apologies on Armaan's, Armaan ended the call.

"El said she'll be here in a day or two with the list," Armaan told Jaanhavi, sitting beside her and dropping a kiss to her temple. Jaanhavi nodded, not saying anything.

Armaan had been noticing that she'd been quiet since Peyton had come to see him. He wanted to ask her why she was glum, but he didn't want to broach the subject when everybody else was around. So, he kept his mouth shut, deciding that he'd talk to her later, when they weren't surrounded by so many people.

"Uh, everything else is all well and good, but because of this postponement, we'll have issues back at home," Dr. Keerti said, when Dr. Shashank and Abhi were in the living room. "We're all here and though the staff back home is competent enough, I don't feel right leaving them alone for so long," she said.

Dr. Shashank nodded in agreement. "You're right, Dr. Keerti. Maybe we should leave and then come back again in a couple of weeks, in time for the wedding."

Abhi knew that this was the right thing to do - to go back to Mumbai and then come later. But, he didn't want that. He wanted to stay here. For years, since Armaan had left Sanjeevani, nothing had been right in their group anymore. His friends didn't laugh, they didn't play pranks and they never did anything fun. Armaan had been such a huge part of all their lives and he'd been the glue holding them together. With his absence, everything was broken.

Riddhima and Nikki had not uttered a single word to each other for almost 2 years after Armaan had left. They'd only started speaking again after Nikumbh was born and till date, their relationship wasn't the way it had been before. Their interactions were short and formal.

Though Anjali had understood the importance of Atul in her life after Armaan's absence, it had taken Herculean efforts to get Atul on the same page as her. Yes, he'd still loved Anjali, but he hadn't been in a place where he could concentrate on building a romantic relationship, especially with Anjali, Riddhima's sister. Riddhima, who'd been the source of so much pain in his brother, Armaan's life. Atul never said it out loud, but Armaan was the closest thing he had to a family. Yes, he was close to all of them - Rahul, Muskaan, Nikki and even Riddhima - before Armaan had left, but no one was as dear to him as Armaan was. In Armaan, Atul had found a brother, a confidante, a pillar of support. Armaan's departure had affected him so deeply that he'd succumbed to depression not long after. His depressed state, combined with the dislike he'd felt for Riddhima for everything that had happened had stopped Atul from pursuing any kind of relationship with Anjali. He'd been in therapy for almost a year and a half before he started coming around to the fact that he could have a decent life without Armaan in it. His courtship with Anjali had began not long after that. They'd dated for almost 2 years before Atul was mentally in a place where he could propose marriage. And so, five years after Armaan had left him behind, Atul got married to the love of his life. But, it wasn't the happiest day of his life like he'd always dreamt. Armaan's absence had been a prickling thorn in his side.