The Distance Between Us

Track Twenty - Rewrite The Stars

Armaan tossed and turned the entire night, sleep miles away from him. This new dynamic of his relationship with Riddhima had caught him off guard. And, he didn't know how to feel.

Riddhima's words echoed in his mind on loop. Before everything, you were my best friend.

Truth was, Riddhima had never been just a friend for Armaan. They'd always been more. No matter how hard both of them tried to deny it, neither of them thought of their relationship as friendship. Even during the darkest times, when things had gone incredibly south between the two of them - when Riddhima found out about the bet, when she found out that Armaan already knew about the adoption, when she found out that Armaan had pretended to be Muskaan's boyfriend - and they hadn't even been on talking terms, they'd still been more than friends.

According to Armaan anyway. He'd been far too in love with Riddhima for most of his twenties to think of her as just a friend. He might not have been vocal about his feelings, especially in front of Riddhima, but they'd always been there. Burning inside of him like an inferno.

And, the depth of his feelings for her had never diminished over the course of their internship. There was a time when Armaan didn't know how to not love her. It had taken him a long time to let go off that part of his life. Getting over Riddhima had been the hardest thing he'd ever done. But, after a lot of blood and tears, he'd finally done it. He was proud of himself for doing it too. Now, this newfound label to their relationship scared him. He didn't know what to do.

Another thing was Riddhima herself. After their conversation, her position in their relationship had changed. The course of one talk had made her the dominant. She'd taken the initiative, the first step. She'd come to him.

In all the years they'd spent together, Riddhima had never done that. Ever. It had always been Armaan, letting go off his ego, forgetting his pain, who'd tried to mend their relationship. Riddhima had never had the will or the courage to do so. She'd always been so complacent. How was Armaan supposed to deal with this assertive Riddhima? He didn't know.

Unable to sleep, he did the one thing he knew would give him peace. He lost himself in his music.

Riddhima, on the other hand, had the best night's sleep she'd had in a very long time. Maybe since the day her annulment with Sid had been finalized. She was Armaan's friend again. His friend. It wasn't what she would have preferred, she wished for a more intimate name for herself, but she would make do with what she got.

That night, her thoughts were dominated with happy memories of her time with Armaan. The love they'd shared, the love that had made 2 years of her life absolutely beautiful, rushed back in. It was like a tangible feeling. For sometime, she could feel it in the air. Armaan's arms around her, his body pressed closed to hers, his eyes gazing at her intently, his nose nuzzling her hair, her neck, her cheek, his lips kissing her forehead, the words, I love you, Basket, spoken fervently in her ear. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the feelings coursing through her body. It was the most loved she'd felt since the day she'd gotten engaged to Armaan.

With a wide smile on her face, she fell asleep, still dreaming about Armaan and her and their happily ever after.

Morning dawned beautifully for Riddhima. She couldn't wait to spend more time with Armaan. Knowing that they would be spending most of the day alone sent shivers down her spine. She hadn't felt this giddy excitement and jittery nervousness for so long and it made her feel so good.