The Distance Between Us

Track Twenty One - Love You Like The Movies

Armaan kept stealing glances at Riddhima all through the drive. She was looking absolutely beautiful in her red salwar kameez. Red. His favourite sauce wala laal, which had been a very important part of their relationship. Seeing her dressed in that suit had brought many memories back for him, from a time long ago, when they were still a happy couple madly in love.

She was looking so much like the Riddhima he'd fallen in love with, his Basket - with a shy smile on her lips, a light blush on her cheeks, dressed in red, her wrist adorned with the kada he'd given her so long ago. For a moment Armaan thought of asking her why she still wore it, even after 7 years, but then thought better of it. Riddhima had once told him that she wore it because she felt that it represented the blessings his parents had showered on her, and that for her, they were extremely important because she respected his parents almost as much as she respected her own.

Thinking about his parents made Armaan's jaw clench and his grip on the steering wheel tightened. He couldn't help the surge of anger that zapped through his body. It happened every time he remembered just exactly what his parents had done. And, thinking about it made him angry at himself because he still couldn't believe he'd actually been so very oblivious to it all. So much pain and heartache, all the sleepless nights, the nightmares, that could have been avoided if he'd just been paying more attention to what was going on rather than being wrapped up in his own depressed bubble, away from the world and drowning himself in his sorrows. How could he have forgotten that he wasn't alone, that he was responsible for another living, breathing person?

"Armaan?" Riddhima called tentatively, seeing how he was behaving.

Armaan didn't reply, still lost in his self loathing.

"Armaan?" Riddhima called again, this time a little louder.

"Huh?" Armaan asked, confused. "Wh - what?" He asked, still a little dazed as he came back to the present, leaving those painful memories behind.

"Is everything okay?" She questioned.

"Ye - ye - yes," Armaan replied, fumbling. "Why are you asking?"

Riddhima gestured to his hands, which were still gripping the steering tightly.

"Oh," Armaan muttered in comprehension. "Yes, yes. Everything is fine. I was just thinking about something," he replied flippantly, dismissing her.

"Uh... Okay," Riddhima answered. She didn't know if she should probe further or not, if she still had that right. She understood that whatever Armaan had been thinking about had made him angry, and she wanted to talk to him so that she could help him, but after everything, she didn't think she had the authority to do that. Moreover, she didn't want to push Armaan and cause any more tension in their already delicate relationship.

"If you want to talk about it, I'm here," she finally said, giving Armaan the choice to open up to her if he so wished.

Armaan smiled at her. A small smile that didn't reach his eyes, but which was genuine nonetheless.

"Thanks," he muttered. He was surprised that she'd understood him. All those years separating them, and she still knew him so well.

They lapsed into an awkward silence, neither of them knowing what to say. There was a time when they didn't have enough time to talk, a time when they'd always complain about how were they supposed to talk so much when there was so little time, when they'd crib and complain about how there was always someone walking in on them and not giving them a moment of peace to just talk to each other. And today, with so much time on their hands, without interruptions, they didn't know what to say. The irony was not lost on either of them.