The Distance Between Us

Track Thirty - Head Full Of Doubt

Riddhima and Shilpa reached an understanding that day, some sort of unspoken agreement. And though, things were far from perfect, they were getting better.

Riddhima's talk with Padma had relieved her of a lot of her doubts and misgivings and she was glad that her mom would support her, no matter what decision she took. It was painful for Riddhima, knowing how difficult it would be for Padma to see Shilpa day in, day out, a constant reminder of her shitty past, but she also knew that her mom was one of the strongest people she'd met and she'd power through this too.

With all these changes, Riddhima's relationship with Atul and Nikki also changed. Riddhima would forever be grateful to Nikki for speaking up that day, and being the first one to support her decision, no matter what. She knew that her and Nikki had had their issues in the past, most of them stemming from Armaan's departure, but seeing Nikki being such a staunch ally in this situation, warmed Riddhima's heart to the core. It showed her that no matter what, Nikki still cared. That she still considered Riddhima to be a friend.

After Nikumbh's birth, and the long hours of labour that Riddhima had supported Nikki through, their relationship had definitely improved from the cold professional one that Nikki had maintained since coming back from Delhi. They'd become somewhat tentative friends and though they didn't interact like they used to, at least Nikki didn't shun her outside of work, and even initiated conversations on occasion, even if they were about the weather. Riddhima had thought that that would be the extent of their relationship, that they'd always behave like polite acquaintances for the rest of their lives, but now, everything had changed.

In supporting Riddhima through the whole Shilpa ordeal, Nikki had started warming up to her again. Maybe, seeing Armaan so happy helped too. Whatever the reason maybe, Nikki now laughed and joked with Riddhima, if only a little. They'd taken a step forward, and that was all Riddhima could hope for. Maybe, they'd take more baby steps ahead, and things could someday be the way they had been before Armaan had left, but for now, she was content with this progress, no matter how small.

And then, there was Atul. Atul, who though mad at Riddhima, had done his best to continue their friendship, but had failed. Even with all the issues, when Riddhima and Sid had announced their separation, almost 4 months after Atul had come back to Mumbai, he was the first one to support them. The others were all taken aback by the sudden announcement and had tried, repeatedly, to change their minds, especially Dr. Shashank, but neither Sid nor Riddhima had budged. And, during all this, Atul had been a pillar of support for her, at least publically. He had vehemently defended the couple's choice to part ways, and had helped Riddhima talk to her parents.

But, even after all that, their relationship had severely deteriorated and they weren't friends. They were colleagues, and that's the way Atul had liked to keep their relationship for a long time. Only after his marriage, did he change his stance. But that too, didn't extend as far as Riddhima hoped.

It was true that once Atul and Anjali had gotten married, Atul had taken efforts to repair his relationship with Riddhima. He had not apologized to Riddhima because somewhere, he felt justified in being angry with her because she was the reason that Armaan was away. Yes, it wasn't technically her fault because it was Dr. Shashank and Padma Aunty who had insisted that Riddhima marry Sid and Atul had been a witness to it all, but when he had come back to Mumbai to find that Armaan had left and Riddhima was carrying on with life like nothing had happened was when he snapped. He couldn't believe that Armaan leaving hadn't seemed to affect Riddhima in the slightest. That's when the issues between the two creeped. Atul knew that Armaan's entire world revolved around Riddhima and here he saw Riddhima going about her life as if she hadn't hurt the one person who loved her most, even though it hadn't been entirely intentional.