I'll Love You Longer Than Forever

Chapter Eighty Six

It was pretty late at night when Riddhima got Armaan's message.

Meet me by the pool in 10, it read. Her phone beeped with another message as she wondered what on earth was happening. Why did Armaan want to meet now? It's a date, she read, smiling to herself. Well, at least she couldn't say that her boy didn't know her.

She sat up in bed to see that Anjali and Muskaan were both sleeping like the dead. Experience told her that these were not waking up anytime soon, even she puttered around, especially after the day they'd just had. All the walking at the market must definitely have exhausted them.

Which meant, it was safe if she did fumble around a little. Like Armaan said, it was a date. And, even though she didn't have to get glammed up because it was just Armaan after all, the least she could do was look presentable.

So, she got out if bed and washed her face and brushed her teeth (she had onion breath and that just wouldn't do if she was going on a date, she thought to herself, blushing a deep red). She looked down at her pyjamas and frowned. Sure, they were cute, but they were pyjamas. Frowning, she went out of the bathroom and stealthily opened her suitcase using her phone's flashlight. She rummaged through her clothes, frowning when her hands found more and more gowns and dresses that the girls insisted she carry. Because, of course, she couldn't roam around in a salwar kurti in Goa. But, she dug around, and her hands finally found what she was looking for. Her red salwar suit. The one Armaan loved so much, and one of her own favourites. Though Anjali had tried to protest and didn't want Riddhima to bring even one of these suits, they'd compromised and Riddhima had gotten away with carrying a couple of them. Now, she was thankful she did. Wearing those immaculate dresses was fun, but at times, she just needed the familiarity and comfort of her own, everyday clothes.

She quickly changed and looked at the time. It had been almost 15 minutes since Armaan had sent the text asking her to meet him. Then phone lit up with another message just as she locked it. It was from Armaan again, asking her to hurry up. Riddhima smiled at his eagerness and impatience and didn't bother replying. Instead, she walked out of the room and closed the door silently behind her.

She walked towards the pool and was surprised to see lights there. Normally, once the pool was shut at 9 in the night, the lights were switched off too. But then, this was Armaan they were talking about. Of course he had some extravagant thing planned.

So, suffice to say, she was absolutely surprised when she reached her intended destination. The pool was completely deserted as expected, apart from Armaan who was sitting with his legs in the water. She could see a plate full of scrumptious desserts and a bottle of champagne sitting next to him. Fairy lights were strewn around the pool, making the setting even more romantic and intimate.

"Ab bas wahaan khadi rahogi ya mere paas bhi aaogi?" Armaan asked, startling Riddhima. She smiled sheepishly.

Of course, there was no way to know how Armaan knew she was there. He, somehow, always just did. Rahul mercilessly teased her about it too, calling her the Rahul to Armaan's Nandini, if Nandini had been Rahul's girlfriend and not mother. It was sort of tacky, but she agreed that that was the only way this thing between them could be described. Because, yes, she had a way of knowing if he was around too, the telltale filmy stuff - winds blowing, hearts beating fast, butterflies in her stomach - but her sense of Armaan, wasn't as accurate as his of hers. He was so attuned to her, it was overwhelming and scary at times.

"Hi," she whispered, sitting beside him. She took off her sandals and put her feet in the water, just like Armaan had.

"Hey," Armaan whispered back, reaching forward to pull her into his arms. He kissed her temple and buried his face in her hair, relishing in her being so close.