meet me in the afterglow

Chapter Seven

Riddhima was discharged early the next morning. Dr. Rahman had wanted to talk to her before she left, but Armaan convinced her to not. He would talk about therapy with her in a familiar setting, privately. He didn't think she'd react well to it if it was dropped on her without any warning.

"So, Dr. Mallik," he asked her as he pulled his car out of the hospital's parking lot. "Where to?"

"Apne ghar, aur kahaan?" She questioned rhetorically, sporting a gorgeous blush.

"Riddhima," he replied. "Don't you think humein kuch dinon ke liye Mumma Papa ke saath rehne jaana chahiye. Tumhaari tabiyat abhi theek nahi hai. Mumma rahegi mere saath toh main tumhaara achche se dhyaan rakh paunga."

"Armaan, mujhe humaare ghar jaana hai, bas," she said. "Tumhe tension ho rahi hai toh tum Mumma ko wahaan bula lena lekin main ghar ke alawa aur kahin nahi jaungi."

"Okay! Fine. Aapka har hukum saraakhon par, as always," he announced. "Ghar hi jaayenge."

Riddhima grinned in approval. "Good boy."

The journey home was spent in silence, but it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable. Both, Armaan and Riddhima, were happy to not say anything and just bask in the other's presence quietly. It had been too long since they'd shared a comfortable silence. They'd both missed it.

A pleasant surprise was waiting for them at home. Shashank and Padma were waiting for them at the door, eager to welcome their kids home.

"Mumma? Papa? Aap dono yahaan?" Riddhima asked, confused.

Padma didn't say anything, wordlessly stepping forward to pull Armaan into a tight hug. "I missed you," she said. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I missed you, too, Mumma," he replied. "Aur theek kaise nahi hota? Aapki itni saari blessings aur itna saara pyaar tha mera paas."

They all stepped inside after that and Padma strictly instructed both Armaan & Riddhima to stay put while she got breakfast ready for all of them. Knowing better than to argue, they both accepted and kept Shashank company while waiting for their food.

"Papa, aap dono ko itni subah subah itna pareshaan nahi hona chahiye tha," Armaan stated.

"Armaan, tumhe pata haina tumhaari Maa kaisi hai? Kal bhi itni mushkil se roka maine usse hospital aane se. Tumhaare aane ki aur Riddhima ki behosh hone ki baat sunnke woh turant aana chaahti thi but maine bohot mushkil se usse convince kiya ki tum dono ko thoda waqt dede, before she storms in," Shashank chuckled. "But aaj subah toh usne bilkul meri nahi suni. Dr. Keerti ne kaha tha ki aaj subah hi Riddhima ko discharge mil jaayega aur hum dono jaante the ki woh yahaan hi aayegi, toh bas... Hum bhi aa gaye, tum dono se milne."

Padma brought their breakfast out after a few minutes, all of it looking absolutely scrumptious. She plated the food for everyone and they all enjoyed breakfast together. Everyone steered clear of the heavy and important topics on purpose, not wanting to ruin the fragile balance they were building. Once they were done eating, Shashank left for the hospital. Armaan had managed to get an off for the day, wanting to make sure Riddhima was fine. Knowing how bad things were, Dr. Keerti had asked him to take as much time as he needed before he came back to work.

With Padma around, Armaan didn't broach the subject of therapy in front of Riddhima. They spent the day watching movies and chatting. Shashank brought Atul home for dinner, and the five of them spent dinner like the Gupta family had spent breakfast... keeping the conversation flowing with inconsequential things. When everyone retired home for the night, Armaan took Riddhima's hand in his and took her upstairs to their bedroom.

It was like stepping back in time. The room was exactly the way it was before he'd left. Riddhima had obviously tied up a little, but other than that, it was the same, which surprised him. The living room was not the way it had been before. There had been changes made to that. Riddhima had bought a new dining table and a new sofa set. There were even some changes in the layout and some walls that she'd gotten repainted. Maybe that's why, sitting there the entire day had been easier. Armaan was able to pretend that it wasn't actually his home. But now, he didn't have the liberty to do that. Everything about this room screamed Armaan Mallik.