Dad knocked on my door and then entered the room. I smiled at him, "Hi dad! When'd you get back?" He had been at a medial conference, and he hadn't been home when I got back. Mom had slightly scolded me for getting drenched in rain, but had quickly sent me away to change into dry clothes.

"Just a few minutes ago. How are you doing?"

I stood up to give him a hug as I answered, "Same old. How was the conference?"

"Fine." He answered and then turned serious, "Riddhima, we need to talk."

I had an idea what this could be about. He hadn't got a chance to talk to me about Armaan staying the night since the next day, he had to leave for the conference and he was just getting back.

He nodded for me to take a seat, and I complied. "Is it true that having someone next to you helps?"

I meekly answered, "I don't know if it's that or that we are talking that helps me." I had recalled that each time, I had either been talking to Armaan and gotten sleepy in the midst of the conversation, or talking to Khushi when I had slept over at her place.

"Okay."

"Okay?" I question, looking up. That's it? Where's the strict Shashank Gupta that I knew?

"Riddhima, I already don't like the idea of you taking pills as you can get addicted to them, and that isn't the only drawback. I would rather your friends help you than for you to turn to sleeping pills."

I ask for clarification. "Wait, what are you saying?" He cannot be suggesting what I think he is.

"Ask Armaan for help if you have to." I blink to double check what I just heard. "I may not like the way he is with other girls, but I've always respected that he treats you right. So yes, ask him. I am sure he won't say no."

I stand up, "Maybe, but I am saying no. Dad, come on. I am not that desperate that I ask him to come over every night just so I can sleep."

"Riddhima, I see an alternative and I suggest you take it. It's either that or no sleep. I'm not going to let you take sleeping pills." He spoke in a concluding tone and left the room.

I exhaled, almost letting out a scoff. What is wrong with both of my parents? My mom didn't scold me. Instead, she only said she was worried, and then encouraged me into thinking that perhaps Armaan liked me. And dad... Instead of grounding me for having Armaan over, or giving me a lecture on staying away from boys, that I was too young for everything, he gives me this ultimatum? Ask him over for help or suffer from this temporary state of insomnia?

I want to distance from Armaan, and here I have both of my parents and Angad pushing me to him.

Whatever for?!

I would much rather be addicted to sleeping pills.

===

After school, we had basketball practice again. This time, the coach let us play a game as she pointed out our technical mistakes whenever we missed scoring. Two hours of that, Armaan and I walked home.

He asked as we walked, "Want to rehearse the song a bit?"

I knew I was going to be tired, but given that we needed to talk, I nodded, "Sure." I debated how to start the conversation, until I just went into it. "So, dad talked to me the other day."

"Okay?" He said, uncertain. "About what?"

"That night you stayed over and mom – uh – found you in my bed?" I said, but it came off more as a question.

"Oh, I talked to your mom about it. I hope you didn't get in trouble?"

I nodded, "Yeah, she told me, and uh, no. Not exactly."

"Not exactly?"

Staring ahead, I explained, "I told her why you had come over, how it helps me sleep when someone is there next to me. Ofcourse, she told dad that, and now he won't let me get the sleeping pills."

I stopped walking when he abruptly stopped and he wasn't in step with me. "Sleeping pills?!"

I admitted with some fear, "Uh, yeah?"

"That was what you meant when you said you were dealing with it?" He didn't wait for me to continue, for the question was asked just rhetorically, "Riddhima, what the hell?"

"You can relax. He already took back the offer. You don't need to yell at me." I muttered, not in the mood to listen to his lecture as well.

"Damn right I need to yell at you. What were you thinking?! Do you not know how addicting they can be? Not to mention the issues with concentration and memory, or the..."

I held up my hand, "Armaan, okay, stop it. I know the effects it can have. There's no other option though, okay? And I'm not telling you this so I can have you lecturing me too." I was hoping he would just listen, not try and knock some sense in my brain.

"Forget sleeping pills. I'm helping. I'll talk to your parents." This was him. always ready to help others, especially those he considers his own.

I scoffed, "No need."

"What's that?" He asked, not catching my muttering words under my breath.

I spoke clearly, "I said, no need. That is the ultimatum he gave. Have my friends help me, aka you, or go on with not being able to sleep."

"He said that?" He questioned, blinking, surprise evident in his tone.

I resumed walking as I answered, "I know, I'm still trying to wrap that around my head."

"I thought he hated me."

"Apparently, not enough." I grumbled. It would've been nice if my dad did hate him. I wouldn't be in this predicament then.

"So what do you want?" I look at him in surprise that he is asking me that. He defended, "What? I won't force my way in your room if it's not something you are comfortable with."

I taunted, "Never stopped you before." I can recall about four times when he went to bed next to me without Khushi around, despite me telling him to go home.

"This is different."

I don't ask him how, for I got the feeling he wouldn't be too open to discussing that. "It's not like I have much of a choice in the matter," I answered to his previous question about what I wanted him to do. "I either take your help or walking around like a living zombie. Neither of the two options seem to appeal to me."

"Hey!" He decided to take offense at that.

"Sorry, but it's kinda true. It's very awkward that my parents suggested this. I mean, seriously, how can they be okay with their teenage daughter having a guy in her bed?"

"It's simple." He answered, "They care about you more than whether or not this is right or wrong. Besides, I get the feeling that your dad may not like me much but he still trusts you to make the right decisions."

I couldn't argue with him there. Lately, I was seeing my father changing the way he parented. Instead of mom being easygoing and dad laying the rules, he was also loosening up and being more caring and loving instead of worrying about the rules of right versus wrong.

===

A day later, Khushi was allowed home after the observation which revealed she had short-term amnesia where she didn't remember almost the whole week before the Valentine's Day. The thought itself was scary, but Khushi was taking the news well and it somewhere assured Riddhima and Armaan that things will get better. Whether or not she'd recall the memories she had lost was a tricky subject. Science could not be exact on that.

Khushi's words had been, "If I don't remember it, then it must not be important."

Armaan was in the kitchen getting water for Khushi so she could take her medicines. Riddhima walked out seeing him, she turned on her heels to return to her room. Then, she asked herself why she was running, and stayed instead. She walked up to the fridge and opened it. Taking out the bar of chocolate she had been craving to eat, she closed the door and leaned against the fridge.

He looked up after the glass was filled. He was waiting for her to move so he could return the pitcher for purified water back in the fridge. Instead of moving, she spoke. "Once."

"Once... what?" He asked looking for clarification.

Standing back on her feet, she answered, "I'll answer your call once in a month."

He threw his head back and laughed. "Nice try," He opened the fridge door as he continued to speak, "but nowhere close to good enough."

While he shut the door, she negotiated. "Fine, twice a month. But that's it."

She proceeded to leave, but stopped when his hand came to her elbow. He gently tucked her back while also taking a step towards her. Her eyes snapped up to his as she commanded herself to bite back the gasp that almost left her lips. "Riddhima, that topic was not up for discussion. So..." He leaned in to speak in a whisper while her heart created a havoc within her, "save yourself the misery."

He walked around her to leave, but not before he stole the chocolate bar from her hand. She glanced down at it a second later, feeling the emptiness in her hands. She exhaled, not knowing whether to be angry at him or herself. He always stole her chocolates, and that irritated her to the point that she'd make him go buy twice as much more for her. 

Then, she wanted to be mad at herself because she stood there like a fool once again. She was quite sure that she kept giving it away to him just how much his proximity affected her. She was convinced he had figured that out, for he kept using it as a weapon to get her to agree to things he knew she would object towards.

===

Abhi: Here

Riddhima's phone buzzed with the message. She untangled herself from the blanket to reach for it and just then, she heard the front door opening. Her eyes widened upon reading the text message and recalling that Armaan was in the hall and he must have opened the door.

She rushed out, least Abhi introduced himself to Armaan. The two boys turned towards her when she ran into the room and came to a sudden stop seeing both of them were shaking hands.

Abhi smiled at her and leaving Armaan's hand, walked up to her. "Hey Red." He called her Red because he said she reminded him of Ruby the wolf from the show Once Upon A Time – hot and fearless when it came to protecting her own. Also, she blushed a lot whenever she was teased or he used his unfiltered mouth.

"Hi Abhi," She replied while hugging him and he quickly pecked her cheek while parting from the hug. "What are you doing here? Didn't you say you had...?"

"Yeah, I still have that stupid meeting with my project partners but what the hell? I hadn't seen you the past few days. I missed you!" He added quickly, "And ofcourse, to check up on Khushi."

"Well, unfortunately for you, she's sleeping right now." Riddhima answered, "But I'll let her know you came by. She'll be happy to hear that."

Abhi cheekily replied, "Ofcourse she will. She approves of me."

Riddhima remembered Armaan and her eyes turned in his direction. He had been staring at them the whole time. Well... the correct term would be 'glaring' at Abhi who Armaan decided was standing too close to Riddhima. He was wondering why she seemed that comfortable with him.

"Oh, by the way, meet Armaan. Khushi's brother." Riddhima introduced, and Armaan raised a brow at her. Is that all the introduction she was going to give about him? Khushi's brother? "And this is Abhi. Uh, my boyfriend."

Armaan's pupils really did widen at that just as his ears rang and he wondered if he was hearing things. 

Abhi, observing his reactions, commented, "Hey man, I've heard a lot about you from the girls. Nice to finally put a face to the stories."

Riddhima muttered, "Stop lying." She didn't want Armaan to think she talked about him a lot. "It's was mostly Khushi who told you about him."

"Does it make a difference?" Abhi pointed out even as Armaan went on to clench his jaw.

Riddhima did notice that. She convinced herself that she had nothing to feel guilty about. It wasn't as if Armaan and she were together. Not to add, it had been six months since. They hadn't talked in that time, and even though he had been here for three days, it didn't mean they had the conversation for her to tell him she had a boyfriend.

Honestly, Abhi wasn't really her 'boyfriend'. Like Abhi had convinced her, this was meant to be simple. More than friends, less than a relationship. No strings attached whereby they were simply enjoying their present moment. She couldn't possibly begin to explain that to Armaan. Sometimes, she didn't believe it herself how okay she was with this equation she had with Abhi.

"Riddhima," Armaan brought her out of her thoughts as he spoke in a tone void of emotions but his words clearly indicated to Riddhima that he was hurt, "you didn't tell me you had a boyfriend."

"Hmm? Yeah, I was worried about Khushi. Didn't get a chance. You know now." She tried to keep the answer casual, but she couldn't shake off the feeling. She was sure he was hurt, but she had no idea what exactly was in his head. These moments when she couldn't figure him out were rare. She tried to tell herself to not care if he was hurt, but damn it if her heart listened to her.

"Oh hey, I have something for you." Abhi interrupted, starting to take off his bag and pull a small take-out box.

Riddhima noticed the restaurant logo on it instantly. Maa's Kitchen. She gasped, excited as she took the box, "Don't tell me you got samosas from there?!"

He laughed at her instant change of mood, "Yup! You kept saying you wanted to go there again, and I figured this was the perfect way to destress you after the days you must have had at the hospital."

As he was speaking, she had opened the box and not caring for the sauces, she straight away took a bite. At the taste, she moaned in appreciation, closing her eyes to devour it properly. Reopening them and continuing to chew, she hugged him, "Thank you! You're the best boyfriend I've ever had."

Abhi laughed again, speaking into her ear, "More like your only, Red."

"Nuh-uh. You're forgetting the short debacle with Grant Gustin."

Abhi rolled his eyes, "Fantasizing a relationship with an actor is not healthy, Red. And really, I question your choices sometimes. The guy playing Barry Allen isn't even all that."

She scolded him, "Hey, shut it. I love him. He's pretty cute, in a hot way."

"That made no sense." He answered as she went on to take another bite. He offered one to Armaan, "Want one?"

Riddhima's smile faltered as she once again remembered Abhi and she weren't alone in the room. Armaan was about to pick one up when she exclaimed, stealing it away, "No!"

Abhi scolded, "Red, I know you like them a lot, but that's rude."

She gave him a look for teasing her and then continued, "I'm not being rude. I'm saving his life." Abhi was confused, but Armaan caught on.

"Sunflower oil?"

She answered with a nod, and he wiped off his fingertips on his jeans. Riddhima explained to Abhi how Armaan was allergic to sunflowers and the oil, and she was pretty sure that's the oil the samosas were fried in.

Abhi apologized, "Oh, sorry dude. Didn't know."

"It's fine." Armaan muttered. He didn't really care for his apology. He wanted to search for a reason to dislike him, but he was finding it hard. He had only met the guy five minutes ago, but he had already seen a side of Abhi that was hard to ignore. He made Riddhima happy. Armaan seemed the recall the times when he'd go to lengths to get Riddhima something of her preference to surprise her.

Abhi turned to Riddhima, "Alright, I should get going then. Sorry I can't stay longer."

Riddhima dismissed it easily, "Don't be silly. I know you'll make up for it later."

He smirked, for she was definitely getting to know him, "You know it. Friday night?"

Riddhima was in sync, "I will make sure Khushi and Kripa are nowhere to be found." He bid her with another kiss to the cheek and a hug.

She turned after closing the door behind him. Armaan blocked her path with his arms crossing his chest. With one raised brow, he questioned and her smile faded again. "Boyfriend?"

===

authors note:

dun dun dun!! Armaan knows of Abhi's existence. How do you like the cliffhanger? :P Don't worry, this Abhi thing isn't for much longer :) 

Question: Have you personally noticed your parents role change when you were around the age of 18ish? I have and I've also learned through my psychology classes that research does show this is about the time in their mid-adult life where moms seem to be done with caretaking and want to focus more on their personal life (things they didn't get to do earlier as they got busy with parenting and taking care of the family) while dad's ease up as they start to realize it won't be long till their kids move out for college/have their own life and so they're more concerned with building a strong relationship rather than focusing on parenting. Your thoughts on this?

Chapter 20. Front Row Seats on Tuesday or 15 votes & 10 comments for earlier :) <3