Needless to say, Suvarna argued with Armaan over the matter all the way out of the studio till they reached his penthouse. Before getting out of the car, Armaan informed. "Suvi, just drop it. The decision had been made. The interview is probably already aired. It's done. Now I'm going to go to my place and finish the rest of the song. I'll see you tomorrow in the recording studio. Have a good day."

"Boss isn't going to be happy about this, Armaan!" She said while he got out of the car. With the door open, he bent to stick his head in and answer.

"You can tell your boss that entering Bollywood is not a part of my contract. My contract only covers three more albums and the concerts, promotions, interviews that are required for those albums. Not my plans or lack thereof afterwards."

"Armaan!" She yelled at him to get him to listen, but he shut the door and left. She threw her head back on the seat. It was going to be exhausting dealing with the fallout of this announcement of his. As if on cue, her boss called. Nervously, she answered the phone. "Mr. Malik, hi."

===

After spending some time at the Raizada house while dropping Khushi there once they were done with shopping, Riddhima returned to the penthouse later in the evening. Once she had her phone plugged in and it came back to life in few minutes, the pending notifications started pouring in. She had to put her phone on silent so she could go cook in peace.

She had her dinner by herself since Armaan was held back at the shooting for music video. Her exams were coming up post Diwali. She decided she needed to start studying.

Armaan had planned on pestering her to follow him and accept his request when he got home, but seeing as to how she was studying, he deemed it best to let it be for now. In fact, given that he had taken the classes for half the semester, he sat in front of her to help her understand some of the things.

Armaan woke up in the morning to Riddhima playing the song Chale Jaise Hawaien while in his washroom. He had to shake his head as he pushed the covers aside. He knew her mood even before he knocked on the bathroom door. She was in a jovial carefree mood today. It would be pretty easy to get kind acts out of her today. It always was whenever she was listening to such peppy songs with catchy, fast paced beats.

Riddhima gushed, "Good morning!" as she opened the door to let him in since she was dressed and just braiding her hair in a fish tail.

"Good morning," He replied back with a smile and forwarded his hand to mess up her hair. She ducked right before he could as if she could anticipate his move. "You're abnormally happy."

"Just excited to be going home." She informed as her hands continued to work on her braid. "Arnav and Khushi will be here in half hour. You think you can be ready by then?"

He chuckled picking up his toothbrush, "Love, I only need ten minutes."

"Putting you on timer." She teased as she picked up her phone and turned to leave.

He pulled her back by the elbow, pushing her cheek towards her. "Where's my morning kiss?"

She quickly gave him one on the cheek before patting it. "You might want to shave too."

"I think I'll let it grow out for no shave November."

She raised her brows, asking if he was serious. When he nodded, she muttered. "Well then, you'd be sacrificing your morning kisses."

He countered, "C'mon, it's hot."

She shrugged her shoulders carelessly, "Maybe, but I'd much rather kiss you without hair getting in the way."

"Oh basket, please repeat that statement in your head." He commented.

Her eyes widened as she grasped the sexual innuendo and she slapped his arm. "Get your head out of the gutter!"

With a sly smirk, he defended. "What, you don't hear me telling you to shave dow-"

She reached up on her toes to muffle his words with a kiss on the lips. "Shut up, okay?"

His smirk widened as he left his toothbrush on the counter and wrapped his arms around her to pull her closer. "So... you may be bold but dirty talk still gets you flushed, huh?"

She tried to not humor him by struggling to get out of his hold, "Leave me, Armaan. I have to pack my bag."

"Hmm, nope. I'd much rather see you squirming." He denied her by shifting his hand under her shirt on her waist.

"I don't squirm."

He rolled his eyes, "Fine, blushing then. I didn't think anything made your blush anymore, but now that I know..." he trailed off with an unsaid promise.

She let out a groan, pushing his shoulders back when he leaned in to her throat. "Seriously, Armaan, let me go and go take a cold shower."

"You're going to have to stop talking in conflicted terms," He warned her, for at one point she wanted him to stop with the dirty talking and at the other, feeling his erection at her stomach, she was pointing it out to make it more obvious. "It makes it hard for me to tell what you want."

He grunted when she made another attempt to free herself and in the process rubbed against him. For his own sanity, he released her before she'd unintentionally make it harder for him. She made it known, "There's nothing confusing about it. You just need to control your urges."

"I seem to recall you complaining about your boyfriend not giving you enough attention. Now you want him to control his urges?"

She rolled her eyes, pushing the toothbrush back in his hands. "I complained about kissing. Not... that."

Armaan found it amusing that she'd parade around the house in her sports bra, but wouldn't even say the word 'sex'. Some things don't change after all. He was fondly remembered of the time she went to watch the movie, The First Time, with Angad and neither could she say it that time. Ofcourse, back then, he wasn't fond of it. He was jealous and bothered.

She instructed in a firm tone, "Now get ready." It left him no chance to call her out on it as she left the washroom, pulling the door shut in the process and walked into her own room to pack a bag for the days they were going to spend at home celebrating Diwali.

===

Armaan got to the penthouse to find it eerily quiet. He wondered if Khushi and Riddhima were still sleeping, even though it was close to 10:30 in the morning. He had left early at 7 to reach the studio by 7:30 and they had been asleep at that time.

He went to the fridge to pull out a pitcher of apple juice he always kept in there to find a sticky note on the fridge. He recognized Riddhima's handwriting.

<<Went with Rahul to meet Muski. Feel free to join us for lunch if you get back before that>>

He figured out this was apparently a thing now. Yesterday, there was a note there written by Khushi reminding him of this interview. When he had read that, he had taken it off and crumpling it, discarded of it in the trashcan. Though, this one, he didn't throw away after reading it.

He was going to have a new hobby. Collecting them all. If he had known Riddhima and Khushi were going to start leaving messages for him like this, he wouldn't have thrown away the previous one.

After filling a glass of juice, he took it with him to his room. He was back before lunch, but he wasn't in the mood to go for lunch. Neither did he have the time. He knew all of tomorrow would be spent at the studio. So, today, he gathered everything he needed for his first day of new semester on Monday.

===

Sunday evening, Khushi walked into their room with a rush. Riddhima was looking through the drawers, "Hey, have you seen where I put the new notebooks we bought yesterday?" She knew she wouldn't have time in the morning so she was trying to get the things ready for tomorrow. "I can't even find the pens."

Khushi, ignoring that, demanded, "Have you seen this?"

Riddhima noticed the urgency in her tone and stopped looking for stationary. Turning to her, she stood up. "Seen what?"

Khushi thrust the phone forward and played a video. She read the title. Armaan's interview. As it went on to play, she realized it wasn't an interview from the past. It was a new one she hadn't seen. "Here, wait. Watch it from..." She trailed off as she took the phone and fast forwarded it to a bit where Armaan announced he wouldn't sing songs written by anyone else, and let Riddhima watch the rest of it.

"Why are you surprised?" Riddhima asked, "He said that three years ago. That was why I had sent him my song book, remember?"

Khushi admonished as Riddhima was questioning her surprised reaction before hearing the rest of the interview, "Just keep watching!"

So she did. Riddhima's eyes widened when he said he had no plans for Bollywood.

Khushi concluded, "I take it he didn't share that with you either."

Riddhima understood by 'either' that he must have not talked about it with anyone. "Yeah, he didn't. Honestly, we haven't talked much of anything." She pointed out, "Whenever we meet, it has usually been the whole group together and if we do talk..." She trailed off, catching herself before she revealed to Khushi that they mostly talked about her and Arnav in the times they did have a conversation – or just fight about that bracelet he bought for her.

"I don't get what made him do this!" Khushi exclaimed, not catching Riddhima's almost slip-of-tongue. "I mean I do get that he can't be a singer and be a doctor at the same time... but I thought singing was his dream, you know? Becoming a doctor was just a career path... but when his dream is already a reality, why give it up for something he's going to have to study for years before it happens?"

Riddhima had the same doubts and no answers. And that was one of the firsts. She would usually be able to defend Armaan's decisions without having to talk to him. "Is he still not back from the studio?" She asked as Armaan had been gone the entire day.

Khushi shook her head in response. "I tried calling him but he must have put it on silent if he's recording. He can't give up on singing, Ridzzi. He doesn't know it but that is his real dream. And let's not forget... everything you sacrificed in college would be for nothing if he just lets it go!"

"I'll talk to him tomorrow," Riddhima assured her, though she wasn't worried about her sacrifices going in vain. She believed they weren't sacrifices to begin with seeing that singing and becoming a celebrity was never a dream of hers or an end goal. That had always been Armaan. "Help me look for the notebooks now?"

"Did you check under the bed?" Riddhima realized she hadn't. She felt like hitting herself at this point. Khushi laughed, "Really, Ridzzi. Don't you know Armaan? That should have been the first place you looked at."

Khushi was right. It should have been. Armaan had quite the habit of pushing things he didn't require right away under his bed. So, he had done the same with their things when he brought them up after the school shopping they had done, buying all the textbooks, notebooks, pens, notecards, etc.

And most importantly: bunch of sticky pads.

===

The night they reached Shimla, after visiting his parents, Armaan walked Riddhima to her place. She hooked her arm with his and rested her cheek against it. Letting out a peaceful sigh, she expressed. "It feels so good to be home."

"Yeah," he agreed with a smile. After all, he'd come home to a great news of his father's recovery. He wasn't back on his feet, but it was an achievement in itself to regain movement in his hands. "I wish we could just stay here. Be kids again."

It was an idea entertained by all growing adults. Sometimes, the craving for that innocence and laughter is all that is needed to refresh the soul. Sometimes, one needs to return to their roots and recharge so they can go back to facing the world.

"While we're here, we'll have to finish our last basketball game."

She glanced sideways at him in confusion. "Which one?"

He reminded her, "You know, the one we were playing. Best of 5 but my elbow got scratched and it was raining. You'd said we'd finish it another time. We never did."

She nodded halfway through his words as she recalled that night from their high school days. "Oh right, that one. You never did explain how I cheated."

He chuckled bowing his head to the driveway they were approaching.

"What?" She questioned not understanding his reason for laughing.

He glanced towards the front door that was only ten steps away. From the side windows, he could see the lights were on. Her parents were waiting for her. Turning his attention back to her, he shook his head. "Nothing, come on."

She chose to be stubborn and stayed there. When he glanced back, she gave him a look that expressed she won't move till he gave her an answer because 'nothing' was not an answer she appreciated.

His eyes twinkling, he shrugged his shoulders, "Suit yourself." He turned his back to her, grinned in amusement, and walked ahead towards the door. It wasn't a huge secret that he had to hide it. He just felt like teasing her a bit and making her work to get an answer. He'd been so open with her about his feeling lately, he felt the need to have some fun.

This was who they were after all. There was never a dull moment when they were concerned.

She gaped at his leaving back in shock. "Armaan!" She huffed his name in a scolding, but being carefree towards her fake anger, he knocked on the door. almost instantly, there was shuffling on the other side and seconds later, the door opened.

He watched as both her parents were nudging each other to move so they could open the door and be the first to welcome their daughter home. Only, on seeing his face first, Shashank frowned. "Kid, why do you always have to ruin my reunion with Ridzzi?"

He exaggerated by rolling his eyes and quickly touching their feet in a greeting. "Atleast admit now that you love me, Uncle."

Shashank scoffed as if it were the most ridiculous fact ever, "As if. Now move along. Where's Ridzzi?"

"Out there throwing a tantrum. You know, you might want to talk to her. It's bad for a twenty-one year old to be throwing a tantrum." Armaan went on to tease him as he stepped inside the warmth of their abode and greeted Padma with a hug, "Hi Aunty."

Even as Riddhima approached them, she scowled at him. She couldn't keep standing there in the cold, and he knew that. Then, looking at her parents, her smile returned. She nudged Armaan away from her mom and gave her a tight hug. "Mumma, I missed you so much!"

Padma laughed patting her back and then kissing her forehead. If anything, it was more the other way around. Riddhima was out there living her life now. It was her and Shashank who now had to face their 'empty nest' to say the least.

===

Hours passed where both of them just talked to her parents, sharing all sorts of big and little things that happened in the last four months since they've been in Mumbai. Neither had to say it for the parents to understand that they two were together. They knew it would happen eventually. Especially Padma. She was always aware of both of their feelings for each other.

When it started to approach midnight, the couple retired to bed, telling them to not stay up long either as they'd just put up with a long drive and should rest up.

Riddhima stood up to walk up the stairs towards her room. At her heel, she found Armaan following. Narrowing her eyes, she turned to face him and realized that he was following absent-mindedly in habit. "Armaan, go home."

"What, just because we're home right now I have to be away from you?"

Riddhima tried to argue, "Well, no but..."

"Then? Your parents know what the deal is." He reminded, talking about her insomnia.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back to climb back the two steps he'd taken and advised, "Armaan, I love you for caring about me so much, but please go home." She didn't give him the space to argue when he opened his mouth. "You're home after a long time and you need to spend some time with your family too."

He still argued at the end with a pout, "But it's also the only quiet time I get with you."

She smiled and leaned up to peck his lips as if in a quick habit, "And we'll have our time tomorrow."

He sighed because he knew what that tone and action of hers meant. It was the final decision. 

She started to turn him around to leave when he pushed back to face her again. "Wait."

She questioned with a laugh, "What now?" He never could leave without resistance.

He held her hands and tugged her into an embrace. Mentally shaking her head, she gave in and hugged him back. When she tried to pull back, he held her a moment longer, speaking in her ear. "The reason you cheated... that night was the time I started to see you differently."

This time when she pulled back, he let her. Looking into his eyes, she pointed out her confusion. "You've always treated me the same though." She didn't understand what about that night was different.

"I can't explain it," he agreed with her words. "You once said I'd always hold a part of you, but Riddhima, it's the same for me. You've always been a part of my life, a part of me... and that will never change. I guess in one way, you can say I've always been in love with you. If anyone asked me to pick, there is not one particular moment when I fell for you. It was simply that I started to realize what my own feelings were then."

She finally got it, "And that's why you saw me differently then."

If anyone asked her to pick the moment she realized her feelings for him, she couldn't either. It was slow and gradual at first where she didn't even know what was happening... but then it was quick and deep when she realized it had already happened. The realization had been an overwhelming one all at once.

===