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"Bless you both to have a happily married life ahead with loads of cute babies, a mother's blessing would surely befall on you both, it never goes in vain, thank you once again," the sentimental and dismantled lady ultimately blessed the couple, unknown about their marital status and trudged away hurriedly, leaving behind two red-faced, warm-blooded homosapiens whose four-chambered hearts suddenly started pittering-pattering in sync!

While one looked at the other with dreamy eyes, the other reciprocated the obligation with her fretful orbs.

Babies with this man, no way! He's such a cranky man, along with his impulsiveness too, Arvika thought tentatively, scrunching her nose at Dev who was busy smiling at her like an idiot.

Gobsmacked at the bewildering wishes of the hyperventilating lady, Kavya's uproaring laugh got both the pop-eyed young, future couple out of their staring competition. She had recorded their life's first beautiful yet funny encounter in her device, wishing incoherently for the same thing to happen with her best friend and her hero that the lady had just blessed for, a while ago. She'd love to be the aunt of at least two cute bundles of joys having the bestowing traits of the appealing Arvika as well as the dynamic Dev.

Nearing the couple, Kavya chanted in a daze giving naughty looks towards Arvika who was busy in throwing nervous glances towards the same way the lady had gotten away to, "That lady was such an angel". Arvika could only sigh heavily at that as she knew how her best friend had always idolised Dev, she didn't want to start another argument and time-killing now, could she?

"Yeah, such a great-hearted lady, I mean this was the best blessing that I've gotten in my life so far. By the way, Arvika, what do you think about that?" giving a wink towards Kavya, Dev started walking along with Arvika having a lopsided grin intact on his face. Kavya too was now walking beside her best friend, all ready to tease her out of her guts!

Redness floated across her cheeks but she managed to get out it without being sunken, "I think she was a fool to not see the differences between us, forget about being a couple, we don't even look good as friends because we definitely are not, and Mr President, please walk at a distance from me". And she was back to her older self, giving a cold shoulder to the special someone.

Dev along with Kavya chuckled at her response and gotten away from her, who knows she might already punch them in their face. Who would dare to mess with such a witty yet fierce girl? The dismantled lady along with the baby had already riled up her a lot, the volcano of anger could erupt anytime now, they needed to keep in check of their jokes forthwith.

"You want to buy an evening dress for the freshers, right? I think this would be the most suitable store for that!" Dev cheered in a happy tone, ushering Kavya inside a famous store. She was already exhilarated, gawking at the perfumed, air-conditioned showroom which was flaunting all their best apparels on artistic mannequins posing in different stylish mannerisms.

Arvika mumbled to herself while opening the polished glass door, "For sure he knows all about the girly pieces of stuff". But after entering the showroom, she too was flabbergasted at the showy, eye-catching dresses that were put up at the display, all the dresses were shouting elegance and opulence in big capital letters. She didn't belong here, she couldn't buy apparels from such an expensive store, her scholarship funds were for her survival, not for her luxury, she had to remind herself!

Panic and self-consciousness again started resurfacing her, the other ladies were dressed in grandiose and bewitching attires whereas her dress was just the ones the middle classes could afford. She felt out of place, her hands were already sweaty and her face, flooded with nervousness and disdain.

"Did you take your medicines, today?" a manly voice got her out of her reverie and then ger eyes landed on the same man who had held her hands a few moments ago before the baby scandal. "Huh?" she befuddled disorientingly, why was he asking such an odd question to her, her confused eyes couldn't see the playfulness behind his brown ones.

Though he was jesting a part of him was truly concerned by the way she was behaving so oddly today, "I mean you're again and again zoning out, or looking panicked in once in a while, all okay?"

"It's because of your presence," replying haughtily to the hot man, she moved away and started following her best friend, Kavya who was already strolling towards the store where several female staffs were robotically smiling towards her and the handsome man whose eyes were unfortunately fixed on someone other.

Smiling like a sheep, Dev muttered, "I affect you, that's a piece of breaking news."

"Yes, disasters do affect me," she retaliated and got near her best friend.

"Kavya, listen. You buy the dress you like, but please be fast," Arvika pulled Kavya by her arm and whispered extremely incoherently in her ears. "What do you mean by that? You're not going to purchase the dress for the freshers?" Kavya was mystified at her friend's statement, no way she was going to the freshers without Arvika. "Kavya, the shop is too ex.." before Arvika could've discussed more of her financial crisis, they were interrupted by a hoarse manly voice near them.

"Excuse me? Can you please show us the best collections for a freshers party?" the guy was more excited than the girls to procure the dresses, Arvika sighed furiously while Kavya again got near Dev to give him the company to look at those astounding pieces of apparels, ignoring the stern eyes of her best friend, defying her again for the umpteenth time.

"Yes sir, any specification, sir?" the saleswoman too was more interested in her gentleman customer rather than her lovely ladies. Other saleswomen kept gawking at the specimen of some hotshot magazine aka Dev. The saleswoman's smile was way too unprofessional than Dev could digest. "Yes, please, a bit of business attitude would be much appreciated, Miss Kanchan, Kavya and Arvika, come," giving a slight quirky remark to the salesgirl whose name he had read from her badge, he turned towards Arvika to bring her towards the counter as she was still at a distance from them while Kavya was smilingly selecting one perfect dress from the plethora of beguiling dresses the salesgirls were showing to her.

Arvika who was diligent in shooting daggers at her best friend suddenly noticed the nagging man whose life goal was to interrupt and irritate her only, coming towards her. "I am not going to buy anything, I don't want to," her crankiness and irritation were clearly evident in her dejected voice, having a hurtful look in her eyes.

Supporting herself on her own without having the shade of a mother or a father figure was already no less than a daily Warfield for her, wherein she'd have to fight with the financial crisis, academic fees, hostel fees, food, clothing, all on her own. And adding more muddle to her puddled life was making her muffled and baffled. She couldn't afford those dresses, she couldn't buy them.

"But have a look at them at least, I am sure you'd like one of them," Dev tried his enticing skills once again, hoping against hope that she'd be convinced, but alas, she wasn't. A stubborn nut to crack, really!

"Sir, I think I'd just sit here, you guys carry on," giving one last look towards the engaged and euphoric Kavya and the one to the dauntless man, Arvika moved towards one of the cushioned chairs of the store and hunkered on it, looking at the other women who were completely captivated in their tantrums and frets over choices of dresses.

Dev could just sigh at the girl he was completely in love with, she was making him fall more and more for her with her firm and fierce attitude. Other girls would've already scanned the entire store with their jovial mood already on haywire but here she was sulk-sitting in the corner, gazing at the people like an infant, totally boycotting his presence like he didn't exist. She was so different and eccentric, maybe that's why she had captivated him crazily five years back with just one meeting, igniting all the love hormones in his body he didn't know even existed inside him!

He wanted to sit beside her and give her some company but he knew her next reaction, another quirky remark from her, or, she'd just get away from the store like every time she had done in the past, he wondered if he had some "Arvika-repellent" chemical transfixed inside his structure as unlike other girls, his personage had always spurned her. Sighing grievously, he moved towards Kavya who was fretting over the dresses, which one to use, the complexity of every teenaged, young, middle-aged and even old-aged women of every time.

Kavya was pondering which dress to choose, the black one or the mustard or the turquoise or the cherry or the...her contemplation was shortly broken as Dev hinted Kavya to ask guidance from Arvika, her best friend who was now transcribing something on her mobile.

"Arvika, which one? Colour, colour which colour, dress, dress, which dress?" Kavya asked her best friend in a sing-song manner, but later she pursed her lips into a thin line as Arvika wasn't paying any attention to her, shunning her presence the same way she had already done so many times today with her. "Forgive me na, please," using her extra-innocent voice and tone, Kavya mumbled out, disliking Arvika's aloof behaviour. "Ask your Dev Bhaiya na, why me? Or, better, ask your TikTok friends online! Oh, wait, it's banned, isn't it?" hearing such a reply out of her best friend's mouth, Kavya turned bewildered yet humoured.

Did she just smell some jealousy and irritation over here? Kavya smiled naughtily in her mind and turned her whole attention towards her friend.

"Dev bhaiya has only sent me to you, as he's not into choosing girls' dresses, so tell me, pretty please," Kavya requested Arvika using her puppy eyes and who could resist them, they were the reason behind many of the things Arvika had to agree upon in the past, now another feather added to the cap of Kavya's innocent, puppy eyes. "You look great in black but it'll be too common in the party, select this mustard one, you'll look breathtakingly beautiful," resisting the love Arvika had for her best friend couldn't be masked for long and she ultimately gave her honest opinion to her best friend, smiling at her in encouragement.

"You're the greatest," hugging her best friend haphazardly in jubilation and glee, Kavya flew away towards the counter where the saleswoman was occupied talking with Dev. A serious discussion, eh?

Giving no pressure to her mind, she swiftly entered inside the trial room and tried the mustard dress on her, it was looking ravishingly stunning on her body, showing more of her thin curves. After getting the final approval from both her best pals, she changed back to her former dress.

"Pack this one," Dev beamed at Kavya's choice and ordered the saleswoman for the same dress to be packed although still having a pained look on his face as Arvika wasn't giving him a single glance, again. "Bhaiya, what about Arvika? She hasn't bought anything, that girl is so obstinate-headed," Kavya glanced back at her friend who was recurrently engaged in her mobile.

"Chill! I think she'd want to buy something from some other store, don't worry," having a cool demeanour on his face, Dev replied and trudged towards the billing counter with Kavya trailing behind him after calling out for Arvika too to tag along. Frowning, Arvika was following them, again giving a last glimpse to the one dress that had gripped her eyes in the first look, maybe after a few years she'd buy it, she thought conceivably.

"Your dress please, ma'am," the head on the billing counter asked for the dress which Kavya handed to her, joyfully. "Sir, there's an offer we have today, would you like to enter into it?" scanning the QR code of the dress under the CCD reader, the head saleswoman summoned out in a very professional tone, more specifically to Dev.

"Yes, sure, what's that?" with scepticism clouding his features, Dev asked out dubiously while the girls too were amused for the particular offer the saleswoman was offering for today.

"Actually, here we have got a lucky draw kind of competition wherein you just have to pay INR 500 and get offers worth more than INR 1000, so, would you like to test your luck?" the head saleswoman asked in a convincing manner, using her hand movements for more emphasis. Dev was the first one to look at the best friend duo with a little confusion marring his features, but they nodded back at him to go on. "Sure," he gave the green signal and the lucky draw started!

"Wow, what a stroke of surpassing luck you have, sir! The dress you bought will be free for you along with the complimentary dress that you've gotten in gift, here, take them, both the dresses worth thousands but through this lucky draw, you got them for free! The size is the same for both! Thank you so much for shopping with us, have a good day," handing Dev the two paper bags of two different dresses, the head immediately brought out the bill and handed it over to him again.

Arvika and Kavya both were bewildered by such a fabulous offer this store had just offered to them, their eyes were protruded up like saucers, gee, it was unbelievable. "Can I look at the other dress, please?" Kavya was curious to look at the other dress while Arvika kept mum although she too was inquisitive to know how the other dress looked! Dev gave the bag to Kavya and held a neutrally quizzical look on his face as well, he too was excited to know which beautiful dress was in that bag.

Kavya gasped in amazement looking at the gorgeously pearl-embellished dress, "Wow, it's so exquisitely elegant," and Arvika couldn't believe a single fact of all this ordeal that just happened. Was it really happening to her that the dress she loved was given to her best friend in the complimentary gift? "Arvika, it's yours, try it right now, please, you'd look heavenly in it, please try it, gooooo," taking out the dress, Kavya nearly pushed Arvika inside one of the trial rooms with the dress forcibly hung on her wrist. Arvika had to follow the commands as even she too was dazed looking at the beautiful apparel which had gotten her attention in the first look only.

After a few minutes, she was finally outside the trial room, dressed in the elegant, pearl-embellished, white knee-length dress, looking no less than an angel. Dev had to suck in a breath when his eyes settled on her prepossessing form. If she looked lovely in her other dresses in the past she was looking completely bewitching and alluring in this glamorous dress which was bringing out the right curves and areas that Dev had never seen, ever of her.

His nutter-butter had really grown up to a sexy heart-catcher! He mused fervently, having a soft simper playing on his lips. "I would have to do voodoo eyes on you now, you're looking pulchritudinous in this attire, go and change it ASAP before you get the bad eye, go," the same way she had pushed Arvika for trying out the dress, Kavya pushed her this time as well to get out of the dress.

Kavya was sometimes the over-concerned grandmother of Arvika and sometimes, her mother!

Arvika was joyous and thrilled that she got the same dress that she had desired that too for free, it was such a lucky day for her, otherwise, she had not even gotten a single complimentary gift in her entire life. Beginners luck, maybe!

After packing the clothes back into the paper bag, the trio left the fashion store and started roaming inside the profoundly crowded mall, the peak hour had set in, people had pitched in from all the sects of the society and children had set in inside the gaming rooms, already, a typical mall scene! Dev gave a pleasant round of the mall and finally, after an hour, their famished tummies grumbled out, alerting the hunger they were holding till now.

Walking inside one of the Mc Donald's outlet, Dev immediately got into the queue for ordering the delicacies that Kavya had decided, for herself as well as for her best friend as Arvika was too shy to ask his majesty to bring some food for her. Meanwhile, the best friend duo started chit-chatting with each other, where one was scolding the other and the other crazy one was teasing the former.

After a while, Dev returned back with their order but what he didn't expect was the presence of a certain someone whom he was seeing after so long!

Mrs Shekhawat!

The wife of the director of their esteemed college! What was she doing here? Of course, to eat burgers, you fool, Dev mentally smacked himself for such a trivial and idiotic question. She still hadn't seen him. He hadn't met her for a long time, she'd for sure reprimand him for that and that too in front of Arvika and Kavya, how outstanding, he resolved sardonically. So much excellent of an image would be left of him if she would admonish him in front of them!

Bole to poora izzat ka kachra, bhai!

"Oh, God! Dev, son?" and here started his round one of the embarrassing ordeals, god save him! "Yes, my princess, it's me only," Dev answered while feeling breathless inside the big bear hug of his Shekhawat aunt! All the onlookers were immensely enjoying the cute scene that was upheld in front of them, who wouldn't, the lady was already weeping, dramatically.

But the one who was enjoying it the most was trying extremely hard to not to snicker loudly at her president's embarrassing stance, who knows he might avenge against her for that.

"Why haven't you visited your house for so long? You don't love me anymore, isn't it? Even your uncle says you've gotten too busy in your courses that you cannot even take out a few minutes for me, I am really irate at you, Dev," she exasperated out in an emotional tone while touching his stubble cheeks affectionately. Having no biological child of her own, she had always treated Dev as her child, and even Mr Shekhawat too. "Princess, I had a lot of interviews, pieces of training, internships on my plate, that's why I couldn't pay a visit to you, please understand," Dev deliberately expressed, eyeing the wrinkles on his favourite and most adorable aunt's face. Time changes the people, truly.

"Okay, okay, I do understand but please at least once a month, pay a visit to us oldies, we've no one except you, by the way, are you alone or have some company?" by the time she said that a lot of the onlookers were still staring at her, seizing her to lower down her speech. "Yeah, meet my friends, princess. Come, sit," Dev beamed merrily and made his princess sit on the dining seat which they had chosen in the start.

All the parties were introduced and everyone was back to their eating habits, ignoring the extra-sweet and over joyful lady's banter. People like her are called social butterfly and she was really a queen among them except for the fact that her motherly love for Dev was true. But the thing that bothered her the most was the way her son was giving those hopeful glances towards Arvika, the girl who was sitting just right next to her.

Mothers know about their children, Mrs Shekhawat was not the biological mother of Dev but she sure was the tiny version of Yashoda Maiya for him. He loved the girl named Arvika, Mrs Shekhawat concluded, smilingly and joined in the conversation about their interests for Indian cinema. And again, history repeated itself! She forgot to inform her husband about her presence in McD. He'd be going berserk if she won't call him right now.

After informing her husband about her whereabouts, she finally turned towards Arvika and started talking with her in a motherly manner, asking her basic questions of her likes and dislikes and in the end, she concluded with the trumpets playing in the background with the music of "Aaj mere yaar ki shaadi hai", this girl was apt for her son, she was everything her son had always wished for.

Cherishing those old days, Mrs Shekhawat got a few years back when Dev was just a five-year-old toddler. He used to come to her house every day as she was his favourite aunt who cooked the best pastries in the world. He had loved her choco-chip pastries and that's why she had given a sweet nickname to him too.

Coco!

She also reminisced how interestingly he used to tell his mates about the girl he'd want to marry. She could still remember the dollhouse games he used to play with other kids of his age, where he used to describe his future bride.

"I will marry a unique girl, she'll be the most innocent and the most beautiful bride in the whole world but she should be a good human, no bad habits, no fighting, no screaming."

His five-year-old self was still too young to comprehend the meaning of all this but now Mrs Shekhawat could fully relate how firm he was on his decision to marry a girl like Arvika who truly sufficed for all his wishes in his wife.

But another part of her mind rebuked at her innocent thinking, what if the girl was just being sweet for impressing her? No one could be trusted until you know the person from roots.

Before she could ponder more on these petty things, her husband arrived along with their niece accompanied by her baby.

But four persons were completely shocked when they saw each other, again.

The niece of Mrs Shekhawat was none other than the same lady whose son was lost in the middle and who had asked for "Booboo" from Arvika. Was it a surprise-surprise day for all of them?

"We met again," Dev declared amazedly and drew out a long breath. His juniors too were flabbergasted at the turn of the events.

Later, the entire evening was spent in eating, laughing, sharing some experiences, again lots of laughing and last but not the least, some teasing of Dev and Arvika as a couple as unforeseen to their luck, the once lost baby boy was again in the arms of Arvika and icing on the cake, Dev and Arvika were sitting together, their hands touching in between, creating havoc in their entire system.

The baby boy touched Arvika's bosom and asked for the forbidden thing, "Booboo", again making all the people on the table turn crimson red especially the power couple who had already undergone this incident a few hours back.

Now, the innocent baby boy's indecipherable phrase was another repetition of the past, leaving behind two red-faced, warm-blooded homosapiens whose four-chambered hearts suddenly started pittering-pattering in sync!

****

"And, the chit reads...."

"The last couple who'd be performing the paper-fold dance is...."

"Our very favourite, our very talented, our president, Dev Kapoor and wait, wait, wait, who's the lucky girl? Well, it's none other than the same girl who had sung the Shinchan song for our president, yes, the astounding and aesthetic, Arvika Arya, please give a huge round of applause for them," the anchor ended his speech and the atmosphere suddenly turned into a passionate and romantic one, raising the heartbeats of two soaring souls!

"Pyaar ki ye ek kahani suno..."

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4000 words

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