MN/AR - O Re Piya.. DISCONTINUED :'( Note at Pg68 - Page 9

"I'm so sorry. I didn't-" Riddhima fumbled with words and nervously straightened herself. "It's absolutely alright." Armaan sweetly said to her. Riddhima forced a smile and said, "Thanks!" Saying that, she headed to the house. Seeing the way she was walking, Armaan understood that she was blind. So considering it a humanity, he walked up to her and asked politely, "May I help you?" Though Armaan was gentle, his offer had somewhere hurt her ego and made her realize that she was handicapped. "I can go by myself," she replied coldly, kept on walking straight and entered inside. "How coldly she replied! Main toh sirf help ki offer kar raha tha." Saying that, Armaan pouted like a cute kid.

**

Radhika and Nupur were standing at a corner. Radhika was holding a gift box and looked around, searching for someone. "My god! Itne log." Nupur thought in mind and shook her head in disbelief. While she was in her trance of thoughts, her mom tapped on her shoulder. She turned around to face her mom. "Beta, inse milo, yeh hai Shilpa Sharma. Inke bete ki birthday party hai." Radhika Bhushan introduced her friend Shilpa Sharma to her daughter Nupur. "Namaste aunty!" Nupur greeted, pressed her palms together and formally smiled. "Namaste beta!", Shilpa replied and smiled back to her.

"Shilpa, birthday boy kaha hai, haan? Phir se kaam-kaaj mein busy hai kya?", Radhika teased Shilpa. Frowning, she replied, "Hoga kahi, phone mein busy. Rukh, main bulaati hoon." Saying that, she looked around and finally her eyes spotted Gunjan, who was busy with her friends.

"Gunji! Zara yaha aana." Shilpa shouted. Gunjan came to her mom. "Hi aunty!", she, on seeing Radhika Bhushan, said to her with a sweet smile. "Hi beta!", Radhika smilingly wished her. "Beta, yeh-" Shilpa was about to say but was interrupted by Gunjan as she said with a mischievousness in her voice, "Haan haan! I know ki yeh Radhika aunty hai aur who unki beti Nupur hain, haina?" Nupur nodded. "Yeh Riddhi kaha chali gayi?", she thought with worry lines on her forehead. Just then, she noticed Riddhima coming towards her and hurriedly she rushed in that direction.

"Mummy, not bad choice hun!", Gunjan naughtily said and Shilpa playfully hit her arm. "Jaa, apne bro ko bulaake leya." She told her authoritatively. "Jo hokum matashri." Gunjan said peculiarly and left. Radhika chuckled and said to Shilpa, "Gunjan badi pyaari bacchi hai." "Thanks!", Shilpa replied with a proud smile. "Waise, tumne tumhare bte ko kuch bataaya hai ki nahi?", Radhika curiously asked. "Arey nahi yaar! Tum toh jaanti ho ki mujhe usse bohot darr lagta hai." Shilpa said making a sad puppy face. "Tum bhi naa!", Radhika said and laughed. Nupur and Riddhima arrived in the scene. Suddenly they were silent which confused Nupur.

"Aunty, yeh meri choti behen hai Riddhima." Nupur introduced Riddhima to Shilpa. "Namaste!", Riddhima folded her hands and said in a lowered voice. "Namaste!", Shilpa replied in the same manner. "Maa, aapne mujhe bulaaya!" these words collided to Shilpa's eardrums and she turned back. "Aa gaya Mayu!", Shilpa said with motherly affection. "Maa, please, sab ke samne Mayu mat bulaao." Mayank said in annoyance. "Accha nahi bulaayungi, Mayank!", Shilpa smilingly said. "Apni maa se attitude? Ajib kahika!", Nupur said to herself in mind and rolled her eyes.

"Anyways, inn tino se milo. Yeh hai meri saheli Radhika Bhushan, aur woh dono hai inki betiya, Nupur aur Riddhima." Shilpa introduced Radhika and her daughters to Mayank. "Namaste, aunty!", Mayank formally and politely greeted with his palms pressed together. Radhika did the same and handed him his gift. Cutely smiling, he took it and ordered a servant to keep it in the place where all the gifts were kept. "Hi!" he said to Nupur and Riddhima and slightly smiled. Riddhima smiled at him in the same genuine way while Nupur faked.

Shilpa and Radhika stared at their children Mayank and Nupur and tried to read their faces but they failed. "Riddhima, Shilpa, mere saath zara chalo." Shilpa said and pulled Radhika's arm. Radhika held Riddhima's wrist with her other hand. Finally after the introduction session, Mayank and Nupur were alone. They both wondered as to why their mothers went away so suddenly.

"Happy Birthday!", Nupur said, trying to smile and extended her hand. "Thanks!", Mayank said smilingly and shook his hands with hers and just then, his phone beeped. He took out his phone and read a text message -

"Dude, main tere ghar aane hi wala tha par achanak se yaad aaya ki tera gift lena bhul gaya. So abhi main mall mein jaa raha hoon. 20 minute mein pohoch jaayunga. Jaanta tha ki tu mujhpar chillaayega iss liye message kiya. Aab gussa thanda rakh aur party enjoy kar.

- Armaan ;)"

"Armaan ka baccha, tujhe toh main baad mein dekh lunga.", Mayank muttered in his breath with an angry look. "Ji?", Nupur said confusedly. "Kuch nahi bas woh mera ek friend aane mein late ho jayega. Usse hi gaali de raha tha." said Mayank and then laughed at his own words. Nupur covered her mouth with her palm and laughed silently. "Aap khulke hans sakti hai, mujhe bura nahi lagega." Mayank said with a killer smile and unable to control anymore, Nupur whole-heartedly laughed.

**

Radhika, Shilpa, Gunjan and Riddhima were standing at the other corner. "Yeh dono toh kaafi khush lag rahe hai ek dusre ke saath." Shilpa said in almost a whisper when she saw her son Mayank laughing and that too with a girl. Surprising but true! "Now I just hope ki unhe koi problem naa ho." Radhika said worriedly while peeking at them and prayed silently to God. "Made in heaven couple! Bro ko Nupur se acchi ladki nahi mil sakti." Gunjan said with a content smile. The mothers smiled broadly hearing what Gunjan said.

"Maa, aapne Nupur ko bataaya nahi aur mujhe bhi nahi?" shocked Riddhima asked her mom. "Sorry beta, bataana toh chahti thi par mauka nahi mila." Her mom replied softly. "Accha theek hai, koi baat nahi par Nupur kaise maanegi iss rishte ke liye?", Riddhima curiously asked. "Woh sab tu mujhpar chod de." Radhika said firmly. "Radhika, main aur Gunjan aab announcement karne jaa rahe hai. I guess it's the real time now." Shilpa said with a determined look. Radhika nodded.

**

Shilpa, Gunjan and Mayank were standing side by side in the middle of the hall. "Thanks a lot friends for coming here and taking a part in our happiness. So now it's time to cut the cake." Shilpa declared holding a mike near her mouth. A large round sized chocolate cake arrived in the middle. Mayank held the knife. Everyone gathered around. Radhika, Nupur and Riddhima were standing beside Shilpa and Gunjan. The people started singing the birthday song while the birthday boy Mayank cut the cake. All clapped. Mayank fed a piece of cake to his mom first and then Gunjan. "Yeh Armaan kaha rehe gaya? Woh jaanta hai ki har saal tisra number uska hai, phir bhi late!" said Mayank and got sad.

"Dost ne bulaaya aur hum aa gaye." a friendly voice of a guy reached Mayank's eardrums and turning back, he saw his best friend Armaan Malik standing with a grin and a gift box in his hands. "Filmy dialogue bandh kar.." said Mayank seriously but broke in a giggle after a while and said, "Aur yeh cake kha." Saying that, he fed him a big piece of cake. Armaan ate the cake and fed the same piece back to him. Just then, his sight landed on Riddhima who was quietly standing beside her sister. A strange smile curved on his face.

"Friends, we have another important announcement." Shilpa declared and everyone was quiet. "Friends, she is my friend Radhika Bhushan. We both decided that we will give a new name to our friendship, and we are extremely glad to announce the engagement of our kids Mayank and Nupur!" she said in glee and everyone shouted and applauded in excitement. The jaws of Mayank and Nupur dropped in shock. They stared at their mothers, dumbfounded. "Nupur, yaha aao beta!" Nupur, who was holding Riddhima's hand, left her grip over it and went to Shilpa. Unaware of the reason, Riddhima felt as if someone was taking a piece of her heart away.

Mayank and Nupur were standing opposite to each other. They looked at each other blankly. What they would say, how they would react, they didn't know at all! Beside them, their mothers were standing with a small red jewelry boxes. Armaan was standing on the other side of Mayank. His gaze was still on Riddhima.

Radhika gave a finger ring to Nupur. "Yeh le!" she said to Nupur with a beautiful smile but received just a glare from her. Nupur abruptly took the ring and slid it in Mayank's finger by holding his hand. Mayank, making a out-of-words expression, did the same with Nupur. At the end, the whole house was filled with the noise of claps, joy and laughter.

**

Radhika and Nupur were sitting on the bed opposite to each other. "Maa, aapne aisa kyun kiya?", Nupur asked her mom, demanding for an answer. "Teri bhalaai ke liye beta.", Radhika replied calmly. "BHALAAI MY FOOT! MAIN THAK CHUKI HOON YEH KEHETE KEHETE KI I DON'T BELIEVE IN MARRIAGE. IT'S ALL CRAP!", Nupur shouted and stormed out of the room.

Radhika broke down in tears. Riddhima held her by her arms and consoled her. "Riddhima, please Nupur ko samjha. I did this just for her. Warna tu hi bataa, kaun ek divorcee ki beti ke saath shaadi karega! Iss liye sab kuch soch kar hi maine yeh faisla liya hai. Par yeh Nupur kuch samajhti nahi hai." Radhika said in the midst of her sobs.

**

"Maa, mujhse pooche bina aapne meri engagement karwadi?", Mayank asked in disbelieve. "Tune hi toh kaha tha ki jisse main kahungi, tu ussi se hi shaadi karega and trust me, Nupur bohot acchi ladki hai." Shilpa replied smilingly. Annoyed and irritated, Mayank said, "Main terrace par jaa raha hoon." Saying that, he left. "Mayu, abhi tujhe gussa aa raha hai par I'm sure ki ek din tu mujhe thanks kahega iss decision ke liye." she said to herself in mind and victoriously smiled.

**

Standing on the terrace in the dark night with few amount of the moonlight glowing their faces that only depicted their confusions about the recent happenings in their lives, they stared at their engagement rings and remembered the moment when they were bonded in a new relationship in spite of being nothing but just strangers.

Preview of the next chapter:

"Maa, main iss shaadi ke liye ready hoon."

"Theek hain Riddhi, maa se kehe de ki woh jaisa kahengi, main wahi karungi."

**

Phew! That's the end for this chapter. Well, for the first time, I have written something on so much characters so I really hope if its okay. Do comment please. AR fans, as of now, the story is focusing on MN but don't worry cuz as the story will progress, u'll get to see more AR scenes as well, and Mayur fans, shocked naa as MN r getting married so soon? I would say ki just wait n watch..😉

Chapter 3