I LOVE U AS U ARE(AR) new link - pg 1 - Page 51

hey pooja

i just caught with ff

sorri for late reply just came back!😆

anyways the story is amzing

con't soon

-sanam-

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Nandini woke up with a start, it had been a bad nightmare again. She decided to calm herself n reached for the jug of water kept at her bedside. She was disappointed to find it empty, henceby cursing Karan n his obsession of drinking water at midnight. She picked up her cell n the screen flashed '4:45am'. She decided to go down n treat herself to some water.

As she descended the stairs, she heard a disturbance from down, she was immediately alert. She looked here n there, n took out a stick from the nearby cupboard. As she walked carefully towards the direction of the noise, she saw the lights switched on in one of the rooms. She tip toed to there, trying to be real brave, but the sight tht her eyes saw made a smile creep to her lips.

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Armaan woke up, freshened n took a shower. He came out dressed in a white kurta pajama n went to that place in the house which he visited only in emergencies.

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"C'mon yaar, pick up the phone u sleepy head, c'mon, c'mon"

"Uhhh, hel..lo"

"Hello, good morning sleeping beauty, arent u done with ur sleep yet"

"Armaan, wht r u doing"

"Duh uh, talking to u n giving u ur wake up call lazy princess"

"Stop being the jerk u r ok, wht r u doing calling me at this time, i mean, its not even 5 yet"

"Hello, dont people respond nicely when their friends ask for help?"

"Oh oh, i never realised someone wants my help"

"Mrs Ayesha Veer Vardhan Singh, i've sent a more than 100 messages to u since the night time, n u havent responded to them"

"Mr Armaan Balwinder Mallik, i've replied to ur 1st msg, n didnt bother with the others coz they read the same. I'd told u tht i wud help u in the morning, but u seemed to have opened a night time messaging company. I received a msg every 5-10 minutes. Trust me Veer is not so happy", Ayesha said,

"First, its Armaan Billy Mallik, 2nd, morning starts exactly at 12:01 am, so, i did not disturb u at night, 3rd, i just hope Veer hasnt forgotten how much he owes me, n now when its time to set up my love story, he's angry", Armaan humphed,

"Mr Armaan Billy Mallik, just becoz u pushed me into telling Ayesha abt my feelings for her, this does not mean u have to disturb my wife the whole night", another voice rang through,

"Mr Veer Vardhan Singh, u talk as if its the first time ur wife was deprived from her sleep, think u're way too innocent, haina", Armaan said as a smirk rose to his lips,

"Ok ok Armaan, stop it, Veer, u go to sleep, u have an important meeting later, i'm gonna get up, i need to help this lazy bum, who suddenly changed into the Mr Active Punctual for the day", Ayesha said,

"Ok buddy, all the best for ur work, n plz dont trouble my wifey too much, she's so delicate", Veer sighed as he went to sleep,

"Dont worry chum, i know abt ur delicate princess, n i am glad mine is the warrior princess. Now Ashu, back to work", Armaan said playfully,

"Ok, so all set", Ayesha asked,

"Yeah, hopefully, i had asked one of the servants to take out all the things u'd asked for, i just need to begin", Armaan said,

"Now, first of all, take a cooker n put the potatoes in it"

"Ashu, all the cooks are asleep, wht shud i do now"

"Armaan, cooker as in the big grey coloured utensil with a lid tht shall be kept wid the other things i'd asked for, n not ur cook"

"Oh ok as in tht, yeah, its here, hey, i've seen this before, Chhoti Maa cooks in this, when i used to be younger, i used to be scared of the sudden whistle tht came from it"

"Armaan?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up n continue"

"Oh, sorry, haan here are the potatoes, but Ashu, how do i put them in this cooker, its closed"

"Then open it na"

"Ok, just wait, ............. , umm Ashu, this doesnt seem to be opening"

"Ok, n do tell me how did u try to open it"

"I, i actually tried pulling this handle thing upwards, but, there's this little wire in ring types at the end, n it doesnt let the handle come out"

"Armaan, stop it,u'll break it, listen, pres the handle downwards from where that 'little-wire-in-ring-types' is present, it will release tht wire from the lid, then put the lid inside the cooker, now rotate it n try to take it out"

"So simple, now just wait, i'll do it (finally after loads of struggles), yeah yeah, its opened, now, the potatoes, right?"

"Haan put them in, then fill half of the cooker with water, add a teaspoon of salt, n close the lid, n keep it on stove for 25-30 minutes"

"Ok, potatoes in the cooker, done, water, half filled, done, salt, salt, where is salt, Ashu, wht colour is salt"

"Umm, u need the white one, yeah, white one, powdery substance, it'll be there in some container"

"Ok,let me see, white powdery substance, yeah this one, ok, one teaspoon in the cooker, done, oh no, its fallen on my finger, waise, how does it taste, ummm, yumm, Ashu, this salt is like really sweet"

"Armaan!!!!! If its sweet then its not salt, its sugar, look for another container with white salt, n do taste it. Empty the potatoes, wash them n put them again in the cooker, and add some salt"

"Yeah yeah, just wait, salt, here it is, n wash the potatoes, put salt n close the lid, umm Ashu, the lid is not closing"

"Areh use the same process which u used for opening it, only in revrse mode"

"I've tried, but these potatoes are coming in the way"

"Armaan, how many potatoes have u put in?"

"Umm, just a sec, 1, 2, 3, 4...... 35, 36, yeah, 36 in all"

"Armaan!!! Take them out, now!!! U jus need 5-6 potatoes, get it?"

"Dont shout, its not as if i cook everyday"

"Then why dont u ask Nandini aanty for help, or why dont i come there"

"Dont u dare,i want to do it allmyself, so u just give the instructions"

"Ok ok peace, now, put the cooker on stove n start it,u know how to se it na?"

"Of course, i asked the cook yesterday to teach me how to light a gas", Armaan smiled feeling proud of hmself, "N guess wht, he was trying to make a fool of me, i've seen on tv how ladies use a lighter to start the gas, n he, the cook, had the guts to tell me we did not need a lighter, we just had to rotate the knob. But i being me, i finally made him teach me the right way. Now, i just have to rotate the knob with one hand, n press the lighter with the other, n see, its done"

Ayesha smiled at Armaan's banter, she cud tell him some other day tht on this stove, the lighter need not be used. The gas wud've lighted even without a lighter. Armaan must really love the girl, she thought, he wudnt do all this for anyone, not even for Nandini aanty. She remembered how happy he'd been when he'd called Veer n her n told them abt Riddhima. Ayesha knew this guy deserved every happiness in life, n Riddhima was the only one who cud do it.

"Ok Armaan, now, take some flour, again a white powder, n it'll be labelled on the packet"

"Haan haan, aata goondhna hai, wait, let me put it, ye to poora packet chahiye na"

"Yeah, pour whole of the packet"

"Errr Ashu, aata, i mean the flour, it all fell down"

"Armaan u shud've poured it carefully na?"

"I did, but aggar plate chhoti hai to wht shud i do?"

"Kya, u put all the flour in a plate, Armaan, look for a very very big plate, paraat, it has its sides curled upwards"

"Areh haan hai, ye rahi, wow, this is like really big, i'll put another packet of flour, haan, its done"

"Ok, now put a little water in it n start mashing the flour wid ur hands"

"Ok, little as in how much"

"Little as in half a bowl"

"Ok, bowl is here, now half a bowl of water, here it goes in the flour, now mashing it around, wow, it feels like so soft n wonderful..."

"Its soft, oh no, then put some flour in it"

"But there's no more packet left"

"Areh, look for it in the cupboards na"

"Um, alright, cupboard 1, umm, no bg containers here, cupboard 2, nah not here too.... cupboard 5, haan, these cud be it, umm, its a little high, bt Armaan Mallik has problem to every solution, i mean solution to every problem, wow, ok Armaan, 1 2 3 jump, oh no, again, 1 2 3 go, God! 1 2 3 jump, yes, oh shi* (while jumping, Armaan had a bath with the contents of the containers having flour n maida), oh no gir gaya"

"Kya gir gaya"

"Um, kuch nhi, woh pani gir gaya, on my clothes, haan, thank God, thoda sa bach gaya"

"Kya bach gaya Armaan?"

"Woh, woh Ashu, mera face bach gaya, umm ,leave it, ab tum batao, i've put the flour n mashed it, bt this is so hard"

"Hard ho gaya, then put some water in it na silly"

"Water, yeah here it goes, umm......, Ashu, this thing is so liquidy, its sticking to my fingers"

"ARMAAN!!!"

After loads of hardwork, Armaan was finally reay with the flour which seemed to match the description tht Ayesha had said.

"Now Armaan, the potatoes might be ready, FINALLY, open the lid, peel the potatoes, n scramble them"

"Ok, by the way, it wasnt my fault, u never told me tht i had to attach the whistle on top too, how was i supposed to know, n becoz of this only it has taken so much time to boil them"

"Yes, i am sorry Armaan, it was my mistake"

"I know, whats new, anyways, ouch, these potatoes are hot, how do u people manage it all, ouch, ufff, eeks, aaaah...... yeah done, the potatoes are scrambled, now"

"Add a pinch of salt to these"

"Ok, done"

"Now the biggest part, keep the tavaa(pan) ont he gas, allow it to warm for some time, now take a lump of the flour, n keep it on the shelf, n start making a roti with the help of the belan"

"Hmmm....., ok, done, but this roti doesnt look too good"

"Never mind, now take some of the scrambled potatoes, put them on the roti, n fold the roti so tht the potatoes are covered, and start making the roti again"

Poor Armaan, sometimes the potatoes came out of the folds, sometimes this n sometimes tht, bt he finally managed it.

"Now put it on the pan, keep turning the chapati again n again n apply ghee to both the sides while turning it"

"Yeah, its on the pan now. Ok Ashu, till it gets heated up, answer my quiz, my chapati looks like some map of India's neighbouring country, guess which one?"

"Armaan?"

"Areh, try na"

"Ok, maybe, China, (No), then Pakistan, (nah), Sri Lanka, (nope), then Afganistan ya phir Bangladesh, or maybe Myanmar, (no no and no), ok then i give up, u tell me"

"Its like Nepal, ha ha ha"

"Are u serious, the shape is like Nepal"

"Hmm, n, ummm, actually, the colour is tht of ..."

"Of montains, right"

"Wrong, its of the sea"

"Sea, are u crazy?"

"Not actually, its the colour of the black sea"

"Armaan, the chapati is burnt, for Heaven's sake, lift it n make a new one"

After some time, the food is ready.

"Haan Ashu, my special aloo ke parathe are ready"

"Do they seem edible, coz i dont think Riddhima wud eat something non edible n destroy her digestive system"

"Yeah, they seem edible enuf, bt shud i taste them before her, yes, i shud"

"No stop!!! Armaan, these r for Riddhima only, and as far as i know, ur love wont let any harm happen to her, so just chill"

"Ok Ashu, thanks a ton for the help, i really hope she likes these, coz then she'll love me too, after all, she loves people who cook for her, uh Ashu, hello, Ashu, hello"

"Armaan, stop shouting, its me, Veer, Ayesha's slept, poor girl, i dont know wht all did she go through"

"I know, i am sorry Veer, bt she was the only one i cud ask, had i asked Chhoti Maa, then she wud've made the parathas herself, rather than allowing me to make them..."

"Armaan, i was just kidding, n u know tht, anything for u budddy, now go, u need to get ready, Riddhima ko parathe khilane hain na"

"Yeah, ok, talk to u later, n take care of Ashu, she's really tired"

"K, bye"

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Nandini had tip toed, only to find Armaan in the kitchen. Dressed in a white kurta pajama, an apron on his body, n a cheff's cap covering his head, her Maani looked a sight worth watching. She immediately hid behind a pillar n observed him. Experience told her tht today Riddhima was in for a special dish. The smile tht had formed seeing him got even more wider, as she talked to herself.

"Riddhima betu, i hope u trust me when i say u've got the best man in the world to love u, i know he'll love u forever, till the end of his life"

What Nandini didnt know was tht this couple was made to love each other even after they leave the world. 'Romance in heaven', 'Love after rebirth', 'Each others for every life', 'Eternal love', 'Love forever', 'Only yours' were just some of the phrases which were made for this couple. These described the intensity of love of these two lovers.

Nandini saw Armaan's cooking in progress. Many a times did she want to go n help him when she felt his need, but her heart stopped her. Had he wanted her help, he wud've asked for it, but he did not. Perhaps her guilty heart knew the reason for it, she wudnt let Armaan do anything which cud hurt himself (just physically). She saw with a shocked expression as her most precious object ruined in front of her, her pride, her beautiful kitchen. But her heart melted as she saw the happiness in Armaan's eyes who was busy looking at the parathe with a sparkle in his eyes. His face glowed n wasmore radiant than everything in the universe. She decided to go to her room lest she disturbed him, n walked away laughing as she heard a single sentence,

"Haan, Dinesh, plz ask the cooks to come n clean the kitchen, its really messy, looks like some cat came n brougth her companion cyclone, yeah yeah, before Chhoti Maa comes, she loves her kitchen, yeah, get it done soon"

(I know guys the pics dont describe th situation, but i hope atleast u wud like seeing Armaan in the kitchen)

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Armaan walked in his cabin, to be precise, 'Their' cabin with a lunch box in hand, which he'd managed to hide under his files. He moved towards his table, n hid the box in the drawer. He watched impatiently towards Riddhima's table, only to see an empty seat. He was visibly tensed, why isnt she here yet, is she fine, maybe traffic, maybe she's sick, wht if she doesnt come here today? To cut short his wait, he started counting the parathas.

"1, 2, 3, 4...yumm, they smell good,...7 and 8, 8 parathe Riddhima, all for u, all the 8 for Riddhima only"

"What 8 for Riddhima only?", a voice broke his trance,

Armaan hadnt noticed Riddhima walk in with Jennifer, dressed in blue cargos with a white top, with her hair braided loosely, again leaving curvy tresses on face, she looked stunning. He was lost in gaping at her, n didnt realise she'd settled on her seat n was expecting an answer to the question thrown to him by Jennifer. He only observed the funny looks she gave to him, he on the other side was in some heaven. Suddenly Jennifer's hands shaking him brought him out of all fantasies, n now did he notice the questioning look on Riddhima's face.

"Huh, Jenny, u said something?"

"Yeah, Armaan, we entered n u were saying 'all the 8 for Riddhima only', wht were u talking abt, but first tell me, where were u lost", she asked,

"In Riddhima", Armaan instantly replied, n then bit his tongue,

"What?", she gaped,

"Uh uh i meant Riddhima as in the fact tht... umm have u seen outside, everyone is feeling so relaxed in casual clothes, they all seemed so comfortable, n i was mentally thanking her for this"

"Oh ok, yeah, even i felt so good, everyone's really happy, n look at me, i've worn the most comfortable jeans with my favourite kurti, i mean, this kurti has been my favourite since so long, bt i cudnt wear it in office coz its a bit old. Now, wearing this has brought a different level of happiness n confidence in me"

"Yeah, i know", Armaan replied,

"Even u look good in this faded jeans n superman t-shirt, wow, u love to flaunt ur super coolness, dont u", Jennifer asked,

"Umm, actually, this is my favourite t-shirt, but it shares the first position with another one of my batman t-shirts, these both r my best superheroes", he replied cheesily,

"No, seriously (she saw the blush on his face), u know wht, Ridzi's favourite superheroes are also Batman n Superman too. Its just tht she cant seem to decide, she thinks Superman is all tht powerful, macho, cute n caring, hot n wht not, whereas Batman's angry man attitude, the air of mystery tht walks around him, the authority he holds over everyone, makes him all the more sexy n attracts her to him. The best thing abt both of them according to her is tht when they fall in love, they beat every creature in their love for thier beloved and..."

"Jenny, i think thats enuf", Riddhima finally interrupted, Jennifer didnt know she'd talked a bit too much, but Riddhima knew. As the words flew out of Jennifer'smouth, Riddhima thought it was Armaan who was being talked abt. Every quality was as if it was for Armaan only, but Riddhima wasnt sure abt the last part, the part abt love. And according to her, this was the most important quality she wanted her partner to have,the ablity t follow love even to death. But since Armaan lacked this one important thing, she broke her chains of thoughts n warned Jennifer off the topic. Boy, wud she be in for a surprise in future abt this one quality regarding Armaan.

Armaan saw Riddhima pass a glare to Jennifer, but as soon as she saw him looking at her, her face turned red n she immediately shifted her gaze. He thought,

"My dearest Riddhima, i'llmake things really easy for u, n u'll never have a problem in selecting amongst these two for ur favourite superhero. There'll be only one man, one superhero in ur life, 'Armaan Man', the love of ur life. Thanks Jennifer, i'm hoping ur words made Riddhima ralsie tht she'll find all her superhero qualities in me, thanks a zillion for this unknown help again (first time being the food wala case)".

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It was lunch time and Armaan was seated on the couch in the cabin where they had lunch yeaterday. He was anxiously waiting for Riddhima to come in the cabin, it had been long since he'd last seen her. He went throught today's events, as soon as Jennifer had stopped babbling abt the superheroes, n Armaan saw Riddhima turning red under his gaze, there was another surprise awaiting him.

FLASHBACK:

"Armaan, didnt u just say tht all 8 are for Riddhima, wht were u referring to", Riddhima suddenly asked, yes, she'd strikd the jackpot. She loved the shocked expression on his face, n she thought, 'talking abt my superheroes is easy Mr Supercool, bt i dont let off people so easily'.

"Areh haan Armaan,wht were u referring to for 8", Jennifer also questioned, Armaan saw her questioning gaze, n then he saw Riddhima who was grinning. Armaan realised soon enuf tht she had purposely raised this question, she was beating him at his own game.

"8 woh, i was talking abt..."

"Haan Armaan, we're listening, 8 what", Riddhima smirked,

"Uh.. woh.. 8 as in.. i was.. just.. talking abt.. umm, huh.. aaah haan, i was saying tht there r 8 people in this office, always ready to help u"

"Which 8 people Armaan?", Jennifer asked,

"8 as in, umm You Jennifer 1, Atul 2, (he started counting on his fngers slowly), Rahul 3, I Armaan 4, Mrs Gomes 5, Sumit 6, Sapna 7 n..."

"Whose the 8th one Armaan?", Riddhima controlled her grin, knowing tht he was trapped,

"Uh, 8th woh, wo, wo Arjun, haan, Arjun hi hai"

"But Armaan, Arjun yahaan kaise, i mean how?", Jennifer was confused,

"See, Arjun hamesha tumhare dil mein rehta hai, aur tumhe help karta hai, strong banata hai, so tht u help Riddhima, right, to hua na Arjun 8th person", Armaan finished off,

"Haan but lekin...", Jennifer started, but Riddhima cut in, she knew Jennifer had doubts bt she cudnt afford Jennifer going deeper in this. The consequences wud be bad, n moreover Armaan might have learnt not to mess with Riddhima. Though Riddhima did not believe in a single word tht Armaan said abt the 8th thingy, but she decided to ignore it, concentrate on her mission to avoid n stay away from Armaan.

"Jenny, leave it, i wanted to discuss the location of the hotel and..."

FLASHBACK ENDS

Armaan knew Riddima did not believe in his story, hel*, he himself didnt believe it, bt it was all he had to shut Jennifer's doubts, n he guessed Riddhima had interupted for the same cause. It was clear she did not want Jennifer to know abt their past. But after this small incident, she ahd avoided him like plague. She dodged every chance of being alone with him, n made sure Jennifer didnt leave her side even once. Was she purposely trying to ignore him, but he brushed off this thought. She'd been quite normal to him. He was disappointed to know tht she'd gone to see the sight with Atul, n he was left here to complete a report. Now he awaited her arrival eagerly, he'd come to know tht she was back, n he was sure she'd have lunch here only. He thought of going to frshen up before lunch, n left. He returned after abt a good 10-15 minutes, only to find Atul, Rahul n Jennifer munching on the remains of his lunch box.

"GUYS!!!"

"Hey Armaan, u're late, we just ate this wonderful lunch, i dont know who brought it, coz its not Jennifer's n trust me, the shape was all weird, but the parathe were awesome. They were so yummy, i cant tell u...", Atul spoke,

"Haan Armaan, these were real yumm, i wish u had tasted too, haina Jenny?", Rahul asked,

"Guys, u ate it all, maine kitni mehnat se banaye the, i'd worked so hard to make them, n u finished it, ek bhi nhi chhoda", Armaan spoke as if he wud cry right now,

The others realised the proximity of the situation,

"Ah Armaan, we're sorry, but trust me, i ate just 2, aur Jennifer ne bhi 1 hi khaya, buti dont know abt this petu Rahul, he might've eaten all the others", Atul said in a scary voice,

"Armaan, mere bhai, i too ate only 2, sachi mein, mera yakeen kar, i am not telling lie, sachi", Rahul said, qually scared.

Finally the 3 of them walked off, muttering a sorry, just whn Jennifer was on the door,

"Jenny, did Riddhima have her lunch?", Armaan askd,

"Ridzi, no, she didnt eat anything, actually she left just 10 minutes before, she had to visit another location", she replied n walked away.

Armaan was heart broken, Riddhima didnt have any food, ok tht she didnt eat the parathe he'd made, bt she shud've eaten atleast something, it wasnt good for her health to skip her food. He'll make sure she eates something as soon as she was back. Just then his cell buzzed,

"Hello.. yeah Muskaan.. haan bol.. ok.. engagemnt party.. Anjali is throwing.. yeah.. i'll dfinitly come.. I'll meet her too.. ok, yeah i'll bring Atul too.. yeah i'll be on time.. Hotel Shama.. ok.. see you.. bye.. take care"

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Riddhima had been back since long bt she hadnt come to the cabin, she was taking rounds in the office, he'd asked Jennifer to feed her, but Jennifer told him tht she'd refused. He was worrid for hr health n the evnts of the aftrnoon cam flashing in his mind, Atul had said he'd eaten only two parathe, Rahul's two more n Jennifer's one added to a total of five, where had 3 other parathe gone? He was still wondering whn Riddhima entered,

"Oh Armaan, its time to go, we all r leaving too, u shud also go, there's Anjali's party for u to attend, haina"

"Yeah, ok, i'll also leave"

"Uhh Armaan, Jenny toldm tht u'd cooked ur lunch today n didnt get to eat it, i'm so sorry..."

"Its ok Riddhima, u dont need to be sorry..."

"I need to be, coz i ate 3 of ur parathas, actually, i'd come in the cabin n had to leave immediately for the sight seeing, i didnt hav time to eat lunch, ur lunch box lay there n it smelled delicious, so i thought it was Jenny's and i grabbed the parathe n ate them on my way to my car. I'm really sorry, bt i cudnt resist them, they were yummy, had i known of the later incident, i wudnt have..."

Armaan placed his finger on her lips to quiten her, the information tht she had eaten the parathe n moreover she'd liked them was nuf to make his day.

"You dont need to apologise Riddhima, u only got wht u deserved, wht was for u alone, so stop apologising, n i'm glad it was u who ate the biggst share"

Thy shard an eyelock, his loving gaze filld with intensity piercing into hers, which carried confusion. Suddenly she heard her cell phone ring, it broke their eyelock.

"Yeah.. haan babba.. i'm coming.. i wont be late.. promise.. pakka.. k.. byeeee.. see ya"

Riddhima hurriedly picked up her bag as she talked on the phon n rushd to the door of her cabin, before she went out, she saw Armaan ruffling his hair, n a few fringes covered his forehead. His words rang in her ear,

'u only got wht u deserved, wht was for u alone'

She hadnt missd th hidden meaning of his words, n nothing stopped her from accepting the fact tht he'd been genuine when he'd said that.

"Uh Armaan, i loved the parathe, u're an awesome cook for sure", saying this, she hurried off,

"Oh God Riddhima, u've done it again, i'm falling deeper n deeper in ur love", he sighed n chuckled.

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PRECAP - Rahul's n Muskaan's pre engagement party by Anjali, only for their group of friends, no elders allowes (elders related to them)

Armaan walks off with an air of confidence to ask Riddhima's hand to danc with him, when Modi, who was sitting besides her shouted n engulfed her in a hug,

"Riddhu, dad called, the engagement has been set for tomorrow, along wid Rahul n Muskaan, amazing na?"

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