Anyone can make you smile and many people can make you cry. But it takes someone really special to make you smile with tears in your eyes...

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Aarushi's POV

The lights on the beach dimmed and a guy's voice boomed," This song is for someone very special. For the one who has kept me awake in her dreams. This song is for the love of my life, for my Heeriye...."

I grinned as I heard these lines.
Finally, he's here!

"....for my Ruhi..."

The spotlight focused on the person and I could clearly see shocked faces around me as his face became visible. A loud gasp was heard from Ruhi's mouth,"Arnav!"

Arnav came to the middle of the podium and started singing the song we had planned.

Tere badan pe, likh doon chhupa ke,
Apni koi nayi daastan,
Saaya bhi tera, rakh loon chura ke,
Doondhe hume phir yeh jahaan,
Haan chhoda sab maanga tujhe,
Ooo
Haan chhoda sab maanga tujhe,
Main ab raha na mera

Heeriye, Heeriye , main raanjhana tera
Heeriye, Heeriye , main raanjhana tera

I hadn't even noticed that my friends were now standing, agape at the scene in front of them.
Maybe he surprised them a lot more than expected!

Arnav came to where our group was, and then kneeling in front of Ruhika, continued his song.

Khwabon mai tere, khud ko basa loon,
Itna karoon mai tujhse pyaar
Teri kahani apni bana loon,
Keh de Jo tu bas ek baar
Haan Bhula sab paaya tujhe,
Haan Bhula sab paaya tujhe
Tu hai junoon mera

Heeriye, Heeriye , main raanjhana tera
Heeriye, Heeriye , main raanjhana tera

As the ending notes of the song faded away, Arnav held Ruhi's hand and said," Ruhika Oberoi, I don't know how, when or where it happened, maybe it was after you left for your designing course and I realised that I'm nothing without you. I fell in love with you Ruhi, and I fell very hard. I fell in love with your smile to your hair to your no-nonsense attitude, everything, Ru, every damn thing. Okay, so, umm..., let me stop beating around the bush and actually say what I've been wanting to say from a very long time. Ruhika Oberoi, the girl of my dreams, I love you from the bottom of my heart. Will you please give me the honour of being called your boyfriend?"

He looked at Ruhi expectantly, who seemed shocked by his proposal. Her other hand was over her mouth and she was almost in tears. In a low but threatening voice she said," Arnav Malhotra this better not be a joke!"

This scene was just aww-worthy. Even though it was Arnav who was proposing, I felt giddy with excitement.
And wait! Before you make any conclusions, Arnav and I are not related.

Nope, by no means.

No, not even distant relatives.

Nah..just...forget it.

This thing had troubled both of us back in school.
'Oooh, Arnav's also Malhotra! Aarushi are you and him related? Like you know, cousins or something?'

Like, why don't people mind their own business?
India's such a vast country that meeting someone of the same surname as you isn't unusual! There's no rule that you have to be related if you have the same surname!

Why are you even speaking about surnames Aarushi? The main action is about Arnav and Ruhika, not about your similar last names.
Oh yeh !

I looked towards them with my fingers crossed and saw people hollering 'Say Yes! Say Yes! Say Yes!'

Everyone seemed to be reacting, but Ruhi, who stood there speechless.
Sensing no reaction from her side, Arnav hung his head in disappointment and mumbled," God, I should've known you don't like me back... I'm such a fool... I'm so sorry Ruhi for this..."

He got up muttering some more things when Ruhi smiled weakly and pushed herself forward, hugging Arnav tightly. With a few happy tears making their way down, she said," I like you too, you dumbo!"

"Really?" Arnav asked with dilated eyes, like a child who had been given his favourite candy.

She nodded and Arnav hugged her back. A laugh escaped my lips as I saw this. They were too cute.
The crowd was wolf-whistling and cheering loudly for them.

Ruhi hid her head in his chest, blushing furiously. As the commotion slowly died down, we surrounded the couple with teasing smiles. They stepped out of their embrace as the guys teased," Ah-haan, so Ruhi, huh?" To which Ruhi's cheeks went red and we girls laughed.
It was cute to watch Ruhi going all shy.

As Arnav looked down, I noticed the rest of the guys sharing a smirk. And mind you guys, that was a mischievous one.
Looks like someone is gonna be in trouble!

My thoughts were proved right as on the count of three, the guys, except Sid, lunged forward at Arnav, toppling him down.
"Oye!" They shouted while playfully punching him.

"Woah dude! What now?" Arnav asked confused, raising his hands in surrender.

"You arse! What happened to your meetings?"

"And your boss who pressurised you with a load of work?"

"And the 'important ' project you were supposedly working on?"

"And the leaves which you couldn't get?"

"And the bookings which couldn't happen?"

These questions were thrown at him by my dearies - Tanay, Kavya, Shanaya, Ayaan and Nikhil.
Siddhant and I just laughed in response.
Yes, Sid knew about all this. In fact he was the one who helped me pull this off.
"Wait a minute! You guys knew about this ?!?" Ayaan asked in disbelief pointing at me and Sid. It was a real shocker for everyone, especially Ayaan as he met Arnav after so long.

"Of course we knew!" We both revealed together, high-fiving each other.
"Why do you think Siddhant will ever suggest karaoke, when he doesn't even sing," I said.

All of them seemed to finally realise our plan.
"Dude why didn't you tell us. We get that Ruhi wasn't supposed to know, but what about us? Tu apne bhaiyon ko bhool gaya? Haye, bhai bhai na raha.." Nikhil said dramatically.

"Oye nautanki ! Band kar yeh drame. Tujhse koi baat chhupai jaati hai kya?" Arnav accused," Aur yeh mahashay Kavya ko koi baat bataye bina reh sakte hai kya?"

"Point," Nikhil nodded, " But still, I thought we'd share everything with each other." He wiped his non-existent tears.

"Cut him some slack guys. And get off him you Meena Kumari," Ruhi spoke.

"Haan-haan, ab toh 'boyfriend' aagaya hai...bhai ki kisko padi hai," Nikhil taunted getting off Arnav and emphasising on the 'boyfriend ' part.

"Aaja, mere pass aaja mere Meena Kumari. Mujhe padi hai na teri," I cooed opening my arms, like how people pacify kids, causing everyone else to double over in laughter.

"Now even you are teasing me!" Nikhil puckered his lips a bit, looking so adorable that I wanted to pinch his cheeks.

And I exactly did that.

"Aww," I said wrapping my hands around him from the side.

He muttered something under his breath, but it was loud enough for me to hear.
" And she's back to play the Stupid Cupid."
And again, he received a smack on his back.

"Now I'm seriously calling the police Aarushi. Why are you planning to kill me?" He said rubbing his arms.

" 'Cause you're a jerk. Playing Cupid for two people isn't stupid in anyway!"

"I second that Nikhil," Arnav defended me," She has helped me so much for making this perfect." He looked admiringly at Ruhi.

"And for that matter, she has helped us to," Tanay reiterated holding Kavya's hand over her shoulder and kissing her cheek.

I just smiled in response.
I couldn't understand why Nikhil always had to taunt me about uniting two people. I mean have you ever experienced the joy and excitement of bringing together two loved ones?
The smile you see on their faces when they're lost staring at each other, it warms your heart somewhere.
That feeling my friend, is just indescribable.
But who'd make the guy here understand that!
Nothing ever goes into that silly head of his.

"Leave him Aaru. It will never get into his head," Shanaya voiced out my thoughts. See! That's the reason I love her. "You come here beside me, let him be by himself." Saying which, she stuck out her tongue at him. Her actions were only mirrored by the monkey present in the form of my best friend.

With one of our arms around the other person, Shanaya and I walked away from Nikhil and sat down, talking on and on about each and every topic. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't miss the company of that idiot. We were the best of friends for God's sake!
Yes, I was angry with him, and there was no way I'd be the first one to go to him. Term it as my ego, but why was I the one who'd always placate him? And knowing him, I was sure he wouldn't last long without me.

While I was lost in my thoughts, Shanaya nudged me to glance over the stage, where the spotlight was focused on the next singer. And to my surprise, the guy was the one who claimed to be having the voice of a dying whale.

I could easily make out the shock on Kavya's face. I smiled brightly, noticing the happy couples around me.
But someone just had to spoil the moment.
"Ah, it seems another mission of the Cupid," Nikhil snickered.

" Jealous much, Nick-y ?" I snorted. I don't even know why was my tongue hell bent on fighting with him. I hadn't planned all this, but Nikhil's behaviour was ticking me off. He was fine just sometime back, what happened now? Did some evil spirit possess him all of a sudden?
If yes, then God save that idiot.
And me? I'm just gonna enjoy the melodious song for now.

Tenu itna main pyaar kara
Ek pal vich sau baar kara
Tu jaave je menu chhad ke
Maut da intezaar kara

While singing these lines, Tanay made his way over to Kavya. Taking her hand in his, he helped her stand up and took her in his embrace. Holding her right hand in his and the mic in other, he started twirling her as the main paragraph came.

Ke tere liye duniya chhod di hai
Ke tujhpe hi saas aake ruke,
Main tujhko kitna chahata hoon
Ye tu kabhi soch na sake.

With light, graceful steps, they made their way over to the stage.

Tere liye duniya chhod di hai
Tujhpe hi saas aake ruke,
Main tujhko kitna chahata hoon
Ye tu kabhi soch na sake.

As the instrumental music came on, they both started slow dancing, making my heart swoon.

Kuch bhi nahi hai yeh Jahan
Tu hai toh hai isme zindagi

Kuch bhi nahi hai yeh Jahan
Tu hai toh hai isme zindagi
Ab mujhko jaana hai kahan
Ke tu hi safar hai aakhri

To everyone's delight, Kavya sang the next lines.

Ke tera Bina jeena mumkin nahi
Na dena kabhi mujhko tu faasle
Main tujhko kitna chahati hoon
Ye tu kabhi soch na sake.

Tanay: Ke tere liye duniya chhod di hai
Ke tujhpe hi saas aake ruke,
Main tujhko kitna chahata hoon
Ye tu kabhi soch na sake

Kavya: Aakhon ki hai yeh khwahishien ke,
Chehre se tere na hatte
Neendon main meri bas tere
Khwabon ne li hai karvate

Tanay: Ke Teri ore mujhko leke chale
Yeh duniya bhar ke sab raaste
Main tujhko kitna chahata hoon
Ye tu kabhi soch na sake.

The two looked so lost in each other that I just wanted to capture the moment forever. With this performance, I was sure that the remaining traces of misunderstandings between them had vanished into thin air. Their voices complemented each other, making the other couples out there dance too.

I was so captivated by the moment that I failed to notice the devil beside me. Shanaya had sneakily exchanged her seat with him, which resulted in the form of entertainment for me.

"Oye," He whisper shouted and nudged my elbow. However, I maintained a neutral face, not giving away any kind of expression.

"Aarushi!" Another nudge.

"Sorry na yaar Aaru." Nudge. It was fun to see him in this state, calling me by the name he rarely used.

"Zyada bhav mat kha Moti. I'm sorry yaar. Just look at me na. I promise I'll do anything." Aha! Exactly the thing I wanted to hear.

"Anything?" I raised an eyebrow at him and receiving a positive nod continued," Okay ! One, I can pull your cheeks anytime and two, you'll never say Stupid Cupid. Deal?"

He grumbled at first but having no other option, gave into my conditions. And let me tell you, he hates anyone pulling his cheeks. This is one of the things which is common between us.
So what would be a better start than doing the above mentioned task.
"Okay, so as we drop that subject, let's carry out this prank," Nikhil whispered, not before groaning loudly.

While the so-in-love couple were gently swaying to the romantic tunes if the song, Nikhil took a mic to carry out the plan, while I did the same.
Kavya would probably kill me for doing this, but this is too much fun to be left off.

So, as my friends were busy leaning towards each other in the moment, Nikhil and I started counting backwards. Just as the two were about to kiss, Nick leapt near them and started singing in a loud voice.

Arre oh Jumma
Meri jaaneman
Bahar nikal
Aaj jumma hai
Aaj ka vada hai

Nikhil was surely adamant of teasing them. And how could I, as a good friend, let him do all this alone? So I joined him as well, with the rest of the guys joining as well.
To say the least, this song was, and still is, one of the hot favourites among the youngsters. Naturally, many people joined the sing along.

Dekh main aa gaya
Tu bhi jaldi aa
Mujhe na aur tadpa
Arre tu boli thi,
Picchle jumme ko
Chumma dungi
Agle jumme ko
Aaj jumma hai
Toh aaja, aaja
Aaja aaja aaja aaja hey

And together, all the people present there, did the signature step of 'Jumma Chumma'

Jumma Chumma Dede
Jumma Chumma Dede Chumma
Jumma Chumma Dede
Jumma Chumma Dede Chumma

Jumme ke din kiya jumme ka vada
Jumme ko tod diya jumme ka vada
Le aagaya re fir Jumma
Jumma Chumma Dede

I was dancing madly with everyone, after all this was one of the quirkiest old songs. Ayaan now stood beside me, imitating the steps.

"So partner, mission accomplished?" He asked with a wide grin as we excused ourselves off the stage.
So contagious was his smile that it compelled me to do the same.

"Hmm, Agent AK007 " I joked and we shared a laugh.

"Par picture abhi baaki hain mere dost!" He imitated Shah Rukh Khan.

For a change, I laughed heartily at that.
"Yes, but most of it is done. So tell me, what is my reward?" I raised my eyebrows, that stupid smile not leaving my face.

"Reward? Ah, let me think... Aha! Your reward's a chance to know this extremely handsome man here," he smirked and pointed towards himself.

"Ha! As if. You're anything but handsome Ayaan," I smoothly lied.

"Ah, you wound me Aashi. But since I'm so generous, I forgive you. And, on a serious note, we were a team only for this mission, which is almost completed. So let's get to know each other once again; let's become friends once again. A last chance, maybe?" Ayaan said. He looked so hopeful that I did not have the heart to refuse this wish of his.

I nodded positively and his face broke out into yet another smile.

"Ah, so let me do the honours. Hello, I'm Ayaan Kapoor. Naam toh suna hi hoga," he said extending his right hand. I laughed at his way of introduction.
What was it with the guys around me using SRK's dialogues?

Okay, so even I need to come up with something filmi.
Think Aaru, think.

Okay, here goes nothing...

"Rishte mai toh hum tumhare kuch nahi lagte hai, naam hai Aarushi Malhotra," I replied shaking his hand. He chuckled at my introduction.

Gah. I'm officially the worst in coming up with witty Bollywood dialogues. Sorry Big B, your one-liner just got ruined by me.

"You suck at it Aarushi!" He replied chuckling. And as much as I want to deny it, I loved the way his lips twitched up in a genuine smile.

Suppressing the smile that was forming on my face, I said," No need to rub it on my face."

You won't believe what he did next.

He freaking pulled my cheeks.

And that's not all. He even cooed," God Aashi, you're so cute!"

I purposely chose to ignore the fact that he called me cute. No one, I repeat no one pulls my cheeks, except Khush. And that's a thing everyone follows.
So, naturally, my first instinct was to swat away his hands.
Now I feel you Nikhil, I really do.

"So the rule still applies?" He asked raising his eyebrows, stifling a laugh.

"It very much does mister," I said placing my hands on my waist and narrowing my eyes at him.

"Okay," he said shrugging and linked his left elbow with mine," Now, we have somewhere to go."
We were looking really weird, with our faces facing in opposite directions, and me literally being dragged by Ayaan.

I looked around and realised that Tanay was taking Kavya to the place.

Saved by my friends, Ayaan Kapoor. I mentally glared at him.

We were going towards a secluded area of the beach. No sooner did we reach the place, than I heard Kavya gasp loudly.

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Hey all !
I'm back!
Thank you all those who are reading this for still sticking to the book.

I know I was gone for too long - 4 months. (But don't worry now, it won't happen again because my exams are finally over!)
So many movies released during that time, Bajirao Mastani, Dilwale, Airlift, Neerja, Sanam Re, Kapoor & Sons, etc.
Which ones did you watch and which was your favourite?
I personally loved KNS very much, to the point of watching it two times. Everything was just so beautiful in that movie!
The chemistry between Sidharth-Alia, And Fawad-Sidharth was so adorable, even Dadu was so cute.
I can't stop gushing about the movie.

I was going to update this chapter yesterday itself, but the semifinal of the T20 World Cup prevented me from editing it. My whole family was watching the match, hollering on every four and six.
Sadly, India got defeated but every match of theirs was worth watching.

I can now finally concentrate on writing Bittersweet Love.
Coming to it, how was the chapter?
Most of you thought the guy in the beginning to be Ayaan. But it turned out to be our Arnav.
Was his proposal good?

What do think about Nikhil and his views on playing 'Cupid?'

Now that Aarushi and Ayaan have become 'friends', what are you expecting?
What will happen next? And what was that in the end?
Where are they?

Find out the answers in the next update.

(Songs used in this chapter :-
Heeriye - Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2
Soch Na Sake - Airlift
Jumma Chumma - Hum )

Tell then, adiós amigos

~ Manasi ❤️