Chapter 5 : Unexpected Encounter

“There it’s done. It’s so simple to wear a saree.” Pinky spoke analyzing the pleats of Anika’s saree. Anika pulled her lips to smile. It was anything but easy.

“Woohoo, if Jiju sees her he’s going to be clean bowled!” Gauri remarked sauntering into the room with a bright smile. Anika blushed at her remark. “But, what’s the occasion, aunty? Why are the two of you so, umm, decorated?” She asked taking in the head to toe appearance of the two ladies.

Pinky let out a chuckle, “We’re going to Mata’s temple. It’s a customary pooja.”

“I am finally going to get rid of these!” Anika added, raising up her hands to flash the set of red bangles with a few white ones in front of Gauri.

“That’s a pity!” Gauri smiled sadly.

“Hey, if you knew how troublesome they are!” Anika muttered as Pinky bent down to settle her saree. Anika smiled warmly at Pinky’s efforts. She indeed was very lucky in the mother-in-law department.

“Don’t worry Anika, she’ll know soon.” Pinky turned to wink at Gauri.

Gauri stuck her tongue out at that comment, she would definitely not be so willing to get rid of those beautiful set of bangles.

Gauri smiled and met Anika’s eyes. “You’re glowing today!”

Anika managed to smile.

“Okay, Gauri why don’t you put on some Indian wear too?” Pinky asked walking over to her dressing table to comb her hair.

“Why? Will the Goddess be mad at me for wearing jeans and top?” Gauri asked playfully to get Anika’s warning glare. Any other day Anika would’ve said the same thing, but not now. A very different Anika stood in front of her.

Pinky was very cool, but Anika certainly didn’t want Pinky to find anything Gauri said offensive. Weirdly, Gauri had changed a lot. She was more outspoken and easy-going than before. But that was a good thing. She was also much more lively and unapologetically cheerful.

“No, beta, but I thought you’d look the odd one out. Come on now, put on something desi!” Pinky spoke authoritatively.

Anika smiled, Pinky definitely had a way with people.

Gauri sighed, “As you wish madam,” she walked out of the room. Anika followed her out.

“Do you even have Indian wear?” Anika asked catching up with Gauri.

“Yes, I do, Blushy!” Gauri passed her a smile and like she expected Anika blushed.

“Stop blushing, Anika, I am scared we’ll have to name you Scarlet or Tomato!”

Anika hesitated uttering, “Um, Gauri,”

“Yes, Anni!” Gauri spoke her undivided attention on her phone. Gauri looked aside at her when she didn’t say anything ahead.

She paused her steps and turned fully to face Anika. “What?” She asked narrowing her eyes, trying to figure out what was Anika hiding.

“I wore that black thing last night!” Anika blurted.

Gauri’s mouth fell open. “And..?”

Anika shrugged looking away.

“Oh. My. God.” Gauri flung her arms around Anika hugging her. Anika’s eyebrows furrowed in bafflement. “I am so happy for you!” Anika’s bewilderment only grew. She wasn’t pregnant for God’s sake. Why on earth was Gauri acting like she was!

“Gauri, this is too much, I didn’t get a scholarship,” Anika muttered pulling away.

Gauri grinned, “I would have asked you for details, but Jiju is like a brother now. So no details. But, are you okay? Are you in pain? Are you sore? You know there are ointments…”

“Gauri, shh, I am okay!” Anika answered softly touched by her concern.

“Is there something bothering you?” Gauri asked apprehensively.

“No,” Anika brushed off.

“Sure?”

“positive!”

Gauri grinned, “I will change and be back. Go tell Jiju a goodbye until then.” She winked.

Anika rolled her eyes and grinned walking away. Gauri’s smile wavered she just prayed that the smile always stayed on her face. She bit her lip and took a deep breath walking to the room she was using.

---

“Omkara, I need a favor!” Shivaay said as soon as his brother was on the line.

“Hello, Hi. I am doing fine. Yes, tell me..”

Shivaay chuckled.

“I need you to collect a few property papers on my behalf. It’s the original lease deed of the Jeevan Nagar site.”

“Okay, I will have Zoya pick them up,” Omkara said.

“No. I would like you to go in person.” Shivaay pressed.

“Uh, okay. Fine, I will go. Text me the details.”

“Sure, thanks!”

“Shivaay, you seem happy?”

“What!”

“I mean. Never mind. Talk to you later!”

Shivaay smiled to himself ending the call.

• * Days Later * *

Gauri had moved into the Talwar home and missed being with the Oberois. She was more than happy when Pinky had called her to come over on Friday night, for dinner. Anika seemed too busy to even talk to her properly. Gauri assumed Shivaay to be the reason.

Anika had only spoken to her on the Monday when she returned from Honeymoon. She just said it was a nice trip. It wasn’t the Anika she knew. The Anika she knew wouldn’t stop telling her about the places she visited, the things she learned, and would send her a hundred pictures per day. But, surprisingly there were very little pictures and talk about the city. Which pretty much made it clear to Gauri what kind of enjoyment the couple had indulged in.

Gauri entered the mansion to find no one around. She decided to walk into the kitchen, positive that she’d find at least Pinky there. She smiled making her way to the kitchen as she noticed Pinky stirring something. “Guess who has graced your kitchen!” She exclaimed aloud stepping inside spreading her arms.

Pinky turned around smiling at the familiar voice. She had missed Gauri over the past days. But her smile wavered as she noticed Gauri’s hand hitting Omkara on the face as he turned around taking out a bottle of cold water from the refrigerator. “Ouch!” He groaned closing his eyes.

“Shit!” Gauri muttered turning to the side. Why did she have to be dramatic! “I am so sorry!” She muttered trying to peek at the man with long hair whose hand covered his face. Pinky came to her rescue quickly.

“Are you okay?” Pinky asked the man concerned.

“Yeah, who was this idiot anyway?” he asked turning away from Pinky who tried blowing on his eyes.

“Will you let me blow?” Pinky exclaimed exasperated.

“I am okay, Choti Maa!” he spoke and turned to notice the woman standing beside Pinky staring at him with her doe-shaped eyes.

“Gauri, this is Omkara, Rudra’s elder brother.” Pinky smiled turning to her, “And Omkara, she is Anika’s sister, her … mu-boli-behen.”

Omkara looked on at her doe-shaped eyes and fair cheeks that now had a shade of crimson. Her hair left open. She was dressed in a sleeveless top with dark jeans. He nodded acknowledging her.

“Gauri!” The sound made Gauri tear her gaze away from the tall man with long hair dressed in a crisp white shirt and black trousers. Anika threw her arms around her.

Gauri smiled returning the hug. Anika’s eyes darted towards Omkara looking at them. She didn’t like the way he looked at Gauri. Anika wasn’t blind. During the time Shivaay was away for the business conference she had caught glimpses of Omkara walking in, late at nights, sometimes in early mornings. His clothes covered with creases all over, most of the time. At times a lipstick stain on skin and at times on his shirt.

“Come on!” She spoke dragging Gauri out. Gauri smiled, following her turning around to spare a glance at the man as she walked out. He had changed, changed a lot!

At the dining table, Omkara couldn’t help but stare at her. He never thought he’d ever see her again. She had fuller cheeks than before. Her long hair was chopped and colored. To sum it up in simple straightforward words—she looked more attractive than ever. Occasionally he caught her eyes looking at him. Like always she quickly looked away pretending to have not been looking.

“Well, today someone seems really quiet,” Shivaay spoke looking at Gauri.

“Seems like Jiju missed me most!” Gauri managed to give Shivaay, who sat beside Omkara, a fitting reply.

“My foot. I was pretty busy to even realize you were not around.” He grinned his eyes darting to Anika from Gauri’s face. Anika didn’t bother to respond or even show that she caught the meaning of what he said.

Gauri smiled turning at Anika. Her gaze once again finding a way to Omkara. He had changed drastically. Perhaps that long hair contributed the most to his changed appearance. It had taken her a while to conclude it was Omkara, and that happened only when Pinky spoke aloud his name. It wasn’t hard for her to tell that he had worked out crazily on his lean body to transform it into a muscular one. Damn, it was like a caterpillar growing into a moth.

He looked up and their eyes met.

Her heart squeezed in pain to see the coldness in them. She fixed her gaze on the table, Omkara was a closed chapter in her life. She shouldn’t be feeling anything.

Omkara’s gaze frequently kept reaching hers. She seemed happy in life. Of course, she’d be happy, selfish people were always, weren’t they? What bothered him the most was after all the time he still found his heart in pain looking at her. He finished his dinner and excused himself to his room.

Gauri felt relaxed when he left. Anika had asked her twice if she was okay. She couldn’t tell her about Omkara, so she lied. She didn’t want to cause any trouble in this new happy family Anika had.

“I will just wash my hands…” saying that, Gauri excused herself and walked towards the guest room on the ground floor of the mansion.

She let out a deep breath closing her eyes. He brought back all the memories, all the pain and all the hurt that she had locked up in the deepest corner of her heart. A tear rolled down her cheek. She rubbed it furiously. She won’t cry anymore, certainly not because of him or for him. Not again. She walked out of the room’s washroom to find him standing before her.

She repeated her resolve in her mind—he was a closed chapter. She ignored his presence and stepped aside walking out when he blocked her path. “Why did you come back?” He said, his voice held no emotion.

Gauri stared at him, she still saw anger in his eyes that once shone with adoration. “I didn’t know you’d be here. If I had known you were not just Omkara Singh, but Omkara Singh Oberoi, I’d never step into this house.”

Omkara scoffed mockingly. “Of course! Don’t ever come back, now that you know.”

“I don’t fancy being around you.” Gauri snapped angrily.

“Of course, you would have a list of jerks to shag with!” He remarked bitterly.

Gauri was infuriated at that. He had no freaking right to talk that way. She did what she should have done long ago, she slapped him right on his cheek as hard as she possibly could.

He seethed in anger glaring at her, caught off guard. “I hate you, Omkara!” She spat shifting her feet to walk past him but he turned sharply, holding her arm just in time. He roughly pulled her towards himself. She winced trying to free herself from his iron tight hold.

“You freaking don’t have the right to slap me, Gauri. The truth is always bitter. You …”

“Gauri!” Anika’s high-pitched voice came from the door. She looked horrified. “Omkara, leave her!” She exclaimed panicking, walking towards them.

Omkara let her go with a jerk, Anika immediately had her arms around Gauri. She saw tears in Gauri’s eyes while he walked out without another word. “What the hell was that? Did he hurt you, Gauri?” Anika asked looking at her arms.

Gauri wiped her tears looking away. “I should leave.”

“No, Gauri.” Anika spoke blocking her way. “What happened here? I need to know. Did he do anything?”

Gauri looked at Anika defeated as she could no longer hold back her tears. “It’s him!”

Anika’s lips parted in shock and her eyes widened. “Omkara is that ..?”

“Omkara!” Gauri repeated not waiting for her to complete.

Anika quickly wrapped her arms around Gauri taking her in a hug. Moving her so that she sat on the bed.

“I—I—should go, Anika!”

“No. I am not leaving you alone.” Anika said wiping her tears.

“I will be fine, Anika, I promise,” Gauri spoke pulling away from her embrace.

“Omkara left you pregnant?” Anika asked to confirm what she had assumed.

“It’s past now. I really don’t care.” Gauri lied.

“Very evident that you don’t care,” Anika muttered still in shock that Omkara was the reason behind everything Gauri had been through.

“Anika, I should leave,” Gauri said minutes later breaking the silence between them.

“What did he do now? Was he trying to hurt you when I…”

Gauri cut her off immediately, “No, he’s hurt me enough. He can’t hurt me anymore. Anika, please, forget what you saw.”

“Gauri, are you serious? You almost died of the depression that Omkara left you in, and you’re asking me to forget. We’ve encouraged so many women to take a stand for themselves, to speak up about the men who wronged them. How can you not …”

“I loved him, Anika. He didn’t force me, okay? He loved me, maybe not enough. We were both young and shit happens. The time was just messed up okay. Anika, your mom helped me move on and I am not going back to what I used to be. I am happy in my present and want it that way. You should be happy with your family here.”

“Gauri, I don’t understand. He left you pregnant to deal with it alone. You almost died… aren’t you …”

“Anika, stop saying that. He did not even know I was pregnant. It’s over. A closed chapter. I don’t want anyone to open it.” Gauri said decisively getting to her feet.

“What if he does the same thing with another woman?” Anika asked looking up at her.

“He won’t!” Gauri answered confidently. Anika looked at her dumbfounded. “Good night, take care!” Gauri spoke briskly walking out.

Anika stared at the floor. What was wrong with Gauri! Until now she didn’t like Omkara, but now she hated him.

---

Omkara stood under the cold flowing water from the shower. Still, his nerves wouldn’t soothe. She had set him on a fire that had perished him. He hated how she destroyed what he was. What hurt most was it still hurt! Her betrayal still pricked his heart. How he had wished to never came face-to-face with her ever again, but fate seemed to have other plans.

---

Gauri sat on the bed hugging her knees. The room was dark with a night lamp being the only feeble light source in the room. He still hated her after all the time, that hurt her. He still thought she wasn’t loyal to him, that hurt. She still had her entire heart reserved for him, after everything, that—hurt most.