Hey everyone! How are you all doing? Here is the next chapter!!
Anika stood there smiling to herself as she remembered something. Seeing him after so many years, did bring back some fond school memories…
Flashback
“WHAT!?” Anika and Gauri had exclaimed in unison listening to what Priyanka had declared one day.
“Yes didis, we must look for a prospective bride for bhaiya! That is, my future bhabhi!” Priyanka said with broad grin.
“Why?” Anika asked.
“Why not?” Priyanka asked back confused.
“Well, why now?” Gauri asked calculating in her head, “He’s not even in the age of marriage yet, he still has plenty of years left.”
“Ya but still, I want to check all options.” Priyanka said rubbing her hands together excitedly.
“Darling, this is not some future career course we’re talking about.” Anika replied rolling her eyes.
“Will you help or not?” Priyanka asked exasparated.
“Fine!” Anika and Gauri agreed giving up.
“Ok so you guys have anyone in mind?” Priyanka asked.
“How about Riddhima di ?” Gauri asked thoughtfully after thinking for sometime. “She seems to like your bhaiya too.”
Priyanka gave her a disgusted look, “No way! I don’t want her as my bhabhi. She’s a chipkoo!”
“How about Devika di?” Anika asked thinking. “She’s got good looks, is good in studies and is well behaved too!”
“She looks boring, besides they won’t look good together.”
Even after they had listed the entire 11th grade girls, Priyanka didn’t seem pleased. Gauri turned to steal a glance of Omkara who had been sitting on the back seat far away, unaware of what his sister was up to.
“There are no more girls in eleventh grade anynore!” Anika said exasparated. “Why don’t you recommend some, Prinku? Me and Ri are done putting our matchmaking skills into use!”
Priyanka looked at them with a frown and then got into thinking, after some time, she said, “I need a soft spoken but at the same time brave bhabhi. She should be caring, sweet and different from everyone. Someone who can manage my brother and his stupidity, so yeah she should be awesome!”
Anika and Gauri exchanged glances then looked at Priyanka tiredly, “You have someone in mind?” They asked.
“Maybe.” Priyanka said with a huge grin and both Anika and Gauri leaned in curiously to listen to her. “Gauri di!” She declared happily while both Anika and Gauri’s eyes bulged out of their sockets.
“WHAT!?” Gauri almost shrieked in disbelief, but hopefully the bus was so noisy that not many heard her.
“I think you both would look good together.” Priyanka said grinning while Anika and Gauri looked at eachother in disbelief.
“God!” Anika sighed, still unable to recover from the shock.
“I think she’ll make the best bride for my brother!” Priyanka said and Gauri lost words seeing her so confidently saying all that.
“You do know that she has to decide it right?” Anika asked.
“Why should Gauri di reject bhaiya? I’m sure they’ll make a great pair!” Priyanka replied with a confused frown.
“And what about your bhaiya? You think he’ll agree?” Anika asked.
“Why would he reject?” Priyanka asked confused. “She’s perfect!”
“What are you girls talking about?” Omkara asked as he sat behind them.
“Aapke dulhaniya ke bare mein.” Anika replied absent mindedly and then realised to whom exactly she had said it, she turned to her side to see that both Gauri and Priyanka who were facing him in shock, had turned their heads to gape at her.
“What?” Omkara asked clearly confused.
“Woh, she means…dilwale dulhaniya..” Gauri replied trying to cover up but her nervousness was clearly visible. Already she used to be nervous around him and now knowing what his sister had in mind, she couldnt even face him.
“Yaaaa.” Anika said trying to act normal. “Exactly.”
“Why does it seem like you three are doing something wrong and I just caught you red handed?” Omkara asked suspiciously with narrowed eyes as he started playing with Gauri’s hair. This had become a routine for him, to irritate her by playing with her ponytail or braids. Gauri looked at him in disbelief.
“Nahi bhaiya, not at all!” Priyanka replied smiling. “By the way bhaiya, would you reject Gauri di?”
Anika and Gauri turned their heads in shock to look at Priyanka. Omkara looked on confused by what exactly the question was about and asked, “What would I reject her for?”
“See di, I told you guys!” Priyanka said clapping her hands, taking his reply as an answer, while Anika and Gauri looked at eachother in disbelief. Priyanka then, very comfortably sat back on her seat, not being on Omkara’s line of sight any more.
Omkara looked at Anika and Gauri questionigly and that is when Anika realised Omkara had no idea about what the rejection was about. So she whispered, “Actually Gauri had a doubt in physics so we were wondering if you would reject her saying you can’t help her.”
“Why would I do that? I can never reject Gauri, I’m afraid she would reject me though.” Omkara replied half jokingly.
Flashback ends
Although Anika and Gauri had no idea what he was talking about that day, she realised it now.
*****
Outside the cafe, Gauri stood trying to steady her heartbeats and her breaths. She tried to calm herself down but those feelings she felt was truly beyond anything she had ever felt.
What is happening to me?
After a few minutes, she looked around and realised that Anika was still inside waiting for her, but just as she turned around to go back in, she saw her walking out.
“Gauri,” Anika called out “are you okay?”
Gauri nodded her head.
“You don’t love him right?” Anika asked all of a sudden and Gauri felt a lump in her throat. But ignoring it, she shook her head in No.
“Hmmmm,” Anika said in a thinking way “Then I should just tell him to move on.”
Gauri’s heart skipped a beat hearing that. She didn’t understand why she was feeling whatever she was feeling. And for some reason, she felt a little angry at Anika for changing her stand because a minute ago she was lecturing Gauri that she was indeed in love with Om.
“I should tell him that you’re a hopeless romantic and wouldn’t settle for anything less so you’re probably gonna die single.” Anika said shrugging.
Gauri widened her eyes in shock, wondering if Anika would really do that.
“What’s wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?” Anika asked. Seeing that Gauri was not going to say anything, she asked, “Why does he affect you so much? Don’t lie, I saw it.”
Gauri looked at her in shock and wondered why she felt that way. She had no answer to her question.
“Why is he always living rent free in your mind? Why does his presence affect you so much? Tell me Gauri.”
“I…” Gauri started but stopped because she had no idea what to say, she herself wondered about these a million times. Only if she knew could she tell Anika.
“You don’t realise it Gauri, but you do feel for him. Don’t ignore it, he’s a good guy, he loves you, there’s no problem especially now that your parents like his allaince. You don’t have to worry about having feelings for him, don’t be scared of love, Ri.” Anika said in a calming voice.
“I don’t….know..” Gauri gives up trying to convince herself and Anika that she had no feelings for Omkara. “We don’t belong…together…”
“Why?” Anika asked confused.
“I don’t know.. it feels like that. I just feel it.”
“That’s not even a proper excuse, Ri.” Then something dawns on Anika and she asks, “Are you insecure about love?”
Gauri stares at her for sometime and then slightly nods her head.
“But he will always love you. He did for the past eleven years.”
“It’s me.” Gauri declared.
“Gauri you-“
“My feelings are not constant. He loves me a lot. I don’t want him to be stuck with someone who doesn’t truly love him the way he loves. I can never love him like how he loves me.” Hurt was visible in her voice. “And my fears of having my happy family crushed will somehow always stay with me…How can I love him when that fear is still there in me, Anika? It will be like betraying him, like insulting his love.”
“Ri….”
“Maybe I am attracted to him. But that’s not enough to make a marriage work! I just can’t..” She was almost on the verge of breaking down. Anika quickly took her to her car and then she drove off to the cliff which was their favourite spot. They had to talk.
To be continued….