CHAPTER 29: I am his girlfriend
(A week after Om and Ishana met Dushyant)
Om and Ishana were working in Om’s gallery…. They had already lost significant time to solve the case and they didn’t wish to lose more…. They were disturbed from their work by a girl…. Both Om and Ishana looked up hearing the voice…. Om recognized the familiar voice and was surprised seeing her standing in front of him…. Ishana looked at the girl in front of her with confusion as she did not recognize her…. She was smiling looking at Om whereas he was a little surprised…. Ishana looked at Om waiting for him to say something…. Om stood up from his place and the girl hugged him tightly…. Om reciprocated the hug and a smile formed on his face…. Ishana was looking keenly at Om…. Seeing him with some girl was making her restless for reasons unknown to her….
Omkara: Riddhima, why didn’t you tell me that you are coming back, weren’t you supposed to come after two weeks?
Riddhima: I thought you would be happy to see me but here you are asking all these questions.
Omkara: I didn’t mean it like that. Your show was supposed to get over later, that’s why I asked.
Riddhima: I know but after I heard about Tia, I was worried for the family so I asked Payal to look after the rest and Bhai and I came back.
Ishana was looking at the two…. She could easily understand that they both knew each other from a long time…. She was waiting for Om to acknowledge her presence which they had forgotten easily…. Riddhima looked at Ishana in confusion….
Riddhima: I think you were busy Om, I hope I didn’t disturb you.
Omkara: Nothing like that, just some casual work about the exhibition. Oh, I forgot to introduce you two. Riddhima, she is Ishana, my friend and Ishana, she is Riddhima, my….
Riddhima: I am his girlfriend. Nice meeting you.
Ishana: Same here.
The two girls shook hands with each other and gave a small smile…. Ishana was not getting good vibes from her but brushed away the thoughts thinking that she is Om’s girlfriend and he loves her…. Riddhima too wasn’t much happy seeing Om with some other girl…. She was sure that if this girl came between Om and her, she wouldn’t tolerate that….
Omkara: Ridz, you said Daksh also came, then where is he?
Ishana looked at Om surprised listening to him calling Riddhima with a nickname…. Ridz…. Did he call her that…. But he never called her Ishu…. Then why did he call her Ridz…. So he loves her so much that he calls her with cute nicknames also…. But Ridz is not at all cute….
Ishana’s thoughts were broken by another voice…. She turned to look at a man entering the room…. The man came forward and shared a hug with Om…. Ishana looked at him carefully…. Why did he seem familiar…. Why did she feel that she knows him…. A certain feeling of fear raised inside her and her heart beats were faster…. The man looked at Ishana….
Omkara: Ishana, he is Daksh, my friend and Ridz’s brother.
Daksh: Lovely meeting you beautiful lady.
Riddhima: Bhai, don’t start here also.
Ishana just passed a small smile to Daksh…. Daksh was looking or rather staring at her and Ishana felt uncomfortable under his constant gaze…. She looked the other side expecting him to stop staring…. He was Om’s friend and she didn’t wish to create a scene here…. If it was some other place, she would have given him a tight slap for his stares…. Om also noticed the way Daksh was looking at Ishana and something in him burnt with great intensity…. Unknowingly he clenched his fist tight….
Riddhima: Om, we’ll see you later; actually I am tired and need some rest.
Omkara: Of course, I think you both should take some rest. I’ll see you later.
Daksh: I hope we keep meeting like this beautiful.
Daksh said smirking at Ishana…. She ignored his comment and looked the other side…. Om knew how Daksh is and didn’t wish Ishana to face anything wrong because of him…. If he wasn’t Riddhima’s brother Om would have never been around Daksh at all…. Riddhima and Daksh took leave from Om and Ishana and moved out…. While walking Daksh turned to look at Ishana once, he smiled thinking something and turned to go….
Omkara: Sorry Ishana, I know the way Daksh behaved with you….
Ishana: It’s okay Om and don’t worry, I know how to deal with such people.
Omkara: So, you are fine, right?
Ishana: Completely fine.
Ishana smiled at him and he smiled back…. They got back to their work…. A lot was yet to be discovered and they did not have the slightest idea about where to start from….
Omkara: I don’t know where to start from. The call records also didn’t give any clue.
Ishana: In all my years of experience, I have learnt one thing, expect the unexpected.
Omkara: What do you mean?
Ishana: I mean, we have been thinking from the point of view that Tia was killed by some outsider or someone who had enmity with her or your families. But what if it is someone from inside, someone she knew very well or someone we least expect to be.
Omkara: So, you mean, it can be someone from the family?
Ishana: Don’t you remember what Abir told about the postmortem reports, Tia was poisoned for almost a month, and do you think someone from outside can do it alone amidst the security of Oberoi Mansion?
Ishana looked at Om hoping that he understood that she didn’t mean to accuse his family and was only stating a fact she had learnt from her experience….
Om got into thinking after listening to Ishana’s words…. She was right…. Tia getting poisoned in the tight security of Oberoi Mansion was not possible without some insider’s help…. But who could it be…. Someone from his family or Tia’s…. After Dushyant had revealed the truth about Tia and Shivaay’s marriage, Om had understood one thing and that was that Mrs. Kapoor was not what she seemed to be…. Was she killing her own daughter slowly with each passing day….
Ishana: Om, I didn’t mean to offend you….
Omkara: Ishana, I understand your opinion and I am not offended, you have a point in what you are saying. Tia getting poisoned in the security of Oberoi Mansion without any help from inside is highly impossible.
Ishana was happy hearing that Om was genuinely what he was showing him to be…. She was happy that her earlier assumptions about him were wrong and that he was actually helping her to find the truth…. Someone else in his place would have lashed out at her for thinking like this about his family…. Om was truly living to his words that truth mattered the most to him…. But would he really be able to handle the truth if it would be against his family…. What if it is someone from his family, would he be able to handle the pain…. Her thoughts were disturbed as Om snapped his fingers to bring her back to the reality….
Omkara: Where are you lost?
Ishana: Om, what if it is really someone from your family who is involved in this, will you still stand by the truth?
Ishana looked at him…. Om was surprised by her question…. He had never thought about it…. And now that Ishana had mentioned it, he was forced to think about it…. Will he be able to live by his principles if his family had wronged someone…. Will he still stand for the truth even if it is against his family…. Will he be able to handle the pain of betrayal…. Om again looked at Ishana…. Her brown eyes were looking at him waiting for his answer…. There was some concern, some uncertainty and some longing in her eyes…. He felt himself getting pulled into those eyes…. Somewhere is his heart he felt that he could never disappoint these eyes….
Omkara: I’ll always stand by the truth, even if it is against my family.
Ishana was glad hearing his answer…. She was happy that she was right about him…. Her eyes had a twinkle when she heard his answer…. She was indeed sure that Om was saying the truth…. A small smile crept on her face and seeing her smile, Om also smiled back….
Ishana: I am glad that you are a man of your words.
Omkara: If it is for you, I better mean each word I say.
Om placed his hands over hers…. Ishana was surprised hearing his answer…. Her heart skipped a beat as his words reached her…. Om also realized what he had said…. A silence prevailed as they looked at each other, lost in each other’s eyes…. Ishana could feel her heartbeat increasing at an unusual rate and was afraid that if she didn’t calm down, even Om would hear it…. Warmth spread across her body as she felt his touch…. Never had she felt anything like this…. Om was also in the same state…. He didn’t know why but every time she was with him, he felt different…. Something he had never experienced before….
The moment was disturbed as Om’s phone rang…. Ishana realizing what she was thinking pulled her hand back from his hold…. Om had to let go of her and attended the call…. He felt as if he was letting something precious get out of his hold…. Ishana looked the other side unable to face him because of her own thoughts…. Om was not paying any attention to the caller as his mind and eyes were only fixed at the lady in front of him…. Om only hummed in response and the called ended…. Ishana still didn’t dare to look at him….
Omkara: Ishana, it is late, I think we should continue the work tomorrow.
Ishana: Yeah, you are right, I should get going.
She quickly gathered her stuff avoiding any eye contact with Om…. Saying a quick bye she walked out of the room…. Om was amused by her sudden behavior change…. He didn’t say or do anything and just looked at her retreating figure….
*****
Ishana was sitting on her scooty…. She had driven away from Om’s gallery as soon as she could…. Once she was away from the gallery, she parked her scooty to one side and sat their thinking about the thoughts that were disturbing her ever since she had left the gallery….
Ishana: What is wrong with me, why I am feeling like this?
This was the first time she was experiencing these feelings…. Her heart never beat like this ever…. Her breathe was never uneven before like this…. Her body didn’t feel this sparks ever before from anyone’s touch…. She never smiled like this ever before…. Something had definitely changed and the reason for this change was definitely Om…. He was making her feel things she had never felt before…. His touch would bring butterflies in her stomach…. His smile would make her happy…. Every moment with him felt full of life…. What was this change in her life…. What was this new feeling Om was making her feel…. Was it…. A smile crept on her face as she thought more about Om and the time spent with him…. Her thoughts shifted to Riddhima…. Her smile vanished as reality struck her…. She had no rights to even think about all this…. Om was already belonged to someone else…. A tear escaped from her eye and she quickly wiped it away…. No, she was only getting attracted to Om because of his kind and humble nature….
Ishana: Shut up Ishu, what rubbish are you thinking. Better concentrate on your work and not on him.
She scolded herself and started her scooty…. She made a firm decision to not let her mind wander into the streets of these emotions ever again….
*****
Hello everyone, I hope you all are doing well.
So, here is the next chapter, do share your views on it.
Why does Daksh seem familiar to Ishana? Does Daksh know her from before? Is Mrs. Kapoor behind Tia’s poisoning?
To know more, keep reading.
Keep reading and smiling!!!
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