He was panting as he stopped in front of the railway station inquiry counter, still wasting no time, he started to speak pointing towards a register on the desk , “Gau…” He took a moment’s break to breath but as soon as he was starting to speak , a girl came running from behind and taking the other empty side of the same counter starting speaking, “Yahaan…” breathing in between she completed somehow, “Yahaan Se Sabse Door Ke station ki ticket Konse counter par milegi.”
He had paused seeing her speak as he looked towards her from top to bottom , she was dressed in a blue bridal Lehenga ; Shadi Ka Joda , as she was herself panting heavily, he had recovered his breath by then but didn’t speak since the man at the counter hadn’t replied to her yet, he was himself staring at her dressing.
Finally, the man at the counter starting speaking, ” Sorry Ma’am but I need to know the name of the station, I can’t really understand where you want to go otherwise.” She looked at him clearly making her irritation visible on her face as she thought for a while.
He had had enough of patience and so blasted after waiting for her to reply to the man at the counter for a while, “Can you please be faster, I was talking here first and then you jumped in , now atleast be fast for God’s sake.” Coming out of her trail of thoughts, she averted her eyes towards him, “Excuse me, Can you please just wait?” She questioned emphasising the last word, angrily.
Omkara wasn’t going to buy this madness, “Oh really, you are telling me about waiting, you also could have waited when I was talking at the counter, Right?”
Ragini moved her eyes here and there as she realized she had been the wrong one here, “I am sorry, I was in a hurry so didn’t notice you.” She said owning up to her mistake.
“Ok, can you please just get done now so that I can start, even I am in a hurry.” Omkara said understanding as Ragini nodded.
“Delhi Counter?” Ragini asked as she had thought her destination by now.
The man pointed at a counter far away, ” Actually, the name of the station is written there, you can inquire about any small station in future ma’am.” The man was sure irritated but Ragini failed to notice it, “Ok , thank you!” She walked off as Omkara looked at her going, then turning he was about to speak when he heard the counter man murmur, ” Kaise Ladkiyan Hain, Apni Shadi se Bhaag Jati hai aur apne Parivaar ki Izzat ke bare mein Zara bhi Nahi Sochti.”
” Apko Kya? App Apna Kam Kijiye na, Mujhe…Mujhe Batayi, Kal Raat se abhi Tak Kisi Gauri ne koi ticket book ki hai?”
The man looked at Omkara uninterested as he scanned through his register.
“Ba…Bareilly ke Pass Wale stations mein check kijiye.” Omkara spoke desperately as he internally prayed the register doesn’t has his Gauri’s name.
“Bareilly Ke Paas to Nahi, Kal Raat 3:00 baje kisi Gauri naam ki Ladki ne Delhi ki ticket li thi.” The man said after checking the register as Omkara looked at him confused, “Delhi, Gauri Delhi Kyun Gayi?” Omkara murmured to himself as recomposing himself he asked the man again, “Delhi station Ka counter Kahan Hai?”
The man gave him a ‘look’ as Omkara didn’t notice it, “Boliye…” He said irritated as the man said pointing at a direction, “I just told that girl na, there.” Omkara nodded as he instantly ran off towards that counter.
**
Omkara paced around two corners in front of the Delhi ticket counter in a deep thinking, “Gauri,Why you did this, if you had a problem, you could have told me…Why you just left me like that in the night, And Delhi? You went to Delhi just so that I don’t realize where you are…but no, I won’t let you go away from me, not this time, I’ll come to Delhi for you, for my Gauri ,I have taken the ticket, I’ll search you from whichever corner of the earth you are in…” Omkara was thinking as he took out a small folded piece of paper from his pocket, he was about to open it when a strong gush of wind blew, the paper flew from his hand as it moved with the wind, “Ga…Gauri…” Omkara ran behind the paper which flew with the wind, the wind had suddenly started blowing very fast, nonstop.
**
Ragini was sitting on the bench in a deep thinking as the wind started blowing, lighter things scattered around the station like chips packet, pieces of paper started flying with the wind as suddenly something hit Ragini on the face.
“What the!” Ragini exclaimed as she removed the paper, she was about to throw it off when she realized that rather than a rag paper, it was a neatly folded paper, she opened it not realizing she did.
Omkara stopped in front of a platform as he had lost sight of the paper by now; he looked here and there wondering where it could be as Ragini who was sitting on a bench just behind him started reading the paper which had hit her.
“Omkaraji,
I am sorry Mein Apko Aise chod ke Ja Rahi hun, Itni Raat Ko…Haan Mein Jaa Rahi hun …apse bohot door, App Karan Mat Sochieyega , App Ne Kuch Galat Nahi Kiya, Galti Meine Hi Ki Hai…Har Bar Ki Tarah Aur Abb Mujhe Apni Galti Ki Saza toh milni chahiye na, Isliye Meine hi Apni Saza soch li, Apse Humesha Ke Liye Door Rehne Ki, Akhir Isse Badi Saza Mere Liye Aur Kya Ho Sakti hai,Hai na, I am sorry mein isse Zyada Nahi Likh Paungi, Bas Itna Kehna tha Ki Mujhe Dhundhne Ki Koshish Mat Kijiyega, Please…I Love you!
Gauri”
Omkara snatched the paper from Ragini’s hand as Ragini’s last sight of the paper was a corner which had spots of dried drops of water, Sorry tears still visible.
“Yeh Mera Hai!” Omkara exclaimed as Ragini stood up.
“Gauri Kon Hai? Tumhari wife?” Ragini questioned curiously as Omkara turned his face away.
“Tumhe Kya, Koi Bhi Ho.” Omkara said, his face still turned to the opposite side.
Ragini came in front of him as she started speaking again with a puppy face, “Arey Yaar Batao na, Uss Letter ne Mujhe Bohot curious Kar Diya Hai.”
Omkara glared at her angrily as he folded the paper and kept it back in his pocket.
“Tumhari problem Kya hai haan? Pehle Tumne Mujhe Wahan counter Par Tang Kiya…” Omkara was cut in the middle by Ragini who countered, herself annoyed, “Listen, Uske Liye Meine Sorry Bol Diya hai Han, Stop dragging the matter.” Omkara paused for a while seeing her annoyance but then suddenly spoke.
“Oh really, Ok…Tumhe Pata Hai, Mujhe bhi Tumne Bohot curious Kar Diya hai…” Ragini squinted her eyes confused as Omkara continued, “I mean bridal Jode Mein, station Par? Shadi Se Bhagi Ho Na Apni? Boyfriend Ke saath? Kahan Hain…” Omkara acted as if looking around Ragini as she glared at him, her anger building up.
Pointing her index finger at him, she spoke, “Listen, Tumhe Kuch Pata Nahi hai so just shut up.” A lone tear moved in her eyes as she emphasised the last 3 words.
“Same pinch.” Omkara replied sarcastically , himself angry as he went and sat on the bench where Ragini was sitting earlier, he had realized by now that he had come to the Delhi train’s platform unknowingly.
Ragini looked at him sitting on the bench as she went and sat on the other corner of the same bench, turning her face away from him.
They both sat there for around half an hour waiting for the next train to Delhi for which they both had taken the ticket which was scheduled for around 1 hour later.
An announcement pulled them out of their trail of thoughts, “The train for Delhi scheduled for arrival at 8:00 a.m. is delayed by two hours and would now arrive at 10:00 p.m.”
“What!” Ragini and Omkara exclaimed at the same time as hearing their voice echo, they turned towards each other, then realizing the source of the 2nd sound, they turned away again, angrily.
**
Ragini’s phone rang up as seeing the caller ID, Ragini thought something, then biting her lower lip, worried, she kept down the phone next to her as Omkara who was trying to call someone but getting no response tried peeping, he couldn’t control himself to speak.
“Tumhara Phone aa Raha hai!”
Ragini turned to face him , “Oh, Thank you so much for telling me, you know I am deaf, I can’t hear anything…Thanks a lot yaar.” Ragini glared at him.
Omkara narrowed his eyes for a second, then widened for the next amused at her response, ” Okay, I understood but I’ll give you a free advice, When normal people run away from their home, they usually discard away their sim card, you know lest their number be tracked.” Omkara spoke, sarcasm dripping from his words.
Ragini didn’t even wait for a moment to counter as she plastered a fake smile on her lips, ” I know , Your wife also must be very normal…So she did exactly that, Her number is switched off, right? I am sure you only gave her this advice…Great going.” Ragini removed the fake smile from her face as Omkara’s eyes widened at the realization.
“Damn!” Omkara exclaimed hardly audible as Ragini lip read him.
She turned her face away, again, uninterested.
**
It was 8:00 as Ragini-Omkara were still sitting at the very same bench, doing nothing, Ragini’s phone which she had put on silent by now vibrated after every few minutes.
Ragini was dead hungry since she hadn’t eaten anything from almost more than a day now. Her stomach produced a small sound indicating the hunger as Omkara whose anger at mellowed down by now laughed slowly hearing it.
Ragini glared at him as got up and went towards a small shop nearby.
She had left her phone at the bench itself unknowingly as her phone again rang.
Omkara looked at the phone and the caller ID, ‘Swara’ It read, Omkara stared at Ragini whose face was turned away towards the shop owner, she was buying something.
He thought something as he picked the phone, ” Ragini,Kahan Hai Tu…Kabse Call Kar Rahi Hun, Yaar market Jana tha to Batake Jati na Aur Woh bhi ready hokar…Ajj Teri Shadi hai, Kahan Hai Tu…Bol…”Swara started speaking continuously.
“Woh Actually, Rail…” Omkara was speaking as someone snatched the phone from him instantly, disconnecting the call, keeping the chips packet that she bought at the bench, Ragini blasted at him, ” What do you think you are doing mister? How dare you…”
“I…I…I think you should go back, you know how worried your family must be, If you have problem with your marriage, tell them…I am sure they’ll understand but don’t do this to them, Nobody is going to force you to be with the one you don’t want to be with, I am sure your family won’t wish to hurt you but I am sure, what you are doing right now will hurt them a lot…Leaving without even telling a reason…it hurts yaar, it hurts.” Omkara started off feebly trying to defend himself but the thought of Gauri leaving suddenly filled him with resolve as he unknowingly spoke the lines he wished to say to Gauri.
Ragini saw a tear fall down Omkara’s left eye as she realized the reason for what he was doing, she mellowed down, ” See, I understand, you are sad that your wife left you and all but please, You really don’t know me or what situation I am caught into so please don’t decide things for me.” She said as sat on the bench again.
Wiping off the tear, Omkara spoke up sadly, “So tell me.” He really didn’t knew why he said that.
Ragini looked at him with something, you could call a milder version of shock, ” And why should I? I don’t even know you. ” she opened the packet of chips munching in one piece.
“Exactly for that reason, I don’t know you so even if I judge that won’t affect you…We are not going to meet again anyways.” Omkara replied, he didn’t knew why, he was the curious one now…maybe he just wanted to know the psychology behind someone running away.
” You’ll call me an obsessive psycho if I tell you my story.” Ragini gave off a sarcastic laugh still munching in the chips as she thought something.
“Well, I am myself psycho enough to rather call you like me if I do feel that your screws are loose.” Omkara laughed as hearing him, Ragini laughed genuinely for the first time from the morning.
“Bohot Lambi Hai…Tum Bore Hojaoge.” Ragini said as she offered the chips.
Omkara took a piece as he smiled, “Well, Mere Paas Do Ghante Hai Bore Hone Ke Liye…I won’t mind hearing a story in them.”
Ragini smiled as she herself didn’t knew why but wished to share her story with this stranger, might be a thought that he would understand her or the fact that she was too filled up from within from all these days and did wish to take out her feelings to someone, she couldn’t do that to her family.
**
A/N: So an FS, to start with it’s not really a love story, it’s rather a story about friendship that’s why I have named the FS as Omkara-Ragini rather than a couple name, it’s a story more about the complexities of Ragini and Omkara’s character rather than anything else, though it somewhere includes Gauri,and Laksh’s characters thought process too but for the most part it’s about Ragini-Omkara. Also I know Ragini and Omkara lived in different cities but here you can imagine them living in any one city, as it is I haven’t watched both the shows for most of the parts, just tried to follow up with Ragini and Omkara’s characters so I will mess up with facts shown in the shows, events order might be changed…please don’t mind, I’ll rather like if you all can help me out with them. Also you can imagine the story starting from any crucial points in the show, I think in Swaragini, RagLak’s remarriage track would be perfect, In Ishqbaaz, I prefer any track after Dilpreet, though for most part I prefer the somewhere after the Vanvaas track, so that’s about me, just a small story on my favourite characters.