As he was busy admiring the sleeping Gauri, a thought crossed his mind.
How on earth did Gauri get drunk?
But then it striked him, his family was behind it, who else would do something like this?
In Omkara’s room
Shivaay: will your plan work? What if Gauri talks about her pain and Om feels even more guilty and decides to never confess?
Rudra does the logic sign and turns to Anika for the answer.
Anika: don’t blame me if the plan doesn’t work. What is my fault if you Oberois are so late at realizations? Your hearts work at snail’s speed. Let’s just wait and watch.
Shivaay: So you mean you won’t take gurantee if the plan fails!? And why are you insulting my family for that?
Anika: Am I giving you some washing machine that you are talking about warranty and guarantee? And I’m just stating facts. Why are you becoming bagad billa?
Shivaay: just…just stop that ok? If your plan doesn’t work. I’m gonna kidnap them both and lock them up.
Shivaay said, keeping both his hands on his hips.
Rudra , Anika and Bhavya gapes at him.
Shivaay: and I won’t let them out until they talk it out.
Shivaay moves his hand through his hair (the classic Shivaay style)
Bhavya: bhaiyaa, thats a crime.
Bhavya said worried if he was actually considering to do that.
Anika: this is sso. Do you think he cares about such things? Listen shivaay you’re not gonna do something like that ok?
Shivaay: I will, if there’s no other option. Otherwise it’ll take forever for that duffer to communicate his feelings.
Anika shrugged: he’s your brother after all.
Shivaay glares at her.
Anika : I’m stating facts why are you staring at me with your kanji ankein?
Shivaay: Anika you-
Rudra sensing the upcoming never ending fight between his brother and sister in law, stepped in, intruppting them.
Rudra: guys calm down. O hasn’t come yet. Let’s not jump into conclusions. Let’s think of other things when he comes ok? For now let’s hope Gauri bhabhi said something that will push O to confess.
The rest nodded in agreement.
In Gauri’s room
Omkara had dozed off without even realising, he quickly got up and checked the time.
2:24, shit! I should go back before Gauri sees me. What if she doesn’t remember anything about last night?
Om thinks to himself and turns to look at a sleeping Gauri who was still holding his hand. How he wished to stay that way forever. If only he had met her before every other girl in his life, then they wouldn’t have had a rocky start. Soon, he found himself lost in her.
In Omkara’s room (shivika and ruvya)
Anika suddenly got up from her sleep only to realise that they had all fallen asleep waiting for Om to return. She checked the time and saw that it was almost 2:30.
Why didn’t Om come back yet? Did the plan backfire? Did he leave this place for spending some time alone because of it? Oh God..
Anika couldn’t help but worry for her brother in law and sister in law. What if she really complicated their relationship? Finally settling her thoughts to a side, she decided to check in.
Just as she stepped up from the couch she was sitting on, she felt the door open. As she turned around, Anika felt someone tightly hug her.
Anika would’ve almost screamed had she not realised it was her devar. She thought he would come and show his Nandi roop as Gauri called it, because of the whole bhaang drama, but he hugged her!!! She couldn’t help but wonder if her plan actually worked?
Om: thank you so much bhabhi! I’m sure it was your idea. I can’t belive I’m thanking you for doing something like this but thank you!
Anika: Areey Om, you scared me to death! You should’ve come slowly, I almost got a heart attack.
By now the others were up and were curiously looking at the scene infront of them. They couldn’t help but wonder what made Om so happy.
Shivaay looked on in surprise as he found his brother hugging the life out of his wife, while Rudra looked on at a broadly smiling Om, who looked genuinely happy after such a long time. Bhavya couldn’t help but smile seeing Anika struggling to loose his hold, but an overjoyed Om didn’t even realise that he was hugging her so tight.
Anika couldn’t manage to speak seeing him rambling on ‘thank you bhabhi’
Bhavya: Om bhaiya!! You’ll kill her if you don’t leave her now.
She said giggling.
Om: I’m so sorry bhabhi, I was so overjoyed that I…
He said immediately moving back and freeing her from the hug.
Anika kept a hand on her chest and took deep breaths, steadying herself from the bone crashing hug her devar just gave her. Shivaay moved towards her and patted her back.
Shivaay: Anika are you ok? And Om what happened?
Anika: yeah I’m fine, thank you Bhavya, at least you care about me.
Om: sorry bhabhi
Om said rubbing his forehead.
Rudra: Areey O, what happened? Stop this suspense.
Anika: And where were you till now? Did you see the time?
Shivaay: Om, how’s Gauri? And what happened between you two?
Bhavya: Haan bhaiyaa, tell us na, why are you silent?
Om: if you all keep asking questions, how will I answer?
Anika: sorry Om, tu bata na kya hua (tell what happened)
Omkara then tells them about Gauri’s feelings and how he almost backed out from ever confessing his feelings but then Gauri’s questions made him realise she had to know it. And how he decided to confess his feelings soon.
Anika looked on at her devar in surprise like a small kid would look seeing a magic show.
Shivaay stares at him in disbelief wondering if he heard it wrong. Meanwhile Rudra whispers to Bhavya.
Rudra (whispers): Bhavya, is this some dream? Is my shayar bhaiya finally gonna confess?
Bhavya (whispers): that’s what even I heard Rudy..
Rudra(whispers): pinch me yaar, I refuse to beleive this.
Bhavya gives him a nice pinch and Rudra screams out.
Rudra: does someone pinch like this?? Haawww my poor arm.
Bhavya: it wasnt that big, and whats the point of these muscles if you can’t even handle a single pinch.
Anika to Shivaay : Shivaay, my plan worked?
Anika asked in disbelief.
Shivaay: looks like it did Anika, I can’t belive it, this is so good.
Om: guys… why are you all acting as if I just said something like I moved a mountain?
Rudra: this is greater than that, O. Finally chulbul bhabhi will get to hear what her jaathadhari feels.
Rudra says doing his happy dance.
Shivaay hugs Om in happiness and Rudra joins them and kisses Om.
Om: Shivaay she hasn’t said yes yet.
Anika: don’t worry about that. Do what you have to do, I’m sure she’ll come.
Bhavya: All the best bhaiya
Om: thanks guys. I have some arrangements to make now.
Om said enthusiastically while the rest looked on with curiosity as to how their shayar artist Oberoi would prepare for confessing to the love of his life.
Morning
In Omkara’s room
Om(on the phone): yes please, those too. Bring it as soon as possible. Thanks.
Om cuts the call and looks out from the window.
Gauri, I swear this’ll be really special. He thought.
In Gauri’s room
Gauri woke up from her sleep with a unusually heavy head. She looked around and found that she was on the bed and her sister in law, wait could she really call Anika as her sister in law? Anyway, both Anika and Bhavya were missing. She tried to think of what had happened the previous night as her head felt too heavy to hold.
In the next few minutes, each memory of the previous night rushed into Gauri’s head. Shock was an understatement for her, how could she have told all that to him? And what was he going to do today?
Shankaji, since you put me in this situation, why don’t you just let me disappear. How will I face him today? What if he does something? Oh no shankar ji why are you testing this naive chiraiya?
Gauri thought to herself.
But then it occurred to her that, she couldn’t be in her senses when she said all that. She thought for a while and then realisation occured to her that Anika had mixed something in her juice that all the words she had kept closed in her heart came out.
Why bhaujai? What wrong did I do? Why did you do this? Why did you embarrass me?
She mentally cursed herself for drinking that juice.
Ring
Ring
Her doorbell was ringing. But who could it be now?
“Ayii” (coming) Gauri called out.
She checked the time and was shocked to know that she missed her morning poojas, it was 9! How could she have slept so long?
Without thinking anything else, she quickly got up from her bed, adjusted her hair and washed her face and ran to the door and opened it. But just as she opened it, she cursed herself.
It was him.
Omkara ji. As dreamy as ever. And he didn’t tie his hair! Did he really consider my words or is he doing this like how he usually does, according to his mood?
Gauri couldn’t help but wonder.
Gauri: Aap? (You?)
Om(smiling): Haan main. (Yes me)
Gauri: what are you doing here?
Omkara had noticed it. He was sure she remembered everything the look on her face said it all! She was slightly shy on facing him, more like embarrassed and her expressions said it all!! Ok so now he didn’t have to explain much.
Om: Gauri, are you free today evening at 7?
Gauri blinked in disbelief.
Haye shankar ji, what is he planning to do?
Gauri: why?
Om: I want to take you somewhere…please don’t say no…
Gauri thought for a while. Maybe today she could finally know what was in his heart. If it was guilt only or did he really…
But wasn’t she still angry with him?
Maybe not.
Gauri: where?
Om: it’s a surprise. Will you come?
Gauri: ok
Om overjoyed that she agreed so easily, couldn’t help but hug her.
A moment later he quickly withdrew himself realising what he just did. Throughout the hug, Gauri was too shocked to respond anything.
Om: sorry..
Gauri: it’s ok.. by the way, did you see Bhavya or Anika bhaujai?
Om: oh yeah, they came over an hour ago.
Gauri: oh ok
After Om left, Gauri went inside and took a bath and came out only to find a box wrapped in gift paper at her door step. She took it and found a note on it.
Dear Gauri
Please wear this and come for the meeting.
Yours,
Omkara
Yours. Was he really hers?
For some reason this note took her back to that day when he pointed a finger at her character. When he had made huge arrangements for her and she felt so happy thinking he felt the same about her as she felt about him, only to get her heart crushed by him.
Gauri feared if it would happen again tonight. She wouldn’t be able to bear that again.
She went inside her room and slowly opened the box. The dress inside felt familiar to her. And then she remembered it. It was a beautiful red suit that she had liked but thought was too expensive to buy.
She recalled that day when Shivaay and Anika had sent her and Omkara away to a mall and how they window shopped mostly and bought very less. Everything there was so expensive that Gauri couldn’t really get herself to take anything. And then there was this beautiful red suit she had seen but unfortunately the price was so high that she couldn’t even dream of ever having it.
Did Omkara really notice that she liked that dress?
(Note: this is not an orginal scene from ishqbaaz)
Gauri (to herself): it means Omkaraji noticed that I liked this dress. So….So he had bought it that day itself?
Gauri was hopeful again, she felt happy to know that he had cared for her even then.
Maybe things could work out between us then? Gauri thought.
to be continued…
So hows it so far?