Omkara brought Gauri over to his building early in the evening. She looked hesitant at him when he asked her to enter into the lift and go ahead to his flat, while he finished the call with Mitali about something work-related since he didn’t want to lose connectivity inside the elevator. Since it was a conference call with the clients from Denmark, it would have been impolite to disconnect as well. He had even given her his house keys, but she refused. “I can wait” she had whispered to him, waiting right next to him. Shortly, he was done with the call and they both went into the lift together to his apartment.

“Shivaay said he’ll be a little late since he’s got some meeting to finish. But Rudra and Annika Bhabhi will come earlier” Omkara said, as he tossed his keys into the bowl, walking in after her. “Wine?” he asked, and she nodded with a smile. While Gauri walked to the open balcony, the one where they usually hung out and had so many pizza or Maggi dinners, Omkara went to the kitchen to fetch two glasses and a bottle of red wine. He came back to find her standing on the balcony, leaning against the wall, looking lost in thoughts. He knew she was far from being herself, but Omkara had vowed to himself that he would try his best to bring that smile on her face, and bring his lost Sharma back.

“Here you go” he handed over her glass and placed the bottle aside. “What do we toast for?” he asked with a smile. Her eyes turned misty as her smile dimmed. “Last time we toasted to getting what we truly deserve!” she said, and then looked away. Omkara took a step closer to her, and in a gentle pinch, he held her chin making her look at him. “And didn’t that turn out well for us all? You got a fresh new chapter in life which no longer has that cartoon, and well, that cartoon at least got what he deserved – jail time!”

Gauri smiled at the sincere efforts Omkara was putting in to lighten her mood. When her parents had told her that Omkara wanted to take her to his apartment, she had initially refused. But then, he had called her up during the lunch break and had partially convinced her. And then, there was Rudra, who as usual was extra-dramatic and had asked her to pinky-promise him that she would agree to come to Omkara’s flat, so he could bitch about Omkara to her. Presently Gauri smiled as she recalled that conversation.

“What about you? You got what you truly deserved?” she asked, and ended up regretting, for she saw a flash of hurt in his eyes. Perhaps he too had thought of their fight at the exact same moment as she did. The look vanished as soon as it came up in his eyes. Knowing that she was still guilty, he said, “Let the past be in the past, Sharma. Of course, thoda time lagega mujhe, to completely forget. But that doesn’t mean you need to look so upset each and every time!” She nodded and he gave her a quick bear hug.

Pulling away, she looked at him, saying, “You still didn’t answer my question. Did you get what you truly deserve?” He looked at her thoughtfully, and said, “Not yet. Because for very good reasons under the sun, I deserve a sincere smile from you that comes from your heart and reaches your eyes. So, until then, maybe that toast will stay incomplete!?” Listening to him, she happily smiled, with tears glistening in her eyes.

Omkara clinked his glass against hers, and said, “Let's toast to something else.” Gauri nodded, saying, “To new beginnings,”, and he added, “And to lifelong friendships.” She grinned as she said, “To happier futures”, and he replied, “To best times yet to come!” They cheered as they took a sip each. While Omkara moved his glass away with one sip, Gauri gulped down the entire glass, causing his eyes to turn wide. “Meri Maa, it’s not a medicine that you gulp it down that way!” she said nothing but smiled. He was at least glad that her eyes no longer looked sad.

A while later, the doorbell rang. “Must be the food we ordered!” Omkara said. He handed over his glass to her before he went to open the door. Gauri took both the empty glasses to the kitchen to rinse them; her mother had made it a habit at their home, that she continued it even here. Omkara opened the door, quite surprised to see Rudra and Annika standing there. “Hi Om!” Annika said with a bright smile, and Om nodded as he welcomed them in. Before he could say hello, Rudra hurriedly made his way to the kitchen when he heard the water run, off to meet Gauri. “He’s been looking forward to meeting her ever since you made this plan,” Annika said, looking at the hurried way in which Rudra ran in. Om, shaking his head at his younger brother, looked at Annika, “Please come in!”

Annika smiled at him with a nod and had just walked in when they heard a shrill scream from the kitchen, followed by the clanging of some steel utensil on the floor. “Gauri!” Omkara murmured and ran inside, and Annika followed.

In the kitchen stood a shocked and confused Rudra, trying to console a panicked Gauri, who stood in the corner, with her arms covering herself as if shielding her from someone. She refused to listen to Rudra as he kept trying to apologize. “What did you do?” a bewildered Omkara asked him, and he said, “I was just trying to pull her leg. I thought I’d sneak up on her, but she got really scared. I didn’t mean to!” Omkara glared at Rudra, not before swiftly walking up to Gauri, who was trembling. He knew that a harmless prank by Rudra probably brought back memories she was trying hard to forget.

“I’m really sorry,” Rudra said in an apologetic tone. He truly was. He didn’t expect Gauri to freeze and then shriek the moment he held her shoulders from behind. He hadn’t thought it from her perspective and experience.

Omkara looked at him with an annoyed glare. Then, he closed his eyes for a whole minute and looked back at him with a calm face. Annika, who’d witnessed all of this, tugged Rudra at his elbow to follow her, and had silently informed Om that they were in the living room.

Gauri had screwed her eyes shut as she tightly held on to him. This wasn’t the first time Rudra had playfully scared her, but it was the very first time she was truly scared. When he’d held her shoulders and said a ‘Boo’ behind her, the very first thought that came to her mind was Ajinkya and the way he’d grabbed hold of her that night. The reliving of that entire scene was so strong that Gauri forgot she was in Om’s flat and it was only Rudy. All that she felt at that moment was helplessness and fear.

“Hey!” she heard Omkara’s voice, as he cupped her cheek. She realized she was almost glued to him and slowly parted, making him move his hand away from her face. He looked at her intently, studying her face, trying to understand what she was thinking. “I’m sorry” she blurted, not really sure why she was apologizing. He smiled at her with a subtle nod as he said, “Rudy had no idea you would…” he left his words unsaid, not really knowing how to finish it. She looked at him as she said, “It wasn’t his fault at all. I probably overreacted.”

Omkara shook his head, perfectly understanding that it was no overreaction, but a reaction from a person who’d undergone a trauma. “You feel better now?” he asked, gently rubbing her arms, to which she nodded a yes. “Let’s go to the hall?” he asked. She nodded a yes. “Can you please put on that pretty smile of yours before we go?” he asked with a bright grin. Her lips broke out into a smile and she nodded, making him pinch her nose before they walked out.

***

“Trust me, Bhabhi; the last thing I wanted was for her to get upset. You know how I am! You know I keep joking around. And with Gauri, I’m never serious, at all! Just like how I am with you. Now imagine, I walk up to her and ask her in a serious tone, ‘How are you feeling, Gauri?’, even if she’s feeling alright, she will tend to think something is either wrong with her or with me. I just wanted to behave normally with her and pull her leg like I always do. I didn’t think I’d scare her so bad! Poor girl, she was shivering. Now I feel like a terrible person for making her go through it.” Rudra said in a sad tone to Annika.

“It wasn’t your fault, Rudra” Gauri spoke as she walked into the hall, making him stand up from where he was seated. She walked up to him and hugged him, and he instantly gave her a big, warm hug. She understood that his intention was to behave with her as though nothing had happened. She knew he didn’t want to walk on eggshells around her or treat her with any unwanted sympathy that could possibly sadden her. She admitted to herself that she was somewhere still weak and traumatized, and knew she had to work harder in making herself a stronger person.

“Thank you!” she said to Rudra while pulling away, and he pulled her cheeks, saying, “Any time, Babe!” With a sly grin at Omkara, who rolled his eyes at that, Rudra winked. “By the way,” Omkara cleared his throat, winding his arm around her shoulder and turning her around. Rudra almost chuckled at the way Omkara had, unconsciously, stood in between him and her. Omkara said to Gauri with a smile, “This is Annika Bhabhi; and Bhabhi, this is -” “Your Sharma! I know!” Annika said cheerfully, and before Gauri could greet her, she hugged her tightly. “Shivaay and Rudra have told me so much about you, and about how you’re best friends with Om, that I feel I already know you!” she said with a chuckle. Gauri smiled brightly; she already loved Annika! If she had a chance to wish for an older sister, she would have definitely wished for someone just like Annika!

Before Gauri could say anything, the doorbell rang. Annika looked at Omkara when he said, “That, must be the food which I placed an order for!” to which she grinned, “Or, it could be my baagad billa” Gauri looked confused as the two men laughed. “What Billa? Who?” she asked, making them all laugh louder. “Arey, main apne baagad billa, apne billuji ki baat kar rahi hoon… The Great Wall… Shri Shri Shivaay Singh Oberoi” Gauri’s lips curved into an amused smile, “Bhabhi, you call him Baagad Billa?” she asked, to which Annika laughed, giving her a high-five, “Main toh unko aur bhi bahut kuch bulati hoon! Kabhi fursat se bataungi” she said, as she opened the door with a bright smile, knowing that it was Shivaay.

“Annika? What took you so long to open the door? And where’s Om?” Shivaay said with a displeased frown at ringing the bell nearly three times. Annika frowned, “Haan, lag gayi der. Kya, kar kya lenge aap? Hamesha dekho chidey hue rehte hai.” Turning around, she said, “Now you know why I call him Baagad Billa? He doesn’t need reasons to get angry!” Shivaay was about to retort in irritation for disclosing his ‘nickname’ to Gauri too, but when he saw Gauri, his anger melted away, bringing a happy smile on his face. Walking in, he muttered to Annika, “Tumhe main baad mein dekh loonga!”, making Annika blush at the hidden meaning in his husky whisper.

Walking to Gauri, he engulfed her in a warm hug and placed an affectionate kiss on her hair. “How are you, bachche?” Gauri nodded. Rudra immediately replied, “Main theek hoon, bhaiyya. Aap Gauri se bhi pooch na?” Omkara hit the back of Rudra’s head, as he said, “Woh ussi se pooch raha tha!” Rudra dejectedly muttered, “But I am the bachcha of the house. Until someone younger than me arrives, of course!” His tone was full of mischief, and while Omkara-Gauri smiled, Shivaay shook his head and Annika blushed.

***

The five of them settled in the living room, while the food was spread out on the coffee table. Rudra was seated on the single-sofa, Shivaay-Annika on the three-seater couch, while Gauri and Omkara occupied the two bean bags. Annika and Shivaay watched fondly, at the way Omkara was tearing up the paratha pieces into smaller ones in Gauri’s plate since she still had her bandages on, while Rudra grinned mischievously, trying his best to refrain from making any comment.

“Will you be able to hold the spoon? Or do you want me to feed you?” Omkara asked, making Shivaay and Rudra exchanging amused glances, while Annika smiled at them adorably. “No, no, I can eat with the spoon” she said, grateful thAT he had left his plate aside to help her tear the paratha up. “Are you sure?” he asked, looking at her trying to balance the spoon between her index and her thumb, while not being able to fold her palm properly. Without waiting for a reply from her, he pulled the plate from her hand, dipped the piece into the gravy, and held it to her mouth. “Mooh kholo… Aaaa” he said opening his own mouth, and she faithfully obeyed him, opening her mouth to eat. After two morsels, she said, “You also eat. Your food is blowing cold!” to which he said, “If it’s cold, I’ll reheat it; don’t worry! Tu khaale…”

Annika was the first one to clear her throat and break the absolute silence while he fed Gauri. “Waise Gauri,” she asked, making her look at her. Omkara frowned at her, asking her to open her mouth as he stuffed yet another morsel in her mouth. “What do you call Shivaay?” she asked, and Gauri said with a smile, “I call him Bade Bhaiyya” Annika nodded and looking at Rudra, she asked, “And him?” “I call him Rudra!” Gauri replied as if it’s the most natural thing to say! Rudra quipped in, “Sometimes when she’s in a sentimental mood, she calls me Rudy, and on rare occasions as Rudy Bhaiyya too!” Gauri grinned at him, while Omkara made an impatient sound as if asking her to eat quicker since he didn’t want her food to blow cold.

“Hmmm, and you call me as Annika Bhabhi. But, what do you call Om?” Annika quizzed a moment later, making Shivaay and Rudra smile. “Him? Oberoi!” she said with a fond smile looking at him. Omkara narrowed his eyes, “But when she gets angry, she goes out the way to call me by my first name, or even by my full name!” Looking at her, Omkara said with a smirk, “Yaad hai? Omkara Singh Oberoi!” he mimicked her, to which she pleaded him with puppy eyes, holding the end of the sleeve of his t-shirt, “Now I said I was sorry no? You said you forgave me?” she asked. He scrunched his nose at her as he playfully pinched her cheek.

Annika spoke up again with a small grin, as she asked, “So, you call Shivaay as Bade Bhaiyya, and Rudra by his name, but you call Om as Oberoi. Correct?” Gauri was still chewing her food, when Omkara answered on her behalf, “Yes, Bhabhi.” Gauri too nodded her head as Omkara answered. Annika pursed her lips and with half a smile, she asked Gauri in an innocent tone, “So, why exactly do you call these two as Bhaiyya, but not Om?”

Gauri looked at her and shrugged her shoulders, while Omkara frowned slightly. The thought had never crossed his mind, so when Annika asked such a question, he looked at Gauri, when she said, “Because Oberoi is not my Bhaiyya! Bade Bhaiyya and Rudy give me brotherly vibes. Oberoi doesn’t give me any bhaiyya vibes.” Gauri opened her mouth as Omkara fed her yet another piece of roti with a little too much gravy on it. As she closed her mouth, some of the gravy spilled down her lip and chin. “Arey, eat properly, yaar!” Omkara gently chided and wiped off the gravy from her chin and lip. “Sowwiee” Gauri said with her mouth full, as she sat still for a moment when he wiped her chin.

Not finding a paper napkin around, Omkara simply licked his thumb clean. To them both, this seemed like a very normal thing to do. But as this scene unfolded, Annika and Shivaay watched at them in surprise, while Rudra stared at them with his spoon in his mouth. The scene of Omkara licking his thumb after wiping away Gauri’s lip looked a bit too intimate. Annika looked at Shivaay with a small smile; it had taken them weeks after marriage to get this comfortable with each other.

Shivaay looked at the two of them, as Omkara fed Gauri her food. “By the way, Om,” Shivaay started, drawing everyone’s attention. He continued, “Daadi was asking when you’re free. She said she has a girl in mind for you and-” “Nope! Tell her I’m not free!” Omkara straightaway denied, continuing to feed Gauri as she watched him with a small frown at his quick refusal. Rudra looked at Shivaay’s mischievous grin and added, “But what about Daadi’s wishes to see her Omkara’s Dulhan?” Omkara sighed, looking at Rudra and Shivaay, and said, “Look! You two want to live your life according to Daadi’s demands, whims, and fancies, sure, go ahead. Don’t expect me to do things just because another person wants me to. When I get married, it’s because I want to get married, not because someone wants me to get married!”

Shivaay was about to speak up when Annika quickly interjected saying, “But why does Om have to even hunt for a bride? Gauri hai na?” Omkara’s brows furrowed as Gauri choked on her food and went into a fit of cough. Shivaay and Rudra tensed up looking at Annika as if asking her if she was crazy to openly make that suggestion. Annika blinked her eyes at the two men as if telling them that she knew what she was doing. Omkara immediately patted the top of Gauri’s head, and rubbing her back, asked her to look at the ceiling. As her cough subsided, she looked at Annika, who was staring at them as if waiting for an answer.

“Annika Bhabhi! He’s my best friend! How can you even suggest such a thing?” Gauri said as if it was the most ridiculous thing ever, making Shivaay roll his eyes and Rudra almost groan at the age-old chanting of their best-friend phrase. Omkara looked at Gauri and nodded in agreement. Annika shrugged her shoulders, “So what? Can’t best friends ever decide of becoming life partners? In fact, for any relationship, friendship always needs to be the base.” To that, Omkara said, “Arey, Bhabhi, I suggested that Gauri and I date each other. Because, honestly, both of us were fed up with marriage proposals! But Gauri said I give her third cousin vibes!”

“WHAT?” Shivaay, Rudra , and Annika chorused. The fact that Omkara had asked Gauri to date him was news to them, and what made it a ‘breaking news’ was the fact that Gauri thought Om gave off cousin vibes! Gauri shrugged, looking at the three of them, saying, “I always saw him as a buddy! Someone with whom I can share anything. I’ve never felt that kind of pull towards him, nor have I ever seen him in a romantic light.” Again, Omkara nodded. He and Gauri had become so close over time, that now, looking at each other with feelings apart from being best friends made them both uncomfortable. It made them feel as if they were breaking some kind of an unspoken code, and had stayed off that track. In fact, the whole conversation around Annika’s suggestion was making them uneasy.

Annika sighed, and then looked at them, “I understand what you’re saying. But Om, even today, more than a husband, Shivaay is my best friend. He’s someone who understands me even before I say anything. He can read me through and through, and sometimes, even when I lie about anything, he catches it, because he knows me that well. He knows what exactly makes me annoyed, and what makes me happy. He can tell when I am being genuinely angry or just cranky. Yet sometimes I wish I knew Shivaay as a friend first, instead of dating him right away. That would have made our equation much stronger. But in the case of you both, you two are already best friends. The compatibility between you two is crazy-amazing! You two are already each other’s support. You two know each other the best! So, I cannot stop wondering why you two haven’t taken the thought of considering each other as partners seriously. Because I simply cannot think of a better reason to have my best friend as my life partner!”

Shivaay and Rudra look at each other with a smile as Annika finished. Gauri and Omkara looked at each other with a thought. After all, someone had to speak this out directly to them, instead of going around in circles and dropping hints, because these two were far from picking up the any hints whatsoever.

Gauri knew there was no way she was ever getting into an arranged marriage after her terrible experience with Ajinkya Agnihotri. And looking at how Gauri’s experience turned out, Omkara too had realized the negatives that came with an arranged marriage proposal. Who was to tell that the girl he’d decide on getting married tomorrow through an arranged marriage will be someone whom he could happily spend the rest of his life with?

Annika’s words seemed to have a positive impact on them both. There was no one else closer to them than each other. But how crazy was it to get married to the person whom you never saw as anything beyond a friend! How freakishly bat-shit crazy? Or, maybe not so crazy if they really gave it an honest thought?

Gauri and Omkara looked at each other with a subtle nod as both of them reached a conclusion silently. Maybe a serious thought and a lengthy discussion between them was long overdue!