The next morning, as Gauri came back from her jog and was making a cup of green tea for herself, Shalini exclaimed something to Paddy, who had stopped by for breakfast. When Gauri came to the dining table, Shalini said to her with a bright grin, “So?” Gauri was confused, and repeated in a slow drag after her, “So?” Holding her hand in hers, Shalini said, “He gave you a ring already?”

Gauri looked down at her finger, quite surprised that she had almost forgotten about the ring that Ajinkya had given her last night. She had spent the entire night worrying about Omkara instead. The feeling made her uneasy; she was supposed to think of her to-be-fiance, not about Omkara, her friend, who was not in talking terms with her. Paddy whistled slowly when she saw the silver ring on Gauri’s fingers, making a teasing comment, bringing Gauri’s out of her distracted thoughts. A soft blush involuntarily made its way to her cheek, and Shalini-Padmini teased her even more.

Arvind, who walked into the dining room, saw the two ladies teasing his daughter. Gauri looked up at him with a shy smile. “Papa, Ajju gave me this last night,” she said with her blush turning deeper. Arvind, not very keen on having a closer look, simply nodded with a polite smile and then proceeded to the kitchen to serve a cup of tea for himself. Somehow, every time someone mentioned Ajinkya’s name around him, it made him feel uneasy, as if whatever happening wasn’t right at all. Something about the man made him uncomfortable. But he also saw how Gauri smiled and blushed whenever she spoke of Ajinkya. He couldn’t muster up the courage to tell his daughter that he didn’t think Ajinkya was the right person for her just because he wasn’t fond of him. Even if the guy seemed pretty decent, Arvind couldn’t really point out to what he didn’t like in him. Or maybe that was because he always expected Omkara would be the guy in her life. Any which way, he didn’t want to break her heart owing to his hopes or prejudices when she liked this Ajinkya. So, he had simply left everything in the hands of God and fate, hoping, whatever happens, would happen for the best.

Gauri looked at her father’s retreating back, shocked and confused about why he always behaved so distant whenever she spoke about Ajinkya. Even earlier, whenever she would inform her parents that she was going out for a coffee or for an outing with him, her mother would be super-excited and happy for her, but her Papa would only nod, sometimes looking hesitant too. She had been thinking of talking it out to her Papa for a couple of days, but something or the other kept coming up. She wanted to get up and go to him, asking him if something was wrong. But before she could walk up to him, she felt Paddy Maasi grabbing her hand to have a closer look at the shiny ring, and then commenting something blush-worthy, making her cheeks go warmer.

***

Gauri looked outside the window as Ajinkya drove the car. The weather was amazing, and it seemed as if it was going to rain later that night. The soft music playing on the car stereo made her smile. The only thing missing in this awesome weather was a glass of cutting chai and some piping hot onion pakodas.

Gauri was still lost somewhere when she felt her hand being encased in Ajinkya’s, followed by a gentle squeeze of her hand. “You’ve been quiet for a long time” he pointed out, and she furrowed her brows, “You think I’m otherwise talkative?” She asked curiously, making him chuckle. “No, baby. It’s just that, I love listening to your voice. Dil ko sukoon milta hai” he said, tugging on her hand and kissing the ring she was wearing on her finger.

Gauri smiled as she tried to pull her hand away. When he didn’t release her hand, she said narrowing her eyes with caution, “You’re driving!” The last thing she wanted was to get into an accident because he would not let go of her hand. He grinned at her in reply, “And you’re driving me crazy, my love!” Gauri chuckled, but tugged her hand away, slightly forcibly, from his hold. She looked outside the window, gazing at the passing scenery, and this time, she clasped her hands together. For some reason, after that cold, disinterested look her Papa had given her this morning when she showed him the ring, she felt a little unsettled. The feeling that had irked her last evening when she was with Ajinkya at the café was slowly making its way back into her chest. The uneasiness was too real to be ignored, and Gauri was trying to constantly dismiss it away by taking slow, deep breaths.

As the car passed by, her gaze fell on the small hotel; the very same hotel she used to visit with Oberoi. A fond smile made its way to her lips when she recalled the memories she’d spent with him. And then, she recalled the entire week that had passed; her smile wavered, and her eyes turned moist. How she missed him! But he didn’t even care to answer her call; he didn’t even bother returning her calls. And rightly so! She couldn’t blame him. Then, guilt filled her heart. She had dismissed him too, the same way, without giving him a chance to talk to her. Maybe this was her karma!

Sighing, she looked at the hotel in the side-view mirror as the car drove past it while recalling the disappointment written all over Omkara’s face when they had fought. Wrong. She had fought; he had just stayed silent throughout and had walked out without a word. The guilt intensified and she didn’t know how exactly she would mend whatever went wrong between them. Will she ever be able to? Would he still look at her face after whatever she’d done?

Gauri looked at Ajinkya when she heard him saying, “Penny for your thoughts?” She shook her head and smiled at them. She was surprised to know that her mind was busy with Omkara’s thoughts while sitting next to her to-be-fiance. At that very moment, it was as if her heart whispered to her, ‘What if there was a little truth in what Omkara said?” Immediately, her smile wavered looking at Ajinkya, and her mind chided her for doubting him without any reason or solid proof. She had already wrecked things with Omkara with her impulsive nature. Now she wasn’t going to ruin her equation with Ajinkya too. She continued looking outside the window, as her heart and mind silently battled, just as they did for the past week.

Much later, Ajinkya brought the car to a halt in front of a beautiful garden. “We’re here,” he said as he unbuckled his seat belt and stepped out of the car. He then walked to the other side. By then, Gauri had unbuckled her seat belt. He opened the door for her, with a smile. “I read reviews about this place and saw that the ambience is amazing, especially for couples. I wanted to check this place out with you, baby!” he told her as she stepped out of the vehicle.

Gauri smiled at that as he took her hand in his. “Shall we?” he asked, and she nodded with a smile while winding her hand around his arm. They were just walking out of the parking lot when she saw a car with a familiar number plate. She tried to recall whose car it was when her gaze fell on the bike parked next to it. Oberoi! The car belonged to Bade Bhaiyya, and the bike to Omkara! For a moment, she hesitated to go into the restaurant, her heart filling with guilt and sorrow. Noticing her sudden hesitation, Ajinkya patted her hand. “All okay?” Gauri looked at him. Of course, everything was fine. She was here with her to-be-fiance. Why should she feel hesitant or awkward about anything? Shaking her head, she smiled with a nod, “Yes, let’s go” she said to him.

Gauri walked into the posh, newly-inaugurated restaurant, that was fairly crowded. As expected, Ajinkya had reserved a table in the corner, away from the attention of the crowd. They walked to their reserved table, and Ajinkya pulled a chair for Gauri. She smiled politely, and he nodded, as she took her seat. He then occupied the seat opposite to hers. A waiter approached them with the menu in hand. “Could you please bring us a bottle of mineral water, please?” Ajinkya requested, and the waiter nodded.

Gauri watched the waiter walk away, and that was when she saw the table at a distance, at which the three Oberoi brothers were seated. Truth be told, she was unconsciously looking for them the moment she had seen their vehicles at the parking lot. The three brothers too had come there for dinner and were now busy laughing about something. Since Omkara’s back was turned towards her, she couldn’t see his face, but she could see his shoulders shaking, and given how Shivaay was glaring at him with a small smile on his face, she knew he and Rudra were poking fun at him while laughing. A small smile unconsciously made its way to Gauri’s lips as she saw them giggling.

***

“But lime juice? Seriously?” Omkara had asked, nudging Shivaay, who begrudgingly sipped on his tall glass of unsweetened lemon water, instead of ordering his usual drink. “Yea, Annika hates the smell of whiskey!” he’d unintentionally spilled the beans, making Omkara and Rudra chuckle. “Why does Bhabhi sniff you?” Rudra had said in the spur of the moment, making Shivaay turn red and Omkara fall on the table as he laughed. 

“Ohh!” Rudra said after a good moment realizing that Annika didn’t really sniff him, and then high-five’d Om as they teased Shivaay. “Guys! Stop it” Shivaay glared, a small smile coming on his lips as he looked at his brothers laughing at him, but then chuckled with a deep-red blush when Omkara whispered something totally R-rated in his ears! “Not fair, mujhe bhi batao!” Rudy whined, to which both the brothers turned to him and chorused an almost-practiced, “Shut up Rudra!” To them, he was always going to be a baby!

***

Gauri was still smiling, when she heard the phone ring at the table. Ajinkya suddenly excused himself when he looked at the screen of his phone. “I need to take this, love,” he said to Gauri in a polite tone, drawing her attention away from his phone, and she nodded. Saying this, he walked out, not before Gauri heard the sudden change in his tone, as he whispered harshly to the other person, “Phone kyun kiya mujhe?” Gauri frowned; the person who was so sweet to her a second ago sounded like an angry bull as he spoke to the person on the other end.

Rudra, from the corner of his eyes, noticed some movement as if someone ran out in a hurry. He turned his head sideways, his gaze followed the man rushing out with his phone, and that was when his eyes met Gauri’s. “Bloody hell!” he muttered annoyed, looking back at the man who’d just walked out, realizing who he was, making Omkara and Shivaay turn to follow Rudy’s line of sight.

“Ajinkya Agnihotri?” Omkara murmured looking at him and immediately looked to see whom he had come with. If he was here with some other girl, maybe there was a way to inform Gauri about his two-timing habits. He secretly hoped it was Suhani. But his gaze met Gauri’s, who was now looking straight at him. Omkara quickly turned around, with his back now towards her, mentally frowning, as all the words she had spoken to him came running back to his mind.

“We should talk to her!” Shivaay said looking at Rudra, who eagerly nodded. They both looked at Omkara, who was drinking his cocktail with a look of indifference on his face. “O?” Rudra nudged, and he shrugged, saying, “You want to talk to her? Go. Don’t look at me. I’ve heard enough from her already, and I am in no mood to listen to anything more, neither am I interested in looking at her face!” What Omkara hadn’t realized was that, by then, Gauri had waved to Shivaay and Rudra, and made her way to their table, thus hearing the last sentence Omkara had just uttered.

Rudra and Shivaay shared a look of embarrassment when Gauri’s smile wavered, making it evident to them that she had heard their brother talking. And Omkara realized she was standing right behind him when his two brothers stood up with a smile and greeted her, saying, “Hi Gauri”.

Omkara couldn’t bring himself to look at her. Part of him was still mad at her, while part of him was embarrassed that she’d heard him. Then there was another part of him that wanted to shake her so bad to knock some sense into her. However, ignoring it all, he simply sat there, staring at the wall in front of him, sipping on his cocktail, unwilling to budge even a little to look at her. For he knew, the moment he would look at her, he would turn into an emotional mess again, because all of her words would haunt him again.

“Hi Bhaiyya, Hi Rudra,” Gauri said with a smile, and then looked at Omkara, hoping he would at least look at her. “Hi,” she said softly to his back, hoping at least that would make him respond to her, but he behaved as if he was deaf to her. Omkara didn’t move, and there was an odd silence between the four of them for the next ten seconds. Gauri swallowed a lump in her throat; she deserved his coldness she admitted defeatedly. “How are you?” Rudra said, breaking the awkward silence, and then going ahead, “I couldn’t congratulate you on your, erm, special occasion. Many, many, congratulations!” he said. Gauri nodded with a sad smile, still looking at Omkara’s back, totally oblivious to the glare that Omkara had shot at Rudy.

Gauri was about to continue the conversation when she felt a hand at her lower back. Turning around, she saw Ajinkya standing next to her. Rudra and Shivaay could see the possessive hold he had on Gauri. His eyes seemed to have a cunning gleam in them as he subtly pulled Gauri closer to him. Gauri felt Ajinkya come closer to her and momentarily froze when her arm touched his torso. She was uncomfortable being so close to him but didn’t want to create any awkward scene by nudging him away.

Rudra’s jaw clenched at the sight, wishing for a chance to rip that fraud’s hand off and throw it in the nearby waste-bin. Although Rudra also then wished if he could throw the entire human in the garbage bin! However, Shivaay maintained his composure and smiled politely. A skilled businessman that he was, who could mask his real intention to confuse his opponent, it wasn’t a surprise to see Shivaay extend his hand warmly to the man. “Shivaay Singh Oberoi. You must be our lovely girl’s to-be-fiance!” he said.

The moment Omkara heard that he turned even more rigid than he already was, knowing Ajinkya was now standing next to them. Ajinkya was forced to move his hand away from Gauri to shake hands with Shivaay, and Rudra was more than happy to suddenly hug Gauri, saying, “Oh, I am so, so, happy for you!” Then, he comfortably stood in between Ajinkya and Gauri, while Shivaay tactfully hid the wicked smirk on his face at his brother’s deliberate act.

“Of course! The ruthless shark in the world of business! Who doesn’t know you, Mr. Shivaay Singh Oberoi!” Ajinkya grinned with a nod. With a glance at Omkara, he said, “By the way, you seem to have the same hobby as your brother; following me and my darling fiance wherever we go!” Shivaay smiled at the deliberate edge in his tone, while Rudra’s nostrils flared up in anger. Omkara quietly listened, without turning around. Gauri, who was quite shocked at what Ajinkya just uttered, couldn’t help by turn red in embarrassment. “Ajinkya, stop!” she whispered, but he completely ignored her. the last thing she wanted was for Bade Bhaiyya, Rudra and, of course, Omkara to be embarrassed because of him.

“Is that so?” Shivaay asked with a calm smile, and then cryptically said, “Could have been true if we hadn’t walked in here before you!” Ajinkya smiled, understanding that Shivaay was not someone he could mess with. Shivaay had successfully sent the message across that there was a possibility of some amount of truth in his sarcastic comment. “And when it comes to Gauri, we’d make sure we follow her wherever she goes if we think she cannot be trusted with the company she’s going with!” Rudra said with a not-so-polite tone as he looked at Ajinkya in his eyes.

Gauri turned to look at Rudra when he said that, quite shocked that the sweet-talking Rudra could actually sound quite aggressive. He looked so mad for some reason, that she felt as if the vein on his forehead would pop anytime now. Then, suddenly smirking at him, he said, “By the way, I’m Rudra Singh Oberoi! Shivaay Singh Oberoi and Omkara Singh Oberoi’s younger brother!” Ajinkya nodded, extending a handshake, but Rudra squeezed his hand so hard, that Ajinkya almost yelped in pain. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t expect you to get hurt given your physique! Dard toh nahi hua?” Rudra said sarcastically, with a deliberate. Gauri looks at him and nudges him at that. “Kya yaar Gauri, main toh mazaak kar raha tha!” Rudra says grinning, as he puts an arm around her shoulder like he always did.

Ajinkya, who was almost turning red, then saw that Omkara hadn’t reacted at all to anything that was happening. From what he had heard from Gauri, there was no talk between the two of them for almost a week. Talking to Shivaay Singh Oberoi and Rudra Singh Oberoi had done some damage to his ego, and he desperately looked for a comeback. He decided to target Omkara, knowing that he wasn’t in talking terms with Gauri anymore. At least, he thought he could salvage some of his damaged ego if he poked fun at him. He couldn’t have been more wrong!

“Arey, Omkara is here too! I barely realized.” Ajinkya said to his back, and continued, “Kya baat hai, Omkara? Chup chaap baithe ho? I remember the last time we met, you had a lot to say to me? What happened today?” When Omkara still didn’t react, Ajinkya placed a hand on his shoulder, “C’mon yaar, apni ‘best friend’ ke honewale fiance se baat bhi nahi karoge?” he said with a deliberate sneer in his tone, pointing out indirectly that they were no longer best-friends!

“Stop it, Ajinkya!” Gauri hissed looking at him. She had least expected him to behave that way. It was completely uncalled for. “Baby, I’m just wanting to get acquainted with my future wife’s best friend, that’s all! Relax, alright?” Ajinkya replied to her.

Gauri was taken by surprise when she heard the tone in which Ajinkya just spoke to her. It was as if he had indirectly warned her not to interfere. She gaped at him, and her heart was slowly palpitating. It was as if the warning that Omkara had been trying to give her a week ago was slowly ringing in her ears. The uneasiness in her chest had just intensified.

Omkara, who heard the tone in which the man just spoke to her, fisted his palms angrily, alls et to punch the man in his mouth. No one, absolutely no one spoke to his Sharma that way; it didn’t really matter if he was on talking terms with her or not. But one cautious look from Shivaay, and Omkara calmed down instantly.

However, Omkara smirked when he felt Ajinkya’s hand on his shoulder. Shivaay was alert, watching the man closely, while Rudra was already flexing his wrist and shoulders, just in case he needed to give that smartass a punch. Slowly, Omkara stood up and turned around, completely missing the slight shock on Gauri’s face when she looked at him. She had never ever seen such a dangerous look in his eyes in all the years that she knew him. Right now, he looked no less than a predator, waiting to pounce on its prey to rip its flesh apart.

Omkara was once again tempted to push the man’s hand off his shoulder and then knock the man’s teeth off, but looking at Gauri standing there, with lines of worry evident on her forehead, he gently moved Ajinkya’s hand away from him. She was already upset, and he didn’t want to do anything that would embarrass her nor hurt her.

With a smile, Omkara said, “Looks like you lack basic understanding, Ajinkya. If someone is avoiding a conversation with you, then it only goes to show that the person doesn’t want to talk to you.” He glanced at Gauri for a fraction of a second, gauging her expression.

Gauri felt the slap of his words. The taunt was applicable to her as well, she mused. He had made it clear he didn’t want to talk to her. Gauri looked at the floor and swallowed a hard lump in her throat as the realization seeped in. She couldn’t even blame him though. It was all her fault, and perhaps too late to do anything, but regret over it!

“You’d have to be that dense to not understand such a basic thing, Ajinkya! And here I thought you were smart?” Ajinkya fumed when he heard Omkara say that. It was enough of insult he had endured from the three Oberoi brothers. Holding Gauri’s hand in his, Ajinkya pulled her with him to walk away, a little too forcefully. “Ugh,” Gauri whimpered as his fingers dug a little too harsh into her skin, and Omkara involuntarily tensed up, looking at his fingers fiercely digging into her flesh.

“Hey!” Rudra was the first one to voice out in an angry tone, making Ajinkya turn back. “Easy, tiger!” Rudy warned him, saying, “Gauri is like a sister to me. Itna zaroor yaad rakhna!” Ajinkya’s hold on her hand loosened, and Gauri immediately pulled her hand away. The skin at her wrist had turned a little too pink and she squeezed her eyes shut when she felt her skin slightly burning. Omkara watched her caress her skin that was slightly pinkish now and then looked away when she looked at him. Gauri saw a flicker of concern in Omkara’s eyes before he looked away.

“I’m so sorry!” Ajinkya gently held her wrist in his hand, but Gauri pulled her hand away. “Just because your ego is hurt with something, doesn’t mean you take it out on me!” she said with a stern tone, heading back to the table where they’d been seated. Ajinkya felt like he had been slapped, that too in front of the three men. He slowly turned his head to see Shivaay and Rudra smirking at him, while Omkara looked at him with a threatening gaze. This insult was more than he could take. He watched Gauri storming off to the table they had occupied earlier, and quickly paced behind her.

Gauri picked up her purse, all set to leave from there. Her mood had turned sour now, and she didn’t want to stay here anymore. Dinner plans can go to hell! Ajinkya had embarrassed her enough in front of the Oberoi brothers! She turned around to see Ajinkya standing behind her, with an apologetic look on his face. He took her hand in his, despite her attempt to pull away. “I’m so so sorry, my love” he said, looking into her eyes. “I got mad when he spoke to me that way! I didn’t mean to vent it out on you.”

“So, you should have sorted it out with him. Not take it out on me!” she said with anger burning in her eyes. This was the first time Gauri was spitting fire at him, He nodded with a sad face, “Please, I’m sorry. I would never hurt you! Let me make it up to you, please?” Gauri didn’t reply. Ajinkya held both her hands in his, as he said, “Everybody deserves a chance, right? I’m sorry, Gauri, I snapped. I promise it would never happen again. Please forgive me, please?”

Gauri noticed a few heads turning and looking at them, including Rudra and Shivaay. Omkara had sat, once again, turning his back to her. Not wanting to make a scene in the restaurant, she took a seat back grudgingly. “Thank you, love’ Ajinkya said with a warm and apologetic smile. This time, Gauri smiled at him, only half-heartedly for the very first time.

“Om, are you okay?” Shivaay asked and Omkara glared at him, “Ask me that one more time, and I’m going to punch you in your eye!” Shivaay withdrew with a sigh, looking at a worried Rudra. “I think we should leave!” Rudra said, only to see Omkara frowning at him. “Why? Just because that cartoon and his ‘head-over-heels-in-love’ fiance are here?”

Rudra quickly shook his head in a no, realizing that Omkara was too angry to think straight. Or else he would have never spoken about Gauri that way. He said, “I have to go to the gym early morning. I need to sleep early. As it is, it’s going to take around 45 minutes to reach home, and it’s almost 9.30 now! Daadi will disown me, and Annika Bhabhi will throw Shivaay Bhaiyya out of the room if we’re late!”

At that, Omkara’s mood changed suddenly and he smiled looking at Shivaay. “Bhabhi throws you out of the room?” Shivaay looked embarrassed, as he said, “Only when I’m late. And, she doesn’t throw me out. I don’t like disturbing her sleep if I go late to the bedroom, which is why I voluntarily sleep in th-”

“Aye, bass bhaiyya, bass. Kitna jhoot bolte ho?” Rudra said, teasing him. Omkara stretched his arms as he grinned, “Well then, we better drive you home early. We wouldn’t want Bhabhi to throw you out of the room after you’ve avoided the whiskey breath for the sake of some ‘quality time’!” Rudra chuckled, and Shivaay blushed. “Enough guys, let’s go!” Shivaay said as he asked for the bill.

Ajinkya, from the corner of his eyes, watched the three of them leave. Just then, the waiter brought a fresh glass of juice for Gauri. Now, everything would go as planned. The timing was perfect since Gauri had just gone to clean up the juice that he had ‘accidentally’ spilled over her dress earlier. After the waiter walked away, Ajinkya slowly slipped the single pill into her tall drink and stirred it quickly. He was tempted to add a couple more, but he didn’t want her to pass out. He just wanted her to loosen up enough, so they could have some fun together tonight, instead of being uptight as always whenever he would try to touch her or get close to her. She said she loved him, and he knew it was just a matter of time before he could get her to agree to get frisky.

Gauri came back, with a small frown on her face, after she had wiped her dress and dried it in the restroom. A fresh glass of juice was already waiting for her when she came back. With a frown at the little accidental spill, Gauri grabbed the glass and shifted it to her left, as she said, “Before there are any further accidents, let me put this away” And as she took a large sip from it, Ajinkya smiled. ‘Tonight is going to be a lot of fun’ he mused looking at Gauri, as he also saw the Oberoi’s leaving from the restaurant premises in their respective vehicles.