The party had begun in full swing. Apart from family members, no one else was present. Kalyani Singh Oberoi had happily blown the candles and cut the cake, offering the first piece to Shivaay, and then to Annika. Pinky did make a disappointed face that, for Kalyani, Annika came in line before her, but decided to let it go when Shakti lovingly patted her arm, making her internally rejoice that her mother-in-law had fed the first piece of cake to her son, before anyone else.

Janhvi smiled as she came forward to feed Kalyani the cake, and did not miss the sorrow in the older woman’s eyes at the absence of her older son. However, they were all mindful of not mentioning it, not wanting Janhvi or Rudra to feel bad or Omkara to get mad. As everyone was feeding the cake to each other, Kalyani called out to Omkara, while asking him to bring Gauri forward too.

As Kalyani fed Gauri the cake, she said aloud, “I hope by next, if I’m still alive, I get to see you both married,” and continuing while looking at Annika, “As well as to hold my first great-grandchild in my arms!” Shivaay and Annika exchanged a soft glance with unreadable expressions and a small smile, while Gauri and Omkara almost froze. Gauri, with cake still stuffed in her mouth, looked in shock at Omkara, who looked slightly uncomfortable at the mention of marriage as well.

Deciding to intervene and diffuse the unwanted attention that the whole family had on the two of them, Janhvi said to Gauri, “Beta, did you try the cupcakes? I baked them myself. Here, let me serve one for you” Janhvi handed over the plate to Gauri, who nodded with a grateful smile, “Thank you Aunty” Janhvi patted her cheek and almost moved away when Omkara held her hand, “Mom, you didn’t offer one to me?” he said to her in mock offense. Janhvi rolled her eyes, saying, “Om, it’s right there on the table! Pick one and have it!” He narrowed his eyes at her, and said, “So, all the pampering is for her only? None for me?”

Janhvi smirked, “Yes. I’ve always wanted a daughter, but ended up with two sons!” Turning to Gauri, she continued, "When I was pregnant for the second time, I always thought Rudra was going to be a girl! I even purchased baby-frocks for him, and for the first three years, I even dressed him in pink frocks! Some day I'll show you those pictures..." Rudra, from another end of the living room, huffed with his hands at his hips, frowning at his mother saying, “Okay, I heard that! And no, you will not show her any pictures!” 

Everyone chuckled, including Gauri. Looking at her younger son, and then back at her older one, she shrugged her shoulders, “I’m just happy to have Gauri around, who’s like a daughter to me; someone whom I’ve heard about constantly from my Om for the last couple of years, and whom I’ve finally met today. Of course, she deserves all the pampering! So, you two can be grown-ups and deal with it!” There were giggles around the hall.

***

Rudra, Shivaay and Annika watched with goofy smiles as they saw Omkara and Gauri settling on the sofa, as if the two were in their own little bubble. Gauri had two cupcakes on her plate- one chocolate, and another vanilla. She had divided each of the two into halves. Omkara dug the fork into the vanilla one and took a bite of it, after which he placed the fork back on the plate. Gauri used the same fork to eat the same half of the cupcake that he was eating.

“See?” Rudra said to Annika and Shivaay with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “They can get two separate plates, two separate cupcakes, two separate forks. They can even eat two different halves. But no! Dono ko ek hi piece share karni hai!” Shivaay looked at him, and with a smirk, he said, “Ek hi thaali mein khaane se pyaar badhta hai!” He looked at Annika, who involuntarily blushed. “Thaali?” Rudra questioned, and said, “It’s a plate, Bhaiyya! And it’s not Pyaar…” He paused, before continuing with a grin, “It’s ‘Friendship badhta hai’!”

Omkara and Gauri both looked up at the three of them when they heard their howling laughter. “Guys? What’s the joke?” Omkara asked with a confused frown and a small smile, while Gauri looked at them with a bright smile. Annika walked towards the two of them on the sofa, and said, “Om, ever since you two have come, you’ve been sticking to her side. Let the others also meet Gauri!” Saying this, she sat next to Gauri, who grinned at her. Omkara turned to look at his brothers when they called out to him, as they said, “Let the ladies talk; you come here!”

Omkara looked at Gauri, and placed his hand on her knee. Gauri looked at his hand, and then at him. Bending a little closer to her to whisper in her ear, he said, “The moment you want to leave, let me know. Okay?” Gauri moved a little away, to look at his face, and was instantly drawn to his eyes that were gazing deep into hers. He waited for her to nod, and once she did, he said to her in the same hushed tone, “I’ll be with Shivaay and Rudra, okay?” Gauri nods with a smile, still not unlocking her gaze from his. He nodded and gave her knee a gentle squeeze before he got up and walked to his brothers.

Gauri watched his retreating back with a soft smile as he greeted his brothers with a laughing high-five at something they said. Annika watched Gauri looking at Omkara, and cleared her throat to draw her attention. Gauri turned to look at Annika, eagerly looking at her, waiting to talk to her. “Yes, Bhabhi?” she asked, knowing very well about the teasing stare that Annika was giving her for looking at Omkara, but chose to ignore it. Annika, too, smiled, not wanting to tease the girl, before she began to talk to her.

***

Some time later, while his brothers were still talking to him, Omkara turned around to find Gauri seated between his mother, his Choti Maa, Daadi, and Annika Bhabhi. For a moment he was a little worried, thinking that they were making her feel uncomfortable, but when he saw her laughing at something that Annika said and giving a high-five to Pinky Oberoi.

Shivaay and Rudra grinned at each other when they saw Omkara smiling as he looked in Gauri’s direction, at the way all the ladies of his family were making her feel welcomed and comfortable. “You’re staring, O!” Rudra said cheekily, and he hummed absently. Shivaay chuckled and patting his brother’s arm, he said in a slightly serious tone, “Om, what are you looking at?”

Omkara turned to look at his brothers and said with a smile, “It’s sweet of them to make her feel so welcomed, to feel so belonged!” The two of them exchanged looks as he continued, “Before we came over, I was actually worried if she would be comfortable enough.” He paused for a moment as Shivaay gave his arm a soft squeeze, “Why are you so surprised? Om, our family has never made even outsiders feel welcome. Gauri is, well, almost family!”

Omkara huffed humourlessly, saying, “That’s your perspective, Shivaay. From your perspective and experience, this family has always been perfect. But things have been very different from my perspective.” Shivaay knew what he was talking about. Omkara was still bitter, and rightly so, over the fact that Daadi had been firm against the idea of a divorce between Tej and Janhvi. Rudra held Omkara’s hand and shook his head, “Let’s not think about all that, today? Please?” Shivaay agreed as Omkara looked on, “Rudy is right. After a long time, all of us, well at least most of us have gathered together under one roof, and it’s a happy occasion.” Omkara smiled with a nod; he too didn’t want to be emotionally bitter when everyone around him was trying their best to stay happy.

“Also,” Rudra said cheerfully, and Omkara knew he was going to say something teasing. Omkara gave him a pointed look as he quipped, “For the very first time, a future-family-member – my Gauri ‘Bhabhi’ has come home,” He said stressing on the word Bhabhi, continuing, “It’s a special occasion to be happier!” Shivaay grinned as Omkara shook his head and ran his palm over his face.

"Rusy, please!" Omkara began, only for Shivaay to interject, “Om, I really don’t know why you two behave as if it’s a mortal sin to be attracted to each other! We can clearly see how much you two mean to each other, how special you both consider each other to be. In fact, she’s your perfect match! I can’t tell you happy, and how relieved we all are now that you two decided to pursue a relationship”

Omkara inhaled a sharp breath as he looked at Shivaay with a frown. “What? Who spoke anything about a relationship now?” Shivaay and Rudra were perplexed at Omkara's response. “O, please tell me you’re planning to, at least eventually, think of a relationship with her?” 

Omkara with a frown intact on his forehead, said, “Well, maybe, eventually, if at all this dating thing works! But right now, there’s no guarantee that we’ll be getting into a relationship for sure!” Rudra was about to say something with a frown, but Shivaay stopped him with a shake of his head. Instead, Shivaay said with a smile, “of course, that is exactly what I meant - if at all you both decide to take things further.”

Omkara looked at Gauri again, who looked like she was having a gala time, with her head on Annika’s shoulder as she laughed while Pinky and Janhvi playfully argued. For a moment, she looked like such a perfect fit right there; it looked as if he was the outsider while Gauri was the Oberoi here!

“Why do you ask?” Shivaay asked, and Omkara realized he’d absently asked a question out loud to them, “Do you think Gauri fits into our mad family?” 

Before Om could answer, Rudra said with a chuckle, “Of course! She’s equally mad as the rest of our Oberoi family. In fact, like Bhaiyya said earlier, there is no better woman for you than her! We can already tell how super-attracted you two are to each other” Rudra looked at Shivaay and cocked his head up as if reminding him of the scene they’d seen on the terrace earlier. 

Omkara frowned, still looking at Gauri, and was about to clarify he wasn’t attracted to her when suddenly a very vivid image popped up in his mind - the one where, on their unofficial date she’d gently wiped her thumb along his lower lip to get rid of the ketchup, while he’d ended up accidentally licking the pad of her thumb. Omkara could suddenly feel his heartbeat quicken as he recalled the thick tension in the air they’d felt then.

“Kya baat hai?” Rudra said in surprise, “Today you won't start getting defensive to our teasing? ‘We’re only best-friends, we’re nothing but best-friends’?” he said, mimicking Omkara. Omkara stayed mum, but only glared at Rudra, making Shivaay laugh, not wanting to say anything along those lines. However, Omkara looked again at Gauri, wondering whether he was attracted to her or not. If he wasn’t, why did he feel flutters in his belly when he thought about that brief moment of, well, sensual tension? Or if he actually did, why did he hesitate to look at her in a way a man sees a beautiful woman. She was beautiful, his mind acknowledged with no hesitation. Maybe it was a matter of time till they started feeling such things, he assumed. After all, one doesn’t go about dating his best-friend every other day, right? 

The moment he’d thought that, coincidentally, Gauri turned around to look at him. When she found him staring at her, she flashed a bright smile at him. Omkara automatically felt the smile come on his lips, and happily ignored the soft teasing sound of ‘Ooohh’ that Rudy just made, or the deliberate cough by Shivaay.

***

The whole family was seated in the living room, and having dinner amidst laughs. No one said anything teasing when Gauri and Omkara sat next to each other with their plates of food. They kept shuffling something or the other to and from each other’s plates. Gauri took an extra piece of chicken off his plate, and pushed off some green peas from hers. Omkara picked a piece of paneer from her plate, and shared half a roti with her because he was too full. Everyone noticed with teasing smiles, but none of them said anything, pretending to have not observed the two of them.

***

Everyone was in a happy mood, when suddenly Tej Singh Oberoi walked in, unannounced, causing the whole family to quieten down to a pin drop silence. The first person to speak was Omkara, who immediately rose from his seat as he said in a low yet angry tone, “What is he doing here?” Tej smirked at him as he said, “As far as I remember, you no longer live here. I don’t have to explain my presence to you!” Tej looked at Janhvi, who sat there without sparing a glance at him, but was looking at Omkara as if asking him not to say anything.

“Maa!” Tej said with a smile as he walked towards his mother, who was still seated, and looked at him with painful sorrow and anger in her eyes. The woman was torn between hugging her son, and slapping the same man who had dared to stray from his marriage from a wonderful woman like Janhvi! Tej, however, was oblivious to the expressions of his mother, and walked right up to her. Touching her feet, he looked at her as he said, “Wishing you a happy birthday, Maa.” When she turned to look away from him, he said to her, “Won’t you at least look at me? Isn’t it hard enough that I am staying away from my family, my home, from this house that is equally mine, that now you’re giving me the cold shoulder?”

Gauri looked at Omkara whose face had turned red in fury, and had fisted his palms to refrain from punching the man who had the audacity to say such things. Omkara closed his eyes and drew a long breath when he felt Gauri's hand clasp his, and give it a soft squeeze. When he opened his eyes and glanced at her, he also saw his brothers nodding at him, asking him to calm down and sit down. Omkara himself knew that if he said anything right now, it would end up in a huge fight. Swallowing his pride and anger, Omkara took a seat next to Gauri, who immediately held his forearm and gently rubbed it, asking him to calm down.

Tej, who had noticed the sudden change in Omkara’s behaviour noticed the girl next to him, and with a frown, he said with a tone of disdain, “Seems like even charity cases are invited over for your birthday, Maa, but when your own son, your own flesh and blood, comes over, you are unhappy!”

Omkara stared at Tej as he looked at Gauri, but was glad that she wasn’t the person to be intimidated; at least, not by him! He had told her years ago about the man, and to see that his Sharma stared back at the man in the same look of disdain gave Omkara the much-needed satisfaction. Shivaay and Rudra too were proud of the way Gauri hadn’t backed out or been nervous at Tej’s condescending look. The fact that she was staring back at him for labeling her as a charity case made them want to applaud her because honestly, no one apart from Omkara had the guts to stand against Tej Singh Oberoi. ‘Takkar ki jodi,’ was the only thought that came to the brothers’ minds when they saw the two of them.

However, nobody had least expected Kalyani Singh Oberoi to stand up suddenly and glare at the man. “First things first, Tej!” she said in a no-nonsense tone, “You will not talk to my Om in that tone!” Omkara only looked at his Daadi in surprise, as she continued, “He isn’t staying here under his roof out of his own will. He, unlike you, has no greed for materialistic possessions. He comes to visit us all out of love for us, not like you who keeps reminding me that you were an heir to the Oberoi Empire. My Om has his own identity, a name for himself! This home has never closed its doors to him, and will welcome him with wide open arms when he decides to come back. This house, this home always belonged to him, and he will always belong to this house.” 

Omkara looked down at the floor, blinking rapidly to refrain from tearing up. Daadi defending him against Tej was certainly an emotional moment for him. Kalyani paused to glance at her grandson who had his gaze on the floor, and acknowledged how the young man was trying hard not to weep.

Kalyani, now looking at Tej, continued, “You, however, are forgetting that I have asked you not to come under this roof, Tej. You weren’t invited to my birthday because I didn’t want you here. This party was meant for only those who are close to my heart, and you certainly aren’t anymore – not after what you did to Janhvi, Omkara, Rudra, and the rest of us!”

Every single member of the family could see the embarrassment on Tej’s face and all of them were quite happy on the inside to see Kalyani Singh Oberoi putting the man in the place he deserved. Kalyani continued with a sterner tone, “And did you just call this precious girl a charity case?” Now, it was Gauri’s turn to look shocked to see the woman defending her, practically a stranger, against her own son! “You have some nerve to say such things! Gauri is no outsider, Tej; she’s family! And I will not have you speak that way to my family!”

By the end of it, Kalyani was shaking with so much rage, that Pinky and Annika had to hold her and calm her down. “Take me to my room. This party is over. Hope you’re happy with that!” Kalyani said as she glared at Tej. Shivaay and Rudra looked at him with disappointment, while Omkara glowered at him in anger.

Kalyani was about to walk out, when she stopped in her tracks. Everyone’s gaze settled on the person who’d just walking – a young woman, to be precise. Gauri was surprised, not knowing who exactly this person was. Did Bade Bhaiyya have a sister? Did they have a distant cousin that Oberoi hadn’t told her about yet? Looking at the reaction on everyone’s face, Gauri could guess very well that it wasn’t someone they liked. Not a bit.

Pinky was the first one to react. “Oh My Maata? Yeh chudail mansions ke insides kya kar rahi hai?” Kalyani was fuming as she looked at the woman standing next to Tej. “Maa, Swetlana and I have come to ask for your blessings on this special day of yours,” Tej said with a smile, holding Swetlana’s hand in his. Omkara looked at Janhvi who was frozen in her seat, still holding her empty plate in her hand, refusing to look at Tej or Swetlana.

“Tej!” Kalyani warned as he took Swetlana’s hand and brought her towards his mother. “Yeh mistresses toh besharam thi hai, lekin Jeth ji? Aapne bhi saari shames sells kar li hai?” Pinky asked with an edge in her tone, despite her husband wordlessly asking her not to say a word. 

“Pinky, mind your language!” Tej said in a loud voice, to which Kalyani replied, “Why? What wrong did she say?” Tej sighed, and drew Swetlana’s hand close to his chest as he said, “Maa, all I came here is to wish you good health and happiness on your birthday, as well as to seek your blessings as we give you a piece of wonderful news!”

Everyone looked at him with bated breath, as he finally spoke, “Maa, she is pregnant; we’re going to have a baby!” leaving everyone almost frozen with shocked silence.