The next morning, Saraswati had woken up to witness a miracle. Gauri was already awake at five in the morning and was seated at the dining table. Her eyes were puffy, her gaze was fixed on the cup of steaming coffee, although she seemed to be lost in thought. Both her palms were around her coffee mug as if savouring the warmth that was seeping into her skin. Gauri definitely had a forlorn expression on her face; it looked as if she hadn’t slept the whole night.

Saraswati felt her heartache when she saw Gauri slowly wiping her tear away. She had never witnessed her daughter so upset in years. She was pretty much confident that it was about Omkara. Were things so fragile between the two of them, that caused her to be so miserable to be sitting all alone and shedding tears?

Saraswati audibly exhaled and cleared her throat, subtly announcing her presence in the kitchen. Immediately, Gauri sat up straight and looked away, as if hiding her face from her mother, and wiped her wet lashes with the tips of her fingers. Looking up, she smiled at the older woman and greeted her.

“Doesn’t feel like the morning is good though” Saraswati replied, with her back towards Gauri, while placing the vessel on the stove for a boil after adding two glasses of water in it. When Gauri said nothing, she turned around, leaning against the edge of the countertop. “Did you talk to Omkara?” she asked, folding her arms. Gauri shook her head in a no and said, “I tried calling him last night. He did not pick.” Saraswati shook her head with a smile, and said, “He’s probably resting. Maybe he wasn’t feeling fine…” Her voice faded when Gauri looked at her with an expression that told her it was otherwise. Walking towards where she was seated, Saraswati held Gauri’s hand in hers and gave it a light squeeze. “Bitiya, do you want to talk about it?” Gauri hugged her mother tight, and slowly poured her heart out.

***

Omkara stirred uncomfortably in his sleep, feeling uneasy due to being drenched in sweat. He had already kicked the duvet away in his sleep, and his t-shirt stuck to his skin, making him more uncomfortable. His eyes fluttered open and he looked at the fan that had stopped turning. He turned to look at the switch that was still on. It was most likely a power cut. Going by the way he was drenched in sweat, it had to be a long time since the electricity had gone. Why wasn’t the building generator on yet?

Grumbling, he rose from the bed to walk out, only to see Rudra standing in the middle of the kitchen and scratching his head, which was now messy. There was milk spilled all over the floor, the walls, and on Rudra. “What the actual fu -” “Om, I’m so sorry!” Rudra said, almost fearing for his life. “I just wanted to make some milkshake for breakfast. I accidentally turned the mixer on without covering the lid. It spilled all over, including the socket, and caused a short circuit.” He said in one breath.

Omkara closed his eyes and took a deep breath, mentally cursing him with every cuss word in every language that he knew. “Om, I’m sorry. But I’ll fix this, I swear” he said with a worried frown. Omkara tiptoed to the fridge; the milk had splashed on it too. Throwing a deathly glare at him, Omkara opened the fridge to pick an apple and then tiptoed out, carefully avoiding stepping into the mess, so that he wouldn’t dirty the whole house. Once in the living room, he said to Rudra, “See that you clean this mess before you leave.” Rudra nodded, promising he would take care of it, while Omkara walked back into the room and closed the door shut. There was only so much that a man could take.

Omkara looked at his phone to see if Gauri had called or texted him after last night. Truth be told, he was almost dying to talk to her. And he would have happily spoken to her last night if Rudra hadn’t put those thoughts into his head and messed him up. Omkara almost growled angrily when he could hear Rudra hopping around in the kitchen. The man was walking trouble! Why did he have to say all that to him last night? He had been at peace, telling himself that his family was happy because he was slogging away at work, and they didn’t need anything else. He had been happily telling himself that they needed nothing more.

Rudra’s words had given him a different perspective, making him overthink, keeping him awake until the wee hours of the morning. Those words, coupled with what Gauri had told him previously, made his bubble of a perfect world shatter. It made him think that neither was Anu being a cranky child nor was Gauri being a nagging wife. Maybe, just maybe, it was him who was being an obsessively workaholic man who had neglected his family, which is why any form of dissent or complaint from them would appear as if they were being unreasonable. His thoughts came to a halt when he realized that there was absolutely no sound coming from the kitchen. Either Rudra had passed out, or he had run out of the house, leaving Om alone to deal with the mess he had created. “That mischievous rat!” Omkara grumbled as he decided to check on Rudra.

Omkara stormed out of his room and found Rudra standing with the mixer jar in one hand and a bunch of paper towels in another. The moment he heard Omkara walking out, Rudra began muttering apologies. “Move aside, Rudra. I’ll help you clean the mess” Omkara said in a no-nonsense tone. Rudra was simply happy that he hadn’t been beaten up for this mess. Or in the language of Shivaay’s fiance – Annika, for phailaoing the raitha all over the place.

An hour later, both, Omkara and Rudra fell on the sofa, completely exhausted. The kitchen had been cleaned and the electricity was back after the building’s electrician had come to repair it. Omkara had ordered some breakfast from the nearby hotel, while Rudra had offered to make some tea, under Omkara’s strict vigilance.

“Om” Rudra began, as he chewed his food, “I know you don’t like interference, and it could be personal.” Om frowned slightly, sipping on his tea, as Rudra said, “You seem to be upset since yesterday. I assumed it was because you had a fever. And then this morning, because of my Masterchef program in the kitchen…” Rudra gave him a sheepish grin when Omkara huffed at the reminder of the messy kitchen. “But you seem disturbed and lost. You want to talk about it?” he asked.

Omkara sighed. Did he really want to talk about it? What would Rudra know about the chaos inside his head? “Look Om” Rudra spoke again, “I might not be able to give you any solutions to your problems. But you might feel better if you speak it out. My Mummy says that sharing one’s troubles makes one feel lighter. Not just that, maybe I could give you some fresh perspective on what’s bothering you!”

Omkara pursed his lips in a thin line. Rudra did have a point. Moreover, Rudra was close to Gauri, like a brother would. And even if he found the man annoying at times, or rather most of the times, he couldn’t deny the fact that Rudra was a genuine man. Omkara was about to speak when Rudra said, “This is definitely about your work-life balance, right?” When Om looked at him in surprise, he grinned.

“I am no mind-reader or a fortune-teller, Omkara. And sometimes people may think I am only good at flirting around with the ladies” Rudra flexed as he ran his thumb across his eyebrows. “Well, I will be humble and say that I am fantastically amazing when it comes to the ladies, but that is not the point right now” Omkara rolled his eyes while suppressing a small grin, as he continued, “The point here is, I can read people’s faces. I mean, I can understand what they feel by looking at their face.” Pausing for a moment, Rudra said, “Yesterday when I told you about how crazy you are about your work, that hit you in the gut, right? Especially when I spoke about how Gauri Bhabhi and Anu adjust with your working habits…?”

Omkara’s silence spoke volumes. Rudra grabbed a paper napkin, and wiping his fingertips and his mouth, he turned to face Omkara. “Look, Omkara, I understand you have this passion for achieving a lot in life. And you’re willing to run the extra mile for it, which is good. Not everyone is passionate and enthusiastic about their work goals. But Omkara, when you’re running, at least pause for a moment and look at what you’re missing out, man. Like Naina had told Bunny in YJHD…” Omkara frowned at Rudra wondering who they were.

Rudra smacked his own forehead. Of course, Omkara wouldn’t know who they were. The man worked like an ant all day that he might not have had the time to even watch a movie. Deciding to enlighten him, he said, “It’s a movie where they are the main characters.” Looking at Omkara’s raised brows, he said, “That’s not important. What’s important is the dialogue she tells him in the scene. Bunny wants to go and watch some light-and-sound show, whereas Naina wants to continue watching the golden sunset.”

Omkara shrugged, “It’s smarter to watch the light-and-sound show, to be very practical. I mean, naturally Bunny would have tickets to it, and not to forget, light-and-sound shows are amazing, I’ve heard! Sunsets are there all the time; they can be watched every evening” Rudra was confused for a moment. He was supposed to convince Omkara, not the other way round. When Omkara saw Rudra’s perplexed expression, he was amused. “But then what did Naina say?” Omkara asked, wanting to put Rudra out of his confusion.

Rudra’s eyes lightened up as he said, “She says to him, that definitely the light-sound-show will be amazing. But if they would leave, then they would miss the amazing sunset. She says, no matter how hard you try, we tend to miss out on something or the other in life. So the best thing would be to try and enjoy life as and how it comes to us” Looking at Omkara, he sipped his tea as he said, “You need to decide on what’s worth missing out, Omkara. Itni tezi se bhi mat bhaago, ke saari duniya peeche reh jaaye. Warna, jab manzil pe pahunchke tum mudkar dekhoge, tab khud ko shayad akele hi paaoge” Rudra said and Omkara exhaled a sharp breath. “Cheers,” Rudra said a second later, lightening the mood, as he clinked his glass of tea with Omkara’s. Om only smiled, his words ringing in his ears.

***

Gauri smiled as she watched Anu play hopscotch with the neighbour’s children. Her mood had gotten much better after speaking to her mother. Saraswati made her understand that whatever Omkara spoke was in anger and in jealousy. Jealous of being left out of that happy family moment. It was in no way a bad thing. In fact, it was good. It showed that he still yearned to be with them. She had said, “If Omkara meant to hurt you, he wouldn’t have deleted whatever messages he sent. Even if he did, if he wanted to make you feel bad, he would send something angrier or meaner. It was a moment of irritation where he snapped at you. that’s all. If he deleted the messages, it means that he didn’t want you to read them. What did he know you read it before he could them!”

Gauri had frowned at the way her mother had taken his side in this matter but had eventually understood that it was probably true. She remembered the times when she would get annoyed with Anu’s constant questions about her Papa’s absence due to his work hours. Gauri would sometimes feel as if Anu didn’t really care about her presence and only wanted her Papa. But that was far from being true. Gauri often failed to see that Anu wanted her Papa as much as she wanted her Mamma. She wasn’t ignoring her Mamma’s presence, but was craving for her Papa’s presence too.

Maybe Omkara also felt the same? Maybe, looking at the pictures, he probably wished he was with them, having fun with them too? She vaguely remembered the time when she had gone with Anu to the mall for shopping. Omkara wasn’t able to accompany them because he had been assigned an important presentation and was to work on it. But later at night, when she’d mentioned that Anu was fascinated going out to the mall, he had frowned, saying that if it weren’t for his presentation, he too would have had fun joining them. Maybe, even today, Omkara felt a similar longing in his heart?

Saraswati sat next to Gauri, handing over a glass of tea and some biscuits. Both of them watched the little girl laugh and play with the other kids as she hopped around. “I hope you’re feeling better?” Saraswati asked and Gauri nodded with a genuine smile; one that reached her eyes. The older woman nodded and was about to say something when she saw Gauri’s phone lighting up. Omkara was calling her up. Gauri looked at her phone and then looked at her mother blankly. “I think you’d better go inside and answer that,” Saraswati said and Gauri smiled with a nod. As she was about to go in, Saraswati said, “Be calm while you talk” Gauri nodded with her lips pursed, and walked into the room.

“She’s not picking” Omkara mouthed to Rudra, but he only held his hand up, asking him to wait and be patient. “Hello” he heard Gauri speak, and immediately stood up. “Hi Gauri” he said and immediately looked at Rudra, who patted his own back for being a genius and persuading him to call her up. Omkara gave him a nod of acknowledgment and gratitude before walking into the room for some privacy. Rudra smiled and also eyed on that tiny portion of sooji ka halwa that was in Omkara’s plate, with every intention to wipe it off clean.

Omkara closed the door of his room and sat on the bed. “How are you feeling?” he heard her ask, and he smiled. “Don’t ask about it! Rudra is an ass!” he said with a smile, mentally acknowledging that he was also a blessing in disguise. “Why? What did Rudra Bhaiyya do?” Gauri asked with a smile, sensing the mirth in his voice. Once Omkara had finished telling her about the entire fiasco in the kitchen, she was livid. “Milk all over the kitchen? Like, walls and everywhere?” she asked. Omkara was amused; this was the first time she sounded mad at Rudra, “Including the fridge and the oven” he said, adding fuel to the fire. He heard her growl and then sigh. “We cleaned it up, though. I helped him clean” Omkara said and heard her huff. “But why did you allow him to even make breakfast? I had stocked up food, right? All he had to do was heat it up. And who turns a mixer on without closing the lid?” “Rudra” came the reply, with both of them chuckling.

“Gauri,” he said as their laughter died down. “I’m sorry,” he said. And this time, his apology sounded different, Gauri mused to herself. Usually, he sounded as if he was apologizing just to end a discussion. But this time, it was as if she could sense the sadness in his voice. “Om? Sorry?” she inquired.

Pausing for a while, he said, “Yesterday, when you and Anu were out at the fair, I kept watching the stories you were uploading. I, umm, I liked it that you two enjoyed a lot.” Gauri nodded, holding her phone close to her ear. He cleared his throat as he struggled to continue speaking, “I wanted to talk to you, but when I saw you both living the best times of your life, I felt as if, umm…”

“As if?” Gauri probed further. He heaved a sigh, as he said, “As if I would be interrupting you both if I called up.” Gauri closed her eyes and exhaled a sharp breath. He wasn’t able to express what he really wanted to say. And so, she decided to come clean. “Om, I read those two messages before you deleted them. I wanted to talk to you about it, but you said you were sleepy.”

She heard him mutter a cuss as she told him and then heave a sigh. “Gauri, I… I was not… thinking straight. I don’t know why… I felt as if you two were happier without me. I just felt as if it didn’t make you sad that I was not with you both. I know it was stupid, it was selfish to think that way. And I sent those messages in the spur of the moment. Once I sent them, I knew how cold and rude it sounded. I didn’t mean for you to read them, Gauri. I’m sorry… I really am.”

Gauri smiled when she heard him speak in a single breath. “Ssshh” she shushed him as she said, “Kitna bolte hain aap? You spend one day with Rudra Bhaiyya and you start being dramatic like him!” She quietly wiped a tear that slid down her cheek as she smiled. She heard him giggle and then become silent. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Sacchh kahoon? I felt bad yesterday when you texted me that. For a moment I felt as if, you didn’t understand me and Anu at all. I wondered, what was my fault, or Anu’s fault? Didn’t we deserve to be happy too?”

Omkara closed his eyes, his heart heavy with embarrassment and guilt. “You do. You two deserve every single happiness in the world, Gauri. I’m really sorry I said that. I’m sorry that I hurt you. I didn’t mean - ” “Om, will you allow me to finish?” she asked before he began again, and he fell immediately into silence, not before whispering, “Sorry. Go on.”

“So, like I was saying, until this morning, I felt bad. But then I realized what might have made you say such a thing.” She deliberately avoided mentioning the discussion with her mother and the older woman’s advice. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel embarrassed further that she had discussed this with her mother. “I hoped that it was because you were feeling left out, and you were upset. To add to it, you were physically exhausted due to fever.” She said, to which he replied, “And Rudra was also around to annoy me.”

Omkara remembered the way his words had messed his head up last night, but right now, it all made sense to him. “Omkara, why do you have to blame Rudra Bhaiyya unnecessarily? Bechare!” To which Om said, “That same Bechara had ruined your kitchen this morning. Rudy had all plans to set this house on fire. Thankfully there was no damage, except for the short circuit.” Gauri smiled, imagining the scene inside her head.

“By the way, what did you have for breakfast?” she asked, and he told her that they had ordered food from out. “What is Anu doing?” he asked, laying down on the bed. “She’s playing hopscotch with the neighboring kids. Maa is watching them” she said, knowing his next question.

A brief silence fell between them, after which he said, “When are you coming back, Gauri?” She smiled. He missed her and Anu; she sensed the longing in his voice. It was probably true when someone had said that absence made the heart grow fonder. “Maybe in another week?” she said with uncertainty in her tone. “Maybe? Another week?” his voice sounded shrill, making Gauri grin. “Why? Are you missing us already?” Omkara smiled at the teasing tone in her voice, and he said, “No, aisa kuch nahi. I was just wondering for how long am I going to enjoy my bachelor’s life post-marriage!” Gauri almost burst out laughing at his lame comeback. He didn’t even sound half as happy as he wanted it to sound. Oh, he missed them so much! But the stubborn mule wouldn’t even say it!

“Om,” she said in a soft tone. “Gauri?” he asked. All he heard was her soft breathing over the phone. He was in for a thorough surprise as he heard a soft kiss from her end. He smiled, as he said, “I love you, Gauri. For all that you do; for me, for us, for staying so strong and patient, no matter how hard it’s been.” He had a bittersweet smile on his face when he heard her sniff a sob.

“I love you too” she murmured closing her eyes, and said, “And you should know, even if I am at the ends of the world, my happiness always lies in being right next to you” She smiled when she heard him chuckle.

“That is one great line to say in bed!” she gasped as she heard him say that. “Omkara!” she chided him as warmth flooded to her cheeks. “What?” he said in a teasing tone, “I am allowed to be a little naughty with my wife over the phone, okay? Anyway, it’s rare to get some alone time, especially after Anu was born,” “and with your addiction to work!” she added pointedly. He sighed saying, “Yes, especially with my addiction and my unhealthy obsession with work, and after Anu!”

Gauri was surprised. This was the first time in years he was admitting he had an unhealthy obsession and an addiction to his professional life. She wondered what changed in two days! If putting a temporary distance between him and her was the reason, she should have done it years ago. He had always argued defensively whenever she had tried to point it out to him that he was taking it a bit too far with his work. An admission coming from him this time was a miracle.

However, not wanting to push too far, she changed the topic. “You spoke about the promotion which is to be announced tomorrow.” Omkara nodded, understanding that she was changing the topic to something general. 

“Yes. In fact, Mr. Khanna has asked me to come in at 7 in the morning. His boss would be there, and apparently, Khanna wants to make a brief introduction. In the evening, we’ll have a town hall meeting in the office, where they’ll be announcing the rewards and recognitions, along with the promotions.” “I hope it all goes wonderful for you. All the best, Om. Wear your blue shirt tomorrow. You always look the best in it” she said. “I will. Thank you” he replied.

“Omkaraaa!” Gauri was alarmed when she heard Rudra’s panicked voice through the phone. “What happened now?” she asked. A while later, she heard Omkara laughing. “Stop laughing, and chase it away!” she heard Rudra’s voice. “Om?” she called out, wondering what was happening. Omkara, between his laughter, said, “Our Mr. Muscleman is scared of a baby rat!” Gauri shook her head with a grin. “I’ll talk to you later, Om.” She was about to disconnect when she heard him call out to her. 

“I love you” he said in a sensual whisper he only used with her in the bedroom, making her heart flutter even after so many years. She felt as if he had whispered it right into her ears.

“Arey Om, my life is at stake here. Bachaaoo!” Rudra cried out, as though he was dying. “I love you” she replied with a shy smile and disconnected. Her heart paced with such a rapid beat; that too after so many years! She smiled at the realization that made her feel warm all over.

***

“It’s just a baby rat! Relax!” Omkara said picking up a broom, frowning at Rudra who had climbed up the sofa and had stood on it. “Rudra, get down! And stop screaming, you might end up scaring the little rat!” he said with a laugh. “Haan, hass lo. So, what if I’m scared of a rat? Even Superman has a weakness!” Omkara, still holding the broom, folded his hands and looking straight into his eyes, said, “Superman’s weakness is kryptonite, not a rat!” Rudra pouted his lips and whined, “Rats are dangerous. They spread dengue!” Omkara looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “Mosquitoes spread dengue. You’re talking about the plague!” Rudra paused for a moment and screamed louder.

In the midst of it all, Omkara’s phone rang. Assuming it to be Gauri, asking if the rat had been chased, he ran to pick it up, leaving Rudra “holding onto his dear life”. “Mr. Khanna?” Omkara read the name flashing on his phone screen and picked it up after signaling to Omkara to be quiet. He listened to Mr. Khanna speaking and then disconnected.

Rudra looked at Omkara staring into space after dropping the call. With the rat forgotten altogether, Rudra asked him what happened to him.

Omkara looked at Rudra and in a dry tone said, “He told me that the promotion will require me to go to Chennai for three months for training” Rudra nodded in understanding. “It’s just three months, right? It will pass so quickly, you wouldn’t ev -” 

“And after that, to Kolkata, to the new office, for the next two years.” Omkara finished softly, lost in thoughts.