"What the hell is wrong with him?" Rudra exclaimed, rattling the entire tub of microwaved popcorn, shifting his glance from Omkara to the TV screen, with that appalling look staying consistent on his face. The character on the TV screen had walked out of his main door just because he heard someone at the main gate, while the killer had secretly entered the house. Omkara, who was slouched on the sofa opposite to Rudra, looked up at him once with a bored expression and then looked down at his phone. He was staying updated on whatever was happening at Bareilly by keeping a keen eye on all of Gauri's WhatsApp stories. He had even taken a screenshot of a couple of pictures.

"Omkara! Not fair, you're not even watching this movie with me!" Rudra whined. "You came over to watch TV with me?" Omkara asked almost annoyed. He would have happily been sleeping if it weren't for Rudra's insistence on keeping him company. Apparently, Gauri had texted Rudra, requesting him to spend some time with him because he had a fever. "Of course, Bhabhz! Anything for my favourite person who makes such amazing lemon chicken and Hyderabadi Biryani for me!" he had replied to her and had faithfully shown Omkara the conversation, before plonking on the sofa set and opting to watch a thriller movie.

"No, I came to keep you company. Remember, Gauri Bhabhi asked me- " "Haan haan, pata hai, pata hai!" Omkara said waving his hand at him, and then muttered under his breath, "Bhabhi ka chamcha!" Rudra got up from his seat and stood in front of Omkara. "Shift a bit, no?" he said, forcing Omkara to move to the end of the three-seater. Picking up the remote, he paused the movie, not wanting to miss the part where the killer surprises the victim in the bedroom. Then, fully turning towards Omkara, he propped his feet up on the sofa and said, "Why are you so upset?"

Omkara looked at him with a pointed stare and said, "If you've forgotten, I'm still feeling under the weather" Rudra grinned and almost getting up from the seat, he said, "You should have told me earlier. Maybe it's time for the third shot of brandy."

"No" Omkara's firm reply came, as his fingers tapped on the latest story that Gauri had uploaded ten seconds back. Ananya and she were hugging each other on the tiny Ferris wheel; Anu was laughing and Gauri had stuck her tongue out; their tongues were dark pink. Omkara smiled to himself as he looked at the huge chunk of cotton candy that Gauri was holding. The view in the background told him that it was clicked when they were at the top-most point of the wheel.

"Hmm, so this is why you're upset!" Rudra exclaimed peeking into his phone like a rubber-neck. Omkara put his phone away with a frown and then looked at him, "I've told you so many times that it is bad manners to peek into someone's phone!" Rudra grinned with a shrug and came back to sit next to him, with a small glass of brandy diluted with hot water. Handing the glass over to Omkara, not even bothering with the usual glare, Rudra said, "I know. But my dear Omkara, you are not just someone. You are my colleague, yes. But over the years, you've become my best friend, my family; Bhabhi and Anu included! So I'm allowed to poke my nose into anything that bothers you!"

Omkara narrowed his eyes even further at Rudra. "If you think I'm going to be emotional with that cliched dialogue, then you're in for a disappointment." Rudra stuck his tongue out at him. He and Gauri could easily be siblings that had been separated at birth. Both of them were so goofy at times! That brought a small smile on his face.

"See, I knew there's a softie under the pretense of being a grumpy-old-man!" Rudra chuckled. "Hey! I'm not old!" Omkara said as if offended. It was just two days back that Gauri had pointed out about his weight, and now Rudra was here, sitting under his roof, munching on his popcorn and calling him old! "So you agree you're grumpy?" Rudra said teasing him.

Omkara frowned and sat up straight putting his feet on the floor. "Popcorn rakho, apna yeh Brandy uthao, aur chalte bano. I don't need you to sit here and call me names. I'd rather catch up on my sleep!" Rudra pouted. He certainly didn't want to go back to his house where his Mummy would make him watch some mythological series with her. He didn't even have any dates to go out with. Also, Gauri had promised him a huge serving of his favourite food.

"I don't want to go, Omkara!" Rudra said, firmly sitting on the couch and pretending to cry like a five-year-old, hugging Omkara by his waist, "Mujhe apne ghar se mat nikalo. Please!" Omkara's shock knew no bounds. He immediately moved Rudra's hands away from him to step away. His daughter doing that to him was adorable; Gauri doing that was cute. But Rudra doing that was super-awkward.

"Fine! Fine!" Omkara said, making Rudra smile like a Cheshire cat. When he stood up to hug him, Omkara held his hands up. "Just don't touch me, and stay at that end of the sofa." Rudra furrowed his brows slightly but was happy that Omkara wasn't throwing him out. Moving to the other end of the sofa, Rudra picked up the remote to play the movie. "Time for Netflix and chill, bro; just the two of us!" he said. Omkara only glared at him, muttering, "Just. Stop. Talking."

Rudra slowly got involved in the movie, and Omkara was back to replaying the stories that Gauri had uploaded. A mixed feeling rose within his chest. On one hand, he was happy to see them both enjoying themselves. They had finally gotten the break that they had been craving for almost forever. But he felt guilty and embarrassed when he couldn't even recall the last time the three of them had gone out for an outing. It felt as though it had been ages since he'd seen Anu and Gauri smile that way.

On another hand, he felt left out. He secretly wished he was with them both. He even momentarily felt selfish when he wished they were still here, in Mumbai - at home, with him. His fingers took another screenshot. Opening the phone gallery, his fingers zoomed in on Gauri and Anu's faces. They seemed so much happier. Gauri was no longer complaining; Anu was no longer upset. It was a bitter realization that the problem was with him. He had absorbed himself into his work to such a point where he couldn't even see what he was gradually missing out on. He vaguely remembered Anu's teary eyes when he couldn't come to her life's very-first dance performance on the kindergarten annual day. He recalled the time Gauri looked at him with disappointment while trying hard to put up an understanding smile and telling him it is okay.

"It's okay, Omkara" he was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard Rudra's voice. Turning to him, Omkara was about to reprimand him again, when Rudra said in a sombre tone, "It's okay to miss your family. Normal baat hai. And if you have an amazing life-partner as Gauri Bhabhi, and an adorable child as Ananya, then it is perfectly fine to miss them. If I were you, I wouldn't even stay away for a moment." Omkara wanted to say that he was not missing them as much as Rudra was exaggerating it to be. But all he could do is heave a sigh.

"Actually," Rudra started, clearing his throat, making Omkara look at him. But then he decided to not say anything. When Omkara insisted, he said, "Nahi, you'll get mad at me. Let it be" Rudra answered, looking at the TV. Omkara picked up the remote and paused the movie. "Ab bol" he said, looking at Rudra.

"Okay, here's the thing." Rudra said, "You're an extremely workaholic person. Once you start working, you forget the whole universe" Omkara's lips twisted in an unpleasant curve, and he shook his head, "C'mon Rudra! You're exaggerating. Aisa kuch nahi hai." But Rudra had decided to speak it out. Shaking his head in disagreement, he said in a firm tone, "Omkara, I disagree. Aisa hi hai. Don't mind me asking, but doesn't Gauri Bhabhi get mad at you for working for such long hours? I mean, I see you at the office, where obviously one is supposed to work. And when I see you busting your ass off even during coffee breaks, I get pissed off. Even Shivaay was saying that you take it a bit too far when it comes to working. How does Gauri Bhabhi adjust? Trust me, if I were in Bhabhi's place, I would have gotten so mad, I would have left you long ago!"

Rudra's voice faded when Omkara stared at him, horrified. Rudra's palms flew up to cover his mouth as he said in a slow, soft tone, "Did Gauri Bhabhi move out to her Mom's place with Anu?" Omkara's facial expressions softened for a second and then he frowned. "Shut up, Rudra! She's visiting her Maa after two years. Anu and she have winter vacation, and that's why they've gone to Bareilly." He said.

"Ohh!" Rudra nodded, as if relieved. In the next moment, he looked at Omkara again. "You're lucky to have a wife like Gauri Bhabhi. Who else would cope with a workaholic robot like you?"

"Rudra, I am not a workaholic robot" Omkara said defensively, "I just don't like whiling my time away when at work. I like staying busy. I believe that one has to work hard to achieve something in life; there's no shortcut to success. That's it. I don't know why everyone makes it sound like I'm some machine!" he said, finishing with an exhausted exhale. That headache was returning at a slow pace with a vengeance.

"Omkara, please!" Rudra said, stuffing some popcorn in his mouth. "I agree about hard work and success and all that jazz. But you're a bit too much, you know? It gets overwhelming for the rest of us. You know what we call you at work? Chitti; just like that Rajnikanth robot movie! Why? Because everyone thinks you work like a machine, man! Arey, Ayushmann was even saying that Omkara works so hard, that by the time he gets home, his battery is dead" Rudra finished with a laugh.

Omkara felt the remark hitting him at a nerve causing him to feel a mixed emotion of anger, pain, and humiliation. He looked at Rudra, and recalled every single time Gauri had spoken of how he did not give enough attention to her to Anu. Until now, he would conveniently think that she was just being too clingy, needy, and unnecessarily whiny. He would conveniently put off any discussion and ask her not to annoy him or fight with him. He had even told her that she was nagging him for no reason. Now, with this revelation by Rudra, Omkara felt a rush of emotions flooding in him. He desperately wanted to defend himself, mentioning that he was doing it for the family. But when he barely spent time with his family - with Anu and Gauri - what was the point.

Omkara looked at Rudra angrily. It was his fault for putting such unnecessary thoughts into his head. He was only trying to be the person that his father never was to him and his mother. Omkara had always made sure he was providing his wife and his daughter with all the luxuries of life. His father was a terrible excuse of a person, who had gambled and drank away, leaving his mother and him with nothing. Om had been happy all along, that he was being a fortress for his wife and his daughter. But Rudra's words had messed up his mind.

In addition, the last conversation he had had with Gauri played on a loop in his mind. "When will you find the time to do all that, Omkara?" "You really think that with your promotion and the increased pay scale, you'd be able to spend any time with Anu and Me?" "Om, if you think that money can guarantee you happiness, then I've nothing much to say to you." "I wish you could see what truly made us happy"

Rudra was startled when Omkara suddenly rose from the sofa. He looked really annoyed. "I'm going to sleep. Jaate waqt darwaza bandh karke jaana." He said, and without waiting for a reply, Omkara walked to his bedroom. Rudra slightly flinched when he closed the door with a loud thud. Pursing his lips, wondering whether to stay or not, Rudra looked at the door. He decided to stay and sleep in the living room. After all, he had promised Gauri Bhabhi to stay back.

About fifteen seconds later, Rudra saw Gauri's name flashing on his screen. "Pranaam, Teacher Bhabhi ji!" he said with a grin, knowing how it irked her. she had often told him to stick to saying hello to her, because saying Pranaam made her feel an old lady. "Rudra Bhaiyya!" she said clicking her tongue, and he could almost sense the frown. Rudra grinned, realizing that if anyone else called him Bhaiyya, he would have hated it. But Gauri Bhabhi had that vibe.

"You'll live for a hundred years, Gauri Bhabhi. Abhi aap ko hi yaad kiya!" he said with a smile. Gauri grinned. She had observed how Omkara was keeping a close watch on her WhatsApp stories; he checked them within seconds of uploading them. Her mother had suggested sending pictures and videos to him, but Gauri decided otherwise. She wanted Omkara to feel that Anu and she could have a good time even without him. She didn't want to draw his attention by sending him pictures as a reminder. However, knowing that he was simply keeping a watch, even if in silence, made her feel somewhat happy. And now that Rudra mentioned that she was being remembered, she was even more joyful. It had been worth uploading all those picture stories, after all!

"Accha? Bataiye, kaise yaad kiya?" she asked and heard him sigh in response. "Bhabhi, I was just thinking as to how you've managed with this khadoos for so many years! This grumpy old man probably thinks only about work, right? How do you not get fed up with this specimen?" Gauri shook her head with a smile, and then said defensively, "My husband is not a grumpy old man!" Pausing for a second, she asked him, "How is he still quiet after you've called him khadoos, and what not?" She laughed, and Rudra joined in. Still chuckling, he said, "Omkara already went to sleep in his room. You think he would leave me alive if he heard me say all that about him?"

Gauri's smile vanished and a small frown came upon her face. "Omkara went to sleep already? Is he feeling okay?" She felt her heart pace up and her mind started getting burdened with worry. Rudra nodded, as he said, "He said he felt fine. He even looked fine. We were talking about his workaholic nature. I was casually telling him how lucky he is to have an understanding family in spite of him spending all his hours with work. Bass. Itne mein hi uthke andar chala gaya. And he told me to lock the door while leaving from here."

Gauri was about to say something when he beat her to it. "Don't worry, Bhabhi. I'm not going anywhere leaving him. I'll sleep here in the living room. I'll finish my breakfast here and go in the morning. Don't think I haven't noticed how you've stocked up some yummy food in the fridge!"

Gauri smiled, thankful to him. Speaking to him for a few more minutes, she disconnected the call. She inhaled a deep breath and opened the chat window to text Omkara. He was still online. "Hi Om" she sent it, and the double ticks immediately turned blue. He'd seen the message. She almost typed a text asking him how he was feeling, but then decided to call him up.

Omkara had been replaying her stories, over and over again. Accidentally, he had clicked on her message that had popped up, and the window opened, turning the double ticks blue. "Hi" he replied blankly. In the next second, she was calling him up.

Omkara let the phone keep ringing. Somehow, he was not in a mood to talk to anyone. There was a lot going on inside his head, and he knew that if he answered the call, he'd end up saying something to her.

Gauri frowned when her call went unanswered. He was still online but wasn't answering him. Was he feeling alright? But Rudra had said that he looked fine. She called him up again, and even this time, he didn't answer. "Why aren't you answering my call?" she sent a message to him, which he'd seen. He went offline. She was hoping he had exited WhatsApp to call her, but even after three minutes, when she did not receive his call, she thought of sending him a lengthy text stating how he didn't care for her when she was reaching out to him, even if she should be the one mad at him.

Just as she was typing the text, Gauri heard Anu giggling and talking to her mother. Her mother's voice brought to memory what she's told her this evening. "Gauri, never do anything in when you're in a temper. You'll end up doing everything wrong. Whatever you begin with anger will only end in shame. Whenever you get angry and get upset, take a moment, and count backward from ten to one. If you're patient in that one moment, you will escape a hundred days of regret."

Gauri took a deep breath, counted backward from ten to one. Then, deleted the long text she'd just drafted. Instead, she sent an "I hope you're feeling better, Om." He'd seen it and had replied with a thumbs-up emoji. She could sense how he was avoiding talking to her. Weirdly, she felt as if he was mad for some reason. "I miss you so much, Om. I wish you were here. I love you"

She looked at the message she'd typed and then thought for a moment. It seemed a bit too much. She deleted a part of it. "I miss you, Om." She read it again before sending it. He'd seen the message again. Gauri noticed that he was typing. And for some reason, she felt slightly anxious. She exited the app and looked at the wallpaper on her phone screen, waiting for the message notification.

Gauri's phone beeped. "Mujhe bass itna hi miss kiya ke main raat ke 11 baje yaad aa gaya?" Gauri read the message from her notification bar and frowned. Another message popped up. "You two seemed happy after a long time. Without having me around." Gauri's eyes turned glassy as she read the messages. He was taking it in the wrong context. She called him up immediately, but he did not answer the call.

Gauri decided to text him. When she opened the app, he had deleted the messages. He had probably thought she hadn't read them. She didn't want any further miscommunication between them. "Omkara, can you please talk to me?" she sent him a message. A minute later, he was online, and the next minute, he was typing.

"Took medicine. Drowsy. Talk to you tomorrow. GN TC" was the message he sent to her, staring wide-awake at the ceiling. Sleep was far away from him. In a fit of misdirected anger, he'd sent her two texts which he didn't mean to say at all. It didn't look as if she'd read them, and he'd deleted them before she could, only to see her calling him up. He knew he would end up saying something hurtful. He could delete texts, but how would he take back words once he'd said them? It was best to talk to her tomorrow. For now, he'd sleep over it. At least he'd try, no matter how long it would take to fall asleep. "Why can't we just be happy, Gauri?" he sighed, placing his arm under his head, staring at the turning fan.

A tear rolled down Gauri's eyes. How could he say such things? For the past years, she was the one who was waiting patiently for a sliver of his undivided attention, for some family time. But he had the audacity to taunt her over one evening she and Anu spent without him? At least, she took the initiative to text him, to call him. What did he do? He didn't even make an effort to reach out to her. Instead, he made those snide remarks and then deleted them thinking she hadn't read them.

Gauri put her phone for charging and headed for a bath. A cold-water bath would probably help her calm down. Changing into her nightclothes, she'd come back to the room, only for Saraswati to inform her that Anu had fallen asleep in her room. "Let her sleep with me tonight. You rest here" Saraswati had told Gauri, and then wished her good night,

Gauri climbed into bed, her mind replaying his now-deleted messages. Sleep wouldn't come easily tonight. She turned to her side and pressed her cheek into the cotton wool pillow. A tear slowly made its way down her eye and nose. "All I want is for you to love Anu and me like you used to. Is it too much I'm asking for, Om?" she whispered sadly, wiping her tear with the back of her hand, and sniffing a sob in the silence of the night.