Thank you so much dears, for commenting and voting for the previous story. I am a little busy so won't be able to reply to them.

2003

Omkara excitedly packed his bags, as tomorrow he was taking his first step towards his dream. He was so happy; finally his parents also gave in. He had been fighting with them for this for last six months and when he had got the call he was ecstatic and fought harder. His parents, whose argument was that he was their only son and they wanted him to look after the hospital but finally gave in to his adamants and dream. He hears a knock on the door and he stops smiling as he thought dreadfully that maybe one or both of his parents have come again to talk him out of it. He opens his door with apprehension and then seeing the person at the door he gets shocked then he smiles politely.

"Gauri! What's up?"

"Mere samne wale kidki mein ek chaand ka tukda rahta hai. And a little birdie told me that he is going to join the army. So I thought I will come and say bye." Gauri says smiling at him.

"Come on in." Omkara says as he opened the door wide for her, happy at least someone was happy for him.

"Packing all done?" Gauri asks as she walks in.

"Almost." Omkara says excitedly as he continued to pack.

"You need any help?" Gauri asks.

"Just take care of my parents when I am not here." Omkara tells her.

"You don't have to tell me that. I was asking about your packing."

"I know. Packing almost done. So parents!"

"Don't worry. I will be here for them." Gauri tells him reassuringly.

Omkara smiles, Gauri was his neighbor. The only conversations they had were at social gatherings just casual hi and bye then when Gauri puts her music system loud at night, he would ask her to turn it down from his window; they never talked more than that. His bedroom window faced her bedroom window. Seeing the way she was reassuring him about his parents, he wondered whether he should have been friends with her rather than mere neighbors.

"I love you." Gauri suddenly says.

"WHAT?" Omkara looks at her in shock.

"I said I love you. Truly, madly and deeply."

"Gauri..." Omkara says as he looked at her in shock. "I... Gauri... I..." Omkara stammers as he tried to find the right words.

Gauri puts up her hand to stop him. "Relax Om. You don't have to say anything. I know you don't feel the same way about me. Hell, you don't even know my name is Gauri Kumari Sharma and not just Gauri Sharma." Gauri tells him.

Omkara sits down next to her, "Why are you telling me this then?"

"I just wanted you to know that there is someone out there who is crazy about you." Gauri tells him smiling.

Omkara nods and remains silent as he wondered what to tell her, "I might never marry. I am going to be in army and there is no guarantee for my life." Omkara tells her.

"I understand that." Gauri says and then gets up to leave, "I just wanted you to know. So tomorrow there would be no regrets."

Omkara nods.

"I am going. Just came to tell you this and..." Gauri stops.

"And?" Omkara prompts.

"Try not to get killed. I would be really disappointed if you do." Gauri tells him.

Omkara smiles at her, "That I will try."

"That you will try? Does that mean you won't try to love me?" Gauri asks.

Omkara looks at her shocked, "No... I didn't mean..."

"I was just joking." Gauri says laughing."I will leave you to your packing." Gauri tells him then she hesitates for a while then leans towards him and hugs him.

He doesn't hug her back. She gently kisses him on his cheek. "Be safe and be happy." With that she walks out.

2004

Omkara was home for his first holiday after a year. After catching up with his parents about the last one year, he finally goes to his room to rest. He was about to take a nap when he hears a knock on the door. He opens the door expecting his mother and gets shocked seeing Gauri.

"Hey, Gauri."

"Hello Cadet Leader Omkara Singh Oberoi. Heard you were back, thought I will come and see you." Gauri says smiling happily at him as she looked at his face lovingly.

"Come in." Gauri walks in and notices Omkara nervously rubbing his hands.

"I love your military hair cut!" Gauri tells him smiling, "It's suits you."

"Thank you."

They remained silent as Gauri happily smiled at him while he awkwardly smiled at her.

"So... how are you?" Omkara asks her.

"Still in love with you. You? Any change in attitude?" seeing the casual way she had asked him, he also in a casual way shakes his head in no with a small smile. "Hmmm... thought maybe living without seeing me might have caused some divine revelations." Gauri says chuckling though he could see the disappointment on her face. "I guess I will leave. You take your rest. I'll irritate you in the evening with my loud music." Gauri tells him smiling.

Then she starts to leave when Omkara stops her, "Gauri..."

Gauri turns to him smiling, "Yes?"

"I don't think I'll ever... don't wait for me." Omkara tells her as gently as he could.

"The fact that I am waiting for you, is it affecting your life in any way?" Gauri asks him.

"No."

Then she starts smiling at him, "Then why do you have to simply give your opinion?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I love you. Ever since I can remember, I have loved you." Gauri tells him.

"You don't know anything about me." Omkara tells her irritated.

"Just because you don't know anything about me that doesn't mean I don't know anything about you. Maybe I do know you well." Gauri tells him.

When he remains silent she says, "Bye."

2006

Omkara walks out of the airport as he looked for his Dad.

"OM! Over here!" Gauri waves at him excitedly.

"Gauri?" Omkara smiles as he walked towards her happily.

"Are you here to pick someone?" Omkara asks.

"Yes. I am here to pick Lieutenant Omkara Singh Oberoi."

"You are here to pick me?" Omkara asks amazed and impressed that she knew what position he was in the army.

"Yes." Gauri says as she walked with him to her car. She opens the boot for him and he keeps his luggage inside.

"I thought Dad was coming to pick me up."

"He was but last night he sprained his ankle. So I came instead." Gauri explains.

"What? How is he now? Why didn't he tell me?" Omkara asks worried as they got in the car.

"He is fine. He just needs to rest for two days. We decided not to tell you because you were travelling and we didn't want to worry you." Gauri explains.

He noticed how she had said we instead of they, but he didn't comment on it.

"So, what is the big good news?" Gauri asks as she started the engine.

"What? How did you know?" Omkara asks shocked, he hadn't even told his parents about it, then how did she find out?

"Look at your face. You are so happy. So what is it?"

"Hmmm"

"Come on, we are friends. Tell me! I will also be happy for you." Gauri tells him happily.

"I have decided to get married." Omkara tells her happily.

"Really?" Gauri turns to smile at him, her face filled with hope and joy.

Seeing her expression his face falls realizing she had misunderstood. Seeing the change in his expression, realization dawns on her.

"Oh!" she says sadly and looks away.

The rest of the journey they didn't talk much. The moment they reached his house, she dropped him off and sped away to her house.

Two days later Omkara was sitting in his room when he hears a knock on the door. He opens the door to find Gauri standing there with her usual smile.

"Hey." Omkara says as he opened the door for her to enter.

Gauri enters and says a little embarrassed, "I am sorry. I behaved so badly with you the other day. I behaved so rudely."

"No, Gauri. Nothing like that."

"No. You told me such big news and I didn't even congratulate you. So I came to congratulate you. Congratulations."

"Thank you." Omkara smiles.

"So, what is her name?"

"Piyali." Omkara replies.

"Piyali, nice name. I bet she is very beautiful."

"She is." Omkara smiles happily as he thought about Piyali.

"Where is she now?"

"Right now she is posted at the border."

"She is also in the army?"

"She is an army doctor." Omkara tells her smiling.

"That is nice. She can join your hospital here." Gauri says smiling. "You won't leave army, what a waste of a hospital management degree. Now she can take over the hospital. Uncle would be so happy."

"Neither Piyali nor I am going to leave the army, Gauri. We love serving our country." Omkara tells her frowning. Gauri nods her head. "We would happily die for our country. Being in the army is our dream. What would you know about dream and serving the country?" Omkara asks angrily, as he thought about the fight he had with his parents about Piyali and him leaving the army after marriage.

"What would I know about serving the country and dreams? I don't know, Omkara. But for the last three years, day in and day out I have been seeing two people who worry each day about their son. They won't say it but I know they are lonely and there is a limit to which I can fill that void." Gauri tells him.

Omkara looks at her in shock realizing that in his absence she had been looking after his parents like she had promised.

"I am not saying you are wrong. All I am saying is that, just like you have a duty to our country just like that you have a duty to your parents too. Instead of being stubborn and fighting with them, try to make them understand in a calm way why this is important to you." Gauri tells him as calmly as ever. "I am sorry if I crossed my limits. That was not my intentions. Bye." Gauri tells him and walks away.

On the day Omkara was to go back, Gauri comes to meet him.

"I don't want you to go away angry with me. So I just came to just..." Gauri shrugs.

Omkara watches her amazed, here was the girl whom he had rejected, then for no reason he had took out his frustrations on her and still she was here. "You are a nice girl, Gauri."

"I know." Gauri replies smiling.

"Any guy would be lucky to..."

Gauri cuts him off, "Please Om... it is sad enough that you don't want me. Please don't insult me and my intelligence by saying that any guy would be lucky to have me when you are clearly not interested and don't want to be lucky." Gauri tells him a little hurt her voice slightly cracking.

"You should move on, Gauri."

"Trust me I have been trying for a long time."

"Don't wait for me, Gauri. I love Piyali."

"Did I ever beg you to love me or marry me?" Gauri suddenly asks angry.

"No."

"Then don't say all this. You are in love, so you should know that it just takes a moment to fall in love with someone but it takes a life time to forget that love. Give my regards to Piyali. Be safe and happy. Bye." Saying that she walks away without looking back at him.

Same year, 2 months later

Gauri walks into Oberoi house. "Aunty, I am here. You wanted me to get your grocery, right? Give me the list I am on my way to the supermarket." Gauri says as she walks towards Jhanvi.

She finds Jhanvi crying uncontrollably.

"What happened aunty?" Gauri runs to her worried. Jhanvi continues to cry. "Please tell me what happened? Is Om fine?" Gauri asks and hearing Om she cries even more. "Please tell me he is fine, aunty." Gauri begs her fearing for Om's safety.

"He is here." Jhanvi says crying.

"Om?" Gauri asks confused. Jhanvi nods. "You should be happy, why are you sad?" Gauri asks relaxing and then wondering why she was not aware of his visit.

"He is.... He is not... he is not the same Om." Jhanvi says crying.

"What happened aunty? Where is he?"

"Room." Gauri hurries to Omkara's room fearing what could have happened to him. She knocks on the door.

"Who is it?" a slurry voice asks from inside.

She opens the door hearing Omkara's drunk voice and stands in shock taking in the sight before her. Omkara was sitting on his bed as he drank from a bottle of whiskey. He had changed, his hair was slightly grown, not over grown, and he had mustache and beard now.

"Piyali?" Omkara looks at her happily gets up and walks to her stumbling all the way to her. "Piyali." Omkara says smiling at her.

"I am Gauri." Gauri tells him as she looked at him in shock.

"Piyali." He says smiling as he lovingly touches her cheeks.

"No Om, I am Gauri."

Suddenly coming to his sense he moves back, "Gauri!" then he takes a sip of whiskey walks back to the bed.

"What has happened to you?"

"Got suspended." Omkara says as he swaggers and falls on the bed.

"Suspended? Why?" Gauri asks shocked.

"They are saying I am an alcoholic now!" Omkara says as he continued to drink.

"What happened? Why did you become like this?" Gauri asks as tears stung her eyes.

"Being in sense hurts! This is better!" Omkara replies as he continued to drink.

"Where is Piyali?" Gauri asks knowing it had something to do with Piyali.

"Gone! She left me!" Omkara says suddenly crying. Gauri hurries to him and hugs him as he wailed about Piyali, border and bombing. Gauri with a heavy heart realized that Piyali was no more. Gauri hugs him tight and cries with him for Piyali. Omkara cries himself to sleep while Gauri sat with him.

There was no change in Omkara. He spent his waking hours drinking and drowning in his sorrow. Gauri, Tej and Jhanvi had tried their best to help him but he didn't want any of their help, all he wanted was alcohol. Gauri's heart was breaking seeing him in this condition. Every time she would think she would not go to his house anymore unable to see him in this condition but every time she changes her mind as she gets worried about him. Gauri was at home when her cell starts ringing, seeing Jhanvi aunty calling, Gauri quickly picks up the call, "Haan aunty? Is Om fine?" Gauri asks worriedly as she hurried to her window to check in on Omkara and relaxes seeing him sitting on the couch drinking.

"He is still the same. Gauri I needed a favor."

"Yes aunty, tell me. What is it?"

"Tej and I have to go to Pune, we will be back in the evening. It is very important otherwise I wouldn't go leaving Om like this."

"I will check in on him." Gauri tells her.

"I have cooked everything for him. Can you make him eat, you need to force him else he won't eat. I'll be back at night."

"Don't worry, aunty. I will make him eat."

"He won't, Gauri. But please try." Jhanvi says sadly as she hung up the phone.

Afternoon, Gauri walks into Omkara's room to find him drunk yet again. "Come and have your food, Om." Gauri says as she walked to him and snatched his bottle from him.

Omkara looks up at her then starts smiling happily. "Piyali!"

"Gauri." Gauri gently corrects him.

"Why did you leave me, Piyali? You know I can't live without you." Omkara says as he stood up and walked towards her.

"I am not Piyali, Om. I am Gauri."

Omkara hugs her happily, "I love you, Piyali."

Gauri starts struggling as she tried to break out of the hug.

"I miss you, Piyali." Omkara says as he starts kissing her on her face.

"Please don't do this, Om. I am Gauri." Gauri says as tears started flowing from her eyes.

"I feel so lonely without you." Omkara tells her heartbroken as he kissed her on her lips.

"Please leave me, Omkara." Gauri begs him.

"I am dying without you, Piyali. Please don't leave me. Be with me." Omkara begs her as he continued to kiss her.

Gauri looks at him as she watched the pain on his face, her heart breaks. If she being with him would ease his pain, then she was willing to do it. Closing her eyes she leans towards him surrendering to him.

Gauri wipes her silent tears as she looked at Omkara sleeping next to her. He seemed at peace at last. What if she lost everything? He looked peaceful, that tormented haunted look having left him. She wondered whether he would remember that they made love, she hoped he didn't. He was filled with hurt now she didn't want guilt to be added to that. She slowly starts to get up to leave when he holds her hand in his sleep. Maybe she will stay with him for a minute Gauri thought as she gently lay on his chest hugging him listening to his heart beats, they were steady. Listening to his heart beats she sleeps off.

Gauri was rudely woken up from her sleep when she felt someone shove her away. She opens her eyes to find Om furiously looking at her.

"Om..." Gauri says his name in panic as she pulled the blanket over her covering herself.

"You are so disgusting!" Omkara says furiously as he got up from the bed and started wearing his clothes.

After a long time she was seeing him in his senses. "Om... I... you were.... I couldn't... please...I love... please don't..." Gauri blabbers as she tried to tell him why she did what she did.

"What did I think of you and what did you turn out to be... you bloody whore!"

Gauri looks at him in shock as her ears rang in his insult. Tears started flowing from her eyes as she silently looked at him.

"You know I love Piyali... and how could you? I was not in my senses but you were!" Omkara screams at her hurt and furious. "Were you so desperate to marry me that you fell this low?" Gauri continued to stares at him as tears flow down her face. "Get out!" Omkara angrily tells her. When Gauri just continued to look at him, Omkara angrily screams "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE! And never ever come in front of me!"

Holding the blanket securely around her, Gauri takes her clothes and leaves his room. She numbly walks to the next bedroom and starts wearing her clothes. Then she quietly leaves his house. The moment she reached her room in her house, she gave in to her anguish and screamed out in agony.

Next day, Gauri was lying on her bed as she thought of what had happened the previous day, she no longer cried, she felt dead inside. She hears her mobile ringing seeing Om's mother calling she picks up the phone.

"Gauri, did you talk to Om yesterday?" Jhanvi asks excited.

"No." Gauri replies honestly, she didn't talk, he did all the talking.

"I don't know what happened, but today he didn't drink. And now he has gone to a De-addiction center."

"That is good news, aunty." Gauri says try as she may, she couldn't fake her joy. He had gone to the De-addiction center so that she couldn't take advantage of him again.

"Yes. I hope I get my Om back. I've been praying for him." Jhanvi tells her excitedly.

"You will, aunty." Gauri tells her before she hangs up.

Few days later, Gauri was sitting in her room as she replayed what had happened in her mind for the millionth time. She feels a gentle hand on her hair and turns to look at her mother.

"What happened Gauri?" Pinky asks as she caressed her daughter lovingly.

"Nothing, Mama." Gauri says sitting up as she held the pillow to her chest.

"I have been noticing that you are sitting in your room all the time, lost in thoughts. You don't even go to the Oberois now. Tell me Gauri, what is troubling you?"

"Nothing, Mama. I am fine." Gauri tells her as she looks away.

"Whatever it is you can tell me, Gauri."

"I know, Mama." Gauri replies smiling at her. "You wanted something, Mama?"

"No. Omkara has come to see you. He is waiting downstairs." Pinky tells her.

"Omkara?" Gauri asks shocked. Pinky nods and leaves. Gauri's heart started beating faster as she hurried downstairs wondering why he was here. Maybe he was here to apologize. He was waiting for her outside the front door. One look at him and she knew he was not here to apologize. Maybe he was here to accuse her more. She steps out of the front door and closes the door so her mother won't hear him screaming at her again.

"Please don't scream. My parents are there inside." Gauri tells him when she sees him open his mouth.

"I am going back today." Omkara informs her.

"What about your suspension?" Gauri asks confused.

Ignoring her question he continues, "If anything unwanted happens, you know how to contact me?" He stared at her till she nodded her head. Once she nodded her head, he turns and walks away.

As she stood there watching him leave, she realized that if anything unwanted do happen, she was never going to contact him.

2011

For 5 years Omkara never came home. Then one night Tej Singh Oberoi passed away in his sleep. As the mourners came and went Gauri took care of Oberoi house as Jhanvi was in no condition to look after herself.

Omkara thanked the mourners for coming as they left he heard her voice.

"Aunty, please eat something."

He turns to look at her and finds her sitting next to his mother as she tried to feed his mother.

"I don't want anything, Gauri."

"You can't miss your meals, aunty. You are diabetic. Please have something. Then you have to have your medicines too, right?" Gauri coax her.

"I'll eat later."

"I know you, you won't eat later. So eat now." Gauri stubbornly says.

"I don't feel like eating."

"I don't care. I know why you are not eating. You want to lose weight and look like a babe. If you look like a babe all the guys in the locality will be behind you and no one will look at me." Gauri says pouting.

"Pagal!" Jhanvi says as she hits Gauri's head gently smiling.

Omkara smiles seeing his mother smile.

"Then eat." Gauri says and Jhanvi opens her mouth.

Gauri starts feeding her. Omkara stood there watching her take care of his mother. He remembers how he had blamed her for what had happened between them. It took him a long time to realize that Gauri wouldn't take advantage of the situation like that. Maybe even he was equally responsible for that. He wished he could remember how they had ended up like that. He remembers calling her a whore and here she was taking care of his mother and running his house while none of them were in a position to take care of it. No one asked her, she just simply helped. He wondered what she was made out of.

"Om..." he hears her call his name and breaks out of his thoughts. After five years, this is the first time she was talking to him. "Aunty slept. I have kept your food on the table. If you will eat it now, I'll clean it up before I leave." Gauri tells him.

He notices that she hadn't looked at his eyes even once and her usual smile was missing. "I'll eat it later and clean it up."

"Okay." Gauri tells him. "I'll leave then." Gauri says and starts to walk off.

"Thank you, Gauri. For all that you did for us."

"You would do the same for me too. We were friends." Gauri tells him as she looked at his eyes. Seeing his hesitation she says as she again looked away from him, "Right... we were never even friends." Gauri says in a bare whisper. "I'll bring food in the morning."

"You don't have to do that."

"Good night." She simply says and starts to leave.

"I am sorry, Gauri. For what I said that day." Omkara says.

"I forgave you a long time ago, Omkara. I hope one day you will forgive me too." Gauri says without even turning to look at him.

Next day morning, Omkara wakes up and on an impulse looks through his window to see if Gauri was in her room. Her room seemed empty. He sighs and starts to go downstairs to check on his mother. The moment he opens the door he hears her voice as she excitedly chattered about the gossips happening in the locality as she coaxed his mother to eat. He watched as she gave his mother her medicines, she seemed to know what all medicines his mother was taking as she gave her the medicines without any questions. She was taking care of his mother like how a daughter would.

"Om... come." Jhanvi calls him as she noticed him standing there.

Omkara walks to her and notices Gauri serving him his food. Jhanvi leaves the table a while later.

Gauri gently asks him, "When are you going back?"

"I got leave for two weeks."

"Have you decided about aunty? Will she stay here alone?" Gauri asks.

Omkara thinks for a while and says "My cousin Rudra is studying here. He is staying in the hostel. I've talked to him about it, and he said he will stay with Mom. But his college will start only three weeks later. So I was wondering what to do for that one week. I am trying to extend my leave." Omkara tells her.

"Don't worry. I'll stay here for that one week. Mama and Papa will be fine with that." Gauri tells him.

"Thanks, Gauri." Omkara tells her.

"Aunty is alone now, so try to come home at least once a year. I'll try to keep her happy but I can never be you. I know you didn't come home for five years because of me. I am sorry for that, and I promise you that I will never trouble you again. So please come home more often. Your mother needs you." She gently tells him.

Omkara looks at her as he wondered how she can think about others so selflessly. She has started making him feel so small, so insignificant like a tiny speck of dirt.

2012

Omkara was back home for his leave again. Like Gauri had asked he was home the next year. He was home for two days and hadn't seen her even once. She still came home but left before he woke up both the days. Today he had woken up early to see her but she didn't come home today. He was disappointed, the last one year he would think about her at times and he wanted to find out if she still loved him. He realized that her distance was affecting him more than he would like to admit. He didn't understand why it was like that. He still loved Piyali, not as intensely as before. He didn't even think about her as often as he used to, but still her memories and that love was there, just not as intense. He hated to admit it that he thought more about Gauri than Piyali now. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Pinky furiously screaming at Gauri

"STOP IT, GAURI! It's been five years! Stop it!"

Omkara runs to his window to see what was happening. He could see Pinky standing looking down as she furiously screamed at Gauri. He couldn't see Gauri, maybe because she was on the floor. He wondered what the issue was when he heard Gauri's anguished cry.

"I can't Mama... I can't... I can't bear it, Mama."

Hearing her cry he runs out without even thinking.

Seeing the door open, Omkara hurries in and runs to her room. He stood there as he watched Gauri on the floor crying her heart out as she clutched something white.

"Give it here! I will destroy it!" Pinky says as she furiously snatched it from Gauri.

"NOOOOOO!" Gauri screams as Pinky took it from her. "Don't do this, Mama."

"This is the only thing left. I will not let this be in my house anymore. It's been FIVE YEARS Gauri!" Pinky angrily says though Omkara could see that even she was crying.

"If you do anything to that, I'll kill myself, Mama! I WILL! I will just kill myself, Mama! That is all I have left." Gauri angrily tells her mother as she cried. "Please Mama... I'll die." Gauri cries as she begged her mother.

Seeing her daughter's heartbroken plea Pinky helplessly gives the thing back. Gauri quickly snatches it and covering her face in it crying. And Omkara finally saw what it was; it was a baby's dress.

Pinky turns to leave as she couldn't take the sight of her daughter's suffering anymore. She sees Omkara standing there and she quickly comes out of Gauri's room closing the door and angrily asks him, "What are you doing here? Why did you come inside?"

"I heard her." Omkara finally tells her as his mind screamed with questions.

"You should leave."

"That baby..."

"Please leave."

"She has a baby?" Omkara asks as his throat closed up and he had difficulty breathing.

"Please don't tell anyone." Pinky begs him as she held his hand and hurried downstairs. "My daughter's life would be ruined. Please don't tell anyone. She had looked after your parents ever since you left to join the army, in return for that please keep our secret." Pinky begs him.

"That baby... where is it? What happened? I need to know." Omkara asks her.

Pinky looks at him confused for a long time then she asks, "Can I trust you?"

Omkara nods his head as words were eluding him.

Having wanting to share the anguish she had been going through for the last six years, Pinky unburdens on him. "My Gauri became pregnant 6 years ago." Pinky confesses as Omkara's heart fell to the pit of his stomach as he remembered what had happened between Gauri and him 6 years ago. "She wouldn't tell me who did that to her. Shakti and I tried asking her but she refused to name him. She even refused to abort her baby threatening us that she will kill herself if we killed her baby. Finally I took Gauri to my cousin's house so Gauri could give birth. Shakti and I had decided that we will give the baby up for adoption though we never told Gauri about it as we knew how much Gauri wanted that baby. She was a very good mother, always taking care of herself so her baby is healthy. She would do exactly what the doctor would advise. But she couldn't do anything about her mental condition. After all she was an unwed girl becoming a mother. Her mental stress took a toll on her and she went into labor when she was 7 months. The baby was born in the morning but it didn't survive into the night. Gauri never recovered from that. Today is the 5th death anniversary of her baby." Pinky breaks down recounting what had happened.

Omkara stares at Pinky as he took in what she had told him. He stood there numb as he thought of what he had done to Gauri and their baby. Finally, he walked away silently.

Gauri was lying on her bed as she clutched her baby's cloth. She no longer could smell her baby in the cloth. It smelled more of her tears. Sighing she closes her eyes and opens her eyes when she hears her mobile ringing. She takes the call without checking who was calling.

"Hello."

"Gauri..." Omkara says her name.

Gauri's heart stops beating hearing his voice.

When she remained silent he says "I need to see you."

"Why?"

"Please, I just need to see you."

"I can't come to your house at this time." Gauri tells him.

"I am standing at your front door. Please open the door."

"Okay." Gauri says hesitantly.

"Thanks."

Gauri quietly walks down the stairs in the dark to open the door. She opens the door and finds Omkara standing there.

"What is it?" Gauri asks as she looked inside to see if her parents would come out to look for her.

She was looking over her shoulders when Omkara hugs her and breaks down, "I am sorry, Gauri. I am sorry."

"Om? What happened?" Gauri asks worried as she tried to make him leave her so she could see his face, but he clung to her. Fearing that he would wake up her parents Gauri urgently tells him, "Come inside." Omkara finally leaves her and Gauri takes his hand and hurries up to her room.

Gauri locks her door and turns to look at him and finally sees his face. His eyes were blood shot and his face was tear stained. He hugs her again. "I am sorry." He kept chanting between his sobs.

"What happened, Om?" Gauri asks worried as tears started flowing from her eyes, she could bear her pain but never his. Omkara slowly slips down and finally falls on his knees as he continued crying hugging her. "What is it?"

"I am sorry, Gauri. If I had shown you a little kindness then our baby would have been alive." Omkara wails loudly.

Gauri falls on her knees and quickly hugs him. Her bossom muffling his loud sobs. "It was not your fault. You never knew about it. I didn't tell you about her." Gauri cries as she tries to console him.

"We had a daughter?" Omkara asks as he looked at her.

Gauri nods her head sadly, "But I can't even remember her face now. I don't even know her eyes color." Gauri breaks out crying loudly.

Omkara quickly hugs her, "I am sorry, Gauri. I should have checked on you."

"Piyaaaliiiiiiiii." Gauri cries as she hugged him.

Omkara's heart stops beating, he stops breathing as he froze for a moment, then he asks her as he pushed her a little away from him so he could see her face, "You named her Piyali?"

Gauri nods her head, "I thought if I named her Piyali, maybe you would start to love her. And maybe it would make you happy that Piyali had come back to you in another form."

Finally, with a heavy broken heart he realized the extend of her love for him.

Gauri hugs him and cries, "But she is gone. I just held her once. And now I can't hold her anymore. Maybe it is God's punishment for me for what happened, for hurting you. I know you think I slept with you to marry you but that is not true. I just wanted to ease your pain, you were so tormented and all I wanted was to ease your pain. But I ended up hurting you more. And God punished me for that. I am sorry, Om. I had no other intentions. I just wanted to ease your pain." Gauri wails uncontrollably.

Omkara quickly hugs her, "Oh God! No, Gauri. God was punishing me, not you, Gauri. For all that I did to you, he was punishing me. Please don't blame yourself. I am sorry." Omkara cries.

They hug each other and cry for their lost baby.

Gauri wakes up to find herself on the bed and Omkara stretched out next to her as he watched her sleep. She quickly sits up remembering waking up next to him years ago.

"I didn't... I was not... please don't..." Gauri starts to tell him as she thought about what he had interpreted the last time.

Omkara cups her face and tells her, "Never blame yourself for what happened to our baby. It was not your fault. It was mine."

"No. You told me to contact you but I didn't. It was never your fault. Don't think like that."

"I should have checked on you, Gauri. I didn't." Omkara tells her. "It's been five years, Gauri. I need you to let go. Don't cry over her." Omkara begs her.

Gauri hugs him as she wondered why it didn't feel like someone was squeezing her heart when she thought of Piyali. Crying with him over their daughter might have given her the much needed closure. Omkara hugs her as he found peace after a long time.

"I should go before your parents find me here." Omkara tells her a while later. Gauri nods her head. Omkara gets down from the bed and then on an impulse he leans down and places a quick kiss on her lips and leaves. The next day, he went back.

2013

Omkara thanks Rudra for picking him up from the airport and then waves him off as Rudra went back home. He was going forever as he was done with his studies and was joining a company in France. Omkara sits down on the couch watching his mother as she talked excitedly about the last one year. He nodded at the appropriate places and hmmm-ed and ahhh-ed whenever necessary though he was not paying attention to her. He felt peaceful to be back home. He was thinking about Gauri, in the last one year he had only thought about her, but talked to her only once when he had called her on their daughter's sixth death anniversary. Gauri was shocked to receive his call but then she had told him that she had made her peace with Piyali's death and asked him to do the same, and he had also made his peace with it. After that he never called her and she didn't call him. Where is she? He wondered as he looked towards the door hoping she would come in.

"Om?" Jhanvi calls his name frowning.

"Haan?"

"Are you listening to what I am saying?"

Omkara grins at her guiltily.

"You come once a year and that time also you never even listen to me!" Jhanvi says sadly and she got up to walk off when he holds her hand, "Sit here. I want to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to you." Jhanvi say pouting.

"Sit down! I have decided to make you happy." Omkara tells her smiling.

That caught her attention and she sits next to him and asks "How?"

"I am going to grant your wishes. So tell me what your biggest wish is."

"Leave army." Jhanvi quickly tells him.

"Done! I took VRS." Omkara tells her smiling.

"VRS?"

"Voluntary Retirement."

"You did?" Jhanvi asks unable to hide her joy as she hugged him happily. "I am so happy, Om. Thank God. I couldn't always live with the constant fear of losing you." Jhanvi tells him with tears of joy as she thanked God.

"Next wish?"

"Join hospital. I can no longer look after it. Your father spend his whole life building that hospital."

"After one week's rest, I'll be joining the hospital." Omkara tells her.

"Any other wishes?"

"Marriage. I want to see you married before I die." Jhanvi says hopefully seeing him in such an accommodating mood.

"Will marry, whichever date and time you fix, I will marry." Omkara tells her smiling.

"Really?" Jhanvi asks unable to believe her joy and her son.

"Yes. And what about the girl?" Omkara asks her.

"My friend has a niece and they seemed interested in you, she told me last week. I was thinking of talking to you about it when you come. I will ask her to proceed with that." Jhanvi says excited.

Omkara's face falls and he says shocked, "I thought you would say Gauri's name."
"Gauri? Why would you think like that?" Jhanvi asks shocked.

"Because I have seen how close you are to her and how she was taking care of you all these years." Omkara says frowning.

"That is true but not her." Jhanvi says uncomfortable.

"Why?"

"Not her, I will find you some other nice girl."

"What is wrong with Gauri?" Omkara asks furious as the thought of his mother considering Gauri not a nice girl not acceptable to him.

"She is 28 years old."

"I am 34, mom!" Omkara says exasperated.

"Still not her."

"Why?"

"I don't want you marrying her."

"WHY?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Jhanvi tells him.

"I want to talk about it." Omkara says angrily realizing age was not the real issue.

"NO! We will not discuss this further." Jhanvi says as she got up to leave.

"If I marry it will only be Gauri and no one else." Omkara tells her with finality.

"She doesn't have a good name!" Jhanvi says angrily.

"Not a good name? What do you mean?"

"There are rumors about her." Jhanvi tells him.

He knew what rumors that would be still he wanted to know, "What rumors?"

Jhanvi looks at him helplessly then finally tells him, "Few years ago she and Pinky had left home for months. And there are rumors that she was pregnant when she left, some says she got pregnant after she left, some say she had an abortion, some say she had a baby and gave it up for adoption; some say the baby was still born. Now you understand why I don't want you marrying a tainted girl?"

Omkara looks at his mother in shock and asks hers, "She was good enough for you till she was taking care of you? If you found her tainted why did you let her in our house? As long as she looked after you like a daughter and worked around your house like a servant she was acceptable. But now when I say I want to marry her she is not acceptable to you?"

"I like Gauri. Tej and I had hoped to make Gauri your wife but that time you told us about Piyali. Then later we heard about these rumors and realized that it was good that we never talked to you about Gauri." Jhanvi tells him.

"Well I am going to fulfill your old wish; I am going to marry Gauri." Omkara informs her.

"No, Om. You are getting blinded by your gratitude. You deserve better." Jhanvi tells him.

"No, Mom. Gauri deserves better than you and me!" Omkara tells her. "And what you have heard is true. Gauri was pregnant when she left. She had a baby girl whom she named Piyali." Omkara informs her, and the moment he mentioned the name he saw the blood drain from her face, she realized whose baby it was. "Yes mom, your granddaughter lived for a few hours before she was snatched away from us."

Jhanvi sits on the couch as she cried.

"If I marry it will be Gauri." Omkara tells her then changing his mind he says, "No actually mom, if Gauri is still willing to have me then I'll marry her with or without your permission."

Before his mother could react to that he heard Gauri's voice, "I won't marry you."

Omkara and Jhanvi quickly look to the voice to find Gauri standing at the door. He wondered when she had come, she might have been standing there for a while if he was to go by her tear stained face. "Gauri..." Omkara starts to walk towards her when Gauri turns and hurries out of his house. He runs behind her.

Gauri was about to close the front door when he wedges his foot in between. "Gauri, I need to talk to you."

"I don't want to hear anything. I don't want to marry you." Gauri tells him as she cried.

"Listen to me!" Omkara angrily tells her as he pushed his way in.

The moment he walked in Gauri takes a step back and says, "I will not marry you. I don't need your pity."

"It's not pity." Omkara tells her.

"Guilt? I told you, you don't have to feel guilty about anything."

"I do feel guilty about it but that is not the reason why I want to marry you."

"Then? Don't tell me you are in love with me after all these years." Gauri snorts at him.

"I won't lie to you, Gauri." Omkara tells her as gently and as truthfully as possible, as she deserved nothing less than that. "I am not in love with you. I don't know if ever I will be able to love you but you have become a part of me. Piyali is no more with me but she and her memories are still there somewhere in me and I want it to be like that, she deserves that and I know you have no problem with that. But for the last one year I have only thought about you. It has only been you. Not since last year, for years it has been like that, but never this intense. Now I want you in my life."

Gauri looks at him confused as she tried to absorb what he was saying.

Seeing her confused state he tells her, "Three months ago I got shot and everyone including me, thought I would die. And for the first time I was scared of death. I realized I was no longer a soldier when I realized that I didn't want to die for my country but wanted to die lying on your lap. I wanted to see you and be with you. I left army and took VRS." Omkara informs her. Gauri looks at him in shock hearing that, "For you because you are more important for me now." Omkara tells her. "I don't love you, Gauri but you are the only person for whom I would leave the army for."

"I can't marry you, Om." Gauri thinks about what he had told her and finally tells him.

"Is there someone else?" Omkara asks with a heavy heart.

"You were the only one, you are the only one and you will be the only one." Gauri vows to him.

Omkara heaves a sigh of relief. "Is it because I don't love you? I didn't want to lie to you, Gauri."

"No, my love is enough to keep both of us happy all our life."

"Then?"

"Jhanvi aunty. Without her permission I can't marry you." Gauri tells him.

Omkara starts smiling in relief, "If she agrees?"

"I will marry you."

"My mom will come later to talk to your parents about our wedding." Omkara promises her.

Just like he had promised, Omkara and Jhanvi come in the evening to Gauri's house with the wedding proposal. Jhanvi seemed happy with the proposal.

"You haven't said anything." Jhanvi prompts Shakti as he seemed lost in thoughts.

"Gauri is 28 years old and any father would want his daughter married. It is way past her marriageable age and I should be happy with the proposal. Especially when Gauri has agreed to this wedding." Shakti starts hesitantly as he looked at Jhanvi and Omkara.

"Then what is the problem?" Omkara asks.

Shakti looks at Gauri who was sitting next to his wife nervously. "As much as I want to see her married, I don't want to hide the truth. If you find out the truth after marriage it would be disastrous and my daughter might never recover from it." Shakti uncomfortably starts.

"He knows everything." Pinky tells her husband as she smiled at Omkara with happy tears.

"He knows? You know?" Shakti asks shocked.

When Omkara remains silent Pinky answers for him, "I told him everything last year when he caught Gauri and me fighting."

Omkara watches as Shakti and Pinky looking at him as if he were a God sent gift, a miracle. He couldn't let them think of him like that when he was the reason for their misery. "It was me. I was responsible for that." Omkara tells them while Jhanvi looked down ashamed and Gauri nervously looked at her father.

Shakti and Pinky stares at Omkara for a while then Shakti angrily stands up and pulls Omkara by his collar. "You have any idea what you did to my daughter? Do you know what she went through?"

Suddenly his hands were pulled away when Gauri squeezed herself in between them. "He didn't know, Papa. I never told him."

Shakti looks at Gauri in shock as he let what she said sink in.

"Whatever happened, happened. Now let them be happy." Jhanvi requests Shakti.

"I love him, Papa. I have always loved him. I'll never be happy with anyone else." Gauri tells him.

Shakti moves back defeated realizing he had no choice. "Let's just let her be happy." Pinky tells him.

Gauri has suffered a lot in her young life and he didn't want to snatch it from her when her happiness had come knocking on the door. As much as he hated Omkara for what he did to Gauri, he realized that Gauri loved him and Omkara genuinely regretted what had happened in the past otherwise he wouldn't have told them the truth. "Okay." Shakti agrees.

Few days later, Gauri just couldn't take the tension anymore and she decided to sort it out once and for all. She walks into Oberoi house and goes to the kitchen knowing Jhanvi aunty would be there. Ever since her marriage was fixed with Om she was forbidden to come here as it was considered inauspicious. She hasn't seen his mother after that though Om would call her every day multiple times and they would talk as they stood at the window looking at each other. He seemed romantic too, Gauri thought with a smile as she remembered how he had insisted that she give him a kiss over the phone and she had refused.

"Gauri, what are you doing here?" Jhanvi ask shocked seeing Gauri walk in.

"I wanted to talk to you, aunty." Gauri tells her not uncomfortable as she was really close to Om's mother.

"Yes, tell me." Jhanvi says smiling.

"Are you truly happy with this wedding?"

Jhanvi looks at her and says regretfully, "I am sorry that you heard what I told Om that day. And Om was right. I was being selfish. I am a mother, I guess it is a mother's nature to want what is best for their child." Then gently cupping her face, Jhanvi continues, "Om told me everything and I realize that there is no one better than you for my son. Every mother want's their children to find unconditional love from their partner even when they know that there is no such thing as unconditional love. Love comes with conditions, but you Gauri you have loved him so unconditionally and purely, my son might have done something good in his life that God gave you to him."

Tears of joy starts flowing from Gauri's eyes as she says "I was worried you were not happy."

"You were willing to sacrifice Om for my happiness and you think I would give up such a girl?" Jhanvi asks crying happy tears as she hugged Gauri.

"Thank you, aunty."

"Mom!" Jhanvi corrects her.

Gauri chuckles, "Thank you, mom."

"Thank you for waiting for my son, for loving him and for giving him another chance." Jhanvi thanks her. Wiping her tears Jhanvi tells Gauri getting back to her business of cooking, "Did you have breakfast?"

"No, I'll have from home."

"No, have it here."

"Mama doesn't know that I came here and she would get angrier if she finds out I had food from here when she has been cooking food for me there." Gauri tells her smiling.

"Okay, then you have breakfast from home." Jhanvi tells her smiling. "On your way out, ask Om to come down for breakfast." Jhanvi tells her and Gauri nods her head and walks upstairs to call Omkara.

Her heart was beating fast in excitement as she was going to properly see him after these few days, till now it had been through the window.

She knocks on the door and hears him shouts from inside, "Yeah Mom?"

"Om, it's me Gauri. Aunty asked you to come down for breakfast." Gauri tells him through the door. When she doesn't hear any reply she turns to leave when he opens the door. She turns back to find him in his jeans as his torso and hair were dripping wet. He was happily beaming at her. Before she could say anything he pulls her into the room and closes the door. She leaned against the wall next to the door as she watched him lock the door. She nervously looks at him and he moves closer to her and grins at her.

"I should go. Mama will be looking for me." Gauri tells him as she tried moving towards the door.

Suddenly, he moves closer to her so close that he was pressing up against her. "You come to see me and you are leaving without even talking to me?"

Gauri smiles at him and says, "I came to meet Jhanvi Aunty... I mean Mom and I talked to her, now I am leaving."

She sees his face fall and then he muses, "Mom? Hmmm... so you were here to see your mom?" Gauri nods. "And not me?" she nods again. "Hmmm. Then off you go." Omkara says as he moves back.

Gauri was about to leave when he falls on her again imprisoning her. "Not so easy." Omkara tells her grinning sexily at her.

"I am getting late." Gauri tells him as he being so close to her and he paying so much attention was creating havoc in her.

"Why were you acting so pricey yesterday?"

"When?"

"When I asked you for a kiss." Omkara reminds her.

"That... that..." Gauri looks at his chest as she couldn't hold his gaze anymore.

To get her to look at him he shakes his head and water droplets fall on her face. Gauri looks at him and he sees the water droplets on her face. He leans down and gently sucks the droplet from her cheek. Gauri closes her eyes as she breathed slowly. His lips trail down as he sucked the droplets. When he pulls back Gauri opens her eyes and sees him studying her lips. He gently runs his finger on the outline of her lips as he looked at the droplet on her lower lip. Gauri swallows hard. He leans down and sucks the droplet from her lips. Gauri sucks in her breath as he gently bit on her lips and she gasps. The moment her lips parted, he smoothly swoops in his lips and starts kissing her. Gauri was not able to hold back any longer and kisses him back. They continued to passionately kiss till Omkara realizes that he was on the verge of dragging her to the bed. Realizing his mother was downstairs he unwillingly parts. Gauri looks at him in wonder as she tried to calm her heart beats then realizing what had happened she blushes and pushing him off hurries out.

Gauri runs into her room blushing when she hears Elvis Presley singing on top of his voice, "Oh, my love, my darling, I've hungered for your touch a long, lonely time." Gauri hurries to the window to find Omkara grinning at her as he played the song. She glares at him and he again rewinds the song, and starts playing the same line again. "Shhh CHUP!" Gauri says angrily as she put her finger on her lips. He again plays the first line again. Gauri closes the window blushing uncontrollably while Omkara laughs.

Few days later, Omkara was alone at home and he looks at Gauri's room through their windows to see if she wanted to come home for some naughty time. Seeing her room empty he pouts and hears the gate opening. Looking down his window he sees Gauri walking out of the house. He quickly changes his clothes and hurries out.

He stops his car near Gauri and she looks at him in shock. Seeing him, she starts smiling.

"Get in." Omkara tells her and she gets in smiling at him.

"Where are you going?" Gauri asks him.

"Where are you going?" he asks back.

"I have the day off, so I thought I will walk to the library and read something there." Gauri tells him smiling.

He had been shocked when he found out that she was helping her father in managing her father's supermarket now. He never knew she was working all these years.

"Where are you going?" Gauri asks him.

"Library. I thought I will watch you while you read something out for me."

Gauri blushes hearing him.

Omkara watches as her as he leaned on the table his head resting on his arms as she read silently.

"I thought you were going to read out to me."

"Can you see that?" Gauri asks as she pointed at a keep silent board.

Omkara pouts and then he smiles as he happily watched her read. He felt content just watching her. She being near him was making him happy and peaceful. At times he was tormented by the images of the war but her thoughts brought him peace which even Piyali could never do for him.

"Your hair is growing." Gauri says as she held a bunch of his hair.

"I thought I will let it grow. It's been 10 years that I have been spotting the same hair style." Omkara tells her.

"Oh! I actually liked your military cut. It used to suit you." Gauri tells him.

"Then I will cut it."

"No... no... you grow your hair. You don't have to cut it."

"I want to cut it now. Everything should be the way you like it, Gauri." Omkara tells her as he took her hand and kisses her palm.

Gauri quickly snatches her hand back as she nervously looked around to see if anyone had caught their moment.

Omkara chuckles, "I won't kiss, give me your hand. I'll just hold it."

Gauri looks at him suspiciously.

"I promise."

She slowly gives him her hand and he holds it happily. As Omkara played with her hand Gauri continues to read or rather tried to, but he was distracting her.

"Do you want to go for a movie?" Omkara asks her.

Gauri looks at him confused as she thought about it.

"When should you get back home?"

"Evening."

"Then we'll go for a movie?" Omkara asks her. Seeing the way he was asking her so excitedly she nods her head.

Seeing their seat Gauri looks at Omkara and he cheekily grins at her. He had got the back corner seat. She sits in the furthest seat and he sits next to her. The moment, the lights are off he puts his hand over her shoulders and pull her closer to him.

Gauri was so engrossed in the movie when Omkara sighs loudly.

"What?"

"This is so boring." Omkara says.

"What? This movie is so awesome." Gauri says shocked.

"Nothing interesting happening in there."

"What more interesting things do you want to happen?" Gauri asks shocked as the movie was a thriller.

Omkara leans close to her "Hmmm something like this." Omkara tells her as he took her lips in his. Soon they were passionately making out.

Realizing he was so close to stripping her and making love to her he parts from her. "Let's go." He says as he took her hand and walked out.

Gauri worriedly looked at his back as he hurried holding her hand. She stops and pulls on his hand to stop him, and he quickly stops and looks at her.

"Where are we going?" Gauri asks him.

"My house. Mom is not at home and we will have the whole house to ourselves till 6." Omkara tells her and turns to walk again when Gauri stops him.

"Om..."

"Yes." He turns to look at her.

"I know we have already... but I don't want to... our parents trust us, I don't want to break their trust again." Gauri tells him.

Realizing what she wanted he gently leaves her hand. "Even I want to... just like you... but not before marriage. The moment we get married... I won't stop you then... please don't be angry." Gauri tells him worried.

Omkara gently cups her face and tells her lovingly, "I am not angry, Gauri. We have already slept together and I thought... but I should have realized it. I am sorry if I embarrassed you or made you uncomfortable. Everything will happen just like you want. You waited for me all these years and I can wait for you for a month." Omkara tells her.

"Thank you." Gauri tells him smiling.

Omkara gently kisses her on her forehead, "Anything for you. I will do anything for you, Gauri."

Finally the day they both have been waiting for arrives. They had a beautiful wedding and finally it was night. Omkara walks in to find Gauri sitting on his bed waiting for him. He locks the door and walks to her and gently gets on the bed. He lifts up the ghooghant and sees her still dressed up as a bride.

He smiles seeing her discomfort. "Do you want to change into something comfortable?"

"Yes. I feel suffocated with all the jewellery and the dress is so heavy." Gauri tells him.

Omkara gives her space to get down from the bed and she gets down and walks towards the dressing table and starts removing her dupatta from her head. She feels his hand on the hair pin and looks at him through the mirror. He kneels down next to her and starts removing her hair pin to release the dupatta. Then he starts removing her jewelries for her. After removing her jewelries for a while he asks exasperated, "How much jewellery you have? I didn't know you were so rich!"

Gauri chuckles hearing him. "I am the only daughter so my parents wanted me to get married like a princess."

"That you are."

"What?"

"A princess."

Gauri blushes hearing that and he continues to remove her jewellery. Finally she was free of all her jewelleries. Seeing him lift her mangalsutr she stops him, "Let it be there."

Omkara smiles at her happily. Then helps her remove the pins on her hair. "Don't you have a headache?" Omkara asks shocked as he pulled out what he thought to be the fifteenth hair pin from her head.

"I do." Gauri tells him as she looked at him through the mirror. Finally removing the last pin, he lets her hair fall down. Omkara's breath gets caught in his throat, "You should have just come like this. You look so beautiful."

Gauri blushes as she stood up and turned to look at him.

"Why don't you change and sleep, Gauri? Your headache might ease with rest." Omkara suggests her.

Gauri smiles realizing how much difficult it would have been for him to say that. "I will change but I don't want to sleep." Gauri tells him as she looked him in the eyes. "It's my suhagraat. Don't know for how long I have waited for this, and you expect me to sleep?"

Omkara looks at her in shock.

"I'll change my dress." Gauri tells him and turns to get her night dress when he holds her hand and makes her turn facing him. They kept looking at each other for a while then she felt his hand on her back as it travelled up. She shivers as his fingers touched the naked area on her back. Then he pulled on her dori undoing it. She nervously looks at him and feels his fingers going down and feels him unhooking her hooks on the back one by one. Once he was done with unhooking her top he removes it and then his hands travels to her waist and he pulls her on her lehenga dori. And a moment later her skirt pooled around her feet. Omkara continues to remove her remaining clothes. Gauri stood there naked in front of him. He carries her to the bed.

Omkara leans up as he looked at Gauri who was lying under him as they both tried to steady their breaths. "You alright?"

"Yes. You?" Gauri asks him back happily.

"Yes." Omkara replies, realizing that he might be crushing her he rolls over and takes her with him. Omkara hugs her and she snuggles him. And they sleep like that.

Gauri opens her eyes to find Omkara watching her. "What is it?" she asks seeing his expression.

"I still don't understand, Gauri."

"What?"

"After all that happened how you could still love me or marry me. Why did you?"

"It was not your fault. The situations were like that." Gauri tells him.

"But why? How could you forgive me? Why did you decide to give me a second chance?" Omkara insists.

"I had two choices, choose you and be happy with you or choose my ego and lead a lonely miserable life. I chose to be happy." Gauri tells him.

"Thanks for being smart, Gauri." Omkara tells her smiling.

"I am glad I was smart." Gauri tells him a she hugged him. "In a short while I have to go downstairs, and do you want to waste time on idle chitchat?" Gauri asks him.

Life was blissful, Gauri thought as she walked to her room. Omkara was a wonderful husband whose life's mission was to keep her happy. If she got upset then he would become miserable and wouldn't rest till he made everything fine for her. And she was happy with him, she still loved him like crazy and she didn't know if he did. She never asked him and he never told her anything. She knew a part of him still loved Piyali but she also knew that there was a small corner in his heart that was just reserved for her. She was happy with that, and her life. If anything that was missing in her life it was a baby. They have been married for four months and she was not pregnant yet. They never bothered about family planning. Every month when she got her periods she got depressed but she made sure he never found out of her anguish. If she cut her hand slightly he would act as if someone had lit him on fire and if he found out that she was yearning for a baby and how it was affecting her it would kill him. She meant a great deal to him, she knew that. She puts aside the baby thoughts, baby will happen when it happens.

She sees him following her to the bedroom locking the door and she rolls her eyes. They both had a crazy sex drive.

"No hangy-panky." Gauri warns him.

"Why?" Omkara asks pouting.

"Because I am going to clean the cupboards." Gauri tells him as she stood on the step stool and looked inside the cupboard.

"Your husband is home on his off day and you are thinking of cleaning?" Omkara asks outraged.

"Yes! It's been four months since we have got married and we are going at it as if we just got married yesterday. First month it is normal, second month fine, third month excusable but fourth month it is unforgivable." Gauri tells him.

"Since I am not going to apologize to you, it is fine I guess." Omkara tells her as he hugged her and kissed her on her exposed stomach.

"Stop it! Now only at night!" Gauri tells him. In reply he bites her on her stomach. "Ouch! You animal! Stop it!" Gauri says as she whacked him on his head. Omkara pouts and moves back. "Go and do your homework!" Gauri tells him.

"Homework?" Omkara asks confused.

"Whatever work you have at home!" Gauri explains.

"This is the only work I have at home." Omkara tells her as he nuzzled her stomach.

"Stop it!" Gauri says as she pushed him away and went back to cleaning.

Omkara smiles and walks to the bed.

He gets comfortable on the bed as he watched her pull out the suitcases on the top cupboards. She was wearing saree again, he had mentioned to her once that he loved seeing her in saree and he had noticed how she started wearing sarees more often. Whenever he had a day off from the hospital she would wear saree. They were so happy together. They both had a hectic schedule, as both of them were managing a hospital and supermarket. But they managed to find time for each other; they always took their off days together so they could spend time with each other. Life was so perfect now. He didn't even miss army, something he never thought he could live without. His life was Gauri and not army or anyone else. He suddenly wondered whether she realized it. She knew him so well maybe she did but what if she hasn't? He wondered. He should tell her. He wanted to see the joy on her face when he told her. He gets up and walks towards her.

"Gauri..."

"WHAT?" she barks at him making him chuckle.

"Do you know who I love the most in the world?"

"I know." Gauri says smiling at him.

"You know?" Omkara asks smiling.

"Mom." she replies.

"I love her but not the most in the world."

"Hmmm SEX?" Gauri asks shocked.

"Let me just clarify, sex with you. That would be a close second I guess." He tells her as he stood next to her looking up at her.

"Then I don't know." Gauri says frowning as she pulled out another suitcase.

"I love you." Omkara tells her.

"WHAT?" Gauri screams as she turned to look at him and loses balance and starts to fall.

Omkara catches her as the suitcase fell down. "I said I love you. Truly, madly and deeply."

Gauri looks at him wide eyed.

"I just wanted you to know that there is someone out there who is crazy about you." Omkara tells her as he cradled her in his arms.

Gauri starts frowning, "Is that a movie dialogue? I have heard that before."

Omkara chuckles, "You haven't heard that. You have said that."

"You remember?" Gauri asks shocked now remembering her love declaration a decade ago.

"I do. I remember everything that you told me, even when I didn't want to. Another thing that stuck with me was when you told me that it just take a moment to fall in love and a life time to forget it. I need more than one lifetime to forget you, Gauri. I have never loved anyone the way I love you."

"Are you sure?" Gauri asks.

"I have never been surer of anything in my life. I have known this for a while. Don't know why I didn't tell you all this while." Omkara tells her.

Gauri happily smiles at him as her eyes filled with happy tears.

"I love you, Gauri Kumari Sharma." as much as she loved him, she didn't take his name and he never asked her to.

"I love you Omkara Singh Oberoi." Gauri tells him. They start kissing and Gauri breaks off the kiss. "Put me down." Gauri says as she started removing his buttons. Omkara starts chuckling as he put her down.

They stood outside the labor room nervously. Finally a nurse emerges from the room and Omkara hurries to her, "How is Gauri?"

"She is fine. Congratulations you have a daughter. Both mother and baby are healthy. Birth time was 11:55." Nurse informs him and walks away.

Jhanvi and Pinky turns to each other hugging happily when they hear both Omkara and Shakti singing "Chingachikka chingachikka!" They turn to look at them and laugh seeing Omkara and Shakti dancing tapori style. Omkara and Shakti happily hug and start excitedly jumping.

"She is fine, right?" Gauri asks worried.

"Yes, she is." Omkara tells her.

"Did you talk to the doctor properly?"

"I did. She is very healthy and she will be discharged once you are ready to be discharged." Omkara tells her.

Gauri smiles in relief as she looked at her daughter.

"We have to name her." Omkara tells her.

"I have a name in mind." Gauri tells him.

"No." Omkara tells her.

"What no?"

"We need to move on, Gauri. I have let both Piyali-s go. I have made peace with their deaths. I know even you have. So let's not go back."

"But I wanted to name my daughter Piyali." Gauri tells him.

"I don't want to. We need to look at our future. They were our pasts which are never going to come back. Let it be in our past." Omkara tells her.

Gauri pouts.

"I have a name in mind." Omkara tells her.

"I don't like the name." Gauri tells him.

"You haven't heard the name yet." Omkara tells her smiling.

"I don't want to hear."

"It is Gaurika."

"I don't like it."

"I love it."

"I am not happy with this name." Gauri tells him frowning.

"My happiness is enough to keep us happy all our life."

"What nonsense?" Gauri asks glaring at him.

"When you said your love is enough to keep us happy did I say that?" Omkara asks offended.

"That is love. It is different."

"Love and happiness go hand in hand." Gauri glares at him.

"For me please."

"Fine!"

"Our future, Gaurika." Omkara says smiling happily at her.

Please vote and comment

- Lazy