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"Happy Birthday."

I wake up hearing her whispering that into my ears. For a moment I forget everything, all the pain and betrayal and smile happily as I opened my eyes. I turn to look at her and there she was smiling at me lovingly.

"Gauri..."

"What does the birthday boy want as a gift?" she asked me as she wrapped her arms over me lovingly.

I just couldn't help be honest and tell her. "You."

"Silly, I am yours. What else you want?" Gauri asks me chuckling.

I shrug in reply feeling anger over her lies. I sit up from bed and she follows me with a smile not even registering the fact that I was not smiling at her anymore.

"Don't get mad." Gauri tells me in a regretful tone, "I have to work late tonight. I tried getting out of it but I just couldn't. So we will celebrate your birthday tomorrow. Okay?"

"Obviously work is more important." I crib as I got up from bed and suddenly she holds my hand. I turn back to look at her and she was watching me curiously.

"Is everything alright?"

"Why? You think something is wrong?" I couldn't help ask back mockingly.

Gauri hesitates for a moment then she kneels on the bed and moves towards me, "I don't know... something feels so off between us lately. You seem distant. Everything is fine, right?"

"What could be wrong?"

"I don't know... after that day we never made love." Gauri hesitantly says reminding me of the one time we made love.

"You are always busy, Gauri. And the rare times you come over to my place I am not in the mood." I tell her and walk off.

"Do you think I am ignoring you?" Gauri asks me as she followed me to the washroom.

"Why do you feel like that?" I ask her back and she looks at me confused and hurt. God! I just couldn't help marvel at what an awesome actress she was. She should definitely give the movies a try.

"If there is anything we should talk about it."

"I am all ears, love." I tell her and slam the door on her face.

After my shower, I come out of the bathroom and sees that Gauri was no longer in the bedroom. I walk to the kitchen to check on her and sees that she was busy talking on the phone.

"Come on... I had to wish him and make plans for tomorrow otherwise he would get suspicious." Gauri was whispering onto the phone. I felt my blood boiling as I realized who she was talking to, my so called best friend Dandi.

"Yeah... I'll come to your place at 6 in the evening." She whispers to him just before she hung up.

She has been having an affair with him behind my back. I would have never believed that Gauri or Dandi can ever cheat me. When Svetlana had told me about their affair first, I had brushed it off as her jealous and spiteful nature as I had chosen Gauri over her. But then she had proved it to me and I caught Gauri lying to me over and over when she said that she would be working late and I would see her with Dandi. But till now I never confronted her because I thought and hoped that this would be a passing fancy for her and she would get over him and come back to me because it would simply kill me if she chose him over me. But slowly my patience and tolerance were draining. This was the last straw. She couldn't even spend the day with me for my birthday. She had to go to that Dandi!!! I couldn't take it anymore without even telling her anything I walk out of my own house.

I was trying to work in my office but my thoughts kept going towards Gauri and Dandi, the two people I trusted more than myself were cheating on me. why did Gauri feel the need to stray? Wasn't I enough for her? she would say that I was everything to her then what happened now? Hearing the door open I look up furiously to see who had dared to barge into my office without my permission.

"Looks like you are in a bad mood." Akash jovially says seeing my furious look.

"What do you want?"

"What plans for birthday?" he asks me as he plopped down on the couch.

"Nothing." I tell him as I turned around to my laptop.

"Then let's watch today's match at Dandi's place." Akash excitedly tells me.

I curiously look up at the clock and see the time to be 6:30, Gauri would be with him now. Finally, something snapped in me and I decided to end everything once and for all. I quickly stand up and says, "Let's go."

"Now?" Akash asks in a panic.

"Yeah." I reply wondering why he was panicking suddenly.

"The match is not now it is later. We need to get there by 7:30 only." Akash tells me.

I couldn't help wonder whether Akash knew that Gauri was with Dandi now and that is why he is telling me to wait. The possibility was making me beyond furious and I tell him as I drag him out of the chair. "We are going now."

"He won't be home from office now."

"I know where he keeps the spare key." I tell him and drag him out.

"Wait... I want to smoke." Akash tells me as we started walking into the apartment as he pulled out a cigarette.

I check the time and realize that it was 7:15 already. Akash had taken the longest route and was driving at snails speed to get here.

"You smoke. I am going up." I tell him wanting to catch Gauri red handed as I was starting to realize that she would be leaving anytime soon.

Without waiting for reply I walk in and I hear him cursing as he followed me to the lift.

I ring the bell and wait for Dandi to open the door. As I stood outside I hear hushed whispers and footsteps. Looks like Gauri was still inside and now she was trying to hide from me. I was about to take the spare key when Dandi opens the door for me.

"HEY!" Dandi says in a very fake smile and says "Didn't expect you." as he gave furious looks at Akash.

"Why do you look so upset to see me?" I ask him as I walked in pushing him away.

"I am not upset." Dandi quickly says as he followed me in.

"Where is she?" I ask him as I looked into the bedroom.

"Who?" he asks me confused.

"Come out, Gauri. I know you are here." I shout out loudly as I looked for her.

"How did you know?" Dandi asks me in shock just as a very sheepish Gauri walked out of the kitchen.

I see that Gauri was about to say something and I just didn't want to hear any more of her lies and ask Dandi, "How I found out that you two are sleeping behind my back?"

"What?" Gauri shouts in outrage at me while Dandi looked at me shocked.

"Oh! Don't act as if it is not true, I have been on to you both for months now."

"What are you saying?" Gauri asks me furiously as she stepped towards me in fake outrage.

"You think you could lie to me and I would never find out. You lie to me that you are working late and I see you with him at restaurants."

"You got it wrong." Gauri hastily starts to explain.

"No, Gauri. I haven't. Let's just end these games here. I am sick and tired of this. And I am sick and tired of you." I tell her in disgust because I wanted to hurt her like I was hurting.

"Please don't say that. I love..." Gauri starts and I cut her off.

"I don't love you."

Gauri's eyes fill with tears and I find some solace in her tears.

"The truth is, ever since I got with you I have regretted my decision in choosing you over Svetlana. I tried my best to make it work but then I just can't. You asked me why we never made love after that, the truth is you are so bad in bed that you can't even take care of me there."

Her face turn pink in mortification as tears fell from her eyes. Somehow her tears were no longer comforting and I couldn't look at her tears and I turn to Dandi who was staring at me in shock. "And you! I thought you had better choice. I couldn't get rid of her because of our so called relation why didn't you get out of the relation when you realized how bad she is in bed?"

"What is wrong with you? Do you even realize what you are saying?" Dandi asks me in a furious whisper as he pulled me towards him. "How could you even think that Gauri and I would... disgusting. I can't even think of that and you are saying all this."

"HEY! Come on! Don't act all outraged. I am cool with all this. Anyway Gauri and I are over. I am getting back with Svetlana. So you and she... I don't care whether you two want to continue with your affair or not." I tell them with a careless shrug.

"There is nothing between Gauri and me!" Dandi tells me furiously as he stared behind me.

"Then do you want to tell me what you two were doing behind my back all these months and what Gauri is doing here..." I stop my question as I was turning around to face Gauri and see all of my friends standing there behind the couches and near the curtains. When did they come? Were they hiding?

"It is your first birthday after you and Gauri got together and Gauri wanted to make it special for you. for the last three months, day and night she has been planning to make it special for you and I was just helping her." Dandi tells me furiously.

I whip around to look at Dandi in shock as my heart broke at once and I felt an immense joy in knowing that Gauri was still mine. "No."

"Yes. Ask anyone here." Dandi tells me furiously. "You are my best friend. I would never do that to you. and Gauri... all these time I was with her planning your stupid surprise party, all I could think and hope was that I find a girl who loves me like she loves you."

"But Svetlana said..." I start to say and stop as I asked myself that how I could have believed Svetlana over Gauri and Dandi.

"What did she say? And when did you start taking her word over mine and Gauri's?" Dandi asks me furiously.

I looked at him helplessly as I realized that I had no answer to that.

"We were just trying to make your birthday special. We were not cheating you." Dandi tells me in a hurtful tone.

"Dandi, I..." I start to apologize to him when I realized that there was someone else that I should apologize first and beg for forgiveness. I turn to look for Gauri and sees that she was not there.

"Gauri?" I look around in panic and I start to run inside to check on her when Akash tells me in a furious tone. "She left."

"What?" She left and I didn't notice?

"When you said you were getting back with Svetlana, she had quietly walked out."

"No... no..." I mumble as I ran out of the flat to look for Gauri.

3 years later

After that day, I never saw Gauri. I looked for her everywhere even went to her house but her parents had refused to tell me where she went. They wouldn't even let me near their house after that one time. She changed her number and job. It was like she had vanished from the face of earth and I was still stuck on that day. Looking for her and waiting for her. I still love her and I hoped against hope that she also loves me back even today.

Ever since, I landed in Mumbai last week I have been thinking of Gauri all the more as this was her hometown. I was flying back home today and I was equally happy to be running away from a place that was so close to her heart and at the same time I was sad to leave the place that was so close to her heart. I started walking towards the business class lounge when I stopped in shock as I caught a glimpse of her. I followed the woman to the bookshop hoping and praying that it be my Gauri.

I walked towards her as she walked over reading the title of the books on the shelf as I saw her head turn slightly and I realized it was my Gauri. I hurried to her and holding her hand I turned her around to face me. She turns around with a frown on her face and the moment she sees me, her frown drops and as the realization dawns her eyes fill with tear. She quickly pushes my hand away and start to walk off.

"Gauri..." I call her as I was about to hold her again when she whips around and ask me, "What do you want now? Is there anything left to say?"

"That day... I didn't mean any of that. I was lying because I was hurt and I wanted to hurt you."

"I don't care." Gauri tells me and starts to walk off.

"Please listen to me, Gauri. I love you. I have always loved you. I don't know how I lost faith in you and started doubting you."

"If you truly loved me, you would have asked me the first time you got suspicious. You didn't."
"It was my mistake, Gauri but please don't punish me for that."
Gauri turns to look at me as she helplessly listened to what I had to say.

"I looked for you everywhere, Gauri. So that I could tell you that I truly love you and you are the only girl in my life. I am sorry that I doubted you. I know, what I did that day was unforgivable, I broke your heart and trust in me and insulted you like that in front of all our friends, but please give me a chance, Gauri. I love you a lot."

"I don't love you anymore." Gauri softly tells me and her soft words killed me. I had somehow expected to hear this from her, after what I did to her I didn't deserve her love but this was just too painful.

"I broke your heart, Gauri and I know you should also get a chance to break my heart but please... give me one last chance." I pleaded her.

She helplessly looked at me.

"Where are you going now?" I asked her hopefully so that I could follow her there and try to win her back. "Where do you stay now? I looked for you all over."

"I was in Delhi for a while. Then two years ago we moved to US." Gauri tells me.

"We?" I ask her as I felt a heavy weight fall on my chest. "Who, we?'

As if to answer my question I hear a man's voice. "Gauri."

We both turn to look at the sound and I see a man with a baby who looked about some months old walk towards her.

"Can you hold her for a few minutes? I need to pee real badly." He whispers to her.

"Yeah, sure." Gauri replies as she ignored me completely and started to take the baby from him. The moment the baby was separated from the man, she started crying.

"No... no." he says as he rocked the baby in his arms and settled her again on his chest.

Gauri gives him a regretful look.

"Fine, I will just hold it in." he tells her helplessly and I saw the corners of Gauri's lips twitch into a smile. She loved him! It was there in the way she looked at him and smiled at him. I step back in shock realizing that she had moved on and I have really lost my chance with her.

"Are you done with your shopping?" he asks her.

"Yeah I was..." Gauri starts to reply as she turned to look at me.

"I am sorry... where you..." he asks as he turned to look at me. "I am sorry, I didn't realize that you were talking." He tells me smiling and turning to Gauri, he asks her with a smile, "Who is this?"

"erm..." Gauri turns to me and then she makes the introductions. "This is Omkara Singh Oberoi." Then turning to gently caress her baby she tells me, "This is our daughter, Omkareshwari."

"Unofficial name. I still haven't approved it." Omkara Singh Oberoi tells me with a smile.

"Omkara..." Gauri calls her husband and he turns to look at her. "This is Arjun." She tells him and suddenly he whips his head towards me and he looks at me murderously. He takes a step towards me and tells me in a furious whisper, "You have some nerve coming before her after hurting her like that." I gulp seeing his fury at me.

"Omkara... Omkara..." Gauri gently calls him as she held his arm and pulled him back. "Everything is fine. Please."

Omkara steps back still glaring bloody murder at me.

"Omkara... please?" Gauri gently tells him.

Omkara nods as he stared at me and then turning to her he asks her in a calm tone surprising me given the murderous look he was throwing at me, "Do you want to talk to him?"

"I... Omkara... I will come soon."

Omkara nods at her and then turning to me he tells me as he moved closer to me, "You got away once but don't think I would let you off again if you hurt her once again. You bring a tear to her eyes and I will kill you."

I nod in reply because he was glaring at me murderously.

"I will be right over there." Omkara whispers to Gauri and Gauri nods in reply. Then placing a reassuring kiss on her temple he walks away with the baby. Gauri watches him walk away and then turning to me she tells me in a calm tone. "I love him."

I nod in reply because suddenly words were eluding me.

"We were in the same high school. He was in love with me since then. I never saw him after high school but on the last day of school he had told me that he was going to come for me one day." Gauri says with a nostalgic smile. "I never took him seriously then but he did come. After your birthday, I had come home and realizing I needed a change I went to my Aunt's place. He had come looking for me there and proposed me. I told him everything."

I listened to her like a zombie while Gauri gently wiped her tears and strangely it was of joy and not sadness. "He gave me two options, either he talk to you and clear up everything and get us back together, or I marry him because he was not going to go away till he made sure that I was happy." Gauri looks at me with a smile and says with a shrug, "I chose him."

"You are happy." I stated the obvious.

Gauri nods her head and tells me, "It took me a while to forget you but I did. My Omkara... he is so good, I never realized when he made a place for himself in my heart. He is my life now."

We remained silent for a while after that then she gently tells me, "Move on. I am not going to come back to you. I love him and I am happy with him." then without waiting for a reply, she says a crisp Good bye and walk off. I stood there watching her walk out of my life.

Sometime later, I walk into the Business Class Lounge and I see Gauri sitting with her baby sleeping on the pram with a lost look. I realized that I should walk away before she sees me again and was about to walk off when I noticed Omkara join her and sits down next to her. Gauri turns to look at him with a smile. "Happy, now?"

"Ecstatic. I thought my bladder was going to burst."

Gauri chuckles hearing him.

"We should wake her up." Gauri tells him.

"Let her sleep."

"Then what if she wakes up during takeoff? She would start crying."

"I will take care of her then." Omkara promises her as he kept his hand over her shoulders and Gauri leans to him smiling.

"I hate it that she loves you more." Gauri tells him.

Omkara smirks at her, "What to do, love? I have that effect on my girls."

Gauri rolls her eyes hearing that.

"I think she loves you more because of the name."

"I am naming my daughter Omkareshwari. I don't want any arguments on that."

"What about my Gaurika, Gaura and Gautami?" Omkara asks her.

"I am not going to give birth to one more of your fangirls."

"You ruined my high school dream of my suhag raat and now you want to ruin my high school dreams on my perfect family?" Omkara asks her exasperated.

"I ruined your suhag raat? And it was not certain fears of a certain virgin guy?" Gauri teases him.

"I was just being considerate for your feelings because you were not smart enough to fall in love with me back then." Omkara tells her a little flustered.

Gauri chuckles hearing that.

"And if I remember correctly then I had someone begging me in the morning for..."

"GOD Omkara! She is going to hear you." Gauri says in panic as she quickly covered her daughter's ears. Omkara starts chuckling hearing that.

"By the way... reunion was fun."
"The girls were so shocked to see how hot you look now." Gauri tells him with a chuckle.
"Yeah... But more than that did you see how shocked the guys were that the geek finally got the beauty?" Omkara asks her with a smirk.

"Sometimes, I feel that you are still stuck in high school." Gauri tells him as she sat back.

"Cheered you up, didn't I?" he asks her with a smile.

Gauri smiles at him hearing that she hugs him happily.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks her in a gentle caring tone.

"He said he loves me and he had lied that day because he wanted to hurt me like how he was hurt."

"Hmmmm"

"I told him that I have moved on and he should too."

"Do you wonder what would have happened if he hadn't misunderstood you?" Omkara asks her curiously.

"I might have married him. I might have been happy too." Then turning to look at him she says "I would have been so unlucky then."

"Unlucky?"

"I wouldn't even know what I was missing out in life."

"Maybe, Gauri... we might have still ended up together." Omkara tells her.

Gauri smiles at him and tells him, "Whether it was Arjun or someone else, I would like to think that whatever course my life takes me to, that road would and should lead me to you."

"I would have found a way to get to you." Omkara tells her.

"Omkara..." Gauri gently calls him as she rested her head on his chest.

"Yes?"

"I am ready to have my heart broken any number of times, I am ready to be hurt like anything if those roads leads me to you."

I watch as Omkara lean down and gently place a kiss on her temple. I turn around and walk away, I have watched enough. Gauri was happy in her life and she was with someone who loved her more than I could ever love her. Omkara trusted her so much that he willingly left her alone with me to talk, a man she had once loved, dreamed of a life with and even shared physical relation. Omkara loved her so much that he was willing to talk to her about me. I don't think I could love or trust or have faith in Gauri like that. Omkara truly deserved her. I was sad and happy at the same time for her and me. I walked away from her life as finally I realized one thing, this was not my story, and it was theirs. I was just a medium to connect them. I was a bridge she had to cross to get to her true love. Like Gauri said, all her roads led to Omkara and not me.

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- Lazy