"Captain, I love you." Gauri confesses in nervous excitement.

Hearing the bizarre declaration he turns to look at the kid. "Sorry?"

"I love you, Captain." Gauri nervously confesses again.

He looks at the girl standing in front of him in a frock with pigtails confessing her love to him. He wanted to laugh out loud but he couldn't hurt her feelings, he wondered what to tell her in reply as he turned to gaze at the horizon.

"I know you think I am just a small girl but I really love you, Captain." Gauri tells him earnestly.

He turns to her with a gentle smile, "Gauri..."

"Yes?" she says eagerly making him smile all the more.

"How old are you?"

"15."

"Do you know how old I am?" he asks her.

"35."

"Hmmm so you know."

"Yes. It doesn't matter to me."

"I could be arrested for talking about love to you." he exaggerates.

"Mama has told me that it is not wrong to love anyone. She said we should love everyone."

"That is a different kind of love, Gauri." he gently tells her.

"Love is love."

"You are going to grow up and realize that love is not this. I am 20 years old than you. This is just a passing fancy."

"No... I know, I love you."

"You are not even old enough to know what love is, Gauri."

"When I become old enough..." Gauri starts.

"You will realize that this was not love." He finishes for her.

"No... when I become old enough to understand love according to you... till then will you wait for me?" Gauri asks him worriedly.

If she hadn't looked so worried he would have burst out laughing. "I could meet someone I want to marry then."

"I am the one who is destined to be yours." Gauri tells him confidently.

"No, Gauri."

"Yes. I know. I love you."

"What do you know about me?"

"I know everything." Gauri argues. "I love you. You are so nice."

"Hmmm how about my son?" he asks her.

"You have a son?" Gauri asks him shocked.

"No... when I get married and have a son then?"

"No...I love you." Gauri argues. "And won't your son be younger to me for many years?"

"Hmmm... how about a cousin brother of mine? He looks a lot like me and he is about your age I guess. Maybe some 3 years older to you. He just finished school."

"NO! I want only you."

"Do you know what they say about a Captain? A belle in every port."

She had read enough books to know what that phrase meant exactly. Gauri's eyes filled with tears hearing his callous reply. "Please Captain... I really love you a lot. Please wait for me to grow up." Gauri pleads him.

He was getting uncomfortable with this conversation and to put a stop to this he tells her sternly, "Enough, Gauri. You are just a kid, so behave like a kid. I am older than you for 20 years! So stop these silly notions. Don't make me regret letting your father bring you and your mother onboard during your vacations."

Hurt by his words, Gauri turns and walks back to her cabin to think of a way to make him understand that they were made for each other.

She had two more weeks on this ship to convince Captain that they were meant for each other but her age was the problem. She had cried herself to sleep. Hearing whispers in her sleep, Gauri slowly wakes up and sees her parents talking. She closes her eyes to go back to sleep when she hears her father mentioning Captain and her interest was pricked. He was telling Mama what a generous man Captain was and how he had went against rules and let him bring them onboard. It was not just her; even her father was in love with Captain. He is forever praising him which had made her really take notice of the man and soon she was madly in love with him.

Gauri lies back thinking of ways to make him understand her love was true. Then an idea struck her. After her parents had gone to sleep, Gauri sneaks out of the room.

Gauri took the print out of her letter and rolling it up, she puts it inside a bottle and tightly closes it. Then she stealthily goes to the swimming pool. She had 10 more minutes before Captain came for his regular swim at 11. She would drop it in his pool and his interest would be pricked once he reads the message and he will definitely contact her like in that video song she had watched and then once he falls in love with her, she will tell him who she is and they will be together forever.

Gauri was about to drop the bottle into the pool when she hears a loud commotion. She turns back to investigate when she hears a furiously whisper, "Gauri! What are you doing here?"

Gauri gulps seeing him running towards her with a gun in hand. "Captain..." Gauri nervously says as she tried to hide the bottle behind her back but she was too late he had noticed her movements. He quickly grabs her hand and brings it forward.

"What the hell is this?" Captain asks her as he looked at the bottle wondering whether she started having hard drinks when he spots the note inside the bottle. Sighing furiously he throws the bottle into the sea ignoring Gauri's loud gasp.

"Keep quiet and come with me." he says as he took her hand and ran towards his cabin.

"What happened?" Gauri asks him seeing him looking around worriedly as he kept to the shadows and took her to a cabin.

"Stay here." he tells her as he pushed her under the bed and covered her up with things.

"What happened?" Gauri asks him again.

"Keep quiet and don't make a noise. Don't come out till your parents or I come to get you."

"What happened?" Gauri asks him now worried for her safety.

"We are under attack."

"Attack?"

"Pirates."

"Papa and Mama..."

"I'll take care of them. You stay here. Everything will be over soon." He promises her.

"You always be safe. Please." Gauri begs him as tears fell from her eyes.

"I will... now I have to go. It is my duty to protect everyone here."

"I love you."

In reply he pushed a barrel covering her completely leaving Gauri in the dark praying for everyone's safety as she heard the fire shots and screams.

9 years later

Life is a bitch!!! Omkara thought as he walked towards the sea, a defeated man. He tried to do the right thing. He wanted to do the right thing. Then how did he commit such a big mistake like that? He thought he was doing the right thing, but it took him a long time to realize that it was not the right thing or the right way. He didn't deserve to live after what he did. It was unforgiveable.

Omkara walked into the sea, wanting to end this miserable life. He couldn't live like this, dying every single day. He continued to walk as the water reached his neck. A few more steps and it would be all over. He closed his eyes so he would have the courage to do at least this right thing in life. He takes a deep breath unconsciously as he felt the water hit near his lips when something hit on his nose. On reflex he opened his eyes and sees a green bottle.

Omkara was sitting on his car, as he read the letter again with the help of the car lights.

Hello...

I believe God has made everyone in pairs. And I am trying to find my soul mate.

Now that you found this, I know you are him.

Now, it is your duty to find me.

You can reach me at [email protected]

Waiting for you...

Gauri smiles at her co-workers as she walked towards her cubicle. She lies to them without a thought about her absence for the last one week. She couldn't tell them the truth now... could she?

The moment she sat on her chair, the door opens and Dhandi walks in furiously. She should start looking for a new job.

"You were not here for a week!" Dhandi angrily tells her.

"I was not well." Gauri replies calmly.

"So?"

"So?" Gauri asks him shocked. "I was sick so I took leave!"

"Did you take permission from me?"

"You are not my boss!"

"I am in charge here. Just because Boss doesn't come to office doesn't mean that no one is here to run things here. I am his soldier and I am here to take care of everything."

"Your "Boss" pays me to do work. So please let me do my work."

"How did your negotiations with the Mitals go?"

"They are not budging." Gauri replies tired.

"I don't care. I want that project at any cost. I don't care whether you threaten them... you need to negotiate and bring them to our terms and conditions."

"Can't you take care of it? I am really overloaded with all the works. I go back home and have to work to meet your stupid deadlines." Gauri tells him losing her cool. After slogging for a year for the company, every time she goofs up he eats her alive and if she does something right, he treats as if it was some fluke.

"You should have thought of all that before you signed a 3 year contract with the company."

"I am going to look for another job." Gauri tells him furiously.

"Go ahead... with the new job you will have a legal battle to fight with our company to keep you occupied during your free time." Dhandi warns her and walks out.

Furiously Gauri turns on her laptop. As the system started Gauri starts checking her official and personal mails. Once she replied to the mails, feeling nostalgic, she checks her that email account. Every month once or twice she used to check that mail, somewhere in her that romantic was still alive who had thought that love was beautiful. She decided to delete that account once and for all.

She was about to go to settings to deactivate that account when she noticed that in 9 years for the first time, she had got a mail from other than Hotmail. It was from Screw Destiny, [email protected]

Hi...

I don't know when you wrote that message and whether you are still waiting for the reply. If you are... then I've got your message and let me tell you that I don't believe in destiny and I seriously don't think you are destined to be mine.

I just thought I will let you know that I got the message and you shouldn't waste any more of your time waiting for a reply, if you were.

SD.

Gauri was shocked reading the rather rude but honest reply. She was about to delete the mail and then decided against it and hit the reply button.

Omkara was busy working in his study at his mansion when his mobile buzzes. He checks the message to see an alert about a mail he received on [email protected].

"What the hell?" Omkara wonders out loud with a frown wondering what that was then remembering the mail he had send yesterday on a drunken mood, he quickly checks the mail.

Hi SD...

Thanx for the reply.

It was a rude mail but still nice of you to send me a reply.

I don't know whether I was waiting for a reply after all these years. I have grown from that silly romantic girl but then I used to check my mail over the years regularly to see if someone found that bottle. I don't know whether it was sheer curiousness or my belief in God, you see because I did pray when I wrote that note. I remember the night the bottle was thrown into the waters with such clarity because that was the night when I lost someone very dear to me. So maybe it is just the memories of that night, which made me check this mail account more often. I don't know what I was trying to achieve by checking the mail because I no longer believe that God made us in pair.

I lost that faith... I tried so hard to hold on to it but I gave up.

But thanks for taking out the time to reply; now I can give up hope completely.

X

Gauri was busy arranging a meeting on the phone when she sees a new mail alert. After hanging up, she checks the mail from Screw Destiny.

Hi X

I wasn't trying to be rude... I was just dealing with a few personal issues and I was drunk... don't know what I was thinking when I sent that mail.

I guess I didn't want you to waste your life waiting for someone that is not going to come.

Life is too precious to waste on someone like that. Take it from the man who was contemplating suicide when your bottle reached him.

SD

P.S: Sorry to hear that you lost someone dear.

Hi SD...

I am sorry to hear that you were contemplating suicide. Whatever your problem is I doubt that is bigger than your life. I am sorry to say this, if you don't respect your life then who is going to respect it?

I know, I have no business asking you this... but what is your problem? If all you need is someone to talk to then I am here. I am a stranger and I can give you my advice or council without being biased. I am not forcing you... just saying.

X

P.S: you are sorry to hear that I lost someone... next time when you think of suicide, think of that person (I am sure there is at least one person in this world) who is going to be devastated with your death.

Hi X

I realized that you are right. Death is not the answer to any problem and it took me a while to realize that my dying might just worsen things instead of setting everything right.

And yes, there are people who would be hurt by my death so I won't be considering these stupid notions again. I made a mistake, I hurt someone real bad. Sometimes you do things thinking it is for someone's good but it just hurts them so bad.

SD

Hi SD...

I am assuming that you hurt someone you care about thinking that is for that person's good but it just ended hurting them more than you can imagine.

Did you try talking to that person? There is nothing in this world that cannot be solved by a good open conversation.

X

Hi X

Sometimes... conversations are the hardest.

SD

SD...

Have you tried it?

X

Hi X

It is not easy to talk about this.

SD

Hi SD...

I feel more than conversation... you need to open your heart... you know, be ready to talk or do whatever it takes.

X

X...

Even when it is the wrong thing to do?

SD

SD...

You remind me of someone...

What is wrong for you might be right for someone.

And what is right for you might be wrong for someone.

X

Hi X...

Sometimes... wrong is plain wrong.

Who do I remind you of?

SD

SD...

My boss.

I can see that you are a little stubborn. So like my boss.

X

Dear X

When you said that heart thing... you did remind me of someone... someone who works in my company... let's just leave it at that... shall we?

Do you want to tell me how your views on destiny changed?

SD

SD...

You could say love failure.

X

X...

Ah! Love...

That is the reason for all pains... isn't it?

SD

SD...

Yes.

X

SD...

But I still believe in love. Am I crazy?

X

X

Is love in our control? Do we have control over who we love?

SD

SD...

Only if we could control our hearts...

Can we talk about something light hearted now?

X

X...

What do you want to talk about?

SD

SD...

For starters... where are you from?

X

X...

Mumbai... you?

SD

SD...

Wow... me too... and to think that I dropped that bottle in the middle of nowhere.

X

X

Only if you knew my address then you could have directly mailed it and you wouldn't have had to wait for so long for a reply.

SD

SD...

I actually had a "brilliant" plan all sketched out regarding that. I can't believe how stupid I had been back then. Maybe I still am.

X

X...

There is a charm in being stupid.

I like stupid people.

SD

SD...

Are you stupid?

X

X...

Though I would like to think otherwise, I believe I am.

SD

SD...

You say you like stupid people and you say you would like to think otherwise. You are a contradiction in itself.

X

Gauri and Omkara continued to mail each other for over the next couple of months without knowing much about each other.

Gauri turns on the computer after her dinner to check her mails from SD.

"Mama..." Gauri calls out to her mother after her multiple attempts at turning on the computer failed.

"Yes Gauri?" Pinky asks her as she walked in.

"What happened to your computer?" Gauri asks curiously.

"Since morning it is not working. Why are you on my computer?"

"I left my laptop in office." Gauri replies as she tried to reconnect all the wires.

"No pending works?" Pinky asks curiously.

"Someone told me that I shouldn't let anyone bully me. So I decided that I will not bring anymore work home." Gauri says as she stood up giving up. "Mama, you sleep. I'll come soon."

"Where are you going?"

"Main house." Gauri replies as she started to leave.

"Why? What is so important now?" Pinky asks her frowning. "Why are you going there now?"

"I need to check my mails, Mama. It is important."

"I thought you were not going to do any work at home."

"Something can't be avoided." Gauri lies and runs before she could stop her.

Knowing Dhandi kept a spare laptop in the study Gauri runs into the study. Once she realized she was alone, turns on Dhandi's laptop.

X...

I tried that joint you told me. I loved it.

Do you think we will ever meet?

SD

SD...

I would love to meet you.

When and where... you let me know.

X

X...

Next week, Sunday?

Wherever you decide.

SD.

"Next week, Sunday?" Gauri reads out loud surprised.

SD...

I am starting to believe in destiny again.

X

X...

Really? Why?

SD

SD...

I haven't seen you... I don't know your name... but I think I am falling in love with you.

I know I am being too forward but I do believe that love needs to be expressed.

X

Omkara starts smiling reading the mail and stops as after a long time calmness started spreading through his heart. He stops on his way to the study and replies to the mail with a soft smile.

X...

I feel the same.

But I still don't I believe in destiny.

I believe it is more that by chance we came in contact. We talked. We shared our problems. We became friends and then now in love.

I doubt it has anything to do with destiny.

SD

Omkara sends and opens the study and stops seeing Gauri typing away on Dhandi's laptop.

SD...

Now I want to see you quicker than next week. But I will wait because the reason I said that I believe in destiny is because next week, Sunday is my birthday. By destiny you got the message I wrote years ago. Now we are going to meet on my birthday. Isn't it destiny?

X

Gauri was about to press the enter button to send the mail when... "Gauri..."

Gauri turns back in panic.

"What are you doing here?" Omkara asks her uncomfortably.

"I had to send some mails." Gauri replies as she avoided eye contact with him.

"Ah okay." Omkara nods and was about to walk to his table when he stops and asks her, "Does Dhandi know that you are using his laptop?"

"No. My laptop is in the office and Mama's computer is not working."

Omkara nods. "Tomorrow, ask someone in the IT department to get it repaired. She might have difficulty without it." Omkara says.

Gauri nods. Her mother was the head of the staff in his house; she was a Butler at his mansion.

"Wasn't it password protected?" Omkara asks frowning pointing at Dhandi's laptop.

"It wasn't that difficult to guess it." Gauri replies shrugging.

Omkara curiously look at her.

"Boss's soldier." Gauri replies with a hint of a smile.

Omkara couldn't help chuckle hearing that. "He is going to throw a fit if he finds out about it."

"He is already sitting on my head." Gauri shrugs not caring about Dhandi's reaction.

"I know he is pushing you beyond your limits. Trust me, he has his own reasons."

"What are they?" Gauri asks curiously.

"They are his reasons. How would I know?" Omkara asks her as he walked to his table with a shrug. "Is your work done?"

"Yes." Gauri uncomfortably replies getting his message. "I was just sending a mail." Gauri replies and hits send.

A second later, Omkara's mobile beeps and he quickly checks the mail with a smile. The moment he reads the mail his smile drops.

"Good night." Gauri replies.

Omkara looks up at Gauri in shock and she was looking at him.

"Is everything alright?" Gauri asks in concern seeing him going pale.

Quickly recovering Omkara nods and Gauri leaves from there.

Omkara sat back on his chair re-reading the mail again and again because next week, Sunday is my birthday that line just took his breath away because that was even Gauri's birthday, and he couldn't help remember the timing of him receiving the mail. Gauri had sent the mail and he had received it around the same time. Could she be the same person? Fuck! What kind of twisted joke is life playing with him?

Making up his mind, Omkara sends a mail.

X...

Can you send me a pic of yours?

SD

Omkara waited for half an hour hoping against hope that he would get a mail but somewhere in him he knew that he was not going to get a reply tonight because Gauri had no access to net.

Next day seeing the mail, Gauri without a moment's doubt or thoughts, send her pic. After that she waited and waited for a reply which never came.

A week later, Omkara was in his study as he got another mail from Gauri.

SD...

What happened? You said you love me. Why are you avoiding me now?

Don't you like the way I look?

Please reply. I am missing you.

X

Omkara sighs painfully as he closed his eyes. What could he do to ease her pain? What could he possibly do to right this messed up tangle?

Hearing a knock at the door, he bids the person to enter. Pinky opens the door and walks in.

"Pinky..." Omkara nods at her as he gestured her to sit. Seeing the worried look on her face, he knew she was here for Gauri.

"Captain... Gauri... I am losing her." Pinky tells him worried as she refused to sit.

"Pinky..." Omkara starts to say something... anything... but what could he possibly say?

"She doesn't talk to me anymore. She stopped going to office. All she does is sit in front of the laptop all day long and cry. Something had terribly gone wrong and I know it has something to do with you." Pinky accuses him.

Unable to sit idle, Omkara gets up and walks to the window in order to avoid looking her in the eye.

"She has never given anyone other than you such a power over her to hurt her so much. What did you do?" Pinky asks him.

Omkara remains silent refusing to answer her.

"I am grateful to you for many things. After Shakti died, you gave shelter to Gauri and me. You gave me a job so I could live with self-respect. You understood my worries and put me up in the staff quarters so no one would question Gauri's or my character for staying with you in a house. You gave Gauri a job. I am grateful to you for all that. But today my Gauri is hurt and only you can hurt her to such an extent that she forgets everything else."

"There is nothing like that."

"You think I am a fool? I am her mother. It took me a while but I understood that she was infatuated with you a long time ago."

Hearing her, Omkara turns to look at her in shock not knowing what to say. He had always thought that Pinky was unaware of Gauri's feelings for him but now...

"Gauri used to get upset over no reasons. She would cry for no reason. At first I never understood then I slowly started realizing it was when you brought women home." Pinky tells him angrily.

Omkara looks away unable to face her, he was the reason Gauri was sad.

"I thought, she was small she will grow out of it. It was my biggest mistake. I brushed it off as an adolescent crush but as she grew her feelings for you became stronger. I started getting scared and I thought of taking her away from here but then where could I take her? Which place would provide a girl her age the safety and security that you give her?" Pinky asks him as she cried. "I wished and hoped that you would just get married but you never did. I hoped Gauri would agree to marry someone but she refused to even talk about marriage."

"Few months back... she had come here at night and I don't know what you told her or what happened, she had come back so broken. I had never seen her like that. With great difficulty I had managed her then. That night I realized and I prayed to God that if she is not able to love anyone else then just let her be with you. Few days later, I noticed that she was so happy... even you were. And I thought maybe things had changed for the better. But now she is so miserable. I can't see her like this."

"She is just 24." Omkara whispers as he looked at her with tears in his eyes.

"I know... no mother would like her daughter to marry a man who is 20 years older to her but her happiness is solely with you. The age difference doesn't matter to me anymore. All that matters is that Gauri is happy." Pinky tells him. "I became a widow very young in life. There is no guaranty to life. So let her be happy as along as she lives." Pinky pleads him.

"Captain, my Shakti took a bullet meant for you. He died to protect you." Pinky reminds Omkara. "I lost my husband because of you. I don't want to lose my daughter also because of you. If you feel anything for her then please accept her love." Pinky begs him.

Gauri was sitting in front of her laptop as she kept refreshing the page hoping for a mail from him. as her tears fell from her eyes, she kept wiping it off.

"Gauri..." Omkara calls her name as he stood at her bedroom door.

Hearing him, Gauri turns to look at him in shock and seeing him flinch looking at her she turns around to wipe her face.

She looked miserable with tears, paleness, dark circles and she looked like she lost weight. "I need to talk to you."

"I am waiting for an important mail." Gauri replies as she looked at her mail to refresh yet again.

Omkara was shocked hearing her reply, never in his life had he had to call her even once. Before that it self she would be in front of him and today he has to call her a second time.

"This is important, Gauri."

"This mail is more important." Gauri replies ignoring him.

Furious with her in difference towards him, he walks to her and holding her hand he starts walking off dragging her behind him.

"What are you doing?" Gauri furiously asks him as she tried to keep up phase with him.

"I want to talk to you."

"I was busy."

Omkara stops suddenly and turns to look at her. "So this is how much it hurts when someone is indifferent to you... is it?" Omkara asks her as he looked her in the eye.

Gauri stops in shock hearing his question. Then she looks at him. She had been so preoccupied with herself that she didn't notice the change in him. He looked miserable. He had dark circles... his eyes were red... he looked tired.

"Have you been drinking a lot?" Gauri asks him frowning.

"Yes." Omkara replies relieved seeing her concern for him, maybe all was not lost.

"Is everything alright?" Gauri asks him as she walked with him towards the main house.

"It will be." Omkara promises her.

Omkara opens the door of his study for Gauri and she walks in. he closes the door and follows her in. Omkara holds her hand and gently turns her around to face him.

"I am sorry I hurt you, Gauri." Omkara tells her as he cupped her face.

"Whatever you do... it doesn't matter to me anymore, Captain." Gauri whispers to him as she looked down.

Even though he knew that she still loved him though through another identity now, it still hurt to hear her say that.

"Will you be able to forgive me ever, Gauri?" Omkara asks her.

"You haven't done anything to apologize."

"I am very sorry, Gauri. I shouldn't have done what I did." Omkara tells her.

"You don't owe me anything. You are a free man. You can be with anyone you want and do whatever..." Gauri stops as she looked away unable to handle the pain on revisiting that memory.

Omkara cups her faces and tells her what he had wanted to tell her always but could never, "I love you, Gauri."

Gauri looks at him in shock hearing him say something she had always wanted to hear from him but then... she was happy and sad at the same time. She didn't know what to do.

"I do, Gauri. For the longest time." Omkara whispers to her as tears fell from his eyes.

Gauri removes his hands and moves back as tears fell from her eyes. "Please don't. It is too late."

"It is not, Gauri." Omkara tells her as he moved forward towards her.

"It is, Captain. I love another."

Omkara was hurt hearing her and he asks her, "Don't you love me anymore?"

Did she? Gauri asked herself. Could she forget the love she felt for him so easily? Was it even possible? "I don't know." Gauri whispers honestly as tears fell from her eyes. "I loved you so much, Captain." Gauri whispers as she cried. "So much. That I couldn't sleep at night thinking how I could make you understand that my love for you is sincere and strong. I was hurt every time you brought other women home. Every time I told you that I loved you, you rejected me. The women kept changing in your life but I was never one of them. Then that day..."

Omkara looks away unable to look at her for the pain he had caused her.

"You saw me. You knew I was watching you. Still you kissed her. You made out with her in front me." Gauri reminds him as she broke into loud sobs.

"I thought I was doing the right thing." Omkara whispers as tears fell from his eyes for what he did to her.

"I died that day. You killed me, Captain." Gauri tells him softly.

"I died too, Gauri." Omkara confesses to her as he held her hand. "I love you so much, Gauri... I wanted to do the right thing for you. You are so young but I am so older to you... I thought you deserved a better partner than me."

"Is it my fault that I am 20 years younger to you?"

"No, Gauri."

"Then why was I punished for it every time?" Gauri asks him helplessly.

Omkara helplessly looks at her unable to answer her. At that time, he had thought it was for her better future but now it all seemed as a big hole.

"The day Papa died, I had written a message and put it in a bottle thinking I would leave it in the pool and you would find and contact me. I would be a mysterious girl who you could fall in love with." Gauri tells him. "But you threw it away into the sea then.... I was so broken after you kissed that woman in front of me... and that time, I got a mail on the email id I had written on the message. I don't know what made me reply to the mail... was it the misplaced trust in destiny or for my feelings for you... but I did reply."

"He replied to my mail... then I kept mailing him... talking to him... opening up to him." Gauri turns to look at him and tells him, "Because he sounded so much like you. He was like you in every way. The only difference, he talked to me more than you did. But he was you."

When Omkara remained silent, she continues, "I don't know whether it was because he was like you or I was trying to grasp onto something that is like you, that I fell in love with him. I don't know when he started mattering to me more than you did. I don't know If I still love you. Or I don't even know whether you are more important to me than him. I just don't know."

"Gauri, it's the sam.."

"But he doesn't love me. He said he did but after seeing my photo he just stopped mailing me." Gauri tells him as she wiped the tears that fell from her eyes. "Am I not good enough to be loved?"

Hearing her heart breaking question, Omkara pulls her towards him and cups her face. "You are everything a man could want in a woman."

"Then why is he doing this to me? You kept rejecting me. Now even he is rejecting me. why did you reject me if I was so good?"

"How could I accept your love, Gauri? I don't know when I started to love you but I could never accept your love or give you my love. I thought it was wrong but now I truly do believe that you are destined to be mine."

Gauri stops in shock hearing him as she stared at him. "Destined to be yours?" she asks him in a bare whisper.

"After what I did to you... I just couldn't live like that. I had hurt the person I have loved the most. I could never accept my love for you but I could never make you understand that we were not meant to be. My life was like this... I wanted you to have a good life and I thought as long as I am alive you will never be happy. I was trying to kill myself when your bottle reached me."

"It was you?" Gauri asks him in shock.

"The bottle reminded me of you. I remembered throwing it away into the sea. I got drunk and I thought maybe the girl who wrote it might be wasting her life waiting for someone that was never going to come like you are doing for me. So in a drunken moment, I wrote that mail. Then she replied. I replied. As her mails increased she seemed more like you. I could talk to her what I could never talk with you. I don't know when I started to feel for her what I felt for you. I thought she was more of my age and maybe once I settled down maybe you would be able to move on. I decided to meet you and realizing your birthday was coming... I panicked thinking you might expect me to do things for you and decided to be away the whole day and thought to meet her that day... then she told me her birthday was on the same day. And I just knew... I could never fall in love with someone else other than you. My heart knew all along that you were her or I always prayed that it was you." Omkara tells her.

Gauri looks at him in shock digesting what he had told her. Her message for him had reached him? After 9 years?

"Will you be able to forgive me for what I did, Gauri?"

"I forgave you that day, itself Captain." Gauri tells him as she gently wiped his tears. "I never understood your reasoning about the age difference, but I always knew whatever you did it was for what you believed good for me. I knew why you were with her and I forgave you like your all other women. It was difficult for me to forget what I saw... but I forgive you. all I want is for you to love me."

"I do love you, Gauri. More than you think possible." Omkara tells her as he cupped her face. "More than you could ever love me." Omkara tells her as he took her lips in his.

Hugging him happily, Gauri kisses him back with all her love, heartbreak, pain and passion. They continued to kiss each other with hunger and passion, soon it was not enough and soon they needed to tell each other with more than words how much they love each other.

"I should go." Gauri whispers to Omkara as she snuggled him on the carpeted floor of his study. "Before Mama decides to come looking for me."

"We surely don't want her to catch us like this." Omkara chuckles softly.

"She will go blind." Gauri softly chuckles as she sits up and starts wearing her clothes while Omkara unabashedly watched her.

"Captain... when are we getting married?" Gauri asks him to distract him as him staring at her was making her conscious.

Omkara smiles at her and then asks her as he sat up as he started to get dressed. "When do you want to get married?"

"Soon. But mama..."

"She knows everything." Omkara tells her about what Pinky had told him when she had come to see him that morning.

"So Mama was the reason you decided that age was just a number?" Gauri asks him smiling.

"I don't know... maybe I would have come to my senses soon. I couldn't go on hurting you again." Omkara tells her cupping her face.

Gauri hugs him and smiles happily.

Next morning, Omkara had talked to Pinky about Gauri's and his marriage and they had decided to have the marriage in a weeks' time as both of them didn't want to wait any longer.

Later, Gauri comes to meet Omkara and finds Dhandi instead in the study. Seeing her Dhandi starts frowning.

"You were on sick leave, right?"

"I am fine now." Gauri says as she scowled at him.

"Then why aren't you in office."

"I'll come to office whenever I want. Start calling me Ma'm." Gauri tells him angrily having enough of his bullying her.

Dhandi looks at her in shock and asks in shock, "Boss told you?"

"Of course he did." Gauri replies. "If not me then who would he tell it to? You?"

"Yes." Dhandi replies offended. "I am his soldier!"

"You knew and still you treated me like a slave?" Gauri asks him furious. "Wait till Captain hears about this."

"He told me to do all that." Dhandi replies just as Omkara sauntered in.

"You!" Gauri turns to Omkara furiously.

"What did I do now?" Omkara asks curiously, his experience has taught him that she is always right and he is always wrong.

"You told him to treat me like a slave? Do you know how many times he has screamed at me in front of everyone?" Gauri furiously asks him.

"That Gauri..." Omkara hesitantly starts to explain.

"You need to be tougher when you have to handle such a big empire." Dhandi explains to her.

"Empire? What empire?" Gauri asks frowning.

"Oberoi Industries." Dhandi tells her frowning. "He told me to train you. So I had to push you beyond your limits because I knew you were capable."

"And he is very proud of you. He is always singing your praises." Omkara tells Gauri smiling proudly.

"But why should I be heading Oberoi Industries?" Gauri asks confused.

"Because according to Boss's will you will inherit everything." Dhandi explains.

Gauri turns to Omkara in shock while Omkara looks away slightly embarrassed.

"Why Captain?"

"You are all I have, Gauri." Omkara shrugs in reply.

Gauri hugs him feeling touched hearing him say that.

"You said he told you right?" Dhandi asks curiously.

"That he loves me not this."

"He told you he loves you?" Dhandi asks shocked.

"Yes. He loves me. You shocked?" Gauri asks smiling as she held Omkara's hand happily.

"Of course I am shocked that he confessed in this birth. When is the wedding?" Dhandi asks as he started planning about the wedding.

Omkara wakes up hearing the knock at the door. He opens the door to see Gauri smiling at him ear to ear.

"Gauri... what are you doing here?" Omkara asks shocked.

"It's night. So I thought we will fly kite." Gauri replies sarcastically.

"Fly kite?" Omkara asks her as he stepped aside to let her in.

Gauri looks at Omkara in shock wondering whether he really thought she was serious.

Omkara locks the door and turns to her, "That is so boring. How about we wrestle on the bed?" Omkara asks with a sexy smirk.

"You look so hot and handsome. Then why were you so worked up about your age?" Gauri asks him as she leaned up on one arm while with the other hand she caressed his super sexy abs.

Omkara chuckles as he held her hand to stop her tantalizing touch. "You look no older than 34." Gauri tells him as she hugged him.

"That is some 10 years older to you."

"Are we back to age?"

"No... you were discussing." Omkara smiles at her as he kissed her brows.

"We wasted so much time."

"But it is the correct age for you to marry. You are well settled in the office."

"Why do you never come to office?" Gauri asks him curiously.

"I like staying here." Omkara tells her shrugging. "And I can manage everything without a problem from here."

"Hmmm then you stay here. I won't force you to come to office." Gauri tells him smiling.

"You are going to change me?" Omkara asks her curiously.

"Everything that I don't like in you are going to change." Gauri tells him with a teasing smile.

"Can't wait." Omkara tells her with a loving smile.

"I don't want babies soon." Gauri tells Omkara.

"Why?" Omkara asks curiously.

"I just got you. I don't want to share you with anyone. I want you all to myself." Gauri tells him as she hugged him possessively as she looked at his face.

"Okay. How about a year later?"

"Only 2 kids. One boy and a girl." Gauri tells him and before Omkara could reply, Gauri spots a grey hair on his head.

"Your hair is greying." Gauri tells him smiling excitedly. "Never color or dye your hair. You would look super sexy with white hair. Exactly like George Clooney."

"Do you want me to grow my beard and mustache like him?" Omkara asks her chuckling.

"Do you want me to rape you everytime I look at you?" Gauri asks him eyes wide making Omkara burst out laughing.

"You don't have to give me all your properties." Gauri tells him gently. "I just want you. nothing more."

"I know love. But you are all I have."

"What about that cousin brother of yours? That you offered as a substitute for you?" Gauri curiously asks him.

"He is a wastrel." Omkara tells her in disgust.

"Good. Otherwise you would have tried to get me married off to him years ago."

"That wouldn't have happened because you are destined to be mine." Omkara tells her confidently.

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- Lazy