Hello everyone, I am back with a new OS. The title is from a book by Lisa Kleypas.

By the way, I have started posting my old ff It's In His Kiss with Rikara, if you guys are interested do check it out, Inn Shaa Allah, it will be updated daily.

https://www.wattpad.com/story/256920194-rikara-ff-it%27s-in-his-kiss

Just a warning, some people might find certain things in this story objectionable, so read at your own discretion.

I don't know why, I wanted to write a light hearted story and thought of an idea but when I developed that story, it has become a melodrama fest.

Haven't proofread.

"I don't want to get married now, O." Rudra tells him as he sat opposite to Omkara in his study.

Om sighs loudly. "She has no one, Rudy."

"I am just 24 years old." Rudra tells him irately.

Om looks up at him tiredly and says, "I understand that. but you know, Gauri's parents and Dad and Mom had decided ages ago that Gauri would be married into our house. After her parents passed away, 5 months back, she has been living alone in UK hostel. Now that her studies are over, so Dad and Mom want to fulfill the promise made to their dead friends."

"I haven't seen her after she left India when we were kids." Rudra mutters.

"No one has seen her." Om points out to him.

"I don't even know her."

"Even we don't."

"This is not fair." Rudra says adamantly.

"I know, when she comes you talk to her. She might agree to wait till you are ready or you guys can come to a decision together." Om tells him as he started to get to work.

"What if she disagrees?" Rudra asks him.

"Let's hope she is a loving, understanding girl." Om says as he started getting back to work.

Hearing a knock at the door, Om bids the person to enter.

"Sir, your parents are calling you both down." Dandi pokes his head in and tells him.

"She is here." Om tells Rudra as he stood up.

Sighing in depression, Rudra gets up.

As they walked to the living room they could hear Gauri talking. She sounded excited.

"She is so excited!" Rudra moans in depression.

Om couldn't help smile as he listened Gauri talk about her flight. "She is beautiful." Om tells Rudra with a smile.

"Shut up!"

"There you are." Jhanvi says smiling seeing Rudra and Om.

Gauri stops and smiles happily seeing them. "Hi, Om." Gauri says smiling.

Om and Rudra were a little taken back hearing her addressing Om instead of Rudra.

"Hi." Om replies.

"And that is Rudra." Jhanvi tells Gauri.

"I know." Gauri replies smiling. "Hi Rudy."

"Hi." Rudra replies surprised seeing her being so familiar with him.

"He is my facebook friend." Gauri tells Jhanvi.

"Ah..." Jhanvi replies smiling.

"You never mentioned, Rudy." Om tells Rudra in a teasing tone.

"You never accepted my facebook request." Gauri tells Om as she pointed a finger at him.

"Oh..." Om was surprised hearing that. "I am not very active on it."

"I know." Gauri tells him smiling. "That is why I send Rudy a request and I check your profile through his profile." Gauri tells him chuckling.

"My profile?" Om asks surprised as he looked at Rudra.

"Is something wrong with her?" Rudra softly whispers to Om.

Tej and Jhanvi look at each other hearing what Gauri was saying.

"Why don't you freshen up, Gauri?" Jhanvi asks her smiling.

"Sure." Gauri replies smiling.

"I know you are eager to talk to Rudra and get to know him..." Jhanvi starts to say.

"Why?" Gauri asks confused. "Why do I have to get to know him?"

Rudra turns to gape at Om and sees him gaping at Gauri.

"You both are going to get married." Jhanvi gently reminds her wondering if Gauri had any problem.

"Rudra?" Gauri asks shocked. "I am to marry Omkara, right?"

Hearing the question, there was pin drop silence in the room.

Gauri looks at Omkara wanting an explanation while Om stood there, blood completely drained from his face.

"What?" Tej asks her shocked.

"Gauri, we were thinking Rudra for you." Jhanvi gently tells her.

"But I love Om." Gauri replies getting agitated.

"You don't know me." Om tells her, unable to hide his shock.

"Ever since I was small... I thought.... we were getting married." Gauri tells him as eyes filled with tears.

"But Gauri, we never said anything like that." Jhanvi gently tells her.

"Rudra is my age." Gauri points out. "He is just 3 months elder to me, so I thought I was marrying Omkara."

"Gauri..." Jhanvi starts in an appeasing tone.

Gauri looks at her and when she realized she was going to say something to convince her, she turns her gaze back to Om and asks him, "Why are you silent, Om? please say something."

Seeing the tears in her eyes, Om felt his heart break but he had nothing to say other than the truth and he informs her, "I am already engaged, Gauri."

Hearing him, Gauri staggers back in shock. Jhanvi quickly holds her.

"Jhanvi, why don't you take Gauri to her room?" Tej gently tells him.

"Why do you have to be so blunt?" Rudra furiously whispers to Om. "Couldn't you be a little kind?"

Om gulps seeing Gauri staring at him in shock.

Seeing Jhanvi about to guide Gauri to her room. Rudra stops her. "I'll take Gauri, Mom."

Then without waiting for any reply, Rudra walks to Gauri and holding her shoulders, he leads Gauri to her room.

**********

Rudra gently makes Gauri sit on the bed.

"Are you okay?" Rudra asks her in concern.

"He is marrying someone else?" Gauri asks Rudra as she looked at him.

"Yes." Rudra replies in a soft whisper.

"What about me?" Gauri asks as tears fell from her eyes.

"Please don't cry." Rudra tells her as he wiped her tears.

Bursting into tears, Gauri hugs Rudra and starts wailing.

**********

Half an hour later, Rudra comes out of Gauri's room and softly closes the door.

"How is she?"

Rudra turns to the sound and find Om standing nearby.

"Terrible." Rudra replies.

"I just didn't know how to tell her." Om tells him regretfully.

Rudra nods. "I know, brother."

Om sighs thoughtfully.

"Maybe later, you talk to her." Rudra tells him and starts to walk off.

"What do I tell her?" Om helplessly asks him.

Rudra turns to him and tells him. "Tell her to give me a chance."

"You want to marry her?" Om asks shocked.

Rudra shrugs. "She needs someone in life."

**********

Gauri had stayed in her room the whole day. At night, when everyone had gone to sleep Omkara knocks on Gauri's door. He doesn't hear any reply and was about to go when he hears her sniff. He opens the door and finds her lying on the bed.

"Gauri..." he softly calls her.

Gauri turns to look at him and realizing it was Om, she gets up from the bed and runs to him, throwing herself at him.

"How can you marry someone else, Om?" Gauri asks as she cried. "Don't I mean anything to you."

Om's first instinct was to tell her that other than her name, he really didn't know anything about her but then the way she was crying stopped him.

"I am sorry, Gauri."

"You are all I have, Om." Gauri tells him as she looked into his eyes. "I have no one else."

"You've my parents... my brother." Om gently tells her.

"But you're all I want." Gauri tells him as she cried. "Ever since I was small, I have only thought about you."

"Gauri... there is someone else in my life." Om gently tells her.

"Can't you call off the wedding?"

"I can't."

Gauri closes her eyes in pain. Seeing the tears falling from her eyes, Om wipes her tears.

"I am sorry that I am the reason that you are sad. But the truth is I can't do anything about it." Om tells her as gently as he could.

"Do you love her?" Gauri asks as she looked into his eyes.

"I can't call off the wedding."

"But do you love her?" Gauri insists.

"I won't call off the wedding, Gauri." Om tells her in finality.

Sad and rejected, Gauri steps back.

Om takes her hand in his and gently guides her to the bed. He makes her sit and kneels in front of her.

"Will you please listen to what I have to say?" Om asks her.

Gauri nods in reply.

"What do you know about me, Gauri?" Omkara asks. "Other than my name, my family and my age? What do you know about me?"

"But I love you, Om."

"You love the idea of me. not me. we don't even know each other for you to love me." Om tells her.

"But I do." Gauri argues.

"Listen to me, Gauri." Om says as he forcefully cupped her face, he was losing his patience. "You have been in love with the idea of a fiancé, not me. we don't know each other. You don't know me for you to love me."

When Gauri was about to say something, Om says in an angry tone, "Don't say you love me."

Gauri sadly gulps as she looked down.

"Rudra said he wants to marry you. why don't you give him a chance?"

"No." Gauri says immediately.

"Please Gauri, for me?" Om asks hoping her so called love to at least make her a little reasonable.

"I'll do anything and everything for you. but not this." Gauri tells him as she cried.

"Gauri..."

"If you don't want me then I will go from here. But please don't ask me to marry someone else."

"Give him a chance, Gauri. Once you get to know him, maybe you'll fall in love with him. And you will get over this infatuation of yours."

"No."

"It's been not even a day since you have come here and because of you my whole family is depressed. They feel like they committed a crime. It's not their fault that you assumed things. I can't see my family like that. it kills me to see them like that."

"What do you want me to do?" Gauri asks him as she looked him in the eye.

"Stop crying. Be nice to my family and please give Rudra a chance."

Gauri nods and tells him, "You don't worry. I'll do it."

Om was completely surprised to see her give in and he had no idea why she just did. And it kind of unnerved him with this change in her and he had no idea why.

"Thank you."

"You don't have to say, thank you. I'll even give my life for you, Omkara." Gauri tells him as she lovingly caressed his cheek.

That gentle touch of hers, made his heart slam against his chest, made him light headed and his breathing shallow. Om quickly moves back seeing the way her touch had affected him.

"You should sleep." Om tells her and quickly turns to leave. Then he notices the food kept on the table. "You didn't eat?"

"I am not hungry." Gauri replies.

"I know you haven't had anything since you've come here. So, eat something." Om tells her sternly.

Gauri nods her head.

**********

Om had a restless night thinking of Gauri. He knew he was not at fault for the way Gauri thought, but still he felt guilty. Her tears were disturbing him.

Getting ready for the day, Om was about to climb down the stairs to go to the living room to meet his family when he hears Gauri speaking to his family. He stops to listen.

"I am very sorry for the way I behaved last night. You all were so kind to me and I had no right to behave like that. Please forgive me." Gauri politely tells them. "It's my mistake that I assumed things."

Hearing her repeat what he had told her the previous night, his heart breaks a little. He realized that he had hurt her more last night.

"Rudy... if you are interested then I want to give us a chance." Gauri tells him.

Rudra smiles and walks to her. He takes her hand and smiles at her, "Even I want to give us a chance."

As if sensing him, Rudra curiously look up. Rudra looks at Om. Seeing Rudra looking at something, Gauri turns to look. Seeing Omkara quickly moving behind the pillar to hide from Gauri, Rudra hugs her distracting her. and he felt Gauri stiffen in his arms.

**********

Instead of going to his family, Om had gone to his study to work. He somehow wanted to avoid Gauri.

After sometime, Dandi comes to call him for breakfast. Having no other option, he decides to go down.

As Om neared the dining room, he could hear his family laughing and Gauri excitedly talking to them. It all felt so weird for him. This Gauri was completely different from the one he met the night before. No one would say she is heartbroken.

The moment he entered she stopped talking. He looks at her and sees her looking at him. As their eyes locked, he saw tears starting to fill her eyes. She quickly looks down and he could see her trying to take deep breath.

"Hey, you were in the middle of something." Rudra tells her as he tapped on her shoulder.

"Haan... where was I?" Gauri asks as she nervously continued to look down.

"Your teacher caught you."

Taking a deep breath, she looks at Rudra smiling and continues to tell a funny story about how she had got caught cheating for exam. And not even once did she look at Om's side.

"What plans for today, Gauri?" Rudra asks her.

"No plans." Gauri replies shrugging.

"I was thinking maybe we can go out today."

"Yeah sure." Gauri replies smiling.

"Is it okay if I take an off today, O?" Rudra asks looking up at Om.

Om looks at Rudra and couldn't help it, his eyes automatically moves to Gauri and sees her looking down, he turns to look at Rudra and replies, "Yeah sure."

"Great." Rudra smiles.

Soon after Om left for work.

**********

"You work in Om's company?" Gauri asks curiously as they walked around the mall aimlessly.

"Yeah. O started a business sometime back."

"I know." Gauri softly whispers.

Rudra didn't know how to reply to that, then he decided not to reply to that and continue talking. "After I finished college, I joined his office."

Gauri nods.

"What are you plans? Any plans to work?" Rudra asks her.

"I want to start a boutique."

"Nice." Rudra says smiling.

**********

By the time, Om got back home, Rudra and Gauri where home. Gauri avoided Omkara and he didn't bother her during dinner.

After dinner, when he was sure everyone had gone to sleep, he went to see Gauri as he wanted to thank her for what she did that day. He could see that his parents were more relaxed today.

He knocks on her door and there was no answer. He opens the door and finds her lying on the bed and crying her heart out. Hearing her heart wrenching sobs, his heart broke.

"Gauri." Om softly calls her.

Gauri turns to look at Om then sitting up, she tells him. "I can't do this, Om. it's killing me. please stop making me do this."

Om walks to her and he kneels in front of her. "I wanted to thank you for what you did today. My family is feeling so much better already."

"It's so difficult, Om." Gauri tells him.

Om wipes her tears and tells her, "Don't give up, Gauri. Keep going like this and very soon you'll laugh from your heart. And Rudy will make a place for him in your heart and you'll forget this silly crush."

Gauri looks at Om for some time as what he had said sunk in and her heart broke again. She sadly looks at him, and says "When my parents passed away, Jhanvi aunty and Tej Uncle had called me. Every day they called me to make sure I was fine."

Seeing the tears falling from her eyes, Om wipes her tears.

"But you didn't." Gauri softly whispers.

Om gulps and cups her face. he had heard about their accident and eventual death but apart from praying for their soul and for Gauri, he hadn't really thought much about it.

"I kept waiting for you to call. I kept thinking why you didn't call. I was all alone and I kept waiting for your call. I thought maybe since we never spoke, maybe you didn't know what to tell me. it broke my heart but still I waited for your call. I thought you might come and see me because I was all alone and you knew I had no one. But you didn't. I kept waiting for you to come or call me. I just didn't understand why you wouldn't call me." then looking into his eyes, she says in a heartbreaking voice, "Now I know why... I meant nothing to you."

Om closes his eyes in pain.

"Please don't cry, Om." Gauri begs him as she wiped away his tears.

Without opening his eyes, Om leans down and takes her lips in his. The moment their lips touched, he realized what he was doing and starts to pull back when Gauri wraps her hands around him and pulls him closer to her, kissing him. When she started kissing him, he lost all his rational thinking and he pulls her closer to him and kisses her hungrily.

They slowly part. Trying to catch his breath, Om looks at Gauri and she was looking at him in daze. As hope and a smile started breaking out on her face, he quickly moves back.

"I am sorry. It shouldn't have happened." Om says agitatedly.

Then he sees her heart break again. He couldn't see the pain on her face and turns to walk off.

"Om..."

"A girl is waiting for me, Gauri." Om tells her without looking at her.

"What is her name?" Gauri softly asks him.

Om takes a deep breath and whispers without looking at her. "Ridhima."

"Do you love her?" Gauri asks him softly.

Om hesitates for a few seconds then without replying to her, he walks out of the room.

**********

It was the strangest thing, Rudra and Gauri got along like a house on fire. Everyone including Om was surprised by it. Om was quick to realize that Gauri was no longer faking her interest in Rudra, but genuinely cared for him. But he didn't talk to Rudra regarding it and Gauri, he had avoided her ever since they kissed.

One night, Om was working in his study when he hears a knock at the door. He bids the person to enter and looks up when he hears the door open. He stops in shock seeing Gauri enter. He had been avoiding her for the last couple of days as he couldn't get their kiss out of his head.

"Gauri?" Om says softly as he stood up his heart beating fast.

"You've been avoiding me." Gauri softly tells him.

"Don't you think it best that we avoid each other?" Om asks her back.

Gauri walks towards him and stands in front of him. "I miss you, Om."

Unable to hide his irritation, Om tells her, "We haven't even spent time together for you to miss me."

Seeing that Om was avoiding to look at her face, she asks sadly. "Why won't you even look at me, Om? Do I disgust you so much?"

Hearing her question, Om looks at her eyes and sees the sadness there he couldn't lie. He shakes his head in negative.

Gauri leans up and takes his lips in hers.

"Gauri..." Om starts to stop her.

Gauri cups his face and kisses him. And he couldn't resist. He pulls her close to him, gripping her hair, he deepens the kiss.

When the passionate haze diminished, Om was furious at himself for his lack of self-control when it came to Gauri. He was starting to realize that Gauri was a temptation that he couldn't resist.

"Om..."

"Why the hell do you do this, Gauri?" Om asks her furiously as he ran his hand through his hair. "How many times do I have to tell you that there is a girl in my life. Why the fuck don't you understand that?"

"Because I know you don't love her." Gauri whispers. "You always avoided answering when I asked you about it."

"That doesn't give you the right to do all this." Om tells her furiously.

"When you don't love her why are you not accepting me?"

"Because I don't love you. I don't know you. you are just a fucking stranger to me."

"You are right, but the truth is you can't resist me when we kiss."

"Stop throwing yourself at me. I am engaged."

"Why can't you break the engagement, Om? why is it easy for you to break my heart but not your engagement?" Gauri asks him sadly.

Om looks at her helplessly then sighing he tells her the truth. "A while after I started my business, I was trying to find investors for it so I could expand my business. Ridhima's father was one of the people I approached. He loved my ideas and he invested in my business. He is the major investor for my business. I've expansions and I made more investments. Sometime after that Ridhima's father brought the proposal as he liked me. I thought she is a good match for me and decided to marry her. If I call off the wedding now, he is going to pull off the money and I am going to be in debt. I like Ridhima, she is nice. I have promised her that I will marry her. I don't know you. so, I would rather marry Ridhima than marry you and be in debt."

"I have a house in UK. One in Bareilly. I have been saving up some money to start up a boutique. I will sell my houses and give you all my savings..." Gauri starts to say as she looked into his eyes cupping his face.

Om takes a furious breath, and asks her in uncontrollable fury, "HOW CAN YOU BE SO DESPERATE? SO SHAMELESS? DON'T YOU HAVE ANY SELF-RESPECT?"

"Om..."

"Get the hell out of my sight." Om furiously tells her.

"Om..."

"Don't ever show your face to me. get out of here NOW!"

They hear the door open and both turn to look. They see Rudra standing at the door.

Rudra looks at Om and then he looks at Gauri and asks her, "Are you okay, Gauri?"

Hearing his question, Gauri runs to him and throws herself at him. He hugs her as she cried. "Come, I'll take you to your room."

He was about to walk out of the room but he stops and looks at Om, and tells him, "You don't have to love her, O. you don't have to marry her. you don't have to accept her. but you can at least try to understand her pain."

"It's not his mistake. I was making it difficult for him." Gauri tells Rudra.

Rudra pats her head gently then looking at Om one last time, he walks off with Gauri.

**********

Om was raked with guilt for what he told Gauri. He knew she didn't deserve it but with the way she was pushing him, he was starting to feel trapped. When it came to Gauri, he had no self-control. He had cheated on Ridhima twice now with Gauri. But still Gauri didn't deserve to be treated like that. and she had defended him to Rudy.

He goes to Gauri's room to apologize to her.

**********

Rudra helps Gauri settle on her bed. He puts the blanket over her.

"Now, you sleep tight." Rudra tells her as he patted her cheek.

He was about to leave when Gauri holds his hand.

"Do you really want to marry me?" Gauri asks him.

Rudra smiles and sits next to her. "Do you?"

"No." Gauri replies. "I can only love him."

"I know." Rudra kindly smiles at her.

"Then why did he say that you wanted to marry me?"

"I didn't want to marry you, Gauri. Because I am young and it is not my age to marry. But that day, I felt bad for you. O and my parents told me that you had no one but I never really bothered about it. But when you realized that Om is engaged to someone and I saw how your dreams had crashed, I felt bad for you. my heart went out to you. I brought you here and you were crying that you've no one other than Om. that is when I realized that you really had no one. I felt sorry for you. I pitied you. And I felt it my responsibility to be a companion to you and told Om to talk to you." Rudra explains.

"And now?" Gauri asks him.

Rudra cheekily grins at her, "I still don't want to marry you."

Gauri smiles hearing that.

"We don't connect like that. We connect differently, we have that best friend for life vibe."

"I know." Gauri says smiling happily.

Rudra leans down to her and offers his hand to her. "What say? Best friends for life?"

"Best friends for life." Gauri promises as she happily held his hand.

"Now, no more lies and no more secrets." Rudra tells her.

"I promise."

"And no more fake happiness."

"You knew that?" Gauri asks surprised.

"I've been spending a lot of time with you, so I know when you're genuinely happy and when you're faking happiness for O's sake."

Gauri sadly smiles.

"Tomorrow we are going clubbing."

"No." Gauri shakes her head.

"Okay... We're going to get drunk..."

"I don't drink." Gauri cuts him off.

"There is always a first. And we are getting drunk and crib about my brother."

Gauri smiles hearing that, "I don't think I can ever crib about him."

"Then how about, cry over him?" Rudra asks smiling.

"OKAY!" Gauri says happily.

Chuckling, Rudra leans down and kisses her on the forehead.

The door opens and Om stops in shock seeing Rudra practically lying on top of Gauri.

"What the...?" Om stops in shock.

Sighing Rudra sits up, "If you are here to scream at her then she is going to sleep. You come some other time."

"Rudy... go." Gauri gently pushes him as she starts to sit up.

"Stop sucking up to him like this." Rudra scolds her and walks off. "Don't make her cry again." Rudra warns Om and closes the door.

**********

"What the fuck was that?" Om asks her furiously unable to control his jealousy and possessiveness.

Gauri sits up and looks at him. "You're right, you brother did make a space for himself in my heart."

In two long strides, Om was by her side and he furiously holding her upper arms, pulls her up. "What the fuck are you saying?"

"It's true." Gauri tells him.

Blinded by jealousy and possessiveness, he slams down his lips on hers and roughly starts kissing her wanting to hurt her. But the moment, Gauri started kissing him, Om loosened his grip on her, the kiss turned passionate and hugging her close to him, he kissed her.

"You can't see me with anyone else, then why are you pushing me away?" Gauri asks him as she placed soft kisses on his chin.

When Om doesn't reply, Gauri tells him. "Rudy and I have decided to be best friends, we can't see each other in any other way."

Gauri feels him gently run up his hands on her arms. She starts kissing his neck and whispers to him. "He is my best friend but I haven't told him how you have been kissing his supposed fiancé. Just like how you haven't told your fiancé about it."

Realizing that he was again losing the battle with himself, Om pushes her away. "Why don't you understand, Gauri? That there is someone else in my life? Whom I promised a life together with? Who is waiting for me. You are asking me to break someone's heart because you don't want your heart broken because of a stupid crush!"

"It's not a crush." Gauri tells him feeling hurt.

"If not crush then what the hell is it? What do we know about each other? Have we even talked properly? Do you know anything about me? I know absolutely nothing about you."

"Om..."

"All we have is this sexual attraction. You can't spend your life on just sex!"

Gauri gulps hearing that.

"Since you're not going to be marrying my brother, I don't think you should be staying in my house anymore." Om tells her.

As fresh tears spilled from her eyes, Gauri watched Omkara walk out of her room.

**********

"He told me that I shouldn't stay in your house anymore." Gauri tells Rudra as they sat in Rudra's room drinking beer.

She hadn't even finished one-fourth of her first can while Rudy was on his third can.

"This is not just his house. It's mine too. You're my best friend and you'll stay here."

"I will not do something that he doesn't want me to. And I don't want to stay here anymore." Gauri tells him.

"Don't say that." Rudra tells her.

"I can't stay here and watch him live with Ridhima." Gauri tells him, her heart breaking at the thought.

Rudra keeps his hand on her shoulder understanding her pain. "I am sure, Gauri. If you had met him before he got engaged to Ridhima, then he would have chosen only you."

"I know." Gauri replies as she wiped her tears.

"Who do you have there in UK?" Rudra asks her in concern.

"I've some friends."

"If you ever feel lonely, call me."

"I'll." Gauri tells him smiling then she takes her mobile and books her ticket.

Once the booking was done, she sat there hugging her legs thinking about Om. as she thought of Om and a life without him, she started silently crying.

After a while she asks Rudra. "Can you give me your phone? I want to talk to Om."

When he didn't reply, Gauri turns to him and sees that he had passed out. Gauri with great difficulty picks him up and puts him on the bed. Then she takes his mobile and using his thumb impression, unlocks it. She notes down Omkara's number and leaves the room.

**********

"Hello?" Om answers the call.

"Om."

"Gauri?" Om asks surprised.

"Yes. Can you come to my room, please?"

"Why?" Om asks in a stern tone.

"I want to tell you something."

"You can tell me over the phone."

"Please, Om."

"Fine!"

Om opens the door and walks in to find it empty. He curiously calls out to her. "Gauri?"

"Coming." Gauri replies from the bathroom.

Om turns and closes the door. He hears the bathroom door open and turns to look at her. the moment she came into his view, he stopped breathing.

She was wearing those type of sexy night dress that had noodle strap which didn't even reach her upper thigh. Nothing has ever turned him on like this in his entire life.

"I am going, Omkara. Tomorrow noon is my flight." Gauri tells him with tear filled eyes.

Om starts to take a step towards her and he realizes what he was going to do. He quickly turns around to leave the room.

"Om..."

"Stop it, Gauri!"

"I bought this dress to wear for our suhag raat." Gauri tells him sadly.

Om closes his eyes tight to calm his raising heart.

"Om." Gauri calls him.

"Please stop it, Gauri. This is wrong." Om requests her.

"I am going tomorrow, Om." Gauri tells him again.

Om turns to look at Gauri helplessly. "There is another girl in my life, Gauri. Why are you not understanding that?"

"I know, Om. Ridhima is there in your life. but please, Om. please forget her for tonight. please give me tonight." Gauri pleads him as her hands went to the strap of her dress and she slips it down. Within a second her dress was pooling at her feet. "Please love me tonight, Om."

Seeing Gauri standing in front of him naked, Om's heart stopped beating. He stopped breathing seeing the exquisite sight in front of him. Without even realizing he extends his hand to touch her. seeing his hand, Gauri moves towards him and that broke his trance. He quickly turns around and hurries to the door.

His hand was at the knob when Gauri hugs him from behind.

"Please, Gauri. Please don't do this to me." Om pleads.

"Please love me, Om. just for tonight."

"I am begging you, Gauri. Please, let me go. I already betrayed her, please don't make me do this too. I will fall in my own eyes, Gauri. Please, I am begging you."

"You live your whole life with Ridhima, Om. Please give me tonight. please love me, Om like I love you." Gauri begs him as she tightened her hold on him. "I am scared, Om. I have no one else. I will be alone all my life. if you love me tonight then I'll live in that memory all my life. otherwise I don't think I could go on living."

"Stop it, Gauri."

"After I leave tomorrow, we will never see each other again, Om."

Om's heart skips a beat hearing that. he lets go off the door knob. His hand raises up and he puts the latch on the door. Hearing him lock the door, Gauri moves back as she looked at him. Om turns around and looks at her.

She moves forward and he meets her half the way as their lips found each other's.

Gauri watched as Om stared at the ceiling, lost in thoughts. He hadn't said anything. She watched the rise and fall of his chest. As the erratic breathing steadied, his chest rise and fell slowly. But he didn't say anything. He didn't look at her. Seeing him about to get up from the bed. Gauri quickly throws her hand over him to hold him.

"Leave me." Om says angrily as he tried to get his pants from the floor.

"Please don't go, Om. please stay with me tonight." Gauri begs him.

"Leave me."

Realizing he was too strong for her, Gauri quickly rolls on top of him.

"Please don't go, Om." Gauri tells him as she straddled him.

Om tries to remove her when Gauri falls on him and starts kissing his neck. Om stiffens feeling her inexperienced kisses on his neck. Then she started grinding against him. Om groans as his body betrayed him yet again.

He knew and, he knew that she knew too, a gentle touch of hers was his undoing.

Unable to control himself, Om rolls Gauri over and in a swift motion enters her. Gauri gasps feeling the length of him.

"Om." Gauri calls him.

Om looks at her and then he stops in shock seeing the tears in her eyes, fearing he had hurt her.

"Why don't you believe me, Om? I love you. I have never loved anyone as much as I love you. I've always loved you, Om. and I'll always love you. please believe me, Om. I truly love you."

"I believe you, Gauri." Om tells her feeling so emotional.

"Please don't stop." Gauri whispers to him as she hugged him.

They started moving against each other.

"I love you, Om."

Om looks at her and sees tears roll down her face.

Om leans down and suck in her tears. "I know, baby. I know."

Relieved, Gauri hugs him tight as they took each other to fulfillment.

"I've to go." Om whispers as he tried to get up.

Gauri quickly wraps her legs around him to stop him. "Please don't go, Om. please let me love you tonight. in this whole world, I have no one else to love other than you. let me love you to my heart's content. Please love me like you truly do, Om. just tonight." Gauri begs him.

Om looks into her eyes and vows to her, "I'm never going to forgive you for this, Gauri."

"I know, Om." Gauri whispers with tear stricken face.

**********

Gauri put her things in her bags as she packed up. Her thoughts went back to Omkara. He had left her room without a word early in the morning. And she had laid there on her bed crying.

She had thought a night with Om would ease her pain but it only magnified her pain. Now she knew how it is to be loved by him, she not only has to live without him, she has to live without his love too.

Seeing that it was 8:30, Gauri quickly leaves her room, hoping to catch Omkara before he left for work. She didn't know why exactly she was going to look for him, but she had to see him one more time.

She sees him walking towards the stairs and hurries after him.

"Om." Gauri calls him.

He stops and hesitates for a few seconds. Then he turns around to face her.

"Om..."

His mobile starts ringing. He checks the caller ID and answers the call. "Hello, Ridhima?"

Gauri's heart breaks hearing the name.

"Yeah, I can meet you there in 45 mins.... See you." Om says and hangs up the call.

And Gauri understood why she had gone looking for him, she had hoped that he would say that he wanted to be with her when he sees her.

"What is it?" Om asks her indifferently.

She fought back her tears and tells him, "I am going today."

Om turns around to walk off then he stops and turns back to look at her.

"What did you achieve by last night?" Om asks her.

"Om... I..."

"You cornered me. You forced me, Gauri. You took advantage of me. you seduced me." Om tells her in a hurtful tone. "Do you know..." Om asks her as he leaned down so he could whisper to her, "What you did to me last night, if I had done to you, do you know what people would call it?"

Gauri stops breathing realizing what he had implied, her eyes fill with tear, realizing how much she had hurt him.

Om moves back and tells her, "If this is your love then I am better off without it."

Gauri closes her eyes as tears fell from her eyes.

"I can't believe I was..." Om stops as he looked away.

Gauri's eyes shot up, her heart slamming against her chest willing him to finish what he was going to say.

Om looks back at her and tells her, "If you had given me a little space, a little time, I might have called off the wedding because I was starting to..." Om stops as his eyes filled up. "Now, keep your word, Gauri. we are never ever going to see each other."

Gauri stood there and watched as Om walked off.

**********

Om was sipping on a glass of water as he waited for Ridhima to come.

"Hi Om." Ridhima says as she walked to him smiling.

"Hi." Om says as he stood up.

"I was surprised to see your message that you wanted to meet." Ridhima says as she took a seat.

Om sits down opposite her.

"Is everything alright?" Ridhima asks seeing that Om was looking pretty serious.

"I wanted to tell you something." Om tells her hesitantly.

"Yeah, tell me." Ridhima tells him as she sat up realizing that whatever that he wanted to tell her wasn't good.

"Ridhima... I am very sorry..."

"What is it, Om?" Ridhima asks feeling nervous.

"I can't marry you."

"Wha... why?" Ridhima asks as she went pale. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No... it's not you... it's me." Om quickly tells her.

For some time, she didn't say anything, she just sat there lost in thoughts.

"Why do you want to call off the wedding?" finally she asks softly.

Om looks away as he tried to find a way to tell her the truth that would be less painful, telling the truth bluntly, how that hurts he had seen it with Gauri.

"OM!"

Having no other way to tell her the truth, he tells her, "Last night I cheated on you."

He sees her eyes fill with tears and she quickly looks away.

"I am sorry, Ridhima." Om tells her.

Ridhima looks at him and tells him sadly, "You could have just not told me this. You could have hidden it from me."

"I could have." Om agrees. "The truth is, I realize that as long as she is there, I can never be loyal to anyone else."

Seeing her face, Om realized that whatever he had told her, has made her furious.

Ridhima stands up as furious tears stung her eyes. She was about to leave when she notices the water he was drinking. She takes the glass and throws the water on his face. then slamming the glass on the table, she walks off.

**********

Much later, Om walks into his house and finds his parents worriedly waiting for him.

"Om... what is happening?" Tej asks him as he hurried to him. "Mr. Kapoor called saying that you called off the wedding? We were trying to reach you. what happened? Mr. Kapoor is furious and on top of that you were not answering his calls too."

"What happened, Om?" Jhanvi asks him worriedly. "Did you really call off the wedding?"

"Yes."

"But why?" Jhanvi asks him confused.

"It won't work out, Mom." Om answers her and starts to walk off.

"Did you know Gauri also left today? Rudra went to drop her to the airport."

"Hmmm."

"O." Rudra calls him as he hurried in. "What is Mom saying? Did you really call off your wedding?"

"Yes." Om replies as he turned to look at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Rudra asks him furiously. "Why didn't you tell Gauri that you were calling off the wedding? Right now, she is on a flight to UK."

"Good." Om replies and walks off.

**********

"All Settled?" Rudra asks on the phone.

"Yeah." Gauri replies. "How is Om?"

"Ermm... ermm..."

"What is it, Rudy?" Gauri asks getting worried. "Is he alright?"

"He called off his wedding." Rudra hesitantly tells her.

"What?" Gauri whispers in shock. "When?"

"Last week. The day you left. He is saying they won't work out."

"What?" Gauri asks shocked. He had been so sure of Ridhima then... oh God... "Did he say anything about me?"

"No." Rudra quickly replies.

"We promised no lies." Gauri reminds him realizing whatever Om had said is not anything good.

"I asked him why he didn't tell you that he was going to do it. That now, you were on a flight to UK..." Rudra stops as he hesitates on what to tell her.

"What did he say?"

"He said, good." Rudra softly whispers.

Gauri closes her eyes realizing she didn't deserve any better for what she did to him.

"He said her father will be take his funding." Gauri says as her heart slammed against her chest.

"He did." Rudra tells her with a sad sigh.

"And?"

"O is in some financial trouble now."

Gauri closes her eyes realizing that she was the root cause for all of Omkara's troubles.

"He has been talking to each of them and has convinced them to give him time. he is strong and smart; he will sort it out. You don't worry."

"I could arrange some money..."

"He is too proud to take money like that. Dad offered to break his FD, it is not even one-tenth of what O needs now. but it would have been a great help still he refused."

"It's all because of me." Gauri tells him sadly.

"What did you do?" Rudra asks her.

"I can't tell you that." Gauri says remembering their night together.

"We promised no secrets."

"I need some time to share it with you." Gauri tells him sadly.

"Okay."

**********

"Hey Gauri, what's up?" Rudra asks as he answers her call.

"I want to see you." Gauri tells him.

Chuckling Rudra tells her, "Darling, I am Rudra, not O."

"Please Rudy."

"What happened, Gauri?" Rudra asks her in concern.

"I'll tell you when I see you."

"Okay... I'll come on skype now."

"No... no... I want you to come here." Gauri clarifies.

"To UK?" Rudra asks shocked.

"Yes. You've visa, right? That day you told me you've."

"Yeah, it is valid for a year or so." Rudra replies confused. "But you want me

to come there?"

"Yes. Please, Rudy. It is very important otherwise I wouldn't have asked you."

"Okay."

**********

A week later, Rudra walks in with Gauri to her small apartment.

"There is only one bedroom. You can use that; I'll sleep on the living room sofa-bed." Gauri tells him as she gestured to the bedroom.

"I'll take the sofa-bed; you can stay in your room."

"No..."

"Trust me, Gauri. I can sleep anywhere. So, you sleep in your room."

Gauri nods.

"I just don't understand why you would sell your 4-bedroom house and move into a 1-bedroom apartment."

"That house was too big for me." Gauri whispers. "Too lonely in there."

Hearing her, Rudra hugs her.

"You can freshen up in there. I'll warm up the food by then."

Rudra nods wondering why Gauri looked so nervous. Maybe it was to do with whatever she wanted to tell him.

After dinner, Rudy helps Gauri clean up. Once she was done, he asks her. "Do you want to talk now? Or wait till tomorrow morning?"

Gauri thinks for a few seconds and tells him nervously. "I would rather have it now."

Rudra nods.

They both were sitting on the sofa as Gauri nervously gripped her hand wondering where to start.

"Come on, Gauri. tell me. This silence is scaring me." Rudra tells her as he kept his hand over Gauri's.

"I promised you that I will not keep any secrets from you. but I did. And I want to tell you that."

"What is it?" Rudra asks confused.

Gauri looks at Rudra then looking down at their hands she confesses. "I did a horrible thing."

"What horrible thing?" Rudra asks confused.

"An unforgiveable thing."

"What is it?"

Gauri closes her eyes as tears fell from them. "I am no longer able to look at myself in the mirror. I am so disgusted at myself."

Rudra looks at her in shock wondering what could be so horrible that she is so disgusted with herself then realizing he asks her in shock, "Did you have a one-night stand?"

Remembering the night, she had spent with Om, she nods. "Something like that."

Rudra sighs in shock. "What are you doing, Gauri?"

"I wasn't thinking straight. I was so desperate."

Rudy loudly sighs as he thoughtfully run his hand through his hair.

"What I am about to tell you, promise me that you won't tell Om."

"Why would I tell O?" Rudra asks confused. "It's none of his business. Anyway he rejected you. so, he has no right to know whether another man has come into your life."

And that is when Gauri realized that Rudra had misunderstood. She was about to correct him then decided against it.

"Promise me that whatever I tell you, you will not tell Om. No matter how much you want to tell him. How much ever it hurts you, you won't."

"I won't."

"Promise me, Rudy."

"I promise."

"Not like that, Rudy. I want you to promise on someone."

"Who?" Rudra asks confused.

Gauri takes his hand and keeps it on her stomach. Rudra's eyes open in shock and his heart skips a beat.

"Gauri... are you?" Rudra asks her in a whisper.

Gauri nods. "Promise me, you won't tell Om. no matter what."

"Gauri..."

"At least till I give you permission."

"But what if he asks me, Gauri?" Rudra asks helplessly.

"Why would he ask you?"

"In case he sees you with the baby and he asks me? I have never lied to him and I will never lie to him. He is my brother, Gauri."

"We will not be meeting each other." Gauri tells him remembering what he had asked of her when they had met last time.

"Still... you don't know what can happen in the future."

"Okay, you can tell him about the baby if he asks you about the baby. otherwise, no. don't even mention the baby to him or anything about me."

"Okay." Rudra nods. "I promise on your baby that I will not tell O anything about your baby or your till you give me permission to talk about it or if O asks me about the baby."

Gauri smiles at him in relief.

"Who is the father?" Rudra asks her.

"Please don't break this promise, Rudy." Gauri requests him as she held his hand over her stomach tight.

"Of course not, Gauri. this is your baby; I will not do anything to harm the baby in any way."

"This is not just my baby." Gauri confesses to him. "It's your brother's too."

"What?" Rudra asks as blood drained from his face.

"This baby is your nephew, Rudy."

"NO! NO!" Rudra says as he tried to take off his hand from her stomach.

"You promised me, Rudy." Gauri reminds him as she held his hand tight.

"O has the right to know about his baby. O has to know."

"No, Rudy."

"I've to tell him. I can't hide such a big thing from him." Rudra says he got up agitated.

"Please Rudy, I already ruined his life. please don't ruin it any further."

"What are you saying, Gauri? I can't understand."

"I am the reason he called off his wedding."

"Then why aren't you with him now?" Rudra asks shocked.

"I hurt him."

"How?" Rudra asks at his wits end. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I was so desperate. I was so depressed. I did an unforgiveable, horrible thing. He said he will never forgive me."

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Rudra asks losing his patience.

"I seduced him."

"Gauri..." Rudra walks to her and holds her shoulders. "I can understand that, you love him so much, you panicked."

Gauri shakes her head in negative.

"What?" Rudra asks confused.

"I forced him. I took advantage of him." Then closing her eyes, she breaks into sobs as she whispered. "I think... I... I raped him."

Rudra quickly leaves her shoulders and steps back. "You are talking about my brother, Gauri!" Rudra shouts unable to hide his fury and pain.

"I am sorry, Rudy." Gauri whispers.

"After all this, you want to hide his baby from him?" Rudra asks furiously.

"He said he will never forgive me for what I did. If he finds out, we made a baby... he..."

"That is his decision to make. Not yours to guess."

"He told me that we should never meet again."

"And it will be his decision whether he wants to meet you after he finds out about the baby."

"You don't understand, Rudy. He called off his wedding because of what happened. He is in debt because of me. I don't want to burden him with this baby."

"It should be his decision, Gauri."

"I am not going to hide the baby from him, Rudy. Om will always have the first right over our baby. I'll tell him. Once, he is out of his debts, I'll tell him."

"And what if he decides to get married before that?" Rudra asks her in shock.

"If he even thinks of getting married then you should tell him about his

baby. not before that, please Rudy. Let him live in peace for some time. that is all I can give him now."

"I don't want to be a part of this, Gauri." Rudra tells her.

Seeing him taking his bag, Gauri tells him. "My baby needs his chachu the most now, Rudy."

Rudra stops and helplessly look at her. he drops his bag, "You are making me pay a huge price for our friendship, Gauri."

"I love him so much, Rudy. I can't hurt him anymore. He neither asked for it and wanted it. I forced it on him. Let him solve all his problems. Then we will tell him, I promise."

**********

Rudra wakes up hearing gagging sound. He sits up and sees the bathroom door ajar. Realizing Gauri was throwing up, he hurries to the bathroom and finds her slouching on top of the closet and throwing up.

"Are you okay, Gauri?" Rudra asks her as he rubbed her back.

Gauri nods as she stood up a little tired. She flushes the toilet and walks to the wash basin to wash her face.

"Thank you, Rudy."

Rudra without saying anything walk out of the bathroom.

They were silently having breakfast. Rudra hadn't talked to her since the bathroom incident.

Gauri looks at Rudra and sees him intently looking at his plate. She knew what she is making him do is wrong but she couldn't disrupt Om's life now. From Rudra she always found out what he was going through, and she knew that Om was over working himself now to face the crisis in his business.

"How many months?" Rudra asks her softly.

"9 weeks."

"How long have you known?" Rudra asks her looking up at her.

"The day I called you asking you to come, that day I found out."

"Last week?" Rudra asks shocked. "How didn't you know before that?"

"I didn't." Gauri replies shrugging. "Only when I started having morning sickness, I realized."

"We should tell O, Gauri. please?" Rudra requests her.

Gauri leaves her spoon on the plate then leaning back on her chair, she tells him sadly, "These two months, away from Om, I had time to think. I got clarity and I realize how wrong I was."

Without saying anything, Rudra looks at her.

"I was only thinking from my side. Ever since I was small, my parents had told me that I would have to marry Tej uncle's and Jhanvi aunty's son. Before we shifted here, do you remember that your whole family had come to see us?"

Rudra shakes his head in negative.

"You were so tiny then. Shorter than me. the bratty kid. And then there was Om. the big boy. And I thought, I am to marry Om. He scolded you for irritating me. I was just 5 years old then, and I thought my future husband was scolding the boy for irritating me." Gauri looks at Rudra as her eyes filled with tears. "it never occurred to me that he was scolding his younger brother for misbehaving. From that day on I believed that I belonged to Om and he belonged to me."

Rudra keeps his hand over hers seeing her so broken.

"As long as I can remember, I have loved Om. I have waited for Om. It never occurred to me till Tej uncle told me one day that I wasn't engaged to either of you. all it was a pact between two friends even before they got married that their children would marry. If my parents had another daughter, then it might have been her who would have married either of you."

"Unexpectedly I lost my parents. Overnight, I was orphaned. I was all alone. It nearly killed me when Om didn't come to see me when my parents passed away. Every day I waited for him to come or call me. he never did. Instead of realizing that I meant nothing to Om, I started making excuses for him. Because that gave me a hope for life. that I had at least Om in life. When your parents called me asking me to come home so they could fix a wedding date, I was ecstatic because now I didn't have to live without Om. He is going to be with me all my life."

Remembering that day, Gauri shudders, "I come to your house and I am thrown into this nightmare. That Om is not mine. He was someone else's."

"Instead of handling it like a mature person, I went insane. I started desperately throwing myself at Om. begging him to call off his wedding. Om was right. I didn't give him space and time. I just kept pushing him. I didn't let him breath peacefully. I didn't think from his side. All I thought of was that I couldn't live without Om. that I had no life without Om. I didn't think of what Om wanted from life. that he was engaged to someone he liked. He made a promise to a girl which he wanted to fulfill. And I kept asking him to call off the wedding. Om kept telling me that I am a stranger to him. But I just didn't accept it. How can I be a stranger to Om when I loved him so much? It didn't occur to me that I was actually asking Om to sacrifice his dreams and life for me. I didn't realize that he didn't owe me anything. It wasn't his fault that I misunderstood everything. That I was living a fantasy. A dream which had no place in his life. Instead of understanding his situation, I tried to smother him with my love. I didn't even give him a chance to get to know me. I didn't give him the option of seeing if he could love me. if marrying me was worth sacrificing his dreams. I just cornered him and took away his choices. I was so selfish that I didn't even stop to think that Ridhima was also just a girl like me who was dreaming of a life with Om. I knew Om didn't love her and that was enough for me. I didn't even for a second wonder whether Ridhima loved him. I just didn't. Om was right, I wanted her heart broken so mine didn't break."

"That night, he begged me. he told me he would fall in his own eyes if he cheated on Ridhima. we had kissed before that and he was living in guilt for betraying Ridhima. I knew that but I turned a blind eye to all that because I was desperate. I was scared that I will kill myself one day because I had no one else. If Om could love me at least for a night, I might manage to survive in his memory. I refused to see that the night which was going to anchor me to living would be the night that would kill him slowly." Saying that Gauri breaks out into loud sobs.

Rudra quickly moves to her and hugs her, keeping her head on his stomach.

"I tortured him so much, Rudy. I can't hurt him again. He told me that we shouldn't meet ever again. I can't hurt him by going in front of him. Please Rudy, at least let him clear up all the mess that I caused in his life. then I promise, I will tell him about the baby. He is so stressed now. He is struggling so much. I don't want to torture him more with this baby now. I already ruined his life. It would kill me if our baby also becomes a reason for his pain."

She looks up at Rudra and sees that he had tears in his eyes. "Please, Rudy. I can no longer be selfish. I love him too much. Please, for now keep our baby a secret. I promise you that when the time is right, I will tell Om. Our baby and I will always belong to Om. We will wait for him all our life. if he doesn't want me, just the baby then I swear Rudy, I will give our baby to him. I will do anything for his happiness. I promise."

"Okay." Rudra tells her in a calming tone. He kneels down next to her and promises, "For now, let things be how you want it to be."

"Thank you."

"Now, stop crying. It is not good for the baby."

Gauri nods and wipes her tears.

Once she had calm down, Rudra tells her smiling. "In all this, I forgot to tell you something."

"What?" Gauri asks him curiously.

"I am so happy that I am going to be a chachu." Rudra tells her smiling.

Gauri smiles hearing that.

"Congratulations, Gauri." Rudra tells her as he hugged her.

Gauri hugs him and tells him, "And Congratulations to you too, chachu."

**********

Rudra walks into his house and sees Om walking out.

"You are back"

Rudra nods as he smiled at him.

Om nods. "I'm going to office. Will you be coming?"

One thing, he never told Gauri was that ever since the day O had called off his wedding, he hasn't smiled. Finally, realizing the turmoil that his brother was going through, Rudra walks to him and hugs him.

"What?" Om asks shocked. "What happened? Everything all right?" Om asks as he hugged him.

"I missed you." Rudra says as he couldn't tell him the truth. Nobody in his family knew that he had gone to see Gauri, he just said that he was going to meet a friend.

"What new drama is this?" Om asks suspiciously.

"You are not the same." Rudra says softly.

"I am getting late." Om tells him as he tried to leave Rudra.

"Are you happy, O?" Rudra asks him as he looked at Omkara in concern.

Om looks at him in exasperation. "There is shit happening in office and you are asking this non sense?"

"O..."

"I don't have time for this crap." Om tells him and walks off.

**********

"Mom..." Rudra calls out to his mother as they sat for breakfast.

"Yes?" Jhanvi curiously look up.

"Do you know any nice name for a girl?"

"Girl?" Jhanvi asks confused.

Hearing the strange question Om and Tej curiously look up from their plates.

"My friend is going to have a baby. so she was asking for suggestions."

"Oh..." Jhanvi nods and thinks.

"Dad... O... any suggestions?"

Tej thinks while Om shrugs.

"How about Ghaada?" Jhanvi asks excitedly.

"Ghaada?" Rudra muses curiously. "Any other suggestion?"

"Aditi?" Tej asks.

"Okay... Aditi... I like that." Rudra says smiling. "O, do you have any suggestions?"

Om starts to shrug then he says, "Aadhya. I always thought that if I have daughter will name her that."

"Aadhya?" Rudra asks making a slight disinterested face.

"Om, if you want to name your daughter that why are you giving that name to his friend?" Jhanvi asks him smiling curiously.

Hearing his mother, Om looks at her for a few seconds then leaving his food, he just gets up and walks off.

Jhanvi sighs sadly seeing Om walk off. "When is he going to be fine?"

Rudra looks at Om's retreating form then turning to his mother, he tells her, "Pack food and give, Mom. I will give it to him in office."

Jhanvi nods.

"And just give him time. he will be our old O." Rudra tells her smiling.

Jhanvi hopefully smiles.

Rudra takes his phone and sends the message.

Aadhya. Then a disgusted emoticon with it.

I think you should go with Dad's suggestion. Aditi. Or Mom's, Ghaada.

Immediately Gauri replies.

So, is Aadhya's chachu going to be here when she is born?

Rudra couldn't hold his smile and replies.

Tickets confirmed. Tomorrow night is my flight. Please hold on till then, Aadhya.

**********

"O, just stop there." Rudra says pointing at a jewellery store.

"Why? You will be late for your flight." Om says.

"I'll come quickly. My friend just messaged that she had the baby last night. I thought after my friend's wedding, I'll go see her baby too. First time, I am seeing the baby, I want to gift her something." Rudra explains.

Om stops the car. Rudra gets out and walks to the store.

Once inside the store, Rudra finds the ugliest two chains there and then waited for Om to come looking for him.

Few minutes later, Om walked in.

"Rudy... what is taking you so long? You are going to miss your flight." Om says ask he walked to him.

"O." Rudra looks at him happily. "I am just confused between these two. Which one do you think I should pick? My stupid friend is not checking her messages."

Rudra almost laughed out loud seeing Om flinch when he saw the chains.

"There are no other options?" Om asks confused.

"These are beautiful, right?" Rudra asks with a straight face.

Om almost grimaces.

"Okay, show him the other chains." Rudra tells the salesman.

"We don't have time for that." Om tells him.

"I'll check-in online. You just look at the other chains." Rudra tells him as he took his phone to act as if he was checking-in. he had done that before he left home itself.

Om moves forward to look at the options.

"This one is nice." Om tells Rudra.

"Okay, pack that." Rudra says without even looking at the chain.

The salesman starts to pack that.

"Oh this is beautiful." Om whispers softly.

Rudra curiously looks up and sees Om looking at anklets.

"You are right... we'll take the anklets instead of the chain." Rudra tells the salesman.

"But do newborns wear anklets? Won't it become tight soon?" Om asks curiously.

"This one is not for a newborn, sir. But you can use it for a newborn baby. you just have to put it around their ankles twice." The salesman tells them.

"Great, we will take that." Rudra declares and quickly takes the card from his wallet and offers the salesman.

Om frowns and quickly holds Rudra's hand. "Isn't that company card?"

"Yeah... I maxed out on my card." Rudra explains.

"What the hell, Rudy? How can you use company card for personal use?" Om asks angrily.

"You can cut it from my next month's salary." Rudra tells him.

"You can't mismanage office funds like that." Om tells him sternly.

"O, my credit card is maxed out. I don't have money now."

Om furiously leaves Rudra's hand and takes out his wallet. Then hands the salesman his card.

"Thanks, O." Rudra tells him smiling.

"If I see you do something like this again..."

"Never." Rudra promises.

Few minutes later, Om drops off Rudra at the airport.

"Call when you reach." Om tells him.

"Will do." Rudra promises.

They didn't know he was going to UK. He had told them that he was going to Jaipur because only a Jaipur flight was there around the same time as the UK flight which would fly to a destination in India from the international airport. He will message from the flight when it is time for the Jaipur flight to land and tell them that he has some network issue and not to call him.

**********

Rudra excitedly sits on Gauri's hospital bed as they cooed at the baby.

"She is opening her eyes." Gauri says excitedly. "Give me the photo."

Rudra quickly hands her Om's photo.

"Aadhya, see Papa." Gauri says excitedly to Aadhiya as she showed her Om's photo. Aadhya curiously looks at Om's photo. Gauri keeps the photo on her cheek. "Papa give Aadhya kissie." Then she lightly keeps the photo on Aadhya's lips. "Give Papa a kiss, Aadhya."

"She doesn't even know what a kiss is." Rudra tells her rolling his eyes.

Sheepishly smiling, Gauri keeps the photo on the side. "Now, Mama's turn." Gauri kisses her daughter.

"My God... She is so perfect." Gauri says crying happily as she cradled her baby in her hands. "I never thought I could love someone as much as I love Om."

Rudra looks at the baby with happy tears.

Gauri worriedly looks up at Rudra and asks him. "Om would love her as much as I love her, right?"

"Yes." Rudra tells her as he held her hand.

Gauri smiles happily. "Now, show me."

Rudra smiles. "Okay, gift time for Aadhya."

He quickly takes out the box and opens it.

"Look what Aadhya's Papa bought for Aadhya?" Rudra asks as he took out the anklets.

"That's so beautiful." Gauri says emotionally as she watched Rudra wrap around the anklets twice on Aadhya's ankles.

Once Rudra had finished putting the anklets, Gauri holds Aadhya close to her and lovingly whispers into her ears. "Papa sent you anklets, Aadhya. This way, Papa is going to be with you all the time."

Aadhya gurgles making Gauri and Rudra smile.

"Now, chachu's gift." Rudra says excitedly.

"That's so pretty, Rudy." Gauri says with a smile as she looked at the bracelet he had put for Aadhya.

"If O, Dad and Mom were here, they would have been so happy." Rudra tells her softly feeling a little sad.

Gauri's heart breaks hearing that. Gulping sadly, Gauri looks down. "But Om is still struggling, right?"

Rudra nods his head sadly.

**********

Gauri was picking up Aadhya from her crib when she hears the skype call. Smiling Gauri quickly answers the call with one hand while she held Aadhya with the other.

"Is she up?" Rudra asks smiling.

"She is her father's daughter. As punctual as him. On the dot." Gauri tells him happily. "Just a sec, Rudy."

Gauri walks to the wall where she has hang a huge portrait of Omkara. "Aadhya, give Papa a kissie." Gauri says as she held her daughter close to the photo.

Aadhya kisses the photo.

"Now, give Mama a kissie."

Gauri happily smiles feeling the wet kiss on the cheek.

"A kissie for chachu." Rudra tells her.

Aadhya kisses her own palm giving Rudra a flying kiss. Chuckling, Rudra gives her a flying kiss.

"Gauri, so it is confirmed. I'll reach tomorrow night."

"Okay, great. I'll pick you from the airport."

"No... anyway you have no car. And I will be reaching late night. So, I will stay at a hotel and come to your place day after."

"It's no trouble for me, Rudy. I'll take a cab. You stay here."

"I found a hotel near airport, I will sleep comfortably and come."

"Okay. so, I will see you day after."

"And I have to attend an official dinner day after night, so you also come with me."

"Why should I come?" Gauri asks shocked.

"Because I will be bored there and babies are chick magnets." Rudra tells her cheekily.

"Stop using my daughter to meet girls." Gauri tells him outraged.

"Okay... I won't use her as a chick magnet but you come with me for the party, otherwise I will be bored."

"Okay."

**********

Gauri excitedly opens the door hearing the doorbell.

"Hey!" Rudra happily says as he opened his arms for her.

Gauri excitedly hugs him.

"Are you ready?" Rudra asks her as he dropped his bag in.

"You rented a car?" Gauri asks surprised seeing the car on her doorway.

"Yeah. You say everything is nearby and make me walk. Now, where is my darling niece?"

"she is ready and waiting to go." Gauri tells her as she pointed to Aadhya who was on the floor playing.

"She is grown so much since the last time I saw her." Rudra says happily as he picked her up. "She is becoming the spitting image of you."

Seeing Rudra, Aadhya starts excitedly laughing.

"We need a car seat. Her pram has a car seat attachment. I'll get it." Gauri tells Rudra as she hurried to get it.

"Great."

After Rudra fixed the car seat. They left for the party.

**********

"Okay... I'll just go meet the host and come." Rudra tells Gauri.

"Okay. I'll be here. Do you want me to take her?" Gauri asks pointing at Aadhya, whom Rudra was holding in his arms.

"No, let her be with me."

"Okay."

Since Rudra was busy with other guests, Gauri was aimlessly walking around the party. Every now and then, she would look for Rudra, to make sure Aadhya was fine.

The moment Om walked into the party, Gauri saw him. She had stopped in shock seeing him. She stopped breathing. At first, she couldn't believe it was him. Her eyes filled up seeing him. As she looked at him, looking as handsome as ever, in a black formal suit, he had a beard now and his hair was over grown now. she quickly moves away so that he doesn't spot her. she found a place where she could look at him without he finding her.

Spotting Rudra, Om walks to him.

"Hey." Rudra smiles at him.

"Where did you get this baby from?" Om asks surprised seeing the baby in Rudra's hand.

Rudra gently rocks Aadhya in his arms.

"Did you meet Mr. Dave?" Om asks curiously as he looked at the baby.

"Yeah I did." Rudra says and notices Om frowning.

Aadhya was busy playing with Rudra's car key. She was intently looking down as she played with it. Om tilts his head to the side as he moved to his left slowly trying to see Aadhya's face properly. The moment he saw her face, he stopped breathing and he went completely pale.

"Gauri." Om whispers softly.

Aadhya was the spitting image of Gauri.

Seeing Om looking at their daughter, Gauri covers her mouth so she doesn't burst out crying.

"She is Gauri's daughter. Isn't she?" Om asks Rudra without taking his eyes off Aadhya.

"Yes." Rudra replies as he gulped, then he started praying hard.

Om gulps hearing that.

"I have to go." Om says suddenly as his eyes filled with tears and pain filled his face.

"Don't..."

Om cuts him off and tells him in a furious whisper, "You should have told me that she was going to be here."

"O..." Rudra starts to talk and noticing Aadhya going to put the car key into her mouth, he quickly takes it from her hand. "No."

Aadhya shouts in outrage, distracting Om for a second. Rudra quickly gestures as if he was throwing away the key behind Om. Aadhya follows his hand and her gaze falls on Omkara. Seeing her Papa, her face breaks out into a big smile and she extends her hand to him.

Seeing Gauri's daughter extend her arm towards him and smiling at him, just the way how Gauri had smiled at him the very first time they had met, Om quickly picks her up in his arms. As was her habit, Aadhya leans towards Om and kisses him on his nose.

Seeing Omkara pick up their daughter and Aadhya kiss him, Gauri couldn't control herself and she started crying. Then she saw Omkara kissing their daughter on her cheek. Unable to control her emotions, Gauri quickly runs out of the party hall and runs to the restroom. She gets into a toilet cubicle and burst into loud tears.

When her Papa kissed her, Aadhya again kisses him on his cheek. Then feeling his facial hair brush against her nose, she crunches her nose and then sneezes onto Om's face. Om chuckles and his eyes fill with tears. "Bless you." Om says with a smile.

Rudra who had noticed Gauri run out of the party hall, goes behind her. then he waits outside the restroom for her to come out.

Finally, Gauri comes out after she had composed herself. The moment she stepped out she notices Rudra.

"Why didn't you tell me he was here?" Gauri asks him hurt.

"You wouldn't have come, if I told you." Rudra tells her.

"Does he know she is my daughter?" Gauri asks him.

Rudra nods in yes.

"So he knows that she is our baby?" Gauri asks as covered her mouth in order to not cry out loud.

"I don't know, Gauri." Rudra tells her unable to shake off his suspicion.

Understanding what Rudra was indirectly telling her, Gauri's eyes fill up with tears. Realizing that she would start loudly crying any second now, Rudra quickly hugs her. covering her face on his chest, Gauri asks him as she broke into loud tears, "He thinks I had someone else's baby?"

"We can tell him, Gauri." Rudra tells him.

It took her a while to calm down. The thought that Om would think she had someone else's baby was killing her.

"Gauri, we can tell him that Aadhya is his." Rudra once again tells her.

"Why is he here?" Gauri asks him.

"He is here to sign a deal. Mr. Dave, the host, he is going to invest in O's business."

"Will that solve all his problems?"

"No... but this will be a huge relief for O."

"Then we will tell him when all his problems are over."

"Gauri..." Rudra helplessly tries to stop her.

"For now, this is enough. He saw our Aadhya. He held her in his arms. Aadhya saw her Papa. This is enough." Gauri says then she looks up at his face. "Thank you so much for this, Rudra." With fresh tears filling her eyes, Gauri leans up and kisses his cheek. "Thank you."

They walk back into the party hall and sees Om busy with Aadhya. He was playing and laughing with her. Aadhya was also happily laughing with her father.

"After that day, when everything was ruined, since then..." Rudra tells Gauri as he watched his brother with tears, "Since then, this is the first time I am seeing him smile."

Gauri looks at Rudra in shock and asks him, "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"It would have killed you." Rudra tells her as he looked at her with tears.

Realizing the pain Om had gone through because of her selfishness, she hugs Rudra to stop herself from crying.

A while later, Rudra tells Gauri. "We need to leave now. I've an official call scheduled in one hour."

"No, Rudy." Gauri says as she gripped his hand. "First time, Aadhya and Om are together. Look how happy they are. Please let them stay together for some more time."

"Let me see what I can do." Rudra tells her and walks off.

Gauri assumed that Rudra was going outside the party hall to make a call but she was shocked to see him walk to Omkara instead.

**********

"O..." Rudra calls him as he stood next to him.

"Hmmm?" Om replies without looking at him as Aadhya was playing with his beard and mustache.

"I've to leave now. I have a zoom call scheduled in 20 minutes."

"Okay."

"The thing is I am supposed to drop Gauri home, but now I don't have time. Will you drop her home?"

Om turns to Rudra in shock then unable to hide his fury, he asks "Have you gone mad?"

Hearing him talk in anger. Aadhya starts pouting, her eyes fill with tears.

"Oh no... she is going to cry." Rudra says worriedly.

Om quickly looks at her and realizes that Rudra was right. He quickly starts bouncing her in his arms.

"No baby... no darling." Om lovingly whispers to her.

"O, I am getting late. Will you drop her?" Rudra asks seeing Omkara was distracted.

"I'll put her on a cab." Om replies in an irritated tone.

"Cabs might not have car seat. Here the rules are strict about these things."

"Fine." Om replies as he kept rocking Aadhya in his arms.

"Here is the car key. I'll take a cab and go." Rudra says as he put car key in Om's pocket.

"I am leaving in 5 minutes." Om tells in a warning tone.

"She is ready to leave whenever you are." Rudra tells him then he says gently. "She is there."

Om looks to where Rudra has pointed and sees Gauri standing there staring at them. The moment he saw her, his heart started slamming against his chest. He felt his eyes fill up. He felt his heart break. All the pain returning tenfold.

"Okay, bye." Rudra says and walks off.

Omkara was staring at Gauri and she was staring right back at him. Then he sees Rudra walk up to her and talk to her. then he sees her panicking.

**********

"Gauri..." Rudra keeps his hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

"Haan?" Gauri replies as she continued to look at Om. She couldn't break eye contact with him, even if she wanted to.

"I'm leaving. O will drop you." Rudra informs her.

And that broke her out of her trance. Panicking she turns to Rudra. "What?"

"O will drop you and Aadhya home."

"No... Om told me to stay away from him." Gauri tells him panicking.

"Yes, he knows you are here. And he agreed to take you home."

"I'll walk home."

"Don't be crazy. You're not walking home with Aadhya."

"Om won't like it."

"It's just a 20 minutes ride. He will come get you when it is time for him to leave. I'll see you later." Rudra tells her and walks off.

**********

Aadhya was already upset about Om shouting and now he was no longer playing with her. he wasn't even looking at her. and she started crying.

Hearing Aadhya cry, Gauri hurries to Omkara.

"Oooh... oohhh." Om says as he gently tried to calm her.

"Can I?" Gauri softly ask Omkara.

Nodding, Omkara hands Aadhya to Gauri. Aadhya hugs Gauri. Gauri starts rocking Aadhya.

Om watched Gauri with her daughter with an inscrutable expression.

Gauri looks at her phone for the time, and realized that it was almost time for Aadhya's feed.

"It's time for her feed. If she gets hungry then she will be cranky. I'll go feed her?"

Om nods his head.

Gauri starts to walk out the party hall and notices Om walking with her. her heart was slamming against her chest having him so close to her. she wanted to apologize to him for all that she did, she wanted to beg his forgiveness for ruining his life, she wanted to touch him, hug him, cry in his arms, and she wanted to scream at him for thinking that she could have someone else's baby. She didn't do any of those because she knew how much Om hated her and she didn't even have the right to look at him after all that she did.

Gauri was about to enter the room when she stops and turns to Om. "Do you mind waiting?"

Om just looks at her in disdain.

Seeing the way, he was looking at her, Gauri shifts Aadhya in her arms and tells him, "If you have other plans or want to leave, then please carry on. Just leave the car seat at the reception. I'll take a cab."

Without replying, Om just stares at her.

Realizing that he didn't want to have even this type conversation with her, she quickly goes to feed their daughter.

**********

Sometime later, Gauri comes out with Aadhya. She doesn't find Om where she had left him. She felt a little sad realizing that he had left then she couldn't fault him for not wanting to spend even a second with her. she felt her heart break a little realizing that he didn't kiss Aadhya goodbye. She knew she was about to cry and quickly shakes her head to stop herself. Aadhya still hasn't slept and she would get agitated if Gauri cried.

She was about to walk to the reception to ask about the car seat when she notices him in the smoking section, leaning on the wall, he was smoking a cigarette, his eyes on her. she stood there as she waited for him to finish. This time she couldn't hold his stare. She nervously started adjusting her daughter in her arms as she avoided looking at him. She wondered when he had started smoking. Did he always smoke? Or was it something he had started because of her? she wondered why Rudy never mentioned it.

Gauri was so hard at trying to distract herself from him that she realized only when he had come and stood next to her. when she looked up at him, he turns and walks to the car park area, he had removed his coat and was carrying it in his arms. Om stops at the car park looking curiously. Gauri was about to point out the car Rudra had rented when Om presses a button on the car key and a car's headlight flashes. He walks to that car and Gauri follows him.

Om unlocks the car and Gauri gets in the back and places her daughter on the car seat. Noticing that she was struggling in the dark to fix the buckle, Om gets in the car as he threw his coat on the passenger seat and quickly turns on the light.

Surprised at the light, Gauri turns to Om and whispers softly. "Thank you."

Om doesn't reply. Gauri quickly buckles her daughter and adjusts the blanket she had left in the car over their daughter. Done, she switches off the light.

Om checks the navigation on the car for the last destinations.

"The second one." Gauri tells him.

Om sets the destination to that and starts the car.

Noticing Aadhya sleepily yawning, Gauri gently pats her.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Gauri softly asks her. then she softly starts humming to her.

Few minutes later, Aadhiya sleeps off. Gauri lovingly caress her. then leaning down, she kisses her on her right cheek, where she had seen Om kiss her. Gauri leans up and turns to look at the front and sees Om watching her through the mirror. Gauri nervously looks away.

"That's my house." Gauri tells him as she pointed at her house.

Om stops the car in front of her house. Gauri switches on the back seat light and quickly unbuckles the baby seat. Om opens the car door for her, surprising her. she gets out of the car and leaning in, she takes the car seat out.

"Thank you." Gauri tells Om as she closed the door.

Om looks at her for a few seconds then he looks at Aadhya and speaks to Gauri for first time that evening. "You've a beautiful daughter." His voice was filled with emotions. Then he leans down and kisses Aadhya lovingly.

Gauri's eyes fill up hearing that. She whispers to him as she fought her tears, "I am so happy you like her, Om."

"Why wouldn't I like her?" Om asks her as he stood up straight and his eyes were filled with tears.

"Because she is my daughter." Gauri whispers to him sadly.

"It doesn't matter who her parents are. One can't help falling in love with her." Om replies.

Then without saying anything else he steps aside so she can walk in.

Understanding, Gauri walks into her house. She turns to look at him and sees him still waiting. Realizing that he was waiting for her to close the door, she closes the door. After she closed her door, Om stood there for a few seconds, then he walks around to enter his car when his mobile started ringing.

"Yeah Rudy?" Om answers the call.

"O, please go inside her house."

"What?" Om shouts in confusion.

"Please O, just go inside her house. Ask her for a coffee. When she goes to make the coffee, the first door to the right, go in there. It is her bedroom."

"What the fuck are you saying?" Om asks outraged.

"Please O. just do it."

"I don't want to meet her family. I don't want to see her husband." Om says getting agitated as he started opening the car door.

"I am begging you, O. please do it."

"NO!"

"You have been suffering, she has been suffering. Even I am living in my own personal hell... please O, just do this."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you that."

"What the fuck? I am not going to do that."

"Please understand, O. I can't tell you. but you have to do this." Rudra desperately begs.

"Rudy... What do I tell her husband if he asks how we know each other?" Om asks getting helpless realizing Rudra was desperate.

"Trust me, O. and no one is going to ask you anything."

"Fine."

Om rings the bell as he started feeling restless. He had to wait almost a minute before the door was opened. Seeing him, Gauri stops in shock. And he stops in shock seeing her blood shot eyes. She had been crying.

"Om?" Gauri softly whispers.

Nothing had ever been weirder for him in life than asking Gauri just then, "Can I get a coffee?"

Gauri's eyes widen in shock. "Sure." Gauri replies as she opened the door for him.

"Thanks." Om whispers as he followed her and looked to the right to find the bedroom door.

"Please sit." Gauri gestures to the sofa.

Om nods. Om walks to sofa and Gauri walks to the kitchen.

The moment, she was out of his sight, he keeps the phone to his ears and asks Rudra, "Do I really have to do this?"

"Yes. Please."

Om quickly walks to the bedroom. He hesitates as he kept his hand on the door knob.

"Don't waste time. open the damn door before she comes back."

Taking a deep breath, Om opens the door. The first thing he saw was the crib. He walks to the crib and sees Gauri's daughter sleeping. He lovingly caresses the baby ignoring the pain in his heart.

"LOOK AROUND THE DAMN ROOM, OM!"

Om looks up and his eyes locked with his. "What?" Om whispers in shock.

He hears Rudra sighing in relief. "Come outside, O. I am right here and I will answer all your question."

Om turns around and walks out. He softly closes the door. he starts to walk out. He was about to reach the door when Gauri calls him from behind.

"Om?"

Om turns back and sees Gauri coming towards him with the coffee.

"Thank you." Om whispers as he stared at her. his heart slamming against his chest. Having no other go, he gulps down the coffee. There was so many things he wanted to ask just then, but fearing those would cause her pain, Om doesn't ask her anything. He hands her the mug. "Thank you."

Gauri nods.

Om quickly walks out.

"O." Rudra calls out to him.

Om turns to his left and sees Rudra. He walks to him. Rudra had tears in his eyes.

"Ask me, O."

"Why does she have my photo in her room?" Om asks in shock. He felt as if his heart would burst any second now.

Rudra closes his eyes in disappointment. "You're asking the wrong question, O."

"Where is her husband?" Om asks wondering if Gauri is no longer with her husband.

"NO, O!" Rudra says in exasperation. "Ask me the right question!"

"What the hell do you want me to ask?" Om asks at his wits end.

"I can't tell you that." Rudra tells him helplessly.

"Why the hell can't you?" Om ask in anger.

"Because I promised." Rudra tells him helplessly.

"What?" Om asks in confusion.

"Before that baby was born, before I knew the truth. I promised on that baby that I won't tell you anything."

"What?"

"I didn't know it then, O... I really didn't. but I made that promise. And I know it is all superstition. But I am scared. What if something happens to her if I break the promise? I can't risk Aadhya's life like that." Rudra tells him as he hugged him desperately.

"Aadhya?" Om asks in shock. "Her name is Aadhya?"

Rudra looks up at Om in shock, wondering how that had slipped his mind.

Cupping his face excitedly, Rudra tells him, "Yes. Aadhya. Please ask me now."

Om looks at Rudra and his heart skipped a beat. He stopped breathing. He asks him as he looked into Rudra's eyes, "Aadhya... is she mine?"

"YES, O. YES! She is." Rudra says feeling relieved. So relieved that he started crying in joy.

"No." Om whispers as he stepped back. "You're lying."

"No, O." Rudra says as he held Om's hand. "I am not. She is your daughter. Aadhya Omkara Singh Oberoi."

"What?" Om asks in a bare whisper as tears started falling from his eyes.

"Yes, O. Why do you think she came to you the moment she saw you?" Rudra asks him. "Since the day, she was born. The very first thing she did. Everyone morning the first thing she does when she wakes up is give her Papa a kiss."

Om turns around to go back into the house, Rudra quickly holds him.

"Leave me, Rudra."

"I'll. But you need to know everything, O."

"What is there to know?" Om asks him as he turned to him in anguish.

"She told me everything, O. everything."

Om stops in shock hearing that. "Everything?" Om asks in a soft whisper.

"Ask me the right questions, O. Please."

Om watches Rudra for a while then he asks, "Why did Gauri hide my daughter from me?"

Relief washed through Rudra hearing the question. He was about to answer that when Om asks him another question. "What all do you know about my daughter? Tell me every single thing that you know about my daughter."

"Thank you, thank you." Rudra says in relief as he hugged Om.

**********

Gauri was sitting on her living room floor as she cried. Hearing the door open, she turns to look and stops in shock seeing Rudra and Omkara walk in. one look at Om's face she realized that he knew.

"Om." Gauri softly whispers his name as she stood up.

Om puts up his hand to stop her. "Rudra told me many things but I want to hear from you, Gauri."

Gauri gulps worriedly hearing him.

When she didn't reply, Om asks her, "Is that baby my daughter? Is Aadhya our daughter, Gauri?"

Hearing him, ask that to her face, Gauri asks him in outrage. "How could you even think that I would have a baby with someone else, Om? How could you? you told me you believed that I love you and so easily you thought that I gave your place to someone else? That I let someone else touch me? how could you, Om?"

"Yes, I did." Om replies with tears in his eyes. "I believed you had a baby with someone else."

"Chee." Gauri turns her face in disgust as she closed her eyes in pain.

"Do you know why?" Om asks her. "Ever since you left, it occurred to me many times, that Gauri could get pregnant. That we might have made a baby. but never once I was scared or worried. not even for a second I thought otherwise, because I knew..." Om stops and then he corrects himself, "I believed that if Gauri is pregnant then she would tell me. I had that faith in you, Gauri."

Gauri turns to Omkara in shock.

"When Rudy told me that Aadhya is my daughter... that she is our daughter, I called him a liar. Because I knew Gauri would never keep my daughter away from me. She loved me too much to give me that kind of pain. Come what may, she would never betray me like that. I had that trust in your, Gauri. and you broke my trust."

"Om..." Gauri starts to go to him as she started crying again.

Om puts up his hand to stop her. "Stay back."

Gauri stops.

"Four months, Gauri. my daughter is four months old. You didn't tell me? that's not right. Even 9 months before that she was with you. for 13 months, my daughter has been in this world and you kept her hidden from me."

"I... I..." Gauri cries unable to tell him why she did what she did.

"She is my daughter. How could you think that I would hate her because you gave birth to her? because you seduced me so I wouldn't accept her? because I didn't ask for her, does that mean I don't deserve to know her? God didn't just give her to you, He gave her to you and me. she is as much my daughter as she is yours! Then how did you think that I wouldn't want to know about her now? She is my flesh and blood, Gauri!"

Om furiously paces in her living room. Still unable to believe that Gauri would hide their baby from him. Gauri falls on her knees as she broke into loud tears, realizing that she had hurt him once again. Rudra was silent watching everything.

"It's true I am in debt. I am struggling to keep my company afloat. It is true. But how could you think that Aadhya would be a burden on me? Even if I was a pauper, I would raise her like a princess, Gauri. YES, I am going through a million problems now, but how could you think that Aadhya would take away the peace from my life? how could you think that I would feel burdened with her? I think of her as God's gift for all the pain that we went through."

Kneeling next to her, he tells her, "How did you think she would take away the peace from my life? I haven't known what peace is in a long time. Today when I took her in my arms, I felt at peace. I felt happy. I didn't understand why I felt like that. but now I know, it is because she is my daughter... our daughter, Gauri. how could you keep her away from me?"

Gauri hugs Omkara and bursts into tears. "I am sorry, Om. I am sorry."

Om hugs her and lets her cry.

**********

"Please don't cry, Om." Gauri begs as she wiped his tears.

"It's true that I told you we should never meet. But how could you think of keeping Aadhya away from me?" Om asks her.

"I am sorry, Om. but I would have brought her to you once all your problems were over." Gauri tells him.

"And what if I had not lived long enough to solve all my problems?" Om asks her.

"Please don't say that, Om." Gauri says shocked hearing that. the very thought of something happening to him, killing her.

"You never thought you would lose your parents so soon. but you did. So, you know there is no guarantee to life, then how did you think that we have all the time in the world for you to hide our daughter from me?"

Gauri quickly covers his mouth with both her hands. "Please don't talk like that. please, Om."

"You're being cruel, O." Rudra tells him gently as he stood next to Om.

"Please don't say that. I'll die if anything happens to you." Gauri begs him.

Om furiously grips her arms and shakes her to stop her.

"You're all Aadhya and I have." Gauri tells him.

"I won't stay away from her anymore." Om tells her in finality.

"You don't have to. She is your daughter. You have the first right on her." Gauri tells him vehemently.

Om nods hearing that.

Hearing Aadhya's sound through the baby monitor, Gauri quickly hurries to the bedroom. "I think she is waking up."

Gauri walks to the room and sees that Aadhya was still sleeping but was getting disturbed with the light. In all the emotional turmoil of seeing Om, she had forgot to turn off the light. Gauri quickly turns off the light and switches on the night light.

Gauri was about to walk out of the room and finds Om at the door.

"I forgot to switch off the light. It was disturbing her." Gauri explains to him.

Om nods and he walks to his daughter. He looks at her as his heart brimmed with love. He wanted to take her in his arms. Hug her, kiss her and cry in joy, but he didn't. he didn't want to disturb her sleep. So, kissing his fingertips, he keeps his finger on her cheek. Om turns to walk out and sees Gauri at the door watching him with tears. Without saying anything, he walks out.

"Since, there isn't much space here. I'll go to the hotel." Rudra tells Om and Gauri. "And O give me your room key, I'll bring your clothes when I come in the morning."

"No, Rudy. Don't go." Gauri quickly tells him.

"You stay here. I'll go." Om tells him thinking Gauri would be uncomfortable with him.

Gauri quickly holds his hand and requests him very sweetly. "Please don't go, Om. please stay here. Stay with Aadhya."

Om was surprised by her request. "But Gauri,.."

"Please don't say no, Om. Aadhya and you've never stayed together. Don't go. You and Rudy sleep in my bedroom. I'll sleep on the sofa-bed."

Even though, Om so much wanted to stay there, he couldn't let Gauri sleep on the sofa uncomfortably. "You stay comfortably. I'll come in the morning."

"I won't be uncomfortable. Please, Om. Stay."

"I don't have any clothes." Om says unable to come up with any other excuse.

"You can wear Rudy's clothes."

"His clothes will be small for me."

"Please, Om. Aadhya has never stayed with her Papa." Gauri tells him as her eyes filled up.

Seeing her tears and hearing what she said, Om was about to give in. he would just sleep in the clothes that he was wearing.

"I'll give you clothes." Gauri tells him.

"Huh?" Om looks at her confused. Did she think he could fit into her clothes?

"Give him a beautiful gown, Gauri." Rudra tells her grinning.

Om gives him a look.

"No." Gauri says. Om turns to look at her, and Gauri worriedly tells him, "Please don't scream at me."

Om nods. He couldn't even think of screaming at her when she was being so earnest.

Gauri hurries to her bedroom and very quickly comes back. She offers him, his shorts and tshirt.

Om frowns seeing that, he had assumed that he lost it at the laundry.

"I took it from your room." Gauri whispers softly.

"You mean, you stole, you thief." Rudra points out acting shocked.

Gauri turns a little pink hearing Rudra. Seeing her blush like that and the thought that she had stolen his clothes, Om couldn't help it and a small smile slips through his lips. His first smile ever since he found out that Aadhya was theirs.

Om takes the clothes from her.

"You'll stay?" Gauri asks hopefully.

Om nods his head in yes.

"Thank you." Gauri says excitedly.

And he couldn't control his smile anymore.

Seeing him smile, Gauri smiles at him with tears in her eyes.

Then Gauri quickly hurries to the closet and takes out a fresh towel. She gives it to Om.

"You can shower in there." Gauri tells him as she pointed at the bathroom.

Om nods and walks to the bathroom.

After his shower, Om was wearing his tshirt when the tshirt grazes through his face and he stops. Then he slowly sniffs in the send. His tshirt was smelling of Gauri.

He pulls down the tshirt on his body. He gently runs his hand over the tshirt as his heart beat fast.

Om comes out the bathroom and Rudra goes to the bathroom to change his clothes. Finding the living room empty, Om curiously looks to the bedroom and finds Gauri changing the bedsheets. He was a little disappointed. He liked that his tshirt smelled of her. and the sheets now lying on the floor would also smell of her.

Then coming to his senses he quickly shakes his head. Rudra was also going to sleep there and he didn't want Rudra to sleep on the same sheet as she slept on the previous night. He realized that he was being narrow minded and possessive, then he mentally shrugs, he is what he is.

Gauri gathers the dirty linens and turns to leave the room. She sees Om standing at the door holding his dirty clothes. Gauri walks to him and takes his clothes from his hand.

"I'll put it for wash now."

Om was about to tell her that he would take it home and wash it then realizing that he most probably will have to change his travel plans now because of Aadhya and Gauri, he nods. "Thanks."

Gauri walks off to put the linens in the laundry basket then she goes to the kitchen and puts Om's clothes in the washing machine. Quickly she puts his clothes for wash. Then she keeps the timer on her mobile, so once the washing was done, she could turn on the dryer before she went to bed.

**********

By the time Gauri got back to the bedroom, Rudra had changed him clothes. She sees Om watching Aadhya sleep. Hearing her, Om turns to look at Gauri.

"You should sleep here, Gauri. I'll sleep on the living room floor." Om tells her.

"No... no." Gauri says as she hurried to him. Then taking his hands, she leads him to the bed. She makes him sit on the bed. "You sleep here."

"Gauri..."

"No, Om. please." Gauri requests him.

Om nods his head.

"We are sleeping here?" Rudra asks from the door.

"Yes." Gauri answers.

"Okay then." Rudra says as he walked to the bed and got on. He stretches on the bed comfortably.

Smiling happily, Gauri walks to the crib and picks up Aadhya. Then she walks to the bed and gently lays her in the middle.

"I kick a lot in my sleep, that is why I make her sleep on the crib. I am scared I would hurt her." Gauri explains to Om.

Om nods as he watched Gauri without taking his eyes off her. Gauri adjusts the blanket on their daughter.

"You won't kick her, right?" Gauri asks Rudra worriedly.

Rudra frowns that she had addressed that question solely at him. "I didn't like that you're only asking me that and not O."

"Om would never kick Aadhya." Gauri says offended.

"You really need to stop hero worshipping him." Rudra tells her irately.

Gauri turns a little pink hearing that. then quickly recovering, she turns to Om and tells him. "You should sleep."

Om nods.

"Don't lock the door. she will wake up for her milk in sometime. I'll come and get her then."

"Okay."

"Good night." Gauri tells him and leaves.

Om watches her leave and once she had closed the door, he continued to stare at the door, his eyes filling with tears and asks Rudra softly, "She had been waiting for this day, isn't it?"

"More than you can imagine." Rudra replies.

Om sighs sadly, he turns around and looks at Aadhya. She was sleeping so peacefully. His heart brimmed with love and his eyes filled up again. He looks at her ankle to see the anklets. He gently lifts her legs then leaning down, he kisses her leg and the anklets.

"Thank you for tricking me into buying this." Om tells Rudra.

Rudra smiles in reply. "She wanted something from you that Aadhya could wear all the time so her Papa would be with her always."

Om smiles sadly. Then he looks at Rudra and tells him, "Thank you for being there for them."

Rudra smiles at him, "They are my family too, not just yours."

Om nods. "I know."

"Are you angry with me for not telling you sooner?" Rudra asks him worriedly.

"She had stopped you with the promise. I understand that." Om tells him. "You were only looking out for our daughter."

"And how can I be angry with you when I am not even angry with Gauri?"

Rudra smiles hearing that.

**********

Gauri wouldn't sleep. She couldn't control her joy knowing that Om now knew about Aadhya and he loved her as much as she loved their daughter. Now, Aadhya would get her Papa's love and Om would watch their daughter grow. Thinking that Om and Aadhya were together, her eyes started filling with tears. In all her joy too, the fear for her grips her heart. Om seemed to want only Aadhya. He didn't say anything about her. But she quickly shakes it away, she will not be selfish again. Om will live his life the way he wanted.

Gauri was lying awake on the sofa bed. She had put Om's clothes in the drier mode. Now, nothing else to do, she just lay on the sofa-bed as she thought about Om and Aadhya.

Hearing Aadhya cry through the baby monitor, Gauri quickly gets up from the sofa-bed and hurries to the bedroom. She softly opens the door so as not to disturb Om and Rudra, and finds Om starting to walk out with Aadhya in his arms.

"She woke you?" Gauri asks as she picked her up.

"I didn't sleep." Om tells her.

Gauri nods understanding. She was about to leave the room when she heard.

"SSSSHHHH. SHHHHH."

Gauri turns and sees Rudra in sleep turning around in bed getting irritated with Aadhya for crying and disturbing his sleep.

Gauri looks at Rudra furiously.

"Go. She is hungry." Om tells her as he stared at Rudra.

Gauri nods and leaves. Om walks to the bed and he hits Rudra on his back hard.

"WHAT?" Rudra sits up in shock coming awake.

"Did you just shush my daughter?"

"Huh?" Rudra asks scratching his head.

"She was hungry!"

"Sorry... she was crying into my ears." Rudra replies then he turns around and go back to sleep.

Realizing there was no use talking to him, Om gets off the bed. He curiously walks out to check if Gauri was comfortable.

He sees her sitting on the sofa with her back to him as she fed Aadhya.

"Did you hear that, Aadhya? Papa was scolding Chachu for you." Gauri lovingly tells her as she fed her. "You see how much Papa loves you. Papa loves you a lot."

Om simply leans on the door frame as he listened to Gauri talk to their daughter.

**********

Om had slept off sometime in the wee hours of the morning. He feels some wetness on his cheek and curiously opens his eyes and finds Gauri kneeling next to the bed, holding Aadhya.

"Did we wake you?" Gauri asks worriedly. "Aadhya just came to give you a kiss."

Om shakes his head as he sat up. Then smiling he takes Aadhya in his arms. Aadhya excitedly jumps in Om's arms as she gripped his beard with both her hands.

"She loves your beard." Gauri tells him smiling happily, seeing Om with their Aadhya.

"I know." Om replies smiling. "I was actually thinking of shaving it off."

"Don't. it looks good on you." Gauri quickly says without thinking. Then realizing what she had said, she says softly. "I mean, Aadhya loves it."

"Okay." Om replies smiling.

"Do you think Aadhya would want me to cut my hair?" Om asks as he played with Aadhya.

"No." Gauri replies as she looked down. She loved his new look. It made him all the more handsome.

"If that is what you want then it will be like that." Om says as he continued to play with Aadhya.

For a second, Gauri felt that Om had said that to her and not Aadhya. Then she was furious at herself, didn't she have enough with misunderstanding his gestures and romanticizing everything?

**********

Om had left with Rudra early morning so he could get his luggage and for a breakfast meeting Mr. Dave regarding the investment. Gauri had gone with Aadhya to her boutique to handle some emergency work. Then she had gone to get grocery and hurried back home so she could get home before Om and Rudra got back, even though Rudra always had a spare key of her house with him, she wanted to be there when they got back.

They got back home by midmorning.

"How did it go?" Gauri asks Rudra when he was alone. Om had got a call, and he had gone outside to talk.

"It went well. The funds should be transferred in a week or two." Rudra tells her happily.

Gauri sighs in relief and she happily thanks the lord. "I am so happy, Rudy. He is happy, right?"

"He is." Rudra tells her smiling.

"I didn't get to thank you." Gauri tells him, she takes his hand in hers and says sincerely. "Thank you so much, Rudy. Thank you for telling him the truth. He and Aadhya are so happy and it is all because of you."

Rudra smiles at her. "I knew he would love her. I never doubted him."

Then remembering, she asks him, "When did Om start smoking? Did he always smoke or...?" Gauri stops as she worriedly looks down.

"He had picked that habit in college but he quit when Mom caught." Rudra tells her.

"And he started again because of me." Gauri says sadly.

"He can quit also." Rudra tells her.

"You didn't tell me."

"You were already worried for him; I didn't want to increase your worries."

Gauri sadly smiles. "I troubled you a lot, didn't I? I made you go through hell."

"You did." Rudra agrees. "And it was worth it for I got to spend time with Aadhya and you."

Gauri smiles happily and hugs him. And Om walks in.

Om frowns seeing them hugging. Gauri quickly moves away. Om shakes his head and walks off. when the hell was he going to be comfortable with the fact that Gauri's best friend was his brother and they were a very huggy friends?

**********

Om was typing away on his phone as he walked to Gauri's room. When Gauri quickly holds his hand.

"Om... Om..." Gauri whispers to him.

"What?" Om turns to her curiously and sees her watching Aadhya.

Aadhya was lying on her play mat on the floor. She was lying on her stomach and was trying to lift herself up on her arms. They watched Aadhya try for a few seconds then she falls flat on the sheet.

Gauri sighs disappointedly.

"What happened?" Rudra asks as he joined them.

"For two weeks she has been trying."

"Trying what?" Om asks her curiously.

"To roll over." Gauri tells him. Then she turns to watch Aadhya to see if she was going to try but Aadhya had got busy with her toy. Gauri sadly sighs, "Now that Om was here, I was so sure she would roll over today."

"What does O being here have to do with her rolling over?" Rudra asks out loudly what Om had been thinking.

Gauri shrugs, "You know, I thought he being here would have given her some moral support."

Om gapes at her. Rudra gives her an exasperated look.

"Gauri, do you even hear the shit that you speak?" Rudra asks her.

Gauri becomes embarrassed hearing that she quickly turns around and walks to her bedroom.

"Stop insulting her like that." Om tells Rudra.

"You might be getting a kick out of the way she puts you on a high pedestal, right?"

"Shut up!" Om says and walk off.

Om walks into her room and finds her picking up Aadhya's toys from the floor.

Seeing him enter, she asks him nervously, "Did I embarrass you?"

"No." Om replies then he looks away as he couldn't hide his smile and he didn't want to embarrass her any further.

"Don't worry, she will roll over soon. let her take her time." Om tells her finally turning to look at her.

Gauri nods then she sadly says, "You have been missing so much, I just wanted you to witness... something... anything... soon."

"I'm going to be with her so I'm sure I will be able to witness it all." Om tells her smiling gently.

Gauri smiles hearing that. then starts putting Aadhya's toys into her storage box.

"It's a nice photo." Om tells her softly.

Gauri turns to look at the wall where his photo was hung. "I know... Rudy said that he clicked it. Your office party, right?"

Om curiously look at her and sees her looking at his photo.

"I meant this photo." Om tells her as he showed the photo he was holding.

Gauri curiously turns to him and sees him holding the photo frame she had kept there which had Tej Uncle and Jhanvi Aunty.

"I wanted Aadhya to know her family." Gauri tells him.

Om nods and keeps it back on the table. Then he takes the framed photo of her parents.

"That's my parents." Gauri tells him.

"I know." Om replies then he asks her softly. "Do you miss them?"

"Yes." Gauri replies gulping.

Hearing the sadness in her voice, Om looks at her.

"I know what it is to live without your parents, Om. Please believe me, I would have brought Aadhya to you when all your problems were over."

"I believe you, Gauri. I know why you did what you did. I might never understand your reasons but I understand your insecurity. And I know, even I am responsible for your insecurities..."

Gauri quickly cuts him off, "No, Om. you were not responsible for anything. It was all my doing."

"Gauri..." Om calls her name to stop her. "I forgive you."

"You do?" Gauri asks her eyes filling with tears, smiling in relief.

"I do."

"Thank you." Gauri tells him smiling with happy tears.

Om smiles in reply.

Gauri starts to leave the room and Om gently calls her. Gauri turns to look at him.

"Thank you for Aadhya." Om tells her with a smile.

Gauri smiles at him lovingly, "You gave her to me."

Om with a smile watches Gauri walk out. Rudy was right, she did put him on a high pedestal.

**********

"Where are you taking her?"

Om who had been working curiously comes out of Gauri's bedroom hearing Gauri's angry question.

"What happened?" Om asks her then he notices that Rudra had got Aadhya in her pram all set to go out.

"He is taking her out." Gauri tells Om.

Om was surprised seeing Gauri make an issue out of it. He wondered why she would have an issue?

"Just going for a walk, will be back soon." Rudra tells her in a calming tone.

"Walk?" Gauri scoffs. Then she turns to Om and complains, "He is always taking her to flirt with girls."

"WHAT?" Om turns to Rudra in fury.

"He says babies are chick-magnets."

"I'm going to kill you, Rudra." Om tells him in a furious whisper.

Rudra rolls his eyes. "Relax. I am not taking her to get a date today. I have no time to date in this trip. This trip is as it is very hectic."

"Yeah? Then why are you taking her?" Gauri asks him, hands on hips ready to kick his nuts if she has to.

"Don't you think you both should talk?" Rudra asks her in a mocking tone.

Hearing the question, Gauri automatically relaxes her stance while Om looked at Gauri then at Rudra.

"Not about Aadhya but about each other. So, by taking your daughter out for a walk, I am giving you the privacy to do so." Rudra tells them. "Okay. bye."

They both watched as Rudra left the house with Aadhya. Then they looked at each other.

Gauri waited for Om to say something while Om waited for her to speak. When they remained silent for a while, Gauri assumed that Om wasn't ready to talk.

"I was in the middle of cooking dinner." Gauri nervously tells him.

Om nods. Gauri quickly hurries to the kitchen.

**********

"Gauri..." Om calls her as he walked into the kitchen.

"Yes?"

"What passport does Aadhya hold? Indian or British?"

"Indian." Gauri replies.

"Okay."

"You are Indian... So, I..." Gauri explains.

Om nods. "I just wanted to know if I needed to get Visa for her, that is why I asked." Om explains to her.

Gauri nods as she quickly looks away, her heart slamming against her chest in panic. Gauri realized that Rudra was right, she couldn't keep procrastinating.

"Om..." Gauri softly calls him, seeing that he was walking out.

"Yes?" Om turns to her.

"You are taking Aadhya to India?" Gauri nervously asks him.

Om frowns hearing her. "Gauri, I already told you that."

"I know." Gauri replies then looking down she worriedly asks, "What about me? Do you want me to come?"

Om stops in shock hearing her question.

"Aadhya is still small. She needs me. at least till a time she can get healthy supplements from other food. I know you hate me and it is difficult for you to be in the same place as me... I'll stay somewhere else and come to your place when you are at work, so you don't have to see me."

"Rudy told me that you once told him, if I didn't want you in my life then you would give Aadhya to me and go away. Is that true?"

"Yes. You'll always have first right on her, Om." Gauri tells him and then unable to hide her pain, she breaks into sobs, "But you'll let me see her once in a while, right? Please, Om?"

Om walks to her and holds her shoulders. "I don't hate you, Gauri. I can never hate you and I never will."

Hearing him, Gauri looks up at his face and stops in shock seeing his face, "Why are you crying, Om?" Gauri asks him as she cupped his face in concern.

"Please don't love me like this, Gauri. I don't deserve it."

"You deserve the best, Om. You are the best."

Om shakes his head at her then he tells her, "Aadhya is as much your daughter as she is mine. We have equal rights on her. she needs her mother as much as she needs her father."

Gauri closes her eyes in relief hearing that.

"Gauri... please look at me."

Gauri looks at him.

"I was just about to apply for your Visa when I realized maybe Aadhya holds a UK passport like you." Om explains to her. "You are coming with me. as soon as we get home, we are getting married."

"You want me in your life?" Gauri asks him in shock.

"Aadhya and I need you in our life."

Hearing him, Gauri cries loudly and hugs Om. "I'm sorry, Om. I hurt you a lot. I ruined your life. I am sorry."

"You didn't ruin my life, Gauri. you'll never ruin my life."

"It is because of me that your life is a mess. I'm sorry, Om."

"It's okay, Gauri. I don't hold you responsible for it. But if it makes you feel better then I forgive you for everything." Om tells her as he hugged her tight.

"Gauri..." Om gently tells her. "I can't leave India. I've too many commitments there. My family is there. I owe people money there. I can't move here. So, you have to move to India with me. I know you have a boutique here..."

Gauri looks at Om's face and tells him, "Aadhya and I belong to you, Om. Wherever you are, we will come there."

Om leans down and kisses her forehead feeling grateful to God for her. "Thank you."

**********

The next day, Gauri had found an agent who would sell her boutique and house.

As Om finished up his meetings with Mr. Dave, Gauri started sorting the things, she wanted to take to India, due to the luggage restrictions they had decided to ship the less important items that Gauri couldn't do without but could wait to get them and discard or sell the remaining items.

Gauri was walking towards her bedroom when Om quickly holds her and turns her around, her back against his chest. Surprised, Gauri was about to look at him when she stops seeing Aadhya lifting herself in her arms and rolling over.

"She did it, Om! She did it!" Gauri says excitedly jumping in joy.

"Told you she will." Om says smiling as he continued to hold her.

They both were happily looking at Aadhya who was now lying on her back as she looked at the ceiling in surprise when they hear Rudra.

"I'm sitting next to her. maybe instead of O, I think she got her moral support from me, Gauri."

"Yeah right!" Gauri says irately though her cheeks were turning pink in embarrassment. She quickly walks off making Om and Rudra chuckle.

**********

Finally, Om made the inevitable call to his parents.

"Hello Mom? Is Dad home?" Om nervously asks.

"Yes. Do you want to talk to him?" Jhanvi asks him.

"Can you put it on speaker? I want to talk to you both."

"Okay... we are here. Is everything alright, Om?"

"Erm... Mom... I'll be bringing Gauri with me when I come."

"Really?" Tej asks happily.

"Did you meet her? How is she doing?" Jhanvi asks excitedly.

"She is doing good... Mom, as soon as we reach, we want to get married. Can you make arrangements for that? I'll let you know the flight date soon; you please arrange everything on that day or the next."

"Why so suddenly, Om?" Tej asks shocked.

"We need time to plan the wedding. We have to invite everyone." Jhanvi tells him.

"We are not coming alone."

"What do you mean? Who is coming with you both?" Jhanvi asks confused.

"We are coming with our daughter."

"What?" Tej asks shocked.

"What are you saying, Om?"

"We're bringing your granddaughter home."

**********

Om was checking online to order Aadhya's crib and pram as they had decided to sell off those while Rudra was helping Gauri pack.

"YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!"

Om curiously looks up to see what had set off Rudra. Then stops in shock seeing Gauri holding that huge portrait of his.

"Aadhya loves this photo." Gauri meekly tells Rudra.

"She has her father with her in flesh and blood. She will be fine."

"But this is a nice photo."

"I've a soft copy of it, I'll make another one for you. just leave that here."

"How can we leave it here?" Gauri asks him shocked.

"How the hell are we going to take it?" Rudra asks her exasperated.

"We could wrap it up and send it as luggage." Gauri says shrugging.

"Do you have any idea how much that damn thing weighs?" Rudra asks her. "I nearly sprained my back putting up that on the wall for you."

"We have to take it." Gauri stubbornly tells him.

"FINE! Put it in the cargo lot."

Gauri gasps in shock. "How can we send it in cargo?"

"Why?"

Seeing Gauri about to look at him, Om quickly turns his face acting as if he was busy on the phone.

"It's Om's photo." Om hears Gauri whisper to Rudra. It took all he had to not laugh out loud just then.

"You are driving me mad!" Rudra declares.

"I feel sad, Rudy." Gauri whispers to him.

"Just put a damn photo of yours with it, so Om's photo won't feel bored and lonely. It will even keep Om's photo company the long journey home." Rudra says pissed as he got up and snatched Om's photo from her hand.

"hopefully, Om's photo and Gauri's photo will even make Baby Aadhya's photo on the way." Rudra says as he kept the photo among the cargo lot.

Irritated, Gauri turns around and walks to her bedroom.

Om quietly gets up and walks to Gauri's room. He finds her taking out her things from her cupboard. He walks to her and holding her shoulder, he turns her around. She gasps in shock. Om leans down and takes her lips in his. Om kisses her hungrily. Gauri wraps her hand around his neck and kisses him back in equal hunger.

"You should stop worshipping me like this." Om whispers to her as he kissed.

"I don't worship you, Om. I just love you."

"I just don't understand what I did in my life to get your love." Om tells her as his eyes filled up. "I love you, Gauri."

Hearing him, Gauri stops in shock as she looked at Om.

Seeing her staring at him, he tells her, "I know I don't deserve you but I love you, Gauri."

Gauri's eyes fill with tears hearing that. "I know you don't love me, Om. I don't know why you're lying to me."

"Gauri, I love you." Om repeats in shock hearing her.

"Please don't lie like this, Om. if you are trying to keep me happy then I am already happy. After all, that I did, still you are accepting me, you are marrying me, you are giving me a place in your life, I have Aadhya, I have Rudy. Tej Uncle and Jhanvi Aunty are so happy we are getting married, they are so eager to meet Aadhya... I'm happy, Om. I'm very happy. I've got more happiness than I deserve in life, Om. I don't need anything more and I don't deserve anything more."

Om looks at her as his eyes filled with tears, "So, this is how much it hurts when I called your love, an infatuation and silly crush? When someone calls the biggest truth of your life, a lie?"

Gauri looks at him in shock and asks him, "How can you love me?"

"Why can't I love you?"

"Is it because I am the mother of your daughter?"

Om shakes his head in negative. "Do you know the first time, I saw Aadhya, I fell in love with her. because she was your daughter. When I held her in my arms, I felt as if you were with me. It killed me when I thought you had moved on in life. when I thought you gave my place to someone else."

"But you hated me then."

Om shakes his head in negative, "I never hated you, Gauri. I can never hate you. I never wanted to hate you."

"But I hurt you a lot, Om. I ruined your life."

"I told you before also, Gauri. you didn't ruin my life. and as long as you're there how can my life be ruined?"

"But..."

"It took me a long time to realize that I love you, Gauri. I was so angry with you that I didn't realize that I was hopelessly in love with you."

"But Om... I don't understand." Gauri whispers too scared to be happy right then.

"I told you it kills me to see my family upset and you had put aside all your pain and heart break, and smiled for my sake. That night, you were begging me to let you stop the drama. You were going through hell, so I would be happy. I fell in love with you then. But I didn't realize it then." Om tells her as tears fell from his eyes.

"the truth was I was fighting with myself. A part of me wanted to call off the wedding because I couldn't see you in tears. But a part of me just didn't believe that you could love me. because we didn't know each other for you to love me. I was a little worried that you might realize that I am not what you thought of me and that you were chasing a mirage all that while. So, I was so confused. I just didn't know what to do. And you were not giving me time to think. Then that night... the choice I wanted to make for myself, you forced it on to me. I was feeling so trapped and angry. My anger clouded my thinking and I let you go."

"After you left, I started feeling lonely and depressed. I had Mom, Dad and Rudy but still I was lonely and depressed because you were not there. And that is when I truly understood you, Gauri. I at least had my family still life was so depressing. Each day felt like a chore. And you had lost your parents and within months you lost me too. I didn't understand how ugly loneliness could be and how it makes us behave insanely. Once, I had experienced loneliness and depression, I understood why you had panicked and behaved like that. I realized that it wasn't your fault. Whatever happened was my fault too. I should have tried to understand you. I should have treated you kindly. Like how Rudy did with you then Gauri, our life wouldn't have become this messed up. that is when I realized that I love you."

"Why didn't you tell me then? Why didn't you come for me then?" Gauri asks as she cried angrily.

"How could I come, Gauri? I was in debt. I was scared you would blame yourself for my situation. I didn't know, Rudy had told you everything. I was scared that you think you ruined my life. so, I thought, I will sort everything and come for you. I knew you would wait for me however long it would take. And that day I saw you with a baby."

"And you thought Aadhya was someone else's." Gauri accuses him.

"Even before I realized that I love you, I was very possessive of you. I got jealous when I saw you with Rudy. And that day, when I thought... I went insane. And you looked so miserable, I thought that because of me you were in a loveless marriage and suffering. I felt betrayed that you left me. I hated myself that I pushed you away. I was so angry that Aadhya wasn't mine. I felt that there was nothing left in my life. my life was no longer worth living."

Gauri furiously slaps him. "Don't you dare ever say that."

"Sorry." Om tells her as he held her hand.

"Why didn't you tell me you love me all these days?"

"Rudy told me how insecure you were and how you lived in guilt. And I was the reason for it all. I was scared that you might think I wasn't worth it."

"You're worth that and more." Gauri tells him as she cupped his face.

"I am not worthy of you but I am going to spend my life trying to be worthy of you."

"Do you really love me?" Gauri asks him feeling happy and elated as her eyes filled with fresh tears.

"I do, Gauri. I do. It might be hard for you to believe because of the way I treated you before. But believe me, Gauri. I love you. I love you more than anything else in this world. I understand why you find it hard to believe that I love you. because even I don't understand why you love me. Rudy told me about how we had met when we were kids. I just vaguely remember that incident but still I don't know what made you love me for all these years so passionately. I just don't but I know that you love me."

"I do." Gauri tells him crying happily.

"And I love you." Om tells her with happy tears.

"Now, we will never be separated, right?" Gauri asks him.

"Never." Om promises her.

Gauri throws herself at Om and he happily hugs her.

**********

Sometime later, Gauri comes out of her bedroom to look for Rudra and finds him sleeping on the sofa bed with Aadhya sleeping next to him.

"Rudy... Rudy... wake up." Gauri excitedly shakes him.

"Get lost." Rudra sleepily mutters.

"Om loves me." Gauri excitedly tells him.

Rudra opens his eyes irately and tells her, "Your daughter doesn't let me sleep at night and you don't let me sleep during the day. Both come into my ears and screech. Get lost."

Seeing he was again going to close his eyes when Gauri excitedly tells him, "Om told me he loves me."

"What is there to tell? Isn't it pretty obvious."

"What?"

"JUST GO, GAURI!"

Hearing him, Aadhya quickly wakes up crying.

"ARGH! See what you did? You woke her up." Rudra angrily says. "Mother and daughter screeching into my ears."

Gauri angrily hits him then she quickly picks up Aadhya and tries to calm her.

When Aadhya didn't calm down, she carries her to her bedroom.

"What happened?" Om asks as he looked up from his laptop.

"Woke up from her sleep." Gauri tells him. "I'll try feeding her and putting her to sleep."

Om nods.

"Rudy is sleeping in the living room." Gauri tells him.

Realizing she needed privacy, Om was about to leave the room.

"Would you be uncomfortable if I feed her here?'

Om was surprised and shocked at her question. "No." Om replies.

Gauri smiles and closes the bedroom door. She sits on the bed and starts unhooking her shirt.

Om gulps seeing that. "Aren't you uncomfortable with me sitting here?"

Gauri looks at him then smiling shyly, she shakes her head in negative.

How did he forget, Gauri was never shy with him?

Keeping his laptop to the side, Om moves towards Gauri. he lovingly caresses Aadhya's head. Then he lovingly kisses Gauri's temple. Smiling happily, Gauri keeps her head on the crook of his neck.

"I missed you, Gauri."

Cheekily smiling at him, Gauri tells him, "We haven't even spent time together for you to miss me."

Om flinches hearing that. "You are going to have your revenge with me, aren't you?"

Smiling, Gauri kisses his cheek. "I love you. and I missed you terribly."

**********

Gauri was cooking when she felt Om hug her from behind.

Surprised, Gauri looks at him. One hand, he had wrapped around her waist and with the other, he was holding Aadhya in his arms.

"Aadhya and her Papa were missing Aadhya's Mama terribly." Om tells her.

Gauri giggles hearing that.

"And Aadhya's chachu is going blind and diabetic seeing this overly cheesy scene." Rudra declares from the kitchen door.

"You could just leave silently too." Gauri points out.

"And have my dinner burned?" Rudra asks her.

Gauri quickly reduces the heat and stirs to avoid the food getting burned.

"I hear confessions were made." Rudra says.

Om turns to Gauri in shock. "You told him?"

"Yeah." Gauri says shyly smiling.

"We really need to have boundaries here. You can't go and tell him every single thing." Om tells her.

"Specially waking me up from my sleep to share your big news."

"You woke him up and told him?" Om asks shocked.

"I was so happy."

Hearing that Om couldn't help smiling. "Even me."

"Even me." Rudra adds.

Om closes his eyes in irritation.

"But next time, I would appreciate it if you could wait till I finish my sleep to share your big news. You know, I love to gossip as much as the next guy, but my sleep is also precious."

"Get lost, Rudy." Gauri tells him.

Cheekily grinning, Rudra walks off.

"He took care of you both well." Om states as he looked at Rudra's retreating back.

"O's precious cargoes. That was what he used to call us." Gauri tells him smiling.

Om smiles hearing that. "I'm so relieved that he was there for you."

"He is my best friend and he is the closest person to you." Gauri tells him.

Om smiles hearing that.

"Om... you're not sad that you couldn't marry Ridhima, right?" Gauri asks him worriedly.

"She is a nice girl, Gauri. and she deserves someone who will love her and who would be loyal to her." Om tells her. "I can only love you and be loyal to you."

Gauri softly smiles hearing that. "But all the problems in your business..."

"I'll solve it, Gauri. now, with Mr. Dave's investment, it is going to get better. I'm confident."

"You'll be fine, right?" Gauri asks him worriedly.

"Yes, darling." Om tells her. then grinning he adds, "Now, I am going to get a super-rich wife, and if any problem I can borrow money from her."

"You would take money from me?" Gauri asks surprised.

"If you're in financial trouble and I had the money, it would kill me if you didn't take money from me. So, how can I give you the same pain?" Om asks her lovingly.

"How much money you want?" Gauri asks him excitedly.

Om chuckles. "I am fine for now. next major payment is only in three months."

"But..."

"You need to start your boutique back home, right?"

"That I can do later also."

"It is your dream and dreams shouldn't be kept waiting."

Gauri smiles hearing that and she lovingly hugs him.

**********

After dinner, Om was helping Gauri load the dishwasher when Rudra comes to the kitchen fully dressed.

"Going somewhere?" Om asks him.

"Since your fiancé and your daughter are hell bent on ruining my sleep. I am moving to a hotel."

"What?" Gauri asks shocked.

"I haven't slept properly since I've come here." Rudra tells them. Then turning to Om, he says, "Come here."

Om curiously walks to him.

"I just wanted to make sure you understand something."

"What?"

"Neither is Aadhya interested in being a big sister now, nor am I interested in being a chachu for the second time now. Are we clear on that?"

Om scowls at Rudra.

"Do we understand each other?" Rudra asks him.

Om continues to scowl at him.

"If you have any issues then I'll happily cancel my hotel booking and stay here."

"We are clear." Om quickly says.

"Good." Rudra tells him. Then he looks at Gauri and sees her blushing beetroot red. "Ciao."

**********

"I'm sorry for that night, Om." Gauri whispers to Om as they snuggled in bed.

Om pulls her close to him and nibbles on her lips. "Please don't say that."

"I'm sorry I seduced you like that."

"Gauri, that night..." Om takes her hand in his. "It is true that I felt forced and cornered that night but there is another truth too."

"What is it?" Gauri asks him as she looked at him curiously.

"That day, I wasn't able to leave that room, not because you were touching me or you were naked. You told me that we might never see each other and that thought nearly killed me. And I couldn't leave your room and you that night."

Gauri smiles hearing that. "I love you, Om."

"And I love you, Gauri."

"You ready for round 2?" Gauri asks him with a sexy smile.

"That night you were full of stamina with back to back action. I was starting to wonder what happened to you." Om says as he pulled her over him.

Gauri starts to straddle him and then stops. "What time is it?"

Om leans up to look at the clock and then groaning sadly he falls back. "20 minutes more for her to wake up."

"I'll go take a shower and come then." Gauri tells him then leaning down, she kisses him on his lips. "After I feed her, we will have time for back to back action."

"We are going to hit speed bumpers like this for a while, aren't we?" Om asks.

Gauri laughs happily hearing his question.

*** The End ***

I really wanted to write a light hearted story where Gauri is engaged to Rudra and falls for either his best friend or brother, but this story turned out like this. I don't know how many people liked this story with these flawed characters. Please do leave your comments and votes.

- Lazy