Hello everyone, thank you for voting and commenting on the previous part.

Many had asked me to write another Mills & Boons story and this is what I came up with. Let me warn you, this is a very Indian Mills & Boons story.

Pragzzzzzzz had asked me to write a story on certain idea, but then I couldn't come up with a story like the one she wanted, this story is kind of similar but different from what she wanted.

Sorry, haven't proofread.m

"Can you make it fast?" Gauri asks as she sat on the desk and talked to Tia.

"Yeah almost done." Tia replies. "You seem relaxed today."

"Boss is on leave." Gauri replies as she put one leg over hers and dangled her feet. Leaning back on her left hand she checks her mails on her phone.

"What happened? He is never on leave." Tia asks curiously.

Gauri felt a pang in her heart realizing why he was on leave. Her heart went out to him. His grandmother, who had raised him and his little brother and sister, almost two weeks ago was diagnosed with fourth stage cancer. the cancer was pretty advanced and owing to her age, the doctors had suggested that she be home and not go in for any treatment as that would only give her pain and will not prolong her life. he had been miserable ever since.

"Gauri?" Tia calls her again.

Realizing she was waiting for a reply, Gauri shrugs and lies, "Don't know."

"Okay, I have booked Rudra Sir's tickets for next week." Tia says.

"Good. And Ranveer sir's?"

"Getting to it."

"You are so slow." Gauri mutters.

Tia gives her a look and asks curiously. "Why is the whole family coming back? I thought Rudra Sir had his exams."

"He is writing his exams early." Gauri answers ignoring the other question.

"But why?"

"I don't know. I don't ask him questions."

It is true that she never asked him questions but she knew because being his personal assistant, she had been making all the appointments and coordinating everything. He had been broken hearing about his grandmother's sickness and now he was slowly coming to terms with it. He has even accepted that his grandmother would leave them any moment now. and he has been trying his best to give her a peaceful death. It killed her to see him like that because she loved him with all her heart. He was the most kindest person ever, he treated everyone with respect whether it was a business associate or an employee.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"

Gauri looks up in shock hearing Omkara's furious question.

She sees him, pinning Ajay to the wall as he glared into his eyes. Gauri quickly slides down the desk and hurries to them.

"Sir, I was...." Ajay stammers.

Om furiously takes Ajay's phone and throws it on the floor then for good measure he slams his foot on the already broken phone.

Gauri was shocked to see this side to her boss. She had never seen him raise his voice at anyone and this. His grandmother's health has been taking a toll on him and it was finally coming out like this.

"I don't pay you to..." Om starts.

"Sir, everyone is watching." Gauri quickly whispers to him as she hurried to stand next to him.

Om looks at her and Gauri sucks her breath seeing his fury. Then he looks around and sees everyone staring at him.

Taking a deep breath, Om turns to Ajay, "You are fired."

"I am sorry, sir... I..." Ajay starts stammering.

"Have the HR department handle it Ms. Sharma." Om orders her.

"Yes sir." Gauri replies in shock, he wasn't one to fire someone on a whim. Either Ajay did something unacceptable or he was reacting in extremes due to his grandmother's illness. She never even knew he could be this angry ever.

Om furiously pushes Ajay away.

"Meet me in my cabin, Ms. Sharma." Om tells her and walks off.

"Yes, sir."

**********

After calling up the HR department regarding Ajay and confirming with Tia about the flight tickets, Gauri goes to Om's cabin.

"May I come in, Sir?" Gauri asks as she poked her head in.

Om was standing by the glass window looking out at the street replies. "Come in, Ms. Sharma."

Gauri walks in and updates him, "Rudra Sir's tickets are booked for next week. Ranveer Sir said he won't be able to get back till day after so we have booked his ticket for then."

Om nods. "And Ajay?"

"HR is processing his paperwork."

"Good." Om says and he turns around to face her.

Gauri waits for him to say something.

Om walks to her without taking his eyes off her. his eyes piercing her eyes.

Gauri felt uncomfortable with the way he was watching her.

Gauri gulps feeling his gaze on her.

"I want you to come to my house." Om tells her.

"Okay, sir." Gauri replies.

Om looks her up and down, seeing that she was wearing a knee length skirt, he tells her, "Wear something else. Something Indian."

"Okay, sir." Gauri replies though she wanted to ask him why she needed to change her clothes, she didn't.

A small smile spreads through his lips and he leans on his desk, "You never asks questions, Ms. Sharma."

"It's not my place to ask questions, Sir." Gauri replies feeling uncomfortable with the way he was smiling and being casual with her.

"It is not official. It is personal."

"Oh." Gauri replies surprised.

"I need a favor from you."

"Sure, sir. Anything."

He gives her a full smile, a devilish grin. "It's nice that you are giving me your word. You stay in a hostel, right?"

"Yes... but why did you say that?" Gauri asks a little worried.

Om stands up straight. "Go to your hostel. Change your clothes. Whatsapp my driver your location and he will pick you up from there." Om says and walks out.

Gauri turns to look at him walk out in utter confusion. Then notices him stop near the door.

"And Ms. Sharma," Om calls out to her as he turned to look at her. "Do dress up."

**********

Gauri was feeling nervous with the way her boss had behaved. She rings the bell as she tried to calm her racing heartbeat.

Dandi opens the door.

"Sir asked me to come." Gauri tells him.

"He is waiting for you." Dandi tells him and walks into the house. Gauri follows him.

Opening a bedroom door, Om comes out curiously. "Who is it, Dandi?" then noticing her, he stops with a smile seeing her dressed up in a flowy salwar.

From his look, she understood that he appreciated that she had bothered to dress up.

Om steps out of the room and closes the door.

She had been to this house enough times to know that it was his grandmother's room. she wanted to go see his grandmother but she knew it was not her place to do it.

"Come with me." Om tells her and walks off.

Gauri follows him. She was surprised when he didn't go to his study the place where he usually met her. instead he walked further into the house.

He opens a door and steps aside for her to enter. Gauri enters the room and sees a sitting area. She curiously looks around and finds another door. her heart skipped a beat realizing that that door led to his bedroom. She was in his private space.

"Please sit." Om gestures her to the couch.

Gauri nervously looks at the three seater couch and then looks at him. He was watching her waiting patiently. Gulping she walks to the couch and sits. Om walks to her, and instead of sitting on the single seater next to the couch, he sits on the table in front of the couch, his knee almost touching hers.

Gauri nervously moves her leg as she tried to sit up.

"I need a favor from you, Ms. Sharma." Om gently tells her.

"What favor?" Gauri asks nervously as her heart started slamming against her chest.

"After my parents passed away, it was Dadi who raised us." Om gently tells her.

Gauri nods, she knew all that. his father passed away while his mother was pregnant with Rudra Sir and then she had passed away in child birth.

"She never made us miss our parents. Always strong pillar of strength and love."

Gauri nods wondering what does that have to do with her.

"You know, she is dying." Om says softly.

She heard his heart break in his voice and saw it in his eyes. Unable to control herself, she quickly holds his hand to console him.

Om looks down at her hand in surprise. Realizing what she had done, Gauri was about to take off her hand when Om places his other hand on top of hers and looked at her.

"You know her condition."

Gauri nods.

"She has asked me to get married." Om softly tells her.

Gauri's heartbreak hearing that. she knew that she had no chance with him. She always knew that and had always tried to fight her feelings for him, but it just kept growing. She always knew that he would marry someone else but when he was saying that it broke her heart.

"She made me promise that I would get married soon. not now or anything but soon. she is worried that I would be alone when she..." Om's eyes fill with tears saying that.

Seeing him in tears, she looks away as she fought her tears.

"I want to give her a peaceful death by fulfilling her last wish."

Gauri nods as she looked away.

Om takes a deep breath and hesitantly starts, "I was thinking... if I... if I could get married to someone in front of her..."

Gauri turns to him in shock wondering whether he wanted her to find a bride for him. God, that would kill her.

"Not real marriage. Just a fake ceremony."

"What?" Gauri asks shocked.

"Only you, Dadi, Priyanka, Pundit and me. not even the servants will know. it is just a matter of few days, once Dadi..." Om gulps and says, "You can go back to your life. It will be just a fake ceremony."

Gauri looks at him confused not understanding what he was saying. What was he saying? Fake ceremony?

Seeing the confusion, Om gently tells her, "Ms. Sharma, I am talking about both of us."

"Both of us?" Gauri asks utterly confused.

"We both having a fake wedding ceremony for Dadi."

"WHAT?" Gauri shouts as she jumped and stood up.

Since he was still holding her hand, now she was in an awkward position of she standing, he at her mid-level, holding her hand with a marriage proposal, almost as if he was on his knees.

"Only you can help me, Ms. Sharma."

When Gauri was about to reject, he tells her helplessly, "I have no one else to help me."

Hearing him, Gauri helplessly looks at him, she couldn't abandon him now.

*********

"Tomorrow, bring your clothes and shift in here." Om softly tells her as they walked to his grandmother's room.

"Here?" Gauri asks in panic.

"You will sleep in the guest room." Om clarifies. "That way servants won't be suspicious and Dadi doesn't leave her room now."

"Oh okay." Gauri says relaxing.

Om smiles, "Thanks a lot, Ms. Sharma. I owe you."

"Please don't say that." Gauri tells him.

Om smiles and opens the bedroom door.

"Dadi..." Om gently calls her as he walked to the bed.

"Omki... I thought you went to sleep." Dadi says with a smile as she stretched out her hand to him.

Om takes her hand and sits on the chair next to her. "I want you to meet someone."

Dadi curiously looks around the room and sees Gauri. she smiles, "Gauri, right?"

"Yes." Om and Gauri replies at the same time. they both look at each other in surprise.

"Gauri, come here." Om says as he extended his hand to her.

Gauri was surprised to hear him use her given name, she had kind of believed that he didn't even know her first name. and here he was using her first name in such an authoritative way. then seeing his extended hand, Gauri walks to him.

Gauri gently keeps her hand on his. He closes his fist and holds her hand. "Sit here." Om tells her as he stood up from the chair and moved away.

Gauri nervously sits. Still holding her hand, Om kneels down next to her facing his Dadi.

Hearing the door open, they curiously look at the door and sees Priyanka walk in. seeing Gauri, she was surprised but politely smiles at her. Priyanka walks to the bed and sits on the other side of Dadi.

"Dadi, I want you to meet Gauri." Om tells her.

"I have met her, Omki." Dadi tells her smiling.

"I know my marriage is your biggest dream." Om tells her.

Hearing that his Dadi starts frowning. "It is." She says as she looked at him then at Gauri then again at him.

"Gauri and I have decided to get married." Om tells her. "We will get married tonight... now."

"Why?" Dadi asks him shocked.

"What?" Priyanka asks in a near shout.

"I know your biggest dream is my marriage." Om tells Dadi ignoring Priyanka.

"It is but not like this. Not without thinking." Dadi tells him frowning.

"I thought this through, Dadi."

"Why do you want to marry Gauri?" Dadi asks him.

Om looks at Gauri. the truth was he hadn't really thought that Dadi would ask questions, he just assumed she would accept his marriage without a thought.

"Do you love her?" Dadi asks him.

Om looks at his Dadi and tells her, "If I was in love, you would have known."

Gauri quickly looks down, her heart breaking a little. However the way, he answered it, it had meant only no.

"I know that is why I asked." Dadi tells him. "But why Gauri?"

"I like her. she is a nice girl." Om replies a little bit of panic setting in with the way she has been asking him questions.

"That is not reason enough to marry." Dadi tells him shaking her head.

"Dadi, don't you want to see me get married?" Om asks her.

"For the right reasons."

Om sighs and tells her gently, "The reason I chose Gauri is because Gauri is in love with me."

Gauri's heart skips a beat and she turns to look at Om in shock. He was still looking at his Dadi, so she couldn't even judge whether he had lied or he knew that she loved him.

"Is it?" Dadi asks smiling.

Finally, Om turns to look at Gauri and looking into her eyes, he tells Dadi. "Gauri has been in love with me for a while now."

Gauri felt her heart break completely. She had never dreamt of a life with him. She didn't even ever want him to find out that she loved him but somehow he knew. And even in such a desperate state, he didn't think her to be worthy enough to be his real wife. He had rejected her love and her.

It took everything she had to stop her tears from spilling.

"Gauri." Dadi says as she extended her hand.

Om lets go off Gauri's hand. Gauri takes Dadi's hand.

"Do you love my Omki?"

Gauri gulps the sob and whispers "Yes."

Dadi smiles at her happily.

"I made Omki promise me that he would marry soon. I was always worried for him. He never lived his life fully. Very early, he had to be a father figure to Rudy and Prinku. He has always lived for us. Us and office, there was nothing else in his life. I was worried that he would just ruin his life like that. I wanted him to have someone who would love him and care for him. Would help him take care of Rudy and Prinku." Dadi tells her.

"Will you take care of my Omki and love him always?" Dadi asks her.

Gauri looks at Om and he was watching her.

Turning to look at Dadi, Gauri promises, "I'll."

Keeping her other hand on Priyanka, Dadi says, "Prinku has always been the protected sister of the two brothers and now that she is married, she is the protected and pampered wife and bahu. What she doesn't have is a friend and will you be a friend to her?"

Gauri looks at Priyanka and sees her watching her with a smile. "I'll."

"Rudy, he never knew a mother's love. Will you take care of him?"

"Dadi, I don't think Gauri is that older than Rudy." Priyanka chuckles.

Dadi chuckles hearing that. "But he is still a baby at heart."

Gauri nods. "I'll."

"I like her, Omki." Dadi tells him smiling.

"The Pundit is waiting outside; I'll call him?" Om asks her.

Dadi's eyes fill with tears and tells him, "I really wanted to see your marriage but I didn't want to pressurize you."

"I know, Dadi." Om tells her smiling. "And you were constantly worrying about it."

"I was."

"I will call the Pundit?"

"Yes."

"You both are sure of this, right?" Priyanka asks them both.

Om looks at Gauri and she looks at him. "We are sure." Om replies as he turned to look at his sister.

Within minutes, the Pundit had come and set up the havan for the wedding in a corner of the room.

Om gently helps Dadi to a sitting position so she can see everything.

"Call the servants too." Dadi tells Priyanka.

"No." Om quickly says.

"Why?" Dadi asks shocked.

"Gauri's family doesn't know. When they are not attending, I don't think it is fair to have others." Om tells her as he looked at Gauri.

"Hmmm." Dadi nods. "Tomorrow morning, I'll call Gauri's parents."

Seeing Gauri panicking, Om tells Dadi, "I think it is best if Gauri and I went and met them and told them about the wedding instead of you doing it through over phone."

"Right. So, tomorrow you both go early morning."

"Soon, Dadi. I don't want to go when you are sick like this." Om tells her gently.

Knowing there was no use arguing, Dadi nods.

"I have to do ghatbandan and kanyadaan otherwise I would have called Rudy and Ranveer on skype and they could have also seen your wedding." Priyanka says a little upset.

"That's okay." Om tells her. "We will tell them later. Don't tell Ranveer and his family now, we will do it after I talk to Gauri's parents." Om tells her fearing that Priyanka might tell Ranveer about the wedding any time now.

"Okay." Priyanka nods. Then she smiles at Gauri. "Dadi had made me promise her that I would find the perfect bride for bhai, I was really worried how I was going to do that. But now that you are here, Bhabhi, I am relieved."

Gauri softly smiles at her in reply.

Om and Gauri sit for the wedding. As the Pundit started chanting the mantras, Gauri helplessly look down. Her heart break intensifying every second. Even though his sister and Dadi thought this marriage to be real, he and she knew that this wasn't real.

As they did every ritual associated with getting married, she couldn't forget that he knew that she loved him and hadn't considered a real marriage with her. she hadn't expected it ever but the knowledge that he rejected her love and her, it killed something in her.

He turns to her and starts to tie the mangalsutra on her neck. She couldn't stop the tear that rolled down her eyes and it fell on his arms. He stiffened for a second but she didn't look at him. He let go off the mangalsutra when he felt Priyanka tie it securely on Gauri's neck.

She feels him put sindoor on her head. she could feel him looking at her but she didn't look at him. Soon, they were asked to take the pheres.

And the Pundit finally announced them husband and wife.

"Now, I can die peacefully." Dadi tells them smiling.

Om walks to Dadi and Gauri follows him. Om kneels next to her.

"You are happy, right?" Om asks her.

"Yes." Dadi tells him smiling.

"Bhai and Bhabhi, sit with Dadi, I'll take a photo of you three." Priyanka tells them as she stood at the foot of the bed.

Om walks around the bed, sits next to Dadi.

"Come, Gauri." Dadi calls her.

With Om and Gauri on either side of Dadi, they smile for the camera. Priyanka takes a photo.

Seeing the Pundit was ready to leave, Om walks out with the Pundit to settle him.

*********

"You both should go sleep." Dadi tells Om.

Hearing that Gauri's heart slams against her chest.

Om turns to Gauri and tells her, "You go sleep, Gauri. I'll be sleeping here."

"You should go." Dadi tells him before Gauri could say anything.

"Dadi, I'll sleep here."

"I'll also stay here." Gauri hesitantly tells them.

"Prinku is here. I am fine. You both should go."

When Om was about to argue, Dadi tells him, "You are no longer single, Omki. You are married. You are no longer just a grandson or a brother, you are also a husband. You have a responsibility to your wife. Today is your suhag raat and don't leave your wife alone."

"I want to stay with you, Dadi." Om tells her softly.

"Don't disrespect your wife. This night is her right on you. don't snatch her rights. Always respect her and give her all the rights as that of your wife."

Om nods and he turns to Gauri. Gauri gets up and walks to Dadi. She smiles at her.

Dadi smiles and takes her hand. "I am so happy my Omki married you."

Gauri smiles and kisses her forehead.

Once Gauri stepped back, Om kisses his grandmother. "I'll see you in the morning, Dadi."

"Okay." Dadi smiles at him.

"Come, Gauri." Om gently tells her.

They were walking out when Dadi calls out to him. "Take care of her, Omki and always keep her happy."

"I'll, Dadi." Om promises her.

**********

"You don't have to come with me. just tell me where is the guest room and I'll go." Gauri tells Om as she wanted to get away from him.

"I'll take you." Om tells her.

Om opens the door for her and Gauri walks in. she walks to the bed and stands by the bed as she waited for him to leave.

Om remained there as he watched her.

"The Pundit was real?" Gauri finally asks him.

"Yes."

"The mantras were real?" Gauri asks him in a whisper.

"Yes. But don't worry. I've paid him. And I explained to him why we had to do this. He'll not mention this ever."

Gauri closes her eyes. What was the use of the Pundit keeping quiet when she was truly married to him? They had got married according to all the rituals and there was no denying their marriage.

"As soon as I get a chance, I will tell Prinku also the truth. I thought I would get a chance alone with her before the wedding but I didn't. you don't worry I will clear it with her. no one is going to know about this."

Gauri fought her tears. Even if the whole world didn't know about this, she knew that she was married to him. She knew that she was his wife just as much as he thought of this marriage as fake.

"You could have got a fake pundit. I thought you were getting a fake pundit."

"He is the Pundit that Dadi always calls. And if I called someone else or had someone just chant fake mantras then Dadi would have known. I couldn't take the risk." Om tells her. "I thought you understood that."

Gauri sighs loudly. "I just asked." Gauri says wanting to end the topic.

"If you need anything call me." Om tells her.

"Okay."

Om starts to leave then he stops and turns to her, "Why did you cry?"

Hearing his question, Gauri fought her tears and tried to compose herself.

"Ms. Sharma?"

And just like that she was back to being Ms. Sharma.

"When did you make the arrangements for the wedding?"

"Before I came to office today."

"So you knew that I would agree to this?"

"Yes."

"How were you so sure?" Gauri asks him.

"I just knew." Om hesitantly replies to her.

Finally, Gauri turns to look at him. "How long have you known?"

"For a while now." Om replies understanding her question.

"How?"

"It's the way you look at me, especially when you thought I couldn't see you."

"And that was how you were sure."

Om nods. "I knew you would understand my pain."

Gauri scoffs as she looked away.

"Ms. Sharma."

"Sir, if you don't mind, I'm tired." Gauri tells him.

"Sure." Om nods then he hesitates for a few seconds. "I'll never forget what you did for me today."

"You should forget it because I am not going to remember it."

Om was shocked to hear her. her accusatory tone was shocking. "You think I took advantage of you."

"Did you?" Gauri asks him.

"I was helpless." Om tells her in a confused tone. "And I thought you would understand and help me."

"Okay." Gauri replies in a dismissing tone.

"Ms. Sharma... I know you love me. and I know that is the reason you helped me today. For what you did for me, I want to repay you. I will not insult your love by giving you money. But know this, I owe you. I am in your debt and I want to repay that debt. So know that you can call me on this favor whenever you want and for whatever you want. If it is in my power then even if I have to move heaven and earth for it, I'll do it. Till you call us even I will be in your debt."

When Gauri remained silent, Om leaves the room.

Gauri locks the door and falls on the bed and cried for the rest of the night.

**********

Gauri wakes up hearing Priyanka's loud screams.

"BHAI! BHAI!"

Gauri quickly opens the bedroom door and runs towards Om's bedroom.

"Priyanka Ma'm?" Gauri calls her as she ran to her.

Hearing her, Priyanka turns to her and stops in shock.

"Bhabhi..."

Om opens his bedroom and steps out worriedly. "What happened?" Om asks.

Priyanka turns to look at Om in shock and then Gauri in utter confusion.

"Prinku." Om shakes her.

Then realizing, Priyanka turns to her brother and tells him in tears, "Dadi is not waking up."

Hearing that Om runs to his grandmother's room. Gauri runs behind him.

Gauri walks into Dadi's room and sees Om with his ears on her chest. Then he takes her hand and checks for her pulse.

"Dadi." Om softly calls her as his eyes filled up. "Dadi." Om calls her as he kept his hand over her cheek.

"Sir?" Gauri softly calls him.

"She is ice cold." Om whispers to Gauri.

Gauri felt her eyes fill up. The lady who had treated her with so much love and respect the night before was gone now.

"Bhai." Priyanka runs to him and hugs him.

Om hugs her.

"Should I call the doctor, sir?" Gauri asks him as she fought her tears and tried to be a professional. She wasn't a part of this family. She was just an employee and she had duties to attend.

"Yes." Om replies.

Gauri was about to walk out of the room so she could make the call and also to give the Oberoi family some privacy to mourn.

"Ms. Sharma." Om calls her.

"Yes, Sir?" Gauri turns to him and stops seeing Priyanka looking at them in shock.

"Why are you calling bhabhi that?" Priyanka asks Om in shock.

"Last night, it was for Dadi." Om tells her.

"But you got married."

"It was a drama for Dadi's happiness."

"But..."

"Now is not the time, Prinku." Om tells her.

Priyanka nods and hugs him.

Om turns to Gauri and sees her waiting, as efficient and calm as ever.

"You have to inform everyone."

"Yes, sir."

"I'll inform Rudy." Om says thoughtfully.

"Do you want me to change his tickets?"

"He won't be able to get here on time. and he has exams." Om says shaking his head. "Make arrangements for the..." Om stops as his eyes filled with tears.

Gauri nods her head realizing he was going to say cremation. "Understood, sir. I'll take care of everything."

Om nods. "Thank you."

*********

Gauri watched as the mourners came and went. She had been running around taking care of all the arrangements. She looked at Omkara and sees him listening to someone talk. She knew that he was broken and it killed her that she couldn't console him. Hug him and share his pain. But she had no right to that. he looked calm and composed now as he listened to the man talk. She knew he had been preparing himself for this, but the pain was still real and raw. It took her a few seconds to realize that even though he was listening to the other man, his eyes were on her. Realizing he had caught her looking at him, she looks away.

Gauri sees Priyanka sitting alone sadly. Gauri walks to her.

"Priyanka Ma'm." Gauri says as she kept her hand on her shoulder.

Priyanka looks at her and hugs her sadly. "Bhabhi."

"Please don't call me that." Gauri whispers as she sat next to her.

"But you are married to my brother."

"It was a fake ceremony." Gauri whispers to her so no one hears them.

"You told Dadi you love him." Priyanka reminds her.

"Sir wanted Dadi to have a peaceful death. It was for that." Gauri replies instead of confirming.

"She had a peaceful death." Priyanka agrees.

Gauri gently pats Priyanka on her cheek to console her.

"Ranveer should reach soon."

"Yes." Gauri replies. They were waiting for Priyanka's husband for the cremation.

Gauri sat with Priyanka, hugging her for a while.

"Ranveer sir is here." Gauri tells her seeing Ranveer coming in.

He had stopped to hug Om.

Priyanka sits up seeing Ranveer. Gauri quickly gets up and moves away seeing Ranveer head towards his wife.

Gauri walks away to give them privacy.

"Ms. Sharma." Om calls her as he walked to her.

"Yes, sir." Gauri turns to him.

"You have been working since morning, you should go home and take rest." Om tells her.

Gauri didn't want to go. He might not consider her his wife but she knew he was her husband and this was her sasural and she couldn't leave them in their time of need. "It's okay, sir. I'm not tired. And there are things I need to take care of."

"I can do it."

"I'll do it."

Om looks at her for a few seconds and tells her, "Okay. thank you for your help."

Gauri nods as she looked away, he couldn't make it any more clearer that she was a nobody to him.

"Dadi was so happy last night and it was possible only because of you." Om tells her softly.

"I am happy I was a reason for her happiness." Gauri tells him.

"I know last night was a little overwhelming for you." Om tells her. "It was not my intention."

"I understand. It is done. We should forget it and move on." Gauri tells him.

"We should." Om agrees.

Gauri nods and turns to walk off when his voice stops her.

"I am sorry if you think that I took advantage of you. all I thought was you would understand me."

"I did think that." Gauri tells him. "And I forgive you."

"Thank you." Om tells her.

"There are things that I still need to take care of." Gauri tells him.

"Anything I can do?" Om asks.

"No, sir. I'll handle it." Gauri tells him and walks off.

**********

Two days later, Gauri was in office when Om walks in. seeing him walk into his cabin, Gauri was surprised. He was supposed to be off for a week and he was already back in office. He was a workaholic and she realized that he had come back to work because staying at home was hard for him. She holds her mangalsutra that was safely hidden inside her top. His condition was hurting her. Unable to sit still, she walks to his cabin.

"May I come in, sir?"

"Come in." Om replies.

Gauri walks in and sees Om's head buried inside his laptop.

"You were supposed to come back to work next week."

Om leans up to look at her face. "Do you want me to go back home?"

"No." Gauri replies quickly. "I just wanted to ask you whether you want me to reschedule your meetings to this week."

"Ah okay." Om nods as he got back to his laptop. "Prepone all the meetings. I want to be busy."

Gauri's heart broke hearing that. "Sure, sir."

When Gauri didn't immediately leave, Om looks at her, "Anything else?"

"No, sir." Gauri replies as she stood there.

"Do you want to ask me something?" Om asks her curiously seeing her hesitating.

"Er... I was wondering... how Priyanka Ma'm is doing." Gauri softly tells him.

"She is fine." Om replies as he looked at her.

"Okay." Gauri nods realizing she was overstepping her boundaries.

Gauri starts to leave.

"I explained everything to her and she understood why we had to do what we did."

"Okay. good." Gauri replies.

"Don't worry, she won't be calling you Bhabhi again." Om tells her as he went back to his laptop.

"Yes, sir." Gauri replies and leaves the room.

**********

Gauri and Om never talked about their supposed marriage after that. weeks passed, and they remained professional with each other.

Hearing the phone ring, Gauri answers it realizing it was Priyanka.

"Hello Ma'm?"

"You don't have to call me, Ma'm. we are friends so you can call me Prinku." Priyanka tells her.

"No, Ma'm."

"Aren't we friends?" Priyanka asks her,

"Yes. Prinku." Gauri gives in.

Priyanka smiles. "The thing I called is, before Dadi passed away, she made me promise that I should find a wife for bhai."

Gauri's heart skips a beat hearing that. Prinku was already looking for a wife for her husband?

"I've registered his profile on a matrimony site and I have shortlisted a few girls. I needed you to tell me when he is free so I can arrange a meeting." Prinku tells her.

Gauri felt her eyes fill up hearing that.

"You there?"

"Yeah." Gauri says as she shut her eyes tight to stop her tears. "Can I get back to you on that?"

"Yeah sure. Just WhatsApp me when all he is free."

"Okay." Gauri replies and hangs up.

Gauri takes up Omkara's schedule for the next week to see when he was free. As she looked through it, her eyes filled up with tears and she couldn't control herself. She quickly gets up and hurries to the washroom.

**********

It was a simple decision, she lost the man she loved, she wasn't going to lose the job she loved. So there was only one option for her.

"May I come in, sir?"

"Come in."

Gauri walks in.

"Yes, Ms. Sharma?" Om asks as he looked up. Then frowning he asks, "You okay?"

"Yes."

Om looks at her for a few seconds and says, "You look very serious."

"Prinku called me."

"Prinku?"

"She told me to call her that."

"I didn't mean it like that. I meant it as why is she calling you." Om explains.

"She wanted to know when you are free so you could go see prospective brides."

Om frowns hearing that.

"She said she promised Dadi to find a bride for you."

"I am aware of that." Om replies.

"Ah okay." Gauri says a little hurt. "After what happened that night, I don't think it is morally correct for me to arrange these meetings."

Om looks down thoughtfully hearing her. "I'll take care of it."

"There is another thing." Gauri says.

"Yes?"

"You said you owe me."

"I do." Om replies his full attention on her.

"You said if it is in your power then you would do what I want. I feel it is wrong when I am here that you are meeting these prospective brides." Gauri tells him.

Om frowns hearing her, "Do you want me to marry you instead?"

"What? No!"

As the question slipped from his lips Om got lost in thoughts. Gauri is a nice person. He liked her. his family liked her and she cared for his family. Dadi had adored her. She loved him. And she was damn sexy and hot. She will make him a good wife. When he thought of it, they could have a good marriage.

"So what do you say?" Gauri asks him.

"If you are up for it then I am up for it." Om tells her smiling.

"thank you. I'll tell the HR then."

"HR?" Om asks confused. "What does the HR have to do with this?"

"The HR has to process my transfer."

"Transfer?" Om asks utterly confused.

"Didn't you hear what I was saying?" Gauri asks shocked.

"I think I misunderstood." Om replies confused.

"I was saying, since you are getting married and I'll inevitably will have to interact with your wife, and I feel it is wrong if I continue to be a part of your professional life after that fake ceremony. Your future wife won't like it and it is better if you could transfer me."

"Transfer you?" Om asks frowning.

"Rudra Sir is joining office next week and HR is already looking for a personal assistant for him. Maybe I can assist him instead and you get a new..."

"But you are my assistant." Om possessively cuts her off.

"But you understand why we can't continue working together."

"It was a fake ceremony. It had no meaning to it. Why are you making a huge deal out of it?" Om asks pissed.

Gauri knew an explanation meant she will have to admit to him that she considered the ceremony true and him to be her husband. So she instead says, "I am calling in the favor."

"For this?" Om asks outraged.

"Yes."

"So you would rather assist Rudy than be with me?" Om asks her.

His wordings felt really weird to her, so she replies "You said if it is in your power, you would move heaven and earth..."

"I remember what I said." Om snaps at her.

"You don't have to get angry. I'll handover everything to your new assistant and I'll make sure it will not hinder your work in anyway. And I'll be here in the same building so if she needs help, I can help her."

"Is this your final decision?" Om asks unable to control his fury.

"Yes."

"Fine then!"

**********

Seeing Om walk in the next day, Gauri quickly stands up.

"Come to my cabin, Ms. Sharma." Om tells her and walks off.

Gauri follows him. She watches him sit in his seat and turn on the laptop.

"Sir?"

"In three months, it is Prinku's first wedding anniversary." Om tells her and as he typed into the laptop.

"Okay."

"She always wanted to see Taj Mahal, so I want you to arrange their trip. I am sending you the hotel and date details." Om says pressing on the send button.

"Okay, sir."

"Make sure their room has the view of Taj Mahal."

"Okay, sir." Gauri replies. "Any other requirements?"

"Arrange Taj visit. Maybe dinner and some romantic set up." Om says shrugging.

"Romantic set up?" Gauri asks shocked.

Om looks up at her.

"What romantic set up?" Gauri asks feeling completely lost.

"Decorate the room, I don't know Ms. Sharma." Om says getting flustered. "If I knew it wouldn't I be giving it to you along with the rest of the instructions?"

"Sorry, sir." Gauri says contrite.

"You can go." Om tells her.

Gauri turns to leave then she turns to him. "I spoke to the HR and she has finalized a new assistant for you."

Om looks up at her then leaning back on his seat he glares at her, "I don't know what is your problem."

"I explained to you."

"Whatever." Om says in a dismissing tone as he tried to get back to work.

"Since I will be assisting Rudra sir, I'll have your new assistant handle this."

"I gave you the responsibility." Om tells her as he looked up at her.

"But Rudra Sir..."

"I own this company, Ms. Sharma and you work for this company." Om reminds her.

"Yes, sir."

Om sighs realizing that he was rude to her. "I want you to personally handle this. Go to Agra and make sure everything is perfect."

"To Agra? Do you know how far it is?" Gauri asks outraged.

"Why are you asking too many questions?" Om asks her in exasperation. "Why are you behaving like a nagging wife?"

Gauri's face turns pink in humiliation.

"I didn't mean it like that." Om says quickly seeing her face.

"I'll take care of it, Sir." Gauri tells him as she composed her face.

"After Dadi's death, Prinku is getting back to normal. But I know she is going to miss Dadi on her anniversary, they had made some plans for a party. So, I just want her to be happy." Om explains.

"I understand." Gauri replies.

Om sighs and tells her, "I want it to go perfectly. There is no one I trust to do this to the perfection I want it done other than you."

Gauri nods. "I'll take care of it."

"Thank you." Om tells her.

Gauri starts to walk off when Om asks her, "How long are you with me?"

With you?

Gauri turns to him and sees him watching her.

"Till the day before Rudra Sir joins." Gauri tells him.

Om nods. "You are blowing it out of proportion. It was just a fake ceremony."

"I am doing this so that when your wife comes it won't blow out of proportion." Gauri explains.

"Oh and when is this wife of mine coming?" Om asks her irately.

"Prinku is looking."

"I promised Dadi that I would get married. And I will. But not tomorrow. When I am ready to get married." Om tells her as he tried to control his anger.

"and that time, there might not be an opening for me to transfer to. So I might have to resign and I would rather not."

"Or you can continue to work for me." Om tells her.

"Why are you being stubborn?" Gauri asks him at her wits end.

"I am being stubborn?" Om asks outraged. "I am being level headed here while you are being silly and stubborn."

"So be it. Can you keep your word?" Gauri asks him.

Om frowns at her as he studied her. then he accuses her. "You accused me of taking advantage of your feelings for me. even though I didn't and that wasn't my intention, I apologized to you and you said you forgave me. still your voice and attitude carries accusations."

"Because you are not letting me go!"

"Fine go!"

*********

Om's new assistant joined the next day.

"Sir?"

"Come in, Ms. Sharma." Om tells her as he continued to type away on his laptop.

"Sir, this is Ridhima Kapoor your new assistant."

Om's hand stills on the laptop and he looks up at them furiously.

Ridhima steps back seeing his fury.

"Get out." Om tells them in fury.

Ridhima quickly runs out while Gauri stared at Om in outrage.

"What is wrong with you?"

"I could ask you the same but I am sick and tired of going in circles with you, so Get the hell out, Ms. Sharma!"

*********

Gauri used the next couple of days to train Ridhima. Then the day before Rudra was to join she went to meet Om.

"Came to say bye?" Om asks her as soon as she entered.

"I have handed over everything to Ridhima. She is good."

"Otherwise I don't think we would hire her." Om replies.

Gauri nods, "I've informed Prinku that Ridhima would be handing all your meetings and Ridhima will make the appointments for prospective brides."

Om doesn't reply to that.

"I will be moving to the fourth floor today."

"I am sure Rudy would be happy with this Ridhima." Om tells her.

Gauri sighs loudly.

"You are getting yourself demoted for no apparent reason. You could work for me."

"Why can't you just let me go?" Gauri asks him helplessly.

"Because you are my assistant."

"I am your personal assistant, not your personal property!"

Om furiously takes a breath and he glares at her. "Leave, Ms. Sharma."

********

After Om had introduced Rudra to the staff and took him to his cabin. Gauri waited outside so she wouldn't have to run into Omkara. She had made the decision to stay out of his way so that her heart wouldn't break again. his attitude towards her the last couple of days has been so bad and confusing. She couldn't comprehend why he was behaving like this, if she didn't know better she would have assumed that he was being possessive about her. But why would he be possessive about her?

Seeing Om walk out, Gauri sighs in relief and walks to the door.

"May I come in, sir?"

"Yes." Rudra replies.

Gauri walks in.

"Sir, I am..."

"Gauri Kumari Sharma." Rudra says smiling as he stood up and walked around the table.

"How did you know?" Gauri asks surprised.

Rudra leans on the desk, "My brother told me that you would be assisting me."

"Yes, sir." Gauri tells him smiling.

"Please don't call me sir. I haven't done anything to be called sir. You can call me Rudy."

"How can I call you by your name?" Gauri asks shocked.

"With your mouth." Rudra tells her chuckling.

Gauri chuckles. Dadi was right, he was a baby.

"I would rather have us as friends than Boss and assistant. I am new here. I don't know anything, so I would need a lot of help from you. I would be more comfortable taking your help if we are friends." Rudra explains.

"Okay, Rudy." Gauri tells him smiling.

Rudra smiles at her. "And what should I call you?"

"Ms. Sharma or Gauri, if you please."

"How boring!"

Gauri chuckles, she suddenly felt so close to him like she had felt with Prinku and Dadi, and then remembering what she had promised Dadi about caring for Rudra, Gauri asks with a smile, "Then what would you call me?"

"Hmmm." Rudra looks her up and down. "How about SA?"

"SA?" Gauri asks confused.

"Sweet Assistant."

Gauri chuckles hearing that.

"So, SA, what am I supposed to do today?"

*********

The next couple of days went without a hitch. Gauri didn't go to the top floor and Om rarely came down, and when he did, she would hide. Even though she was missing Om terribly, she had stuck to her resolve. She needed to create this distance from him if she was to continue working there.

It was a Sunday and Priyanka had come over to visit her brothers.

"How is work going, Rudy?" Priyanka asks as they sat for breakfast.

"Nice." Rudra replies.

"How is he doing bhai?" Priyanka asks Om.

"He is learning." Om replies. "How is Ms. Sharma helping you?" Om asks.

"Okay... good."

"If you have any difficulty with her, let me know. I'll give you my assistant and will take Ms. Sharma." Om tells her.

"No need for that. SA is really awesome." Rudra tells him.

"SA?" Om asks confused.

"What is SA?" Priyanka asks curiously.

Rudra looks at Priyanka cheekily. "Sexy Ass."

"WHAT?" Om asks in furious outrage.

"What the hell, Rudy?" Priyanka asks in disgust.

"Relax bhai. I know she is elder to me. I am not serious. Just some fun. That's all." Rudra says shrugging.

*SLAP*

Before Rudra had time to process the slap his brother had given him, his brother kicks the chair he was sitting on and he went flying back.

Priyanka gasps in shock.

Om furiously gets up and walks to Rudra who was still on the floor. Kneeling down, he grabs his collar and tells him, "If I see you anywhere near Gauri, Rudy, I will kill you."

"She is my assistant." Rudra reminds him.

"She is not."

"You only gave her to me."

"I DIDN'T GIVE HER TO ANYONE. SPECIALLY TO YOU!"

"Bhai, stop it." Priyanka says as she tried to pull Om back.

"STAY. AWAY. FROM. GAURI." Om warns him and walks off.

Once Om was out of earshot, Priyanka hurries to Rudra and furiously asks him, "What the hell were you saying?"

"What the hell are you doing?" Rudra asks her back in anger.

"What?" Priyanka asks confused.

"You said I just had to act interested in Bhabhi so that bhai would freak out into accepting that Bhabhi is his wife. He is behaving like a possessed psycho. Are you trying to get me killed?"

"I didn't ask you to talk dirty about Bhabhi."

"I thought he would get disgusted and tell me to treat Bhabhi with respect and that she is my bhabhi."

"You are so dumb, Rudy. I already told you how he had screamed at me for telling Bhabhi that she will have to fix his dates with his prospective brides. And he was so mad at me that it was because of me that she was asking for a transfer."

"Does he love her? you said Bhabhi loves him and he likes her, right?" Rudra asks confused.

"Yeah. I have no idea, Rudy." Priyanka says confused. "He kept saying I lost my assistant because of you."

"and I feel bhabhi is hiding from bhai. Every time he comes to my cabin, she is not there on her desk."

"You are supposed to bring them together."

"I am working on it! Now, help me up." Rudra tells her as he offered his hand to her.

"Why are you calling Bhabhi a sexy ass?" Priyanka asks furiously.

"Oh no. SA means Sweet Assistant."

"What? What kind of nonsense is that?" Priyanka asks shocked.

"I can't call Bhabhi by her name. she won't let me call her Bhabhi. So, I call her that." Rudra tells her.

"I call her by name."

"I don't think calling Bhabhi by her name is right."

"Now, if you call her SA then bhai will kill you,"

"I know. What the hell was I thinking?" Rudra asks in despair.

**********

The next day.

"SA Darling." Rudra calls her as he came out of his cabin.

"Rudy, you should call me. I will come in." Gauri tells him as she stood up.

"Why? There is nothing wrong with my legs." Rudra tells her.

Gauri smiles hearing that.

"Can you give this to bhai?" Rudra asks as he handed her a file.

"Me?" Gauri asks as her heart skipped a beat.

"Yeah. Isn't that one of your duties? Or did I get it wrong?" Rudra asks confused.

"No, it is." Gauri says as she took it from him. She would hand it to Ridhima and make her escape.

"Okay." Rudra says smiling. "Please hurry up before bhai reaches. I was supposed to give it yesterday."

Hearing that Om wasn't in office yet, Gauri relaxes and smiles, "I'll run like the wind."

"Ah let me see you run then." Rudra says cheekily.

Gauri laughs as she swats him. "You're too much, Rudy."

Gauri turns to walk and stops in shock seeing Om furiously glaring at them.

"Shit! Do you think you can still run like the wind before he comes to me for these files?" Rudra asks her in a whisper.

Nodding, Gauri ignoring Om hurriedly walk past him.

Gauri gets into the lift and sighs in relief.

"What the hell was that?" Om asks her in a near shout.

Hearing the unexpected shout from behind, Gauri jumps and drops the file on the floor. Seeing the papers scattering on the elevator floor, Gauri quickly leans down to gather them. Then she sees his legs next to her and he kneels down and grabs the bunches of papers from her hand.

"I asked you something." Om reminds her as he glared at her.

"What?" Gauri asks as she leaned forward to grab a paper lying further away.

She hears him take a loud breath and then he grips both her hands, and lifting her up, he slams her on the elevator wall.

"WHAT THE FUCK, GAURI?"

"We were just talking." Gauri replies worriedly seeing him so furious and his composure slipping and he calling her the informal Gauri.

Om glares at her furiously, then letting go of her left hand, he moves his fingers inside her shirt.

"What are you..." Gauri screams in outrage and then she stops in shock when his hand slipped out of her shirt holding the mangalsutra.

"Why are you still wearing it?" Om asks her in fury.

"Leave me." Gauri tells him in a stern tone as she fought her tears and the panic.

"I asked why are you still wearing it?"

Gauri snatches her mangalsutra from his hand and pushes him.

Om steps back as he stared at Gauri in shock.

"Do you consider the marriage to be real?" Om asks her in shock.

Gauri looks away hearing the question as her heart slammed against her chest.

When Gauri remained silent, Om presses the button for his floor.

Gauri nervously looks down, fear gripping her heart and wondering how she was going to escape from this situation. She could feel his gaze piercing her but she refused to look at him.

The lift door opens and Gauri waits for him to leave. Om starts to leave and Gauri starts to sigh in relief when she felt him take her hand and walks out of the lift. Gauri had to run to match up with his long strides.

She knew everyone was curiously looking at them but she didn't look at anyone because her full concentration was on how to get out of this situation without any more bruise to heart.

Om walks into his cabin and let go off Gauri's hand. He closes the door and locks it.

"I just couldn't understand why you were making such a huge deal and insisted on getting a transfer. Now I realize it is because you believe our marriage to be real and me to be your husband, right?" Om asks Gauri in shock.

Gauri remains silent as she looked down.

"We had decided that it was a fake ceremony then why are you..." Om asks confused and shocked.

When Gauri remained silent, Om walks to her and grips her hand in fury. "Answer me, Gauri."

When Gauri still remained silent, Om furiously shakes her.

"I don't want to talk about this."

"Why are you wearing your mangalsutra?"

"It is just a jewellery. I liked the design so I wore it." Gauri lies refusing to look at him,

"Don't lie to me, Gauri." Om tells her furiously.

Gauri closes her eyes hearing him scream.

"Tell me, Gauri!"

"I don't owe you any answers."

"The fuck you don't. I want to know why you are still wearing the mangalsutra."

"I am calling in the favor."

"What?" Om asks confused.

"You'll not ask me about the mangalsutra. I will wear it and you will not stop me. you will not question me about it. You will stay out of it."

"The hell I will."

"This is in your power." Gauri tells him.

"Why the hell are you doing this, Gauri?" Om asks her in shock. "Why can't you just give me a simple answer? Do you consider us married? Do you think we are husband and wife?"

"You do this and I'll call us even." Gauri tells him in reply.

Om furiously looks at her in anger. Gauri keeps the file on the table.

"Rudy told me to bring this here." Gauri tells him. Then she walks out of the cabin.

Gauri ran all the way to her table and once she reached her table she sighs in relief and covering her face, she tried her best to not cry.

**********

To distract herself, Gauri had decided to work. She turns on her laptop and was waiting for her laptop to boot when she feels someone stand in front of her. realizing who it was, Gauri nervously looks up. He didn't look angry. He looked calm and composed. Gauri frowns seeing the change in him. Did he come here to agree to her demand?

"Come with me." Om tells her.

"Where?" Gauri asks confused as she stood up.

"To your hostel to get your stuff and then you are coming home with me." Om tells her.

"What?" Gauri asks shocked. "Why?"

"I am taking my wife home." Om tells her with a gentle smile. "Let's go."

"What? Wife?" Gauri asks shocked. "What wife?"

"What the hell do you mean by that? You are my wife."

"You were just planning to get married to someone else."

"I told you already that I promised Dadi that I would marry but I wasn't going to get married now." Om tells her exasperated. "Leave all that, let's go home."

"You kept saying the ceremony was fake. Then how did I become your wife suddenly?"

"Because you consider our marriage real and that changes everything."

"It doesn't change anything." Gauri says reeling from the shock and his audacity.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Gauri?" Om asks getting angry.

"I am not a toy that you can cast aside when it suits you and accept when it fancies you."

"Gauri, you are driving me crazy!" Om tells her furiously.

"SA, what is all this noise?" Rudra asks curiously as he walked out of the cabin.

Om furiously turns to Rudra, "I told you not to call her that."

"Don't you dare scream at him!" Gauri says furiously as she glared at him.

Rudra's mouth drop open hearing his sweet Bhabhi screaming furiously at his brother.

"Do you even know what SA means?" Om asks her furiously.

"Yes."

"You do?" Om asks shocked.

"Yeah."

"And still you are letting him call you that?"

"Yes. What is wrong in that?"

"You don't see anything wrong in my brother calling you a Sexy Ass?"

"What? What the hell is wrong with you?" Gauri says outraged. "SA means Sweet Assistant."

"Sweet Assistant?" Om asks outraged. "He calls you SA because you have Sexy Ass."

"OH MY GOD! He is a bachcha.! How can you even say that about him?"

Om stares at Gauri in shock for a full minute, the word bachcha was ringing inside his head. Finally, he tells her in outrage, "Dadi asked you to take care of him. Not Mummy him!"

Gauri guiltily looks away hearing that. then realizing that Omkara had said that out loudly and Rudra would have heard him, she turns to look at him to see how he was reacting to all that.

Seeing her look at Rudra, Om turns to look at his brother.

"It is sweet assistant." Rudra quickly tells Om. "Ok, bye."

Rudra runs back inside his cabin.

Om was about to go after him when Gauri asks him, "Happy? Told you it is sweet assistant."

Om turns to Gauri and tells her exasperated. "He is not a baby."

"I know."

"Are you coming with me or not?"

"No."

"What the hell do you want from me?" Om asks outraged.

"I don't want anything from you."

"Gauri, you are driving me nuts."

"You are the one who is driving me crazy!"

"Oh yeah? How?" Om asks her in a challenging tone.

"You kept saying that was a fake ceremony and now you are calling me your wife out of the blue."

"I thought we were on the same page!"

"So?"

"So??? Now I know that you consider the marriage true."

"Yeah so?"

"I don't know why... but since the moment I realized that you have accepted the marriage, I have also accepted the marriage."

"You are crazy." Gauri says in outrage. "How can you just accept like that?"

Om furiously closes his eyes.

"And if I no longer accept the marriage then you will also..." Gauri couldn't finish the question because Om had grabbed her arms and pulled her close to him.

"I am your husband. You are my wife. Don't ever disregard this marriage again."

"Oh my God! You are not making any sense."

"You are not making sense, Gauri. You accept our marriage. You accept me as your husband. Now, when I want to give you the right and respects of that of my wife, you refuse to come home with me."

"I don't want it."

"It doesn't matter whether you want it or not. You have it now."

Sighing helplessly Gauri looks away and sees the staff staring at them curiously. "You are making a scene."

"I am making a scene?" Om asks her in shock.

"Sir, everyone is staring."

"Omkara is my name."

"Sir, please. Everyone is looking."

"Say my name and I'll go."

"Why?"

"I don't like it that my wife is calling me sir."

Gauri closes her eyes, wanting to cry with the way he was behaving. "I don't understand you."

"I am trying to understand you, Gauri." Om tells her softly. "Come home with me and we will sort out everything."

"Omkara, please go."

Sighing Om lets go off her. then turning, he walks into Rudra's cabin.

Tired Gauri, sits on her seat.

**********

Hearing someone walk in, Rudra looks up and seeing his brother, Rudra quickly gets up and walk back trying to keep some distance between his brother and him.

"Why did you lie to me?" Om asks him furiously.

"I was just joking, bhai." Rudra says worriedly.

"I want an honest answer, Rudy." Om tells him. "Did you know that Gauri is my wife when you called her a Sexy Ass?"

Hearing the question Rudra goes pale. Seeing him go pale, Om got even more furious. He starts walking towards Rudra. Seeing that Rudra runs from the opposite side.

"BHABHI!" Rudra calls her as he came out of the cabin.

"What?" Gauri goes pale hearing him call her that.

Rudra pulls her up from the seat and make her stand in front of him, making her a human shield.

"What are you doing?" Gauri asks shocked.

Om comes out of the cabin furiously and sees Rudra hiding behind Gauri.

"Bhabhi!"

"You told him?" Gauri asks Om in shock.

"What?" Om asks confused.

"You promised me that no one will know."

"I didn't tell him. Prinku might have told him."

"Who else knows?" Gauri asks going pale.

"Rudy?" Om calls him.

"Ranveer." Rudra replies. Then he adds, "And I guess all the people in this floor."

"You told all of them?" Gauri asks him in shock.

"What? No! you both have been screaming wife, husband and marriage for some time now."

Gauri closes her eyes in dread.

"It doesn't matter. You are my wife and the whole world is going to know that."

"It matters! I don't want anyone to know!"

"It is the truth and there is no denying it." Om tells her.

"You have been denying it all this while." Gauri points to him.

"Because I thought you didn't want me to acknowledge it."

"Yeah right!" Gauri scoffs. "You had no qualms about getting married again."

"I told you I was just trying to fulfill Dadi's last wish. And I wasn't planning to get married anytime soon."

"Please, I don't want to discuss this any further." Gauri tells him.

"Fine." Om replies irately then turning to his brother, he says menacingly "You called my wife Sexy Ass."

"I was just trying to freak you out into accepting Bhabhi as your wife."

Om frowns furiously as he finally realized and asks him, "Is that why Prinku called up Gauri and told her that she is looking for a wife for me?"

"She wanted to confirm if Bhabhi truly loved you."

"Oh my God." Gauri whispers softly as she heard them.

"You both made my wife think that I was desperate to marry someone else that she left me and is working here!"

"Your assistant left you, not your wife." Rudra points out.

"My wife doesn't believe me when I tell her that I had no part in that. that I wasn't planning to get married. That I didn't ask Prinku to look for a wife for me."

"But you would have eventually got married." Gauri points out.

"Yes and I might have even proposed you." Om tells her.

Gauri scoffs loudly.

"What the hell did I do that you don't trust me?" Om asks her in outrage.

Gauri keeps her hand on her forehead tired. "Please can we not do this anymore? I am just tired."

Om takes a deep breath then he asks in a calm tone, "Will you come home with me?"

"No."

"Let's see for how long you are going to fight me on that, Gauri. one way or the other, I am taking my wife home."

Gauri felt a chill run through her hearing that. she had stood and watched Om walk off.

"Come home with us, Bhabhi."

"YOU!" Gauri furiously turns around as she poked her finger on his chest. "How could you do that to me?"

"Sorry, Bhabhi." Rudra cutely tells her.

"Don't call me Bhabhi."

"Then what should I call my Bhabhi?"

"Gauri."

"Not happening." Rudra tells her.

"Argh!" Gauri screams in frustration. "Just go to your cabin."'

Rudra starts to walk off then smiling ear to ear, he tells her, "I am so happy that you are no longer treating me as your boss. You are treating me as your devar."

Gauri's eyes widen in shock hearing that.

The Oberois were going to drive her crazy!

**********

Gauri had spent a sleepless night with the way things had turned out. She couldn't believe the sudden change in attitude of Omkara. She couldn't understand how someone could change their stand like that. Gauri sighs, she had thought she had figured him out but now he was turning into a mystery. And the way his siblings had tried to interfere and match make was too shocking. She had no idea what lay ahead for her.

Gauri walks into the office and she could feel everyone's eyes on her. she had decided to be brave and ignore everyone's questions and stares but when it was happening in real, she felt her courage slipping. She started feeling like running away from there. Maybe she will go home for a while and spend time with her family.

"May I come in?"

"Bhabhi, you don't have to ask permission." Rudra tells her smiling.

"Don't call me that." Gauri tells him.

"Aren't you married to my brother?"

Gauri sighs tired. "I wanted to take some time off."

"Why?" Rudra asks shocked.

"I feel like seeing my family." and get away from you all.

"Hmmm did you talk to bhai?"

"If you approve my leave then I can take leave." Gauri tells him.

"But..." Rudra starts and hears the door open. "Hi bhai."

Gauri looks back and sees Om standing at the door with a small carton dangling in his hand.

Om's eyes move to her and he says gently, "Hi Gauri."

Gauri's eyes widen hearing him.

"Any change in attitude?"

Gauri was too shocked to reply, so she shakes her head in negative.

Om sighs and walks in then looking at Rudra, he tells him, "I want my wife back."

"What?" Gauri asks confused.

Ignoring Gauri, Om informs Rudra, "Ms. Ridhima Kapoor will assist you from now on."

"We had a deal." Gauri reminds him.

"And I did keep my word. I gave you a transfer."

"And now?"

Om smiles, "You never mentioned anything about not transferring you again."

Gauri gasps loudly in shock. "I don't want to work for you."

"Meet me upstairs, Gauri."

"NO!"

"Don't keep me waiting." Om tells her and walks out.

"You can't let him do that, Rudy." Gauri turns to Rudra.

"Bhabhi..."

"Tell him you won't relieve me." Gauri tells him in panic.

"Hmmm." Rudra thoughtfully scratches his head so he can give his brother the time he needs.

"Rudy?"

"I am just thinking how to handle it, Bhabhi." Rudra lies.

When Rudra remained quiet for a while longer, Gauri tells him, "Just tell him that you prefer that I work for you."

"You know, Bhabhi. He is my elder brother. He owns the company and technically he is my boss too."

Gauri sighs helplessly. "What do I do?"

Rudra smiles gently and asks her, "What do you think he is doing right now?"

Gauri curiously looks at him.

"Didn't you see the empty box he was carrying?"

Gauri's eyes widen in shock then turning around, she runs out.

He had cleared out her desk and had put everything in that carton.

"You can use this desk." Om tells Ridhima then turning to Gauri he tells her, "Come, Gauri."

"I am not coming." Gauri says as she held the carton and tried to snatch it from him. "Let go of my stuff."

"You are coming with me." Om tells her as he tried to free the box from her hand.

"I am NOT!"

"YOUR ARE COMING!"

"I am calling in the favor." Gauri says frantically as she realized Ridhima was gaping at them.

Om smirks at her, "Did you forget? You called us even."

Gauri's face goes pale, realizing that she did call them even if he let her wear her mangalsutra and he did, hell, now it looks like he would be demanding that she wear it.

"Let's go then?" Om asks smiling victoriously.

"NO!" Gauri growls as she tried to pull the carton away from him.

Om furiously pulls the carton away from her. then he slams it down on the desk. "Have someone bring it up." Om tells Ridhima.

Om then turns to Gauri, he holds her hand then bending a little down, he throws her over his shoulder.

Gauri screams in outrage.

"Let go off me." Gauri says as she started hitting him on his shoulders.

Om ignores her verbal and physical attack. He gets into the lift. After pressing the button, he walks to the corner of the lift, he sets Gauri on her feet. Gauri starts to run when he presses her up against the wall with his body.

Gauri stops in shock feeling his body so close to hers. Wide eyed, she stares at him.

"Last night, I was so angry. I was so angry with you for being so stubborn. Why you wouldn't come home with me. then I started thinking how it would have been if you had come home. I realized maybe..." Om stops with a sexy smile.

"Maybe?" Gauri asks dazed.

"Maybe..." Om whispers as he pressed his body a little more into her.

Gauri stops breathing, "Maybe?"

"Maybe..." Om whispers and leaning down, he kisses her cheek. Then he places tiny kisses over her cheek, then dragging his lips down to her chin, he kisses her.

Om looks at her and sees that she had her eyes closed in bliss and she was rapidly breathing. Om pecks her lips and Gauri's eyes shot open in shock.

Looking into her eyes, he whispers, "Maybe we would have made love."

Gauri stops breathing hearing that. her eyes widening in shock. Her cheeks turning pink. Her heart slamming against her chest. A tingling feeling all over her body. And the realization shook her, that she did want to make love to her husband.

Seeing the passion in her eyes, Om leans down and kisses her on her forehead.

Hearing the elevator door open, Om takes Gauri's hand in his and he leads her out of the lift. Without a word, Gauri follows him.

Seeing her old table missing, Gauri starts frowning

"Not there." Om whispers as he kept his hand on her midriff and he guided her to his room.

He opens the door and she sees her desk inside his cabin. He had moved the couch and the single seaters to the side in order to make space for her desk. He leads her in and closes the door.

"Your place is by my side. Always." Om tells her as he turned to face her.

"I just don't understand you." Gauri whispers.

"And I don't understand you, Gauri." Om whispers. "But I want to."

Gauri nervously looks at him.

Om wraps his hand around her and pulls her closer to him. "Please let me, Gauri."

"I don't want to come home. I need time." Gauri tells him.

"Take your time. but remember you belong to me."

Gauri nods her head.

"Say it, Gauri."

Gauri shakes her head in negative.

"You drive me crazy, Gauri." Om whispers and a second later, his lips takes over hers.

As they part, Gauri sags against Om. Om smiles at her, seeing that Gauri blushes shyly.

Hearing the knock on the door, Gauri quickly jumps back making Om chuckle.

"Come in."

Gauri walks to the window as she nervously tried to come to terms with what had happened.

How did she let things be like this? She had kissed him. Had let him kiss her. and asked him for time. how could she do that? hadn't she resolved to stay away from him?

"Keep it here." She hears Om say. Looks like her stuff were brought up.

"You can go." Om tells whoever had come.

Gauri turns around to look at Om when she hears the door close.

Om who had been smiling happily, stops smiling seeing her face. "You flipped again, didn't you?"

Gauri looks away hearing the question.

"Gauri?" Om calls her in a fed up tone.

"I was thinking of going home for a few days." Gauri tells him.

"I'll come with you. we have to inform your family of our wedding."

"NO!" Gauri says in a near shout.

"What do you mean by no?" Om asks her in anger.

"I haven't decided whether I want to tell them." Gauri says as she looked away.

"Haven't decided?" Om asks frowning in fury. "Why is there even a doubt on it?"

"Because I don't know what this is." Gauri says as she waved her hand between them.

"What this is?" Om asks angrily as he walked to her. "This is a marriage. You are my wife and I am your husband."

"Till when?"

"What the fuck, Gauri?" Om whispers in shock.

"Till yesterday morning, you were calling it a fake ceremony and now, you are calling it a marriage. But for how long?"

"You don't trust me. You have no faith in me." Om accuses her in shock.

"Have you done anything for me to have faith in you? to trust you?"

Om stares at Gauri in fury for a few seconds, then he angrily swings his hand, overthrowing the chair near him. Turning around, he furiously starts to walk out. At the door he stops and turns to her, "You have no trust in me. but trust me on this that if you leave, I'll come behind you. even if it is to your house, I will. Don't make me do that."

Gauri watched as he walked out and slammed the door shut. Gauri closes her eyes as she gave into her tears, she was starting to feel trapped.

*********

Om didn't come to office the rest of the day. Gauri was a nerve wreck the whole day, expecting him to get back any minute. As she sat alone in his cabin, she realized that she couldn't take a break, if she did the first thing he would do would be to go to her house. Even if she didn't go to her house she knew he would.

She was so confused. One part of her that loved him like crazy wanted to accept and cherish that he wanted to be married to her, but the part that was heartbroken, was scared to accept it. It was scared to believe in him. He had changed his mind on a whim and she was scared that he would do it again. then the truth that he had rejected her love and had used her love for him to his advantage was too painful to give him a chance. She would rather live alone and in his memory her whole life than live with him and the pain and fear.

Next day, Gauri reached office and started working. Since she hadn't worked one bit the previous day, she had lot of pending work. As she got busy working, she heard the door open and knowing it was Omkara, she didn't bother looking up. She just continued to work.

Om walks to her and stops by her side. He leans on the desk next to her. "Gauri..." Om starts.

"It's Ms. Sharma. Don't forget this is an office." Gauri tells him as she continued to read the mail.

He takes in an irritated breath. "So you want to keep it all professional and formal here?"

"Yes, sir." Gauri replies as she clicked on the reply button to reply to the mail.

"Okay. if that is what you want." Om concedes. "So, I just wanted to ask you, how are you doing today, Mrs. Oberoi?"

Gauri looks up at him in shock hearing him call her that.

Om smoothly leans down and takes her lips in his and starts kissing her hungrily. Unable to resist him, Gauri kisses him back.

Om leans back and gives her a very satisfied smirk and seeing her looking at him all dazed, he couldn't resist and he leans down and takes her lips in his again.

"I never thought that I would hunger for anyone like this, and you Mrs. Oberoi, you are making me yearn for you like a desperate man." Om tells her as he nibbled on her lips.

Om leans back and sees Gauri gaping at him. Then seeing him watching her, her cheeks become red and she quickly looks down.

"Don't look at me like that. then we would have our wedding night here instead of our room." Om tells her.

Gauri looks at him in shock hearing his outrageous statement.

Om leans down and whispers into her ears, "I know that even you know, that when I touch you, you can't think straight and in those moments you become just mine. That is the only ammo I have got to save our marriage, and fair warning, Mrs. Oberoi, I am going to use it to the maximum." He kisses her ears and then bites her ear lobes gently.

Gauri flinches in pain and also hearing his words.

Om gets up and starts to walk to his desk. "I'll let you get back to your work, Mrs. Oberoi."

"Stop calling me that."

"I thought you wanted to keep it all formal." Om tells her.

"Call me Ms. Sharma."

"But you are no longer Ms. Sharma."

"I am." Gauri sternly tells him.

Om sits on his seat and tells her in confusion. "I just don't get you, Mrs. Oberoi. You say you want to keep it all formal and professional and then you behave like a typical roothe hue biwi."

**********

"Seriously, you have nothing to do at your sasural?" Rudra asks seeing Priyanka walk in one day.

Priyanka rolls her eyes as she hugged Om. "Are you still angry with me, bhai?"

Om smiles at her and hugs, "No. There are too many issues between Gauri and me. and you are not responsible for it."

"Then stop being angry at us and let us help you bring Bhabhi home." Rudra tells him.

Om smiles hearing that. "Okay."

"I came to tell you that day after is karvachaut."

"Okay." Om replies a little confused wondering why she was telling him that.

"So, is Bhabhi going to fast for you?"

Om frowns hearing that.

"Ranveer and I were thinking of having a karvachaut function at home. If Bhabhi is fasting, then you both should come."

"She will be fasting." Om tells her thoughtfully. "But I would rather have Gauri's first karvachaut at our house."

"Will she come here for that?" Rudra asks him.

"If I tell her to come for our karvachaut, she will definitely not come." Om tells her.

"Then?" Priyanka asks him

Om thoughtfully looks at her, "Before wedding, you had your first karvachaut in Ranveer's house last year, right? So is it okay if you have your karvachaut here in our house this year?"

"I can talk Ranveer into it." Priyanka nods.

"Great then."

"But are you sure she will be fasting?" Rudra asks him.

"Yes."

"Maybe you should ask her before you have the function here." Rudra gently tells him.

"If I ask her then she is going to lie to me and I don't want her to lie to me." Om tells him.

**********

"Good morning, Mrs. Oberoi." Om says seeing Gauri walk in.

"You are early today." Gauri points out.

"Yeah." Om tells her smiling. "Come here, Mrs. Oberoi."

"You don't have to be formal with me. you can call me Gauri." Gauri tells him as she walked to him making Om mentally grin.

"But I like the sound of Mrs. Oberoi." Om tells her as he cheekily leaned on his seat and watched her.

"I don't."

"Ouch. That hurts, wifey."

Gauri shrugs in that I-don't-care attitude.

Om couldn't control his smile. "Come here."

"Why?" Gauri asks frowning.

Om shrugs as he extended his hand to her.

Gauri walks around the table and stops next to him, not taking his hand. Om holds her hand and pulls her onto his lap. Gauri gasps in shock finding herself sitting on his lap. She struggles to get up when Om holds her down.

"Leave me." Gauri starts to struggle and then stops seeing the new photo frame he had kept on his table. He had a photo of him with his Dadi, Rudy and Prinku. Now he had another photo frame, it was a photo that they both had taken with Dadi.

Gauri takes that photo and looks at the photo.

"It's a nice photo, isn't it?" Om asks her softly.

Gauri nods. "Even though I had met her before, it was always just formal greeting. I am glad that I got to talk to her."

"Even I am so happy that Dadi really got to meet my wife."

"Do you still miss her?"

"Every second of the day. She raised us with so much love."

"I know." Gauri whispers. "Is it because of Dadi that you are adamant on making me your wife?"

"You are my wife."

Ignoring that she asks him, "The last thing Dadi told you was to take care of me and keep me happy. To give me all the rights of your wife. Is that why you are..."

"In a way, yes."

"What do you mean?"

"When she told me that, I just took it as something for my future wife. Just the girl I will marry in the future. I didn't take it as she meant to care for you. it was for whoever comes into my life as my wife. And you are my wife and I am aware of my responsibilities to you and Dadi had asked me to stay true to them."

Gauri nods as she didn't know what to make of that. she keeps the photo frame back on the desk and was about to get off his lap. Om keeps his hand on her thighs and holds her tight to stop her.

"I know my answer might have hurt you but I didn't want to lie to you." Om tells her.

Gauri nods.

"I wish Dadi was here." Om tells her wishfully.

"I know." Gauri tells him. "I know how much you love her."

"Yeah that is there. But there is another reason too."

"Hmmm what is that?" Gauri asks him as she looked at him.

"She would have held your legs and helped me carry you home." Om tells her with a cheeky grin.

Gauri chuckles imagining that scene. Then he chuckles with her. Gauri couldn't help it, she leans to him and takes his lips in hers. Om was surprised at her initiating the kiss for the first time then he couldn't ponder much on it as the kiss had clouded his thinking.

They part and Om closes his eyes in desperation seeing her face. "Can you not give me that look?"

"What look?"

"The look that says don't-jump-into-conclusions-it-was-a-lapse-of-judgement-on-my-part."

"It's true." Gauri tells him grinning.

"You are killing me, Mrs. Oberoi."

Gauri chuckles and gets off his lap.

"By the way, Gauri." Om stops her.

"Yeah?"

"Day after Rudy and I am hosting Karvachaut. I want you to make arrangements. Prinku and Ranveer are coming. and invite our close friends and family."

"Okay." Gauri replies feeling a little uneasy with it.

"Since it will go into late night, come prepared to stay at home."

"WHAT?"

"Just for the night." Om tells her. "But if you want to stay on forever, you know, I would love that."

"I will arrange everything and leave early." Gauri tells him.

"No, Gauri. I don't want anything to go wrong that day, so you have to stay."

"But..."

"What's wrong? You have arranged other functions at home before."

"Yeah, but I have never stayed before for them."

"Those times, Dadi was there to handle it. This time, I don't think I will be able to do it without you."

"Okay." Gauri says giving in. she will just have to slip away and break her fast away from all.

**********

Gauri put her heart and soul into organizing the karvachaut function. Because it was Prinku's first karvachaut after her wedding, it was the first function that the Oberoi's were conducting after Dadi's death and it was the first function she was organizing for her sasural. But she had hidden the third reason at a dark corner of her heart as she didn't want Omkara to find out about it.

"You have out did yourself." Om whispers to her as he stood next to her.

"Thank you." Gauri whispers.

"Prinku and Ranveer looks very happy." Gauri tells him as she watched them.

"They do." Om says smiling.

"And you are looking very beautiful today." Om whispers to her.

Gauri looks down as she felt a blush creep in.

"Hi." Rudra says as he put his hand over Gauri's shoulder and side hugged her.

"Hi Rudy." Gauri smiles at him.

"Amazing set up." Rudra tells her.

"Thank you."

"How many more minutes for the chaand?" Rudra asks her.

Gauri checks her watch and realizes that it was time for her to slip away. "10 more minutes." But how can she get away without Omkara noticing?

"Okay... bhai did you meet Ranveer's parents?" Rudra asks him.

"Not yet."

"Let's meet them before the function."

"Okay." Om replies.

Gauri sighs in relief.

"Bhabhi, you coming?"

"No. you guys go on. I've some arrangements to attend to."

"Okay."

They both walk off, and Gauri quickly turns around and slips out of the terrace. She hurries to the guest bedroom.

She closes the door, and puts her dupatta on her head. she had worn a salwar instead of a saree so that she could hide her mangalsutra from everyone. she needs to put sindoor and get Omkara's photo from her bag. She had hidden a puja ki taali earlier in the room. hearing a knock at the door. Gauri sighs in panic. Whoever it was she needs to get rid of them soon.

Gauri opens the door and finds Omkara.

"I just came to use the restroom, why don't you..." and Gauri yelps in shock, when Om lifted her up in his arms. "What are you doing?"

"Taking you to break your fast."

"I am not fasting." Gauri lies.

Om shakes his head, "I have told you not to lie to me."

"I don't want to do it with all those people." Gauri whispers to him worriedly.

"I know." Om whispers and he starts walking to the opposite direction.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To our room."

"They are going to look for you."

"Rudy will handle it." Om tells her as he entered his room.

He turns around and faces the door. "Lock it." Om instructs her.

Gauri quickly closes the door and locks it.

Om walks straight to the balcony. He sets her on her foot. Then he takes the taali he had kept in there. He opens the sindoor dabba and fills her maang.

"You can put your mangalsutra out. No one is going to come."

Gauri takes out her mangalsutra and puts it over her clothes. she felt like crying and she had no idea why.

Seeing her struggling to control her tears, Om leans down and kisses her forehead.

"When did you realize I was fasting?" Gauri asks him in shock.

"I knew you would fast today. And I knew you won't tell me."

Realization was quick. "This function, all this was for me?" Gauri asks him in shock.

"For us. it is our first karvachaut."

"You said you won't lie to me." Gauri softly accuses him so that she doesn't start crying, she was feeling too emotional.

"I didn't lie." Om tells her surprised.

It was true that he didn't lie. She had just assumed that the function was kept specifically for Prinku and Ranveer. He just said they were hosting it and Prinku was coming. he didn't lie but he might have said some half-truths.

"It's time." Om tells her seeing the chaand.

Gauri quickly does her puja and Om breaks her fast.

After feeding her the sweet, Om keeps the taali on the table. Om leans down and takes her lips in his. It wasn't a passionate or hungry kiss. It was a gentle and emotional kiss. He felt overwhelmed at the thought that she had been starving for him.

Gauri sags against him as they parted. Om kisses her on her temple.

"We should go back." Gauri tells him. "They are going to look for you and it is time to serve dinner."

"Yes." Om smiles and taking her hand he leads her inside but instead of going to the door, he turns to the left.

Gauri sees a table set with food.

"No... No... we have to go down. You have guests."

"Rudy and Prinku will handle it."

"I have to make sure that everything is perfect. All the guests are comfortable." Gauri tells him.

"Gauri... even I was fasting and I still haven't broken my fast." Om tells her gently.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Gauri asks him shocked as she took his hand and led him to the table.

She fills a glass with water, and offers him water. Om sips the water watching her concern for him.

Gauri takes a sweet from the variety kept on the table and feeds him.

"Let's eat?" Om asks her as he pulled a chair for her.

Gauri nods and sits on the chair.

"Why did you fast?" Gauri asks him.

"Because you were fasting." Om tells her smiling as he started serving for her. "I am very hungry, what about you?"

Gauri happily giggles hearing that. "Very."

**********

They had talked about random things as they ate. At first it was just Om who was talking but by the third course, even Gauri started talking.

Om watched as Gauri practically licked her dessert bowl.

"Do you want more? I could have Dandi bring more."

"No. I'm full." Gauri says smiling.

Om smiles and he stands up. Seeing him getting up, Gauri also stands up.

"It is really late. The guests might be ready to leave." Gauri tells Om.

Om walks to her and lifts her up in his arms.

"I don't think it is a good idea for you to take me back to the function like this." Gauri tells him worriedly.

"We are not going back there." Om tells her.

"What about your guests?"

"I told you Rudy and Prinku will handle them."

"You are the host."

"Tonight, I am only your husband." Om tells her softly.

Gauri felt a blush creep up her cheek hearing that. she shyly wraps her hand around his neck.

Seeing Om kick open his bedroom door, Gauri stiffens in shock. Her heart beating frantically.

"Sir..." Gauri worriedly whispers.

"Omkara." Om whispers to her as he stepped into his bedroom.

Gauri gulps in shock seeing the room and bed decorated with flowers.

"I owe you a suhaag raat. Dadi was right, suhaag raat was your right and I snatched that from you."

"Omkara..." Gauri worriedly gulps. "I am not..."

"We are not going to do anything that you don't want to." Om tells her. "Today is the first time, we fasted for each other. First time we both did something together in our marriage. I don't want us to be separated at the end of the day. Let's just put aside all our issues for one night and be together. Please?"

Gauri nods nervously.

Om smiles. "Thank you."

He walks to the bed and gently places Gauri on the bed. Then he walks to the door and locks it. Seeing him walk to the bed, Gauri nervously sits up.

"Relax, Gauri." Om tells her gently as he got on the bed. "We'll just talk."

Gauri nods and lies on her side facing him.

Om also lies on his bed facing her.

Om takes her hand. Gauri nervously holds her breath. Om takes her hand to his lips and gently kisses it.

"After Dadi passed away, today was the first time, I was truly happy."

Gauri smiles hearing that.

"Tell me about your family, Gauri. who all are there?"

"Just Papa, Mama and me."

"How are they? Are they strict?"

"No. they are really adorable." Gauri tells him smiling. "They love me a lot."

"You are so lucky to have them in your life." Om tells her a little sad and a little happy.

"How old were you when your parents..."

"8. Dad died in an accident and Mom while giving birth to Rudy."

Gauri takes his hand and squeezes it.

"Dadi never let us miss our parents but then at times I would think how life would be different if they were here."

"You might have been different then."

"I know." Om admits. "Maybe a little immature like Rudy."

"And flirty like him." Gauri giggles.

Om chuckles. "Then I might have hit on you the moment you joined our office."

Gauri chuckles hearing that.

Gauri with a smile was listening to Om narrate yet another childhood story.

"You guys are so lucky. You have so many stories." Gauri tells him. "I am an only child. So I don't have fun stories like that."

"Siblings are a blessing." Om tells her.

"I want to have lots of children." Gauri says. "So my children will also have such fun stories."

"Just two, Gauri." Om whispers.

Gauri looks at him and sees his eyes filled with worry. "It is not going to be the same for everyone." Gauri tells him understanding.

"I have heard Mom say that Mom's first two pregnancies were so easy and a breeze. But the third pregnancy it was full of complications and it ended up killing her. If it is up to me then I would rather not have you go through pregnancy but I know you have your wishes and dreams, and my fear shouldn't stand in the way of them." Om tells her.

Gauri felt so emotional hearing that. she kept looking at Om and he was looking at her. they slowly move towards each other and kiss. They hungrily start kissing each other.

Breathless, Om leans up and asks her. "Gauri?"

Understanding he was asking her permission, Gauri nods her head. "I love you, Omkara."

Om smiles at her. "I know, Mrs. Oberoi." Om whispers to her as he took her lips in his and his hands started frantically removing her clothes.

**********

Gauri nervously sat in office. She had almost not come that day. But she knew she would have to face him one day. she would rather have it out of the way than prolong it and live in fears about facing him. She had sneaked out of his room and his house before he woke up.

Hearing the door open, Gauri quickly looks into the laptop and types away ignoring him. Unlike usual, Om didn't go to her directly, he went to his desk and got busy with work.

When he continued to ignore her, Gauri became frantic wondering and worrying why he was behaving like that. she kept looking at him and he was busy with his laptop.

Hearing the phone ring, Gauri jumps in shock. Then calming her nerves, she answers the call. Once she hung up, they continued to ignore.

Few minutes later, Om's phone rings and that also caused her to jump in fear. Om answers the call and starts talking on it.

Now that he was looking up ahead, she became even more nervous. She started drinking water in her nervousness. Started nervously chewing her pen. Then started randomly typing.

Om hangs up the call and watches her. feeling his eyes on her, Gauri become even more frantic.

Om sighs loudly, "Come here, Gauri."

Gauri stills in her seat hearing him.

"Gauri, come here." Om says again.

Gauri nervously gets up and walks to him as she nervously gripped her hand and bit her lips. When she reached him, Om holds her and pulls her onto his lap.

Gauri nervously sat up straight on his lap.

"Relax." Om gently tells her. "I am not going to ask you why you sneaked out of our room like a thief last night. Last night, it was the most beautiful night of my life and I know it was the same for you. and whatever answer you give is going to ruin last night for us, so I won't ask you anything."

Gauri nods nervously.

"Relax. Just be my Gauri." Om tells her. "Just smile. Or in the least, pick a fight with me. just be my Gauri. don't be this nervous wreck."

Gauri smiles hearing that.

"That's like Mrs. Oberoi."

"It is Gauri." Gauri whisper.

"Ah welcome back, Mrs. Oberoi." Om says happily as he hugged her making Gauri giggle.

"and I always knew that not just in your temper, even in bed you will be a tigress." Om hotly whispers to her.

"I am going to kill you!" Gauri shouts as she blushed profusely making Omkara laugh out loud.

**********

"Bheege hont tere... pyaasa dil mera... Lage abr sa mujhe tan tera... Chhamke barsaayein mujh par ghataayein... Tu hi meri pyaas, tu hi mera jaam" Om sings as he watched Gauri from his desk.

Gauri was blushing profusely hearing his outrageous song.

"Kabhi mere saath koi raat guzaar... Tujhe subha tak main karoon pyaar" Om sings as he got up and walked to her.

"Stop it." Gauri tells him as she blushed.

"Wo oh oh ho." Om sings as he pulled her up. "It's been three days. I am going crazy." Om whispers to her as he nibbled on her lips.

"Then go crazy." Gauri replies blushing happily.

"How are you even sleeping at night?"

Gauri blushes, the truth was even she has been lying awake thinking of her husband and their night of passion.

"Come home, baby."

Gauri shakes her head in negative.

Om sighs sadly. Then eagerly he says, "We have a couch here."

"Are you mad?" Gauri asks him shocked, though she had gone redder blushing.

"Yes. For you."

Gauri blushes and pushes him away. "Go, do your work."

Om sighs and walks back as he kept looking at her.

**********

Gauri was getting ready for bed when she hears her mobile. She smiles with a blush realizing it was Omkara.

"Hello?"

"Saansein aanch teri... tan aag tera... Chheene neend meri... loote chain mera.... Kaala jaadu kare... lambe baal tere... Aankhen jheel teri... dore laal tere.... Kabhi mere saath koi raat guzaar... Tujhe subha tak main karoon pyaar"

"Shut up!" Gauri blushes.

"I can't sleep, baby."

"Take a cold shower."

"You are being cruel, Gauri. it's been 10 days since karvachaut."

Gauri giggles hearing that. "I know."

"So, even you have been counting. I knew it." Om says excitedly. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mrs. Oberoi." Om promises.

Gauri felt her whole body come awake with his promise.

"So, what time do you sleep?" Om asks her.

"About this time."

"Are you sleepy?"

"Not much."

"Then talk to me."

"About what?"

"Anything. Tell me more about you."

"Hmmm what about me?"

"Hmmm... tell me about your friends."

**********

"Hello, Mrs. Oberoi." Om says with a sexy drawl.

Gauri looks up and sees Om at the door. he closes the office door and locks it.

"Are you mad?" Gauri asks shocked though the thought of they getting naughty in office turning her on.

Om walks to her and starts nibbling on her lips. "Nowadays, I just look at you and I get turned on."

Gauri blushes hearing that.

"What say, couch?" Om asks her.

In reply, Gauri starts hungrily kissing him.

"How is it that you always have condoms?" Gauri asks him amazed.

Om leans up to look at her.

"That day for karvachaut you had condoms and now also."

"I had the room decorated for suhag raat and I thought in case you agreed then we would need it." Om tells her.

"Hmmm."

"And I have been so horny the last couple of days, I have been carrying condoms around hoping you might decide to be kind to me." Om tells her as he took her lips in his and kissed her.

"Do you have any more?" Gauri asks him getting turned on again.

"You think I don't know my tigress?" Om asks her with a grin as he grabbed his wallet.

**********

Next day after work, Gauri had reached her hostel when she notices Omkara's car outside the gate.

"What are you doing here?" Gauri asks him as she opened the back door. she had missed him as due to back to back meetings he hadn't spent much time in office today.

"On the way to the airport." Om tells her as he continued to type away into his laptop.

"You are going somewhere?" Gauri asks a little upset.

"We are going to Goa. I have a meeting. You are coming with me. Pack your bags for 3 days."

"What?" Gauri asks shocked.

"Mrs. Oberoi, we will miss the flight. Come fast."

**********

"I just don't understand; how did I agree for this?" Gauri asks confused as she buckled the seatbelt.

Om chuckles. "Because I didn't give you time to think."

"Hmmm but normally you always travel alone. Why do you need me this time? and what meeting? It was not scheduled. I don't have my laptop with me. how am I going to assist you?" Gauri asks getting a little frantic.

"Mrs. Oberoi, you are not here to assist me."

"Then?"

"I wanted to see how it is to travel with my wife." Om cheekily tells her.

"What?" Gauri turns to him in shock.

"From now on, I want you to come with me for every trip. I don't want to travel alone anymore." Om tells her as he kissed her cheek.

"Hmmm." Gauri thoughtfully looks down, wondering about their future.

"Now don't start." Om tells her frowning.

"I didn't say anything." Gauri quickly tells him.

"And you better don't. it is the first vacation we are taking together and don't ruin it."

"Vacation? You have meeting, right?" Gauri asks confused.

"That would be done by tomorrow afternoon."

"And you said 3 days."

"Yes." Om replies as he kissed her cheek again.

Gauri couldn't help smile and feel a little excited to spend some alone time with him.

"Now, I need to finish this." Om tells Gauri as he pointed at his laptop.

"Okay... you work. I'll watch some movie." Gauri tells him.

Gauri turns on in-flight entertainment and started browsing the movie options. Since she didn't have time to watch a full movie, she looked for movies that she has watched already and didn't mind watching again. finally, she found Andaz Apna Apna and started watching it.

Hearing her giggle, Om looks at her and sees her watching the movie. He smiles seeing her giggle.

Noticing her forward the movie, Om curiously asks her "Why are you forwarding it?"

"I have watched it. Just seeing some funny scenes."

"My favorite scene is when Crime Master Gogo walks in the front with the gun, Amar and Prem walks behind him with their hands raised." Om tells her grinning.

Gauri chuckles hearing that. "I like the way they try to sit on the bike."

"Yeah." Om chuckles. "Anyway, you watch."

"Omkara." Gauri pats him.

Om couldn't help smile with the way, she had started calling him Omkara now.

she pats him again. Om curiously looks at her and she points at the screen. He looks at the screen to see the scene he liked. With a smile he watches it. He smiling happily and Gauri giggling.

"We used to enact that scene." Om tells her once that scene was over.

"Really?" Gauri asks smiling excitedly.

"Dadi used to walk in the front like Crime Master Gogo and three of us used to walk in the back like Amar and Prem."

"How cute! Who says Gogoji aapka ghaghra?"

Om chuckles remembering the old beautiful memories. "Rudy."

"I knew it." Gauri giggles.

Om smiles seeing her excitement. "He adores you."

"I know. Even I love him." Gauri tells him smiling.

Smiling Om tells her, "Don't forget he is a fully grown man."

"What?" Gauri asks confused.

"I feel you are mummying him. You should treat him like your little brother or a friend."

"I am not. You are mad. He is like my brother, only." Gauri says little offended.

Om chuckles, "Hmm okay." "Have you enacted any movie scenes like that?" Om asks her.

"No." Gauri says sadly.

"You ask Rudy, I am sure he will be up for it even today."

"Why you won't play with me?" Gauri asks him cutely.

"I like playing a different game with you." Om whispers hotly.

Gauri hits him playfully.

Om chuckles and tells her, "You come home with me and I will play any game with you."

Gauri looks down hearing that.

"Hey." Om gently hits her shoulder with his. "Now, don't make that face."

Gauri nods and smiles for him.

"So, what games did you play when you were small with your parents?"

"Papa used to be elephant and I used to sit on his back. He would take me around the whole house."

"Oh... that is sweet." Om says smiling.

"It is one of my fondest memory from childhood. I even have a photo of it."

"Where? Show me."

"It is at home and it is in the album. It is pretty old, so it has fungus on it."

"Oh that is sad. You should get a better copy and keep a soft copy of it too."

"I should." Gauri nods. "Okay, you work."

**********

Gauri and Om reaches their hotel and since they both were hungry, they had their dinner first. Then they went to their cottage.

"2 bedrooms?" Gauri asks surprised.

"Don't get any ideas." Om warns her immediately. "All one bedroom cottages were full. I wanted to stay in cottage instead of room. So I took this."

Gauri giggles hearing his warning. It had a common sitting area then two bedrooms on either side, seeing a door to the backyard, Gauri opens the door and turns to Om in surprise, "We have a private pool."

"Yeah, each cottage has a small pool." Om tells her. "Gauri, I still haven't finished working on my proposal. So, I am going to work."

"Okay." Gauri tells him. "I'll just rest for a while feeling a little tired."

"Okay."

Gauri wakes up to find herself in a different place. Rubbing her eyes, she sits up remembering she was in Goa with her husband. She looks to her side to find it empty. She checks her phone for the time and sees it 2:00 am. Getting up from the bed, she goes to the living room where Omkara had been working.

"Omkara." Gauri calls him as she stood by the door.

Omkara looks up from his laptop.

"You didn't sleep?" Gauri asks him.

"I am almost done with this, Gauri. I was supposed to finish this in the flight. Sorry, I am working like this."

"It's okay. sorry, I disturbed you in the flight."

"I didn't mind that, Mrs. Oberoi." Om tells her smiling.

Gauri smiles hearing that.

"You go. I'll come soon."

"Okay." Gauri smiles and goes off.

Since, she had slept nicely for a while, she wasn't falling asleep fast. She just lies on the bed with her eyes closed. Sometime later, she hears Omkara walk in and going through his bag, him collecting a change of clothes then going to take a shower.

She lay there listening to him take a shower. She felt a smile creep up her face hearing him shower and she had no idea why.

Hearing him come out, she closes her eyes. She hears him get on the bed, and she blushes. She feels him move towards her and she hides her face on her pillow.

Omkara keeps his hand on her shoulder and whispers into her ears. "Sleeping?"

Gauri shakes her head in negative as she felt herself blush even more.

"Tired?"

She shakes her head in negative again.

She smiles, feeling him turn her and she turns to look at him.

"I am sorry, I kept you waiting." Om tells her as he kept his hand on her cheek.

"I like waiting for you." Gauri tells him, then lovingly keeping her hand on his cheek and tells him, "I love you, Omkara."

Om smiles and leans down and whispers against her lips. "Thank you, Mrs. Oberoi." Then he takes her lips in his and starts hungrily kissing her.

"Gauri... wake up." Om whispers to her as he shook her.

Sleepily, turning over, she squints at him and her eyes widen in surprise seeing him fully dressed. "You are leaving?"

"Yeah. I've my meeting in a while."

"What time is it?" Gauri asks trying to sit up.

"9:30."

"I never sleep this late." Gauri says confused.

"Because we didn't sleep last night." Om tells her smiling. "You sleep."

"You didn't get enough sleep." Gauri tells him as she caressed his cheek.

"That's okay." Om tells her smiling as he kissed her forehead. "I should be free in 3 hours or so. Don't know for how long the meeting will go on for."

"Okay. I'll step out after a while."

"I will arrange a car for you."

"No need. I'll walk. I just want to explore."

"Okay. I'll call you once I am done and join you wherever you are."

"Okay. all the best."

"Thank you." Om tells her as he pecked her lips. "I've ordered breakfast for you. have it before it gets cold."

**********

By 11, Gauri had finished her breakfast and got ready for the day. she had packed two casual tops and a jeans thinking of exploring Goa after her work, even secretly hoping that Omkara would accompany her.

She had checked with the hotel reception and they had told her that there was a beach close by and there was a stretch of shops on the way to the beach. She decided to go to the beach.

Gauri was aimlessly walking about the beach as she took in all kinds of people there. The beach wasn't crowded but there were small shacks all over the beach with restaurant and shops which were pretty crowded.

Gauri was walking when she spotted a couple from the opposite direction walking her way. They seemed to be so lost in each other. Happy and content. Seeing the girl's hand adorned with mehendi, she guessed they were on a honeymoon. Gauri sighs sadly.

Gauri couldn't help wonder for how long her this blissful state with Omkara would last. She knew he didn't love her. she had told him her love couple of times and every time he has replied with either a 'I know' or a 'thank you'. it killed her a little every time.

She knew he liked her and wanted to acknowledge her as his wife in front of the world. But what use is that of, when she didn't get his love, or the truth that he hadn't really wanted her as his wife. She had somehow become his wife and he was just trying to make the best of a situation. Gauri closes her eyes in desperation, with each passing day she was falling more in love with him, and she couldn't betray herself like that. She was happy for now but soon she would need more, she would need his love and she knew she wasn't going to get that. If he couldn't love her now, then he won't be able to love her ever.

Maybe she should end this, whatever that is happening between them. After they go back, she should put an end to this charade. She will continue to make new memories with him in these few days, which he called as a vacation and she will feed into her delusion and call it their honeymoon.

Hearing her mobile ring, she smiles and answers the call. "Hello."

"Where are you?" Om asks her.

"At beach."

"Which beach?"

"I don't know the name. it is near our hotel. I'll send you my live location."

"Okay... see you soon."

Gauri decided to walk back to the main road, so it would be easy to spot Omkara when he reaches.

Few minutes later, she finds Omkara get out of the car and pay the driver. She waves at him and seeing her, he smiles at her. he starts walking to her and she couldn't wait and she runs to him and hugs him.

"How was your meeting?"

"Good."

"Did they like your proposal?"

"They said they will get back to me. so, what are you doing here?"

"There is a beach at the end of the road. Do you want to go there?"

"It's too sunny now. maybe in a while?"

"Okay... I saw a nice restaurant there in the beach. We will have lunch from there."

"Okay. let me know when you are hungry." Om tells her with a smile.

Gauri smiles at him. "There are some shops down this street. Let's go and check them out."

"Where is your laptop bag?" Gauri asks him curiously.

"I dropped it off at the reception. Asked them to keep it our cottage."

"Couldn't you give your suit too?"

"Why? What's wrong with this?" Om asks confused.

"Look around you. we are in Goa. And you are walking around in formals." Gauri tells him shaking her head.

Chuckling Om removes his suit jacket, then he unbuttons the top buttons of his shirt, folds up his sleeves and tucks his shirt out of his pants. "Fine?"

"Yes." Gauri replies happily giggling as she wrapped her hand around his hand.

"Hey! That will look good on you." Om says pointing at a sundress. "Come."

Gauri follows him to the shop.

Om sighs, seeing Gauri bargaining with the shopkeeper regarding the price of the sundress.

"Gauri..." Om starts.

"Let me handle this." Gauri puts up her hand at him and turns to the shopkeeper. "Don't try to fool us. we know really how much it costs. Just last week I bought one dress for half this rate from the next shop. Still I am willing to give you a good deal and you are acting like..."

Om puts the cash on the counter and tells the shopkeeper. "Keep the change. And please pack the dress."

"OMKARA!" Gauri turns to him in outrage.

Om ignores her and extends his hand to the shopkeeper seeing him put the dress in a cover. Then shopkeeper takes a beautiful woolen bag and looking at Gauri, he tells her, "Complimentary bag for you."

Om takes the cover and walk out, grinning at the way Gauri was fuming.

"Omkara! He is robbing you blind. Both the dress and bag doesn't come up to what you have paid him."

"Gauri, shop as much as you want but please don't waste time on bargaining. We have just two more days, I don't want to waste it on you trying to save Rs 150 on a dress."

Gauri makes a face and starts to walk off, then feeling the sun on her eyes, she turns back, leaning up, she removes the sunglass from his face and puts it on her face. then she walks off leaving behind a grinning Omkara. He liked it when she bossed him over.

Seeing a hat shop, Gauri gets into it and starts trying the hats.

"How is this?" Gauri asks Om finally loving one hat.

"Too big. It's as wide as your shoulders."

"I know that... does it look good?"

"Yeah." Om replies with a frown.

"Okay, I'll take it." Gauri turns to the old lady and hands her the money she had asked for.

"I won't be able to see your face if you wear that." Om tells her as he walked beside her. all he could see was the top of the hat now.

"Don't see." Gauri happily replies as she removed the sunglasses and gave it to him.

Om takes the sunglasses from her and mutters to her, "I can't see your face."

Gauri turns around and bends back a little. "See!" then just as quickly, she turns around and walk off.

"Harem pants!" Gauri says excitedly as she pointed it to Om. "I want to get one for Rudy."

"Do they know that I am with you?" Gauri asks him as she paid for the pants.

"Yes."

"Tell them it was fully official trip, okay?" Gauri worriedly looks at him.

Om turns his face away but she could see the irritation on his face.

"Omkara." Gauri gently holds his hand.

"You are my wife. We don't have to hide our relation from anyone."

"Let's just not talk about this." Gauri pleads him.

"Fine!" Om mutters as he snatched the cover from the shopkeeper and walked out of the store.

Gauri hurries after him and keeps her palm in his. Om holds her hand tight.

"Smile, Omki." Gauri sweetly tells him as she leaned back to look at him.

Hearing her using the name that Dadi had used for him, Om looks at her in surprise and smiles. "Dadi and my parents used to call me that."

"I heard Dadi call you that." Gauri tells him smiling.

"Harem Pants for Rudy and Scarf for Prinku. Nothing for me?" Om asks her as he leaned on the counter while she paid.

"Nothing for you!" Gauri tells him grinning.

"Why?" Om asks making puppy face.

Gauri shrugs in reply.

"I am feeling a little slighted." Om tells her as he followed her.

"Do I look like I care?" Gauri cheekily asks him.

Om scowls at her.

Chuckling, Gauri wraps her hand around him, "I didn't see anything that I felt like getting you."

"Hmmm." Om smiles at her.

"I want to get you a shirt but all I am seeing is Hawaiian shirts. And I know you don't like it."

Om grins. "I don't."

"You don't want to get anything for your parents?" Om asks her as he paid for the sandals she had bought.

"Then I will have to tell them I was in Goa. I don't want to lie to them." Gauri tells him a little sad.

"We could go directly to your house from here. Tell them everything." Om tells her.

Gauri shakes her head and walks out.

Om walks behind her to talk to her about it when he finds her standing in front of a store, staring.

"What happened?"

"I want to get you that. can you try it?" Gauri asks pointing at the mannequin wearing a light blue plain half sleeve shirt and white shorts.

While Gauri paid for the clothes, Om had changed back and walks to the counter with the clothes.

"You look so nice in casuals. Why are you always in formal?" Gauri asks him.

Om hands the salesman the clothes to pack and leans towards Gauri to whisper so no one would hear him. "That's because Mrs. Oberoi, you have seen me only when I am on official work or when I am naked."

Gauri turns completely pink hearing that.

"I do wear casuals. In fact, last night also I was in casuals when I came to bed. But you had your eyes closed till I was naked. What a stubborn girl, you are, Mrs. Oberoi."

"Shut up!" Gauri tells him blushing as she ran out of the shop.

They had walked to the beach and had lunch from the restaurant that Gauri had wanted to have from. After paying, Om was about to get up when his eyes caught it. He moves slightly to the side and looks at the store to confirm if it was really what he thought it to be.

"Do you swim, Gauri?"

"Yeah. Why?" Gauri asks curiously.

Gauri sees Om grinning at her ear to ear as he looked at the store behind her. Curious, Gauri turns back and sees a swimsuit store.

"No way!" Gauri says shocked.

"It's just going to be both of us and it is our private pool." Om reminds her as he stood up and started collecting the shopping bags.

**********

Later, they were in bed as they talked about random things.

"Do you like these cottages?" Om asks her as he ran his fingers on her arm.

"Yes. It is nice." Gauri says smiling.

"I am planning to take it on lease." Om tells her.

"Really?" Gauri asks surprised as she turned to lie on her stomach and leaning up on her arms to see him.

"For a while, I have been wanting to get into hotel business. This is like, just a trial. To see how it is and all." Om tells her.

"But I never heard about it at office."

"I haven't told anyone. Not even Rudy and Prinku."

"Oh." Gauri smiles realizing that she was the first person he had shared it with. "Is that why you were working on the proposal? Normally, it is the concerned department that does it, right?"

"Yeah. Till I am sure of this, I am not telling anyone. I'll set up a new team here."

"Okay." Gauri says smiling.

"Then if it all works out well. I am thinking of starting my first hotel in 4 years."

"Here in Goa?"

"Mumbai."

"Nice." Gauri says smiling.

"then 5 years from then, I will start my next hotel in Delhi. I don't want to rush; I will be taking it slow. But I want to start a hotel chain."

Gauri leans towards him and kisses him on his cheek. "It will be amazing and brilliant."

Om smiles. "So, I'll have to come to Goa pretty often."

"It's a nice place." Gauri tells him smiling.

"I want you to come with me whenever I travel from now on. Wherever it is, I want you to come with me." Om tells her.

Gauri knew that it is not going to happen but then she didn't want to say that to him now when he was sharing his dreams with her. so, with a smile, she leans toward him and takes his lips in hers.

*********

"You sure no one can sees us?" Gauri asks Om as he led her to the pool the next morning.

"Yeah. I am sure. You have never used swimming pool?" Om asks confused.

"Mostly just the ladies pool and I usually use one-piece swim suit, not bikini."

"I don't think there is anything that I haven't seen."

She punches him lightly on his stomach with her elbow then laughing, she dives into the pool. Om follows her, and jumps into the pool. Gauri starts swimming away from Om, and Om follows her to catch her.

They were playing around the pool, laughing happily. Trying to catch each other and pull one another underwater.

Laughing happily, Gauri hugs Om. "I don't want this to end." Gauri whispers to him as she hugged him tight feeling sad.

"Even me, but we have to go back. If I could I would have extended the trip but you know I can't." Om tells her as he hugged her.

"I know." Gauri whispers and turning to face him, she takes his lips in hers and kisses him hungrily.

"Come, let's go back in." Om whispers getting turned on.

"Do you think this water is clean?" Gauri asks him feeling flushed.

"Yeah... they changed the water the day before we came. Why do you ask?" Om asks her confused.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah... We were supposed to come a day earlier but they told me about this. Since I wanted to stay in cottage, we came a day later."

"Okay." Gauri grins smiling happily.

"Why do you ask?"

Gauri takes his lips in hers and starts nibbling on his lips. "I want to make love in the pool."

"What?" Om asks shocked. His heart skipping a beat and at the same time, getting turned on like never before.

"Yes."

Om gives her a hard kiss on her lips. "I'll get condoms and come."

Gauri chuckles and teases him, "I am surprised that you didn't come into the pool with it."

"I didn't know my tigress was so adventurous." Om tells her and then kissing her, he whispers, "I'll be right back, Mrs. Oberoi."

"I brought the whole box. And we are running out." Om tells her as he took one from the box and dropped the rest to the floor. Then he stops in shock seeing Gauri's bikini lying on the floor.

Om looks at Gauri, and sees her giving him a sexy smile and crooking her finger at him.

**********

Omkara opens the bedroom door. "Mrs. Oberoi, the waiter left, you can come out."

Gauri smiles as she walked out of the room in her bathrobe. They both were famished and had ordered breakfast. Om was just wearing his pyjama from last night.

"What do you want to do today?" Om asks her as they ate.

"Just explore the city?"

"Sure."

"At what time?"

"Right after breakfast, we will take a shower and leave."

"Great." Gauri says smiling.

*******

Gauri wears the dress Om had got her the previous day and Om wore the ones she had got him.

"Should I book the cab?" Om asks her.

"I'll just blow dry my hair then you book." Gauri tells him as she hurried to the washroom.

"Okay. and this dress look really nice on you." Om tells her smiling.

"Thank you. even you look sexy."

Om smiles hearing that. "Thank you, wifey."

*********

"You can book the cab." Gauri calls out to Om as she kept the blow dryer back in its holder.

When she didn't get any immediate response, she curiously comes out and finds Om sleeping on the bed.

Gauri runs her hand through his hair lovingly. The last two nights, he hadn't got much sleep. Maybe the night before that too when he was working on the proposal.

Putting the blanket over him, Gauri sits on the other side of the bed.

She tried watching TV on mute for some time, but she quickly got bored. Looking around, she finds his laptop on the side table. He had been looking for touristic spots for them to visit. Stretching she grabs it. She turns it on and sighs sadly seeing it was password protected. She was about to keep it back when she curiously checks the hint for password.

Wife.
Gauri couldn't control her smile and joy at that and she quickly types, Gauri.

"Wrong password?" Gauri whispers confused. Then she turns to look at her husband's sleeping form. She cutely frowns as she tried to figure out his password.

Then she turns to the laptop and types, Mrs. Oberoi.

"HA!" Gauri smirks proudly seeing that password was accepted.

She opens Netflix and looks for something to watch.

Since Om's airpods had no charge, Gauri takes his laptop and leaves the room after closing the door.

She sits near the pool. Keeping her legs on the table, she starts to watch Emily in Paris.

**********

Gauri was halfway through the fifth episode when she hears the door burst open. She looks up in shock and sees Om at the door. She pauses the video.

"Good afternoon, sleepyhead." Gauri tells him with a smile as she watched him leaning on the door as he tried to catch his breath.

"Did you run?" Gauri asks chuckling.

"I slept off." Om tells her.

"I saw."

"I'll just freshen up and we will leave."

"No, you haven't slept well last two days. You should sleep."

"But don't you want to go out?"

"We will go out in the evening." Gauri tells him.

"Okay then." Om says and then seeing his laptop with her, he asks her, "Do you want the password for that?"

Gauri grins at him cheekily. "Hint was wife and my second attempt was Mrs. Oberoi. You really should think of hard passwords."

Om grins. "I got that laptop a day before karvachaut otherwise, the password would have been tigress. Maybe I'll change it to that."

"Still not hard."

"Maybe add our wedding date too." Om calls out to her as he walked off.

Gauri felt her smile falter hearing that, then shaking her head, she starts to watch the movie.

Five minutes later, Om comes back. "Do you want to sit in the room and watch?"

"Won't the sound disturb you? your airpod has no charge."

"That's okay. it won't disturb me."

"Okay then. Laptop charge was also getting over." Gauri tells him smiling as she stood up.

She walks to Om, and he puts his hand over her shoulder when she reached him and they walk to the bedroom.

Om gets on the bed and seeing Gauri taking the laptop charger from his bag, he asks her, "Can you put my airpods also on charge?"

"Yes, boss." Gauri replies and grabbing the chargers she turns around and finds him glaring at her.

"I was just joking, Omkara." Gauri tells him.

Om lies back without saying anything.

Gauri settles on the bed after putting both the laptop and airpods on charge. She plays the serial. Om moves to her and hugging her he lies next to her.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Gauri asks him after a while.

"I am not able to sleep."

"But you are so tired."

"Just can't fall asleep." Om tells her as he looked at her.

"Is it the sound?"

"No."

Gauri hugs him to her chest. "Close your eyes." Gauri tells him as she kissed his forehead.

Om closes his eyes and he feels Gauri's fingers run through his hair and gently massaging his head. the massage had such a calming effect on him and forgetting all his concerns he falls asleep.

**********

"Is everything alright, Omkara?" Gauri asks him as they walk back into their cottage at night.

Om shrugs as he walked to the bedroom.

"You have been quiet ever since you woke up. You haven't said much." Gauri tells him as she followed him.

"I've just been thinking." Om replies.

"About what?"

"Everything." Om replies as he scratched his head.

"Tell me, Omkara what is wrong?" Gauri asks him feeling sad at the way he was behaving. This was probably going to be their last night together and she didn't want it to end with him upset about something.

"Let's just sleep, Gauri." Om tells her as he looked away. "We have to get up early too. Our flight is in the morning."

"Okay." Gauri tells him as she wrapped her hand around his waist.

"We should go to bed." Om tells her.

Gauri leans up and takes his lips in hers and gently starts kissing.

"I am not in the mood, Gauri." Om whispers to her.

Gauri moves back hearing that and looks at his face. he looked agitated and she just couldn't understand why he was behaving like that.

"What happened, Omkara?"

"Let's just sleep, Gauri." Om tells her.

Gauri hugs him and keeps her cheek on his chest. When he didn't hug her back, she felt her heart break. "I love you, Omkara." Gauri tells him sadly.

Om takes a sharp breath feeling anger rising in him. Om slightly moves Gauri away from him. "For once, at least for once, can you say 'I love you, my husband'.?"

"What?" Gauri whispers in shock.

"You have never called me your husband. You think, I don't realize that?" Om asks her getting angry. "You asked me for time, and I gave you time. I have been trying to be patient all this while, not anymore. I want my wife home. I want the world to know that you are my wife and I am your husband. I am done hiding!"

"Omkara..."

"When I woke up and I didn't find you next to me, the first thought I had was that you ran away. like you had run away the morning after karvachaut. I am done with this hiding, Gauri. I want you to acknowledge me as your husband to us and to the world."

Gauri looks away hearing him as her eyes filled with tears.

"What is the issue, Gauri? talk to me. unless you tell me what the issue is, how are we going to sort it out and move forward?" Om asks her helplessly seeing her tears.

"Can we not do this today? can we do this tomorrow? Can we keep aside all our issues for today?"

"No." Om replies stubbornly. "I am done, living a lie."

When she remained silent, Om sighs and tells her, "I know you love me. I know you accept me as your husband and our marriage. Then why are you not openly accepting it?"

"I don't want to talk."

"I WANT TO KNOW, GAURI!" Om furiously says as he held her hand and made her turn to face him. "The last two days, I wake up and the first thing I do is to look for you. to check whether you left me or not. I can't go on like that. I want to know what is your problem."

"Do you want to know?" Gauri asks him angrily.

"Yes."

"It is going to burst this bubble that we have been living in. it is going to take us back to reality from this fantasy we have been living. Nothing is going to be the same."

"This is not a fantasy. This is our life. this is our marriage."

Gauri chuckles humorlessly hearing that. "Marriage." Gauri scoffs. "You had called his marriage, fake, Omkara Singh Oberoi. And then just like that, you changed your stance that it is real. It didn't take you a minute to flip. How do I know that you won't flip again?"

"Gauri, I told you..."

"How long have you known that I love you?" Gauri cuts him off.

"What?" Om asks confused.

"You knew I love you and still you proposed a fake marriage to me. it didn't matter to you that I love you. my love and me, it didn't make any difference to you. you had rejected me and my love, Omkara Singh Oberoi. And when you needed a scapegoat for your drama, you used me. you took advantage of my feelings for you. you knew, I would never abandon you in your time of need and you took full advantage of that."

"I didn't reject your love, Gauri." Om tells her in shock.

"Oh really?" Gauri asks him sarcastically. "The only time, you accepted my love was when it was convenient for you and it had some use to you. otherwise, I wasn't just good enough for you."

"It's not that!" Om tells her in exasperation. "I had no plans of getting married ever!"

"Yeah right! Says the man who was all set to get married when his sister was looking for a bride for him."

"I never told Prinku to look for a wife for me, and you know Prinku was just testing you with that. yes, I would have got married because I promised Dadi. Otherwise I would have never got married."

Gauri looks away not believing him.

"My mother died in childbirth, Gauri. Pregnancy scares me." Om tells her helplessly.

Gauri turns to look at him in confusion hearing that.

"I knew that I couldn't snatch away the joy and right of motherhood from my wife. That is why, I had decided that I will never get married. Because I had seen my mother slowly dying due to pregnancy." Om tells her. then helplessly looking at Gauri, he confesses, "I hated Rudy when he was born. I blamed him for Mom's death. It was Dadi who had convinced me that Rudy was an innocent baby who had no hand in Mom's death. Mom's death was God's decision. But I just couldn't control this fear I had. That is why I decided never to marry anyone. Not just you, anyone. I guess, Dadi knew that, and that is why she made me promise that I would get married. Even though I promised Dadi, I had this fear in me that what if I never had the courage to go through it? That is why I asked you to help me with the fake ceremony. So that Dadi would die thinking I fulfilled the promise. I asked you because, I believed you would help me because you loved me. I wasn't taking advantage of your love, I was placing all my trust in your love for me."

Gauri looks at Om guiltily realizing that she had misunderstood him thinking he had rejected her love. Her heart breaking realizing his fear, her heart went out to him.

"You tease me that I am obsessed with using condoms. It's because I didn't want you to get pregnant and I didn't want to lose you like I lost my mother. I know, it is silly but my fear just won't go away. Once I accepted you as my wife, I knew that one day we would have to have babies. It was your right, and I promised Dadi that I will give you all your rights. It still scares me, Gauri but the day you decide that we should have a baby, I will stand by you. how much ever my fear kills me, I will."

Gauri's heart beats fast hearing what he had. She had misunderstood him. Misunderstood everything. Maybe she misunderstood that he didn't love her. his fears, didn't it show that he loved her?

"You should know, Gauri. I wasn't ready for marriage. But I had promised Dadi. So I decided that one day I will get married. I wasn't in any hurry to get married. I thought I would get over my fear and get married. I didn't tell Priyanka to look for a wife for me. I never thought of marriage or love. But the first time I thought of a fake marriage, only you came into my mind. And I thought of getting married only once. It was when I thought you suggested that we get married, and that time, I thought marrying you was a good idea. Two times, I thought of marriage in my life. one fake and one real, and both the times I only thought of you."

"Why me?" Gauri asks him softly, desperate to hear him say that he loved her as much as she loved him.

"What do you mean, why you?"

"Why you only thought of me? do you love me?"

Om's heart skipped a beat hearing that. he replies, "I like you. you love me. Dadi, Rudy and Prinku loved you. you loved my family. I thought we could have a good marriage."

"Do you love me Omkara?" Gauri asks him again as she looked into his eyes.

She could see that he was breathing fast as panic hit him.

"Every time I have told you that I love you, you have replied with 'I know' or a 'thank you'. I just want a yes or no answer, do you love me, Omkara?"

"No." Om whispers.

Gauri looks away hurt as she felt her heartbreak into a million pieces. She had known that he didn't love her, but the last 2 minutes, she had believed that he did love her. now, when he looked into her eyes and told her that he didn't love her, it not only broke her heart, it broke her too.

"Gauri... baby don't look away." Om says cupping her face.

"I admit I was wrong in thinking you took advantage of my love. I admit I was wrong in thinking that you rejected me and my love. But am I wrong in wishing to be in a marriage where my husband loves me?"

"What we have is great, Gauri. even though we are not living together, I know what we have is great, I know even you know that." Om tells her as he felt his heartbreak seeing her heartbreak.

"Am I wrong in wanting my husband to love me?" Gauri asks him again as she looked into his eyes.

Om's eyes fill with tears and he whispers, "No."

Gauri nods. Her eyes started filling with tears, as she tells him. "Then let's just end this here. Just forget what happened. I'll go on with my life. and you also go on with your life. find someone that you can love. Marry her and be happy. Anyway our marriage has no legal validity because we have no proof of marriage. My family doesn't know about our wedding. The office, it is still a rumor, no one knows for sure. The only witnesses to our wedding are, Dadi who is no more. Prinku, I am sure you can convince her. that Pundit you had paid him. I don't think there is any complication in you moving on and marrying someone else. Just go back to thinking it was a fake wedding."

"Don't say that, Gauri." Om whispers his heart breaking hearing her.

"I would rather be alone all my life than be with the man I love but not have his love in return." Gauri tells him as she wiped her tears. "I will move to the other bedroom. Let's just stay out of each other's way. I can't do this anymore so once we get back, I will give in my notice and I'll leave at the end of the notice period. And we will try our best to never see each other ever again after that."

**********

Gauri turns on her laptop and the first thing she did was type in her resignation. Once done, she had taken a print out. She then tried to do her work but her thoughts kept going back to Omkara. He had tried talking to her a couple of times. Last night and then today morning and in the flight, but she didn't want to hear anything or talk to him. As time passed, instead of easing her pain, it was intensifying with the knowledge that he didn't love her. she wanted to cry her heart out, but she wouldn't cry in the office. She will cry only in the privacy of her room in her hostel. Hearing the door open, she nervously sits up realizing he had come.

Om walks to her and stops near her, "Gauri..."

Gauri stands up and without looking at him, she offers her resignation. "It's my resignation. If you would sign it, I can give to the HR to process."

"Please don't make any hasty decisions, Gauri."

"Please don't make it harder than it is, Omkara."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Please sign this."

"Like hell I will!" Om says furiously as he snatched the paper from her and crumbled it up. Then grabbing her by her shoulders, he pulls her towards him. "You are mine, Gauri. and I will not let you go away from me."

Gauri closes her eyes hearing him. Not wanting to look at him and have her resolve break.

When she closed her eyes against him, furiously Om leans down and angrily kisses her. Gauri couldn't resist and she kisses him back.

"Told you, you are mine." Om tells her against his lips.

"I am not yours." Gauri whispers.

"That couch will have a different story to tell."

Gauri looks at him in shock, for having used one of their most private moments against her.

"In fact, two different stories." Om tells her with a smirk. "Did you forget that just yesterday morning, you had wanted to make love in the pool? Do you remember just how many times you were mine, just yesterday?"

Gauri felt her eyes fill up. Struggling to not cry, she asks him, "Why did you use that against me, Omkara?"

Om quickly looks away seeing her tears, he couldn't look at her anymore. He felt hatred for himself for bringing tears to her eyes and for using their moment together in trying to win against her.

*********

"You are back!" Rudra cheerfully says as he opened the door.

Gauri looks up and sees him looking at her happily. She couldn't help smile at him.

"I missed you, Bhabhi." Rudra says as he hugged her. then he whispers into her ears, "Why is he so cranky and serious since he got back? He isn't talking also."

Gauri looks at Om and sees him watching her.

"How was your trip? What did you get me?" Rudra asks as he leaned back on the desk.

Smiling, Gauri takes the cover, she had kept and hands it to him. "For you and the scarf is for Prinku."

"Awesome!" Rudra says excitedly as he checked out the pants. "Harem pants! I was looking for them here and I couldn't find nice ones."

"I know. You told me." Gauri tells him smiling.

"This is amazing. Thank you, Bhabhi." Rudra says as he leaned to kiss her cheek. "Come on, let's go, have ice-cream."

"I have work, Rudy." Gauri hesitantly says, her smile dropping.

"Leave all that." Rudra tells her as he held her hand and pulled her up.

Gauri worriedly looks at Om as Rudra dragged her out. Om just silently watched them without saying anything.

**********

"What happened, Bhabhi?" Rudra asks her as he handed her the chocolate cone.

"Don't call me Bhabhi, Rudy." Gauri tells him softly.

Rudra sighs loudly. "why are you being stubborn? Just because your marriage is secret it doesn't make it any less valid or you not my Bhabhi."

"I am resigning. I will be going away. Omkara and I are over."

"What? NO!"

"Please, Rudy. I just want you to support me. Omkara is already making it very difficult. I feel very lonely. Please, Rudy. Please stand by my side." Gauri whispers to him in tears.

Seeing her in tears, Rudra quickly hugs her.

**********

Sometime later, Gauri walks back into the cabin. Without looking at Omkara, she starts to work.

Omkara gets a call and he talks on the phone for a while. Then hanging up, he goes to Gauri, excitedly. "They liked my proposal. They want to proceed with me."

Gauri smiles excitedly hearing that and she stands up happily. "I knew you would get it. I am so happy for you. congratulations." Gauri says happily.

Om hugs her. Gauri hugs him happily.

A few seconds later, Gauri realizes that she had hugged him and steps back from him. Seeing her moving away from him, Om moves towards her and kisses her passionately.

"Please Gauri, give our marriage a chance. Give me a chance. I'll always keep you happy."

"What we had, it was too beautiful. I'll never forget it. I'll always cherish it. It already hurts me that you don't love me. And if I stay with you, it is going to get worse. Soon, I will not be happy with just these. I would need more. It is going to ruin all these beautiful things between us. I won't be happy with you. and if I am not happy with you, how will you be happy with me? at least now, we have these beautiful memories."

"Why do you want to ruin what we have for what might happen?" Om asks her helplessly.

"I know it hurts you, Omkara. And you don't even love me. imagine how much it would be hurting me. please, Omkara. Please let me go."

Om looks away unable to face her.

"It would be better if my desk was moved out of your cabin."

"I already told you that your place is by my side." Om tells her getting angry.

Om was starting to walk to his desk when Gauri calls him. He stops and turns to her.

"It might have been lust for you. it was love for me. please don't taint those memories again."

Without a word, Om furiously walks out.

**********

"Bhabhi said she is going away." Rudra accuses Om as soon as Om walked into their house.

Om stops and turns to him.

"You can't let her go away."

"I will not." Om vows.

"She is determined." Rudra worriedly tells him.

"I know. I have made my decision." Om tells him.

"What decision?" Rudra asks confused.

"I have a plan and I need your help with that. even Prinku."

"Anything. Don't let Bhabhi go away."

"I promise you, I'll not let your Bhabhi go away." Om tells him as he cupped his face.

**********

Next day morning, hearing Omkara walk into the office, Gauri looks up. He was carrying a small carton. He walks to her.

"I am sorry for what I said yesterday, Gauri." Om tells her softly.

"It's okay. maybe I over reacted." Gauri whispers.

"Do you really want to leave?" Om asks her softly.

"Yes." Gauri replies as she looked at him.

Om sighs sadly. "Give me your resignation. I'll sign it."

"You will?" Gauri asks surprised, shocked, relieved and heartbroken all at once.

"Yes, I will."

Gauri quickly takes the paper and hands it to him. Om takes the pen from her table and sign it.

"Thank you." Gauri whispers feeling more heartbroken than relieved.

"Get it to the HR department, ask them to start the paperwork. You don't have to serve the notice period. One week, once the paperwork is done, you can leave."

Gauri nods as she looked down realizing their time together was coming to an end. The thought that she wouldn't be seeing him after a week was killing her.

"Here, clear your things." Om tells her as he gave her the carton. "I'll have someone move your desk out."

Gauri nods as she tried her best to control her tears.

**********

"Come in, Gauri." the HR looks up at her. "Omkara sir asked me to process your paperwork fast. So, I want you to read through these and sign all the places where I have marked an X." HR tells her giving her a bunch of paper.

Gauri nods and takes the bunch of papers as she sat down. She quickly starts reading through, registering only half. It was about PF, gratuity, some rules regarding joining competitors for a year, then she just glossed it over as her mind was occupied with Omkara. Her heartbreaking at the thought of not seeing him again.

"He should be coming in a bit to sign these."

"Why is he coming here for that?" Gauri asks curiously. Normally, it was her duty to get these papers to him to sign.

"He said since you are leaving, he didn't want you to do any duties. Till I finalize a replacement for you, he is without an assistant." The HR explains. "I am hoping to find someone in a day or two, so you can train her before you leave."

Gauri nods as she looked down at the papers to fight her tears.

Hearing the door open, Gauri stiffens realizing Omkara had reached. He walks towards her and stands next to her.

"You sure, right?" Om asks her softly.

Gauri nods and takes the pen to sign.

She was signing the second paper when the door opens and she curiously turns to look. She finds Rudra at the door. he gestures her to come out. Gauri turns to Omkara for permission.

"Make it fast." Om tells her.

Gauri nods and walks out.

Rudra closes the door and asks her in a whisper. "Bhai said you are resigning."

"I told you."

"You are leaving us?"

"This is for the best, Rudy."

"This is not for the best, Bhabhi."

"Don't call me Bhabhi." Gauri tells him, it was starting to hurt her.

"You are still married to my brother."

Before Gauri could reply the door opens and Om tells her, "Gauri, sign the papers. I have a busy day ahead."

Gauri nods and walks back in. Om and Rudra follows her in.

Gauri takes the papers and sees the HR had put a staple on the papers. She quickly starts signing them as her eyes filled with tears and her vision blurring. Once done, Om takes the papers and starts signing on them.

"You can go, Gauri. I'll let you know when all the paperwork is done and the finance department settles your account." HR tells her.

"Okay. thank you." Gauri whispers and quickly walks out.

Once Gauri had left, Om takes the staple remover and removes the staple. Then going through the papers, he finds the one he had slipped in.

"Got it?" Rudra asks him.

Om nods as he walked out with Rudra.

"You will take it to the registrar's office, right?" Om asks him.

Rudra nods. "But the rule is they need to put it on the notice board for a month."

"It is predated and I've bribed them." Om tells Rudra.

"Okay."

**********

Gauri notices Omkara get out of the lift. Instead of going to his room, he walks towards her.

"My flight is in 3 hours." Om tells her.

"Oh." Gauri's heart skips a beat hearing that. then she remembers how he had told her that he wanted her to travel with him everywhere he went.

"When will you be back?" Gauri asks ignoring the pang in her heart.

"3 days maybe."

Gauri nods wondering where he was going. She wanted to ask him but then she didn't want to ask him also. She looks at him and sees him waiting, waiting for her to ask him where he was going.

"Is there anything that you need done here before you get back?" Gauri asks instead.

Om shakes his head in negative. "You'll be here when I get back, right?"

"Depends on what the HR..."

"Wait till I get back, Gauri." Om tells her softly.

"Okay." Gauri replies in a whisper.

"Thank you." Om whispers and walks off.

********

The next three days, Gauri tried to keep herself busy by training the new assistant and packing up her stuff from her hostel. She was thinking of going home for a while. Staying with her parents would be a good change for her then she will start looking for a new job.

That morning, Omkara had got back and the whole day he had been inside his room busy with work.

"Hi Gauri." Priyanka says as she walked towards her with a smile.

"Hi Prinku... how are you?" Gauri asks her smiling as she stood up.

"I am good... and you?" Priyanka asks her as she hugged her.

Gauri smiles at her.

"I loved the scarf." Priyanka tells her smiling. "Thank you, Bhabhi."

"Please don't call me Bhabhi,"

"Rudy told me that you are leaving."

"Yes."

"Is there no chance?" Priyanka asks her sadly.

"No. and this is for the best."

"I don't know what to say." Priyanka tells her sadly.

Hearing the door open, they both look at Om. "Let's go?" Om asks Priyanka.

"Yeah." Priyanka nods then turning to Gauri, she asks, "What time will you reach?"

"Reach? Where?" Gauri asks confused.

"For the party. I am throwing Ranveer a surprise birthday party." Priyanka replies surprised. "Bhai didn't tell you?"

"Erm..." Gauri looks at Om in confusion.

"Bhai?" Priyanka turns to look at Om.

"She wouldn't come if I invited her." Om replies as he watched Gauri.

"What nonsense, bhai?" Priyanka asks outraged then turning to Gauri, she tells her, "You are coming."

"No, Prinku..."

"I don't want to hear anything. This is the first surprise party I am throwing Ranveer and that too the first birthday after our marriage. I want you there." Priyanka says stubbornly.

*********

"Will you wear this saree?" Priyanka asks her showing her a gold color saree.

Gauri looks at the beautiful sareee and sighs. It was gorgeous. "I will wear this only." Gauri tells her as she gestured her formal skirt and blouse.

"No way! You are guest and not bhai's assistant today." Priyanka tells her. "Wear this."

"I don't know how to drape a saree."

"No problem. They will help you." Priyanka tells her gesturing at the beauticians who had come to dress her up.

Gauri sighs. Priyanka had practically dragged her out of the office and shoved her into Omkara's car. She had come here with Priyanka and Omkara. She had even suggested going to her hostel to change but Prinku was having none of it, saying she would not come. well, that was the truth.

Gauri stood there as the beautician draped the saree for her. the blouse was a little loose for her, but they had pinned it up well.

"Isn't Ranveer suspicious about the party?" Gauri asks her curiously.

"No. his birthday is next month, so he won't expect it today." Priyanka tells her smiling.

"So how are you getting him here?"

"I told him that bhai has some big announcement to make. And bhai wanted the whole family home."

"Oh." Gauri frowns hearing that.

"Do her hair and makeup." Priyanka instructs them.

"No." Gauri says quickly.

But her protests were ignored when she was dragged to the chair.

********

Gauri and Priyanka comes out of Priyanka's room. they walk towards the stairs together. Gauri was feeling nervous and she could sense that something was not right, but she couldn't put her finger on it. They reach the top of the stairs and Gauri stops in shock seeing the crowd there and the press.

"What is the press doing here?" Gauri asks as her heart started slamming against her chest.

"You look beautiful." Om whispers to her from behind.

Gauri turns to look at him and stops in shock seeing him wearing a matching gold color sherwani.

"Omkara..." Gauri whispers in shock.

"You can let go of my wife, Prinku." Om tells Priyanka as he held Gauri's hand interlocking their fingers.

"What are you doing, Omkara?" Gauri asks panicking.

"What I should have done a long time ago, Mrs. Oberoi."

"No. NO." Gauri furiously whispers as she tried to turn around and run away.

"You make a scene then it is going to be a scandal and a controversy which will be on every news channel for 24x7. If you come down calmly then it will be just a box news. Which one do you prefer?" Omkara asks her.

"Why are you doing this? We had decided, right? You agreed."

"I didn't agree. We didn't decide, you decided. And I don't agree with that." Om tells her as he started walking down the stairs with Gauri.

As she went down the stairs with Omkara, Gauri tried to curb her panic and not run. As she knew a spectacle will reach her parents faster than a simple news. This way, she would have time to get to her parents before they found it out from somewhere else.

"I will not forgive you for this."

"You love me too much to be angry with me for long."

"And you don't love me to think that I also have a family."

Om doesn't reply to that.

Gauri hears the press people asking various questions. She gulps as the flashes from the camera hit her face.

"I wanted to introduce my wife, Gauri Omkara Singh Oberoi." Om starts and then he proceeds to tell them how they had got married.

********

After handling the questions by the press, Om quickly whisks Gauri away to his study. Gauri starts struggling to free his hand from hers.

"I care for you enough to remember that you also have a family and you adore them." Om whispers to her as he opened the door to his study.

"Papa... Mama?" Gauri stops in shock seeing them.

"Go." Om whispers to her as he gently nudged her.

Gauri worriedly walks to them as tears formed in her eyes. "Papa... Mama..."

"You got married and you didn't tell us, Gauri?" Nayantara asks her sadly.

"I am sorry." Gauri whispers seeing her parents sad.

"Damadji told us how you had to get married for his dadi and then his dadi's death... but you should have told us." Nayantara tells her.

"We would have understood, Gauri." Harshvardhan tells her.

Gauri hugs her parents and cries. "I am so sorry."

"Damadji told us how you were worried that we would be hurt and also how you refused to go with him till we approved of your wedding. Then why didn't you just tell us?" Nayantara asks her.

Gauri had no answer. She couldn't tell her parents now that she had decided to leave Omkara. Gauri's heart broke when she realized that, Omkara had trapped her.

"Since there weren't many witness to our wedding, Gauri was worried that there is no legal validity to the wedding." Om tells them. "I want to legalize our wedding."

"Yes, you should." Harshvardhan tells him.

Om smiles at him, "Come, Gauri."

Gauri curiously looks at him and he was looking at a man sitting there with a big book.

"You both and Rudy and Prinku can be the witness." Om tells them smiling.

Gauri was led to the table by Omkara. She realized that he was the registrar and they were really going to register their marriage.

Gauri turns to Om in anger, confusion, pain.

"You signed the application form at the HR's office." Om whispers to her.

Gauri looks away feeling hurt and betrayed.

Having no other go, she signs and watches as everyone signs.

"We should get back to the party. I want Gauri to meet all my relatives." Om tells everyone.

"Yes, we should." Harshvardhan replies smiling.

"I know, this time, I did take advantage of you." Om whispers to her as they walked back to the party.

"I will never forgive you for this." Gauri whispers to him.

"I know, you will. But take your time. because it is going to take me time to forgive you for calling our marriage invalid, for telling me to marry someone else and of thinking of leaving me." Om whispers back to her.

**********

As Gauri met Omkara's extended family, she noticed her relatives also coming to wish them and jovially complaining about her not informing about her marriage and teasing her about eloping. Gauri tried her best to put a fake smile on her face throughout.

"GAURI!" Richa says happily as she hugged her.

"RICHA!" Gauri turns to her in surprise as she hugged her. "How come you are here?"

"Jeeju and Nayantara aunty came home to invite me. Jeeju insisted that I should come because today is your day and he wanted everyone that you love to attend your big day." Richa tells her excitedly.

Gauri listened to Richa go on and on about how Omkara had arranged a charter flight so that he could bring in her relatives and all. After a few minutes, Richa was called away and Gauri turns to Omkara.

"Last three days you were at my place?"

"Yes. Another thing, I will need time to forgive you for, what I had wanted both of us to do together, you made me do it alone."

Gauri scoffs as she looked away.

Om couldn't help smile, "I missed you, Mrs. Oberoi."

"Well, keep missing me because I am not going to stay with you." Gauri tells him.

He keeps his hand on her stomach and squeezes it, she flinches and looks at him.

"Darling, I have ingrained myself into your life so well now, that you can't get me out of your heart or life now." Om tells her with a smirk.

Even though he was smirking, Gauri could see that his eyes were clouded in anger. Her breath gets caught in her throat seeing that.

"Oh by the way." Om tells her in a whisper. "Prinku had asked someone to decorate our bedroom for suhag raat."

"What?" Gauri turns to him frowning.

"Well, I think she misunderstood us for a very celibate couple." Om whispers to her. "I just wanted you to know that I had no hand in this."

"Well, you could have stopped her." Gauri points out.

"Oh yeah, I could have." Om says smiling. "And when she asks why not, I could have told her that Gauri and I had our suhag raat, in fact we have been having suhag raat and suhaag day for a while now."

Gauri felt her cheeks turn pink remembering their time together. She would be lying if she said that she didn't miss their physical intimacy. The truth was she was yearning for it and mostly, him.

"Nothing is going to happen. Don't keep your hopes high." Gauri tells him. But it was more like telling herself to stay strong to her resolve.

"Obviously, I want us to make love, not have angry sex." Om tells her. then turning to her with a naughty smile he says, "Actually, Mrs. Oberoi, we should have angry sex once. It would be damn hot."

Gauri felt herself blush hearing him. She looks away so that he doesn't see it. She did agree it would be damn hot, the passion between was something unbelievable.

"I don't think we should be talking about it anymore. I am getting horny." Om whispers to her.

Gauri turns completely pink hearing him. "Shut up!"

Om chuckles in reply.

"Dadi would have been really happy today, right?" Om asks her softly as he looked at the people.

"You are missing her, aren't you?" Gauri asks him softly.

Om nods.

Gauri could see that he was feeling really emotional. She couldn't help it, she holds his hand and gently squeezes it.

Om interlocks his fingers with hers.

"He knew, right?" Gauri asks as she looked at Rudra talking to someone.

"Yes." Om replies.

"And he helped you."

"Yes."

Gauri looks away feeling hurt.

"He helped me because he didn't want you to leave." Om tells her. then he gently adds, "I told you not to mummy him. He is an adult, not a baby, so he is bound to do things that you don't like. And you would be disappointed."

Gauri doesn't say anything to that.

*********

"Bhabhi."

Gauri turns around to see Priyanka and Rudra.

"Richa, I will talk to you later." Gauri whispers to her.

"Okay." Richa replies with a smile and walks off.

"I know you are angry with us." Priyanka says embarrassed.

"I considered you my friend, Prinku. And you my brother, Rudy. But I was a fool. You will always be his siblings at the end of the day. I was the fool to place my trust in you both." Gauri says sadly.

"Don't say that, Bhabhi. Bhai will always keep you happy." Priyanka tells her guiltily.

"We didn't want you to go away, Bhabhi." Rudra tells her.

"You are so happy with Ranveer, right?" Gauri asks Priyanka unable to hide her pain anymore.

"Yes, Bhabhi." Priyanka replies with a confused frown.

"It is because he loves you, right?"

"Yes."

"Would you be happy if he didn't love you?"

"No." Priyanka whispers, still not understanding where this conversation was going.

"Then how do you expect me to be happy?"

"Come on, Bhabhi." Rudra tells her with a chuckle. "He is destroying everything that is standing between you and him like a possessed man. And you think he doesn't love you?"

"Yes because he told me that on my face." Gauri tells him and walks off.

*********

Om was talking to one of the guests when Rudra furiously holds his hand and drags him out of the party.

"Did you tell Bhabhi that you don't love her?" Rudra asks him furiously.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't want to lie to her."

"I helped you because I thought you loved her." Rudra tells him furiously. "she had asked me for my support and I helped you instead because I thought you would keep her happy."

"I will keep her happy, Rudy." Om tells him feeling hurt.

"If you don't love her then you don't deserve her!" Rudy tells him with furious tears and walks away.

"You shouldn't have involved us if you didn't love her, bhai." Priyanka told him softly as she stood a little away from them.

"Gauri is mine. And I will not let anyone come between us." Om vows to her with furious tears.

*********

Amidst all the teasing and fun, Om was let to enter the bedroom with Gauri. it was mainly her friend and relatives who were teasing. Her parents, Priyanka and Rudra had stood back and simply watched it all.

Feeling relieved to get away from people and finally getting some alone time with Gauri, Om closes the door and locks it.

Gauri just turns around and walks to the bedroom. Noticing a night dress kept on the bed for her by Priyanka, she takes it and goes to the bathroom to change.

Gauri comes out and sees Om looking out the window. Hearing her Om turns around and stops in shock seeing her in a semitransparent night dress.

Gauri ignores him and walks to the bed to grab the pillow. That was when she notices a framed photo on the side table. She takes it curiously and sees it was her childhood picture with her father, when she was riding on his back and he was acting like an elephant.

She knew, Omkara had got that for her. even though she was elated at having the almost destroyed picture preserved and saved, she doesn't say anything and keeps it back. She grabs the pillow and walks out of the room.

Om follows her and sees her keeping the pillow on the couch.

"You can sleep on the bed. I'll not disturb you." Om tells her.

"I don't care." Gauri replies.

"Rudy was angry with me." Om tells her.

Gauri curiously looks at him.

"He says I don't deserve you. I guess, I was wrong. He is your baby brother." Om tells her.

Gauri nods feeling a little relieved but she doesn't say anything and gets settled on the couch.

Feeling someone lifts her up, Gauri sleepily opens her eyes. Om gently places her on the bed.

"This is your place, Mrs. Oberoi. Always by my side." Om whispers to her as he kissed her forehead lovingly.

*********

The next couple of days went peacefully, with Gauri spending time with her parents and staying out of the way of Omkara. The day after the function Gauri's relatives and Richa had gone back. Only her parents had stayed. Omkara had been very respectful and caring towards her parents, and she wasn't surprised, as she didn't expect anything less from him.

Omkara had suggested in front of her mother about Gauri vacating her hostel room and she couldn't argue on that in front of her mother, so that evening she had to go with Omkara and her mother to her hostel to vacate her room.

Finally, her parents had left and after dropping her parents to the airport, Gauri had gone straight to Omkara's bedroom with Omkara following her. she gathers all her things.

"I am moving to the guestroom." Gauri informs Omkara.

"Don't be stubborn, Gauri."

"And here I was thinking you were the one who was being stubborn." Gauri mutters.

"How are we going to work on our marriage like this, Gauri?" Om asks her tiredly.

"You call this a marriage?" Gauri asks him furiously. "Where only your wishes and feelings are considered. What I want, what I feel... nothing matters!"

"It matters, Gauri. I care for you."

"I don't want your care."

"Gauri..."

"JUST LET ME BE, OMKARA!" Gauri tells him furiously as she took everything and walked out of the bedroom.

*********

Omkara had spent a sleepless night wondering and worrying how he could convince Gauri to forgive him and give him a chance. Realizing only a heart to heart could solve the issues between them, Om heads to her room.

Even after knocking for a while when she didn't open the door, Om curiously opens the door. seeing it unlocked, he steps in.

"Gauri?" Om calls her as he looked around. He walks to the bathroom and knocks on the door. when there was no reply, he opens it and finds it empty.

Realizing the bed didn't look like any had slept in, his heart started slamming against his chest. The blood drained from his face and worry gripped his heart.

"GAURI!" Om screams as he ran down the stairs to look for her. "GAURI!"

"She isn't here." Rudra informs him.

"Where did she go?" Om asks him with a frown.

"Last night she asked me if I could drop her to the airport and I did."

"What do you mean by that?" Om asks him furiously as he advanced to his brother.

"What I said. She took a flight."

"Where did she go?" Om asks stopping in shock.

"I didn't ask her. she didn't tell me."

"You helped her to leave me?" Om asks as he gulped in panic.

"If she wants to be with you then she will return. Otherwise, it is her life and her choice." Rudra tells him and walks off.

Om takes him mobile and frantically starts dialing Gauri's number. Her number was coming switched off.

********

Three hours later, Om was still trying her number and it was coming switched off.

"Any luck?" the commissioner asks him.

Om shakes his head. "I gave you my wife's details. All you have to do is call up the airport and find out which flight she took."

"We can't do that without a proper reason."

"My wife is missing!" Om tells him furiously.

"It hasn't been 24 hours yet for her to be a missing person."

"What the fuck?" Om asks furiously as he tried her number yet again.

"Did you have a fight? Was there any physical violence involved?"

"What the hell? I would never hurt my wife." Om tells him furiously.

"Did you check with her family?"

"She isn't there." Om tells him. "And I didn't tell them as I didn't want to scare them."

"What about close friends or relatives?"

"If she was with any of them, do you think I would be sitting here?" Om asks him in fury.

"Mr. Oberoi, I can see that you are worried for your wife but at present we are helpless."

"What can you do to help me find her?" Om asks him.

"Nothing officially. Unofficially, maybe I can make general enquiries at the airport." The commissioner finally gives in.

"That is what I have been asking you to do!" Om says in exasperation.

"Calm down, Mr. Oberoi." The commissioner says as he took his phone to make a call.

Unable to sit still, Om gets up and paces around the room.

He couldn't believe that Gauri had left him. It is true that they have had their problems but they had each other too. It was not the first time, that she had ran away but she had always gone to a place where he could find her. and this time...

Om sighs as he fought his tears. How could Gauri leave him? How could she live without him? Was it so easy for her? was he so bad? His heart started slamming against his chest, as he wondered how he could live without her? he won't be able to survive without her. his eyes always searched for her, every waking hour of his life and the thought that he might never see her again, nearly killed him. He will die without her. his life was not worth living if she wasn't in it. There was no meaning to his life without her, without her smile, without her love, without her scolding, without her anger, without her care. Om stops in shock, the realization knocked him out of his feet, he was so bloody deeply in love with his wife.

Om runs his hands through his hair in agitation. Why the hell didn't he realize his love for her? why had been so dense? His love was all she had wanted from him and he had it in abundance for her, then why the hell didn't he realize it? Om's eyes fill up with tears realizing that he may have been too late with his realization as Gauri had left him.

Hearing his mobile ring, he looks at his phone and it was flashing, The Mrs. calling.

"GAURI?" Om screams in relief.

"Omkara, what happened? I got 72 missed calls from you. is everything alright?" Gauri asks worriedly. "Omkara, please tell me, is everyone alright?"

"Where are you, Gauri?" Om asks her in shock.

"Bengaluru airport."

"What are you doing there?" Om asks shocked.

"Lay over. My flight is delayed. What is happening there, Omkara?"

"You were missing, Gauri."

"WHAT? I am not missing!" Gauri replies shocked.

"Your phone was switched off."

"I couldn't sleep in the flight. And I slept off at the gate waiting for my flight, and I forgot to switch on my phone. I just woke up."

"Where are you going?"

"You only told me to go to Agra to arrange Prinku's surprise, right?"

"What? When did I tell you that?"

"About 3 months back."

"What the hell, Gauri? couldn't you tell me before you left?"

"I forgot. When I saw the check-in message only I realized and I quickly left for airport."

"What the hell, Gauri? do you know where I am? I am at the Commissioner's office."

"Carrying on with the meeting then. I don't know when my flight is now. so, I am going to coordinate everything with the hotel via phone now. I am not sure how it will come up to. I'll try my best to make it as perfect as you wanted. But you might have to change Priyanka's and Ranveer's tickets to a later time. I'll let you know. Bye." and just like that she hung up the phone.

Om stares at his phone wondering what had happened.

"Found your wife?"

Om turns to the commissioner and nods.

"So, she didn't run away?"

"She was on official duty." Om whispers and then furiously mutters, "Finally, she drove me crazy!"

*********

Hours later, Gauri was ushered to the bedroom as soon as she had reached the hotel.

"The guests should be arriving in an hour, are you done with the decorations?" Gauri asks as she walked into the room and stops in shock.

Seeing the red rose on the floor with candles on either side of it, a path leading to the bedroom, Gauri turns to the man in anger. "I said white lilies, not red roses!"
"There might have been some miscommunication, Madam. I'll check on it and rectify it immediately."

"Please do. My guest's favorite flower is white lilies. And I didn't ask for the candles."

"Do you want to remove them?"

"No, it looks beautiful." Gauri says confused. "I am not sure how it will look with the lilies."

"How about you take a look at the rest of the decorations, while I have someone change the flowers?"

"Yes, please make it fast. We don't have much time." Gauri tells him as she walked into the room.

She stops in shock seeing the bed adorned with red roses in heart shape and then red balloons on the floor and then looking up she sees balloons on the ceiling too.

Seeing the chocolates next to the champagne bottle on the bed, she frowns. "Milk chocolate? Red roses! What the hell?"

"You should take a moment to appreciate my hard work, Mrs. Oberoi."

"Omkara?" Gauri gasps as she turns around in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought red roses and milk chocolates were you favorite." Om tells her as he leaned on the wall with a sweet smile.

"This is for Prinku. And she likes white lilies and Ranveer likes Dark chocolates."

"Ah. Check out the bathroom too. That is also decorated."

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought you left me."

"So you came running behind me?" Gauri asks shocked and outrage.

"No. I couldn't wait for you to get back home to tell you that I am truly, madly and irrevocably in love with you."

"What?" Gauri asks in a soft whisper.

"I am sorry that it took me to think that I lost you to realize my love for you." Om whispers as he walked to her.

"You love me?" Gauri asks as her eyes filled up and a smile crept on her face.

"I hurt you a lot, didn't I?" Om asks as he cupped her face.

"You did."

"I am sorry, love. I just didn't realize. Maybe all my life I was running away from love, I never realized when I fell in love with you."

"You really do?"

Om chuckles. "I should have realized it when I was being so possessive about you that it is because of a more deeper feeling than like. Hell, I couldn't even let you go assist Rudra or give your place to another assistant. I should have known then. Or I should have known that I was so madly in love with you when I was so ecstatic when I realized that you consider me your husband. Or when I couldn't sleep at night wondering why you wouldn't accept me in front of the world."

"Why did it take you so long to realize it? Do you know how lonely I was feeling without you?" Gauri asks him as she hit him on his chest sadly.

"Maybe just as lonely as I had been feeling."

"You are so infuriating. You will drive me crazy one day!" Gauri says furiously as she hugged him.

Om chuckles hearing that.

"I love you, Mrs. Oberoi."

"I love you, Mr. Oberoi." Gauri tells him. "My husband."

"Took you forever to say it." Om tells her happily.

"So what? You were always my husband. And you are one to talk. You took forever to say you love me."

"So what? You always had my love." Om replies.

"Argh! You are just impossible!" Gauri says furiously as she pushed him.

Om holds her hand and pulls her towards him. "I love you. I love you more than life. I love you more than anyone else in the world. I can't live without you."

"I know, Mr. Oberoi."

Om closes his eyes in exasperation. "You are going to have your vengeance, right?"

Gauri chuckles as she leaned up and took his lips in hers.

"I still haven't forgiven you for trapping me." Gauri tells him.

"I still haven't forgiven you for telling me to marry someone else." Om replies.

Gauri scowls at him.

"I guess it is angry sex tonight." Om tells her cheekily.

"Mad or what? Prinku and Ranveer will be coming now. OHMIGOD, we have to get everything ready for them."

"No. they are not coming." Om tells her as he took his phone to video call Priyanka.

"What do you mean?"

"Hi bhai... Hi Bhabhi." Priyanka says happily as she answered the call.

"Hi, Prinku. You just boarded?" Gauri asks confused seeing her in a flight.

"Yes. You have to forgive me now, Bhabhi for helping bhai. I gave up my dream getaway for you." Priyanka tells her.

"What?" Gauri asks confused as she looked at Om.

"They are going to Bangkok." Om tells her.

"Oh." Gauri turns to her. "Thank you, Prinku." Gauri felt a blush creeping up her face realizing that Omkara and she were going to stay there instead.

"Anything for you, bhabhi." Priyanka tells her.

"Have fun, Prinku. Will call you to wish you tomorrow." Om tells her.

"What fun?" Priyanka mutters. "Look what I am going with." Priyanka turns the camera to show a sleeping Ranveer next to her.

Gauri couldn't help chuckle seeing the way Ranveer was sleeping with his mouth open.

"Bye, Prinku." Om says and hangs up.

"How did you get here before me?" Gauri asks curiously seeing Om calling Rudra.

"Did you forget we have a chopper? And this hotel has a helipad?"

"Bhabhi, my darling." Rudra says smiling happily.

"Hi, Rudy."

"This time I helped him because he told me he loves you." Rudra tells her.

"How did you help?" Gauri asks curiously.

"In an hour I had to book Prinku's tickets, book a hotel and get them to decorate it before those two reached, then get permission for the chopper to land there."

"Awww thank you, Rudy." Gauri says smiling.

"And how dare you make Bhabhi travel for 13 hours when we have a chopper?" Rudra asks Om furiously.

"I didn't know she was flying. I didn't know that there would be a delay in her flight and I didn't know she was my wife when I asked her to do this."

Gauri giggles hearing that.

"Okay, bye." Om tells him.

"Bye, Rudy."

"Bye."

Gauri turns to Om and smiles at him.

"I missed you, Mrs. Oberoi." Om tells her as he started hungrily kissing her.

Gauri was hungrily kissing him while she started to remove his buttons.

"SHIT!" Om says moving back.

"What?"

"I forgot condoms."

Gauri couldn't help but laugh loudly.

"I'll call up housekeeping."

"Maybe you don't have to."

Om stops in shock as his face went white. "What?" Om asks softly.

Seeing his face, she says, "For a second I thought it would nice to have a baby."

"Not so soon, Gauri. please I need time." Om whispers as he went whiter.

"I understand, Omkara. It was just a thought."

"Maybe two three years later. When you really want to have a baby." Om tells her worriedly.

"Yes, Omkara. I wasn't even serious now." Gauri tells him cupping his face.

"I'll stand by you when you really want a baby. I promise." Om tells her. "I am just not ready now."

"I trust you, Omkara. There is no hurry." Gauri tells him hugging him happily.

"Wake up, love." Om whispers to her as he gently shook her awake.

"What time is it?" Gauri asks as she sat up sleepily.

"Sunrise time." Om tells her as he pointed at the window.

Gauri gasps and jumps out of the bed seeing the sunrays hit Taj Mahal. She gasps seeing the beautiful sight.

"This is so beautiful." Gauri says amazed.

"And you, Mrs. Oberoi, is the most beautiful."

Gauri smiles hearing that as she leaned on his chest as they looked at Taj Mahal.

9 years later.

Gauri was putting the blanket over her year-old sleeping daughter in crib when she felt Omkara hug her from behind.

"You are back?" Gauri asks as she turned to him and hugged him happily.

"I missed you, love." Om whispers as hugged her.

"I missed you too. You should have come a little earlier. Adhvi was waiting for you all this while. Poor thing, just slept off."

"The traffic is bad." Om tells her as he moved to the crib and lovingly kissed his daughter.

"Did you see him?" Gauri asks him as Om leaned up.

"No, I came to see you first." Om tells her.

Gauri smiles as she side hugged him. "Come, let's go see him before he sleeps off."

"Where is he?"

"After dinner Rudy called him to play Uncharted."

"Ah okay. come." Om smiles as he grabbed the baby monitor.

"That boy is really going out of my control." Gauri says sighing.

"What?" Om asks frowning. "Adhvay is the most well behaved kid ever."

"Of course, my baby is a well behaved kid." Gauri replies offended.

"Oh you mean the big boy." Om says rolling his eyes with a smile.

"This week itself, he went on three dates, with three different girls. When I told him that he is turning 30 next month, and he should start thinking of settling down, he tells me that he was on the dates to find a prospective bride. What am I going to say to that? I know he was lying on to my face. And he knew I knew. Still he didn't care."

"Told you not to mummy him."

"I don't mummy him!"

Om and Gauri, stop outside Rudra's room that he shared with Adhvay. They knock on the door.

"It's open." Adhvay calls out.

Om opens the door and they both step in.

"DADDY!" Adhvay says happily as he jumped off the bed and ran to hug Om.

Om lifts up his 6 years old son and hugs him. "How are you, Adhvay?"

"Chachu is not letting me play. He is finishing all the missions." Adhvay sadly tells him.

"Why aren't you letting him play, Rudy?" Om asks him.

"He is too slow and keeps dying." Rudra replies.

"Enough, you both should sleep." Gauri tells them.

Rudra quickly switches off the TV.

"Rudy, I know you just powered off the TV. You didn't stop the game." Gauri tells him frowning.

Rudra dramatically sighs and starts turning off the playstation.

Om kisses his son. "You go sleep. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Okay." Adhvay says as he kissed him. Then leaning to Gauri, he kisses her too.

Gauri and Om watched as Adhvay got back on the bed. Rudra takes his mobile and dims the lights in the room. they watch as Adhvay put the blankets properly on Rudra. And he also lies on the bed.

Om and Gauri smile seeing that. ever since Adhvay has been 3 years old, he has been sleeping with Rudra.

They walk out and closes the door.

"Now, when do you have to go again?" Gauri asks him.

"Next week for the inauguration." Om tells her. "I am tired of traveling alone. You should come with me like you did before." Om tells her.

"You know how difficult it is to travel with the kids."

"Let's try it for a short trip. He'll catch them." Om says pointing at the door.

"Don't you love your son, Omkara?" Gauri asks frowning at him. "That poor boy is already so serious in life and you want to give him the responsibilities of the other two? My baby will have no fun in life."

"I didn't mean Adhvay. I meant Rudra." Om clarifies.

"Rudra looking after Adhvay and Adhvi? Don't you love our children?" Gauri asks shocked.

"You spoiled him with your mummying." Om mutters.

"Oh please. It is your son who is mummying him."

"Yes. I didn't see that one coming." Om says in shocked wonder.

They were walking back to the bedroom when Om stops seeing Dadi's photo on the wall. Gauri smiles as she looked at the photo.

"Do you think we would have been married if it was not for her?" Gauri asks him.

"Yes."

"Really?" Gauri asks him surprised.

"When I decided to get married, I would have eventually proposed you."

"And you think I would have remained unmarried till then?"

"With the way I was possessive about you, I feel I would have made sure of that."

"What would you have done? Cancel my leave for wedding?" Gauri asks chuckling as they started walking to their room.

"For starters. I might have done something."

"What?"

"I don't know. You know, that guy,..."

"Which guy?"

"That guy..." Om says as he tried to jog his memory.

"Who?"

"The one I fired the day we got married... Ajay!"

"Yeah, what about him?" Gauri asks curiously.

"He was taking your photo."

"My photo?

"Yeah you were sitting like a sexy siren on the desk. Giving nice poses." Om tells her chuckling.

"Oh that is why you broke his phone?" Gauri asks shocked.

"I was coming to get you and he was blocking my path. He was on the phone with his mother. Telling that he is in love with this girl and want to marry her. I think his mother asked for a photo. And I thought, even though it is wrong, it is for marriage, let him take Tia's photo and that asshole started zooming on you."

Gauri bursts out laughing hearing that.

"I should have known then itself that I was in love with you when I tried to strangle him."

"Oh husband." Gauri wraps her hand around his waist. "You are so adorable."

"I know." Om chuckles.

"I love you, husband."

"And I love you more, Mrs. Oberoi."

*** The End ***

I know towards the end the story had gone haywire, I just didn't know how to wrap it up otherwise.

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- Lazy