Hello everyone...

How are you all?

I thought of writing a small (long) drabble. Hope you guys will like it.

Thanks to all for voting and commenting on the previous story. Previous Story : Professor Student Series 3 - Ban Gayi Woh Humsafar (posted on 06- Nov - 2022)

Omkara sits down, thanking the waiter.

"Sir..." the waiter hands him the menu with a polite smile.

"I'm waiting for someone." Omkara tells him as he took the menu.

"Sure sir, anytime you are ready." The waiter says and leaves.

Omkara flips through the menu for a second then he leaves it on the table and curiously looks around the restaurant.

The restaurant had changed since the last time they had come here. They used to come here very often because this was close to her house. It felt like so long ago.

Hearing the notification, he checks his mobile and sees that she had sent a message.

On my way, reaching in a bit.

Omkara quickly messages. No worries. Just reached.

He leaves the phone on the table and thought of the time when they were together. They were together in college. After few years of friendship they had got together. Had plans of getting married too later in life. Her parents wanted her to get married and he had finally agreed to let go of how he had planned out different stages of his life and decided to settle down early. But their families didn't approve of their relation. He had cried and pleaded to his parents to let him marry her but they had refused. In the end, they had decided that they couldn't hurt their parents and decided to part. Then he had succumbed to the pressure of his parents and got married, vowing that he was never going to love her.

"Hello..." Ridhima says smiling.

Omkara looks up and smiles gently seeing her. "Hi." Omkara says as he stood up.

Ridhima hugs him and he hugs her feeling awkward and nervous.

"How are you?" Omkara asks as they parted.

"Good... you?" Ridhima asks as she sat down.

Omkara nods as he sat down.

"Before I forget, congratulations." Ridhima tells him.

"How did you..." Omkara asks surprised.

"I heard. I do ask about you to our friends." Ridhima replies smiling. "You and your big plans of starting your own three companies in three untapped countries by Oberoi Group." Ridhima teases him.

Omkara chuckles. "I was supposed to get married after that only."

"But you got married." Ridhima softly states.

Omkara nods. "What we plan and what life gives you." Omkara says with a gentle smile.

"I know. Never thought we would meet like this one day." Ridhima says.

Omkara nods. "What's happening at your side?"

Ridhima sadly smiles realizing that he never asked anyone about her. Then sighing, she says, "I'm getting married."

"Only now?" Omkara asks surprised. "It's been like..." Omkara stops in surprise. 4 years! Has it only been that long? It feels like another era.

"Parents pressurized me but I just didn't.... Left the country. Build a career." Ridhima says sadly shrugging. "Then met Arjun. He is good. We are good together."

"Congratulations." Omkara tells her smiling.

"Thanks." Ridhima says.

"So, when is it?" Omkara asks her.

"28th of this month."

"That is so close. Hardly any time." Omkara says surprised.

"Actually, the date was fixed 6 months back." Ridhima tells him.

"Hmmm." Omkara nods.

"I wasn't sure. Whether I should tell you. Whether I should invite you." Ridhima tells him in confusion.

"I didn't invite you." Omkara gently points out.

"Yeah I know. But that was like within months after our break up."

"Parents forced me." Omkara gently tells her.

"I know... I just... I don't know... at times I think..." Ridhima stops as she shrugged.

Omkara uncomfortably looks at her. "Aren't you happy with Arjun?"

"I think I am... I don't know." Ridhima confesses. "There are times when I think about how it would have been."

Omkara gulps hearing her.

"Do you?"

"Think about how it would have been?" Omkara asks her.

Ridhima nods in yes.

"I think how it would have been if I hadn't got married." Omkara tells her.

Ridhima nods.

Noticing the waiter looking, Omkara tells her, "Let's order something."

"I'll have the usual. Cesar salad." Ridhima tells him.

"Somethings never change." Omkara chuckles as he took the menu and looked through it.

After ordering their food, Omkara asks Ridhima curiously. "So, are you inviting me for the wedding?"

"Hmmm I don't know." Ridhima tells him confused.

"What did Arjun say?" Omkara asks her curiously.

"He is not inviting his ex. But they didn't end on good note." Ridhima tells him.

Omkara nods. "But he is okay with you inviting me?"

Ridhima nods. "Yeah, he understands me."

"Happy for you."

Ridhima smiles hearing that.

Then they remained silent for a while, both lost in thoughts about where their life had taken them.

"We used to come here often." Ridhima states lost in thoughts.

"They have renovated this place." Omkara points out as he looked around.

"I know. Those walls used to be blue." Ridhima points at a green walls.

"Oh yeah!" Omkara replies surprised. That hadn't registered in his mind. "I noticed the layout and the windows. They changed those."

"We never sat by the window because we were scared that someone would see us." Ridhima replies chuckling.

"I know." Omkara replies chuckling. "A different time. Different life."

"So, are you scared now?" Ridhima asks him.

"About someone seeing us together?" Omkara asks her.

Ridhima nods. "Does your wife.... Gauri, right?"

"Yeah."

"Does she know that you are here?" Ridhima asks him.

"Why do you ask that?" Omkara asks her confused.

"It is better you don't tell her." Ridhima tells him.

"Why?" Omkara asks confused.

"She might feel bad. Why simply hurt her?"

"Arjun knows we are meeting now?" Omkara asks her.

"I kind of hinted to him a couple of times that I am planning to meet you. Didn't tell him about now." Ridhima tells him.

"Hmmm." Omkara thoughtfully looks away.

"How is Gauri?" Ridhima asks him curiously.

He always had only one word to describe his wife, "Crazy."

*********

Omkara silently closes the door of the dressing room and quietly gets on the bed. As usual Gauri was sleeping on the middle of the bed. He lies on the little bit space on the bed and hugs Gauri as he spooned her and kissed her on her cheek.

"Om, is that you?" Gauri asks him sleepily.

"What kind of question is that?" Omkara asks her exasperated as he leaned up to look.

"I can't get up and turn and look." Gauri tells him as she kept his hand over her swollen belly.

"So, you ask that question. You seem very chill with the prospect of someone else sneaking into our bed and hugging you!" Omkara says shocked.

"You got me nice and fat. I can kill anyone by just sitting on top of them now."

Omkara chuckles hearing that. "You were an equal participant in getting pregnant. Not just me."

"I noticed that you didn't say I am not fat."

Omkara rolls his eyes.

"So, how was your dinner with Ridhima?"

"Okay... we spoke for sometime. She is getting married." Omkara informs her.

"Damnit! Am I going to look like a fat cow for your ex's wedding?" Gauri asks pissed at the idea.

"I don't know whether we are invited. And even if we are, I am not sure whether I want to go." Omkara tells her.

"Why?" Gauri asks him confused.

"I don't know. You know, she told me not to tell you that we met."

"Why?" Gauri asks confused.

"She didn't want you to feel bad. I don't think she is going to tell her fiancé that we met."

"Why would I feel bad?" Gauri asks confused. "Because some one million years ago, you two had a moment?"

"It was more than a moment." Omkara gently points out.

"If I had the energy then I would have turned and hit you."

"Lucky me." Omkara jokes, ever since Gauri entered her third trimester, she was feeling very tired.

"She knew about the baby."

"How?"

"She said she asked about me to our friends."

"I guess, she feels something for you even now."

"She said, she is happy with Arjun."

"Nice." Gauri says with a smile. She never hated Ridhima, and always wished the best for her because she had one point loved the man, that she loves so dearly.

"You know, I was just thinking about the time Ridhima and I were together."

"How wonderful!" Gauri yawns.

Omkara rolls his eyes. "I was so sure I was in love. So desperate to marry her. So, sure I will never be able to love again and even vowed to never love again."

Gauri scoffs. "Stupid idiot."

Omkara chuckles. "I know. How stupid I was. I thought I had love and life figured out."

"Don't we all?"

"Yeah." Omkara chuckles. "You remember how I had charted my life out about when to get married, when to have babies and at what stage of my career I would be by my age?"

Gauri chuckles. "So, what did she say when you told her that you had begged me for a baby for 6 months before I agreed?"

"I didn't tell her that."

"Why?"

"Don't know... didn't feel the need to share with her." Omkara tells her.

"Hmmm."

"I was again thinking, how my life would have been if we hadn't got married. Maybe, I would have never known what true happiness or love was. I would have just existed and not truly lived."

"Please Om, don't start your philosophical talks. I am sleepy. When I am awake, I promise I will listen to you."

Omkara glares at her. "Ridhima asked me how you were and I told her you are crazy!"

"WHAT?" Gauri shouts in outrage. "I am the most sanest person I have ever met!"

"Have you met you?"

"You'll make me get up and turn!"

Omkara laughs hearing her. "I love you, sweetheart."

"I know." Gauri replies smiling as she held his hand. "And I love you too."

"Thank you for marrying me and coming into my life." Omkara tells her as he kissed her cheek.

"You are welcome."

*** The End ***

Please note that this story has no backstory. Because I have no idea about their backstory. So, please believe me when I say that they are happy and in love ;)

Maybe you can consider Let Love Find You story as the back story without the evil ex.

P.S most of the time, when he is talking to Ridhima, Omkara is talking of Gauri and life with her.

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- Lazy