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Previous Story : You & Me (Posted on 24 - Jun - 2021)

Since, I am still on a break and haven't written anything new, I thought of posting an old story that I had written with Rishabala here.

MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR WARNING:

THIS STORY HAS A SAD ENDING!

So, read at your own risk please.

Omkara who had been in Munich for a three-day conference, had decided to take a stroll in the late afternoon on his last day after the conference. His flight was late night and it was pretty cold, so he decided to take a walk before he headed for airport in three hours. He was not in any hurry to get back to his hotel room or his country, nobody was waiting for him there. Or anywhere in this world.

The air was much fresher here, he inhaled with a smile. It was getting dark already unlike India. And he was happy for it, because he liked darkness now. His life was full of darkness now. Would he ever see her? Omkara wondered, like he always did as he looked around to find people in groups ranging from 2 to 10. It felt like, he was the only one who was alone now. And he had no one but himself to blame. He had ruined everything. It took him a long long while to realize that his insecurities had pushed away the second chance God had been kind enough to give him. The blessings in returns for all the curses in his life and he didn't realize it. Heaven was at his feet and he had kicked it away cruelly. Omkara sighs.

Five years ago, he was a bitter man after his divorce. He had been happily married to Ridhima. He had met her as his assistant and soon had fell in love with her charming and sexy nature. After a quick romance, they had got married. He had thought they were happy till he had found her in his bed with another man. she had married him for his money. It had broken him and he had lost faith in love completely. He lost faith in women too. He had believed that women were only for procreation. Till he had met his new assistant, Gauri Kumari Sharma. A bubbly and carefree girl. She had the exact opposite views on everything from him.

Unlike his other employees, she didn't fear him and spoke her mind. She had even declared her love for him one day, just like that. He had rubbished her love and told her that he no longer believed in love. She had begged him to give her a chance and had confidently boasted of making him fall for her. as her love was true and it always triumphs. And that reminded him of Ridhima. He realized that she was no different than Ridhima. he decided to teach her a lesson. He told her that he would give her three months, where they would have a no string attached affair where at the end of the third month, if he wasn't in love with her, they would part. He had even made a contract on it which she had signed as she literally rolled on the floor laughing.

Then started a very steamy and hot affair. She had showered him with love and care too while it was all just sex from his side. She had pampered him with love and was there for him in every way possible. She had brought peace to his life and he had basked in her love but refused to love her or believe in her love. He kept looking for incidents and instance to prove to himself that all of her love was just an act. He even looked at her through suspicious eyes when her gay best friend used to phone her. but, since he had no proof he had kept quiet and looked for the perfect opportunity to expose her, all the while he silently continued the affair with her without giving her an inclination that he was just waiting for the right time to expose her.

And finally, that day reached, when he had ruined everything.

Hearing a commotion in the store room of their office, he had gone to investigate. He found all his staff crowded over there pricking his curiosity all the more.

"What is happening here?" Omkara asks furiously.

Everyone turns to look at him.

"I asked what is happening here?"

"Chief..." his trusted right hand man Khanna hurries to him.

As he walked towards him, the crowd parted and he found a disheveled Gauri and Ajay at the storeroom door. Omkara starts frowning seeing Gauri as images of Ridhima and her lover filled his mind. He didn't understand why it hurt more to find Gauri like this than when he had found Ridhima.

"Omkara." Gauri starts hurrying to him as tears filled her eyes.

Omkara puts up his hand to stop her and Gauri stops in shock.

"Khanna?"

"Gauri is saying that when Gauri went in to get the stock, Ajay followed her and tried to force himself on her." Khanna explains to him.

"She is lying, she called me here." Ajay tells Omkara.

"He is lying. He has been harassing me all these days. And today..." Gauri starts crying as she walked towards Omkara.

"Harassing you?" Omkara asks with a frown.

"We are having an affair. We have had sex before and she thought it would be kinky to have sex in the storeroom with everyone outside." Ajay tells her.

"STOP LYING YOU bas***d!" Gauri furiously shouts at him.

"You wanted to have sex now and you forced me to come down here. Now, when we are caught, you can't escape by putting the whole blame on me." Ajay tells her.

"Omkara... I am telling the truth..."

"You both are fired." Omkara tells them.

"What?" Gauri shouts in outrage.

"I don't pay you two to have sex in my office during office time."

"You believe him over me?" Gauri asks him in shock.

"With good reasons." Omkara tells her cruelly indicating their affair.

Gauri felt as if he had slapped her.

"Khanna, cancel all their contracts and finish off everything with them by the end of this day." Omkara instructs him and turns on his heels and heads back to his office.

Omkara couldn't sit calm realizing that his suspicions were all true. Gauri was nothing more than a gold digger. He knew it, then why did it hurt so much. Hearing the door open, he turns to find Gauri furiously standing there.

"How could you believe him? How could you, Omkara?" Gauri asks him furiously as she held his collar and shook him.

"Don't touch me." Omkara tells her in an angry tone as he extricated her hands from his and cleaned his wrinkled out shirt.

"You have to tell me, NOW, that you believe me. That you know, I would never betray you."

"I don't believe you. I saw with my own eyes."

"What did you see? You just walked in and declared me guilty." Gauri accuses him. "How could you?"

"Because you are guilty, Gauri."

"He was harassing me all these days and today, he tried to..."

"If he was harassing you why didn't you complain then?" Omkara asks her not believing her.

"Because I was worried about your reaction." Gauri confesses.

"HA! You were being sexually harassed and you were worried how I would react."

"I have seen the way you get angry when Ishaan calls me. I have told you many times that he is my best friend and he is homosexual but you were still possessive, so I was worried that you would do something in your anger. I thought I could handle Ajay." Gauri confesses in tears.

"What bull crap, Gauri. At least, make up a story that I would believe."

"I am telling you the truth."

"But I find truth in what he was saying." Omkara tells her with a shrug. "We both know how horny you are and you have an inclination towards kinky sex. Haven't we had sex in this office because that the thought we could get caught by the staff here had turned you on?"

"That was LOVE!"

"It was sex, Gauri."

"How could you think like that? Is that what you think of me?" Gauri asks him unable to believe his cruel words, she knew he had no faith in people but he had so little opinion on her. "You think I slept with Ajay?"

"You slept with me. So why wouldn't you?"

*SLAP*

"I am not a wh**e!"

"That you are not, Gauri." Omkara agrees. "But you definitely are a s**t."

Gauri stares at him in shock unable to believe her ears. The man she loved above all thought so lowly of her.

"You never loved me." Gauri softly tells him.

"There is no such thing as love. There is sex and there is money." Omkara tells her.
"You think I am like Ridhima." Gauri accuses him.
"You are worse than her."
"What have I done for you to think of me like that? Just because you loved her once and I love you now, that you think I should be compared to her in every aspect?" Gauri asks him angrily.
Omkara didn't have an answer to her question.

"And you were never going to marry me."

"Did I ever tell you that I would marry you?" Omkara asks her furiously.

Gauri shakes her head in negative as tears fell from her eyes.

"That reminds me, my lawyers will be calling you tomorrow to sort out our contract. After that, don't ever try to find me." Omkara tells her. "Now, get out of my sight."

Gauri without a word had walked out of his office and his life. Even though, he missed her after that and realized that he did truly love her, it wasn't enough for him to go behind her as he didn't still trust her. To realize that she wasn't what he thought her to be, that she was loyal to him and had loved him with her whole heart, it took him years. Then he had tried to find her but Gauri was nowhere to be found. She had no family and all she had was him and her best friend. But he had never bothered to find out about her life, and definitely didn't bother about her best friend that he had no idea how to look for her. But everywhere he went, he did look for her.

Hearing a music, Omkara stops and turns to find an artist playing an accordion. He stood back to listen as he wished like he did the past five years if only Gauri was with him. She would have enjoyed Munich. There were artists in every corner and it was so peaceful. Omkara takes a few coins from his pocket and drops it on the clothe spread out in front of the artist. As he was getting back up, he felt as if someone was staring at him. He felt as if someone's eyes were piercing his neck. Curious, Omkara turns back and within seconds he finds himself staring into Gauri's eyes.

Aaya Woh Phir Nazar Aise

Baat Chidne Lagi Phir Se

Aankhon Mein Chubhta Kal Ka Dhuan

Haal Tera Na Humsa Hai

Is Khushi Mein Kyon Gumsa Hai

Basne Laga Kyon Phir Woh Jahan

Woh Jahan Dur Jis Se Gaye The Nikal

Phir Se Aakhon Mein Karti Hai Jaise Pehal

Lambha Beeta Hua, Dil Dukhata Raha
(Tune Jo Na Kaha From New York)

Gauri was standing not even 10 feet away from him as she stared at him in shock. God! She was here. She had changed a lot in these years. Her skin had become fairer, she had a mature look about her, and her eyes... oh Lord, it still spoke volumes. He could see the pain and accusations in her eyes. Omkara was about to cross the distance between them and walk towards her when he hears a small girl scream, "Mommy!"

Omkara stops in shock seeing Gauri turn her head in answer to the girl.

"Mommy." The girl hugs Gauri happily and Gauri turns to look at him again.

"What are you looking, Mommy?"

"Nothing, doll. I thought I saw someone I know." Gauri replies as she turned to her daughter and lovingly caressed her hair.

"Who?"

"No one. Where is Daddy?" Gauri asks as she knelt in front of her ignoring Omkara.

"He is coming."

Omkara looks at where the little girl had pointed and finds a very handsome man walk towards them holding some covers.

"I have told you not to run off like that. It is so crowded here, what if you get lost?"

"But I saw you standing here and Daddy was right behind me."

"Hmmm."

"Hey sweetheart."

Gauri gets back up with a smile. "Hi dear."

The man leans down and kisses Gauri on her cheek, stabbing Omkara's already dead heart. "Did you find the jacket you were looking for?"

"No... I didn't go to the shop." Gauri tells him as she looked at Omkara from the corner of her eyes and finds him still there watching her.

"I knew it. this is why I never come here with you. You got distracted with some singer, isn't it?"

"Accordionist." Gauri lies.

"Ah."

"Come, let's go to the shop. They will be closing soon." He tells her as he handed her the covers he was holding and picking up their daughter, he throws her high in the air and catches her as she squealed in excitement.

Omkara watched on, as Gauri walked away with her husband and their daughter, happy in her world without a backward glance towards him. She had moved on and built a world for herself. Could he blame her for that? No, he couldn't. Gauri had been sincere and loyal to him, and he had been the blind one. What Ridhima did to him, he did that to Gauri, and like how God had given him Gauri as a blessing, he gave Gauri also a new man who valued her and gave her everything that he refused, and Gauri had accepted it and now she was happy in her world. A world which could have been his, if he had shown the courage to accept his love for her and believe her love in him but he didn't. and he lost her, and maybe a family with a daughter like that.

"You alright?" Ishaan asks her curiously.

"Yeah."

"What happened, darling?"

Gauri softly smiles hearing the endearment. They had started addressing each other with endearments so no one suspected anything and they had wanted Palak to be raised in a house where she believed her parents loved each other. It had become second nature for them to address each other like that.

Gauri shakes her head. "What time you have to go for work?" Gauri asks him.

"7." Ishaan tells her. "You should start working." He tells her in a gentle tone.

"She is working, Daddy." Palak reminds him confused.

"I meant a better job." Ishaan explains rolling his eyes at Gauri.

Work was a code word they used when Ishaan had a date with his boyfriend.

"I am happy with what I have." Gauri tells him with a smile.

"You deserve more."

"Love happens only once, Ishaan." Gauri sadly informs him.

Ishaan sighs loudly. "If I ever see him..."

"Who, Daddy?"

"Your father!" Ishaan says in a playful tone as he hugged her and bit her cheek lovingly.

"Then go look at a mirror." Palak tells him laughing while Gauri sternly says his name, "Ishaan!"

"Sorry." Ishaan mouths with a cheeky smile.

"Mommy is angry." Palak tells him in a whisper.

"I know how to cheer your mommy up." Ishaan tells her grinning as he started tickling Gauri.

Gauri shrieks loudly. "Okay... Okay."

"See?" Ishaan asks Palak with a smirk then he pulls Gauri towards him and tells her in a serious tone. "You are my wife and Palak is my daughter. No one can change that."

"It will never change." Gauri promises him.

"Unless of course, love happens." Ishaan whispers to her. Gauri turns to frown at him and he mouths the words, "For you."

Gauri looks away. She didn't want to talk on this anymore. She was no longer that love sick girl. She had come a long way from that. She no longer believed that love was unconditional or that true love will always triumph. She knew the biggest truth now; survival and finding happiness in every small thing was the most important thing.

Five years ago, when she had realized that she was pregnant, her first thought was to go to Omkara. They had broken up by then but she had thought of contacting him and telling him about their baby. Then she realized that he wouldn't be happy about the baby, he wouldn't even believe the baby was his. He would ask her to take a paternity test. She had been hopelessly, selflessly and desperately in love with Omkara, and she had got the punishment for that. She didn't deserve such a big punishment as a DNA test. She realized that she still loved him and didn't want that love to turn to hatred with his suspicion on their baby.

She had panicked and was lost and the only thing she could do was call her best friend. Ishaan had been going through his own hell that time. His parents were forcing him to marry and he wasn't ready to come out of the closet. Finally, they had found their solution in a marriage of convenience. Ishaan would be the father to her baby and she would be his wife for the world.

Strangely, it was on a night she had been with Omkara and possibly conceived Palak that Ishaan had called her to talk about the pressure from his parents for marriage. She had advised him to come clean about his sexuality to his parents but he had refused knowing how conservative his family was, so she had advised him to find a girl who was willing for a contract marriage, not realizing in two months that girl would be her.

Now, she was happy in her marriage and her space. Ishaan and she were still best friends. They shared everything and she knew, in a few days, she would tell him about seeing Omkara here. She didn't think of Omkara much because it hurt to think of him. He had taken away a huge chunk of herself when they had parted. Gauri slowly starts breathing to even her breathing which was getting unsteady with the thoughts of Omkara. It had taken her years to not think of Omkara every time she looked at their daughter. She still loved him but it was no more that destructive love, it was now more of a painful love. She knew in some ways she would be always incomplete but in many ways she was complete. She had found her happiness in her daughter and her husband. She had learned to compromise and find peace in her uneventful life now.

*** The End ***

There is no continuation for this story.

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