Shivaay looked at the beautiful girl walking towards them and slightly leaned towards his grandmother...

"Daadi.. isn't she too young for me?"

"Yeah... she is so cute... kitni soni kudi hai... my great grandchildren will be so cute awww" whispered Kalyani dreamily.

"Not that daadi... is the promise restricted to me... I mean does she have to marry me or into our family"

"She has to marry into the family billu... now why are you asking these questions.. don't tell me you are going to marry her off to one of these khotiyas... one is the angry man...the other is still a child"

"But daadi...I think Omkara suits her better... don't you think so?"

"Chal hat.. how can he marry before you... stop asking stupid questions... also Omkara is fond of women who are independent, who talk their heart out and stand up for what is right... so that she understands him better... this girl looks cute and innocent Shivaay... jodi takkar ki nahi hai bilkul... tu chup chaap shaadi karo isse (shut up and marry her)"

"But.."

"Billu.... no more talks on the matter" Kalyani ordered making him give up... when the Hitler used the nickname it meant too much love or too much anger... better he not aggravate it.

Shivaay sighed and looked at his brothers to ask their opinion and was surprised when they sat stoned. Omkara stared at his bethrothed with an indecipherable look while Rudra was clearly shocked....

It was very new for his brothers.... to see the girl he was about to marry looking immensely pretty and not start their teasing session. After all his younger brother made it his mission to bring the topic of his would be bhabhi into a conversation anytime anywhere...... and embarrass him as much as possible. Why are they tongue tied now??

"Om??" he called him and when his brothers didn't respond he called his name louder "Omkara" making his grandmother turn to her other grandsons in question and his brothers to look in his direction.

What was more interesting was that Shivaay also heard a soft gasp from the woman he came to see... She is obviously shocked to see his brother...increasing his doubts all the more.... Have they met before?

"B...Bhaiyaa" responded his brother in a low tone making the eldest of the siblings raise his eyebrow... Since when did Om started to call him Bhaiyya?

"Are you okay Om??" asked Shivaay to which his brother merely nodded while Rudra shouted all of a sudden "Bhaiyya.. we need to talk"

Omkara half heartedly tried to shush his brother down but Rudra vehemently denied the elder brother's requests.

"What happened Rudy anything wrong?"

"Ab tak kuch nahi hua... but aage bahut kuch galat ho sakta hai. (Nothing wrong happened till now Bhaiyya... but it might happen if we don't talk now)"

Shakti watched the young men before him doubtfully and turned to his daughter who looked..... scared?? What is the matter?

"O...Omkaraji.... c..can I talk to you for a few minutes?" asked Gauri worriedly surprising everybody....

The moment Gauri noted his presence, her thoughts zeroed onto the slap. What if they complained to her father?? She would be grounded for life... no she can't let that happen. Panicking, she called his attention and soon regreted it noting her family's reaction.

Gayathri looked at her granddaughter horrified while Shakti continued to look doubtfully towards her.

"What is this insolence Gauri... you are asking to talk to your future brother in law? Shivaay is right here" Gayathri whisper yelled but her voice was loud enough to be heard by the people present there.

Shivaay looked at her daadi and smiled. "Seems like she talks her heart out" he quipped in low whisper while Kalyani nodded looking at Omkara to see if he noted the point too.

Turning to Gayathri "It is okay daadi... she can talk to my brother.... nothing wrong in it... Omkara will talk to her" Shivaay assured and looked at his brothers.

Rudra nudged Omkara who still looked at Gauri surprised by her request. He nodded at his brothers and walked towards the guesthouse garden with Gauri walking before him, all the time thinking of what the matter could be...that she wants to talk to him in private.

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Once confirming that they were out of hearing distance, Gauri turned to Omkara and said "Please don't tell them about the slap Omkaraji"

Ohh.. yeah the slap... is this it? a part of him thought slightly disappointed.

Excuse me... disappointed? what were you expecting man? chided a more sensible part of his brain.

When he remained silent, Gauri called his attention "Omkaraji... you are silent? Were you planning to tell this..."

"No... I was just expecting..." he started and then shook his head "Leave it... I was the one at fault... I didn't listen to him" he said surprising her at his honesty.

Relieved, she gave him a pleasant smile "Thank you so much... I didn't think you are this easy to talk to... I thought.."

"Who is he to you?"

"Ji??"

"Vikram... who is he? A friend?"

"Yeah.... Actually he is our Ramu kaka's son... who used to work for us at Bareilly... he is the only one earning for his family after this father fell ill.. I was worried what you would do to him" she explained looking at him with a smile.

"And... this marriage proposal... did you like my brother?" he asked her to make her widen her eyes at him.

"Omkaraji...Why are you asking...?"

"I will tell you... I just want to know why are you marrying while you are yet to complete your course... you are betrothed to my family... I don't want to know anything personal.. just tell me the basic... Is this your wish to marry or are you forced?"

When she remained silent looking at the bushes and flowers, he tried to deduce "So you are forced?"

"How does this matter to you Omkaraji... I am willing to marry your brother because my father wants me to... isn't that enough... i will do my best to be a good wife and daughter in law to your family..."

"No you cannot... not when this is forced onto..."

"I am not being forced... let us just say.. it is a compromise"

"That is not very reassuring... give me something more"

"Why do you want to..."

"Because I like you Gauri" he said looking into her eyes and her momentary irritation turned to shock.

"What??"

"I like you... and if you don't have an objection I will marry you... Shivaay is not the one for you"

"You are joking right?" she asked him after being silent for more than a minute.

Omkara sighed"What makes you think so?"

"You came to see me for your brother... and now..."

"I have never been more serious Gauri" he answered her.

"I don't know what to say" she said looking away from those hypnotizing eyes.

"Why? You need to marry into our family... not necessarily to my brother... I know him better to tell with a certainty that you both don't match each other..."

"And we do?"

"Absolutely... nothing can be better than us" he said with a confident smile not letting her know his nervousness.

"How do you know? You hardly know me and our very first encounter is not very love provoking Omkaraji"

"It isn't but I got an idea of the person you are..... I now know that you are brave enough to slap a man twice your size, righteous to stand up for what you think is right and generously caring... you are obeying your father's word even though you are not obviousky happy with it showing your respect to family values ... I also know that you know you are attractive too... why will I not like you Gauri" he said and she looked at him impressed at the inference.

"Are you always this honest or is it just for today?" she asked in an amused tone.

When Omkara shrugged in response she asked again "Your brother won't mind?"

"No"

"This is so sudden Omkaraji... can i take some time?"

"Sure... you have five big minutes to decide"

When he got a disbelieving look from her, he explained "Your family thinks Shivaay is the groom... we have to tell them that is not the case.... as soon as possible... I can't have you as my brother's bride when I like you...can I?"

"But..."

"Whatever you have dreamt to compromise on this marriage, I assure you that I will not stand in your way to it... you don't love my brother... you are promised to the Oberois... i like you... it is only sensible to say a yes for me... don't you think so?"

"You said me and your brother do not match... how do you know that we do?"

"Because you are like me... you always do the right thing irrespective of the consequences... i can understand you better"

When she remained silent contemplating, he gave her a few minutes before he said "I just feel it in my bones Gauri... we will surely click in no time... what do you say to the proposal?"

When she nodded her head in a yes he let out a breath which he didn't know he was holding.

Damn the girl... she made him anxious, nervous and excited at the same time.

"Good decision" he said outwardly acting as unaffected and confident as possible though he was dancing with glee on the inside.

"Ummm... let us go out then?" she asked him and he nodded. Just before they entered the living room, Omkara called Gauri and she turned to him questioningly.

"There is something on your right cheek" he said pointing towards it and she nodded a thanks lifting her hand to rub it off.

"Let me help you" he said taking a step close to her, breaching the zone of propriety. As he held her hand away from her face, she looked at him to see him give her a smile which was tainted with a hint of mischief. Before she could make out anything from it, he bent down to kiss her cheek making her widen her eyes and gasp softly.

He then calmly slipped into the hall and walked straight to his younger brother not giving her another glance as if he didn't just shock the daylights out of her.

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Meanwhile in the living room,

"Acha... so my righteous grandson is head over heels already" said Kalyani in a muffled tone as she and Shivaay were filled in about the chance encounter the day before.

Rudra being his creative self, added all his imagination to make the story as spicy and exciting as possible... making his elder imagine the scenes playing out in front of their eyes as they ate imaginary popcorn.

"That makes things easy... daadi... let us talk to them now itself" said Shivaay and the elder one nodded her head in agreement.

"Gayathri ji... we have something to discuss" she said turning to the family's current friends, future relatives.

"Ji... Kalyani ji... we are listening..." she said turning to her son who nodded a smile.

"I think Gauri is not suitable for my elder grandson Gayathri ji... she.." Kalyani started but was cut off prematurely.

"No.. no... Kalyani ji... you cannot say that... I know it is not right of her to ask to talk to Omkara... she is just a child and I will make her understand the practices again... don't reject her on a small mistake.. I am sure..."

"Gayathri ji... I never said we do not want Gauri as an Oberoi bride... we would love to have her in our house... but not beside Shivaay... she would be beside Omkara... my second grandson" explained Kalyani.

"Omkara? But..." started Shakti doubtfully.

"Yes... I believe they make a good couple... they have met in the college yesterday it seems... Rudra just told us... and they instantly liked each other"

"Yeh kaise ho sakta hai... what is all this Kalyani ji... why will my grand daughter be the second in line?" Gayathri's voice boomed..."If Gauri marries your grandchild... she should be the eldest daughter in law.. only then will she get the deserved respect and share"

"I might be the one in charge of the business now Gayathri daadi... but my brothers have equal share in it... Om will join me in a few months... he will need someone to help him... and I think Gauri will do that job efficiently. There is no question of disrespect here... Gauri will be given an equal share in everything we have" said Shivaay but the elder woman was not convinced.

"No... this cannot happen... ye Rishta nahi ho sakta" said Gayathri and Shakti still looked on contemplating while silence reigned for some more minutes.

At that moment Omkara entered to stand beside Rudra with a smile on his face which dulled seeing the worried look on his brother.

When he heard his daadi's next words, he knew the reason of the worry.

"Gauri is promised to our family Gayathri ji... if you back out now on that promise... we cannot really have a say in it can we?" said Kalyani trying the emotional approach and her opponent seemed to have understood the flaw.

"But... Gauri cannot be the second daughter in law Kalyani ji... we did not back from our promise but we refuse to let her get anything less than what she deserved... Shivaay is the eldest one... unmarried... how can we marry her off to Omkara without him getting married first... according to our astrologer Gauri should get married before she turned twenty two which will be next month... you obviously can't find a bride for your eldest grandson before it" Gayathri countered.

Gauri looked at her daadi in disbelief... Seriously... astrologer??? ... now where did that come from...

Is she getting married next month? And when were they going to tell her that? On the day of her wedding?... If that was the case why didn't either of them inform the Oberoi's before...? Why wait till the last month?

She looked at Omkara who was talking seriously to his younger one as if giving clear instructions. What is he onto now?

She would be lying if she said she didn't like the sweet kiss earlier but she wasn't prepared for such a bold move... and like or not... he was supposed to ask her permission.

She can't let him take her for granted... it was an arranged marriage for her and she needed to first focus on her career instead of losing her heart and deviate.

I need to discuss it with him the next time we meet... she thought determinedly while the elders continued to argue and compromise.

Her mind was already preparing on how she would broach the subject... how he would react to her asking time for physical intimacy and how she would deal with any objections he could come up with on the subject.

By the time she was ready with a script in mind, Gauri heard the entrance door bang open and a woman stylishly dressed in jeans matching it with a crop top having unusual cuts run into the hall wailing.

The lady rushed towards the eldest brother and hugged him tight emitting shocked gasps from the elders while Shivaay stood motionless for a moment before he struggled and got out of the hold.

"Who are you?" he asked the weeping woman who looked broken. For some unknown reason he couldn't see that pretty face cry.

"Shivaay... aap mujhse ye puch rahe hai.... Itna sab hone ke baad? (After everything.... are you asking me this question?) we love each other Shivaay"

"What nonsense... I am seeing you for the first time in my life"

The woman's wails increased in intensity at the statement and Shakti angrily looked at the culprit.

"Shivaay beta... what is all this... who is this woman?" he asked him.

When Shivaay was about to answer, the woman bet him to do it herself.

"I will tell you uncle ji... I am Anika... Anika Chaturvedi... me and Shivaay are in a relationship since three years... he loved me unconditionally... he still does uncle... but when his grandmother asked him to marry your daughter ... he stoned his heart and bowed his head to the elder's promise burying our love in the process Uncle ji" she said tears streaming down her face.

"That is the worst soap script I heard thus far... you could have done better milady...now you can get lost" snarled Shivaay making Anika tear some more.

"Kalyani ji... how can you hide such a big thing from us...?"

"Nahi... Gayathri ji... I had no idea about all this... I would have never compelled any of my grandsons to marry against their wish" clarified Kalyani turning to Shivaay.

"Daadi... I promise...I" started Shivaay but stopped in confusion when he saw his brothers vigorously waving hands hiding from others....give him a pleading look... when he saw Omkara point towards Gauri and make a subtle hand gesture indicating he loved her, he understood what he had to do.

"Daadi.. I am sorry I kept this from you... I thought Gauri has to marry only me... I didn't want you to get a bad name" he said making her raise an eyebrow...

Her billu is too innocent to keep such a big secret from her... Shifting her head, when she looked at her other wicked grandsons, she got the jinx.

Making a dramatically sad face she turned to Shakti and said "I am sorry Shakti ji... now you know why my eldest grandson wanted Omkara to marry your daughter... we cannot have Gauri to have anything less right?" She threw the statement back.

Gayathri was about to oppose when Shakti firmly said "My daughter doesn't deserve a man who doesn't have his heart in place... If she agrees to marry Omkara.... I am okay with it" he said and turned to his daughter to know her decision.

Gauri who was still watching the turn of events in a daze, turned to her father when he called her name for the second loud time.

"Ji papa?"

"Are you okay to marry Omkara?"

"Huuh...? .... Ahh.. marriage...yes papa" she answered.

"It is decided then... we will get or children married by the next auspicious date Kalyani ji" he declared and the Oberois nodded their heads willing themselves to hide their triumph.

Gauri could have missed the low hi five the O-brothers shared with their daadi secretly behind their backs if she didn't accidently look at the exchange...

When Omkara caught her surprised look he just shrugged and winked a smile leaving her gaping at him until she was called by her grandmother again.

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Let us see... what more is going to be planned and carried out until Gauri is forced to irrevocably and undeniably fall in love with her husband...😉

I hope you people stay with this story till then...

Hasta la Vista babies.....

Yours Soujanya...