Unsteady | ✓

Chapter 28 : Betraying Emotions

Omkara and Gauri sat quietly looking at each other. "How was Anika?" Omkara finally asked.

"She was... a little off, nevertheless, she put up a smile and went to office today morning." Gauri said analyzing the wearing off paint on her nails. "She told me, everything." Gauri added.

"Oh, of course. That Shilpa is a big time loser." Omkara said. "And trust me Shivaay is the last person on earth who'd look at another woman. I mean, that man hadn't got laid until marriage..," Omkara paused realizing it was unnecessary detail to reveal. "Sorry!" He muttered looking away.

Gauri nodded. "I am glad Anika trusts Jiju." She knew what she was trying to do. She couldn't resist the temptation to taunt him.

Omkara's gaze shifted back to her. His eyes looked at her squarely. "Yeah, not everyone can unsee what they see."

Gauri sighed feeling defeated. Yesterday, when Anika had cried in her arms telling her how hurt she felt on seeing her husband close to another woman, she had given Gauri a perspective. Gauri had never been in a situation so obviously she didn't understand how hard it hit. But Anika's predicament took him to Omkara. She had a sudden fancy of erasing that bitter scene from Omkara's memory. But how could she?

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Gauri asked. She really didn't want to talk much. She was exhausted by her overthinking mind. She couldn't sit inside that room with Omkara and wait for another swarm of thoughts.

Omkara nodded sitting up straight, "a walk would be great."

Gauri and Omkara had decided to walk down the lane until the dead end and walk back. 

"You see that house, there are rumors that it's haunted." Gauri talked to avoid silence which only made the noise in her head sound louder than it was.

Omkara looked at her amused, "really?"

"Let's try breaking in, to find out." He suggested as they neared the house. He new very well that even though Gauri pretended to be brave she was somewhere a scared goose on the inside.

"No!" She remarked ridiculously.

"Come on!" Omkara said holding her wrist walking towards the gate.

"Om, are you crazy?" 

"Oh come on!" He played.

"Please no!" She shrieked and Omkara laughed looking around hoping no one was around to hear them. The last thing he wanted to be mistaken for was a creep troubling a young woman.

Without any warning the clouds broke loose and it started pouring. 

"Come on here!" Omkara said holding her hand guiding her to the shade under the branches of the tree that was on the inside of the boundary wall of the so calle haunted house.

"No way!" She said sprinting across the lane to take shade under another building's outward extension. He chukled running across to stand beside her. 

He continued grinning, and looked at her as she tried to wipe her face using the back of her hands. He pulled out his handkerchief and offered it. 

She looked at the handkerchief and then at his face. He had a smile on that made her heart long for him. She looked at the handkerchief with uncertainty.

"It's clean, I haven't used it." He said.

Gauri took the piece of cloth and wiped her arms. The rain had got heavier with a strong gush of winds. Gauri instinctively stepped closer to Omkara as a loud thunder roared in the sky. She stared at the drops strike hard against the road and bounce off as though performing the dance of destruction.