Becoming Sweethearts [✓]

Part Thirty Four

Gauri nodded occupying the empty space next to him on the sofa as Omkara continued, “But, anyway, bottom line is that our wedding news has become viral at least in the local media and tabloids, and now there are so many messages pouring in, including our officemates – even Ishana.” Omkara made it a point to address her by her full name, since he didn’t want Gauri to get annoyed like the previous time at the ice cream parlour.

“So, what did you reply to Ishana?” she asked, noting the fact that he did not address her with any abbreviation of her name. Omkara held his phone up and showed her the chat. Gauri’s eyes quickly scanned the screen wherein the previous three to four messages were all from her end, asking him if he is ready to have lunch during the office break. “You two used to have lunch together?” Gauri asked, sounding very casual about it. Omkara could sense the irritation though, as he said, “Yes. When you were on leave, I had no one to eat my food with. Ishana offered to accompany me for lunch, along with Mukund.” “Ohh!” Gauri said, unable to hide the relief that he wasn’t having lunch with Ishana alone. “Excuse me, but was that relief in your voice, Sharma?” he asked with a teasing grin, and she looked away, unable to hide her smile. Then, picking up her phone, she noticed she too had a couple of messages to reply to.

Omkara’s gaze slowly dared to wander below her chin when she busied her nose into her phone. He had seen her in shorter clothes too, but looking at her in his oversized kurta, made him feel certain unexplainable things. For starters, it made her look adorable; never had he thought she would look adorable in something that was at the back of his cupboard. Secondly, it made him feel a weird sense of possessiveness as well as affection for her. Perhaps he was reading too much into it, but there was just something about seeing her in his clothes which screamed a statement loud and clear; a statement of belonging – that she was his, and his alone. Now, that thought suddenly lead to other thoughts, all of them screaming out loud inside his head, which was: Goddammit, she looks so hot, I wish I could peel that off her right now.

Omkara was shocked at the direction in which his mind went. Perhaps it had everything to do with the way she had propped her feet up on the coffee table, right next to his. Or perhaps, it was how she was slightly leaning towards him while resting on her elbow. Or perhaps, it was the sight of her nuptial chain, the one he had tied around her neck just yesterday, that kept playing peekaboo as she scrolled through her phone, making him realize she was his for the rest of their life. Unconsciously, he sighed happily at that thought.

Gauri heard his sigh and looked at him, only to see him smiling lazily at her. A small smile crept on her lips and she furrowed her brows asking him what happened. “Nothing,” he muttered, looking at her, and then reaching out to tuck that strand of hair behind her ear. They sat that way, looking into each other’s eyes, at half an arm’s length from each other. “Quit staring,” she started in her normal voice but ended up whispering it. He shrugged, not taking his gaze off her, and said, “I’m not staring. I’m just… gazing!” She looked away with a slight smile on her lips as a soft blush adorned her cheeks.

After a moment of brief silence, she looked at him to find him still staring. Well, gazing. “Can we go to bed?” she asked for the lack of anything else. It was supposed to be an innocent question, referring to merely getting a good night’s rest after a long tiring day. However, the moment she uttered those words, they both had their thoughts heading in different directions. They both knew that the same thought had crossed the other’s mind when they read each other’s expressions. Gauri had nervously licked her lips that had suddenly turned too dry, while Omkara’s gaze had turned soft right before his pupils dilated as his gaze focused on her moist lips. She wanted to say something, but with him looking at her, all she could do was only part her lips, emitting a quick gust of breath.