Memories: Ishqbaaz oneshot series

20. Nice to meet ya?- Part II

"Is that what you say to everyone you bump into on the streets?" Om asked, smirking.

Gauri bit her lip, "Not really, I don't like most people."

"So can I take that to mean you like me miss Gauri?"

"We'll see about that, don't let it get to your head."

They shared a laugh and then stood awkwardly, Gauri leaning against the boundary of her neighbour's house while Om glanced curiously at her.

"You've run away from home haven't you?" Om asked a while later.

"How'd you know?" Gauri said, eyebrow raised.

"You jumped out of the window and ran straight into me." he explained

Gauri smiled sheepishly, apologising once again for the shock she might have given him.

"Why run away? I understand if you don't wanna tell me but..."

"No it's okay, I trust you. So my mum wants me to meet this guy and marry him but I want to live life on my own terms and she just can't seem to accept that. Dad's cool though so at least I know he isn't mad at me."

She scowled when Om laughed, punching him softly on the arm in annoyance.

"Sorry about that," Om said when he had finally finished laughing, "it's just that my parents want me to do the same thing. And it's absolutely not fair because Shivaay's older and if anyone should get married to their secret girlfriend it's him." he finished with a huff.

"We're in the same boat then, even my sister has some secret boyfriend that she's gaga over." Gauri groaned.

There passed a comfortable silence, the two just sat there looking intently at each other. No words were spoken but neither seemed to care.

"What now?" Om muttered.

Gauri shifted in unease, "I have no idea if I'm being honest."

"Come with me then, I'm headed to my gallery."

"Huh?"

He held out a hand, pointing the other to the bike parked on the opposite side of the road and Gauri took it within seconds. She felt like she had known Om for a long time, as if he was someone special.

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The breeze whipped wildly as they raced through on his bike and Gauri cautiously took her hand away from the back to flick her hair away from her face. There was a slight jerk and she found herself losing balance, gripping tight onto Om. Regaining her balance she took her hand off his shoulder sadly. She didn't know why but she had liked holding onto him.

"You can hold on, it's fine." he shouted over the traffic.

Thanking the God's above for her luck she sidled closer firmly gripping his shoulder, her stomach gave a funny sort of jolt, a new feeling but one she liked.

Ten minutes later they stood outside a large building. Gauri looked at its pristine marble pillars in awe while Om parked the bike.

"It's beautiful." she breathed.

"You think so?" he asked, grinning when she nodded, "well then it's fixed. I'm going to buy it."

She turned to look at him, dumbfounded, "You wanna buy this place? But it's probably really expensive."

"Well lucky for me, I can afford this place."

"But what are you gonna use it for?" she asked.

"For my next exhibition, I needed a good art gallery anyway and I've been visiting this place for a few years now, they only just put it on the market."

"Wait, you're an artist? That's amazing." she exclaimed.

He scratched his beard, smiling lightly, "I suppose so, I mean I just play around with what feels right and its just my good luck that it turns into something lovely. My shayari is better though, or that's what my Dadi says."

"Damn! An artist and a poet, you're almost too good to be true Om!"

"Almost is the key word, come on let's go inside."

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Sitting on the steps of the gallery a while later, Gauri watched as Om roamed the spacious hall, checking and re-checking every minute detail. 'You can see how passionate he is, it reflects in his eyes.' she thought. His phone rang and an unpleasant feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she listened to him coax the person on the other line.

"Haa, pakka promise, I'll be back by 10 and we'll watch your film together," he said, "I'm excited too, oh no, please don't let Ru cook otherwise hume food poisoning hogi. Ask Shivaay na!" Letting out a long sigh, he waited patiently, listening to the caller. "Love you too Prinku." he said finally before cutting the call.

Trying to keep an impassive face, Gauri walked hastily up to him, "Girlfriend?" she asked in a small voice.

Om chuckled, pocketing his phone and she caught a glimpse of his lock-screen, it was a picture of him and a girl a little younger. "No that was my sister, she's mad because all of us are out and we promised her that we'd watch a film together tonight."

"Oh thank god!" she sighed before realization hit her. "What do you mean by we?" she added trying to cover up her bluff.

"My brothers and I." he said shortly, giving her a suspicious glance.

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Thick rain blurred their vision as they stepped out and while Om stood stationary under the shade of the building, Gauri ran ahead letting the rain fall onto her face. Perplexed, Om followed. "What the heck are you doing? It's raining." She simply pointed up ahead and he spotted a food stall across the street.

"But it'll be so unhygienic Gauri, why don't we go to some café instead?" Om protested.

She pouted, looking up at him hopefully and he crossed his arms in defeat, "Fine, but you can't pull that face again."

Cheering like a kid in a candy store, Gauri held his arm as the duo crossed the street and headed straight for the stall. She ordered quickly, sighing in relief when she felt the warmth of the plate. Om watched on as she feasted on her plate and hesitantly took a bite. He had expected to dislike the taste, however he had to admit that the street food was simply delicious as he began eating in earnest.

Just as she finished up, Gauri looked into Om's eyes and saw a glimmer of joy. Smacking her forehead in realization, she smiled. She was beginning to like Om, this stranger who she'd met a couple hours ago and there was nothing she could do about it.

A/N: Hii! Sorry I haven't updated in a while but school's been very stressful *sigh* but I'll be more frequent in updates from October when I finish exams. This shot will have a third installment which will be up real soon.

If you have any questions for me, drop them in the comments and we'll have a lil Q&A, I'm so thankful to all of you for 7.4K reads, I truly never imagined that people would like this book so much!

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writinganewtale ✨