Delicate - A Rikara Tale (Completed!)

Fourteen- Guilt and Gifts

A/n: Sorry it took me such a long time to write this chapter. Truth be told, I was stuck and needed some time off from this story. I am so scared it will put you all to sleep because it will be terribly fluffy and sweet.  More bonding between the various members of the Oberoi clan coming up.

Dadi had enforced her infamous two feet rule and asked Gauri to sleep in her room. As affectionate and understanding as she was, Dadi was not to be denied and Omkara could find no excuse that could justify his desire to get out of the entire affair. But what it did was give him the time he needed to carry out a few investigations. Unsurprisingly, he had to ask Shivaay for his help as the area was one the Great Wall excelled in. The results had come a few days before Om and Gauri had renewed their nuptials and Om had decided to not open the envelope but offer it to Gauri as a sort of wedding present. Shivaay had agreed, saying it was a deeply personal thing for Gauri and it was her right to choose who to share the information with.

The rituals and rites conducted for Gauri as per her right as an Oberoi bahu were a blur to Omkara in all honesty. He had never been a believer in those traditions anyway but he knew it meant a great deal to his wife. So he endured everything just so he could see that smile on her face and the light in her eyes. She was decked up tastefully, not too much jewelry but not too less either. Her gold and red outfit fit like it was made for her and the dark eye makeup made her look every inch the doll she had once reminded him of. He had never expected get married and undergo all the mundane, muddied rituals that were held in high regard by his family but here he was, putting green glass bangles on her wrists and being terrified of breaking her. She had his ring on her finger and a mangalsutra that he had, with all rituals and all mantras muttered, put around her neck. Her maang was filled with the auspicious red vermillion instead of his reluctantly applied blood and she was glowing with happiness. Her smile could only be infectious as Omkara found himself grinning ear to ear. It was all worth it, in the end, he mused, taking off the sherwani and exchanging it for a plain black kurti. The pomp, the ceremony, and loudness had made Gauri happy and if that was what she wanted he would not forbid her or hinder her enjoyment. After all, he found that her company and her small hand in his made the madness more tolerable than it had ever seemed to him. He did not mind dancing as long as it was with Gauri. Gauri, who was probably being given advice on what do to for her first wedding night by all the women in the house, except maybe Prinku and Saumya. He was not worried about Prinku, she would open up to Gauri soon and maybe be a good influence on her. It had shocked him when he had found out that Gauri was as old as Rudra, putting a formidable age gap between them. No wonder Gauri had appeared childish to him in the beginning, she was almost the youngest one in the house now, and he had to be careful of her feelings and help her adjust. Her naivety and gentleness had not been a part of the initial equation he had in his mind when he had envisioned bringing Gauri into his house. He had seen her as a sort of Neo-Swetlana, who would have to be warned and controlled, threatened and taunted and merely tolerated. But Gauri, selfless, kind and brave woman that she was, white lies and all, needed time, space and friendly conversations to make her feel at home. He knew that ensuring she was valued not just as his wife but as her own person would go a long way in making her feel confident and not get intimidated by the Oberoi lifestyle.

A soft knock at the door interrupted his thoughts and he looked up to see Saumya, still dressed in the attire she had worn for the functions, her round face pale and full of worry

Rudra.

Omkara sighed and shook his head, hating the fact that bold, bubbly Saumya was reduced to feigning indifference about her husband's behavior in and out of the house.

Rudra had been drunk when he'd returned and collapsed on his bed immediately. It worried Omkara and Shivaay both as well as it did Anika, who had insisted on splashing the drunk man-child with cold water to wake him up and give him a real tongue lashing after Badi Maa retreated into her room with an upset face and Mr. Oberoi remained as stoic and unaffected as ever.