Rikara Short Stories Collection

Lemons & Lemonade : Part Five/Epilogue

"Why don't you answer her, Svetlana?" Om sneers at her.

"He is still in love with me!" Svetlana tells her with conviction.

"What?" Om turns to Svetlana in disgust.

"He wants me back in his life. That is why he is going to marry you. He wants to make me jealous. When he realized that is not going to work on me, he gave Kaali a contract even though he would incur losses. I don't want you to marry him, Gauri. He is just using you." Svetlana tells her as she starts crying.

Gauri looks at Om in shock.

Seeing her looking at him Om says in outrage. "I can't believe you would believe all her crap."

"Did you give that contract?" Gauri asks in shock remembering Kaali's offer to him.

"No. I am going to."

"See I told you. He is just using you, Gauri. Ask him and his family to leave this instant Gauri," Svetlana tells her crying feeling victorious secretly.

Gauri continues to look at Om and he tells, "I am not going to justify myself or explain myself to you. I want to see how low you think I could fall and whether there is anything in this relation that I should fight for."

Gauri keeps staring at Om wondering whether he would do something like Svetlana has accused him of. She wouldn't have believed her till Svetlana had mentioned the contract, and she had heard with her own ears Kaali offering Svetlana to Om in exchange for the contract. But as she looked at his face, her heart kept telling her that he wouldn't do something so disgusting, and he wouldn't cheat her. He might have had some other reasons to give Kaali the contract. He might have made fun of her love once upon a time but now it does mean something to him, and she was the blind who refused to believe it.

"Tell him, Gauri." Svetlana prompts her.

"Just get out, Svetlana." Gauri tells her in disgust.

"What?" Svetlana asks shocked.

"I trust him." Gauri tells her as she looked Om in eye.

Om starts smiling hearing her.

"You..." Svetlana starts and Om cuts her off, "You heard her, Svetlana. Get the hell out of here." He opens the door wide for her and she stomps off angrily.

Om closes the door after her and locks it. He leans on the door as he looked at her happily while Gauri was looking everywhere except him. Suddenly she was feeling ashamed of herself for not trusting him and making such a huge fuss over it.

"Gauri..."

"Yes." She says looking at his shoes.

"Look at me."

"I am looking at you."

"Look me in the eye."

Gauri takes her sweet time in looking him in the eye.

Once she looks him in the eyes, he says "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For trusting me. I realize that it was difficult for you considering my past actions." Om tells her.

"I realize now that I was being stupid like you said."

"So, you will marry me, now?" Om asks her smiling.

"Yes." Gauri replies smiling.

"YES!" Om hugs her happily and he lifted her up and twirled around.

"Stop it! Don't do that!" Gauri says worried for their baby.

Om stops and puts her down but continues to hold her close. "I am so happy, Gauri. This is just the first step. Slowly you will realize that I am worthy of your love and will start loving me again. Till then my love for you is enough to keep us both happy." Om tells her as he lovingly smiled at her.