Rikara One Shot Story Collections I

Being Yours...

Hello everyone, thank you all for voting and commenting on the previous story.

MAJOR WARNING, I have been wanting to write a story on a mentally unstable hero who marries the heroine for years now. I mean no offense to anyone. I don't intend to make fun of anyone. If you feel you would get offended with such a story, then please refrain from reading it. Since I have no knowledge regarding the whole thing, I would just go with the standard clichéd move/serial/book route to regain the mental stability.

THIS STORY IS WAY TOOOO LONG, Sorry about that.

Took me forever to finish writing this story. The second half of the story was so hard to write, I was feeling lost and confused. I had clarity on what I wanted to write but I just couldn't bring it into the writing when I tried writing it and I think it is reflecting in the writing. Apologies if it is felt a little disjoint. And drag fest warning!!!

"Marry Omkara Sir?" Gauri asks shocked as she stared at her boss and his wife.

"Yes." Tej replies gently.

"All I want is a loan." Gauri tells him still reeling from the shock.

"You are not a permanent staff, Gauri. You just joined and is a temporary staff, so it is against the company policy." Tej tells her hesitantly.

"My mother worked in this very house all her life." Gauri reminds him.

"Gauri..." Jhanvi quickly holds her hand and regretfully tells her, "We know we are taking advantage of your situation but we are helpless. Om is going out of our control. He is having violent outburst. He is hurting people. Please Gauri, help us."

"How can marriage help him? He needs treatment." Gauri tells her helplessly.

"He is getting treatment but somehow it is not helping him. Some people were suggesting that marriage might help."

"How can marriage help?" Gauri asks unable to comprehend it.

"If he had a companion who would be with him all the time. who would calm him down. Take care of him. Be a friend to him, and maybe love him..." Jhanvi says her eyes filling with tears. "Please Gauri, we are begging you. we will take care of all of your mother's treatment. She will get the best treatment."

"Why me?" Gauri asks feeling uncomfortable and sad at the same time seeing Jhanvi Madam begging her. Especially when, her mother and she had always lived comfortably because of their kindness.

"He is our only son, Gauri. We can't marry him to just any one. We have known you since you were a baby. we can't trust our mentally unstable son to anyone. We know you, you would never do anything to harm him or cause trouble for him. We know, you would take care of him. Even if something were to happen to us, we know you would look after him."

Gauri was feeling conflicted. She didn't know what she was supposed to do. She liked Tej Sir and Jhanvi Madam. They were always kind to her and her mother, but their worry for their son has made them selfish suddenly. And their son, Omkara Singh Oberoi, even though she knew his parents all her life, she had only heard of him, never met him. The rare times she came here, he would be not at home or at his hostel. Then after he lost mental stability 7 years back, she had heard his sound, mostly his screams but she has never seen him.

A part of her, wanted to reject this offer but the other part, which knew that this was the only option to get the money needed for her mother's treatment in such a short time, was forcing her to accept it.

Then hearing the mobile sound, she checks her phone to see a messaging from her mother's doctor.

I am sorry, Gauri, I was in a surgery and couldn't reply to you sooner. Your mother's results are in and it is not looking good. We need to finalize a treatment plan, one of the nurses will call so she can give you an appointment for us to discuss the treatment plan.

Gauri felt her eyes fill up. The gravity of the situation and the realization that she might lose her mother hitting her too hard.

"Gauri? What happened?" Jhanvi asks her as she cupped her face seeing her tears.

Gulping, Gauri hands her the phone so she could see the message, she couldn't bring herself to talk about it so soon.

Jhanvi curiously takes the phone then leaning closer to Tej so even he can read the message with her. she hears one of them take a sharp breath while the other sighs.

"Is this Doctor's number?" Tej asks Gauri.

Gauri nods her head in yes.

He takes Gauri's phone from Jhanvi and dials the number. Gauri curiously looks at him.

"Hello Doctor, I am Tej Singh Oberoi speaking on behalf of Gauri Kumari Sharma.... Yes... I wanted to just tell you that you should start the treatment for Nayantara Sharma immediately... don't worry about the money, she should get the best treatment."

Hearing him say that, Gauri felt her eyes fill in relief. She looks at Jhanvi and sees her looking at her in guilt.

"I am sorry, Gauri." Tej tells her as he turned to look at her. "We shouldn't have done that. we shouldn't have been so selfish. Nayantara and you have always been loyal to us and we... I am sorry, Gauri."

Then she feels Jhanvi squeeze her hand. "Please forgive us, Gauri. We were only thinking about Om. Nayantara and you didn't deserve that."

Finally seeing the employers that she had known all her life, not the selfish parents that they were few minutes back, but the kind people they had always been, Gauri's hearts start slamming against her chest. She couldn't deny them.

**********

"Jhanvi Madam... I don't want Ma to know about this." Gauri tells her worriedly. "She is already sick and if she finds out..."

"I understand. We won't tell her till she recovers." Jhanvi promises her.

Gauri nods as she nervously smiled at her.

"And you should call us Ma and Papa from now on. Like Om does." Jhanvi tells her.

"Okay." Gauri whispers.

"And no more Omkara Sir, Om... he is going to be your husband. You will be his wife and our daughter-in-law." Jhanvi promises her.

Gauri nods as she walked with Jhanvi into the room hearing the chanting. She sees Omkara Sir... no... Om sitting on the mandap. His father was holding him. Om looked drowsy as he tried to keep his eyes open. For the first time, she was seeing the infamous Omkara Singh Oberoi.

Just like her, he wasn't dressed up as a groom. He was wearing a tshirt and pants, and she was wearing a normal salwar. He was a handsome man. His hair was slightly over grown. He looked tired then. She wondered if he was mildly sedated so they could conduct the ceremony without any hindrance. What she had heard was that he would get violent and attack the people around him. He did scare her a little. But when Jhanvi guided her to the mandap, she went with her even though her heart was slamming against her chest.

Gauri sits next to him and he curiously looks at her. he frowns as he looked at her. then sleepily he keeps his hand over hers. She was tempted to free her hand from his but then she doesn't do anything. Because his parents were trusting her to take care of him and she was going to do that.

When the Pundit told him to put mangalsutra and sindoor on her, his parents had to tell him a couple of more times for him to finally do it. Once he did it, he didn't hold her hand.

As the pundit chanted the mantra and proceeded with their wedding, Gauri watched her husband. Her heart did go out to him. He was in his final year under graduation when he had gone with his best friend to the village of his best friend's girlfriend. The girl's family was forcefully getting her married to someone in their caste. He was helping them elope when the girl's family caught them. His best friend became a victim to honor killing. Om had been a witness to the brutal murder and he was also attacked and left to the dead. But he had held on to life but couldn't hold on to his sanity. The attack and the murder haunted him. He believed that everyone was trying to kill him and he would attack anyone and everyone in his path now.

The Pundit asks him to stand up for the pheres. Seeing the way, he was swaying, Gauri quickly holds him.

Seeing Tej and Jhanvi hurrying to help her, she gently tells them, "It's okay. I've got him."

Gauri steadies Om and holds him. Tej and Jhanvi look at each other, smiling in relief.

Gauri takes the phere with Om, doing everything as the pundit instructs them.

**********

Jhanvi takes Gauri to Omkara's room. she sees him sleeping on his bed.

"We had to sedate him." Jhanvi tells her softly.

Gauri nods.

"Thank you so much for doing this, Gauri. We will always be indebted to you." Jhanvi tells her as she cupped her face.

Gauri gently smiles.

"There is no one else we would trust our son with than you." Jhanvi tells her.

"I'll take care of him. I'll never let any harm come to him. I promise." Gauri tells her.

Jhanvi kisses her forehead as her eyes filled with tears. Soon, Jhanvi leaves the room after closing the door.

Gauri walks to the bed and looks at her husband. He looked so innocent and peaceful just then. Sighing, Gauri lies next to him on his bed as she worriedly watched him.

**********

Gauri was in deep sleep when someone pushes her off the bed and Gauri falls down with a yelp, hitting her elbow on the floor. She shouts in pain at the contact and her shout was drowned out by a furious scream. Gauri was about to get up from the floor when she saw his face as he furiously looked at her. his eyes looked crazed. Gauri gulps in fear as he looked down at her from the bed.

He screams and pulls her hair as he tried to lift her from the floor. Gauri screams out in pain. Hearing her scream, he puts his hand over her mouth. She felt as if he was crushing her bones.

Hearing the door burst open, Gauri looks to the side and cries in relief seeing Jhanvi and Tej hurrying to them.

"Om, leave her." Tej screams as he tried pulling Omkara away from her.

"Let go of her, Om." Jhanvi tells him as she tried to extricate his hand from her hair, while Gauri plied away his other hand from her face.

After some struggle, Tej was about to pull back Omkara and away from Gauri. Jhanvi quickly helps Gauri up from the floor and takes her out of the room.

"Are you okay, Gauri?" Jhanvi asks her as she held.

Gauri nods her head as tears spilled from her eyes.

Seeing the tears, Jhanvi quickly hugs.

"He doesn't understand, Gauri." Jhanvi tells her in regret and guilt as she cried.

Gauri nods as she fought her tears.

**********

Once Gauri had calmed down, she had decided to go to the hospital to see her mother. Her mother was shifted to a super specialty hospital which boasted of the best doctors in the country. Gauri met her mother's doctor first then she went to meet her mother. As she spent time with her mother, she was gripped with the fear of her finding out about her marriage and then she was weighed down with the realization that Om was her responsibility now. So, lying to her mother that she was going to office even though she had resigned the day before, she went to the Oberoi Mansion.

**********

"Gauri..." Jhanvi smiles seeing Gauri walk into the house. "You are back so fast."

"How is Om?" Gauri asks her in lieu of a reply.

"He is in the room." Jhanvi tells her. "How is Nayantara doing?"

"Same." Gauri tells her worriedly.

"She is going to be fine soon." Jhanvi tells her.

"I hope so." Gauri tells her with a hopeful smile.

"Ma... I was thinking..." Gauri hesitantly starts.

"Yes?"

"I thought I will stay the whole day with Om, and at night I will go to Ma. I will tell Ma that full day I am at office and I will stay the night with her. I'll come back before Om wakes up."

"Okay... whatever you want." Jhanvi tells her smiling.

Gauri smiles.

"We put a bell near the bed, if ever Om...." Jhanvi worriedly says. "Just ring the bell."

Gauri nods her head.

"He doesn't know me. will you introduce me to him? Tell him that I am his wife?" Gauri asks her.

Jhanvi guilty looks at her and tells her, "I don't think he understand what a wife is, Gauri."

Gauri gulps hearing that. it was true, her husband had no idea that she was his wife, or that he was married or what a marriage meant.

Seeing Gauri like that, Jhanvi gently tells her, "Come."

Jhanvi unlocks Omkara's bedroom door and walks in. Gauri hesitates for a few seconds remembering what had happened to her in the morning. Closing her eyes and fighting the panic, she follows Jhanvi into the room.

Gauri finds her husband sitting on the floor talking to himself. Hearing them walk in, he looks up with a frown. He stands up as he stared at them.

"Om... this is Gauri." Jhanvi gently tells him as she hesitantly walked to him. She stops a few steps away from him. "She is your wife, Om."

Omkara stares at Gauri with an angry scowl. Then looking behind her, he slowly starts walking towards her. Gauri worriedly moves back seeing him head her way. When Omkara reached near Jhanvi, he pushes her out of the way and starts to run for the bedroom door.

Seeing him heading out, Gauri quickly throws herself at him and tries to stop him. Omkara starts furiously scream as he tried to push her out of the way.

"I can't hold him." Gauri tells Jhanvi as she struggled.

Jhanvi who had stumbled to the wall, quickly hurries to them.

Gauri was trying to hold on to a struggling Omkara, when he bends down and bites her shoulder as he tried to push her off. Gauri screams in pain as she pushed him with all her strength and he falls on the bed.

Jhanvi quickly holds Gauri's hand and they both run out of the room. Jhanvi closes the door and locks it. Right after she had locked it, they hear Omkara screaming and banging on the door.

"Are you okay?" Gauri asks Jhanvi.

Jhanvi nods as her eyes filled with tears. Then she gently touches Gauri's shoulder. "Are you okay, Gauri?"

"I am okay." Gauri says as she looked at shoulders. It still stung fiercely.

"We shouldn't have got you into all this." Jhanvi tells her filled with guilt.

"It was my decision, Ma." Gauri reminds her.

*********

After a while, Omkara had stopped screaming. Then the whole house had turned quiet. Around lunch time, Tej came home. Then Jhanvi and Tej had gone to Omkara's room to give him food. Gauri had stayed away tired after the ordeal since morning.

The next couple of days went uneventful as she stayed away from Omkara. After the way he had attacked her, she was scared of him. So, she always stayed outside his room. Jhanvi and Tej understood her hesitation and were already feeling guilty for how Om had attacked her, that they never mentioned anything to her.

Omkara seemed capable enough to take his shower and his personal hygiene. Then Tej and Jhanvi would give him his food and medicine before he left for office. Noon, Tej and Jhanvi again would give him his lunch and medicines. Same for dinner. The moment Jhanvi and Tej walks into the bedroom, Gauri would hear Omkara starting to scream. Omkara would sleep off immediately after his dinner as his medicines had sedatives in it. Once Gauri was sure he had slept off, she would go to her mother and stay with her in the hospital. She would return before Omkara woke up but she never went into his room. she always sat in the sitting area outside his room. days went on like that.

**********

It was afternoon, Tej and Jhanvi had gone to Omkara's room to give him his food and medicines while Gauri stayed outside the room. then she hears Omkara's loud screams. His screams scared her. It kept reminding her of the two times he had attacked her. She tried to cover her ears to shut down the screams then she heard Tej and Jhanvi also shouting and struggling. Worried Gauri runs to Omkara's room and seeing the sight in front of her, she stops in shock and horror.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Gauri asks in outrage as she ran to Omkara on the bed.

Tej who was lying on top of a struggling Omkara to hold him down and Jhanvi who was struggling to tie the strap on Omkara's wrist to tie him to the bed, stops in shock.

"Stop it!" Gauri shouts as she felt her eyes fill up.

"Gauri, he won't stay calm otherwise." Jhanvi explains to her.

"He is not an animal." Gauri says furiously as she tried to remove the strap from his hand.

Omkara who had been struggling to free himself stops as he looked at Gauri freeing him.

"Gauri, don't." Tej says in shock seeing Gauri freeing him.

"We don't even tie down animals." Gauri reminds him as she removed the strap from his hand. She stops in shock seeing the wound on Omkara's wrist that had caused due to the straps. Her eyes fill with tears seeing the wound on his wrist.

Feeling himself free, Omkara kicks Tej off his body and pushing Gauri aside, jumps out of the bed and runs out of the room.

"OM!" Tej and Jhanvi shouts as they ran behind him.

Gauri follows them out.

Hearing the screams coming from the kitchen, Gauri runs there to find Omkara waving a knife at his parents.

"Om, please give that to me." Tej tells him as he tried to move towards Omkara.

Omkara furiously swipes the knife at him. Tej jumps back in fear.

Omkara starts to run out of there when Tej catches him from behind. Omkara starts kicking and thrashing as he waved the knife around screaming violently.

"Jhanvi... Gauri... take the knife from him." Tej says as he struggled.

Jhanvi and Gauri quickly hurries to Omkara and Jhanvi tries to take the knife from his hand. Seeing Omkara about to push Jhanvi with his free hand, Gauri quickly holds his free hand. Omkara furiously pushes Jhanvi away and waves the knife frantically.

Gauri screams out in pain feeling the knife cut through her wrist. The knife went deep and blade made a long gash on her wrist. Her scream distracted Omkara, and Jhanvi quickly snatches the knife from him. Seeing the blood dropping from Gauri's hand, Omkara starts screaming loudly.

Tej drags a screaming Omkara to his room.

"Gauri?" Jhanvi hurries to her.

The servant comes running to them with a roll of kitchen towels. Jhanvi quickly takes a bunch of the paper and wraps it on the wound.

"Gauri, you have to understand why we have to tie him up at times." Jhanvi tells her worriedly.

"It's inhuman." Gauri whispers to her in pain.

Hearing Omkara's loud voice, Gauri hurries out.

Seeing Tej again trying to push Omkara to the bed, Gauri runs to him.

"Papa, NO!" Gauri screams as she put herself between Omkara and Tej.

"Gauri, he is very violent today." Tej helplessly tells her.

"He is not a wild animal. He is not criminal. He is just sick. Please don't do this."

"You think we like doing this?" Tej asks her in anguish. "He is our only son and it kills us to do this to him."

"Gauri, you are bleeding. Please come with me." Jhanvi tells her seeing Gauri's hands.

"look at his wrist. It is hurting him." Gauri tells him sadly.

"We have no choice."

"I'll stay here in this room with him. You can lock the door so he doesn't go outside."

"He attacked you, Gauri." Jhanvi softly reminds her.

"He didn't do it intentionally." Gauri argues.

"Please come with me, Gauri. You are bleeding."

"I'll not let you tie him up!" Gauri says stubbornly.

"Gauri..." Tej starts and stops worriedly as he looked behind Gauri at Omkara.

Gauri felt the blood drain from her face seeing the worry on her father-in-law's face. it would only mean one thing. And her suspicion was correct when she felt him right behind her.

"Om, move away from her." Tej says in a calm, warning tone.

"Gauri, come here." Jhanvi says quickly extending her hand.

Gauri was about to take her hand when she felt Omkara's hands on her waist. His hands circle her waist. Gauri stops breathing in fear. Then she felt his face on her neck. It took her a few breathless moments to realize that Om was hugging her.

Gauri's heart skipped a beat and she stood there unable to breath. Not knowing what to do. Gauri looks at Tej and Jhanvi and sees that they were looking at them in shock.

"What should I do?" Gauri asks softly in a whisper.

Tej and Jhanvi look at her in shock and helplessness. Completely clueless as they have never witnessed something like this in the last 7 years.

"Take him to the bed." Tej finally tells her.

Gauri slowly turns around to face him, each movement slow and careful with bated breath fearing a change in his mood. Finally, she turns around and now his face was on her shoulder.

"Om..." Gauri worriedly calls him.

He didn't reply but she felt him stiffen and realized he was listening.

"Will you come with me to the bed, please?" Gauri asks him softly.

Omkara doesn't reply or move.

Gauri worriedly takes his hand, and slowly starts walking to the bed and he goes with her. Gauri makes him sit on the bed. Omkara looks up at her and seeing the helplessness in his eyes, Gauri's heart broken.

"He hasn't had his medicines." Tej tells her as he pointed at the medicine he had kept earlier when he had tried to give them to Omkara.

"Will you have your medicines, Om?" Gauri asks him.

When he continued to look at her, she takes the medicines and takes it to his lips. Omkara opens his mouth for her. Gauri puts the medicines in his mouth and gives him water. Omkara drinks it, all the while his eyes on her.

"He will sleep off in a bit, Gauri." Jhanvi tells her amazed seeing how Om was listening to her.

Gauri nods at her, "Will you lie down, Om?" Gauri asks as she softly made him lie on the bed.

"Come, Gauri. We need to take care of your hand." Tej tells her, still reeling from the shock of what he had witnessed.

"You sleep." Gauri softly tells him and starts to walk off when Omkara holds her hand.

Gauri turns to look at him and sees him watching her as he held her hand. Gauri doesn't say anything, she just stood near his bed waiting for him to sleep off. few minutes later, Omkara sleeps off. Gauri gently frees her hand and walk with her in-laws to take care of her hand.

"We should see a doctor." Tej says wrapping the bandage around her wrist.

"When I go to see Ma tonight, I'll check with a doctor." Gauri tells him.

"I have never seen Om listen to someone like that." Tej tells her his eyes filled with tears.

"He never listened to anyone." Jhanvi tells her.

Gauri felt her eyes fill up and she didn't even know why. "You know, it is because I didn't let you both tie him up."

Tej and Jhanvi nods.

"We had no choice, Gauri." Tej tells her.

"I'll look after him from now on." Gauri gently tells them.

"Okay." Jhanvi says as she lovingly caressed her cheek and Tej smiles at her.

**********

Next morning, Gauri walks into Omkara's room and finds him sleeping. After asking Jhanvi to lock the door from outside she closes the door gently. She hears Jhanvi locking the door, taking a deep calming breath, she walks to the bed after leaving her overnight back in a corner.

She sits on the bed, keeping her eyes on Omkara. She rests her head on the headboard as she watched him, waiting for him to wake up. She was worried how he would be this morning. She wasn't sure whether he would be calm like the previous evening or violent. She takes the switch which was dangling on a long wire and keeps holding it, ready to press it if she needed it.

Tired she closes her eyes. Last night she had been with her mother and as she tried to care for her mother, her thoughts kept going back to Om. Each time, she thought of the wound on his wrists, it pained her. sighing sadly, she opens her eyes and sees him watching her.

With bated breath she waits for a few seconds to see what he was going to do. When he didn't make any attempt to move, just continued to watch her, Gauri slowly sits up.

"Would you like you to get up, Om?" Gauri gently asks him.

Omkara continues to look at her without making any sound.

Worriedly, Gauri keeps her hand on his shoulder. When he didn't make any attempt to move her hand, she gently makes him sit up. Then she gets out of the bed, and walks around it to come in front of him.

"Why don't you take your bath, Om? I'll get your food in that time." Gauri tells him.

Omkara remains silent as he kept looking at her.

"Please, Om?"

Without a word, Omkara gets up and walks off.

Gauri heaves a sigh of relief once he closes the bathroom door.

**********

Gauri unlocks the door and walks back into the bedroom. Seeing that Omkara was still in the bathroom, she keeps the food on the table. She walks out of the room and gets Om's washed and ironed clothes she had noticed in the laundry room. Normally, one of the servants brings it to his room when he would be sleeping she decided to take care of that from now on as she had noticed how worried the servants would be when they went to his room even when they knew that he was sleeping due to being sedated.

She keeps the clothes in his cupboard. Then she walks to the bed and makes the bed. Once that done, she realized that she was out of duties and she nervously sat on the bed worried as she wondered how his mood would be once his sleep is gone.

Hearing the bathroom door open, Gauri quickly stands up. Omkara steps out and stops in front of her.

"Come and sit, Om. I'll give you breakfast." Gauri gently tells him.

Omkara walks to the wall and sits on the floor instead of the couch. Gauri takes the food and sits opposite to him. She wasn't sure whether he ate by himself or Papa fed him because she had never stayed around in the room during that time. when he kept looking at her, Gauri takes a small piece and offers him. He opens his mouth for her. Gauri starts feeding him. Once done, she gives the medicine that Jhanvi had given her.

"I'll keep the plates in the kitchen and come." Gauri tells him.

Hearing that Omkara sits up worried.

Seeing the panic set in his eyes, Gauri quickly tells him, "I'll come back fast, Om. Quickly I'll come back."

When he didn't make any attempt to move or stop her, Gauri gets up and leaves the room. she locks the door as she didn't still trust him.

Gauri walks back in and sees Omkara looking at the door worriedly. Seeing her, he sighs and leans back on the wall. Gauri walks to him and sits next to him. They remained silent for a while.

An hour later, Gauri was getting restless with the silence. She didn't know what she was supposed to do and how to pass time. Om looked content to sit quietly. Restless, Gauri gets up and walks around the room to keep herself entertained. She notices Om's study table. The tabletop was empty. She wondered whether it was because he had destroyed everything that had been kept there. She opens the drawers and they were also empty. Sighing she turns back and sees him watching her.

Gauri smiles at him then she gets her mobile from her bag. Then she walks to him and sits next to him. Gauri was looking through her mobile and sees him looking at her mobile.

"My Ma, she is not keeping well. She is in the hospital. So, I was messaging her." Gauri tells him. "I hope she gets well soon. I'm very worried, Om." Gauri worriedly tells him and Omkara just kept watching her without saying anything.

During lunch time, Gauri again left Omkara alone to get the food. She had even taken his dirty laundry from the bathroom to give it for wash so the servants won't have to do it. She gets food for him and herself. After feeding him and giving him his medicine, she has her food. They remained silent throughout with Omkara just watching her.

After he had gone to sleep at night, Gauri went to see her mother.

*********

Gauri walks back into the house to find Tej and Jhanvi happily waiting for her.

"Yesterday, Om was so calm." Jhanvi tells her happily with tear filled eyes. "It is because of you, Gauri."

Gauri smiles feeling happy.

"Thank you so much, Gauri. We knew you would take care of our Om." Tej tells her.

"I hope he will get well soon." Gauri tells them hopefully.

"We were starting to give up hope but now with you here, we are hopeful." Jhanvi tells her.

Gauri didn't know how to react to that so she just smiles.

"Tomorrow is Om's doctor's appointment. Doctor said he wants to meet you also. He'll come by 10, tomorrow." Tej informs her.

"I'll be here." Gauri tells him as that time, she was normally home.

"Okay, then I'll confirm it with him." Tej tells her and walks off to make the call.

"I'll check on Om. It is time for him to wake up." Gauri tells Jhanvi.

"Okay." Jhanvi tells her smiling then turning a little sad she says. "Yesterday I didn't see him. I didn't know how he would react. He was so calm; I didn't want to ruin it."

Gauri squeezes her hand gently.

"Tej said we will see him after the doctor's visit tomorrow." Jhanvi tells her.

Gauri nods and starts to walk off then she stops and turns to her. "Ma... is there any book or something that I can read?" Gauri asks her.

Jhanvi thoughtfully looks at her. "Tej and I don't read much. When they brought over Om's things from his hostel, there were some books. I don't know whether it is full text books or if there are any novels. We kept it in the study."

Gauri follows Jhanvi to the study and Jhanvi opens one of the shelf and takes out a bag.

Gauri looks through the books and it was all his books from his BBM course. finally, she finds a novel. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. "Got it." Gauri says happily. She had heard rave reviews of the book and she had been meaning to read it.

********

After giving Omkara his breakfast and giving the dirty dishes and laundry, Gauri sits next to Omkara and takes the book to read.

Gauri was about to open the book when she notices Omkara watching her.

"Do you want me to read it to you? this is your book, Om." Gauri tells him.

Omkara curiously looks at the book.

Gauri with a smile starts reading the book. The first paragraph had reference to being chained. Gauri stops in shock as she turned to look at Om worriedly wondering if it disturbed him. Omkara who was looking at the book turns to look at her curiously. Realizing that it didn't disturb him, Gauri continues to read though every few seconds she turns to look at him to see if he was getting disturbed. But he had just continued to stare at the book as he listened.

**********

Since the doctor suggested that it would be a good idea if Gauri tried to reintroduce Tej and Jhanvi to Omkara, Tej and Jhanvi enters the bedroom.

Hearing the door open, Omkara and Gauri look up. Seeing them enter, Omkara quickly grips Gauri's hand worriedly as he watched Tej and Jhanvi enter.

Gauri quickly keeps her hand over his hand. "It's okay, Om. They are not here to hurt you." Gauri reassures him. "Would you like to stand up, Om?" Gauri gently asks him.

Omkara continues to stare at Tej and Jhanvi worriedly. Gauri holds Omkara and gently helps him stand up.

"Om, that is your Papa and Ma." Gauri tells him as she gestured Tej and Jhanvi to come forward.

With tears streaming down their face, they walk towards Omkara. Seeing them coming towards him, Omkara quickly moves behind Gauri and hides.

"They won't hurt you, Om. They love you. they are your parents." Gauri gently tells him as she turned to face him.

Omkara shakes his head vigorously as he looked down.

"Om..." Jhanvi lovingly calls him as she kept her hand on his cheek.

Feeling her hand on his cheek, Omkara starts screaming loudly as he hugged Gauri tightly.

"It's okay, Om. It's okay." Gauri quickly tells him as she hugged him.

Hiding his face on the crook of her neck, Omkara continued to scream.

Gauri looks at her in-laws and tells them regretfully. "Let's give him some more time."

Tej and Jhanvi nods, and they quickly leave the room.

"They left, Om." Gauri tells him hearing the lock.

Omkara stops screaming but continues to hug her tight. Gauri could feel him shaking, so she just continued to hug him till he calmed down.

**********

After Omkara slept, Gauri comes out of the bedroom. She closes the door and locks it. Noticing Jhanvi sitting by, Gauri walks to her.

"Are you okay, Ma?" Gauri asks her as she kept her hand on Jhanvi's shoulder.

Jhanvi sadly smiles at her as she nodded.

"He is just scared. Please give him some time." Gauri tells her.

"I know, Gauri. I was talking to Tej. We are just happy and grateful that now he has someone he feels safe with and trusts." Jhanvi tells her as she held Gauri's hand.

Gauri felt her eyes fill up. Om wasn't violent because he wanted to hurt others, he was violent because he didn't feel safe and he was scared of everyone around him.

"Even if he never accepts us or he never recovers, we are just happy and thankful that he is no longer alone. He knows that he is not alone and he has someone with him." Jhanvi tells her smiling through her tears.

"He will recover soon, Ma. Even the doctor said that, he said this is a big improvement and hope for his recovery." Gauri reminds her.

Jhanvi hopefully smiles as she nodded. "you go, Nayantara will be waiting for you."

*********

Few days later, Gauri was at the hospital.

"When will they remove the bandage?" Nayantara asks Gauri gesturing at her wrist.

"Few more days." Gauri replies as she looked at the bandage.

"Take care, Gauri." Nayantara tells her gently.

Gauri nods.

"I still don't understand how one can cut their hand like this while cutting open a watermelon."

"It slipped, Ma." Gauri tells her faking a chuckle.

"Did the doctor say whether you'll have a scar?"

Gauri nods.

"Hmmm."

"You look better today." Gauri tells her smiling wanting to change the topic and her mother did look much better.

"I feel better today." Nayantara tells her. "When can I go home?"

"It's better if you stay in the hospital, Ma. You'll get better care here."

"I know but I don't want to take undue advantage of Tej Sir and Jhanvi Madam." Nayantara tells her feeling guilty.

"They insisted." Gauri tells her for lack of another reply.

Nayantara nods. "I forgot to tell you, they came to see me today."

"Hmmm?" Gauri asks with a smile though she knew they had come; they had informed her about it.

"You didn't tell me you met Jhanvi Madam recently."

"Might have skipped my mind. She told you that she met me?"

"She was singing your praises." Nayantara says smiling proudly.

Gauri smiles hearing that.

"Even Tej Sir."

Gauri smiles and then hesitantly asks her, "Have you interacted with Om? How was he with you? how was he?"

"Om?" Nayantara asks frowning. "Call him Omkara Sir, Gauri."

"I meant Omkara Sir only." Gauri says quickly as she looked down. "I spoke to Jhanvi Madam about him and maybe that is why..."

"Don't forget your place, Gauri. They are our boss." Nayantara gently admonishes her.

Gauri nods her head. feeling her heartbreak. A part of her wanted to tell her mother that Om was her husband now, and Papa and Ma were no longer their employers, they were their family now, but then a huge part of her was worried how her mother was going to take to the truth that her daughter had married a mentally unstable man who had no idea that he was married or that she was his wife.

"He was away at hostel most of the time. when he came over for vacations, only then I have met him. He is a sweet boy but yes. Always up to one mischief or the other."

"How was he with you?" Gauri asks her.

"He was polite. And I never really interacted with him." Nayantara tells her.

"Did you like him?" Gauri asks a little worriedly.

"Yes, there wasn't anything in him to not like him. Just the immaturity of his age." Nayantara tells her.

"And did he like you?"

"I don't think he disliked me. I don't think he liked me also. I was just a servant there. Why are you so curious about him?" Nayantara asks frowning.

"Nothing. I had talked to Jhanvi Madam about him, so I was just curious." Gauri says shrugging.

"Hmmm... what happened to him was sad."

"It was cruel too." Gauri corrects her feeling anger rising in her for the injustice done to Om.

"I know. They are in jail now. Tej Sir made sure of it." Nayantara tells her.

Gauri nods feeling sad. Even Om was in a jail. Trapped inside his mind and locked inside his room.

*********

Gauri was reading to Omkara the next day when her mobile starts ringing. Seeing it was her mother's home nurse, Gauri turns to Omkara and sees him looking at her.

"One minute, Om. It's from the hospital." Gauri tells him as she quickly answered the call wondering why the home nurse was calling, her mother was looking so fine the night before.

"Hello?" Gauri answers the call and she listened to the home nurse.

The phone slips from her hand as her whole body trembled as she started crying.

Seeing her crying, Omkara worriedly holds her hand. "Gauri?"

Hearing him call her name for the first time, Gauri hugs him. "Om, my ma... she is gone." Gauri wails.

Hearing her wailing, Omkara starts screaming as he hugged her.

Jhanvi unlocks the door and hurries in hearing the loud screams. "Om... leave her." Jhanvi shouts at him as she ran to them.

Seeing her, Omkara starts screaming even louder and he starts waving his hands to hit Jhanvi so she would not come near them.

"Gauri?" Jhanvi worriedly calls her noticing that Gauri was also hugging Om, her head on his chest.

"Ma... Ma..." Gauri says in between her wailing.

Omkara screams loudly seeing Jhanvi trying to come close to them. He hugs Gauri tight, hiding and cocooning her in his chest.

"MAAAA." Gauri screams.

"Nayantara?" Jhanvi asks softly realizing.

Then she sees Gauri's head moving up and down. Jhanvi quickly hurries out of the room to call Tej and the hospital.

Once, Jhanvi had left the room, Omkara had stopped screaming. "Gauri?" Omkara worriedly calls her.

Hearing him call her, Gauri looks at him. Keeping her hand on his cheek, she tells him as she cried, "I wanted to tell her that I married you and you are my husband now. I couldn't tell her. I thought I'll tell her once she got better. Now, I can never tell her. she will never know, Om."

When he continued to look at her, Gauri tells him. "she was so fine, last night. So much better. Better than usual. I thought she was getting better. I was so happy. But now she is gone. I couldn't be with her when she...."

"Now, I have no one, Om. I am all alone." Gauri tells him as she broke into loud tears again.

Omkara quickly hugs her, resting his cheek on her forehead.

Omkara sat with Gauri like that for a long time. not letting anyone come near them. Finally, Tej and Jhanvi went to the hospital to take care of all the formalities.

*********

"Ma... Papa..." Gauri calls them as she walked out of the bedroom.

"Gauri..." Jhanvi hugs her sadly.

Gauri hugs her as she fought her tears.

"I have made all the arrangements at the crematory." Tej gently tells her.

Gauri turns to Tej and tells him hesitantly. "I want Om to come with us."

Tej looks at her shocked and gently tells her, "Gauri, you know, we can't take him."

"Please Papa... I wanted to tell Ma that Om is my husband but I couldn't. I don't want to send her off without Om."

"We understand, Gauri. But we haven't taken Om out in years." Jhanvi tells her.

"And there will be people there." Tej reminds her.

"I don't want anyone there. Just Om. I promise, Papa, I'll take care of him. Please?"

Tej and Jhanvi look at each other worriedly. Then Tej nods.

*********

Tej had made sure that it was just them and crematorium staff there. Once he made sure all the unnecessary people were made to leave, he walks to the car to call Gauri and Omkara.

"Gauri... it's time." Tej informs her.

Gauri nods and opens the car door. "Om... come." Gauri tells him as she offered her hand to him.

Omkara takes her hand and gets out of the car with her. Tej and Jhanvi walk a little away from them as Omkara wasn't letting them get close to Gauri.

"That's ma, Om." Gauri sadly tells him as she pointed at the body.

Omkara looks at the body without saying anything.

Holding Omkara's hand, Gauri leans on him, her head resting on his arms.

After taking care of the rituals, the electric cremation starts. Seeing the fire consume the body just before the doors were closed, Omkara starts screaming as he started to run towards it.

"Om!" Gauri quickly holds him.

Omkara points at the body and screams as he frantically looked at Tej and Jhanvi. "Gauri's Ma... Gauri's Ma." Omkara screams loudly.

Realizing he was trying to save her mother for her, Gauri quickly holds his hand "Om... Om.... Listen to me."

"Gauri... your ma." Omkara tells her as he tried to look at the body.

"I told them to do it." Gauri tells him.

Omkara stops and looks at her in shock. "Why?"

"Because that is how she will go to heaven. We have to do it, Om."

"But you have no one." Omkara sadly tells her.

Finally realizing, Gauri cups his face, with tears brimming in her eyes, she tells him, "I have you, Om. I have you."

Leaning up, she hugs him and closes her eyes happily when he hugs her back.

**********

"I was actually against the marriage." The doctor informs Gauri over the phone. "actually, I still am but your presence in his life is the best treatment for him now."

Gauri had no idea how to reply to that so she just continues to listen.

"Now, we are hundred percent sure that Omkara listens, understands and processes everything that we tell him. So far, he had only talked to himself. But now, he is starting to talk to you. keep talking to him. Make him talk to you."

"I will try, doctor." Gauri tells him as she watched Omkara sleep. She tells him, "From now on, I would be staying the night with him."

"Yes, that is good. If that is the case, I want to try something."

"What?"

"his sedatives... I want to take him off them."

"Okay." Gauri replies thoughtfully.

"He used to have nightmares and that is the reason I gave him sedatives, so he gets the proper rest that he needs. Now, with you nearby, I want to see how his nightmare affects him. Let's try for about a week or two. If he has his nightmares, then you convince him that you're with him. I want you to keep a watch on it. Let's see if it stops or decreases."

"Okay, doctor."

Soon the doctor hangs up. Gauri looks around the room to find something to distract herself with. Having nothing to do and nothing to distract her, Gauri sadly walks to the bed. She lies next to Omkara, watching him. Her thoughts kept going back to her mother. Feeling the tears, she let herself cry and she cried herself to sleep.

**********

Gauri sits in front of Omkara with their food. He had been worriedly watching her since he woke up.

"How are you, Om?" Gauri asks him as she broke a piece and dipped it in the gravy. When he remained silent, Gauri offers the piece to him and asks him, "Why are you not talking to me, Om?"

Omkara looks at her and then at the food she was trying to feed him. He takes it from her hand and offers it to her as he held it near her mouth. Gauri was surprised to see him trying to feed her.

"My plate is here." Gauri tells him gently as she pointed at her food.

Omkara looks at her plate and then he looks back at her without withdrawing his hand. Gauri opens her mouth for him and he puts the food in her mouth.

"Don't cry." Omkara tells her.

"I was sad yesterday. Ma was all I had." Gauri explains as she felt her eyes fill up remembering her mother.

"You have me." Omkara reminds her.

Gauri couldn't help smiling. "Yes, I have you, Om." Gauri tells him as she took his hand and kissed on his knuckles.

Omkara holds her hand and takes it to his lips and imitating her, he kisses her knuckles. Gauri smiles at him.

"Will you eat your food? Or do you want me to feed you?" Gauri asks realizing that he was capable of eating by himself.

"You feed me." Omkara tells her.

"Okay." Gauri smiles and starts to take a small piece when she notices him leaning to the table and getting her plate. Gauri smiles realizing that he was going to feed her. they feed each other.

Gauri walks back into the room after giving the dirty dishes. She sits next to Omkara on the floor. Omkara looks at her then he puts his hand around her and pulls her close to him. Hugging her.

With her head resting on his chest, Gauri smiles feeling safe and secure. "Om, I'll tell you about my mother?" Gauri asks him gently.

"Yes." Omkara replies.

**********

"Om, I'll be right here with you, okay?" Gauri tells Omkara as she made him lie on the bed for the night.

Omkara nods.

"Don't worry. I am right here." Gauri tells him, not knowing how to prepare him for his nightmares. "I'll be here and I'll keep you safe."

"I keep you safe." Omkara tells her.

Gauri smiles, "I know you will, Om." Gauri remembers how he had tried to protect her from everyone.

Gauri puts the duvet on him, and lies back watching. Omkara watches her.

"You should sleep, Om. Close your eyes, you'll sleep off." Gauri tells him after a while as she gently covered her hands over his eyes.

Soon they both sleep off.

Gauri wakes up hearing Omkara's heart wrenching screams and sobs. Gauri quickly sits up and with one hand she holds his hand and with the other, she gently rubs his chest and head alternatively.

"Om, it's okay. it's a dream. I am here, Om. You are safe." Gauri kept chanting. Hearing the door open, Gauri turns to find Tej and Jhanvi worriedly walk in. Gauri looks back to Omkara and continues to talk to him, trying to calm him down.

Finally, Omkara breaks away from his sleep and opens his eyes.

"You are safe, Om. You are with me. nothing will happen to you. I'll keep you safe, Om." Gauri tells him through her tears.

Omkara rolls over and hugging her stomach, keeps his head on her lap. Gauri gently starts running her hand over his head. then turning to look at her in-laws, she tells them. "You both go sleep. He is fine now."

They nod. Jhanvi keeps her hand on Omkara's foot sadly. Omkara quickly kicks his leg wanting to remove her hand. Jhanvi quickly takes off her hand.

Once they left, Gauri sat like that till she was sure that Omkara had slept off. then she gently places him on his pillow. He had his nightmare two more times that night and both the times, Gauri tried her best to calm him down.

********

"Will you meet Papa and Ma, Om?" Gauri asks him gently.

"No." Omkara replies looking down.

"Please, Om. They love you a lot."

"They are bad."

"They are not, Om. You saw how they helped me to cremate Ma. They love you and me, Om. They will not hurt us."

"Will you meet them, please?" Gauri asks him when he remained silent.

"I am scared." Omkara tells her as he looked down.

"They won't hurt you, Om. I promise. Please for me?"

Omkara nods his head as he continued to look down.

"Thank you, Om." Gauri tells him happily.

Gauri hurries back into the room with Jhanvi and Tej following her. she walks to Omkara and helps him up. Omkara watches them walk towards them.

"Om..." Tej gently calls him.

Omkara quickly looks away as he grabbed Gauri's hand. Gauri gestures them to come closer.

Jhanvi walks closer to them. "Om..." Jhanvi gently calls him as she extended her hand towards him.

Seeing her hand, Omkara closes his eyes tightly, as he shivered in fear, his grip on Gauri's hand turning tighter.

Gauri felt as if her bones were going to crush with the way he was holding her hand. But she didn't show any outward reaction to it. She sees Jhanvi keep her hand on his cheek. Even though he was cowering in fear, they all knew it was still a major improvement because he didn't scream nor he tried to attack them. Deciding not to push him anymore, Jhanvi and Tej left the room, though feeling happy and a little relieved.

Once the door was closed, Gauri turns to Omkara and cups his face. "Are you okay, Om?"

Omkara nods in reply though he still had his eyes closed.

"I told you they won't hurt you." Gauri gently reminds him.

Omkara simply hugs her tired and relieved after the ordeal.

*********

Gauri dreaded going to sleep because she knew she would wake up hearing his nightmares. But as days passed, the frequency of the nightmares in the night reduced. Then slowly the intensity of the nightmares reduced. Finally, it was just light whimpers in his sleep, which she was able to calm him without waking him up. She was hopeful that soon even those will seize.

**********

With the improvement with his nightmares the doctor decided it is safe to stop the sedatives completely. And slowly, Gauri was able to convince Omkara that Tej and Jhanvi meant no harm. So, Omkara though not comfortable, he didn't shiver in fear as before. He no longer was scared from their touch.

One night, Gauri was sleeping when she felt a heavy weight on her. frowning she starts to wake up when she felt someone's hand on her body. Gauri quickly comes awake and realizes that Om was lying on top her. touching her inappropriately. She panics as her heart started slamming against her chest.

"Om, get off me." Gauri frantically tells him as she tried to push him off. but he was too heavy for her.

Then feeling his erection against her, Gauri panics even further and she grabs the switch and frantically presses it. She hears alarm blaring in the house.

"Om, move." Gauri tells him as she struggled to push him off.

Either he was in a sleepy state or past the point of reasoning, he starts dry humping.

"Om, please." Gauri continues to push him off.

Hearing the door burst open, Gauri looks at Tej and Jhanvi worriedly as she tried to get Omkara off of her.

"OM! LEAVE HER!" Tej screams as he pushed Omkara off Gauri.

Getting freedom, Gauri quickly gets of the bed and runs to Jhanvi. She hugs her in fear and relief.

"Jhanvi, take Gauri to the other room." Tej gently tells her.

"Come, Gauri." Jhanvi tells her and starts to lead her out.

"GAURI!" Omkara calls out to her worriedly.

Gauri turns to look at him and sees him worriedly sitting on the bed as he looked at her. Seeing him, Gauri felt her eyes fill up remembering what he had tried to do to her. she looks away and starts to leave the room.

"Don't go, Gauri." Omkara tells her in almost panic.

Seeing him almost in tears, Gauri helplessly looks at him.

"Please don't go, Gauri."

Gauri was fighting with herself trying to make up her mind.

"Don't leave me." Omkara tells her.

Gauri closes her eyes feeling defeated.

"Come, Gauri." Jhanvi tells her.

"I'll stay here." Gauri tells her.

"No, Gauri. You won't." Tej sternly tells her.

"He doesn't know. He didn't do it intentionally." Gauri tries to reason with him.

"We know that, Gauri." Jhanvi tells her in almost in tears. "But you sleep in the other room."

"Please... I don't want to leave him." Gauri tells them.

Tej and Jhanvi helplessly looks at each other. Then having no other option, they leave the room.

Gauri walks to the bed and nervously gets on it. Omkara watches her worriedly.

"You lie down; I am not going anywhere." Gauri tells him.

Omkara continues to look at her in confusion and worry. Realizing that he was not going to lie down till she did, she lies on the bed. Omkara lies down once she did. Omkara starts to keep his hand over hers. Gauri stiffens worriedly.

"Please don't do that to me again, Om." Gauri sadly tells him.

"What did I do, Gauri?" Omkara asks her helplessly confused.

Gauri closes her eyes helplessly.

"Sorry, Gauri. Don't go to the other room."

Gauri looks at him and sees him looking so worried. she felt her heart break. She moves to him and hugs him as she broke into tears. Omkara hugs her.

"Don't cry, Gauri." Omkara tells her sadly.

But Gauri couldn't control her tears as the experience had shook her completely. She just hugged him and cried herself to sleep.

The next day, Gauri spoke to the doctor about what had happened.

"All I can tell you is that; he is a fully grown man with physical needs." The doctor tells her hesitantly. "I can prescribe medicines to curb his urges. Other than curbing his urges, it is not going to help him in any way and it might end up negatively affecting him. I know what you went through was traumatizing. So, it is your decision whether you want me to prescribe the medicines."

Gauri looks at Omkara and sees him watching her. "No, doctor." Gauri replies softly.

The next couple of nights went peacefully, and Gauri was able to put that behind them.

*********

"Do you want to go outside, Om?" Gauri asks him one day.

"No." Omkara quickly replies.

Gauri smiles. Before he had tried to escape from the room because he hadn't felt safe anywhere but now, he felt safest in their room with her nearby. "We'll just go outside. Only you and me."

Omkara worriedly looks at her.

"No one will be there." Gauri tells him. "We will come back fast. Let's go?"

"Okay." Omkara gives in for her.

Gauri holding Omkara's hand steps out into their backyard. Feeling the sun on her skin after days and taking in the fresh air, Gauri takes a deep breath. She turns to look at Omkara and sees him watching her. She with a smile, takes a deep breath gesturing him to mimic her. Omkara mimics her and takes a deep breath. Then he starts chuckling happily as he continued to take in the fresh air. Seeing him chuckling, Gauri happily smiles at him, laughing lightly.

They were standing together silently when Gauri notices Omkara starting to walk away. Gauri quickly holds his hand.

"Om, where are you going?"

"I was going to get that." Omkara tells her pointing at something.

Gauri looks for what he had been pointing and sees a squirrel. Feeling Omkara starting to walk towards it again, Gauri quickly tightens her hold on him.

"No, Om. That is a poor animal. We shouldn't hurt it."

"I was going to get it for you." Omkara tells her sadly.

Seeing him sad, Gauri quickly looks around and spotting a single flower pot among the vegetable garden, she tells him, "You can get me that flower, if you want."

Omkara looks at the flower and smiles. "Okay."

Gauri watched him walk to the flower and break it from the plant. He walks back and offers it to her.

"Thank you, Om." Gauri tells him smiling.

"Welcome."

"Let's go inside?"

"Hmmm." Omkara nods.

"Thank you, Om. I love flowers." Gauri tells Omkara happily as they walked back into the house.

**********

Next day, Gauri walks back after she had gone to give the dirty dishes and laundry. She opens the door and stops in shock as Om wasn't in his usual place. She walks to the bathroom and knocks on the door.

"Om, you in there?"

When she didn't get any reply, starting to panic Gauri opens the door and finds it empty.

"OM!" Gauri calls out to him as she ran out of the room. for the last one week, she hadn't locked the bedroom door when she went out of his room because she had started to trust him not leave the room. "OM." Gauri worriedly screams out wondering where he could have gone off to. She runs to the main door and sighs in relief to see it locked.

"Gauri, what happened?" Jhanvi comes running to her worriedly.

"Om is not in the room." Gauri tells her almost in tears worrying for his safety. If he had managed to venture out... she couldn't even complete the thought. "OM."

"OM." Jhanvi also calls out in worry as she started to hurry to the kitchen.

"GAURI!" Omkara calls out to her worriedly.

Hearing the sound from the backyard, Gauri and Jhanvi runs to there and sees Omkara run back in.

"GAURI? Are you okay?"

"OM!" Gauri runs to him and hugs him, "Why did you go like that? I got so scared."

"I went to get flower for you. you said you like flower." Omkara tells her as he showed her the flower.

Gauri looks at the flower he was holding. She couldn't help her smile. She takes the flower from him. "Thank you."

Omkara smiles at her. "There are no more flowers." Omkara tells Gauri sadly.

"That's okay." Gauri tells him smiling.

Taking his hand, Gauri starts walking back to the room when she notices Jhanvi watching them with a loving smile. Gauri smiles back at her.

They walk into the room, Gauri closes the door and looks at Omkara.

"Don't go away like that, Om. I got worried. wait for me, and we will go together. Okay?"

"Okay."

Gauri smiles and then leaning up, she cups his face. she kisses him on his forehead, then both his eyes and finally both his cheeks.

Omkara cups her face and leaning down, he kisses her forehead, then both her eyes and finally both her cheeks.

Smiling happily for the way, he had imitated her, Gauri hugs him. "I love you, Om."

In reply Omkara hugs her tight.

Gauri wasn't sad that he didn't declare his love for her. She wasn't sure whether he even understood what love was. But she knew whether he understood it or not, he loved her, his world simply revolved around her.

**********

"Do you want to go outside, Om?" Gauri asks him the next day.

"There is no flower." Omkara tells her.

"Still we can go out." Gauri tells him smiling.

"Okay."

Omkara was the first to notice it. "Gauri, flowers." Omkara excitedly tells her.

Gauri turns to look and finds the vegetable garden was replaced by lots of flower pots. Gauri looked at them in shock. As Omkara ran to get a flower for her, Gauri stood back and watched it with a smile, she realized that Ma and Papa had done that for him.

"Thank you, Om." Gauri tells Omkara as she took the flower from him. "Ma and Papa got the flowers for you. so you can give it to me." Gauri informs him as they walked back in.

Omkara smiles at her. as they walked in, Gauri notices Jhanvi and Tej sitting in the living room.

"Om, do you want to sit here?" Gauri asks him.

Omkara looks at the living room in confusion.

"Only Papa, Ma and I will be here. I won't let anyone else come."

"Okay."

Jhanvi and Tej looks up in surprise noticing Gauri and Omkara sit opposite to them.

"Why don't you tell Ma and Papa thank you for getting you the flower pots?" Gauri asks Omkara.

Omkara looks at Gauri for a second then he looks at his parents and tells them. "Thank you."

"You are welcome, Om." Tej tells him smiling happily.

"Anything for you, Om." Jhanvi tells him with happy tears.

"Gauri likes flowers and I like giving her flowers." Omkara tells them with a smile.

**********

Gauri locks the door and walks to the bed at night. She smiles at Omkara as she got on the bed. Omkara watches her as she settled on the bed. Gauri blushes as Omkara moved to her. then he kisses her on her forehead and eyes and cheek. Gauri lovingly kisses his cheek.

"Good night, Om." Gauri tells him shyly.

Omkara smiles and hugging her, he keeps his face on the crook of her neck.

**********

As days went by Omkara and Gauri started spending more time outside their bedroom. Mainly in the living room and backyard. Omkara even started having his meals with his parents and Gauri.

At night, Omkara and Gauri were in bed. Omkara was kissing her cheek when his lips brushes against her lips. Gauri felt an electric shock run through her. she sees Omkara lean back in shock as he looked at her. then he leans down and keeps his lips on hers. He pecks her lips, then again and again. unable to resist the whirlwind of feelings his gentle kiss was causing her, Gauri parts her lips. Omkara pecks her lips and Gauri takes his lower lips in hers and gently sucks on it. Then she quickly stops feeling a little nervous. Omkara takes her lower lips and sucks on it. Gauri kisses him. As if by instinct, Omkara swoops in his tongue and deepens the kiss.

As they hungrily kissed, Gauri felt his erection brush against her and she freezes.

Gauri gently pushes him. "Om... Om... it is getting late. We should sleep."

Omkara looks at her with passionate eyes, then he leans down and takes her lips in his again.

"Om, we should stop." Gauri tells him.

"I want to kiss you, Gauri."

"It's late, Om." Gauri tells him again.

"But I feel like touching you." Omkara tells her as he tried to move closer to her.

"No, Om. You lie back." Gauri tells him feeling his erection against her. Gauri gently pushes him on the bed.

Omkara starts restlessly moving trying to get comfortable.

Gauri wondered if he was in pain or was just discomfort, she had no idea how a man felt when he was turned on and denied sexual release. Seeing his hand moving towards the middle of his body, Gauri quickly holds his hand in panic. She knew the last time he had got an erection, he had followed his body's natural instinct and she was a little scared what he would do now.

"Close your eyes, Om. You'll sleep off." Gauri tells him.

"Okay." Omkara disheartedly gives in for her.

Gauri watched as Omkara with a frown closed his eyes. Gauri felt so guilty. She shouldn't have let their kiss get out of hand. And now, Om was in this state because of her. as much as she wanted them to make love, she knew it was wrong. It is true that she loved him with all her heart and he loved her back, but the truth was that Om was not really in his senses. And she couldn't cross that threshold of their relation without his consent. When she thought about it, she had married him without his consent and if they make love also without his consent then she will never be able to justify it to him once he gets alright.

**********

Gauri watched with a smile as Omkara walked to her with the pink tulip. He offers it to her and she takes it with a smile. He always made sure that he gave a different flower from the previous day.

"Thank you, Om." Gauri tells him smiling as she looked at him.

Omkara leans down and takes her lips in his. Gauri quickly moves back worriedly as she looked around to see if anyone saw them. "Not here, Om." Gauri tells him.

"Why?" Omkara asks her confused.

"Only in our room. not here."

"Okay." Omkara says then holding her hand, he leads her to their bedroom.

"Om..." Gauri worriedly calls him after closing the bedroom door.

In reply, he leans down and takes her lips in his.

"No, we shouldn't." Gauri tells him as she worriedly steps back.

"Why?" Omkara asks her confused.

"We shouldn't, Om."

"Why, Gauri?"

Gauri had no answer that would justify why it was okay to kiss last night and not now.

"I like kissing you, Gauri." Omkara tells her.

Gauri helplessly looks at him though feeling happy hearing him.

"Don't you like kissing me?" Omkara asks her sadly.

Seeing him so heartbroken, Gauri quickly cups his face. "I do, Om."

Gauri sees him watching her and she realizes that he was waiting. She leans up and takes his lips in hers. The moment their lips touched, he pulls her close to him and hungrily starts kissing her.

"Come, Om." Gauri takes his hand and walks to the table. "I got a new book. I'll read it to you?"

"Hmmm."

"where do you want to sit?"

"Here." Omkara tells her as he pointed at their usual spot.

Twenty minutes later, Gauri was reading the book when Omkara snatches it from her hand and closes it.

"What happened?" Gauri asks surprised.

"Not good."

"But we just finished the first chapter. It might get better."

"Bad." Omkara tells her and leaning he grabs the copy of Shantaram from his table and gives it to her.

"You want me to read this to you?"

"Yes."

"But we finished this book, Om."

"It is good." Omkara tells her.

Gauri smiles at him as she shook her head at him, then she opens the book and starts reading it.

*********

"You should sleep, Om." Gauri softly whispers to him.

"No." Omkara sadly says as he tried to continue kissing her.

"It is late, Om." Gauri whispers.

For more than a week now, they have been kissing and she had been forcing him to sleep. With his insistence on kissing, and her feelings for him, she hasn't been able to resist him when he kisses her and every night, she forces him to sleep, turning a blind eye to his needs. She was starting to feel guilty for denying him like this.

"I want to kiss you, Gauri. I feel like touching you. please, Gauri? I don't want to sleep."

Gauri looks at him and seeing the passionate look on his face and eyes and him practically begging her, her resolve breaks.

"Please, Gauri?"

Hearing him beg her, Gauri realized that she can no longer deny him or herself.

Gauri takes his lips in hers and they hungrily start kissing. Gauri starts pulling on his t-shirt. Omkara stops in confusion and Gauri lifts his t-shirt up and Omkara lifts his hand up so she can remove it. Once she removed it, Omkara as usual, mimics her and lifts up her top and removes it. Omkara looks at her half naked chest. Gauri removes her bra for him.

Seeing him staring at her, Gauri nervously calls his name, "Om."

Omkara looks up at her.

"I love you."

"I love you, Gauri."

Gauri smiles hearing that as she cupped his face. "You can kiss me."

Omkara takes her lips in his and kisses her. "I want to touch you, Gauri." Omkara whispers against her lips.

"You can touch me, Om."

"I can?" Omkara asks her as he looked at her.

"You can kiss me and touch me wherever you want." Gauri shyly tells him.

"You can kiss me and touch me wherever you want, Gauri." Omkara tells her.

*********

Gauri wakes up and sees Omkara sleeping peacefully next to her. she couldn't help the smile and she leans towards him and lovingly kisses his forehead. Omkara smiles in his sleep. Gauri smiles seeing that, she quickly getting up, she starts collecting his and her clothes. then she hurries to the bathroom to take a shower.

Gauri notices Omkara stretching in bed and she turns to look at him. Omkara opens his eyes and looks around the room for her. Gauri blushes when his eyes stop on her. Omkara smiles at her happily.

"Go, take your shower, Om." Gauri tells him shyly.

As she waited for Omkara to finish his shower, Gauri calls up the hospital for an appointment then she quickly messages the driver informing him about her trip to the hospital.

Hearing him come out of the bathroom, Gauri shyly smiles at him. Omkara walks to her and hugs her. he takes her lips in his and kiss her. as they were kissing, Gauri feels his hand on her top and he was starting to lift it up to remove it.

"No, Om." Gauri tells him as she moved back.

"Why?"

"Only at night, Om." Gauri shyly tells him as she hugged him.

"But why? I want to now."

"No, Om. Only at night." Gauri tells him, worried what if Ma and Papa decided to check on them and finds their bedroom door locked? How was she going to explain why it was locked?

Omkara sadly pouts. Gauri leaning up, kisses him on his lips.

After breakfast, Omkara and Gauri goes to the backyard so he can get a flower for her. he got her a red rose. Happy they walk to their bedroom. Gauri was reading to Omkara when Jhanvi comes looking for Gauri.

"Gauri, can you come here?" Jhanvi asks her.

Gauri nods and turns to Omkara. "I'll come back fast, okay?"

Omkara nods.

Gauri walks out of the room.

"Driver is here, he said you want to go to the hospital. Are you not feeling well?" Jhanvi asks her in concern.

"It's not that." Gauri replies quickly as she nervously looked down.

"What happened, Gauri? He said you told him you have an appointment at 12."

"Yeah, I have." Gauri whispers not wanting to lie to her mother-in-law who was more like a mother to her.

"What doctor are you seeing?"

"Gynecologist."

"Oh... do you have periods problem?" Jhanvi asks relaxing realizing it wasn't anything major.

"No."

"Then?" Jhanvi asks confused.

Gauri worriedly looks at her. "Om, is not in any condition to..." Gauri nervously gulps.

"Condition to what?" Jhanvi asks confused.

"I was.... Please don't judge me, we love each other." Gauri tells her worriedly.

Jhanvi cups her face lovingly, "We know you both love each other, Gauri. We will never judge you or misunderstand you. what is it, tell me?"

"I was... I was going to get birth control pills." Gauri nervously tells her.

Seeing how worriedly and fearfully Gauri was looking at her, Jhanvi's heart went out to her and she quickly hugs Gauri.

"We love each other, Ma."

"I know, Gauri. You don't have to give explanations." Jhanvi tells her. then cupping her face, she asks her, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, Ma. I'll go. Can you watch Om till I get back?"

Jhanvi nods her head.

"Om, I am going out. I'll come back fast, okay?" Gauri tells him as she knelt in front of him.

"No, Gauri. Don't go." Omkara tells her as he quickly grabbed her hand to stop her.

"I'll come back fast, Om."

"I'll also come." Omkara tells her worriedly.

"There will be lot of people there."

"Then you don't go." Omkara tells her as he held her tight.

"I'll come back fast, Om. This is important otherwise I wouldn't go."

"Don't go, Gauri. I am scared."

"I'll come back fast, Om. Very quickly. Please, let me go?"

Sadly, Omkara let goes off her hand as he worriedly looked at her.

********

Gauri could hear the loud screams the moment she got out of the car. She runs into the house and to their room.

"OM!" Gauri screams as she opened the door.

She sees Tej and Jhanvi struggling to hold a screaming and wailing Omkara.

"Gauri!" Omkara stops seeing her.

Omkara starts struggling and Tej and Jhanvi quickly let go of him. Omkara runs to Gauri and Gauri runs to him. They hug each other.

"What happened?" Gauri asks him worriedly.

"Where were you?" Omkara asks her as he hugged her tight.

"He has been crying for you." Tej tells her.

"About half an hour after you left, he started asking for you. Maybe he was worried that something happened to you." Jhanvi tells her.

"I am fine, Om." Gauri tells him as she cupped his face. "I am sorry, I got late."

"Don't go anywhere again." Omkara tells her with tearstained face.

"I won't."

"Promise that you won't leave me."

"I promise, Om. I will never leave you." Gauri tells him.

Omkara hugs her tight.

"I am sorry, Om. I am sorry you got scared."

Closing his eyes tight, Omkara hugs her tight.

***********

It took a while for Omkara to completely calm down but he wasn't ready to let Gauri out of his sight. Gauri tried taking Omkara to the backyard then to his parents, but he had remained clung to her. she finally takes him to their room, hoping to read something to him so she could distract him.

They sit on the floor and Gauri starts reading the book. Omkara keeps his head on her shoulders as he listened.

Few minutes later, he sits up. Then he turns to her. Gauri curiously looks at him. He wraps his hand around her waist and lifts her up and makes her sit on his lap. Gauri turns to him with a surprised smile. Omkara wraps his hand around her waist, hugging her. Gauri keeps her head on his chest. Resting her head on his chest, Gauri continues to read.

Omkara leans down and kisses her forehead. Gauri looks up at him with a smile. Omkara leans down and takes her lips in his.

"Is it night, yet?" Omkara asks her.

**********

"Is it night yet?" Omkara asks Gauri making her blush.

Nowadays that was the question that he asked her the most. He asked that question at the most bizarre time and even when his parents were around them. luckily for Gauri they only once asked her why he was curious about that and she had lied that was because he might be feeling sleepy.

A month later, Omkara's doctor had suggested that they take him out somewhere. They decided to take him for lunch. They reserved a table that was away from the crowd but still close enough to the crowd to see how Om would react.

Every time the waiter came near their table, Omkara would hold Gauri's hand tightly. He was sitting inside so that no one will be near him other Gauri. They tried their best to keep Omkara calm and relaxed.

Gauri takes the finger bowl from the waiter and keeps it in front of Omkara. Omkara waited till the waiter left, before he cleaned his hands.

"Are you okay, Om?" Gauri asks him as she wiped his fingers.

"Are you okay?" Omkara asks her back.

"Yes. And you?"

"I want to go home. I don't like it here." Omkara tells her as he looked down.

"We'll go home now." Gauri tells him reassuringly.

Omkara nods.

"I'll get the car. You come out after 5 minutes, so Om doesn't have to wait for the car much." Tej tells them as he stood up.

After five minutes they walk out and finds Tej waiting at the valet parking.

"He is bringing the car." Tej informs them.

They nod in reply.

"Is it night yet?" Omkara asks Gauri.

Gauri blushes as she looked at him. "It will be night when we reach home."

"When will we reach home?" Omkara asks her.

"Soon." Gauri tells him smiling at him.

Omkara smiles seeing her smile at him.

They hear a loud scream and they curiously look at that direction. They see a thief running after snatching the gold chain of a lady. A man catches the thief and slaps him. The thief falls down.

Tej turns to Gauri in panic. "Gauri, take Om inside."

"Om, come. let's go inside." Gauri tells him realizing what was going to happen and she grabs his hand and starts to drag him.

But Omkara just stood as he stared at the commotion. He sees a crowd gathering around the fallen man and starts hitting him.

"Om..." Gauri urgently shakes him seeing Omkara going pale.

Omkara starts screaming in fear and panic.

"Om... it's okay... they won't do anything to you. we are going home." Gauri quickly tells him.

Omkara turns to Gauri then grabbing her hand, he starts running in the opposite direction. Unable to stop him, Gauri runs with him with Jhanvi and Tej running behind them, trying to catch up to them.

"Om... we'll go home. Please stop." Gauri tries to tell him but he doesn't stop. Gauri did wonder whether he heard her even because his sole concentration was on getting both of them to safety.

Omkara continues to run with Gauri, panicking, crying and screaming. Noticing he was leading her to the road, Gauri tries to pull him back.

"Om, no." Gauri worriedly tells him then she hears a loud horn and she turns to the sound and sees a car speeding towards them. Gauri with all her might, pushes Omkara away and out of danger's way. Before she could get away, she was hit by the car.

**********

Gauri with great difficulty opens her eyes and sees Jhanvi sitting next to her.

"Gauri?" Jhanvi say smiling. "You are awake. You scared us." Jhanvi tells her as she pressed the button to call the nurse.

"Where is Om? Is he okay?"

"He is fine." Jhanvi gently tells her.

"I want to see him. He will be worried sick." Gauri tells her as she tried to sit up.

"You need rest, Gauri." Jhanvi tells her as she tried to make her lie back.

"Om will be worried, Ma."

"He is fine, Gauri. Tej is with him."

"I want to see Om."

"Gauri, you woke up after 3 days. Wait till the doctor sees you."

"3 days?" Gauri asks in shock.

"You were in a coma, Gauri." Jhanvi gently tells her.

"Oh my God, Ma. Om will be worried." Gauri tells her worriedly as her eyes fill up.

"He is sleeping, Gauri." Jhanvi quickly tells her.

"Sleeping?" Gauri asks confused. "You sedated him?"

"Yes."

"I want to see him."

"Gauri, you have fracture on your ankle and doctor has told you to rest." Jhanvi tells her.

"But Om..."

"He is at home, Gauri. You're in the hospital." Jhanvi tells her just as the nurse walked in.

*********

Gauri was getting restless as it has been two days as she hasn't met Om. She was getting worried sick wondering how he was managing without her. after sitting through tons of tests, she was told that she would be discharged that day. Gauri sighs in relief knowing she would be able to go back to Om.

A nurse walks into the room. "I thought Jhanvi Madam would be here."

"Ma is not here. What happened?" Gauri asks her.

"The canteen bill wasn't paid. Is she in the other room?"

"Other room?" Gauri asks confused. "She went to see the doctor."

"Oh okay then I'll come back later." The nurse tells her with a smile.

"But what did you mean by the other room?"

"Her son's room."

"Om?" Gauri asks frowning in shock. "He is admitted here?"

"You didn't know?" the nurse asks confused.

"Which room is he in?" Gauri asks sitting up in shock.

********

The nurse opens the door for Gauri. Gauri takes the crutches from the nurse as she stood up from the wheel chair.

"You go. He doesn't like strangers. Thank you." Gauri gently whispers to her.

Gauri walks in using the crutches and sees Om sitting on the bed with his eyes closed. He had a bandage on his forehead, his right hand was on a sling. Gauri worriedly moves to him.

"Om?" Gauri gently keeps her hand on his shoulder.

Omkara jerks awake as he looked at her. he frowns at her.

"I am sorry, Om. I didn't know you were here. I would have come earlier. Are you okay?" Gauri asks him. "Is it hurting you?"

"Who are you? why did you come into my room?" Omkara asks her frowning.

"Om?" Gauri whispers his name in shock seeing the change in his attitude.

"Please leave me alone."

"Om, I am Gauri." Gauri reminds him in shock.

Seeing the change in him, the way he looked at her, the way he spoke and his attitude, it could mean only one thing, he was normal now. he had recovered.

"Gauri?" Omkara frowns as he stared at her. "Nayantara kaki's daughter?"

Gauri nods her head. "Don't you remember me, Om?"

Omkara looks away then he asks her gently, "I need to be alone. Will you please leave me alone?"

Gauri's eyes fill up hearing that. "I'll stay here, Om. I'll take care of you."

"You can't even stand, how are you going to take care of me?" Omkara asks her getting agitated. "I don't need a caretaker. Please go to your room."

Gauri helplessly looks at him for a while and he refused to look at her.

"Please leave." Omkara tells her as he looked away from her.

Gauri turns around and starts to leave the room.

"Wait." Omkara says.

Gauri turns to look at him happily and sees him pressing the button to call a nurse.

"Yes sir?" a nurse comes hurrying in.

"She can't walk. Can you have someone help her to her room?" Omkara asks the nurse.

"I'll get the wheelchair now." the nurse tells Gauri and hurries out.

Gauri stood there helplessly watching Omkara, her heart breaking with the way he was being indifferent to her. he didn't even look at her.

The nurse brings the wheelchair and Gauri without a word sits on it.

"I'll help you to the bed." The nurse tells her.

"I'll manage. Thank you." Gauri tells her as she got off the wheelchair and took the crutches from the nurse.

Once the nurse left the room, dropping the crutches to the floor, Gauri drops to the floor and bursts out crying.

*********

"Gauri?" Jhanvi gently calls her as she saw her on the floor crying.

Gauri looks up at her as she wailed.

"You saw Om?" Jhanvi asks her as she knelt down next to her.

Gauri nods her head.

"He doesn't remember anything from the last 7 years, Gauri. We tried telling him but he..."

"What do I do now, Ma?" Gauri asks her as she hugged her and bursts out crying.

"Please give him some time, Gauri. He is still coming to terms with everything." Jhanvi tells her.

"They have discharged you, Gauri. Let's go home."

"What about Om?"

"He has some counselling and therapy. He needs to stay here for a few more days."

"I'll stay here then. He will feel lonely without me." Gauri tells her as she looked at her.

"Gauri..." Jhanvi helplessly says her name, not wanting to say it out loud to her that it is not going to make any difference to Om.

Seeing the look on her face, Gauri hugs Jhanvi and cries loudly.

********

Gauri stayed at home as she hoped and prayed for a miracle, that would return Om's memory of last couple of months. Today, Om was going to be discharged from the hospital. Gauri was hopeful that maybe once he gets back home, he might remember their time together or her.

Hearing the door open, Gauri sits up on the bed and sees Omkara walk in. he stops in shock seeing her on the bed.

"What are you doing here in my room?" Omkara asks her.

Gauri quickly looks down as she tried to hide her tears from him.

"What are you saying, Om? This is her room too now." Tej tells him as he followed Omkara to the bedroom.

"She is your wife, Om." Jhanvi tells him.

Tired and helpless, Omkara just looks at them, "I just need my space. Please?"

"I'll go to the other room." Gauri tells him as she leaned to grab the crutches.

Seeing her struggling to get the crutches Omkara says, "It's okay. I'll move to the other room. you can stay here."

"This is your room." Gauri tells him. "I'll go."

"You can't walk." Omkara points out.

"I'll manage." Gauri tells him.

Jhanvi walks to Gauri to help her.

"My things are here." Gauri tells Jhanvi. "Will you..."

"I'll bring it." Jhanvi tells her.

"Thank you, Ma." Gauri tells her.

As she passed Omkara, she looks at him and Omkara was looking at her. without say anything, Gauri walks out of the room with Jhanvi.

*********

Gauri stayed in her new room as she nursed her broken heart and ankle. She didn't ask Jhanvi or Tej about Om because she knew if he had a change of heart then they would tell her even without her asking them. when they didn't say anything then it meant only one thing and it was that he no longer needed her in his life.

Two months later, after her hospital visit Gauri was walking back into the house when she spots Omkara. After two months she was seeing him for the first time. he had changed. His dressing had changed. He was still wearing the clothes he had earlier but the way he wore them now was different. His hair was no longer over grown that she had cut the last 3-4 times to make it more in shape and neater. Now, it was cut short neatly. His stance had a sense of confidence unlike the unsure way Om used to have. Even his sling was gone. As if sensing her gaze on him, he curiously turns to look at her.

Seeing her standing on her both legs, he looks down at her legs. Since he hadn't walked off seeing her, Gauri walks towards him.

"How are you?" Gauri asks him.

"Okay. You?" Omkara asks her.

"Okay. how is your hand now?"

"Fine. Does that pain you?" Omkara asks her pointing at her legs.

Gauri shakes her head in negative. "It is stiff."

Omkara nods and starts to walk off.

"You are looking nice, Om." Gauri tells him.

Omkara stops and looks at her. "My family calls me Om. You can call me Omkara."

Gauri looks away feeling her eyes fill up. She was amazed that after crying for two months, her tear banks were still in full supply. Without looking at him, she tells him. "I am your wife. I am your family, Om." Then without waiting to see how he was going to react to that, Gauri walks off.

**********

"Om." Gauri calls out to him as she extended her hand to him.

He walks towards her and takes her hand happily. "Gauri." He hugs her smiling happily. Then he kisses on her lips. As they kissed, they were suddenly on his bed, naked, making love.

Omkara sits up breaking out of his dream. Breathing hard and fast, he grabs the bottle from the side table and starts gulping down the water as he tried to calm his raising heart beats. Looks like, Gauri and he had a sexual relation too and his body was craving for sex now.

**********

"So, how are you doing, Omkara?" the doctor asks him with a smile.

"Fine." Omkara replies as he looked around the room.

"Are you getting sleep at night?"

"Yes."

"Any nightmares?"

"No. not even dreams." Omkara replies quickly.

Doctor frowns hearing that. "What do you mean by no dreams?"

"No dreams. I sleep peacefully." Omkara says agitatedly.

"Hmmm."

"Are you able to connect with your parents like you did before?"

"They are my parents."

"What about Gauri?"

Omkara stills for a second then he replies as he looked at his hand, "I don't know her."

"Hmmm Don't you want to get to know her?"

Omkara looks up frowning at him, "Did my parents put you up for this?"

"No. Why do you think so?" the doctor asks curiously.

Omkara shrugs. "They are asking me to accept her."

"Why is that you don't want to accept her?"

"I don't know her."

"So, why are you not trying to know her?"

Omkara shrugs then checking his watch, he asks "Is one hour up?"

"We have about 45 minutes more."

Omkara sighs loudly.

"Have you thought of meeting the people that you know?"

Omkara sighs agitatedly as he looks away, he was done talking.

*********

Gauri walks back into the house after her walk in the backyard. Every day she walked in the backyard remembering how she used to walk with Om there. Every time she went out there, she would end up crying but she couldn't bring herself to stop visiting the backyard, because the flower pots there still connected her to her Om.

Wiping her tears, she was walking to her room when she hears a soft "What the hell?"

Curious she turns to look and sees Omkara sitting in the living room, reading Shantaram with a frown on his face. seeing him read the book that had had helped Om and her bond, brought back lot of memories, joy and pain. Wiping her tears and face, she walks towards him.

"Om... what happened?" Gauri asks him as she stopped a little away from him.

Omkara looks up at her and says, "Nothing." Then he frowns seeing her face, "You okay?"

"Yes."

"Your eyes..." Omkara hesitantly says.

"I am fine." Gauri cuts him off. "Is everything alright?"

Omkara nods. "Yeah."

Gauri turns to walk off when his voice reaches her. "My friend gifted me this book."

Gauri turns to look at him and sees him looking at the book cover.

"He wanted me to start a reading habit. He said this is an amazing book and once I start reading this, then I will love reading books." Omkara thoughtfully says.

"It is a good book." Gauri tells him when he remained silent.

"I haven't read this book but I feel like I know what is going to happen next. Like I have been through all this. I don't remember anything like that. maybe I have seen a movie based on this. I am just confused. That is all. It is so weird that I don't know the story of this book but I can guess accurately what is going to happen next." Omkara says thoroughly confused.

"I used to read that book to you." Gauri tells him.

Omkara looks up at her in shock. "You did?"

"Thrice. You never liked any other book. Every time I tried reading another book to you, you would stop me and make me read this book. Maybe that is why." Gauri tells him.

"Three times you read this huge book for me?" Omkara asks her shocked.

"First time, I wanted to pass time and I was reading it so I read it out loud so you also could listen. The other two times was for you."

Omkara looks down at the book cover. "Thanks."

Gauri shrugs in reply. "Which friend gave it to you? Rudra?"

"Yes. You know Rudra?" Omkara asks her surprised as he looked at her.

"He is the only friend of yours who called to check on you all these years."

"Only him? No one else?" Omkara asks a little hurt as he looked down.

"Ma mentioned couple of them called in the beginning. Then I guess they got busy with their career and life."

Omkara nods.

"You should call Rudra."

"I will. Thanks for telling me. Ma didn't tell me about it."

"He hasn't called in the last three-four months, maybe that is why. She might have assumed he gave up on you." Gauri tells him.

Omkara nods.

"You should call him."

"I will. Have you spoken to him?"

"Once when he called after our marriage. He told me to take care of you."

"He is a sweet guy."

"And a loyal friend." Gauri tells him.

Then there was nothing left for them to talk, so Gauri just walks back to her room.

*********

"Om... come here." Gauri says with a smile as she extended her hand to him.

He walks to her and takes her hand.

"I love you, Om." Gauri says as she cupped his face.

He kisses her hungrily as he started removing her top.

"I want to touch you, Gauri."

Gauri lovingly smiles at him. "I am yours, Om."

"I am yours, Gauri."

Omkara sits up as he gasped for air. He closes his eyes tight wanting to get rid of those images from his mind. Omkara grabs the water bottle and drinks from it.

Omkara sighs as he kept the bottle back on the table. Getting up from his bed, he goes to take a cold shower like the last few weeks.

********

"So, your father was saying you want to resume your studies."

"Yes."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"There is nothing to talk."

"Hmmm... so where do you plan to stay? You used to stay in the hostel, right?"

"I'll stay in a hotel this time."

"Why not in your old hostel?"

"My friends are no longer there." Omkara tells him. "Is the time up? I have things to do."

"No."

"You discuss whatever I tell you with my parents?"

"Yes."

"I don't want you to do that anymore."

"Okay." Doctor replies.

"Really?" Omkara asks not believing him.

"It is just that for the last couple of years your parents were the one I updated on your condition."

"Now, I can handle myself."

"That is very good, Omkara. I want to talk more about that."

Omkara shrugs then he asks softly. "Does Gauri call you?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"She asks about you."

"What about me?"

"How you are doing and all."

"That's it?" Omkara asks suspiciously.

"Yes."

"Nothing else?"

"If you are wondering if she asks me about your thoughts on her, she hasn't done that."

"Hmmm."

"Have you given it any thought?"

Omkara doesn't reply as he looked away.

**********

Gauri was walking back from the backyard when she hears Omkara's irritated groan. She curiously turns and sees him sitting on the couch with a phone in hand.

"Om... what happened?" Gauri asks him as she walked to him.

Omkara looks up at her and then quickly looks away as he looked at his phone. "Papa gave me this new phone. I am just trying to set it up."

"Can I help you?"

"It's okay, I will manage." Omkara tells her.

"I can help." Gauri tells him as she extended her hand to him.

Sighing Omkara gives her his phone. Gauri sits next to him. Her hand brushes against his arm as she sat. that single touch brought back all the dreams he had been having for weeks and the blood started flowing south. He quickly moves away from her. Gauri who was looking at her phone senses him moving away.

"Sorry." Gauri whispers as she moved away from him, making space between them. she felt her heart break with the way he had moved away from her.

"It's not that." Omkara quickly replies.

"Then?" Gauri asks curiously as she looked at him.

Seeing her looking at him, Omkara looks away. "I had an iPhone. It was easy and simple to use. This one is asking me to set up Siri, retina scan, iCloud. I just don't know what all those are."

"Siri is a virtual assistant." Gauri tells him, realizing he had changed the topic.

"Virtual? What?" Omkara asks her completely clueless.

Gauri quickly starts to explaining to him everything and helps setting up his phone.

"Thank you." Omkara tells Gauri as he took the phone from her.

"You are welcome." Gauri tells him with a smile. "Is there anything you want my help with?"

Omkara shakes his head in negative as he continued to look at his phone screen. Seeing him busy with his phone, Gauri gets up and starts to walk off.

"I had a girlfriend."

Gauri turns around in shock hearing him, her heart skipping a beat, her breathe caught in her throat. Omkara was looking at her.

"We have been together for about a year, before..."

"Ma never mentioned anything." Gauri whispers to him finally understanding why he had rejected her.

"They didn't know." Omkara tells her.

Gauri nods gulping, not knowing what to say or do.

"I want to meet her."

"Do... do you..." Gauri closes her eyes fighting her tears as she shook her head to clear her head. then taking a deep breath, she asks him, "Do you want to get back with her?"

Omkara frowns hearing the question. "No. Ridhima is not what plagues my mind."

"Then what does?" Gauri asks him in concern wondering whether he was plagued with the thoughts of his best friend's murder and the attack on him.

Omkara looks away.

Realizing that he wasn't ready to talk about it, Gauri asks him. "If you don't want to get back with her then why do you want to meet her?"

"Ours was a long distance relation, Ridhima's college was in a different city. We couldn't meet often but she used to always talk about getting married and I felt we were still young to get married." Omkara tells Gauri as he looked at her. "Then that happened..." Omkara says then looking down at his phone, he tells her, "I feel I owe her an explanation for disappearing from her life like that."

Seeing Gauri looking at him thoughtfully, Omkara says, "I know she would have moved on in life. she could be married now, but I feel I owe her an explanation."

"I feel she owes you an explanation for disappearing from your life." Gauri tells him.

Omkara looks away thoughtfully.

"If she had tried to keep in touch with Ma, then today she would be your wife, not me." Gauri points out to him.

"Yeah maybe. I just want to put that behind me."

"Why are you telling me this?" Gauri asks him.

Omkara looks at her for a few seconds in confusion then looking away he says, "I don't know. Excuse me." Omkara gets up and walks off to his room.

Gauri felt herself smile as she watched him walk away. he told her that because he was starting to see her as his wife and he might have felt that he would be disloyal to her if he went to see his ex-girlfriend without telling her.

********

They were in bed. He was kissing her on her lips. Then he starts moving down, kissing her on her chin, then her neck. He devours her neck while she moaned in pleasure. He starts kissing her down her chest, taking her bosom, kissing and sucking. Then he starts moving down, kissing her while Gauri moaned in ecstasy.

He comes up and passionately looks at Gauri. Gauri gently rolls him over and gets on top of him. As he lay back, she starts kissing him down his neck and chest. As she kissed and sucked on his chest, he started losing control and he couldn't wait anymore. Lifting her up, he rolls her over and enters her. Gauri gasps in shock and pleasure.

"Gauri?" he asks in concern as he stopped.

"Don't stop, Om." Gauri whispers to him.

He starts thrusting into her as they moaned in pleasure. As the frenzied movements reached its peak, they both climaxed together, moaning each other's name.

Omkara opens his eyes. His dreams had never been this vivid and now, his body was tightened in need. As his heart slammed against his chest, he realized that no cold shower could calm his raging needs, only Gauri could.

*********

Gauri was standing by the window as she thought about Om. Even with Ma and Papa with her, with Om in front of her eyes, she still felt lonely. She was starting to feel that she was all alone in this world. Hearing the door open, Gauri curiously turns around and finds Om at the door.

"Om?" Gauri starts to walk towards him.

Omkara walks in and closes the door. Omkara looks at her and seeing the passionate look on his eyes and face that she had seen countless times, Gauri starts to walk forward. Seeing her come towards him, Omkara walks towards and the moment she was at arm's length, he holds her and pulls her towards him then he hungrily starts kissing her. Gauri hugs him eagerly kissing him back, her eyes filling up due to relief and joy, finally, her husband was home.

**********

Gauri stretches happily as she patted the bed looking for Om. Feeling the bed empty, she opens her eyes and sighs realizing that he had left. She wondered why he had left without telling her. then she smiles realizing that he didn't want to be caught by Papa and Ma. She felt a little sad that he had left without waking her up then she consoles herself with a smile, maybe it was because he hadn't let her sleep the night before. All night long they had made love. They didn't talk, and she wasn't worried about that. they had loved each other last night and they can talk today. realizing that she needed to get ready for the day, Gauri hurriedly gets off the bed.

Gauri was packing up her things so she could shift to his room when she hears a knock at the door. she hoped it was Om and not Ma. She won't be able to hide her joy from Ma and she wanted to tell Papa and Ma about Om and her, together with him. They had been worried sick about Om and her.

Gauri smiles happily seeing Om at the door. "Why didn't you wake me up when you left?" Gauri asks him as she opened the door for him.

Omkara steps in and lightly closes the door.

"What happened, Om?" Gauri asks seeing the serious look on his face.

"Here." Omkara says as he extended his hand to her.

Gauri curiously looks down and sees him holding money. "What is that for?"

"If it is less then tell me."

"What?" Gauri looks at him utterly confused.

"I don't know how much... I've never..." Omkara stops as he extended his hand more towards her.

"Om? What is this for?"

"For last night."

And Gauri's world stopped.

She died a little.

"I don't know how much you charge for..." Omkara stops when she furiously slapped him.

"I am not a prostitute." Gauri tells him with furiously tears.

"I just..."

"I AM YOUR WIFE." Gauri tells him as tears spilled from her eyes, then unable to look at him, she pushes him and runs out of the room.

Omkara stumbles and holds onto her bed to steady himself and notices the bag she had packing. His first thought was a panic filled one that she was going away somewhere then it was quickly replaced with the realization that she wasn't going anywhere, she was planning to come to his room. filled with regret, he runs after her.

Seeing the terrace door open, Omkara runs worriedly, his mind filled with horrific thoughts. "GAURI!"

"Please go from here."

Hearing her voice, he turns around and sees her sitting on the floor, hugging her knees, her face hidden on her knees crying.

"Gauri." Omkara helplessly says her name as he knelt in front of her.

"Go away." Gauri tells him as she cried her heart out.

"Papa told me you married me for money." Omkara tells her helplessly.

Gauri stops in shock and looking up, she tells him with tearstained face, "He would never say that."

"He did."

Gauri stares at him in shock for a few seconds then she asks him furiously, "Those were his exact words?"

Omkara looks at her as he tried to jog his memory.

"What did he tell you exactly?"

"That you were in need of money..." Omkara starts to tell her.

"Marrying you because I was in need of money and marrying you for money are two different things. There is a world of difference in it!"

Omkara looks away unable to face her.

"I didn't marry you for money. My mother was sick. She needed treatment. I had just joined your company and I had met Papa to ask him to approve my loan. He asked me to marry you and promised to take care of my mother. But I wasn't ready to do that. I was confused and I didn't know what I was supposed to do. That time, the doctor messaged saying that Ma's condition was bad. Papa immediately told him to start treatment for my mother and that he would bear all the expenses. Papa and Ma even apologized to me for putting such a condition to me. I married you because I realized that I owed them. not only for Ma's treatment but also for the life that Ma and I had because of their kindness. I didn't marry you for money." Gauri tells him as she broke into tears.

"Please don't cry, Gauri."

"Why does it matter to you whether I cry or not?" Gauri asks him as she looked at him tiredly.

Omkara doesn't reply to that because he had no answer.

"I was worried that you didn't accept our marriage... that you didn't consider me your wife, but I never realized that you considered me a prostitute."

Omkara closes his eyes hearing her, realizing the pain he had caused her.

"I made love with my Om because I loved him and he loved me. he never gave me money and I never asked him for money." Gauri tells him breaking into sobs.

"I am sorry, Gauri."

"Om had hurt me." Gauri tells him as she extended her hand to show the scar. It was an ugly scar that looked like a worm was there under her skin.

Omkara looks at her wrist in shock seeing the long keloid.

"he had attacked me. he even tried to force himself on me."

"What?" Omkara asks in a soft whisper, his heart stopping at the realization that he had tried to rape Gauri.

"But never even once he had made me feel like..." Gauri cries.

"I promised him that I would never leave him. I stayed on even after you rejected me all these months because I promised him. Now, I realize that I should have left long back."

Gauri sadly sighs tired. "Please go from here."

"Gauri..." Omkara gently keeps his hand on her knee.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Gauri says furiously as she pushed his hand away. "GO AWAY!"

Omkara starts to get up to walk off then helplessly he sits back and tells her softly. "I just don't know what I am supposed to do. I don't know what I want to do. What I want from life."

"I wake up and I realize that I lost 7 years of my life. 7 golden years that I could have used to make my life something. Something meaningful."

Gauri looks up in shock and sees him with tears in his eyes.

"I don't look the same. My parents don't look the same. People I knew are no longer in my life. there is a new person in my life who married me for..." Omkara stops as he looked down in guilt. "Who I misunderstood had married me for money. My parents and she wants me to accept her, but I don't know her. I don't understand her. she married me for money and she was acting as if I was being cruel to her by not accepting her. every time I looked at her I was filled with guilt for not accepting her but I just couldn't accept her. my parents acted as if she was more important to them than me. as if she was their daughter and I was the outsider. All I had left were my parents and she took them away."

"They are your parents, they love you." Gauri tells him in shock. "They care for me because I loved their son."

Omkara looks away, "Even when I tried to avoid her, I dream of her every night." Omkara tells her then he softly adds, "even last night."

"Is that why you..."

"Yes." Omkara then looking at her, he confesses guiltily, "Last night, I just couldn't control myself."

Gauri nods.

"I lost my life and everyone around me wanted me to start a life with you. I just didn't know how I was supposed to start living my life as if nothing happened. As if the last 7 years of my life is not a black hole. As if I didn't watch my best friend be killed in front of my eyes."

Hearing that, Gauri quickly holds his hand.

Omkara looks at her holding his hand, his eyes fill with fresh tears. "I gave you so much pain. I broke your heart and here, you are holding my hand to console me."

"You should let other people in." Gauri gently tells him. "Your parents, your doctor, they all are trying to help you. till you share your pain, it is not going to heal you."

Omkara looks at her in amazement.

They remained silent each thinking of the other.

"He loved you?"

"Om?"

Omkara nods in yes.

"Yes. And I love him."

"I don't know how much of your Om is there in me. I am not him."

"If my Om wasn't there in you, you wouldn't have dreamt of me."

"Don't think too much into it." Omkara gently tells her. "It could have been my body telling me of its needs."

Gauri looks away feeling hurt.

"I am not trying to hurt you; I am just trying to be honest with you." Omkara tells her.

"What do you want from us?" Gauri asks him as she looked at him.

Omkara looks at her for some time as he thought about it. "I don't know." He finally tells her helplessly.

"I'll leave then." Gauri tells him as she felt her eyes fill up.

"No." Omkara says quickly.

Gauri looks at him in confusion.

"I just don't know what I want. But please give me some time." Omkara requests her. "Just till I figure out what I want from my life."

"How long?" Gauri asks him.

Omkara looks at her helplessly then he tells her, "In two days, I am going to my college. They want me to attend 45 hours of class before they let me write my exams."

"I know. Ma told me."

"I'll come back after my exams. Till then?"

"So a month."

"Yes."

"Okay."

"Thank you."

Gauri sighs.

"I am sorry, Gauri."

Gauri nods in reply.

"Let's go inside?"

"You go. I just want to sit here."

"Please Gauri?" Omkara requests her.

Seeing him request her, Gauri sighs and stands up.

*********

Two days later, Omkara left for his college. He didn't call her and she also never called him. But his parents regularly talked to him and from them Gauri heard all his news. As days passed, Gauri realized that she had missed her periods. She had stopped taking the birth control pills after Om had recovered because there was no need for it. Then after their night together, she had been too heartbroken to think of a pregnancy.

The next day when Gauri went for her weekly physiotherapy session for her ankles, she took an appointment with the gynecologist and confirmed her pregnancy.

For the first time, Gauri hid something from her in-laws. She didn't want to tell them before she told Om. She checks the calendar, Om's exams had started and he should be home in a week. She will tell him then and they would take a decision together. She wasn't sure how he was going to react to such a big news. She felt a little sorry for him and their baby. Om was struggling to come to terms with his life and here she was pregnant with their baby. he still wasn't sure whether he wanted her in his life and now, looks like life was taking away another choice from him.

Gauri lovingly caress her stomach, whether Om wanted this baby or not, she loved their baby, and she wanted this baby.

She remembers what his doctor had told her couple of weeks back.

"When you look at him you will see a 28 years old man but don't forget that he has lived only till the age of 21 years. He has the life experience of only a 21 years old, so always keep in mind that he doesn't have the maturity or life experience that you have."

She was really worried how he was going to take it and she was worried for him.

*********

Gauri opens her eyes to see a worried Jhanvi and Tej near her. she looks at them in confusion. She had been talking to Ma, and was helping her in making a sweet dish as Om was coming back the next morning and then she just couldn't remember anything else after that. looking around she realizes that she was in hospital.

"Gauri?"

"Ma... how come I am here?" Gauri asks trying to sit up.

"You fainted, Gauri. If I wasn't standing near you and hadn't caught you, then you would have hit your head or something." Jhanvi tells her worriedly.

"How are you feeling?" Tej asks her.

"I am fine. We should go home." Gauri says worriedly as she tried to sit up.

"Let the doctor come first."

"I am fine now. we'll go home." Gauri says as she sat up.

"Yes, still we will talk to the doctor and leave." Jhanvi tells her.

"I just want to go home, Ma."

"We'll go, Gauri. And the doctor has to give you discharge."

Gauri couldn't do anything other than helplessly stay in the bed, praying that the doctor not ask her about her pregnancy.

"Her BP shot up." The doctor tells them as he wrote on her file.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Yes." The doctor looks up and tells them. "It happens during pregnancy."

Gauri closes her eyes in panic.

"Pregnancy?" Tej asks frowning.

"But Gauri is not pregnant." Jhanvi tells him.

The doctor frowns at them in confusion as he flipped through the pages on the file. "Her file says last week she did a pregnancy test and it was confirmed."

"You are pregnant, Gauri?" Jhanvi asks her as she turned to her in shock.

Gauri doesn't reply, she just looks down at her nails.

Sensing the awkward situation in the room, the doctor says, "Anyway she can go home." Then giving some instructions, he quickly leaves.

"Gauri?" Jhanvi sits next to her and keeps her hand on her shoulder. "Why didn't you tell us that you are pregnant?"

"Even Om didn't say anything." Tej says.

"He doesn't know." Gauri replies.

"Why didn't you tell us that you and Om sorted out all the issues?" Jhanvi asks her feeling joyous.

Hearing that, Gauri felt her eyes fill up. She feels Jhanvi hold her chin and gently raise her face to face her. the smile and happiness on Jhanvi's face turn to confusion seeing her tears.

"What happened, Gauri?" Jhanvi asks her in concern.

Gauri lowers her eyes feeling her heart break remembering what had happened.

"Aren't you and Om together now?" Tej asks Gauri in confusion.

Gauri shakes her head in negative.

"Then how are you pregnant?" Tej asks in shock before he could think or process the information.

Gauri closes her eyes tight as she tried to push the memory of that night away.

"Gauri..." Jhanvi nervously calls her name in a whisper. "Did Om... like that day... did he...?"

"Oh no." Tej whispers in horror.

Gauri looks at Jhanvi in confusion. Seeing the horror on her white as a ghost face, Gauri realizes they were talking about the night Om had tried to force himself on her.

"No no no no." Gauri tells them quickly.

"Then?"

Unable to handle her pain, Gauri hugs her mother-in-law, "He offered me money after that." Gauri whispers to her and starts crying loudly.

Gauri feels her mother-in-law hug her tight.

*********

Hearing a knock at the door, Gauri curiously opens it. She sees Omkara at the door.

"Om?" Gauri whispers in surprise.

"Papa and Ma are not home?" Omkara asks her.

"Papa's friend is sick, so they went to see him. You were supposed to come tomorrow, right?"

"Yes. There were tickets available so I took an early flight." Omkara tells her.

"How was your exams?"

"Okay. can I come in?"

Gauri nods and moves to let him enter.

"I want to tell you something." Gauri nervously tells him.

"I've made a decision, Gauri." Omkara quickly tells her.

"Oh what did you decide?" Gauri asks him worriedly.

"I am sorry, Gauri." Omkara whispers to her.

Gauri nods as she lowered her gaze fighting her tears.

Seeing her so heart broken, Omkara tells her helplessly, "My life is a mess, Gauri. I can't invite you into that mess."

"I understand." Gauri whispers.

"I just can't take the responsibility of another person now. I am sorry."

Gauri nods. "If you don't mind, I would like to be alone now."

Omkara leaves and Gauri locks the door. then falling to her knees, covering her mouth, she cries.

********

Gauri was packing her bag when she hears a knock on the door.

"Gauri?" Jhanvi calls out to her.

Gauri opens the door and sees Jhanvi and Tej at the door.

"Are you okay, Gauri?" Jhanvi asks her in concern as she walked in.

Gauri nods her head in reply.

"Did you have your medicine?" Tej asks her.

"Yes." Gauri replies.

Seeing the half packed bag on the bed, Jhanvi curiously turns to her. "Why are you packing?"

"I am leaving, Ma."

"What do you mean you are leaving?" Tej asks her in shock.

"I don't want to stay here anymore."

"This is your house, Gauri." Jhanvi reminds her.

"It doesn't feel like it anymore." Gauri whispers to her as she looked down.

"Why are you taking such hasty decisions, Gauri?" Tej asks her.

"At least wait till Om comes." Jhanvi tells her.

"Om is here." Gauri informs them.

"He asked you to leave?" Jhanvi asks her in anger.

"No... no, he didn't."

"Then why are you suddenly insisting on leaving?" Tej asks her.

"I just want to go."

"Papa." Omkara calls Tej noticing him standing outside Gauri's room. "Is everything alright there?" Omkara asks as he walked to Gauri's room.

Tej furiously turns to Omkara and he walks towards him. When he reached Omkara, Tej furiously slaps him. He starts slapping Omkara continuously.

"Is this how we raised you? Is this what you have become, Om?" Tej asks him as he furiously hit Omkara. "That you offer your wife money for..."

"Papa, please no." Gauri hurries to him as she saw him hit Omkara.

"She is your wife, Om!" Tej tells him with furious tears.

"Please Papa, no." Gauri tells him as she pulled him back.

"How could you do this, Om?" Jhanvi asks him with tear filled eyes. "How could you be so cruel to her? you might not remember that she is your wife but you know that she is your wife."

"I am starting to wish that you had never recovered, Om." Tej tells him in a sad whisper. "At least whatever you did before, we had a justification. What justification are we going to give her for your, this behavior?"

Omkara closes his eyes in pain hearing that.

"Om?" Gauri keeps her hand on his shoulder feeling his heart break.

Omkara furiously pushes her hand away.

"Even now, you are treating her like this. Don't ever hurt her, Om. We will never forgive you. she is our daughter. She is above you for us. you might not remember, but we have seen and we remember, how she had loved and took care of our scared, violent and unstable son. If you hurt her one more time, Om..." Jhanvi tells him furiously.

Omkara turns around and walks off. Gauri helplessly watch him walk into his room. then she hears him slam the door shut. She turns to Jhanvi and Tej.

"You shouldn't have done that." Gauri tells them sadly. "He already feels that you love me more than you love him. He is insecure and lost. Please try to understand him."

*******

Gauri knocks on Omkara's room after a while. When he doesn't reply, Gauri slowly tries the door handle and sees that the door was unlocked. She opens the door and finds Omkara sitting on the floor, leaning on his bed, his eyes closed.

"Om?" Gauri softly calls him as she walked in.

"What do you want?" Omkara asks her with his eyes closed.

"I just came to check on you." Gauri gently tells him

Omkara scoffs loudly as he opened his eyes to look at her. "You are a bloody liar." Omkara accuses her.

"What?"

"here I was living in guilt thinking I wronged you, I misunderstood you and you..." Omkara scoffs as he looked away.

"Me what, Om?" Gauri asks him in confusion.

"In front of me you act as if there is no one more important to you than me in this world. Then you go and fill my parents' ears about me."

"It's not like that."

"Yeah right! I told you I don't want to be in a relation with you and you realized that if there is no relation between us then you can't live in this house. You would lose this comfortable and rich lifestyle. So, you run to my parents and turn them against me."

"That's not true." Gauri whispers to him. "You don't understand why I had to tell them."

"I won't understand." Omkara tells her furiously. "I was hating myself for the way I had insulted you. broke your heart. You played me well. You made me believe that I misunderstood you. If you needed more money, you could have just told me."

"Please stop it." Gauri tells him closing her eyes in pain.

"What more could I expect from a girl who had married a mad man for money. Who used to have sex with a mad man."

Gauri furiously opens her eyes and tells him in anger, "I don't care who you are. YOU WILL NOT TALK OF MY HUSBAND LIKE THAT."

"Husband?" Omkara asks laughing as he stood up. "Did you take me for a fool? You think just because I was insane for 7 years that I don't know the law? I was insane, that marriage is not legal. We were never married. I was not your husband and you were not my wife."

Gauri stood rooted to her ground realizing what he was telling her was the truth, her marriage with Om was not legal.

Seeing her shocked expression, Omkara cruelly tells her "You are right, Gauri. You were never a wife. All you were was a mistress."

**********

Omkara walks to the dining room and sees his father already seated for breakfast. His father doesn't look at him and Omkara didn't speak to him. Omkara pulls a chair and sits down. He was pouring tea for himself when he hears his mother's sound.

"Sit, Gauri."

Omkara looks up and sees Gauri with his mother. Noticing she was about to sit at the table, he furiously gets up. Seeing him getting up, Gauri stops in her track.

"I am not hungry. I'll eat later." Gauri tells Jhanvi.

"Sit down, Gauri." Tej tells her sternly. Then pointing at Omkara, he says, "If he has a problem sitting with you at the same table then he can starve for all we care."

Omkara furiously starts to walk off.

"I am not really hungry, Papa. I'll eat later."

"I don't care whether you are hungry or not. You will eat your meals at proper times. Don't you have medicines to take?" Tej sternly asks her.

"You can't ignore your health, Gauri. You need proper food, proper care and proper rest." Jhanvi gently tells her.

Omkara stops in his tracks hearing them. Panic he has never known hits him. He turns around and asks them, worriedly as he walked to them, "Medicines? Health? What happened to Gauri?"

They turn to look at him in shock seeing him panicking.

"Is Gauri sick? What are you two talking about?" Omkara asks his parents frantically as he walked around the table to Gauri.

"You didn't tell him?" Tej asks Gauri in shock.

"He doesn't know?" Jhanvi asks Gauri.

Gauri shakes her head in no.

"Know what? Tell me what?" Omkara asks them then turning to Gauri, he cups her face. "What happened to you, Gauri? Are you sick?"

Gauri looks at him in shock, for a second she thought she saw her Om, but she knew her Om was nowhere in him.

"Gauri?"

"I am not sick." Gauri tells him as she removed his hands from her face.

"Then what were they saying?" Omkara asks still not convinced as he held her hand.

"I am pregnant." Gauri informs him as she freed her hand from his.

"What?" Omkara whispers in shock hearing her.

Ignoring him, Gauri walks off.

Omkara runs after Gauri and stops in shock seeing her enter his bedroom. Confused, he follows her to his bedroom. He walks in and sees her sitting by the wall on the floor.

"Gauri..." Omkara walks to her raked with guilt.

Gauri doesn't bother looking up at him.

Reaching her, he starts to kneel down next to her.

Gauri keeps her hand on the floor covering the space near her, "This is my Om's place. Don't sit here."

"Gauri... I am sorry... I didn't know." Omkara whispers as he knelt in front of her away from the space she had forbid him from sitting.

"Of course. What is new in that?"

He closes his eyes in pain realizing he deserved her indifference. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why should I?"

"It's our baby, Gauri." Omkara tells her shocked at her question.

"Your baby?" Gauri asks surprised. "I am someone who sleeps with anyone for money. How can you be sure this is your baby?"

"Please don't say that, Gauri." Omkara whispers burdened with guilt.

"Why only you can say that?" Gauri asks him. Then she informs him. "I didn't tell them because I wanted to stay back, I told them because they found out I was pregnant. I didn't even want to tell them that before I told you, but I fainted and they took me to the hospital, the doctor told them that I am pregnant and when I told them that we were not together, Ma thought maybe you forced yourself on me like once Om had tried. That time, I told her. And I was going to tell you, then you said you couldn't take the responsibility of another person, so how do you expect me to tell you that you were already burdened with the responsibility of being a father?"

"I am so sorry, Gauri. I don't know what I was thinking."

"It's so easy for your, isn't? you will assume the worst about me then you accuse me of it and then when you realize that you are wrong you would come saying sorry to me and me like a fool will always forgive you."

"Last night, I was..." Omkara starts then he tells her, "I have no excuses. I have no explanations."

"You shouldn't even bother because I am not interested. I don't give a damn about your reasons." Gauri tells him then looking into his eyes she tells him, "Because you mean nothing to me, Omkara Singh Oberoi."

Omkara felt his heart break hearing that. As if he had lost a battle he didn't even know he was fighting. He felt all alone in the world then.

"Can you please leave me alone here for some time?" Gauri asks him. "I just want to say my bye to Om before I leave this house."

"Please don't go, Gauri." Omkara tells her as tears fell from his eyes.

"I don't want the comfort and riches of this house. I have lived without that and I can live without that."

"Please, Gauri... please give me one last chance."

"Who the hell are you that I should give you a chance?" Gauri asks him.

"I am... I..."

"You are not my Om. I was the fool." Gauri tells him, closing her eyes, a tear drops from her eye. "I thought my Om was somewhere in you. but the truth is that my Om is no more. He died that day of the accident."

"No, Gauri. Your Om is there somewhere in me." Omkara tells her. "When I thought you were sick, the panic I felt then, the fear I felt... I didn't even panic in this intensity even when I realized that I lost 7 years of my life. I was wrong, Gauri. Your Om is there in me."

"If my Om was there in you, he wouldn't have let you call me a prostitute, a mistress and a gold digger."

Omkara closes his eyes in guilt.

"My Om didn't know that he was married or that he was my husband but he would have still killed you for calling me a mistress. You might look like my Om. you might have my Om's body, but you are not my Om. You are nothing like my Om."

"I am sorry, Gauri."

"Just go, Omkara. I just want to tell my Om, that I am going from here."

"Please don't leave me, Gauri."

Gauri looks away irately.

When she looked away, Omkara sighs defeated, he tells her, "The reason I came back last night was because, I had made plans to meet some of my friends but I couldn't bring myself to meet them."

"Whoever I met, they were acting so nervous around me, as if I will become insane any second and attack them. Rudra, even though he was caring and friendly like before, even he was nervous and worried. I realized that wherever I went, people are going to still see me as a mad person. I told you I didn't want to have a relation with you was because I didn't want to drag you into a life like that. you deserved better."

When Gauri doesn't say anything to him. Omkara continues, "I met Ridhima. She is married. Even she was acting as if I would go berserker on her. But from the moment I saw her, the only thought I had was, if Gauri was in her place then she wouldn't have left me. and I realized that I couldn't be selfish with you. I couldn't drag you into a life that would give you only humiliation and awkward stares. Maybe letting you go last night was the most selfless thing I did in my life."

"Then when I told you my decision last night, I saw the way your heart broke. I was feeling so guilty then Papa... ever since I regained my senses, I have felt this anger, this darkness in me. last night, it took over me." Omkara confesses to her.

"I understand." Gauri tells him.

"You do?" Omkara asks her in surprise.

"Yes, and I forgive you."

"Thank you." Omkara says smiling in relief.

"Now, can you leave me alone for some time?"

"Gauri..." Omkara whispers her name in shock realizing she was trying to get rid of him, his heart breaking.

"5 minutes. That is all I am asking."

"I won't let you go away from me, Gauri."

"You are nobody to me. you have no right on me." Gauri tells him.

"that baby is mine."

"This is my Om's baby."

"You only said that your Om is no longer here. It is just me. and that baby is mine." Omkara tells her in jealous anger.

Gauri gulps hearing him, then she says, "You can see the baby whenever you want. I will not stay here."

"You'll stay here and we are getting married."

"NO! I will never marry you." Gauri tells him furiously. "I belong to Om."

"It is no longer about you, me or your Om. It is about our baby."

"No."

"Our baby is going to be slandered." Omkara tells her.

"You might not be aware. Times have changed. Children born out of live-in relations are legitimate now."

"But none of their father was insane." Omkara tells her.

Gauri looks away.

"Our baby is going to be looked down as a mad man's child, don't add more to it by making our baby born out of wedlock." Omkara pleads her. "Our baby deserves a normal life. and because of me our baby won't get that. you also don't be a reason for our baby to have a horrible life, Gauri."

*********

"I'll stay in this room, Ma." Gauri whispers.

"But why, Gauri?" Jhanvi asks her confused.

"I feel this is better."

"Gauri... why do you say that? You and Om got married again today. You both spoke and cleared all the misunderstandings, right?" Jhanvi asks her confused.

"Yes." Gauri replies, not wanting to tell all the cruel things Omkara had told her before all his misunderstandings were cleared.

"Then what is the issue? Are you hiding something from us?"

"No." Gauri quickly replies. "I really don't know him, Ma. He is not like my Om. And he doesn't know me."

"So, shouldn't you be staying together to understand each other?" Jhanvi asks her gently.

"But I feel we should wait for..." Gauri stops seeing Omkara at the door.

Seeing her staring at the door, Jhanvi curiously turns and spots Omkara at the door.

Seeing them looking at him, Omkara tells them, "I came to take Gauri to our room."

"Good." Jhanvi says smiling. "Go, Gauri."

"I was thinking of staying here." Gauri tells Omkara not wanting to go with him.

"No, Gauri, you should stay with me." Omkara tells her.

Gauri was shocked hearing him then seeing Jhanvi curiously watching her, Gauri tells Omkara, "I want us to get to know each other better before we stay together."

"We are married. I am your husband. We are staying together." Omkara stubbornly tells her.

"I am not comfortable." Gauri tells him feeling trapped.

"If that is the case, then I think wait till Gauri is ready." Jhanvi gently interjects.

Omkara looks at Jhanvi then turning to Gauri, he reminds her, "You said you fainted. You can't stay alone in this room."

"That is true." Jhanvi says remembering. "Last time, I was close by to catch you, but what if no one is near you? you shouldn't stay alone, Gauri."

Having no other choice, Gauri nods.

*********

Omkara opens the door for Gauri, and she walks in.

"You know I don't want to stay with you then why did you do this?" Gauri furiously asks him as soon as he closed the door.

"Because you are my wife."

"I told you, I belong to Om." Gauri furiously reminds him.

"I AM OM!"

"You are not." Gauri tells him then turning around she walks to the wall, and sit on the floor.

Omkara closes his eyes tired and helpless. He walks to her and kneels down.

"Don't sit here." Gauri tells him covering Om's space.

"Gauri, you are acting crazy." Omkara helplessly tells her. "I am Om, I am Omkara and I am Omkara Singh Oberoi. He was Om, he was Omkara and he was also Omkara Singh Oberoi. It was all me."

"It wasn't." Gauri tells him. "My Om's heart was pure. You don't have his heart."

Omkara closes his eyes, tears filling them. "Fine. Now, only I am here."

"You think it is that easy? To forget Om and accept you, because you both have the same body? You are not him and he is not you."

"Gauri... we have to move forward."

"I can't forget Om."

"Gauri, I am..."

"I don't see my Om in you." Gauri tells him with tears in her eyes.

Seeing the tears in her eyes, Omkara gives up. "Please don't cry."

Gauri sighs as she tried to stop her tears.

"Come and sleep, Gauri. It is late."

"I will sleep here. I don't want to sleep with you."

Realizing that she was going to be stubborn he tells her, "Then sleep on the couch. Don't sleep on the floor."

Gauri nods giving in.

The moment he realized that she was in deep sleep, Omkara carefully carries Gauri to the bed. He hesitates for a few seconds wondering which side of the bed she slept on. Ever since, he had recovered he had been sleeping on the right side of the bed. Maybe, that was how they had slept. He on the right and she on the left. And that day, he remembered finding her on the left side of the bed when he had walked in. Omkara places her on the left side of the bed, he puts the cover on her.

With the back of his finger, he lovingly caresses her cheek. Then with a smile, he keeps his hand on her stomach where their baby was growing. He still couldn't believe that he was married, he was a husband and now going to be a father. Life was throwing too many things at him. It was going in full speed while he was left gasping and panting trying to catch up. Now, he was going to embrace what life gave him and cherish it.

He realized that Gauri was the biggest blessing he had got in his life. and he would treat her and cherish her like that. she gave him the strength to move ahead. Omkara keeps his hand on her cheek, his eyes filling up remembering the cruel words he had spoken to her. how he had slandered her, her character and her relation to her Om. He knew, even if she forgave him for everything else, she would never forgive him for slandering her relation to her Om. Her loyalty and love towards her Om made him yearn for her. the way, she had been seeing Om and him as two separate people, he was starting to feel like that. Om was no longer an insane Omkara, Om was a different person. Om was someone his wife was desperately in love with. Omkara breaths hard realizing what past he was trying to leave behind, he has to be that him to get back Gauri's love. His only hope and consolation was if Gauri could love a mentally unstable Om so deeply then maybe one day, she would start to love a cruel Omkara too. Sighing sadly, he walks around, he gets on the right side of the bed. Lying on his side, he watches her sleep till sleep overtook him.

*********

Gauri wakes up feeling a weight on her shoulder and stomach. She opens her eyes with a frown and sees Om sleeping next to her. his face on the crook of her neck and his hand on her stomach.

Gauri's eyes fill with tears. Smiling happily, she whispers as she kept her hand on his cheek, "Om?"

Crying happily, she calls him again, "Om?"

Hearing her, Omkara opens his eyes. "Gauri?"

Hearing him, brought her out of her sleepy state and pushing him, she quickly gets off the bed. Her tears of joy turning to tears of pain. Gauri quickly wipes away her tears.

"Sorry, I might have rolled over in my sleep." Omkara tells her as he sat up.

"Why did you bring me to the bed?" Gauri asks him angrily.

"You know why." Omkara tells her.

"You don't have to do things for me."

"I am your husband."

"I am not your wife."

"I am still your husband. And I will wait however long it takes you to accept me." Omkara tells her politely.

Irritated, Gauri starts to walk off.

"Is that how we used to sleep?" Omkara asks her softly.

Gauri stops hearing his question, her heart breaking remembering what she had lost. She tells him in a bare whisper, "Om and I used to sleep like that."

"I didn't know that. I had slept on this end." Omkara tells her.

Gauri nods accepting that he had rolled over in sleep.

"Why do you think it happened?" Omkara asks her, wanting her to accept that her Om was somewhere there in him.

Gauri looks at him for a few seconds, then shrugging she walks off as she tells him, "Muscle memory."

Omkara closes his eyes wanting to scream.

*********

"So, how was your exams, Omkara?" the doctor asks him.

"Okay."

"Good." The doctor smiles, "so, how did it feel to be back in your campus?"

Omkara shrugs in reply.

"Did you meet any of your friends?"

"No." Omkara lies.

"Why?"

"I don't know where they are."

"Didn't you try to contact them?"

Omkara shrugs.

Doctor nods. "So, what plans now?"

"Haven't decided."

"Now that you finished your exams, what do you do?"

"I just finished my exams." Omkara tells him.

"So, anything you would like to share?"

"No. is the time up?"

"No. How is everyone at home?"

"Good."

"That is good." Doctor says with a smile. "And Gauri?"

"I got married." Omkara tells him.

Doctor looks at him in shock then quickly masking his reaction with a polite smile, he says, "Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"So... who did you..." Doctor asks in a gentle tone.

Hearing the hesitant question, Omkara frowns, "Of course, Gauri!"

"That's interesting." Doctor says smiling as he made a note on the file.

"What is interesting?" Omkara asks frowning.

"that you said 'of course'."

"What's wrong in that?"

"Your parents told me that you had refused to accept Gauri. But here you are saying 'of course Gauri' so it kind of points at in your mind, there wasn't anyone other than Gauri as a life partner for you."

Omkara thoughtfully looks away.

"Do you want to talk about that?"

"There is nothing to talk about."

"You had a girlfriend, right?"

"Gauri told you?" Omkara asks feeling betrayed.

"She told me that you plan to meet her and she was worried whether it would have a negative impact on you. meeting someone who had abandoned you."

Omkara nods.

"Do you want to talk about your girlfriend?"

"What is there to talk about?" Omkara asks him. "that is over."

"And Gauri?"

"Gauri is my past, present and future."

Doctor curiously look at Omkara then he looks down to make a note of it.

"So, Omkara, you said Gauri is your past... do you remember that past?" Doctor asks him as he looked up at him.

"No." Omkara replies looking away.

The doctor nods.

"I have had dreams." Omkara confesses.

"About Gauri?"

"Yes."

"These dreams... how are they?"

"How are they?" Omkara asks confused.

"Do you see something that had happened, a forgotten memory... or it is just some random dreams with Gauri in it?"

"I don't know."

"Didn't you discuss this with Gauri? Ask her about it?"

"no."

"Why?"

"It is all just random."

"Hmmm okay,,, do you dream only about Gauri or other people too?"

"Gauri."

Doctor nods as he flipped the pages to go to a previous page and make a note.

"Do you want to talk about Gauri?"

"What about Gauri?"

Doctor looks up at Omkara in surprise, to see he was willing to share something for the first time. He smiles, "Whatever you want to talk about."

Omkara looks away thoughtfully. "She thinks Om and I are two different people."

"Om? Isn't that your pet name?" doctor asks confused.

"She used to call the mad me Om."

"And what does she call you?"

"Omkara."

"The last time I spoke to her she called you Om."

"When was that?"

"Before you went away to college."

"Hmmm."

"So, what brought this change in her?"

"I am not as good as her Om." Omkara mutters in uncontrollable jealousy.

Doctor nods and makes a note. "Do you see Om as a different person?"

"Gauri sees it like that." Omkara replies.

"What about you?"

"She loves him." Omkara says looking away.

"Hmmm. And how does she feel about you?"

"About me?" Omkara asks in jealousy and pain. "She would rather be Om's widow than my wife."

Doctor nods as he made a note. "What brought this change in Gauri?"

Omkara gulps remembering what he had told her. "I was cruel."

"How cruel?"

Omkara's eyes fill up as he looked away. "I said some hurtful, unforgiveable things to her."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Omkara shakes his head in no.

"Was this before or after your marriage?"

"Before."

"Still she married you. shouldn't that say something?"

"She is pregnant."

"Oh."

Seeing the doctor trying to be composed, Omkara chuckles.

Doctor couldn't help smile. "Congratulations on your impending fatherhood."

"Thank you." Omkara says smiling.

"How are you taking it?"

"Fatherhood?"

"Yes."

"I am scared." Omkara whispers.

"Why?"

"I failed Gauri. I don't want to fail our baby."

Doctor nods. "Did you marry Gauri because of the baby or because you have feelings for her or some other reason?"

"She was planning to leave me."

"And how did that make you feel?"

"Like I was drowning." Omkara confesses.

Doctor nods. "What are your thoughts on Om?"

"What about him?" Omkara asks frowning.

"Why do you refer to Om as the second person?"

"I don't recognize him." Omkara shrugs.

"What about the feelings Om had for Gauri?"

"What about it?"

"Do you recognize those feelings?"

Omkara looks away as his heart started slamming against his chest.

"Yes." Omkara whispers realizing that he did feel for Gauri with an intensity that scared him.

"Doesn't that mean that you and Om are one and the same?"

"Then why did I hurt her? then why did I insult her? why did I insult her relation with Om?" Omkara asks the doctor helplessly.

"Why do you think you did that?"

"Ever since I recovered, I feel there is so much anger in me. so much pent up frustrations. So much darkness in me."

"What darkness?"

"I don't know."

"You said anger... can we talk more on that?"

"I just told you all about it." Omkara says not wanting to discuss his shortcomings. "Is the time up?"

*********

"Don't bring me to the bed."

"You should just sleep on the bed."

"I don't want to sleep there."

Omkara doesn't reply to that but the moment she fell asleep he took her to the bed. The next morning also, she woke up with Omkara's face on the crook of her neck and hand hugging her stomach.

********

"You always walk here, right?" Omkara asks her as he joined her in the backyard.

Gauri nods then curiously turns to him, "What are you doing here?"

"Just walking." Omkara replies with a smile.

"Okay then." Gauri replies and starts to walk back into the house.

"Where are you going?"

"Inside. You walk."

"I actually thought of walking with you."

"You don't have to walk with me." Gauri tells him and starts to walk off.

"You used to walk here with him." Omkara says realizing.

"Yes."

"I understand why you don't want to walk with me. I'll go."

"Thank you."

********

"What's that?" Omkara asks curiously seeing Gauri looking through a box one day.

Gauri turns to look at him and then just closes the box.

"Are those dry flowers?"

Gauri nods.

"Why are you keeping them?" Omkara asks her curiously.

"Om gave me these."

"He did?" Omkara asks surprised.

"I told him I love flowers and every day, he would get me a flower." Gauri tells him and walks to the cupboard to keep the box.

Next morning, Gauri was walking out of their room when Omkara walks back to the room. he offers her a flower.

"What's this for?" Gauri asks him frowning.

"You said you liked flowers."

Gauri looks at the flower and shakes her head, "I don't want it." Then without waiting for a reply, she walks off.

The next day, Gauri was surprised to find a flower kept on the floor where she usually sits.

"You are simply wasting these flowers." Gauri tells him.

"When Om plucked them he wasn't?" Omkara asks her curiously.

"I accepted the flowers he gave me. I am not going to accept the flowers you give me. So, you are simply wasting it and cutting its life short."

"It is your decision if you want to accept the flower and it is my decision if I want to continue to give you flowers." Omkara stubbornly tells her.

Every day, Gauri would find a flower kept for her and she refused to take it but she couldn't help notice that each day he got a different flower for her like Om did.

********

"I just don't understand, the things that Om did, when I do it, she always manages to find fault in me." Omkara complains.

"Why do you want to do things that Om did?"

"I don't know." Omkara says helplessly.

"Are you hoping that she would love you like she loved Om?" the doctor asks him.

Omkara thinks for a while. "I feel she is lonely and I just want to ease her pain."

"Maybe instead of trying to imitate Om, you should try to understand Gauri and Om's relation."

"I understand their relation, they both loved each other so much."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I am feeling the love Om had for Gauri." Omkara confesses.

"Are you in love with her, Omkara?" the doctor gently asks him.

"I guess; I was always in love with her." Omkara tells him. "All the issues that I had been facing... I just didn't realize it then."

"What issues, Omkara?"

"Some issues. You told me to understand Gauri and Om's relation. I think for that I have to be friends with Gauri." Then nodding, Omkara says, "She is so lonely, what she really needs is a friend."

********

Gauri was sitting in their room when Omkara walks in.

"Hi." Omkara tells her with a smile as he sat on the floor opposite to her.

Gauri curiously looks at him.

"I wanted to talk to you." Omkara tells her.

"What?" Gauri asks frowning.

"We are going to have a baby together, Gauri." Omkara gently starts.

"I know."

"I know you don't care for me. and I don't deserve anything from you. I ruined it all, I know."

Gauri doesn't say anything.

"Now, we are going to be parents, Gauri. Our baby should be our priority."

Gauri nods in agreement.

"What a baby needs most is happy parents." Omkara tells her.

When Gauri was about to say something, Omkara quickly tells her, "I am sorry for all the hurtful, cruel and insulting things I told you. I am ashamed of myself for my way of thinking. I feel guilty for the way I insulted your marriage with Om. I am very sorry, I insulted you, Gauri. Please forgive me."

Gauri nods as her eyes filled up.

"Thank you." Omkara says with a grateful smile. "I understand you can no longer see me as your husband. Then don't see me as one. You can see me as a friend, right? Can we be friends, Gauri?"

"Okay." Gauri agrees.

Omkara smiles hearing that and tells in a teasing tone, "Show some joy, Gauri."

Gauri chuckles hearing that. Omkara smiles seeing her smiles.

"You both used to sit here the full day?" Omkara asks her.

Gauri nods in yes.

"What do you do sitting here all day?"

"I think of the time we spent together." Gauri tells him as her eyes filled up.

"Please don't cry, Gauri. Your depression, it is killing me." Omkara tells her sadly.

"I know it is not good for the baby but I just can't stop thinking about him." Gauri tells him sadly.

Omkara holds her hand to console her.

"You might be thinking I have gone insane mourning for an alive man." Gauri tells him.

"I have a gift for you." Omkara tells her in reply smiling.

"Gift?" Gauri frowns hearing that and how he had changed the topic.

"To the first friend I made in 7 years." Omkara tells her smiling as he handed her a wrapped gift.

"Thank you." Gauri whispers as she took it.

"Open it." Omkara tells her excitedly.

Gauri removes the gift wrapping and seeing what it was, her eyes fill up with tears. She lovingly runs her hand over the book cover, shantaram. Smiling happily, she flips through the page, all those memories with Om and this book hitting her. she sees a new handwritten note in the book. Wiping her tears, she reads it.

For

Gauri, who loved her husband so dearly.

And for her Om, who loved his wife so intensely.

"He loved you a lot, Gauri. I am starting to feel it." Omkara tells her, keeping his hand over his heart and his eyes filling up.

Gauri felt her eyes fill up with tears. "Thank you, Omkara."

"You are welcome, Gauri."

**********

"Now that we are friends, will you stop moving me to the bed at night?" Gauri asks him.

"Now that we are friends, will you stop acting pricey and sleep on the bed?" Omkara asks her back cheekily.

Gauri rolls her eyes but couldn't help the smile. "Fine. Anyway you would bring me to the bed once I sleep, so I'll just sleep on the bed."

"Thank you, Gauri." Omkara tells her grinning ear to ear. "You see; you are no lightweight."

"You are just too weak." Gauri tells him back as she walked to the bed.

*********

"Are you sleepy?" Omkara asks her as they got settled on bed.

"Why?"

"I am not sleepy. Can we talk?" Omkara asks her as he turned to face her.

"Okay." Gauri replies as she turned to face him. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know anything."

"Hmmm."

"Why did you decide to forgive me and be my friend?" Omkara asks her curiously.

"I know what you went through. I know that you are struggling to come to terms with what happened to you. I know you are feeling lost and backed to a corner. And you fought back with what you could. You were cruel and mean. You were vicious. But I should forgive you because I owe it to my Om."

Omkara felt his eyes fill up hearing that. "Thank you, Gauri. I think you are God's way of giving back what I lost."

Gauri doesn't reply to that. then she asks him, "Are you happy about the baby?"

"I am. But I am scared, Gauri. what if I mess up again?"

"We will take each step together." Gauri tells him with a gentle smile.

"Thank you." Omkara says smiling relieved as he held her hand. "Have you thought of a name?"

Gauri shakes her head smiling thinking about their baby. "Have you?"

"I haven't thought of a boy's name. but if girl obviously it will be Ridhima."

"WHAT?" Gauri shouts in outrage as she leaned up.

Seeing her so outrage Omkara starts laughing. "I was just curious if you would feel possessive about me."

"Never!" Gauri mutters as she lies back irately.

"Hmmm?"

"We are not naming my daughter Ridhima." Gauri says with finality.

"Obviously." Omkara grins.

Gauri turns to look at him and sees him impishly smiling. "Om never joked like these." Gauri tells him softly. "He never felt safe."

"He felt safe with you." Omkara tells her.

"How did you know that?" Gauri asks him amazed.

"Because I feel safe with you." Omkara tells her as he looked into her eyes. "Like you would keep me safe no matter what and that I can tell you about my fears and you would never judge me."

Gauri didn't know how to reply to that so she gently smiles.

"Even when I was avoiding you, you used to plague my thoughts, at times, I just had to see you. I didn't know why I felt like that. too many emotions and I was having a hard time getting a grip on it all. I knew you always walk in the backyard, so I sit in the living room so I can see you when you walk back. Most of the times, you didn't even notice me." Omkara tells her. "I thought you married me for money and I was scared to trust you. what if you left me like Ridhima did?"

"It took me a long time to sort out my feelings and all these new emotions. It took me forever to realize that I did love you and I felt the safest with you. I am sorry, I hurt you, Gauri."

Gauri nods and feeling teary eyed, Gauri lies on her back, so that she doesn't have to face him.

"I feel like keeping you safe. Away from all harm. At times, it scares me." Omkara tells her.

"Om felt like that. all the time." Gauri tells him.

Omkara nods.

"Tell me about Ridhima."

"What about her?" Omkara asks her. "About our relation? Or when I met her last month?"

"Whichever you are comfortable sharing."

"We were together in school. We knew each other for years. Last day of school, she proposed me but I rejected her because we were going to be in different college. Then two years later, we met at our school reunion and she proposed me again. she convinced me that long distance relation can work. We were together for about a year. It was going to be our first anniversary actually." Omkara tells her.

"She had been behind you, is that why you felt you owed her an explanation?" Gauri asks him.

Omkara nods. "She is a nice girl."

"Did you love her?"

"At that time I thought I did. But now I know I didn't. it was just infatuation maybe. What I felt for her was nothing compared to what I feel for you."

Gauri was getting a little uncomfortable with the way he spoke of his feelings for her. she felt like she was being disloyal to Om.

"When I met her, she was really uncomfortable with me. looked like she wanted to bolt. I told her that I wasn't there to cause trouble, just wanted to end everything properly as I felt I owed her that. but still, she just couldn't wait to get me out. Every second I was with her I thought of you. how you always went out of your way to make me comfortable. And I knew without any doubt then that you would have never abandoned me if you were in her place."

"You can't be sure of that." Gauri gently points out to him.

Omkara takes her hand and shows her scar. "You didn't abandon me when I did this."

"You didn't know what you were doing." Gauri whispers.

"And you would have stayed with me."

Gauri nods, she knew that she would have never abandoned him if they were in a relation when the tragedy had occurred.

"She is married now. She didn't want me to meet her husband, so I didn't stay for much. I left quickly." Omkara tells her.

"Where you heartbroken when you realized that I was your wife and not Ridhima?" Gauri asks him.

"I was shocked. I wondered where Ridhima went and from where you came." Omkara ends with a chuckle. Then sobering up, he tells her, "Then I found out that I had lost 7 years of my life and I was shocked, depressed and didn't know what I was supposed to do." Omkara tells her. "I lost my 20s, Gauri." Omkara sadly tells her.

Gauri holds his hand to console him, her eyes filling up for Omkara's pain.

"How was my mind so fragile? Was I too weak? It scares me, Gauri. I am worried what if I relapse? What if I lose my 30s now? what life would you have then? Looking after a mad man all your life? that is why, I said I didn't want you in my life. I had hurt you in the worst way possible at that time then inviting you into a life which I wasn't sure of, a sanity, I had been hanging on for, don't know for how long, I just couldn't be selfish with you."

"I understand." Gauri tells him.

Omkara nods with tear stained face.

Seeing how drained and tired he looked after sharing his thoughts and fears, Gauri gently tells him, "You should sleep."

*********

"I am going for a walk." Gauri hesitantly tells him seeing him follow her out.

"I know." Omkara tells her with a smile as he stopped at the threshold. "Go walk."

Gauri nods and steps into the backyard, curious she turns back to see him sit on the steps leading to the backyard.

"What are you doing there?" Gauri asks shocked.

"You should walk. I will sit here."

"But why?"

"To walk with you here, is Om's right. till you invite me to walk with you, I will wait here for you."

"I might never..." Gauri tells him gently, she didn't want to hurt him or give him false hope.

"I know but I like keeping the hope and waiting." Omkara tells her with a smile.

Omkara sat back as he watched Gauri walk around the backyard, caressing the flowers then for a while she had stood back and watched a squirrel running around, not even once she had turned towards his side to look at him.

For the first time in months, she truly felt Om around her. as she walked around the backyard, she was not just reliving their memories, she felt him near her. She realized that maybe it was because Omkara was sitting there, but she felt she would be disloyal to Om if she accepted that or turned back to look at him. She notices a squirrel running around, she wondered if it was the same squirrel that Om had wanted to catch for her, she knew it is not and that thought itself was silly and stupid, but she just couldn't help watch the squirrel and she just couldn't shake off the feeling that Om was right there, watching her every move like he always did.

Gauri was about to walk back into the house, realizing she was done with her walk, Omkara walks to get a flower for her. Gauri watched as he looked around the flowers and picked the most bloomed one. He walks to her and offers her the flower with a gentle smile.

"I am sorry, I can't." Gauri tells him feeling her heart break.

Omkara nods understanding. They walk back into the house and to their room. Omkara walks to the bed and keeps the flower on her pillow. He turns back and sees Gauri watching him, he smiles at her.

Hearing a sound, Omkara curiously turns back and sees Gauri pouring water into a glass then taking the flower from the bed, she puts it in the glass. Omkara couldn't hide the smile or his joy. Gauri turns back and sees him watching her. Gauri gives him a quick smile and walks off. seeing her walk out of the room, he follows her.

********

"Om..." Tej calls him seeing Omkara and Gauri walking together to their room.

"Yes, Papa?" Omkara turns to him while Gauri stopped.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Okay. Come, Gauri." Omkara tells her.

"He wants to talk to you, you go. I'll be in the room." Gauri tells him.

"No, you come." Omkara says holding her hand, he walks towards his father.

It had taken Gauri a couple of days to realize that Omkara wanted her with him all the time. Omkara followed her around the whole day. wherever she went, he followed her there. The only time they were not together was when either of them went to the washroom or when he has to go see his doctor. Gauri just couldn't shake off that even Om had been like that. Om also wanted to spent all his waking hours with her. suddenly, the differences between Om and Omkara were blurring for her.

Omkara stops in front of his father.

"Om, I think it is time you join office." Tej tells him.

"But I don't know anything about office."

Seeing him panicking, Gauri gently keeps her other hand on his.

"You should start learning. You can learn the ways of our business. You will be engaged. Full day, you are sitting at home. It will be a good change for you."

"But Papa..."

"You should start working, Omkara." Gauri gently tells him.

Omkara helplessly looks at her.

"I am tired, Om. I just want to retire now. I can only do that once you take the responsibility of it all."

"You can do this, Omkara." Gauri tells him.

"Then you also join office." Omkara tells her.

Gauri had been planning to join work for days now but when he said that, she knew she couldn't work in their office. Omkara has become too dependent on her. Om being dependent on her was okay, but Omkara being dependent on her was not.

"I am pregnant, Omkara. I can't work now." Gauri lies to him.

"But Gauri, how can I just..."

"You have to." Gauri tells him in finality.

*********

From the next day on, Omkara started going to office. Every half an hour or so, he would call Gauri or she would call him to check on him. Gauri could tell that he was miserable at the office and cranky too. He was snapping at his parents for the smallest of the small issues. Gauri had no idea how she was to help him. She knew she couldn't coddle him forever, he has to step out in the real world and start living his life. so, for the next two weeks, she watched him struggle in silence.

Then one day at dinner, Omkara broached the topic with his father.

"I don't want to work." Omkara tells him.

"What do you mean you don't want to work?" Tej asks confused.

"I want to study further."

"Okay. but your results are yet to be out, right?"

"Yes. Once I get my results, I want to do MBA."

"Till then you work." Tej tells him.

"No, I need to start preparing for it if I am to get admission in a good university." Omkara tells him.

Tej looks at Jhanvi and Gauri, then he sighs, "Okay then."

*********

"How did this happen?" Omkara asks Gauri as he gently ran his finger over the scar on her hand as they lie in bed.

Gauri looks at her hand. "He was scared."

"Did he scare you?" Omkara asks her softly.

"In the beginning for a while." Gauri tells him.

"How did it all change?"

Gauri takes his hand and shows him his wrist. The wound on his wrist had healed but there was still a faint mark.

"I was tied up?" Omkara asks feeling his heart break.

"You were uncontrollable at times and they had no choice." Gauri gently tells him.

"And you wouldn't let them tie me up?"

"It was cruel." Gauri tells him softly, her heart breaking remembering what he had gone through.

Omkara turns around and then without a word he hugs her.

Gauri was shocked at the way he had hugged her, but then she couldn't push him away, she hugs him and whispers to him, "It's all in the past now."

"You saved me, Gauri." Omkara tells her overcome with emotions.

Gauri gently pats him on his shoulder trying to calm him.

"I don't know what would have happened to me if you hadn't come into my life." Omkara tells her as he looked at her.

Gauri gently makes him lie on his back, and then she wipes his tears. "Don't cry. It's all in the past."

Omkara closes his eyes tight seeing how she was still helping him and being there for him, after all that he did to her.

"You should sleep." Gauri tells him. "You have to wake up early."

Omkara looks at her curiously.

"Tomorrow is my scan. You are coming, right?" Gauri asks him smiling.

"You want me there?" Omkara asks shocked.

"Together, every step of the way." Gauri reminds him.

**********

"Gauri, please talk to me." Omkara worriedly tells her in the car.

Gauri looks away without saying anything.

"Please, Gauri." Omkara tells her as he held her hand.

Gauri wriggles her hand to free it from his grasp. Seeing that Omkara lets go.

"Gauri, what did the..." Jhanvi starts to ask with a happy smile then seeing her face, she asks worriedly, "What happened?"

Without replying, Gauri walks off. Omkara worriedly starts to go behind her when Tej holds his hand.

"What happened, Om? What did the doctor say?" Tej asks him in concern.

"There is no growth with the baby." Omkara informs them, his heart breaking at the thought.

"Oh no." Tej whispers while Jhanvi's eyes filled up.

Omkara opens their bedroom door and finds Gauri sitting on the floor at her usual place. Omkara walks to her, ever since they had become friends, she had never sat there and today...

Omkara walks to her and kneels down in front of her. "Gauri..."

Gauri bends her knees and hugs herself, resting her head on her knees.

Sighing, Omkara sits next to her. Gauri looks at him in shock seeing him take her Om's place.

"I told you..." Gauri starts as she turned to him.

Omkara gently holds her waist and lifts her up and moves her to his lap.

Gauri gulps in shock, remembering how Om had made her sit on his lap like that when he had been shaken with her absences for a few hours. Omkara was becoming more and more like Om.

Omkara hugs her waist as he kept her head on his chest. "Please say something, Gauri." Omkara whispers to her.

Still shaken from the way, he was behaving like Om, Gauri tells him sadly, "I lost Ma, I lost Om and I lost our baby. I can't go through any more pain."

Omkara hugs her tight as he kissed her forehead. Seeing the way, he was kissing her the way Om had done, Gauri starts crying out loudly.

*******

Two days later, Omkara was taking the tray filled with Gauri's and his food to his room when Tej stopped him.

"How is Gauri?" Tej asks him.

"Physically she is a little weak." Omkara tells him sadly.

"And mentally?"

"She might cry a lot, Papa but she is very strong."

"I know." Tej nods with a soft smile. "And you?"

"I am fine." Omkara replies. "I've to give Gauri her food."

Seeing Omkara walk in, Gauri sits up.

"I would have come to the dining room." Gauri tells him.

"You need rest." Omkara tells her as he kept the food on the bed and helps her sit up properly.

Omkara sits on the bed near her and takes her plate to feed her.

"I'll eat by myself."

"I'll feed you."

Knowing that he wouldn't give in, Gauri gives in.

"You should eat." Gauri tells him as he fed her.

"I'll eat after you."

"We'll eat together."

Omkara nods and he feeds her and eats himself.

Omkara takes the glass back from her after she took her medicine. He keeps the glass on the table. He turns to help her lie down when she holds his hand. Omkara curiously looks at her.

"Talk to me, Omkara." Gauri softly requests him.

"I talk to you, Gauri." Omkara replies confused.

Gauri pulls his hand silently asking him to sit next to her. Omkara sits next to her.

"You talk about me and the baby. talk to me about you." Gauri tells him.

"What about me, Gauri?" Omkara asks her as he looked down.

"I am not the only one who lost a baby, Omkara. Even you did." Gauri reminds him.

Omkara felt his eyes fill up thinking of the baby that they both had lost. He feels Gauri keep her hand on his cheek and gently raising his face to face her.

"Please share your pain with me. don't keep everything bottled up in you."

Hearing her say that, Omkara tells as he cried, "I killed our baby. I was so cruel to you and that killed our baby."

"No, you are not responsible for that." Gauri tells him in shock.

"I gave you so much pain. I made you cry. I killed our baby." Omkara tells her as he broke into loud sobs.

"You didn't kill our baby." Gauri tells him as she sat up and hugged him. "Maybe I was too weak."

"You are the strongest person I know." Omkara tells her as he looked at her. "You are not weak, Gauri."

"And you didn't kill our baby." Gauri sternly tells him.

Omkara hugs her and cries. "Why is all this happening, Gauri? All I want is for you to be happy."

"I will be happy, Om. I know this will also pass." Gauri tells him as she hugged him.

"I am a curse on you, Gauri."

"NO!" Gauri sternly tells him. "Om was my biggest blessing. Don't ever say that again."

"I am sorry, Gauri. I hurt you a lot. I give you so much pain."

"Don't say that. None of this is your fault." Gauri tells him and she continued to hug him till he had calmed down.

*********

"How is Gauri doing now?" the doctor asks Omkara at the next session.

"She is better now. today she was smiling. Talking to Papa and Ma." Omkara says smiling a little.

"And you?"

"She is friends with me." Omkara tells him happy.

"I meant how are you doing." Doctor clarifies.

"I am fine. What is wrong with me?" Omkara asks shrugging.

"The baby."

"The baby wasn't meant to be." Omkara says looking away.

The doctor sighs as he made yet another note on Omkara's lies.

"Do you think she regrets marrying me?" Omkara asks him worried.

"Do you think so?" doctor asks him back.

"She married me for the baby. she became my friend for the baby." Omkara tells him.

"Did you talk to Gauri about it?"

"I am scared." Omkara tells him in a whisper.

"But you need to talk to her about it, right?"

Omkara shakes his head in negative, "I would rather wait than talk about it."

*********

"I passed." Omkara informs Gauri as he checked online for his results.

"Congratulations." Gauri tells him smiling happily.

"Thank you." Omkara tells her.

"Why did you decide to write your exams?" Gauri asks curiously as he wasn't comfortable going to work.

"I just wanted to go back to the life I knew and I thought my life will fall into place once I did that." Omkara tells her.

Gauri nods understanding.

*********

"You are reading that book again?" Omkara asks in shock as he got on the bed one night.

Gauri chuckles. "I was just thinking about a scene and I just reading it and then just continued on."

Omkara shakes his head.

"Did you finish it?" Gauri asks him.

"It was nice but I just couldn't continue read it." Omkara confesses. "I don't think reading is for me."

Gauri smiles.

"Maybe you could read it aloud." Omkara asks her hopefully.

Gauri's smiles fall and she looks down.

"I understand; it is something you shared with your Om." Omkara says. "But I thought we were friends now. that's why I asked. You carry on."

"It's not that." Gauri hesitantly tells him. "Om wouldn't like it."

"WHAT?" Omkara sits up as he faced her.

"I know he wouldn't."

"THANK YOU!" Omkara says smiling ear to ear.

"For what?"

"For once, your Om is not the perfect gentleman you make him out to be." Omkara tells her happily. "I am so happy! You had made him a saint! Finally, he is a mere mortal like all of us."

"Shut up." Gauri chuckles with a blush.

Laughing, Omkara lies back. Gauri turns her attention back to the book. Omkara sits up a little move towards her.

"Can I read with you?" Omkara asks her.

Gauri nods in yes. Omkara moves closer to her and starts reading the book.

Within ten minutes, his head on her shoulders, he was fast asleep.

Without waking him up, Gauri makes him lie back. She pulls the blanket over him, as she watched him sleep, Gauri sighs softly. She runs her hand over his hair, even though she addressed Om as another person from him, lately, it was becoming a conscious effort for her. Omkara was becoming more and more like Om. Not like, Omkara was becoming Om for her.

********

Omkara and Gauri were sitting with Jhanvi, as they spoke of Omkara's childhood. Omkara watched as Gauri laugh hearing one of his childhood antics.

"Tell me about your childhood." Omkara tells her.

"Mine?" Gauri asks with a surprised smile. "I was a very well behaved good girl. No stories." Gauri ends sadly. "Did everything properly."

"Awww."

"He was the exact opposite. He was such a brat." Jhanvi tells Gauri. "Never serious about anything."

"Is that why you put him in a hostel?" Gauri asks curiously grinning.

"Parampara, Gauri, parampara. Dadaji gaye the, Papa gaye the... aur mein is ghar ki parampara kaise thod sakte the?" Omkara asks her.

Gauri bursts out laughing hearing the dialogue from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. Omkara, she was starting to notice, joked about almost everything. She was glad to see him become more relaxed.

"Wait, does that mean our kids will also have to go to hostel?" Gauri asks confused.

"Of course." Omkara tells her smiling, realizing she was no longer sad about talking about children and that they were going to have children.

"No!" Gauri says frowning.

"Parampara, Gauri, parampara. Dadaji gaye the, Papa gaye the, mein bhi... aur tum is ghar ki parampara kaise thod sakte ho?"

"You fool that lie was told to send you away to a hostel." Jhanvi tells him cheekily.

"WHAT?" Omkara asks shocked.

"You spout that line from the movie and it never occurred to you that Tej might have also watched that movie?" Jhanvi asks him.

Gauri laughs loudly seeing Omkara's shocked expression.

"I have been cheated on." Omkara declares.

"And our kids are not going to any hostel." Gauri declares to him as she got up and walked off.

"No, they are going, Gauri. Hostel life is fun." Omkara tells her as he hurried behind her.

*******

"There is something I want to tell you." Gauri nervously tells him one night.

"Yeah?" Omkara asks as he rolled to the side to face her.

"I was worried you would judge me... or accuse me..." Gauri nervously tells him as she looked at his chest.

"Gauri, I misunderstood you. not anymore. I know you, Gauri. I will never judge you or accuse you." Omkara tells her feeling guilty.

"I tried a lot. But we were in love and I just couldn't deny Om anymore. I knew, I didn't have your consent when we made love, but I just couldn't hurt Om anymore."

"Gauri..." Omkara moves towards her and cups her face, "I am sorry I called you a mistress. You are and you were my wife. I didn't understand the depth of our relation then. I am sorry, Gauri."

"I was always worried how you would..."

Omkara cuts her off, "You might not have had Omkara's consent, but you had Om's."

"I did." Gauri says smiling, that realization washing away her guilt.

Omkara smiles seeing her smile.

"Okay, you sleep." Gauri tells him happily.

Omkara lies back then he curiously turns to her, "You said you couldn't keep denying Om."

"Yes." Gauri tells him as she looked at him curiously.

"You made the poor thing beg, didn't you?" Omkara asks her shocked.

Hearing him, Gauri turns pink. "Go to sleep."

"How did it happen?"

"WHAT?" Gauri asks in shocked outrage. "Shut up!"

"Come on, Gauri. I just want to know."

"No way!"

"I just want to know how I lost my virginity."

"What about Ridhima?"

"All we did was kiss." Omkara tells her.

"Hmmm." Gauri didn't like that he had kissed someone else other than her, however silly that was because his relation with Ridhima was way before she had entered his life. still she didn't like it.

"Actually, we were planning to... on our first anniversary." Omkara hesitantly tells her.

Gauri nods.

"I am glad that you are the only one that I have ever and I will ever make love to." Omkara tells her.

Gauri blushes a little hearing that.

"So, back to our topic."

"Go to sleep." Gauri sternly tells him.

"I don't remember how I lost my virginity, Gauri, it is all a mystery to me."

"Do you really want to know?" Gauri asks him utterly confused, he had a right to know but she was feeling so embarrassed sharing their intimate moments with him.

"Yes." Omkara whispers to her.

"We had been kissing." Gauri whispers.

"How did we start kissing?" Omkara asks her curiously.

"One day I walked into the room and I couldn't find you." Gauri tells him. "I got so scared. I got worried that you might have gone out."

"Is that when you realized that you love me?" Omkara asks her.

"Yes."

Omkara smiles. "And where was I?"

"Had gone to get me a flower in the backyard."

Omkara smiles hearing that. "And?"

"I kissed you and told you I love you."

"Lip lock?" Omkara asks smiling excitedly.

"WHAT? NO!"

"Then?" Omkara asks confused.

"Forehead and cheeks."

"Love confession and such a chaste kiss?" Omkara asks shocked.

"Shut up."

"So how did things turn in Om's favor?" Omkara asks her chuckling.

"You used to kiss me every night." Gauri says shyly.

"I just don't understand why you are blushing so much for such chaste kisses."

"Fine! Good night." Gauri replies turning to lie on her back.

"No... please tell me."

"Once Om accidently kissed me on my lips and from then on..." Gauri blushes.

"Finally, I had to do it!" then he asks her, "Then why were you taking the credit for everything?"

Gauri giggles hearing him. "Om loved to..."

"Obviously!" Omkara says with a flirty grin.

"Then..." Gauri blushes.

"Then?"

"You know what happens." Gauri says blushing.

"Huh?"

"Don't make me say it!"

"Oh." Omkara finally understands. "Okay, got it."

Gauri sighs in relief.

"But did he know what to do about it?" Omkara asks her curiously.

Gauri shakes her head in negative.

"So what did you do?"

"I told you to close your eyes and sleep."

"How cruel?" Omkara asks shocked.

"Shut up!"

"And I slept?"

Gauri nods.

"Wait a minute, why didn't I take care of it?" Omkara asks her confused. "I was an expert at it."

"Oh my God! I can't believe that you told me that!"

"You are my wife and my best friend." Omkara tells her smiling.

"STILL!"

Omkara chuckles. "Come on tell me, didn't he know?"

"I used to hold his hand." Gauri softly confesses biting her lips.

"Oh my God, Gauri! How cruel were you?" Omkara asks shocked.

"Will you shut up?"

"So, how did it happen finally?"

"I couldn't deny you." Gauri whispers. "I felt I was hurting you."

Omkara smiles hearing that. he wasn't feeling jealous that Gauri and Om had made love, because half the time, she hadn't said Om, she had said 'you'.

"But did I know what to do?"

Gauri blushes hearing that.

"You had to guide me." Omkara guesses.

"The first time. after that..." Gauri blushes.

"I was an expert." Omkara says smugly.

Gauri giggles hearing that.

"I don't know why you feel guilty for it, Gauri. you loved me and I loved you. there is nothing you have to regret or feel guilty about." Omkara gently tells her.

Gauri smiles hearing that.

"Wait a minute... if you felt you were hurting me, why didn't you just take care of it and not go all the way?" Omkara ask curiously.

"I didn't know what to do then."

"Ah interesting." Omkara says smiling.

"What?"

"You said you didn't know then... means you learned later."

Gauri turns completely pink hearing that.

"What did you learn?"

"Shut up and go to sleep. You don't have to know every single thing."

"Come on, Gauri."

"Good night." Gauri says and turns around giving her back to him.

"At least tell me, is it something that I would love or loooove?"

"Shut up." Gauri replies turning beetroot red.

Omkara moves close to her sensuously whispers to her ears, "By the way, Gauri. I know, I loved you and looooved you."

"How did you know that?" Gauri asks shocked as she turned to him.

"I dreamt of it."

"You did?" Gauri asks shocked.

"And did you forget that night?" Omkara asks her softly.

Gauri blushes remembering the night that he did remember, however horrible the morning after was, that night was beautiful.

"So, Gauri... did you love me or looove me?"

"Get lost."

"Please, Gauri... tell me."

"Love, okay?"

"What na insafi, Gauri?" Omkara asks her shocked.

"You never asked me to!" Gauri tells him turning pink and at her wits end.

"Ah, that's even more interesting." Omkara drawls with a sexy smile.

"GOOD NIGHT!" Gauri tells him completely pink.

Omkara chuckles and lies back.

Gauri was thinking about their old times together and she starts giggling happily.

"What?" Omkara asks her turning to her smiling happily.

Gauri shakes her head as she giggled.

"Come on, tell me."

"You used to always ask me 'is it night yet?'"

"Why?"

Gauri giggles in reply.

Seeing her giggling cutely with a blush, he realizes and asks her curiously, "Why never during the day?"

Gauri cheekily looks at him.

"Oh my God, you told me we can't do it during day time?" Omkara asks her shocked. "You were so cruel. You took poor me for a ride. If anything you should be apologizing to me for that."

"Yeah right!" Gauri scoffs as she chuckled.

"I am starting to pity poor Om." Omkara tells her.

"I was worried what if Papa and Ma came to check on us and found the bedroom door locked, how was I going to explain?"

"Still, not fair." Omkara tells her. "You were a true sadist."

Gauri chuckles. "Go to sleep."

"Gauri..." Omkara softly calls her.

"Hmmm?" Gauri turns to look at him.

"It was amazing between Om and you, right?"

"Yes." Gauri says smiling remembering their old times.

"What about our night?" Omkara asks her worriedly. "Was it?"

Gauri looks at him and sees him so worried. she smiles lovingly, "It was."

Omkara smiles at her, so happy and so filled with love.

When he was smiling at her like that, she wanted to kiss him. The temptation was too strong for her to fight; she quickly closes her eyes to control her hormones.

How he wished, he could kiss her. Omkara sighs as he watched Gauri close her eyes to sleep.

*********

"I got admission for MBA." Omkara informs Gauri one day.

"Congratulations." Gauri says smiling. "Which college?"

"It is a college in UK." Omkara tells her.

"You are going away?" Gauri asks shocked, her heart skipping a beat and she was suddenly filled with pain.

"No... it is an online course." Omkara informs her. "I will have classes online. Couple of hours a day or week. It depends."

"Oh." Gauri relaxes. At first, when she had felt that he was going away her heart broke about him going away, but now when he opted for an online course so he doesn't have to meet other people, her heart broke again.

"Don't you want to go to college?" Gauri asks him.

"I can't, Gauri." Omkara helplessly tells her. "I am just so scared about meeting these people. What if they find out about my past? I don't want to be a social outcast."

"You won't."

"Please don't force me, Gauri. please just support me." Omkara requests her.

Gauri nods hearing him.

********

Gauri watched as Omkara attended his online class. He was listening to someone speak from his online class. She had offered to leave the room so he could have privacy in attending his class, but he had insisted that she stay.

Realizing the water was over, Gauri gets up to get water as she grabbed the bottle.

"Where are you going?" Omkara asks as he looked at her.

"I am thirsty."

"Ah okay... keep a bottle here, so you don't have to keep going to the kitchen."

Gauri shows him the bottle.

"Then get two bottles." Omkara tells her.

Gauri shakes her head at him and leaves the room.

Gauri walks back into the room and finds Omkara looking at the door. he smiles at her when she walked back in. Gauri smiles back at him. Omkara frowns seeing that she brought only one bottle.

"I don't want to sit in the room full day." Gauri tells him.

"My class should be over in forty-five minutes, then we can go out if you want."

"Okay." Gauri smiles, Omkara rarely went outside their house.

"Gauri..." few minutes later, Omkara calls her.

"Yeah?" Gauri looks up from the book she was reading.

"I am going to speak, so I am turning on the mic."

"I'll go out."

"No... no... stay here." Omkara tells her.

"Okay."

"Just don't make any sound."

"Okay." Gauri tells him.

Soon, Omkara was talking and Gauri listens to him talk his views on the topic they were discussing. Listening to him, she could see that he was very intelligent and he had clarity on the topic. For a second she felt sad that if he hadn't lost these 7 years then he would have achieved a lot by now. Gauri sighs and looks away.

*******

After washing her hands, Gauri steps back so Omkara can wash his hands. Tej holds her hand from behind, Gauri curiously turns to him.

'I want to talk to you.' Tej mouths to her.

Gauri nods curious at his secret behavior.

"What happened?" Omkara asks seeing Gauri and Tej looking at each other.

"Nothing." Tej replies before Gauri could say anything.

Omkara curiously looks at his father, then he shrugs as he walked to the table to pull out a chair for Gauri.

*******

When Omkara went in to take his shower before bed, Gauri slips out of the room. she didn't like that she was sneaking around him but then she just couldn't tell him about it without finding out what her father-in-law wanted to talk to her about.

"Papa?" Gauri walks into his study.

"Where is Om?" Tej asks her as he looked up at her.

"Shower."

"Okay... Gauri, I want Om to join office." Tej tells her.

Gauri nods.

"He said he wants to study but he has classes only 3 hours a day and that too online which he can do at the office."

"I know, Papa." Gauri tells him softly.

"He can't sit at home all the time. he needs to go out and face the world."

"I know, Papa."

"He won't listen to anyone of us. he only listens to you. please talk to him."

Gauri knew he was right. Om only listened to her. whatever she asks of him, he would do it. But last time, he had gone to office because she had asked him to, and he had ended up quitting in two weeks.

"Only you can make him understand." Tej tells her.

"I'll talk to him, Papa."

Tej smiles in relief hearing that.

*********

Gauri was about to walk into their room when she hears a panic stricken Omkara calls her, "GAURI!"

Gauri quickly turns back and sees Omkara hurrying to her. he looked white.

"Om, what happened?" Gauri asks in concern as she hurried to him.

Omkara hugs her and asks her, "Where did you go?"

Feeling him shaking, Gauri hugs him. "I just went to talk to Papa."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"What happened?" Gauri asks him in concern.

"When I didn't see you in the room..." Omkara shudders.

"I am sorry." Gauri tells him feeling guilty.

"Please don't go away like that. just tell me before you go. Even if it is to the next room. tell me and go."

"Om, I just went to the other room." Gauri tries to reason with him.

"I was searching for you all over." Omkara tells her.

"I am sorry."

Omkara moves back and looks at her, "If you are not in front of me... if you go out of my sight for even a second... if you are not there where you were supposed to be... Gauri, I will die."

"Please don't talk like that, Om." Gauri tells him as she cupped his face.

"If you are not there, Gauri... I can't breathe." Omkara tells her with tear filled eyes.

"I won't leave you, Om. I promise you, I won't." Gauri tells him.

Omkara nods and hugs her. Gauri hugs him tight. In that second, she wanted to tell him how much she loved him, how much she wanted to be with him but she just couldn't tell him just then.

As Gauri watched Omkara sleep, she knew that she couldn't ask him to go to office as he seemed to be not yet ready to do that.

*********

"Omkara... I want to talk to you." Gauri tells him as she sat on the steps next to him.

"Yeah? You are not going to walk?" Omkara asks her curiously.

"I'll. First I want to talk to you."

"Yeah, tell me." Omkara turns to her with a smile.

"Last night, Papa told me to meet him that is why I went."

"Was that what he was telling you at the dining table."

Gauri nods.

"You lied to me?" Omkara asks her hurt as he looked down.

"I didn't lie, Omkara. I just didn't answer then. I hated hiding from you and sneaking out to talk to him but I couldn't tell you before I spoke to him and found out what he wanted to talk about." Gauri explains to him.

Omkara nods.

"I am sorry if I hurt you, Omkara."

"No, you didn't." Omkara tells her shaking his head. "You didn't like hiding from me."

Gauri smiles at him then she takes his hand and holds it in her hands. "Papa wants you to join office."

"I can't." Omkara replies looking down.

"Papa knows that you can do your online classes from office it is just a matter of few hours."

"It is not that." Omkara tells her.

"Then?"

Omkara sighs sadly.

"Tell me, Omkara." Gauri softly requests him.

"Everyone in office was looking at me weirdly."

"Maybe because you are new there and their boss."

"You know as well as me that is not the reason." Omkara sternly tells her.

Gauri nods.

"Some were literally shivering when they came to the cabin, as if I'll have a violent episode and attack them."

"We can't do anything about their attitude, Omkara." Gauri helplessly tells him.

"I know."

"All we can do is, prove to them that they have nothing to fear from us. You have to be patient, it is going to take time but you will gain their trust."

"I know, Gauri... but I just don't want to do it now."

"You have to, Omkara. The more you hide from it, the more you are going to be scared of it. Life stole many things from you, and now it is time, you take back what was snatched from you."

"Do you really want me to go?"

"Yes."

"You know I would do anything for you." Omkara tells her as he turned to look at her.

"And you know that is why I am asking you because I know you will never say no to me."

Omkara sighs, "Will you come with me to office then?"

"Yes." Gauri nods. She realized it last night itself that she would have to go to office with him. She couldn't let go off his hand at once, just one finger at a time.

Omkara smiles in relief. "Then we will go."

Gauri smiles and stands up as she offered her hand to him. "Do you want to walk with me?"

A smile breaks out of his face as he took her hand and he stood up. Gauri smiles at him as they held hands and started walking.

"Is this my reward for going to office?" Omkara asks her.

"No."

"Then?"

Gauri turns to look at his face and tells him, "I wanted to walk with you."

Omkara smiles happily hearing that. he wanted to ask her about Om but then he didn't, because he had been noticing how she would unconsciously call him Om, it was becoming more frequent lately.

Seeing his smile, Gauri smiles as she held his hand and walked. She wanted to kiss him just then, not just kiss, she thought with a blush. She knew even he wanted to make love, she had seen it in the way he looked at her but he was scared of approaching her because of what had happened last time and his accusations. even though she forgave him for all that, she just wanted to take it all slow with him this time.

********

"You should sit here with me. I'll put a chair for you here." Omkara tells Gauri yet again as he looked at her across his cabin sitting on the couch.

"I am fine here." Gauri replies without even looking up from the book she was reading.

Omkara sighs. "Are you bored?"

"I am trying to read and you are disturbing me." Gauri replies as she continued to read.

Omkara smiles as he got back to work.

"Gauri..." Omkara calls her after sometime.

"Can you stop talking? I am trying to read here!" Gauri asks exasperated. "Why does people think it is okay to talk and disturb someone when they are reading?"

"I just wanted to let you know that my class is going to start." Omkara tells her grinning.

"Ah okay." Gauri mutters.

Tired after reading, Gauri closes the book and looks up at Omkara as he was busy talking to one of the staff. Papa had specifically chosen Khanna to help and train Omkara with the business. Watching Omkara, Gauri knew he was a quick learner.

Omkara looks up at her and seeing her looking at him, he smiles at her. she smiles back at him.

********

"How come you didn't learn driving?" Gauri asks him curiously on their way back.

"I know driving." Omkara tells her. "I love driving."

"How come you don't drive now?" Gauri asks him shocked.

Omkara looks at her, then he looks at the driver for a few seconds, then he takes his mobile and types into it. Then he shows her the screen.

Can we talk about this later?

Gauri nods realizing that he didn't want to share it in front of the driver.

Thank you. Omkara mouths to her.

Gauri smiles at him.

********

"I am scared to drive." Omkara tells Gauri in the privacy of their room.

"Why?" Gauri asks him confused.

"What if I relapse while I am driving and end up hurting people?" Omkara worriedly asks her.

"That is not going to happen." Gauri tells him shocked.

"I just don't want to take any chance." Omkara tells her worriedly.

Gauri nods as she looked away having no idea how to help him.

*********

"How is office?" doctor asks Omkara.

Omkara nods. "Learning the drill."

"Why is that you want Gauri with you in the office?"

"Who told you that?" Omkara asks frowning. "Papa?"

"Yes."

"Why would he call you?" Omkara asks frowning.

"He is worried about you."

"But don't we have doctor-patient privilege?"

"Yes. I don't tell him anything about you. he just gives me an update of what happened since our last meeting."

Omkara looks away pissed. Feeling smothered.

"Gauri also calls." Doctor tells him.

"Gauri?" Omkara asks shocked.

"Yes."

"When?" Omkara asks shocked.

"Normally it is after our session. Five ten minutes after every session."

"She calls you while I am on my way home?" Omkara asks him.

"Yes."

"Hmmm."

"What hmmm?"

"She is worried about me." Omkara tells him feeling touched.

"You do realize that when it comes to Gauri, you have some double standards." Doctor points out to him.

"What double standards? Gauri has every right." Omkara tells him frowning.

"Hmmm... so why you want Gauri with you in the office?"

"I like having her nearby."

"She said you panicked that day when you didn't see her in the bedroom."

Omkara looks away not wanting to discuss that.

"Can we talk about that?"

"There is nothing to talk about it. We talked about it. She said she would never leave me."

"And how does that make you feel?"

"Happy. I love her." Omkara tells him then smiling, he adds, "And I think she loves me."

"Hmmm?"

"She is doing things with me that she did with only Om." Omkara tells him happy.

*********

"Next time, give me the flower in my hand instead of leaving it on the bed." Gauri tells Omkara as she picked the flower from the pillow.

Omkara turns to her smiling happily hearing that. seeing him so happy, she smiles at him.

Gauri comes out of the bathroom after getting ready for office and stops seeing Omkara standing in front of the bathroom, smiling ear to ear at her.

"What?" Gauri asks unable to stop her smile seeing him smiling so happy at her.

Omkara who had both his hands behind him, brings his right hand forward and gives her a red rose.

"Thank you." Gauri smiles taking the flower.

He again takes his right hand behind and brings it forward with a hyacinth flower.

"Thank you." Gauri chuckles taking the flower.

He offers her a tulip.

"Thank you." Gauri says happily.

He offers her a lily.

Gauri starts laughing as she took the flower, "How many are you hiding?"

"One of each." Omkara tells her as he brought his left hand forward and holding the flowers in both hands, he offers her all the flowers.

Laughing happily, Gauri accepts the flower. "Thank you, Om."

"Thank you, Gauri." Omkara tells her smiling.

Smelling the flowers happily Gauri starts to walk off.

"Ma is going to kill me if she finds out I ransacked her garden like this." Omkara tells her chuckling.

"It's your garden, Om." Gauri tells him as turned to him.

"Mine?" Omkara asks surprised.

"She had a vegetable garden. But Papa and Ma removed that and got the flowers so you can give me flowers daily." Gauri tells him.

"That was so sweet of them." Omkara tells her smiling and touched.

"It was." Gauri tells him. "And that was the first time you smiled at them in years."

Omkara felt his eyes fill up hearing that. Gauri smiles at him gently understanding his emotional state.

**********

Gauri hears Omkara sighing furiously and looks up curiously. He was talking to Ajay.

"This is not how I asked you to do it." Omkara tells him as he kept his hand on his forehead trying to stop the headache that was threatening to start.

"I made all the corrections in the contract you asked me to." Ajay worriedly tells him.

"I told you to get better prices too."

"These are the best price options." Ajay argues.

"You are the procurement head for a reason and prove it, get me the best offer."

"These are the best offer we can get."

Omkara furiously slams down his hand on the table, "YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THE MARKET RATES?"

Seeing Omkara furious, Ajay scrambles back in fear, practically running across the room. Omkara stops in shock seeing that.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?" Gauri furiously jumps up from the couch as she glared at Ajay. "YOU THINK HE IS GOING TO HURT YOU?"

Ajay turns to Gauri in terror, his eyes darting between Omkara and Gauri.

"Gauri... Gauri..." Omkara quickly gets up from his seat and hurries to Gauri.

"HE IS NOT GOING TO HURT ANYONE."

"It's okay." Omkara tells her as he held her. "Ajay, you go." Omkara tells him.

Ajay nods and quickly leaves.

"Look at me, love." Omkara tells her as he turned her to face him.

"How dare he treat you like that?" Gauri asks Omkara furiously.

"It's okay... it happens." Omkara tells her as he hugged her.

"You have recovered; why don't they understand that?" Gauri asks as furious tears stung her eyes.

"It's going to take them time, Gauri. you are the one who told me to be patient and win their trust." Omkara reminds her.

"Still..."

"It's just been one month, Gauri. Give them time." Omkara tells her.

Gauri nods. Then she looks at him, "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Are you okay?" Omkara asks her.

"No." Gauri replies as she hugged him.

"Okay, come sit with me." Omkara tells her as he walked to the couch and sat down, making her sit on his lap.

Gauri hugs him as she kept her head on his chest. Omkara hugs her, gently running his hand on her back and kissing her forehead to calm her down.

*******

"Can we talk?" Gauri asks Omkara as she sat Indian style on the bed at night.

"Sure." Omkara replies as he sat up facing her.

"I don't know whether you realize this." Gauri gently starts as she took his hand in hers, "You are very dependent on me."

Omkara thoughtfully looks down.

"I realized it long back but that day when you panicked when you didn't see me in the room, I realized the extend to it. That is why, I decided to come with you to the office." Gauri tells him.

Omkara nods as he looked at her.

"I had decided that slowly we will work on that, make you independent."

"Am I troubling you, Gauri?" Omkara asks her worriedly.

"No." Gauri shakes her head. "Never."

Omkara nods.

"Today, the way I reacted, I realized that all this while I have been overprotecting you. I am acting like a mother hen."

"You are not." Omkara tells her.

"I am." Gauri ascertains. "I don't want to be your mother hen, Om. I want to be your wife."

"You are my wife, Gauri." Omkara tells her.

"I am and I realize that it is time I let go off your hand."

Omkara frowns hearing that, his heart slamming against his chest.

"From tomorrow on, I am not going to sit with you in your office room."

"NO." Omkara tells her stubbornly.

"Listen to me, Om." Gauri quickly tells him as she cupped his face.

"No, Gauri. I don't want to hear anything."

"Please?" Gauri pleads him.

Omkara closes his eyes tight giving in.

"I have been thinking about getting back to work." Gauri tells him. "In fact, I had planned to get back to work once you were settled in office."

Omkara opens his eyes as he looked at her.

"I used to work there before we got married. I had resigned after our marriage. I'll rejoin."

"Okay." Omkara smiles hearing that.

"But I won't be sitting with you."

"Why?" Omkara frowns.

"We need to do this, Om. We can't be with each other 24x7. We have to meet other people, have our own friends."

"We can still do that, Gauri."

"We can't, Om." Gauri tells him.

"I won't be able to manage without you, Gauri." Omkara worriedly confesses.

"I'll be in the same building, Om. I will be there."

"I don't think I can do that."

"You can. You have been working in the office for a month now. you are comfortable there."

"That was because you were there."

"I am still there."

"It is not the same."

"We need to do this, Om. I don't want you to be dependent on me like this. And I don't want to fight with people for you. I want you to be able to fight for yourself."

"Please, Om?" Gauri requests him when he remained silent.

"You know I would do anything for you."

"Not for me. Do this for us."

Omkara nods as he smiled a little for her. Gauri smiles and hugs him.

"Which department did you work in?" Omkara asks her as they got settled on bed to sleep.

"Marketing."

"Hmmm."

"What are you thinking?" Gauri asks him curiously as she turned to him.

"About you joining." Omkara tells her as he looked at her.

"I was a trainee there and I am joining as a trainee." Gauri tells him

"WHAT? No ways! You are going to be heading Market division now."

"What the hell, Om?" Gauri asks shocked as she sat up. "What do I know to head a whole department?"

"I am at the top and you think I know anything?" Omkara asks her as he sat up.

"You are a quick learner and I know you are doing a brilliant job."

"I have a lot more to learn. And like me even you will learn."

"Your case is different."

"How?" Omkara asks frowning.

"You are Papa's son."

"You are his daughter and my wife," Omkara reminds her.

"But it is still not the same." Gauri tells him helplessly.

"Gauri, you know very well that if I hadn't recovered then all these would have been your responsibility."

"I know." Gauri replies. "But I can't do this, Om."

"We are partners, Gauri. we need to share the responsibilities."

"But I don't know a thing, Om."

"Even I didn't know. You will learn."

"No."

"This is not fair, Gauri. You and Papa put me at the top with all these responsibilities. I am struggling. And when it is your turn to take the responsibility you are refusing it?"

"Om, I don't know a thing to handle it."

"Even I didn't!" Omkara tells her in exasperation. "I am learning, so will you."

"No." Gauri tells him sternly.

"Gauri, you are being stubborn." Omkara tells her getting angry.

"I am being stubborn? You are being stubborn!"

"You know you are being unfair."

"You are being unfair!" Gauri tells him angry.

"When it was my time, it was all okay."

"You never said a thing."

"I never had an option. You just told me to go to office!"

"That is not fair, Om!" Gauri tells him frowning furiously.

"Really? Did I have a choice? Wasn't it all decided for me?"

"You were always going to be heading your father's business."

"That time I was an only son!"

"You still are." Gauri says softly.

"Why the hell would you say that, Gauri?" Omkara asks her frowning in shock. "Papa and Ma never differentiated between you and me."

"I meant son." Gauri tells him looking down.

"What crap, Gauri?" Omkara says frowning. "We both have equal rights on everything here. Just because I am the man I am not given any privilege and you are not given any restrictions because you are a woman."

Gauri sighs knowing he was right. the society might see the son as the natural successor but her in-laws never did.

"You know what? Amongst the both of us, it was you who always had the privilege. You were always given the choice. Whether you wanted to join the office or not, it was your choice. I was never given that choice."

"You know, that is not true, Om." Gauri argues.

"Oh yeah? Wasn't it you who forced me to go to office?"

"Because we wanted the best for you. we wanted to help you."

"And I want the best for you."

"Are you ashamed that your wife would be working under someone who works under you?"

"I want my wife to be in a position that is equal to mine!"

Gauri looks away hearing him.

"So, are you going to do it?" Omkara asks her.

"No." Gauri replies still not looking at him.

"I do everything you ask of me, if you can't do the one thing that I ask of you..." Omkara says angrily. Then sighing loudly, he lies down giving his back to her.

"Don't turn your back on me, Omkara!" Gauri tells him angrily.

"Get lost."

Gauri holds his shoulder and furiously pulls him to make him lie on his back so she could angrily glare into his eyes.

"I said don't turn your back on me!" Gauri tells him as she leaned down to glare at him.

Having her so close to him, her so angrily glaring at him, Omkara leans up and takes her lips in his. She was shocked at the unexpected kiss, then she sighs realizing how much she had missed this kind of intimacy with him, she hugs him and kisses him back. Omkara hungrily kisses her.

Omkara lies back as he tried to catch his breath, without breaking eye contact with her. Gauri continues to stare at him as she tried to calm her raising heart. Omkara runs his thumb over her lips. Gauri closes her eyes as she kissed on his thumb. Omkara slips in his thumb and Gauri slowly sucks on it.

Groaning, Omkara holds her and rolls her over as he got on top of her. he takes her lips in his and kisses her with all his passion and Gauri kisses him back in equal vigor. Omkara bites her lower lip and Gauri writhes in pleasure. Omkara's hand roams all over her body while his lips trail up her cheek diagonally and he reaches her ears. He gently bites and nibbles on her earlobe. Gauri flinches and then moans in pleasure.

Leaning up, Gauri takes his ear lobe in her lips and bites on it gently. "You remember this?" Gauri asks him softly.

Omkara leans back and there was a small smile on his face, he shakes his head in no.

"Dream?" Gauri asks him.

Omkara shakes his head in no.

Surprised, Gauri smiles at him. Omkara leans down to take her lips in his, when he stops in shock and moves back.

"What happened?" Gauri asks him confused.

"Did we use condoms?" Omkara asks her.

"No. I was on the pill." Gauri replies confused.

"Are you still on it?"

"No. what happened?"

"Doctor asked us to wait for 6 months before we tried for another baby." Omkara reminds her.

Gauri closes her eyes as she lies back, she had forgot about that.

"You okay?" Omkara asks her as he lovingly kept his hand on her cheek.

Gauri nods. "We could still, you just have to..."

"No." Omkara cuts her off. "I will not take any kind of risk with you."

Knowing he would be stubborn, Gauri nods.

Omkara leans down and kisses her forehead, "One more night."

Gauri smiles gently.

*********

"You still haven't changed your mind?" Omkara asks Gauri in Tej's office that morning.

"No." Gauri replies.

"If she is not comfortable now, then let it be, Om." Tej tells Omkara.

"Fine!" Sighing furiously, Omkara starts to leave.

"Are you leaving?" Gauri asks him.

"Yeah!" Omkara replies.

"I'll be in the marketing session when you get back." Gauri gently informs him.

Omkara stops as he turned to her. she could see the worry in his eyes.

"I'll be in this building only, Om."

Omkara nods as he sighed loudly.

*******

"Why would she want to work under someone when she can head the department?" Omkara asks as he paced the room.

"It's one's choice." Doctor replies.

"I wasn't given any choice. I was just told to go and work." Omkara tells him as he sat down.

"Why don't we talk about that, Omkara? Did you want to do something else instead?"

"We are talking about Gauri! not me!" Omkara sternly tells him.

The Doctor closes his eyes in irritation, at times he wished he could scream at his difficult patients like the one sitting opposite to him at present.

Sighing, Doctor tells her "I wanted to meet Gauri."

"Whatever for?" Omkara asks shocked.

"I want to have a sessionwith her."

"There isn't anything wrong with her!" Omkara tells him furiously.

"There isn't anything wrong with you either. Still we are meeting every week, right?"

"I was insane once." Omkara reminds him. "She wasn't."

"These sessions aren't because you had mental issues, this is to help you come to terms with it and help you to get back to your life." Doctor informs him. "And not only people like you, I have other patients too who meet to sort out their problems."

"sorry." Omkara says softly as he looked away.

"We should be talking about this. Why you feel like that? is that why you have always been hesitant in cooperating with me?"

"I don't know." Omkara replies looking away.

"Maybe you should think about it."

"You are a stranger, I can't share my problems with you."

"We have known each other for some time now. You have to help me to help you."

Omkara nods and asks him, "Why do you want to meet Gauri?"

"To discuss about you."

"I thought she always called you to talk about me." Omkara asks frowning.

"She did... but I need a one on one session with her."

"Without me?"

"Yes." Doctor replies as he took his mobile and looked through his scheduled. "My 3 o'clock just cancelled. If she is free at that time, I can give her an appointment for today 3."

********

"Hello?" Gauri answers the call.

"How are you?" Omkara asks her.

"I am fine. You?"

"I don't know." Omkara replies. "Can I come there?"

"We decided, Om." Gauri gently tells him.

"Hmmm."

"Are you still angry with me?"

"I just want you to be happy." Omkara tells her sighing.

"And I want you to be happy."

"I know."

"Om, I have decided, I will try my best to learn everything quickly and once I am confident then I'll head the department."

"You will?" Omkara asks smiling.

"Yes." Gauri tells him smiling. "I was scared that people are going to say that I am heading the department because I am your wife and Papa's daughter-in-law."

"Isn't that the reason I am the Managing Director now?" Omkara asks her.

"But everyone always knew that you would be assuming that position ever since you were kid."

"Don't forget I was insane for a few years, so I am sure everyone would be thinking you are a better successor to Papa than me."

"No one is better than you."

Omkara smiles seeing her loyalty to him. "Anyways, did you talk to my doctor?"

"Yes, I am meeting him at 3."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"He told me he wants to meet me alone."

"Will you be uncomfortable?"

"Why would I be?" Gauri asks confused.

"No, I just asked."

"I am fine, Om." Gauri tells him reassuringly.

"Okay."

********

"How do you think Omkara is doing now, Gauri?" the doctor asks her.

"Today he was in office without me." Gauri informs him.

"And how is he doing?"

"It is difficult but he is doing it."

Doctor nods. "There are two things I wanted to talk to you about."

"Yes?"

"Omkara isn't cooperating with me."

"He isn't?" Gauri asks shocked. "Why didn't you say anything all this while?"

"Doctor-patient privilege."

Gauri looks at him in exasperation.

"Has he ever talked to you about what had happened to him?"

"No." Gauri replies shaking her head.

"Have you asked him?"

Gauri shakes her head in no.

"I want you to ask him about it. The only person he would be willing to share it with is you."

"I don't know if he ready to talk about it." Gauri tells him her heart slamming against her chest thinking about how he would feel reliving the trauma.

"He had forbid me from sharing anything about him to anyone else." Doctor tells her. "That is why I stopped giving you all an update."

Gauri nods wondering if Om had specifically mentioned her name too.

"When I told him that I want to meet you, I had asked him whether I could share some of the things that we had discussed with you and his reply was 'There are no secrets from Gauri'."

Gauri sighs in relief hearing that and a smile slips through.

"You might have to ask him more than once but I know he will share it with you."

"Reliving that incident, will it affect him?" Gauri asks him worried.

"It will give him closure and might even make him open up to confront his fears."

"Okay. I'll ask him. Have you ever asked him?

"He hasn't opened up to me. when he doesn't want to talk about something, he just lies and ends the topic there. The only time he talks openly is when he talks about you."

"About me?" Gauri asks surprised and shocked.

"At first it was your relationship troubles."

Gauri looks away not sure whether she should feel bad that he was discussing about them to his doctor or be concerned that he was so disturbed about it that he was talking about it to a third person.

"Now it is all about how happy you both are."

Gauri smiles hearing that.

"Though today morning he was a little pissed." The doctor informs her grinning.

Gauri chuckles hearing that.

"I have started feeling that he doesn't see me as a doctor rather as his personal love Guru."

Gauri blushes hearing that.

Doctor chuckles as he shook his head thinking about Omkara.

"What was the other thing you wanted to talk to me about?" Gauri asks curiously.

"I want to try something... an experiment."

"Hmmm?"

"I want to give him a shock treatment."

***********

"Let's go home?" Omkara asks her as he walked into her cubicle.

Gauri looks up at him and smiles. "What are you doing here?"

"Office hours is over." Omkara cheekily tells her.

"How was your day?"

"I missed you." Omkara tells her as he walked to her and leaned on the desk next to her.

"Did you work?"

"Yeah... I had to distract myself."

Gauri giggles hearing that. "I should be the distraction and work your priority when you are in office."

"You will always be my priority." Omkara tells her as he knelt in front of her. "Did you miss me?"

"I was busy." Gauri replies.

"So busy that you didn't even think of me?" Omkara asks her suspiciously.

Gauri smiles happily, not wanting to hide how much she missed him.

Omkara smiles seeing her so happy. "We should celebrate for successfully completing one day away from each other."

"We were not apart a full day. maybe 8-hours maximum."

"Felt like 8 lifetime." Omkara tells her as he took her lips in his and kissed her.

Gauri giggles as she kissed him back. "I missed you." Gauri whispers against his lips.

"I really didn't think you could do it." Omkara tells her grinning.

"Do what?" Gauri asks smiling seeing him grin.

"Stay away from me."

"Yeah right." Gauri giggles as she kissed him.

"Let's go home." Omkara tells her as he nibbled on her lips. "We have to buy condoms on the way."

Hearing that, Gauri remembers what the doctor told her. she worriedly moves back.

"What happened?" Omkara asks seeing the change in her demeanor.

"We have to talk, Om." Gauri tells him worriedly, her heart slamming against her chest.

"What happened, Gauri?" Omkara ask his heart breaking thinking that she had changed her mind.

Seeing his face, she quickly tells him, "It's not about that."

Omkara sighs smiling. "For a second I thought you were going to make me beg like you made me beg."

"I didn't make you beg." Gauri tells him blushing.

"Poor innocent me."

Gauri giggles hearing that.

Then sobering down, Omkara asks her, "What do you want to talk about?"

"At home."

Omkara nods. "Does it have to do something with your visit with the doctor?"

Gauri nods worriedly.

Omkara sighs, "So I am not going to like it."

"Please, Om."

"Do we really have to do this?"

"Yes."

Omkara nods giving in.

*********

"What is it about?" Omkara nervously asks Gauri.

Gauri looks at him and realizes that he was really worried, she could see he was nervously breathing fast.

"About what happened to you."

Omkara's face turns white as a ghost and he replies, "No."

"Please Om. We have to talk about it."

"No, Gauri. we don't have to talk about it." Omkara tells her quickly.

"We have to, Om."

"No. we don't have to."

"Please Om, it is very important."

"It is not, Gauri." Omkara tells her shaking in horror at the memory.

"Om..."

"I used to have nightmares, Gauri. it was your thoughts that saved me from those. Dreams about you, replaced those nightmares. I don't want to go through that again."

Gauri cups his face, "Please, Om. You have to come to terms with it. You have to stop running from it."

"It is easier to run."

"For how long, Om."

"Forever."

"Please don't do this. Please let me in, Om. We have to do this for our future. I am begging you." Gauri pleads him as her eyes filled up.

"Please don't do this to me, Gauri." Omkara pleads her as his eyes filled up in pain, horror and panic.

"For us, please?"

Omkara closes his eyes as he fought his fears, remembering the horror he had gone through.

"Arjun was my best friends." Omkara whispers to her. "Arjun was in love with Richa. Richa was suddenly called back to her village and she went there. After that, Arjun wasn't able to talk to her for days. Then one day, she called saying her parents were forcing her to marry someone else and she started crying asking him to take him away."

Seeing him take deep breathes, Gauri tightens the hold on his hand.

"Arjun came to Rudra and me for help. Rudra was adamant that we go to police but Arjun was worried as Richa's father was a powerful man in the village and the police were with him. So, without telling Rudra, we both went to get Richa."

"We managed to get Richa out of the house and we were leaving the village. But somehow someone found out." Omkara closes his eyes as the memory started resurfacing.

"I am right here with you, Om." Gauri softly tells him as she held his hand.

"There were too many people. They rounded our car and they dragged us out." Omkara takes deep breaths to calm himself, "they pulled Arjun and Richa away. Few of them started hitting me and I couldn't fight all of them. after a point I couldn't fight them anymore. I tried, Gauri. I tried a lot but I couldn't."

Gauri rubs his hand unable to say anything or do for him. Tears falling from her eyes.

"They all started beating Arjun. I could hear him scream. I couldn't do anything to save him. I tried but I couldn't even stand up. I couldn't help him, Gauri. he trusted me and I couldn't do anything for him. I started begging them, threatening them, pleading them. I even promised them that I would take Arjun away and never let him meet Richa, but they just continued to hurt him and hit me. Even Richa promised that she would marry whoever they wanted if they let Arjun and me leave. But they just hit her and continued to torture Arjun."

"They had a sword and they started hacking him. One of his finger, fell on me." Omkara tells her as he wailed.

Gauri hugs him as she cried.

"I couldn't help him, Gauri. then suddenly he stopped screaming. And I knew then. I understood." Omkara tells her as he cried.

Gauri wanted to tell him that he didn't have to tell her but she knew if he stopped talking now then he might never be able to talk about it. So, she just hugged him tight to herself.

"Richa also understood. In front of my eyes, she... she took her father's gun and shot herself. Her father looked at her lifeless body and said 'She brought it on herself'. Then he told the others to kill me and dispose our bodies. They all started beating me and Arjun's finger fell off from my hand and one of them stamped on it. I tried to get it out from under his dirty shoe but he kicked Arjun's finger away. I just stopped screaming then. Then I don't remember anything." Omkara tells her as he cried loudly.

"It's okay, Om. You are safe now." Gauri tells him even though she knew his pain was mainly about watching his two friends die so brutally.

Gauri hugged him tight and let him cry for his lost friends and himself for a long time.

"I just don't know what happened after that. then I remember waking up in the hospital 7 years later. I don't know anything else to tell you." Omkara tells her tired and heartbroken.

"Do you want to know what happened then?" Gauri asks him gently.

Omkara nods his head.

"They took Richa home. And dumped you and Arjun outside that village." Gauri recounts what she had heard from her mother. "They thought you had died. Some people found you and took you to the hospital. When Rudra found out Arjun and you were not in college he tried finding you. then he heard about Richa's death and informed both your families about his worries. Papa filed a missing person report on you and Arjun's family on him. It took them days to find you. by the time, Papa and Ma found you, you had..." Gauri stops as she looked at him.

"Arjun?"

"His parents took his body home." Gauri whispers.

"And Arjun's parents?" Omkara asks her softly.

"Papa was in touch with them while the case was going on." Gauri tells him. "Once all those people were punished, they didn't meet after that."

"I always wondered whether I should meet them." Omkara tells her. "Should I?"

"It is your decision."

"What would I tell them?" Omkara asks her sadly. "All I can tell them is how they all had killed him."

"Or you can tell them how you had become friends and about your friendship and all the various memories you have of him." Gauri gently tells him.

Omkara thoughtfully looks down.

"Are you okay?" Gauri asks him after sometime, as she made him lie down to sleep.

"I feel light and relieved." Omkara tells her.

Gauri smiles in relief. She lovingly kisses his forehead. Omkara gently smiles at her. Gauri lies next to him.

Omkara rolls over to her and lies on her shoulder hugging her, "Thank you, Gauri."

"It was your doctor." Gauri tells him.

"Still thank you."

Gauri smiles at him. "You should talk to your doctor. He said you lie a lot to him."

"He knew I was lying?" Omkara asks shocked.

Gauri gives him a look. "that is the question you ask?"

"I wasn't comfortable talking to him."

"He is trying to help you."

Omkara nods.

"Please give him a chance."

Omkara nods.

Sometime later, Gauri was sleeping off when Omkara gently calls her.

"Hmmm?" Gauri looks at him.

"Ever since I recovered I had been wondering why God hated me so much that he killed my friends in front of my eyes while I helplessly watched them die and why he broke my mind and snatched 7 years of my life."

"Om..." Gauri starts to tell him that God loves him when Omkara keeps a finger on her lips to stop her from talking.

Omkara leans towards her and lovingly kisses her cheek, "And then I realized how much he really loves me."

Gauri felt her eyes fill up, she moves to him and kisses his cheek.

Smiling, Omkara hugs her and closing his eyes, he goes to sleep.

********

"We are getting late." Omkara tells Gauri seeing her still lazing around the room making no moves to get ready for office.

"I am not coming to office today." Gauri tells him.

"Why?" Omkara asks confused.

"You go."

"You come to office." Omkara tells her frowning.

"You go alone today."

"I am not going." Omkara tells her stubbornly.

"You have to, Om." Gauri tells him when he was about to argue, she tells him, "Don't argue, just go."

"You promised you would be in the building." Omkara reminds her getting restless.

"I can't come."

Omkara realizes and asks her, "He told you to not come to office?"

"Yes."

"Who is he to decide that?" Omkara asks her getting angry.

"He is your doctor."

"You are coming." Omkara tells her as he held her hand.

"No, Om. You have to go alone."

"I don't care what he says, you are coming."

"Please, Om."

"I am firing him. He is no longer my doctor. So, you don't have to do what he says." Omkara says as he took his phone to call his doctor.

Gauri snatches his phone from him. "Don't be silly."

"I am being silly?" Omkara asks her getting angry.

"Yes you are. He is trying to help you."

"I don't want his help."

"We need it."

"No."

"Please go, Om." Gauri tells him gently. "Do this for me."

"You don't understand how difficult it is for me." Omkara helplessly confesses to her.

Gauri hugs him tight. "I will miss you, Om."

"Then come with me." Omkara tells her as he hugged her tight.

"We can't go on like this, Om."

"What is wrong in being like this?"

"It's not normal, Om."

"This is my normal."

"I want to have a normal life with you." Gauri tells him as she looked at him.

"I can't stay away from you for this long." Omkara worriedly tells him. "You don't know how hard it was for me yesterday even when I knew that you were there in the same floor."

"You are not away from me, Om." Gauri tells him then she keeps her hand over his heart, "Always remember, I am right here."

Sighing Omkara hugs her tight.

*******

Evening, Omkara hurries to his house. He notices his parents as soon as he walked into the house, but he ignores them and hurries to his bedroom to find Gauri. today, was the hardest day ever in his life.

Omkara walks into their bedroom and finds it empty.

"Gauri?" Omkara calls out to her as he started looking for her.

Jhanvi and Tej watched in worry as Om went around the whole house calling out to Gauri.

"Where is Gauri?" Omkara asks them as he took his mobile to call her.

Omkara starts frowning hearing that Gauri's mobile was switched off. he had spoken to her 4-5 times from office and she hadn't mentioned anything about going anywhere.

"Where did she go?" Omkara asks his parents as his heart started slamming against his chest.

Tej and Jhanvi worriedly looks at him.

"Why are you early Papa?" Omkara asks frowning in worry. "Where is my Gauri?"

"Om..." Tej nervously stammers.

"DID THAT ASSHOLE ASK HER TO STAY AWAY FROM ME?" Omkara asks furiously seeing them so nervous and worried.

"Om, please..." Jhanvi gently tells him. "calm down."

"DID HE?"

"This is for your good." Tej tells him.

"I DON'T WANT ANY GOOD WITHOUT MY GAURI!"

"Om, she will come back." Jhanvi tells him.

"This is for just a few days." Tej tells him.

"Where is she?" Omkara asks him feeling a little calmer realizing that Gauri hadn't left him completely.

"I don't know."

"YOU ARE LYING!"

"We don't know, Om." Jhanvi lies to him.

"SHE WOULD NEVER HIDE ANYTHING FROM YOU BOTH!" Omkara tells them furiously. "Where is she?"

"We don't know, Om. She didn't tell us." Jhanvi tells him her eyes filling up with worry.

Omkara furiously screams as he ran his hand through his hair. Then he turns to his parents and asks them in a pleading tone. "Please tell me where she is, I can't live without her."

"We don't know."

"YOU ARE LYING!"

"We are not, Om."

Screaming furiously Omkara starts to walk towards the main door.

"Om, where are you going?" Tej asks him worriedly.

Omkara turns to his parents and tells them in finality, "I can't stay without Gauri. I won't."

"Om, she will be back."

"I can't stay without her for even a second." Omkara tells his parents in exasperation. Then looking at the key holder, he grabs the car key and walks out.

*******

Omkara was furiously driving towards his doctor's clinic when his mobile starts ringing. Omkara looks at his mobile and sees Gauri calling. He slams down on the brake and answers the call.

"Gauri, where did you go?" Omkara asks her frantically as he answered the call.

"Om, are you okay?" Gauri worriedly asks him.

"Do you think I am okay?" Omkara asks her back. "You know I can't breathe without you."

"I know. I am sorry, Om." Gauri tells him as she closed her eyes in pain.

"Where are you? I am coming to get you." Omkara tells her as he started the car.

"Are you driving?" Gauri asks him.

"Yes."

Gauri smiles hearing that. "You are driving?" She asks again feeling happy and ecstatic. She wasn't sure leaving him like that would help him, but seeing he had overcome one of his fears within minutes of her being away from him, she started feeling hopeful and her resolve became rock hard.

"Yes. Where are you?" Omkara asks as he drove.

"Don't you know that you are not supposed to talk on phone and drive?" Gauri asks him angrily.

"I am coming to get you. give me your address."

"Don't talk and drive."

"You drive me crazy, Gauri!" Omkara tells her furiously as he stopped the car to the side. "I have parked the car. Give me your address."

"I am so glad you are driving, Om." Gauri tells him smiling with happy tears.

Omkara sighs. "Where are you, Gauri?"

"We have to do this, Om."

"We don't have to." Omkara tells her stubbornly.

"Please, Om."

"Gauri, I promise I will cooperate with the counselling. I will do everything. Just come home."

"I want to come home, Om."

"Tell me where you are."

"But I can't come now."

"You can."

"No, Om. We have to do this."

"No, Gauri."

"I love you, Omkara."

Omkara sighs in relief closing his eyes. He knew she loved him but just then he realized how much he wanted to hear the words.

"I love you a lot, Omkara."

"You love Omkara?" Omkara asks softly.

"For me Om, Omkara and Omkara Singh Oberoi are the same now. it has been for a long time now."

"I know." Omkara tells her smiling as tears dropped from his eyes.

"I can't live without you, Om."

"Come home, Gauri."

"No, Om. We need to do this. You have to be independent. I want to be your strength and not your weakness."

"You are my strength, Gauri. You make me strong."

"No, I make you weak. I am cocooning you. you need to break out of it."

"Please, Gauri. I will go insane again."

"You won't. you know why?"

"Why?"

"You are strong. You are stronger than you think."

"I am not." Omkara whispers.

"Where were you going?" Gauri asks him.

"To the clinic." Omkara replies feeling anger rising in him.

"You should go back home."

"No."

"I want to come home, Om."

"Where are you?" Omkara asks feeling relieved.

"You will go home, Om. And you are going to do everything in your power and more to bring me home."

"Gauri..."

"I will not come back before your doctor gives me permission."

"He can't dictate our life."

"You are going to help yourself and you are going to let other's help you. stop running away."

"Just come home, Gauri. I will do everything." Omkara promises her.

"Not now, Om. I am waiting for you, Om. Please fight for us. I am miserable without you. please get me home soon."

Omkara closes his eyes as he cried. "I can't do it, Gauri."

"You can. Now, I will talk to you only when I come back home. I love you, Om."

********

Ignoring his parents, Omkara walks to his room dejected. He stops in the middle of the room and looked around. For the first time, his room didn't feel home. It was no longer the safe haven it had been. Omkara looks around his room as he fought his tears, his eyes ending up where Gauri used to sit. He walks to the wall and sits on the floor, he lovingly keeps his hand on where Gauri used to sit.

Jhanvi and Tej worriedly opens the door. They both stop seeing him sitting at the place where they had seen him sit numerous times for years. Their heart panicking in worry and fear.

"Om..." Jhanvi calls him worriedly.

"Please leave me alone." Omkara tells her without looking at her.

Even though relieved to see him talking to them in a normal tone, they were still worried. "Om..."

"I just want to be alone now." Omkara tells them in a stern tone.

Sighing sadly, they leave the room.

Much later, Omkara opens his cupboard and stops seeing Gauri's box and the book kept there. He takes the box to see the dry flowers. His eyes fill with tears. He takes the copy of Shantaram and runs his hand over the cover. Sighing he looks up and sees a folded letter. He takes it and opens it.

Om...

I am leaving these with you, so you would know how lonely and desperate I am to come back. I am miserable without you.

Please Om, I just want to come home. I love you more than life.

Yours and only yours,

Your wife,

Gauri.

Omkara lovingly runs his hand over your wife as tears spilled from his eyes. Determined, he keeps it back in his cupboard. Even if it killed him, even if it is the last thing he did in life, he will bring his wife home.

*******

"Are you not having breakfast?" Omkara asks his parents in the morning.

Jhanvi and Tej look up to see their son ready for office.

"Om?" Tej worriedly calls him.

"I am hungry. Let's eat." Omkara tells them.

Tej and Jhanvi nods and they follow their son, astonished at the change in him.

"Is Gauri okay? is she comfortable?" Omkara asks his parents as they sat down to eat.

Tej and Jhanvi worriedly look at each other.

"I know you both know where she is and that you are in touch with her. I just want to know whether she is fine and comfortable." Omkara gently tells them.

"She is." Tej answers.

Omkara nods. "Please take care of her."

"We will, Om. We promise." Jhanvi tells him.

"Thank you." Omkara whispers.

"Ma, I am leaving." Omkara informs her.

"Are you okay, Om?" Jhanvi worriedly asks him.

"I will be when Gauri comes back." Omkara tells her. then looking at Tej, he informs him, "Papa, you can take the driver. I don't need him anymore."

"Will you drive by yourself, Om?" Tej asks smiling seeing the change in his son.

"Yes. I don't want to depend on anyone anymore." Omkara tells him. "Gauri wants me to be independent, so, I will be independent."

*********

"Do you want to hurt me, Omkara?" the doctor asks seeing the way Omkara was glaring at him.

"Oh, I am killing you in my head." Omkara replies.

The doctor couldn't help smile. "I was a little concerned how you would be after Gauri left."

"Really?" Omkara asks him sarcastically.

"Yes, my biggest fear was what if you had a meltdown."

"And if I had?" Omkara asks.

"We would have met thrice a week then." The doctor replies so Omkara doesn't get any wrong ideas in the head.

"Hmmm."

"But I am glad to see that you instead tapped into your anger."

"Why is that?"

"Anger would make you determined and fight to bring your wife home."

"I want my wife home."

"Yes, let's start working on it." Doctor tells him smiling.

Omkara glares at him, imagining banging his doctor's head on the wall. "How is Gauri being away from me going to help me?"

"Have you ever travelled alone, Omkara?"

"Yes."

"Not in flights when you went to college. Have you taken trips alone?"

"Yes, once." Omkara replies remembering. "my 21st birthday gift from my parents was a trip to Brazil to watch the world cup. It was a month before..." Omkara stops.

"How was the trip?"

Omkara smiles remembering. "The best."

"This weekend, why don't you take a road trip? Anywhere you want but only you. Meet new people. Make at least one new friend. Don't stay in hotels. Stay in Air BnB." Doctor suggests smiling.

Omkara's smile drops. "I don't think I am ready for it."

"You won't know it till you do it."

********

Omkara opens the back door of the car and throws his bag in. he closes the door and turns to look at his parents, he could see that they were really worried. even he was terrified. This was the first time he was going to be alone since he recovered. Even when he went away to college, Papa had accompanied him to drop him and he had stayed in a hotel with 24x7 car and driver, who took him wherever he had to go. This solo trip was scaring him and he was so tempted to cancel it, but he knew if he did then it would take that longer for Gauri to come back home.

Omkara sighs, "Bye."

"Take care, Om." Jhanvi worriedly tells him.

Omkara nods. "Tell Gauri I will be fine. Tell her not to worry."

They nod in reply.

Soon he was on his way.

********

As he drove in the highway, Omkara tried to relax and calm his raising heart beats. Realizing he was gripping on the steering, he tries to relax his stance. He needed Gauri more than ever now. Omkara takes a deep breath as he tried to not give up, this is for Gauri, his mind kept chanting.

In couple of hours, he reached Pune. He straight away went to the Airbnb he had booked. Soon, the host had ushered him to his room. as he got acquainted with the room, he could see that the host wanted to chat but he wasn't comfortable, he just wanted to be alone.

"I think I will take a shower and rest for a while." Omkara tells him.

"Sure. If you want anything please don't hesitate to ask." The elderly man tells him and leaves.

Omkara locks the door and sighs in relief. He walks to the bed and falls on it. He was feeling trapped. He wanted to cry and scream. He wanted to run away. he just wanted Gauri. he takes his mobile and dials her number, it was coming switched off. he sighs sadly. He opens the gallery and looks at the photos with Gauri. they had clicked only a handful of photos together. He lovingly caresses her photo as he thought of her.

Realizing that Gauri would be worried about him, he quickly messages his mother that he had reached. Jhanvi quickly replies with a barrage of questions asking after his comfort, condition, food and travel. He felt a little bad that his parents also would be worried for him. He felt his eyes fill up realizing that for the last 7 years they were also suffering with him. I love you, Ma and Papa. Thank you for loving me. Omkara quickly messages her.

******

Omkara had remained in the room for the rest of the day. he knew he was supposed to go out and make a friend but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He used to love meeting new people but now it terrified him. A part of him believed that as long as he had Gauri, he didn't need anyone else. Omkara closes his eyes, realizing that his, this thought was what Gauri had asked him to change. Sighing loudly, he gets up and freshens up.

Omkara walks into the café near his stay which his host said served good food. Instead of taking a table, he walks to the counter and sits. A waiter smiles at him and hands him the menu after introducing himself. Omkara looks through the menu and orders Chicken Alfredo.

Even though he had come there to meet people, he couldn't bring himself to talk to anyone. He couldn't even make polite conversations with the waiter who had served him.

Omkara was eating as he got lost in his thoughts.

"Is this seat taken?"

Omkara turns to the sound and finds a lady. He shakes his head in negative. She smiles at him and takes the seat. Omkara turns back to his food and continues to eat while the girl got settled in her seat.

"Hi."

Omkara turns to her and politely says, "Hello."

"I am Ria." She tells him with a smile.

"Omkara." Omkara replies deciding to give this a try for Gauri.

"Are you from here, Omkara?"

"No. You?"

"I am just here for the night." Ria tells him.

Omkara nods.

"So Omkara what brings you here?"

Omkara frowns as he looked down at his hand and sees that Ria was caressing his arm. "You are touching me." Omkara points out to her frowning.

Her smile falters for a second, and she takes off her hand. Then she sexily smiles at him.

She was interested in him and that made him lose his interest. "I am married." Omkara tells her.

"Even me." she purrs into his ears.

He looks away ignoring her, feeling disgust and anger brewing in his heart. He already told her he belonged to Gauri then what the hell? It was his mistake that he had even thought of interacting with her.

"You didn't tell me why you are here."

Omkara turns to her in irritation and tells her, "I was mad for 7 years and now that I recovered my doctor told me take a solo trip. And that brought me here."

And he watched in satisfaction when the color drained from Ria's face. she quickly gets off the chair and grabbing her things, she walks off to a table. Omkara couldn't help smirk as he turned back to his plate.

First time, he was happy with the panic his past mental condition had caused in someone.

"Sorry, I couldn't help overhear." The girl sitting on his left says.

Omkara curiously turns to her.

"Is it true? What you said?"

"Yes." Omkara replies.

The girl nods. Omkara turns back to his food.

"If you don't mind, can I ask you something?" the girl asks him.

Omkara turns to her curiously and with a frown wondering what she wanted to ask him about his condition.

"I had been meaning to ask you this and that is when I overheard you. Is that any good?" she asks pointing at his food.

Omkara nods in reply.

She smiles at him. "Great." She turns to wave over a waiter. "I'll have that." she tells him pointing at Omkara's food.

Omkara couldn't help the smiling, he liked people like that. non-interfering, non-judgmental.

He continued to eat wondering whether he should talk to her, but with the disastrous way it had happened with Ria, he wasn't sure.

Hearing a mobile ring, he curiously looks and sees her phone flash 'Hubby'. She cuts the call. Omkara frowns seeing that.

Five minutes later, when she did that for the fourth time, Omkara sighs loudly and tells her, "You should answer it."

"It's not anything important. I know what he wants to say." She replies then she politely smiles at the waiter as he placed her food. "Thank you."

"You have no idea how that feels." Omkara tells her.

"What feels?" she asks confused.

"When your wife isn't answering your call."

"He is going to be fine." She says in a dismissing tone.

"I am dying to talk to my wife here." Omkara tells her feeling resentment at her and depression at the thought of not being able to talk to Gauri.

"What did you do to piss her off?" she asks curiously.

"My psychiatrist told her to stay away from me."

"Whatever the hell for?" she asks in shocked outrage.

Omkara smiles seeing her so outraged on his behalf, he felt a comradeship with her. "They say I am too dependent on her."

"Are you?"

Omkara looks at his plate thoughtfully and finally admits to himself, "Yes."

"Hmmm." She nods thoughtfully. "From one married person to another, when someone is too depended on someone it just suffocates you."

Omkara felt guilty hearing that, was he suffocating Gauri with his constant need for her? "Is your husband dependent on you?"

"No. my mother-in-law on my husband."

"Oh."

"She is so possessive about him. It just drives me mad." She tells him then she bites her tongue and turns to him, "I am sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay." Omkara tells her smiling. He was starting to like her.

"I am really sorry."

"No worries." Omkara tells her smiling. Seeing her looking so guiltily at him, he asks, "You were saying?"

Seeing her uncomfortable wondering whether she offended him, he tells her smiling, "Come on, let's bitch about your mother-in-law."

She giggles hearing that. "She never liked me. I don't even know why. Ours was a love marriage. Maybe because I am not her choice."

"Hmmm and that's not fair." Omkara frowns.

"I know!"

"And your husband?"

"He is so over protective about me, that he starts fighting with his mother. Which makes her all the more vicious. I tell him that I can handle my fights but he just doesn't listen. He makes matters worse all the time. I tell him that I can handle my mother-in-law and his comeback is he can handle his mother better. At times, he just drives me... ARGH" she stops.

"Crazy?" Omkara chuckles and asks her.

"Yes." She tells him with an embarrassed smile. "Today such a silly thing, he blew it out of proportion and I just left home."

"I wish I could help you but the truth is I have never interacted with my in-laws. I knew my mother-in-law but that was before my marriage."

"And how are your parents with your wife?" she asks curiously.

Omkara smiles, "My parents love my wife more than they love me."

"Oh your wife is a very lucky girl." She says smiling.

"No." Omkara shakes his head with a smile. "Gauri is that kind of a person."

"Oh then you are a very lucky man." She tells him smiling.

"You have no idea how lucky I am." Omkara tells her smiling then he quickly says a silent prayer thanking the Lord and his parents yet again for bringing Gauri into his life.

"So, what do you have to do so that your wife can come back home?"

"I don't know. For now, I have to go on a road trip and make a new friend."

"You did that." she tells him excitedly as she patted him on his shoulder.

Omkara smiles hearing that. "Omkara." Omkara says as he offered her his hand.

"Anika." She says shaking his hand.

"Nice meeting you, Anika."

"Nice meeting you, Omkara."

"I was actually feeling very restless and just wanted to get back home. But meeting you, I feel I should continue my trip." Omkara tells her smiling.

"Meeting me?" Anika asks surprised.

"You made me realize that not everyone is going to treat me like a ticking time bomb."

Anika smiles, "I am glad that I was able to clear your misconception."

Omkara smiles at her.

"So where are you going from here?"

"I don't know. I have to figure it out."

"Once my husband and I took a road trip to Goa. It was nice." Anika says as she took her mobile and typed into it.

"Goa?" Omkara thoughtfully nods.

"Google says Hampi is a good 11 hours' drive with Belgaum, Kolhapur and Satara on the way."

"Interesting." Omkara smiles. "Thanks for that. I think I will make that trip."

They continued to talk for a long time.

"My husband is going to get worried. I should go home."

"Sure." Omkara says smiling. "Nice meeting you."

"Same here." Anika says smiling. "I hope your wife can come back home soon."

"Thank you."

Anika starts taking her things.

"Anika, wait..." Omkara says. "Can I take a photo with you?"

"Photo?" Anika asks as she kept her things back.

"I want to show Gauri. Second friend I made in 7 years." Omkara says smiling.

"Let me guess, first friend was Gauri?" Anika asks smiling as she adjusted her hair.

"Yes. She is going to be very happy." Omkara tells her excitedly then cheekily adds, "Jealous too because my new friend is a girl."

Anika chuckles. "Even I want the photo. Shivaay is always going for all these business trips and meeting those tuchi 2 Rs wali girls"

Omkara laughs and soon they click a photo on his phone. Anika gives her number to him and Omkara whatsapps the photo to her.

"Keep in touch, Omkara. Next time, you should come home with Gauri." Anika tells him as she hugged him.

Omkara hugs her. "When you are in Mumbai, call me. And do come home with Shivaay."

"Sure. I feel Shivaay and Gauri will be good friends." Anika predicts.

"With the way they are over protective of us, I am sure they will click." Omkara agrees.

********

Omkara happily opens the door and starts to walk to his room. he was feeling relaxed and happy. He was starting to feel good about himself. Omkara sighs happy. He sees his host and he stops as he smiled at him. Noticing him, the elderly man smiles at him.

"How was the food?"

"Excellent." Omkara tells him as he walked to him to talk to him.

Few minutes later, Omkara reaches his room. he wanted to share this with Gauri. if he couldn't share it with Gauri, if Gauri wasn't happy with his happiness then there was no meaning to it all. He quickly takes his phone and starts messaging.

Gauri, I made a friend today.

Then he sends the photo he took with Anika.

Omkara then in detail explains to Gauri about his day, leaving out nothing. He ends the message with his plan to go to Hampi.

Once he had send the message, he messages his mother.

Ma, I have send Gauri a message. Can you please ask her to check it? Tell her she doesn't have to reply; I just want her to read it.

Then Omkara stares at his phone, in three minutes, he sees the blue double tick on the messages. He smiles, now he was truly happy because he knew Gauri was happy.

*******

Two days later, Omkara walks into his bedroom at night. Dropping his bag on the floor, he walks to his bed and keeps the flower on the pillow and takes the three flowers he had left on the pillow for the three days he wasn't home. He walks to his cupboard and opens the box and keeps the dried flowers in it. Gauri needs a new box. Omkara thought with a smile. Then he walks out to talk to his parents, he had told them that he would be right back as today he hadn't kept a flower for Gauri.

********

"It is amazing that you had a great time." the doctor tells him.

Omkara smiles. "I was worried at first whether I could do it." Omkara confesses.

"Why?"

"Because I was scared what if something happens on the way."

"Omkara, you needn't worry you will not have a relapse." Doctor tells him.

Omkara nods. "Thank you, doctor for making me do this."

Doctor smiles at him in reply.

"I am starting to trust you." Omkara tells him honestly.

"I am glad to hear that." Doctor tells him smiling.

Omkara smiles. "Did you talk to Gauri?"

"Yes. She is very happy."

"I know." Omkara replies smiling.

"I hear you cheated." Doctor tells Omkara grinning.

"Only if she is happy then I can be truly happy."

Doctor nods.

"Can she come home?"

"Soon. Why don't you meet an old friend of yours?"

Omkara sighs then he replies. "I did meet a couple of them."

"I know. Meet again. Now, you have more clarity on your state of mind try meeting them."

"I am in touch with Rudra. We message each other. No one else matters, only he cared and was loyal all these years to keep in touch with my parents."

"Try meeting him."

Omkara nods thoughtfully.

*********

"How was your flight?" Rudra asks Omkara as they walked to the car.

"Good."

"How are uncle, aunty and Gauri doing?"

"All good. How is everyone at home?" Omkara asks him as they got into the car.

"Doing good. You know, I was actually planning to come to Mumbai to see you. that is when you messaged me."

"Really?" Omkara asks surprised.

"We should meet more often." Rudra tells him.

"We should." Omkara agrees.

"Yeah right!" Rudra snorts.

"What?" Omkara asks him chuckling.

"You said that the last time we met and after that you always had one excuse or the other when I told you we should meet."

Omkara looks out the window with a smile, it was true.

"I am glad you are here."

"It is just that..." Omkara tells him as he turned to Rudra, "when we met, I felt you were sitting on eggshells."

"Was I that obvious?" Rudra asks embarrassed.

"Yeah." Omkara smiles.

"I am sorry, Omkara." Rudra tells him regretfully. "I didn't want to say or do anything inadvertently and offend you. I was worried to talk about myself because I was scared that you would feel depressed that you lost these years. I was scared to ask about your future plans or you, as I wasn't sure what you felt about that. And I didn't want to ask anything to you that would cause pain to you. I am sorry."

"It's okay." Omkara tells him smiling. "I understand."

"You look different from last time."

"I didn't change my look." Omkara tells him surprised.

"You look happy now."

"I have accepted what had happened. I can't change my past but I can make my future better. And that is all that I am concerned about. I want to give the best of everything to my Gauri." Omkara tells him.

Rudra smiles happily for Omkara. "She is a nice girl."

"She is the best." Omkara tells him grinning. "and Gauri likes you also."

"That's sweet. I just spoke to her only once."

"She is the reason I called you when I was here the last time."

"So, you didn't call me for me?" Rudra asks acting offended.

Omkara chuckles. "She told me how you used to call Papa and Ma to ask about me."

"You would have d0ne the same for me."

"I don't know. I might have given up, might not have lasted 7 years."

"Towards the end I had started giving up. Always asking the same question and hearing the same answer, it was heart breaking." Rudra confesses softly.

"Papa and Ma were all alone, and you were a big relief for them."

"What are friends for?"

"Do you meet Arjun's parents?" Omkara softly asks him.

"Yes, I try to call them once every couple of months. Once or twice a year I try to meet them. last I met them right after we met."

"They know about me?" Omkara asks him in a whisper.

"Yes."

Omkara nods and quickly changes the topic as he didn't want to talk about Arjun or his parents.

**********

"it felt nice talking to Rudra." Omkara tells the doctor.

"Last time you were uncomfortable, what about now?"

"For a few seconds here and there, but it felt like old times."

"That is nice. You, Rudra and Arjun were best friends?"

"Arjun was my best friend. Rudra was our close friend. He was our roommate and we got close to him." Omkara tells him, feeling a little uncomfortable having to mention Arjun.

"I know you spoke to Gauri about it, but can you talk to me about what had happened?"

"that night?" Omkara asks softly as his heart started slamming against his chest.

"Yes."

Omkara nods nervously.

**********

"How was your family reunion?" doctor asks Omkara.

"It was nice." Omkara replies. "Papa and Ma had cut off from all our relatives. So, it was nice to see them reconnect with them."

"And how did you feel?"

"There were the awkward stares and nervous people around." Omkara says with a chuckle and shrug.

"You were fine with that?"

"I am not really fine but I am not going to let it affect me. I would rather have people who genuinely care about us in my life. I wish Gauri could have come."

"Did you need her?"

"She is my wife and I wanted her to meet my extended family. I wanted them to know my wife."

"I wanted to ask you, last time you spoke about what happened. Since Gauri wasn't with you, did you have any nightmares?"

"No."

"That is nice." Doctor says smiling.

"Even though Gauri isn't with me physically, I know she is with me with her thoughts and love." Omkara tells him.

Doctor nods.

"I know cheesy but it is true." Omkara tells him grinning ear to ear.

Doctor chuckles. "Let's do the most difficult task?"

"What is that?" Omkara asks frowning.

"Meet Arjun's parents."

"NO!" Omkara replies as panic hit him.

"Why don't you want to meet them?"

"Why should I meet them?" Omkara asks him back. "To tell them in detail how Arjun suffered and died?"

"You meet them, Gauri can come home."

"What does Gauri coming home have to do with meeting them?"

"You need closure."

"I have closure."

"Then you wouldn't gloss over when Arjun or his family are mentioned." Doctor politely tells him. "Take your time, Omkara. You need to do it only when you are ready."

"Let me guess, however long it would take me, only after I meet them Gauri can come home." Omkara asks him getting angry.

"Yes."

*******

Omkara stood outside the door for a while as he hesitated. His heart was beating so fast that he was scared it would burst.

He didn't want to do this. Omkara thought as tears filled his eyes. What was he going to tell them? that he took their son to his death? Omkara gulps as all of his old memories resurfaced again. he needed Gauri. Omkara falls to his knees as he sobbed softly. He had been standing outside their door for more than ten minutes, but he just couldn't gather the courage to ring the bell.

Giving up, he quickly stands up and walks to the lift, he couldn't do this. He stops in front of the lift as he remembered. If he didn't do this, then Gauri won't be able to come home. Omkara wanted to scream out in agony. He takes his mobile and quickly messages her.

Please Gauri, I can't do this. Please come home. I can't face them.

He sees the blue double tick immediately. Realized Gauri was sitting by her phone. She no longer switched off her phone as he always messaged her after doing what his doctor asked him to do. Then he sees that Gauri typing. Omkara stopped in surprise because she never replied.

I am with you, Om.

Omkara closes his eyes finding strength in her words. He turns around and walks to the flat and without giving himself time to think, he rings the bell.

The door opens and Omkara sees Arjun's mother.

"Yes?"

Omkara felt panic hit him as he tried to breath. His eyes were filling up and threatening to spill.

Arjun's mother curiously looks at him for a few seconds then he saw her eyes fill up, and she asks softly, "Omkara?"

Omkara nods as the tears started flowing.

"Omkara." Arjun's mother softly says as she cried and smiled at the same time, then she slowly steps out and cups his face. she lovingly wipes his tears and hugs him.

Omkara hugs her and cries.

"Come." she tells him as she took his hand and lead him inside.

"Who is..." Arjun's father starts to ask seeing him and then he stops as his eyes filled up, "Omkara?" he whispers softly as he walked to him.

Omkara walks to him and hugs him as he cried. Arjun's father hugs him. Omkara felt Arjun's mother gently run her hand over his shoulder to console him.

"Rudra told us about you. we wanted to see you but we were worried, what if seeing us could make you remember what happened and...." Arjun's father tells him gently, after Omkara had calmed down.

"I am sorry it took me so long to come." Omkara regretfully tells them.

Arjun's father smiles at him. "Sit."

Omkara starts to sit when from the corner of his eyes he sees a photo frame kept on the side table. He curiously walks to it and picks up the photo. It was a photo they had taken in college. It had Arjun, Richa, Rudra and him. They all were smiling so happily, without a care in the world. Omkara felt his eyes fill up remembering that long forgotten moment, that carefree life, that blissful youth.

"We found it with Arjun's things." Arjun's mother tells him.

Omkara gulps as he kept the photo back on the table. He looks up and sees a large photo of Arjun on the wall. After seeing himself in the mirror for the last few months, having got used to the physical changes age and maturity did to his face, now seeing Arjun's photo, he couldn't help whisper, "He was so young."

"So were you." Arjun's father tells him as he kept his hand on Omkara's shoulder.

"I am sorry. I couldn't save him." Omkara tells him as he stared at Arjun's happy face, his eyes filling with fresh tears. "I am sorry. I tried. But I wasn't strong enough."

"We know, Omkara. We know." Arjun's father tells him as he turned Omkara to face him. "We saw you in the hospital. We had seen what they did to you."

"I should have died with him." Omkara tells him as he wailed loudly.

"You almost did." Arjun's mother tells him as she cried remembering her son and seeing Omkara's condition. "It took them weeks to save your life."

"I couldn't do anything for them."

Holding his shoulder tight, Arjun's father tells him. "You did everything that you could. Don't feel guilty. For days you used to scream Arjun's and Richa's name."

"I am sorry. He trusted me and took me with him. But I couldn't save him." Omkara tells him as he cried loudly.

"It was not your fault." They both whisper at once and hugs him.

********

I want to see you.

Omkara messages Gauri as he drove back after meeting Arjun's parents. Then he takes his mobile and dials his doctor.

"Hello Omkara?" the doctor answers on the third ring. "How did it go?"

"Doctor, I want to see you."

"Is there any problem?"

"I just want to see you."

"Wait let me just check." Doctor says and few seconds later, he says, "You've an appointment for tomorrow."

"I want to see you today." Omkara insists.

"I am booked back to back today." Doctor says regretfully.

"Just five minutes, please?"

"Okay. come." Doctor tells him.

"I'll be there in half an hour."

********

"Come, Omkara." Doctor tells him as he walked to his seat and gestured Omkara to the couch.

Omkara walks to the couch and sits down.

"How did it go?" Doctor asks him gently.

Omkara looks at him and tells him emotionally. "I wanted to thank you."

Doctor smiles at him hearing that.

"I would have never been able to do it, if it wasn't for you." Omkara tells him as his eyes filled up.

"I am sorry, I kept your wife away from you." Doctor tells him. "At first, it was to make you independent and make you realize that you don't need her with you all the time to live your life. After you had become independent, I asked Gauri to stay away because I knew you would do this only for her."

"Yes." Omkara agrees.

"You were living in guilt and that guilt would have continued to fester if we didn't address it. And you needed to know that just because you are alive it didn't mean that you were not a victim. You were as much a victim as Arjun and Richa. You would have believed it only from Arjun's parents. Even Gauri wouldn't have been able to make you believe that."

"Thank you so much." Omkara tells him. "I always believed that it was my fault that they died. That if I had been a little stronger I could have saved them. if I had listened to Rudra and stopped Arjun then they would have been alive."

"You were young and you had no idea that they would have done that."

"Yes."

"How are you feeling now?"

"Happy... relieved..." Omkara then looks up at him and tells him, "Guilt free."

Omkara chuckles feeling happy and relaxed. "I should go now."

Doctor nods. Omkara starts to walk to the door then curiously he turns to him.

"Do you have task for me this weekend?" Omkara asks him smiling happily. "Travel, meet people, spent time with my parents? Go to restaurants? Anything?" Omkara asks recounting the numerous tasks he had been made to do the last few weeks.

"Maybe spent some time with your wife." Doctor tells him smiling.

Omkara's smile breaks out into a big smile. "Thank you."

Doctor smiles at him then tells him, "Omkara, I need to see you for a couple of weeks more."

"Sure." Omkara replies smiling.

*********

Omkara checks his mobile to see that Gauri hadn't checked her message. He had tried calling her but she hadn't answered the call. Sighing, he walks into his house.

"Om, did you meet them?" Tej asks nervously seeing Omkara walk in.

"Yes." Omkara tells his parents smiling.

Seeing him smiling, they smile happily.

"Doctor gave permission for Gauri to come home. I'll go pick her up. Where is she staying?" Omkara asks excitedly.

"She is on her way here." Jhanvi informs him smiling.

Omkara's face breaks out into a big smile hearing that. then he walks to his parents and hugs them happily.

"Thank you so much for everything. For loving me. for taking care of me. for never giving up on me. for bringing Gauri into my life. For giving me to Gauri."

They hug him.

"You'll make us cry. Today is a happy day." Jhanvi tells him as she dabbed at her eyes.

Omkara chuckles as he stepped back. "What time will Gauri be here?"

"Half an hour." Tej tells him.

"Great. I'll freshen up and come." Omkara tells him excitedly as he ran to his room.

Omkara walks into his room and stops in his tracks as he frowned. Someone took Gauri's flower. No one would dare to take it except for...

Smiling happily Omkara turns around and finds Gauri standing at the door holding the flower while his parents cheekily grinned at him from behind Gauri.

"I have told you to give the flower in my hand." Gauri reminds him.

"Gauri." Omkara smiles as his eyes filled up and he felt he was finally home.

Smiling happily, Gauri runs to him and jumping up she hugs him. Omkara hugs her as he lifted her off the ground.

"I missed you so much." Gauri whispers to him as she hugged him tight.

"I know." Omkara tightly hugs her. "I missed you too. When did you come?"

"Right after you left to meet Arjun's parents. Doctor told me I could come home." Gauri tells him.

"I have lots to tell you."

"About all the girlfriends that you made?" Gauri asks him frowning.

Omkara chuckles. "I knew you would be jealous."

"I am not." Gauri scoffs. "I know you are only mine."

"I am yours." Omkara tells her. "I love being yours."

"And I love being yours." Gauri tells him happily.

"Don't ever go away. no matter what anyone says." Omkara tells her.

"I promise." Gauri tells him as she kissed his cheek. Then she whispers into his ears. "Yesterday, I met my doctor."

"For what?" Omkara whispers to her with a frown since she was whispering.

"To put me on the pill."

Omkara grins hearing that then he looks up and sees his parents still there happily watching them with tears in their eyes.

"Papa and Ma are still here. Is it okay, if I close the door?" Omkara asks her in a whisper.

Blushing happily Gauri shakes her head in no as she moved back.

Omkara sighs then he happily kisses her forehead. "Please?"

"No."

Omkara rests his forehead on hers and whispers, "Is it night, yet?"

********

Few years later.

Gauri walks into the house after work and sees her in-laws sitting and chatting.

"Sorry, I am late." Gauri tells them smiling. "Since Om is coming back tomorrow, I thought I will take the day off tomorrow, so had to finish some work."

"You are becoming lazy." Tej teases her.

Gauri grins hearing that. "Where are the kids?" Gauri asks looking around as normally they would be with their grandparents.

"In your room." Jhanvi tells her.

"Okay." Gauri excitedly goes to the room, she had missed them.

Gauri opens the door and smiles seeing Omkara kneeling in front of their kids as he spoke to them. hearing the door open, they turn to look at her.

"You told me you were coming tomorrow." Gauri tells him.

Omkara stands up and hugs her. "I was missing you."

Gauri smiles hearing that. "I missed you too."

She turns to their kids and hugs them. "What did you two do today, my lovelies?"

"We went out with Dadu and Dadi." 6 years old Mukti tells her.

"Ah you two had fun?" Gauri asks smiling.

"Yes!" 2 years old Aadav excitedly tells her.

"Aww." She lovingly kisses them. then remembering, she turns to Omkara, "Oh Om, Shivaay called. It is Adhriti's birthday next week, he wants us there."

"Adhriti." Aadav says with a big smile.

"She is two years elder to you." Gauri tells him in exasperation.

"So what?" Omkara kneels down and asks as he pulled Aadav's cheeks lovingly making Aadav laugh.

"Shivaay is going to kick your son's ass." Gauri warns him.

Omkara chuckles and tells her, "And Anika would kick Shivaay's ass."

Gauri rolls her eyes. Omkara turns to her and smiles at her lovingly.

Seeing him smiling at her so lovingly, she sighs. "I missed you so much. I took off tomorrow."

"No use darling." Omkara declares as he turned to their children. "I've back to back meetings tomorrow."

Omkara lovingly pulls his daughter's nose and she pulls both his ears in return, making both of them laugh.

Gauri frowns, "you have been away for two weeks." Gauri reminds him.

"I know, love." Omkara replies as he looked at her, then seeing her frowning he says, "Awww, even I missed you a lot." Omkara stands up and kisses her cheek, "Is it night, yet?"

Gauri giggles hearing that. "No and when has that ever stopped you?"

Omkara cheekily grins at her. then turning to their children, he says "Okay you both. go to Dadu and Dadi and give them company."

"You are too much." Gauri tells him blushing as he guided the kids to the door.

"Off you go." Omkara tells them and locks the door once they had run off.

"I can't believe you just did that." Gauri tells him as he walked to her.

"I am no longer the innocent poor Om that you took for a ride." Omkara tells her as he took her lips in his and hungrily kissed her.

*** The End ***

I don't know whether you liked the way I wrote the story (was it a snooze fest?), as I thought of this story, I felt that the rehabilitation of a such a person back into the society would be hard because of the insecurities and fears of that person, and don't know how many of you could relate to this Omkara and Gauri. I couldn't write the love story of a mentally unstable man and a girl any other way. Sorry, if I offended anyone.

P.S: I was so very tempted to make Anika, Omkara's doctor's wife. Even thought of Omkara showing his photo with Anika to his Doctor, to have his Doctor respond, 'How the hell did you meet my wife?'. But I felt it would be too much of a coincidence and the doctor would have been able to manage the issues between his wife and his mother in a much better manner, so I dropped that idea.

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- Lazy