It was two nights later when Om was wandering the halls of the Oberoi Mansion deep in thought and out of sleep. He had been circling the last sip of his cold coffee reworking the presentation in his mind and making sure he hadn't missed out any details when his mind began to wander. And wander it did to the certain fair-skinned hazel-eyed beauty who hadn't turned up at the station yesterday. He had waited for her so that they could continue what had been abruptly brought to a stop during their impromptu meeting on the train, but she was nowhere to be seen. A pinch of anger clouded his mind at the return of her thought when he pushed it away and concentrated on the presentation tomorrow. He and Shivaay couldn't afford a mistake on this deal. He had been working hard to handle the business after the death of Shivaay's parents and the presentation for the Australian delegates was important to the growth of their company. Amidst the piles of files and paperwork that he had to approve, his mind again danced its way back to the thoughts of Gundi Gauri and the ferocious eyes that only enhanced her beauty. Why hadn't she come? His heart thought restlessly.
Just then, the peace of the midnight was broken with a faint yelp of pain and a flicker of movement at the corner of his eye near the entrance to the kitchen. Suddenly alert, he followed his gaze to the outline of a person who was now opening their fridge...
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Gauri woke up in the middle of the night in the outhouse with a burning thirst and no water to quench it. Next to her, Annika was sound asleep after another tiring day at the Oberoi Mansion in preparation for Priyanka's wedding. When her di had finally made her way to the outhouse earlier that night, Gauri had taken one look at her tired face and offered to cook dinner and clean up after Sahil and chachi while Annika rested her legs on the only bed they had.
Moving through the limited space of the outhouse was still new to her as she had been so used to her chawl and the familiarity of her own kitchen. With a sigh, she slowly made her way to the kitchen to cook some dal rice with lahsun chutney and unknowingly used the last of their drinking water for the day. So, now when she woke up to find a glass to drink from, she realized with a sigh that there was nothing to drink. Hmmm...
She had two options, either go back to sleep and wait for the servants of the Oberoi mansion to deliver their daily supply of water, or sneak into the mansion to grab a quick glass. She would be lying if she said she hadn't seriously considered the second option, but it seemed way too risky to carry out. She was really thirsty though, and it would be hours before the servant arrived with water to use. So, slowly easing out of bed and tucking her snoring Annika di underneath the covers, she made her way to the back entrance where the door was unguarded and coincidentally unlocked for her to enter the back hall of the mansion.
In the darkness, Gauri could hardly make out the stairs and large hallways as she stubbed her toe on the edge of a pillar. She yelped in pain before quickly covering her mouth and hoping that nobody heard her. When there was no sign of anybody coming after her, she eased back into the hallway leading to what looked like the kitchen. Her vision slowly adjusted to the dark as she saw the outline of a stove and the fridge to the far end of the room. Just what she wanted! She smiled at the water jug kept in the door of the fridge and was just about to take it when she felt hands on her mouth and a strong man grasping her tightly like he had caught her red-handed.
Gasping into his grip, she tried to turn, but whoever it was that had held her was having none of it. Instead, he dragged her to the indoors of the mansion where the pool was lit with lights casting a faint glow to the water. Once near the pool, he turned her in his arms and she was caught face-to-face with Omkara Singh Oberoi in a moment of fury that spit fire from both of their eyes.
Omkara thought that dragging the food thief into the pool area and then confronting them would be the best way to resolve the matter without attracting the whole family to the hall. He didn't want to escalate a situation that could be easily resolved with his killer anger and deadly warnings. But, when he turned the thief around to see who was checking their fridge out in the middle of the night, he was met with the beautiful, dazzling hazel eyes that had entered his brain more often than not since the last time he had seen them.
Gauri stared in shock into Om's bewildered eyes.
Shock. Surprise. Relief. Confusion. Anger.
So many emotions flitted through his eyes that she had a hard time keeping up with them. She needed to explain to him that she wasn't a thief, before he called the police or accused her of something she wasn't responsible for. But, before she could open her mouth, he was already attacking her with probing questions.
"What the hell are you doing here in the middle of the night in my house? And that too stealing food from the kitchen? I thought you were a nice girl and you turned out to be a stal-"
Om stopped in the middle of his rant when he heard the familiar footsteps of his brother Shivaay making his way to the poolside. His eyes momentarily widened at the prospect of his brother seeing Gauri and to keep the situation under control, he sent her under the table to hide while he handled Shivaay. Determined not to let his brother worry about the beautiful intruder, he quickly searched his mind for a lie that would send Shivaay away.
"Om? I thought I heard something. What are you doing up this late?"
"Oh-uh, noth-nothing really. I was just...going through some files for tomorrow's meeting. "
Shivaay's eyes softened. "Om, don't worry. Everything's under control for tomorrow. Just get some rest, ya?"
Om nodded, glad that Shivaay had bought his excuse. Shivaay made his way back to his room and as soon as he was out of sight, he saw Gauri come out of hiding under the table. Now he had to deal with this girl before things got out of hand. He tried starting with a patient anger in his voice, but Gauri beat him to it.
"Om, before you conclude anything, hear me out. I live in your outhouse with my di, who is Priyanka's wedding planner. I was thirsty and the house was out of water, so I came here to get a jug for the night. I'm sorry if I intruded, but I'm not a thief."
Om's accusations died in his mouth as he let her explanation circle in his head. So, Annika, the shy wedding planner from yesterday had a smaller sister. And that smaller sister was Gauri! Suddenly his conversation with Annika during the roka and his conversation with Gauri on the train started to make a lot more sense. She was living in his outhouse which Priyanka had lent to the friend who had lost ownership of their house. He looked at Gauri in embarrassment and pity. She had lost her house.
"Why didn't you tell me on the train?
"I never thought I would see you again. And like I said, I don't tell strangers where I live and what I do with my life. That information is very confidential, you see."
Gauri shifted uncomfortably in his unwavering gaze and sat down on the poolside with her legs in the water, glad to be out of his intense stare. She didn't like talking about her family's hardships, especially with a man she was very attracted to and who was staring her down in what she could only conclude was curiosity. She felt movement next to her and realized that Om had taken his seat next to her on the poolside and dipped his feet into the pool. She looked at him for a moment and saw him staring straight ahead in deep thought. Then, he turned to her and caught her eyes with his.
"Or maybe you didn't tell me you were staying in my house because you didn't want to ruin the aura of confidence and independence that everybody thinks you have. Maybe, just maybe, you have too much self-pride to admit that you are at the mercy of my family's kindness."
Om's words were hard and crisp, but his husky whisper soothed the blow to her heart. He stared at her, waiting for a reaction that would confirm what he had just deduced, but, all she could do was look down and hide the transparency in her eyes. How had he managed to peel back the layers of hardness that the gundi in her had worked so hard to build, and find the simple girl inside? Stranger he was, then why did she feel like he understood her more that her best friends could have?
When she avoided his eyes and looked up at the soft lights of the pool that illuminated the water, he realized that she wasn't going to say anything. Sighing, he decided to broach the topic that had been invading his mind for the past two days.
"So, why didn't you come to the train station?" Om hesitated a little before saying, "I was waiting for you."
Gauri looked up in surprise. So, he remembered?
"I..." But, she didn't know how to complete her thought. He had understood her, but was she going to be honest enough to let him know more about her life? Could she take that chance?
Om watched her blink rapidly before turning her face away to the other direction and contemplating his words. He sighed, Gundi Gauri was a hard nut to crack, but that did not mean he wasn't going to try.
He smiled and took her hand in his and watched her jolt in surpirse at his touch. Then, he held her gaze and whispered in a soft voice.
"Trust me"
And somehow, those words were all she needed to trust him. Once again, his touch sent familiar dim flashes of electricity throughout her body that had her sleepyheart wake up and pump with a bursting sound. Something close to a flash of recognition flowed through her eyes at the look she saw in his. Why did it feel like this wasn't the first time she had been with him and felt his presence?
For him, the touch on her hands had caught him by surprise as the ease of her gaze changed to shock and then to a trance that made him feel eerily comfortable in her presence. Why did it feel like he had seen her before and had held her like this before?
Gauri snapped out of it just as quickly as she had stepped in. The bursts of electricity brought with it dread and worry. If what she had felt was anything close to what she was thinking, then she was going to have to get out and stop this before it started to mess her mind and heart. She couldn't start feeling for a millionaire who wouldn't notice if she was gone.
But he had noticed. He had asked.
And her train of thoughts brought her back to the simple request she saw in his eyes and the trust that he was giving her in sharing her problems. Something broke in her in that minute and she took a deep breath before turning to him and telling him the whole story.
Om listened to her talk about how they could not pay the rent to their landlord and how they had to give up their house and belongings. Annika was the only working woman in their house and with Sahil sick and low on immunity, they needed shelter from the rain. Hence, when Priyanka offered them a house in the Oberoi Mansion for a few days, they had agreed for Sahil's sake.
Hearing her problems only increased his amazement, awe and respect for this woman. Sure, she was not the breadwinner of the house, but she was the moral support that kept the house running and together. Without her, Sahil and Annika would be at the mercy of the constant challenges that they faced. Gundi Gauri was a fighter and a winner.
He knew that she had kept a lot of details from him when narrating her story and he would not ask her for them. In 72 hours, he had figured out that she was proud of her independence and hated talking about her weaknesses. So, he wouldn't push and poke where it hurt, but he would definitely support her where she felt weak.
"Gauri, if you need anything or just want somebody to talk to, you know I am here, right?"
"You are?" Gauri asked, shocked at his words. If there was anything she had expected from him, it wasn't this.
"Of course, what are friends for?"
This had Gauri stop for a moment.
"Friends?"
"Friends. And you know what else friends do other than sneaking into each other's house in the middle of the night for water?" He waited a heartbeat to watch a slight smile spread on her face.
"They also go out for coffee and talk in broad daylight. So, I will pick you up tomorrow evening from the outhouse and we will go out for coffee at this amazing thela that I know."
"Om, but I-"
"No buts and ifs. You already ditched me at the station and I'm not taking any chances. I have a really important meeting tomorrow so I have to get some rest, but I'm sure Shivaay and I will crack it and then we will celebrate. Okay? Okay! See you tomorrow at 5 pm sharp."
And with that Om stood up from his spot on the poolside and walked to his room half-closing his eyes with a smile before his head hit the bed.
Back at the poolside, Gauri stood up too, wandering with a slight smile what tomorrow would bring with a certain long-haired hippie. She managed to make her way to the kitchen and grab a jug of water before wandering back to the outhouse and slipping under the covers, too tired to think about the conversation she had just had with Om and the bursts of electricity when his deep coal dreamy eyes stared into hers.