Rudra was having the toughest time of it all.
Om had seen difficult situations before, had faced troubles before, but for Rudra this was the most trying time he faced, the last time he was this worried, was when Shivaay bhaiyaa was shot. Seeing Shivaay bhaiyaa, who was like a father to him, break down like that. Shivaay bhaiyaa was a shell of his past self, existing but not living. Hurting Annika bhaabhi hurt him the most, and what killed Rudra inside was that he knew what separation would do to his brother and sister-in-law, but he still had no option but to support Annika bhaabhi in this. Sometimes he wondered whether he and Om should have pleaded with Annika bhaabhi not to do this, to not ruin their relationship. They would have taken care of Shivaay bhaiyaa if Chhoti Maa would have revealed the truth about illegitimacy to him.
Rudra wanted to talk about this to Soumya, but he couldn't because he promised Annika bhaabhi, he won't. He also felt Soumya was meeting her mother after a long time, having a good time with her, he didn't want to ruin her happiness. He was consciously giving Soumya space to think about his 'proposal', whatever it was, hoping against hope that she will give him a chance.
His phone buzzed, it was Chubby. Rudra's only source of comfort, apart from O, was Chubby. "Hey Chubby, what's up?"
"Rudy, if you are free, can you meet me the park near our college?" asked Chubby.
"Chubby, of course I am free, unless our results come out, and my internship starts, I'm mostly just switching between home and office, not really doing much, you know that" replied Rudy.
"Cool, then see you in a while" said Chubby and disconnected the call.
"Weird" said Rudy, and made his way to the park. Why the park, though?
Rudy rode his bike to the park, and started looking for Chubby. All this was so....unrealistic of Chubby. It made no sense whatsoever to Rudra, but then he abided by the 'bro-code' religiously, so he would do whatever his friend said.
Rudy walked around the park which was pretty empty except for one lone girl sitting on a bench under a lamp post, facing away from him. He couldn't see Chubby anywhere, and his phone was busy, so Rudy thought that maybe he can ask this girl if she has seen Chubby.
"Hello? Excuse me? I am looking for my friend, a slightly fat..." started Rudra.
"Slightly healthy, sounds better, and she's also smart, sensible and pretty" replied the girl turning to face Rudra. It was Soumya.
"Sumo?" Rudra was surprised, because she was supposed to stay at her mother's for a month, and a week was still left.
Soumya got up and hugged him, with a huge smile on her face. "Surprised you right?" she asked.
"Yes, you did, but I'm glad, but also...you are here? What about Pune? And what about...Delhi?" Rudra asked hesitantly.
"Well, I thought and thought, and then thought some more. First, I decided no, but then I changed, then I again I changed my decision, and kept on oscillating. And then thought why not? I was worried about this long distance thing, and whether we could make it over five years, and I think that if I don't try, I'll never find out. And I don't want to miss on something good, only because I was too cautious and worried it might fail" said Soumya, looking up at Rudra with hopeful eyes.
This time Rudra engulfed her in a hug, with all the affection and warmth he felt for her.
"But Soumya, what happened to Delhi?" asked Rudra, pulling back slightly.
"Delhi can take a hike, if I am going to leave in a couple of months, then I'll spend the rest of my time here, with you and everyone else" said Soumya.
The 'everyone else' brought Rudra back to earth. He would have to tell Soumya everything that had transpired in her absence. She had no idea.
"Sumo, will you sit down? I have to tell you something" said Rudra, and started.
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The weeks right before the monsoon, were always the worst. People in the rest of India felt that people in the West Coast were lucky that monsoon hit here first. They had no idea how hot and humid it got right before the rains hit the city.
Omkara was sweating as he returned from office. He didn't like traveling in a closed car all the time, he missed the days when he would travel by the Mumbai local or just stroll around. He had gone to the temple today, but there was no Gauri there. Maybe she left early from work? It was anyways foolish of him to catch glimpses of her every three days like a perv.
So, he took a long walk back to home, instead of the car, and decided he would stop this stupidity. In any case, she looked fine, happy, and didn't seem to miss him at all. Then why should he bother?
Omkara entered his room, and went straight for a shower, forgetting to take his clothes with him. He turned on the shower, and stood under it. Omkara thought of how his family had wilted over the last three weeks. No one smiled anymore, no one joked, there was just despair all around. Even Chhoti Maa who had hoped to "save" her son, looked agitated because Shivaay was Shivaay no more.
Omkara was miserable seeing Shivaay and also a little worried. He had probably never felt or experienced that kind of love before, Shivaay's awaarapan (wandering like a lover) brought his relationship with Riddhima into perspective, he had never felt that about her. Yes, her betrayal affected him but only on a psychological level, he didn't lose his sense of self because of her. His mother's suicide attempt on the other hand, though, that had hardened him, changed him. But as a lover? No.
Shivaay would disappear for a long while, stare into space, then come back with more rage, just the other day, he got into a brawl with some street goons, and almost forced the police to arrest him and put him in prison for a night. Chhoti Maa lost her mind that day, and even he and Rudra couldn't convince Shivaay to come back home that night.
Omkara thought back into the recesses of his mind, and asked himself, was he ever so lost in someone's thoughts? And the answer came back easily to him....He had been a fool to think that he had never felt anything like Shivaay, that was his conscious brain, but subconsciously he always knew....he was obsessed with her for a long time, with different shades of her, with different characteristics of her....but it wasn't love, it was only a mystery, a puzzle he was trying to solve, and anyways didn't he insist indirectly that she leave?...he wanted her to leave, but then why did he still keep the paayal with him, as an excuse that he might need someday to meet her..
Omkara realized that unless he was trying to drown himself, he better stop showering. He turned off the shower, and pulled out a towel, to dry himself up.
He heard some movement in his room, possibly Rudra had come looking for him. So, he tied the towel around his waist, and called out for his brother, " Rudy, is it you? Hand me a kurta and pajama from my cupboard will you?"
He could hear Rudra moving about his cupboard and taking out his clothes. Since when did Rudy move about so softly though, instead of stomping his heavily muscled body like an ogre? Rudra knocked on his door, to hand the clothes. Omkara opened the bathroom door to take the clothes. His hand reached out for the clothes, but wait a second? Had Rudra's hand transformed into a small, tiny, hairless....this could not be...but this was....
Omkara pulled in the person, along with the clothes, and his eyes confirmed what his mind had already figured out.
"Gauri?" he asked confused. Had he somehow conjured her in his room, through the sheer power of his thoughts?
Gauri, for her part, did not like this situation at all.
She was pushed against a wall, as Omkaraji had pulled her in with all force inside. She had just tried to be helpful, handing him his clothes, because he was calling out for Rudy bhaiyaa who wasn't there. And now here she was, the clothes still in her right hand, while he was holding her left hand, bemused at what she was doing in the mansion. The situation, was more awkward, because well, he was wearing nothing upwards his waist, and well, Gauri had never seen a young man like this. She involuntarily gulped, whether it was due to shyness or something else, she didn't want to know.
"Gauri, what are you doing here?" asked Omkara. Gauri looked at his hand still holding her against the wall. Omkara let go of her hand slowly, and took note of the situation.
Of course, how embarrassing! He was here, standing half-naked, interrogating her, on what she was doing in the mansion.
"Wait outside" he said. Gauri nodded, and rushed outside like a scared rabbit. Omkara hit his head with his hand. He was never going to get over it, apart from his mother and girlfriend, no female had seen him like this for the last two decades. Ugh!
Omkara dressed quickly, and stepped out of the bathroom. Gauri was sitting on the couch, her suitcase next to it.
"I know you are going to ask me, what am I doing here, and why have I got a suitcase with me. Actually, Omkaraji I have to stay here for a few days" said Gauri quickly.
"What? Why?" asked Omkara, still surprised at the turn of events.
"Because I asked her to" said Jahnvi, as she entered the room. Gauri had left the door open.
"Mom?" Omkara questioned.
"Om, I got a phone call, from Mr. Dhurindhar today afternoon. Apparently, someone told him that Gauri wasn't living here since the night of the Sangeet function which he attended. Some media person, one of those irritants who have been buzzing around the house since Shivaay and Annika's separation, must have spied on the house or something, I don't know. I didn't want to take a risk, so I just called Gauri and asked her to stay here for a few days. All this additional surveillance of the family...the media is still gossiping about Annika being thrown out of the mansion...and if they found out that your marriage was fake too....not only you, Om beta, but the whole family will be in the eye of the storm" said Jahnvi, worried.
Omkara didn't like to see his mother worried, so he nodded his agreement, slowly, to her plan.
Gauri, however, asked, "Jahnvi maaji, does Dadi, and everyone know that...?" she left off the sentence.
"No, Gauri. We didn't tell anyone, we were all so.....caught up over Shivaay and Annika's matter...when Dadi asked about you, I said, you had gone to visit some relative. She didn't pay much attention, because...you know...the conditions at home" said Jahnvi, sadly.
Gauri thought to herself, yes, of course she did know the conditions at the mansion. Thats why she had made that anonymous call to Mr. Dhurindhar, so that he would call Jahnvi maaji, and she would in return bring her back to the mansion. It was precisely because of Annika bhaujaai that she was back here in the mansion.
Gauri nodded and Jahnvi left the room.
"Thank you, Gauri for helping us" said Omkara.
"No problem" said Gauri, feeling bad about cheating Jahnvi maaji and Omkaraji, but what had to be done, had to be done.
Gauri got up to leave the room, and meet Dadi. Before she left the room, however, she turned and said to Omkara, "Omkaraji, you need to eat well, you have lost a lot of weight in these three weeks."
Omkara groaned, he was right, he was never going to get over this.