Gauri Omkara Singh Oberoi woke up on the day of her wedding, not that she knew it yet, just a little put out that her jatadhari hadn't come by to see her the previous day. Of course, the day before that, she'd spent almost an entire day with him. She brought her hand up to eye level, to look at the beautiful new ring that adorned her finger and grinned happily at it before pressing a tiny kiss on it, as had become her new habit. The sight of the ring brought with it the man never really far from her thoughts. Her husband... her Omkara... her Om.
The memory of calling Omkara by the shortened version of his name and his voracious reaction to that brought forth a deep blush to her cheeks, even as she frowned at his conspicuous disappearance for almost 24 hours now. Today was the day of her bade bhaiyya and bhaujaai's wedding and Gauri wasn't sure if her Nandi Singh Oberoi was even in the house. Due to Dadi's two feet rule and the fact that bade bhaiyya couldn't see bhaujaai before the wedding ceremony, Anika had been staying with her in Omkara and her room while her husband had to make do with the company of his older brother for the last two days.
And now he was Shankarji only knew where. With the way things had been developing between the two of them, throughout the planning phase and various ceremonies of bade bhaiyya and bhaujaai's marriage, Gauri could only send up a prayer to Shankarji, hoping that this happiness stayed in their lives forever.
"Are Gauri! Tu itni jaldi uth gayi?"
"Haan Bhaujaai... humein bohot kaam hai na? Lekin aap to dulhan ho... aap kyun itni jaldi uth gayin? Wo kya kehte hain? Beauty sleep na? To so jaayiye... jab time hoga hum aap ko jagaa denge aur phir humari bhaujaai ko is duniya ki sab se khoobsurat dulhan banaayenge. Aaj to bade bhaiyya aap ko dekh kar dekhte hi reh jaayenge..."
Blushing at the thought of finally getting married to her Shivaay that day, Anika couldn't stop her grin from stretching across her face while she contemplated the secret she knew... not only would Anika herself be a blushing bride, this little chiraiyya who was like a sister to her, talking about making her into the most beautiful bride would also be one right next to her. Keeping that secret safe inside her heart, the joy from it literally spilling over, Anika smiled brightly at Gauri and pulled the comforter up to her chin, snuggling into it while an arm extended out of the cozy pile to catch a hold of Gauri's wrist
"Kya keh rahi ho Gauri... koi kaam waam nahin hai. Main keh rahi hoon na? Sab kuch sambhal liya hai... tum bas aa jaao aur thodi der aur so jaao. Kitna comfortable hai... ab mujhe is comforter se baahar aane mein majboor mat karo yaar... please, apni shaadi ke din pe ye sab chalta hai"
Fortunately for Anika, Gauri assumed that her bhaujaai was speaking about her own shaadi and not the ek pe ek muft extravaganza that was being put into place downstairs. Still quite unconvinced about the logic behind Anika's pronouncement, Gauri reluctantly made her way back to her side of the bed and lay back down, deciding that she would humor the dulhan for a little while and slip away when Anika was back asleep. The comforter indeed was very comfortable and within a few minutes, Gauri was back in dreamland, blissfully unaware of an excited and disgustingly awake Anika next to her messaging a group of people who were already up and running, managing both the wedding proceedings downstairs.
As per strict instructions from Dadi the previous night, neither of the brides or the bridegrooms were supposed to do any work that day. Everything had been planned carefully, managed properly and arranged for in the manner befitting the Oberoi Khaandaan. The last minute preparations would be taken care of by Dadi and Jhanvi aunty. All Anika was tasked with on the day of the double wedding was to make sure that she kept Gauri occupied till Omkara came for her. Just thinking about all that was to take place that day, Anika could barely stop herself from squealing in excitement.
It was almost a whole hour later when Gauri found herself being shaken awake by her bhaujaai with a steaming cup of tea in her hands. This time, Gauri found herself almost reluctant to leave the cozy warmth of the bed but the lure of the morning tea brought her off her bed as always. It was almost a novelty to have someone make a cup of tea for her, Gauri mused to herself as she brushed her teeth and washed her face hurriedly. Never in her adult life had she ever had anything done for her, made for her and handed to her, like she was some princess. Everything she needed, Gauri had always made for herself or done by herself.
Maybe because someone else had made it for her, Gauri found herself relishing the tea much more than she did every day, completely unaware of a grinning Omkara peeking in from outside the window to make sure his Gauri liked the glucose biscuit waali chai he'd made specifically for her.
By the time Gauri finished her chai, Anika was ready to get dressed for the haldi ceremony.
"Gauri... tum bhi jaldi se nahaa ke aa jaao. Hum donon ko haldi ke liye ready hona hai na? Tumhara lehenga main bed pe rakh deti hoon... tum bas jaldi taiyyar ho jaao theek hai?"
"Ji bhaujaai... hum bas yoon gaye aur yoon aaye. Aap ko hum ekdum rajkumari ki tarah sajaayenge dekhna aap..."
And in line with her words, Gauri was back from a quick bath within 10 minutes, clad in a plain pale peach salwar kurta and was in the middle of drying her long hair when she noticed the outfit that Anika had set aside for her.
"Are bhaujaai! Hum ye lehenga kaise pehen sakte hain?! Ye to peele rang ka hai. Aur ye rang to aaj dulhan ko... yaani aap ko pehenna hai. Hum ye lehenga nahin pehen sakte bhaujaai... Hum almari se kuch aur pehen lenge... aap chinta mat kijiye"
"Are Gauri! Meri baat to suno!... Gauri..."
"Hum ne kaha na bhaujaai... aap kisi bhi baat ki chinta mat kijiye. Hum sab kuch sambhal lenge! Aap bas yahaan baithiye... hum abhi aate hain aap ke gehne lekar"
Gauri had just stepped beyond the reach of Anika's hands and toward the closed doors of the room when the doors themselves were flung open from the outside to reveal a grinning and clearly excited Soumya carrying a tray of the traditional floral jewelry that brides wore for their haldi ceremony.
While Gauri had only seen Soumya in pictures as the youngest Obahu had been in Australia since Gauri had come to Oberoi Mansion, she knew Soumya well enough from all the stories she'd heard from Rudra to feel like she'd known the young lady all her life. Which was why Soumya was faced with not one but two squealing sisters-in-law, greeting her.
"Soumya! Tum kab aayi? Hum donon ko kisi ne bataaya tak nahin ki tum aane waali ho!"
"Anika bhabhi! Gauri bhabhi!... aap logon ki shaadi ho rahi hai... main kaise nahin aati?"
This was followed by a split-second of tense silence from the two bahus in the know about the double wedding but both relaxed when Gauri took Soumya's statement to mean just the wedding of Anika and Shivaay.
"Accha wo sab chhodiye... aap donon abhi tak taiyyar nahin hue! Neeche haldi function ke liye sab intezaam ho gaye hain. Jaldi se taiyyar ho jaayiye aap donon. Main madad kar deti hoon aap ke ready hone mein"
As Gauri quickly pulled Anika to sit at the dresser, Soumya walked up to the tiny middle Obahu and hugged her tightly
"Gauri bhabhi! Aap ke baare mein itna kuch suna hai maine! Aaj itne special din pe aap se milke mujhe bohot bohot khushi hui! Aap mere bade baal waale bhaiyya ke liye ek dum perfect ho!"
Soumya grinned happily at Gauri's blushing face and squeezed her hands fondly as she looked at Anika, who was smiling widely at both of them.
"Chaliye bhabhi... main Anika bhabhi ka makeup kar deti hoon. Aap apna lehenga pehen ke ready ho jaayiye!"
As Gauri nodded and moved to her dresser, she felt Soumya stop her
"Bhabhi... kahan jaa rahe ho? Aap ka lehenga to yahaan bed pe rakha hai..."
"Are wo lehenga hum nahin pehen sakte Soumya... Us rang pe to aaj bas bhaujaai ka haq hai. Hum peela nahin pehen sakte"
As Gauri continued toward her wardrobe, she completely missed her two sisters exchange a tense look behind her back. Soumya however wasted no time in texting her bade baal waale bhaiyya because she knew that only he could handle this now. There was a time for secrets, subterfuge and surprises. But now was not it. It was high time her cute, tiny sister-in-law came to know about her own pending wedding ceremony that the entire family was busy working towards just one floor below them.
In a minute, Gauri, who was busily trying to pick out another outfit for herself from her wardrobe, turned to face the room, curious at the utter lack of sound from the other two women... only to find them gone and herself alone, facing an oddly nervous looking Omkara Singh Oberoi whose eyes still managed to make her feel as if she was melting from the inside.
"A-Aap! Bhaujaai aur Soumya..."
Her words trailed off subconsciously as Omkara moved closer to her. A quick glance told her that the door to their room was not only closed but also quite obviously locked and bolted from the inside. Her pulse started to hammer at her throat as Gauri moved back, feeling the doors of the wardrobe at her back, a strange sensation, something that was both nervousness and anticipation, filling her as Omkara got closer and closer.
"Ye... aap... aap yahaan kya kar rahe h-"
Again, Gauri found her words trailing away at the expression in Omkara's eyes. He was so close now that she could feel the inviting warmth radiating from him and found herself leaning just that little bit closer. Omkara was still silent, his eyes on her lips giving her a fair idea just what his intentions were, when he wrapped a strong arm around her waist and pulled himself closer to her. Gauri let out a short gasp at the feeling of being wrapped up in his arms and without a second thought reached up on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. The happy smile lighting up Omkara's face was reflected in hers as they just stood there, content to be in each other's arms, feeling the warmth of their soulmate permeating their very being.
Gauri's thoughts were filled with the man who had once again become her very universe. Her mind was a jumble of memories from the last few days. Flashes of her mother-in-law telling her that he'd chosen the lehenga for her, of him sliding her ring on to her finger, of him telling her he was proud of her, of him calling her his wife, letting her know he'd picked out her outfit for mehendi, the mehendi artist telling her that he'd designed her mehendi himself, of their little getaway and day out, of him eating golgappe with her, his gift to her... her calling him my Om'... and just how much she'd missed him in just the one day he'd been away.
The tenuous connection her mind had been in the process of making while having those flashbacks, got pushed to the back of her mind while indignation at him disappearing for a whole day rushed back to the forefront. The arms that had been around his neck, loosened and moved down his chest, only to push him away almost angrily.
Omkara, who'd been intently gazing into his wife's expressive eyes, caught the abrupt change in her mood a bit too late and was hence sadly unprepared for the shove. He almost stumbled away, a bewildered expression descending over his features.
"What the?"
"Kya 'What the'? Kal kahaan chale gaye the aap? Aap ko thoda sa bhi andaaza hai humari kya haalat ho gayi thi? Aisa kya kaam tha ki bina bataaye chale gaye? Ghar mein aap ke bade bhaiyya ki shaadi hai aur aap poora din ghar par nahin the... aur pata nahin kahaan gaye, kab laute. Aaj subeh jab hum uthe to humein pata tak nahin tha ki aap ghar par hain bhi ki nahin... Aise koi karta hai kya?"
For a second, Omkara looked surprised but then a happy grin stretched his lips and he just stood there, taking in the sight of his angry chiraiyya asking him where he'd been because she missed him. But the same thing seemed to irk the angry Gauri that much more.
"Hum aap se kuch pooch rahe hain aur aap hain ki khade khade hans rahe hain! Aap humari thodi si bhi qadar karte to aise hanste nahin... aap ko nahin pata hum kitne pareshaan ho gaye the kal"
Seeing the glint of tears in her eyes, Omkara quickly moved to her, his hand cupping her cheek while he shook his head, silently coaxing her to not cry.
"Are meri pyaari si chiraiyya... main tumhari itni qadar karta hoon, isi liye to kal ghar par nahin tha"
"Kya matlab hai aap ka?"
He leaned closer and in a soft voice told her, as if he was revealing a great secret.
"Main kal Bareilly mein tha."
"Bareilly mein?"
Gauri's shocked eyes snapped up to his, meeting a calm, almost smug expression in his.
"Haan... tumhari Maa aur Richa ko lene gaya tha"
"H-Humari... Maa? Aur Richa?..."
Omkara just nodded in reply, causing Gauri to frown up at him, silently asking for an explanation. To her surprise, this caused him to start looking nervous once more
"Wo... actually... main..."
This time, Gauri knew it was something important and didn't attempt to interrupt him, his words or the frenzied pacing he'd started in front of her. But after about half a minute of watching him pace back and forth agitatedly, Gauri felt herself start to grow dizzy as she followed him with her eyes and stepped forward, putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Her hand slid down to his and she twined her fingers with his, squeezing them in silent support
"Aap ko jo bhi kehna hai, aap be jhijhak keh sakte hain... hum hain aap ke saath. Jo bhi hoga hum donon milkar saamna karenge uska"
The innocent manner in which she'd assumed it was a problem that they had to face and her unstinting support in the face of what she'd assumed was difficulty, gave Omkara the necessary impetus to start talking. He squeezed her hand in gratitude and gently pulled her to sit on the recliner.
"Gauri... mujhe tum se kuch poochna hai..."
She smiled encouragingly at him, though he could detect the beginnings of apprehension and anxiety in her eyes. It only made Omkara fall in love with her all over again.
"Gauri... kya tum..."
Frustratingly, Omkara found himself stuck and blanking out as he attempted to make himself clear. Shaking his head and growling under his breath in self-directed anger, he tried once more deciding at the last moment to go a different way
"Kya tum... khush ho?"
"Hum? Aap ko kyun lagta hai ki hum khush nahin hain?"
"Aisi baat nahin hai Gauri... I just... kya tum khush ho? Is rishte mein? Kya tum... is rishte mein rehna chaahti ho?"
"Aap... aap aise kyun pooch rahe hain Omkaraji? Kya hum ne aisa kuch kiya ya kaha jis se aap ko lagta hai ki hum is rishte se khush nahin hain? Humein to lag raha tha ki jo bhi problems thi humare beech ab to sab dheere dheere sulajh rahi hain na?"
"Haan Gauri... main jaanta hoon. Humare beech bohot saari problems thi, misunderstandings thi... magar wo sab abhi nahin hain. I know ki main is rishte se itna khush hoon jitna maine kabhi socha nahin ki main ho sakta hoon. I am very happy that I have you in my life. I can't tell you how proud I am that you are my wife Gauri. Magar main ye jaanna chaahta hoon ki kya tum bhi is rishte se khush ho?"
Gauri's eyes were shining with tears by the time Omkara was done... she quietly leaned across the distance between them and pressed her lips to his stubbled cheek. The soft kiss was followed by another a bit closer to his mouth and another at the corner of his warm and waiting lips. Gauri hadn't intended anything beyond that first kiss as reassurance, but found herself pressing tiny kisses to his face repeatedly. Omkara could read the signals well enough by now and he didn't waste another second. Leaning forward, his hands found her waist, yanked her onto his lap so she was situated comfortably close to him and proceeded to seal her lips with his. Gauri enthusiastic participation resulted in a few long minutes of quiet as she let her husband know just how happy she was with the fact that he was hers and she, his.
"I love you Gauri... I adore you, I will spend my days showing you just how much you mean to me, but I need to tell you this... I love you so much Gauri. I love you..."
"I love you too Om... hum aap se itni beintehaa mohabbat kab se karne lage humein khud nahin pata... magar hum aap se itna pyaar karne lage hain ki ab aap ke bina hum jeene ka soch bhi nahin sakte"
She leaned into his body, pressing a kiss into his chest where he heart thundered underneath and laid her cheek there, with her arms wrapped around his waist. Omkara in turn, folded her into his embrace, his arms around her shoulder and waist as he pressed kisses into her hair and sighed at the feeling of utter peace that stole into his soul.
They stood that way for God only knew how long when Omkara almost reluctantly broke the peaceful silence
"Gauri?..."
"Hmmm?..."
"Kya tum mujhse phir se shaadi karogi?"
If he'd expected any sort of surprise or astonishment as reaction, Omkara was to be disappointed because the only reaction he got from Gauri was a tightening of her arms around him while she sighed in contentment and nodded in reply to his question.
"Hmmm..."
While the fact that she knew him so well and was so comfortable with the idea of their getting married again made Omkara grin in joy, it also escalated his need to make her react to his finally popping the question.
"Kya tum mujhse aaj phir se shaadi karogi?"
He emphasized the 'aaj' carefully, but again, she reacted the same way. Just a hmmm, a nod and a little squeeze. But this time, Omkara's disappointment wasn't to last long. Literally a milli-second later, she'd stiffened and pulled back with a yelp as what he'd said the second time registered.
"KYA?!"
Reigning in his smug grin of triumph just barely, Omkara just looked at her innocently, as if he hadn't just suggested that they get married once more in the next few hours.
"Aaj?"
Working hard at curbing the grin that threatened to break out over his face, he nodded quite earnestly
"Aaj?"
The same question, the same single word... just repeated in a higher register as Gauri's stress levels reached stellar heights. Again, he just nodded quietly, watching her literally start to hyperventilate at the thought of all that his suggestion entailed.
"Magar aaj to bade bhaiyya aur bhaujaai ki shaadi hai"
"Haan to?"
"Haan to?! Ye aap kya keh rahe hain? Hum bade bhaiyya aur bhaujaai ki shaadi ko aise kaise..."
"Maine Shivaay se baat kar li hai. Wo is idea se bohot khush tha ki uski aur humari shaadi ek hi din, ek hi muhurat par ek saath hogi. Aur Anika apni shaadi tumhare saath share karne ke liye itni excited hai ki pooch hi mat. Baaki saare ghar waale bhi bohot khush hain. Tumhari Maa aur best friend Richa bhi hain yahaan humari shaadi mein tumhara saath dene ke liye. Aur saari taiyyariyan bhi sab ne milkar ki hain humare liye... Is ke alaava aur koi objections hain tumhare paas?"
Kohl-lined eyes shining with happy tears as she finally understood that the entire family must've been working towards this for days together, keeping it all a secret from her, Gauri could only shake her head no as she flung herself into Omkara's waiting arms. The slight, tenuous connection her mind had been on the verge of making before, came to the forefront now and the emotions started to unravel as she realized that not only had the family worked hard behind the scenes at the wedding, her jatadhari had also been secretly been doing all the pre-wedding rasams with her. On the day of bhaujaai and bade bhaiyya's engagement ceremony, he'd given her her perfect new ring, getting engaged to her once more in the process. He'd made Anika convince her to have her mehendi done like a dulhan and he'd also given her a gift of what she knew was going to be her special chuda. Now, he'd been forced to let her in on the secret because she wouldn't have gone through with the haldi ceremony without some explanations.
Gauri looked up at him, seeing all the love he had for her simply radiating out of his lovely chocolate eyes, the love that had changed him from a man who hated her due to the various misunderstandings that tore them apart to a man who would go to such lengths just to make her happy. Sending up a prayer of thanks to her Shankarji for bringing her into the orbit of such a lovely man, Gauri brought her hands up to cup his cheeks and going up on her tip toes, kissed his forehead in gratitude.
Omkara brought his hands up to her face, mirroring her actions. He too kissed her forehead in an affectionate manner, his voice hushed, as if uttering something reverent.
"Thank you... for being who you are"
He continued, kissing her eyes which had fallen closed at the touch of his lips on her forehead
"Thank you for being in my life"
He pressed his lips to a smooth cheek
"Thank you for making me a part of yours"
And kissed the other side
"Thank you for being my best friend"
He kissed the tip of her nose, making her wrinkle it cutely, causing them both to smile tearily
"Thank you for becoming my wife"
As he reached her lips, he paused a centimeter away and glanced down into her eyes which were looking intently into his
"Thank you for being the love of my life, the center of my universe... Thank you for being mine Gauri"
And he pressed his lips to hers in a sweet, sweet kiss that lasted an eternity. They might've stayed locked in each other's embrace had his phone buzzing with a slew of messages from his brothers not interrupted their precious moment.
"Wo... Shivaay keh raha hai ki Haldi ke liye baaki sab ready hain. Bas tumhein aur Anika ko taiyyar hona hai."
Gauri nodded at him in reply, her eyes locked with his.
"To... mujhe shaayad jaana chaahiye... you know... mujhe bhi jaakar taiyyar hona chaahiye right?"
He asked but made no move to release her or move away. Again Gauri nodded faintly, her eyes still stuck to his. Omkara couldn't help but lean in once more almost involuntarily, her rosebud lips parting invitingly for his, when his phone once again started to buzz. Only this time, it wasn't a bunch of messages but a call. Omkara didn't answer it but the interruption had quite effectively broken the moment they'd been drowning in before.
Slowly and clearly reluctantly moving apart from each other, Omkara started toward the door to their bedroom when he felt Gauri's hand at his wrist pull him in the opposite direction.
Turning enquiring eyes to her resulted in a reassuring blink and nothing else but she still pulled him to the easel that stood with a half-finished painting on it, his paints, palettes and brushes strewn haphazardly on the table next to it. Once they were close enough to it, Gauri's fingers slowly and shyly moved from his hand to the collar of his black kurta, her eyes firmly stuck on the task she was involved in, undoing the first three buttons as she found it impossible to look him in the eye. As a heavy wash of color tinted her cheeks at what she was doing, Gauri swallowed hard but muttering encouragement to herself, persevered.
Omkara on the other hand, had absolutely no idea what was happening. Here was his wife, hours away from marrying him again, undressing him voluntarily. Though the virtuous side of him wanted to stop this now before what this was, got out of hand, the man in him wanted to wait and watch just what was happening. Once the top three buttons of his kurta were undone, Gauri slowly peeled away the fabric of the kurta, revealing his chest.
Her blush deepened and she still couldn't meet his eyes, but she turned to his still wet palette and swirled her fingers into the blob of bright yellow acrylic paint he'd been working with early that morning, and without a word, pressed them on to his chest, right where his heart beat reassuringly underneath.
That done, Gauri finally found the courage to meet her curious husband's darkened and dilated eyes, her hand still splayed over his heart, feeling it beat faster in reaction to her.
"Ab ye bhi humara aur aap bhi... Humari shaadi ki saari rasmein aap ne shuru ki hain abhi tak... You're an artist, these paints are a part of your life... a part of your art. I wanted to begin our Haldi by marking you as mine. And I want you to mark me as yours too..."
And he did. Though it wasn't a mark Gauri could show around... in fact, it had needed a ton of concealer to hide the hickey he'd sucked onto her neck in reply to her marking him.
The blush that had started with her attempt at beginning their haldi ki rasam, stayed bright and strong right through the function, what with her being entirely unable to meet his eyes without feeling her cheeks heat up in reaction as the memory of just how he'd marked her flashed across her eyes. His smug smirk had also stayed in place throughout the ceremony, only serving to fluster Gauri even further.
Arjun
