Prompt:
One Night. One stranger. One Kiss. One Love.
Part 1 - By Cinnamon Kisses - Page 1
Part 2 - Below
If you want to be in equilibrium with the universe, you leave it all to fate.' This was the mantra Gauri had chanted to herself all her life. It had helped her deal with difficult times in life. Call it Escapism'.
But she was far from the state of equilibrium currently, sitting in this very posh five star hotel room in Granada, overlooking the Alhambra, a mesmerising view some people would kill for, with the castle lit in the dusk light. It was a beautiful, ancient, compact city built by the Moorish. The landscape of Andalucia, South Spain was even more stunning. And she had all this at her disposal, just outside the huge window. Still, her entire being was in turmoil.
That night's events had left her in a complete state of disrepair. If the phrase Curiosity kills the cat' was ever relevant to anyone it would be her that night. Her curiosity had got the better of her, when she had felt she needed someone's lips on her own. He had obliged and kissed her, but then some sort of delirium, call it passion took over both of them and they couldn't stop. At least for a while, until he decided to assess the situation and move away from her, the gentleman that he was. He had promised her before the wedding that they would take it slow, get to know each other first, and he was keeping it. But she could not get it out of her system, the kiss, the touch, the smell, the taste. No matter how hard she tried. In fact all she could think of was HIM.
She cursed herself. Just two months ago, she had accepted her fate and tried to get on with her life after Arjun Shastri dumped her. He was a pupil of her famous and renowned musician father. They were not very wealthy but they were a well-respected family. Students came from all over the world to be an apprentice to her father and Arjun was one of them, all the way from the UK. He was of course much older than her when they met the first time; she was only but a child of eleven, getting ready to move into her teens. But then tragedy struck and her father passed away due to heart disease. She was a broken soul and a very insecure child ever since. Arjun had kept visiting the family after his guru's demise and looked after them to a certain extent. She had somehow started looking for the male figure in him, someone she had just lost, a father figure. He was polite and caring in the beginning, but as she turned sixteen, he had started getting flirty with her. They lived in a small town where news of her beauty had reached far and wide. She was indeed very beautiful, angelic almost. They were in a gf-bf relationship for a few years since she was seventeen until he broke up with her last year. Her mother never approved of her and Arjun together, but she didn't listen to her at the time.
Driven by guilt when he dumped her and her mother nursed her back to health, Gauri did listen to her next time she asked for something. Which was,' To marry Omkara'! a perfect stranger to her.
Everything happened too fast for her to even catch a breath and assess, understand, get to grips with. And now this had happened, of her own doing.
The kiss!
She found herself between the devil and the deep sea, utterly confused about everything. She felt like her mind, body and soul, all were at war with each other.
Gauri's mind:
Well, her rational mind had made up its own mind a while ago, when she had made a promise to herself, never to fall in love again. The agony of love was a curse, which she never wanted in her life ever again. It had been a long time now; she had felt lost, ever since her father left her. And then she had gotten involved with Arjun which was another mistake of the lost soul who was searching for herself. Yes, she had agreed to marry Omkara, on her mother's insistence. Her mother had suffered long enough, bringing her up on her own, since she was eleven. She had fed the two of them by giving sitar lessons to the neighbour's children. It was just the two of them, in their own little world, with Arjun visiting them now and again. Last year, when her mother was diagnosed with cancer, she couldn't refuse her anything. Not after the mistake she had made with Arjun.
Yes, she would marry, but she didn't have to love. This was a promise and a promise she will keep. She couldn't bear the pain of losing a loved one again. First, it was her father whom she admired and cherished, then Arjun. It was bad enough that she will have to bear the loss of her mother soon, but then to give a stranger the powers to have control over her again! No, it was out of the question. This marriage was for her mother, that's it. She would fulfill her wife duties as much as was possible but she will never love the man. Love, like she understood it.
And so the solution was: to be rude, distant and inert towards Omkara. She had even tried to cancel the honeymoon, but Omkara's family was adamant about it. She had managed to keep her resolve up until the wedding night, when she asked him to kiss her, of her own accord!! Damn!
Gauri's Soul:
And then there was no going back. Her soul was something she was still trying to get in touch with, but the moment they kissed she felt it happy. However practical and grounded Gauri might think she was, she was actually a dreamer. She believed in love and so when it hurt the first time, she never wanted to believe in it again. She thought her mind ruled but she found that her soul was already revolting against her mind. Although she told herself that she never once believed her mother that she has a right to be happy and loved and Omkara would do just that for her, somewhere in her soul she believed it. In her gut she felt this was right. Omkara was the one for her. But her mind wasn't giving up so soon. She had to protect herself. The scars left on her soul by Arjun Shastri had to be respected and this was no trivial matter, falling in love. The battle was on, mind or soul.
Gauri's Body:
Regardless to mention, her body had a mind of its own.
She would be lying if she said that his proximity did not affect her. His body was like a magnet, and she was drawn to him unknowingly. Did she hate this fact about herself? Oh, yes. She didn't want to be needy and desperate but he made her feel like that. She wanted him close-by. She felt good in his presence; she felt safe and as if there was a purpose to her life. But Gauri was nothing, if not practical. Years and years of growing up in a household which comprised of only her working mom taught her to be practical. The only time she had gone astray was when she forged a relationship with Arjun which was based on her need to compensate a loss. She liked to be in complete control of her emotions. Or at least so she thought, until now. Soon, she will realise that when it comes to Omkara, her emotions were uncontrollable.
She came out of her reverie when she heard his phone ring. It was Shivaay bhaiya calling him. She picked it up, they spoke for a few minutes where he enquired after their well-being and asked her to remind Omkara to call him back.
He was in the shower. She was waiting for him, dressed in a rose gold off shoulder gown, to go for dinner. They had landed in Spain last evening after a day long flight, checked into the hotel, had dinner and tried to sleep the jetlag off. They were very tired and didn't have much time to interact. But the entire time in the plane, although they were in the first class with comfortable seats, a slight movement from him, a brush of skin and she felt goose bumps. Was this for real? She had never felt like this for Arjun. And she loved Arjun; didn't she? She had known him all her growing up life. Then why was it, that she was feeling all these urges for the complete stranger Omkara. Yes, he was her husband now. But she had only met him first time a week before their wedding. They had coffee in a nearby caf to introduce each other. It all happened very fast. Her mother was terminally ill, and she had requested the wedding take place in the next week as then there was no muhurat for the next two years. Omkara and his family had agreed instantly to Gauri's shock, and her mother's relief.
Omkara was the son of her mother's long lost friend Jhanvi. Apparently they had been childhood buddies, almost like sisters, shared everything in life, but then got separated when they got married and moved to different towns/cities. But they had never lost touch. When her father passed away, Mr. and Mrs. Oberoi had come to the funeral but she was too small to remember. Since then, Jhanvi had always helped her mother out in all matters big and small. When she was diagnosed with cancer last year, Jhanvi had visited her in the hospital and promised to look after Gauri. And when she had met the twenty year old Gauri, a young beautiful angel, she knew what she had to do. She knew her son would never refuse her anything, but she also knew Gauri was ideal for Omkara and so it began.
This time her thoughts were interrupted by opening of the bathroom door. He came out of the shower in his robe, his hair wet, water trickling down his neck and exposed parts of his chest. She gave him a glimpse and gulped. What was happening to her? She never knew such emotions existed, she felt blood rush to parts of her body she didn't realise even existed apart from for practical reasons. She had been in a relationship with Arjun but they had never gone beyond general touching and kissing. He had tried but she had denied him each time, maybe that was the reason he lost interest in her. Seeing him drifting away from her, she had tried to engage in more intimate ways with him, but unsuccessfully, she had never felt this way before. The way she felt for Omkara just now.
A wanton need;
An unquenchable curiosity; and
A desperate rage.
Yes, she was angry. She was angry at the fact that she wanted him, like she had never wanted anything before. That he made her make leave of her senses, when she was with him. When he looked at her, his eyes possessed her. He had awakened a curiosity in her since she met him first time, the way he looked at her, his smile, his voice. She wanted him to do unimaginable things to her, which she had only read about in teenage love novels.
But, he could have anyone. Why her?
If only he felt something for her? If only he had not married her out of pity, or to fulfil his mother's wishes.
When she looked sullen and lost in thought during dinner, Omkara decided to ask her what was troubling her.
Can I ask you something?' she requested.
Of course Gauri, you can ask me anything?'Omkara was as his sweet mannered self.
Why did you agree to marry me?' this question had been troubling her since he gave his consent soon after a coffee meeting. She had been meaning to ask him this for a while but the wedding preparations, then the week long festivities had left her no time in between.
What?' Omkara didn't expect her to be so direct. He was taken aback and wanted to make sure he had heard her right.
I mean, you don't know me. You could have said no. You must have other friends. Girlfriends?' Curiosity was getting the better of her, again! She already knew what she wanted to hear. She felt vulnerable; his answer meant a lot to her. Why?' she was thinking, why do I care for his answer? What is he doing to me?'
I like you Gauri, a lot. I knew it when I saw you the first time' he replied with a smile.
Knew what?' she wasn't going to let it rest.
That we were meant for each other'. He replied as if matter of fact looking straight into her eyes.
But I didn't even talk to you properly then, I was rude and distant' she was surprised at his honesty.
Your eyes spoke to me Gauri, your soul; it's like a transparent mirror, through which I could see our future together'. He smiled at her lovingly, making something shift inside her heart and some heat generated in parts of her rebel body.
She couldn't challenge that, could she? Even her rational mind could not. It was because inside of her own heart she knew, why she had agreed to marry him. She had seen an honesty and gentleness in his eyes, the kind she knew could exist, she had seen it before, in her father's eyes. And soon, she was losing herself in this vision that was Omkara, now her husband. If she wasn't careful enough, she would be falling for him head over heels before she knew it. She was secretly very attracted to him, this she would never admit to herself except in her moments of rage, but actually it was obvious to everyone who saw them together. And so her mind had to take over, reminding her of the promise she made to herself not to love ever again'. Denial was her best friend at the moment.
They had moved onto discussing less serious matters after this. Omkara was describing all his family members to her in detail. He had a huge family; the Oberois were the wealthiest family in her state. She met all of them in the wedding but only for a few seconds/ minutes here and there; they showered her with so much love, and him. His family adored him. She had found out that way that he was a good person and started developing a lot of respect for him. Her mother had thought of everything, by asking her to marry Omkara. What with his huge family, she would never feel alone ever again after her.
They were in the middle of their dessert, when she heard a loud scream.
Omkara Singh Oberoi' a few teenage girls wearing skimpy clothes were headed in their direction at jet speed.
OMG sir, the great artist OSO' they were now at their table, and still screaming, holding their faces in their hands, jumping about and giggling away, swooning over him. They put their arms around him from either side.
Please, can I have your autograph?' one of the girls gave a pen to him and forwarded her hand.
Here?' He asked looking at her lifted sleeve.
Yes, please. I am a huge fan of yours. I am an art student, we all are. We are here on a trip to see Picasso's work; we saw your name on the visiting faculty list but never hoped to meet you. This is wonderful' she kept blurting the whole time he signed his name.
Omkara smiled knowingly, nearby town of Malaga, was Picasso's hometown and he often came there once a year to deliver classes. Picasso was one of his inspirations. And that's why the decision to honeymoon in Spain, it was one of his favourite countries what with its rich history and culture, food, festivals, dance and art. He wanted to show Gauri his world, to take her away from her troubles, to make her realise that she deserved to be loved. He had fallen for her innocent beauty and heavenly charm at the first glimpse. But then he had also noticed the grief around her and wanted to take it all away. He also knew he had to take it slow with her.
He was having a great time interacting with the young artists, giving anecdotes about what to visit in the area. But he didn't notice that Gauri was fuming by now. What with the girls touching him, one even kissed him on the cheek, leaving a lipstick mark! If eyes could be daggers that poor girl would have been dead by now, the way Gauri was staring at her.
She was really furious and after they left, she got up and started walking away. Omkara was surprised at the sudden digression. He followed soon after her, their bill would be put on the tab of course.
Gauri. What happened? Where are you going?' Omkara pleaded.
Just leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you' she was walking in a frenzy towards the woods.
He caught up with her, took her arm and pulled her to himself.
Are you crazy? What is wrong with you? It is not safe here alone.' He shook her by the arms trying to drive some sense into her.
She was crying by now, tears rolling down her cheeks like rain.
What do you care? Go have fun with your girl fans. Give some more autographs' she shouted pointing to the lipstick mark.
By this time, she was holding his collar and he was holding both her arms. They were so close, their bodies touching, chests heaving at a pace unrecognisable, breaths mingling. She felt as if she was on fire, her body smouldering to his touch, and when she couldn't suppress it anymore, she put her lips on his and kissed him passionately, out of control, still holding his collar, as if to wipe that memory away, to remove all her pain, the need, to quench the curiosity, to satisfy the rage. She kept kissing him, until he took control of the kiss, embraced her tighter feeling her bare shoulders and really kissed her, their tongues playing duel with each other.
Two minds were missing, two souls were lost in each other and two bodies explored depths they had never before.
Gauri had yet another problem from this moment on.She still had to deal with the kiss and now, the kiss. It was a battle between a love that never was and a love that was always meant to be. Escapism was not an option...
END
Hope you will all like it. Please do leave feedback
Specially looking forward to Cinnamon_Kisses feedback. I hope I did some justice?
And waiting for next update - the completion :)
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Edited by RingsOfSaturn - 7 years ago
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