RiKara TS: Painting words of desire(page 2)

"Mr. Oberoi!" She heard the very person shouting and rushed towards the hall to see him standing all furious and disturbed. His eyes were burning with, which all others would call anger, but she saw it as pain. She wondered how in all these people, no one could ever differentiate between these two emotions of the artist. Either he was too good to hide or all they were blind. Latter option sounded hollow to her, knowing how much this family loved and tried to understand him, and former option left her with one conclusion, that she understood the pain in him that no one could.

To pm me when u update

DO continue soon

Unable to find her anywhere, he returned back home. Home. Ah! His room was dark, but not the 'always dark'. Different dark. He looked at the source of the little light that illuminated the room. Her diya. The lamp that he'd despised since he got to know the truth about Gauri, Chulbul. But today, why did he feel like watching it, observing it? He sat near the statue, her Sankarji's idol, and observed the dancing flame, and his artistic mind unable to settle down started finding the meaning to it. There was no shadow to it, but all other objects that came in its path, had theirs. If Shivaay were here, he would start telling him about the gases and their always-so-boring theories to explain the inexistence of the shadow. More fun would be Rudra explaining that, or most definitely he would end up saying, 'Aapko Kya karna hai, iski shadow hai, nahi hai..Aap ped khaao, aam kyon ginte ho?'. And then he'd smack his little brother's head and correct the saying. Thinking about this, he was really missing his brothers. It'd be a lot more easier to divert his mind if they were with him, which right now was observing the dancing flame and somehow relating it to Gauri. Had he been too quick to judge Gauri? Had he been so unjust to her? What had happened to him, he wondered. He was not like that, judging people this quick and punishing them for the crimes he was not sure if they'd ever committed. But what did he even get by being the one who always gave people their chances? Betrayal. Always. Yet again, what was he getting by this cruel mask he adorned? And how convincing that mask actually was? This girl penetrated it as soon as she met him, 'Aapke saath jaroor kuchh bohot bura hua hoga, Jo aap aise ho gaye hain.' She understood him as soon as she met him. Instead of hating him for having a wrong opinion about her, telling him what of a useless judge he was or even saying him anything wrong in her own defense, she wondered if something bad happened with him that made him so mean. Wasn't she exactly the Om he had left behind this Omkara Singh Oberoi? Wasn't he giving her the same pain, he got for being who he was in the past and she was right now? Or was he correct? Was she really who he thought her to be? Was it another of her games?

Tere jaane ke baad, Dil tujhe samajhne ki zidd pe ada.." And that's what he could do, say a shayari to empty room, hollow thoughts.

Today the way she stood up to Mr. Oberoi, for him, was something he didn't think of. He'd always fought all the battles alone when the opponent was his own father, for the first time someone stood by his side and he felt.. secured.

"What's wrong with you, Om?" A voice, very familiar, called standing at the door of his room.

"Shivaay? Come on in. Kya hua tujhe? Gusse mein lag raha hai." Om said startled by his brother's expressions. He definitely had seen him angry before, but he'd never been angry on his brothers. Ever.

"Lag nahi raha hoon, hoon main." Big brother said, not trying to hide is unhappiness.

"Par hua Kya hai? Is everything alright? With the deal you had with the Japanese firm? Or Anika bhabhi? Is she alright?" He said with a sense of horror, imagining his sister-like Bhabhi in some problem.

"Listen Om, you know what I was proud of when it came to you?" Shivaay asked with a pause, "that tu kabhi dusro ko apne khayalaat ke beech mein nahi aane deta. You don't let people come between you and your ideology! But I was wrong! I knew tu badal Gaya hai! Par itna?"

"Hua Kya hai, Shivaay? Maine kiya Kya hai?" Om's curiosity was killing him every passing second.

"What is this?" Shivaay held a piece of paper and swayed it in front of Omkara's face. As Omkara checked it, his eyes widened with realization.

"Where did you get... Kahaan se mila tujhe yeh?"

"That's not the point Om! You seriously did this? Tu itna kaise gir gaya, yaar! Mera Om kahaan gaya? Jo mujhe kuchh galat nahi karne deta tha! How could..how could you do this?" Om held his head low as his big brother gave him the moral speech, "Om, look up here! Tune kis'se contract sign karwaya? Tell me everything."

Om told him the whole story, hesitating at the parts where she showed 'her true colors'. Strange that he didn't want Shivaay think bad of her, even when he himself thought the worst of her. But anyway he tod him.

"How could you judge her so soon? You formed an impression about her as soon as you met her? If she wanted money, she would have taken that money you threw at her when you met her! Tu kaise? Shit Om, I can't believe!"

"Tu kaise yeh keh sakta hai, Shivaay? Tu use jaanta Tak nahi!"

"Tu jaanta hai?" Shivaay asked with utmost confidence. "Kitna jaanta hai? Kitna samajhta hai tu use?"

"Shivaay, Maine uska asli chehra dekha hai! Usne mujhe khud bataya tha ki woh Kaali Thakur se Shaadi karne wali thi!"

"Usne toh yeh bhi kaha tha ki woh beqasoor hai." Om looked on as Shivaay continued, "Om, tu khud soch, agar Gauri hi Chulbul thi, then woh Kaali Thakur ke saath kaise ho sakti hai, kyunki Chulbul toh hamesha Tere saath rehta tha!" Om realized that he never thought about that, was he that blinded by the hatred he had for her?

"And tujhe gussa iss baat ka hai, ki Gauri hi Chulbul thi. You called Chulbul your best buddy, did he ever, even once betrayed you? He almost got himself killed for you and your family! Think of all the times you've spent with Chulbul, Kya tujhe kabhi bhi uski aankhon mein beimaani dikhi?" Om shook his head in realization, Shivaay was right. Chulbul never tricked him ever.

"Gauri ko jaanta nahi tha, phir bhi uske baare mein aisi raay banali maine, and Chulbul ke saath itna waqt bitaane ke baad bhi main use nahi samajh paaya, Shivaay. Yeh maine Kya Kar diya?" Omkara said wiping his hands over his face. "I...I was wrong. But Shivaay aisa bhi toh ho sakta hai na ki yeh sab uski chaal ho? Woh bhi Ishaana ki tarah, innocence ka naatak Kar rahi ho, ya Riddhima ki tarah mujhe samajhne ka, mujhse pyaar karne ka dikhava Kar rahi ho?"

"God Om, tu kyun nahi samajh raha use? Okay fine, ho sakta hai. Bilkul ho sakta hai, but sach jaan'ne ke liye tujhe uske saath waqt bitaana hoga. Use samajhna hoga, but tune Kya Kiya? Yeh-" He swayed the contract in front of his face, "-yeh contract sign karwaya?"

"Haan Shivaay. Par tu bhi samajh na. According to this contract, woh meri wife banke rahegi and main uski maa ka ilaaj karwaunga. It's a deal just li-"

"Dil liya jaata hai, Dil diya jaata hai.. Dil ko becha nahi jaata." Both their eyes turned to the door where stood their little brother. Now grown up little brother. "Yehi kaha tha na aapne, O, Shivaay bhaiya ko? Toh aaj aapne apna Dil kaise bech diya?"

Shivaay looked at his little Rudy with the utmost pride. Amidst all the pampering they provided to him, he never realized that even Rudra needed to grow up and when he did, it was too late. But today, he saw that Rudy has his mature days too.

Om was slowly realizing what of a mess he'd jumped into. They were right, in order to get himself repaired, he was damaging others. And the person he's damaged the most was the person who was doing her best to get him repaired. His brothers were trying too, but they're his brothers but she was some stranger he met once.

Shivaay realized that his artist brother needed space to think, so he gestured Rudra to come out with him. Rudra being the laxman he was, didn't question his brother even once. Rudra one last time looked at his O, who was deep into thoughts and little did he realize, a lone tear escaped his eye seeing his brother in this state. Since childhood, Rudy had always been pampered the most and he never realized what his brothers were going through saving him from the world. Especially Om, Om was always the one to take his parents' wrath alone so that his little brother was always safe, could live a childhood Om was deprived of. Shivaay had always been his best friend, and why not? Wasn't he the one who always helped him with his problems. But Om had never let any problem reach him. Whilst he was living a childhood, an adolescence, Om was painting and penning down his pains without letting anyone else know it. Not that he had never noticed, he did but he could never come up to the poet of a brother and ask about his problems, he never knew how to. One thing he didn't fail to notice was the relief on his brother's face whenever Chulbul was near him. Om got a friend, first true friend and no matter what, Rudra wouldn't let him lose him- her, he corrected. He could also understand that Chulbul's lie must've hurt Om, just like Ishaana's did but Om needed to understand that Chulbul wasn't Ishaana. Gauri was far far better than that girl called Bela or Ishaana or whatever. Gauri had her issues, he was sure, just like Ishaana. Gauri lied, just like Ishaana but her intentions were good and Ishaana's were not. Ishaana was after his money and Gauri just wanted his safety. How could he let the only girl, who thought of no one but his big brother, go because of the same brother?

"O.." Rudra stopped in his tracks followed by Shivaay, and caught Om's attention, "Don't let her go.. she's meant to be." Saying that he went away, leaving both his brothers dumbfounded.

"He said it all." Shivaay said with a smile and went.

Om didn't realize when he dozed off thinking of whatever was happening with his life.

---------

"Chulbul, band kar is-" Om's eyes flushed open as he understood what he heard. The jingle of the bell, and her voice singing his not so favourite aarti. He noticed how beautiful her voice was, when she was actually singing in her own voice and not of the silly boy she was disguised as.

"Tum wapas aa gayi.." He said, couldn't able to hide the very slight smile which ascended on his face.

"Hmm.." was all she replied, bowing to the Lord. Swaying her right palm from the jyot to the room, apparently giving aarti to everything, she reached near him and stood straight.

He looked at her, not understanding why she was standing, but loving every bit of the view in front of him.

"Aarti.." she said trying to remind him of the task.

"Huh?" He got out of the trance just to find the weird look she was giving him. She sighed and shook her head, giving him aarti by her own.

"Kyon?" She looked at him at his sudden question, as she turned to go.

"Kaa?" She enquired, not understanding what he was asking.

"Kyon aayi tum wapas?" He demanded, he needed to know. Why did she come back? Did she, by any little chance, love him? Or maybe had the little-st of feelings for him. Just by the thought of this, he felt butterflies flying in his stomach. Too girly for him to feel, but he did. He was confused at this response of his heart, because he for his own good knew he could not let anyone creep a place in his heart, after his past experiences. And this feeling sent a horror run down his spine, opening up to someone else was not an option for him.

"Chale jaayenge.. jaante hain aapko achha nahi laga hum wapas aa gaye." Gauri did not know what, but she did not like this question he asked. One thing she knew was he wasn't pleased on her return, by this question he asked.

"Abhi Sultana gayi nahi hai.. humara kaam naahi hua abhi. Humari baat Hui thi ki hum Sultana ke jaane ke baad jaayenge, aur hum apne vaade nahi todte. Sirf apne kaam ke liye wapas aayen hain." She said, hiding away the ill feeling she got everytime realizing that he hated her guts, for nothing she did. She didn't tell him her real reason of coming, because she knew he wouldn't be happy or last he would think it was another of her game plans. How could she leave him after getting that new information about him? There was no one for him ever in his pains, and she was not that rough to leave him like this. She'd decided she would not let any pain touch him ever again, and she would not. She wanted to make him realize that he was not alone, that she was with him no matter what, but she did not have a way to tell him that without him thinking even worse of her.

"Sirf isliye?" A rush of disappointment ran down his heart knowing the reason she'd come back for. That was it? She just came for that contract they'd signed? Nothing else?

"Sirf isliye." She said as firmly as she could. What did he think? She would make another fool out of herself and her herself insulted yet again?

-----

To be continued

For sure😊