RiKara SS - You and I Collide [COMPLETE] pg 63(19/4) - Page 27

For the sake of this chapter, let's imagine KT's wife and her fire stunt has already happened.🤢🤢 I'm not much interested in writing about them, or that particular phase of cannon.😕 This is what happened afterwards.😊

As always, in hope that you will enjoy!😃😃

Chapter 13

Fools

"Do you sleep at all?" Ben, her designer gave Ri a hard look. They were trying on her bridal options, currently clad in a lehenga that was of deep navy blue, rimmed with red and golden thread work, she sighed. She had a very good idea why Ragav had favored this particular dress, the weight and heat were almost killing her.

"I take pills," she gave him a tight lipped smile, pulling at the sleeve which was biting into her skin.

"Careful girl," Ben admonished, pinning the dupatta to her shoulder. "That cost a fortune you know." He took a step back and observed her. "Pills huh? No wonder your face looked puffy. Those things are addictive."

"I have worse addictions." She said with a roll of her eyes. "Everybody dies someday Ben, it's not like you'd be immortal if you don't use them." Her mobile was ringing, Ri frowned at the screen, where an unknown number was flashing. Half heartedly she slid the green button and spoke. "Hello?"

"Forgotten me already have you?" The voice that greeted her sounded shrill with irritation. Ri sighed leaning against the mirror.

"Sumo, sorry yaar, it just slipped my mind."

"Wow yeah I'm thrilled. It makes me sound so slim that I just slipped out of someone's mind!"

"Wait, yeh Mumbai ki landline kya hai?" Ri asked, knotting her eyebrows. "Tera phone kidar hai?"

"Woh - na, I - something happened to it." She sounded unconvincing.

"And what are you doing in Mumbai?"

"Woh - main - I'm here to help out a friend."

"Why are you stammering huh?"

"Leave that," Sumo was quick to change tracks. "Tu kaisi hai?" There was a pause, in which Ri bit her lip, wondering what parts of story she could safely share with Sumo. "Ri, is everything alright?"

"I'm -" she shrugged bitterly, knowing the moment a lie slips out of her tongue Sumo will know. Ri was not yet ready to be submitted to anyone's sympathy, not even her best friend's. Then, before she completed her sentence, or even choose a matching predicate to end it, a new voice interrupted their conversation.

"Sumo, it's time."

Ri frowned again.

"Who is that?" She asked, genuinely confused. "Your friend is a guy?"

"Ri woh -"

She could not hear her reply, as her attention shifted back to her surroundings. In a swift glance at her mirror, Ri caught a glimpse of Omkara entering behind her. She only had a moment to drop her phone to the heap of tried dresses before he sized her from her shoulders.

"What the -" She shrieked as he pinned her to the cold mirror. One glance at his face, she could see he was livid. But Ri could not think what had made him so angry.

"How could you?" He growled looking down at her, gritting his teeth.

"How could I what?"

"Someone died because of you and you're trying out dresses here?"

Ri blinked, his words failing to register.

"Someone died?"

"Don't start acting again," he seethed. "You know very well, what I'm talking about, who I'm talking about."

"Omkara," she said calmly. "Although I'm charmed by running into you here, I really have no idea to what I owe this pleasure."

"Fine." His grip loosened on her shoulders. He stepped back. "The woman whose husband you are trying to get married to has set herself ablaze."

Ri stumbled backwards, clutching the end of the dressing table.

"I - what?"

Omkara sighed.

"Just for the sake of few billions, are you ready to take lives Ri? How greedy can you get? How low will you stoop?"

She watched him, wordlessly. He was shaking in anger, his face darkened and then inhaled deeply.

"So that's what you think of me?" Her tone shook. "After everything, all that we've been through, that's what I am?"

Omkara held out his hands, clearly tired of their conversation.

"I don't know you and I don't want to know either. I'm just asking you to stop destroying others."

Ri snorted, and then started to laugh.

"Do you think you're some sort of angel sent to save the world from being corrupted by me? Wah Omkara!" She laughed, and laughed, waving her hands in the air. "You know what, I think I'm going ahead with this marriage just to see how you're going to stop me."

Her voice broke as he pulled her to him, her hands slamming against the hard planes of his chest. He gripped her waist and his eyes bored into hers.

"Because of a woman like you I almost lost my mother." His tone was low and dangerous, his breath fanning her face. "I - hate - you!"

Her bangles jingled as her arms slid and locked around his neck, her lips twitching into a cynical smile. Omkara froze, inhaling that lavender and mint fragrance which always messed with his senses. Blinking once, in an attempt to regain his control he noticed she was dressed in a bridal attire.

"So you hate me?" She grinned, eyes burning with a fire he could not fathom. "Be careful Mr. Oberoi, nafrat bhi ek rishta hota hai, phass jaaonge!"

Those words reminded him of Shivay, and with the thought brought a bitter realization of the fact that he was once again getting distracted. His brother was fighting for his life, he had secrets to unearth. He pulled himself free from her embrace and stepped back.

"Stay away from me." His tone was curt. Ri snorted.

"For your information, it wasn't me who came looking for you here."

"My fault," he tilted his head. "It won't happen again." He turned to leave.

"Omkara -" she called after him.

"Hmm?"

Ri shook her head, gulping the words.

"Nothing, go." She turned her back to him, fixing her dupatta and focused on her reflection. He watched her for another moment and left, shaking his head. She sighed watching him leave. Ragav Khanna owed her some answers.

**

Soumya slipped her small hand into his large one, her fingers lacing through his. Rudra turned to look at her, biting his lip, his eyes still red rimmed. He looked as if he had lived decades in one night, there were weary shadows under his eyes. She pitied him and her heart ached with its own wounds at the same time.

Omkara had not heard of the leaked video clip yet, Rudra was too stubborn to handle it himself. It was he who called for her help and she realized her heart had not hardened enough to ignore his plea. But she had made one thing clear,

"I haven't forgiven you, not yet...I'm not sure when."

But there were moments when she thought otherwise, like when he had hugged her at the airport, buried his head in her hair and breathed her in - like seeking for a reason to continue breathing. When they had sat side by side in silence, outside bade Bhaiyya's hospital room, shoulders touching and hands clasped together. Or a moment like this, when he stared into her eyes, as if she was his sole strength. He made her feel cherished, although she knew it was hardly more than an illusion.

"It was Svetlana, I've confirmed. She has double crossed Tej Uncle too. Seems like she has her own secrets." She whispered in his ear, his lips twitched in a very Shivay - ish way and he shrugged, watching the journalists taking their seats.

"Then we'll be exposing those right? She had done absolutely enough damage already." His tone was dark. Then he sighed shoulders buckled with exhaustion.

"You'll be alright," she squeezed his hand in between her two palms. "Remember the plan?"

"Tell the truth, nothing less, nothing more." He nodded and she smiled.

"Good luck, crybaby!"

It was in the heat of the moment, she saw something flicker in his eyes. Rudra reached in and kissed her forehead.

"Thank you Sumo."

In moments like these, she could fool herself to believe Rudra Singh Oberoi loved her.

**

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Love.

Sakura