Chapter 3
Middle ground
The buzzing of his mobile woke him in the dead of the night. Until then Omkara was not aware that he was asleep. Feeling through the mess of pillows in the semi darkness he finally located his phone under the duvet and answered with a sleepy "Hello?".
"Jaagte rahe hum
Apne zakam gin te hue
Wo bedard ko apni sapno se fursat kaha
Jin se socha zara gham baat lu apni
Wo khambhakat ko sunne ki fursat kaha..." The voice from the other end was slurry, each line punctured with a throaty giggle.
" Gauri," he acknowledged her, rubbing his eyes and pulled his mobile away from his ear to check the time. It was half past two in the morning.
"The very same," she chuckled. "Haven't forgotten me yet have you?"
"Are you drunk?"
"What do you think, mummy?" Her tone dripped with sarcasm. He was already on his feet, shuffling his drawer for his keys.
"Where are you?"
"Tere ghar ke saamne," she sang. "Nahi hoon!" Another chuckle.
"Tell me right now," he was at the last scratch of his temper.
"Jeez Omkara, entire house will get up, stop yelling will ya?"
Closing his eyes he exhaled deeply. " Gauri please tell me, where are you?"
"Aww, poor dear!" She cooed mockingly. "Outside Club Skyfall," she answered finally and he sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. "I can't drive that's why am calling you."
"I'm coming, stay there okay?"
"No promises tonight Baby," she said before ending the call with a click.
**
He had almost forgotten the hue of dawn stars, Omkara mused tracing the few stray dots scattered up ahead. Gauri's jeep was parked at the very edge of the cliff line, with its owner stretched out on the bonnet, gazing up at the cosmos, her hair ruffled by the chilly winds. Since he was no longer worried for her, Omkara noticed she had a wistful, bitter smile on her lips, her eyes were closed. He had almost decided she was asleep when she spoke.
"Naraz ho?" Her eyes remained closed, a strand of hair now swept across her face, hiding her expression. Instantly his hand reached out to wipe it off, her eyes shot open when his fingertips touched her cheeks.
"Next time, ask me to come like normal people;" he said casually, his voice betraying no hint of the restlessness her gaze always made him feel. "Don't pretend to be drunk out of your wits."
She giggled, before starting to hum.
"You can't tell me it's not worth dying for... the reaction you gave me!" He tried to maintain his stern look.
"Why?"
There was a pause, in which she lowered her gaze, her arms wrapping around her petite frame to keep herself warm. It dragged his attention back to her figure, clad in fashionably torn jeans and a cream color crop top, her dark blue jacket abandoned inside the jeep.
"I wanted a friend, someone to hold me from losing it." He leaned against the vehicle, gazing at her suspiciously. "There's the downside of falling for your best friend, you have no one to go to, after a break up."
"When did we become friends?" Omkara raised an eyebrow. She laughed.
"Always trying to pull out SSO on me," she said then wiping her eyes. "It's really unromantic you know?"
"I thought you were the girl I almost married?" He repeated her phrase. "What happened to all that?"
She leaned back once more, her eyes on the cold stars. He wondered if her love had broken her heart. A selfish joy flickered in his mind at the idea, reminding him of his earlier envious thoughts on her perfect world.
"He is supposed to be waiting for me somewhere." She said after a moment, her eyes still tracing constellations. "I didn't go."
"Why?"
"You love that question don't ya?" She flipped back to her joyous mode, imitating him. "Why?"
"I thought mine was the only heart you didn't give a damn about," he confessed and she raised an eyebrow.
"Please Omkara, you and I both know your heart is not involved in this mess, don't label me a heartbreaker for nothing." He didn't say anything and in the pause that followed the wind hummed in their ears. "You and I are creatures of night, we always get tempted by light, chase after it, only to realize how it burns us at the end." Something about those words made him silent and thoughtful. He could have disagreed, but inwardly some of those statements where true. Giving him only a moment to accept that she continued. "His father came to see me, right after I left hospital," she nodded at him. "And begged me to end things with him. According to him, they are normal, middle class people who can't, won't meddle with likes of my father - or the Oberois." In the bluish light, her chocolate eyes traced up to his dark gaze. "You knew this would happen, right?"
Omkara nodded.
"But I thought," he swallowed, his throat suddenly tight. "I believed you two had talked it out."
"We did. I almost packed, had the bag in my hand - then I thought - can I really put an entire family through something they don't want to face? Will those people ever accept me as their own after what they'd probably go through because of me? I chickened out, even before I left the house."
"So you wanted to hear how it's like, sacrificing?" His tone was dark. Omkara didn't believe in her friendship business. Least he know, he didn't want to feel guilty of betraying her at some point. He was already drowning in guilt as it is.
"I wanted to know how you survive it," her answer again caught him off guard. There it was once more, the trust in her eyes, the curiosity in her words. "I hated you till that night at the club, I hate you no more."
"Why?"
"There you go again," she laughed for the sake of it but answered nevertheless. "Because you and I are similar than you would ever agree."
He choose to ignore that honesty, instead addressed her earlier question.
"You live on, until the pain dulls away, until it hardens you into something cold and unfeeling."
She shuddered at the hopelessness of his tone.
"But you haven't reached there yet, have you?" When he turned around, her eyes were so close that he could almost count each fleck in those deep dark orbs. The reply died on his lips as he felt himself drowning in those bottomless brown swirls. " Will we ever get past this pain Omkara?"
"I don't know." He said honestly. "I don't want to think about it."
"Then let's not - think about it." She gazed at the stars once more. "Let's think about Donald Trump instead."
Before he could help it, a snort of laughter escaped his lips. She joined in, her cheeks digging into elegant dimples.
**
A review would compel me to write more, otherwise I'll be compelled to think no one likes the turn of events.
Thanks for reading!
If anyone's disappointed I'm truly sorry!
Lots of love,
Sakura
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