Mehendi function was on a full swing and the house was bustling with all the festivities. The melancholic laughter of the Oberoi ladies sans Pinky filled the air as the elders and younger ladies reminisced their moments of love. Daadi was sitting amidst Anika, Sowmya and Gauri, professing the craziness of her ishqbaazi grandsons. While Anika and Soumya were laughing heartfelt, Gauri felt an undercurrent pain in being part of all these festivities. Anika-Shivaay and Rudra-Sowmya's twin wedding had been planned as an extravagant affair and the already magnanimous Oberoi mansion was shimmering in glitter and gold. As gauri got her mehendi etched after insisting to get it done without a certain oberoi's initials, her heart pained inside. She didn't want to get this done for heck of it, when their relationship is already in a confusion of sorts. She overcame an skeptical look from Pinky, a painful look from Jhanvi and Daadi and an understanding look from her by-law Sisters, to remain firm on her ground that she didn't want all of this when they both had extremely polar ideologies and are yet to find a middle ground.
Having both of her hands designed with mehendi till her elbow, she walked into her room in search of her mobile. She had been off it since morning, and was searching it near her dressing table. Her thin veiled silver drape off the heavily worked blue choli, restricted her movement much. She turned to search for the mobile near the bed with all the hurriedness, just when her drape which was stuck to the pull head of the drawer, came out completely, off hooking itself from the pins which held it on her blouse. She starred in horror at the drape, which lay on the floor, completely fallen off and her mehendi covered hands. She knelt down and was struggling to collect it without smudging the mehendi, while the door flung open.
Omkaara was taken by surprise, she, by shock. Her face turned pink, as she stood up and faced away, in a jiffy. Her dori-clad backless blouse wasn't helping the situation either, as he fought the temptation to look further. As soon as he saw the drape lying down and sensed the situation, he went ahead and closed the door in a hurry with a sense of protectiveness surged from nowhere and moved closer. He took veil and covered her over, like a shawl. She turned after taking heavy breaths, struggling to face him.
"Kya main Bhabhi ya Sowmya ko bulaoon?" His husky voice and the heat emanating from his body up and close, were ruining her thinking capabilities.
Hey sankarjee, why did he have to stand this close and look down upon her to ask in the most seductive voice possible?
"wo. Uski haath mein bhi mehendi lage hue na..?" She tried her best possible to face his face but terribly failed as she responded looking at the buttons of his kurta.
There was a moment of silence after which he spoke again.
"Agar tumhe aitraz na ho, kya main pehnaadoon?" Gauri felt a deep flutter as she heard his much huskier deep voice so near that she can feel his breath on her forehead.
She dared not to look on his eyes, as she stood helpless. She was a little nave to understand why her anticipation grew at alarming levels still standing hesitant.
"Par.. aapko kaisa pata hoga, ki pallu kaise lagathe hain?"
"Gauri, I am sculptor, so toda bahut pata hain, ye sab kaise lagathe.." He smirked a little.
Even though she never said yes, he realized she is ok with him draping it. Gauri held on to her lehenga tight with a bated breath with the tip of her fingers, as he pinned the pleat of drape onto the blouse. He was inching so close as his body rubbed against hers so much so that now his heated breath was evident to her. She dared not to look at his eyes at all, as she frantically controlled her senses. He draped it around her bosom and got it around to tuck inside the lehenga.
She was now trembling unsure of the impulses his hands would cause on her waistline. He lingered his fingers as slowly on her waistline waiting for her to say the exact place she wanted the drape to be tucked in.
"Yahan karoon" His voice was blowing in her ears as she closed her eyes.
"Mhhmm.."
He moved it further aside and pointed the spot on her lower hip.
"Hmm.."
She gasped heavily as he felt his cold fingers in her delicate skin. Not being able to clutch him because of mehendi, she had rested her head a little on his chest, unable to withstand the tingling sensations as he leaned more closer to her to be able to do that. His hand was withdrawing slowly as if they were not interested to move out, trailing her waist line stopping midway at a glorious spot for brief few seconds. Gauri can hear his heart's thumping now, as she inched closer realizing he is almost in the same state as hers.
It took a minute for both of them to come to senses, as she was the one to first pull her off himself with immense strength. She looked into his eyes for a split second, with a look stemmed from conflicting emotions as his eyes reciprocated the same. She was gone..
***
In the evening, the younger oberoi ladies were seated in the living room, displaying their mehendi finesse to the elder oberoi's. Shivaay inched closer to anika from back to admire the beauty of his own name when it's etched in her own hands, while Rudra was adoring Sowmya's for having etched their couple name. Gauri looked into her mehendi, the empty space in the center which kind of resembled the letter "O". She felt a familiar warmth as she realized him tending towards her. He looked into her eyes with an intense gaze which is beyond her deciphering capabilities, as he took her hand in his. He caressed the entire design starting from her fingers to elbow, finally resting in her palm. As his finger encircled in an imagery O in the center of her palm, Gauri looked at him in shock or surprise, unknown to her.
"Beautiful" he whispered near her ears..
***
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Kumkum Bhagya
