Gauri glanced at him. He was in his grumpy, arrogant mood today, perhaps. She pulled out the chocolate in her sling purse. "Chocolate relives stress and releases happy hormones. Maybe you could use some." She said, offering him the chocolate.

A steady smile began to grace Omkara's lips. He glanced at her, looking through the corners of his eyes. There was something about her that always made him feel nice, that made his loneliness and all the hurt bearable. He glanced at the chocolate. She was fond of chocolates and usually carried one around. He vaguely remembered how one day when he was exhausted and irritated after one class she had offered him a chocolate with the same words.

He plucked the chocolate from between her fingers. 

"You need to share half," she reminded him.

"I know!" He muttered, tearing open the wrapper. He broke into two halves. He kept the slightly bigger one for himself and handed the other half still in the wrapper to her.

A realization dawned. He had terribly missed this. This easy going bind that the shared. There was no point putting unnecessary feelings into this. This was pure. This was exactly what he needed.

"I booked a cab, there's a step well nearby. Do you you to join me sightseeing?"

This time Omkara turned to her, a little taken aback at the offer.

She raised an eyebrow questioning him.

"You don't have to get mehendi and all done? It's your cousin's wedding right?"

"It is!" Gauri answered, rising her hand to show him the tiny flower in the middle of her hand. "I don't like the ... smell."

"God, you still lie terribly!"

Gauri looked away with a sheepish smile. "Are you in?"

"I need ten minutes to change. I can't wear this, I feel like marinated chicken ready to be roasted in the heat."

Gauri giggled. "I need to change too. Ten minutes, at the reception!"

He nodded as she made her way down the stairs she had come up from. He moved to the elevator. Maybe friendship was a healthy drug he could count on. He smiled, maybe it was time to fix the friendship.

* * *

"You took fifteen minutes!" Omkara muttered when he noticed Gauir enter the reception area. 

Gauri rolled her eyes. "I had said fifteen minutes." Saying that's he quickly walked over to the reception. Omkara wore his sunglasses and lloked at her. She was wearing a gray jumpsuit and had paired it with sneakers. She literally oiled like a high school girl.

With a silly smile he began walking outside. She soon caught up with him.

"How far is the step well?" He asked as they made their way down the staircase to the car.

"The receptionist said it's hardly a ten minute drive from here. Have you sene one before?"

"Yeah, Rani Ki Vav."

"Oh, where is that?"

"Patan, Gujarat!" He answered. 

"That car!" She pointed to a Suzuki.

"Fancy, I thought you would have book a BMW at least."

Gauri giggled. 

A few minutes later, after a short smooth drive, they were walking towards the stepwell. 

"So, why stepwells?" Gauri asked pretty sure that Omkara would have the answer.

"In western and northern regions of India due to the topology there used to be and still is... water shortage. Thus, kings used to make strpwells so that during the summer season the kingdom didn't run out of water. Many earlys stepwells are now historical tourist attractions in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Delhi, of course."

"This one doesn't exactly look like a tourist attraction," Gauri muttered looking around. There was no entry ticket, not many tourists around. There were mostly groups of local boys and girls.

"Welcome to India!" Omkara said. 

Gauri held his hand as she stared at a group of boys staring at her with huge grins painted on their faces. "Omkie, do I look funny?" Gauri mumbled softly.

Omkara had to lean towards her to hear what she was saying. He followed her gaze to the group. "Ignore them."

"Pervs!" She muttered, looking ahead. 

"Watch your step, " He said as she placed her foot on a rock. 

They moved towards what seemed as the way to the entrance. "Are we in the right place Gauri?" Mumbled walking ahead. Her camera in her hand. 

"Oh my God!" She uttered as they got closer and the stepwell came in sight. "Are you kidding me, this is huge!"

Omkara smiled, "what did you think it was just ten steps leading down to a well?"

"I would have underestimated it when the receptionist told me about it. But this... God. It's remarkable! Come on, there's lots to explore."

"Careful with your steps Gauri. The steps are pretty uneven" He warned catching up with her excited pace. 

"I am in love with this place already!" Gauri gushed, raising her expensive DSLR camera to her eyes. Omkara looked around. Gauri was right, this place was remarkably beautiful.

After almost half an hour Omkara perched upon the stone slab on the side. He watched as Gauri clicked some more pictures. 

"I can't get even one as good as the one you clicked." He remarked climbing up the stairs. 

He gave her a hand as he saw confusion on her face trying to figure out how to climb up and sit beside him. "Place one leg there and make a leap."

"What if I fall?" She murmured, placing her camera and then her purse next to him. 

"You'll break a few bones." 

Gauri looked up at him. "Is it just me or your sense of humor has got nastier?" 

Omkara smiled. Being around Gauri was Ike a therapy to do away with all the negativity in his life. He extended his other hand. "Come on!"

"You know what, I will just sit here on the steps."

Omkara sighed and got off to sit beside her on the wider step between the flight of steps. He grabbed her stuff. 

Gauri smiled at him. "I am really sorry, for ... your grandmother. I just.. didn't think that far."

Omkara sighed, his eyes admiring the architecture. "I am sorry, Gauri. I shut you out way before that happened."

Gauri didn't know how to respond to that. For an odd reason she didn't feel all that anger she had on him. Maybe his company was more precious to her than her anger. Omkara was literally one of the countable people she felt a natural connect with. 

"Can we go back to being friends again?" She found herself asking even before her mind could process the pros and cons of that. 

"Aren't we already?" He asked with a hint of a smile lingering around his lips.

"I shared my chocolate so technically we are." Gauri replied with a smile. "It's so nice and cool here."

"It is." He agreed. 

A comfortable silence fell. "So how are you related to Gaurav?"

"He's my father's elder sister's, elder son, my first cousin." Gauri answered.

"What about you? How are you related to Ruhaani?" Gauri asked.

"Well, so she is my grandfather's sister's son's daughter. I think that's called second cousin."

"No, third right? I mean her father and your father our first... oh yes second cousin!" She sheepishly agreed.

Omkara kept his smile hidden. "So you and your father... called truce?"

"Yeah. I mean... initially he was mad. Didn't talke to me for a month or so. Then came around eventually. Can't ignore the only daughter I guess."

"Well, you're lucky then."

"You don't get along well with your father?" She questioned doubtfully. She had never really bothered to pry into his family life. But she remembered he had a picture of his whole family back at the New Jersey apartment so that had to mean he was close to his family. However, his words hinted at a troubled relationship with father.

"Nope." Was all he said. Gauri knew it was a sensitive issue with the tight expression on his face. She tried to probe no more. 

"What about your brothers? You are three brothers?"

"Yes. But not biologically."

"Oh!" Gauri uttered. She wondered if he meant half brother.

"Shivaay is my father's younger brother's son. But we have all been raised together under one roof. So we are closer than own siblings."

"Three of you, your childhood would have been a blast!"

Omkara chuckled. "More than you can imagine. I have a younger sister, Priyanka. She's not here. She's at home with others."

"In Mumbai?"

"Yes, in Mumbai!" He smiled. 

"Guess, what I finally get to see Mumbai. We are going to Mumbai after this wedding. And it's monsoon, I can't wait to be soaked in Mumbai rains!" She remarked wishfully. 

Omkara kept tight-lipped, looking around. The place was quiet except the occasionally echoing chatter and laughter of the the few people. The smell of wet earth filled the cool air. The only good thing that had happened since the morning was this — fixing his friendship with Gauri and outing with her.

"How is Tarun?"

Omkara turned to face her with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean as a person. You're his cousin right?"

"Right. He's nice. What happened to Ryan and that cute guy at the Cafe?"

Gauri grinned. "That cute guy was a crush!"

"And Ryan?" Omkara asked, with evident interest.

"He was a nice guy. Friend zoned him."

Omkara looked amused. "Really? He asked you out right?"

"He did. But then my uncertainty got in the way and I told him it won't work instead of saying I needed time. So he actually friend zoned me. And well, we're Facebook and Instagram friends who can't once in a while."

Omkara nodded.

"Unlike some people he actually replies to my messages." Gauri taunted picking up the camera ready to capture his candid expression. 

Omkara turned to her with an unimpressed expression, scoffing. 

"Clicked, your grumpy face."

"Is it just me or your remarks have become more rude?"

"Well, you deserve that for what you did!" She muttered, glancing at the picture.

"What are you doing tonight?"

Garui raised an eyebrow looking at him. Her heart skipping beats unnecessarily. 

"You wnat to com here after dinner?"

Gauri looked confused.

"They say this place is haunted at night. We can come and meet the ghosts of the kings and queens." 

Gauri looked around. In the daylight the place was beautiful. But she could imagine how deadly it could appear in the darkness of the night. Forget ghosts, she'd probably trip and fall to her death. "No way!" She trembled. "It hink we've had enough of the place and I am hungry. We should leave." She spoke beginning to get uncomfortable with her mere imagination of the place at night. 

Omkara laughed heartily. "The look on your face!"

Gauri looked away, getting on her feet. She dusted her back and he looked at her with admiration. A warning going off in his head. He had to maintain his distance. The closer he would get to Gauri in anyway the riskier it would be for his heart.

"So we are going back to the broing wedding?" Omkara asked catching up with her.

"No, we are going to the local market for a little shopping then!"

"I wasn't informed about this," Omkara complained.

"Best things come with a surprise, Omkie!" She spoke glancing back at the amazing building. While Omkara was trying to make his heart nkt react to that sweet way in which she called him Omkie. He had missed her more than he thought he had.

"Women and their scamming ways!" He murmured, walking ahead. "Be careful with your steps."

"Huh," Gauri huffed, slowly catching up with a content smile. 

Omkara saw a group of men staring down, beyond him. He glanced to see thie gazes fixed on Gauri. Pissed, he stood in their way, blocking their view while Gauri carefully climbed up the stairs. She smiled reaching up to him and he tagged along after her, giving them a glare before leaving.

I am on a roll, and I am loving it. ♡

I hope you're enjoying it too. Please don't forget to vote on the previous chapters. 

Coming to this one, the heart gets what it wants, I guess. These two seem to have easily fallen in line, way too quickly. What do you think? 

-Anami!♡