Silence filled the air around them as she repeated his question over and over in her head. The dusty rose lipstick that she had wore today had left a stain on his mask reminding her the reason for her erratic heartbeat.

"Gauri...Do you know who I am?" Omkara asked again as he gently caressed her pink tinged cheek.

"You know that I do not like to lie. If you want me to answer I will answer honestly Dilpreet."

He didn't need her to say it because the answer was already looking back at him. She knew.

"Are you upset?" Omkara carefully asks as he grabbed her gently by the shoulders.

"Instead of being upset I am more cautious of you." Gauri tried to slowly free herself from his grip but he continued to firmly hold her in place. She could tell that her words had hurt him as his shoulders slumped down and his breathing had slowed.

"You are cautious? Because....you don't trust me.....anymore?"

He wanted her to look at him like before. He wanted to see her smile and blush at him whenever he purposely had gotten too close but as of right now he felt like she wasn't even within arm's reach. Her honey brown eyes looked up at him with such resolution to leave him that he wasn't prepared at all.

"I don't."

The crushing feeling inside his chest made it hard for him to even breathe let alone find the right words to say to her.  This feeling was so new to him that he felt as if he was on one of those rides where it brings you all the way to the top and then just drops. Leaving you to feel as if your soul was left somewhere above while your body was trying to comprehend what was really happening.

"Dilpreet....I think..."

He felt hopeful that she was still calling him Dilpreet and so he stopped her from saying anything more. With his fingers on her lips Omkara decided that it was too soon to give up.

"You say that you choose not to lie then if you don't say anything at all...could we still continue like this?"

Gauri grabs Omkara's fingers that were on her lips and squeezed them slightly.

"What for? It will just become more painful later on."

"Because I want time. Time to show you just how beautiful we can be. Time to prove to you that all this is worth it. All I want is time."

"Time?" Gauri whispered under her breath.

"Yes. Time. Something that money cannot buy and it is only now that I have truly understood just how priceless it is. Once loss you can never get that time back."

Gauri felt so torn right now.  This was the feeling she wanted to avoid. His eyes, his voice, his warmth, she found herself feeling accustom to it all. However, she couldn't get the image of her mother surrounded by empty bottles of liquor out of her mind. She didn't want to go down the same path because she knew that if she allowed herself to love that there was no turning back. He was right "once loss you can never get that time back."

"Mr. Oberoi...."

His breathing seize as his beating heart came to an abrupt halt. She had called him Mr. Oberoi.

"Stop. You say that you do not like to lie. Then look at me and tell me you have no feelings for me at all. If you can honestly tell me I will stop because that will be the only reason I will accept Gauri."

"I...I..." When did words become so painful to say?  And then she knew why....the words she wanted to say would have been nothing but lies.

He took her struggles to say more as a sign of hope for them. His eyes brighten as he grabbed her hand to lay it against his mask.

"Pull it down."

Her eyes grew in shock as her fingers were visibly trembling.

"But you said only if I was ready to be yours...I am not."

"I changed my mind. No more lies. I will do this right. I will only love you as Omkara Singh Oberoi Gauri."

His eyes were so sharp and unyielding that she was at a loss for words. She wanted to pull her hand away from his mask and just run into her house to get away from it all but once again he held her fingers tightly.

"Are you afraid to see me? Afraid to face the truth? Because Dilpreet is a lie Gauri."

Why did she feel like the tables had suddenly turned? Why did it feel she was no longer in control of the situation? He was using her hate for lies against her. Taking in a deep breath Gauri slowly pulled down his mask.

His dark brown eyes studied her every move as she stood there looking at him as Omkara Singh Oberoi. Her blushing cheeks had been her tell that she had felt something deeply for him. Seeing her unable to no longer hold her gaze with him Omkara took another step closer.

She felt him run his fingers through her hair before tucking the loose strands behind her ear. However, she wished he had not. The burning feeling from his slight touch would no doubt cause her ears to turn an embarrassing shade of what she wish was pink. But seeing his lips slightly curve upwards she knew pink was probably only wishful thinking on her part. Suddenly he lifted her chin up.

"Look at me Gauri. I am still the same man that you were able to talk to all those times. Nothing has changed."

"Omkara...." When she realized she had just called out his name her face immediately felt like it was on fire.

"Uh....Mr. Ob..Oberoi..." Gauri stammers.

"You should only call me Mr. Oberoi at work." Omkara smiled. "At work you will always be Ms. Sharma so do not expect special treatment until...."

"Until?"

Omkara slowly bends down near her reddish ear "Until I can call you Mrs. Oberoi."

When he pulled away from her burning ear she could see his playful smirk that must have been regularly hidden by his mask.

"I think I better go inside now."

As Gauri tried to hasten her steps she could hear him call out reminding her that he was not going to quit.

"I will pick you up tomorrow for work."

Gauri immediately turned around in a panic. "What? No. I can take the bus. I don't want anyone to know."

She sees him placing his mask back on as he looks at her indifferently.

"I mean.....Dilpreet will be here to pick you up for work and...after work..."

As the car sped off Gauri was left standing by her doorway in a state of shock until the car was finally out of sight.

Setting her bag down on the sofa Gauri lets her entire body slump down beside it. "What is happening?" She let out the longest sigh her breath allowed to try and clear her mind.

"I need to focus on this dress. Once I complete this project...maybe it will become easier....."

"What becomes easier?" asks Bhavya.

Being caught by surprise Gauri tried to change the subject.

"Why are you home so early?"

Bhavya could see that Gauri was acting odd and so she perched herself on the sofa beside her.

"I came home early to see how your day went."

"It was fine."

"Is that all? Are you hiding something from me Gauri?"

"Like what?"

"Gauri.....I know when you are hiding something."

"Dilpreet..."

Bhavya eyes widen as she scoots closer "Dilpreet what?! Did he do something?"

"Dilpreet is....Omkara Singh Oberoi."

Bhavya jaw dropped.

"He is....Omkara....Singh...Oberoi?...As in....your boss?"

Gauri tirelessly nods.

However she was caught off guard as Bhavya stood up with anger in her eyes as she took out her phone.

"What's wrong?" Gauri asks.

"You are not the only one who hates lies Gauri."

********************

**Ring Ring**

Rudra: Hello?

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