Good olden days..................................

"Shivaay what are you looking for" asked Omkara.

They just had a practice match of football before the yearly match conducted for charity. Eagles won the match and the teams just retired to their resting rooms. Omkara and his team were discussing some errors and mis-judgements made during the match, when he saw Shivaay hurriedly run out from the resting room. Thinking it might be something serious he followed him outside to see that Shivaay was on the match ground seriously searching for something.

"I lost my locket Om. It is very important to me" he said not bothering to lift his head, carefully searching the area inch by inch.

"Okay. Let me help you then" said Omkara and began searching along with him.

After about ten minutes of search Omkara heard a relived 'Thank god' from his friend and turned to him.

"Oh good. You found it" stated Omkara with a smile looking at Shivaay who kissed the locket and quickly wore it on his neck.

"Ummm Shivaay, that seems to be something very important to you. May I know why? I mean you don't need to tell me if it is something personal" asked Omkara carefully.

Omkara knew Shivaay had issues with his dad though he didn't know the exact reason for the same. Shivaay would rage out whenever somebody remotely reminded him of that man. He hoped he wouldn't get upset now, in case the locket was something related to his mother or father and him asking about it would remind Shivaay something he didn't want to be reminded of.

"No Om" Shivaay said with a fond smile. "I bought it for my sister in her childhood on a rakshabandhan day. It gives me a feeling that she is with me. This heart in the locket is incomplete without it's counterpart that my sister has" he said showing him the 'half heart' locket.

Shivaay chuckled and said "She would kill me if I lose it"

Omkara smiled at him "The great Shivaay Trivedi is afraid of his sister?... point to be noted my lord"

"Of course Om, you have no idea of her anger. She is a karate brown belt holder and I wouldn't dare make her angry"

Omkara laughed "You are a black belt holder Shivaay"

"So? Do you really think I would fight her? I can't bear it if she gets hurt"

"You love her so much" said Omkara looking at Shivaay who had a serene smile on his face reminiscing his sister.

"She means the world to me" replied Shivaay with a hint of water in his eyes. "You know Om, she used to get into fights with boys twice her age when she knew they made me upset. She literally said she would be my bodyguard and she learnt karate to serve the same purpose. She used to get scolding from Maa many times for that. Once she gets on her mind to do something, she never backs off. 'Sherni hai meri behen'(my sister is a tigress)" he said "She is my pillar of support and my protector which my father never was."

Omkara though wanted to know more about this little protector of his best friend, changed the topic fearing the trigger of something, which would be painful for Shivaay.

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April 2017

Location: ABC Wedding/function hall, Bareilly.

The rituals for the wedding were performed in succession over a week giving the groom and bride, memories to cherish for a lifetime. It was "The day" Gauri and Omkara were ready to tie the knot in the name of love, life, happiness and togetherness. The families shifted to the wedding hall the day before.

Omkara was getting ready with the help of his brother in the room allotted to him when Bhavya, Dandi and Abhishek entered the room laughing.

They saw Omkara dressed in a light green sabhyasachi sherwani crafted in banarasi brocade which looked resplendent with silk thread. He had a matching turban on his head and completed the look with a pearl beaded necklace and traditional sherwani mojaris. The overall look was eye pleasant.

"Haaw.........you are looking so handsome sir" exclaimed Dandi. "Na dishti tagiledattu undi"

When people looked at him with raised eyebrows he explained "I mean no evil eye should touch you"

Omkara smiled and said a thank you. He was eagerly waiting to see his bride from the time Rudy informed him that she looked like a princess in her bridal wear. He could hardly speak to her in front of all those nosy relatives who never left the chance to tease her even if he merely looked at her. They can go to hell, he thought. He will have her all for himself tonight and grinned at the thought of teasing his nervous and blushing bride.

"Omkara, are you not ready yet. It is time beta, the pandit is calling you" Jhanvi said as she entered to see her son. She smiled at him and gently caressed his cheek. My son looks majestic she said with a hint of tears in her eyes. Kissing his forehead she ordered "Come down Om, it is time to get my daughter in law home"

Omkara hugged his mother and kissed her cheek "I can't wait to bring her home mom" he said and winked.

The entire gang then proceeded downstairs towards the wedding stage.

Dandi who was eager to meet Gauri dragged Abhishek along with him to see the girl who managed to capture his senior's heart.

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Dressed in olive green lehenga and choli with pink gajra, light pink dupatta, kundan jewellery and flower kaalire Gauri looked every bit 'ethereal'. Omkara had a hard time controlling himself not to touch her or kiss her blush during the entire ceremony. He was so excited to finally have completed the rituals and call her his wife that he failed to notice the loss of color in her lively eyes and sadness behind her fake smile.

"The wedding ceremony is completed. You are wife and husband now" said the pandit looking at Omkara and Gauri.

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Location: Tiwari house, Bareilly.

Omkara walked towards Gauri's bedroom where his bride was waiting for him. He felt nervous?... Why the hell do I feel nervous? It is not like he was never with women before. May be because none of them were his wife. Is she ready to take the next step? May be she would ask some time till they were comfortable with each other. Yeah, that would be ideal. But may be he could kiss her whenever he wanted. Yes? They should be starting on some form of intimacy he thought.

He entered the room and locked the door. As he neared the bed, he felt an uneasy feeling creep up in him saying something is about to go wrong. He looked at his wife sitting in the center of bed her face covered with a veil. He sat beside her and lifted the veil to see Gauri with big angry eyes filled with large drops of water glaring at him.

"Gauri what happened" he said worriedly and was about to touch her face when she slapped his hand off.

"Don't dare to touch me" she angrily whispered.

"What happened Gauri, why are you crying and why are you angry with me" asked Omkara

"Do not act to be worried Omkaraji, I now know what kind of a person you are. You are one of those hypocrites who say something to the outside and do something entirely opposite."

"What did I do Gauri? Stop talking in puzzles"

"How many women did you sleep with before?" she asked bluntly and Omkara paled.

Oh shit...he thought.

"What happened? Cat caught your tongue?"

When he failed to answer her, she took of her veil and threw it at him getting of the bed away from him.

Omkara tried to form words but stuttered "Gauri... I ... I'm sorry"

"You are sorry?" she asked turning around to face him "What exactly are you sorry for Omkaraji? Is a simple sorry enough for cheating on me?"

"Gauri, what are you saying. When did I cheat on you? That was my past. You are my present and future. I would never cheat on you"

"On really? Who were they then... your friends? Colleagues? neighbors?"

Omkara took a calming breath and tried again "Gauri, listen to me... they meant nothing to me... do you understand that? I was scared of getting into a relationship for my own reasons. I never had any relationship with any of them."

"Great then you fool around with women. Is it your hobby? Do you plan to do that to me as well? That day on Holi, when Abhi just carried me in his arms, you were spitting fire. Today I come to know about your romantic involvement in not one but numerous women. What do you think I feel now"

Listening to Abhay's name, Omkara lost his cool and pulled her to himself while she struggled to get out of his hold. "Leave me" she growled out angrily.

"Listen to me Gauri" he roared equally angry "All I am saying is that it was my past. I am married to you now. You are my wife and I will remain loyal to you till death."

She was about to retort when he angrily pecked her and said "Don't!!... Don't speak anything to further complicate things... I get it that we need time to get to the next level in our relationship. I will not force you. Let us work on this slowly" he said and left her to go the bathroom and freshen up.

When he came out of the bathroom, Gauri was waiting outside with a fresh set of clothes to change. He gave way to her and calmly settled on the bed. 'Great!! What all expectations he had for the night and what did it turn into. Damn!! How did she come to know about those flings? Did that Abhay tell her? But he could have done that before right? Dandi? But he was careful that Abhishek stayed with him always. He would have alerted him if something of that sort happened. God!! Why now of all days he thought slapping his forehead.

Gauri came out of the bathroom her face clean of tears and changed into her short kurta-pajamas. She saw her husband holding his head sitting on one side of the bed. Ignoring him, she wordlessly got on the other side of her bed and pulled the duvet over her face.

Omkara sighed heavily and got on the bed and tried to sleep. After huffing and turning for about an hour when he knew he couldn't sleep anymore, he looked at the other side of the bed where his wife slept peacefully. He moved towards her to gently remove the duvet off her and saw her flawless face which had a hint of moisture near her eyes. He felt guilty that he was the reason for her tears.

Gently turning her to himself, he gathered her in his arms and kissing her forehead whispered, "Sorry Gauri". Then embracing her, he dozed off into a dreamless sleep.

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The next morning

The morning rays seeped into the room of the newlyweds giving the curtains an orange glow showing a perfect sunrise. Omkara reached his hand out to the fabric of the bedsheet, the material warm under his fingers and breaths in deeply. He needed a few more hours of blackness not to sleep but to calm his insecurities and prepare to face his angry wife.

His thoughts were disturbed when he heard some shuffling of clothes and opening of cupboards by someone who did not intend to wake him up but clearly failed in the process. He opened his eyes to look at the figure and wished he didn't do that.

His wife was dressed only in a towel, freshly showered, stealthily searching for something in her cupboard. He sat up straight in shock still contemplating whether to fell happy at the erotic site or feel devastated that he couldn't have her now.

Gauri cursed herself for forgetting to take her clothes with her to the bathroom. She woke up in her husband's arms today and felt blissfully happy. He slept with a frown on his face and she kissed his forehead to erase it. Then remembering that she was still angry at him she quietly detangled herself and moved to the bathroom angrily, scolding herself for melting so soon.

As she took her clothes and was ready to move again to the bathroom, she heard a soft gasp behind her. She turned around to look at her husband sitting straight and staring at her shamelessly. She muttered a sorry and ran to the bathroom.

"Sorry!!" he thought "Right... she was taking her revenge apparently. Saamne chocolate pastry rakho aur khane bhi mat do and laugh at his expense.(Putting a chocolate pastry in front of him and not allowing him to have it laughing at his expense)

Now that she started her game... It is only right to play it her way and win her back. Afterall, Omkara Singh Oberoi never backed away from challenges he thought and smiled widely.

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Gauri wore a purple colored saree with a silver zari border, allover zari creeper weaving and a matching pot neck blouse. She came out of the bathroom, trying to get ready in the fastest possible time and avoiding eye contact with her husband, fearing that he would be ready to confront her after the stunt that she pulled on him.

She was surprised when he wordlessly walked into the bathroom to freshen up for the day failing to notice the devilish grin he had on his face.

Relaxed that he was out of site, she lessened her pace and concentrated on getting ready for her pag phera ritual. She wore her silver jhumkas and a simple neckless around her neck which was already adorned by her mangalsutra. She put her sindoor looking into the mirror, her chura clanking and making noise in the process before hurrying downstairs.

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Jhanvi and Gayathri along with other relatives were busy arranging things for the pag phera ritual and Abhay, Ishaana, Roshni were helping Jagdish in arranging the gifts. Rudra, Bhavya along with Pinky and Shakti were planning for their journey back to Mumbai that evening.

Gauri walked down the stairs and greeted them. She went towards the kitchen where Jhanvi was giving instructions to the servants and asked if she could help.

Jhanvi looked at her daughter in law and smiled caressing her cheek. Her son was indeed lucky to get such a beautiful wife. "Did Om get up beta?" she asked.

"Yes Maa, he is in the bathroom freshening up"

"Okay, go and give him a cup of coffee, he becomes irritable when he doesn't get one once he wakes up"

Gauri hesitated for a moment before she nodded and took the cup upstairs. She planned to put the cup on the bedside table while he was in the bathroom and hurry downwards. However as she neared the door, to run away, she was pulled back into her husbands arms as he hugged her from behind. She tried to free herself but his hold was strong enough to make her fail in her attempts.

"Good morning Gauri" Omkara wished her in his husky voice kissing her cheek. "Thanks for the morning scenery" he teased placing a kiss on her neck making her blush.

"I... It was not intentional... I merely forgot to take my clothes with me"she stuttered.

Omkara turned her around in his arms and looked at her who was avoiding him looking at the floor "I don't mind it at all. I only feel bad that I could only see and do nothing"

She looked at him fully dressed in a beige colored shirt and dark brown trousers. Her husband was indeed handsome. She knew she was merely jealous that other women had dared to touch him. How she wished to kill all of them if possible. That thought made her look at him angrily "Leave me now, I have work downstairs"

Omkara thought for a moment and released her with an "Okay" not before kissing her cheek while she turned her head resisting it. In that process, his cheek got her sindhoor slightly smeared on it.

Both of them walked downstairs to be greeted by their relatives. Gauri left Omkara's side to join the ladies while Omkara sat in the hall with a newspaper in his hand.

"Gauri di" said Ishaana calling for Gauri's attention

"What happened Ishu?" Gauri asked walking towards Ishaana and Bhavya who were looking at her with an amused smile.

"Someone seems to be in a romantic mood today" said Bhavya teasingly and Gauri gave a confused look.

"Jiju has sindhoor on his cheek di, wipe it off before someone sees it and make a tease out of it" Ishaana advised with a wide grin and Gauri gasped looking at Omkara with a worried look.

She saw a set of elderly ladies approaching her husband and rushed towards him.

Omkara was casually reading the newspaper when he was interrupted by some elderly ladies who he thought might be related to Gauri. He raised from his place greeting them and took their blessings. The elderly women were making conversations about some local issues as they got to know that he was a police officer when Omkara saw Gauri signalling him to come towards her.

He was about to move towards her giving an excuse when one of the woman stopped him.

"Omkara beta, there is something on your cheek" she said looking at him.

Omkara rubbed his cheek with his hand and saw a red powder. He was about to smile it off when he looked at the nervous face of Gauri and decided to have fun. He smiled at them with a fake blush saying "It is Gauri's sindoor. You should ask her how I got it maaji."

The women gasped loudly for everyone to hear and said "Oh my, Gauri.... is this your work? You seemed to have turned naughty these days"

That brought out a roar of laughter from everyone present there and more teasing while Gauri ran away from the place making Omkara chuckle.

None of them noticed Abhay quietly leave the room excusing himself to get the remaining gifts from the storeroom, with Ishaana worriedly following him.

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There you go.... Finally chapter 11... phew.... Sorry for the delay

I am a bit drowsy today after the late night chat with my school friends after a long time yesterday. We talked after ages and were shocked to see that we talked till 3 am in the morning.

Really school friends are the ones who you connect with irrespective of whether you have been in touch with them or not forever.

Tell me your thoughts on the chapter....

Till the next update...signing off.... yours Soujanya.