"Come Gauri," Taadaka smiled at her when she hesitated to enter her room.

"Did you want anything? Is Omkara settled in his room?"

"I just came to have a look around the house daadi ji. Omkara ji is busy with a phone call."

"Ye dekho, I didn't show you your sasuraal. I guess age is getting onto me, I keep forgetting things," she said getting up from her chair when Gauri stopped her.

"It is okay daadi ji, you rest. Seems like I disturbed you," she said looking at the books scattered on the desk.

"Naah," the older woman shook her head smiling and asked her to sit on the chair in front of her.

"What more can a lonely old woman do at this age except finding comfort in reading books."

"Are you interested in numbers Gauri?" she asked as she noted the interest in the girl's face.

"I... am not educated," she said embarrassed.

"I know Gauri, Kalyani told me about you but my question has nothing to do with it. I saw the interest on your face looking at my books, so I thought you like calculations."

"I used to maintain my father's shop in my town. I have an idea," she smiled.

"Good, I can teach you some new tricks then."

"You will?" she asked, her smile growing bigger at the idea of learning something.

"Why not? Other than morning prayers and taking care of this estate, I hardly have anything to do. Ahh!! Earlier I used to teach at the local school but I quit it as I get tired soon."

"Oh."

"The institute was set up by my husband but it was funded by Prithviraaj bhaisab. He was a noble soul," she said with a smile.

"You live alone daadi ji? Do your children live abroad?"

"Hmm. Shankarji has not blessed me with children Gauri. I was married at twelve and widowed at twenty five. I couldn't mother a child by then," she said with a smile.

Gauri who saw the hint of tears in her eyes, felt sorry for the woman.

"Since the death of Haridas ji, this estate and the children of the school have been my everything. He put up the school for families who cannot afford costly private education. At that time, I was the first girl to pass metric in my entire village. He gave me the responsibility to care of his precious property," she proudly said.

How did her husband say that she is not sweet?

As if she understood her question, she heard Taadaka explain, "I have always been the strict teacher to maintain discipline. As years passed, I learnt that you could bring change only with love and not by imposing rules."

She chuckled and said, "Omkara must be thinking that I am the same woman who used to run behind his brothers with a stick in hand for not answering their math's sums properly."

Gauri laughed imagining the scenario with her grown up brother in laws.

"Was Omkaraji good at studies? Did you not hit him?" she asked.

Taadaka smiled, "I always had a soft corner for your husband. He wasn't that good at studies but he was always disciplined. Not a shirt dirtied and not a single hair strand out of place. He never used to talk back or complain. Even Prinku used to be a naughty kid but not Omie. Accha bacha tha tera pati."

"I wasn't lying when I said he resembles his grand-father Gauri. Shivaay surely inherited the man's mind but his heart is passed on to your husband."

"When he last visited this bungalow, I noticed the change in him. Thinking he was influenced by the city friends, I talked to Kalyani and got to know of all the troubles he was going through. He had a tough childhood Gauri. His parents were his setback," she said and Gauri nodded solemnly.

"If that was not enough that Ridhima, Svetlana and some other con girl, I don't remember that one's name. They broke whatever respect he had towards women."

Gauri raised her eyebrows at the number of women in her husband's life. She knew of Svetlana but she had no idea about the other two.

"I thought he will never marry but look at him married to a beautiful girl and completely in love," she smiled patting her head.

Why does everyone say that? Does he really love her or is everyone misunderstanding his concern for love?

"You look confused," Taadaka asked noting the lines on her forehead.

"No, I.."

"Don't tell me you do not know of the girls and I leaked the information. Didn't he tell you?" she asked.

Gauri shook her head in a no earning a soft gasp.

"But I know that he got a lot of love letters from girls in his college," Gauri said with a wink making the elderly woman laugh.

"Do you know he still preserves them? Kalyani told me of that incident."

"Yeah, I think he appreciates their attempt at artistry," she taunted making the other laugh out loud.

The casual talk continued for some more time until the ladies got chummy with each other.

Taadka pulled Gauri's cheeks, "You are a naughty little minx, I like you already."

"I like you too daadi ji."

"Don't bother about my friends here okay. Though they are orthodoxic, they are from well-known families and I need their help to take of the school and the estate. So, I have to be polite with them. I am not able to do things all alone like earlier Gauri," she explained.

"I understand."

"What will you have for dinner? I will ask Raman to make the preparations accordingly,"

"Tell me what will you have, I will make that for you," she said.

"Why? There are so many people to work in the kitchen. You just enjoy your vacation. Shall we start your classes today?"

Getting a full blown grin as the answer, Taadaka smiled and stood up to get a book from the shelf.

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

Omkara was about to return to his room after searching the entire house for Gauri when he crossed Raman.

"Omkara sir, do you want something?" he asked.

"Yeah, did you see Gauri?"

"She is with Taadaka madam."

"But I just went to check her room, they weren't there."

"No, they are in the study."

"Oh? Okay thank you. Is the dinner ready?"

"Yes sir, whenever you want me to arrange the table, I will..."

"Please do it"

"Sure," Raman smiled and went his way.

As Om neared the study, he heard laughter coming from the room.

Curious, he walked near and heard the unmistakable voice of his wife.

"Tumhe itna drama karna zaroori hai kya, get to the point," she said in a false male accent and he frowned.

Did he hear the dialogue somewhere?

"Wonderful, did Omie tell you that?" Taadaka asked and Omkara raised an eyebrow looking into the room.

"Yup," Gauri said popping the p.

"Kanjoos hai aapke Saheli ke poota. He wanted ideas from me but he never used to appreciate them," she complained.

Taadaka laughed while Omkara continued to listen to her complaints, Both the women were too involved in their interaction that they failed to notice him at the door.

"What else does he talk other than scolding you? (Aur kyaa baat karta hai, tumhe daantne kea lava?)"

Gauri scoffed and said "Baat? Baat hi nahi karte vo, bas hum hi paglait chirayya ki tarah baat karte rehte hai,.. karte rehte hai. Vo bas beech beech mein apne Nandi bail vala seengh hai na vo dikhate rehte hai. Ya phir koi seer bol dete hai, jo humare palle nahi padte."

Taadaka laughed loud while Omkara glared at the tiny woman for making him sound so boring.

How is it his fault if she is more talkative?

"Okay, but what is this seer?"

"Are daadi ji seer, ... vo hota hai na Kavita..."

"She means sher daadi," Omkara offered making them know of his presence.

The ladies turned to him with widened eyes while he directed his glare to one girl in particular.

"What's happening here?" he asked her.

"Uhh... nothing Omie, just some fun talk," she explained while Gauri vigorously nodded her head in a yes.

"Some fun, hmm. Since evening?" he asked and they grinned sheepishly.

Omkara sighed and then turned to Gauri.

"You have anything more to complain?"

"I... no..." his wife stammered for a bit before Taadaka came to rescue.

"Isn't it late? Come for dinner," she said and hurriedly took Gauri towards the dining hall.

Omkara raised an eyebrow at the sudden kinship but he followed them hearing his stomach growl for food.

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The couple retired to their room after a quite dinner.

It was a bit after the clock struck ten when Omkara took his eyes off his canvas to look at Gauri who was busy with some book.

Though it wasn't uncommon for him to just have her around while he painted in his room back at home, he found her unusually quiet that day.

His thoughts wandered to the complaint session earlier. It was true that he talked less but it wasn't because he did not want to. It was because she rambled so much and never gave a chance for him to speak.

Ironically, though he was great at words, he always screwed things up when he talked to her and that was another reason why he kept away from speaking. Instead he liked to listen to her talking her heart out without inhibitions. How he wished to be that carefree.

What he found more than endearing was that she has given him his space, understanding him even before he voiced his thoughts. He always felt that the silent conversations they had were more intimate than any of their wordy chitchats.

Should he put more effort in talking? Did she want that of him?... he wondered.

"Uhh... is that a subject book?" he asked wanting to start a conversation.

Gauri looked up from the page and smiled at him nodding her head in a yes.

"Daadi ji offered to teach me," she informed and he smiled.

"You two seemed to have become buddies already?"

"She is sweet," she said, "Unlike what you believe."

"Oh?" Omkara said in mockery. "Sweeter than ...."

"Shhh.. Omkaraji please don't remind me. It is night-time and I need to sleep peacefully," she pleaded.

The devilish side of him awoke at the very moment. Making a straight face, he asked her, "About what? You mentioned she had no pupils. Didn't you?"

Gauri gasped in outrage getting the gory image in her mind yet again. Putting the book aside, she gave him a deathly glare.

"Ye aapne acha nahi kiya"

"You know that they don't need any transportation right? I too had an aunt who once said that ghosts tend to follow their loved ones. Seemed like she really liked you to let us go unscathed," he quipped biting his lower lip.

"Omkaraji!!"

"Yes Gauri?"

"Not another word," she warned.

"I was just saying there is a possibility Gauri. Actually Lalitha ji...."

"Okay I am going to sleep with daadi ji. You stay here and write ghost theories," she huffed and got up from her place.

Just as she walked past him to get to the door, he pulled at her wrist. She crashed onto his chest and he wound his arms around her waist with a smile.

"I was just trying to pull your leg," he said in his husky voice looking into her eyes.

Gauri who was startled with his behavior continued to gape at him, her fingers still clutched onto his shirt.

"Sorry," he said again not getting a response from her.

She nodded her head and then looked away from his tantalizing ones. As she tried to create a respectable distance between them, he tightened his hold bringing them closer than before.

She looked up and saw him staring at her. His eyes slowly traced down her face and fixated on her lips.

Gauri gulped as the silence grew deeper, so deep that if she listened carefully, she might hear to the sound of his raising heartbeats mixed with hers.

This is wrong... her mind warned.

No it is what you want... her heart cried.

Omkara leaned close, his breath mingling with hers. She took in lungful breaths closing her eyes and felt his lips softly brush against hers. Her lips parted at the contact and he took charge thrusting into her mouth, taking her by surprise yet again.

This was not the gentle and assuring one they shared the previous night. It had a raw passion to it that scared her all the more.

His hand combed through her hair, his thumb gently brushing her cheek as she clung to him, her legs turning jelly. The desire he awoke in her core was exciting and frightening at the same time that she knew not how to respond to it.

One sane part of her mind which was still in its senses made her part from the consuming kiss, though her soul and body were utterly cross with her decision.

For the first time in her life, she decided to hear to her mind and she mellowed her shaky breaths, her hands slowly slipping down his shoulders.

If she were to stay, she wanted to trust him and for that she wanted him to trust her. She wanted him to open his heart for her to heal those nasty wounds which made him the stone she had met, a few months ago.

No one spoke fearing the other's reaction but both of them knew that the talk was inevitable. After forever, Gauri made up her mind and looked into his molten chocolates which exuded love.

"Who is Ridhima?" she asked.

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Hola fellas, how are you all...

Stay home, stay safe... please don't forget to vote and comment.

Until the next update, signing off, yours Soujanya.