Chapter 53
Gauri exasperatedly looked at the two men who sat at the table and awkwardly drank their respective drinks. It was her husband who made things worse by asking her to stay by his side while he said a hi to his friend.
None of them spoke another word after that. Though Arjun gave Omkara a jubilant smile time and again, the awkward air refused to diffuse as the other one inspected the surroundings with more interest than necessary.
With an impatient sigh, Gauri turned at her husband and asked him.
"I have a class Omkara ji. Shall I go?"
"Okay then, I will also go. I need to..." Omkara tried to chicken out.
"No, you will not. You will talk to sir and then move from this place," she cut his protests with a firm tone and he slumped in his chair begrudgingly.
Giving a formal smile to her professor she left for the class.
The two men once again returned to their game of you-talk-first. The waiter came, removed the empty coffee glasses and put forward a fresh plate of pastries, the delicious smell mixing in the tense air between them.
They both reached for a spoon in the cutlery holder to dig into the dessert and their hands clashed. An eye lock followed it and then came the embarrassing silence.
"Damn, I knew this is going to be awkward," Omkara dropped the game first followed by Arjun who laughed loudly and bettered the situation.
"Did Gauri hold you at gunpoint to talk to me?" the latter asked in jest.
"More or less," Omkara replied with his usual smile.
"Guessed as much," Arjun returned the smile.
"So, other than lying and teaching what else has gone wrong with your life," Omkara asked.
"Shut up Om," Arjun rebuked his friend before he updated him on the happening after their college.
Once the first fiddly fiasco, the likeness to each other overcame the formality and the two clicked again just like old times. They told one another their change of paths and mistakes they met in their respective journeys to reach their current position.
"Great, despite everything we both are at least lucky to get our respective wives," Arjun said, sending a silent prayer to God.
"True that," the former had to agree.
"So, what else? How did you manage to get free? Gauri said you had an assignment at hand."
"About that," Omkara sighed.
"I got a call last night telling me that one of the sponsors of my exhibition got ill. We decided to wait until he gets better. That gives me some free time but I have to leave town to go and meet him in the hospital in Nashik."
"Oh, that serious?"
"Yup. He had a moderately severe heart attack."
"Sad to hear that."
"He is a great man with excellent taste in modern art Arjun. In all these years, he had been one of my trustworthy sponsors. I hope he gets well soon."
"Seems like you share a sort of bond with him?"
Omkara smiled and said, "He is a hopeless romantic and he used to advise me on certain themes when I was young."
Arjun listened to his friend say further, "I haven't talked to him much in the past year but I used to like our conversations. I want to go see if he is alright."
"Okay, when are you leaving then?"
"Tomorrow. I asked Gauri to come with me but she said she has some very important classes," he sighed.
Arjun frowned for a moment before realization dawned and he smiled.
"What?" Omkara was quick to pick up the reaction.
His friend tried to deny.
"Nothing," he said.
"That is a bad lie Arjun."
"She didn't tell you and I don't want to be a spoil sport."
"Yeah, you tell me that and make me more curious. Come on man, I know you before her. I should be given some extra love for that," Omkara urged.
"Says the man who did not talk to me for a decade."
"Didn't we just talk about bygones and forgiveness?" Omkara gave a grin and Arjun shook his head.
"I missed you man," he said dreamily.
Omkara made a gaging face and Arjun bursted out into laughter.
"Uh, we were talking about Gauri," Omkara reminded.
"We have an annual day function and your wife has to stay back for the rehearsals."
"Oh nice. What is she performing?"
"Don't you know that your wife sings?"
Looking at Omkara's clueless face Arjun rolled his eyes.
"Great husband you are."
"Hey, you cannot blame me when she barely sang at home. I knew she had a sweet voice when I heard her bhajans but I never thought she could perform on stage. Good that she is doing it now but why didn't she tell me?"
"May be she wanted to surprise you," Arjun offered and Omkara nodded his head.
They divulged into a silence of comfort each in their own thoughts. When they finished munching on the second plate of pastries, they decided to call it a day.
Just before Omkara got up to give his friend a hug, he told him, "I will talk to Himani. Gauri said she is on your conscience since some time."
Arjun looked surprised for a minute before he gave his friend a grateful smile.
"Thank you Om," he said and hugged him tight.
The embrace lasted for a while longer and Omkara joked patting on his friend's back.
"Bhai, moment chalaa gaya."
Arjun chuckled and Omkara joined him as they parted from each other.
"Take care of my wife while I am gone. I will try and come back in less than two days," Omkara said and Arjun nodded his head.
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"Bhaujai, did you talk to Priyanka?" Gauri asked as she walked into her sister-in-law's room.
Anika looked up from the phone in her hand.
"Come Gauri. Sit," she said, gesturing to the place beside her.
"Serious?"
"I don't know yet. Priyanka seems to be tensed about something."
"She was to go to her scan today. Is everything alright Bhaujai?" Gauri asked in worry.
"The scan was fine and the baby is healthy. I am concerned about the way she talked with me. There was a clear lack of enthusiasm," Anika explained.
The sisters, each in their own way tried to think of something which would explain Priyanka's dilemma but couldn't come up with a reasonable solution.
"I will try and talk to Ranveer. Let me see what I can do," Anika said and Gauri nodded her head.
"What did Bade bhaiyya..." Gauri started making Anika gasp loudly.
"Billu ji? He will make a huge issue out of this. Tadibaazi to tum jaanti hi hai. If we are just assuming things and if there isn't anything really worrisome, he will only make matters worse. I am not going to tell him and you shouldn't have told Omkara either."
"But Bhaujai, Omkara ji..."
"I know, tumhare Satyaharishchandra pati ka tum pativrata patni ban chuki hai. So, you will not keep anything from him."
"It is not that..." Gauri started to oppose but Anika showed her a palm.
"I know everything my sweet Devraani. Now leave about this and tell me how far did you learn your song? I want to hear it," the former said with excitement.
"I just learnt a few lines. I liked the song so much Bhaujai. It kind of suits us."
"Awww," Anika gushed.
"Can I please listen to it Gauri? pretty please?"
Gauri smiled at her sister-in-law and told her.
"It is supposed to be a surprise Bhaujai. You can listen along with the whole family in a few days."
"No," Anika stood her ground.
"Bhaujai..."
"Just sing a few lines for me baby. Now is the right time too because your husband is out of town. Otherwise there is a chance that he might listen to you. Come on, don't you love me more then the rest?" she urged making the latter roll her eyes at the drama.
"Fine, just a few lines and not more than that," said Gauri and Anika vigorously nodded showing her agreement.
Gauri cleared her voice and closed her eyes trying to remember the lines.
With a smile on her face and her husband in her mind, she started the song which for some reason made her think that it was written specially for them... only for them.
"Jo naa,...keh sake hum... Jo naa... keh sake..tum.
Kehne lagee...dono se voo... Khamoshiyaan..aa... O saathiya...
Kehne lagee.. dono se voo.. Khamoshiyaan...aa... O saathiyaa...
Sathiyaa.... Sathiyaa... sathiyaa.... Sathiyaa...."
Not long after she opened her eyes, Anika gave her sister a loud kiss on the cheek.
"Khidkitood nahi... ye darwazatood hai Gauri. If Omkara doesn't propose you after listening to this, leave him and marry somebody else."
"Bhaujai," Gauri gasped in outrage and the former laughed aloud.
"But seriously. You sing remarkably well and your husband is going to be lattoo over this. Just see if I can't make him say the three words on stage."
"Aree, no. Not on stage Bhaujai," Gauri protested.
"Fine, in privacy then but he has to tell you. Who wouldn't after they hear you?" said Anika and Gauri blushed.
"I will try and better myself. I have a final rehearsal tomorrow. I will memorize the whole song by then," said the younger one and the older one cupped her face with love.
"True that you both never needed words to express yourself but it is high time that you need to hear him actually say it. You deserve the best confession."
"That is what he said when I ask him to say it," Gauri said with a pout.
"Mark my words, that day is just around the corner," Anika assured and Gauri smiled at her.
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"Shivaay Bhaiyaa, this is the file of Mr. Harshvardhan Trivedi," said Bhavya as she handed him the set of papers.
"As I told you before, I found the face familiar but I still couldn't pinpoint on the who. See if you could find the link. If it is any relatives or any close friends in your circle," she told him.
Shivaay nodded his head and opened the file.
The picture wasn't clear but one could make out the faces enough for recognition. It had a man around thirty years of age smiling to the camera hugging his two daughter who were on his either side. One of the girls appeared to be slightly older than the other one.
For a few long minutes, Shivaay continued to stare at the man when the door of his study opened and in walked his younger brother.
"Bhavya, we are to go for my gym shopping. What are you doing with my brother? It is getting late," Rudra frowned at his fiancé.
"Just a minute Rudy, we are in the middle of something," Bhavya tried to dismiss him.
"Okay, now I need to know what you both are up to. It has been months since you have these secret discussions for hours together. Is this related to Kalyani mills as well?" Rudra walked further in.
"Rudy, please not now. It will not take much time. I will send Bhavya in another few minutes," Shivaay asked his brother.
Rudra however didn't like the ill treatment. He will not leave the two that day.. he thought.
"What is it? I will help and she can come sooner. I will be saved on the lecture on how I shouldn't disrupt a work conversation," the younger Oberoi jested.
Giving a wink to his fiancé who was glaring at him, he stood beside his brother and looked into the file. As his eyes focused on the picture of interest, he exclaimed "Aree doesn't he look like Gauri Bhabhi? Is he some relative?"
Shivaay and Bhavya looked at each other with widened eyes.
Seconds passed before anybody spoke.
Rudra took the file from his brother who gave it to him without much complaint.
"He really looks like her. Look at those eyes, hazel ones. Chulbul Bhabhi ka to copy hai," he said with conviction.
"H...How is it p...possible?" Shivaay stuttered while Bhavya was still contemplating on how to react to the piece of information.
"R..Rudy, tu...tu you talk rubbish. How can this be possible? Gauri's father is Mr. Sharma right? It cannot be Harshvardhan Trivedi."
It was Rudra's turn to get the shock.
"This man is Harshvardhan Trivedi? Goodness," he mumbled.
"Bhavya?" Shivaay called for her attention.
"Is there a chance that Gauri Bhabhi is not..." she tried to think aloud.
"O should know. Let us ask him," Rudra provided.
"Rudy, Om is out of town. He said he will come back in two days," Shivaay informed and the rest nodded their heads.
"I will investigate further bhaiyya. This is something we shouldn't have missed. Rudy is right. There is a very close resemblance," Bhavya said.
"I hope not," Shivaay gravelly voiced everybody's inner thoughts.
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"Tomorrow is the day Sonia, just do as I tell you and I will give you the question paper for the finals. I have contacts and you need to trust me on this," Ajay coaxed his bait.
"But if something happens to Gauri," the girl hesitated.
"Nothing will happen to her. I promise."
"I have to pass this year Ajay. I am trusting you on this. Please don't betray me," Sonia pleaded.
Ajay took her hand and placed a gentle kiss.
"You will clear the exam with flying colors jaan. I have to do this because I need the money. We both will have a happy future together," he promised and she nodded.
"Go and get some rest, we have a lot to do tomorrow," he said and waved her a goodbye.
Once he was sure he couldn't be heard, he took out his cell phone to call his men.
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Hola... 😁😁
I felt I have ignored Rudy boy for a long time, hence the comeback.
And boy, he did solve the case, didn't he?😍😍
Me and my biased heart...😜😜
So, things might not be very good in the next chapter, be prepared.
Until then, signing off, Yours Soujanya.❤
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