With practiced skill, Omkara managed to mislead the gang and drove back to reach the safe house as decided prior. He managed to infuriate them enough to make sure that they follow him.

"How much time do you need Rudy?" he asked through his phone.

"We will be there in less than ten minutes, stay down until then O," came the reply after which the call ended.

Omkara took Gauri's hand and entered the lodge.

"Stay close to me," he told her and she nodded nervously.

"Room number 403," he asked in the reception with a bang on the desk.

The person looked startled for a second before he nodded and handed over the keys.

"I will be alert sir," Gauri heard him say but Omkara shook his head in a no.

"Take cover and give me updates. I parked the car near by and it will only be sometime before they barge in," he said and the guy nodded obediently getting away from the place.

"Does he know you?" she asked in a whisper as they ascended the stairs.

"This lodge is used by my team for some undercover meetings. 403 is a code word for emergency."

"Oh," she said and followed him.

By the time they reached the fourth floor, she was huffing while he looked barely exhausted.

Once inside the room, he closed the doors and locked them. He preferred not to switch on the lights and walked to the glassed window to look down at the road.

He saw two cars screech to a stop just beside the one he parked and the men coming out of it, to search inside his vehicle. Hiding from their sight, he sat down on the floor and asked his companion to do the same.

In the darkness, Gauri stumbled when she neared him, resulting in her colliding with his injured arm as she sat.

"Ouch," he hissed in pain clutching to his arm.

In the faint moon light, she saw the stains of blood that had dripped from his arm and panicked.

"I am so sorry," she whispered taking his hand in hers.

"It is taken care of. Don't worry about it," he said but she didn't appear to be convinced.

"You seem to be up for adventure tonight," he commented to change her mood.

Gauri didn't say anything but pulled at his blazer making him gently remove it.

"Give me your phone," she said.

"Huh?"

"Give me your phone, I can't see anything."

As she switched on the flash, she saw the bandage, soaked in fresh blood.

"It is bleeding," she said and he smiled at her.

"It is a simple wound Gauri. Don't bother," he reassured.

"But.."

"Did you know, I recently saw a music album where the hero and the heroine were stuck in a similar situation as ours," he said.

"I wondered how people come up with such unrealistic ideas."

"What happens at the end?" she asked and he mentally bit his tongue.

"Umm.. nothing, the bad guys get killed and the hero saves the heroine," he said.

"After that?"

"What after?"

"Will the heroine stay with the hero from then?" she asked looking into his eyes.

"Yes, they marry each other and live happily ever after," he lied and was rewarded with a big smile.

"You are a romantic," he said and she blushed.

Though he found it cute, an unwanted thought also struck him.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

"Umm..., are you in a relationship?" he asked, praying for her to say a no.

Why are you acting this desperate today? he scolded himself.

"No, I am not in one," she replied and he smiled in relief.

"What if we die today?" she asked in the faint light and he stared at her face with a serious look.

"What?" she asked again when he didn't talk.

"We might!" he said with a shrug of shoulders and she softly gasped.

"Come on Gauri, I told you to stay away," he said in all seriousness.

"Furthermore, you chose to blindly trust me. What if I am the bad guy?" he asked and she widened her eyes.

"I saw your badge."

"Can be falsified information."

She thought for a while and said, "You didn't kill me till now."

"I might kill you now," he said and bit back a laugh when she panicked.

"I haven't even kissed someone, forget about falling in love and you want to kill me! How mean," she whispered angrily.

"We can change that," said Omkara making her gasp in outrage.

Hurried footsteps sounded outside the door and Omkara gestured her to remain silent. Gauri gulped moving close to him while he looked at his watch and rolled his eyes.

Trust his friends and their time sense.

They held their breaths so that they will not be heard but few minutes later, they heard someone push on the door.

"This is locked Farhaan, they are inside," they heard a growl before loud bangs were heard.

Omkara stood up from his place and taking her hand walked to stand on the side of the door. He then waited in silence as the door was being knocked down.

As he pulled out his revolver, he ordered her, "Hide behind me and when I ask you to leave, you will do as told."

"I can't leave you with them."

"You won't be of much help too. You promised to follow my order," he reminded her and she nodded begrudgingly.

Not long after, the door fell with a bang and Omkara unlocked his gun to fire at the first entrant. That guy, who was the only one with the gun amongst his gang, fell to the ground, his weapon flying away from him.

Gauri did as told hiding behind Omkara as he continued to fire, taking care he killed no one. He wanted them alive for interrogation of his case.

One of the men kicked his injured arm and the revolver dropped down. Omkara clutched his arm in pain when the opposition took their chance to fight him off. Shaking off his now numb arm, he smashed his fists against them while Gauri looked on in fear.

"Take that girl first," someone ordered.

Omkara turned around just in time when one of them caught Gauri's hand. Pulling her to his side, he kicked the man, who stumbled back.

The next in line yelled at him and charged towards him with a rod and he ducked in time and punched in the man's stomach.

"How many are there," Gauri almost cried out when the men kept entering and Omkara kept the strike rate full.

The sound of screeching wheels must have alerted them and the gangsters began to attack with revenge. Omkara searched for his revolver and found it in one corner of the room.

"Get the gun," he asked her as he continued to try tackling alone.

She calculated the time distance and deftly reached the other corner. Just as she turned back, one gangster cornered her, making her scream in fear.

"Omkara," she called him and he looked in her direction.

"Use the weapon," he instructed and she screamed a no.

"Aree, don't shot, hit him with it," he screamed back seeing the man ready to grasp her throat.

Gauri brought down the gun on the man's head with all of her might and the guy groaned in pain. As she tried to run past him, he managed to pull her leg making her fall on her face.

"Gauri!" Omkara shouted in concern and angrily kicked the guy he had been fighting with till then.

The man flew to the ground raising the dust and Omkara ran towards Gauri. She passed him the gun and he caught it in the air, shooting her attacker in the arm. Once he loosened his hold, Gauri crawled away from the man and Omkara helped her up.

"Are you hurt," he asked in concern, just when the other cops entered the room.

Gauri was about to reply a no when she watched the guy who was shot first, get up and point his gun towards them.

"Omkara!!" she screamed and tried to push him away but it was too late. The bullet pierced him and he closed his eyes in pain. Gauri watched in horror as he fell to the ground taking her with him.

When the man tried to shot the second time, Rudra who entered the room, shot his head, killing him on spot.

"Omkara," Gauri called in panic.

"O," Rudra and Shivaay rushed to their friend who succumbed to darkness.

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

The smell of disinfectant was the first thing he sensed after he regained his consciousness followed by faint voices in the background. Omkara slowly opened his eyes to the bright light of the hospital room and looked around groggily.

He saw Rudra sitting beside him on a cushioned chair, talking to someone on the phone while the nurse was checking his vitals. He cleared his dry throat which gained their attention.

"How are you feeling sir?" asked the nurse and he gestured at the glass of water.

"Sure sir, but let me get the doctor first," she said and walked away.

Rudra ended his call and neared him with a smile.

"Finally, after one complete day you are awake," he said with a sigh and got a small smile in return.

Not long after, the doctor entered the room and after checking him, gave the instructions to be followed.

As Omkara sat up with help and had a glass of water, he sighed closing his eyes. It was still difficult to take a deep breath but he could manage a normal one.

"Is it paining terribly?" Rudra asked and he smiled shaking his head in a no.

"Rudy?"

"Hmmm,"

"How is Gauri?" he asked the first question that came to him since he opened his eyes.

"Who?"

Omkara knitted his eyebrows as he clarified, "The girl who was with me on the night of attack."

"The one you apparently kidnapped?"

"What?"

Rudra sighed and walked to the make-shift table, picked up the news paper from there and gave that to his friend.

As told, in the headlines was the news which clearly said that the Raheja princess was kidnapped on the night of her wedding due to which the marriage was temporarily postponed to the end of the week. The details of the kidnapper were not revealed.

Omkara looked at Rudra who had a look of sympathy on his face.

"What non-sense, the wedding will happen?"

"Yes," came the conformation.

"She doesn't want it."

"Well, she had no choice. They blackmailed her saying that they will file charges against you and take your job away," he explained.

"So? She is ready to marry that pedophile?" Omkara asked in anger.

He understood her helplessness but couldn't help being disappointed that she didn't fight back.

Grabbing his shirt from the headboard, he started to get up from the bed when a sharp pain pierced his ribs making him cough loudly.

"Are you mad? What are you doing?" Rudra exclaimed just in time when Shivaay walked in.

"What is happening? Om?" he rushed to him, keeping the bags aside.

"I have to go," Omkara said trying to talk.

"What the hell? Where?" Shivaay asked with a glare.

"Gauri," he weakly mumbled.

"She just went to freshen up Om, she will come in the evening with Anika," Shivaay explained and his friend stopped struggling.

"What?"

"Gauri refused to leave you but I asked her to go and rest for some time. She will return in the evening," Shivaay said and Omkara turned to Rudra who was smirking at him.

Taking the pillow, he threw it at the latter's face and Shivaay asked, "What did you do Rudy?"

"I just wanted to know if it was only the pretty girl who was affected by her kidnapper or if the feelings were mutual. Check kar raha tha ki aag dono taraf se lagi hui hai ya nahi. I am satisfied with the outcome though," he said earning a kick from Omkara.

"Ouch, how ungrateful," he muttered rubbing his shin.

Shivaay still looked confused when Omkara narrated his other friend's lies.

"Rudy, only you can make fun of such things, Raita phailana koi tumse sikhe, " Shivaay scolded him.

"You are speaking your wife's language a lot these days," Rudy sniggered and moved out their reach lest he received another kick.

"By the way Shivaay, you should have seen the look of heart break our romantic had on his face just a few minutes ago. The same one I had when the pretty girl bhai zoned me," he said dramatically.

"Your head Rudy. She was just being sweet. If you have a problem, you could say that to her," Shivaay said rolling his eyes.

"I mean I could understand if she called you bhai, but how can she call me, Rudra Pratap Rathore, the handsome hunk of the department a bhai?" he exclaimed.

"Shut up Rudy," his friends chorused.

"I told you to go into the room and you should be forever grateful to me for that. Understood officer Omkara sigh Oberoi?"

"Grateful, my foot. I should kill you for the stunt you just pulled," Omkara said and Rudra laughed.

The banter continued for a while after which they helped Omkara to settle comfortably on the bed .

"Was she really threatened?" he asked resting against the headboard of the bed.

"She was," Shivaay said with a big smile.

"And?" he urged.

"She asked them to F off," Rudra said cheekily, bringing out a proud smile on his friend's face.

"Your girl threatened them that she would burn down her shares if they dared laid a finger on you," Shivaay said.

That definitely sounded more like his girl... ahhh how he longed to see her like that... he thought shyly rubbing his neck.

"I love her," he declared dreamily.

"Yeah, that much is clear," his friends chorused happily.

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

As the clock struck six in the evening, Omkara became more restless.

"Look, it is six. Why didn't she come yet?" he asked Rudra who glared at him.

"Since the last half an hour, you have been pestering me. If you ask that question again, I will go and make her stay at home for a few more days. You sulk here alone," he warned making him shut up.

The knock on the door made them grin and Rudra stood up to open it.

Omkara eagerly waited to see his dream girl walk in but was disappointed to see his friend's wife in her place.

"Hi Anika," he tried to smile and she widened her eyes turning to Rudra.

"This bad?" she asked him and Rudra had to agree "Yeah, that bad."

"Thanks for the very fake smile Omkara, your girl is coming," she informed and he gave her a guilty look.

"How mean of you," she accused and he mumbled a sorry.

"Anika Bhabhi," a voice sounded from the entrance and the hero sat up straight on the bed.

"Come in Gauri, I am here," she said.

Gauri dressed in a simple yellow chudidar, walked into the room and Omkara openly ogled at her.

Damn, with that long lustrous hair and charismatic hazel eyes, even if she dressed in rags, she would look as enchanting as he had first saw her... he thought.

As she put a hair strand behind her ear, her big blue jhumkas moved with a sound and he wished she were close enough for him to play with them. Looking at him, she smiled brightly making him smile back.

As the couple stole glances at each other, Anika and Rudra went on and on about something which nobody wanted to know.

It was after a while when Shivaay came and pulled the ramblers out of the room that the love birds found some privacy.

"Are you okay?" she asked him and he nodded his head.

"Sit," he said and she moved to take the chair when he stopped her.

"Here," he pointed the bed and she blushed before taking the place beside him.

As they were facing each other, they patiently waited for the other to start the conversation. Both have rehearsed on what to talk but not on how to begin.

Omkara looked at her hand placed on the mattress and moved his hand to gently take hers. Then raising it to his lips, he kissed it looking into her eyes and she blushed looking away.

"I know this is too early but I love you Gauri," he said and she sharply turned to him.

"I also know that I am supposed to recite a poem, arrange a grand date, get to know you more and then ask for your hand in marriage but I want to do it in reverse."

"I want to ask your hand in marriage first then get to know you then have candle-light dinners with you on my balcony and once I practiced enough, I will tell you a shayari. Is that okay?" he asked and she laughed.

"There is a tiny glitch," she said and he raised an eyebrow.

"I always wanted to marriage a guy who knows Telugu."

"What??"

"I can manage to talk in Hindi and English but think Omkara, when I am angry or when I am in love I would want to converse in my mother tongue. How will you know what I am saying at that time?" she asked and he widened his eyes.

"Umm, no problem. I will learn the language for you," he said and she grinned widely.

"Aite pellicheskundam(Then let us marry)," she said with a blush.

"Uhh, looking at your smile, is that a yes?" he asked and she nodded.

He opened his arm and she moved closer to carefully put her arms around him to give him a warm hug.

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

One year later,

Shivaay walked into Omkara's chamber to see him furiously turning the pages of a book.

"Not again, what are you searching today?" he asked.

"We had a fight and she called me something, I want to know the meaning," came the usual reply as he continued to search the Telugu to English translation dictionary.

"Om, you are impossible, why don't you learn it properly. Take classes as she advises you."

"You know how I sleep through most of them. It is a language class for God's sake and it isn't that easy."

"Nuvvu maaravu," said Shivaay and Omkara's eyes popped out of their sockets.

"What did you say?"

"Oh that, Anika seems to say this quite often. May be Gauri..."

"Say it again Shivaay."

"Nuvvu maaravu."

"Correct, what does it mean?"

"You won't change," his friend translated.

"Bingo, that's what she said yesterday," Omkara said with twinkling eyes and Shivaay laughed at him.

The door opened again and Rudra walked in with a cheerful expression making Omkara's smile drop.

"What is it?" he asked in worry and Rudra grinned.

"Gauri called me and asked me to come home for dinner."

"Oh God not again," Omkara muttered.

"She came to my house again, Didn't she?" Shivaay asked with a smile.

"Obviously," Rudra added.

"Ask Anika not to allow my wife to crash at your place whenever we fight Shivaay."

"As if she is going to listen. Vo mujhe bahar kardegi Gauri ko nahi," he said and the men had to agree.

In the past one year, the ladies have become thick friends and when teamed up, none of the boys ever give them a tough fight.

"Right, let us go then?" Omkara asked and the men nodded.

"Go? Have you got a plan or are we sleeping in the spare room again? I am not interested in that you know."

"Me neither. Plan is set, " came the answer as they got into their cars.

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

"Let him come, I will not go with him today," Gauri declared in anger and Anika laughed.

"I never asked you to go. You are the one who melts everytime."

"And he has taken that as an advantage Bhabhi. I wanted to marry a telugu guy," she still protested.

"Offo, you let him marry you six months back. Now what is the use crying over spilt milk."

"Where is the effort? He promised me to put in effort. He doesn't understand even simple words. It is not only about that, he doesn't give me time these days. Shivaay bhaiyya also works in the same department, he comes home on time doesn't he?"

"Gauri, your husband loves his job."

"Shivaay bhaiyya doesn't? We didn't even go for a honeymoon," she said pouting sadly and her friend pulled her cheek.

"Yahi naatak uske saamne kar le, leke jaayega, (Do the same drama before him, he will take you for sure)," she said with a smile when she heard a knock.

"Talk of the devil," Anika whispered before going to open the door while Gauri huffed and continued to chop the veggies.

Minutes later, her husband sneaked in and hugged her from behind.

"What?" she snapped at him and he kissed her cheek.

She passed a glare from the corner of her eyes and he only grinned.

"Come home please, I will definitely apply for online classes again."

"No, let it be, you are least interested."

"Really?" he asked in excitement and bit his tongue seeing her look.

"I am not going home with you, take the couch for tonight."

"No, freaking way Gauri. If I have to kidnap you for it, then I will do it," he said before he lifted her off and put her on his shoulders.

She struggled for sometime hitting his back just for formality, before giving up. If he resorted to such public sight of embarrassment, it meant he would do what he wants rather than listen to her at that time.

"Bye," he wished his friends a goodnight before dumping his wife in the car and driving home.

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

"Come on Gauri don't make that face," he said as they sat for dinner.

"Tinu, (eat)" she said and he nodded obediently.

"I was planning a surprise for you. That is the reason I wanted you with me," he explained.

"Are you done eating?"

"Gauri..."

"First eat, then I will listen to what you have to say," came the order and they didn't talk until they retired for the night.

As she sat on the bed waiting for him, he entered their room with a triumphant smile.

"Here," Omkara handed over a cover and she curiously opened it.

"Tickets for Hawai?" she asked with a big grin on her face.

"Yup, for the much awaited honeymoon," he said cupping her face and kissing her forehead.

"Wow, I am going to search for the interesting places to visit," she said and took her phone.

"It can be done later," he said suggestively and she raised an eyebrow.

"We are going to the honeymoon right?"

"That is a week later," he said pulling her on to his lap and taking away her phone and the envelope.

"So?" she said playing ignorant.

"So, we can have a mini moon now," he said caressing her cheek.

"Ardhamainda?" he whispered the one word he managed to mug up properly.

She giggled and pecked his lips making him grin.

"Nope, I want more than a peck wifey," he declared and kissed her full on the lips, his hands reaching for the zip of her kurta.

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

Ardhamaindaa people?...

That marks the end of my thinking capacity.

Hope it is not that boring because I only stretched it until it looked too cheezy... beyond this it will be the same old.

Give it love... if it deserves it...❤

See you next time..

Until then, signing off.. yours Soujanya.