"Anika is a very smart girl." Omkara said while driving the car, on their way back from Anika's boutique.

"I know. Also a very good friend. Just because of her and some of my close ones, I still believe in friendship and love." Gauri said with a smile.

Omkara smiled glancing at her before focusing on the road.

"Good things take time. Until then we will have to face a lot of challenges in our life and I must say you faced them pretty nicely." He said staring ahead.

"Really? You think so?" She asked him surprised.

"Of course! Even though I don't have any personal experience, I have seen a lot people giving up on facing such situations. But you didn't. You were hurt in the process but still you showed the courage to end that suffering and tried to move forward. That's great actually." He said.

Omkara checked his watch and realised that it was lunch time.

"I know an amazing restaurant here. Let's go there and have lunch?" He asked.

When he didn't get a reply, he turned to look at her and saw her deep in thoughts.

"Gauri?" Omkara called her tapping her hand.

"Huh? What were you saying?" She asked him startled.

"Where were you lost? I was saying I know a nice restaurant here. Let's go for lunch?"

"Yeah, okay." Gauri said smiling before she turned to look outside.

"Jeeju is going to prove that he is the one for you, di."

Avanthika's words rang in her head as she thought about her each and every moment with him.

Is he the one for me?

Maybe. Maybe, he is the one. But she can't keep her hopes too high. Once when she did take the risk it ended up hurting her too badly. Was she ready to take that risk once again? Not yet.

Gauri turned to look at him, and at the same moment he also turned to her. She sighed inwardly when he flashed his ever charming smile at her.

I promised myself that I wasn't going to get my hopes up. But deep inside I just know that was what I'm going to do anyway.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

"The food was so amazing. I have seen this restaurant before, but never knew the food here was so good." Gauri said amazed, as they came out of the restaurant.

"I came here for meeting one of my friends recently. That's how I found it. The view is also very beautiful, right?" Omkara said.

"Yeah." She said smiling.

Across the restaurant, it was a beach. From the restaurant itself, they could see the alluring sea.

"Let's go to the beach?" Gauri asked excitedly.

"Okay." Omkara said smiling seeing her excitement.

Seeing her about to cross the road without watching out for vehicles, he quickly held her hand.

"Careful, Gauri. Vehicles are coming. You should see both the sides of the road before crossing." Omkara said in a gentle reproving manner.

"Sorry. I got too much excited seeing the beach." She apologized with a sheepish grin.

Omkara shook his head before looking out for vehicles and then crossed the road along with her.

Gauri looked at him holding her hand and felt butterflies in her stomach. The pace of her heartbeat increased as she walked along with him in a daze.

Omkara turned to her after crossing the road and saw her looking at their joined hands before looking up. He was about to leave her hand when she held back his hand and smiled looking away.

Omkara smiled tightening the hold on her hand and walked with her towards the sea.

They walked through the beachside holding hands and talking. When they saw an ice cream van, they went near it.

After buying the ice cream, they sat on the ground watching the sea.

"Why didn't you buy an ice cream for yourself?" Gauri asked as she licked her ice cream.

"I'm a light eater. I'm full already." He told her.

"So what? It's just an ice cream. I will go and buy one for you." Gauri said starting to get up.

Omkara stopped her from getting up.

"I really don't want, Gauri. We might have to throw it away at last."

Gauri rolled her eyes at him and watched the sea. Omkara smiled seeing that.

"It's good that there are only a few people here. Otherwise people would have recognised you right? The billionaire Omkara Singh Oberoi." Gauri said grinning at him.

It was Omkara's chance to roll his eyes.

"I don't even think half of the people here know me. I'm a businessman not a superstar."

"What are you saying? Almost everyday your picture comes in the business page. And haven't you seen the comments under the articles about you? Girls are drooling over you while boys are jealous of you." She told him.

Omkara's eyes widened before a wicked grin appeared on his face.

"How do you know all these, Gauri?"

"I resear...." Gauri stopped in shock realising what she said.

"Don't tell me you were researching about me." He said with a teasing smile.

"Of course not! I che... check the business newspaper everyday as... as my father is also a businessman. And... and I saw your articles then. About the comments, it was not me. It was Bhavya. Since your account is private she researched about you and I have no hand in it." She said hurriedly.

Omkara laughed hearing her.

Gauri turned pink seeing that.

"I don't stalk you. And even if I do, what's wrong in it? Your account is private and that's why Bhavya checked about you in Google. She sent me all those articles and I didn't even read most of them." She told him.

"It's been years since I last opened my account. I don't even know if it still exists."

"It is still there."

"Oooooh!"

Seeing him teasingly smiling at her, she stood up quickly closing her eyes and started walking away.

Omkara chuckled before getting up and following her.

"You don't have to feel embarassed. You have the right to get to know more about your supposed fiancé." Omkara said smiling as he walked behind her.

"I know that. Get that in your mind too." Gauri said still walking ahead.

Seeing her walking towards the secluded area of the beach, he held her hand and turned her around.

When she tried to turn again, he held both of her hands.

Gauri looked away feeling embarassed to look at his face.

"Okay, just look at me for once."

She shook her head in no.

"Just once, please." He requested.

Gauri slowly turned her face to him and saw him sweetly smiling at her.

"Shall I give you something?"

"What?" She frowned.

"A gift."

"Gift?"

"Yeah, close your eyes."

Gauri looked at him in confusion.

"Do you trust me?"

She nodded her head without wasting any second.

Seeing him staring at her without saying anything, Gauri closed her eyes as if on cue.

Omkara left one of her hands, and took something from his pocket.

Gauri's eyebrows furrowed when she felt something cold slid on her wrist.

"You can open your eyes."

Gauri opened her eyes and looked at her wrist. She stopped in surprise seeing a very beautiful and elegant bracelet on her wrist.

"This?" She asked him in shock.

"Did you like it?"

"Of course! It's so beautiful but is this for me?" Gauri asked still shocked.

"If it was for someone else why would I make you wear it?" Omkara chuckled.

"But why suddenly?"

"I felt like buying you a gift and the first thing that come into my mind was a bracelet."

Gauri smiled as she stared at the bracelet.

"So, did you like it?" Omkara asked her with a smile.

Gauri looked up at him and he didn't get enough time process the emotions in her eyes.

Omkara stopped in shock when she hugged him suddenly.

"Thank you." Gauri whispered feeling overwhelmed. It was not the bracelet, it was the efforts he tried to put in that touched her deeply.

Hearing her soft voice, Omkara understood her inner turmoil and hugged her back with a soft smile, his head resting against her's.

They stayed like that for a few minutes in blissful silence, with her head against his chest hearing the erratic beat of his heart and his arms around her in a gentle protective embrace.

"I didn't think I would get the return gift from you this soon." Omkara said.

Gauri frowned in confusion.

"What?"

"First hug for a small bracelet. What would be the next return gift?" He asked grinning.

"Shut up!" Gauri said blushing parting from the hug.

"Ah! My all time favourite blush." Omkara said placing his hand over his heart.

"What has gotten into you?" She asked as her cheeks turned pink.

Omkara chuckled. Seeing that she also started laughing.

"Shall we go back then?" He asked after a while.

Gauri nodded.

Omkara extended his hand towards her, who held back his hand and started walking. She followed him with a smile as her heart felt happy.

"Seems like your words came true." Omkara said.

"My words?"

"Yeah. I think those people recognised us."

Gauri looked at where he was looking and saw three people talking while staring at them. It was evident they recognised him.

"What should we do now?" She asked him.

"It's not a issue if people see us together. I just don't want any media attention till our engagement happens. Don't know what all they will cook up next." Omkara said shaking his head.

"Let's go from here quickly."

"It's okay, Gauri. We will go slowly."

Gauri stopped and turned to him completely.

"You stick onto one thing! One side you are saying you don't want any media attention and the other side you don't want to hurry. What exactly should we do now?" She asked exasperated.

"Yeah I agree I don't want any media attention but that doesn't mean I should waste the little time I got to spend time with my supposed fiancé."

"Tell me the truth! Are you really Omkara Singh Oberoi, because from whatever I know he has never been so flirty." Gauri said cutely frowning at him.

"That was before two months. Now I have a very beautiful girl in my life who will officially become my fiancée and then my wife soon. So I should atleast try to do something like this to impress her, right?" He asked wiggling his eyebrows.

"You have gone crazy." Gauri said blushing.

Omkara laughed.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Gauri wiped her hair smiling as she hummed to the music that was playing.

"Someone seems so happy."

Gauri turned around to see Avanthika lying on her bed, watching her. When did she come?

"What were you saying in the morning? 'Date? Where did that come from? We are just going to give the measurements for our engagement dress.' Now what do you have to say?" Avanthika asked.

"What's wrong with you?" Gauri asked her sister.

"What's wrong with me? You went on a date with jeeju, then why did you refuse it in the morning?"

"It's because we didn't go for a date."

"Then what's this?" Avanthika asked opening something in her mobile and gave it to her.

Gauri's eyes widened seeing the article displayed on the phone.

BILLIONAIRE OMKARA SINGH OBEROI DATING BUSINESSMAN VISHAAL SHARMA'S DAUGHTER?

A trustable source informed us about spotting Omkara Singh Oberoi along with Gauri Sharma, the eminent businessman Vishaal Sharma's daughter, together at a beach and restaurant today. Omkara Singh Oberoi is the son of famous businessman Tej Singh Oberoi, who is also a really good friend of Vishaal Sharma.

The source says that both the lovebirds were out for a romantic date. Netizens claim that they have seen them together even before too. Wanna know about their whole love story? Do check out our page.

Gauri scrolled down and saw a number of articles having different titles featuring their secret love story, which even they didn't know about.

"What's wrong with this media people? Why do they have to interfere in our personal life?" Gauri asked exasperated as she gave the phone back to her.

"Being from a business family, you should be knowing how it works. After your marriage with jeeju the media attention is going to increase only." Avanthika said shrugging.

"I don't know how he must be feeling. First time we went out together and this happened." Gauri said expressing her worry.

Avanthika sat beside her sister and kept her hand on her shoulder.

"I don't think he will take it in a bad way. But it would be better if you talk it out with him, di." She said before leaving her alone.

Gauri sighed and took her phone in her hand.

PRECAP : The Engagement

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I know it's very bad to update like this once in every month. I'm so sorry but I really want to update on a regular basis. The problem is that the reader's response is very poor and I'm not getting any inspiration to write the next part.

I have the whole plot in my mind but to capture it down here I need your support too. Please, please if you really like this story do support by voting and dropping atleast ONE comment.

With love
Devu❤️