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𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚁𝚎𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗 - (2)

Cautiously Gauri climbed up the short flight of steps. The building seemed to be empty. Gauri made her way up the stairs. The door at the foot of the staircase was closed. Her gaze dropped to the lock. A smile crept up on her face.

The same old lock!

Mr. Iyer, the librarian when she had passed out, probably was still in charge. She distinctively remembered his little secret. The lock was damaged. It didn't open with a key, but just by a little force, it would click open.

One morning, when Gauri had come early to issue a book, she had noticed how the man had opened the lock. It was rather interesting.

She always fancied venturing into the library unauthorized. However, she was too scared of consequences, back then. But today, for a change, she felt thrilled. She wasn't in school now. The building was almost empty. And her fantasy, a step away. It wasn't like she was Alice and slip down a hole that would open into Wonderland.

She quickly looked around and her fingers pulled at the lock. At the second tug, the lock opened. She grinned and quickly slipped it out of the lock hole and gently pushed open the wooden door. Stepping inside, she cautiously shut the door and placed the lock on the side table where the entry register sat.

She looked into the darkness letting her eyes settle to the dark scene. Slowly the tables, chairs and shelves became visible. She turned to the right where she remembered was the light switch. She cautiously took a guess and pressed one switch. A tubelight blinked before switching on, at the wall across the hall. She pulled her hand back and looked around with a thrill rushing in her blood vessels. She walked towards the shelves, her gaze twinkling looking around the dimly lit hall. The library was just as it used to be.

She started walking down the narrow passageway, crossing the rows of shelves. The scent of dust and paper-back books in the air around her. She smiled pausing at her favourite row — Fiction-Novels. She walked between the shelves, her eyes searching for the label slips that read the genre. She frowned, there was no labelling. Her hand picked up a book, placed it back and then another, so on and so forth. She stopped when Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was in her hand. She smiled opening the book. She quickly turned it over, remembering the small black flower she drew with a pencil at the last page's corner on the books she had read. She couldn't find any on this copy. She picked up the next book and eventually she found it.

It was as though she was back to being that teenager wanting to escape into another world altogether.

"Guilty Pleasures, huh!"

Gauri gasped hearing the sound and the book dropped from her hand.

"Omkara!" She gasped instantly.

"Oh, you remember!"

She chuckled. "What are you doing here?"

"Why, only you were invited?"

"I mean here — library!"

He smiled slowly covering the distance between them. "Why should you be the only one accessing the library?"

Gauri smiled widely remembering the first time she had ran into him in the library.

* * *

"Hey!"

Gauri looked up from the book she was reading startled. Before her stood Omkara. Her immediate senior from the commerce background, who she was working with on their annual project. Mrs. K.Ravi had selected Gauri for a project she was mentoring. The project idea was to write a code for a banking system. Omkata did all the math and the banking part while she was to code whatever his ideas were.

Gauri was sued to being a one man army. She mostly opted for individual projects. However, when Mrs.Ravi had pitched the idea she readily agreed.

Omkara wasn't exactly the nice kind-of guy. He was always on the field, even during class hours. Gauri kept her interaction minimal with him. But only three days had passed. They had to work on the project for the whole month. Thankfully, Mrs. Ravi would be there too.

"Hi!" Gauri mumbled. "What are you found here?"

"Why should you be the only one accessing the library?" He grinned, and in the blink if an eye took the book from her hand.

"Hmm, pride and prejudice," He mused, looking at the cover. "Why are you girls so obsessed with this book?"

Gauri consciously snatched the book back, her cheeks colouring up. "It's, uh, well written," she muttered, quickly keeping the book back and walking ahead to the mystery section.

"Why did you keep it back? Not issuing?" He asked pulling the book back. "Have you read it already?"

Gauri immediately nodded, muttering a 'yes'.

"Tell me the story in short. I know that this guy comes and the girl gets offended for no reason. Probably she's trying trying hide her feelings for him. Then?"

"She didn't have feelings for him!" Gauri felt the need to point that out more than not engage in any conversation with him

"Trust me Gauri, when girls like you like a boy, they start avoiding them, make eye contacts and then look away. Girls do that for attention, trust me. I know it all. Anyway, what happens then?"

"I have a class to attend in ten minutes. I should get going!" Gauri mumbled and walked away.

* * *

"Look at that smile!" Omkara remarked leaning against the shelf.

"You'll drop the books," Gauri mumbled, looking anywhere but at him.

"Why did you sneak in?" He asked. Gauri began taking slow steps further.

"I could ask you the same thing?" She spoke, her fingers pulling out the books halfway to find one particular book.

"Hmm, dodging the question! Why didn't you visit my stall?"

"I didn't see."

"Liar. We made an eye contact."

"Did we?" Gauri mumbled, a smile at the rising on he race as she found the book she had been looking for.

Omkara's gaze drifted in the direction of the thing that had lit up her face. He pulled the book out of her hand. "Hmm, pride and prejudice! You still haven't told me the story."

"Read it for yourself," Gauri mumbled meeting his gaze.

The corners of Omkara's lips lifted up, watching her thoughtfully. He took one big step and he was standing close to her.

His eyes searching hers.

"can I make a confession?"

"You've already read it?" Gauri's eyes it up more than ever.

"Don't push your luck." He smirked.

"then?"

"I've always had a thing for you ever since I first laid my eyes on you, in that computer lab!"

Surprise was written on Gauri's face. "I am not buying that!" She smirked.

"I am not lying!" Omkara uttered dumbfounded. "I am serious! Why would I ever come come a library?"

"you came for me?" Gauri questioned. It sounded ridiculous to her.

"Yeah!"

"You want me to believe that?" Gauri smiled. Omkara had always been fond of twisting words and then laughing at people when they bought it.

"Seriously, Gauri. I flirted all the time. I still wonder how a smart-ass like you didn't catch it!"

"Okay, your joke isn't working!" Gauri muttered turning away to walk ahead.

He geld her hand and before she knew, her back was against the shelf with him before ever. His hand left hers, and rested on the self. His deep black eyes looked into hers.

"I have always wanted to..." He spoke, bringing his face closer to his. "do this.."

"What?" Gauri wanted to ask normally but it came out as a gasp. He was so close. The place was dark and so contained. He shifted closer.

"Kiss you in the library!" He muttered, before brushing his lips overs her. His finger supported her cheek making her tilt her face slightly backward. Gauri's lips parted. The moment was arousing.

He captured her lower lips between his. Soon enough Gauri was responding and it grew into a proper kiss. His hand dropped to her waist, and securely curved against it. His other hand left the shelf. His palm rested below her ear and thumb caressed her cheek.

Gauri didn't want the moment to end. It was fantastical and hot. Soon both his hands were moving on her waist. When their lips parted to let some air in between, his quickly left kisses down the trail of her neck.

Gauri let out a moan as she felt a surprise nibble near her collar bone.

"Damn, you sound so sweet!" He mumbled, sinking his teeth into the side of her neck. Gauri gasped, grasping the collar of his shirt. She lowered her gaze to his collar, to her hand. The diamond on her ring sparkled.

The sparkled seemed to be a warning and a mockery at the same time. She was engaged.

"Om!" She muttered, gently pressing her palms against his shoulders.

"Hmm,"

"I need to tell you something!"

"you loved it? Baby, I got that from the response."

Gauri chuckled despite the tension that tormented her thoughts.

"Remember I told you, I needed to talk last week?"

"Yeah!" He mumbled. "that can wait," He mumbled against her skin. Kissing the column of her neck.

"It's important, Omkara!"

"what?" He muttered looking at her irritated. "What can possibly be more important than this?"

"Dad got me engaged to his friend's son!"

His eyes widened. "What?"

"Yeah... it was supposed to be a second meeting but they have this tradition of roka and they got their gift and Rishi put a ring on my finger." She mumbled, bringing her hand between them so that he could look. He immediately glanced at the ring.

"wow, and you're telemetry now?"

"I didn't want to break it to you when you were away. Certainly not over the phone."

"Dammit."

"you spoke to your mom about us?"

"Gauri, I ... "

"you didn't, " she sighed looking away.

"Gauri," He mumbled, holding her chin. He made her look at him. "It's complicated okay. Mom was having her own issues so I didn't really break it to her. But why are you wearing the ring around? I thought your father gave you time to decide?"

"He did. Even he was surprised at the sudden customs of the Thakuraals. He told them too, but they were sure that this .... match would become a marriage. They said it's only temporary."

"Crazy people. Why didn't you say a no?"

Gauri stared at him. "I was serious when I said you need to come and ask for my hand."

"Gauri, are we arguing on this again?"

"I don't understand your fear of commitment. We've known each other for five years dated for three. We've even stayed under the same roof, Omkara. What else do I need to comply with? "

Omkara looked away.

"It's beginning to scare me Omkara. I am beginning to think, that you'll never come around." There was a layer of sheen in her eyes. "I have gone against every rule laid down for me, I have gone beyond all my self imposed boundaries. I befriended you, Omkara! You have no clue clue a leap of faith I took just to accept you. "I agreed to date you, despite all my fears. I slept with you, I stayed with you like a partner. What else Omkara? I have done everything I could ... gave you space when you wanted gave you myself when you needed me. What else is remaining? I just want one thing from you, Om. I want you to be my husband."

"Gauri, you know marriages are a sham. Look at my mother... only day before yesterday I went with her to that man. She's been supporting him. He's a parasite. I hate to call him my father."

"You still don't believe in us." She muttered, tears threatening to slip off her eyes.

He cupped her face and looked at her squarely. "I believe in you, in us. Just not myself. Gauri, what if I become another Tej Oberoi, it's the same blood. I don't want you to go through what my mom's going through."

Gayri let out a sigh. "but I believe in you. Omkara, in the past five years you've been my rock, my support. I was in a country away from home. My parents are still surprised that I made it through. The reason is you. You made me believe in me. You need to let me do the same for you. Omkara, you need to take the leap of faith. Trust me..."

Omkara sighed, stepping away. He ran a hand through his hair taking a few steps around.

Meeting Gauri again in Massachusetts had to be a sign. He had always liked Gauri but knowing she was career driven and far from a girl who'd compromise her focus by dating in high school he'd never told her. Although very subtly he'd always flirted and adored her from afar. But an year later when he met her in Massachusetts he was willing to woo her. It started off as a fun pursuit. He himself didn't know how they had gone from arguing friends to intimate lovers. Life with Gauri had been an easy escape from his responsibilities as a son. He had a younger brother, a sister and a mother who never got a divorce from her father.

When Gauri had decided to head back home Omkara had found reasons to stay back in the States. But six months down, he couldn't stay away. Loneliness ate him up.

After being back in India he was given a reality check. His younger brother had transformed into nothing short of a goon. His sister changed boyfriends every month. His mother had taken to alcoholism. Just like him they had all resorted to their own kind of escapism.

Just that Omkara got lucky.

Being with Gauri had changed him so much. Made him more responsible. She inspired him to live. He wanted to be like her, have the control o f his life. Help Help those people around him he could help and at the end of the day be content that he lived well instead different remembering the bitter memories of his past.

"We should go..." Gauri said softly, sadness lining her voice.

"No," Omkara muttered. He wasn't willing to blissfully ignore their situation and sleep over it yet another night. It was time they made a solid decision. Nothing would be a greater foolishness than to let Gauri go.

~~~~~~~~~♡~~~~~~~~~

Would love to have your feedback.

Hopefully, next part will be final.

I am planning an alternative story to this, so please let me know if something seems off here. It may help me plan the version 2 of this better.

-Anami!♡