"Love is blind, yet it takes our everything to make us fall in love."

~•~•~•~•~

'How much?', Gauri took out her purse and peeked in through the front window.

'Three fifty, Madam', came the driver's voice from inside.

'Okay', Gauri started struggling to hold Rikara and the purse in one arm while her another arms started rummaging the purse to take out the necessary notes.

'Here, keep the change', an unmistakable deep voice came from behind Gauri as a broad arm stretched from beside her rummaging hand and a note of five hundred reached the driver's hand.

'Thank you sir', the driver revved the engine and went off.

'Omkaraji.. It was I who took the cab, not you', Gauri rebuked the man sternly, how could she mistake the intoxicating musky scent of his deodorant.

A full throated laugh echoed in the ghostly dark ally and some dogs barked sleepily, warning their territorial voice enemy.

Omkara took Rikara in his arms as Gauri groped out the key of her flat. When they were climbing the flight of the stairs till the second floor, Omkara asked Gauri from behind, 'Where were you?'

Gauri stiffened. Without answering him she opened the door of her flat and switched on the lights. The drawing room was flooded with yellow lights immediately and Omkara put a sleeping Rikara on the biggest cane couch.

'I.. I went to meet my sister in-law, it was her wedding anniversary', Gauri picked Rikara up and put her to her bed.

Omkara leaned on the backrest of the cane couch, tapping his chin, musing over her alibi. It was true that on Rikara's birthday, he arranged to keep her Sunday evenings for their meeting. But she went out just at the third week.. Is she trying to avoid me?? Is she uncomfortable with me?? Or worse, is she being bullied by the neighborhood for bringing a guy over her place?? The last thought made him ball his hands in a fist until his knuckles turned white.

Coming out from Rikara's room, Gauri watched him mumbling to himself. She knew immediately that something was troubling him. She took a glass of water and went to him.

'I'm sorry sir, I went out without telling you, actually I thought you wouldn't like coming here every Sunday.. To be precise, I didn't take your approach seriously. Sir, I'm sorry again', she mumbled forwarding a glass.

Omkara emptied the glass in a go. Putting the glass down on a small centre table he looked up at Gauri who was standing at the opposite side of the centre table. Her head was bowed down and her left toe was drawing imaginary patterns on the floor.

'Come here', he patted the space beside him in the sofa.

Gauri reluctantly sat beside him, keeping a decent distance. Omkara turned slightly at her and asked her, 'You still meet your in-laws?? Are you on good terms?'

'Oh yes! We are!', Gauri smirked mentally, sensing where the conversation was heading.

'Hmm.. When did you got separated?', Omkara held his temples, his head was pounding.

Gauri got tensed seeing his discomfort, 'Omkaraji, are you alright?'

'I'm fine Gauri', he looked up at her, smiling tantalizingly, 'please don't my my earlier question, I was just curious.'

'No, no, its okay', Gauri blurted out, 'We got separated when I was one month pregnant with Rikara.'

Omkara clenched his teeth in anger, how come a bastard behave such barbarically with my Gauri?

'Did he hit you? How was your relationship?', Omkara's eyes blazed with his old obsessive fire, his raged whisper alarming Gauri of his increasing anger.

Gauri gulped in nervousness, he's so angry, like how he used to be. Now, how can I tell him what happened with me.. Though he himself did this to me, its not safe for his mental health to rub it in his face, nor it is good to poke the alpha male awake in him.

'Its like, yes, he used to hit me initially', she watched him breathing harshly from the corner of her eye, 'but later he was like my prince charming, he treated me very well'.

Omkara was burning inwardly. The mere thought of someone other than him touching his Gauri how he should be made his blood boil in rage. But, he could not ignore Rikara, the fruit of her former marriage.

'So, why did you got separated?', Omkara tried to mentally prepare herself, so that he could control his outburst on his faceless rival and not to scare Gauri shitless.

'Uh.. Um..', Gauri bit her lip, anxious of his outburst, 'He suspected me having an affair with his younger brother, who used to be my best friend in college. So, we got separated, but we're not divorced', she closed her eyes tight, ready to jump on her seat, when he would bark in rage.

A sound of a breaking glass entered her ears as she saw the glass upon the centre table shattered, his hands still gripping it in a death grip, voluminous red liquid dripped from his palm where glasses pierced his skin.

'Omkaraji!!', Gauri rushed to hold him as soon as his head started lolling at his sides, as soon as she held his head between her arms, his eyes closed.

*****

Gauri was done with his hand. She pulled out the glass pieces from his palm, washed his hand and wrapped the wounds tightly to suppress the flow of blood.

'Master!', came a gasp from the door.

'Dandi!! I think he passed out due to an unbearable rage within his head', Gauri sniffed nervously, 'I don't understand, will he be alright? Should I call a doctor?'

'First, let me lie him down', Gauri and Dandi took him to Gauri's room and lied him down on her bed. Gauri threw open the jalousies to let the soothing cool night breeze ruffled through the stagnant air in the room. Bright moonlight also entered abaft the wind, washing the whole room in silvery white glow.

'I think I should leave Gauri, if Tiwari comes to pick him up from here, you'll no longer be hidden from Shivaay and Rudra sir', Dandi hurried out.

'Are you sure he'll be alright?', Gauri stood at the door, nervous.

'Don't worry, he will. Good night.', Dandi turned to leave.

'Good night.', Gauri closed the door.

*****

Stealthily, Gauri came out from the bathroom in the drawing room. Dressed only in an oversized t shirt that reached her knees, she tiptoed in her bedroom to take out a pyjama.

Unluckily, her wardrobe was just beside her bed and Omkara was sleeping at that side. So she quickly hung the towel on a chair and slowly opened the wardrobe, but he stirred a bit.

As soon as she got a hold of her pyjama, a tug was felt at the end of her t shirt and the next moment she was yanked upon a hard chest within a flash.

Startled, she lifted her face from his chest, her pyjama on the floor, and her hands fisted resting upon him, and she stared at his half closed black irises glowing as melted silver in the moonlight through her wild wet locks hanging before her eyes.

'Only I can hold you like this.. I always had, have and will have you in my arms.. No one else.. No one else..', he mumbled in a sleepy voice and let Gauri slide beside him, still holding her waist.

Scared and surprised out of her wit, Gauri silently laid her back facing him. He wrapped his heavy arms around her tiny waist and one of his jeans covered legs was placed over her legs, as he almost covered her under himself, just like he used to sleep when they were married.

Gauri sighed as she ran her palm over his forearm, goosebumps standing up wherever her fingers touched as he groaned from behind her, his head buried at the crook of her neck, and she slipped into a blissful slumber remembering her beautiful marital nights, as she rested her palm over the back of his palm, pressing over it, cuddling herself more in his warm embrace.

I'm blushing right now.. 😳😳

Next question:
Which is a better night for you? A rainy and stormy night, or a night of full moon?
Answer: Mine is a rainy and stormy night.

I'm going off again till 9th of this month. After my history exam is over, I'll come back here from 10th. Till then, enjoy!!

Happy reading,
With love,
Sarani.