My Nepenthe

Chapter 55

"Why didn't she come home yet Shivaay?" Omkara asked his brother on the phone.

"Om, she messaged me that her teacher came late so, she got delayed. Instead of coming all the way here, she said she will stay with Himani and go early to her college tomorrow. There is nothing wrong in it," the big brother explained.

"But why isn't she answering my calls? I was worried," the other one asked, his voice laced with irritation.

"That is because her phone got switched off. Arjun called me and informed me that he dropped her to the college hostel. You can call Himani."

"You should have told me Shivaay. It is late in the night and they must have slept. I cannot sleep peacefully now without talking to Gauri," the younger one rebuked.

"I am sorry Om. I was stuck in a meeting today."

Omkara closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

"Om, you can call Himani first thing in the morning. Or I will msg her to call you whenever she gets up. Why are you getting so worked up?" Shivaay asked the question.

His brother did not reply for a long minute making him ask, "Is everything alright? Is Mr. Vinod not coping well or did anything go wrong that you want to talk to Gauri about it? You can talk to me for tonight."

"Nothing went wrong here. It is just that it is first time after we married that I am miles away from her. I am getting restless for some reason. I do not know what..."

"You are a goner and it is well established by now Om. Get yourself together, rest for the night and you can talk to her tomorrow. Gauri is safe and she must be sleeping. Do not worry," Shivaay assured and his brother nodded.

"The next time I am to go out of Mumbai for work and my wife makes excuses, I am going to kidnap her," Omkara said with determination making his elder brother laugh.

"Sure thing, I and Rudy will help you then. For now, go get some sleep," said Shivaay and ended the call with a smile.

Omkara looked at his phone which had his wife's picture as the lock screen.

"Couldn't you call me once," he mumbled tracing her smile.

The conversation he had with Mrs. Vinod earlier that day came back to him.

"What a newly wed bride expects from a marriage is romance," Haritha said when she heard form Omkara that he was married a few months ago.

"If you love her, you should not only make her feel it but also say it out loud at least for hundred times a day," she said with a dreamy smile.

He had widened his eyes at the statement making her frown at him.

"Don't you do that young man?" she asked him.

"Uh...." He gave her a fake smile and she raised an eyebrow.

"Kids these days do not know the meaning of romance at all," she said with a shake of head.

"It is not necessary that everybody should openly confess their love, isn't it?" Omkara tried to put forth his view.

"Nonsense. What in the open? You are confessing it to your wife, not some outsider."

"Yeah, but she knows that I..."

"Not enough," she cut his statement.

"You seemed to be a good boy till now but I think I judged you too soon," she said.

"I... its not.."

"To the world you may be one person but for one person you might mean the world. When you know the one, you should tell her how much she means to you. Trust me, your life will turn more beautiful than before," she said with such conviction that he sat speechless and lost in thoughts for the rest of the meal.