His First And Only Love (Rikara)

Chapter 15: Reception

"Hey so you guys finally got married?" Gauri and Omkara turned around to meet a young woman in a pink dress smiling widely at them. "I knew it! I always knew there was something between you guys! Ahh!!! So the school bus sweethearts finally got married!" She exclaimed happily, clapping her hands like a 5 year old.

Omkara and Gauri exchanged quick glances and then looked back at the overjoyed lady infront of them.

"Ishana?" Omkara asked surprised to see her here after so many years. He had not expected to meet her here at all.

Ishana had been Omkara's classmate in 12th grade and she was in the same bus as him too which always made her ask him if there was something going on between him and Gauri. But each time, Omkara would just shrug it off, declining to have any feelings towards Gauri. He hadn't invited anyone from his school as he wasn't in contact with any of them and neither did Gauri have many friends she wanted to invite. All she had invited were 2 of her friends from school and some from her college.

So how did Ishana come to know about the reception?

"Remember?" Ishana asked rolling her eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if you don't remember me! You didn't even invite me yaar! You knew I shipped you both! If I hadn't checked Priyanka's social media, I wouldn't even have known! Your sister is way better than you." She said shaking her head dramatically in disappointment.

Omkara stood surprised not knowing how to react.

"Ishana di!" Gauri called smiling happily.

"At least now stop calling me di! I'm three months younger than your husband!" Ishana said with a chuckle. "Now I know why you never called him bhaiya." She nudged Gauri mischievously while Gauri looked at her surprised.

"Nothing like that..." Gauri said trying to hide the blush that threatened to find it's way on her cheeks.

"Here!" Ishana said as she handed over a cover to them. "My gift to the lovebirds. Even though you guys didn't invite me for marriage, I brought you gifts. Congratulations to you both! I must say you both turned out to be silent players!"

"Actually...it was an arranged marriage..." Omkara said scratching his head.

Ishana turned to look at him in utter shock, unable to believe him then immediately chuckled, "You guys want your parents to believe it was arranged so you guys set it up like it was an arranged marriage? Don't worry your secret's safe with me." She said keeping her palm on her chest.

"No no...We haven't been in touch since I left school." Omkara cleared. However what Ishana had missed and what Gauri had noticed was the slight hurt in his voice as he said that, surely it was her fault they weren't in contact. "It was arranged."

"Really?" Ishana asked eyeing him suspiciously. "Then tell me how it all happened!" She said turning excited the very next moment.

This woman could change her expressions too quick! Omkara mused to himself.

Once Gauri and Ishana moved to the side so she could narrate everything, Omkara couldn't help but stare as his wife talked to Ishana. He could see how shy she looked when Ishana teased her and the way she kept blushing again and again. It gave him a certain kind of joy to know that he was the reason for her blush.

God..I could keep watching her for my whole life. Omkara thought.

"Good evening everyone!" Rudra called out from the centre of the stage. "Thank you all for joining us on this wonderful night."

And on and on blabbered Rudra about this and that like he always did and Omkara found himself zoning out in the midst of his speech that made no sense to him.
Gauri and he had met almost everyone in the function and it was high time for the function to get over but here Rudra was, trying to stall it.