Yuhn Hota Toh Kya Hota- Rikara FF

Chapter 121

Omkara hoped to have an honest conversation with Gauri today, though what he was going to say, he had no clue. But she wasn't in her room, when he came knocking. Hmm, he didn't see her at breakfast either. 

"Om, what are you doing here?" asked Jahnvi, coming from the opposite direction. 

"Umm, nothing, I just wanted to talk to Gauri about something. Do you know where she is?" said Omkara, furtively. 

Jahnvi gave him a searching look, but didn't say anything. 

"Om...Gauri went to work. Papa introduced her to this new group of women entrepreneurs learning how start their own small business. Its a cottage industry sort of thing. Gauri quit her previous job a few weeks ago when she left Mumbai, she thought she won't come back here, and go back to her mother, her city instead. But then she found out that Annika's her sister...and decided to stay here. Annika told me, that Gauri was running late for her work today, so she skipped breakfast and ran. Didn't she tell you?" asked Jahnvi.

"No, she didn't. And she is not obligated to tell me. And she might not even want to, since I can't answer any of her questions either" said Omkara, looking despondent and retreating to his room.

Jahnvi felt concerned for her son. She knew that it was his parents issues, their marriage, that had almost crippled her son for love. He wasn't afraid of commitment, after all he was committed to Riddhima for years. But Gauri was different, and so was Omkara's feelings towards her. Jahnvi desperately wanted to do something for her son, but what?

Back in his room, Omkara sighed as he sat down on his bed. He wasn't mad at Gauri. Their last fight was due to same reason that Gauri had not told him about her parentage. 

Omkara knew he was being selfish in the extreme. He wanted that relationship with Gauri, where they would be so close that Gauri would confide everything in him, that she told everybody else: his mother, her sister, even his grandparents. Yet at the same time, he did not answer any of her questions that would encourage her to have faith in him, even think of pursuing a relationship with him. He was afraid to commit because of his past issues, but he wanted Gauri to have faith in him. Was he taking her for granted? Was he being an emotional leech? 

He probably was. And that was the root cause of their issues. He was emotionally and mentally exhausted with all the betrayals and toils since the last year, so much, that he wanted something, wished for something, but could not express it. 

Omkara sighed and picked up his brush. He couldn't talk to her in person, but he could always feel her, caress her in his painting. 

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"Annika, can you hand me that list again?" said Shivaay. 

It was late evening and they were in Shivaay's bedroom, looking through the list of victims' families to be invited for the memorial service. 

"Sure, Shivaay" said Annika.

"Hmm, that's strange" said Shivaay. 

"What?" said Annika, looking back at him curiously. 

"The numbers don't tally between the file and the list" said Shivaay. 

"Let me count" said Annika, taking both from him.

Shivaay laughed internally. Annika's poor mathematical skills were a running joke between him and Saahil. He made a mental note to tell Gauri about this as well, so that all of them could share on this joke.