Becoming Sweethearts [✓]

Part Two

“You actually said that?” Om exclaimed as Gauri narrated the entire evening’s event. Gauri smirked and while sipping on her whiskey, she replied, “You have any doubt?” Omkara leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms wide, pandiculating, and with a broad grin, he said, “Nope, Jhansi ki Rani, no doubts at all. This is your second-best comeback to a ridiculous question asked at a proposal setting”

Gauri frowned slightly as she placed the glass back on the table, wondering which was her number one comeback. Then, as if recalling, she laughed, and Omkara joined in too. “C’mon ya, Oberoi! That guy was asking for it. Imagine the audacity to ask me if I’m a virgin, the moment we were allowed to speak to each other privately! What else would I say?” to which Omkara chuckled, “I don’t know what else you would say, but a reply like yours – ‘I’m not a bottle of olive oil, that you’d ask me such a question’ is not something that anyone would reply!” Both of them clinked their glasses at that and took a large sip from their respective drinks. “But I heard that guy got engaged recently!” Gauri exclaimed looking at Omkara, who said with a laugh, “Probably to a barrel of extra-virgin olive-oil or a 'desi-shuddh ghee ka dabba' given how much he valued the factor of virginity!” Gauri shook her head in fake disappointment, “Yaar Oberoi, why do you even try? Your jokes are worse than your cooking skills!”

Omkara was about to retort when he looked at his phone flashing ‘Jagath Maata’ calling. “Mom’s call” he muttered with a small frown as he answered it. Gauri looked at him after she emptied the remnants of her glass in one go, and signaled the waiter for a repeat.

“Haan Mom, I’m out with Sharma… What do you mean by which Sharma? Ek hi toh Sharma hai,” Gauri beamed with pride at that, while Omkara looked at her with a naughty smirk, saying, “Gauri KUMARI Sharma!” stressing on her middle name, wiping away her smile. She glared at him, after a momentary shudder at her not-so-fancy middle name, and then gave him the middle finger. “Okayyyy” he said to his mother, and playfully stuck his tongue out at Gauri, but listening to something that Janhvi said, his expression turned serious.

“No way. If Mr. Oberoi is going to be there tomorrow, then I won’t be coming. You know I don’t like looking at his face.” He said in a dry-tone. Gauri did not look at Omkara’s face but knew he was turning red with anger. The mere mention of his father made him mad with anger. The first time Gauri had heard about the scandal between Tej Singh Oberoi and Swetlana Kapoor was when, one drunken night, Omkara had poured out his heart to her, seated on the balcony of his apartment.

Apparently, four years ago, a scandalous MMS was going around where Tej and Swetlana were in a compromising situation. It was then that Tej had admitted to having an affair with his secretary and had instantly offered a divorce to Janhvi. However, it was Kalyani Singh Oberoi, the matriarch of the Oberoi family, who’d put down her foot and threatened her own son that she would cut him off from the family wealth if he were to divorce Janhvi. Omkara, however, wasn’t happy with his Dadi’s decision. He, on the other hand, had felt that his mother would have been free from a loveless marriage and could’ve started afresh. Binding her in a trap-of-a-marriage had only been like chopping off her wings. When he’d discussed this issue with his Dadi, she had gone livid stating that the Oberoi family did not entertain any divorces among its members. Tej and Omkara had had an ugly spat the following day when the former had brought Swetlana into the house, letting the family know that she would be staying in the Oberoi Mansion with him, announcing that if anyone had a problem with his decision, they had to deal with it. After a long negotiation, Dadi had declared that Tej could stay in the outhouse with Swetlana; and while Tej was allowed to visit the Mansion on only certain occasions, Swetlana was forbidden to step into the house.

Omkara had seen red when every member of the house had silently agreed to this decision. “Dadi, what is Mom’s crime that you’re punishing her in such a cruel manner? That third-rated mistress will stay a couple of meters away with Mr. Oberoi under one roof, right under my Mom’s nose? I do not agree with your decision, Dadi!” Shivaay and Rudra had tried to placate Omkara and asked him to apologize to Dadi for talking back to her. But neither Omkara had budged, nor had Dadi changed her mind. The next morning when he had challenged his Dadi about it again, she had simply stated that he could move out of the Oberoi Mansion if he wasn’t supportive of her decision.