~You Will Stay In My Heart, Forever...~

~CHAPTER EIGHT~

The next day:

As soon as Rudra saw his best friend, he ran to her shouting happily, "Riiiiiiii!!! Riiiiiii!! Look! I am back!" He was too excited to even wait for his brothers to walk in with him. The two simply looked at each other and shook their heads.

There goes the gossip queen.

Gauri had been intently staring at a flower pot that had been kept just in front of the choir. It was a beautiful white rose plant, filled mostly with rose buds, and a few bloomed ones. White had, in general, always been Gauri's favourite. It brought her a different feeling of peace and tranquility. She bent in front of a blooming flower, sniffed it, and smiled to herself. Hearing her best friend's excited voice, she turned to her left, just in time to see Rudra bumping into her classmate and dance class partner, Saumya. As the two fell down, both Shivaay and Om ran to help them up. Gauri, on the other hand, slowly walked up to the four and said in a calm voice, "Rudy, just how many times have I told you not to run like that? And do I need to remind you that your injury hasn't recovered yet?" Hearing her, Rudra immediately tried to explain that it was only because he was excited that he ran like a baby cheetah, but one tiny glare from his Gundi of a friend was all that he needed to stop himself from opening his mouth. The two brothers simply enjoyed the scene, chuckling internally.

Turning to the cute, chubby girl with a cute haircut, Gauri asked concerned, "Somu, are you alright? Did you get hurt? Come let's go to the medical room." The girl dusted her skirt and replied with a smile, "Don't worry G, I'm completely fine. I was so awestruck with that colourful butterfly flying around near the marigold flowers that I didn't notice him coming from that side." She then looked at Rudra and asked, "Hey, are you fine?" with concern written all over her face. Rudra immediately smiled and, scratching his head, said," I should be asking you that...but yes, I am good. You?" Soumya smiled and replied quickly, "Me too."
That's when the bell rang and Shivaay noticed that Anika was nowhere. He tapped Gauri's shoulder and asked, "Gauri where's Anika? I didn't see her yet...is she absent?" Gauri bobbed her head up and down. Puffing up her tiny face, she said, "You know bade bhaiyaa, Di's got fever. Doctor uncle told her to stay at home for a couple of days....now I have to come to school alone for the time being." She looked like she was about to cry. Shivaay made a sad face and patted her head, knowing well enough how it feels if your siblings are not fine. After all, his Rudy kept on falling ill all the time.

(A/N: This boy, I tell you *shakes head*
Rudy: Now what have I done, writer ji?!
Me: nothing. Stop falling sick all the time I can't see my Omie being so sad for you.
Ru: aha🌚 or is it that "you" are worried about me? *wriggles his eyes*
Me: Rudyyyyyyy.....uggh! Go back to the story.
Ru: whoa okay, easy there, woman.)

All day long, anybody who took a look at little Gauri's face, could straightaway feel the sadness and gloom because of the absence of her sister. Rudra and Saumya, who had become good friends by then, tried their level best to cheer her up, but that didn't help much.

During their recess break, when the two brothers came to meet Rudra, they found Gauri glumly sitting on the desk, her tiny feet dangling in the air, while an "about to have a crying fit" Rudra sat beside her, talking non stop. In front of them, sat a half-hearted Saumya, trying to indulge in the conversation from time to time.

Just as they were about to reach them, they saw Veer walking in the kids' direction. He went to Saumya and said, "Princess, have you finished your food?" He then looked over at Gauri and Rudra, and spoke, "And what exactly are you two monkeys doing with my baby sister?" Saumya immediately poked him in the arm and said, "Bhaiyaaaa! They are not monkeys! See they are humans! In fact, they are my friends!" 

A surprised Veer stared at his sister and muttered softly, "...if you say so, princess." By then, the two Obros had walked up to the group, and Rudy couldn't help but jump towards them like a flying frog. Shivaay staggered a bit from the sudden force, then laughed and said, "whoa! Itna pyaar? Kya baat hai bachhe?" Rudy looked up into his superman's face and spoke in a low voice, "Dekhiye na bhaiyya Ri kitni sad hai. Aap isko happy bana dijiye please mujhe bohut bura lag raha hai." A helpless Shivaay looked at Omkara,knowing fully well that Om always had a way with his words, who sighed, ruffled his baby bro's hair and went to sit beside a puffy-faced Gauri.

"Oye ladki, what's wrong?"

Gauri looked up in the direction of the voice, her large eyes rimmed with tears. Om immediately pulled the little bean in a hug, then rocking her sideways while he cradled her head in his hands, he spoke again, "Kya hua Gauri? Mujhe toh batao please. Anika ko miss kar rahi ho? Bas kuchh hi der me toh ghar jayenge hum tab toh usi ke paas rahogi."

Hearing his soothing voice, Gauri sniffed a bit and said, "Om, Di ko kuchh nhi hoga na? Unhe kal raat se bohut high fever hai. Mai aaj nhi aana chahti thi par unhone hi mujhe bhej diya. Mujhe Di ko aise dekhna bilkul achha nhi lagta."

Om pulled her face up to have a look at her. Wiping the tears that fell silently, he spoke,"I know bachha, I know. Mujhe bhi bilkul achha nhi lagta jab mere siblings bimar hote hai. Par dekho agar tum itni sad rahogi toh Anika ko bhi bura lagega, hai na? Aur meri Ri toh sabse smart hai, sabse strong bhi, hmm?"

Gauri couldn't stop her childish mind from pondering over what he said. He was right, she finally decided. Gauri Roy Choudhury was famous for being "dabangg". She slowly got out of the hug, stepped down from her place then spoke to the group, "Om ne sahi kaha. Ri is the smartest and strongest. Mai ab bilkul bhi sad nhi hone wali. Agar meri yeh rotru face Di ne dekh liya toh woh bohut sad ho jayegi."

Rudy ran to his second brother and hugged him tight, while Saumya followed suit. He spoke excitedly, "Yaay O! Aapne kar dikhaya!" To which everyone burst into laughter.

From that day onwards, Omkara and Gauri's bond took a new turn. They weren't just friends because their siblings happened to be each other's classmates. It was because they understood each other a lot, and could read each other's minds so well it surprised everybody. Over time, the tiny friendship turned into a bond shared by best friends.

_________________________________________

Hey there, cupcakes!

I know, I know. I had practically vanished into thin air, leaving you all hanging. And I'm so so sowwy🥺

A tiny reminder: You guys are the best. Literally ❤

So finally they are best friends. We all adore their bond, don't we?

Also, did you like my conversation with Rudy? Do you want more of them?

Don't forget to vote, comment and share!

Love,
Naira💕