Becoming Sweethearts [✓]

Part Eight

Omkara checked his watch after he had parked his bike in the parking lot of the crowded pub. Gauri had told him while leaving from work to meet her at ‘Drunken Monkey’ at 7.30 P.M. He smiled, noting that there were still fifteen minutes to go. He checked his hair in the mirror of the bike, and combed them neatly after he had locked his helmet with his bike. Then, he slowly made his way towards the entrance of the pub, while softly bobbing his head to the rhythmic loud beats of the music inside.

Omkara paved his way through the crowd, and smiled lazily as one of the girls in a bodycon dress slyly smiled at him. ‘Pretty hot, definitely a 9 on 10’, he mentally noted and nodded like a gentleman when she slowly waved out at him. He looked around for any boyfriend or crazy exes around. The last thing he wanted was a crazy-ass guy wanting to pick a fight with him for simply trying to say hello to the girl.

Omkara turned in the girl’s direction, and that was when someone familiar caught his sight. He saw Ajinkya at a farther distance with his back turned to him. Omkara narrowed his eyes to check if it was actually him. Nope, without a doubt, it was the very same man; Gauri’s to-be-fiance, Ajinkya. The man looked a little upset as if he was trying to have a conversation with someone. Omkara peeped a little further, now forgetting all about the hot girl who’d waved at him, and was quite surprised to see a girl standing in front of him. A girl, who was not Gauri! The girl looked pretty upset too and was on the verge of tears as he told her something. Omkara could sense that Ajinkya was being pretty rude to her, going by his expressions and his body language. The girl, now in tears, had held his forearms as if pleading him. But he had simply pulled his arms away, and given her shoulders a nudge as if pushing her away.

“Get lost, bitch” was what Omkara heard him say to her, pretty shocked that someone who looked so sweet and polite could be so rude. Omkara frowned as Ajinkya turned around, and their gazes met. But since Ajinkya hadn’t met Omkara yet, he simply walked past him with the scowl intact on his face. Omkara inched closer to the girl, who was now crying hysterically. The music outside was relatively softer, which is why he heard the girl desperately telling someone on the phone amidst bitter tears, “He said he’s getting engaged to someone else whom his family has chosen for him. What do I do now?”

Omkara frowned, knowing that it was serious. The poor girl looked heartbroken. What if the matter involved something that Gauri should know? Ajinkya was her to-be-fiance, and if he was hiding something, she ought to know! Omkara was determined to find out more. He was about to talk to her when he felt a hand on his shoulder from behind. Omkara swiftly turned around to see Gauri, who shook her head at him with a broad smile. “When will you stop being such a flirt, staring at every girl?” she asked with a soft chuckle. Omkara shook his head and said, “I wasn’t… I was just…” he said, pointing behind him, where the girl was nowhere to be seen. He turned around, trying to locate her, and sees her leaving from the exit. Omkara wanted to follow her, but Gauri held his hand, “Kya kar raha hai, tu Oberoi? Andar Ajinkya hamara wait kar raha hai! Chal…” Gauri dragged him along with her, as she went inside the pub.

Omkara and Gauri walk into the pub to see Ajinkya seated at the VIP lounge, slightly away from the crowded area. “It’s good he made reservations, right?” she said leaning towards him, trying to be audible over the loud music. Omkara simply nodded, keeping his gaze on Ajinkya, still remembering the scene he saw outside, unable to shake that weird feeling off his mind. There was just something odd about the man!

As Omkara and Gauri neared the table, Ajinkya stood up with a broad smile and instantly hugged her. This time, she hugged him back with no hesitation. “You look stunning!” he whispered in her ears, making Gauri blush with a giggle. No doubt, Gauri looked really amazing in a knee-length black dress, with her hair left open and minimal makeup. But Omkara mentally rolled his eyes. The person he saw outside, screaming at the crying girl, seemed to be like an altogether different person from the one standing in front of him.