Becoming Sweethearts [✓]

Part Ten

Omkara walks into the office the next day, still upset over the turn of events that took place yesterday. He sees Gauri seated at her usual place, logging into her laptop, and looking at her, he frowns. She had probably come in a few minutes back. He stands by his ‘new’ cubicle. Yesterday, after that ugly spat with Gauri, Krishna had informed Omkara that he would be shifted into a new project for a span of one month. Apparently, the team, headed by Ms. Mitali Rao, was looking for a resource with the skills that Omkara was well-equipped with. After an internal discussion, Krishna had suggested that Omkara shifted into the other team, and sits at his new seat for the next one month so any internal discussions with the said team would be easier, without any cross-discussions with the earlier team.

Omkara had been more than relieved. With the way Gauri had spoken to him, he barely wanted to even look at her face. Since then, she too hadn’t made any attempt to talk to him. So, sitting next to her after that fight would only further irritate them both. Omkara was still scowling, when he saw Gauri getting up from her seat with her coffee mug; she was probably headed towards the pantry to make herself a cup of green-tea.

Gauri turned around and saw Omkara at a distance. She almost smiled at him, but then remembered the argument that took place yesterday. She bit the inside of her cheek and looked away when she was reminded about the way he spoke about Ajinkya. If Omkara truly was harbouring any feelings for her, the way Ajju had pointed out to her, then she certainly was in no mood to entertain him, especially now that she had Ajinkya in her life. She walked with her head up straight and without a glance at Omkara, she almost sped past him towards the pantry.

Omkara didn’t let his face reflect the hurt he felt at her cold indifference. He always knew Gauri had a temper, but she was also the person to initiate making up with someone after any argument. Being such close friends, Omkara had expected her to come to him. After all, it had been her fault to scream at him and say such hurtful words, when all he wanted to do was looking out for her. But with the way she refused to even look at his face told him what he needed to know: now that she had Ajinkya in her life, she didn’t need anyone else.

Omkara still couldn’t come to terms with her changed behavior, constantly cursing Ajinkya inside his head. Come what may, he still didn’t trust Ajinkya Agnihotri. And with the way Gauri was changing herself for that two-faced man who was a wolf in a sheep’s disguise was shockingly alarming. However, Omkara decided to mind his own business now. He tried to warn her, and in return, she ended up severing all ties with him. What else did she mean when she said that she did not trust him anymore! He had seen first-hand in his own home, within his own family, what lack of trust did to people. Any relationship, even friendship, was based on trust, and when that lacked, there was nothing else left to continue. Omkara may have been a jolly person, but even he had his self-respect. After she had spat on his friendship and his genuine care towards her, there was no way he was going to talk to her at all!

Gauri, when on her way back to her seat, saw Omkara seated at his desk. The man had the nerve to speak rubbish about her fiance yesterday, and now behave as if it was all her mistake. She had even given him the benefit of doubt and had asked him if whatever Ajinkya told her over the phone was true. Omkara had agreed to it all. So clearly when he was at fault, why would she even make an attempt to talk to him, when he wasn’t even sorry for speaking all of it?

She noticed him seated next to Mitali Rao, the one heading the other department. Word had spread that Omkara was shifted into the new department by Krishna. Gauri had an inkling that it must have been Omkara himself who had requested to be shifted, at least to another seat, so that he doesn’t have to sit next to her. Maybe it was his guilty conscience. For, a while ago, she had seen him staring at her with a frown.