Becoming Sweethearts [✓]

Part Twenty One

The party had begun in full swing. Apart from family members, no one else was present. Kalyani Singh Oberoi had happily blown the candles and cut the cake, offering the first piece to Shivaay, and then to Annika. Pinky did make a disappointed face that, for Kalyani, Annika came in line before her, but decided to let it go when Shakti lovingly patted her arm, making her internally rejoice that her mother-in-law had fed the first piece of cake to her son, before anyone else.

Janhvi smiled as she came forward to feed Kalyani the cake, and did not miss the sorrow in the older woman’s eyes at the absence of her older son. However, they were all mindful of not mentioning it, not wanting Janhvi or Rudra to feel bad or Omkara to get mad. As everyone was feeding the cake to each other, Kalyani called out to Omkara, while asking him to bring Gauri forward too.

As Kalyani fed Gauri the cake, she said aloud, “I hope by next, if I’m still alive, I get to see you both married,” and continuing while looking at Annika, “As well as to hold my first great-grandchild in my arms!” Shivaay and Annika exchanged a soft glance with unreadable expressions and a small smile, while Gauri and Omkara almost froze. Gauri, with cake still stuffed in her mouth, looked in shock at Omkara, who looked slightly uncomfortable at the mention of marriage as well.

Deciding to intervene and diffuse the unwanted attention that the whole family had on the two of them, Janhvi said to Gauri, “Beta, did you try the cupcakes? I baked them myself. Here, let me serve one for you” Janhvi handed over the plate to Gauri, who nodded with a grateful smile, “Thank you Aunty” Janhvi patted her cheek and almost moved away when Omkara held her hand, “Mom, you didn’t offer one to me?” he said to her in mock offense. Janhvi rolled her eyes, saying, “Om, it’s right there on the table! Pick one and have it!” He narrowed his eyes at her, and said, “So, all the pampering is for her only? None for me?”

Janhvi smirked, “Yes. I’ve always wanted a daughter, but ended up with two sons!” Turning to Gauri, she continued, "When I was pregnant for the second time, I always thought Rudra was going to be a girl! I even purchased baby-frocks for him, and for the first three years, I even dressed him in pink frocks! Some day I'll show you those pictures..." Rudra, from another end of the living room, huffed with his hands at his hips, frowning at his mother saying, “Okay, I heard that! And no, you will not show her any pictures!” 

Everyone chuckled, including Gauri. Looking at her younger son, and then back at her older one, she shrugged her shoulders, “I’m just happy to have Gauri around, who’s like a daughter to me; someone whom I’ve heard about constantly from my Om for the last couple of years, and whom I’ve finally met today. Of course, she deserves all the pampering! So, you two can be grown-ups and deal with it!” There were giggles around the hall.

***

Rudra, Shivaay and Annika watched with goofy smiles as they saw Omkara and Gauri settling on the sofa, as if the two were in their own little bubble. Gauri had two cupcakes on her plate- one chocolate, and another vanilla. She had divided each of the two into halves. Omkara dug the fork into the vanilla one and took a bite of it, after which he placed the fork back on the plate. Gauri used the same fork to eat the same half of the cupcake that he was eating.

“See?” Rudra said to Annika and Shivaay with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “They can get two separate plates, two separate cupcakes, two separate forks. They can even eat two different halves. But no! Dono ko ek hi piece share karni hai!” Shivaay looked at him, and with a smirk, he said, “Ek hi thaali mein khaane se pyaar badhta hai!” He looked at Annika, who involuntarily blushed. “Thaali?” Rudra questioned, and said, “It’s a plate, Bhaiyya! And it’s not Pyaar…” He paused, before continuing with a grin, “It’s ‘Friendship badhta hai’!”