Becoming Sweethearts [✓]

Part Twenty Six

“That’s cheating!” Gauri shrieked as she threw a peg at Omkara, who ducked as he dodged getting hit. The two were playing Chinese checkers, and Gauri had wanted to move her blue peg into an empty spot, but Omkara unexpectedly moved his yellow one there, ultimately foiling her plan and blocking her move. “It’s not!” he said with a frown, picking the peg she’d thrown right back at her, hitting her on her forehead.

“You knew I wanted to move my peg there!” she accused, as she continued, “You played ugly, Oberoi! Now wait and watch how I make you pay for this!” she said, rubbing her forehead where the peg had hit her, not before throwing the peg right back at him, which he dodged again. “You first try moving even a single peg of yours into the triangle! Then, you talk!” he teased her, pointing out the three pegs that he’d already moved into the destination. Gauri stared at him for a whole minute and then, in an unexpected move, flipped the board tossing all the pegs to the floor, as she said in an annoyed tone, “Mujhe khelna hi nahi hai tere saath!” Omkara stared back at her before he started teasing her and calling her a loser.

Annoyed, Gauri beat him with a cushion right on his face and laughed when that effectively shut him up, only for a moment though. Because, before she saw it coming, he hit her back with another cushion and mocked her with a laugh of his own. The two of them began playfully fighting with the cushions amidst squeals and laughter peals, now forgetting all about the board tossed on the floor. Gauri ran around the sofa, trying to dodge him, while he ran after her in an attempt to catch her.

“Oberoi! Time please!” she said a while later breathlessly while slowing down, and Omkara ended up holding her by her hand. She wriggled, trying to move away while smacking the cushion on his arm. Her laughter died the moment he held both of her wrists, causing the cushion in her hand to drop on the floor.

“Bahut maza aa raha hai tumhe?” he asked in an unintentionally husky voice, equally breathless as hers, pulling her closer to him. Omkara didn’t know what possessed him to pull her close enough to his body to feel the warmth of her body against his. she, surprisingly, felt as soft as a feather – something he hadn’t noticed earlier. It was in this very moment Gauri realised that Omkara did possess certain incredibly handsome features as her gaze roved over his face, up close. It was only when his eyes captured her gaze, did she feel a strange warmth starting in the pit of her stomach. It didn’t help that both of them were panting for breath, their chests heaving, and both their breaths mingled as they stood a couple of inches away from each other, staring into each other’s eyes.

This had never happened before, they both thought to themselves. “O-” she started to call his name, but abruptly stopped when his grip around her wrists loosened. Omkara, suddenly, couldn’t get enough of her touch; surprisingly, he wanted more. As if in a trance, his fingers were now gliding down the soft bare skin of her forearms in a gentle caress. A frozen Gauri stood there as if hypnotized, feeling the tips of his fingers finding their way down to her elbows. Without unlocking his gaze from hers, Omkara gently held her elbows and pulled her closer. Gauri gasped at the sudden movement, and Omkara’s gaze instantly settled on her lips as they formed an O. She swallowed a non-existent lump in her throat when she felt his eyes studying her lips intently. Gauri’s hands, over which her mind now seemed to have lost control, made its way to the inner crease of his elbow, bringing Omkara to gaze into her eyes with a hint of surprise in it at her soft touch.

Both, Gauri and Omkara, felt the static in the air around them. Right now, there was no other sound other than that of their soft breathing. Time stood still as if capturing this frame forever. However, they both were pulled out of their reverie when the doorbell rang.

Omkara and Gauri, both stepped away from each other, suddenly withdrawing their hands and keeping to themselves. Gauri wondered why she felt a sudden feeling of irritation come over her as she moved away from him, while Omkara was disappointed at the sudden lack of her touch. The doorbell rang again as if the person at the door was either really angry or impatient. “I’ll just-” Omkara said pointing towards the door while clearing his throat, and Gauri nodded, looking at him. Walking behind him, she waited a couple of steps away as Omkara answered the door.