Becoming Sweethearts [✓]

Part Forty Three

​"What? Noooo!" Gauri moaned disappointedly when Omkara told her what his manager had told him an hour ago in the meeting. "But how can she just announce it all of a sudden? What about the visa?" she asked, absently holding his hand in hers. Omkara noticed a few of their colleagues looking at them holding hands in the office canteen, and while some of them giggled cutely at the sight, some others frowned at their 'unprofessional​'​ behaviour at the workplace.

Not the one to care about people's opinions, Omkara placed his hand on top of hers, encasing her hand in his. "Apparently, she forgot to inform me. The office had sent an email to her three weeks back, asking that the core members of our team visit the office in Germany before this project is launched so that we can make a detailed presentation, as well as represent the Mumbai branch in the four-day global conference. But since we both were on leave for the wedding, she couldn't inform me, and once we were back, it had slipped her mind. She remembered only today when the tickets arrived at the HR department."

Gauri sulked, now losing all her appetite. She had been so excited to eat her lunch, after reading the canteen menu. Right now, after hearing from him that he had to travel in tomorrow and would be gone for a total of six days, the chicken ghee roast biryani no longer seemed appealing. "What would I do without him for six long days? How would I stay alone without him?" she thought to herself.

Omkara noticed how she tossed her food around on the plate, almost toying with it in disinterest. He felt bad that the biryani she had been so excited about ever since she'd seen the canteen menu in the coffee break had now blown cold and seemed least appetizing to her. Having thought that, he was somewhere happy to know that she was upset he was leaving for almost a week. He wasn't being a sadist, but he didn't know why that made him happier. Maybe because he knew that she too would miss him​ the way​ he would miss her.

"Come on, Sharma! Don't be like this now!" he said in an appeasing tone, and she smiled half-heartedly. He took a spoonful of the food in her plate and held it at her lips to eat. She looked around, noticing that a few glances of disapproval were thrown their way. "They're watching," she said but proceeded to eat it anyway. "Do I look like I care?" he asked, and eating a spoonful with the same spoon. Before he could feed her again, she shook her head and ate it by herself. She didn't want anyone schooling her unnecessarily about workplace behaviour, especially given the mood she was in right now. Omkara was relieved she was at least eating again.

After a brief moment of silence, she said, "We've to pack your bag when we reach home." Omkara liked the way she used the term 'we'. He nodded and said, "I'll do it, don't worry." She frowned at him, saying, "Why can't I help you in packing?" He smiled, and nodded, "Okay baba. In that case, you only pack. Khush?" She looked at him from the corner of her eyes with a pointed look. Just to divert her mind, he said, "And I don't even mind if you rummage through my underwear drawer!" Gauri looked around, flustered, hoping no one had heard him, while he laughed at her expressions.

Before she could say anything in response, his team leader – Mitali, walked to their table, and in a no-nonsense tone, she said "Omkara, this evening, the five of us who are flying to Germany will have to stay back and do the presentation. I've already booked your meeting calendar this noon, so you are exempted from attending any other meeting; Krishna has already approved. I want you to sit with Sarfaraz, Deepak, Nandita and make the presentation. I'll be preparing a report with the rest of the team. I will check the presentation once it's done."

Mitali, with a softened look on her face, then looked at Gauri, saying, "I understand it was last minute to inform him about the conference, and I'm sorry if that spoiled any personal plans you two had." Gauri shook her head in a no with a small smile, as Mitali continued, "I understand that you two are newly married, and would want to spend time with each other. Also, six days is a long time. But I'm sorry; the office insists that all of the team's core members be present. Otherwise, we would've excused his absence."