How to Fall Out of Love in Ten Easy Steps (ON HOLD)

Step 3: Just Kiss and Make Up

The ride back from the hotel was exhausting to say the least. Priyanka and Bhavya decided to take the Harley, something I was grateful for because I didn't have the heart to sit on that abomination for two whole hours more.

Since Bhavya was gone, Rudra's car got more inviting and Richa, Soumya and Anika decided to go with him. Diya and me had to settle with Shivaay Bhaiya's car which would have to be driven by Omkaara because Shivaay Bhaiya had drunk a lot.

Nikhil and Arjun had of course gone their seperate ways. Not before Arjun promised to meet us again tomorrow at the amusement park we had planned to go to. I, of course using the opportunity nudged Anika into inviting Nikhil too.

And now here I was sitting in the backseat watching Omkaara berate his elder brother for drinking.

"Just drink your life away, why don't you? You drink when you're stressed and now you drink when you're happy, what else is left? Just drink when you're bored too!" Omkaara was almost yelling.

It didn't surprise me. Because Omkaara was always looking out for people around him.

A memory surfaced back at the thought.

Gauri was ten and hurting. Because Omkaara had just fucked everything up for her. So like anyone would, she was bent over and crying keeping her head between her knees.

A hand brushed her back with a feather light touch. She looked up to find a startled Omkaara. Did he think she wouldn't feel his touch?

"What?" She yelled as she wiped her tears with a rough swipe of her hand.

"Why are you crying?"

"Why do you think?" Gauri yelled back.

"I am sorry for calling you fatty. You're not fat."

"You think?" Gauri yelled at him again.

"I wasn't thinking straight. I am sorry. It won't happen again." Omkaara apologised.

"You think that's why I am mad?" Gauri shouted at him.

Omkaara looked at her with confusion.

"I am crying because I am angry."

"Angry at who?"

"You."

"Why?"

"Svetlana is just a little bit thinner than me. I can lose that weight with a week's diet."

"You don't need to, Pari."

"Then, why did you call me that? Why did you take Svetlana out?" Gauri swallowed back a why not me with her tears.

"Pari," Omkaara called out but didn't speak when she looked up at him.

Finally, when he spoke, his words were ladden with guilt, "I really don't deserve you."

"But I like you."

"Trust me as do I."

*****

My eyes widened as that memory rushed back to me. I looked at Omkaara through the rearview mirror to see him focussing on the road. I almost asked him why out loud but stopped myself and just stared instead.

Did he really like me then?

Then, why did he bully me?

Was he feeling guilty even as he bullied me back then?

And then there was the mother of all questions, Why?

Why did he like me?

Why did he leave me?