ARRANGED OR DESTINED (Rikara Short Story)

(2) Meeting "unofficially"

Omkara's phone was ringing continuously... He sighed and picks it up...

"Yes Mom... What is it??"

Janhvi - Beta have you found the list I gave you...??? Make sure you bring all those stuffs... You know you have to stay alone for three months right?? You will need all that I've mentioned... I wonder how will you manage without me...

Omkara chuckled... It's only 1 day since he left his home and his mother already called him more than 10 times just to remind him to buy essential things he will need...

Om - Oh my dear mom... I'm not a kid anymore... I can manage... Believe me... I'm going to the mall right now... And I will bring whatever you've written... So chill...

1 day Since Omkara moved to Pune... Day after tomorrow is Sunday... The day he's going for a marriage meeting for the very first time.... He went on blind dates before but this is something else... And for some odd reason, he was nervous....

Friday morning inside a shopping mall in Pune...

Thanks to his mother, Omkara had a huge list of things to buy...

"Let's start with groceries..." Omkara told to himself and started taking things one by one....

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"Bhavya... Slow down... Why are you running so fast??" Gauri scolds her one and the only friend Bhavya who forced her to take an half day leave from her work so that she could shop with her...

Gauri was already tensed with the fact that she has to meet a guy she doesn't even know... And top of that, her drama queen of a friend Bhavya lied to her about having an emergency and forced her to take an off just to drag her along to do shopping with her...

Meeting a guy was certainly a different case for her... She didn't have any clue how to deal with it... What to say... What to ask... How to behave... She wasn't sure if she could really say something or not...

Bhav - sweety pie... It's end sale.. We can't waste time... so hurry...

Gauri(in a complaining tone) - You know I Hate shopping... Still you bring me here... I don't know why I always fall for your schemes... I Hate you...!!!

Bhavya - Awww... Baby I love you too... Ab chal...

She again holds her hand and dragged her along with her to the most crowded section...

Unlike Bhavya... Gauri was not a fan of shopping... Thanks to her mother and online shopping apps, she managed to find a way to not go to crowded malls... But what to do about her friend who always drags her along with her successfully....

"You go there and find something suitable to wear on Sunday..." Bhavya told Gauri... And in return Gauri gave her a shocking look...

Bhavya - What??? Don't look at me like that... Aunty ji told me to do it...she knew you will not go by yourself that's why I had to force you... Now go and check there... I'll check this section...

"Why you guys are making this more awkward... I do have clothes to wear on Sundays and Mondays and whatever else... There's no need to take it so seriously... It's not something special" Gauri was seriously getting pissed over the fact that her mother is going crazy about this meeting as if the marriage is already fixed... And now Bhavya too...

"Oh Com'on Gauri... You admit it or not... It is your first time when you're meeting a guy... It has to be special... Now don't be a spoil sport and do as I say..." Bhavya commanded.... That girl surely knows how to handle an angry Gauri Sharma...

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After buying his things, Omkara was little hungry... So he went to the food court...

As he was walking towards the main section to order something to eat, coming from the opposite direction... Someone bumped into him and all his things fell on ground...

"Oh man..." He immediately bent down to collect his stuffs... While that person also collected his bags from the ground to help him...

Both stood up... Omkara was still scrutinizing if any of his things got damaged or not...

"I'm so sorry I didn't see you..." It was a girl's voice... She gave Omkara his remaining bags...

"It's Ok..." He said with a smile while taking the bags from her hand... That is when both saw each other... And the smile on their faces was replaced by utter shock....

It took almost ten seconds for him to realise that the girl infront of him is the same girl his parents wanted him to meet...

Shock is just an understatement coz Omkara never in his wildest dream could have imagined this to happen... he was shocked... His eyes were about to come out of the socket and mouth was ajar open....

Well... her expression was not less than his... She was looking at him with her eyes wide open in shock as if she saw some kind of Ghost...

The moment she handed him his bags and apologized to him... his long locks caught her attention and she immediately realised that she accidentally bumped into the guy whome her parents are going crazy about...

How's this even possible... So many people inside this food court and still she had to collide with him only... this was super awkward...

Both could see the reflection of their own reaction on each other's face... unsure about how to react... they were still standing on their place... Holding that bag in between....

"Sorry for that..." Gauri hurriedly said and immediately ran out of the food court leaving behind a confused Omkara who was still standing there... Did she just ran away??

Om(to himself) - Woah.... What was that?

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After reaching home... Gauri didn't tell anyone about her accidental encounter with Omkara... But she knew she did a mistake... Who runs away like that... Seriously...

Going into her room, she was still thinking about it..

Gauri(to herself) - he must be thinking that I'm out of my mind.... Damn!! Why I ran away like that... It's so embarrassing...

Omkara on the other side, couldn't stop thinking about what happened today...

Om - she might got scared the way I was looking at her... That's why she ran away... Damn you Omkara... You are hopeless... It's so embarrassing...
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They were supposed to meet on Sunday... But destiny had some other plans....

What will happen next??

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KHUSHI ❤️