A/N: I would like to thank two amazing Authors for making this chapter possible. The first is our very own chibixcheeks whose SS Bad Woman literally made me super excited to write again. The story is impeccable and made me realise the sadness of a good story that is updated slowly. I am very thankful that so many amazing people find Delicate a read that they want more of! I will try to finish this book sooner
THE second one is the phenomenal Kimi L.Davis, whose Maslow Saga has me wanting to write as well as read more. I am so happy to have found you!
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It could be rightfully claimed that over the past few days the Oberoi household was showing some signs of what sane people would call 'normalcy'.
Well, for the most part.
The declaration to the entire family that Shivaay made a few days after the revelation of Gauri's relationship to Anika had been full of mixed reactions by the rest of the family. Shivaay himself was full of pride and relief that his wife's dearest wish had been fulfilled. A small, selfish part of him was terribly happy at the fact that he would not wake in the middle of the night thanks to his wife's sobs. Saumya and Rudra and smiled and uttered a happy "That's great!" at the same time. The estranged pair had turned red and walked away in separate directions. Prinku had only smiled and stuttered something the sisters could not catch before she excused herself after her phone rang. Pinky had an expression on her face that made everyone worry about her reaction. Instead, the woman just pressed her lips together and kept her opinions to herself. Janhavi Oberoi had been the first to hug Gauri and Anika together and to declare that the news the happiest she had heard. Shakti and Tej had offered polite, appropriate congratulations. Tej Oberoi had opened his mouth but a look at Om had made him think better of it. Omkara.
Dadi had been delighted to know that her favourite Anika and Om's bold yet soft bride Gauri were in fact related and she made a fuss of how two brothers of the Oberoi household had ended up married to a pair of sisters. How destiny played its games! Dadi had wanted to proudly announce the relation of her bahus to the world, but Anika and Gauri's soft whispers coaxed her against it. What the pair of sisters told the old woman remained a secret till the end of her days, and the sisters refused to share it with anyone else, even their husbands.
Om had his suspicions about the matter, but he trusted Gauri. Enough to know her intentions were nothing but pure. He had known her for a rather short time and yet, he knew he was unlikely to find a pure heart like his wife did. He told her that the same night, after they had retired into their own room, making her nearly cry with happiness. She confessed then, that for her, a true and strong relationship was built on trust and respect and that by trusting her, even with his past, Om had given her the belonging she had always longed for.
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Omkara revealed to Gauri his next plan and his declaration of love and devotion to her.
Her adoptive mother was to live in a guest room in the Oberoi house, despite her vehement protest that a mother should not spend a lot of time in her daughter's marital home. Gauri had cried then, and not only hugged her husband in front of the whole family (including her mother) but she had also declared her love for him rather loudly and in English. Everyone was afraid Omkara was going to split his face with that big grin he had for the rest of the day.
In a shocking twist for the whole family, Gauri's mother had, against all odds, managed to befriend Pinky Oberoi.
The two women were often spotted having cups of chai and laughing, making the very much bewildered members of the Oberoi family pinch themselves to make sure that this was really happening. It turned out that Gauri's adoptive mother had a friend who came from the same village where Pinky had spent her childhood days. The women bonded over prayers and stories from the epics. They went to temples together and were excitedly planning to go on a pilgrimage soon.
As an unexpected, almost miraculous effect, Pinky Oberoi had stopped muttering about Anika being unworthy of her son. Gauri's mother had accepted Anika as her own daughter and called her beta, much to Anika's joy and delight, and Pinky Oberoi daren't offend the only friend she had.
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The next few weeks saw the younger generation of the Oberoi women become friends rather than women just related to each other through marriage or blood.
Anika and Gauri made up for lost time, with Gauri teaching Anika some of the recipes her mother had taught her. They spent a lot of time talking about the past in censored versions, laughing at inside jokes and eating too much pani puri. The sisters also gently pulled each other's legs about their husbands, a girlish competition of who could make whom blush more. So far, Anika was winning and she lorded it over Gauri the way that big sisters are often likely to do. Gauri for her part pestered Anika to watch Salman Khan movies with her to even the score.
Gauri's unbelievable tales of the funnier instances in Bareilly could draw a laugh from Priyanka, who had slowly started opening up more and more to Gauri. While Anika was her sister, a part of her soul, Gauri found herself feeling the same protective, sisterly feelings for the youngest Oberoi. Prinku was easily shaken, and Gauri saw a small part of the girl she herself used to be before the incident with Kali Thakur had tried to crush her faith in the world. She wanted Prinku to know that she was not weak, that she was stronger than she believed herself to be, that she had people around her who would help her if she needed. Priyanka agreed to visit a counsellor for her anxiety and confidence after a few weeks of that uncritical attention and gentleness that no one else but Gauri had given her. Priyanka had also taken to writing down her thoughts and had excitedly confessed to Gauri that it was easier this way!
Saumya herself was unable to keep to herself and make herself as invisible as she had before. The wife of the youngest male Oberoi found herself dragged into movie marathons by Om's wife, cajoled into a pani puri eating contest by Shivaay's wife and shyly approached by the Oberoi daughter for advice on speaking clearly and without fear. Before she knew it, the detachment had given way to a strong bond and Saumya found herself feeling more a part of the house than apart from it. Gauri's quiet strength and faith despite everything she had been through, Anika's fiery determination and Priyanka's new found hope in herself made something inside Saumya awaken again. Some part of herself she thought she would never get back. Confidence.
Enough to go to Rudra's room in the dead of the night while everyone else slept and finally be assertive.
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It was not sure what new shock would hit the Oberoi family next, but for now, the magic of kindred spirits, love and calm reigned for a perfect week.
And then, things began to fall.
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Delicate - A Rikara Tale (Completed!)
FanfictionOm accepted Gauri as his wife after he filled her maang with his blood. Blood, after all, is thicker than water and if keeping Gauri meant keeping his family safe from the vulture Svetlana then Om will stay married to Gauri. All Gauri wanted was saf...
