Everything I Do - RiKara SS

15

Chapter 15

Moments
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 “Get me out!” She banged on the door for the thousandth time. A puff of dust was all that came in answer. Ri sneezed, stumbling back and hitting her leg on an upturned bucket. Other than a faint beam of light in the far corner – which seemed like a dusty stage – there was no source of light. Perhaps turning down Omkara’s invitation, to accompany her on a tour around his art school was not the best idea. Or perhaps giving in to that angel looking tiny demons a. k. a. his students’ puppy eyed insistence was a result of her foolishness.
She had been locked in there for almost an hour now – cursing her own foolishness and her husband’s sudden busy schedule. He had been following her consistently for the last few days, completely ignoring her repeated commands to leave her alone. But when she needed him, he seemed to have disappeared – 
Abandoning her attempts at escape, Ri made her way inside. The room she had been locked in, looked like a cross between an attic and a forsaken theater. It might have been a part of the art school, but now forgotten in the wake of the era of auditoriums. Omkara had told her that this place was old – he had worked here for an year after that particular dark episode of drug and rehab in his younger years. He said it had helped him to focus on lighter aspects of his life, pour himself into his art. His tone had been fond, when he recalled those times. This place had healed him – it had made a place in his heart. 
Buying it out, might have been Shivay’s idea; she couldn’t imagine Omkara weighing something closer to his heart with riches. But he had done a lot of good to the place. Bringing its name a prestige and splendor that the institution seemed to wear well. 
She made her way up a decayed wooden staircase, coming to the realization that the stage had been built for puppet shows. Ri stepped on cracking wooden panels over the curtained platform, not daring to look down; the drop was high enough to make her dizzy. There was a loud crack and her foot went through the broken wooden panel; she let out a small scream that went unheard in the dingy silence of the room. 
“Wow!” Seated on the dusty wooden floor, trying to free her foot she let out a groan. “Just wow!”
“Who’s there?” A new voice called out, she heard the distant sound of the door unbolting. “Koi hai?” Relief flooded through her, as she recognized the owner of that mild, husky tone; forgetting for a moment to be irritated about his timing – where was he when she was banging that damn door for hours?
“Omkara!” She called out, still struggling with her stuck foot. “I’m here!”
“Gauri?” He sounded doubtful, nevertheless, his voice was followed by the light sound of his footsteps on the stairs. His figure loomed out of darkness a moment later. “What are you – you’re stuck!”
He was beside her in a second, his hands over hers on her ankle, aiding to her effort to pull herself free. 
“I was wondering when you’d pop up,” she said sarcastically and he raised an eyebrow.
“I distantly remember someone asking me to leave on the top of their voice,” his tone was skeptical. “Finally decided to grace the world beyond your room with your presence?”
For a moment, it seemed the time had reverted back to the good old days – before the tragedy had struck them. Her cheeks had regained their color and her eyes their ever – present shimmer of mirth.
“Blame this on those minions of yours – you send them didn’t you?” When she responded, her tone had the same tongue – in – cheek quality that he was so used to.
“Ishq ne nikamma kar diya, warna hum bhi aadmi kaam ke the –“ he laughed. She chuckled along noticing that he did not deny or confirm her accusation. Then her giggle stopped, as his words seeped into her conscious. Suddenly she was aware of his fingers laced through hers, his palms lying over her hands and the heat that seeped through his skin into hers. Ri coughed, uneasily, looking anywhere but at him.
“Waise – how did you find me?”
“No – I was actually looking for a mop – no offence!” He added quickly. “I’m glad that I run into you.”
Finally her foot came out and Ri sighed in relief. Omkara helped her back to her feet, she stumbled a bit, gripping two hand full from his t - shirt on his shoulders for support. His hand swathed around her waist with a practiced ease, his eyes focused on hers. 
“So you met the kids,” he said gradually, in no hurry to let her go. “Did you like them?”
“They are good emotional blackmailers, and very good pranksters,” she rolled her eyes. “To think that I believed them makes me feel like a fool – perhaps I’ve finally out grown my childhood.”
When she looked back into his eyes, they were darker, his fingers rhythmically drumming on her waist on their own accord. 
“Of cause – you’re no child.”
Something about his tone made her conscious of their position, Ri pulled herself away from him, turning on her heel she put a few steps of distance between them. 
“Thanks – I’d have been stuck there for ages had you not found me.” Her voice was cheerful and polite, but empty of any real emotion. He blinked at the sudden shift of the situation, when she turned around to smile at him – all too brightly – that haunted look had returned to her eyes. “I think we should leave now, you were busy right? I should go back to my room too –“
She walked past him, chatting away mindlessly towards the stairs. He stretched out an arm and gripped her elbow, holding her back.
“Abhi nahi,” he said simply.
For a moment tension simmered between them, electrifying the air that surrounded the two, with sparks of flickering emotions. Ri drew in a sharp breath, trying to depict his tone as he thwarted her from leaving. His face was as unreadable as ever. He grinned after a moment, tugging her down the stairs with him.
“It’s a pity if you came in here and went without meeting Mr and Mrs Motu Raam.”
“Mr and  Mrs what -?” 
Omkara chuckled in response and pulled her to the backstage, where puppets lay heaped on the corners, lifeless and unused from quite a time. Mr and Mrs Motu Raam turned out to be hand puppets. A puppet of an obese man and his wife a petite framed, rosy cheeked woman. Ri watched amazed as he picked up the two puppets, his fingers effortlessly tucking into Motu Raam’s neck and arm joints. The puppet woke up with a shudder and a sneeze.
“Good morning, pretty face!” He spoke in a loud screechy tone she never thought Omkara was able to produce. “Aap ki saat pahadiyon mein bahaar aaya hai baby!” 
And Mrs. Motu Raam launched at her husband, her hands swatting him away from Ri. 
“I knew it,” She squealed in a rough yet feminine tone. “I just left for a second and he is flirting, yeh na jaha bhi kuddi dhiki waha shuru!”
Motu crawled in absolute terror, back away from Ri instantly, giving his wife fearsome glances. 
“Nahi jaan –“ his voice shuddered as Mrs Motu Raam frowned. “Bhabhi tell her na, we were just talking!”
Unable to help herself Ri burst out laughing. 
“Wah!” She giggled, “Baby se seeda Bhabhi?”
Omkara laughed loudly as both puppets fell lifeless again.
“So that’s their tale – Motu is a flirt who has his eye on beautiful girls, but he is a joru ka Ghulam at the end of the day.”
“You’re too good at this!” her laughter rang through the empty theater once more. “Where did you get them?”
“I made them,” Omkara confessed watching the surprise widen Ri’s eyes. “When I first came here I was a jerk – then when I turned sensible enough, the kids were hating me like anything.”
“and it worked?”
“It always does,” he told her seriously. Ri’s smile dimmed a little as she realized how hard she had been laughing a minute ago. Had he been doing it all for her – so that she would forget her woes for a moment? Unknown to her, some weight had lifted from her heart, a part of her sorrow lost in that bout of laughter. “Shivay and I used to do this for Rudra,” he confessed, watching the emotions that flickered across her features. “Whenever he was down after our parents had a huge fight. Shivay always bully me into playing Mr. Motu Raam,” he pulled a face. “But he was Rudra’s favorite – no wonder he turned out to be the biggest flirt in the family.”
“Thank you Omkara,” Ri cut in, her eyes burning with fresh tears.
“What? For playing Motu Raam?” He asked sarcastically. “Don’t get used to it, I hate Motu.”
“I kinda love him,” she stretched out a lazy finger and stroked the lifeless fat puppet. “but it’s not that – I know I said a lot back then – but I’m glad you brought me here.”
He clasped her hand that touched Motu in his own, his gaze searching for something in hers.
“You don’t have to thank me for everything Gauri, I’m not doing any charity.” 
**