Rikara FS~ Mysterious Love Letters ?

          "So, what do you like to do in your free time?" Omkara rubbed the back of his neck as he said those words, attempting to sway away the awkwardness in the air.

  A shift breeze blew past them as Gauri shifted her gaze from her ring, that encircled her ring finger, towards him. They were sitting on the bench, about two arms distance from each other, beneath the apple tree that stood in the garden of his future in-laws.

   It was Rudra's idea after all, to convince the elders to let, or rather force the newly engaged couple to spend some 'quality time ' together. However their quality time, since past half an hour was spent in utter silence, with Omkara fumbling with words to start conversation while Gauri lost in her own thoughts.

   "Sorry," Gauri muttered slowly , " what did you say?"

"Ah..." Omkara straightened his back, relieved on the start of the conversation, "well I just said that perhaps we should try to know about each other. So to begin, what do you like to do in your free time?"

Her brows furrowed a little, as she seemed to ponder over his question. " I like to read books" she replied after a long pause.

"Oh okay! What type of books?" Omkara said trying to be cheerful, preparing  a mental note that his future wife is a nerd, suddenly reminded by his brain that Shivay had told him this multiple times.

"Nothing specific, " she said, as her brows furrowed further, " but yes, romantic stories are usually in my reading list.

"So you like reading about love stories?" He asked.

She nodded, " Yes, reading about love give me....... Happiness, I suppose."

 "Do you believe in love?"

Suddenly, swift rush of reddeness appeared  on her face as soon his question entered her ear. "Y..Ye..yes I do, I think I do" she stammered. "Don't you?"

Omkara turned his face away. " I'm sorry but no, I don't." He said as she looked on. " I do respect the purity of true love, to feel affection for someone , care for them, to make them the reason of your love.  But no, it is too pious to exist in this cruel world.. for me it just happens on stories"

"Oh! "She muttered, "So, you don't think true love exists?."

Without any reason, he was reminded of the hidden love letter due to her words, but he shook his head. "No....I dont "

"Oh....I see." She muttered softly and focused her eyes elsewhere humming a tune.  While Omkara was interpteting it as her indication for marking the  end of conversation from her side, suddenly he  heard  her blurt out.

"Can  I ask you something?"

"Well...Go on"

He saw her closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, as if gathering all her strength. Then she sighed, and looked at him.

"Do you really want to do  this marriage?" She asked in a whisper, barely audible as if  her throat was tightened by a compact mass. Yet her eight worded question managed to caught him off-gaurd. 

"Ah..." He said, struggling to reply, "what do you mean by that?"

She bit her lips nervously and shuddered. "I meant..." She said, still in a whisper, "it's just that...I..I hope Bhai have told you about that"

"About what?" He asked, confused.

Paleness dawned on her face, and she said, "about my infertility."

Curse you Omkara his inner voice whispered  in his ear coldly as he finally understood what she was trying to say and the reason of her pained behavior. He remembered when Shivaye told him about her inability to conceive a child, before asking him to take his sister's hand for marrige. Her infertility had been a really been issue especially for her, and it had developed in  to insecurity with passage of time.