Beyond Looks (Shivika OS)

Hello frens.. it been so so long that I wrote an OS on shivika.. too caught with work I was… I had submitted this for one competition on Insta..
This one is based on a social awareness

===============================================================
Anika woke to the similar sounds of the hustle bustle going on in her house, an even without asking anyone she knew the reason, a boy must be coming to see her. She came out and saw that the dining table was laden with varieties of savouries for the groom and his relatives. She saw her mom in the kitchen and went to her.

‘Why are you doing this mom, by now you know that no one is going to marry me’ She said a little irritated ‘Very soon all the happy faces which are full of hope will turn into sad ones’

Her mom looked at her, eyes full of concern ‘There is always hope in life Anika’.

‘Mom, this is the twentieth boy who is coming to see me. Why don’t you tell him about my disease before they come to see me’ she asked sadly, she knew in her mind and heart that she was never going to get married.

‘Because I feel someday, someone will come, who will look at your heart, and not at your face’ Her mom said and tears rolled down Anika’s eyes. She wished to say her mom that it happens only in fairy tales, in this world only looks mattered.

‘Now go get ready’ She almost pushed Anika to her room.

Anika went to her room and opened the cupboard, the complete set, which had her sarees, jewellery to be worn at every ‘boy coming to see her exhibition’ was ready. She got ready and came out. Her mom as usual had tears in her eyes, for her Anika was the most beautiful.

‘I hope you will keep your words, the deal we had discussed last time a boy had come to see me’ Anika said wiping her mom’s tears.

‘I hope I will not have to keep my words, and that this boy will agree to the proposal’ her mom said smiling.

The boy’s family arrived and they were served with snacks, when Anika arrived, as expected the snacks just fell out of their hands, and all she could see was disgust in their eyes as always. Anika just ran inside, already knowing that this proposal also was going to be declined.

Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she sat on her bed and cried her heart out. Her mom came and touched her face. Anika hugged her and cried some more.

‘It’s not my fault that I have these white patches all over my face, it not at all my fault that I have vitiligo’ she said in between sobs.

Her mom could not see her daughter’s heart breaking every time a groom came to see her, she moved her hands over Anika’s head and calmed her down ‘Let’s talk about our deal, go ahead and do that ayurvedic course you wanted to do’

At that moment Anika’s tears just stopped, and she did not know what to say, finally she was going to live her dream, she was free, she hugged her mom again.
Three years down the line, Anika had her own clinic and it was lined up with so many patients. All happy that they were finally going to look what others wanted them to look, beautiful.
She treated patients to remove their white patches from their face and body and make them look acceptable.

‘Thanks Dr. Anika ‘She heard a voice say

Looking up from her desk, her gaze met his green eyes, and her heart beat a little louder. He was so handsome, but who was he and why was he thanking her.

‘Thanks! why?’ she asked, still looking at him.

He just kept staring at her, she tapped the table and that bought him out of his reverie. He looked here and there as if trying to recollect what the conversation was about.

‘Thanks, because you cured my sister of vitiligo’ He placed a card in front of her ‘That’s my sister’s wedding card and you will be an important guest’

He must have noticed the confused look on her face an immediately provided more information’ My sister is Priyanka, and I am Shivay Singh Oberoi, her elder brother’.

Priyanka’s marriage was fixed, that was the happiest news she had heard, Anika and Priyanka had grown very close because of their similar age, and their sorrows matched too, grooms rejected them because of their white patches.

His eyes grew sad ‘Just because of some white patches which was not even her fault, her marriage was not getting fixed’.

‘True, not her fault at all’ She remembered all the proposals which had come for her.

She took the card and congratulated him, the sad look left his eyes and he smiled, Anika politely refused ‘Sorry Shivay, As I am traveling out of town, I can’t attend the wedding’

The fact was she was still scared of weddings, it still hurt when you walked into a gathering and immediately become the main topic of discussion.

Few days passed, and she was working in the clinic, when she heard the same voice again ‘Hello Anika’

‘Hi Shivay!’ She again got lost in his handsome face, but her inner voice immediately said he was not here for her ‘What brings you here’ she enquired.

He had not left her mind from the time she had met him, his thoughts always kept surfacing, and she tried her best to push them in the corner of her mind.

‘I was wondering if I could take you out for coffee’ he said

Was he blushing, he seemed to have gone read

‘Sorry but I am busy today’ she looked down at the papers she was working on.

He stood there for a while and left.

Evening Anika came out of the clinic, and was surprised to see him there.

‘What are you still doing here Shivay?’

‘Waiting for you’ his eyes grew serious

‘Why?’ She asked, He came closer and said, ‘Because I thought to give you a lift home’

‘No thanks, I prefer to go alone’ and she started walking

Shivay fell in step beside her and starting walking along with her.

They walked in complete silence, and reached near her home. She wanted to say him not to accompany her in the street as people will start gossiping.

But even before she started, he said he will leave, and left from there. She stood there, not understanding what was happening.

The next day dawned bright and beautiful, but Anika had gotten hardly any sleep last night. Shivay’s thoughts ruled her brain and heart.

The whole day went by, and she grew sad not to see Shivay come in the clinic today. She locked the clinic early and her heart started singing seeing Shivay waiting.

He smiled and she smiled back with her whole heart.

‘I missed you’ he said and this time she blushed.

They started walking, and he convinced her to have coffee with him. They spoke a lot of things over coffee, she told him about all the proposals where she had been rejected due to the
patches. He told her about the hardships he faced for his sister’s wedding. His life had been very simple, with just his family and work.

‘Can I ask you a personal question’ he seemed hesitant.

‘Ask right away’ she smiled and reassured him that he could ask.

‘When you have cured so many people, why not cure yourself. You will get so many proposals’ but before she could reply he continued ‘not that you are any less beautiful now’.

Her heart which had saddened by his first lines, filled with happiness with the second line. Did he really think she was beautiful?

‘I want a life partner who will like me the way I am’ she said looking straight at him.

‘I like you the way you are, will you marry me’? he said emotions filling his eyes.

‘But why do you want to marry me, my face still has the white patches, and I will never do any treatment for myself. They are going to remain forever’ she said challenging him

He smiled a slow smile which started from his lips and reached his eyes, and she felt alive with an unknown feeling.

‘It does not matter to me whether you treat yourself or not, I don’t care if you have the patches forever. I fell in love with you the first moment I saw you. And then fell more in love when I came to know that you don’t take any money for the treatment you do. I don’t just love you Anika, I respect you a lot’

Her eyes filled with tears, that someone had come, who as Mom had said will love her for her heart, and not for her looks.

‘What about your family’ she asked a little tensed.

‘They already like you, when I said I wanted to marry you, they were happy and they are just waiting for you to say yes’

My happiness knew no bounds, I hugged him and started crying. He held me and said

‘You still did not say yes’ he teased.

‘Yes, Yes and yes’ she smiled.

One month later, Anika was dressed as a bride, mom kept admiring her and said that she made the best bride ever. Guess every mom says that.

She came to the mandap, which was decorated beautifully. She looked at Shivay, and he kept staring at her, his eyes silently conveying how beautiful she looked.

She walked to him, and they sat for the rituals. But very soon she could hear people gossiping about them, that a handsome Shivay had chosen a white patched Anika as his life partner.
Shivay noticed that Anika was suddenly saddened and a silent tear rolled down her eye, her face which was glowing with happiness, now felt like something hard had hit. Shivay’s heart pained. He held her hand and walked to where all the people stood.

He squeezed her hand and looked at her. He addressed the gathering.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, I am thankful that you have come for my wedding, to bless me and Anika. You all are elders, my and her relatives, and therefore I accept that, the way we respect you, you should also respect me and my bride. Disrespecting her in any way will be disrespecting me. I love her immensely, and one tear down her eye, kills me. So please if you don’t have any good words for my bride, I don’t expect anything bad from you as well. Just having some white patches on a face does not make you good or bad. Her heart is a pure diamond. She has cured so many people of this disease that too free of cost. Me and you may never even equal to the kind of work she does. Curing herself or not, was her decision. If she is happy with the way she is, we should also accept her that way, and be proud of it. Hope from now on, everyone will have only good words for her. Thank you once again for gracing the most important day our life’

Tears did not seem to stop Anika’s eyes, they were constantly flowing, Shivay started to walk ahead, but stopped when he felt pulled back. Anika was not moving forward with him.

He looked back tensed, his eyes questioned what happened.
‘My makeup is all washed out, I would not want crying photos on my wedding day’ She smiled, he came closer and touched his forehead to hers.

‘Make it quick, I can’t wait to make you mine’ he said and walked to the altar.
As she took the rounds around the pious fire, she thought life is an exam where the syllabus is unknown, she had always thought that she will never get married for life. But she was not just getting married, but she was getting married to the person who loved her, but most of all respected her a lot. Shivay had proven that love is much more than looks, in fact in her case it was simply ‘beyond looks’
==================================================================

Hope you guys enjoy this.. please do leave ur comments..