The Abyss- Ishqbaaz Fanfic by Aashi
Chapter- 23
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Jhanvi smiled, looking at piece of paper in her hand. She never thought an increment can give so much happiness to her. She was indeed very surprised to see Jai Khurana- Singhania as her boss, a very dear college bud who was the most refined person in their group. He had looked up with a glare, ready to shout for the tiny mistake he had found in the review of the presentation, but had looked at her aghast. Her own face had mirrored the astonishment and both of them had taken some time to recover.
“Jai, Jai Shekher Singhania!! My goodness, it’s you?” “Jhanvi Malhotra… Oberoi, what are you doing here?” He got up and went towards her and she without any delay put her arms around him and hugged him. “Easy, easy, old girl, how are you?” “Oh, I’m all good. Where have you been? No calls, no mails, no contact. Last time I talked to Meera and she said you didn’t even go to her wedding.”
“After graduation, I took a vacation for three years” he said calmly, as he sat down along with Jhanvi, “ Then for the next five years, I worked at Goldman Sachs, then taught Economics at the London University, got myself a degree in music and mathematics, taught in Dartmouth University for some six years. Then, took over the company ten years back after dad’s death and have lived in London ever since. About five years ago, I came back and re- established my company here. Last year, doctor advised me to move to warmer climate and…here am I. We had reunions every five year but you never talked to any of us. Now tell me, who broke the contact?” He replied, without stopping once in between.
Jhanvi looked at him and forwarded him a glass of water. “Relax yaar, I’ll tell you everything today. At first, tell me, what is wrong in this presentation?” “Nothing….” “Come on yaar, just tell me. I’m not just your P.A. but also your best friend. Tell me, tell me…” she insisted and soon they indulged in work.
Anika sat alone in the poolside. Pinky had went with Priyanka to some prayer- meet, Daadi was resting in her room, RuMya had gone on a date- which Rudra seemed very excited about, Om had still not come home, Tej uncle, Shakti uncle and Shivaay were still at office. She welcomed the little solitude and silence, casting aside the turmoil inside her for some time. She gazed lazily at the little waves in the pool, rippling across the surface.
Her phone rang, shaking her out of revere, and saw Saahil calling. She picked up the call; he was at the hospital, staying for a couple of days there before surgery. “Haa Saahil, bol. Kaisa hai tu? Aur kya kar raha hai? Khaana khaaya ya nahi?” “Relax di, I’m fine and yes, I had my food.” He hesitated before continuing “Di, kal aaogi naa?” Anika felt the hidden fear in his voice. After all, she was his only support, his most lovable. “Yes Saahil. I’ll surely be there” “Thank you, di. Waise di, agar aap bura na maano to ek baat bolu? Di, Jiju bure nahi hai. Whatever he did, and the way he took was wrong but he loves you. I know he hurt your feelings; he crushed your sentiments but listen to him for once. You never asked why he did that, and if he really wanted to satisfy his ego, then, why did he let you off tracks. He didn’t even justify himself or defended his actions. I think you two should talk. And yes di, I know you love him”. Anika felt her cheeks wet; she hadn’t realized she was crying. “Bohut bari- bari baate karta hai tu to ab. Haa, bol to tu sahi raha. Chal, dekhti hu ki iss baare me kya kar sakti hu. Tu apna dhyaan rakh, kal aati hu. Chal, ab bye.” “Goodnight Didi. I love you” and the call was cut.
Anika breathed deeply. At last the dilemma she was constantly facing quieted. “Shivaay Singh Oberoi, you have to face khidkitodh Anika now” she said to herself as she moved indoors.
Om hadn’t had the greatest day at work. Gauri occupied his brain and senses the whole day long. He constantly tried calling her but she ignored his calls repeatedly. Her house was locked when he tried to meet her in the evening; he tried finding her on the beach, at the ice- cream parlor, at the nearby parks but she was nowhere to be found and nor were the children. At home, he grew more distraught not to find ShivRu, though Anika explained Rudra’s disappearance, she herself had no idea about Shivaay. He paid more attention to Anika and praised her cooking but felt her distress at Shivaay’s absence which she was hiding rather skillfully. Priyanka and Chotti maa kept chatting in low tones and giggled occasionally and Daadi looked better so kept track of conversations. As usual, Mr. Oberoi and chotte papa talked business but they praised Anika’s cooking as well.
After dinner, he helped Anika with the dishes who absent mindedly did the work. “Anu, kya hua?” he asked. He needed to get his head off Gauri and talking seemed a great distraction. “Nothing yaar…” Om looked pointedly at her and she sighed in response. Her shoulders slumped and he put an arm around her shoulders, showing support.
“Yaar dekh, kal Saahil ka operation hai so I’m already in tension and I thought to ask Shivaay the whole story behind this whole marriage thing; and, he isn’t home yet. Ab tension nahi hogi to aur kya hoga?” she complained like a little child to Om. Om smiled looking at the cute little girl in her matured Anika. “Anika, I think you should worry about the operation for now. And as for Shivaay, he is probably in another meeting. Wait, let me call him.” Shivaay answered after two rings. “Yes, Om” he said, his tone brisk. “Shivaay tu ghar kab aayega. Dekh…” he was interrupted by his brother “Om, mujhe aaj bohut kaam hai. I’ll be late, you go and sleep”. The line went dead. He looked up to see tears swarming up in Anika’s eyes; she rushed to her room and shut the door. “Great!” he thought, sardonically, “I’ve created another mess.” Anika clearly understood Shivaay’s ignorance; they had both been clearly hurt by the incident of that day.
Anika never denied the fluttery feeling in her stomach whenever she was close to him, the way her breath hitched whenever he hugged her, how she felt like melting whenever his breath fanned her face or neck when she woke up in his embrace in the mornings. But the way he forcibly married her had made her doubt her own instincts and trust.
She had wished, in a small corner of her heart, that one day she’d fall in love, she would be courted, be told she was beautiful and be pampered. She’d share everything with him, her happiness & sorrows, her fights and tears. But, at the end of the day, she’ll have someone by her side, who will be there for her, to trust and be loved by. She had very little wishes from life and the time she’d started she had started believing in miracles, her life again became a cruel joke. Anika stared out of the window, tears continuously trickling down her face.
Rudra watched the sparkle in Soumya’s eyes, as she unceremoniously stuffed the popcorn in her mouth, occasionally feeding him some, too, as she shouted in excitement at movie before her. It was an old Hollywood movie, but the hall was rather full and the level of excitement seemed similar in all. He had hardly paid any attention to it but their date had been beautiful. They went swinging, rode on the giant wheel, eaten batata-puri and Juhu’s famous vada- pav. They had had cotton candies and now they were watching the movie at the last show which was about to finish. Slowly, Soumya’s eyes dimmed with tears and she hugged his arm.
Alarmed, he looked at the screen to find a romantic confession of the leads before they kissed. He smiled looking at Soumya as she dabbed her eyes, admiring the flush of pink on her nose, corner of her eyes and at the tip of her ears as she looked starry eyed at the screen. As if at a cue, she looked at him, flushed and leaned into him. The hall lit up and he wrapped his arm round her shoulders as they moved out.
Gauri stared at the night sky, sitting on the steps of her house. The moon hung pale, lighting the sky dimly. She held the application forms in her hand and was thinking hard. She was decisive to get the children the best education she could afford and was determined to send them to a boarding school at Darjeeling. This would keep them away from any problems that would try to hinder her and keep them safe for no one would look for them at top boarding schools. Gauri sighed and teared up. “I’ll do this for you but you owe me one” she said to no one in particular.
Jhanvi entered the house quietly enough. She went and changed in a comfortable pair of clothes and slept. Tej, who was sitting and reading, was surprised to see her sleeping quietly and not nagging him to turn off the lights. When he looked carefully, he saw her covering her eyes with a scarf. He felt somewhat dejected, unknowing of the reason.
Om drifted off to an uneasy slumber, the whole day’s problem taking a toll on him. He curled in a tight ball and cried himself to sleep. Rudra like the responsible boy-friend dropped the sleeping Soumya to his room before joining Om who was already asleep. He smothered O’s hair and covered him off properly before he dozed into sleep.
Shivaay reached some time after mid- night and parked the car. He looked up to see the whole house in darkness “must be a power cut,” he thought. He remembered Khanna telling him about the work going on in the lane behind. He went upstairs in the little light of his cell phone’s flashlight and walked towards his room. “Everyone must be sleeping, so should…. Anika! Damn! How could I forget she’s afraid of darkness” He ran to his room to his room and looked around frantically. “Anika, Anika, where are you? Anika….” He called; his voice desperate. No sound came. He called a few more times checking the room fully and the bathroom. He looked towards the sliding doors of the pool area. He felt his heart stop for a second; he saw Anika fallen on the floor there. He ran to her and picked up as the lights came back.
“Anika, Anika, open your eyes” he despairingly called as he rubbed her feet and palm. She felt unnaturally cold so he covered her with a blanket. He patted her face, he sprinkled some water; no response was received. He called up the doctor and fifteen minutes later she was being checked. The doctor checked her blood- pressure, her heartbeats, her eyes, then injected her with some medicine. He gestured Shivaay to follow him out, and Shivaay, not wanting to disturb Anika, followed.
Hello everyone. It’s me Aashi, back with another part of the story. Thank you guys for the reviews, likes and dislikes. Please keep following the story and keep supporting me like always. Take care and love you all.
Thank you, Everyone.
By Aashi.