LOVE, LIFE, SECRETS: Answers lie within – CHAPTER 38

CHAPTER 38: Changing equations

(Day after Shivaay and team come to know about Tia-Dushyant)

Chan….

Chan….

Chan….

The sound reached Shivaay who was standing in a corner talking on his phone…. He was busy talking when he was distracted by the sound…. He looked in the direction of the sound and what he saw made his heart skip a beat….

Anika was descending down the stairs with her would-be Bhabhi Pankhuri….

Shivaay was lost looking at her…. He had always seen her in formals or jeans-top…. Today seeing her in that beautiful royal blue lehenga made his heart skip a beat…. Her hairs that were always left loose were today tied into a beautiful bun…. Her long jhumkas swayed to and fro as she walked…. The golden bangles tinkled as she moved her hands…. Her cute little bindi perfectly matched the colour of her lehenga….

Shivaay felt he had never seen someone so beautiful ever…. For the first time in his life he was swayed by someone’s beauty to this extent…. He could not take his eyes off her…. If it was possible he would keep looking at her like this forever….

“Bhaiya, kisi ko aisa ghoorna bad manners hote hai”

Shivaay was jerked out of his thoughts by Rudra’s voice…. He turned to his side to find his brothers looking at him with raised brows and teasing smiles…. He felt highly embarrassed getting caught by them…. The phone call he was attending was long forgotten….

Shivaay: Shut up Rudra, I was busy….

Rudra: Woh to dikh hi raha tha Bhaiya, how much busy you were?

Shivaay: Rudra, chup kar. Om, sikha ise kuch.

Omkara: Tu sikha raha hai na, utna kafi hai.

Om and Rudra shared a hi-fi laughing at Shivaay…. Shivaay didn’t say anything and walked off from there….

Rudra: O, today for the first time I saw Bhaiya so lost in someone.

Omkara: Sahi kaha Rudra, even I have noticed that Shivaay has changed a lot.

*****

Arjun and Pankhuri exchanged the rings and everybody clapped for them…. It was a simple event with few close guests…. Arjun had invited his best friend Shivaay along with the Oberoi family…. Malhotras and Ranas being business partners in many ventures, the Ranas were also invited…. Arjun being quite aware of the rivalry of the two families had managed to keep them away from each other…. Anika had invited Prachi and Ranbir….

Once the rings had been exchanged, Arjun and Pankhuri took blessings from all elders….

Anika: Bhai, ab toh aapka aur bhabhi ka ek dance toh banta hai.

Shaantanu: Absolutely correct Anika, ek dance toh hona hi chahiye.

Anika and Shaantanu smiled at each other…. Shivaay who saw this did not appreciate this…. He had been observing from the time Shaantanu had come, he was paying attention only to Anika…. Shivaay did not at all like his closeness and extra-friendly behavior with Anika…. Shivaay clenched his fingers into a fist….

Omkara noticed this and then looking at Anika with Shaantanu, he understood what was going on in Shivaay’s mind…. Om smiled seeing his brother getting jealous…. Seeing a jealous Shivaay Singh Oberoi was a rare sight…. Apart from Om, two other people had noticed Shivaay’s behavior…. Prachi and Ranbir smiled at each other seeing this…. They had been the witnesses of many Shivaay-Anika moments in the past days….

The couple danced gracefully on a slow romantic song…. Arjun and Pankhuri asked others to join them….

Prachi was surprised when Ranbir asked her for a dance…. Ranbir smiled at her and she too smiled back…. She kept her hand in his and they walked towards the dance floor….

Rudra shocked the entire Oberoi family when he took Soumya to the dance floor…. Soumya was reluctant to join him but when Rudra assured her not to worry, she felt relieved….

On Ketki’s insistence, Mallika and Siddharth also joined the others….

Shaantanu asked Anika for a dance but before she could reply Shivaay came there…. He held her hand firmly and took her towards the dance floor…. Anika was shocked seeing his behavior….

As if Rudra’s shock was not enough for the Oberoi family that Shivaay gave them another….

Om stood near the counter smiling seeing his two brothers and their acts…. Om being an artist always had been more observant about his surroundings and when it came to his brothers, he was extra-careful and extra-attentive…. His smiled looking at the pairs dancing with each other…. His thoughts drifted to Ishana…. It had been only a day and he was missing her…. The way he had asked her to leave was still piercing his heart…. Only if he could explain her why he did what he did…. Om sighed at the thought and gulped down his drink….

Shaantanu who did not like Shivaay’s interference asked Priyanka for a dance…. Priyanka agreed not wanting to bring unnecessary attention to her….

*****

Anika was standing with her arms across her chest looking at Shivaay…. Shivaay was looking everywhere but her…. The dance had finished long back and Shivaay had been avoiding Anika since then….

She wanted to talk to him while Shivaay did not know what to talk about…. He was annoyed by himself seeing the strange ways in which he had been behaving throughout the ceremony…. He did not know how to face Anika especially after the dance…. The way he felt when she was close to him took his breathe heavy…. How he was getting lost every time he looked into her warm eyes…. How he felt a different kind of peace when he was holding her hand…. How was he supposed to explain her something he himself couldn’t understand…. How was he to tell her that he felt something different every time she was with him…. How was he supposed to tell her that his heart beat faster every time she came closer…. How was he supposed to tell her that she made him feel in ways he thought was never possible….

Anika: Will you say something, I asked you something?

Shivaay: Anika…. Woh…. It’s that….

Anika: Shivaay, what is wrong with you? I have been seeing that you have been behaving differently. You have never been like this.

Shivaay: Its nothing Anika, nothing is wrong with me. I think you are over-thinking.

Anika: Really, this is what you have to say, I am over-thinking.

Shivaay: Yeah, that’s exactly what I have been saying.

Anika: You know what it is no use talking to you, I was a fool that I was getting worried thinking that something was bothering you.

Shivaay: No Anika, I didn’t mean it like that.

Anika: I have very well understood what you mean. And I am sorry for bothering you for this.

Shivaay: Anika….

Anika did not wait for him to say something and started walking towards the hall…. Shivaay was surprised by the way she was walking away…. No one had ever walked away from him like this…. He walked behind her and held her hand firmly…. He turned her towards him and she landed near his chest…. She was surprised by his sudden move as she had not expected anything like this…. They were very close to each other, only few inches between them…. Anika’s heart started beating rapidly in that proximity…. She was looking at his eyes that had changed to blue…. His eyes were always so mesmerizing that she couldn’t stop herself from getting lost….

Shivaay: No one walks away from Shivaay Singh Oberoi.

Anika: Huh….

Shivaay: Don’t you ever do this again, never walk away from me.

He left her hand and moved away from her…. Anika was looking at him still processing his words…. He moved his fingers through his hair and walked away…. Anika looked at his retreating figure still trying to process what had happened in the past few minutes….

*****

Mallika was walking towards the counter when she bumped into Shivaay…. They looked at each other…. After their break up, the simple and meaningful relationship Shivaay and Mallika shared had changed drastically…. The ones who used to talk to each other for hours had not spoken in months…. The ones who spent time with each other every day met only in business parties…. Those moments spent laughing, talking and teasing each other were a distant memory now…. Mallika looked at him for a brief moment and was about to walk away but stopped hearing his words….

Shivaay: The typical Mallika behavior, always running away from situations.

Mallika: I am not running away.

Shivaay: Convince someone who doesn’t know you well; I won’t fall for this act.

Mallika: Shivaay, I would have loved to argue with you, but neither this is the time nor the place.

Mallika looked at him and then moved away from there…. Siddharth witnessed the scene from a distance…. He knew that Mallika and Shivaay were not on good terms with each other but still whenever he saw them together, something in him ignited a fire within him…. An uncontrollable fire….

Shivaay was irritated by her behavior and turned to walk away…. He was walking when he felt someone holding his hand and he was surprised to see Anika…. He was not in the mood to talk to anyone even if it was her….

Shivaay: Not now Anika, please….

Anika: But Shivaay….

She could not complete as Shivaay was already walking away…. She walked behind him when Shivaay received a call…. He looked at the caller ID and was annoyed seeing an unknown number…. He was already in a bad mood…. He disconnected the call…. Anika was walking towards him to talk to him when for a brief moment she looked up…. She again looked up shocked seeing the rope of the chandelier lose…. She looked down and saw Shivaay standing below it…. All the people present there were surprised and shocked hearing Anika’s shout…. Shivaay looked at Anika surprised hearing her scream his name…. The events occurred in split seconds when Anika ran towards him and pulled him towards her…. The sudden force made Shivaay stumble and he fell over Anika…. At the same time the chandelier fell down and the glass broke into millions of pieces…. All the people were too shocked to react…. A silence prevailed before anyone could react….

Shivaay came out of his trance and looked at Anika…. He got up from above her and made her stand…. Om and Rudra were the first one to reach Shivaay and engulfed him in a tight hug…. Arjun pulled Anika towards himself…. Shivaay and Anika looked at each other hugging their brothers tightly…. The others also reached near them…. Pinky hugged Shivaay as tears flowed from her eyes…. Shivaay assured her that he was safe…. The entire Oberoi family thanked Anika for saving Shivaay from the accident…. Gauri and Soumya were also standing there shocked by the sudden events…. Prachi and Ranbir were also standing with the families…. Naren looked at Gauri and shouted at her….

Naren: So this is how you people do your job, how can you be so careless, if Anika hadn’t reacted on the right time, God knows what would have happened?

Gauri: Sir….

Naren: Shut up, we don’t want your excuses.

Rudra was about to say something to Naren but he stopped when he heard Adhvik…. All others looked at him as he walked and stood beside Gauri….

Adhvik: Dad, it is not her fault. This was an accident; please let us not make an issue.

Gauri looked at him surprised….

Omkara: Yes uncle, it is not anyone’s fault. We should be thankful that everyone is safe.

Naren looked at Gauri once who was scared by him…. Adhvik signed Naren to not say anything…. Naren walked away…. Adhvik requested everyone not to worry…. After some time everyone decided to leave…. Taking leave from the Malhotras…. The guests walked towards the exit….

*****

Shivaay was going to his car when Anika called him…. He turned to look at her…. Om and Rudra saw this and signed Shivaay to talk while they waited near the car…. Shivaay nodded at them and walked towards her…. Anika immediately hugged him tight…. Shivaay was stunned by her move and took few moments before reciprocating the hug…. He covered her with his arms…. There were moments of silence…. Shivaay was surprised when he heard her little sobs…. He pulled her out of the hug and was shocked to see tears flowing from his eyes….

Shivaay: Anika….

Anika: Shivaay, I was so scared when I saw you standing under the chandelier. What if you would have got hurt?

Shivaay: Anika….

Anika: Shivaay, I don’t know what I would have done if you had got hurt.

Shivaay: Anika, I am fine. Nothing has happened to me, see, I am standing here with you.

Shivaay cupped her face in his hands and wiped her tears…. They were looking at each other…. Shivaay gently placed his lips on her forehead…. Anika closed her eyes as she felt the kiss on her forehead…. Shivaay felt the soft touch of her skin…. Shivaay looked at her…. Anika opened her eyes and looked at him….

It was not just a kiss….

It was a symbol that Shivaay respected her….

It showed that Shivaay cared for her….

It signified that Shivaay did not wish to ever hurt her….

It showed her that Shivaay would protect her….

It showed that she is important for Shivaay….

They moved away and Anika blushed a little…. She walked away from him…. Shivaay looked at her retreating figure as he smiled sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck…. After a long time Shivaay felt content….

*****

Pankhuri: Dad, please don’t be upset.

Adhvik: Dad, you know why I took a stand for Gauri. You know she is important link and we cannot lose her.

Naren: I know she is important but….

Pankhuri: Dad, please just a few days and everything will be fine.

Naren: Okay.

Naren walked away while Adhvik and Pankhuri looked at each other….

*****

Hello my dear readers, I hope you all are doing well.

Here is the next chapter of the story. Do share your views on the same. I hope you all will like it.

What do you think about the Malhotra family? Do you think Shivaay-Anika will realise their feelings for each other? What will Om, Rudra and Priyanka do when they’ll know that Shivaay knows about Tia-Dushyant?

Keep reading and smiling!!!
Take care and stay safe!!!