Hello everyone 🙂
It’s been so long that I even forgot when I had last updated. My lovely readers might even be mad at me for not keeping my promise, so let me clear out the reason why I have been absent. Actually my specs broke, so I couldn’t see anything. When I was about to get them back, I somehow managed to break both, my hand and my foot. So I couldn’t type anything for the past weeks. I also have a lot of ffs to catch up on, so please send me the links too. Let’s get to the episode without any more delay.
RECAP: Ishu beat up Tej and Shakti but stops herself from killing them for revenge. Om and the rest of the Oberoi family reach the hospital. Om finds a quiet corridor and sits down to think in silence.
Link to previous episodes: Previous Episodes
LUCKY: EPISODE 35
OM’S PERSPECTIVE
I sat down and let my head rest in my hands as the breeze from the open window cooled down my heated body, when I felt someone watching me. Sure enough, it was Shivaay walking towards me with slow, tired steps. Sitting down beside me for a moment, he patted my back as if congratulating me on some achievement, and I knew why. For him, me calling Mr. Oberoi as Papa was really a huge milestone that I had achieved; although now I wonder if that will only make things worse.
We sat like that for another minute before he said, “Om, you know we love you, right? All of us, including Bade Papa and Dad. They don’t show it but they do. And we need you here. Because your mere presence is enough to keep us all together. Remember that, please.” His words confused me and I looked up at him to double check if it was my elder brother speaking. What I saw in his kanji eyes surprised me, because they were clearly reflecting his inner fear of losing his brothers; something I hadn’t ever seen before.
“Shivaay!” I breathed and he looked away. I followed his line of sight and saw ‘her’ leaning against a door with a sad, cute pout. Ishu came to the hospital on her own?! Or am I daydreaming? Or worse, am I hallucinating? Have I finally gone crazy? Shivaay stood up as she walked towards us carefully, as if expecting everything to dissolve into thin air if she came any closer! The black jeans and the soft peach shirt looked more than beautiful on her, except for the blood stains here and there. The short heels of the tan, ankle-length boots clicked loudly on the tiles as she came closer with each step until that was the only sound I could hear. She finally made it to my side without falling down, watching my face for signs of anger while I tried my best to look at anything but her.
I heard Shivaay say to her, “Ishu, I really hope you think about it once more. But as I said, I’ll respect your wishes, no matter what. After all, that’s the least I can do after you left them alive!” I was shocked at this, but kept my eyes focused on the floor. I didn’t see their expressions, but then Shivaay left us alone and Ishu sat down beside me. When we finally locked eyes, she smoothed my hair away from my eyes and held my face between her hands for a long minute. My eyes stung as she said, “I’m sorry that I hurt them.” I reciprocated her actions by holding her face, while her hands fell to her lap. “I’m thankful that you didn’t kill them.”
I pulled my hands away and asked, “Are you okay?”
She answered that with another question, “Why do you always ask that?” Unthinkingly, I blurted out the truth, “Because you always look like you’re not okay. Also, you seem to have hurt yourself too.” She was surprised as well as sad with my answer as if I had guessed her big secret, but she held herself back from asking anything else. Instead, she prepared to launch into a speech.
“Om, I know this is not the time for such things, but I have to say this now. So listen carefully, okay?” she said really seriously. I could only nod at her and she was satisfied with that. “To be honest, my original plan was to ask you to run away with me, somewhere far away…” My eyes betrayed the slightest of curiosity and she replied, “You would have come.” To me, her confident tone was a kind of confirmation of our connection. And I agreed with her. Indeed, running away with Ishu sounded so easy and simple right now. “But I won’t do that to you, Om”, she whispered and the words hung in the air for some time as we stared at each other. She had said only the half-truth, but it was enough for both of us to understand. Because I had heard what she couldn’t truthfully say to me right now; that I had to stay here with my brothers, my family, so that she doesn’t feel worse about all of this, that she wanted to be selfish but couldn’t bring herself to do it because of the people she had obviously come to love now, including me. The thought both, hurt and healed a chunk of my heart. Unable to hold my gaze for longer, she looked down at her hands.
Finally I asked her, “Ishu, what was so important that you came ‘here’?” Her eyes flew up to mine and then back down as I almost read the answer in them. She was hiding something from me; I could feel it in my bones. ‘Is she going away or what?’ the thought repeated in my mind. Instinctively, I held her wrist, pulling her closer to myself. “Are you going somewhere? Where are you going? Is it really necessary to go? You can’t go after making me like this!” My voice came out all desperate and needy, but I didn’t care. In that moment, I just knew one thing; I would do anything to keep her by my side.
She actually smiled at that! I couldn’t believe she was happy with this! But she corrected my thought quickly. “If I stay, I’ll probably end up removing their life support to charge my phone! Isn’t it better that I leave you and your happy family alone? Plus, I really need to go away on my own for a while. So don’t look for me either.” A faraway look came into her eyes and I understood her craving for solitude. Besides, although it had been a long time ago, she was still grieving for her parents. “I should let her be”, I told myself.
“But what about me?” a small voice at the back of my head asked selfishly.
“Om, even if we meet after two days, months, years or maybe even never, I just wanted to tell you that I…” her breath caught in her throat and she didn’t finish. Instead, she gazed at me with her heart in her honey-dripping eyes. So I said what I wanted to say and what she wanted to hear, “I know. Me too.” That elicited a shy smile from her and her face turned pink, totally matching with her shirt’s colour.
She started backing away as if she was about to dance her way out, but I held her wrist again. “Stay for a while”, I implored her and she looked like she would want nothing more than just that. Out of the blue, she placed her head on my shoulder and forcefully made me tilt my head such that my cheek rested on her hair. “Promise me you’ll take care of yourself and come back safely”, I said while holding back tears. For once, I wanted all of it to be a dream; it would be so much more bearable if this wasn’t real.
She nodded in reply and said, “Promise me you’ll never be sad and mopey all by yourself. Be happy always, because lots of people hurt when you are sad.” I, too, nodded quietly and waited for the somber mood to pass. Ishu was probably thinking of the same as she threatened in a childlike voice, “Don’t go back to all those stupid girls when I’m gone. Or I’ll come back for revenge!”. And it was totally successful in cheering me up.
“Hurry back to me and don’t get too close with other guys. Or I’ll hunt you down and drag you back!” I returned. She smiled up at me and I caught my breath at our proximity. On an instinct, I tipped her chin up and leaned in to kiss her lips softly. I glanced at her once to see her blush scarlet while biting the corner of her lower lip, looking more sensual than cute. She was trying very hard to look up at me but her lashes fluttered down every second.
And then her stomach grumbled loudly. Shock crossed my features as she looked down, embarrassed. “How long has it been since you ate?” I asked worriedly at her quiet awkwardness. I pulled her with me to the hospital cafeteria and made her sit while I went to order something. I noticed a few media people but ignored them and quickly ordered a big meal. But when I turned back, she was nowhere to be seen.
Just like she had come into my life, unexpected and unannounced, she had disappeared too. Like the wind which doesn’t leave any trace but a cool feeling and an irreparable void in its absence.
I told Shivaay about this but he was just surprised that she left on her own. I decided to leave the hospital before the rest of them and walked away from my brothers. On my way out, I saw Mom sitting beside Papa, holding his hand and listening intently to whatever he was telling her. I lingered there unthinkingly before returning to the little apartment I had now come to think of as home.
Maybe a small part of me still hoped she was here, but the small box and envelope on the couch crushed that budding hope. The box housed beautiful earrings for Anika and the envelope had a memory card. And she took… no, she stole a few of my shirts in return. These were the only things she left for me as a proof that she was real indeed. I sank to the couch as the loneliness hit me finally. Out of seemingly nowhere, I thought to myself, “Maybe being selfish isn’t a bad thing. I could have left with her and we would have been happy together. Ugh! Damn her noble idiocy!”
But there wasn’t anything I could do about it now, was there?
SNEAK PEEK: Shivika wedding. Leap. Om runs back home with an ear splitting smile which quickly changes into a shocked mask. (Maybe)
Hey guys, how have you all been? I missed you all like crazy, so here I am with the uber-late update. As I said, please send me the links to your ffs so I can catch up soon. As for this episode, it’s the one I had typed long ago, so I’m not sure when I’ll update next. Also, I’d love to read your views on the current track of Ishqbaaz and Dil Bole Oberoi too, besides this episode of Lucky. 🙂