Chapter 16

[NOCOPY]

Chapter 16

Shiva walked around the house, calling for Raavi continuously as he rummaged through drawers and items scattered on the table and sofa.

"Yaar Raavi, jawaab toh de!" He sighed, stuffing the papers back in the drawer.

"Kis liye chilla raha hai? Woh Mahi ke ghar gayi hai na!" Gaurav said, rearranging the drawer and closing it.

"Arre haa, bhul gaya." Shiva bit his tongue, and took his phone out to call Raavi, but she didn't pick up.

He tried again, but she had either kept it on silent or was ignoring his call.

Did I do something to piss her off? Abe pagal, if she was pissed off, you'd know she's pissed off.

He scrolled through his contacts and called Mahi. "Mahi, sun na!"

"Bolo devar sahab!"

"Raavi hai kya udhar? Woh mera wallet uske bag mein reh gaya shaayad aur mujhe urgently-"

"Raavi toh nahi aayi abhi tak."

"Nahi aayi matlab? Woh aadhe ghante pehle nikli hai, abhi tak aa jaana chahiye tha usse."

"Pata nahi, Shiva. Koi kaam aa gaya hoga usse, mera phone bhi nahi uthaya usne."

"Accha, theek hai. Woh aaye toh mujhe bata. Chal, bye."

Shiva disconnected the call, a sense of restlessness coursing through his body. "Kaha chali gayi ye chipkali?" He muttered to himself, grabbing his umbrella and stepping out to find her, calling her once again, and she didn't pick up, again.

Woh theek hai na? Phone kyu nahi utha rahi mera? Kuch ho toh nahi gaya-

Nahi. Aisa mat soch, phone shaayad bag mein hai aur baarish bhi toh ho rahi hai. Par usse pohonch toh jaana chahiye tha abhi tak Mahi ke ghar, kaunsa 900 km door hai uska ghar?

Kuch nahi hoga Shiva. Tu bas dhundh usse.

He wouldn't have given much thought to her reaching late, attributing it to the traffic during monsoons, but she wasn't picking up her phone either, and that had him worried.

Shiva walked swiftly on the road towards Mahi's house, looking here and there to see where on earth she landed herself into, walking past a café with a handful of people in it at the moment, a jewellery shop, a supermarket, a flower shop-

Shiva stopped in his tracks, registering his surroundings, and retraced his steps, stopping in front of the café.

There she was, sitting on a table, opposite a guy who was vaguely familiar, sipping on her favourite hot chocolate he could only assume, laughing away at something Shiva didn't want to know.

Something pricked in his chest, and Shiva looked away, before looking back to confirm it was her. And it was, no doubt. He didn't know what to do. He wasn't doubting her, but, didn't she essentially lie about going to Mahi's house when she really wanted to come here?

Shiva hated lies. It was precisely why he would always tell Raavi truthfully about everything when she asked, or even the few times she didn't. Because he didn't like to hide things. Especially not from the woman he was so madly in-

He chuckled dryly at his fate and looked away. But that wasn't what was bothering Shiva.

Shiva wouldn't care that Raavi was a café with some random guy, but him? The one person he couldn't tolerate, not for a second. 

He couldn't understand why she didn't simply tell him, at least he would have known where she was and wouldn't have to leave searching for her while his heart wouldn't stop muttering stupid things. And why did she have to lie about meeting him-

He stared at her, 20 feet away, and he knew he could walk up to her and ask her, right now, right away. But he decided to talk at home, because this wasn't the place or time for it.

Shiva balled his fists and closed his eyes, turning away before he ended up punching someone, and walked away as swiftly as he came, slamming the door shut behind him as he entered the house.

2 hours later

"Gaurav, tujhe ek secret bataau?" Raavi sat down on the dining table, setting her bag down as soon as she entered, tucking her phone between her ear and shoulder, "Mahi really loves you. Tere saath shaadi ke sapne dekh rahi hai."

"Jaanta hoon, bas college khatam ho jaaye-" Gaurav started, when Shiva stepped out of his room, and stood in front of Raavi, with a scowl in his face.

"Mai tujhe phone karti hu. Jo maine pieces bheje the, unme se ek choose karna, okay? Bye!" She smiled, knowing Gaurav had gone to pick out something special for his anniversary.

"Kaha gayi thi, Raavi?" He asked, in the nicest tone possible.

"Bola toh maine, Mahi ke ghar." Raavi casually picked up a handful of chips and stuffed her mouth with them.

"Pakka Mahi ke ghar gayi thi?" Shiva shook his leg, because that wasn't the answer he wanted to hear.

"Haa, Shiva."

"Aur kahi nahi gayi thi, beech mein? Like, I don't know," Shiva shrugged, his patience growing thin, "a café?"

"Shiva mai-" Raavi began to say, but she registered his words and stood up, stepping close, agitated, "tune mera peecha kiya?"

"Aur tune mujhse JHOOTH bola?" Shiva stepped closer, pain evident in his eyes.

"I did NOT LIE!" She said, exasperatedly, and Shiva chuckled dryly.

"Oh really? Toh Mahi ka ghar café mein hai aur Mahi ladka hai, right?"

"Shiva, tu jaisa soch raha hai-" Raavi closed her eyes and began to explain, but Shiva raised his palm in front of her face, indicating her to stop.

"Enough, Raavi." Shiva said, anger and pain evident in his eyes, "You lied to me, to meet HIM?! Seriously, TUJHE KYA LAGA, mai nahi pehchaan paaunga usko, jisne tujhe itna hurt kiya hai, HAA?!" He raised his voice, and Raavi flinched.

"What?" She whispered, and just knew he had got it all wrong.

"I know who that was, Raavi. Meri aankhein mujhe dhokha NAHI DE SAKTI. Not from where I was standing." Shiva shook his head impossibly and turned away, his fist coming down hard on the table.

"Shiva, don't take that tone with me and don't call me Raavi in that tone, I don't like it." Her lips quivered, as she stood in front of him and placed her hand on his cheek, turning him to face her. "Mai toh teri chipkali hoon na. Meri baat toh sun-"

"Kyu sunu?" He jerked her hands away, and stepped back, the distance between them killing him. "Kyu sunu mai teri baat, jab tu mujhse jhooth bolke Arjun se milne jaa sakti hai? KYU SUNU MAI TERI BAAT?!" Shiva yelled, his voice cracking, on the verge of tears.

"Shiva, please-"

"What, Shiva? Kya Shiva?! Haa?" Shiva pulled her closer by her arms, his voice dropping to a whisper, his eyes pleading for an answer. "Why did you have to go back to Arjun? Haa, Raavi? Was I not good enough for you?"

Raavi stood dumbfounded, hurting for Shiva, she couldn't imagine what was going on in his head. Was he seriously thinking history had repeated itself, and she was cheating-

No. No, she had to tell him he had it all wrong. This was all a misunderstanding, Shiva had got it all wrong, if only he'd just listen to her, once. Just once-

"Why, Raavi," He whispered, hurt, "why?"

"Shiva, just listen to me once. Let me explain-" Raavi began, but he let her go and walked back to his room, slamming the door shut.

"Shiva. Meri baat sun, na! Please!" Raavi pleaded, her tears at the brink of her eyes, as she repeatedly knocked on his door.

"Just f*ck off, Raavi."

"Bhaad mein jaa, Shiva!" Raavi kicked the door, frustrated with everything that had happened, and stormed away, not knowing how to handle this.

If he'd just listen to her....

.....

Shiva stepped out of the room, rubbing his face with his palms, wondering what to do, when he noted her absence in the room.

"Raavi kaha hai?" He croaked, and Gaurav just glared at him.

"Chali gayi kahi pe. Tumhare jhagde ke baad dekha nahi hai maine. Bataya usne mujhe sab." He said, grabbing his cup of tea and walking away, and Shiva stepped into his way.

"Kaha hai woh, Gaurav?" Shiva asked him, worriedly, and he simply nodded.

"Nahi pata. Usne mujhe bataya nahi, aur pata hota , toh bhi nahi batata tujhe." Gaurav said, side-stepping him and walking away.

Shiva reached for his phone and called Raavi, but she instantly declined his call. Shiva tried again, and again, and again, and the 7th time, when he had almost given up, she picked up, very annoyed.

"What do you want?"

"Kaha hai tu?"

"Jahanoom mein. Tujhe kya?"

"Just answer me, Raavi!"

"You told me to f*ck off. So I did exactly that."

Shiva groaned, hitting his forehead with his palm multiple times, before calming down momentarily, his voice barely in a whisper. "I didn't mean that."

"But you said it-" Raavi's voice cracked on the other end of the line, evidently hurt by everything that had transpired few hours back.

"Please." Shiva croaked, holding his head in one hand, "Just tell me where you are."

Silence.

A long silence settled between them, and Shiva almost felt like she had hung up on him, given up on them, and there was no worse feeling than whatever he was feeling in the moment, nothing worse than storm was brewing within him right now.

Until he heard her, barely, over the sound of the raindrops tinkling onto wherever she was, somewhere in the open he presumed.

"Terrace. Aana hai toh aa, warna-"

He didn't wait for her to finish her sentence, as he ran up the stairs, 3 stairs at a time, and threw open the doors to the open terrace of their building, the same spot where they had once confined in each other the exact fears that had put this distance between them.

Raavi stood with her back facing him, hugging her arms around herself, allowing the heavy rains to consume her being, and hide her tears.

Because that's what rains do, right? Hide the sadness and wash it away before anyone can notice.

She hated that she had to this without telling him. Raavi never wanted Shiva to feel like that again. Deceived, lied to. He had had enough of that the first time, and she knew how much he hated being lied to, when all he was, was honest.

She knew she didn't lie, but hiding the truth wasn't a better option. And his anger was justified, for the immediate scenario he had created in his head. She just wanted him to listen.

Under the pouring rain, she didn't notice when he walked up to her, and held her arm, gently turning her to face him.

They stood there, rooted to their spot, staring at each other without uttering a single word, just him, her, the rain and the moon hidden somewhere behind the dark clouds.

Their eyes shone red, of the tears that were flowing and the ones that were held back, chest heavy with feelings, as if a stone were placed and nothing could be done.

"Kyu?" Shiva whispered, closing his eyes his head hanging low, unable to form another sentence.

"Maine jhooth nahi bola, Shiva." Raavi croaked, moving to stand closer to him, "Mai Mahi ke ghar jaa rahi thi, tab uska phone aaya aur-"

"Phone aaya, aur tu uske paas chali gayi?" Shiva looked up, his eyes redder than ever, and a sob escaped Raavi's lips.

"Nahi." She cried, her palms covering her eyes, "Mai tujhe chodke kisi bhi ladke ke paas nahi jaaungi, Shiva."

"Tujhe sunai de raha hai, mai kya bol raha hoon?" He pointed to his ears, the water drenching them both, but that didn't matter anymore. "Mujhe koi farak nahi padta agar tu kisi aur ladke se milne gayi hoti toh. I wouldn't give a damn, Raavi, but HIM?!" Shiva yelled, and she just had to put an end to this.

"Woh Arjun nahi tha!"

"Accha, toh mai andha hoon?"

"Haa, hai tu!" Raavi pointed her finger in his chest, "Apna bailbuddhi dimaag laga, aur soch. Maine uspe case kiya, why ON EARTH would I go back to him? MAI KYU JAAUNGI USKE PAAS?!" Raavi screamed, and Shiva blanked out, as realisation dawned upon him.

How could he have been so stupid, to just accept what he saw without giving 2 thoughts about it?

"Toh kaun tha woh? Meri aankhein mujhe dhokha degi, Raavi?" Shiva raised his voice and Raavi's face contorted in pain.

"Stop calling me 'Raavi' in that tone, I hate it! Mai teri chipkali hi theek hu!" She grabbed onto the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer. "Woh Arjun nahi tha!"

"Nahi tha? NAHI THA?!"

"Nahi tha!"

"TOH KAUN THA?"

"USKA CHOTA BHAI, RISHI THA!"

Shiva stood still, his face scrunched up in confusion, unable to process what she had just said. How, how on earth can he mistaken someone that badly?

"Ye dekh," Raavi wiped her tears and pulled out her phone, opening Rishi's Instagram account, "2 saal chota hai Arjun se. Mera junior hai." And to say that Shiva was shocked at the similarities would be an understatement.

Similarities, itself, was an understatement, since they both looked the exact photocopy of one another, which he thought was remotely impossible.

"I met HIM. You saw HIM. Aaj, usne achanak phone karke milne bola. Aur mai usse milne gayi thi, because-" Raavi pressed her lips into a thin line, not being able to meet his eye, as she completed her statement.

"Because he brought the tapes for me, Shiva. The farmhouse tapes."

Shiva stared at her, for god knows how long, piecing together everything she told him, knowing how important it was to her and she'd do anything to get a hold of those tapes.

She was very naive, she easily trusted everyone, and even though that was a good thing, sometimes it wasn't, but she just didn't understand.

What if something had happened to her? How would he have known, what would he have done?

"How? And why would he help you? Aur mujhe pehle kyu nahi bataya, tere saath aa jaata!" Shiva reasoned, and Raavi lost her temper.

"Because WOH tere se darta hai. You INTIMIDATE people, you know that? And that was my only chance at getting them." She yelled and nudged him back, stepping into the space he left at the same time. "Bench partner tha woh, kaafi baar usse pass hone mein help ki hai maine. He owed me favours, and I pulled some."

"That coffee?" Raavi pointed at nobody in particular, "That was just me saying thank you. Par tu meri baat sunta? NAHI!"

She sobbed, her palms over her eyes, and all Shiva wanted to do was punch a wall, for everything that had happened, and should not have happened.

"Aur sabse stupid baat pata hai kya hai?" She croaked, pulling him closer by his shirt and rummaging through her pockets.

"Maine usse bohot request karke, YE," Raavi held his hand, palm facing up and thrust two small papers in his hand, "Ye stupid superhero movie ke premiere tickets arrange karwaye, kal ke, kyunki TUJHE bohot mann tha dekhne ka. Aur kal," She whispered, lips quivering from the cold, "kal humari 6 month anniversary hai."

"But you know what?" Raavi wiped her tears with the back of her hand, "Tu Gaurav ko leke jaa, Shashank ko leke jaa, it doesn't matter. Kyunki mai NAHI JAAUNGI!"

She turned on her heels and walked across the length of the concrete terrace, and Shiva watched her retreating form, knowing that if she crossed that door, that threshold, he'd lose her.

He'd lose her before he ever told her.

Not bothering about the puddles that splashed beneath his feet, he ran towards her, pulling her by her arm, backing her into the wall, until all she could feel was his energy enveloping her.

"Tujhe kuch ho jaata toh?" Shiva looked at her earnestly, his voice dropping to a soft whisper, tilting her by her chin upwards, "Mai kya karta?"

Raavi looked at him, tears pooling at the corner of her eyes, as he leaned and pressed his forehead against hers, and she almost sobbed at his gesture, her hands automatically going around his torso.

"Darr gaya tha." Shiva rested his hands at the base of her neck, caressing the skin with his thumbs.

"I was scared that you were leaving me. For him. Again. All over again."

And for the first time past her own tears, Raavi could see what was truly bothering him. It wasn't the lies, as much as it was the fear of him losing her to that man, that vile, vile man.

Even thought it was pouring heavily, she could see the tears that he held back, from the redness in eyes, and the pain in his heart that made its way through his eyes.

Her palms traveled up his back, looping his shoulder, one hand moving to rest on his cheek instead, "Kyu darr laga?"

He sighed, and she could feel his warm tears against his cold cheek, as he looked up at her, in the same way that he always did, resting his forehead against hers, as he uttered words against her lips, that Raavi decided were the most beautiful string of words to ever exist,

"Because you are my dream come true. I love you, and I don't want to lose you."

Raavi's eyes widened at his admission, her heart thudding hard against her chest, not knowing if it was from the words ringing in her ears or her body trying to make up for lost heat. 

"Phir se bol." She whispered, chuckling, feeling her own warm tears down her cheeks.

"Pyaar karta hu tujhse, meri chipkali." Shiva rubbed his nose against hers, and she pulled him into her arms, sobbing hard, her tears knowing no bounds.

"Phir se chipkali bula mujhe." She cried, and Shiva kissed her shoulder, his own body shaking with sobs, as he pulled her into him, the the concept of space becoming non-existent in that moment.

"Meri phoolkumari, nautanki chipkali." He kissed her under her ear, and she cried harder, her arms tightly wound around his neck.

"Mai teri chipkali hi theek hu." She wiped the water off her face, lifting her head from the crook of his neck hands still around him, "Aise 'Raavi'  bola jaise tu mujhe.... Mat kar aisa, mujhe nahi pasand."

"Okay." Shiva kissed her forehead, "Okay, meri chipkali." Shiva kissed her eyes, cupping her face. "Okay." He whispered softly, before leaning in and kissing her gently, pulling back suddenly.

"You're cold."

"No, I'm hot."

"Abe gadhedi," Shiva nudged the side of her head with his fingers, "thandi pad gayi hai. Bheeg gayi hai tu, kaanp rahi hai."

"Then you should kiss me more." Raavi said in a blink, pulling him in for another kiss, which he pulled back from again.

"Bimar padegi. Chal." He held her hand and pulled her towards the door, and she walked behind him with a pout.

"But I want my kiss."

Shiva chuckled and pulled her closer, his arm going around her shoulder, "I'll give you your kiss when I'm sure you won't pass out from hypothermia."

"So we're okay?"

Shiva smiled and kissed her temple, nodding, wondering how much of a gadhedi she really was for asking that, even after he admitted his fear of losing her on the roof.

Jo hai, jaisi hai, ab teri hi hai.

....

Raavi sat on the bench, the walls of the courtroom making her feel a notch nervous than she already was, as Shashank stepped down from the witness box, the last person to speak in her defense, the judge making a few notes, her lawyer defending her case, the pictures, video tapes, all that she submitted as proof showing up on the screen, one by one.

She stared at the screen, biting her lips, determined to win this case, because she was not in the wrong, and she felt a hand rest upon hers, patting twice, and she found Shashank nodding his head, checking if she was okay.

Her legs shook continuously in anticipation of the final verdict, because the defense lawyer was trying his best to get his client out of the case.

A warm hand moved to rest upon her knees, stopping her legs from shaking so much, and she looked up at Shiva, who was assuring her with his eyes, that it would be okay.

The judge called for a recess, after which the verdict would be announced, and Raavi found herself glued to the bench her hands pressed at the edge of the seat, unable to move from there.

"It will be okay." Shiva whispered, easing her hands off the edge, and clasping them in his.

Raavi nodded, noting that Arjun had been a few feet away in police custody, handcuffed, with officers keeping an eye on him, due to an accusation completely unrelated to hers.

Shashank moved to cover her view, as Shiva put his hand around her shoulder and Gaurav sat beside her, because the last thing she needed was to see that man's face.

After what seemed like an eternity, but only 10 minutes in reality, everyone took their seats again, as Raavi moved to the bench in front, her support system giving a quick thumbs up to her, as she sat down behind her lawyer.

The judge read through her notes, and set down her reading glasses, looking up at the court, as Raavi's heart thumped against her chest.

"After examining all evidences, and statements, this court finds the accused....."

"Guilty of all charges."

Raavi's eyes widened as she almost cried in relief, closing her eyes and placing a palm over her erratic heart, as the judge declared a sentence of 3 years and a fine, and Raavi covered her face with her palms, a huge burden lifting off her shoulders.

The judge adjourned the court, and she rushed outside to talk to her lawyer, shaking her hand and thanking her profusely for everything.

The lawyer smiled and spoke to Raavi, before nodding and taking her leave as Shiva walked up behind her.

"You did it." He whispered, pulling her into a hug, "You won."

Raavi chuckled, breaking the hug and looking up at him. "Thank you for being there. All of you." She looked at Gaurav and Shashank, pulling them both into a hug, as a sense of calm settled between them.

"Mami ko phone karke update karde." Shiva took out his phone, showing her the amount of missed calls Prafulla had left on his phone since Raavi wouldn't pick up hers.

She took his phone, and spoke to her maasi for a few minutes, before handing it back to Shiva, "Ghar chalein?" Raavi quipped, entwining her fingers with Shiva's, walking beside him as they all moved towards their bikes.

"Beer? My treat?" She asked, and the smiles that broke out on their faces made her smile in return.

That was one problem solved for a long, long time. And she had her people around her, she had nothing to worry about.

......

For everyone wondering, no, this story is NOT over, and no, Arjun is not coming back. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!