Shivika SS: 3 Months Later (Forced Marriage Track) Completed - Page 8

Chapter Three: The Laughter Therapy

Omkara, Rudra, Shivaay and Tia were seated at the breakfast table when Anika was forcibly dragged by Saumya to join them. Normally Anika avoided having breakfast with them but this morning, she had woken up late due to her midnight excursion and she had no choice but be the recipient of Tia's taunts at the breakfast table.

But it wasn't Tia who started with the snide remarks; it was Pinky Aunty who had been waiting for Anika having spotted the younger woman leaving the mansion in the middle of the night.

"Why so late today, Anika? Didn't your boyfriend let you sleep last night?" she taunted

Anika ignored her as she always did but Pinky was determined to give her two cents

"Look Anika, I don't care who you decide to meet, just divorce my son and get the hell out of this house. I hate breathing the same air as you."

"ENOUGH MOM!" said Shivaay angrily

"Even you don't hear a word against her. God alone knows what black magic she has done on my gem like son."

And with that she dramatically ran to her room while Rudra, Om and Saumya heaved an audible sighs of relief. Tia was smirking quietly to herself and preparing to dish out a fresh set of insults when there was a commotion at the door and Arhaan walked in.

"Hi Arhaan bhaiyya" Rudra said standing up. "Guys I invited Dr. Arhaan for breakfast today. I thought that since Anika was running late, it would be better if he picked her up. With his bike, they'd reach in no time."

Om nodded smiling as Arhaan pulled a chair next to Anika. Shivaay who was already affected by Pinky's words, now was hanging on to his temper with a lot of effort.

"Arhaan, you have met Saumya right? So looks like there is only one person on this table that you haven't been introduced to." Om pointed out to Tia.

Tia stood up and extended her hand, "Tia Kapoor" she said

Arhaan looked at her and smiled the same killer smile that had girls swooning. This was the Arhaan at his best, the Arhaan who turned on his charm and unleashed it all at once.

"Charmed." He replied "Tia Kapoor, you are one beautiful woman"

Tia blushed. BLUSHED. Rudra, Saumya, Omkara and Anika were looking at Tia with their mouths hanging open.

"Dr Arhaan Mehra at your service." He added

Tia said something incoherent and sat down, smiling away dreamily. Arhaan winked at an impressed Rudra while Saumya chuckled. They were attacking the breakfast in silence when Tia decided that she wouldn't get another opportunity to plant another seed of doubt in Shivaay's mind against Anika and Arhaan relationship. Clearing her throat, Tia said

"Anika, you are making a special effort at your appearance lately and I must say it is working. You are looking exceptionally beautiful these days."

Rudra choked on his drink, Omkara tried concentrating on his breathing trying hard not to laugh. Anika who was shocked at the compliment realized, looking at her friends smiling faces, that Arhaan had shared the Tia hitting on Anika' joke with the four of them.

"Thank you" said Anika trying to keep a straight face

"Dheere Dheere se closet ke baahar aana... Dheere dheere hai sab ko batana" muttered Arhaan under his breath in a sing song voice.

The song did it.

Rudra was on the floor laughing, Omkara had his face covered with the palm of his hand while his shoulders shook as he laughed, Saumya and Arhaan were laughing openly, tears streaming down their cheeks.

Anika mentally counted till ten, imagined Sundari Bua's face, remembered all the sad things from movies"anything that would stop her from joining this morons in their laughter therapy.

"Enough" said Shivaay with a barely controlled rage

"Bhaiyaa" said Rudra breathlessly "You need to seriously update your vocabulary that is stuck on one word."

"No wonder lady baba is looking elsewhere for adventure"

The latter was added only for the benefit of the remaining four who were snickering silently

"What is so funny Rudra? All I said was that Anika has such a beautiful glow lately. You are insulting her by laughing that way." Tia said crossly

Silence ensured. Arhaan, Omkara and Anika buried their heads in their plate concentrating on their food with such determination that it looked like they had been starving since decades. Saumya leaned forward and whispered

"She is the one getting outraged because we are laughing at you. This is undying love, Anika didi."

"Dheere Dheere..." began Arhaan when Rudra let out a snort and the whole group went into fits of laughter again. Outraged, Tia grabbed her plate and walked out. Shivaay sat there, completely mesmerized by the laughing Anika. She used to laugh like that with him. Once.

He saw them argue and laugh together and felt strangely left out. He couldn't even be a part of their conversation because Anika wouldn't like it. Feeling the weight of his choices for the millionth time, Shivaay Singh Oberoy walked out, his breakfast untouched.

***

Om entered Shivaay's room with a plate of breakfast in hand. Tia madam made sure she walked off with her breakfast tray. Shivaay just walked off and Om was sure he knew the reason. Jealousy wasn't a great emotion

Shivaay had been staring outside the window when Om walked up behind him, he turned around and Om was shocked to see that his brothers eyes were red rimmed.

"Shivaay?" said Om, shocked. His brother was always so strong, so indifferent that Om sometimes forgot that the faade came with a price. Keeping the plate on the table, he made Shivaay sit on the bed and waited till he composed himself. If was a while before Shivaay spoke,

"He gives her so much happiness Om. I have given her nothing but pain. When I see them together, when I see her love for him, when I see how she leaves everything at 3 am just because he is upset, I think that it could have been me, if I hadn't done what I did, if I weren't an Oberoi. And for the first time in my life, I wish I wasn't an Oberoi."

Om wanted to tell him that Anika's behaviour had nothing to do with him being an Oberoi but said nothing knowing that Shivaay needed to get this out of his system today

"Those days have started haunting me now. The day Daksh lied to me, the day I forced her to marry me, how she had leaned against me, her cruel tormentor, and cried. I remember the day she was kidnapped, I remember her indifference and I burn in my private hell each time." He said shuddering. Another tear trailed down his cheek and he brushed it angrily, looking away, embarrassed.

"She had signed the divorce papers 3 months ago and I still can't bring myself to file for the divorce. I just keep telling myself that I will have one more day in the bliss of her presence and then let her go and I tell myself the same thing the next day, every day."

"Then what are you doing with Tia?" asked Om, finally

"It's not that easy Om. If I leave Tia at this stage, our stocks will go crashing down, Tia's image will be ruined, Oberoi name will be a laughing matter and Priyanka's chances for a good match will be shot to hell. I can't do so much damage to fulfil my own selfish needs."

Omkara stood up, irritated beyond belief by his brother's rigid beliefs.

"Reputation can be built." He said angrily "With Anika by your side, you will build far more than you lose. I'm sure Tia will appreciate you backing out now rather than you pining for Anika after marriage. Thirdly we Oberoi's are more concerned about your happiness than the image and as far as Priyanka is concerned---"

He stopped, not knowing how to counter that particular point but he didn't have to counter it for Priyanka, having heard their conversation entered the room and stood before Shivaay

"Priyanka will never want to marry someone who wants her for her Oberoi name, she will marry someone who wants her in spite of it. Because if he marries me for my name, he will never keep me happy. And who knows better than us what bad marriages can do to you." She said only to have Shivaay hold her in his arms. Omkara too hugged both his siblings, feeling better after ages.

"Anika will never accept me after what I have done and there is Arhaan." Said Shivaay brokenly.

Omkara had that fear as well but he didn't voice it. He knew his brother had made mistakes, huge mistakes but he deserved a chance. But whether Anika thought so too was something he didn't know. And as Shivaay said, there was Arhaan.

Their relationship puzzled him as well for he was sure it went beyond friendship.. but was it love? He didn't know. Was it possible that they were in love and they didn't know it? He couldn't tell. But somewhere, as he looked at them together, he got a strange feeling of familiarity. But this wasn't a time to delve into that.

"You are an Oberoi." He told Shivaay fiercely "How can you accept defeat without fighting? Isnt your love for her worth fighting for?"

Shivaay smiled, the first genuine smile in ages. His arms tightened around his siblings

"Thank you." He said "Both of you."

Chapter Four: The Best Laid Plans

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