ShivIka FF: An Ishqbaaaz Rising *3.7 Updated* (2nd July, Page 82) - Page 6

Hi guys! Thank you again for those amazing comments and constant encouragement.. I love you guys!

Also thank you so much Sarcy and SRKian.. I had tried with the hyperlinking but it didn't work from my iPad.. and now I am just too tired to play around. Maybe later this week? Anyway, thank you so much again! 😃

Happy reading!!

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2.2 Losing battle

"Oh my maata. No muumyji. There is no way that I am accepting that girl as my bahu mummyji. Na koi naam, na koi khandaan ka pata. Aise kaise mein apne Shivaay ka naam aisi kisi ladki ke sath jod du?"

Before anyone could reply, Pinky had continued stubbornly. "Aur phir Tia ka kya? Woh apne Shi-Tia dreams ko kya achaar dalegi?"

Omkara rolled his eyes at that.

The whole family had been discussing the same damn thing for the last hour or so and honestly, he had given up looking at the watch after the seventh oh my maata'.

Everyone except for Pinky and Tia seemed to have actually given up on trying to argue by now it seemed. In fact, he was actually willing to bet his next sculpture that his dad was actually busy with his work on his mobile then actually listening to the conversation.

"Aap shaayad bhul rahi hai choti ma, par agar Annika di nahi hoti toh shayad aaj bhaiya jail mein hote"

That brought everything to a fairly tensed standstill.

Seconds ticked in silence and Pinky opened and closed her mouth in shock three times.

Tia looked so taken aback that for the first time he could almost believe that her brain had finally started working.

But he couldn't dwell on that too much because right at that moment he was more shocked with his younger brother's sudden sharpness.

Rudra had finally had had enough. He had looked first at his own parents and then at his aunt and uncle - as they continued discussing the absolute disaster that had been the wedding and then the subsequent goof-ups... Talking about the consequences on their business... their life and Shivaay's life. Not one of them had actually considered that there was someone else's life at stake here too.

He looked straight at his oldest brother. His superman.

"Shaadi hui ya nahi, galti hai ya koi kismet ka khel... mujhe nahi pata"

He walked towards Om then and standing there beside him he said slowly but carefully, "but whether or not anyone else recognizes it, we realize the debt that we are in to her bhaiya."

For the first time in their lives life, Omkara and Shivaay both looked speechlessly at their younger brother.

And that's when Om smiled, really smiled... because he had finally seen what his heart had always told him.

Behind the mask of the naive and carefree attitude, there was a sensitive, responsible and absolutely beautiful soul who knew how to value relationships.

However for Shivaay, like last night, this was another revelation.

"If it weren't for her you would be in jail bhaiya"

Images flooded his mind and he was once again caught up in an absolute avalanche of his own emotions.

Annika grabbing his hand... and confidently staring into his eyes while claiming that they had spent the night together

Annika intoxicated... softly whispering his name

Annika running towards him... her forehead clearly injured... still running ... without caring about the goons who were attacking them... to save him

Annika running towards him as he sat in the mandap... "I have the evidence that can prove Tej uncle and Shakti uncle's innocence"

Annika leaping into his arms at her home

But just as he felt all his defenses crumpling, the images changed.

Annika was in Daksh's bedroom... making his bed... while he was tucking in his shirt

Annika accepting the brown envelope - envelope that carried the 'payment' from Daksh

Annika trying to blame Tia

Annika accepting that she had actually helped that girl - Richa - walk out of the arrangement that he had made

His jaw clenched and his knuckles whitened.

"Shivaay"

The faint whisper of his name still resolutely tugged at his consciousness and he battled with himself.

And even as he continued to fight through his own emotions, the way his name sounded when she said it still made his heartbeats feel louder... like every syllable that she uttered tugged at the strings of his heart in ways that he had thought was only possible in books or in stupid romantic movies.

Enough

Annika was a complete puzzle that infuriated him.

An annoying mystery that refused to be solved... and somehow this made him even more restless.

Because really each time he had hurt her, instinctively he had felt himself flinch - but she was a good actress.

Yes, that one he had to give her. He had almost fallen for the whole nameless poor yet self-reliant girl act that she had been parading in front of him and his family.

But that's all it had been. An act.

Steeled he looked back calmly at his brothers. His hands still in a death-like fist.

"Don't worry about Annika. I am going to pay her extremely well... so that she will have more comforts in her life than she had ever dreamed possible." His voice turning a little bitter at the end.

Annika tucking in the sheets in Daksh's room... Him handing her the brown envelope, which carried the 15 lakhs that she had asked as her compensation...

Thinking about that image not only brought a rancid taste to his mouth, but also hurt him right in his chest as if a thousand knives had been stabbed right through him.

"Shivaaay"

Every moment that he continued to stay resilient, she invariably forced him to pause - involuntarily it seemed he couldn't ignore the way he was magnetically pulled towards the way his name sounded when she said his name aloud.

"Rishton or kisike zindagi ki keemat nahi lagaya karte billu" Daadi spoke softly.

Speaking to her eldest grandson for the first time in two days, she walked to him but continued to maintain a little distance from him.

"Sauda rishton ka nahi hota, aur shaadi jaise rishtey ka toh bilkul nahi"

Shivaay would have been a little relieved that his grandmother was finally even looking at him but it was at that exact moment that he felt the familiar strange pull enticing him.

Without turning towards the door he knew that she had entered the house. It was like every single sense in his body was attuned to her.

An explicable magnetic pull tugged inside him and he felt himself stiffen.

"Annika!!!"

Daadi's clearly partial tone apparently didn't go unnoticed because Pinky visibly huffed.

And that's why he almost smiled when he practically heard Om roll his eyes for the hundredth time that morning.

Almost

But he was actually taken aback that she had actually come here, so like each instance where Annika was concerned, Shivaay found himself both surprised and a little uncomfortable.

He was used to knowing everything. But Annika always forced him to reconsider himself.

Why did she always have to surprise him?

Because you see when badi ma had actually insisted that he call her here, he had first disagreed and even refused to have any further discussion on the matter. But she was soon followed by both bade papa and Om who had told him that if there was to be an eventual untangling of this whole mess then she too needed to be there when everyone finally came to terms with reality.

Of course he disagreed. That had to be the stupidest idea in the world right then.

Because first, there was no mess to untangle anymore and so really the whole dramatic showdown was an obviously unnecessary complication in his opinion. And secondly, every instance that concerned him and Annika together always ended up being more a mess... so of course this was an absolute recipe for disaster.

The way he saw it, it was simple. He had married Annika - but only him, her, and now his family knew that.

To the world though, he had married Tia Kapoor.

So logically now all he had to do was plan a secret hush-hush wedding with Tia and that was the end of this whole story.

But of course when it came to his family, nothing, nothing could be done logically. Everything had to be heightened and dramatized?

So he had finally given in and then decided that it actually made sense that Annika was involved through the whole process now too. He didn't necessarily want to drag her further in these matters anyway.

Also it had been a full 24 hours since he had seen her, and he ached to hear her voice.

What the wuck! Where did that come from?

He sighed. Rubbing his temples lightly.

This was a losing battle.

So instead, he had readied himself and put his phone to his ear - steeling himself in advance for her voice that had often left him breathless.

But to his complete astonishment, she had disconnected his call.

His patience coming to an end, he had then called her three more times and each had met the same exact response. Two rings and then a sullen busy tone.

Of course, why was he surprised?

It was Annika. When did she ever do anything that he wanted?

Furious he threw the phone at the wall before huffing and walking out of his room... leaving behind the three clearly unfazed Oberoi's.

So as he turned around to fully see her for the first time in two day, he didn't really know what he was expecting.

Whatever it was that he thought he had prepared himself for, this certainly wasn't it.

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2.3 Revelations