Drabble Series: A Romantic Divorce (NEW-DRABBLE Pg 34) 25th February - Page 12

oh my god!!1

Im so doing the happy dance.. ths Shivaay was for the lack of a better term.. soo cute :).. the update was sighhh so romantic. Like Soumya said in yesterdays epi romance ia all abt taking care and being there for tht smone spcl... ab if u update DBO TEC and Consequences as well ..tht wud be a bombastic start to the new year..

DRABBLE FIVE: YOU WILL STOP ALL INTERACTIONS

"...pocha ka ganda pani."

The odd phrase brought a momentary flash of humor to Shivaay's icy blue eyes, and the first smile of thE evening. Cocktail parties at the Rustom's had never felt as long as it did tonight, with Tia. Odd. Shivaay had come to exactly this party, with exactly this woman, three years in a row now. While they were dating, Tia had been his preferred escort to events like these. She dressed perfectly, moved perfectly, even spoke English accented Hindi perfectly. Had the exact qualities that he, and men like him preferred in their ladies. After all, a woman brought to parties like these was not just a companion. This was where the creme de la creme of Indian society congregated. This was where movers and shakers interacted, planning deals, cementing relationships and running India, over hors d'oeurves, cocktails and small talk about big money. Each man brought the shiniest woman they owned to these events. The youngest wives, the latest mistresses, the hottest girlfriends. Walking, talking female trophies that attested to their masculinity, their power, their

"...Rani Mukherjee ki style ka mardani."

There. Another one from...her. Shivaay frowned at his drink, and swigged the whole thing, letting the Chateau Lafayette 45 trail down his throat without even tasting the wine. He looked around the glittering ballroom, the rich florals, discreet lighting, scented cool air. So very tasteful, so very... boring. No color, no vibrancy, no life. The pretentious sounds of generic classical music, the gentle murmur of civilized conversation, the graceful waiters with flutes of champagne. He shuddered. Chilled.

They had agreed. He had spoken to Anika, after she recovered from her fever, about how Mrs Kapoor had called him, furious. When she heard about Tia being abandoned at the garden party, she had told Shivaay to do whatever he needed to, to make up for it. She icily asked why Shivaay had spent his evening with his ex wife, and he had equally icily responded that it was none of her business. He had divorced Anika, but until it went through, she was still his wife, his responsibility. He would make it up to Tia. Soon. So, when the Rustom's invitation for their annual cocktail party came, Anika had agreed with him.

He would bring Tia here. Here, among their old crowd, she could preen as Mrs Oberoi, take selfies, and be satisfied. Tia Kapoor would have her social recognition; Mrs Kapoor would have her pound of Shivaay's flesh. And they...the two of them...they would have some more time. Time to plan, to get out of this hell he had plunged them into, so these people, this crowd, didn't think any less of him, of the Oberoi name. Of her.

And so, he had done it. Left his actual wife at home. Put on his tux, picked up that blackmailing, lying bitch he was forced to smile at, and brought them both here. Tia had done the rounds, he had stayed as far away from her as humanly possible, while still being in the same room. Tia had kept her distance, actually. Shivaay was relieved that Tia didn't try to be clingy and affectionate, not knowing that the look of murderous fury on his face, when she had tried to kiss him in the car had scared the hell out of her earlier. As for himself, Shivaay had even smoothed a few feathers of associates who'd missed him at the Oberoi Garden Party. The night was a success. He had hunted down some contacts, made a few deals.

Two more hours, and he could go home.

Somewhere, a woman laughed, the sound an affected, overbred tinkle, like a crystal chandelier swaying in the wind. Practiced, Shivaay thought to himself, smirking. Hours of practice. No one laughed in this society --- laughed like a person, a real person-- full bodied, throaty, filled with humor and happiness. No one spoke their minds, every emotion mirrored in their cocoa eyes, their heart open and loving, their fierceness, innocence and passion laid bare, for all to see. He had seen the real thing. That was the problem. He had touched, felt, known the real thing. Now this glossy fake version.. hurt.

What would these lovely, sophisticated people do, Shivaay wondered. If they realized how fake, how insincere and depressing their rat race really was? What were they chasing after -- all of them? Him? More money, more power? All of it at the expense of what? Honesty, love, laughter, friendship, family? And what would they do, if they understood -- all this was utter crap?

"...Sab ko toh chopat ho jayega!"

AGAIN. God. Again. What the hell was happening to him, tonight? It was her. Shaking his head, Shivaay looked around, blindly trying to focus on something else. Anything else. He had never felt like this at one of these events. Never felt this hollow, like a shell of a person, a husk. He had spent his life like a rat on a wheel, chasing after something so unimportant, so pathetic, it made him feel like weeping now. Chasing after these people, this society, these hollow smiles and their fake approval. Because of ...what? What did their opinion matter, when they didn't know a real laugh from a fake one? When their words said one thing, their eyes another? His fake wife was here, a perfectly presented hollow shell, filled with lies and a crafted image-- a perfect metaphor for these people. A perfect partner for the man he used to be. His skin crawled. Not anymore. Like a swimmer breaking through a gully of water, Shivaay felt his eyes clearing, his vision filled with light. He had to go home. His very breath felt stifled here. Waving goodbye to his host, leaving Tia to figure out a way back, Shivaay Singh Oberoi turned and stumbled towards for the exit.

He had to go home.

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The sound of high picked shrieks spiked through Shivaay Singh Oberoi the minute he reached the second floor of the mansion. "Shit!" He muttered to himself, heading at a full run towards the poolside. Running towards the screams, Shivaay almost toppled over when Priyanka burst out from the pool entry, running into him. Looking at him as he sprawled against the wall, Priyanka shrieked again, and laughing maniacally, dashed away, yelling "Shivaay Bhaiya bhi hai!! Warning!!! Warning!! Girls! Shivaay Bhaiya bhi hai!"

Staring after Priyanka, Shivaay's "Fhat the Wuck" didn't have time to fully form when Omkara dashed by, hair flapping, in full pursuit of his giggling sister. When Rudra, cackling like a crazy person, also came galloping along, Shivaay grabbed his beefy young brother. "What the HELL is happening?" Shivaay demanded as, out of breath, Rudra laughed and panted, sounding like a wheezing old man in his excitement - " Let me go, let me go! I think Soumya is hiding in a cabinet in the study! I have less than a minute before it's their turn!"

"WHAT THE HELL do you mean? WHY would Soumya be hiding in a cabinet in the study? Who's turn? To do what? YE HO KYA RAHA HAI!" Shivaay roared, completely bewildered.

"Ooff Bhaiya, you'll have to wait until it's their turn, to join with us boys!"Saying this, Rudra wriggled out of his grasp with the ease of an expert, and ran off, shouting "I'm coming Somu! I'm going to catch you, this time, pakka. You are in the study. I can almost SMELL you...!" A high pitched wail, and then running footsteps showed that Soumya had heard the warning, and was running away from her chaser.

Shivaay walked around, looking at his once pristine, beautifully kept private rooms. The poolside and the surrounding rooms -his bedroom, study, sitting room, kitchen-- they all looked like several bombs had exploded, as sofa cushions, bookshelves and even furniture had been pushed all around, turned over or upended. Glasses of soda and juice and plates of snacks were strewn about. He reached for a gol gappa, the explosion of flavors tingling on his tongue.

Hearing running footsteps, Shivaay had just plastered himself against a wall, when Mallika dashed by, barefoot, howling with laughter, only to be caught, scooped up and swung around in Siddharth Vikram Rana's arms. Staring at his hated rival as he hugged his wife and choked on laughter, Shivaay raised one elegant eyebrow. Siddharth grinned at him, and without saying a word, still carrying Mallika, backed away, out of the room, as Mallika squirmed, gasping..."Two times! Oh, hello Shivaay! Kaise ho? SID! Tickle nahi! TICKLE nahi! Kameenay! You found me only two times, okay! Cheating math karo! We are still winning!!" Shivaay stared after them as they disappeared, shaking his head. He made his way back to the poolside.

What the HELL?

"One minute! One MINUTE!" Shrieked Sahil as he hobbled up, holding up an oversized watch. "Then AAP LOG SWITCH!"

"Sahil mera yaar!" Shivaay sank to the ground and gently grabbed his junior bro/saala around his waist. This one wouldn't get away. "Beta Sahil, everyone has gone mad, tum sab kuch explain karogi, tumhari Shivaay Bhaiya ko? Good boy! So.. WHAT THE HELL is happening?" That last line, delivered at a full yell, made his taadibaaz saala wince and cover his ears. But looking at the confusion on SSO's face, Sahil very kindly explained.

"OFFO, Billu-ji. Don't you understand? Mallika Didi aur Siddharth Bhaiya aya tha, Anika Didi ko milne. Sab hang out kar raha tha, tab Didi ne ye plan socha. So now we are playing Hide And Seek, Girls Versus Boys! Soumya, Mallika Didi, Priyanka Didi against the boys, OmRu of course, and Sid Bhaiya. Boys are losing, can you imagine? And since the Mansion is so big, Anika Didi said, everyone has just three minutes to hide, and then the opposite team has three minutes to catch them. I'm the record keeper" Sahil proudly said, puffing up his thin chest and making Shivaay involuntarily smile and ruffle his hair.

"Where is your Didi, isn't she playing?" Asked Shivaay, his eyes gleaming, his mind lightening like magic, as the sounds of "Ud Dil Befikre" and other Hindi hits blared above him on the house sound system.

"Bola na! Ek boy less hai, so if Anika Didi also hides, we won't have time to find her AND the other girls. She is sitting it out with me. As it is boys ka team me koi cooperation hi nahi hai, each boy ends up only looking for their own girl, not for the others. Soumya ka peeche Rudra Bhaiya jaise hath dhokar para hai..."

************************************************************
But Shivaay was not interested in his little saala's crush anymore. A vision in a simple cream kameez had hurried in to find Sahil, and seeing him, stood still. He looked at his wife's face, noting the small traces of hidden tears, the slightly drooping lips. She had cried, then, after he had left. Shivaay's heart twisted, the pain he was inflicting on this woman doubling back onto him, leaving him gasping from its intensity. Rubbing his chest, he looked at her, over his brother in law's head. She smiled, gliding upto him. Strong, as always.

His Anika. He would not lose her, to Tia, to Mrs Kapoor, to the people of his world. He couldn't. His brave, wonderful, honest girl. He would fix this, all of it. Because he...loved. His heart stuttered at that word, stopped. And when it started beating again, just like that--it was hers. He stared at her now, slowly absorbing this enormous, insane reality. Love. His mind reeled from the shock of discovery.

From the fact that now that he had seen her, he was finally home.

********************************************************************
Anika was puzzled, because he had returned after staying at the party with that cheapde, for barely half an hour. She was not expecting him back so soon. He looked..odd. Like something had hit him, and he was still catching his breath. Hurrying over, Anika hooked her arm into his, leading him to a miraculously upright sofa.

"Sab thik hai, naa? Itni jaldi agaya aap? Tia ne kuch kaha toh nahi?" She whispered, mindful of young ears flapping close by, as Sahil strained to overhear them. She seated him on the chair, anxiously hovering over him. Shivaay smiled suddenly, and in one swift move, pulled her into his lap. She squeaked, but settled in, circled her arms around his neck. Sahil snorted at the horrible, embarrassing sight and hobbled away, disgusted by what adults did in their free time.

Shivaay rubbed a thumb against her alabaster cheek, touching the tear tracks, softly buffing them away. She raised her hand to push his away, and he grabbed her delicate fingers, kissing each digit, apologizing without words, his own eyes shining with emotions he could no longer suppress. Silently begging her to read his eyes, to not ask him to speak the words he couldn't yet say. Her cocoa eyes widened, and dropped shyly, as he stared at the woman who now haunted him, asleep or awake. Who was -- home.

"Aap Hide And Seek kheloge?" she whispered, playing with his hands, weaving and un-weaving her fingers through his. In the distance, the sounds of a whistle came. The others players were gathering again, for round 10. "I haven't had a chance to play even one game yet. Ab tak koi nahi thi, mujhe dhoondne ke liye, Shivaay."

"Now there is. The boys will win this game, Anika. Unfair hoga. I can sense you wherever you go, you know that, right? Tonight, it turns out, I even sense you when you are not there. Ab se, tum jaha bhi chupoge, jaha bhi jaoge...I will find you, I will come for you. And wada karta hu, Anika--I will win the other game, too. After all, tumhari Shivaay Singh Oberoi hu..."

Shivaay smiled into Anika's adorable, confused face. Arm in arm, they now headed out to the poolside, to join the other players waiting there.

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Just awesome!

Yayyy u updated..

Hey 'N', you have magical powers you know that. You can teleport a person to this beautiful land & make them feel the world around them a little bit dull!
This is perfect! I love this drabble. But please please update consequences. Like I have already said it is my favorite ShivIka story so pls pls update that soon!
For that I can wait for the drabble!
And hey Happy New Year!

👏

I love Shivaay in your stories! He's so dreamy and amazing...if only.

Omg...just awesome...loved d realisation n d drabbles...n ur ffs...wish u could update al...lol...pretty pls...hope i am not pushing my luck...