||Serendipity||
Chapter One, For the First Time... Or Not?
Your eyes bore into mine,
My soul somehow greets yours.
Tell me, what is this feeling?
Tell me, how do I get past these closed doors?
To anyone who knew him, a man possessing towers of charisma and such high stature was rarely likely to be found with his undivided attention captured by a seemingly conventional woman. It was only mundane to think the fact that his eyes were emanating a certain measure of wonderment upon noticing her, was highly peculiar, no doubt about it at all. Yet there was something fascinating in the way her glossy eyes emitted a golden-brown glint, and when she smiled, separating those plump lips and showcasing her pearly whites, the entire atmosphere seemed to smile too. Her hair seemed to be made of silk, her long and straight deep chocolate-brown tresses cascading down to her lower back, swiveling around in semi-circles as she maneuvered with her antics and gestures, which appeared to be incredibly necessary to her every exchange. Her face was radiant, her modest yet glamorous make-up consisting of light hues of browns and pinks and a delicate gold-ish shimmer, accenting her features. Her cheekbones were definitely her most prominent detail. Her lips, though, were definitely her most noticeable asset, plump and pouty, even as she muttered away carrying on multiple conversations, enthralling every single person around her. Her huge eyes spoke of mystery, even from afar, one could tell she had luscious thick lashes. Her smiles were beautiful, yet haunting.
For the second time tonight, he observed her.
And for once, Shivaay Singh Oberoi, was lost, his ocean-blue orbs drunken on the fact that this woman, though possibly ordinary to the common man, let alone him, was perhaps the most unprecedented art piece that existed in the entirety of the Annual Art Gala and Dance; Thank God Om, his beloved brother, was not in his mind, hearing his thoughts.
He was too caught up to even contemplate her change of clothing from when he had seen her maybe about an hour ago.
What irked him the most, however, was that something inside of him pulsated and seemed sedated simultaneously, at the sight of her; she gave him the kind of vibe that felt familiar, a knowing feeling. The very feeling she had given him earlier when he had looked into her eyes, before he had realized her silly blunder at the expense of his sharp attire.
He raked his hand through his hair, as he attempted to recollect having seen her before tonight. Of course, that would be the only reason why Shivaay Singh Oberoi was standing in the middle of about two hundred people, and over one hundred art pieces, gazing at the woman clad in the white flowy gown, with utmost abandon. Not at all because he wanted to look at her, and most certainly not because she stood out to him, and hell no, he was not attracted to her by any means at all.
He simply pondered whether or not he had met her or seen her before.
No thoughts corresponded with his gut feeling; her smile seemed native to him, though his memories betrayed him.
Suddenly becoming aware that he was gawking, completely stupefied, he cleared his throat and continued walking to his previous destination, where Omkara and Rudra, his cousins by blood but brothers by heart, had been standing and waving to him.
**
"Oh look, there he is." Rudra gestured to his brother Omkara, and as Om looked where he as pointing, he did indeed see Shivaay.
"Bhaiyaaa!!!" Rudra called loudly as he waved, almost hitting Om in the eye.
"Shut up Rudy, he's not gonna hear you from here, besides, people are staring." Om muttered, grabbing his baby brother's flailing arms and side hugging him to push them back down.
"O, but why isn't he noticing us?"
"He's probably looking at a piece." Om suggested.
"Oh please, Shivaay Bhaiya? He only shows that much interest in your art." Rudra clicked his tongue.
"Good point. He looks... dazed..almost as if-" Om was cut off.
"O, you're not gonna believe this. Pinch me!" Rudy cried, grasping his elder brother's attention, and as Om followed his line of sight, he too was perplexed.
"Is Shivaay staring at-"
"Anika Didi?" Rudy completed, his mouth shaped in an O.
"Maybe we're misunderstanding. Oh yes, look, behind Anika is that magnificent painting of Paris, you know how much Shivaay loves to travel. Tu bhi nah Ru!" Om sighed, reasoning out what was going on, quite pleased with himself for his logical explanation.
"You killed the whole fun O. I was so excited. Imagine if Bhaiya was really showing interest in someone, that too Anika Di! Aw, for a second I thought he was normal."
"... Uh Ru, I think you can hold onto your excitement...look!" Om said slowly, almost as if he were processing what he was witnessing.
The brothers looked on, as their third musketeer stood, completely unfazed by the tall muscular guy removing the painting Shivaay was supposedly appreciating, his gaze not faltering for even a second to follow the painting in its new position. His eyes were steady, straight at her.
As if they needed anymore confirmation, they saw his head turn just 30 degrees to the left as Annika happened to fling her head back in that very direction at that very moment as she giggled, his eyes never leaving her, his lips may have twitched up a bit, who knows. They knew now, that calling it a coincidence, or giving it any other reason, would be folly, even if we were talking about Shivaay, Shivaay Singh Oberoi.
"O?"
"Rudy?"
Both looked at each other, then back at Shivaay before saying, "Yeh ho kya raha hain?"
About a minute later, they saw Shivaay straighten himself, he almost looked as if he were muttering to himself, as he waved over to them and walked across.
Shooting them his signature, warm and radiant smile, he engulfed his - brothers, his cousins, his babies, his friends,- well, quite frankly, there weren't words to describe their relationship, but we'd leave it as brothers, tightly in a hug.
"O the place looks amazing!"
"Thanks bro."
"Hey I helped, I made sure everyone did what they were supposed to do. You know, I supervised." Rudy said righteously, folding his arms.
"Shut-"Shivaay started.
"Up. " Om finished it for him.
All grinned a bit.
"Hey where's Gauri? Wasn't she coming with you?"
"And Bhavi? She didn't reply to my text yaar. I swear she'd live in that hospital if she got the chance."
"Relax, I scooped up your 'Doctor Loooves' from Sanjeevani on my way back from work, took them home to get ready -we got home late because there was a road block- and we all reached here safe and sound, not that you guys were concerned about me or anything. They must be somewhere around, they'd be coming to look at your display anyways O." He smirked at his brothers, all hot and sweaty as they asked about their ladies.
"Bhaiyaa, Bhavi isn't my 'Doctor looove' okay. She's my best friend, not girlfriend." Rudra whined, totally mortified by his brother's insinuation and Om's laugh of approval.
"Not your Doctor looove'? Please that's almost as ridiculous as me having a 'Doctor looove'." Shivaay scoffed.
"Maybe not a 'Doctor love', but definitely some kind of looove." Rudra said softly.
"What did you say?" Shivaay asked, wondering what Ru was muttering to himself that made Om smack the back of his head.
"Nothing, nothing, oh look there's Bhavya." Rudra smiled, walking over to meet her halfway.
**
Her hair bounced in loose spirals around her, black and shiny, reaching just under her chest.
She wore a long sleeved burgundy dress, a V-neck dropping low enough but not too vulgarly low, the back was cut in the exact same manner. The dress flared down to her ankles and a modest slip climbed down from her knees. Her make-up was fairly simple, but prominent enough to be noticed. Her eyes were weary, but she was the prettiest "Doctor Bhavi to the guy walking up to her. Her lips were a dark-cherry red, enhancing her entire look for the night. She completed the outfit with a thin silver beaded belt tied around her waist, a long dangling diamond earring adorning her ears, and a small silver wrist-watch.
Rudra seemed pleased that Bhavya wore the earring he had gifted her on Friendship's Day last year.
"You clean up well, Rudy boy." She smiled, adjusting his bow around his neck.
He wore a black suit, and a stunning and crisp white shirt on the inside, complimented by his black and white polka dot bow-tie. He looked playful and classy, just the way Bhavya had imagined when she helped him and the other brothers pick out their attire along with Gauri.
"You look pretty Bhavi, almost prettier than those girls at school." He winked and she rolled her eyes.
"How sweet of you, peabrain! When will you stop wasting time on those stupid girls. I'm sure they're just in med school to pick up smart guys who'd take care of them for life."
"You're just jealous because I was talking to Sarah in class today." He commented, raising his eyebrow.
"Oh please, I won't ever be jealous of Sarah and her lack of clothing. It's just that she's nice to me in front of you, but she's stuck up when we're alone, like this evening when we were working on our group project. Besides, you can talk to whoever you want, it doesn't matter to me. She knows she can only shoot glares and can't actually do anything." She shrugged.
"Because everyone in the whole of Sanjeevani knows that no one can mess with my Bhavi or else, my two other best friends will come out to play. " Rudra cheered, bringing his arm up, flexing his muscles.
"Oh please, as if you're some sher! I'm the one who always defends you." Bhavya scoffed.
"That's because you never give me a chance." He justified.
"Hmm that's right, no one should dare mess with my little cry baby best friend." Bhavya beamed and ruffled his hair.
He frowned and was about to protest but Bhavya held her ear and gave him her famous puppy dog eyes. He grinned a lopsided grin at her cuteness.
They called it a truce and high-fived each other after which they proceeded to head over to Om's display, Rudra's arm around her shoulder as she complained and called Sarah at least a hundred names.
"You look more gorgeous than those stupid girls, even Sarah, honestly. Now will you stop eating my head off about her?" He flirted as he stopped walking and cut off her constant blabbering.
She tried to hide her blush as he pulled her along again.
**
When Rudra had recognized Bhavya, Om's breath also hitched as he saw Gauri next to her, and she sauntered up to him, looking a breath-taking as ever.
She was clad in a navy blue dress, the sleeves of which were lace of the same colour, the dress itself clung to her like second skin, flowing down to her feet. She wore a flat beige sandal, her one and only, as Bhavya would tease her, and her diamond wedding ring adorned her petite, doll-like finger. Her only other jewelry was the necklace which Om had gotten her when she had graduated from medical school, a thin silver chain with the medical symbol as the pendant. It hung around her swan-like neck so perfectly, anyone could tell how dedicated she was to her profession. It was one of the many attributes Om had adored about her. Her hair was in a high and slightly loose ponytail, a few strands framing her face. She wore an absolutely meager amount of make-up; some concealer to disguise the bags under her eyes, though she was sure that had not assisted much, a very subtle amount of a pinky, shiny blush and a nude lipstick. She looked very much in her element. Simple and subtle, yet mesmerizing.
He held his hand out and as she took it, he pulled her close and gave her a short peck on her cheek.
"You look amazing."
"Oh please, even Bade Bhaiya told me my eyes look tired." She rolled her eyes and looked at Shivaay.
"Hey, I said you looked tired, I didn't say you didn't look beautiful!" Shivaay raised his hands up in surrender.
They all chuckled lightly before Om engaged Gauri in conversation again.
**
Shivaay looked at Gauri and Om, then he turned his gaze upon Rudra and Bhavya. He smiled a little before walking through Om's display, leaving the couples to themselves for a few moments.
In these moments, he sometimes dared to wonder, what would it be like finding someone with whom he could feel close to, the way his brothers did with their partners. Rudra and Bhavya were best friends, yet they fit somehow. Everyone just knew, or hoped, that one day they would be together. After all, Bhavya was already like a part of their family.
Om and Gauri were different, they had been married five years now. And yet they acted as if their love hadn't aged one bit. Despite the norm in today's world, they got married at a rather young age, Om was 25 while Gauri was 21. They had been so sure. They had decided to build on their lives together, marriage would never hold them back, but rather push them forward with each other's support. They focused on their careers together, they made a life for themselves, together and individually, all the while being with each other every step of the way. He admired that about them, envied it even.
Shivaay knew his brothers had found their soul-mates, in whatever way, whether it were friendship, or love.
His entire life was surrounded by his passion for business, and his family. In his mind, there was no time for fickle relationships, they were overrated. However, he did have the thought buried in his mind, that should someone come into his life one day, and happen to be "the one", he'd never let go. This was known only to himself. He didn't want his family getting the idea that he was not totally closed off to the idea of one day settling down, else they'd bombard him daily. He guessed his brothers knew, though he had never said anything. Companionship was something he craved. His mind was a bit bipolar, but there were some moments in time when he would sometimes ponder what it would be like to share that intimacy of sharing his life with another. How did Om and Gauri just know? And how did Rudra and Bhavya get so close? That trust, that intimacy, though he had no expectations, he still hoped he would find it one day in someone who would cross his path.
He'd once had a girlfriend, Tia, in his college days. However, he hadn't loved her, he had more liked the idea of being with her. He liked her, they had been good friends, she was naive in his eyes and he thought he could see a life with her. However there was always a gap, she had been brought up in London, she had a different lifestyle. Things often got in the way. When things went downhill and she backed out, they had broken up. Turns out she was using him for his money all along. Right after, she was sleeping with someone else whom he had once shrugged off rumors he had heard of that guy and Tia, and it reminded him too much of his parents. He had taken the blow hard, but masked it all, vowing to never let himself down by trusting so blindly again. So to get that feeling, to just know when it's right, he wasn't sure he would ever understand it, or feel it.
It seemed so mundane to them, but to him, putting his heart out on the line seemed impossible. Besides, he had always been preoccupied, women fit nowhere in his schedule.
Something probed at his insides for a moment as he pondered over this topic.
His thoughts had floated back to the woman he had seen twice for the night involuntarily, as he walked around looking at Om's work, along with many other enthused patrons.
He wondered how her art must've been. Was it as beautiful as her? Was she one of those fickle girls like Tia? Was she old-schooled? Was she an old soul like he was? Was that why she looked familiar?
**
"You must be exhausted jaan, you had call yesterday and then post call today. You don't have to stay late tonight if you don't want to."
"And miss your big exhibit which you're hosting for the first time? What kind of a 'Doctor looove' does that?" Gauri scoffed.
He grinned at her. "At least you're off tomorrow."
"Mhmm. You look... Really handsome. Didn't I tell you this tie would match better?" She touched his tie and then poked his tummy playfully.
"Think we're gonna add some more bags under those huge eyes of yours tonight because you look delicious." He whispered into her ear seductively.
She flushed immediately and stepped away from him and looked around.
"Thank God Shivaay Bhaiya was not here. Really Om, can't you ever filter that mouth of yours?"
"Never. You know I only speak the truth." He chuckled, interlocking their fingers, and bringing her palm to his lips to press a kiss there.
At that moment, Bhavya and Rudra joined them, and then the four walked to where Shivaay stood as Om showed them his pieces, well the ones they had not seen already.
**
"Hey what's that on your waistcoat Shivaay?" Om asked. Shivaay was hardly one to walk around with a stain on his clothes. Shivaay looked down.
"Yea Bhaiya what happened? And why are you blushing like Gauri when O tells her-"
"Shut up Rudy." Gauri scolded.
"Sorry Bhabhi." Rudra held his ears sheepishly while Bhavya shook her head.
"Shivaay?"
"Uh.. actually, one of the servers bumped into me and that stupid cheese dip thing smeared my waistcoat. Except now I don't think she's a server...She's..." He said annoyed as he remembered what had happened, then his features softened as the full memory swirled around in his head and he trailed off to his two encounters with her for the night, part of him longing for a third, though he would never dare admit it.
One girl managed to stump him. There was definitely something about her, and he intended to find out.
~~~~~Serendipity; finding something good without looking for it.~~~~~
Edited by vaishnavi31 - 8 years ago
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Sports
Current Affairs
Sadda Haq Season 2
CID
Jhanak
