Shiva stirred as he heard an incessant knocking on his door. “Aye Chipkali, darwazaa khol.” He mumbled and sank into his pillow. When the knocking continued, he opened his eyes and allowed them to adjust to the darkness. Peeking next to him, he noticed the other side was empty. His heart skip a beat until he recalled she had gone for her pag phera. Sighing in relief, he got up to open the door.
Shiva opened the door to find Gaumbi and Dhara waiting anxiously. His mom was behind them. He swallowed uncomfortably as he took in their worried faces.
“Arre aap sab yahaan?”
“Woh Shiva...” Dhara looked at Gaumbi who gave her a sad look. Shiva felt his throat go dry. Something wasn’t right.
“Sab theek hain na? Bhabhi? Maa? Aap dono theek hain?”
“Actually Shiva... woh Raavi...”
“Ab main samjha. Uss Chipkali ne aap logo ko bola ke main jaun aur usse lekar aaun? Haina? Usse patah hain ke main itni raat ko nahin jaunga. Kya yaar Bhabhi, aap usse bata dena ke kal subah main aur Dev usse aur Rishita Bhabhi ko lene jayenge. Jab dekho pareshaan karti hain.” He kept babbling, trying to stop the thudding in his heart and the throbbing in his head. Something was very wrong. Dhara’s eyes filled up.
She cupped his face. “Shiva... woh Raavi ne... uss ne phirse...”
Shiva took a step back. He didn’t need to hear the rest. He should have been there. To stop her. To tell her why she can’t give up!
“Usse Anita aur Prafulla ki asliyat patah chal gayi.” His mom looked at his with tears in her eyes.
“Woh theek... woh theek hain. Haina Bhabhi?”
Dhara broke down in Gaumbi’s arms while his brother refused to look at him. Shiva felt his heart stop.
No! His heart screamed as he woke up panting. Shiva looked around to find his room empty. His hand shook as he tried to reach for the glass of water. He managed to get a few sips while some spilled on his shirt. She is okay. It’s just a dream. He reached for his phone and was about to call her when he heard a knock on his door. No!
The sound caused a chill to run through his entire body. Sinking into the mattress, Shiva pulled his knees closer as the knock became incessant. He covered his ears trying to block the sound but he could tell it wasn’t stopping. A few minutes passed and Shiva tried to calm his breathing. Bracing himself, he got out of the bed and reached for the door. His hand refused to turn the knob. Please! No!
Opening it slowly, he let out a shaky breath as he saw her. Raavi. She stood there ready to give him an earful but a look of surprise crossed over her face as she stared at him. “Tu theek hain Shiva?” Shiva felt his legs wobble a bit so he took a deep breath to steady himself. He still didn’t feel good.
Before Raavi could ask again, he reached out and wrapped her in his arms. Warmth. He could feel it run through his entire being. He felt safe. He felt good. Shiva took in her scent and buried his face in her neck. He felt his body relaxing and recalibrating.
Raavi stood still. Shiva suddenly realized what he had done and was about to let go when she returned his embrace. Shiva let out a shaky breath as she silently rubbed his back. They stood like that for a few minutes, moonlight spilling in from a nearby window.
Shiva finally let go and looked away awkwardly.
“Tu theek hain,” she asked gently and he nodded wiping away a few stray tears.
They walked inside the room and sat down. “Tu yahaan itni raat ko?”
“Mera kamra hain yeh.” Shiva looked at her and raised an eyebrow at her statement.
“Actually Shiva, mujhe tujhse kuch chahiye.”
Shiva let out a soft chuckle and looked away. “Kya chahiye bata.”
“Ek vaada. Ke tu aaj ke baad Maasi se door rehega.”
He looked at her and scoffed. Again. “Maami ko bol mujhse door rahein. Usse—“
Raavi reached for his hands and placed something in his palms. Shiva looked down shocked.
“Tujhe yeh kaise mile?”
“Maasi se lekar aayi main. Inn pe sirf Maa ka haq hain.”
Shiva looked at unable to express how he felt. He knew how difficult this was for her. But she did it. Shiva felt his heart fill up at the thought.
“Maasi ne bahut galat kiya. Yeh unki maafi thi mere liye. Maine yeh kangaan maange. Lekin Shiva, woh phir bhi meri Maa hain. Iss baat ko main badal nahin sakhti. Unhone ek anaath—“
“Aise mat bol. Tu iss family ka hissa hain. Akeli nahin hain tu.” Raavi looked up at him as tears filled her eyes. He knew how much being a part of his family meant to her.
“Main Maami se durr rahunga. Lekin abhi ke liye isse zyaada umeed mat karna.” She nodded and smiled, wiping her years. Shiva felt a weight off his chest until she stood up.
He gripped her wrist softly. “Main darwaza bandh karne ja rahi hoon.” She turned and gave him a small smile which he returned. He sighed contently, feeling much better than he did the entire day. Keeping the bangles on the side table, Shiva settled onto his side.
Raavi came to her side and for once didn’t set her pillow near his feet. She placed her pillow next to his and pulled the blanket.
“Shiva, kuch hua hain kya?” Shiva thought about his nightmare. He didn’t want to upset her so he nodded indicating everything was fine. But she kept looking at him.
Shiva looked away, her gaze was affecting him. Raavi reached out and took his hand.
“Chal, so jaate hain.” Shiva smiled at her words. She was here, he would be okay. Everything else could be dealt with later. With that thought, he slid down on the pillow with her next to him. Peace at last.
The End
Something I wrote really quickly based on our discussions in the EDT. I can’t remember who suggested that Raavi should get the kangaans from Maami. Please drop a comment and I will credit you 🤗 Hope you guys like it 😳
Lots of love,
Esha ❤️
