11th Promise: "I Love Her"
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There was a moment when Shivaay thought he must surely be hallucinating. Anika could not possibly be sleeping on his bed, wearing his shirt, with his ring on her finger.
He actually, like a child, rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. When the vision did not disappear, he accepted it as reality and shut his door. Keeping the light off, he navigated to his bed by moonlight and crouched in front of her, his heart beating so loudly it was a drum in his own ears. He stopped breathing when he saw Anika's face.
Her mascara had streaked its way down her cheeks and in a way that made it clear she'd been crying, and his pillow too was stained with the same. She was clutching his shirt in her hands like a safety blanket, the fingers of her left hand folded over the cuff.
Seeing the ring peeking out caused his heart to slam impossibly faster inside his chest. "Mine." He whispered, his breath blowing across her cheek. She whimpered in her sleep and shifted. "Shhh," he stroked her hair off her face and her face relaxed.
"Shivaay."
Her body froze and her eyes snapped open.
Anika sprang up into a seated position, rubbing viciously at her eyes and cheeks with his shirt sleeves. "Hey, hey! Stop it." He grabbed her wrist, and then immediately let it go as what felt like a jolt of electricity ran through him. He looked away, and then back at her, meeting her eyes. "What do you think you're doing?" his voice was low. He couldn't bring himself to be angry with her, he had been feeling restless for days and now? Now all he felt was empty.
He would have to have been a complete moron not to realise it had something to do with his engagement to Tia, and now he was prepared to admit that it also had something to do with Anika. "Anika I just want to-"
"I quit."
Shivaay felt as though the ceiling had just collapsed on him at the same moment as the ground had given way. "You what?"
"I quit. I can't do this anymore. I can't plan your wedding and pretend that I'm fine while doing it anymore. I can't be around you anymore. I give up. I quit."
Apoplectic, Shivaay grabbed her left hand and held it up in between their faces. "If you're so ready to quit, what exactly do you call this?"
Anika's eyes blazed and she twisted her hand free from his, instead grabbing his left hand, the ring on his finger in stark contrast against his skin. "Isn't it me who should be asking you? What is this, Shivaay? Why did you buy a ring for me when you wear another woman's on your finger?" She let go of his hand, throwing it back towards him.
"Who said that I bought it for you?" Both Anika and Shivaay were standing now, glares boring into each other.
"Well if not for me then for who? Tell me. Who did you buy this ring for?" Anika took a step closer to Shivaay and he met the challenge by stepping forward towards her barely an instant later. "Who?"
"I don't know."
"That's not an answer!" She pushed him backwards, towards the wall. "You obviously didn't buy it for yourself and anyone, anyone can see that this ring clearly isn't meant for Tia, so why did you buy it?" Anika was seeing red, she had pushed Shivaay with each phrase until he was now standing with his back pressed to the wall. In a move so swift Anika barely had time to register what happened, Shivaay wrapped his arm around her waist and spun them around so that it was she who was now trapped against the wall, his hands either side of her.
"I'm engaged."
Almost crying with frustration, Anika shoved at the solid wall of his chest. He was immovable. "That's not an answer."
"It has to be. I can't give you anything else. I don't know why I bought the ring, I don't know what it means. I just... did. But whatever the reason and whatever this," he gestured at the two of them, "is- it can't be. Because I'm engaged. Tia is my fiancee. I am going to marry Tia. She's going to be my wife."
"But can you even be a husband?"
"What do you mean can I be a husband'?"
"I'm asking do you know what it means to be a husband? To promise yourself to someone. To tie your life and your happiness and your love to them? Do you even know what it means to love someone, Mr Shivaay Singh Oberoi?"
"Of course I know what it means to love someone. I love my family more than anything in the world."
"That's not what I'm talking about." Anika felt the bitter tears start to roll down her cheeks yet again as she banged her fists against Shivaay's chest. "I know you love your family. I'm talking about romantic love. Do you love Tia? Do you enjoy spending time with her? Are you excited to see her? Do you look forward to waking up every morning for the rest of your life with-" Anika choked on a sob, "with her in your arms? She will know your secrets and your heart and she'll share your tears and your laughter. As you'll share hers. Are you ready for that, Shivaay? Do you look forward to it? Are you truly ready for her to become Mrs Tia Singh Oberoi?"
"NO, dammit." Anika gasped as Shivaay banged his fists on the wall above her head and turned away.
Suddenly embarrassed by her outburst, Anika didn't know what to say. "Shivaay I-"
"No." He faced her, his eyes stormy with an expression she couldn't read. "No, Anika. Who do you think you are? Asking these things of me? Demanding answers from me? You... nothing. You are nothing. You mean nothing. You...To me..."
"Nothing." The word a ragged whisper from her lips as tears continued to stream down Anika's face. She brushed roughly at them with the backs of her hands, but to no effect. They continued to flow. She moved to scrub at them again, only to find her wrist circled by Shivaay's hand.
Gentle.
So gentle.
But firm.
He used his other hand to gently wipe away her tears. Her breath caught at the back of her throat as her heart started hammering and her tears slowed and came to a nervous stop.
She hesitated, and then, slowly. So slowly. She raised her hand and cupped his cheek.
She felt the shudder rip through his body at her touch and he closed his eyes. Turned his cheek into her palm until she could feel the corner of his lips against her skin.
It was Anika who shuddered then. Anika who closed her eyes.
Who knows how long they stood there? Perhaps a second. Perhaps an hour. Perhaps a lifetime.
They both opened their eyes at the same time.
Pressing a kiss to the inside of Anika's hand, Shivaay stepped back.
It was over.
"Shivaay I-"
"Please." It sounded broken, as though something inside him had just fractured and the word had torn through those jagged filters. "Go."
She looked once more at the man who sounded as shattered as she felt, saw him collapse down into a sitting position on his bed, place his elbows on his knees and sink his head into his hands. She heard his rasping breaths.
Anika left, closing the doors to Shivaay's room behind her before breaking into a punishing run.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Omkara was just coming in through the main doors when Anika darted out, crashing into him. He stumbled backwards. "Anika are you oka-" but she barged past him without answering.
She was crying.
Omkara felt strangled. His heart started racing. Shivaay.
He ran up the staircase, taking the steps two, three at a time. He had to get to Shivaay. He had to make sure he was-
Omkara threw open the doors to Shivaay's room and stopped. Shellshocked.
Shivaay looked up. His tears had streaked his collar. The top of his shirt. The cuffs of his sleeves. His eyes were red. His face contorted with unspeakable grief.
Omkara ran across the room and pulled his brother up into his arms. Whatever it was in Shivaay which had fractured finally shattered completely.
Shivaay hugged his brother, clutching him so tightly Omkara couldn't move. So instead he held Shivaay back just as tight.
And thus Omkara Singh Oberoi held his brother's shaking body as Shivaay wept desolately into his shoulder.
"I love her, Om. I love her so much I can't breathe. I... I..." A new wave of heart-wrenching sobs wracked his body and Shivaay could say no more.
He didn't need to.
12th Promise- "All For One"
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I'll admit I cried when I re-read this. I just... if you've ever seen someone who rarely expresses emotion finally break, it truly is heartbreaking. The Great Wall of Shivaay Singh Oberoi has finally come crashing down and it's as devastating as it was inevitable.
Once again, thank you all for following this story and allowing it to touch your hearts. I'll try not to keep you waiting too long for the next chapter, but maybe you need a break to recover from this one? 😆
Edited by fallingpieces - 9 years ago
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