"Do I look like her?" the girl in her early twenties looked at the reflection in the mirror with expectation. She took a pair of locks in her hands and twisted, "Di, look I am looking like you. Exactly, you." She smiled while a lone tear escaped from her eyes.
*
"Anika I'm so happy that you are with me" Omkara purred in Anika's ear and looked at the sky seating on a couch in their terrace.
"I'm happy too" she sighs.
"Do you love me, Anika?" Om asked looking into her eyes.
"I love you, I love you so much. You are my best friend" Anika said reassuring Om with a hug.
*
"Five years, five years Di, I have waited. Now I look exactly the way he has seen you" the girl clutched the rods of the window, looking at the stars. "NOW, I will make him pay" she gritted her teeth as uncontrollable tears streamed down her face.
*
With wobbly steps Shivay stomped upstairs when the hands dragged him protectively taking him to a room nearby.
"Shivay!" her concerned voice asked with a horrified look.
"What have you done to yourself son?" she asked.
"Mom..." he uttered with difficulty. His voice, not able to mask his pain, not today.
"You love her? You love Anika?" she asked cupping his face.
He nodded his head in agreement frantically hoping that if mom could do something for him.
"Does she like you?"She asked again.
"Yes, May be, No" the tears and overflowing saliva were making it difficult for him to pronounce clearly.
"Son, you don't even know, if she likes you or not!"
"Mom, I love her. I love her. I thought I would be happy for Om but I am not. Mom, why? Why it is so hurting? It's suffocating" he choked rubbing his chest.
Jahnvi hugged her son immediately trying to soothe his pain a little. "Son, don't be like me. Don't be another Jahnvi." She rubbed his back. "Try to forget, move on, son. Come out off the sorrows" she paused, "Otherwise" her voice low, deep, "otherwise, you will lose yourself in the ocean of never ending depression. You will lose yourself and you CAN'T afford it" she broke the hug; she looked into her son's eyes wiping his tears and asked, "right?"
Shivay sighed closing his eyes when some drops again found its way from his eyes and a whimper came from his mouth, "Yeah".
*
Omkara hugged the slender form in his arms more tightly making her flinch. He trailed some kisses on her shoulder but found her stiff.
"Do you really love me, Anika?" he asked breaking the hug.
"Why? Why are you asking again?" she stammered.
"Why are you not comfortable in my touch?" he asked.
"Because, Om" she stopped, "I'm ... not comfortable yet because I love you but as a friend. I need time to take things further ahead." She blurted finally.
He looked at her for some time and then assured, "Okay... Take your time. I'll wait."
It has been several months, she joined Oberoi General Hospital. Of Course she was not thrown out after first three months and now successfully serving the patients. She was no longer living in the mess and managed to take a flat on rent. Though the place what she called flat is nothing more than a 450 square feet square place and an attached bathroom but whatever it was, it was of her own. With partition she created a small open kitchen and in the corner has kept her mattress on the floor beside her book rack which was mostly covered in travel journals. There was a table beside the book rack filled with lots of candles. She had hanged the paper birds from the ceiling above her bed and when the wind blows or she switches on the fan, the birds fly.
After a tiring day she returned home and drawn her exhausted body to that mattress to find comfort in that warm fabric but to her dismay it was cold. And damp. She again forgot to close that window and the unexpected sudden rain of winter has done its mischief. She shifted to the cool mosaic and tried to stay awake however out of weariness drifted to sleep in no time.
*
It was 11 pm and she found herself shaking in cold. Her eyes and throat were burning and her body terribly hot in fever. She tried to call Om but he didn't pick, she tried another number.
*
"Mom, has Om returned yet?" Shivay asked his mother in the dinner table.
"How do I know?" Jahnvi who was twisting some spaghetti with her fork raised his vision above and met her son's eyes. "Yes, he was not here for dinner tonight. Usually he does it by 10" she said.
"Yes, don't know where he is!" he frowned.
"Call him" she suggested.
"Yeah" he took his phone from pocket and about to dial when it flashes a known number and within no time he was out of the house leaving his unfinished dinner.
*
From past half an hour Omkara was hyperventilating on his seat in the theatre where the music concert was happening. He watched as her talented fingers pressed the reads of the piano swiftly letting the auditorium echo her music. Her eyes just like Ishana's. Her hairs braided on one side just like Ishana's. The black bindi just on the middle of her forehead just like her's? Ishana???
He needed some drinks to gulp down to control the overwhelming emotions which he was having. More than drinks he needed drugs.
*
"Vishakha, what's the temperature?" Shivay entered the room addressing the woman in her early thirties draped in a sari, holding a child close to her.
"102. Shivay, I'm very afraid." She said clutching the girl closer to her.
"She will be okay. Don't worry. She is our strongest wrestler. Our Prinku Pehlwan." He patted her shoulder. "I'm calling Dr. Batra, he'll be here soon."
*
"Dr. Batra, where are you?" he asked urgently.
"At Anika's place. Why?"
"At her place? Why?" Shivay asked a little baffled.
"She is high on fever. She didn't have any medicines because as you know she just shifted so I bought it for her."
"Oh, actually Priyanka is very ill. Please" he pressed "Come over here"
"Actually I'm just leaving. I am just worried. You know she must be doctor but she is alone. She might be too weak to get the medicines, so I thought I would be staying here with her." The doctor said.
"Jyoti, you come here. Don't worry. I'll take care of that." He concluded cutting the phone.
*
He tried to fetch her pushing the excited crowd aside. He saw her waving at the audience, smiling, signing autographs, the way Ishana used to do. She was exactly like her.
*
As he saw the flash lights of Jyoti's car descending in the paths of the house, Shivay got up from the bed and said, "Vishaka, Dr. Batra will be here in no time but I have to leave. An emergency but please keep updating me about her." He kissed Priyanka's forehead before leaving.
*
"Ishana..." he called out screaming but his voice couldn't reach her overtaking the noise of the crowd. He saw her getting in to her Car and leaving.
*
He knocked at her door some more getting almost panic attacks at the thought that what might have happened to her that she was not opening the door and as soon as she opened the door he squeezed her shoulders asking, "Where were you?" And then he cupped her face, "How are you?"
"Mr. Oberoi?" she freed herself from him and asked, "Why are you here at this time?"
"Oh, actually Jyoti told you are unwell so just came to check on you" he mumbled.
"I am fine" she said refusing him.
"That I can see" he entered the room not waiting for her to call him in.
With weak steps she went inside when he locked the door.
"Have you eaten something?" he asked.
"No. I am not hungry."
"Your mattress is cold Anika. Where have you sleeping?"
"On the floor"
"My God" he took out his blazer and gestured her to sit there.
He chided seeing a reluctant Anika, "Please Anika, just sit there, I'll make some soup for you"
*
Shivay made a trembling Anika sip some soup, then he sat beside her.
"Come to me" he asked.
"What?" she murmured.
He took her in his arms wrapping his hands around her trying to provide some warmth. She went further letting him cocoon her. It was not right to sleep in the arms of own fianc's brother but it felt so right. Soon sleep conquered her thoughts and her rhythmic breathing lingered on his neck sounding like a lullaby sending him in the world of sleep.
Please tell me what do you think about this update!... See you all in the next chapter š¤ ... Stay well, stay healthy and keep doing ishqbazian !
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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