3.1 "Not branded" (C) "Sirf Annika"
Time seemed to have come to a standstill as he watched her walk towards him.
In a daze, he watched the expressions playing on her face carefully.
Her tears pierced him worse then any bullets or any earthly wounds could ever hope to.
How had he ever thought she was anything but beautiful?
She is glowing.
Om and Rudra were smiling through their tears. And for a second he again marvelled at that. They loved her. They had always loved her. Like -
"Thank you bhabhi"
And not for the first time in the last twenty four hours, he was taken by surprise.
Omkaara had always taken time to accept new relationships.
Of course he understood Prinku and Rudra's acceptance. They had both been sheltered all their lives - of course for them, accepting relationships... new relationships were more or less easier than it had been for him and Om.
Why did everything happening around Annika always have to be different?
He couldn't find his voice.
Bhabhi.
The word sounded unfamiliar. Yet prophetic. And the new emotions that stirred up inside him challenged him in new ways.
"Bhabhi -"
But this time he noticed the hesitancy and the surprise on her face too.
So this was new for her too.
And just like that he felt some life creep back inside him.
She was in the same place as him. Again.
Her eyes were locked to his and he tried to express the gratitude inside him but the words died inside him.
How could he even speak to her?
Had Omkaara always been right?
She had given this too.
Another gift.
Selflessly.
Were some people really capable of doing things for others without wanting something in return?
The thoughts created a new storm inside him just as suddenly as the word 'bhabhi' did and he tried searching for the answers to his questions in her eyes.
Om and Rudra had now lightly touched his shoulder as they started to walk out the door, but he couldn't bring myself to tear his eyes away from her face.
"W-why?"
Her tears were screaming something at him.. each reflecting a piece of her glowing beauty. And for a moment he really could feel the tug on his heartstrings beating to the rhythm of her breath.
Could this really be happening?
Her gold lined chocolate honey orbs were lined with a depth that he had till now never believed to have existed. Selfless acts... non-blood relationships based on something other than quid pro quo?
But just like that he was broken out of this almost dreamlike reverie as soon as she turned to walk away.
And he didn't know why that suddenly made him feel suffocated.
He couldn't stand it when she walked away from him.
It nudged his control over the edge.
Never - just as much as her tears made him want to set everything around him and her on fire... her breaking away from him burned him from inside.
"Annika-"
His hand almost reflexively moved to grab her.
It was involuntary.
It was natural. The feel of her soft hands in his felt like an extension of himself.
Miraculous.
"Mein - mein baat kar raha hu... tumse"
She didn't turn.
And then he wanted to beg.
He wanted to scream.
He deserved this.
Of course he deserved it, he had deserved worse.
The dull ache returning, he slowly felt himself let go.
"I am talking to you - please -"
Please
Shivaay Singh Oberoi had never felt this helpless in his life.
Everything paled in comparison to her in that moment.
Him and her. He wanted to scream. Again. He wanted to run away with her - he wanted to beg for her... he felt like he was walking on a path of lit charcoal as he stared at her soft curls.
In that moment he honestly felt like he was a beduin who couldn't stop staring at the mirage of water in the dessert... the soft curls reminded her of something that he could only watch...could only crave...
His heartbeats hollow...the weight on his chest heavier he felt himself slowly breaking.
But something in his tone persuaded her because she turned.
Slowly...almost carefully.
And the moment he found his eyes drown into hers, he felt like someone had breather new life into him.
Beautiful
"Mere paas family nahi hai Shivaay -"
But the soft hollowness in her voice frustrated him.
Would she always remain this mystery to him?
"Lekin family ki importance mujhe pata hai. Aur iss family ko jodti hui dhal ko mein nahi tute te dekh sakti. Apni wajah se toh bilkul nahi."
She wasn't lying.
He could see it in her eyes.
But there was something else in her eyes that disturbed him. An underlying emotion that her eyes had been screaming at him.
And for moments that felt like a lifetime, he stared at the image of himself in her eyes.
This he could give her.
"You are family Annika -"
The colour in her chocolate honey eyes changed at that - they somehow seemed mellower.
And this time he could not ignore the soft eager tugs inside him...they moved to her rhythm.
"Thank you"
And he didn't know that he had spoken that out loud. And for a moment he actually wondered if she had heard.
But the whisper had reached her.
And this time he felt it more than saw it as her breathing slowly turned shallower as he walked towards her.
He had honestly never seen her speechless before this.
And the small boy inside him wanted to trap this moment here - now - but suddenly a loud thud jerked him back.
"Shivaay baby"
Tia?
Tia?
Tia - of course Tia. I - I know Tia.
Annika had looked away and the unfamiliar frustration that had grown inside him towards himself started creeping back in.
Tia had walked up to his unbandaged arm and grabbed it.
Suddenly this now almost felt like an intrusion.
That felt unpleasant. Intrusive.
"Billu -"
His whole family seemed to have walked inside alongside Tia too then.
He saw pain in each of their eyes, but somehow the anger seemed to have melted.
Will there ever be a time when he would not feel indebted to Annika?
Daadi looked shaken up and this only increased the growing pit of guilt inside him.
He had done everything in his power to save his family's name from being reduced to ridicule.
However, like each time - each time... When Annika was involved... somehow the haunted morning when he had seen her in Daksh's room had broken something inside him... and as he destroyed him and her through each step of the way to the wedding, the madness that had seized him had refused to bow down.
"Shaadi toh hogayi - ab kaisi bhi hui, iss shaadi -"
"Please grandma - how can you say that this was a weddin-"
"Tia"
The impatient almost indignant whispered growl was automatic. Nobody ever interrupted Daadi.
Nobody.
"No Shivaay baby - "
This was surprising.
Tia had always been the one to listen to everything that he had asked off her.
"I am sorry grandma -"
Her next words stopped him.
"But I can't stand by and listen as this girl... with no lineage...no money...no family name starts dreaming about becoming Anika Shivaay Singh Oberoi. Tries to take away what's mine."
Annika Shivaay Singh Oberoi
Annika Shivaay Singh Oberoi
The name echoed prophetically deep inside him.
The name was beautiful.
The name sounded perfect.
It was hers. It was his.
She was his.
The familiar tug inside him suddenly pulled stronger than ever as he stared shocked into those magnetic chocolate honey eyes.
The name sounded beautiful.
"Khwab woh nahi tum dekh rahi ho Tia"
The sharpness in Daadi' tone was unmistakable.
"But-"
This time it was Daadi' hand held up that halted Tia.
"Bas - ab Annika hi iss ghar ki bahu hai-"
"Yeh sab ho kya raha hai?"
Mrs. Kapoor had suddenly walked into the room. And as he looked around little uncomfortably, he realised for the first time just how cramped everyone seemed into this small room.
A growing sense of frustration ate at him and he suddenly pulled away from Tia's hold and towards the window.
"I understand your concern Mrs. Kapoor but -"
"Enough Shivaay-"
Another surprise. Mrs. Kapoor had also always been so accommodating.
"I can't stand by while some low class woman tries to break my daughter's house."
Enough
"Enough"
The vase broke as Shivaay flipped it off the table.
"I will not hear another word against her."
I could feel her eyes on me but the frustration and anger had already gripped me.
"What nonsense-"
"I should have known. These lower middle class women always have the same dream. Annika Shivaay Singh Oberoi my -"
He didn't really know what he himself would have done if she hadn't spoken then. But she did.
And if it were anyone other than her he would probably have lost his iron control. But her voice echoed deep inside him, and as a starved man he could only stare at her as she slowly walked towards his daadi.
"Excuse me-"
The tears in her eyes stopped him from rushing to her side.
He had caused this.
Gone was the mellowed honey, they were now in the darkest of shades as she turned towards Mrs. Kapoor from beside Daadi.
"Mein jaanti hu aap mujse badi hai - par please. Mein kal bhi sirf Annika thi aur aaj bhi pehle sirf Anika hu."
Her words washed over him in two different emotions.
Glowing pride as well as disappointment.
Did that mean -
But the thoughts died as she turned towards Daadi without waiting for Mrs. Kapoor to respond. Her voice now gentler, she carefully looked at her and started, "Daadi - Sahil akela hai...mujhe uske pas jaana hai. Please-"
"Jaa beta...mujhe Billu par bharosa hai. Woh sab theek kar dega-"
The tears in her eyes pierced him torturously as she slowly turned away and walked out.
She didn't look back at him this time.
Her silence was torturous. Even more than the knives that pierced him as he saw her walk away.
But her retreating figure woke him up.
Tonight had taught him that he needed to become himself again.
For his family, for her.
Yes. He would make things right again.
Soon.
-------------xx------------
Edited by LilyJames0194 - 8 years ago
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