FF: The Road to Redemption- Step 9- Negotiate from Nothing- Pg 38 - Page 25

Shivaay's head was pounding. Not from a headache or any internal source, but from having been smacked repeatedly around the skull by both Om and Rudra as he had debriefed them on the events of the day.

"How could you be so stupid?"

"Everything... everything Anika Bhabhi had done for you, for us, and that was what you thought of her? Bhaiya, how could you?"

"OW!" Rudra, tears stinging his eyes, had whacked Shivaay yet again. "Look, I know I was wrong okay? That's why I've been trying to make it up to her ever since."

Omkara shook his head and raised a hand, Shivaay flinched, but Om simply patted him consolingly on the shoulder. "Some mistakes are too big, Shivaay."

Om's words dropped Shivaay's heart into his stomach like a leaden canon ball. He had been so terrified that this might be the case that he hadn't allowed himself to even think it. He couldn't even contemplate a life without Anika in it. She had woven her way into so many aspects of his life, made an impact on so many people in his life that he couldn't see how she could remove herself and expect everything and everyone to possibly hold together without her.

"So what should I do?"

"I don't know. What do you think you should do?"

"I've tried to apologise. I've tried to make things right. I was planning to just keep doing everything right and treating her properly until she eventually decided to either punish me or forgive me, but I didn't factor in the possibility that she might just leave."

"Even if you tried to do everything right, you were always going to f**k up, Bhaiya."

"Rudra-"

"No, Shivaay, for once Rudra's right. You couldn't tiptoe around the issue forever, especially not with a woman like Anika. It's good the truth came out and now you can both deal with it and move past it."

"If Anika Bhabhi wants to."

"What do you mean?"

Rudra looked at him with the eyes of a puppy about to be taken out back and shot. "You can't fix it if Anika Bhabhi doesn't want to let you fix it. And that choice has to be hers. You have to give her that choice, Bhaiya."

Shivaay finally understood what Rudra was saying.

He didn't want to, but he did.

"You really think that's the only way?"

"Well," Om was stroking his chin. Shivaay's heart fluttered with the first beats of hope. Good things always happened when Om stroked his chin. "Maybe we can help you come up with a compromise..."

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"Give me five dates," a pause, a conflicted look. "Please."

Anika blinked. "Why are you here?"

"To ask you for five dates, after which, if you still hate me, I will let you divorce me and stay out of your life forever. Except for a fair division of assets as compensation for the... emotional distress caused during our acquaintance."

"You want me to let you take me out on five dates?"

"Yes."

"And why would I do that?"

"To let me prove myself to you."

"And why would I do that?"

"Anika I..." Shivaay considered his words. He knew this was quite possibly his last chance and he could not blow it. He had to tell her the truth- lying to his wife was not an option he would even contemplate- but he could frame the truth to his advantage. He also had to make sure he didn't descend into condescension. If he patronised her, Anika would slam up her walls and kick him out of her house so fast his head would spin.

"Anika, up until quite recently we've been on different playing fields."

"Why thank you, your Highness, I hope mingling with an unwashed peasant hasn't sullied you irreversibly."

"You're hardly unwashed, Anika. And like it or not, you are, for the time being, a Singh Oberoi. You are as far from being a 'peasant' as it is possible for anyone to be. But that's beside the point, to put it more accurately, I have believed myself to be on a different level to you out of some misplaced sense of pride, arrogance. Snobbery." He shrugged, his expression so unfazed by his casual acknowledgement of his life-ruining character flaws that Anika had to clench her hands into tight fists to keep from slapping him.

"The point is, whether or not we were once in different leagues, we are now married and therefore we necessarily have become equals."

"Shivaay," Anika's voice came out choked, but even she wasn't sure whether she was more furious or bemused, "is this really how you're trying to get me to agree to date you? By saying I'm inherently inferior to you but because you forced me into a marriage because you thought I was some sort of wh**e, I'm now worthy of your time and consideration?"

"Anika for the love of- no that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that I have all these beliefs and reasons and principles which should make you the last person I'd ever even consider going on even one date with... but for whatever reason since the day I met you they've all been completely irrelevant."

"You're such a flaming piece of-"

"I haven't changed, you know."

"What?"

"I haven't changed. I still think there's a world of difference between the rich and the poor, the upper and the lower classes. I still firmly believe that for the most part it's better if those worlds stay separate. I just also believe that my world is better for having you in it. And I will fight tooth and nail to keep you in mine for even a single extra day."

Anika was quiet for a long while. "Was that supposed to be a compliment?"

"Not really."

"Because it sounded dangerously close to 'you're not like other girls, Anika', or rather, 'you're not like other poor girls, Anika'. And what's wrong with other girls, please? Other girls are great. I wish men would stop pitting women against each other and then saying that women are bitches to each other when men are the root cause."

Shivaay was completely baffled. "Anika, what the hell are you talking about?"

Anika folded her arms and scowled. "All I'm saying is, you're an arsehole."

"I never claimed otherwise. And maybe I'm wrong about class and wealth divisions- opinions always run the risk of being incorrect- but that hasn't been proved to me yet. If and when it is definitively proved, I will acknowledge that I promise you. All I know is I was wrong about you."

Anika opened her mouth to say something but Shivaay pre-empted her and cut in with, "You are a sample size of 1. You being different to the masses proves nothing and for the love of God don't give me the 'other girls' spiel again I'm not a 15 year old boy, I know that already."

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"I'm not moving back in with you."

"Okay."

"And you have to explain that to Dadi."

"Okay."

"And I swear down if she gives me the Grandma Guilt-Trip when I see her, I'm going to sign the divorce papers in front of her."

"Okay."

"And if any of these dates turn out to be boring I'm going to leave halfway through."

"Okay." A beat. "But what if they go well?"

"Huh?"

"What happens if they go well?"

"That's a very unlikely situation, Mr Oberoi."

"5 rewards."

"What?"

"For each date that goes well, I get a reward."

"Me agreeing to actually attend the next date should be reward enough."

"You can decide if the rewards are appropriate."

"... what kind of reward were you thinking?"

"If the first date goes well, you stop calling me Mr Oberoi."

"What would you like me to call you instead?"

Shivaay shrugged again. "I don't care. Call me Gopi Bahu if you want. Just... not that."

Anika looked at him, saw past the confident, almost impassive mask to the flicker of fear in his eyes. Okay. Fine. Whoever said marriage was about compromise could go suck on a whole basket of rotten eggs.

"Fine. I'm going to call you Ellaria because you're such a snake."

"I don't watch Game of Thrones."

"And yet... you know who Ellaria is."

"That's because people who DO watch it won't shut up about it, no matter how many times I threaten them."

"Aman?" she guessed.

"Aman."

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My other story, 'Consequences', just got a real downer of an Anika-Shivaay reunion chapter... so I decided to give them slightly more hope in this one.

Sorry for the long LONG absence, but the time has come to at least finish the stories I started. I hope you enjoyed this chapter 😆

Dates are fun to write. Especially dates organised by Shivaay Singh Oberoi. And though I really do want to maintain a strong, independent, don't-mess-with-me Anika... I also just want to write a happy love story with a redemption track that is funny but genuine. I don't think it has to be all angst and anguish for Shivaay to truly redeem himself, and I don't think Anika's the kind of person who would want that anyway. I'm talking too much.

Enjoy :)