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A very random shotđł
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"Meet our event manager," Sumeet was saying to Shivaay but he was hardly paying any attention. His blue eyes were fixated on the person opposite him as he tried hard to keep in check the storm of emotions that was starting to build up inside his mind and soul.
3 months. It's been 3 months since he had seen that face - well atleast physically. In his mind, however, that is the only one he had seen - for every tormented minute of his life for the past 3 months.
"Shivaay," hearing his name brought him back to the present.
"Shivaay-Annika, Annika-Shivaay," Sumeet made his introductions, gesturing back and forth at them.
Their names, spoken together did nothing to calm down the storm inside him. He wasn't sure how much his face betrayed his emotions, but Sumeet didn't seem to notice anything odd - which was good. She was however regarding him with a look of surprise and caution - which made him feel all the more uneasy.
She put out a hesitant hand and he shook it reluctantly. Even in that short moment that their hands touched, he felt that familiar jolt of electricity that he always felt when their skin touched. He drew back quickly but to his dismay he knew she could feel it too. He could see it in her eyes.
"Well this is comfortable," he cursed himself inwardly for choosing the Malhotra's Annual Charity event to put an end to his 3 month long phase of isolation from anything even remotely entertaining. This whole while he had dutifully immersed himself in work and work alone. Afterall, parties were for happy people, and he was far from that. Today was the first time he had decided to lower his walls and go out - mainly because OmRu were constantly riding his back for him to leave the house and attend this - and this is what was in store for him. Wow.
She moved away as someone on the other side of the room called her name, and he sighed with relief. Once she was across the room, he allowed himself to check her out. She was looking stunning in a long grey cocktail dress that hugged her slender frame and accentuated her curves. She had paired it with a pair of crystal heels - a little too high for his choice - and a pair of butterfly shaped drop earrings whose chains dangled all the way down to her neck. She had her hair up in one of those messy buns, and a few stray locks of hair came down and brushed the sides of her cheeks everytime she laughed. Looking at that, he had a sudden urge to go up there and tuck them behind her ears. He could almost picture the surprise in her face, how she would stop laughing and stiffen up, how her breath would hitch as his fingers stroked against her skin.
"She's a great asset," Sumeet's words brought him back to reality.
"Huh," he said, a little flustered. What the hell was he doing?
"This girl Annika you just met, she's been working with us for like 2 or 3 months now, and she's already shown great promise. This charity ball is the company's biggest event of the year and she has handled everything almost single handedly. It's quite appreciable."
Shivaay nodded half heartedly, his mind still on Annika. She was chatting animatedly with another girl, paying no heed to him at all. He sighed. For 3 months he had been playing up the pretense of indifference so good that it almost felt real to him but that didn't seem to work today. He was visibly affected by her presence and it was disturbing him to no end, especially when she didn't seem to be affected by him at all!
"Okay, I can do this," he spoke to himself. "I just need to put on a show for the next hour somehow and then I'm getting the hell out of here."
For the next half an hour, he busied himself in socialising with business associates and other acquaintances. He couldn't help stealing quick glances at Annika in between, who was still talking to the girl and another new guy who had also joined the group, and it seemed - much to his chagrin - like they were having fun.
The orchestra on the far end of the room started to play a jazz tune and some of the couples moved towards the dance floor at the centre of the room.
He forced himself to turn his attention to Sumeet. "So how much longer are you here in India?"
"Not long," he replied. "I'm going back to Scotland next week."
"It's been quite a while, huh?"
"Yep, 6 years. I think I've missed India, especially the girls, you know what I mean," he grinned widely. "Although Scottish lassies aren't too bad either, and now that I've been here for the last month I feel like I'm missing them too!" he winked at him.
"You haven't changed at all since college," Shivaay was about to laugh, when he noticed the new guy was holding Annika's hand as they both started moving towards the dance floor.
"Who's that?" He blurted out before he could stop himself.
The guy slid his left hand around Annika's waist and she put her right one on his shoulder. The other couples twirled around them, hiding them from his view momentarily. When he could see them again, they had started swaying to the beat as well.
"Who?"
The music changed - it was an upbeat dance number, and he effortlessly twirled her around to the rhythm. They seemed to be having a good time together.
Shivaay inclined his chin towards them, the veins in his head starting to throb as the music hit off.
"That guy with Annika?"
"Yes."
"Oh you haven't met? He's my cousin, Rohit."
"Rohit?" He repeated the name bleakly.
"Yes, he's the M.D of our company here in India. He's the one who hired her. They hit it off quite well since the beginning, and they've grown quite close over the last 3 months."
He spoke something into her ear that made her throw her head back and laugh. Her bangs swayed wildly in the air with each movement of her head, making it impossible for Shivaay to keep looking at her anymore.
"Shall we move over to the bar? It's quite loud here." Shivaay was thankful for the offer. They moved over to a place where they couldn't directly view the dancing couples anymore.
"So are you seeing someone right now?" Sumeet asked, handing him a glass of cocktail from a tray on the countertop and picking up one for himself.
"What?" Shivaay asked with a start.
"Well, you're divorced now, aren't you? I think I heard it in the news."
"Yes?"
"What has it been, like 3 months?"
"Yes."
"And you still aren't seeing anyone?" He asked, opening his eyes wide. "You must've loved her a lot, man!"
"What's your point?" His head was pounding now, and he just wanted to leave.
"I'm just asking!" He put up his hands in defence. "You know I never got to meet your wife, never even saw a picture of her in the news."
"Well, she's gone now. Why are we talking about this again?"
"No reason in particular."
"Then let's not talk about it, shall we? It's not a phase of my life that I want to remember and anyway, Shivaay Singh Oberoi doesn't waste time thinking about the past."
"Hey it's okay! I was just asking you as a friend. I thought maybe you wanted to talk about it," Sumeet tried to pacify him but he was too far gone to stop now.
"Don't! Don't ever ask me anything about her. Nobody likes to 'talk' about their mistakes in life, do they? She's gone out of my life for good and if she's not in my life then she isn't very well worth my time anymore!" He hadn't realised when the music had died down, and it was the loud thud of a glass being dropped forcefully on the countertop that made him stop his rant and turn back.
Annika stood a few feet behind him, her hand around one of the empty cocktail glasses. Her eyes had a look that almost made him stop breathing. His heart hammered inside his chest, as he realised she had heard everything he had just said.
To his horror, she picked up another glass of beverage from the counter, threw back her head as she emptied it in one go, and then put it down on the table with the same force like the last one. Then she picked up another one. Then another. And another.
When all six glasses on the counter were empty, she wheeled around and stomped out of the room without a word.
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"Annika!" He called out as he looked around for her in the empty parking lot. It'd started to drizzle and he ran his hand through his hair slick with sweat and water. Where was she?
"Annika!" He called out again. He spotted a lone form in the distance, and he ran towards it.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?" He asked angrily when he reached her.
She looked up at him and he couldn't figure out if the drops of water on her cheeks were tears or raindrops.
"Why the hell are you here?" She countered back.
"Well you left the party alone, after having all those drinks..." He trailed off when he saw the look in her eyes.
"Well, you don't need to waste your precious time on me. Go back to the party, I'm fine," she said. She turned around. And lost her balance and stumbled forward.
His reaction was instant as he took a quick step towards her and steadied her by the waist.
"Yeah I can see that you're totally fine."
"I am!" She wiggled out of his hold. "It's just these stupid shoes that I'm in," she bent forward and took the high heels off, then staggered two paces away from him, wobbling dangerously on her feet the whole time. "See I'm fine! Go back."
Shivaay regarded her with amusement. "And what're you going to do out here? Make out with your new boyfriend?"
"What do you mean?" She gave him an icy stare. "I'm going home. I hate this party anyway,"
"Didn't seem that way to me," he muttered under his breath.
"What?"
"Nothing. You're going home alone in this condition? In this weather?"
"Why the hell do you care? It's not like I'm your wife or something!"
He stomped closer to her and shook her by the shoulders. "Hey, don't you dare talk to me like that! You're the one who ruined everything we had!"
"And you're the one who let me go," she said, looking straight into his eyes.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Nothing."
Both of them stood facing each other silently for a few moments. The faint sound of the orchestra playing inside the hall could still be heard from there. The rain was beating down harder now and Annika struggled to keep her eyes open. All the alcohol in her system was making her drowsy, and yet the rain and the close proximity of his body perked up her mind in the strangest of ways.
"You had a lot of fun with that guy today. I didn't know you liked dancing that much," his tone was bitter when he spoke after the long silence.
"Who? Rohit?" She made a drawn out sound which was supposed to be a laugh. "Yes, he's a good friend. Actually he and his fiancee Ananya, both are good friends of mine. We've been hanging out together a lot lately."
"Wait, Rohit's engaged?"
She nodded. "But Ananya hates dancing so he asked me instead," she said, smiling a little at the memory from earlier that evening, he presumed. Then she tried to shift her weight but her knees gave way. "Whoa," He mumbled as he put his arms around her waist and pinned her close to his body, holding her securely in place. She closed her eyes and her head slowly drooped into his chest.
"This music is good," she whispered after some time. He hadn't realised when he'd started swaying to the beat but for some reason he didn't want to stop.
"Why did you do it Annika?" He asked quietly after a long moment of silence.
"Because he asked."
"Who?"
"Rohit."
Shivaay rolled his eyes. "I'm not talking about the dance. I'm asking you why you...well why you broke my heart." He paused for a second to steady his voice and continued, "I just...I can't stop thinking about it! Everything that you said and did that day, it's so unlike you," he continued, "There must have been some reason right? I thought I knew you and it wasn't you who spoke those words that day. I need to know, Annika. I need to know what happened!"
She was quiet for a long time and her weight grew heavier on him. "Annika?" he shook her slightly, rousing her. "Answer me. Why did you do it?"
"Do what?" She mumbled groggily into his chest.
"That stint that you pulled on the day I asked you to marry me, why did you do it?"
"Because she asked?"
"Who? Who asked you Annika?"
Again there was a long pause. "The woman who's not your mother."
He drew back and looked at her face. "What?"
She looked at him through half-closed eyelids. "What?"
"You're so drunk right now," he said, rolling his eyes again.
She giggled and put her head back on his chest. And for the first time in 3 months, Shivaay Singh Oberoi had on his face the slightest hint of a smile as well.
Ever since he let her go, every second of his life was spent waging a battle against his own feelings. While a part of him felt betrayed and was angry at her for her behaviour, there was another voice inside him that often wondered if there was some hidden reason behind whatever she did and if he did make a mistake by letting her go afterall. The more he thought about it, the more he found himself helpless and angry at just about everything and everyone. He was angry at himself. He was angry at her. The fire burned so strong inside him that it became the only emotion that he was capable of feeling. But tonight, for the first time he realised how much he had missed her. From the time that he'd seen her face tonight, the other emotions that he thought he'd locked away into the darkest corner of his mind had started to break away and overpower him. He had protested with all his might, until the moment when he found himself holding her tightly in his arms - her head over his aching heart as the rain poured down in torrents and soothed the fire inside him - and that was when he let go. There was so much that was wrong in their lives and this did nothing to fix anything at all, and yet it felt so right that he didn't want to think about anything else anymore for the night. He could always find his answers tomorrow.
Somewhere in the distance the song changed but they didn't even notice it. It was as if their feet were moving about by themselves, that even if they wanted to stop they knew they couldn't. Soon the rain came down harder and drowned out everything around them except probably the sound of their own heartbeats but then, that was all the music that they needed.
____________The End____________
Hope you all like it :) Please leave your likes and comments below, they mean a lot to međ
P.S: I'm really sorry for not updating my TS on time but I've been totally swamped with work lately and I promise to have an update real soon. Meanwhile, thank you so much for your patience!
- Archie
Tum Se Tum Tak
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Jhanak
Shiv Shakti
