Shivika 2S -|| Co-Passenger || [Off Track] -Shot 1 - June 20th

Anika sighed folding her arms, restlessly tapping her fingers on her elbow. Half-an hour. It had been half-an hour she had been waiting for someone to give her a lift. Standing on the highway from Goa to Mumbai on a late summer afternoon was far from adventurous and certainly not interesting. She sulked cursing everything she could. She had missed her bus at the Dhaba. Deciding to act smart and save time she had started walking all along the highway towards Mumbai, in hope that any passing vehicle would provide her the necessary lift she awaited. Worse decision. Instead of that she was halfway in nowhere with paining legs refusing to walk anymore.

"Koi toh ruk jaao! She said aloud as yet another vehicle zoomed past her.

An idea struck her, she had always seen in movies that a little attitude was enough to stop a heart what was a vehicle in front of that? Though she initially had felt the idea was stupid and not really something she would resort to in her sane state, but anyways tiredness and boredom had made her insane at the moment. She quickly untied her hair. Her hair which until now had been in a neat high ponytail was now flying lightly in the summer's breeze, just like her white long over shrug she had paired with a sleeveless yellow top.

Smiling to herself and flipping her hair she stood with a renewed confidence.

Woah! Fast response. She saw two approaching cars. She looked up at the sky impressed. Buy one get on free huh! She winked at the sky. Of course she wasn't insane, just having one of those personal conversations with God.

She raised her thumb. Such an outdated way of asking for lift. Immediately deciding she instead began waving her both arms in air. One was a black BMW the other a certain roofless sports car she din't recognize, which had three men seated.

"Ek toh ruko! she waved vigorously.

Screech and there both the cars came to a halt. She blinked. That was close. The black car had stopped right in front of her while the blue sports car a little ahead.

She picked her bag up, in the mean while the window pulled down.

"Can you drop me at Mumb.. she stared.

"Hop in!

She frowned. She looked away at the other car before. The men waved at her. Sighing she got into the black car itself after dropping her bag in the back seat as she was instructed.

The car overtook the sports car.

"So? the man driving asked.

"I don't talk to strangers."

"but,take lift from them?"

"Come up with something better next time. Why din't I expect this. After all its you! " he added.

"Shut up Mr.SSO"

"Behave Paanika!"

"Don't call me that!"

"Exactly! You don't call me that!"

"Ahha! " She whined frustrated with the man beside her already.

"I should be the one doing that!" He commented.

"You can't say what you want!"

"Exactly the point I wanted you to realize." He replied sharply.

"I am not your fiancee anymore. "She added frustrated.

"Neither am I still engaged to you! "

"Anyways, fill me in about your trip New projects in hand?!" he said trying to cut off their baseless argument. Quite honestly he din't like it a bit every time she mentioned it to him about their break-up.

"Ahh..can you talk about anything else apart from profits, figures, stocks and projects etc? NO. Thank God I am not marrying you! " She on purpose reminded him of the fact again.

"Tum naa,pagal ho. Koi paaagal hi tumse baat karne ki koshish karega! " he rolled his eyes and simply tapped the button to on the music system. Did he just call himself mad as well? Both thought the same thing. She smiled turning to look at the window. That obviously din't escape his sharp eyes.

She turned to look ahead, as he increased the volume, suggesting her in a way to hear.

She looked at him, he looked at her.

Both were reminiscing the good old days they had spent together.

The random unintentional touches, that caused sparks in splits of seconds. Those high-fives they would give each other when they won or were equally enthusiastic about something. The smiles they would exchange when their names were taken together. Those goodbyes that never found an end, in their conversations, over the phone.

Shivaay Singh Oberoi had fallen for Anika Harshwardhan Trivedi the minute he had seen her at the Trivedis' Home. A little clue the kanji-eyed Oberoi had that his life would change after that meeting arranged by the families to find their kids the perfect match. Honestly, he had no interest in love nor did he believe in its existence, but things changed soon after his eyes saw her. A little awkward meeting for the two and the two were set up to be married.

The period from their first meeting to the Roka was fast paced but beautiful. He felt things he had never felt before. Soon, the fondness started growing. The marriage was to be held three months later from then. Despite the fact that a part of him wanted to push the wedding still more he settle for his mother's suggestion of three months. One month was all it had taken for the two to become the cheesy-couple-to-be-engaged as in opinion of Rudra. Honestly the two knew they were anything but cheesy.

He had never felt that way before with any woman like he felt with her. He, for obvious reasons knew, she did like him. The way she smiled at him, with those glint in her eyes. The way she laughed at his smallest jokes throwing back her head. Not to miss the way she blushed whenever someone teased her with him. Those eyes that got wide when he attempted to flirt.

He had no clue he was smiling like a maniac while driving and she was adorably cherishing his expressions. His hand moved to the gear, that's when his hand touched her arm. He looked up at her, she looked away immediately.

Smile from the distance only.

She gulped. Tears moistened her eyes. She bit her lips to keep herself from crying and blinked so that those tears could disappear. If he was adamant so was she. If he wouldn't say it, then even she won't.

He pulled down the window and looked out his jaw clenched. If only she wasn't that stubborn and cared for what they shared. If only she understood him better.

She turned down the volume not wanting to listen to the song anymore. He simply did the reverse and increased the volume. She looked at him annoyed while he smiled.

Lekin muskaan ho aisi

His gaze was piercing into her soul finding its way to her heart. The way he looked at her. Her eyelashes fluttered and she looked away. He wasn't supposed to smile at her that way. It made her weak. She still saw that in his eyes. That raw thing, the one that attracted her to him. She knew he still cared. But if he couldn't name the feelings he had for her then even she wouldn't tell him what she felt. Not that, he wasn't aware of it.

She opened the front case of the car to pull out another cd. It was then that she realized that the pen drive attached to the music system was that she had gifted him. Her eyes din't leave that pendrive, while he gave her a quick glance and focused on the road.

"I thought aap ko ye pasand nahi, mere choice ke songs."

He looked at her. "Hmm$

"So why is this pendrive still here?"

"Bhul gaya.."

"Should have thrown it. " She spoke annoyed.

He gave her a look.

"It doesn't matter to me. He said casually.

"What matters to you? Nothing but those stocks and profits etc etc.

"Many things matter, just that you can't see it. He looked into her eyes as he spoke.

"Really? she folded her hands. "Then mind explaining, that I can't understand.

Brief pause followed as the song rang, and both listened to it enraptured. The song seemed to be a perfect fit to the condition of their hearts.

Lekin wo bhool ho aisi jis se bezaar nahi,

Maana Ki Hum Yaar Nahi...

"No point discussing it all over again Anika! he looked away.

"This. Exactly.is your.problem. " She turned and sat facing him now." I am not a human reader I can't read..."

"But you can feel it. Right. You can Understand right. " He threw his left hand in air, exasperated of the entire debate all over again.

"It's your ego."

"It's your pride!" he replied swiftly back.

"Stop the car."

"Don't be stupid and just sit."

"Shivaay, stop the car. Now."

Angry he pulled the car to a halt.

"You can't walk all the way! " he spoke sarcastically, still angry.

"I'd rather not be your co-passenger. " She gave him a glare.

"Fine. Go. "He had had enough. The woman wasn't simply making an effort to understand or leave her stubbornness.