12:01 AM
Shiva glanced at the clock, sighed and entered his bedroom, latching it behind him. The lights were on, and Chipkali was nowhere-
"Shiva!" Raavi appeared out of no where, beaming her famous smile.
"Tu kaha se tapki?" Shiva flinched, because he could swear she wasn't here a minute ago.
Ignoring his question, she stretched out her arms and held a gift wrapped box towards Shiva, which she had hid behind her back.
"Happy birthday, Shiva!" She beamed, holding out the gift for him.
Shiva looked from the box, to Raavi, and back to the box again, before snatching it and throwing it across the room.
In an instant, the smile from Raavi's face was wiped off and replaced with a blank look, while Shiva fumed with anger.
"Ye kya harkat hai Shiva?" Raavi replied, dumbfounded, looking from Shiva to the gift lying on the floor.
"Maine maanga tha gift? Nahi na? Toh kyu leke aayi?" Shiva snapped, tossing his phone angrily on the bed.
"Gift maangte nahi, diya jaata hai. Surprise hota hai gift." Raavi reasoned, mentally boring holes in Shiva's head.
"Mujhe nahi acche lagte surprises, aage se ye bakwaas karne ka try mat kar, bata raha hu." Shiva scowled, pointing a finger in her face.
She swatted away his hand angrily, "Stop it, Shiva. Kyu itna kadwa bann raha hai? Birthday ke dinn koi itna muh sadake kaise baith sakta hai?" Raavi retorted.
Shiva grabbed her by her shoulders and backed her into the nearest wall, "Mujhe mera birthday celebrate karna nahi pasand. Tu jaanti hai ye. Toh kyu itna kar rahi hai?"
Raavi shrugged his hands off in anger, "Tujhse baat karna hi bekaar. Mera hi dimag kharab ho gaya tha, jo tere liye tere pasand ki shirt laake apne haathon se gift wrap kiya"
Tears pooled her eyes, and Shiva looked away. Her tears always affected him, the most when he was the cause of them.
"Ro mat please." He mumbled, and her head shot up.
"KYU? Meri aankhein, mere aansu, meri marzi, tujhe kya?" Raavi wept, not bothering to wipe the tears that were escaping her eyes.
"Takleef hoti hai mujhe-" Shiva raised his hands to wipe her tears, but she swatted them away again.
"Khud aansu deta hai, aur khud pochne aajata hai. Ye kya hai Shiva? Apne paas nahi aane deta, aur door jaane nahi deta." Raavi grabbed his collar, pulling him closer to her face. "Kyu tune apne aas paas aisi deewar khadi kar di, ki mai tere dil mein thodi si bhi jagah nahi bana paayi?"
Shiva looked into her innocent, child-like eyes, before weakly chuckling, turning away to face his back to her, "Kisne kaha tujhse, ki tu mere dil mein nahi hai? Kisne kaha ki mere dil mein tere liye koi feelings nahi hai?"
Raavi was stunned by his simple words. Her ears were buzzing with his words. What she felt in that moment, was equivalent to ocean waves crashing upon heavy rocks. A strange calm, yet a sort of restlessness settled in her heart as she realised,
He felt for her. Only her.
Raavi reach out for his arm, and tugged him slightly, making him face her, head bowed down, eyes not meeting hers. She cupped his face and made him look at her, wordlessly asking him to let her in, past the walls he so strongly built.
Shiva let out a sigh, leaning into her touch, before he began to speak, "10 saal ka tha mai, jab pehli baar mera birthday sab bhul gaye the. Sab busy the, Sunday tha, aur kisiko yaad nahi. Woh toh agle din school jaake mere doston ne wish kiya, tab Dev aur Krish ne ghar pe sabko yaad dilaya."
"Maine socha theek hai, ek saal hi tha, ab yaad rakhenge. Lekin agle saal bhi yahi hua. Aur uske agle saal bhi. Mujhe samajh aa gaya, kaun kiska favourite hai. Toh maine bhi yaad dilana band kar diya sabko"
"Kuch time ke baad chubhan kam ho gayi. 4-5 logo se zyaada kisiko yaad bhi nahi hota tha ki chote se Shiva ke seene mein bhi dil hai. Aasman se nahi tapka hu" Shiva smiled weakly at his own joke, which just caused the knife in Raavi's heart to twist more.
"Unme se ek tu bhi thi. Mere birthday ki har subah tera chehra dekh ke hi chalu hua hai. Itne zor zor se chillati thi, wish karti thi, aur tere birthday pe jo pareshaan karta tha, uska badla lene aa jati thi. Pata nahi baaki gharwaalo ne kaise teri awaaz nahi suni." He dared to look in her eyes, expecting her to mock him for his vulnerability.
But instead, he saw....pain? His hurting, hurt her too?
"Bas. Isliye kisi ko apne paas nahi aane diya. Kabhi kabhi apne hi paraya kar dete hai, aur apne hi logo ko khud se door karne pe majboor karte hai." Shiva closed his eyes, not wanting her to see the pain that his heart reflected.
Her heart broke for him. How many such incidents made him close off himself to the world, to her?
Raavi wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning onto his forehead with hers, "Mai toh teri mami ki behen ki beti hu na? Teri apni nahi hu na? Toh mujhe apne paas kyu nahi aane deta Shiva?" She whispered, so softly, that if he wasn't an inch away from her face, he wouldn't have heard her.
"Mai aag hu Raavi. Aag." Shiva's voice wobbled as he closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around her waist, "Mere paas aayi, toh jalkar raakh ho jaayegi." He whispered, voice so broken, a sob almost escaped Raavi's mouth.
"Toh raakh hi sahi, kam se kam tere paas toh rahungi." Raavi closed her eyes, wanting nothing but to love him enough so that he doesn't hurt again.
They both stood their, in each other's arms, foreheads touching, basking the comfort of the moment , for what seemed like an eternity, before Raavi spoke. "Shiva? Tujhe pata hai, mai sirf unn logon ke liye gift apne haathon se pack karti hu jinse me sabse zyaada pyaar karti hu, jo mere liye duniya se badhkar hai, aur aisa maine life me sirf 3 baar kiya hai."
Shiva slowly opened his eyes, still leaning against her forehead, only to see her eyes still shut.
"Ek mumma, papa, aur...."
A single tear slipped out of Shiva's eye, as he managed to ask, "Aur?"
Raavi flickered her eyes open, to find Shiva looking at her, a tornado of emotions swirling behind those eyes. She raised herself on her toes, and kissed away the lone tear that made its way down to the corner of his lips.
"Happy birthday, Shiva."
It was all it took for him, as he hugged her close and cried on her shoulder, somewhat how a little kid would. A little kid that grew up way too soon.
Raavi ran her fingers through his hair and cradled his head, as his sobs turned to sniffles and eventually stopped.
Shiva broke the hug and looked at her, as she dried away whatever tears were left on his face. She was here, with him, and would always be, even if he hits rock bottom.
"Tune.... Tune ek baat galat boli." Shiva said, looking at her and nowhere else.
"Kya?"
"Tune kaha tu meri apni nahi hai. Galat bola." He revealed, placing his hands at the nape of her neck, caressing her cheek with his thumb.
"Tu mera sab kuch hai. Tune mere acche aur bure waqt, dono mein, mera saath kabhi nahi choda. Bachpan se mujhe pareshaan kiya hai. Par tu meri hai. Sirf meri." Shiva whispered the last line, kissing her forehead, lingering, before pulling away, but not completely.
Raavi's eyes fluttered shut, as she whispered, "Aur tu sirf mera." and leaned in.
The kiss was soft, just like her. His hold on the back of her head was firm, just like him.
Their first kiss was unexpected, but not unwelcome, just like their alliance.
Giggling and smiling, they broke apart, as Shiva moved away from her to the far end of the room.
Raavi looked over, until she saw him pick up the gift he threw so unceremoniously on the ground some time back.
"Ab birthday ke din gift milta hai toh ek thank you banta hai. Especially agar biwi ne apne haathon se pack kiya ho." He swooped in and kissed her again, "Thank you." before settling on the bed, and holding his ears in apology.
Raavi blinked thrice, grasping what happened in 10 seconds, as a smile crept up her face and she sat next to him, waiting for him to open it.
To say Shiva was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. There were not one, but two shirts.
The first was a crisp, plain forest green shirt, that would fit him snug, and accentuate his toned body.
The second shirt was a pastel yellow shirt with very faint orange squiggles for a pattern, similar to the forest green shirt.
"Tune toh bola meri pasand ka hai?" Shiva looked at her, trying to hide his smile.
"Haa. Matlab, tere style ka shirt hai, jaise shirts tujhe pasand hai. Full cupboard mein black and blue shirts hai sirf, toh maine socha thoda colour khareedu tere liye. Sirf rang hatke hai, jo tu khud nahi choose karega. Itna toh haq banta hai na." Raavi said, in her signature Raavi-style.
"Kyu, tujhe pasand nahi aaya?" She pouted, dejectedly.
"Maine aise toh nahi kaha." He smirked.
"Matlab accha laga?" Raavi asked, hopefully.
Shiva took one of her hands in his, and caressed her knuckles with his thumb. "Pura insaan hi tera hai, toh ye insaan ke cupboard pe bhi haq hai. Par mujhse thoda kam, theek hai?" Shiva chuckled. "Bohot pasand aaya. Bohot zyaada. Thank you."
Shiva and Raavi slept peacefully, for the first time in a long time. And Shiva could say one thing for sure: he would never not celebrate his birthday again, if he could spend it with his favourite girl, who was currently snoring away next to him.
....
Shiv Shakti
