The Coffee Pact|~A Shivi OS

Hello people, thought of writing a shot about Shivi after a long time. Though I'm on an eternal break from this show, I couldn't help but write about them. 

Scene-  It is right before Shivi's first misunderstanding, to the day when Sneha insulted Shiva but that does not happen here, there's no Sneha and no misunderstandings. Just an exploration. 

Also, the story highly contains fluff and conversations. 

Happy reading you all! 

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Kindly ignore the typos and grammatical errors, I'll edit as soon as I find time to do so. 

Love- Dyuthi. 

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Only seeing myself
When I'm looking up at you
I want you

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Wabisabi- The discovery of beauty in imperfections. 

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The Coffee Pact. 

Raavi remained thoughtful as she heard the sounds of cricket from the opened window. She peeped out at the glistening  lamp post  that was visible from the kitchen. As she did, she was able to capture the view of the crescent playing hide and seek behind the lamp post, shying behind a few layer of leaves from a beautifully standing Peepal tree. It was a view for her, the daily burden dissolved, her work was made better and she felt vitally uplifted. She smiled as she  focused back on washing the dishes, her fingers worked professionally while scrubbing the plate with soap. Raavi looked back at the moon once again, bewildered at its ability to show up like a goddess at the dark hours with such a magnificence. She has perhaps found another reason to be happy about being married into this place, she was open to watch the moon through the kitchen on a near midnight. Raavi realized that her cheeks were getting hurt from the constant twisting of her lips, she was unable to stop herself nevertheless. 

Something had changed in the course of time, she realised. It had been a while since she was herself, being elated about the silliest things, looking forward for a taste of joy in the sky over the late night. Had she been told that she would smile like a crazy woman on the day of her marriage, she might have punched the person right there. How was happy a commemorating word when Shiva and Raavi stood next to each other after tying a knot? To recall the day back was a horrific event for Raavi, but now, she did not feel the twist or the pang, instead, she felt quite calm and...thoughtful? 

What had changed? She wondered. Dhara was the same as she used to be, Gautam was the loving sweet brotherly figure to her, Krish was the silly little boy who always hid behind her to get saved from his impulsive brother and Dev, well, she did not care much, whatever filled the space, a full stop was better. Raavi washed the plates and then, she went forward to switch the tap off, nodding her head vigorously at the number of thoughts that kept arising as she did the chore. Sighing once again, she looked up at the sky, wonder struck at the beauty of the moon.

"Chipkali, Krish and Dev are not around here, do you know where they are?" 

Raavi broke free from the trance, she shuddered a little before silenced her quickly beating heart. It was just Shiva, she reminded herself, with that kept in mind, she turned back at her questioning husband who kept calculating her moves. 

Husband. 

Did she just acknowledge him as her husband? 

"Woh, they have gone for some function in the evening. Dhara di texted that they will be late and might take a day to come." 

There was a pause. Raavi could sense the change in the environment, Shiva and her, alone in the big fat house, it was going to be hectic. Not that they have never stayed alone before, they shared a damned room but the question was would they sustain it? Raavi grasped the end of her duppatta clumsily, she twisted it around her index finger as her mind raced ahead of her. It was uncanny, she found herself dwelling into him the previous day on their reception, she was nervous when he tried to shoo away a silly mosquito from her face and she was an absolute mess earlier this morning when she placed the cutlery on the table. 

Shiva on several occasions has held her with his little finger, but today, it was different. She couldn't help but smile at his gesture, she was in a state of eunoia, constantly walloped by the activities of Shiva. When she sat by the store, she saw nobody other than Shiva, she was mindless of the number barking he laid upon her, she ignored the repeated scolding her gave her. She was overwhelmed by the way he called her "Gadhedhi' and 'Akkal di dushman'. And now, she wondered if it possible for somebody who had hated his existence for almost all of her life time. 

"You did not go?" Shiva asked, noticing her unchanged clothes. Raavi remembered the number of chores she had the moment their family left for the function. She had hurriedly removed her earrings, tied her hair in a top knot and started working. To his question, Raavi looked at him blankly. How would she say it? Raavi bit her lip, twisting her duppata in several directions. 

"Don't tell you stayed for me, gadhedi." Shiva scoffed. 

Raavi opened her mouth widely. Was it that obvious? She suddenly felt like a deer caught on headlights. Agreeing to that would stimulate more of his ego which she did not wish to see, she did not wish to be appeased by his antics anymore. What she needed was a good amount of sleep, that was it. 

"I stayed for the bedroom and kitchen." Raavi blabbered, and then she felt like slapping herself out for the stupid stuff that spewed without thinking. You fool, no wonder why Shiva calls you a gadhedhi.

Shiva raised a brow, did she turn off her filter? He wondered. Did she think before saying things like that? He resisted his chuckle, the woman was crazier than what he thought her to be. Shiva breathed, he only had a certain contentment over the fact that she stayed back here, may or may not be for him, that was secondary. She looked a little cute with that perplexed look on her face and the top knot just added some more detailing to her features. She seemed more of her chirpy nature when nobody was around, being herself, in her own form, flowing like a river, reflecting everything back in immense joy. That just meant she stayed all alone here and he did not know. 

"Wait, you were alone here all this time? And you did all the work alone?" Shiva asked, wondering if she had eaten something. It was not like she would have waited for him or something, or did she? He could feel the repressed nervousness bouncing back into his system, Shiva swallowed, he did not wish to overthink. 

"Yes." Raavi answered casually, looking confused at the way he asked her. 

"And also, I was sleepy, I was waiting for you to come." 

Shiva's heart skipped at beat, he held his breath on, the mere thought did a summersault in his belly. She waited for him? Raavi widened her eyes in the immediate second, the realisation resulted her cheeks to turn in the deepest shade of pink. Shiva was left bewildered. How did she manage to do that? She looked like the dawn, splitting in hues of pink, cracking the dark through the horizon in immense light. Did his night deserve the grace of her light? A person as beautiful as Raavi? Suddenly, he wanted to do everything that made him worthy of her. 

"You should have called me idiot." 

Raavi cocked a brow, questioningly, shocked by the information in parts. Shiva was able to sense the perplexity, he was sailing the same boat as her. They were beginning to change, or rather see themselves for who they were. Was acknowledging the fact going to ruin them in some way? Shiva seemed to reconsider the stigmas he had stuck on to throughout his span of growing.  

"Ah, there were so many left over plates to wash." 

"Why would you wash?" Shiva asked tentatively, partly surprised at the way she took all the burden upon herself. One, she was forced to be his wife and now, she was doing chores like a workwoman which was unfair. He was not the type of guy who would expect his wife take the errands like a homespun, considering that as her soulful duty. Which century were they living in? Just because Dhara took that upon herself did not meant Raavi had to do too. Was this happening occasionally or did Shiva give a cold shoulder up until now? 

"Cause there is nobody else around here," Raavi was being obvious, making Shiva raise a brow. 

"You should have called me, I would have helped you out." Shiva said nonchalantly. To that Raavi widened her eyes, as if she couldn't believe what was coming from him. Shiva knitted his brows in confusion, did he say something wrong? He tried to recall his words, why was such a simple thing making her so shocked? 

"You will help me, Shiva? Like seriously? Are you alright? Bhukaar toh nehi hai?" Raavi placed her wet palm on her forehead. Shiva almost rolled his eyes at her stupidity, he forgot that she lost some common sense since she popped into this world. 

"Right, wet hand will help you know better." Shiva couldn't contain his mockery, her surprised figure intrigued him for some reason. And then he realised, she was touching him and that was enough to brick himself. Shiva slid his palms inside the pocket of his tracks. He inhaled some air as he read her confusion struck expression. Just as the reality struck her, she removed her hand, being as conscious as him. What the hell? This shit was hitting the fan all so dumbly. 

"I ate quite a lot with Kaka, I'm literally full..." Shiva stated, he honestly would have eaten the food cooked by her if he really had a space in his food bag, Shiva was stuffed and he knew he would blast if he took any morsel into his mouth more. 

"Oh." Raavi said, looking down, attacking the end of her duppatta in fidgetiness. She was glad that he had something, she in all honesty had nothing to offer. The idea of cooking had flung away from her thoughts under the pressure of numerous works, she had kept in her mind to cook a quick maggie for him if he was hungry. After all, her husband was a maggie fanatic, he would eat them all day and night. 

"Good that you ate, I thought of cooking maggie for you...you don't like it cold right." Raavi stated. She did not ignore the surprised look on Shiva's face, he seemed to be taken aback a bit by her words, well they were only having sincere meetings with awkwardness and wonder for a while now. 

"Ab tu khaegi kya? Hawa?" Shiva couldn't believe her, did she think of herself in all this? She was doing all the work being unbothered about herself and had laid a preplanned idea to make him some maggie if he ever had the need of it. Silly woman! 

"Woh, I love to have coffee and biscuits Shiva, I don't need dinner if I can have them." 

Shiva looked on. She was the most impossible person he has ever met with in his lifetime. Nevertheless, that was an information, it might be useful for him in the long run, like how Raavi knew about his craze for maggie. Shiva ruffled his hair, sighing at the woman that was once his enemy. 

"I'll make some coffee for you then." Shiva stated as if it was easily the most credible thing he could do for Raavi. This was on the other hand, a startling statement for Raavi. She did not expect such offerings from Shiva. Even before she could digest the fact, Shiva walked up to the kitchen counter. He laid an empty vessel over the stove and rubbed his hands together. 

"You like it strong or sweet?" 

She looked on as Shiva poured some water into the vessel after he switched the stove on. There was something so simple and genuine about the way he moved forward to make her a cup of coffee. Her, Raavi, his childhood arch nemesis. He was making coffee for her in the middle of the night. If it was for a year ago or two, they would have fitted in laughter. Standing one another under the same roof used to be a hectic job but now, he was making coffee for her, without Raavi having to make any demand.   

"Black coffee." Raavi stated, staring at Shiva in admiration. 

"I never a had liking for sweet things anyways." She blurted, gazing into him and his actions, as if it was a scene from a vintage video captured literally to swell the heart with an unspeakable merriness. She had comprehended her words when Shiva stopped his work momentarily and turned to gape at her. Her breath got caught in her windpipe at the way he was looking at her. His eyes kept speaking to her in its own language for quite a long time, and when he gave her the look he was giving to her now, she could swear she turned into the moon herself on the dark, starless night. The feelings fluttered on its own accord and she automatically reminisced the night back in the haveli before her pagphera. The warmness that crept over her had only been growing all along with Shiva beside her. Her heart almost skipped a beat at the slight smirk that lingered around Shiva's face. 

Shiva made the coffee, while Raavi grasped the silence between them. She walked towards his left and leaned back on the counter, watching the moon through the window. The aroma of coffee instantaneously uplifted her mood, letting her float ephemerally in the ebbs of her daze.  All through the while, she wondered if the moon witnessed such situations and people on day to day basis. How many stories did it have in its pocket? How was the moon managing to give solace to people just by being there? 

"Hot coffee for you, along with biscuits." Shiva handed her the mug of coffee and plate full of her favorite biscuits. Raavi's eyes glinted immediately, so the idiot did know about her. Excited, she muttered "How sweet Shiva!", making him roll his eyes instantaneously. 

"You are so cute! You made all this," she said, further elated. She blatantly ignored Shiva's scowl. 

"You say that one more time, I'll take the coffee back and throw it into the sink!" Shiva pointed his finger at her. Something inside her and something about his softness assured Raavi he would never ever do that to the coffee and to her, he had made it by himself and he was not the one to let his hardwork flow down the drain. 

"Aww Shiva, I will not let that happen. My husband has made something for me for the first time, I will not let it go." 

My husband. Damn.

Raavi did not fail to contravene the slight spark that had emanated from his orbs. Did he always look this fine and good looking or was there something special today? He was clad just the way he used to do everyday, he was in his sea green vest and tracks, yet something made him look good today. Raavi sipped from the mug, drinking in the liquid heaven which was even more delightful today. She was convinced, the man made really good coffee, making Raavi a coffee indeed needed a huge talent. Nobody ever managed to bring forward the taste that she looked for. There was only Raavi who could satisfy herself with coffee. Oh yes, there was also a coffee shop in Somnath and no other person or place. 

"For somebody who does not know much about cooking, you make some nice coffee." Raavi said as they walked into the hall, Raavi holding the mug while Shiva held the plate. They sat on the swing as they continued to communicate without bickering.

"Oh madam, I have so many more skills that you still have no idea about." Shiva boasted, smiling sheepishly at her. Raavi raised a lone brow, she did not know if she had to take that as an innuendo or as an information, her mind had been racing in the not so innocent path lately and she did not wish to make this an inopportune event. She did not miss the slight change in his expression, at the way he turned away for a second to gain his composure and look back into her eyes with a different light. Raavi was somewhere proud to have him around, he changed the topic with such a proficiency, making it easy for her, and her heart assured somewhere that it was all and only for, her. 

Raavi picked a biscuit from his plate, she dipped it inside the mug of coffee and took it in, relishing it, succumbing every miniscule of the taste in elatedness.This was heaven, so was the moment, it expected nothing. They were in fact being nothing, but all of that meant much more than what anybody could see from them. She smiled, as she bit down another biscuit, being tantalized in the cocoon of their instant. 

When she looked up, she found Shiva staring at her, just the way she gaped at the moon every night. She always knew that she was the most beautiful woman of Somnath, but she did not see much of herself in the mirror when she had food. His eyes reflected more beauty than any mirrors and Raavi seemed to be left spellbound. She offered him her half eaten biscuit to which Shiva nodded a no. 

"Do you know that you have beautiful black eyes?" Raavi blurted once again, but this time, she wanted him to know. She discovered the beauty of his eyes, it was as elegant as his smile was. She remembered the day she discovered the existence of his beautiful smile, he wore a black shirt in the haveli looking almost like a dream, he had saved her flimsily from a fall and even fooled her about ghosts. She was quite hesitant back then, the friction was now layered by viscosity, flowing easy enough to even drown in the essence of being around Shiva Pandya. 

Shiva was astonished, did he have one? He couldn't believe her words, he often admired her eyes. The liquid brown, in the colour of hazel made him breathless day out, he had always wondered if anybody could have a pair of eyes as beautiful as hers. It seemed to give hope, light and strength. It casted back the innocence of her soul, her vibrancy, her ability to stand up after every fall with nothing but immense faith. And when she appreciated his eyes, he did not know what to say, hi felt his neck and cheeks reddening instead. 

"I...I..did not...know." Shiva stuttered, he almost wanted to thwack his head for going loose around her. She giggled at him as she picked another biscuit from the plate, he looked away, trying to accustom into the new situation, a situation he was growing a liking for. He did not remember when he was this comfortable being himself the last time. In other circumstances, he was in a hurry, and he did not know for what. Shiva sighed. 

"Now that you know, tell me I'm beautiful!" Raavi demanded. 

Shiva levelled his eyes with her playful ones, he raised a brow, that was a demand he had promised not to fulfill since they were just around eight. He nodded his head impossibly at her antics. Despite finding her cute, he was not going to admit that today. 

"Sorry, I don't tell lies." 

And Shiva lied.

He hid the threatening smile as Raavi pouted, frowning about at him as if he just pulled the biscuit away from her. Shiva resisted his urge to pull her cheeks. 

"You agree or not, I'm Somnath's most beautiful woman!" Raavi exclaimed as she munched her coffee dipped biscuit, Shiva sighed, trying to be as causal as he possibly could with the information.

"Which news channel declared that, Chipkali?" Shiva pulled her legs, to which Raavi's eyes clicked, she raised her eyes up, fluttering her eyelids with a cheery smile, giving his heart a blow. Her beauty never came with a definition, little did the gadhedi know, Shiva shook his head at her craziness. 

"I'm letting you go because you made me some good coffee." She stated, sipping the last drop of coffee from the mug. 

"Is this a pact that every time I offend you, I can make you some coffee?" Shiva asked, leaving Raavi baffled. She stared into his eyes, the evil glint opened a roller coaster from the pit bottom of her belly. The feeling crawled through her skin, making it surreal for Raavi, she never for once thought that marrying Shiva could be full of surprises and amazement.This side of Shiva was so undeniably attractive. She wondered if they were wasting time all these years, running behind each other's throat because she felt like fool for even thinking about Dev in a way which she never thought of Shiva up until few months, and it was sweeping her off her feet.

Raavi folded her right knee, it slightly touched Shiva's thigh. Sucking in a breath, she decided to let the comfort seep through them than to be awkward anymore. 

"I never agreed to that." Raavi stated, staring back into his eyes. The glint in his black orbs grew deeper that some of it expelled through his grin, shuffling Raavi's thoughts for a second. He was no ordinary man, this guy was beyond anybody's fantasy and the way he was breaking her boundaries just made her feel awestruck. 

"You agreed to my good coffee making skills and my black eyes being beautiful Mrs Shiva Pandya, I thought of setting that into a default pact." Shiva made her speechless once again. 

Mrs Shiva Pandya, Raavi liked the very sound of it. She felt heat behind the skin of her face. Biting her lips, she looked down to resist her smile and failed miserably at it. She sighed, leaning her head on the board of the swing, gawking back at the certain person whom she accepted as her husband. Shiva looked back at her almost with the same intensity. They could sense silence, it hummed like a sweet song, engaging them in a communication that words ceased to do. 

"Wasn't our marriage also a pact?" Raavi asked. Shiva looked away, staring straight ahead of him. He slowly moved the swing with the help of his legs while Raavi kept reading his actions in profound quietude. The horror from the marriage night faded away, it was now a blur for Raavi and she was now sure that she did not feel the kind of pang she used to feel initially. It was equally a haunting event for Shiva, he must have had dreams about his marriage. He must even have had a dream woman, and Raavi was forced into his life. She exhaled, how bitter was life to them? 

"Honestly, what happened to you and me was equally unfair, Raavi." Shiva said. 

Raavi. Shiva called her Raavi when he meant business, when he spoke from his heart. And when he spoke from his heart, Raavi found the stars bursting into gold dust. She remembered the events from Mukteshwar, her spine still chilled as she thought about the extent he went to make her believe, to save her, to reveal himself out in sheer frustration. She had only been witnessing his softness ever since then. 

"If I think about it now, I have come in terms with it, I have accepted it. The best is yet to come, don't you think?" 

Raavi looked on as he conveyed. They were sailing on the same boat, trying to disentangle the knots they were stuck into by themselves, what they thought as difficult once was now their zone of comfort. They made through it, with a humongous effort. She smiled, watching him look at her with a certainty. She had to agree to what Gaumbi had said a long time ago, Shiva was a gem. 

"We have survived all this time and now, it is our turn to live. We will do it, step by step..." 

Raavi for some reason, found her inner world melt into a puddle. For the very first time, Raavi had found somebody include her in his life, considered her in the lane of the future and talked about living. She never believed she was lucky to have such connections with anybody. She knew why she ran behind Dev, she thought she would achieve the medals of the world by having somebody beside to call her own. The family made such an impact in her psyche, and when it broke down, she was split in smithereens. With Shiva, she was always herself, being raw in fact. It would be biased if she said she tolerated him, he withstood her as much as she did, he was still doing the same, being much more soft and thalassemic this time. 

"I don't know what the future holds Shiva, I have stopped thinking about it." 

"For me, this moment, this second is all that matters, nothing else is real." Raavi added as Shiva turned back to her, his deep black eyes engulfed her soul, leaving her in a cosmogyral stupor. 

They found themselves speak in silence once again. The sound from the swing, the mild horns from outside and the faint voice of crickets were what they had been served with. Raavi felt at ease, she could decipher that Shiva felt the same.

Raavi remembered Shiva smiling at her, she remembered them swinging, she remembered being embraced by quietness that spoke to them in volumes, they felt each other much more differently, in a new limelight. Raavi remembered trying to force herself to feel more of it, but her resistance turned weak, in the nick of time, darkness trapped her vision and she dwelled down into deep slumber. 

She vaguely heard the voice of her husband mumbling "Gadhedhi, log coffee peeke jaagte hai, yeh toh kumbkaran ki jigri dost ban gayi." 

She was being carried, she could recall the faint scent of cloves and cardamoms, her head nestled on the crook of his neck. Despite in the daze of a sleep, she could feel the ease and the softness with which Shiva placed her on the mattress over the ground. She clutched on to Shiva's vest, somehow wanting his warmness even in her siesta. 

"You are impossible Chipkali! You like strong coffee." Shiva teased while he patted her. 

"But I love it when my coffee is sweet." 

"Aren't we contrasting?" 

Raavi could hear his chuckle, to that, she might as well have had wrapped a hand around his neck, seeking his warmness further. 

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~AN

I wanted to explore Shivi in their conversational form which we have never had a glimpse of. It's easy to write a Chattan Pandya, the difficult part is to unwind convos from a softer Shiva, but that's when I realised that Shiva never really had the chance to speak deeply from his heart. The ultimate unveiling of Shiva will be when he is able to take down his array of emotions and show the glimpse of his calm side. 

Raavi has always seen the rattling, rowdy guy who gets a whiplash of his own anger but the understanding side to him will be the trait that can make Shiva seem attractive to her. It has never been explored, and hence I gave it a try. 

I'm a fan of the phase in which two people are attracted towards eachother and nothing can beat Shivi's fetus phase of attraction. It was the only best thing about the show.  

Thank you for forgiving my typos once again. 

Love - Dyuthi. 

This was such a fantastic conversation!! One that I've always longed for between Shiva and Raavi. I loved it. ❤️

Love it

It was really beautiful

Convos we wanted to witness always! 

Beautifully written loved it. ❤

So so beautiful.

Loved their Conversation.

Shiva admitted that the circumstances were unfair to both of them, but they will make it work❤️

Ending was cute☺️