Dearest Shivaay, || Shivika AU FF

𝕆𝕞𝕜𝕒𝕣𝕒'𝕤 𝕄𝕦𝕤𝕖

It was 7 PM when Anika sat down on Om's bed with a cup of steaming tea. "Thanks so much for this, Anika," Om said gratefully as he pulled up a chair in front of his easel and blank canvas. "Don't mention it," Anika waved it off, taking a sip of her hot tea and smiling in satisfaction. 

"So, how may the great Anika Trivedi be of service to you, Mr. Omkara the Artist?" Anika said, specifically avoiding the "Singh Oberoi" at the end of his name. She knew that Om wanted to build his own reputation, without help from the Oberoi name, which she admired and respected. 

Omkara chuckled. "I need inspiration. The buyers are on my tail, saying that I haven't created anything in two months," Om said, picking up one of his nearest paintbrushes. "Hm, y'know, this is a very easy situation for me to solve," Anika said. 

Om looked up in confusion. "My sister, Gauri, was in the same dilemma two weeks ago. Her boss was very angry with her because she couldn't find any new books for the mystery section at the library," Anika delved into her tale and while she talked about her sister, Om's hands itched to stroke the canvas with the brush. Following his intuition, Om began painting.

Colors. So many colors. Red, blue, orange, pink, green, yellow. Dark brown eyes, heavily lined with kohl. The beginnings of a face, a familiarly unfamiliar face that crossed his thoughts occasionally. Anika stopped talking when her story had ended, and she saw a frown etched on Om's face. "Kya hua?" 

"Tell me more about Gauri." 

"Gauri? Hm," Anika thought. "Gauri. Where to begin with my sister? Behen kam, beti zyada hai mere liye. You can obviously understand, because I've seen how you and Shivaay are with Rudy. I guess it's just being older than someone. Oop, look at me, bringing it to myself again," Anika and Om chuckled. "Gauri, in one word, is...vivacious. She's so full of life and fun-loving that just seeing her puts a smile on your face. She is a pious person. She's noble with a golden heart. She loves the rain," Anika drifted on, but Om's thoughts were clouded. 

Woh bheegi baarish ki tarah hai, jisme bheeg ke pyaas mit jaati hai. Woh ek kinare jaisi hai, jo har lahar ko sundar banati hai. Har aansoon mein khushi dhoondti hai, aur har mushkil mein muskaan. Uske liye, sabse pehle Bhagwan, phir uske apne. Jab woh pyaar karti hai, toh sacha hota hai. Doobti hui nauv ko bachalegi, bhale woh kagaz ki ho ya lakde ki. Bahar usse pooch ke khilti hai, sooraj usse pooch kar hi doobta hai. Ishq mein uska hai pakka yaqeen, aur darti toh sirf Bhagwan ke qayamat se.

"Wah, Om! What a painting!" Anika's loud voice brought Om out of his thoughts. He looked at the painting, which was a splash of colors foregrounding a pair of feminine eyes that were shrouded in joy. "Thanks, Anika. Tumhari wajah se main apni painting complete kar paya." 

"Mujhe nahi, Gauri ko yeh thank you bolna chahiye. Uski kahaniyon ne hi tumhari iss painting ko pura kiya," Anika smiled jokingly. Unknowingly, Anika had just planted a seed in Om's mind as he wiped his paintbrush and gazed into the eyes in the painting, as though they were real. "Can I meet her?" 

Anika's eyes widened. "I was just joking. Tum sach mein meri behen se milna chahoge?"  Om shrugged. "I think it's a great idea. You introduced me to my muse, and now it's time that I meet her for real." 

"Niks, Dadiji is calling you," Ishana said, poking her head through the door. Anika nodded, turning back to Om. "We'll talk about this later, Om. For now, duty calls," Anika joked and left. 

"Dadi, you called?" 

"Nahi, puttar," Dadi said, shaking her head. Anika looked curiously around the room, where all of the Oberois were gathered, talking amongst themselves. The same look of confusion was painted on their faces. "If not you then—" 

"Maine bulaya," Shivaay said loudly, entering the grand room. "Billuji? But, Ishana told me that—" 

"I know. I asked her to do that." 

"But why?" asked Anika, shocked. Shivaay looked at her, slightly amused. "Well, Panika, would you come if Ishana told you that I had called?" he counter-questioned. From where she was standing, she saw OmRu nodding their heads, impressed with Shivaay's aptness. "But Shivaay, why has you calls us here?" Pinky asked. 

"I have an announcement to make. Earlier today, Tia and I had a talk. We both mutually decided that the wedding must be postponed." 

The moment those words left Shivaay's lips, he was met with a chorus of "What?"s and "Huh?"s. Shivaay silenced the murmurs with a simple raise of his hand, and in an instant, every Oberoi's attention was brought back to him. "The wedding is in nine months." 

"OH MY MATA?!" he heard his mother exclaim. "Billu, yeh kya pagalpan hai?" his grandmother questioned. "HEY, EVERYONE!" Rudra shouted, drawing the family's attention. "Please stop shocking yourselves, guys. Bhaiya," he said, looking at Shivaay with a quirky grin. "Personally, I think that you're making an excellent decision." 

Om shot him a confused look, which his little brother caught. Rudra gestured to his older brother to lean in, which Om did. 

"This is good for us, O. Bhaiya is having second thoughts! Pehle 9 mahine bolenge, phir shayad 1 saal bolenge, phir realize karenge ke shaadi karni hi nahi hai," Rudra whispered with a wink. Om looked at his brother intently before offering a smack on the back of Rudra's head. "OW!? Lagta hai, O!" 

"Lagne ke liye hi kiya, duffer. Tujhe lagta hai ke yeh koi mazak hai?" 

Rudra shook his head violently. "That's what I'm saying. Bhaiya is taking marriage as a joke. He loves someone, and he's marrying someone else!" Om spared a glance at Anika and Shivaay, who were gazing into each others' eyes, conversing through a mutual silence, despite all the noise around themselves. Om sighed. "For the first time in your life, you're right. In a weird sort of way, this is good for him. He'll get time to sort out through his feelings for—" 

"Billiji," Rudra interrupted with their code word for Anika. "Billiji," Om agreed, his gaze traveling back to the two people in question, still lost in one another's eyes as though they held all the answers to every question in life. Through all the commotion, OmRu prayed to all the deities that this Baghadbilla and Jungli Billi would realize what value they held in each others' lives, and that it would happen in time.