• Eternal Night •

17

"Good."

Gauri's lips curled up in a smile when she heard that one word from Shivaay's mouth. Excitedly, she took the file from his hand and looked at it again. "Really? Like there is no mistake at all?"

Shivaay sighed. "No Gauri. There is no mistake. You, surprisingly, have done a great job."

Gauri gave him a look and snorted. "Akdu!"

"Excuse me?" Shivaay's eyes widened. He looked around in bewilderment. "We are still at the office. Let me remind you that."

"I know!" Gauri smirked. "But in case you haven't noticed, it's lunchtime. And right now, I am your sister-in-law and not your employee. So I can do whatever I want, say whatever I want. Okay?"

Shivaay looked at the time and quietened. After coming back from the disastrous vacation, he had decided to attend the office every alternate day. If he had figured that if he stayed at home and with Annika, he was going to drive himself insane.

"So," Gauri opened the lunch box and served Shivaay some salad. "What all did you do on the vacation?"

Shivaay didn't look up from his plate. "We fought. Nothing else."

Gauri paused. "Well. At least you are honest. But what is the issue?"

Shivaay shrugged. "I don't know. I really don't know..."

"What do you mean?" she asked, a little confused now.

He rubbed his forehead. "I mean I don't know. Right now, I feel like I don't even recognize Annika. She is just so distant. She always makes me feel like this whole marriage is a big compromise for her. Or a mistake. I have no idea."

Gauri had always felt that there their relationship was a little sober when compared to the other boisterous couples in the family or her own relationship with Om, but she had always attributed that to their nature. She never imagined that things were that bad between them.

She scooted closer to him and held his hand. "Was it always the same or does this have something to do with your illness?"

Shivaay sat back. He contemplated for a while and answered, "Our marriage was different from yours, Gauri. Annika has never been expressive. I had made my peace with it. But something has drastically changed after she has come to know about my heart. She has just become unrecognizable. We can barely see eye to eye."

Taking a deep breath, Gauri wrapped an arm around his waist and let her head fall on his hand. "Maybe it is because she is scared to lose you? You know? What if she is trying to protect herself by not getting too involved?"

"I understand..." whispered Shivaay. "But that is in the future, right? The thing is that I am still here."

"I know..." Gauri trailed off. "But it is difficult to be objective when it comes to your emotions."

She then looked up. "You know what? I will talk with her."

Shivaay shook his head. "No. It's fine. I am anyway thinking of asking her if she wants to leave."

"What the fuck?" Gauri shrieked. "Are you crazy?"

Shivaay smiled. "Think about it, Gauri. What's the freaking point of this marriage? I am not going to make it. It's for the best if I set her free when I am alive. Why should she be tied to me...in life or in death? She does not even like me."

"Bhaiya..." Gauri held her head. "There is some major miscommunication here. Don't take hasty decisions. I will talk with her, I promise. Just hold onto your horses for a while. And dare you talk shit about yourself. Nothing is going to happen to you. Everyone is going to make it."

Agitatedly, she got up and walked out of the cabin as she made a call to someone. Shivaay stifled a grin. What did she know? If only things worked out that well for them and if only it was that easy.

**************

"Remember when Vikram changed Bhai's surname in the school ID to Pata?" Shakti started slowly.

"Shakti!" Tej snarled. "Don't!"

But the family had already burst out laughing except Om. He narrowed his eyes in thought. "Wait, what? Pata? So Tej Pata?"

He repeated for a while before understanding the joke and eventually laughing. Tej shook his head. "My genes are terrible. My god."

Prithvi laughed and raised his whiskey glass in the air. "Same, son. Same."

The family laughed again. Shivaay looked at everyone with a smile. He wanted to memorize everything. How his grandfather's eyes closed when he laughed to how Pinky slapped Shakti's arm while laughing to how slow Om was in understanding a joke; he wanted to make a note of everything.

"Where is Annika, Shivaay?" asked Prithvi.

Now that was one thing he could do without memorizing. He never wanted to remember how small, insignificant and unloved she made him feel.

"Actually," Shivaay kneaded the back of his neck. "She wants to stay with Ma and Papa for a few days. So she left today."

Everyone kept quiet but Soumya spoke up, "Excuse my big mouth but doesn't she want to spend time with you?"

"It's okay, Sumo..." Shivaay shrugged. "I am going to go there tomorrow."

"Me too!" Gauri added and blinked assuringly.

"Okay..." nodded Prithvi. Then he probed, "And where is Rudra? I don't see him at all these days."

Soumya straightened. "Actually, he is at Mallika Di's place..."

"Strange..." mumbled Om.

"Strange it is..." Shivaay agreed. Even Rudra hardly interacted with him these days. He couldn't help and wonder why everyone was drifting away from him.