Dearest Shivaay, || Shivika AU FF

𝔾𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕗, 𝔾𝕚𝕗𝕥𝕤, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔾𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕥𝕦𝕕𝕖

"Shivaay?" Omkara asked his brother, who was lost in his own world. Shivaay looked up at him with big, glossy eyes filled with an emotion easily comprehend-able to the young poet. Confusion.

Nevertheless, Omkara made a mental note to ask Shivaay later, and offered him some toast with peanut butter. Shivaay half-heartedly took some from the plate his brother brought forth, muttering his thanks.

As Shivaay munched his breakfast rather slowly for a reputed businessman like himself, three sets of eyes followed his every movement curiously. It was OmRu who caught Shivaay's lost look, but it was his beloved Dadi who caught the fidgeting with the handsome silver band on his ring finger. Shivaay pushed and prodded at it with his thumb as his mind filled with questions that had kept him awake most of last night.

The cold metal ring hadn't seemed that heavy when Tia had first slid it onto his finger. Then why had it seemed to gain mass over the last three days? Perhaps, the ring carried with it the burdens of the responsibilities and commitments he had now made.

Shivaay allowed himself to slip into the flashbacks of what had happened after that ceremony three days ago. What had—or had not—rather, transpired between him and Anika.

Shivaay excused himself from the party, leaving Tia to attend to the guests herself.

He somehow wound his way through the overenthusiastic crowd which was happily congratulating him. His sensor led him to the garden, where Anika was sitting with her back faced to him.

He hesitated for a moment before he reached her and sat down. "Congratulations," Anika said with a smile. It hurt him when she said it. She was different.

"Thanks."

"You know, Tia and you look incredible together. She looks like someone who belongs to your world. She also has name, bloodline, and lineage. What more could you want, right?" Anika asked with a harsh chuckle.

"Anik—"

"Tia Shivaay Singh Oberoi. It has a nice ring to it, right?" Anika interrupted. Shivaay was getting angry now. "Anika—"

"I think OmRu are starting to warm up to her, too. It'll take a while, but they'll come around. Hey, nine months and you two are forever!"

"I'm trying to talk to you, woman!"

It was with his words that Anika stiffened. She paused for a moment before choosing to reply to him.

"And I know if you talk to me, you'll say something that will just make my life all the more difficult. Mr. Shivaay Singh Oberoi, I haven't got time to hear what you have to say. Excuse me, I need to check on the guests at your engagement party. You should go. Tia might be waiting for you," Anika said, standing up. It was with such poise and manner that she stood up and walked away from him.

And yet, it hurt. It was as though his chest had been pricked with the sharpest needle. As her almost-liquid movements led her inside the large mansion, she left nothing behind except her scent which still hung in the humid night air.

Shivaay was propelled out of his thoughts as his energetic mother offered him some more eggs. Clearing his throat, he announced boldly, in that Shivaay Singh Oberoi voice he had managed to perfect over the years, "I have to go. I have a meeting."

His mother nodded, and his grandmother smiled her approval. So Shivaay reached his bedroom and locked the door, allowing himself to drown into the only therapy he had known before even OmRu. Work.

"Ri, what are you doing? That is not how you're supposed to do that!" Anika scolded her little angel, who was being rather difficult to teach today. One of the only good things that had happened after that engagement was the clients that it had brought forth for Anika's business. Just tomorrow evening, Mrs. Shipra had a baby shower to plan for her daughter-in-law, and Anika was chosen for the job after Mrs. Shipra had seen the magnanimity and grandeur of the ShiTia engagement party.

And so, Anika was sitting on the floor of her home, making small yellow and green ribbons with the help of her sister. Gauri was, however, completely uninterested in this job, and wanted to go back to watching cartoons with Sahil. It was a Sunday, after all. "Di, I could care less! Aaj toh Sunday hai! Meri maniye, aap bhi aaj chuti le leejiye!"

"Kya kaamchor hai tu, Gauri! Wahan pe Billuji bhi abhi tak kaam kar rahe hai, aur unke yahan Monday nahin chal raha," Anika said sarcastically. Gauri cocked an eyebrow at her sister's example.

"Di, ek baat puchoon?" Gauri asked. Anika nodded, her nose buried in the cloth. "Aaj kal aapko SSO ki bahut yaad aati hai?"

Anika looked up and stared at her sister. In a moment, though, she snapped back into reality. "Kya bak rahi tu? Maine unka naam sirf isliye liya kyunke woh ek ache example hai. Main unke baare mein baat karne ke liye thodi mari jaa rahi hoon."

"Niku?" Astika called from her bedroom. "Coming, Mausi!" Anika replied, standing up.

"Finish these," she said to her sister, gesturing towards the ribbons.

"You needed something, Mausi?" Anika asked, peeking into her aunt's small bedroom. Astika was seated at the edge of her bed with a small smile on her thin pink lips. In Astika's hands was a black file, and she looked up the moment she heard Anika's voice. "Aa na!" Mausi patted the bed beside hers. Anika obliged, confused on why her aunt had called.

"Anika, I have something for you. But before I give it to you, I need to tell you something. When Gauri was first born, Harsh Jiju and Avantika Didi had saved up some money for yours and Gauri's future. Nineteen years ago, your Mausa and I had lost our home. Tujhe yaad hai?"

Anika nodded. That phase of her Mausi's life was something so horrid to her, even though she had been only five or six at the time.

"We had no money to help ourselves, and Didi and Jiju had you two. But even though there wasn't enough to go all the way around, Didi decided to share whatever they had with us. Eventually, Jiju made the very difficult decision of splitting yours and Gauri's share with us, as well. Your Mausa and I wanted to pay it back, and your Mausa died trying. Unfortunately, before we could return it all, Didi and Jiju..." Astika trailed off, her eyes clouded in dark memories as she relived the most painful losses of her life.

Realizing the presence of her niece, Astika regained her composure and smiled weakly.

"It took a lot of time, but I did it," she patted the file in her lap. "This is for you," Astika whispered softly, extending the file to Anika. "Avantika Didi ka sapna, unki amaanat ke haath kar diya maine."

Anika looked down at the file from her Mausi, her gaze shifting to Astika occasionally. Astika nodded encouragingly. "Open it," she urged.

When Anika's hands delicately flipped open the cover, and her eyes registered the contents, she began tearing up. "Mausi," she whimpered. "Niku!" Astika exclaimed worriedly. "Roh kyun rahi hai?" she asked, pulling her niece into her embrace.

Anika cried softly in Astika's arms. "Y-you didn't ha-have to!" Anika said between her sobs. Astika sighed in relief, stroking Anika's hair comfortingly. "I did, Anika. You deserve this," Astika said, pulling Anika into an upright position and wiping her tears.

"Now, it isn't exactly valid until tomorrow, your 25th birthday. You know your lawyer friend, Nikhil? I think you could talk to him about cashing it in tomorrow."

"Mausi, thank you! Thank you so much!" Anika smiled through her tears, hugging Astika tightly. "Now, don't go spending all of this into your company," Astika warned. "I have a small amount reserved for just you. Think of it as a birthday present from me!"

Anika chuckled and nodded. "Di!" Gauri whined from the hall. Astika rolled her eyes. "Ja. Lagta hai teri nautanki behen ko teri madat chahiye."

Anika hummed in agreement, standing up to leave.