ShiVi: A Collection Of Short Stories.

dil chahta hai

Raavi watched as Shiva stepped closer to Disha, helping her fly a kite she was failing miserably at. Or at least pretending to.

He kept his chin on her shoulder, as he helped her fly the kite. Suddenly, some other kid slashed their kite and it went flying away. Raavi saw Disha pout at their loss, and Shiva turned her around by her shoulders.

He kept his hands on the side of her face, said something inaudible to Raavi, and leant forward to kiss her.

Just as their lips were about to touch-

"MERE SHIVA SE DOOR HATT, DAYAN!" Raavi shrieked, getting up with a jerk and gasping for breath.

She kept her palm against her chest, where she could feel her heart beating rapidly against it, as she blinked a few times, making sense of her surroundings.

She was not on the terrace, there was no Disha, and it was 11:11 pm right now, to be exact.

It was a dream. No. It was a nightmare. A horrible one, she saw exactly at 11:11. The time which she believed, the universe makes any wish you ask for come true.

"Nahi, nahi Raavi. Tu tension mat le. Ye wala sapna tune mann se nahi maanga tha. Sacch nahi hoga ye." She murmured to herself, walking from the aangan to the kitchen and grabbing herself a glass of water, taking a huge swig of it.

Just then, she heard the windows creak. She knew it would be Shiva, since he has given her this heart attack before. But just to be sure, she walked towards the sound with a broom in her hand.

It was him. He looked miserably tired from all the work he had to do at the store due to Diwali. Raavi had walked to the store in the afternoon, and he worked without a single nap. Awake since 4 AM, restocking the load, going out of the way to wish the labourers a happy diwali, putting on a smile for the extra crowd that visited the store, tallying the receipts and bills at the end of the day.

All because the other three brothers simply chose to spend Diwali at home instead.

So, even during festivals he didn't come home. Raavi had gone to the store today to spend some time with him, given that he refused to come home to celebrate, saying that there are so many other smaller houses that will want to celebrate Diwali, and if he didn't sit here, they wouldn't be able to.

She didn't understand what he meant, but in a few minutes, she did. Raavi watched, as a few of the families that weren't well-off, who lived on the other side of town, had come down and stopped in front of the store.

Shiva's face lit up with a smile, a smile that he didn't have to fake, as he pulled out a bag of sweets, hot and packed meals and gifts from behind the counter and walked outside. All from his own pocket.

One by one, he gave them the meals and gifts, hugging them all and wishing them a happy diwali. One little girl even came forward and gave him a thank-you kiss on his cheek.

Raavi's heart melted at the sight. Shiva didn't show it, he never did, but he cared. He cared a lot about people. So much that instead of sitting at home and enjoying diwali ki chutti with family, he was at the store, spending Diwali with strangers he'd probably see only next year again.

She walked over next to him and helped distribute everything, even getting a compliment from one of the little guys about how pretty she was. Raavi chuckled, and when the boy asked who she was, Shiva simply replied "Meri biwi."

The older couples blessed them with love and prosperity, and they bent to touch their feet together. After they all had left, he led her back into the store, holding her pinky finger, to light the diyas, since it was evening and it had already become dark.