Nothing's Real Here ~ It's All An Illusion | A #ShaKhi fanfiction

Part 10 - Not A Mistake

Shaurya was devastated after the meeting with his team. He hated to admit to himself but he was clearly on the losing side of the game that Tej Saberwal had initiated. Even if he had the funds to complete the movie, he had nothing to carry on with the post production. After a deep analysis of the situation, he decided to talk to Aditya once. He was a dear friend. If there was anyone he trusted, it was him.

"Shaurya, bewaquf ho tum." Was his first remark after hearing everything.

"Kyu? Bewaqufo wali aisa kya kiya maine?"

"Yaar tumhe haan kar dena chahiye tha. Ye movie to fund ho jati. Uske baad if you didn't feel like going through with the relationship, you could have told them like there are compatibility issues and stuff. You know what I mean!"

Shaurya smiled, "Jhut bolke aaj tak kuch kiya nahi hai maine Adiya. Tumse behtar kaun janta hai?"

Aditya picked up his glass of lemonade and took a sip, "Yehi to problem hai. Had se zyaada honest ho tum. Pata nahi ladkiyon ko kya dikhta hai tum mein. Unko to fake admiration aur compliments sabse zyaada pasand hai...."

"Sexist kabse ho gaye tum?" Shaurya lifted a brow.

"Nahi yaar. Ye sexist comment nhi tha. It's true. Even if you genuinely do something for them, they don't appreciate the small gestures. All they want is long paras of how wonderful they are and why do we like them. Yaar tu hi soch. 100 reasons why you like me. Ye kya tumne bas 10 reasons bola? Abey yaar pyaar karu ya calculations?"

Shaurya couldn't help but laugh. He had had his experiences too. And that's why he loved Aditya. He said everything lightly but he always spoke his mind.

"Ye sab chod. Aab bata main kya karu."

Aditya took another sip, "Dekh sabse pehle to movie complete karte hai aur ghar chalte hai. Baki ka baad mein dekh lenge. Kuch na kuch bandobast ho hi jayega. Baby steps, my friend. Take baby steps."

Shaurya nodded. He was right. There was no point fretting over these things for now. If nothing else worked, he could sell his house. But he would never give in to Tej Saberwal's demands. If only his mother was there to support him....

"Arey Anokhi? Hello to bolke jao?"

Aditya's words brought Shaurya back to the reality, as he heard footsteps behind him.

"Hello! Lo bol diya. Aab chalu?"
Anokhi tried to avoid speaking to Shaurya in public. Even if she did, it was mostly about work. Shaurya did the same.

"Ye kya baat huyi? Ek coffee to pee hi sakte ho humare saath tum. Dekho, producer sab bhi idhar hi hai..."

Anokhi smiled, "Okay. One coffee bas. Mujhe Kitty, Ahir unlogo se milna hai. We are dining out today." She sat down on the couch beside Aditya, facing Shaurya. With a quick glance, he noticed that she was quite decked up.

"Kahan?" He tried to hop into the conversation.

"Huh?" Anokhi was flushed.

"Kahan dinner ka plan hai?" Shaurya clarified himself.

"Woh Mr. Saberwal humlog Rue Cler jaa rahe hai. We love street foods. Aur Paris ka ye jagah sabse best hai street food k liye." Anokhi tried to ease her nerves while answering him.

"Arreeyy yaar, tumlog itni formal kyu ho?" Aditya sounded irritated, "Shaurya is my best friend Anokhi. And he is not like those grumpy producers who can sue you for laughing. C'mon yaar. Relax!"

Shaurya smiled to himself. Little did Aditya know!

"Rue Cler is also my favorite", Shaurya added, "Aditya, will you like to join in? Let's dine there tonight as well. I hope you and your friends won't have a problem?"

The last question was for Anokhi. She suppressed a smile and said, "Oh no! we would love it."

Aditya winked at Shaurya, trying to guess his moves. He could see that his eyes held admiration for Anokhi. But he couldn't be sure.

"Let's go and have some fun." He got up and offered his hand to Anokhi. After a little hesitance, she took it.

They had an amazing time that night. Everyone was surprised to see a new side of Shaurya Saberwal who cracked jokes, made fun faces, mimicked others. Even Anokhi was delighted to see this fun side of Shaurya. It wouldn't be wrong to say that she saw a whole new Shaurya that night. Ahir found her staring at him, smiling, and approached her.

"Pasand karne lagi ho tum use...!" He sat down beside her.

"What? Noo!" Anokhi tried to hide her embarrassment but failed. Her cheeks became red and quite noticable.

"Don't give me these lame stuff Anokhi. I know you like him. But let me tell you. You are making a mistake." Ahir concluded his statement.

"Oh really? Am I now?" Anokhi turned to face him.

Ahir was a little taken aback by her change of tone. There was a tinge of sarcasm in her otherwise warm and soft voice.

"Yes!" He was not ready to give up, "Unko hum sab bht pehle se jante hai. Ajeeb egoist type ka banda hai. Aur mood swings to bas kya hi bolu. Aaj kisiko gale laga lenge to kal use naukri se nikal denge. Aur baki cheezein to.....u know....sabko pata hai unki lifestyle ke bare mein. Har saal ekbar Bangkok Dubai jana padta hai unko." Ahir poured out his hatred and jealousy for his boss, unperturbed.

"And all these things make him unlikeable, right?" Anokhi raised her brow.

"Tum nhi samajh rahi ho kya?" Ahir sounded irritated, "He is dangerous for you!"

Anokhi got up and sorted her outfit, "Chalo bohot sun li tumhari bakwaas. Aab aur patience nhi hai mujhmein."

Ahir was desparate, "Are you nuts? Main ek dost ki tarah samjha raha hu tumhe usse dur raho cz he has his eyes on you woman. Aur tum ho ki mujhe hi galat samajh rahi ho? Zara sa bhi self respect, dignity hai kya tum mein? Ki sabkuch janne ke baad bhi tum usiki tarah jaa rahi ho?"

Anokhi stared at Ahir calmly for some time. Then she smiled, "Ahir, baat ye hai ki har baat mein self respect, dignity mat ghusaya karo. Accha nahi lagta. If you like someone with all your heart and you are confident about that person, it doesn't matter what the world says about him. You surrender to that person. Yes, he may hurt you but that will not make your feelings for him wrong. It will be a lesson. You will learn and be careful from next time. But unless YOU feel that someone is wrong for you, no one has the right to question your choice. And here, self respect doesn't come into question. It will be applicable if you repeatedly make the same mistakes and learn nothing. As for liking Shaurya Saberwal, I still haven't committed my first mistake."

With that, she stormed off, leaving Ahir stunned and out of words.

What the hell happened to the girl who was even shy to face the media?

When Anokhi approached Shaurya, she was sulking. Shaurya looked at her questioningly but she shook her head, trying to brush away the odd feeling that Ahir's words gave her.

Shaurya managed to make an excuse and came towards her.

"Kya hua Anokhi? Pareshan kyu ho?"

Anokhi didn't hide her frustration, "Mr. Saberwal, aap jo bhi ho dishonest nahi ho. Ye main janti hu. To aap kyun logon ko wrong impression dete ho apna?"

"Kisko kya impression di? I don't get it!" Shaurya glanced over her shoulder to find Ahir glaring at them.

"Did someone say anything?" Shaurya was surprised to see Anokhi fuming. He had never seen her angry before. That too for him? Gosh! This girl was full of surprises.

He poked her nose with a finger, "Kya hua? Kyun aisi dragon ki tarah nase fula rahi ho? Chodo na jisne bhi jo jaha hai."

"Nahi chod sakti. Aapke bare mein koi bhi aake kuch bhi bole, I can't take it."

"Kya fark padhta hai Anokhi?"

Without thinking, Anokhi caught the lapel of his blazer and lowered her voice to almost a whisper, "Mujhe fark padhta hai. Kyunki main janti hu aapko. Aur sab janne ke bad bhi, I admire you Mr. Shaurya Saberwal."

As Shaurya looked into her fiery eyes, he felt lucky to be in the mind of this particular hazel-eyed woman. He indeed felt lucky.....