Broken Hearts and Strange Girls || Shivika AU FF

𝐗𝐗𝐕

Shivaay sighed, closing his eyes as everything washed over him like a fresh wave. "Remember Mallika?" 

Annika furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "The mom from the beach?" Shivaay cringed for a brief second at the reference of Mallika's new life. "Yeah. The girl you instantly befriended," he chuckled softly. 

Annika shrugged. "I thought her daughter was cute, and she seemed sweet. But what's your equation with her? I know you two know each other because you were being all awkward, I just don't know how." 

Shivaay looked at Annika, and he expected to feel some discomfort or thought of retreat, but he was strangely confident. He knew that if someone had to know, it was Annika. So, with another breath, he began. 

"Well, way before she got married and had a kid, we did know each other. It was sophomore year for her at a brand new high school, and my friend Madhav thought it would be funny to...pick on her, if you will. He and a few other people in the group, including myself, went to go talk to her. Madhav tried getting a little smart with her, and that was when Mallika instantly snapped back at him. All of us were a little shocked because no one ever snapped at Madhav. Vikram, Madhav's idiot friend, suggested showing Mallika her place, and that was when Mallika...well, she...punched Vikram right in the jaw."

Annika's jaw dropped, and Shivaay smiled, remembering the scene play out before him. 

"We all thought that Vikram was going to, you know, fight back, but he was hilariously scared of her. I was impressed, because I'd never seen a new kid stand up for themselves. For some girl to do what dozens of boys couldn't—" 

"What's that supposed to mean, Mr. Oberoi?" Annika questioned rather defensively. Shivaay rolled his eyes. "You know what I'm trying to say, Annika. It was high school, and I was friends with a bunch of morons—" 

"And that's another thing! Why were you friends with a bunch of sexist male chauvinists? Aren't you still friends with that Madhav? Why—" 

"Will you stop interrupting me, for God's sake? Let me tell the story!" Shivaay said exasperatedly. Annika bit her tongue, gesturing for Shivaay to go on. 

"Anyway, I was impressed by Mallika. She was able to stand up for herself, and I found that admirable. So, I befriended her. Slowly, we started to get closer. After being friends for two whole years, we started going out."

"Whoa! So, Mallika was your girlfriend?" Annika asked in shock. "Yes, Mallika and I dated for a while." 

She looked away from Shivaay, staring at the water for a second, in shock. "I don't know what's more surprising. The fact that a baghadbilla like you ever dated someone, or the fact that someone like Mallika ever agreed to dating you!"

"Hey, words hurt!" 

"Anyway, continue the story!" 

Shivaay shook his head at her excitement. Who would believe that this girl was upset a few moments ago. It was then that something caught his eye. It was the remnant of a tear, that Annika seemed to be holding back from sliding down her cheek. He felt his heart ache just a little, as though someone had twisted a little knife against it. 

"Shivaay!" Annika called. "Yeah, I'm going! Uh, so...Mallika. We started dating, and things were pretty great. We, um, we got serious. We were seventeen, and we thought we would be together forever," Shivaay said with a short laugh. "That's kinda cute," Annika remarked. 

"Well," Shivaay nodded, "Key word being thought. Life happened. Mallika wanted to study architecture in California, and wanted me to accompany her there, so I applied to the colleges thinking I wouldn't get in. I also applied to India's best business school. But I got accepted to both, and was faced with a decision. I wanted to stay closer to home, so—" 

"No. Effing. Way," Annika said loudly. "You mean that if I hadn't run off to Italy, we would have gone to the same university?" she asked, her voice holding amusement. Shivaay smiled. "I guess." 

"Anyway, um. The long distance thing didn't really work out for her. I really, really, really thought I loved her. I begged her to stay, to give us a chance. Reluctantly, she agreed. We stayed together until my 22nd birthday. She...forgot," Shivaay told Annika, looking down at his hands. He clicked his tongue. "It was the best birthday present ever. She broke up with me! By that time, you know, Aditya was a year old and everybody needed me. But, as I said earlier, I loved Mallika. The intensity of my first love overpowered the love for my own family, and I—" Shivaay sighed in disappointment, pinching the bridge of his nose to withhold the tears from spilling out. 

It was Annika's hand which lightly touched Shivaay's shoulder and brought him back to reality. "I'm sorry," Shivaay muttered, moving Annika's hand away. 

Annika studied him, and what she saw quite nearly broke her heart. She saw a boy, hidden behind a mask of manhood. It did not let him betray his emotions. He had to be the unaffected Shivaay Singh Oberoi for the three years he had spent away from his family and loved ones. Only because he had made the mistake of falling for a person who was not meant to be his. 

"Shivaay, you know something? You and I are very, very different people. I, for one, eat cookie dough ice cream and take pictures with a DSLR and I call that a bloody career. You, on the other hand, worked hard for everything you have, and even gave your heart to someone, while I never had the guts to even trust my best friend with a commitment like that. You made a relationship work for five whole years, even when there was an entire ocean between you two. Me? I ran away whenever something went wrong in paradise and never looked back," Annika chuckled humorlessly as she listed the differences between the two. "Who would have thought that the emotionless, heartbroken high-school-Romeo would befriend the problematic, blurred-by-passion photographer."

"We just talked about some incredibly heavy things," she stated. 

"Now what?" Shivaay asked the question that was just resting at the tip of Annika's tongue. 

Annika looked at him seriously. "Let's just cry," she shrugged. Shivaay took a moment to look at her as though she was the craziest person he had ever meant, since in many ways, she was. "You want us to cry?" 

Annika stared back at him with a small smile. "Would you happen to have a better idea?" 

"How about just...sit here?" Shivaay suggested, taking Annika's hand in his own. 

"That's worse than my crying idea," Annika shook her head, yet making no effort to remove her hand from Shivaay's grasp. It felt warm and comforting. Involuntarily, her head started leaning into Shivaay, until it grazed his shoulder. Annika didn't hesitate for even a moment before comfortably resting against it, and Shivaay found himself in a state of rather strange pleasure. 

It felt like they were healing each other, with merely a touch.