Broken Hearts and Strange Girls || Shivika AU FF

𝐗𝐗𝐕𝐈

"Did you ever want to come back in the last four years?" Shivaay asked after a few moments of their silence, though they had exchanged many private thoughts in the quiet. Annika straightened, thinking. "A hundred times each day," she remarked sadly, remembering the initial days in Trento.

"I was homeless, foreign, equipped with nothing but a camera. Aishwarya's words kept revolving in my head, like a broken record on loop. I hated myself. I told myself I ran away for my dream, but I knew it wasn't the reason. It was just because I didn't have the courage to look Aishu in the eye and tell her I was sorry."

Shivaay nodded, and the two fell into silence for a few more seconds.

"Did you ever want to move on from her?" Annika asked in the same tone. Shivaay paused, wanting to give Annika a completely honest answer. "A hundred times each day," he smiled at her, copying her response. She smiled back, urging him on. 

"There's this feeling I couldn't shake, though. I felt like if I moved on, there would be this ghost in the back of my mind that kept telling me that the same thing would happen again. I also didn't want to put anybody through that." 

Annika nodded in understanding. "I've noticed one thing and I've been wanting to ask about forever. What's your equation with Meera? Like, the first day that we met, I remember Jhanvi Aunty asking Meera if she was going to get married any time soon. Meera first looked to you and then said no. You and Kush also seem to dislike each other. Why?" 

Shivaay was impressed with Annika's observance and he sighed, shaking his head in amusement. "The Oberois and Thakurs have been friends for almost thirty years. My grandfather and Meera's grandfather were bingo buddies or something, I don't even know. Anyway, Meera and I have known each other since we were pretty much in diapers. The story behind our friendship is literally the worst.

"So, twenty-four years ago, on Meera's birthday, my grandfather told her grandfather that we—Meera and I—were pretty much made for each other." 

"That's so filmy, dude. Like, childhood romance and all? That's straight out of a Bollywood movie. Then?" 

Shivaay chuckled, continuing. "The families laughed and joked about it, but everyone played it off. At least, the Oberois did. See, whenever we saw the Thakurs or they were brought up, my mom would pass a comment like, 'Oh, Shivaay. See, you're going to marry their daughter,' and then my dad would joke about it. But apparently, things weren't the same for Meera."

"Ooh, the plot thickens," Annika singsang. 

"Meera was 'groomed to marry me' or whatever," Shivaay explained in airquotes. "She wasn't allowed to date anybody or even think about a future with anybody because she was already supposed to...y'know..." Shivaay gestured towards himself awkwardly, for lack of better words. Annika nodded understandingly, feeling bad for Meera. 

"Obviously, I was with Mallika at the time, and after we broke up, it was really hard on me. It was then that Meera told me about her situation, and I immediately told her that it was highly unlikely for me to ever move on. Every time anyone brings it up, it gets really awkward for both of us," Shivaay explained. 

"Well, are you over Mallika now?" Annika asked after taking a few moments to wrap her head around the concept. Shivaay looked at her curiously before nodding his head and shrugging. "I guess." 

"Then why don't you give Meera a chance?"