Shades of our Love

Cluedo

Annika finally ticked off Tias To-Do list for the day and reached her quarters. While munching on a half toasted sandwich, she started wrecking her brains out. What, or who could be the lottery Daadi was talking about? The late Pritviraj Singh Oberoi, had been a lower middle class, hardworking man, who didn't give up according to Daadi. His luck changed on one fine day when he claimed that he won the lottery and uprooted his family to Mumbai and set up his first construction company, which has risen to an empire today. If the blue eyed monster didn't disturb her conversation, she was sure she would have gotten some more information.  She scribbled on a page of her diary, trying to connect the dots.

Her thoughts for some reason led to Mr. Baagad Billa Singh Oberoi. He actually changed his colours so fast, same like his forever changing eyes. He had a permanent frown on his face, his nose was always at 90 degrees, he also had a smug face every time he won a challenge. But on the other hand his eyes were so beautiful, she could swear that she saw a smile on his face today after their dance and that made her happy. She suddenly jolted back to reality, remembering the sensation inside her skin when he placed his hand on her back. "BRRRRRRR" Annika shook her head, trying to focus. "So who could it be?" She decided to spend more time with Daadi tomorrow, so she can find out more. Then she recalled Daadi instructing Khanna, to get the old store room cleaned as she was following Tia around the house. "Most of the time secrets are hidden in old store rooms!" Annika thought to ask for a favour. She quickly gobbled up the rest of her tasteless sandwich, and hurried off to the security office. "Khanna ji...Khanna ji!" She knocked.
"Err Miss Annika? At this time? How can I help?" Khanna asked sleepily, clearly he'd been dozing off while monitoring the CCTV cameras.
" So sorry to trouble you at this time. I got you a sandwich!"
"Err....Thank You!" He awkwardly took a very poor looking sandwich from her trying to be polite.
"Khanna ji...Tia asked me to find some old photographs, of Daada ji, Mr. Pritviraj Oberoi, I think she wants to do a slide show, of how it all began. She wants me to get it ready by tomorrow. Do you have any idea I can find some?" She blinked rapidly, hoping her puppy dog look will work on Khanna.
"Err....You should ask Daadi ji...All old photographs are with her usually!" He was about to close the door on her face.
"Khanna Ji...it's a presentation for the investors, and I don't think it's nice to disturb Daadi now at this hour. Is there any old company newsletter, or something I can use to show Tia tomorrow?"
Figuring out that Annika wasn't going to give up Khanna gave it a thought.
"Err..I think I saw some old newsletters, and AGM souvenirs when they were cleaning the store room today. Maybe you can find some pictures and stuff there miss!"
"Khanna Ji...can you take me there?"
"Err....I can't leave the post now, here take the key. But please bring it back to me as soon as you finish. I have to hand it to Daadi ji tomorrow".
"Oh thank you so much Khannaji!" Annika was elated that she could convince Khanna, to give the store room key to her. She had a hunch that she'd be able to find something more there. She took the key and hurried off without even paying attention to when Khanna was calling out to her again. "Miss Annika, there is no light there, have to replace!" As the girl didn't seem to care, Khanna shrugged and went back to his work cum nap.
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Annika entered the dark store room, she had her mobile phone light, but darkness truly scared her so her hand started shivering. Thankfully she found the light switch, but for her dismay it did not light up the room. She might not get another chance like this, and she was not going to give up on it. She took a deep breath, and braved on. She opened an old trunk that was in the corner of the room. She found a lot of dusty old trinkets in it. There were old trophy's, medals, and even some old toys. She found an ugly old Barbie doll, styled in a very weird sense of dressing, with a letter R hanging around her neck. Rudy she thought amused. She flipped through an old sketch book with beautifully scribbled O.M. On it. He's super talented no wonder he's a best selling artist, she thought, feeling proud about Om's creativity. At the bottom of the trunk she found a stethoscope and an old game board, "operation". She saw that letters Shivaay was scribbled on the game board. "Hmmmn, so Baagad Billa Singh Oberoi, wanted to be a doctor?" How strange she thought. She couldn't picture Shivaay as a caring, doctor, a meticulous one maybe, or someone like Frankenstein who patched up monsters. But a healer? No way. Right next to it she also found a old gold colour, BB pistol, and it had the same untidy hand writing, scribbled S.S.O on it. That's more like him she thought suddenly a sense of darkness clouding her feelings, reminding her, Shivaay Singh Oberoi very well be part of all of this. Leaving the old memories behind closed in that old trunk, she moved on to a book cupboard next, that had stacks and stacks of old books. "This must be it!" She flipped through the dusty old books, trying to find some clues. She finally found a scrap book "1986 Annual staff day" with familiar hand writing. She traced the letters with a tear in her eye. "Papa" She whispered. She flipped through the pages. There was pictures of the late Pritviraj Oberoi, with his staff smiling and her dad was in the far right corner, looking handsome with a striking smile she remember. She started taking pictures of the pages quickly, and sent it to Bhavya. Maybe she can trace back to these old pictures, and find a clue to who is this secret benefactor of the Oberoi empire is. Suddenly her phone flash light started to blink. "OH no no no no..." she started panicking. The battery was about to die, and she was about to get stuck alone, in this old store room in the dark. "No... no.. not dark...No" she started mumbling, and the phone slipped from her hand and went underneath the book cupboard. "Shit Shit!" Like a moth to a flame, Annika desperately crawled down, trying to be closer to the light. She was losing it. The darkened around her was consuming her. She started sweating profusely, and she felt that she was losing her breath. "It's okay...It's okay...papa...Papa...I am okay." she started muttering in the dark, as the phone died. Annika couldn't breath anymore, as all she could see was bitter darkness.
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She was coming back to her senses, when she felt someone's lips on hers...it felt warm, and comforting. She opened her eyes and found a pair of peircing blue eyes staring in to hers. Realising it was Shivaay, she pushed him back with all her might and was about to slap him when he held her hand tight. "What do you think you are doing? She spat through gritted teeth. What does he think of himself? How dare he kiss her? She started to wave her arms in the air trying to throw a solid punch on his smug face. Shivaaay didn't let go of her hands, sensing danger, and she was rather strong for him to contain. She was misunderstanding this whole situation.. "Errr...look...Annika.." why was he mumbling? He cursed himself.. "Mr. Oberoi...how dare you? Just because I danced with you?" She went on blabbering, trying to wrap her head around what was going on and managed to land a kick on him instead. Finally having had enough of accusations and a solid kick to his gut from this crazy woman, Shivaay gripped her hands tightly twisting it until it hurt her. How dare she accuse him of misbehaving with her, when he just saved her damn life! "YOU...LISTEN ...Listen to me you mad woman! You were not breathing! You just stopped fucking breathing. I found you lying on the floor, in the store room, I was not kissing you for your information, that's not a kiss! I was giving you first aid! It's called a rescue breath and thanks to me you started breathing again!". Annika started recalling, how she started feeling claustrophobic and panicking in the store room, once her  mobile battery went dead. She vaguely remembered someone shaking her, trying to wake her up, when her throat closed up, and she couldn't breath anymore. Seeing that she calmed down he  started  scolding her, "If you are afraid of the dark,  why the heck did you even go there? Of course you are crazy, and an imbecile that's why!"
"I...I..." Annika stammered, not wanting Shivaay to find out why she was there in the first place. So she decided to start a fight instead. "Yeah...but that doesn't give you the right to...you know....you have no right.." she kept gesturing at her lips, and his, trying not to say it out loud.
"Huh OH PLEASE! Give me a break! I have no intention in going around kissing a woman like you! Have you even seen yourself in the mirror?"  There he was, the smug, arrogant, irritating, man. Annika scowled and rolled her eyes at him.
"Especially an ungrateful woman like you!" He continued to annoy her. "FINE...you want to hear me say thank you!...Fine Thank YOU!" She huffed crossing her arms, and looking up at the ceiling. "Alright I'll take it...I think I you should apologise to me as well, while you are at it?" He crossed his arms as well and looked away. "Apologise for what now?" Annika genuinely looked confused. Irritated Shivaay stood up to leave "By the way it won't kill you to accept that you are wrong! You just assumed my intentions without even knowing the facts! And that's why you should apologise! And you will say sorry soon enough! Shivaay Singh Oberoi is a lot of things, but he never disrespects women!"  He walked off angrily cursing himself, for saving this woman in the first place. He should have just left her suffocate in there he thought, while that gave a sharp jolt of pain in his chest for unbeknown reasons. "Thank God!" Annika let out a sigh of relief. She knew she should have apologised to Shivaay, and thanked him for saving her life, but if she did, she wouldn't have been able to distract him. She realised now she was in the outhouse. On the couch. Did he carry her here, all the way from the store room? She sat up, and reached for a glass of water, she recalled the concern on his face. She was almost sure that he was smiling in relief when she opened her eyes. And he remembered...he remembered that she is afraid of the dark. "BRRRR" she shook her self out of it, and gulped down the water.

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Shivaay kept pacing up and down in his room. How dare she think that he would  kiss her. What an idiot? Has she never been kissed before? Is that how she kiss people? He was irritated, by her reaction. "Why are you getting worked up Shivaay calm down calm down!" He kept talking to himself. "Why was she in that store room in the first place?" He started getting suspicious now. "At this hour? Khanna said she went to find out some photographs...why it was this urgent she had to do it now? What is this woman up to?" He wondered. He was sure she was up to something, but what? Promising to keep an eye on her from now on, he lied down in bed. He was fidgeting around, until he found a comfortable posture, and he pressed his face against the pillow not being able to calm his mind down. The texture of the soft silky pillow cover graced his lips, reminding him of the feeling he had in his stomach, when their lips touched. Technically was Annika right? "ARRRGH IT WAS NOT A KISS! FIRST RESPONSE....IT WAS A DAMN RESCUE BREATH" He shouted out loud again trying to silence his inner thoughts. He finally forced himself to sleep.