Omkara visibly paled. What was happening? He stared, stunned, at his elder brother whom the entire Oberoi clan thought was dead. It was unimaginable. His fingers twitched unconsciously. He could feel the coldness in his veins. Unable to move, he felt rooted to the ground. His mind refused to function as he stammered, "I...I...You..."
Shivaay took a step back. His skin tingled as his eyes stared at his brother without blinking. Suddenly he was aware of his own heart, which was banging against his ribcage. Slowly, a shaky smile made its way to his face,
"O...Om." He stuttered, his voice shaky and soft.
"No!" Omkara choked on his words before placing his hand on his mouth quickly. "This...this can't be true," He looked down at the carpeted floor, his tone full of uncertainty. For a moment lost in his thoughts before shooting a look in Shivaay's direction, to make sure he was there.
Shivaay stared at his brother, taking in his features. He had shaved his beard off and his hair was longer. The journey surely had tired him out, his face craved some sleep. The shaky smile refused to leave his face as he stared at his brother. It was also as if he had seen a ghost.
The tension in the air thickened as the youngest Oberoi entered the room. As he turned after shutting the door, his eyes widened in surprise at seeing his brother. Omkara glanced at Rudra, who was in the same state as him.
Tears welled up in Rudra's eyes, as the tension lessened. Om, who had been staring at Rudra since he entered, could see the shock wearing off. Confirming him, Rudra let out an abrupt bark of laughter.
"Who is he, Om? This cannot be happening, right?" He looked at Shivaay, who suddenly felt dizzy. Shivaay placed a hand on his chest before gulping heavily. Rudra walked up to him. Shivaay felt numb and lost for words. Om's mind wanted to reject the newly found information, as his knees buckled; causing him to fall on the plush sofa. For a moment, all the other voices faded as Om closed his eyes, processing the recent happenings.
"Are you serious?" Rudra asked, puzzled. As he neared Shivaay, he looked into his eyes piercingly. Shivaay stood vulnerable as Rudra pulled the man into a tight hug. Shivaay stood baffled as his brother hugged him as if his life depended on it.
Tears escaped Rudra's eyes. He did not know what was going on or what he was doing, but right then hugging his brother was the only thing that felt right.
Shivaay hugged his brother back as his tears fell freely from his eyes. It all suddenly clicked in Om's mind as he came rushing to join the hug. They cried, not caring if they seemed vulnerable. They, for once, did not care for what had happened or what would happen as they remained in their famous O'bro hug.
"Pehle emotional tha, ab awkward ho raha hai," (it was an emotional moment then, but now it's getting awkward) Rudra repeated his dialogue which caused the brothers to laugh, at the same time made some more tears escape their eyes.
The trio parted from the hug, only to hug again. Rudra parted again, before showering Shivaay with questions.
"Where were you all this time? Humne kaha kaha nehi dhoonda aapko, bhaiya?" (we searched for you both everywhere) Rudra cried.
"O...O, I had told you that nothing has happened to bhaiya. He is alive," Rudra told Om as he kept speaking. Shivaay caught on his last for, alive?
"Rudy, kya bol raha hai tu? Alive?" (what are you saying?) Shivaay questioned.
"Bhaiya, after you and bhabhi left the house and had that bus accident where you saved the kids; everyone thought that you both fell from the cliff while saving them. I always knew that my bhaiya cannot leave me. I told O and everyone else. No one wanted to believe, bhaiya. We searched for you both everywhere," He broke into sobs upon finishing.
Shivaay gulped heavily, it was difficult to process so much information all at once. They thought that Anika had died.
"All this time, were you both here?" Om asked Shivaay, who nodded in affirmation. "After that bus incident, we handed the kids over to the school authority before shifting to Goa for a while. After a few weeks, we decided to shift to Canada. It took some time for the visa process and I used my contacts for quickening the process," Shivaay explained.
"Thoda intezar kar leta hamare aane tak. Itni bhi kya jaldi thi?" (you could've waited a bit for us, Were you really in a hurry) Om asked, his voice laced with hurt. "Kaese, Om?" (how, Om?) Shivaay closed his eyes. He did not want to be in this situation, where he had to see his brothers hurt due to him. How would he explain?
"They wanted me gone. If I stayed there, Bade papa and Badi maa would've only hated me more. I was responsible for Bade papa's condition and Badi maa's sorrow. They did not want to believe me. Her husband's life was in danger due to me-" Shivaay was interrupted by Om, "That husband, who did nothing rather than to hurt her repeatedly! And Shivaay, we didn't know that you cared for Mrs. Oberoi more than you did for us!"
"Tum dono jaan ho meri!" (you both are my life) Shivaay asserted. Om smiled at his brother, his eyes teary. "Ek Baar hamare baare mein nehi socha? Ki humpe kya beetegi? Hamara kya hoga tere bina?" (didn't you think of us for once? how would we feel? what would happen to us without you) Om accused.
Shivaay massaged his temple as he sat on the couch, Rudra had already taken a seat opposite him. "I am sorry, Om." Shivaay apologized. For once he felt guilty for leaving his brothers. Maybe they too had suffered due to him. Maybe they too missed him as he did.
"But you know, Bhaiya, you can make it up for us by making some good food. I missed you and our O'bro moment," Rudra looked sadly at Shivaay, trying to ease the grim situation, who had the same sadness swimming in his eyes.
"Shivaay, I'm sorry, " Om asked for an apology, he felt guilty after accusing his brother, "Ek aur baat, hum dono ko tujh pe poora bharosa hain. Koi aur kuch bhi kaahe," (one more thing, we both have complete trust in you. Let anyone else say anything) Om claimed, glancing at Rudra who nodded.
"It's okay, Om. I get it. Miss kiya Maine tum dono ko," (I missed you both) Shivaay smiled, looking at his brothers, he did not want to dig up the past. Oh, how he missed them both. "Aur Om, thanks, mujhpe aaj bhi bharosa karne ke liye," (and Om, thanks, for still trusting me)
"There wasn't a single day when we didn't remember you," Rudra claimed. "We missed your and bhabhi's-" Rudra stopped in between as a question arose in his mind. "Where is bhabhi?"
"At her office. Anika manages weddings in this city. She works for Wedding Bells as the head organizer," Shivaay said proudly. Talking about her success always made him proud.
"I want to meet bhabhi. Let's go to her office now," Rudra insisted. He missed making puppy eyes to persuade his brothers.
Shivaay suddenly remembered the purpose they were here for. "Guys, meeting?" Rudra facepalmed while Om shook his head. "First let's finish the meeting," they agreed before proceeding with the details.
