Begin Again

It's Official

Anicka's POV:

Breathe ani, breathe. This is not the end of the world. You'll figure it out.

Like hell I will.

I feel as if I've been in a daze ever since I saw him.

First of all, I'm seeing him after 6 whole months. Second of all, I'm learning that he's my co-star. This is officially too much. I know that I'm Anicka Sharma and I can brave my way through anything but hold the breaks for fuck's sake. I've barely been functioning in his presence, how am I going to work with him?

Oh my god okay deep breaths.

"Hey, are you okay?" Siwet says worriedly.

"Of course," I say, giving him a weak smile.

He smiles back.

Oh for the love of–

Why does he keep doing that? I grow weak in the knees everytime he glances at me. Receiving one of those infamous Siwet Tomar smiles literally turns me into a puddle.

We've been here for the last 15 mins. With pin-drop silence.

Alone.

I've been fidgeting throughout. I'm trying to maintain a calm demeanour but I know he can see right through it. Just like I can see beyond his own facade.

No matter how indifferent his expressions are, no wonder how relaxed his smile is, he's been playing with his mahadev locket ever since I stepped foot in here. And that's something he only does when he's nervous.

Despite everything, that brings a small smile to my face. At least I've not lost that effect on him.

Things are different now. I'm different too. But the feeling stays the same.

I'm not sure if he's as much of a mess as I am but this is definitely not easy for him. You can't just make everything go away. Believe me, if I could, my life would be a whole lot different right now. But it isn't. Because of him.

Everytime I think about it, I feel a sharp burst of pain. He hurt me. He hurt me so bad and I've not been able to move past it. Past him.

I'm sad but I'm also angry. He plays a major role in all that took place. I might have taken that final step but he's pushed me towards it throughout. So this is not on me. It's on him.

To be very honest, I'm having second thoughts about this project. It's an amazing opportunity but is it really worth enduring all this? I'm not sure. We're waiting for Ekta ma'am to show up so we can have a thorough discussion.

Suddenly the doors open and she walks in.

Finally.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. Got held up in all the traffic. Siwet. Anicka. How are you?" she says, flashing a grin at us.

"You tell me." Siwet responds coolly. "You were gonna mention this when exactly?"

I know that posture. That determination in his voice. That spark in his eyes. It mirrored my own. Adjusting to the unusual shock I got, I was so pissed off. I really respect Ekta ma'am and believe in her vision but she's got to be kidding me with this. How will this even work?

"Guys, I know I kind of put you in a tight spot over here but you never would have agreed to do this if I had told you beforehand," she explains.

"That does not give you any right to pull this kind of a stunt. If I knew he was gonna be the other lead I wouldn't have even showed up," I half shouted.

"I second that. I'm done with this shit," Siwet snaps.

He makes a move to leave the table but ma'am stops him.

"Wait! Siwet please calm down. If I had told you both that you were playing opposite each other, you wouldn't have even considered it. Don't make any hasty decisions. Just take a second and think about it. Anicka, I saw how excited you were after seeing the script. Siwet, I know you have been longing for a project like this for a long time."

That made me hesitate. She was right. I had been overjoyed ever since I came to know about this webseries. I wasn't gonna pass on an opportunity like this just because of Siwet.

I sneaked a glance at him. It looked as though he was struggling between choosing his mind and listening to his heart. The latter, apparently, won.

"I'll do it," he informs Ekta ma'am. "Keeping our past differences aside," he's looking at me now. "I'm willing to give it a shot if you are."

I didn't bother asking if there was any chance that my co-actor could be replaced because I knew there wasn't. Ekta Kapoor didn't deal with second best. It was the best or nothing. That's the reason she's one of the most successful women in India right now.

I knew this was 10 kinds of stupid. I knew that I was gonna regret it down the road. But I also knew if I said no I wouldn't be able to live with myself.

"Okay I'm in."

Ekta ma'am broke into a huge grin while Siwet was expressionless.

"Great. We're starting from today itself cause we're already running behind schedule. I've got a photographer waiting for you. Get ready and meet me there. We're shooting for the poster and promo today."

I mumbled a quick thank you and got out of there. We were going to start shooting soon and I wasn't mentally prepared for it. I had less than 2 hours to get myself together or at least hope I had.

Siwet's POV:

My mind's stopped working. It all feels like a blur. From the moment I walked in here to the moment I said I'll do it.

I was surprised when she said she's in. I thought she might back out. But this only shows she wants this as badly as I do.

Hoping I didn't commit an enormous blunder, I make my way towards the vanity.

She left before I even got the chance to say anything.

In spite of everything that took place, a tiny smile played upon my lips. She could not keep her eyes off me the whole time we were in there.

~end~

I'm so extremely grateful for all the love that I've been receiving from y'all  both on insta and on wattpad. Hope you guys liked the chapter and I'd love to see some inline comments:)

Lots of love,
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