To love or die trying

Chapter 17. Should she stay?

it was finally the weekend,Saturday has arrived. the only downside in radhika's mind is the fact she has to choose whether to suck it up and go to the studio or let her emotions take over and not go at all. she got up and got ready for breakfast. She went out of her room and walked towards the kitchen. she opened the fridge to get a couple fruits and milk to make a smoothie. Soon after she finished making her smoothie she received a text from shiva.

"morning, I know you don't want to hear from me. But I just got to know are you coming today?" It read

Radhika saw the text with disgust and thought thoroughly....she couldn't think straight so she decided to call up Rajah. The phone to ring indicating it was connecting to Raj phone. Radhika was about to hang up because she did not feel like talking to anyone when all of a sudden...

"Hello?" Rajah answered unaware who called

"guess who" radhika said softly

"radhika!" Rajah said excitedly "i was beginning to think you would never call"

"are you busy today?" Radhika asked hesitantly "i know what has been going on between us you might not want but..."

"where do you want to meet?" Rajah asked

Radhika to meet her at his work place then they'll see where things go from there. he agreed they both hung up and got ready to meet each other. Radhika was nervous. This was the first time she was going out with Rajah after she broke up with him. She played that day in her head; tears on rajahs eyes, fight between him and shiva, walking out on him without saying much. She soon headed out the door still thinking what she was going to say.

Rajah was already waiting outside the pizzeria when radhika came she stopped midway to see rajah. he gotten more handsomer by the passing days. her heart started to flutter as fast as the first day she saw him. Radhika slowly walked towards him.

"hey stranger" she said coyly

Rajah looked at Radhika lovingly and hugged her without thinking. The hug felt so warm for radhika. it felt like ages since she had a warm hug that made her feel that safe. she never wanted to let go of that hug but she knew she must.

"so do you want pizza or somewhere just to talk" Rajah asked

"anywhere i guess" Radhika shrugged

Rajah opened up his arm signaling radhika to hold it like she always did whenever they walked together. she smiled and obliged. They walked a couple blocks until the found a Starbucks. They went in, ordered their coffee, and sat near the window. They started catching up on all they had missed out on. Radhika then heard a car honking and saw karla get out of the car with shiva. She then realized she was at the same Starbucks where she found out about the scandal. Rajah noticing radhika's mood changed looked out the window and noticed shiva with karla. he then looked at radhika and tried to make her smile.

"you know," rajah started "i don't know about you but I think shiva was blinded by fame to leave a girl like you"

"thanks." Radhika smiled "coming from you that means a lot."

"and I'm sorry." Rajah confessed "about my anger issues. if you'd like we could start fresh?"

"as in..." radhika paused "friends?"

"if thats where it starts from..." Rajah stood up "so be it." he then extended his arm "friends?"

"friends" radhika laughed shaking his hand.

"good" rajah said sitting down "now as a friend to another friend, I think you should go to the studio and not show shiva that just because he cheated on you you will give up your life long dream." Rajah placed his hand on radhikas knee "the girl i knew would fight back twice as stronger"

"would you..." radhika stuttered

"i would love to see the studio" rajah said smiling

Radhika and raj finished their coffees and ordered some tea to take with them to the studio. In the studio smithson, karla, and shiva were all discussing about the duo. Shiva then noticed radhika entering the room with rajah behind her. Radhika walked up to smithson.

"i know you must have heard all the rumors." Radhika stated "you may have thought that because of me finding out about the infidelity of shiva I would quit" she glanced and shiva who was. Holding Karl's hand then looked back at smithson "well I am not that kind of girl. so either we continue as a duo or i go solo. i am not backing down from my dream to be a singer" she then walked up to shiva looking him straight in the eye "and no cheaters will ever see me crumble"

"thats good to hear because the duo is no longer" smithson explained. radhika and shiva looked shocked. "radhika however will continue as a solo act" smithson continued.

"what!?" Shiva gasped "but we started as a duo. And if. You wanted a solo, why her?"

"the duo was because miss caitlin told me that both of you created the song" smithson said

"i owed miss Caitlin a favor. So i hired you two to be a duo. in the process I learned many things about you two. Radhika works a full 9 to 5 in the studio with the occasional coffee and toilet break and makes up for it working overtime when the song deadline is nearing.that shows that she has the passion and motivation" smithson paused to bow to radhika as to show respect for her hard work

"as for you shiva" smithson continued looking sternly at shiva "i learned that with radhikas hard work, you lazed around. The only time you showed any effort was when karla was around." Shiva looked down to the floor. "which leaves me to say" smithson paused "shiva you either work with karla or you are fired"

"i would rather work for someone I know cares for me so I choose karla" shiva said looking lovingly at karla

"sorry shivers but I don't do duos" karla said shrugging off shivas love

"its shiva" shiva said shocked at how karla acted "baby whats wrong"

"you knew the deal when i dated you" i only date upcoming celebs for fame, not nobodies"

Shiva felt betrayed and heartbroken. He couldn't believe the person he fell for was an egotistical snob. She turned to radhika noticing rajah was holding her hand.

"radhi baby," shiva started as he came closer to radhika "i knew what I did was wrong and..."

Radhika slapped shiva before he could continue his sentence. Shiva straight away cupped his cheeks feeling the swelling of his cheeks. His jaw dropped being shocked radhika had the courage to do that.

"since the day I saw the news I wanted to do that" radhika said "it feels much better to have done after you lost everything good you had"

Before shiva could say anything smithson pulled radhika into talking business. Karla listened in as well. Shiva decided to leave. Rajah was close behind him.

"she was never yours to begin with" rajah shouted after shiva. Shiva stopped walking and looked at rajah who was walking towards him.

"you knew she was vulnerable after she dumped me and you took advantage of that" rajah continued "admit it"

"so what" shiva shouted "i did love her"

"you loved her because you knew she was one of a kind and was going to go places with her talent" rajah defended

"didnt you do the same" Shiva interjected

"yes but not because of that" rajah said closing up to shiva "because I saw her more than just a trophy"

Rajah then went back to the studio and shiva was completely paralyzed. He only then realized what he lost because of his love for an easy life. The rain started to fall from the clouds as shivas knees fell to the pavement. And that was the day shiva changed his perspective on love.