Changed - RiKara FF

Changed

It was a warm summers evening when Omkara Singh Oberoi walked into his room to find his world forever changed.

At first he did not notice anything out of the ordinary, removing his waistcoat and freeing his hair from the bun he had entrapped it in. He was having a serious migraine, the result of continuous staring at his latest masterpiece, which now lay in actual torn pieces on his studio floor. He had planned it to perfection, spent gruelling hours working at the minute details that he knew made all the difference, and when he was done he sat back and observed. It was a pretty painting. That was it.

'Not good enough.': words he became familiar with as the heir of the great Tej Singh Oberoi, but never, not once, had he before looked back at his own creation and thought those words. He had felt those words define him from a very young age, grasp onto him with claws that refused to set him free, but they had never taken hold over his art. That was the part of him that was 'good enough', until today. Even when he had lost his inspiration and a little chirraya from Bareilly had restored it, he could have looked at his past work and been proud of his accomplishments, but now he was beginning to feel they were all flawed and fake, a child's attempt.

You're probably wondering what could make a famous artist doubt himself so deeply, and the answer is simply that same chirraya who had become his inspiration. Or rather her eyes. For the life of him he could not bring them to life on paper, could not convey the multiple emotions they held or get the exact colour. Maybe he just needed to see them again. 'Yeah, right..' he scoffed at himself. As if he had not memorised them in their first meeting, when they sent flames at him. 'Anyway, where is that silly girl?'

He left for the washroom to change into a kurta and returned to look for his so called wife. Seeing she had still not returned to their room he was about to search for her in the rest of the mansion when something caught his eye. It was her mangalsutra. Lying on top of a folded piece of white paper, was the necklaces of black beads he had bestowed upon her when he brought her from Bareilly. A feeling of dread working its way through his body, he picked up the paper...

3 years later

The Oberoi Mansion is no longer the haven of brotherhood it had once been, in fact the brothers residing in it hardly speak to one another. For Shivaay, his love for his brothers is strong as ever, but his time has to be given to stopping whichever new threat had come calling, (this usually consists of numerous fake marriages/ divorces/ tadi etc. and ends with multiple Shivika reunions - hey, at least they are consistent). Rudra found himself caught up in Shivaay Bhaaiya's plans initially, but then had to take some time off to join the police academy, as after his constant stalking of his girlfriend Bhavya while she was on duty, he had discovered he was quite good at police work. However, he is still always available for his eldest brother and Anika bhabhi.

The middle Oberoi brother never gets involved in any of the family's issues. He never listens to Shivaay's problems or gives him poetic advice. He never wipes Anika's tears. He never jokes, never laughs. Rudy had cut himself off from O when he discovered that Chulbul bhabhi would not return, that O would not bring her back, but what he didn't realise was that O was gone and in his place is a hollow shell.

Omkara Singh Oberoi's world ended after reading 393 words on a white sheet of paper on a warm Tuesday evening, and to this day nobody knows what those words were, but he reads them every night, despite having committed them to memory so long ago. Those words, her eyes, his tears are his lullaby. Art no longer exists for him. He is no longer known as an artist, but rather OSO the Enigma, who bypassed both his father and older brother to become the most proficient Oberoi businessman the world has ever seen.

He lives everyday without hope, because an angel of hope came to him once, and he tore her wings. If only he had answered her questions..If only GulNeet gave him the Screen space to do so...

(Sorry couldn't resist... EmbarrassedEmbarrassed)