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Anika Vardhan Trivedi has a story to tell you all. More specifically, about her love story.
She was looking for love, but ended up in a wrong place where she could never get what she wanted.
Will her story end on a happy note?
Cover cred...
“In the theatrical works we love and admire the most, the ending of the drama generally takes place offstage.”
- Gustav Mahler.
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Sitting in the last seat, tears roll down of his hazel eyes, and he finally realizes why Anika did what she did, two years ago. She did it for him.
As Shivaay's face flashes under the venue's spotlight and comes into focus, Anika's vision lands on his face, and she freezes under his glance.
“Shivaay?” her voice comes out with difficulty, his face bringing back the emotions she has felt while telling her story - all together, combined.
Every eye in the venue falls on the man in the last, and in no time, the hall fills with loud noises, screams, and crazy women fangirling.
People jump from their seats, and surround him, flashes of their cameras and the clicking echoes in the entire area and Anika stands there, still shocked that she didn't see him the entire time there. A tear rolls down her cheeks, and despite the ruckus there, she is at calm.
Shivaay stands up from his seat, and Tanya — on his side, tries to stop him by placing her palm over his wrist but he jerks it away, and smiles upon seeing Anika standing there, terrified.
He takes a step forward, ignoring the people trying to come closer to him. Guards from the door rush to his spot and push them in order to keep them away, and with each step he takes toward her, the space clears up.
“Do not!” Anika exclaims, drawing in a shaky breath. He stops, and hears her gulp to compose herself.
“Please don't,” she pleads, falling on the ground on her knees. He sees her state, and decides to rebel. Shivaay runs toward her — up the stage, and bends down, engulfing her in a hug.
“I am sorry, Anika!” he mutters, his own voice on the verge of breaking up, and places a kiss on the top of her head. “I am so sorry.”
“You are not,” she pulls out from the hug and gets up, takes a few steps away from him and says, “if you were, you wouldn't have let me go.”
“What could I have done?”
“Nothing,” she scoffs. “And that's exactly what you did.”
“But you were the one who did that, and how could I have changed that, Anika?” he argues, but his tone not raising against her, for he loved her.
“Then let's keep it that way, Shivaay, let's forget everything and move on!” she proposes, and beseeches. He gives up, sighs, and nods.
“Okay,” he presses his lips into a tight line and nods — again and again, and descends the stairs, digs his hands into his pockets and feigns a smile. He turns, to face her and says, “if that is what you want, Anika,” his breathing turns slightly uneven, “then that's what we will do. We will forget each other and move on, just like how we did it two years ago.”
