Shivika OS : Words she needed to hear

Shivaay didn't sleep the whole night. Everytime he lay down, he felt suffocated, like someone was pressing a pillow into his face. So he paced his room, the balcony, the poolside, flipped through his phone gallery, read random business articles which made him feel like drowning his phone in the pool.

   Desperate for some peace of mind, he read a fluff article about how to deal with problem solving. He tried some of the methods earnestly. Meditation just made him hear the mosquitoes even louder. Music kept making him mind imagine different scenes with Annika in them.

Not helping.

    So he did some laps in the pool until his arms felt tired. The words in his favourite paperback novel kept running into each other and he couldn't go past the one paragraph. All thoughts went back to Annika.

Tired of avoiding it, he let himself think of her.

How beautiful she looked tonight. She was hiding in the sidelines but she was everywhere for him.

A wistful, sad but stunningly beautiful vision.

Why are you avoiding me , Annika? What did I do? Just yesterday you were shaking in my arms. And today you won't even let me hold your hand.

He hated this restlessness. People should just say what's bothering them, instead of putting others through the torture of guessing what it is.

Hell, I'd even take her calling me Billuji right now. Anything, just talk to me, Annika.

Impatiently, he grabbed his phone and almost dialled her number. Mentally shaking himself, he stopped. It's 3 am, Shivaay. She's probably asleep.

So he decided to write in his journal. A habit he had in his university days, he'd read somewhere that actually writing down the problem on paper helps put some perspective in your dilemma. Looking at your problem on paper can help you see the importance or frivolity of it. Well, it worked for him then, maybe it'll help now.

Problems:

1.      Annika ...

It stopped there. Immersed in a sudden uncharacteristic peace of mind he just wrote and wrote his feelings. A strange lightness crept into his chest, so he wrote and wrote what he felt.

And soon it was daybreak. He had no sleep but felt good. He left his papers on his desk and went off for a cold shower.

   Om walked in the groom's room minutes later and found the papers. Shivaay writing? Admiring his beautiful handwriting, he started gaping after the second line. Eyes glued to the riveting piece of writing, he had reached the end just as a freshly bathed Shivaay came.

" Is anything personal in my room, huh? "

"SHIVAAY !! Fhat the WHUCK ! What is THIS man? "

Shivaay shuffled his feet and looked away. Om jumped up and caught his brother by the shoulder and shook him hard. Om looked at him sternly as Shivaay raised defeated eyes back.

"Say the word, Bhai, I'll make things happen for you, WHATEVER the consequences," Om vowed quietly.

" I don't see any other choice Om... "

Om gaped and whooped loudly, then slapped his brother hard on his back.

" Stand by for further instructions Shivaay. Dil Bole Oberoi.. !! "

As Om scampered off to look for his partner in crime Rudra, Shivaay let out a nervous breath.

What's done is done. The sky won't fall.

I think so.

***

On the first floor, the women flurried about getting the brides ready for the ceremonies today. Annika sat quietly at the dresser as Soumya fussed about, getting her ready. She chose an elegant minimalistic look with tasteful jewelry. She had neither the time or the money for full shopping for this shotgun wedding she sentenced herself to.