ShivOmRu SS ~ Cross Connections

Chapter 20

Shivay looked around carefully, Anika had gone for a shower and Somu had gone out of the house - it was just the two of them. They were revising in the living room - Shivay on the couch, Om in the chair using the dining table - Suddenly Shivay's phone rang, he whispered Mallika sounding surprised - Om's head automatically jerked up - why was Mallika calling Shivay? He saw Shivay from the corner of his eyes, one moment he was sitting and relaxed and the next moment he jerked up to his feet. "What?!? How did that happen?? Are you o--- Mallika! Mallika?? Can you hear me?"Shivay asked frantically into the phone - Om was suddenly numb. A cold feeling crept to his heart - was Mallika okay? Clearly she wasn't - what could have happened he wondered and found that he wasn't being able to pretend being calm. He rushed to Shivay and enquired,

"Shivay, what has happened to her?" he asked not caring to mask his voice

"Err..she met with an accident - I think she passed out while talking. Mentioned something about trying to call Anika - but she is in the shower so she couldn't reach her I guess. Om I gotta go. You tell Anika this once she is out"

"No Shivay, I am coming too. Mallika has had an accident, how can I stay back?" he asked caught completely off-guard.

"Om, think of Anika, she needs you too. She loves you. She needs you more than Mallika - I will handle Mallika and you inform Anika. Okay?" Shivay replied in a hurry as he ran around the living room picking up his cell phone, car key and his wallet.

"Anika doesn't need me Shivay, Mallika does! If anything happens to her today I will never be able to live with the fact that I didn't even go to help her. You stay with Anika" reverted Om, now messing the coffe table looking for his cell and wallet.

"What? Why is it important to be with Mallika more than Anika? You love Anika right, the why is she more important than this Mallika?"asked Shivay again.

"She is more important because she is Mallika okay? Because I love her more than anything else in this world - she is hurt and I am going to sit and console Anika?" Om spat back.

Shivay looked at him quietly, venom evident in his charcoal black eyes, "All right come with me" he replied and without further ado both left.

Shivay was driving and Om was panicking sitting next to him - in fact he was shocked when Shivay stopped by a lakeside on the road. What was happening he thought and looked enquiringly at Shivay. Shivay looked back at him and with choler in his eyes responded.

"Mallika is absolutely fine - she hasn't met with any accident. She had called because she wanted to talk to Anika and she wasn't receiving her call - because she was in the shower"

"Then why----?"Om muttered confused.

"Because I wanted to see whether you loved Mallika more or Anika" he spat back. Om had understood where this was leading to. But he feigned ignorance.

"Shivay yaar, she is my girlfriends sister - imagine how mad Anika would be to know I didn't even go to help Mallika." He muttered, innocently.

"I think she would be more disturbed to know that you love her sister and you are using her as your rebound." He replied dangerously.

Om was about to retort back aghast when realization hit him, rebound huh? Well let's try you Shivay, he thought.

"Why the drama Shivay? You could have just asked me, I wouldn't have hidden from you - of course she is rebound - Mallika played with my feelings and dumped me so humiliatingly - I loved her Shivay - I really did - but she broke my heart - I had to punish her - hence I am using Anika as rebound - when I break her heart, Mallika will see what her actions led to, and that would be punishment enough" he replied.