An Aesthetic Love: A Collection Of Shivika Short Stories

15| there's love in the hate.

"Shivaay mera phone kyu nahi utha rahe hain? Kitni baar kaha hai inse ki der raat tak kaam mat kiya kijiye. Jab karne lagte hain tab kuch nahi dikhta."  Annika sighs, redialling Shivaay's number for the 15th time in the past hour.

Its 11pm, and Shivaay isn't home yet. Annika has full on planned to burst on him when he slams the door open and walks in.

He has this exhausted look on his face, with droopy eyes and surprisingly, messed up hair.

"Aa gaye aap?" Annika asks him in a sarcastic tone, as he settles down on the couch, taking off his coat and loosening his tie.

"Yahan baitha hoon na, matlab obviously aa gaya hoon. Dikhta nahi hai kya?" He asks her, a frustrated look on his face.

"Itne gusse me kyu hain aap? Ghar late aap aaye hain, gussa mujhe aapse hona chahiye, yahan aap mujhe tadi dikha rahe hain!" She tells him, annoyed.

"Shaant raho na tum. Ek toh waise hi iss 150 crore ki deal ne meri saari jaan nikal rakhi hai, tum aur toot pado mujhpar. Thodi der akela chhod do mujhe." He says, now taking his outfit for the night and leaving to change.

Annika sighs.

"Kaisa aadmi hai yaar yeh!" She says, and goes out of the room.

When she comes back, she sees him sitting on the bed, resting his head against the headrest, with a frown on his head.

Annika approaches him from the back, and starts massaging his head.
He relaxes under her touch.

She smiles looking at him, as he takes her hand and kisses it.

"Thank you Annika, mera gussa handle karne ke liye. Tumhe kitna hurt hua hoga maine tumse aise baat ki, phir bhi tum yahan khadi ho, mujhe massage de rahi ho. Koi aur hota toh aisa bilkul na karta. You know, this is why I love you."

She comes ahead to sit on the bed beside him, "zyada emotional baatein mat kijiye. Biwi hoon mai aapki. Pyaar bhi karti hoon aapse. Mai nahi karungi toh kaun karega? Aur waise bhi, aapko mere alawa aur koi nahin jhel sakta." She tells him with a smile.

He takes her into his arms, kissing her forehead, "ab woh toh hai." He says with a smile, as they both go to sleep, with content smiles on their faces.

The next morning, Annika wakes up to a note beside her.

"Good morning, my love.
Thank you for the massage last night :) Aaj deal ki closing hai, toh jaldi nikalna pada. Raat ko shayad der ho jaaye, mera wait mat karna.
- Your one and only!"

She smiles reading it.

"Kitna kaam karte hain. Kabhi aise aaram bhi karein to accha rahega na!" She says, and gets out of the bed to get ready.

The same afternoon, she is sitting with Gauri, both of them drinking tea, when she gets a call.

"Khannaji ka phone?" She asks, before picking it up.

"Ji khannaji, boliye,"
"Ma'am aap jaldi se yahan office aa jaiye," he says in a panicky voice, "mai Shivaay sir ko deal ke papers dene unke cabin me  aaya tha aur yahan maine dekha ki woh-" he says, before Annika interrupts him, "woh kya Khannaji? Shivaay theek hain?" She asks him.

"N-nahi, ma'am. Sir-" he pauses, before finally revealing it to her, "sir behosh hain."

The phone drops from Annika's hands, before she picks it up again, "mai aa rahi hoon Khannaji."

She says, and without giving anyone an explanation, takes OmRu along to Shivaay's office.

Sometime later, they bring him home, and a Doctor is attending him.

"Kya hua doctor? Shivaay theek hain na?"

"He is okay. Zyada stress lene ki wajah se inki heart condition trigger ho gayi thi, ek minor sa heart attack bhi aaya tha. Make sure ab yeh koi stress na le." He says, and leaves.

Annika, whose eyes are brimming with tears, sits beside him.

"Kaha tha! Kaha tha maine aapse ki itna kaam mat kijiye ki aapko takleef ho. Par aap kisi ki sunte kahan hain! Suna doctor ne kya kaha? Ab se mai aapko ghar se bahar bhi nahi nikalne dungi." She says, wiping the tears from her now stern eyes.

Around 2 hours later, when he wakes up, he sees Annika sitting beside him, thinking about something with tears in her eyes.

"Annika?" He says in a soft voice that showed his lack of energy, "tum-" but before he can say anything, she leaves him alone, going out of the room.

He goes after her, facing her after a distance, "naraaz ho?" He asks her cutely.

She looks at him from head to toe, before beginning her outburst, "bed se uthke kyu aaye aap? Aapko samajh nahi aata hai aapko aaram ki zaroorat hai? Aapko mere baare me nahi sochna toh mat sochiye, kam se kam apne baare me toh socha kijiye!" She says, and leaves again before he takes her hand.

"Annika," he calls her out, "itna gussa kyu ho tum?" 
She ignores him, "haath chodiye mera."

"Maine kaha mera haath chodiye, Mr. Oberoi," she tells him, and he lets go if her hand, the way she addressed him piercing his heart.

He turns around, and goes back to his room.
She treats him like this for the whole day.

At night, Annika comes back with a tray of food, and sees him sitting there with a stream of tears rolling down his eyes.

She walks swiftly to him, her anger from before forgotten, "kya hua Shivaay? Aap theek hain? Kahin dard toh nahi hai?" She asks him, keeping the tray of food aside and looking at him.

He wraps his arms around her waist, snuggling into her, now crying bitterly, "I'm sorry, Annika. Please mujhe maaf kardo. Mujhe pata hona chaiye tha ki agar mujhe kuch hua toh tumpe kitna gehra asar hoga. I should've been more careful." He snuggles more into her, "sorry."

By now, Annika is also crying, caressing his hair. She faces him.

"Shivaay. Aap hamesha aise karte hain. Aapko pata hai na ki aap mere liye kitne zaroori hain?" She holds his face in her hands, "agar aapko kuch ho jaata, toh meri jaan-" she stops, looking at his stern expression.

"Itni chinta hai meri, haan? Toh apna dhyaan rakhna kab seekhenge? Kab samjhenge ki meri jaan aapme basti hai?" She looks at him with concern in her eyes.

He makes her sit beside him, and takes her hands in his.

"I promise you Annika. Ab se mai der raat tak kaam nahi karunga. Aur stress toh bilkul bhi nahi lunga. I will take care of myself."

"Pinky promise?" She asks, extending her pinky finger.
"Pinky promise." He replies, entwining his finger with hers, as she hugs him.

"Sorry Shivaay. Maine aapse pura din baat nahi ki. Aapko kitna bura-" he keeps a finger on her lips.

"Nahi Annika. In fact tumne sahi kiya. Mujhe iski zaroorat thi, yeh samajhne ke liye ki mujhe kaam se zyada priority khud ko deni chahiye."

She smiles at him. Afterall, there is love in hate too, right?