An Aesthetic Love: A Collection Of Shivika Short Stories

22| those dreadful times.

One fine morning.....

Annika opens her eyes, and looks at the sleeping figure beside her.  She goes close to him,

"Good morning," she says, looking at him, "kaise hain aap?" She asks, with tears in her eyes.

"Ek saal ho gaya Shivaay," she says caressing his face, "aapko kya zaroorat hoti hai apni jaan khatre me daalne ki? Uss din jo kuch bhi hua, uske baad se sab khatam ho gaya, Shivaay. Sab kuch. Aap hamesha kyu bhool jaate hain ki iss ghar ko aapki zyada zaroorat hai? Isse accha toh aap meri jaan jaane dete. Atleast aaj iss ghar ki jo haalat hai, usse better hoti."

Unknowingly, her mind drifts off to that day one year ago, when a day that started as happy, wreaked havoc on her and the entire family's life.

*Flashback begins*

"I love you I love you I love youuuuuuu!" Shivaay says, smiling, and twirling her in his arms.

"Kya baat hai, patidev, aaj itne khush kaise hain?" She asks him with a smile.

He puts her down, "kyuki aaj kisi ka birthday hai." He says, looking at her.
She smiles at him.

"Aaj? Aaj kiska birthday hai?" She asks him with a smirk on her face.
"Accha ji!" He smiles at her, and nuzzles into her neck, tickling her with his beard.

"Shivaay, stop!" She says, pushing him, "why don't you cut this daari of yours?" She asks him, annoyed because he keeps annoying her with that stubble of his.

"Oh c'mon, I look hot in this beard," he says, looking at her, while she immediately retaliates,
"Its nothing like that. Mujhe pata hai aap isse nahi kaat te kyuki iske bina aap bandar jaise lagte hain."

Shivaay looks at her in shock.
"Kya kaha tumne?"
She giggles. "Mazaak kar rahi hoon, maarna thode hi hai aapke fans ko jo aapki daari kaatne ko bolungi," she tells him, and he smiles at her.

"Accha chalo, hum party ke liye late ho rahe hain," he says, and she grabs his hand, as they both leave for the party venue.

When they reach and step out of the car, Shivaay asks Annika to wait as he goes to the venue once to check everything and will come back to take her. She agrees.

When he is coming back, he sees Annika standing right where he left her, but a car is approaching her from the left at high speed, which goes unnoticed by her.

Then ofcourse, as her forever saviour, he runs at super speed, and manages to push her back before the car approaches her, sighing in relief.

Twist in the tale? Shivaay did save Annika, now looking at her with concern in his eyes, before the car reaches the spot where Annika was standing earlier, that is, the place where Shivaay was standing now, and runs over him at the same speed as before.

It all happened at the speed of light, quite literally so, and before Annika can comprehend what's happened, she sees Shivaay lying at her feet, as he bleeds from his head, profusely.

"Shivaay!" She screams, before bending down beside him, and holding his face in her hands, "Shivaay. uthiye, Shivaay. Sab humara wait kar rahe hain, hame chalna chaiye. Uthiye na!" She screams at him, crying bitterly.

Just then, she receives a call from Om.

"Bhabhi, aap log kahan hain? Jaldi aaiye-"

"Om," she says, the pain visible in her voice,
"Bhabhi? Kya hua?" He asks her.