Ishqbaaaz : The Return of Obros

The limit

First of all, a big thank you to all the people who voted and left comments under the last update. It really helps me know what you felt after reading the update. It really means a lot to me.

A very special thanks to the ones who commented on paragraphs. Reading them as I re-read the update was a whole treat in itself. 

Hope you enjoy this update too. Happy reading

*********************************************************

It was safe to say that Shivaay had a pretty restless night. After being woken by his nightmare which always featured the incident from 7 years ago, he would normally stare at the ceiling until sleep overtook again but this time the room felt like an extension of his nightmare. Even though he was wide awake he could hear the words from his nightmare play over and over in his head. So after twisting and turning in his bed for over an hour, Shivaay gave up on trying to sleep. 

After completing his usual morning routine, Shivaay walked to the kitchen. No matter how busy his day was, Shivaay would always try to cook as many meals as possible. Even from the early days of their marriage, cooking was always his department. Firstly, because between Anika and him, it was a clear fact that he was the better cook. Secondly, because cooking was his sort of therapy. It helped him think and clear his mind before a long day filled with meetings and other appointments. It was his me-time.

Even though it was fairly early in the morning, the kitchen staff had already started their shifts. All of the Oberois had their own tastes and none of them were ready to compromise to a common menu, so now the staff prepared different dishes for each one of them. Even though the quantity is relatively small, cooking so many different dishes is no child's play. So start their shifts earlier than the rest of the staff so that the food is ready on time.

Already tired from his restless night, it had completely slipped Shivaay's mind that he was no longer in his own home but in the Oberoi mansion. It was only when he saw the Oberoi staff busy in their cooking that he realized where he was. His request to use the kitchen was met with odd looks from the staff from fear that he was being sarcastic, to looking at him as if he had grown two horns. Shivaay did not exactly blame them because no one in the Oberoi family other than the Obros ever cooked and the new set of staff had no idea about the Obro Shegnanis that the kitchen has witnessed.

Once the kitchen was empty,Shivaay got down to work. The kitchen layout was the same as it was seven years ago and Shivaay was not sure how he felt about it. On one hand, it made his task of finding the ingredients 100 times easier but on the other hand, the familiarity bought along a set of nostalgia that made his heart bleed. Not wanting to go down the same memory lane, Shivaay started actively identifying the ingredients to distract his thoughts.

Poha? Nope. Anika had a very light dinner. Poha will not be enough. Sandwich? Nope. We have been having bread for breakfast for the past few days. Parantha? It will be heavy enough for Anika if she forgets her lunch and Naira will like it too.

So parantha it is. Shivaay soon got busy preparing the ingredients while his mind was already sorting out the various details of today's meeting. Unbeknownst to him, Om stood outside the kitchen debating whether to go in or not. Om was on his way to the kitchen to make a hangover drink for his wife, who had a very low tolerance for alcohol, but the sight of Shivaay in their kitchen brought back so many memories that made him freeze mid-stride. The kitchen was their hangout place and cooking was something that bound them together. Someplace where nothing mattered. Not their parental issues, nor the race to the coveted seat of the Oberoi waaris, nor the everyday issues that they face in their personal life. In this place, they were just Shivaay,Omkara and Rudra. Three brothers who valued their brotherhood over everything else in the world.