An Aesthetic Love: A Collection Of Shivika Short Stories

40.1| how it feels to have a heartbeat. [Part 2]

Both Pinky and Shivaay looked up to see Rudra standing there. Shivaay ran straight to him. 

"Rudra, tu yahan kya kar raha hai? Tujhe toh hospital me hona chahiye na? Kya ho raha hai wahan pe? Doctor ne Annika ke baare me kuch bataya kya?" He asked him frantically, making Rudra sigh. He always knew that Shivaay was faking his indifference towards Annika and that he still cared. It hurt to see him like this. 

"Bhaiya. Bilkul shaant ho jaiye. Sab theek hai. Main aapko hospital le jaane hi aaya tha. Annika bhabhi ko hosh aa gaya hai. Sahil unke saath hi hai." He said, making Shivaay smile involuntarily. He didn't want anything else. She was okay. 

"Sach?" He exclaimed, "Main chalta hu tere saath." He begins walking, but Rudra stops him. 

"Nahi bhaiya. Ruk jao." He says, and walks to Pinky. "Abhi ek bahut zaruri kaam baaki hai."

He looks into Pinky's eyes, and asks her, "haina chhoti maa?" 

Pinky looks at him in bewilderment. Was he really going to do something he hadn't done in three months despite being tempted to?

"Batayengi nahi aap bhaiya ko, ki 3 mahine pehle jo hua woh kyu hua?" 

Shivaay directs more attention to their conversation. How did these people know something that he didn't? His wounds from that day bled more than they should because he had no idea why it happened. 

"Aap bhaiya ko batana pasand karengi, ki uss incident ke peeche aapka haath tha?" He asks her, making Pinky glare at him. 

"Kya?" Shivaay made Rudra face him. "Yeh tu kya keh raha hai?" 

"Main bilkul sach bol raha hu bhaiya. Chhoti maa ne hi Annika bhabhi ko woh sab karne par majbur kiya...." he extended, not being able to tell him the entire thing, "unhone hi bhabhi se kaha tha ki woh aapko chhodke chali jaye warna...."

Pinky closed her eyes. No way she was getting exposed in front of Shivaay. But to be fair to Rudra, he had a lot of courage, and Pinky wasn't able to form enough words to defend herself. 

"Warna kya? Bol na Rudra, tu ruk kyu gaya?" Shivaay screamed at him, practically begging him to tell him the whole truth. Rudra did not have the guts to face him. 

"Warna woh aapko bata dengi ki aap unke bete nahi hain." Rudra let it out, so quick and without even taking a breath, before finally gathering the courage to look into his eyes. 

Rudra could see his ocean blue eyes full of questions. But what he could interpret wasn't even half of what Shivaay was feeling. 

Shivaay's mind was full of questions. How was he supposed to react to someone telling him that he was not his mother's son? And who even was he, then? What was his identity?

Pinky's voice brought him out of his thoughts. 

"Jhoot hai ye." She said, and walked to Shivaay. "Jhoot hai yeh sab, Shivaay. Bilkul jhoot hai." She held his face in her hands. "Tu mera beta hai Shivaay, aur yeh sach kabhi nahi badlega." 

He let go of her hold with a jerk, before finally gathering the ability to ask his questions. "Aaj aapne jo meri Annika ke saath kiya hai na, aap par bharosa karne ki main soch bhi nahi sakta. Usse accha toh yahi hoga ki main apne bhai par bharosa karu." He says, and looks at Rudra again.

"Yeh sab tujhe kisne bataya, Rudra?" He asks him softly. It was taking every cell in him to maintain his composure, but he needed to know, and know it quick. 

"Annika....Annika bhabhi ne." He told him, before continuing as a possible answer to his upcoming question, "unhone hame pehle se hi bata diya tha ki woh kya karne wali hain, aur kyu karne wali hain," he says, referring to him and Om, "lekin unhone humse ek promise liya tha ki hum yeh baat aapko kabhi nahi batayenge."