Nothing's Real Here ~ It's All An Illusion | A #ShaKhi fanfiction

Part 3 - Sorting Things

Anokhi walked up to Ahir and tapped him on the shoulders. He turned and was surprised. She had tears in her eyes.

"What...Anokhi? What happened? Are you okay?"

Anokhi sniffed in reply. Ahir looked around. SS was nowhere to be seen. He took her hand and pulled her to a corner.

"Aab batao. Kya hua? Ro kyu rahi ho tum?"

"Ahir.....SS ne mujhe kyu select ki is role ke liye? Kya tum jante ho?"

Ahir took a moment to reply, "Anokhi, he liked you, your audition I mean...."

"Jhut mat bolo please. He....he....."

Ahir caught her arm, "Anokhi.. kya usne tumhare sath kuch......"

She broke down and put her arms around his waist, hiding her face in his jacket. Ahir felt horrible. He could never imagine that Shaurya would stoop this low. His jaws hardened.

"Anokhi...agr usne kuch ulta sidha kiya hai tumhare saath to main....."

Anokhi released him and looked up, "Nahi....I mean....I stopped him. And he did. But I want to know. I want to know why I got this opportunity. Agar ye sirf us wajese hai then I don't want to work in this film. I want to know if it is too late to drop the offer."

Ahir cupped her crying face in his hands and said, "Dekho Anokhi, if you are not comfortable working with him after this, I can arrange something. It is not that late. But...."

He paused a little before saying, "Ye bohot bada mauka hai. Reason chahe jo bhi ho, Anokhi, you can prove it to him that you deserve this role because of your talent. You can prove it you know."

"I can?" She asked innocently.

"Come here," he pulled her to him and rocked her gently like a child, "Yes, you can. Ye sab to yahan hota rehta hai Anokhi. Par agr tum hone do to. I am glad that you turned him down. You should be proud of yourself."

She closed her eyes and breathed. She felt good in his supportive and caring embrace.

Meanwhile, Shaurya tried to divert his mind from the incident. He chatted with guests, had a few drinks to calm down and clear his mind. His eyes searched for her but he tried to stay in control. The fact that she knew what he had in his mind tortured him like anything. She was hurt. She was disappointed with him. Maybe he was too fast. Maybe he should have played along with her innocence. Then he spotted her, leaving the hall with Ahir, who was holding her hand. She looked lost. 

Shaurya followed them silently.

Ahir took Anokhi outside and asked her to wait while he called a cab. Just then, Shaurya came outside too. Ahir saw him and clenched his fist unknowingly. Shaurya noticed that too but didn't mind a bit.

"Ahir....is it?" He raised his brow at him.

"Yes....Sir." Ahir hissed in response. He glanced at Anokhi whose face had turned white.

"Ahir could you please excuse us for a moment? I need to talk to Anokhi, alone."

Ahir looked at Anokhi again. She nodded to him. Casting a quick look at Shaurya, he walked away, towards the gate.

Anokhi stepped away from Shaurya. He smiled and put his hands in the pockets of his Armani trousers before speaking.

"Anokhi, mujhe laga tha ki sab clear ho gaya hai humare bich. It was a mistake. And I am really sorry. Fir problem kya hai?"

Anokhi didn't reply. Her eyes were fixated on the ground.

"Agar fir bhi you want to talk to me about it, I am all ears."