Meri Aashiqui

Chapter 5: Inner Conflicts

Mallika:"So you are leaving Mumbai forever...?"

Annika:"Yes Mallika...I'll get Sahil's TC from school today and we both will be off to Goa by tomorrow..."

Mallika:"Look I don't know what your issue with pinky aunty is but this has gone too far...She blackmailed you...and you walked out of Shivaay's life...?Just like that...?"

She said taking off her earrings...her glance fixed on Annika through the mirror...

Annika:"Mallika if I had known that you are going to keep interrogating me I would have never come..."

Mallika:"I'm confused here...That Kidkithod Annika who asked me to be bold and face my issue ran away from hers..."

She continued as if she didn't hear Annika...

Annika:"Seriously...?can you please stop this...?"

Mallika:"I can't believe that you two didn't get back together by now...I mean if I were in your place I would have asked that woman to F off.."

Annika:"It's not that easy Mallika...''

Mallika:" of course it is...this whole situation looks so Crystal clear to me...and  yet here you are moping around like a typical SP heroine, and being the epitome of self sacrifice...what a crap..."

Annika glared at Mallika...

Mallika:"ok Maana ki there's some big secret that pinky aunty is blackmailing you with...but do you think she will use it...?"

Annika:"No...I don't think she would...she wont risk her position..."

Mallika turned around and glared at Annika with her arms crossed across her chest...

Mallika:"Let me get this straight...you are sure that Pinky Aunty isnt gonna use it and still you can't stop this divorce from happening...?"

Annika:"I'm not 100% sure ok...still I kinda know that she won't...at least until I stay away...or at least not till she has any other choice...but...my problem isn't pinky Aunty..."

Mallika:"Phir kaun hein...?"

Annika:"It's that we just can't start off our relationship as if nothing happened three months ago...knowing Shivaay as I do...he would move heaven and earth to find the truth...and I can't let him do that...'"

Mallika:"And you think he won't try to find the truth now...Annika...The only reason that he hasn't found it out till now is that he is heart broken by what he thinks is your deception...That Man is crazy about you Annika...and you are in love with him yourself...then what's stopping you...?don't you want another shot at this relationship...?"

Annika:"Do you think all this is easy for me Mallika...?pyaar karthi hoon mein Shivaay se...do you know what I felt that day...I felt like a monster standing their breaking Shivaay's heart..."

Annika:"I saw the life, dreams, hope n happiness leave his eyes...I saw the disgust that filled in his eyes for me...I saw him cry out heart broken...and I was unable to do anything...just because of that woman..."

Annika:"Yes Mallika I want another shot at this relationship...but I don't want to be used as a bloody weapon against Shivaay again...this pain that Shivaay is going through  is nowhere near what will come if we get back together..."

Mallika:"You are underestimating you value in Shivaay's life Annika...because nothing can be more heart breaking than losing the person you love...than feeling betrayed  and let down by the person you love..."

Mallika:"I know nothing about the big secret Annika...but there's one thing I believe in my heart...After all the pain you two have been through...you both deserve a win..."

Mallika paused as Annika's phone rang...

Mallika:"if nothing works you can always make use of that little gift I gave you months ago...I doubt Shivaay will be able to ignore you then..."

Annika:"la la la...not listening..."

Annika hugged her best friend hard as she went out to get the call...

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Shivaay sat down by the poolside thinking of everything that he had found out that day...

He should have realized that something was off when he found out that his brothers were still in touch with Annika...the woman he had thought broke his heart...who tried to break their family...who used Om's truth or should he say the lie...

Even badi Ma and Bade papa didn't say anything when Annika stood their and spoke about Om being illegitimate...everybody knew everything except him...He felt like a fool for being so naive even when everything was right before him...

He was about to stand up and leave when he saw that his two brothers were sitting by his side watching him...

Shivaay:"OmRu tum yaha...?"

Rudra:"Bhaiyya...hum apko last 30 minutes se watch kar rahe hein..aap ne hume notice bhi nahi kiya...I'm hurt..."

Shivaay:"What about the hurt you have given me Rudra...?"

Before he could control...it slipped out of his mouth...

Rudra:"Bhaiyya aap kya keh rahe ho..."

Om:"Shivaay...are you ok...you seem upset..."

He asked placing his hands on Shivaay's shoulder...

Shivaay:"I didn't have this expectation from you Om...Sachai ka boyfriend tha na tum...and Even you didn't tell me..."

OmRu looked at each other slightly confused and slightly scared...

Rudra:"Bhaiyya...humne aise kya kiya ki ap pareshan hogaye..."

Shivaay:"You never tell me anything do you..?My brothers have distanced themselves so much from me that they don't share anything now...one for all...all for one...all of it is just a big b.s..."

Om:"Shivaay what's gotten into you...?What are you even talking about...?"

Shivaay:"You two expect me to always tell you everything and call me out on everything and when it comes to you...you keep mum..."

Rudra:"Bhaiyya is this about that recent encounter with some goons at the land acquisition at panvel...?"

Shivaay:"Yes I meant that only..."

Rudra:"Bhaiyya you were struggling to handle everything...ghar ke...office ke...khud ke... and we didn't want to add more burden..."

Silence prevailed as Shivaay let it sink in...

Shivaay:"Maybe you should have tried telling me and let me decide for myself if it was a burden or not...anyways I see that my brother's have grown up so much that they have started lying to me about almost everything..."

Shivaay said to his two brothers with all the anger he felt in his heart...

Shivaay grabbed his phone from the table as it rang...Thankful for the interruption...

Shivaay:"Now if you will excuse me..."

OmRu looked on as Shivaay walked away...

Rudra:"That wasn't about that incident right...?"

Om shook his head gesturing a no...

Om:"This is something else...hope it's not what we think..."

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