ShivOmRu SS ~ Cross Connections

Chapter 23

"Who?" asked Shivay without realizing.

"You" repeated Om patiently through gritted teeth.

"Om if this is some kind of a joke you're pulling out on me, let me tell you this isn't funny - I am damn serious" he almost growled.

"It is a joke Shivay - the way she has selflessly loved you, it is a joke. You deserved none of that but you still got it - it is a joke indeed - and you know the biggest joke? That is, without any fault of hers she is being pulled into a loveless marriage whereas you get to fool around happily with my miserable excuse for a cousin - Tia" Om finished bitterly.

"No" Shivay replied softly in disbelief.

"See, that's how easy it is for you to escape - just deny the truth on the face" spat Om. But Shivay didn't mind - for the first time ever since he came, when he looked at Om, Om felt he was positively earnest.

"Om, we've been apart for too long now - you don't know a lot of things bro - I love Anika - I do, I do, I do. Just that I always thought she loved you - she always stood up for you against me even - I hated you for that more than anything else - I am sorry" he mumbled.

Om looked at him triumphantly for a second - but his face darkened the moment he realized that even though his plan had finally worked it was a bit too late.

"You're late Shivay - you have ruined her alright - her roka is tomorrow with a guy named Dev Suri" he told him softly - Shivay looked too disgruntled at being reminded of Anika's impending roka - he just sat back defeated, and mumbled to himself, "It's all my doing - how did I not see it in good time - I always loved Anika always!"

"Bro, you've not exactly lost everything, YET. I mean there is a great chance that you will in another one day, but you have twenty-four hours on you - instead of settling on my couch like a jacket potato, buck up - we've gotta roka to ruin in Delhi" he smiled as Shivay looked up at him astonished.

"You're...you're going to help me?" he asked surprised. After how he had behaved with Om in the recent past, the chances of him helping him seemed nil.

"Yes I will - two reasons - for one, you're the best hope I have of keeping Anika happy as she can't be happy with any other man - and for two, you're my best bud" he smiled and opened his arm to hug Shivay. A pleasantly surprised Shivay hugged Om and realized how big a fool he had been throughout the semester - here Om was trying every way possible to make him realize he loved Anika and he was out there waiting for an opportunity to pile on him.

"Om, I promise you two things - for starters, I will keep Anika happy for life and never leave her side - and for main-course, I will let you return that punch on my jaw very soon." With that they two best friends re-united and Shivay decided to join Om in Anika's roka with that Dev.

On their way out of his apartment, Shivay casually mentioned, "And oh, your miserable excuse for a cousin and I have broken up few weeks back - I dumped her - I had found out her true colours"

Om laughed, he was surprised that he didn't feel one bit sorry for Tia, and Shivay was right, her true colours were horrible indeed. "Did it go smooth?" he enquired curiously.

"Not quite, given that now I am a rockstar in making - but she did scream at the end, that she always knew Daksh was a better choice" Shivay chuckled.

***

Anika was sitting in her bedroom, Mallika was taking out her outfit for the next day - as she constantly chirped about her di's impending perfect and romantic roka - she chatted without realizing as usual that the other person was completely zoned out - she discussed the perfect jewellery, hairstyle and make-up. But Anika wasn't listening. Everything seemed to have happened in a flash ever since that fateful night with Shivay and Om - she had come home in a dishevelled fashion to find her ma waiting for her - for a moment all her worry was gone and she came to hug her - but in her warm and secure embrace lost all self-restraints - she weeped like a baby girl unable to contain herself - first her mother thought she had got emotional seeing her, but soon she realized there was something else too - she made Anika sit and spoke to her soothingly and Anika couldn't hold all this inside herself for long - she ended up telling everything to her mother and soon after Shiela called Mallika over to her place too - with both her girls sitting in front of her, she cleared all the confusion between them and both girls had hugged till they cried - from the way Om had helped Anika, Shiela was sure Om was a nice man, so she wasn't worried about Mallika - what worried her was her Anika's future - it didn't look too good - this Shivay was obviously irresponsible and had hurt her daughter a lot already, and her daughter seemed to be hopelessly in love with him - no if there was no future, this couldn't go on she had thought - and the only way Anika could be kept happy was by making her move on - yes if she got her engaged to someone suitable, then the sense of responsibility towards the man would force her to move on - that was the only way, Shiela had thought satisfied - having decided that, it wasn't difficult - she always had a boy in her radar for Anika, it was her childhood best friend Neetu's son Dev - he was a little older than Anika, well educated and had recently started working - in fact a few weeks back Neetu was saying that she was looking for a bride for him - now Shiela had decided to take their friendship forward.