An Aesthetic Love: A Collection Of Shivika Short Stories

26| in your heart. [Alternate Version]

Word count: 6666 words
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"finally! Aap teeno ko pata bhi nahi hai mai kab se ek aisi trip ka wait kar raha tha!" Rudra squeals in excitement, hopping into the car.
The other three people smile at his excitement, getting into the car too.

Rudra's long-awaited wish of going for a day out with his favourite people, his brothers Shivaay and Om and his partner in crime Annika, was finally coming true. They were going to spend the day at their farmhouse, located at the outskirts of Mumbai.

Today was the most perfect day to do this, as, by the time they come back, they will have to be involved in family debates and politics before the maha aarti that was supposed to take place tomorrow.

So, with Shivaay and Annika at the front and Omkara and Rudra at the backseats, they start their journey of the day they were going to remember for a long, long time.

"Sochna bhi mat." Shivaay says in a serious voice, holding Annika's hand which was inches away from pressing the start button of the car's music system, eyes still on the road. She sighs deeply.

"Music ke bina mazza kaise aayega, Shivaay? Aap itne boring kyu hain?" Annika asks him with a frown on her pretty face.
"Mujhe music se problem nahi hai. Mujhe tum logon ke loud music se problem hai. Aise gaane kaise sun lete ho tum log?"

"Bhaiya. Hume pehle pata hota ki aap aise bore karoge toh hum Gauri bhabhi aur Bhavya ko bhi le aate na," Rudra says. Shivaay glares at him.

"Gauri apne maa ke paas gayi hai. Usse waise bhi nahi aana tha. Aur Bhavya ko laane ke liye kisi ne mana nahi kiya tha tujhe." Shivaay rolls his eyes.

"Bhavya ne hi kaha tha ki woh Shivika ke saath rahegi. Agar aap usko laane ke liye maan jaate toh Bhavya bhi aa jaati," he replies sadly.
Like this, with a lot of bickering and banter, the initial debate about music long forgotten, they reach the Oberoi farmhouse.

"Kitne time baad aa rahe hain hum log yahan," Om says, with a look that tells that he's reminiscing his memories here.
"Lagta hai aap logon ki bahut si yaadein hain yahan par." Annika says, smiling.
"Haan bhabhi." Rudra says, coming in front of her, "jab bhaiya ne driving seekhi thi tab hum har weekend yahan aate the."

"Ab toh hum kaafi saalon baad aa rahe hain," Shivaay says, "andar chalein?"
They all nod, moving inside.

They all settle down inside the living room, as the three brothers tell Annika about their childhood stories, before the hunger kicked in.

"Kya khaogi tum?" Shivaay asks Annika, who demanded that they eat something.
"Yeh bhi koi puchne ki baat hai bhaiya?" Rudra says, giggling.
"Aloo puri." The three brothers say together, and head to the kitchen, leaving Annika to watch TV.

When they come back sometime later with the food, Annika is busy on a call, probably talking to Shivika.

"Aap so jao na baby. Shaam ko papa aa jayenge, tab so jaana unke saath. Okay?" Annika speaks in a baby voice, and disconnects, smiling.
"Aapki beti aapko yaad kar rahi hai," she tells Shivaay, "keh rahi hai papa ke bina nahi sona."
Shivaay laughs.

"Shivaay, tune Shivika ka alag room kyu set up kiya tha agar woh tere saath hi soti hai toh?" Om asks him with a smile.
"Shuru me toh mujhe bahut accha lagta tha Om, to see her sleeping on my chest like the cutie that she is. Lekin mujhe nahi pata tha isse aadat hi padh jayegi," Shivaay says, smiling.

"Accha chalo ab khana khaate hain, mujhe bahut bhookh lag rahi hai," Annika says, sitting down, and Rudra sits beside her.
"Haan. Aur uske baad hum horror movie dekhenge!" He says with excitement, while Shivaay and Om shake their heads, and settle down to have the food.