“Beta is Shivay fine now?” the old lady, mommy of Anika Mukherjee asked over call.
“Yes aunty as compared… he is fine, doctor said that he got his right leg fractured, he would get fine in a month or two and rest of his body is in good condition. The hight wasn’t much right so the fall didn’t affect his body much” Om replied eyeing his elder brother who is asleep.
“Yeah… I asked Anika too that why Shivay came to her room that too from window at night but she was highly irritated” Mrs. Mukherjee replied.
“It’s okay to be irritated aunty, the mistake was of my brother’s, he went there for adventure and stuff as he mentioned and the moment he stepped on pipe to get down from Anika’s room using the pipe he slipped and landed over the ground” Om saw Rudra ruffling his brother’s hair and staring him still.
“Yeah… the moment we heard the sound we went to check and saw Shivay is lying there holding his leg and then we called you all” mommy darling was worried.
“Aunty you just don’t worry, here we are taking good care of him” Om assured but a mother’s feeling is a mother’s feeling which no one can guess or feel.
Shivay and Oberoi family has really become close to Mukherjee family. Yeah the marriage is not happening but the mother son bonding between Shivay, Om and Anika’s mother is still intact.
“Okay… I will have to go now Om for the preparation of Anika’s marriage, I just don’t know how these days passed so soon and my daughter is getting married tomorrow, okay leave all these and take care of Shivay and you too take care. Bye” she hung the call.
Just a night and it’s marriage of Ms. Anika Mukherjee. The same Anika Mukherjee who denied to get married is now getting married. The pain of leaving her own house in a day is visible in her eyes. Ishana has not left her di since last two weeks. Om too was busy taking care of Shivay so these love birds too didn’t get much time to talk or meet.
“Maa did you call Om? How is Shivay now?” came the bride’s question.
“Why would I call someone to know how is Shivay? If you are concerned, you call him or his family member and ask them about his condition” is Mrs. Mukherjee really angry.
“Why are you showing anger? I just genuinely asked like a normal person would do” Anika stopped eating nuts and looked at her mother.
“You are getting married to someone else tomorrow and still you are thinking about Mr. Shivay Singh Oberoi, you just returned back from office and your first question was how is he… why? Can’t you ask that how are we or how is Prem? Huh?” mother tried to be strict but remembering that her daughter is to get married the very next day made her emotional.
“Why are you behaving such Maa… I entered and saw you speaking to someone over phone, so I thought that you may have called Om… it’s okay, leave that. Now I want to take rest, please don’t disturb me until I come down” Anika hurriedly went to her room and closed the door.
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“Om… I am fine, let me sit atleast” Shivay requested his brother.
He knows how much his stunt of climbing the pipe and jump into Anika’s room using the window has hurt his both brothers and sister. But at that moment… he just… he just went to see her once atleast before he completely looses the right to call her his.
“No bhaiya, doctor has advised not to move the leg much… you just relax, rest we will handle” Prinku assured but…
“Om… did you call Anika? How is she?” why is he doing this to hurt his siblings more?
“She is doing good, today is her marriage… last night her mother called me to know how are you and all… I said you are doing fine.” Om replied not looking at Shivay, he can’t show his brother the amount of hurt he is.
His brother is already blaming himself since almost a month now, he can’t see his brother blaming himself more.
Shivay looked up at the ceiling, tears flowed down as the pain bubbled up aching his heart. This pain… this unbearable pain…
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“You are looking so gorgeous di… just look at you… ufff… what a beauty” Ishana marked kohl behind Anika’s ear and kissed Anika’s forehead.
“Why behaving like Maa huh?” the bride asked, her mother is all busy in doing arrangements of her marriage so she has not seen her mother from past two hours.
“I am just trying to make you feel that you are wanted too in this family… now you will be gone so I would be the eldest one to rule over here… hahaha… Ms. Anika Mukherjee I will be the king of this Mukherjee Kingdom” Ishana made a move like a ruler does and laughed like they do eyeing her di… so that her pain of her di going away does not come out.
“Stupid… hey… did you share that Udaipur news with Om?” ohhh thank god her di remembered.
“Ohh di… I forgot, but I will share it with him today for sure, actually all the tensions at our place and at Oberoi Mansion held us back and we couldn’t meet and we talked less over phone and whenever we talked I just missed this point. I will definitely share it today” she should share it soon, or else who knows what is going to happen the next moment.
“You just share it after my haldi, call him and say… okay?” Anika checked herself in mirror once more.
“Sure di and now let’s go down” Ishana held her di by her shoulders and preceded towards the mandap.
The memories, the sweet and childish memories of both the sisters flashed over their eyes. The memory of Anika taking Ishana in her hold for the first time and that soft touch of the baby girl… suddenly that memory flashed in her head.
Ishana remembered how her di got the entire scolding from a teacher at school when she missed the assignment at home and her di had took all the responsibility of that mistake over herself.
Anika looked at her sister and remembered the day when Ishana shared about her love… her love for Om for the first time… she still remembers how her sister was afraid when she asked that who the boy was and how she blurted out everything with continuous sobs.
Ishana glanced her di and saw tears brimming down her di’s eyes, she wiped the tears and nodded a no remembering how her di calmed her down when she thought that her di would scold her after knowing about Om amd her relation and was crying.
They grew up… but the child, the baby inside their heart did not grow a bit still… that child is still there connecting them to each other every moment.
Anika sat down and five married ladies gathered there to perform the haldi ritual. Ishana stepped back and was looking at her di with a contended smile but the fact that her di is not getting married to Mr. Shivay Singh Oberoi is still hurting her. Sahil came and stood beside his Ishu di.
“Why is di getting married to Prem bhaiya? She and Shivay bhaiya were perfect match na?” this little boy also understood this, don’t know why Anika or Shivay failed to understand this simple fact.
“No Sahil… God makes jodi’s and if Shivay bhaiya and Anika di is not to get married and tied to oneness then none of us can do that, maybe my di’s destiny was Prem bhaiya… so… she didn’t give a second thought too before getting agreed to marry Prem bhaiya” Ishu explained.
“How I wished to call Shivay bhaiya as jiju” Sahil’s face went pale.
“Don’t say so Sahil, our di is getting married to someone else and we will have to accept it, just behave as the happy brother… okay?” Sahil nodded to this and looked how the five ladies are applying haldi.
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“Shivay… Mom, Dad, Choti maa, Chote papa and Daadi are going to attend Anika’s marriage after one hour, so if you need something just call me… here is your phone and dare you talk to any business partners or fix any random meeting” Om threatened Shivay before he went to arrange for Shivay’s food.
“She will be happy… why are you being sad then Shivay? Just be happy by knowing that she will be happy and all you wanted was her happiness. Why did I fracture my legs… how I wished to see her dressed up as a bride. The pair of eyes shimmering and glowing, the lips curved up in happiness and her face entirely turning red with every teasing over her first night… first night… the first glow on her face when her husband pulls up her veil… the shiver of her lips when her husband’s breath touch that soft area and her clutch over her husband’s sherwani to steady her raging heart… then… then the feel of her lips… stop it Shivay… just stop it… what are you even thinking? She is getting married to someone else… stop fantasizing about her with you… stop it” the mind can oppose but how will his heart stop now? How?
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“Are you even saying this to me or just informing me Ishu?” Om sounded ridiculously serious over phone.
“Om… I am just saying that our team got selected in the Udaipur project but why are you behaving so indifferent? You were never this much rude when I shared about other projects of mine” she could not understand that he wanted her to stay by his side then when his elder brother is also in an emotional mess and no one is there except her with whom he will be sharing his sorrows but she is talking about going away.
“Please cancle this project, I request please” this authoritative tone is testing her patience and he is repeating it again and again.
“Why would I do that? We architects get projects at the cost of our hardwork, my team have been trying to get the Udaipur one since last year and this you know… then when I got it why are you adamant of not letting me go?” she is loosing her cool but she tried hard to maintain her calm.
“I am adamant? No Ishu… it’s you who is taking everything for granted, your di is getting married, yes she will live happily for sure and if not she would try to but look at my brother, he… don’t know for what sake fractured his leg and is lying over bed since two weeks now… do you even know in which condition he is… then please cancle it and listen you are not going to leave me alone over here” he demanded expecting her to cancle the project for time being.
“Ohh yeah… my di is super happy right? It was your brother who said a big no to this marriage… my di still tried but what he did was to ignore her… he didn’t even say the reason… and let me make myself clear, I got this project after much of hardwork, I am not letting it go and about my departure… I will be boarding the flight just the day after my di’s reception” Ishana made her point clear.
“Fine then… go… just go away and dare you come back in my life… we are over” he cut the call over her face making her to feel insulted.
She is experiencing this angry side of Om for the first time. She remembers how Rudra has once told her that when Om is angry he is not even in his own control… but how could he… how could he ask her not to go back to him… how could he say that they are over… should she go to him and make him understand?
“Why should I… when he dared to say we are over then he will be the one to get us back again… be steady Ishu… you can’t let your di know about all these” she wiped her tears and walked in her di’s room with the brightest smile she could give.
“Be steady Om… you can’t let Shivay know about all these until he is fine” he walked in Shivay’s room to check whether Shivay is sleeping or he is awake.
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“Maa… do you trust me?” asked Anika standing in front of her mother while all the happiness of her marriage is ringing in her ears.
“I do…” her mother replied cupping Anika’s face.
“I am going to meet Shivay for the last time maa… the last chance for him to say the truth, I should try one more time before I become someone else’s but believe me Maa… I would come back… I would come back before Prem and his family comes” tears surpassed her kohl over her eyes.
“I will be waiting for you… I trust you beta… drive safely and come back soon” mother granted the permission wiping her daughter’s tear.
“Love you Maa” daughter hugged her mother and grabbed the car keys.
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At last the next weekend came, okay so how many of you want to kill me for separating IshKara too? Ready to know Shivay’s reasons? And my last question… how many of you want IshKara to come back together again? A new girl (Gauri) would get introduced into Om’s life, but how many wants Ishana be the pair with Om. Now let me know who all loves Ishana. My personal vote is in Ishana’s court. Share your’s too.
Thank You so much to everyone who read, liked and commented. Hope you have enjoyed this part as well. If so then please do hit the like button and leave your comment or criticism down.
-NILANJANA