(First of all a very big Thank you to each one of you who read and commented on my previous works. Your comments are really appreciated. This is a random shot ,complete fluff and no proof reads so read this at your own risk)
The sky was dark with sinister black clouds and the wind howled, baying like a wolf into the night. The first crack of lightening rent the air and within seconds the boom of the thunder echoed through the walls of Oberoi Mansion. Soon the rain fell as if from buckets, cascading like a waterfall from the heavens. The members of the Mansion groaned .
“These Mumbai rains… I tell you my flight got cancelled because of it”said Tej Singh Oberoi angrily looking at outside the window .
“Cmon Tej its good na , whatever happens happens for the good”said Janvi joining him at the window.
“Seems like it’s going to rain all night better have a drink and sleep peacefully “thought Rudra in his room
“Don’t even think of it cry baby”said his wife Saumya
“What?”asked Rudra flabbergasted .
“Drinking my dear husband ,I know you were thinking of taking a drink and sleeping”said Saumya narrowing her eyes at her husband
“Why does she know me so well?”thought Rudra
“But I can’t sleep with all this din”said Rudra pouting
“Hmm,.. wait a sec help me finish my work , you will fall asleep within minutes then”said Saumya bringing her files on the bed.
Rudra signed , it’s gonna be a long night .
Meanwhile Om was thinking
“It’s a perfect time to sculpt a statue , awsome weather and mood”
“Gauri , let’s go my workroom and finish that statue of Shiviji which you wanted me to do “he asked his wife
“Now?? “asked Gauri
“Yeah .. we as it is won’t be able to sleep in this din and the kids are already sleeping “he said looking at his sons sleeping peacefully.
“Okay”said Gauri coming with him.
The situation in the room of the eldest Oberoi brother was quite different .Shivaay and Anika were lying on their bed trying to sleep for they had had a very long and trying day.
Anika shivered from her spot in bed.
“Still afraid of thunderstorms?” Shivaay whispered in Anika’s ears, letting out a little laugh.Anika hated storms. It made her feel uncomfortable, vulnerable, and if there was one thing the stubborn headstrong and independent Anika hated ,was to feel vulnerable.
“That’s not funny.” Anika answered her husband, getting closer to him in bed. After eight years of marriage, they knew each other very well. They knew each other fears, weakness and desires but even after all those years, she still hadn’t gotten used with sharing her burdens with someone. She had been alone in her struggles for so long that she still found odd when she suddenly left everything out to him, all her worries and dreams.
“I’m sorry.” Shivaay whispered, wrapping his arm tightly around her waist so her back could mold into his chest. “Do you want to talk about it?” He asked as he kissed her hair. Shivaay knew that Anika would talk as soon as she felt comfortable with it and he didn’t like pushing any matters. But he couldn’t help but notice how light and free she seemed after they talked, after she left down the walls she had built around her and became just Anika , his Anika.
“No.” She shook her head and buried her body deeper into Shivaay, clutching his hand in one of hers and the other bringing the silk sheet over her chest. Another thunder echoed through the walls and she closed her eyes, as instantly as Shivaay brought his mouth to her head and his other hand to her arm, caressing it.
“It’s alright. You’re safe here. It’s just a thunder.” Shivaay whispered and Anika sighed. What would the people, think if they saw that the She, Anika who handled everything and everyone was afraid of a thunder? It was absolutely ridiculous, how a woman who commanded the entire Oberoi Mansion , ordered men and women was afraid of noises coming from the sky. She knew it, the rational part of her mind knew it, but her irrational one ignored it.
“Who would ever think that your wife is afraid of thunders? This is ridiculous.” Anika whispered as she turned herself on bed and put her head over Shivaay’s chest. She could hear his heartbeat and that small sound was enough to calm her erratic heart.
“Everyone is afraid of something, Anika.” Shivaay whispered, kissing her forehead. “This is not a weakness; it shows that you’re human.” Anika nodded and buried her face into her husband chest, taking in his scent. Her eyes started to close; her mind fogging with sleep till it was interrupted by another thunder echoing.
“You’re Shivaay Singh Oberoi, make it stop.” Anika mumbled, almost asleep, and Shivaay couldn’t help but laugh at his wife.
“I would do anything for you, love. Unfortunately that’s not something I can.” He whispered, waiting a few seconds for her answer. When he didn’t hear it, he looked down to a sleepy figure of Anika eyes closed and steady breathe and Shivaay was glad she was finally able to sleep.
~0~
The rain continued to fall for the rest of the night, incessantly hitting the walls and the windows of the Mansion.
Rudra was finally able to sleep thanks to Saumya and her work. Om and Gauri too finished their sculpture and went to sleep. Soon the entire Oberoi Family was asleep.
The thunders stopped till around two in the morning, when it echoed again in the sky and woke some of the residents of the Mansion. Another thunder was heard a few minutes later, accompanied by the sound of whispers in front of the door of Shivaay and Anika’s bedroom. The door was opened by a boy who got in followed by a girl.
“Papa. Papa.” Seven year old Ansh whispered as he tried to reach for his father with his small arm. The room was quite dark and his father slept almost in the middle of the bed, impossible for him to reach him. “Papa. Mom. Wake up.” He whispered again,fumbling for Shivaay on the bed but not succeeding . He did not want to scare them with too much loud noise. He again got no response and his sister’s grip in his small hand got tighter as another thunder echoed.
“Don’t worry, Ruhi.” Ansh turned to his baby sister sucking on her thumb, afraid of the loud noises coming from the sky, as she herself had described when she walked out of her bed to her brother’s, wanting some comfort. “It’s alright.” He smiled in the dark but the gesture was not enough to calm the scared three year old girl. Ansh was a little afraid too, he had to admit to himself. He had never, in his existence, seen so much rain. And thunders. But he was the eldest amongst his cousins , it was his duty to protect them as his father had told him, he couldn’t show any signs of fears. Especially of thunders.
“Papa. Mumma.” Ruhi whispered this time, playing with the nose of her teady beat. The couple in bed continued to sleep peacefully and the little girl got tired of waiting. Before Ansh could come up with some plan to wake up his parents, Ruhi started crying, definitely waking them.
“What?” Shivaay sat up in bed, startled with the sound of cry. Anika did the same. They both analyzed the room to find the source of the sound, till their eyes stopped in the two small figures beside their bed, the bigger reaching for the crying smaller.
“Ansh. Ruhi.” Shivaay whispered, his mind still foggy with sleep, as he pulled down the covers to reach for his kids. As soon as his feet reached the floor, Anika was already standing by Ruhi, picking up the crying little girl in her arms and rocking her back and forth.
“What happened? Are you hurt?” She asked Ansh with big eyes, worried, as she traveled her eyes all around her son’s small frame to see for herself if they weren’t hurt.
“No, Mom.” The little boy shook his head, as Shivaay caressed his hair, which were just like Anika’s . “Ruhi was scared of the thunder. She came into my bed but I thought it was better to bring her to you.” He told them, choosing his words carefully to sound like the big and responsible brother he felt like, taking care of his little sister . Anika smiled and bent down to his level, .
“You did very well, Champ.” Ansh smiled to his mother, proud of his actions, as Shivaay smiled.
“You are a great brother.” Ansh smiled as he yawned .
“It’s alright, baby. You’re safe now. There’s no need to cry.” Anika whispered in Ruhi’s ear as she smiled remembering her own fear of thunder. Ruhi’s cry turned into small sobs.
Shivaay stood up and went near Anika and Ruhi. He rubbed Ruhi’s back comforting her.
Why don’t you two spend the night here with us? I don’t think the rain is going to stop soon and I think you would feel better here with us.” He said
Can we?” A red faced Ruhi raised her head from her mother’s shoulder and looked into her father eyes. He smiled to her, still enchanted with the little creatures he and Anika were able to conceive, but before he could answer her, Ansh said
“No no I am 7 years old now , I can’t sleep with you , what will my friends say”
“Just like you , independent”said Shivaay shaking his head at his son’s tactics .
Anika sighed. It was because of Ansh that the other kids in the family slept in their own rooms. He said to all the family members that he and his other cousins were old enough to sleep by themselves and his cousins simply followed his lead in everything that he did.
“Just like his father, even Shivaay said the same thing when he was of this age”said Pinky shocked at the uncanny resemblance of behaviour between the father and the son.
“Ansh it won’t hurt to sleep with us tonight, plus Papa and I won’t be worried about you”said Anika reasoning with her son.
“But”began Ansh but was cut off as thunder echoed on the sky and both she and Ansh jumped on their places.
“I guess I will stay here for the night.” His cheeks turned into pink and Anika couldn’t help but smile at him.
Shivaay smiled to them and got up to fetch more pillows as Anika helped Ansh and Ruhi into the bed. Soon, the kids made themselves comfortable between their parents and as Anika put the blankets over her small family, her heart melted at the sight of Ruhi’s smile.
“Better now?” She asked and the small girl wrapped her arms around Anika’s neck, soundly kissing her mother’s cheek. Since she was a baby she adored her brother and looked upon him as her idol. And that was the exact reason why she agreed to sleep without Shivaay and Anika though she hated it.
“Yes. Mom, I love you and Papa.” Anika smiled as the rain got stronger outside of the Mansion walls and the kids pulled the covers even closer to their chin. Shivaay extended his arm over their small frames and grabbed Anika’s hands, holding it tightly as another thunder cut the sky.
“Are you afraid of thunders too,Mom?” Ansh asked with a small voice, noticing the interaction between his parents. He idolized his parents. For him his father was as perfect as one could be. He took care of his mother, protected and loved his family to the core and his mother, she was indestructible, untouchable And because of that, he couldn’t bear the idea of his mother afraid of something.She didn’t need to fear a thing.
“Yes, I am, Ansh.” Anika replied with a small smile, noticing how Shivaay hid his laugh behind the’ pillow. Both of the kids looked at her shocked, not believing in her. “I do not like it.”
“But you Mom, you are dabang,khikkikod!” Ruhi was the first to answer, shooting her small arms up in the air, mixing up Anika’s words and making Shivaay and Anika laugh.
“Why would you be afraid of thunders?” Ansh was the one to ask this time.
“Because it is loud and makes me feel very small”replied Anika
“Are you afwaid of othew things too?” Ruhi asked, her eyes big of concern.
“Yes, I am.” Anika nodded, and caressed her rosy cheeks. “I’m afraid of spiders, of cockroaches and darkness ”
“I guess even Papa must be afraid of something then “Ansh commented
“Not Papa, Bhai .” Ruhi turned to her older brother, who quickly looked at her, ready to pay attention on anything his sister had to say. “He’s SSO, he’s afwaid of nothing. He’s strong.”
“But Mom you said everyone is afraid of something, tell us Papa what are you afraid of”asked Ansh looking at his father
Even Anika looked at her husband expectantly.
“That’s easy.” Shivaay shook his head, poking Ansh’s cheek and making him laugh. “My biggest fear of all is to lose you, your sister and your Mother and my brothers as well as the family .”Shivaay said quite seriously
Anika looked at him and saw his old fears coming back. She was about to say something but was interrupted.
“Can we sleep now? I’m tired.” Ruhi rubbed her eyes, tiredness taking over her body again and both Shivaay and Anika couldn’t help but laugh at the innocence of their little girl.
“Yes, we can, baby . We all have a lot of things to do early in the morning.” Anika replied, kissing her kids foreheads. Shivaay made sure his family was settled and covered, Ruhi in Anika’s arms and Ansh hand’s clutched into his, hidden beneath the covers.
“Thank you, Papa.” Ansh whispered to Shivaay, his eyes already closed as he dazed off to sleep.
Shivaay looked at Anika ,as she mouthed a silently ‘I love you’ and he returned it. The rain continued to fall outside of the house and they didn’t know when it was going to stop. Thunders continued to echo through the sky and they weren’t sure of when it was going to stop either. But one thing they were sure of was that the moments was perfect and special and that they shouldn’t fear a thing.