"Anika, where is Gauri?" Shivaay asked entering his bedroom to find Anika seated alone on the bed.

"She left!" Anika answered still thinking about whatever had happened. Luckily, her mother was returning the following morning. She didn't want Gauri to be alone. Besides, her mother knew Gauri better than her.

"Oh!" Shivaay expressed his surprise, shutting the door of the room. He looked at her. She was visibly lost in her thoughts. He walked up to the bed and sat before her. She didn't even bother to spare him a glance.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, his hand reaching out to rest on her thigh.

Anika looked at him. Should she tell him about it or hide it? They had established a deeper understanding. She had begun to trust him. Her mother had said that she must confide in him just like she confided in her. Anika took a deep breath. She wanted to be honest with him. She wanted to confide in him. She placed her hand on his, "Umm, Gauri and Omkara have a past."

Shivaay was caught off guard. He had expected it to be something about her or him or them. But hearing Omkara and Gauri together definitely shook him. "What! What do you mean?"

"They know each other from before, they had a past." Anika didn't know how to say it in better words at the moment. "I witnessed them talking about it." She added.

"Okay, umm, it's well, not something I expected," Shivaay said pulling his hand back, thinking about what he had just heard. Was Gauri one of the many women Omkara had just had a fling with? But she just returned from the Philippines after two years, so how was that possible?

Anika let him absorb the little piece of information so that she could give him more. "Shivaay, there's more.." she began and his sapphire blue eyes darted back to her brown ones.

"It was Omkara, the person who left Gauri pregnant!"

Shivaay stared at her astounded. "What!"

Anika simply stared at him while he stared back at her as though she had grown two horns. "You must be mistaken, Anika, Omkara and... no way!" Shivaay was very sure that his brother wouldn't be that reckless. He only hooked up with women who were interested in just one-night-stands or temporary flings. He was certain that Omkara would not let things go that far and certainly not leave a woman alone if it went that far.

"No, Shivaay, I am not. Gauri was pregnant when Omkara left her."

"Anika, there has to be some misunderstanding, Om will never do something like that!"

"There is no misunderstanding Shivaay, Gauri told me! Besides, considering Omkara's life habits, it doesn't surprise me."

Shivaay turned his face towards her with his blue eye blazing. "What do you mean by that?" He asked sharply.

"I think he has affairs. He flirts on phone calls. Walks into the house late at night or sometimes in the wee hours of mornings with lipstick stains and creased clothes."

Shivaay stared at Anika shocked. She knew! He tightened his jaw racking his brain. "Don't judge a book by its cover, Anika. You don't even know Om!"

Anika stared at Shivaay dumbfounded. He had blind trust in Omkara. But then Anika knew people were like this after working for NGOs that helped women. Especially men. The families would never let anyone go against their son, even if they knew the bitter truth. It just hurt to find that Shivaay was no different.

"I am not judging, Omkara. Even if I am... the issue isn't that. The truth is that he – "

"You know what, Anika, I am going to go and talk to Omkara." Shivaay rose from the bed. "I am pretty sure, all of this is anything but the truth."

"Why would Gauri lie, Shivaay?" Anika asked irked.

"I don't know, but I know that Om would never do something like that. He's my brother, Anika, I obviously know him."

"Gauri is like my sister, Shivaay! I have – "

"She is not your sister, Anika!" He cut her off and continued, "She's just someone you've known for a few years. I have known Omkara ever since he was born, we are a family, we share the same lineage. I am going to clear this okay!"

Anika stared at him dumbfounded, as he left the room. It was natural for him to get defensive about his brother because he loved him. But what hurt more was he knocked out the weight of what she shared with Gauri. He didn't count Gauri as a part of her family even though she told him she was. He didn't even hear her out completely. Anika couldn't understand such blind relationships. Her mother had raised her to believe in relationships that nurture and correct not the ones where people close their eyes and hide mistakes. She lay on the bed hugging the pillow, worried for Gauri. No girl deserves to go through what Gauri went through.

* * *

"Om?" Shivaay entered Omkara's room shutting the door behind him. He looked around to find Omkara seated on the floor against his bed. His heart skipped a beat and he rushed to Omkara's side.

He exhaled in relief noticing Omkara drinking from a bottle. "What's wrong?" he asked snatching the bottle of whiskey from his hand, keeping it away. He walked back to Omkara and sat beside him on the floor.

"Nothing is wrong!" Omkara muttered pressing a smile.

"It's Gauri?" Shivaay asked carefully noticing his brother's face.

Omkara let out a short chuckle. "It reached you so!

"Anika told me!" Shivaay informed.

"What did she say?"

"That you and Gauri had a past."

"That's all?" Omkara scoffed.

"Om, please, what is it about?"

Omkara stared at the window in silence. How was he supposed to put his pain, anger, and hurt of years into words?

"Om, look at me!" Shivaay spoke sitting cross-legged on the floor before his brother.

Omkara met his eyes, tears appearing in his eyes. Damn those traitors, they were not supposed to. Not for Gauri!

"Om?" Shivaay looked on worried.

"I loved her with all of myself. She left me broken, Shivaay. I thought I was over her for good, but today, after all the time, she still hurts."

Shivaay'slips parted in shock as he looked on. He was right, his gut feeling was proved to be correct. Gauri was the girl who left Omkara to be the person he had come to be.

"On the first day of college, I met her." A smile drew on Omkara's face as his mind ran the memory. "The two of us were the only Indians in the class, so it was natural for us to talk. We shared a couple of subjects. It was just friendship, she was very likable. After the first semester, she didn't want to stay in the hostel owing to racism. I offered her the spare room in my flat until she found a decent hostel. Eventually, she decided she'd rather stay with a guy who she can trust than with strangers. Everything was smooth until things started changing between us. There was this crazy attraction, on top of that feelings deepening. I didn't like it if any guy even looked at her in the wrong way. And then one day she just – tells me she can't be friends cause she feels more than that. It was the happiest day, weirdest confession over a pizza!" He smiled.

Shivaay was prepared to hear the worst coming. That smile on Omkara's face was enough to tell Shivaay that his brother was definitely in love. He still cherished those memories.

"Things began going downhill in the final year when Liam joined college. He was in Gauri's major classes. He kissed her forcefully out of nowhere. Gauri was furious and told me about it. I went mad and showed him his place. Got a bleeding nose in return. Gauri was worried, Liam was the bad-boy of the college. However, he kept away from s after that." Omkara sighed the pain reflecting on his face.

"Then one day, I see Gauri smiling and talking to him. She told me he apologized and everything was okay. I told her to keep away and she agreed. But she didn't. I saw them sitting together in classes. He'd even take her notes. But, Gauri just didn't tell me about anything. Then one day in a common friend's house party I caught her making out with him." Omkara's jaw tightened.

"I was worried when I didn't find her and went checking in rooms, to find her giggling and moaning under that guy. I knew there was something wrong, Gauri loved me, it wouldn't be her. I dragged him off her and it was definitely her. Took her five minutes to fu-king get over and tell me that she thought it was me." Omkara narrated bitterly.

"Maybe she was drunk.." Shivaay found himself suggesting.

"That doesn't give her the license to make out with any random guy thinking it's me." Omkara spat. "She was barely drunk. I left without her. Didn't see her for two days and felt bad about it. Thought, maybe she was right, it was a mistake. I went to talk to her entered her class to find her against the wall with him again. I was so stupid. She broke everything we had and me." Tears rolled down his cheeks.

"She had the audacity to come back and apologize. I sent her away, she didn't bother to even convince me anymore. Days later she came to talk when Liam was leaving the town. She disgusted me. That was it, I never saw her again until today."

Shivaay was left with a pang. Of course it would have hurt brutally to have someone you love making out with someone else behind your back. Omkara didn't mention anything about her pregnancy. Anika was mistaken! It wasn't Omkara, it could be Liam.

"I hate her for what she did to me. It sucks to love someone so much. She made me hate myself. Maybe I wasn't just good enough. Why would she even look at a lean nerd with spectacles, who couldn't even fight a guy for her sake!" Omkara sniffed.

"I changed myself. Now when I look back I realize I became everything she liked, just like Liam. A jerk with a great body who gets women week by just flirting, a womanizer. I can't find myself, Shivaay! I hate what I have come to be. Shagging around with random women in the hope that I get even. It never happens. If anything, I hate myself, and all of this because I was stupid to love her. I hate myself Shivaay!" Omkara completed breaking into sobs.

Shivaay scooted closer taking his brother in an embrace. Om was right, he wasn't himself. That Omkara, who was kind and loving was gone. The real Omkara had been replaced by this jerk. Nonetheless, Shivaay knew he was still the same at heart. He couldn't believe Gauri did that to him!

* * *

Anika was applying lotion onto her arms when Shivaay walked in. He looked rather tired. "Good morning, you okay?' Anika asked as he flopped onto the bed.

"Yeah!" He muttered covering his face with his palms.

Anika stared at him. She decided to keep quiet for now she turned only to shortly hear his words, "Gauri cheated on Omkara! She wouldn't have told you that."

Anika blinked turning around to find him gathering his garments from his cupboard. "He told you that? Do you really think Gauri can cheat? You have known her, right? Do you think – ?"

"Anika, look, people take advantage of other people for various reasons. I think Gauri is doing that... I don't know Gauri, but I know Omkara. He isn't lying. Anyway, bye, guess it's already late for you." Saying that he walked into the washroom leaving a conflicted Anika. Gauri wouldn't lie about Omkara. She needed to know what was going on.

* * *

Anika entered her house using her key. She had left early from office and had informed Pinky in the morning and Shivaay through a text message that she would be staying the night at her home as her mother was returning that night. In about ten minutes she had received Shivaay's call, saying he'd send a driver over. He seemed a little off, Anika assumed it was about Omkara and Gauri.

Anika entered the kitchen to find Gauri cooking. "Hey!" She greeted leaning against the door frame.

"Hi!" Gauri smiled surprised. But her smile didn't reach her eyes like it always did. Her eyes were swollen, seems like she had been crying the entire night. Anika walked over and sat on the counter-top.

"What are you making?" Anika asked glancing at the kitchen.

"Malai Kofta and beans salad."

"Mumma's favorite!" Anika smiled. Until yesterday she was excited at seeing her mother back but whatever had happened yesterday had toned down her excitement.

"You spoke to her?" Gauri asked not even meeting Anika's eyes.

"Yes, I did five minutes back. She just landed. She should reach in two hours.

"Great!" Gauri replied.

"I spoke to Shivaay about it." Anika finally decided to begin the conversation, staring at the refrigerator that had a picture of her and her mother in aprons. It wasn't there before, maybe her mother had put it up after she shifted out.

"Anika," Gauri turned to her, "I told you not to."

"I didn't want to keep things from him," Anika answered honestly. Gauri looked away in despair.

"He spoke to Omkara..." Anika continued and Gauri turned to look back at her.

Anika looked down at the kitchen floor, "Omkara told him that you cheated on him!"

Gauri scoffed, of course, she cheated on him! Tears formed in her eyes. How she wished she could hate him for not being there when she needed him the most!

Okay, so one side's story is out. I would love to know your thoughts.

As far as Shivika are concerned there was slight friction in their thoughts if you read carefully. What do you think about that?

-Anami! ;)