Anika's POV:

The elders found some random guests to start off the sangeet with their dance. My drama queen sister sat at her seat next to her fiancé. 

I found a seat next to my lovely Dadaji but before I could even sit down, I was told by Dadaji to get some of his medicine that was in the car. I did as I was told and then after giving them his medicine, there was no more seats left.

How many people did both the Oberois and the Sharmas invite exactly?

I thought that for all the performances, I would have to watch standing up when my phone pinged. It pinged because a certain cat texted me.

You all probably know this cat by now.

The cat texted me to say that there was a seat next to him. How does this cat knew my dilemma?

I walked to find Mr Cat and within a couple of minutes, I did. He looked at me with his ocean eyes and gave me a smile. My heart skipped a beat as I walked to him and sat at the empty seat next to him.

Me: how did you know I needed a seat?

Shivay: aren't accountants supposed to be clever?

I gave him a look making him give me the answer I wanted: I saw you trying to find a seat so I texted you to come sit at the free seat next to me. Now, back to my question, aren't accountants supposed to be clever?

Me: I am clever.

Shivay: you sure about that?

Me: 10000% sure about that.

Shivay: if you insist.

I rolled my eyes as I focused my attention on the dances that were happening on the stage. As I heard different songs playing and different people dancing, I was becoming increasingly nervous.

Halfway through the sangeet festival, it was time for food. Due to my nervousness, I turned down food but accepted a glass of water which I took tiny small sips.

Gauri: didi, eat something.

Me: nahi I'm fine.

Gauri: pakka na?

Me: haan motu, I'm fine.

Gauri: didi....look Shivay, this witch called me motu.

Shivay: Anika....

Me: she called me a witch. Om, see how mean your fiancee is.

Om: I never thought you were mean Gauri.

Gauri looked at Om with a little bit of a dangerous stare. He gulped and just gave her a side hug.

Me: Om, don't be scared of this tiny little chua. I know she can give scary looks but don't be scared of her.

Om: your little sister has some magic. She may be small but she still can make anyone scared of her.

Me: you should see her as a little kid when she used to dress as a witch.

Gauri: you will not show him the photos.

I gave a smirk to my sister then I looked at Shivay who was smiling, enjoying our little banter. Seeing him smile, I turned my smirk into a smile...we may have had a bad past but if I was really going to marry him, then I guess I didn't want to do it over a deal. I wanted to know him again. I wanted to be fully happy with him.

I couldn't marry over a deal.

Right?

It was time for the dance performances again. Watching the performances, I felt nervous even more. I didn't want to chew on my nails or lips, so I found myself gnawing on the inside of my cheek.

I stopped my little antic when it was time for the final performance a.k.a mine and Shivay's performance.

I had been on the stage many times growing up since me and Gauri were put in a dance group when she was 3 and I was 8. I was more used to dancing with more than one person since it made me less nervous.

Just stepping on the stage made my breathing rapid and shallow. I could feel my pulse pounding in my temples.

Shivay: it will be fine.

He gave me a reassuring smile and I smiled back at him. Surely this performance would go well.

The first song started to play. When I heard the music, it felt like liquid adrenaline being injected right into my bloodstream - not so strong as to freak me out, but just enough to make me tingle and start to move my body.

I started the dance, doing the exact moves I went over with Shivay in the recent week. During the performance, Shivay mouthed to me: what was one step?

I mouthed back: just copy me.

And that's what he did. Whatever move I did, he copied it. As I danced with him, my nervousness was melting away like how ice melts in room temperature.

It was now one of my favourite songs, Wedding Da Season after Shivay's song Hua kya Hua. We both moved, well we both danced, danced painting this kind of picture that alone could never paint. Dancing together felt like we were water transformed by music. Near the end of the dance, I nearly fell down due to the lehenga when Shivay grabbed me.

I looked at him and he looked at me. It was at this moment when the world was put on a pause. His eyes were almost translucent, glossy, like the palest blue glass, too soft to be turquoise, too bright to be baby blue.

A moment later, the world unpaused and Shivay brought me up to a normal standing position as everyone clapped. They were clapping louder than Jupiter's thunder and I couldn't help but give a smile. Even after an embarrassing nearly falling down moment, people seemed to have loved our performance. After getting off the stage, Om and Gauri went up to us.

Gauri: wow guys, that was seriously amazing.

Om: we thought you guys would be dancing with your dance groups so this was unexpected. You guys were really great.

Shivay and me: thank you.

Gauri: now everyone are just gonna be boring so me and Om found a spare room during one of the performances and we were thinking to grab you two, Prinku, Rudy not Sahil since he is with his friends and play Antakshari.

Me: Antakshari?

Om: that was not what we said we were going to do Gauri. We thought to just talk.

Gauri: it is now. So chalo, let's go.

Gauri didn't give us an option to be fair. It was either agree with her or face her pregnancy hormones. She managed to get Prinku and Rudy to come with us then we were all in that spare empty room with some chairs. Once again I got a seat next to Shivay since the moment we went into the room, everyone immediately got their seats.

Gauri: so in this game of Antakshari, we will start with the first two verses of any song and the song has to be in Hindi and the songs start with the last letter of last word of the last verse. Understand?

We all nodded.

Gauri: so who is starting?

Rudy: I'll start.

Gauri: okay and oh, after Rudy, it is Shivay okay?

We all once again nodded and the game was now starting.

Rudy: baithe, baithe, kya karein? Karna hai kuch kaam, shuru karo antakshri, leke prabhu ka naam.

It was now Shivay's turn. I'd expected some old 1960s song but to my surprise, he opened his mouth to sing: mile ho tum humko. Bade naseebon se.

He looked at me...I never thought in a million years I would hear a Neha Kakkar song from his mouth.

For some reason, hearing these beautiful lyrics from his mouth made me feel this tingling sensation. I chose to ignore it as I sang my bit for the game: enna sona kyu rab ne banaya. Enna sona kyu...rab ne banaya.

It was Om's go next but before it was even his go, during my turn, I was looking at Shivay singing this song. I didn't know what he was feeling during my turn and maybe I would never know.

Om: aaj phir tumpe pyar aaya hai. Aaj phir tumpe pyar aaya hai.

I saw the way he looked at my sister and how my sister looked at him. Ages ago I gave up on the idea of love but ever since my sister announced that she had a boyfriend and when I first saw them together, I guess that I grew a bit jealous of her. No I didn't want her boyfriend but I wanted the kind of relationship she had. The kind of relationship when your better half looks at you with so much love, love that never dies out.

I guess maybe I had that once but....but maybe love wasn't in my favour.

Soon the sangeet was over, I said my byes to Shivay and now we were all in our respective homes. I was with Gauri in her room and in our pyjamas on the same bed.

Gauri: you and Shivay look cute together.

Me: what?

I turned to my side where I could face her.

Gauri: I said you and Shivay look cute together.

Me: thanks...I guess.

Gauri: you two secretly dating or something?

Me: shut up.

Gauri: I just asked. It was only a question.

Me: what goes on in that mind of yours? Can you use that mind for your education?

Gauri: nah! I have better things to use my mind for.

I rolled my eyes at that girl.

Gauri: anyway as I was saying, you two really look nice together.

Me: hmm.

Gauri: you know maybe I will set you up on a date with him.

Me: hmmmm.

Gauri: and if it doesn't work out then I can always set you up on a blind date.

This time I didn't say anything.

Gauri: didi?

She shook me a bit but I didn't budge.

Gauri: goodnight didi.

With that said, she stopped talking to me. I was only pretending to be asleep because really, I didn't want to continue talking about relationships, dating and yeah. I didn't feel like it Already my heart and head were at war regarding Shivay and I didn't know if my head would mean or if my weak heart would.

You never know who wins in the war of the heart and the head.

It was the next day. I woke up tired and Gauri woke up groggy.

Gauri: I can't be asked with today.

Me: same yaar.

At that moment we both got a text. I was guessing Gauri got a text from Om and I got a text from....

Yes you all guessed right.

The cat.

Also known as Shivay.

He texted me to tell me that he was coming with his family later to talk about haldi or some other festival. I just texted an 'ok'.

Gauri: Om texted me to say that the Oberois are coming later to talk more about the wedding. I wanted to sleep all day today.

Me: sometimes life is unfair. Even I wanted to sleep all day but let's go and get ready. I'll send mum a text that they are coming later on.

Gauri: okay.

You may be asking that Anika, go find your mother to tell her what today was going to be about. But my mother sent me a text to say she was at work early so I was not really being lazy. Besides I was going to inform everyone else.

Little did I know that the afternoon would be an emotional rollercoaster.

Literally an emotional rollercoaster.

Anika's POV ends.

It was later to the day and the scene had moved from the Sharma's household to the hospital where Sakshi was checking some of her young patients' files when she heard a knock at the door.

Sakshi: come in.

She said, not looking up from the files. A middle aged woman entered. She was also a doctor as you could tell by her white professional-looking coat and the silver stethoscope around her neck.

Sakshi: hi Meena.

Meena: hi Sakshi. I just thought to show you something that I found in the attic.

Sakshi: yeah show me.

She said as she kept the files down at her desk. She didn't notice that Meena had a piece of paper in her hands till Meena showed her. Sakshi looked at the paper and was shocked to see what was written.

'Tej Singh Oberoi and Jhanvi Singh Oberoi announced dead.

Tej Singh Oberoi, the CEO of The Oberoi Empire, and Jhanvi Singh Oberoi, model-turned-entrepreneur have been in a car accident last night during the heavy rain. They were rushed to hospital and announced dead at the scene. Tej and Jhanvi are survived by their two young children Omkara and Priyanka who are now taken in the care of Tej's brother and sister-in-law Shakti Singh Oberoi and Pinky Singh Oberoi.

Sakshi: how do you have this?

Meena: my husband never throws away his newspapers so I kept them in the attic and I was clearing it out when I saw this and I remembered that your daughter is marrying Omkara, an orphan.

Sakhi was beyond shocked. She never expected her soon to be son-in-law an orphan.

It was afternoon and the Oberois were here, everyone was waiting for Sakshi. At that moment, she came in angrily with the newspaper in her hand.

Balraj: finally you are here Sakshi.

Sakshi: look at this.

She showed her husband the newspaper and her husband was also shocked that the newspaper slipped from his hands and into the hands of Pinky who was shocked too. How did they find this.

Sakshi looked at Pinky with anger and yelled: OM IS AN ORPHAN AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US?!

No one said a word but everyone else besides the Oberois were shocked. Well Om was shocked that they found out a truth he wanted to hide and Shivay was also shocked since he thought the truth was hidden.

Anika was shocked. She never expected to hear such news and Gauri was shocked since she was never told about this to Om.

Sakshi: can you imagine how humiliated I felt when I got to know that my daughter was going to marry an orphan.

Pinky: He is nots an orphan! He stills got a family!

Sakshi: but you are his chachi! It does not change the fact that Om is an orphan! He has no parents alive!

Pinky: so?

Balraj: Pinky, Shakti, you two shouldn't have kept the truth from us. I don't feel good about Gauri marrying an orphan.

Shakti: one is only an orphan when they have no family but both Om and Prinku have a family.

Balraj: we much rather know that Gauri is marrying a guy who has real parents, who had naam, khoon and khandan.

Shivay: and Om has that!

Anika looked at her dad then Shivay. She never thought her dad would be the kind to believe in nkk nor did she think her mum would also believe in nkk.

Balraj: Om is an orphan! You Oberois are famous and people will know from the past news that he is an orphan and his real parents died in an accident!

Gauri: dad, please don't think about what people will say. Please I beg.

Om: Gauri, please don't cry. Please.

He said as he kept his arms around her to comfort her but then Balraj came up to them and removed Om's arms off Gauri.

Gauri: dad....

Balraj: keep your hands off her!

Om was about to speak when Balraj opened his mouth to speak once more: I don't know my daughter to marry an orphan. This marriage is cancelled!

Om, Gauri, Shivay and Anika: kya.....

Balraj: let me repeat, this marriage is not happening at all!

This was a shock for everyone. The sudden news was trying to be processed in everyone's brains.

But this news was the biggest shock for Gauri.

Her vision suddenly became a blur.

Her head decided to curse her with a pounding headache.

She suddenly took on a pale look, as if she'd been painted with white-wash - even her lips were barely there. Then with one step backwards she crumpled like a puppet suddenly released off their strings.

Anika: GAURI!

She screamed as Gauri fell in Om's arms, her eyes jammed shut.

Precap: sometimes life isn't fair

Sorry for a late update.

And sorry for a boring chapter.

Things have been crazy lately.

And I have written this despite being tired. I was earlier writing my Extended Project Qualification and I thought to write this. I am sorry if this is not up to your expectations.