At Obeori Industries

Silence prevailed inside the cubical, like an epidermis, slowly and steadily eating up everyone; silence is very confusing, we look up to as sadness, madness even somewhere an intellect, but rarely it exhibits anger, few people choose to be silent on their rough phase. Today, The oberoi industries office is unreasonably silent, because it's unusual and odd, rather confusing; They had never seen their boss so silent! Shivaay Singh Oberoi is an expressive man, he likes to show his anger frustration even happiness with his employees, but today he was silent as if after committing a great crime, he thought  choosing silence will help him get out of it.

Unaware of his turmoils, his staff wants his usual self back, however, bad he behaved earlier they liked him that way, but now he is not even scolding his staff for their continuous murmuring, their interruptions!  Strangely, he is lost somewhere, in the depth of his thoughts.  Nobody actually knew him, he is a complicated man, who, where, what affects him, it's unrecognisable. Today, the silence he choose was to hide his despair, his failure.

He failed, he could not make his Annika happy, yes his Annika, the friend he relied on, one person whose smile, tears, happiness, views and breaths means world to him, she is not the same, she is behaving way too much distant. One thing he would not never agree to will be distance from her, and she is doing that, she is trying to distant herself from him, he knows why? Because now he is in relationship. He understands her and she know him way too well, if for once she utters her discomfort with the said alliance he will break it, and she doesn't want it, while he can't just breakup or move on with Tia until Annika is okay with that, for him her approval is important, very important.

Shivaay's entire life is about his people, his family, people he loved, he never live for his own happiness, because his happiness resides with his family, it not even Known why is he like that? He never experienced  any emotional breakdowns to build that nature in gim, he was born with that. First child, always the favourite of family, admired and praised! He was looked up to, he was an routine of perfection for his brothers!
He got his first admirer and supporter as his dadi, she loved him dearly, because of many things, he resembled her late husband, obedient and loved her, may be that's the reason she gave him his endearing name billu ( he never felt endearing with that name). Praised and spoiled, then his brothers arrived in his life, he got friends in them, with them being in his life, his paternal qualities churned! He has started to believe it the whole world for him, Why would he look for anything, anyway? When inside the closed door he has got everything! His happiness, love and respect of being who he is!..... but this is what makes us shallow, world is not inside th closed doors, it's resides in the fresh air outside, in between people of different nature, behavior and temperament!

But he was badly habituated, nobody knew what went wrong or how exactly is he wrong! Does loving uncontrollably falls for wrong category? But he was wrong in many ways, first being possessive for them. May be that's the reason he loathed an intruder, and with same reason, he hated Annika!  He doesn't remember how she entered in his life? He doesn't remember when she became such an important part of Omru's life!  Their AD! His brothers didn't broke 'The bro code', but off course they looked more happy with Annika, may be, she got perks of being a mature girl, or precisely only girl in that circle! Whatever it was it didn't  go well with Shivaay.

Shivaay should not have got jealous, but he did, why? He had no clue, nobody actually told him the difference too, blame it on his age or his upbringing he was feeling insecure, poor child, he was sharing his family with that unknown girl, she took all the time once which belonged to him! And how can anyone expect him to be okay with that?

If a scar is kept untreated it becomes cancerous, like his dislike grew to become a hatred, Annika was unknown, she misjudged his dislike as snob, as high society inferiority complex. she knew he hated her, and feelings were almost mutual.
But equations changed for her, when Annika's parents died. She realised lots of things one of his being a constant for he. Shivaay was altered moreover, ignorant, he was unaware about her effect on him, unaware how unwillingly he is changing for her, he has grown more polite, more sensitive and attentive with people in general, lonely looking boy was getting habituated to other people other than hua family.

Lots of things changing for him, but he felt it's anger, result of sharp dislike for Annika. He named it hatred just like that.

He could not express what he felt for her when she came crying that day, like a fragile doll, and hugged him! Broken like piece of glass! He hated her even more for doing that- crying like that! He argued, he knew her better than anyone else, and she is not lots of things according to him but not weak! She is stronger than, what she is showing it to world! He struggled to believe that she, Annika, the khidkitod girl can fall weak! How can she do that? She made his life hell of one, equally giving back to his attacks, his constant criticism and hatred, she never fell weak, why now? She never gave damn about anyone, not even him! How can she break like this? How can she approach anyone else for support. How can she be so weak after a misfortunate incident?

And that was his limit of understanding. A 15 yr old boy, trying to figure out a complex girl of 13yrs, whom he hates. Will he has enough knowledge to understand such situation? If not the person itself? In his confusion he does very unthinkable. Even he has no idea how it came into his mind. And what followed was the series of his confusions.

It was a Sunday afternoon, Shivaay was noticing how conveniently Annika has become 'the favourite' of entire family,except for his badi ma and little Prinku, who doesn't really get well with anyone except her mother as she was just 9 months old. But that didn't work for him, he remembers on various Sunday's in past, it was other way round, Shivaay use to play and laugh with family, cooking, chatting , it use to be their sunday routine, but after Annika's arrival his routine has changed dramatically.

An idea taken form a flop hindi movie, which his mother watched the other day, he got this stupid idea. He prepared gajar ka halwa, for everyone . Everyone loves it, bit especially gajar ka halwa? Because he knew Annika never says no to gajar ka halwa, off course he is not interested to impress her, it's his devilish plan. He added very sharp tasting chilli powder mix to her bowl, leaving other bowl as it is, he gave it to whole family and to Annika in a friendly manner,which was very curious to know but nobody actually knew why it was like that?  He knew it will work, whole family wants them to patch up, but it will definitely teach her a lesson.  Imagining and getting are two sidea of a coin.
He didn't knew Annika is allergic to chillies, he was unaware it's lethal for her. When Annika took her first morsel she didn't feel it right, she could see the spark in his eyes, which comes only when he is up to something, but she liked how he took an effort, however fake it was.

"Won't you eat for my sake, Annika?" he said, surprising Annika as well as the family. Annika has been warned by her parents to not have spicy food but she didn't knew why they said it, she thought may be like lots of things parents say to their children, it was one of them. Here, Shivaay, who rarely makes an effort for her is being polite and trying to make a conversation, she can't let the chance slip just because the said dish doesn't taste like it has to. And her innocent mind thought may be, co-incidentally Shivaay is also unaware of the chillies he put inside the dish. And Annika ate, she ate whole gajar ka halwa just to be friends with him. Him.  Shivaay who has made him cry, who makes her feel secure. And then what happened next became nightmare for Shivaay for entire life.

Shivaay saw ,Annika's pupils of eye turned red, a blood red ,as if blood will ooze out of it, her ears and little nose was shining, like a burning fire, red and  bright , she took deep long breaths, she was struggling to even take a  complete one. Her adams apple moved dramatically, choking her to breath. Shivaay was just starting at her, he knew  after eating the halwa something will happen to her, and it was happening, he can see her eyes looking upwards, being  closest to her, he saw everything in detail, her hair damp with sweats, hee forehead scrunching and hee legs wobbling, at first he was delighted after all his plan worked. He made her taste her own medicine, she should feel his pain.... but when she grabbed his hand with her shivering ones, he realized this in not exactly what he wanted, and then his heart plundered with the sight in front of him. He looked at her almost casually but he knew something is not right and he was right, it's just he realised way too later, when she fell from her chair and collapsed on the floor, still holding his hands. The whole thing looked so dramatic, same like 'et tu brute' he learned in school but he was numb!

What's going on? he should be happy, afterall he punished his enemy, but he wasn't happy, infact his heartbeat stopped, his entire world collapsed with her fall with her. Making him numb for entire situation, he doesn't remember what happened after that, few flashes of image came, he faintly remembers, a tight slap in his cheeks, he knew it was tight because when he got his sense back he realized only two pains, one at his heart other, his cheeks.  His dad was scolding him and Omru's scared face, are they scared of him? Did he made a mistake where he will loose everything, his family, brothers and her?

But currently he is not feeling anything, nothing. Why? This is strange. Shivaay  was  pondering over the situation, he understood he did a mistake, a crime to be precise, but the pain he felt was not guilt, no it's more intense,a heartbreaking pain, yes, he was dying from inside. Annika is harmed to the extent that he can't repair, he will never be able to undo things, now he is scared! scared as hell, to think about future. How will he cope up with the emptiness she'll leave? How? How he's gonna fill the void of  her innocence? How will he make pinky understand that because of him her best friends daughter is not here, with her. How will he make Omru understand that, their brother, they admire and look upto is not actually a good man, bad example to them! He is cruel and he is insensitive! And how will he make his heart understand that now Annika is not there with him?

Annika! A girl who changed his life after her arrival, Shivaay never saw that charm in anyone's face! She has that captivating power, he was smitten by her in first look itself, but he is Shivaay Singh Oberoi , how can he like someone in first glance , after all, even if he was just a teenager, he can't be available  for random girl, though he never believed she is a random girl of any kind. He is very good at hiding things, he hid his smitten heart, into a rude and cocky behavior and then he got habituated to it, it was like as if he didn't show his dislike he may end up being stupid. And that's how he became the famous enemy of Annika. Even though deep in his heart he was getting affected by her, her presence always made him uncomfortable, even though they faught hell crazy, he felt he should mould himself according to her, unintentionally though.

When realisation hit him, he rushed,if things were to be in his hands he would have flown to meet Annika at the hospital but he could only wait in the passenger seat of his car, the driver drove him to the hospital, where everyone was waiting fir doctors to say something, the time he reached he was almost breathless, his heart stopped at different intervals knowing, what may be the situation there. His fears were coming alive, when he saw Pinky standing by the gods idol and crying how she could not take care of her friends daughter! then he saw his strong dad tired and  leaned over the wall. Dadi sat with two younger Oberoi's who refused to leave their AD alone in a haunting hospital. Shivaay took dragged steps, he could not get the courage of speaking to anyone of them, he let down his family. He hurt someone innocent , even god will going to punish him , he knew and was fearing what will be his punishment?  Will they take away Annika from him? He thought...and with each step he moved to the ward.

The knock at the door compelled him to come back from past, Shivaay was thinking about the day he almost lost Annika and today, he realized that situation is no different now, even today he is scared to loose her. He is avoiding Tia for a week, no calls no messages, he didn't even replied to her general question, while with Annika everything changed, she is not her usual self, what changed he didn't knew but something was bothering her, he wants to belive it's his relationship but she didn't voice it out, he can't be sure of anything unless she tells him what she feels.

Khanna stood with a tensed lines on his forehead, he was the longest serving employee of Oberoi's, actually he is like a constant in his life. Like a family. Shivaay is very aggressive when it comes to work and only one man who can stand his anger, is khanna, for some strange reason Shivaay is a little calmer with him, and he knows exactly what to tell his boss and exactly what not. Shivaay knew something terrible has happened! Why would The inexpressive Khanna looked like that! He forgot, almost everything he was thinking, he knew it's about Annika. Something terribly wrong happened to her. Shivaay in gestures asks him, and khanna shakes his head in remorsefully, with that shivaay's heart was beating like a thumping drum.

He stumbled, and khanna ran after him, Shivaay didn't even knew what's going on but he can't keep calm, he have to move, he can't sit and know things, he have to reach to her anyhow, the very second. Not for her, for his hearts sanity.....for him to live.
While driving fanatically, khanna told Shivaay the whole story, Annika was admitted to hospital, she ate chillies, he doesn't know how and Why she did!  but she ate chillies, unknowingly or knowingly but that instigated her allergy and she fainted, now she is admitted to hospital. Shivaay didn't took his calls and that's why khanna has to come rushing like this.

The narration rarely reached Shivaay's ears. He was struggling to breath, not again. She can't give him that pain again, not again. She can't do this to him. She can't give the same pain again. He can't survive if she left him, he knew her allergy was extreme, it can harm her irrevocably, either it will take her life or damage internal organs.  He knew, if something happens to her, he will die too. Exactly like that day when he realised what she matters to him, last time he knew her worth, today he realised without her he will die, he can't live without her, his best Friend, his soulmate, his love, his Annika.......

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So here's the next chapter. I know too small but please be patient with me.... I am trying hard not to fall out. Okay, so...did you like the chapter? Did you expected Shivaay's love for Annika?

I know this is half the truth and I promise, will give you complete story on next chapter.

Also, I am writing a new story on Rumya..... anyone interested. This week I will give you an introduction. Tell me, you're excited or not?

Krishna