We Will Always Come Back......Together

40. Heartfelt

Shivaay ran out of the room and stopped only when he reached the poolside. He was huffing when he heard a soft voice behind him. He turned back to see Annika with a glass of a water and some medicine. She patiently came and sat on the edge of the pool while dipping her legs in the water. She surprisingly had very soft expressions on her face. Shivaay had no energy left in him to argue with her so he also sat in the same way and had the medicine she gave him. Once he was done, they both sat in silence until Annika spoke.

"What happened to you in the room?"

Shivaay just glanced at her before fixing his gaze on the pool water.

"I asked you something", Annika prodded.

"Its nothing"

"Ohh, is it everyday that you shout in sleep like this and sweat so profusely", Annika taunted him in order to get him to speak.

"I am not answerable to you Annika", Shivaay said, now visibly irritated.

"Ohh, of course you are. And you might also want explain this", Annika said and retrieved his bottle of sleeping pills.

Shivaay was dumbfounded seeing his pills with her and snatched the bottle from her.

"Go on. Explain"

"I have nothing to explain"

"Look at me", Annika urged and he was forced to look at her.

"How many years?"

"What?"

"I asked, since how many years have you been taking this?"

Shivaay avoided her but when she kept staring at him, he sighed audibly before answering.

"Since the past 7 years. I had begun taking it often at the beginning and then gradually tried consciously tried to cut it down but couldn't do so. Then I was forced to, when the doctor asked me not to. It was affecting my heart and I still have to take the medicines for the side effects the pills have. Now does that answer your question?"

"Yes"

And again they drowned in silence.

"You know, over the years I have come to realize we tend to look at our physical body as a tool to relieve our emotional turmoil", Annika spoke almost philosophically.

"Huh?"

"Like, when I was expecting Amaya, I used to have a lot of cravings but I didn't use to eat it and instead eat exactly what I didn't want to because I would feel alone. Although, Omru, Gauri and Bhavya had told me to call them anytime, I didn't want to. Now tell me, my body had to suffer because of my emotional pain, hain na?"

"Are you crazy? Who told you to do that? Do you realize how it could have affected the child?", Shivaay said exasperatedly.

"Chill, the doctor told me not to do so. And I obliged and now see how Amu turned out to be. But leave that what just happened? I am sure you saw a nightmare. What did you see and why did you scream my name?"

Shivaay stared at her before saying.

"When I get disturbed too much, the bad memories of that fateful day haunt me and I get up like this"

"How often does this happen?", Annika asked him seriously.

"It isn't something to keep a count of"

"I didn't mean the exact number. I meant the frequency"

"Earlier, it used to happen too much, but with time it reduced, but when I get too disturbed, it comes. I don't know, it just shakes up my whole being", Shivaay confessed truthfully.