Maami ki Behen ki Beti ✓

10. Shiva Pandya style

Many a times in the past, whenever they were together, whenever they fought, Raavi always thought that no matter how much Shiva may show that he hates her, secretly he did like her just like she did. He pulled her hair, pushed her, always Shiva-handled her, made her cry, made her want to kill him, kept calling her in all gujrati slangs there were. And she was shameless like her Massi would say, because even after all the insults and taunts Shiva would shower on her, she would go back to him.

Why, her massi had asked her once, Ey, Raavi, kyu tu woh jungli saand ke yaha jaati hai, uss bailbudhi ke pass jaake apni aur meri beizaati karwati hai aur phir ro ke ghar aati hai, kyu uss Shiva naam ke sardard se dhur nahi rehti tu

And Raavi would never have any answer to her questions because honestly, Shiva had always treated her like trash, never respected her, never spoke to her in a nicer tone, never even acknowledged her presence. 

This was what Shiva and Raavi's relationship was for the world.

But no one knew how every time she wanted to play with them and her Massi would ground her, it was Shiva who would climb ladders to take her, how when she cried, it was Shiva who would spend his money on kulfis, how when she would get hurt by anyone else, it was Shiva who would be ready to kill anyone who did that, how when she wanted someone to listen to her, it was Shiva who would be there, although he'd make faces, he'd still listen. Shiva was there for her more than Dev was, or anyone was because they were more often together than away. 

Shiva was a huge part of her life, and in all their bickering and all their fights, Raavi really wanted to be friends with him. She had no issues with him, or his anger, everyone was different and Raavi would have happily accepted his rage if he had accepted her too.

But Shiva never wanted to be friends with her, and that one incident where he called her an orphan and clarified that they were never friends still lingered in her memories and she kept away from him as much as she could. That was when she had accepted that Shiva and she were not friends and could never be more than this bickering couple, so it was harder for her to understand why so suddenly Shiva was being her friend.

She looked at the man seated next to her, his eyes were shut and his arms leaned back while he faced the evening sun, breathing softly in the evening breeze. The bike was parked right in front of them, and they were seated on the roadside, where they had fell. More like she refused to get up and he sat besides her, and in the past hour they had just sat silently, together but still away.

Raavi was disturbed, she was a woman who had been crushed and trampled by reality, her dreams had shattered and torn, her heart was in two pieces and getting all of it back was a mess, and in all this, Shiva was an added mess. All she wanted was answers, she wanted to know why he had a sudden interest in her miserable life, why he was being this Shiva 2.0 that she never knew existed. Suddenly, he forgot all the childhood bitterness, all the pain her family had instilled on his, and just like that helped her?

Was she wrong in wanting to know why? Raavi did not want to trust and be heartbroken again. For someone who wore her heart on her sleeves, for someone who trusted everyone, she was having a hard time breathing again, and she'd rather cage her broken heart than trust people again.

And Shiva?

Did that man not want her with him? Did he not want her in his house? Did he not claim that he'd never be with her, never care for her, never like her, even if it was the end of the world?

How can she trust him without a reason?

Raavi looked ahead, her hands encircling her knees closer to her chest, as she rested her chin on them, shutting her eyes. Just like Raavi, Shiva was a mess too, but while hers was heartbreak, his was about losing his heart.