ShivOmRu SS ~ Cross Connections

Chapter 23

Since then there was no looking back - Shiela had brought her girls back with her to Delhi and soon Dev and his parents had come to visit them - Dev liked her from the very start - and convincing Anika wasn't too difficult for Shiela either - she knew everything so she convinced her that if there was a way to revive life after everything, it was this way - Anika accepted reluctantly - Dev was nice - had she not been in love with Shivay, maybe today she would have been sitting here excitedly waiting for her and Dev's roka - who knows she sighed.

***

Sitting in the cafe and sipping cappuccino, Daksh looked at Tia thoughtfully - as she pledged her love for him and her mistake for taking pity on Shivay for the sake of his career and leaving him - Daksh was sure Tia was lying, but his parents were really disheartened to hear that Mallika had left him - when they questioned her, she had told them how he had left her in the first place - the relationship between both the families had soured considerably - now after a few weeks, his parents were again on his back to choose a girl and get settled in life - Tia was a good fit for him - she was pretty and gelled in easily, she was a prize to show-off at parties, she had everything needed for being a perfect trophy wife -only she was sly too - that didn't bother him - when was he planning to not rave around after his wedding anyway? He sighed in satisfaction as reached a conclusion in his mind.

"Okay Tia, I am ready to give this another shot - but there is something you've got to do too" he told Tia shrewdly.

"Anything love" replied Tia with all the earnestness she could muster on her fake face.

"No more dating honey, we've gotta get engaged in a few weeks - you game?" he smiled at Tia's vacant expression.

***

"Hi!" Soumya said as she opened the door to her apartment for the second time today. It was Rudra. As she let him inside, she had a slight blush on.

"You, here at his hour? Anything up?" she asked softly.

"Err.. yes. The EPL finals on, wanted company to watch - you er..still follow it?" he asked cautiously and quickly turned to glance at her television screen - sure enough, the EPL was on.

"Of course I still follow, come on in" she smiled happily and led Rudra to his ever familiar den - Rudra sat down comfortably and started watching the match as Soumya sat there curiously watching him - she had forgotten about the match now - Rudra seemed more gripping - she felt this insane attraction towards him - she remembered their passionate embrace in the middle of the football field - then after their relation had soured, only after playing football recently did their friendship resurrect enough for them to at least look at each other in the eye. Football seemed to be the greatest shipper of their relationship so far she thought smiling, and as she sat there, she realized even today it was football that got Rudra to her doorstep - as she sat there thinking and smiling at Rudra, he happened to glance at her - she was caught off guard and mumbled embarrassed.

"You err, want to call Priyanka here too? She can join us you know - you will like it" she said not looking into his eyes.

"Priyanka has gone to attend Anika's roka in Delhi" he replied awkwardly.

As the meaning of the sentence seemed to hit Soumya in a full blow, she gasped in shock - so that was why she was doing a bunk? Anika's roka? And she had never told her? As anger flared inside her, she got up abruptly. Rudra stood up too.

"Soumya what happened?"

"Nothing you watch the match, I gotta go inside and pack"she replied through gritted teeth.

"Pack?" he asked surprised.

"I am off to Delhi with the first flight tomorrow - my roomie can't get hitched without informing me - and Om? He hid this too?" she asked surprised.

"Somz, I mean err..Soumya - Om isnt the guy who she is having the roka with" he replied awkwardly. He continued as Soumya's head shot up with even more shock.

"It's somebody else - it's an arranged wedding" he replied.

Soumya stared at him and suddenly realized something was amiss, Anika wasn't the kind to date one and marry another - she never seemed to emotionally incline with Om anyway and even while with Om, she had seen her looking at Shivay longingly, now she was suddenly getting hitched to someone completely random and she hadn't informed her too? Something was amiss and she would find out.

"Rudra, please book my ticket to Delhi in the first flight tomorrow - I gotta roka to stop before it's too late" she hissed.

"Soumya, that can be risky you know, it's not a family gathering, it's a ceremony preceeding a wedding, no one likes outsider intervention here"he tried to convince her, but she refused to see sense - sensing trouble Rudra decided to join her too - just in case there was trouble he thought.

***

When Om and Shivay reached Delhi, the first thing Om did was call up Mallika and asked her to meet him at the earliest - he said it was important and she needed to meet him well before their house woke up to arrange for the roka that was due that day.

Mallika was surprised, she knew Om was joining them for the roka, but he wasn't due until afternoon. Then what was he doing in Delhi at 5am in the morning? But eventually she agreed. And in the early hours of the morning, when her family was just about stirring in their sleep, she pulled on a hoodie and left the house to see Om - before leaving she left a note next to her di's pillow.

"Di I will be back soon - please cover up before ma - it's urgent!! Malli"

When Mallika met Om, she was startled to see Shivay with him, "Omkara, what is this man doing here?" she asked sternly. Om and Shivay took it as their queue to start rambling and after a lot of complicated explanations, they explained the situation to her - after looking hard at Shivay for a few seconds, Mallika's face broke into a mischievous smile.

"You idiot!! What took you so long?? My di has been waiting forever now! Okay don't waste your time on this samosa and come with me, we gotta roka to stop at the earliest!"

As Shivay and Om with a relief on their face followed, they were happy to know they had one more accomplice in this mission - mission Anika ko roko - (mission stop Anika).

While going to Anika's Shivay couldn't hold on to his excitement, he was going to see Anika after all most three weeks and not only that he was also going to propose to her - it felt right in all the ways, Tia's didn't feel right he thought - nervous though he still was, he was still feeling better with friends by his side - I am coming Anika - he thought and smiled.