Falling in Love - A Shivika Romance ✔

34. His Strength

"Bhaiya, sorry that I disturbed you. I just came to let you guys know that Dr. Mishra allowed us to meet Priyanka. Only two at a time though," Rudra said.

Hearing that, as if Shivaay earned the energy of a horse, he marched out of the waiting room. Not only that, he pulled Annika along. And she let him pull.

Outside Priyanka's room, Omkara waited for the other three. Shivaay was about to enter, his hand in Annika's, when Annika spoke, "Om, you go with your brother."

Shivaay was no way entering without Annika and he made it clear with his strong grip on Annika's arm.

"No bhabhi, you and Shivaay go for now. I and Rudra will go later," Omkara said to no avail as Annika next nominated Rudra to enter with Shivaay. When Rudra sang the same song as Omkara, reluctantly, she had to go with Shivaay.

***

Shivaay stood with a stoic face once they reached inside the room Priyanka was kept in. His hold on Annika's hand neither tightened nor got loose.

"How are you?" Annika's voice broke the silence in the room.

"Bhabhi?" she could barely speak, "You came?"

Annika did not reply. Instead, she asked, "Did you think about your family once before attempting to die?"

Shivaay's eyes shot up in her direction. He could not match the agitation in her voice at the moment although it was his sister who was at stake.

"Bhaiya—"

"I agree," Annika said before Priyanka could, "I agree what your brother did was completely wrong. But what you did was worse. Dadi, your Bhai, Om, Rudy, they all love you. I believe if you say Dev loves you too, but it's not like the family loves you any less than Dev. If something happened to you, did you think what will go upon them? You are mad at one of your brothers, what did the other two do? And Dadi, I believe, has all of your best interests in her heart. She saw enough deaths in the family. She doesn't deserve to see another one, right?"

Shivaay felt at peace with the words Annika so easily conveyed. He was right. Had she been there, he won't be seeing this day. But then, all of it was his doing which now he could not muster the courage to accept.

The only complaint was Annika's choice of words. It was always Rudra's brother or Priyanka's Bhai. He wanted her to say his name again. The way she said it, no one else could. And he needed just that at the moment.

"I love Dev," Priyanka managed to utter.

"Don't you love Dadi?" Annika asked, "Om, Rudra, and— your Bhaiya?"

Shivaay balled his palms in a fist. He had the urge to press her against the wall and not leave her until she said his name right.

Eyes closed, a sigh escaped his lips. She was not saying his name because he tried coming close to her only. He did not want to commit another wrong thing.

"Life is a big thing. You can't take your life just because you are not with the person you love. Be a fighter. Persuade your brother to let you be with the boy you love. Else be strong enough to start life afresh. I won't say much about what should have happened and what ended up happening, I will just stick to the fact that nothing should be bigger than a precious life," Annika took a deep breath after finishing the long lecture she gave.

"But Dev?" Priyanka asked.

"If you and he are meant to be, you will," Annika replied.

Priyanka glanced at Shivaay next. He did not seem to react at what Annika said. As much as she knew her brother, he should have shushed Annika in his own way by now.