Once upon a time I was your princess,
Now, I am his Queen.
Once upon a time I was a heir,
Now I'm the ruler.
Anya was in the Wankhede stadium watching the boys sweat on the field as they practiced hard and did uncontrolled nautanki on the field.
She smiled watching the way the boys gaze will linger on her making sure she was there, safe and happy.
Rolling her eyes at their antics. She concentrated on her job of selecting and rejecting the brand offers for Viaan and arranging his already packed schedule.
"Heya Anya" the jovial voice of Swaadhin greeted her as he sat beside her
"Weren't you resting" she asked him in an accusing tone as she looked at him bandaged hand which he has managed to acquire while doing a spectacular catch.
"I was but then I remembered mom-dad's anniversary is just two days away and I've not brought any gift for them" he told her making an pitiful face while she started her best to hide the smile that was tugging on her lips and her urge to pull his check as she looked at him with questioning eyes.
"So, I was thinking will you go shopping with me." He asked me looking at me with those so wide innocent eyes totally in contrast with his image.
"Ummm" she made a thinking face as he poured pitifully looking at her smiling widely she said yes as she gave in her urge of pulling his cheeks as he slapped away her white gloves covered hands mock glaring at her.
"Come on yrr,I'm not a kid" he grumbled as he got up and pulled her up with him
"But you look so cute pouting" she said teasing him with a big smile as all his angry retorts got lost somewhere in his mind watching her smile.
"Whatever" he grumbled trying to hide his smile as he yelled towards Viaan and Ro informing them about their exit.
He and Anya drove towards the Phoenix mall while deciding various gift options.
Anika was with Shivika shopping for the girls of their family with hands full of several bags they were moving through the mall.
"Come on ma, by something for yourself too na" Shivika pleaded to her mom trying to take her back to the Gucci store
"No princess" Anika said softly her shinning with warmth as she looked at her youngest child. She her phone rang, her screen displaying Omav as the phone continued ringing.
She smiled fondly thinking what Omav got for the family now that child loved surprising and caring for his family members so like his parents.
"Hnji beta ji, boliye" she spoke jovially on the receiver end as Shivika rolled her eyes standing beside her
"Badi ma, Shivanya" whatever else he was saying remained unheard as the phone slipped from Anika's hand and crashed on the white tiled floor. Shivika looked at her mother shocked but her mother who was looking at the store window in front of her with wide tearful eyes turned 180° so vastly that she thought she will sprain her neck but her mom continued starring at something with tearful gaze, confused she followed her mother gaze to meet a sight that made her heart warm and cold at the same time.
In front of her was her sister, the sister they were trying to find for so long with a hooded guy laughing pointing towards a shop. The guy was holding two shopping bags and seemed to be laughing with her. The guy seemed strangely familiar to her even with his face concealed from her view. She saw as her mother bolted towards her sister.
Anya POV
I was laughing hearing about Savvy's disastrous shopping trip with Viaan and Ro that ended up with them running for their life as a group of their fans along with media chased them through the city. I was laughing so hard by the time he finished with the story and I was hell sure of teasing Viaan about this incidence when it happen out of nowhere she was standing in front of me with tearful gaze.
As I felt my breath struck somewhere in my throat as the phantom stinging of a hard slap played on my mind as I continued looking at her with wide eyes, unable to move even though all I wanted was to run away from here. I could feel Savvy's concerned gaze ready to act if needed As I waited for some insulting taunt hurled towards me but I wasn't expecting her to pull me in a warm embrace but I stood their limp,my hands unmoving by my side.
I have been craving to be hugged by her since my childhood but now that she is hugging me all I feel is pain as memory after memory of past torment me.
I could feel the phantom pain of cracked ribs under her tight hold, I could feel all the bruise and wounds I've to patch up myself because my parents didn't care at all about me or how badly I was getting bullied in school and just like that it started the fear of past starting engulfing me with a new found vigour,the memories I tried so hard to suppress, I could feel the panic attack tore through my layers as my body totally denied any command given by me. I wanted to inhale but I couldn't, I didn't know how to breath as the fear gripped my heart tightly. I felt like drowning in the ocean slipping away from the surface every second I was in this embrace.
And when I felt I couldn't take it anymore, the burn for oxygen was too much. When I was ready to let darkness consume me forever, I felt a warm grip pulling me out the tight embrace as I fell senselessly I couldn't see anything, no light was visible to me as I feebly uttered "home" I wanted to go back home, back to my Viaan, back to my Saumya ma. I can't take this pain anymore.
End of Anya's pov.
Savvy's pov
I was pointing towards the Reebok store where Ro, V and I had hidden from the crazy hoard of our fans when a lady suddenly came and embraced Anya. I haven't seen that lady before so I was kind of startled by her sudden teary embrace and I was totally at a lose about what to do. I didn't want to attract attention towards me for obvious reasons but watching Anya not pulling out of the embrace but struggle with breathing. I panicked after my mom. Anya was the first girl I got emotionally attached too, first girl I cared for and shared my feelings freely with and as she fell almost unconscious in my arm muttering about home and Viaan. I totally lost my calm, I don't care if tomorrow's headlines published rubbish about us. I need to take her to a hospital asap, without caring about my paining hand I picked up her bridal style as the lady gasped and yelled loudly "Shivanya" and their was another yell of "di" which I paid no heed to as I warned the lady in an extremely rude tone but I was scared so sue me
"Man, I don't know who you're but I suggest you stay away from her. You're worsening the situation here. So, just stay away from here"
"I'm her mother, you can't tell me to stay away from my unconscious child. I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU, how can I leave her with you" she all but screamed at me and it took every ounce at my self control to not give this lady a piece of my mind.
"And you weren't there for her for the past six years, I was. So let me do what I need to do and don't act as you care when you actually don't" saying so I marched of there, turning a deaf ear to all the calls for her and me.
End of Savvy's pov
Shivika watched as the guy marched away with her sister in his arms. Not paying any heed to her and her mom's shouts for their sister.
She could clearly see the crestfallen look on her mother's face watching Shivanya being taken away from her again
She didn't know what caused Shivanya to faint all of sudden in their mother's arms. She just couldn't understand was she sick and why was that guy panicking so much. He didn't even spare a glance towards her, for the first time in her life a guy hasn't spared even a single look too engrossed in her sister and she couldn't help but ponder what relation they shared?? And what was wrong with her sister. She had so many questions yet no answers and the only one who could answer them was being taken away from her.
She wanted to cry and apologize to her sister for all her past mistakes but is it too late to apologize????
"She said our paranoidness will destroy our family and it did. It destroyed us" she heard her mother mumble brokenly as she supported her mum and took her to the car.
Well, her sister was in the same city as her and she was sure her father will succeed in bringing her home. So, she and her mother sat in their car and told the driver to drive back to OM.
Hotel room
An unconscious Anya was sleeping peacefully on Viaan's bed as he sat beside her holding her hand.
"Who was that lady,Savvy" Ro asked for the hundredth time frustrated and panicked just like the other two boys.
In short time Anya has made a special place for her in the boy's heart. Ro who never had a sister but always wanted a sister found his soul sister in Anya, Savvy found his first female best friend, sister and the person to go for silly advices in Anya and for Viaan Anya was his home.
"Her mother" Savvy replied softly as he messed up his already messed up hair as Viaan's eyes flashed with anger while the boys continuing worrying about the sleeping Anya.
Presently, Anya was trapped in her own memories, memories that changed her life forever.
It was the end of another story telling session. She could see the small 3 yr old Anya sitting on Svetlana's lap, grinning childishly.
"I've an question aunt Lana" she heard herself asking her in an childish tone, full of trust and love on whose lap she was sitting.
"Yes, dear bambi" the lady asked the little girl in an warm tone full of love for the young human child even if the child was of her enemies
"In every story, all the king's and all the queens have heirs to help them. When they are in trouble but you don't have an heir Lana. Who will help you so I thought can I be your heir to help you whenever you can't help yourself" she asked the lady with her childish mind full of worry about all her loved ones.she didn't want her aunt Lana to be alone, she didn't want her aunt Lana to turn evil because of loneliness. She wanted to be their for her.
"Yes love, you're my heir, you're my little bambi aren't you" the older women said discreetly wiping the treacherous tears away from her eyes as She hugged the adorable child close to her, touched by her words. She was her personal sunshine
"I love you, aunt Lana" she whispered to her beloved aunt with droopy eyes as the older women kissed her crown and whispered back "I love you more, my little one"
And The older Anya watching the memory broke down sobbing as she yelled at the illusion of her aunt Lana in her own mind.
"No, you didn't love me Aunt Lana. You broke your promise, you betrayed me Aunt Lana. You left me alone, you didn't love me. I trusted you and you broke it all. You broke me, you broke your heir Svetlana, you broke your little bambi" and she woke up crying in Viaan's embrace,crying on her past and the betrayals of her loved one's, crying for everything she lost because she trusted everyone.
To be continued.......