isn't it lovely all alone
heart made of glass
My mind of stone
-lovely song
Giggling like little conspiring children they entered OM, holding each other's hand and dragging their suitcases behind them. Dripping wet with wide childish grins and gloating tones they entered the place they like to refer as their personal hell. Ansh was just noticing the emotions surfacing in Anya's eyes looking at their so called blood related family. He knew Anya was master at hiding her true emotions wellViaan, Savvy and Ro has told him just about a million times how good she is at hiding her pain and sufferings so he needed to be extra vigilant and at the first sign of any break down he will have to pack her up and parcel her to them, all her plans and dadi's wishes could go to hell for all they cared as for them her emotional well being matters the most and they don't want her to feel alone and worthless ever again.
He watched her with same attention an eagle watches it's prey, noticing even the smallest of actions like the quiverings lips, shaking fingers, twitching muscles and the slowly darkening eyes at the sight of people before her just like a drop of black ink spreading in crystal clear water, like an innocent heart slowly poisoning by years and years of darkness surrounding her. All the love hiding behind a thick dangerous, threatening, terrifying black veil until you couldn't differentiate between love and hate, until you don't know when the red colour of love changed into blood splattered all around you and red shining brightly in your hands and eyes.
"Welcome home, beta" He heard the jovial tone of their mom greeting them and all he wanted to do is warn her to not touch them, they're broken glass pieces and she will only hurt herself trying to pick them up. They're the sharpest spikes of ice, they're doubled edged sword painted in black and they hurts.
"home is always where heart is" The soft sing song voice of his sister did what he wanted to warn them about the devil inside them. she stabbed them with a knife built with words just the way all of them had hurt her, made her all miserable and alone and he watched on remembering why he hadn't embraced them tightly when that was all he wanted, they were a part of him and he wanted to tell them he loves them as much as he loves his adopted parents but she had stopped him after knowing what happened to her, forgiveness became a foreign context to him. No, he can't bear to know how something died inside her everyday, something that changed the summer child into the frosty queen who played with people just like he could never make himself to tell her the reason behind the swirling darkness in his eyes, about how alike they are even after all this years.
"Your old room is ready, beta" this time it was dear Gauri chachi speaking with nervousness clearly detected in her voice and blankness in Anya's eyes as she seemed lost in things beyond his reach.
"I'll stay in guest room" she spoke with certainty in her tone even though the blankness was still clouding her gaze and he could see the rejection rising in everyone's eyes ready to flow out of their lips and he didn't want to have a word war right now.
"She will stay in the guest room next to mine" he said with finality in his tone and eyes as he took her with him in the direction of their room without any further discussion. The rest of time followed in relative peace as the family left them to unpack in solace and that's exactly what they needed as they changed and unpacked and pondered and cursed and cried in the solace of the pillows.
Ansh looked around the room with a satisfied sigh, he had finally achieved phd in the art of throwing clothes around with dignity and not making the room look like a total mess. Sighing, he went to his sister's room and before he could knock the door opened and he found her standing before him in track pants and crop tops sporting an all black look.
"going somewhere??" he questioned her with raised eyebrows hoping she wanted to get out of this place as much as he did, this place sent creepy feelings to him just like the set of only horror movie he had done
"like I can btw I'm craving for some maggie and steaming cup of tea. So, dear brother if you could be a gentleman and show me the way to kitchen" she spoke with raised brows and mischievous smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"As you wish your majesty" Ansh spoke with a totally fake royal accent as he did a little bow to her which she flipped off with a little shove and followed him to the supposed kitchen direction and somehow managed to get lost in the house for three times before finally finding the kitchen, shooing the kitchen staff away and indulging in their own rants about the chance of edibility of the maggie prepared by them.
Anika found them like that laughing with each other as they cooked maggie and prepared tea while indulging in meaningless banters and she didn't know how to react the picture in front of her reminded her of a similar picture OM witnessed on regular interval ages ago. When three brothers used to find solace in this kitchen and make it a lively place, just like this laughter used to ring in the whole place but those are distant memories now as with time they had stopped cooking and the youngsters don't have any interest in cooking. The cooking like many other household activities were done by the servants while all of them were too busy in their own work loads and now after ages the kitchen was again feeling lively as the mouth watering aroma of maggie surrounded them. Anika was soon joined by the other older members of family as the silently watched the twins cook and chat and generally order each other around but the line that stuck the oberoi's most was when Shivansh spoke " Ek dusre k zaroori hisse h hum" and Shivanya continued " ek hi kahani k do kisse h"
Those lines struck a chord and most importantly reminded everyone that they didn't say " che kisse". This generation was not as united as their parents. Shivaaye, Om and Rudra were one but not Shivanya, Shivansh, Shivika, Omav, Omisha and Ritisha they were as different as they came.
They were surprised to know that Shivansh will also stay at OM as long as Shivanya was here but that was a welcomed change but that change also blatantly displayed the cracks in their relation. Shivansh and Shivanya ignored them for the most part and for the other they were cordial at their best or downright mean everything depended on their mood and then there was longing the other's felt watching the two. They just didn't want to involve anyone else in their activities, when Ansh was out Anya will stay closed in her room watching highlights of diff matches or busy with thousand work related calls the whole day and she didn't know from when her daughter become such a sports geek.
And the worst part of it all being the firm demand of Shivanya to be called Anya, she didn't want to embrace anything about her past. She didn't want to be known as an Oberoi, she didn't want to interact with the family. She remained closed off and doing her things by herself, reminding everyone she ain't any pampered princess. She is a fiercely independent girl who has an unhealthy obsession with maggie and chocolate and who loves to make different dishes from maggie and everyday she noticed in the eyes of one Pinky Singh Oberoi that Shivanya was the one who was most like Shivaaye and Shivansh was more like her. It could be seen the way when frustrated with the calls Shivanya wants to throw her phone away in anger too but controls her anger every time knowing she can't buy a new phone everyday. Shivanya holds grudges and doesn't trust easily and seemed to have only few people she talks to everyday and to the annoyance of both of her mother-in-law's they all are males and seemed to be linked with one Viaan Kundra one way or another.
And as Ishana has warned her, her daughter has grown up. She didn't want to be smothered by familial love neither she wants to share her problems with anyone else or she would have come crying to her whenever one or other nightmare had woken her. The whole household had heard terror filled screams in the middle of night but she never mention them to anyone and just glare at anyone whoever dare to mention them to her. Anika didn't new what terrified her this much and Shivanya never open up to anyone from what she had seen specially not them and looks like this was another such night. Anika heard another blood chilling scream coming from her daughter's room as she rushed towards the room even after knowing her presence will not be appreciated in her room.
Her feet automatically halted before her room as she heard the faintest of whispers escaping the door and she listened to the convo like the walls surrounding her.
"I....I can't sleep without you, the nightmares won't stop" she heard the faintest of guilt filled voice and didn't know what the caller replied even if in her subconscious mind she already knew who this caller was
"Vi, you know why??" her tone was full of pleading and she didn't know why the scenario seemed so familiar to her yet she felt like she shouldn't be listening to this conversation
"Vi....I'm sorry tomorrow is your match and you should sleep" the guilt in her voice was high yet it was unable to hide the little tremors of fear still present in her voice
"Vi..you should sleep"
"I'll baba, just after sometime it still fresh in my mind"
"You're an addiction and that too a bad one, you know that don't you Mr Kundra"
"Are we really talking cricket at 3:00 am??" finally their was smile in her voice and she couldn't help but bless the soul of this guy who made her daughter happy when she couldn't
"I love you so much, Vii" She heard them chat and watch as slowly slowly sleep again tightened it's clutches around her and her daughter drifted to the land of dreams with the phone clutched tightly in her hands and a peaceful smile on her face.
She could caress her only when she is sleep, slowly move her hand through her wild hairs and study her as she slept like a baby and she hummed to her a melody she used to when they were her kids and like always she was joined by Shivaaye who sat with her looking over her sleeping form with tender eyes.
"We can't separate them Shivaaye, she will die" Their was helplessness in her voice as she spoke this from the past few days it was more than clear to her that her daughter loved Viaan with every fiber of her broken soul, he was the puzzle piece holding the whole frame without which everything is meaningless. he is her anchor to this mortal world and without him Anya couldn't survive. It was clear by how dependent this fiercely independent girl is on him and Anika can't bear to watch her break again.
"then we will make sure, he has only our daughter in his life"
....to be continued...