Unrequited

Chapter 5

Us

When Kalyani walked into the room, she looked at Shivaay, his forehead creased yet a glow making it's way on his face, slowly but steadily. When he saw her, he smiled at her softly before taking her in a bear hug. Kalyani chuckled as he murmured, "You never fail to surprise me Dadi!" She felt him relax and his grip tightening. This only assured her that she wasn't pushing them too hard.

When he pulled out of the hug, he dragged her to the bed and rested himself on his knees, laying his head on her lap.

Dadi ruffled his hair lightly, waiting for him to prepare himself.

She had been the first one, the only one, in front of whom, Shivaay let go of every doubt that he had and let her in on a secret. A well kept secret. He always had had feelings for Anika. He never considered her his best friend, not for one foolish second. She was always that one special person in his life.

He never allowed even himself to dwell furthermore into these thoughts and so, Anika's position in his life remained ambiguos. Yet, somewhere he knew what he expected for them and their future, even if it seemed unsure.

Anika, with her family, had left for Delhi, settling into the new place slowly, leaving Shivaay lost and confused.

At this vulnerable stage, Kalyani caught the right moment to see how her eldest grandson looked at this beautiful bond he shared with Anika.
Shivaay had been adamant, not ready to accept at all. She slowly coerced him into accepting his crush and amidst all his ranting, he accepted how much he loved Anika.

"Dadi, I know this is wrong. She thinks of me as her best friend but I always want it to be more. I can't tell you how much I love spending time with her, listening to incidents like I have never been a part of them. I love how she always fights with me over the most trivial things. How she can do anything for me and my family. I love it when she tries to make everyone happy, how she will even give away her final piece of chocolate to anyone, but me. I love her, Dadi. Every single thing about her. I want to keep listening to her, spending all my time talking, arguing but most importantly being, with her. How could she just go to Delhi? She just left everything behind!"

Kalyani would have not taken it as love if she had not seen the warmth in his eyes or the soft tone when he spoke about Anika. Only about her, because whenever he talked to her, his voice was anything but soft. At least, that's what they would show to the world.

But Kalyani would spot the two of them talking softly, with muffled voices, about various things in the dead of the night. Truly, they were cats. Bagad Billa and his Billi.

After a few minutes of silence, Shivaay began, "Dadi, thank you so much for this."

"Shivaay this is probably the only thing you've asked from me, even if not specifically, apart from motichoor ke ladoo. I can see how much you love Anika. How can I not do this for you?" They shared a smile and she grinned as she saw her Billu getting shy.

Shivaay had always been very sure about everything in his life but when it came to Anika, he didn't know what he wanted.

"Dadi, but she was in a relationship. The guy even sent me chocolates. What happened that she has agreed to marry me?"

"Shivaay, I suggested your marriage but what happened with Daksh and Anika is her decision to let you know. You should probably talk to her."

"Dadi, nobody is forcing her to get married to me, right? I want to marry her but that doesn't mean I won't consider her choice and view. She is doing this out of choice, right? She has been given all the options, right? She won't regret it, right?"