Chapter 16. Namkeen Cake
"Gale nahi milega?" Dev asked Shiva after he was done meeting the rest of the Pandya family, and Shiva who was restless at the girl who left a minute ago, sighed. "Aaja," Dev hugged Shiva who looked at Dhara, she nodded slightly and Shiva hugged Dev. "Kaisa hai?"
Shiva simply nodded, and walked away. He should have been glad to have his brother home, but his mind was stuck on the girl who had vanished the moment she saw Dev. While Rishita spoke about her tales of their honeymoon visits, Shiva thought about Raavi, who clearly looked disturbed when she met Dev and Rishita. He was counting his heartbeats now, they were really louder than Rishita's excited tone, and he fisted his hands. He really wanted to leave, go find the girl who left, ask her if she was okay but he really had no strength to see her broken again.
He needed some time too. All these days he had been garnering courage and hope for her, and he was tired, the mental exhaustion was too difficult for him to handle. So he stood aside, breathing heavily, angry at himself and at his helplessness. Then he glanced at Rishita and Dev, they were happy, their faces glowing despite the travelling, they looked fresh and they seemed to be on the ninth cloud. And then he remembered Raavi, how depressed she was all these days, how she rarely ate anything, rarely lived, and carried herself with all her strength.
How was this fair?
"Humne sab ke liye kuch na kuch laaya hai," Rishita smiled as she quickly rummaged through her bags.
Shiva could not help Raavi, but he did not want to stay here and watch this stupidity. He turned to leave but Rishita called out to him, "arrey Shiva, tum kaha jaa rahe ho?"
"Woh... Rishita bhabhi..." He stuttered, holding back only because Dhara was eyeing him with a pleading gaze. "Actually, woh main..."
"Tumhare liye bhi kuch laaya hai maine." Rishita said, ecstatically, she really was excited to show them all what she had bought for her new family. "Dekh toh lo..."
"Thodi khushiyan chahiye," Shiva answered, glancing at Dev, "jo aapke shaadi ke baad Somnath se jaa chuki hai. Milegi?"
To that Rishita's happiness wiped clean from her face, and the little smiles that the rest of them carried also vanished. Dev sighed, afraid that he knew what Shiva was hinting about, but he also knew to not tease Shiva's anger more.
"Shiva," Gautam spoke, stepping forward, and shook his head. "This is not how you speak to your new sister-in-law or your elder brother."
"Toh kya bolu Gaumbi" Shiva approached his brother, something he never did before, "Waha Raavi marr marr ke ji rahi hai. Aan aa jo," Shiva pointed towards Dev, "mazze mein."
"Seedha baat kar na toh," Dev said, not liking his taunting tone. "Bolna, muh pe bol."
"Rewa de," Shiva scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Tu jaa, Goa jaa, London jaa, jaha jaana hai jaa. Tujhe kya farak padta hai, yaha kya ho raha hai. Tune toh wahi kiya jo tujhe karna tha."
Dev held his arm before Shiva could turn to leave, "Kya kiya maine?" He asked, and stopped Dhara and Gautam from interfering before they could speak up. "Is marrying the one I love, wrong?" He asked, Rishita behind him, completely clueless. "Aur maine tum sab se kaha tha, ki main Raavi se shaadi nahi karna chahta. Kaha tha?"
"Kaha tha, but shaadi ke ek dinn pehle." Shiva said, shaking his head. "humne sirf Raavi ko bachane ke liye..."
Dev chuckled, stumping everyone and angered Shiva even more, "Tu aur Raavi ko bachana chahta tha?" He shook his head, mocking Shiva, "you did not speak up because you wanted no part of this wedding, because you have always disliked Raavi since our childhood. In fact, it was you who told me that going forward with this wedding was the best thing to do, Raavi ke liye nahi, but for the sake of this family." Shiva fisted his hands, nose flaring in anger because Dev was not lying, "aur Rishita ke saat jo hua, I had no choice but to marry her. I could not leave her when she ran away from her house."
"Aur Raavi ko chod diya?"
"Maine Raavi ko kabhi pakda hi nahi tha, Shiva."
"Tujhe nahi lagta ki tune Raavi ko na batakar galti ki?"
Everyone were watching them, Dhara standing with Rishita who really felt alone there, and Krish crossed his two fingers, hoping there was no fight beyond words. Dev sighed at Shiva's accusation, "of course I am wrong, when did I ever say that I am not?" He rested his hand on Shiva's shoulder, "but am I the only one wrong here?"
"Rehne do Dev," Rishita vouched from behind, this was not how she planned her first day after her honeymoon here. "It is okay."
"No it is not," Dev answered, shaking his head, "Raavi meri bachpan ki dost hai, aur hamesha rahegi, but Rishita meri patni aur tu mera bhai," He cupped Shiva's angry face, "and I want you to be as close to Rishita as we all are towards Dhara bhabhi. Aur rahi baat Raavi ki, toh main saari galti ke liye maafi mangne ke liye taiyaar hu." He informed his brother, "but I do not want to lose you in this mess."
Gautam and Dhara sighed in relief, watching their kids all grown up and Dev once again hugged Shiva, who honestly, felt a lot better than being angry and stupid. He relaxed when Dev hugged him and hugged him back, knowing that he and his family were equally at fault here and not just Dev and it was unfair for him to blame it all on Rishita and Dev.
But even after all this, he was very concerned about Raavi, and really hoped that she was not affected a lot after seeing Dev or Rishita.
However Raavi felt her world collapse when she saw Dev again, all happy and hearty with Rishita, his wife, and all the courage Raavi had been building to live a happy life came crashing down.
_
"Tu Raavi ko lekar ayega?" Dhara asked, as she approached Shiva who was laying on the cot, post lunch. Rishita had made a very distasteful dish which they all had to eat without any protests or complains. Dhara had instructed them to eat whatever she made to keep her smile intact and although Krish was about to spit out the first morsel, Gautam hit his mouth and in, it all went. Shiva did not want to dishearten Rishita more and ate whatever was served and now his stomach was cursing him, "Shiva? Tu sunn raha hai?"
Everyone had left for the fair, Dhara and Gautam were the last ones to leave but Raavi did not answer his calls or texts and he knew that she did not want to go. And now that there was no motive, he lay on the cot, lazing around.
"Nahi bhabhi, mera mann nahi hai. Na usee manane ka, na ghar se nikalne ka."
"Woh jaa rahi hai Shiva," Dhara sat besides on the cot, "aaj bechari ne Dev ko dekh liya toh usse woh sab yaad aagaya hoga, aur tere aalwa woh kisi aur se kaha baat karti hai."
"Toh main kya karu?" Shiva sat back, frustrated, "mujhse abh ye nahi ho raha hai. Jisee jaha jaana, waaha jaaye, jisse rona hai woh roye, jisse shaadi karni hai, woh shaadi kare." Shiva rolled his eyes, laying back on the pillar, "abh Shiva Pandya ko kuch lena dena nahi."
Gautam called Dhara from outside and she sighed, leaving but not before kissing Shiva's hair and caressing his cheek, a subtle sign of her support, no matter what. And as Shiva lay back on his cot, thinking about how he alone in this house for only a few seconds, he already felt bored and lonely. His mind travelled to the girl who probably felt so alone right now, having no one to share anything with. Atleast he had Dhara with him, someone who could understand him as a friend, guide as a sibling, love as a mother, but Raavi had no one.
"Tera toh Somnath main koi nahi hai,"
Shiva felt teary-eyed, thinking about Raavi, she was an orphan and all she wanted from him was a sweet friendship and all he gave her was scars.
"you did not speak up because you wanted no part of this wedding, because you have always disliked Raavi since our childhood. In fact, it was you who told me that going forward with this wedding was the best thing to do, Raavi ke liye nahi, but for the sake of this family"
Shiva hit his hand on the wall, hoping that the pain would take away his emotional scars and screamed aloud.
One truly was a lonely number.
_
"Main rukh jau?"
Raavi shook her head, eyeing at the cake batter, "if you stay, then I'll leave because I really need some alone time."
Anita sighed, hugging Raavi and left with the rest of the family members for the fair and once they were gone, the sound of the rickshaw assuring her, she felt her tear escape her eye. A shiver passed through her back and she felt chilly in the hot summer day and her hands shivered as she mixed the batter.
All these days she had forgotten Dev to a lot extent, thanks to Shiva and his new avatar. He had been coming with these new gimmicks every day and she almost forgot what she had gone through and the second Dev came in front of her, everything flashed back in her mind. The betrayal, the shame, the gossips and murmurs, pitiful looks, the heartbreak and the suicidal attempt of hers.
A tear dropped in the batter, unknown to her and she would have broken down again when someone interrupted her self-pity trance, "Cake namkeen karne kaa irrada hai?" Raavi looked at this finger that dipped into the batter and then at Shiva who licked it. "Acche se mix kar!" He pushed her a little aside, and mixed the batter. "Dekh, cake acche se bana chipkali, warna..."
Raavi looked at him, blurry eyes, and he leaned forward, "rote hue bilkul cute lagti ho," He dipped the finger in the batter and applied it on her nose. "that does not mean you keep crying,"
"Dekh Shiva..."
"Dekh Raavi,"
"Kyu aaya hai yaha?"
"Because we were supposed to go to the fair,"
"I..."
Shiva leaned closer, as Raavi's back hit the counter, "I told you, that was the last time I was ever going to listen to you." His hands on the either side of her, pressing himself on the nervous Raavi who was only lost in his eyes. "Ready ho jaa, jaana hai."
"Shiva,"
"Shhhh,"
Their foreheads touching and Raavi lowered her gaze, hands resting on Shiva's chest, "Tu meri baat nahi sungei?"
She gulped, because if Shiva just took another small step, they were going to do the unspeakable and she did not have the energy to stop it. He wiped her nose with his finger, admiring her from this close.
"Par Shiva..."
"Chup," He said, placing his finger on her lips, her moist lips were looking more kissable than ever.
Should he kiss her? It was just few inches away and then, he lately wanted to know what she tasted like. He tucked her hair, and Raavi gulped at his touch, the heartache she felt just seconds before now seemed unimportant because she was completely losing her sanity, the more she was drowning in his scent. When Shiva saw her shutting her eyes at his touch, he caressed her cheek with his finger, and she clutched his shirt. Leaning in closer, his breath mingling with hers, and his intense touch, swaying the ground off her feet.
He lowered his gaze, eyeing her lips and he now caressed them with his finger, inching closer and closer and tilting his head. Raavi's hands moved up to his neck and Shiva's other hand sneaking behind her waist, and they both decided to finally get ahead of their boundaries and try seeking answers to their untold connection.
Maybe, once, just once, they should forget who they are and who they were and give in.
What harm could come from kissing his Maami ki Behen ki Beti?
A lot harm, his heart answered, a disaster rather.
_
A/N
Don't worry guys, not much chapters remaining, not more of this boring writer lol.
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