Year: 2016.

Description: Before the reboot.

It was a normal day, Shivaay moved into Anika's place when he felt his neighbours weren't feeling comfortable with his living in that apartment, but they never ask him to leave. Shivaay made a call and moved out. Anika came to know about it and insist to stay a little longer when he started to search for a new house. Shivaay took the guest's room.

They both didn't talk much about his confession on having feelings over them, because he knew even, he expresses his feeling, nothing will change, and Anika didn't want to trouble him by asking anything. For her everything was clear, Even the words didn't slip from his mouth, his eyes couldn't hide the feelings which he's having for her. She could sense his feeling in everything. His normal touch became too intense, and his eyes always search for her, the shine in his eye when he finds her, every little thing said clearly, He is in love with her, but he couldn't confess, and She knew the reason.

It was the third day since Shivaay started to live in her house. The Alarm broke her sleep. Even though it had been only three days, Anika became an addict to his coffee. She didn't find him either in his room or kitchen. But an Audi was parked in her parking lot. She peeped through the window. It was his father, having a conversation with him. There was no sort of emotions in his father's face.

She went out while wrapping the dupatta around her and her father stopped talking when he saw her, even though they had a heated conversation, Anika didn't lose her patience.

"Hi, uncle... Why can't you come inside?" - Anika asked with a smile.

"No, Dear... You already doing us many charities... I don't want to trouble you further" - He said in a flow with a fake smile looking at shivaay, Anika was just stagnated by his words which slid her heart in a second. Before she could say anything, He left the place already.

"Shiv..." - She stopped abruptly when Shivaay went without leaving her anything to speak. He was too frustrated, whatever he picks, it didn't work. Anika didn't do anything but looked at him. She was sure, His father would have slipped something and that was the outcome of everything.

"I am leaving, Ani..." - It was his first words in the morning without looking at her face to face. He looked anxious.

"Where?" - Anika asked him calmly.

"Wherever! But away from these people..." - Shivaay spilt out of anger.

"Okay, But one condition..." - She said while pulling his left hand and made him look at her. It was too intense for Shivaay. Shivaay could sense the same emotion, the same hurt and the same anger in her face. But she stayed calm and composed.

"Wherever you go, Book for two... Because you're not going anywhere alone, I am going with you" - She said in a confirmed tone and her palms cupping his face which turned down after hearing those words. But she pulled up his face and made him look at her.

"Your father said, I am doing charity for you... Now, look at me and say, do you think the same about me?" - Anika asked him while moving close to him, His eyes were welled up like her eyes. But they didn't let it out. He stayed silent.

"You stayed silent for many things. For that, I let it go, But not this... You have to confess about it... Whether you're thinking like him?" - She asked in an inflexible tone.

"No..." - He finally said. She got relieved.

"Then what's bothering you to defend me. Why did you listen to his words silently?" - She asked.

"Because I am not worth it, Ani..." - He jerked off from her grip, The tears which stagnated inside his eyes escaped.

"Because I know, even though I wish, nothing will happen... Then too, I can't stop myself, everything about you is making me fall for you, and it happened, I had no control over it" - He shouted at her out of patience. Even though it was a helpless moment for him, She wanted to freeze that moment and live in it forever.

"Shall I speak?" - She asked him when he turned back to his room after confessing everything unknowingly.

"You asked me many times, that how come I was been in love and not in a relationship. I either diverted you or stayed silent for this question, but never answered..." - Anika started, His legs stopped moving and listened to her, even he had no idea where it leads to.

"You know before 9 years, everything was different, I was not the girl whom you know now, but someone who had millions of things going inside the heart but never dared to confess anything. It sounds crazy now, But I was immensely in love with someone who didn't even know I exist over then..."  - She started, Mere recalling those helpless situations, Tears crossed her eyes. He stayed at the same place and listened to her. 

"I was scared, I was insecure, I was weak... But the love for him remained constant and strong even though it started to choke me and made me difficult to breathe. And soon after getting into college, I thought it was nothing but a phrase, and thought it was nothing but an attraction that tends to happen in that age. But I was wrong. In these 9 years, it neither went away from me nor disturbed me but grew stronger than I ever expect... I still can't recognize when he became a part of me. When his problems became mine. When his dream became mine. And when his happiness became mine. I still no idea about it and I have no control over it. Even he's there or not, the love I have in my heart either bring him to me or It will take me to him..." - She said, her words were trailing off, but she didn't stop saying it which she had in her heart. Shivaay who heard it in the other hand was shocked. He didn't want him to be that person who missed the fairy in his life. He didn't want to be that person who unnoticed her like an idiot. Even though his heart wanted to run away from the situation, He stayed. 

"I can't live without you, Shivaay..." She cried at her heart out "I can't imagine my life without you, now. I don't know when it happened, but this feeling which I have for you, might kill me inside, but never die... Please don't leave me..." Her legs gave up. His heart stopped beating for a while, The fresh tears escaped, He was helpless to figure out whether it was tears of happiness or tears of helplessness. But it was the tears of in-between of feelings. But he never failed to reach out to her when she felt helpless. 

"Please don't go or take me with you... I don't want anything, But you... Only you..." - She whispered when he cupped her face and tried to wipe off her tears. 

"Ani, Listen to me..."  - He held her chin and made her look at him. Her eyes locked with his eyes. 

"I love you too... That's why I am saying this... Because this heart knew, you deserve the best, not me... I am not the person who's perfect for you... It will never work, Ani... I wish a beautiful happily-ever-after life for you, Which I never capable of" - He tried to convince her.  

"Even a day with you equals dozens of happily forever... My mom said, one day, my prince eric will knock on the door for his princess Ariel... I am seeing you as my Prince Eric... Please, do accept your princess Ariel's wish... I just need your presence, Nothing else..."  - She cried. The tears escaped unconditionally from her eyes. Their forehead kissed. 

"Ani... I am HIV Positive..." - He whispered. 

"I am just expecting your presence, Mere presence in my life, Nothing else..." - She whispered back. 

"Ani... You're not understanding, my heart not even letting me to kiss you, your safety, your health is what I care about the most, now. Anything might happen because of this relationship, it can even destroy you, I want you to live..." -  He tried to convince her, but she wasn't ready to get convinced by him. If his love is 6 months old, her love is 20 years older. She kissed him. Even he didn't respond. He felt her. Tears rushed out from his eyes. 

"Please Ani... Don't..." - He whispered after pulling him back, His eyes were closed, He felt the bleeding in his heart, feeling the intensity. But she pulled him back and kissed again. This time he busted to cry, not for failing in the attempt of convincing her but for his inability. She felt it all over her heart and hugged him in an instant. He hugged her tightly and buried his head in her shoulder. He got convinced, whatever happens, she will never let him suffer alone. 

"You're not my Princess Ariel... But My fairy who granted me life in an unexpected moment..." - He whispered in her ears after a long pause. 

"But You're my Prince Eric, even it's for a few days, Let's live forever..." - She whispered back. He hugged her even tighter in the form of saying yes. 

******

 Shivaay woke up in a jerk when that phrase of his life appeared back in his dream. There were tears in the corner of his eyes, He had no idea when he slept while reading. He saw a clock that ticked 8 in the morning. He felt very weird and different. He found the reason when he saw the text message from Bhavya's phone number that her mother passed away that morning. He couldn't be able to hear anything, everything was blank and helpless. But when Anika's face crossed his mind, He stood up from his place and got ready to leave.

Om read it from his face when he stepped down in a hurry. Om decided to accompany him even though he didn't ask for it. Om started the ignition in his motorbike and Shivaay sat behind him. The bike stopped in front of Anika's house. The people started to arrive in their white attire, Om understood. Even though om met Anika's mom once, Tears crossed his eyes when he witnessed her smiling face in his memory. Om held Shivaay's shoulder when he felt he was in an awfully bad state. 

They went inside, Anika was standing in her white salwar kameez standing while holding the wall as a support and Bhavya was nearer to her mom's body which was covered in red cloth. And her dad was nowhere. Bhavya's weeping was heard but Anika's didn't. Her gaze didn't leave her mom. When some of her family members brought her close to her mom, she stepped back. 

"Bhai..." - Om held his shoulder. Nodding to him, He moved towards her while wiping off the tears from his eyes. He reached her and stood next to her. Even though she felt him next to her, she didn't move her gaze from her mom. He held her palms which was supporting the wall. 

"Cry out, Ani... Please, for my sake" - He whispered. 

His words tempted her to move her gaze from her mom. Her eyelids met with him, the fresh tears formed in her eyes looking at him, her lips trembled. She held his hands tightly. He held her back tightly. Over then, when one of her relatives asked her way to the kitchen but Anika volunteered and went inside the kitchen. Shivaay followed her. 

She tried to focus on the things when her relative asked her to do but she couldn't focus, everything fell out of her hand. But Shivaay picked it and helped her. She stopped doing when Shivaay took control. She stayed silent. 

"Where should I keep this?" - Shivaay asked her. Anika pointed her finger towards the counter table, and he kept those utensils there. She didn't say anything but held his right palm tightly and cried. Tears crossed his eyes when she lost her balance and thudded down on the floor. He sat next to her, and they were hiding from everyone behind the kitchen counter. He stayed with her when she was silent, He stayed with her when she was cried silently, and he side-hugged her when she cried bitterly, even though her weeping's killed him, he was peaceful with the fact that he didn't let her go through it alone.  

"Why?" - She asked him in-between her weeping's. 

"Shh..." - He consoled her and rubbed her shoulders. She was resting in his chest and her eyes were closed. She was too broke, But not hopeless like before. 

"Sorry..." - She whispered. 

"I understand..." - He whispered back and kissed her head. She held his hands and let all her emotions out. It was a difficult phase in her life, but now, she had the hope that she will come over it. 

************