YEAR: 2019.

It was not a good start for shivaay, But it was a fair one. His Badi maa called him once in a week and eventually, it became once in two weeks. Soon, Like others, she left him with no touch. It didn't affect him much as anika was there with him in his every step. Whenever he looks at her bright and smiling face, He literally forgets about his miseries and smiles along with her. 

During these days, Anika helped him with everything, From setting his house to trying some new experiments in the kitchen. Even though everything went in vain, He smilingly corrected her every mistake and made it perfect. In these past few months, Anika was with shivaay during the day times, But she returned back during the night and stayed connected with him through the phone.  Even though they stayed with each other for hours, They mind the gap between them. Neither shivaay nor Anika tried to cross the limits.

But when he recognized that anika's parents weren't comfortable with anika's behaviour. He visited their home and told them that he was hell serious about their relationship. When her father took a topic of their engagement, He agreed to it, wholeheartedly. Anika's father gained confidence but it became very difficult to convince her mom, Who got convinced eventually. But she still had the gut-feeling. 

Both Anika and shivaay got engaged in a simple ceremony by only changing the rings. The feel of loneliness hit him from all the direction when there was none from his side during the engagement but the one sparky smile from anika eradicated his feel completely leaving no trace. She was wearing a baby pink colour salwar suit and he was in his formals and only her parents, sister and her brother were there and no other outside person. They exchanged the rings. But there was no smile in his face which made anika too suspicious. When Anika's mom asked him to keep vermillion on her forehead as a part of their ritual. Shivaay stuck at the same place as the same situation ran inside his head in a blurred version. But he could see Anika in a Bengali attire in front of his eyes. By ignoring all those reflections, He kept the vermillion in her forehead. 

"Are you thinking about something?" - Anika asked him when he saw him immersed in his thought standing in the balcony staring the stars. 

"Nothing... Just thinking, Life is too unpredictable" - He said without even looking at her. 

"Why? You are having second thoughts?" - Anika asked him. He chuckled in an instant and his depressed mood went nowhere. 

"What if i say yes... I do have second thoughts..." - he asked her in a playful tone. 

"I will never think for a second on pushing you from this balcony" - She said in a fake daring tone. 

"I will happily die in your hands..." - He said, Anika's words stuck inside his mouth.

"I am feeling like this engagement, Keeping the vermillion in your forehead, Happening again, Twice..." - He said while looking at the stars. 

"doesn't it happened in our last birth?" - Anika chuckled playfully. She had no track in her words. But those words never failed to reach his heart and silent him. 

"Anika... great bear star constellation..." - Shivaay raised his voice while pointing his towards the star formation in the sky.

"You mean Saptharishi..." - Anika said.

"Yeah, In Hindu mythology..." - Shivaay said and looked at them without blinking his eyes. He jerked in shock when something sparked in his forearm.  He was shocked by the new symbol which was sparkling in golden colour in his forearm. 

"Anika..." - He exclaimed in shock while forwarding his forearm to her. 

"What happened?" - Anika stared, But she couldn't able to see the sparkling symbol in his forearm the only shivaay could able to see it. It was only visible for shivaay.

{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}

YEAR: 2023.

Anika wasn't fully awake during her journey, she opted to sleep throughout the whole journey. Khushi didn't wake her up as she could sense her condition. She knew everything whatever happened to her. So she guesses, Even though she denies, It will be very difficult for her step-in to the city again. Making some excuses, Khushi accompanied her. Khushi had no idea, Why she's feeling so connected to her. 

"Hey Ani, We are about to land, Wake up..." - Khushi asked her while caressing her hair. She opened her eyes in an instant when the sun rays hit her face peeping through the window. She couldn't control her yearnings when she breathed the cold air which remained her the happiest moment in life. Before four years, Everything was perfect, Perfect life, Perfect career, Perfect him around her. But now, Even though having Perfect Career, She felt incomplete. She took her bags moved towards the entrance. 

"Shilton Royale..." Khushi posted her location in the portal and prepaid the amount using her phone. The cab came in a few minutes. Anika and Khushi got inside. Throughout the journey, Anika stayed silent but Khushi couldn't see her like that.

"Thankgod, In these three years, the Government did something on global warming and climate change... Because of that, Everything seems perfect..."- Khushi started. 

"Really Government..."- Anika broke the silence and smile sarcastically. 

"It was us... we did everything... Everything became perfect because we didn't depend on anyone for our problems and we did it on our own... Everything we are seeing, Everything we are sensing is the outcome of the people's hard work" - Anika said. 

"You know anika, every time, It works... Political talks are the best diverting topic for you" - Khushi laughed at her. Anika stayed silent but her lips stayed in a widened state. but her eyes didn't convey the smile like her lips. 

"Hey, Come on... Be cool..." - Khushi said. 

"You know, Love is a never-ending dream, Once we wake up from that dream, it still has the intensity to turn the reality into a living nightmare" - Words escaped from Anika's mouth when their cab crossed A.N IT City. Khushi immediately held her hand and smiled at her. 

"If you ask you something, you don't say 'no', Right?" - Anika asked Khushi, She nodded. 

"I want to meet Arushi..." - Anika said. Khushi still didn't get, Why she's caring so much for Arushi. But she couldn't say no to her request now, That too When she's too weak, mentally. Khushi couldn't able to say no, Looking at her welled up eyes. 

Khushi took her phone and called Avinash, Immediately upto her surprise. 

"hi, Avinash" - Khushi answered making her heart stone. 

"Well, I am in Bangalore, Right now, came with my friend for some work..." - Khushi responded. 

"Yeah, I am in Bangalore... The thing is i want to meet Aru di... will you send me the hospital address?" - Khushi said in a cold tone. 

"No need to pick me up... Just send me the address, Possible..."  - She said and he responded which was not audible from anika's hand. At last, her phone beeped with his message and Khushi updated to drop location from the hotel to the hospital. A wide real smile appeared in her face. 

"We are having just one hour, He said he will be reaching the hospital in one hour after the meeting... Before that, we should leave that place... And i really don't want to see his face at any cost..." - Khushi said in a daring tone. 

"Only you're sounding so... But your heart is saying something else..." - Anika said. 

"When you became psychist from journalist..." - Khushi asked. She chuckled.

"Bhaiya... Go to lifeline hospital..."  - Khushi informed the driver while glaring anika. 

Within a few minutes, they reached the hospitals, Instead of rushing inside, Anika went to the supermarket next to the hospital, bought dark chocolates and came outside.

"What's this?" - Khushi asked her. 

"Dark chocolates for Arushi..." - Anika said with a smile. 

"Arushi nair..." - Khushi asked the receptionist. When they asked about them, She told her identity and upto her surprise, Avi added Khushi's name to the visitor list within a fraction of second. They went inside. 

For a while, They waited outside according to the doctor's advice as they were treating her. And there were nobody around. she peeped inside the ward through the transparent glass. Her palm automatically came towards her heart when she saw her laying unconsciously and veins were connected to saline bottles. Anika couldn't wait for a while when the doctor finally went. She rushed towards her, Khushi had no idea but let her do whatever she wants. 

Looking at her dull and restless face, Anika couldn't control her tears. Without even her knowledge, She moved towards her. The feel she felt was couldn't be taken in words. She was happy as well as sad at the same time. But the happiness she felt after seeing her face dominated everything. She was smiling and crying at the same time. In that process, She couldn't stop herself from kissing her forehead. No words came from her mouth. She came here to have a conversation with her but she couldn't make it. 

But she couldn't leave the place without telling anything, She took the letter pad from her bag and started to write, Whatever she had in her heart and kept the dark chocolates above the letter in the table. Before she could leave, She heard shoe steps from the doorstep which raced heartbeat so faster. She couldn't explain the feeling. When the shoe steps stopped. Anika turned around to the doorstep and saw jahaan in the doorstep. 

Her heart saying something to her, But her brain refused to believe any truthless fact. With a confused face, Jahaan stepped towards her. Anika started to move backwards looking at her. In one point, Anika feet got slipped and she fell in the floor in the very next second. Jahaan and Khushi rushed to her side and helped her to stand up. She didn't know, What connection she had with her but when she saw her, Her heart quickly connected with her bright and face. 

"I'm fine..." - Anika spelt when Jahaan bends toward her feet and wiped the dust from her knee. Jahaan smiled and stood up. Both Khushi and Anika were delighted to see her behaviour. she grouped her hands and gestured her whether she's alright or not. 

"I am alright..." - Anika said while pinching her cheeks with smiley lips and welled up eyes. Jahaan's face turned down when she saw the tears from her eyes. Anika couldn't resist herself from taking Jahaan in her arms. Even Jahaan didn't resist when she took her in her arms. 

"I am not crying something went into my eyes..." - Anika gave an explanation. Jahaan smiled in a very next second. 

Jahaan looked at Arushi and then looked at anika, "I am her friend..." - Anika gave an explanation to her. Then her eyes went to the chocolates which she bought for arushi. Both Khushi and Anika smiled at her antics. 

"Want chocolates?" - Anika asked her. she nodded smilingly. Anika quickly took the bag and gave the milk chocolates which she bought for herself. Without any hesitations, Jahaan took it from her hand and passed a very vibrant smile to her. Anika couldn't stop herself from kissing her cheeks. But when jahaan saw Gauri at the doorstep who was shocked, she nudged anika. 

"Avinash's bua..." - Khushi whispered to Anika who couldn't take her eyes off from her, she couldn't gather the reason in her mind. 

"Hi..." - Gauri greeted them with a smile. Khushi introduced themselves and Jahaan was still in anika's arms. 

"Gauri..." - Gauri forwarded her hand to anika who stuck in her eyes for the last few seconds. 

"Anika... Anika Sheshadri..." - Anika forwarded her hand and shook it with her without breaking the eye contact. Where Gauri shaking her hands with her sensed all the happenings in life from her birth. Everything went like a spark and she also understood, Anika didn't regain any of her past. 

"Khushi... Right?" - Gauri asked her with a wide smile. 

"Yes, We came here to see Arushi... Tell her we came here..." - Khushi said and rushed Anika. 

"Yeah, You're having a meeting within an hour, Right..." - Gauri added the information without her knowledge. 

"How do you know i am having a meeting in an hour?" - Anika asked Gauri suspiciously. Gauri didn't reply anything to her. 

"Ani... we are getting late..." - Khushi called her. But Jahaan clutched her shoulder strongly when she has sensed her that anika going to leave soon. Even Anika wanted to stick around with both Arushi and Jahaan. Anika felt her Yearning takes shape in the form of Arushi and Jahaan But when Gauri widened her arms for Jahaan, she went towards her. but she didn't leave anika's hand. 

"Jahaan... Let her go, Dear..." - Gauri asked her. 

"Jahaan..." - Anika exclaimed hearing her name. 

"Nice name..." - Anika said while kissing her palms. Tears escaped from her eyes without her knowledge. Jahaan wiped her tears. Anika immediately chuckled. Khushi, who was standing there, could understand her pain. But she didn't feel the special connection. 

"Okay, I am leaving...Bye..." - Anika finally got herself back and waved her hand. But Jahaan wasn't ready to leave her hand. Jahaan felt connected to her but she couldn't say anything through her words. Making her heart stone, She stepped outside, leaving her hand with half-hearted. But the tears in her eyes didn't take the name of fading away. Not only her heart, Seeing her in that condition, Even shivaay's heart broken into pieces. Not only Gauri, Shivaay saw the whole scene but refused to come before her.

He never thought, The things will turn out like this, But it was the ultimate truth, That he was responsible for everything. 

{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}*{*}

PRECAP: Avinash found shivaay Singh Oberoi residence in Bangalore. 

Anika's back to back interrogations on vanaka's in the core team meeting. 

Arushi read the letter written by Anika.