T H E   S I L E N T   W A T E R S

S I L E N C E   T H A T   A D O R N S
T H E   H E A R T S

Shivaay held back a groan as he changed the gears——the manual ones——I take it Arjun that it was a gift from your wife but I think it's time you buy a new model. He was tired and it took extra effort whenever he had to change gears. And the tremors in his left hand didn't help at all.

She watched as his face contorted whenever he moved his hands ever so slightly.

"Stop the car." Annika spoke. Shivaay turned to look at her as in to ask if anything's wrong. But he had no energy to voice out his thoughts, the exertion accompanied by the stress that was bestowed upon had started to take over.

He watched as she unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car prompting him to the same as well.

She turned to him and extended her hand.

Shivaay blinked at the extended hand. They were standing right next to Arjun's car. He was surprised when Arjun offered him the car, considering it was his beloved.

"The key." She asked as she extended her hand. He dropped the key in her hand without any question, but he was still staring at her curiously.

She got into the driving seat. He protested.

"It's A-Arjun's car, he will have m-my head of s-something h-happened to it."

She looked at him with narrowed eyes, "Well, I can drive well." She spoke confidently.

"I-I can drive you h-home." He spoke.

She turned to look at him seriously, "Shivaay, you are exhausted. And driving in this condition is recommended." She paused, "Your voice is shaking. Tell me the address. I will drive you home. I can call a cab from there." She spoke.

He nodded and sighed and buckled his seatbelt.

"I have to take the right one?" She asked as she stared at the traffic lights, it was red, and will remain so for two minutes more. When he didn't answer she turned to look at him only to find him sound asleep.

Her eyes fell in his pocket, his phone was on the verge of falling. She adjusted it a bit causing him to stir.

He chuckled slightly causing her to turn to him.

"T-taking advantage of-f your ex-husband in-n sleep." He joked.

She froze, suddenly the comfortable silence of the car turned suffocating. She turned back to the signal. One minute.

"I-I am s-sorry. I-I should——" he spoke when she didn't say anything. "n-n-o-ot men-men-ti-tion-ned it."

Shivaay sighed, he didn't want to disrupt the comfortable silence.

Annika on the other hand stayed frozen, she hadn't told him that the papers were still with her, she never filed them. It was not fair on his side.

She turned to look at him, he turned back to stare outside. She sighed, looking at the signal, thirty three seconds more to the green.

"Right turn or left?" She asked looking ahead at the divergence.

"R-right." He spoke quietly, his voice faint and shaky.

The silence in the car was suffocating her, he didn't fall asleep instead now he was just staring outside in wonder.

"Why do you choose such a long route to your house?" She asked after a while, hoping to diffuse the silence.

She wanted to ask something else, but she knew he would get agitated had she mentioned about the past, so she went easy on the questions. They had lost that right over each other.

Shivaay looked at her, I don't know the reason, or maybe I do, I just don't want to admit it. "N-no reason." She winced when his voice cracked, the silence was better.

Shivaay winced as his voice cracked, the dull ache in his throat had kept him conscious preventing him from falling asleep or giving into the exhaustion.

He turned to look at her, she was focused on the roads. Feeling his eyes she turned to look at him, "Am I going the wrong way?" She asked. He shook his head.

He opened his mouth to say something, she could see that in her peripheral vision.

"Don't speak, Shivaay, I can hear the pain—" she trailed off.

Shivaay's lips quirked up in a wry smile. Pain. A beautiful thing, he thought. The most truthful emotion that no one could fake, he had grown used to that feeling.

"It's f-fi-fine." He spoke.

"Shivaay please..." She spoke as she turned to look at him. Her eyes were filled with worry. She turned back to the road quickly, not maintaining the eye contact longer than a few seconds.

He looked at her, the dress. A soft smile took over his features, she looked like a dream. He had bought it the moment the collection was revealed to him, the designer was quite hesitant but he had agreed when he paid him extra.

His first thought was her.

"A-an-annika." He spoke. And her hands tightened around the steering wheel. This was the first time he had spoken her name.

There was a hint of smile on his face when she turned to face him.

He was looking at his fingers, the tremors in his right hand weren't as prominent as in the left one.

"Yes?" She asked hesitantly.

"W-what h-hap-pp-pen-n-ned, in all t-tho-o-s-se years?" He asked. There was a sharp inhale from her side and she didn't say anything, she didn't know how to.

"Shivaay, please. Why are you trying to speak when it's hurting you?" She asked as she turned to look at him.

Why aren't you answering when I knowingly speak so that I could hear you talk? He thought as he looked at her, but this time she couldn't see any expression on his face.

Were they at truce?

She looked at the forlorn expression on his face and sighed.

"I had gone back to what I used to do." She spoke and he turned to face her. She didn't know why she was answering the question but she couldn't ignore the expression on his face. "After I moved out of the Oberoi Mansion." She spoke.

You didn't use the assets that I transferred to your name. Shivaay thought, he knew it but he had hoped she would. But she had managed well on her own.

"S-sa-hil?" He asked hesitantly.

A small smile took over her features.

"He is fine, his health, he has taken up a keenness to science in recent years." She spoke with a chuckle. Shivaay smiled at that.

She would have asked about him as well, but she didn't want him to strain himself even more.

"L-left." Shivaay spoke and she nodded turning the steering and the gears. She sighed. This was going to be a long night for them.

<>

Om looked ahead at the road as he drove the car silently.

Rudra and Gauri were sitting quietly. He turned to his side to look at his wife who was staring ahead at the road with a blank expression on her face.

"O..." He heard Rudra's voice and he looked into the rear view mirror.

"Yes?" He asked.

"We are missing out on something major." He spoke and Gauri stiffened, she wondered if she should mention the prescription and Saumya's behaviour at all?

Not now, maybe some time later, there was no point of mentioning though, the one who should know about them already knew for as far she could know.

"He is sick or injured." Rudra muttered to himself. Om didn't say anything but she could see the frown lines forming on his face.

I hope you see the fact without placing it in the categories of truth and lies. They are subjective terms, people perceive them as how they want to. Gauri thought as she looked at Omkara.

"He is angry at us." Rudra spoke up and Om sighed.

"He has the right to be." Om muttered to himself.

He didn't know why he was the one feeling guilty when he had done what he felt right at the moment but what he saw tonight——he shook his head——its just sympathy and nothing else——and regret for his sister, that's all.

Rudra on the other hand was overwhelmed, he didn't know what he should feel or perceive. He had always been vulnerable whenever it came to Shivaay's health but in the past years——he thought that side didn't exist anymore until now, when he saw the blood——Rudra shuddered.

He was coughing blood——because of speaking? And judging by Priyanka's reaction, this was not happening for the first time.

Fear had engraved ever since he had heard Priyanka utter those words.

"Your sister nearly died——but where were you?——Your brother came back after grazing the death——but where were you?"

"You. Weren't. There."

That's the truth.

He wasn't there.

Om wasn't there.

Whatever they had faced, they had faced it alone.

He and Om failed in their duties. Terribly.

I'm sorry, Prinku.

I'm sorry——Shivaay bhaiya.

He closed his eyes and wiped away the silent tears that escaped.

<>

Shivaay watched as the guards opened the gates for the car once they reached the manor's premises.

"L-leave the car here. They w-will take care of it."

Annika nodded as she stepped out of the car. Shivaay took a moment before he stepped out.

Fuck. He thought, his vision darkened momentarily. He felt a firm hand on his arm.

"Bhaiya." He heard Priyanka's voice, she was standing at the door. She walked over to them and took his side and Annika backed away. She looked at her curiously.

"Come inside." Priyanka spoke out after she caught Shivaay's eyes. Annika turned to look at her in confusion.

"It's late. R-rest here for tonight. You can leave t-tomorrow morning." He spoke slowly, leaning onto Priyanka who whined at the sudden weight on her side.

"I——"

"It's fine, Annika. Come." Priyanka spoke as she beckoned her over.

Annika looked at Shivaay who was looking at her with an unreadable expression before he nodded.

"Alright." She spoke unsure.

She entered the manor, following Shivaay and Priyanka.

Shivaay collapsed on the couch as soon as he entered the hall and sighed. He unbuttoned the top buttons and sighed in relief, he was feeling suffocated.

Annika averted her gaze as her eyes saw the scar. She couldn't see it.

Khanna handed him a glass of cold water and one to her as well.

"Come, I will show you your room." Priyanka spoke, Shivaay didn't turn to look at them.

He was looked lost in his own thoughts as he drank the water.

He got up and walked over to his own room and changed into something comfortable. He sat on the bed, contemplating over today's turns of events.

How did the man or anyone who was responsible for all this mishap got in the first place? And even the surveillance area, he knew someone had to do something with the security, because there is not other way that all the camera activity of a place would fail without any reason, when he had checked them in the evening itself——

He tried to concentrate more but he wasn't able to.

His eyelids drooped and he found himself submitting to the dark embrace of the exhaustion that awaited him.

<>

"Bhaiya, had brought that dress for you the moment he saw that." Priyanka spoke as she rummaged through the cupboard and handed her the clothes.

"Two years ago." She added.

Annika's eyes widened slightly at the statement. She looked at the dress that she had been wearing, he bought it for me?

"He didn't say anything but I knew." Priyanka spoke.

"These are new." Annika took the clothes that Priyanka handed her.

"Goodnight." And Priyanka smiled slightly before turning back to the door after repeating the words.

Annika sat on the bed with a sigh.

What happened today?

Well, there was nothing in this chapter. Consider it as a filler.