Chapter 31 - Kidnapped!

Bhavya was standing in the balcony looking at the concrete jungle of Mumbai. She was lost in her thoughts and looked tensed.

Annika arrived in the balcony and saw her sister's tensed face. She walked upto her sister and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Kya hua, bhavu ?" ("What's wrong Bhavu ?") Annika asked softly.

"Kuch nahi di." ("Nothing sis.") Bhavya feigned a smile.

"Ab mujhse chhupayegi ?" ("Won't you share your thoughts with me ?") Annika frowned.

Bhavya sighed, knowing very well that Annika won't stop asking unless she tells her what she has on her mind.

"Mein Harshad ke baare mein soch rahi thi." ("I was thinking about Harshad.") Bhavya confessed with a clenched jaw. "Kitna ghatiya insaan hai woh, hume kitna pareshan kiya usne, ussi ki wajah se hume Delhi se Mumbai aana pada." ("How rubbish of a person he is, he tortured us a lot, we had to leave Delhi and come to Mumbai cause of him.")

Annika nodded with pursued lips. "Ghatiya toh woh hai. Ek number ka sadiyal insaan hai woh." ("He is a rubbish person. He's the most disgusting person ever.") Annika cursed him.

"Di, kahi woh yaha bhi humare picche aa gaya toh ?" ("Di, what if he came here in search of us ?") Bhavya wondered in worry.

"Tu chinta mat kar, mein hu na. Mein uss Harshad ki band baja dungi, aur fir yeh uska area thodi hi na hai ki woh yaha uski manmani karega." ("Don't you worry, I'll handle it. I'll teach that Harshad a good lesson, and anyway this is not his area to do what he please.") Annika assured.

Bhavya nodded.

"Ab tu yeh sab chinta chhod aur jaa jake documents collect kar, kal admission lene jana hai na University mein ?" ("You leave all this and go and collect your documents, you've to go to the university tomorrow for admission, right ?") Annika smiled.

"Yes di." Bhavya smiled back at her elder sister and was about to go from there but then she remembered something and came back to Annika. "Waise di, Shivaay Singh Oberoi ka aur apka kya scene ?" ("By the way di, what's the scene between you and Shivaay Singh Oberoi ?")

Annika gave Bhavya a bored look while Bhavya had a teasing face on.

"Action scene hai." ("It's action scene.") Annika deadpanned.

"Matlab ?" ("What do you mean ?") Bhavya pushed.

"Matlab...woh Shivaay Singh Oberoi ek number ka akdu, adiyal, ghamandi, tadibaaz, kanji aankhon wala bagad billa hai." ("What I mean is...That Shivaay Singh Oberoi is one arrogant, rude, egoistic, blue eyed wild cat.") She said in one breath with a grumpy face.

"Woah di, 3 dino mein bahut kuch jaan chuki ho aap unke baare mein." ("Woah di, you know a lot about him.") Bhavya remarked with a smirk.

"Nafrat, bhavu, nafrat. Nafrat jo karti hu ussey mein itni." ("Hate is to be blamed. I hate him a lot so I know everything about him too.") Annika glared at nothing in particular as she recalled her encounters with Shivaay.

"Waise di, you know right ki ek hadh ke baad nafrat pyaar mein badal jati hai ?" ("You know right that hate turns into love after a limit ?") Bhavya asked softly.

Annika scoffed.

"Mein aur uss Shivaay Singh Oberoi se pyaar ? Impossible !" ("Me falling in love with Shivaay Singh Oberoi ? Impossible !") She gritted. "Uss Shivaay se pyaar karne se accha toh mein kisi tabele mein jaake rahu." ("I'll better live in a barn than falling in love with Shivaay.")

"Kyu ? Kya woh aapke type ke nahi hai ?" ("Why ? Is he not your type ?") Bhavya asked. "Kitne handsome toh hai aur unhone apko girne se bhi bachaya." ("He's so handsome and he also saved you from falling.")

"Handsome aur woh bagad billa ? Teri aankhon mein problem hua hai kya ?" ("You found that blue eyed wild cat handsome ? Is your eyesight intact ?") Annika grimaced. "Aur mere type ka toh woh bilkul bhi nahi hai." ("And he's definitely not my type.")

"Apka type kya hai waise ?" ("What's your type then ?") Bhavya raised an eyebrow.

"Mera type ?" ("My type ?") Annika wondered. "Mujhe aise bande pasand hai jo apne pariwar ko sar aankhon pe rakhte ho, jinke liye paison se badhkar kisi ki zindagi ho, jo khud pe musibat lele magar apne bhai, behno pr aanch na aane de, jo apne se badho ki izzat kare, jo ek ladki ki izzat kare, jo ladkiyo ko apne se nicha na maane, unhe equal darja de. Ladka bhale hi dikhne mein average hoga toh chalega, magar woh dil se ekdam 24 carat khara sona hona chahiye." ("I like the guys who respect and love their families the most, ones who value life more than money, ones who'll fight every odd and keep their brothers sisters safe, ones who respect their elders, ones who respect woman, ones who don't see down upon woman and who treats woman equally. The guy may have average looks, it's fine, but he should have a golden heart.")

"Hmm." Bhavya hummed. "In short, apko 90s ki filmo wala hero chahiye." ("In short, you want a hero from 90s films.")

Before Annika could say anything, her phone went off and she went to receive the call.

"Jo kuch bhi keh lo di, mujhe lagta hai ki apke 90s ke hero Shivaay Singh Oberoi hi hai." ("Say whatever you want di, I firmly believe that Shivaay Singh Oberoi is the one for you.") Bhavya said to herself with a smile.

♠

Shivaay was in his room doing something on his laptop when someone knocked on his bedroom door.

"Come in." Shivaay yelled and looked up to see Aryan standing in the door frame. "Arey Arry, tum kabse knock karke aane lage ?" ("Arry, since when did you started knocking ?")

Aryan smiled and came inside. "Ek bar shadi karlo kid, tumhe bhi knock karne ki adat lag hi jayegi." ("Get married once kid, you'll start knocking before entering others room too.") He chuckled.

Shivaay chuckled along.

Aryan leaned closer and said in a comparatively lower voice, "Pata hai, meri biwi, biwi kum aur school teacher jyada hai. Jab dekho tab mujhe habits aur manners pe lecture deti rehti hai." ("Tell you what, my wife, is less of a wife and more of a school teacher. She always lectures me on habits and manners.")

Shivaay laughed at his friend's comment.

"She's making you a civilized human, I see." Shivaay joked.

Aryan frowned.

"Ek din tumhari biwi aayegi na, tab mein tumse puchunga ki 'civilized human' banke kaisa lag raha hai." ("When your wife comes, I'll ask you too, how you're feeling by being a 'civilized human'.") Aryan gave Shivaay a sarcastic smile.

Shivaay raised his hands up in defense.

"Accha sunn, tyyar ho ja, chal bahar chalte hai." ("Ok listen, get ready. Let's go out.") Aryan said suddenly and stood up.

He pulled Shivaay on his feet too and pushed him towards the walk-in closet.

"Lekin jana kaha hai, itni raat gaye ?" ("But where are we going at this hour of the night ?") Shivaay asked.

"Wahi, humari purani chill out site. Hill Top." ("The same old chill out site of ours. Hill Top.") Aryan grinned.

"Oh, ok." Shivaay smiled. "Tu 2 minute ruk mein 10 minute mein aaya." ("Wait for 2 minutes, I'll come in 10.") Shivaay jogged inside his walk-in closet and shut the door behind him to change the clothes.

"Oye jaldi aa, tu meri biwi nahi hai jo mein tera itni der wait karunga." ("Hey be quick, you ain't my wife that I'll wait for you for long.") Aryan yelled after Shivaay and sat on Shivaay's bed.

♦

Annika got ready and took her handbag, she was about to exit her house when Bhavya stopped her.

"Di, aap itni raat gaye kaha jaa rahi hai ?" ("Di, where are you going at this hour of the night ?") Bhavya yawned.

Annika turned to Bhavya excitedly. "Mujhe abhi abhi mere informer ka call aaya tha. SSO aur uska woh friend abhi itni raat gaye kahi jaa rahe hai, aaj mein usey range hath paka lungi." ("I just received a call from my informer, he told me that SSO and his friend is going out right now, I'll catch that SSO red handed today.")

"SSO ?" Bhavya was confused.

"Shivaay Singh Oberoi." Annika said in a duh tone.

"Oh." Bhavya said casually before adding with amusement. "Ek minute ! Aapne unke piche informers lagaye hai ?" ("Hold on ! You've sent an informer behind Shivaay ?")

Annika nodded.

"Aj mein uss SSO ko drug deal karte hue range hath pakad lungi. Yeh dekh, meine camera bhi liya hai sath mein." ("Today I'll catch SSO red handed while he deals with drug. See, I've also got my camera.") Annika showed her DSLR.

"Di, yeh pagalpan hai. Itni raat apka bahar jana safe nahi hai." ("Di, this is idiotism. It's not safe for you to go out at this hour.") Bhavya spoke her mind. "Chalo mere sath aur so jao." ("Come with me and go to sleep.")

"Tu jaa." ("You go.") Annika said stubbornly. "Mein SSO ke khilaf saboot dhund kar hi rahungi." ("I won't stay put until I get proofs against SSO.")

"Di, mujhe nahi lagta ki SSO aise galat kaam karte honge. Jarur apko galat fehmi hui hai." ("I don't think SSO does any illegitimate work. I'm sure you've developed some misunderstanding.") Bhavya tried to convince her sister.

"Bhavu, tu chhoti hai tujhe nahi samjh mein aati kuch cheeze. Tu jaa, so jaa, mujhe mera kaam karne de." ("Bhavu, you're innocent you don't get all these things. You go to sleep, let me do my work.") Annika replied and left.

Annika followed Aryan and Shivaay and reached the hill top. She hid herself behind one of the trees and kept an eye on them both.

She was able to see them but she wasn't able to hear what they were saying.

"Yeh dono jarur kisi ka wait kar rahe hai. Jarur drugs ki delivery lene wale honge aaj yeh." ("These two must be waiting for someone. I'm sure they're going to take the delivery of drugs today.") Annika muttered to herself and kept her camera ready to snap a shot.

Aryan and Shivaay were sitting on the bonnet of Aryan's Land Rover, enjoying the view of the city from the Hill Top.

"Shivaay, yeh Annika Rathore ka aur tera kya chakkar hai ?" ("Shivaay, what's happening between you and Annika Rathore ?") Aryan asked after chatting away on random topics.

Shivaay's eyes changed at the mention of Annika's name, but Aryan couldn't quite understand if Shivaay was angry or happy to hear her name.

"Woh ladki puri ki puri pagal hai." ("That girl is stupid.") Shivaay rolled his eyes. "Aadhi adhuri kahani sunke mere picche pad gayi hai." ("She has heard half of my story and is on my tail ever since.")

"Aadhi kahani ?" ("Half of your story ?") Aryan asked.

Shivaay nodded and narrated the story of how Annika had got to know about his drug dealing connections but didn't know what exactly had happened then.

"Toh tum usey sach kyu nahi bata dete ?" ("Then why don't you tell her the truth ?") Aryan asked.

"Kya batau ? Aur kyu batau ? Woh media wali hai, kya pata mere rivals ne jaan bujh kar usey mere picche bheja ho." ("What shall I tell her ? And why should I ? She's a media person, perhaps my rivals have sent her to get my information and to ruin me.") Shivaay replied honestly.

"Hmm. Lekin kid, mujhe nahi lagta hi woh aisi ladki hai, mujhe toh woh acchi ladki lagi." ("Hmm. But kid, I don't think she's that kind of a girl who would do something for money. I think she's a woman of her ethics.") Aryan confessed.

Shivaay scoffed.

"Uss din mujhe bhi woh acchi hi lagi thi, jis din mein ussey hospital mein takkaraya tha." ("I had found her wise and beautiful that day too, when she had ran into me in the hospital.") Shivaay replied absent-mindedly.

"Acchi lagi thi ?" ("Wise and beautiful ?") Aryan asked with a teasing smile.

Shivaay realised what he had said and turned pink. He started coughing to hide his blush.

"Mein *cough* pani *cough* pike aata hu." ("I *cough* will *cough* get water from car.") Shivaay excused and jumped down the car to get the bottle of water from the car.

Shivaay opened the mini fridge present inside the car and pulled out a random bottle before taking a couple of sips from it.

Suddenly, he started feeling a bit drowsy and a moment later he started feeling light and happy, everything around him started getting blurry and swung as he walked.

"A... Arry ?" Shivaay slurred. "Yeh...pa..pani bahot accha hai, kaha se liya ?" ("This...wat...water is so amazing, where did you get this from ?") He slurred.

Aryan furrowed his eyebrows and jumped down the car and went to Shivaay. He took the bottle from Shivaay's hand and his eyes widened.

"Kid ! Yeh pani nahi vodka hai." ("Kid ! It's vodka not water.") Aryan exclaimed and looked at the bottle. "Aur tumne lagh bagh puri bottle pi li." ("And you almost finished the entire bottle.")

Shivaay reached towards the bottle and took it from Aryan. "Jo kuch bhi hai...mast hai." ("Whatever it is....it's wonderful.") Shivaay giggled as he sipped some more vodka.

Aryan face-palmed himself and snatched the bottle from Shivaay again.

"Chalo ghar chalte hai." ("Let's go home.") Aryan muttered and was about make Shivaay sit in the car when Shivaay gently pushed his off and ran away from him.

*

Annika had been keeping an eye on them both and was trying to ignore the mosquitoes and other insects which were flying around her.

Shivaay, Aryan and the insects kept her busy and hence, she couldn't see or sense that some people were approaching her from behind.

"Iss macchar ki toh mein." ("I'll kill these mosquitoes.") Annika grumbled and tried to squash the mosquito, that was the moment when her attention was focused on the mosquito and not on Shivaay.

Therefore, Annika didn't see Shivaay coming towards her while trying to run away from Arry.

Shivaay was so busy in checking if Aryan was following him that he didn't see Annika and collided with her making her lose her balance but he caught her just in time before she could hit the ground.

Shivaay and Annika both shared an eye lock. Again. In the RK pose.

"Tum kitni beautiful ho, lekin pata nahi humesha jhagda kyu karti rehti ho." ("You're so beautiful, but don't know why you always keep arguing.") Shivaay whispered in a trance as he adored Annika's face in the moonlight.

"Huh ?" Annika whispered back.

Before anyone of them could interpret anything, a big cloth fell on them both and some people held them both down before forcing them to sit in a vehicle.

Aryan was still searching for Shivaay but on the wrong side and due to darkness all he could understand was there was someone shouting but he couldn't find neither Shivaay nor Annika.

"Yeh kya ho raha ? Chhodo mujhe !" ("What's happening ? Leave me !") Annika growled as she tried to remove the cloth.

"Tum kidnapping bhi karti ho ?" ("You kidnap others too ?") Shivaay slurred, he was still intoxicated.

"Shut up !" Annika snapped. "Aapki wajah se mein phas gayi." ("I'm in this situation just cause of you.")

"Ex...excuse me ?" Shivaay slurred. "Tumhari wajah se mein phas gaya." ("I'm trapped here because of you.") He shot back.

Even though Shivaay was intoxicated, he couldn't just let someone point a finger at him. He was The Shivaay Singh Oberoi after all.

Before Annika could retort, one of the hooligan poked the cloth. "Chup raho tum dono verna bheja uda dunga." ("Shut up you both or else I'll shoot you.")

"Boss, hume sirf ek hi target ko uthana tha, ab do aa gaye ab uss dusre ka kya kare ?" ("Boss, we had to pick only one target, now we've two people kidnapped, what shall we do with the other ?") Annika heard one of the goon's voice.

"Bhai ke pass le chalte hai dono ko, ab wohi faisla karenge ki uss dusre ko chhod de ya maar de." ("Let's take them to our boss, he'll decide what to do with the other person.") The boss shrugged.

Annika sighed in frustration, tears brimmed her eyes when worse thoughts started invading her mind.

What will happen to Bhavya if Annika dies ?

How will Bhavya face this cruel world without Annika's guidance and support ?

On the other hand, Shivaay was neutral. He was still under the effect of Vodka and hence didn't had any seriousness of the situation.

Shivaay looked at Annika, as his vision was adjusted to the low light, he saw Annika's tear filled eyes and watched with an aching heart as a tear slipped down her cheek.

Shivaay raised his hand and wiped her tear with the pad of his thumb. "Ghabrao mat, mein hu na. Mein sab thik kar dunga." ("Don't be afraid, I'm here. I'll fix everything.") He whispered assuringly.

For some unknown reason, he couldn't see her cry. A pang of hurt hit his heart, everytime he saw a tear in her eyes.

Annika stared at Shivaay with a pinch of surprise and saw care in Shivaay's eyes for her.

Another tear escaped down Annika's eye. Out of everyone else, Shivaay was the only one drunk but still Annika felt the safest with him.

"Tum ro mat please." ("Don't cry please.") Shivaay slurred a bit. "Mujhe accha nahi lag raha." ("I don't feel good to see you cry.")

Annika gave a slow nod and wiped off her tears.

Annika was kidnapped and her companion in this situation was the one she hated from her heart...

But at least...

At least she's not alone.

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Hey bubblies!

Until the next update,
Have a safe and great life 😇