Happy Deepavali, y'all 💗
It took me so long to write this chapter, and I apologise. New place, new college, it's been hectic.

I hope this chapter delivers 🥺

Hesitance was written all over his face while he stood outside Annika's room. Why Shivaay stood there for a few seconds was something Annika did not know but on the lines of being understanding, she did not probe. She carefully took out a new shirt for him and a saree for herself from the cupboard. Amala had always held some contempt towards Annika's affiliation towards men's clothing, however this situation worked on Annika's favour. Her father's clothes would make Shivaay look like he was wearing a potato sack (not that he wouldn't pull that off,) and now Annika was there to his rescue. At least now, her mom wouldn't scowl.

She examined her room. While it might raise eyebrows of a neat freak that was Shivaay, but it wasn't blaringly messy. Annika was a clean person, but she was not particularly neat. She usually had her things randomly scattered around her room. Her idea book, or brain baby- as Annika liked to call it-, had taken a permanent home under her side table. However, she was not planning to arrange things into unassigned places just because of Shivaay's visit.

Speaking of Shivaay, he had now tailed her, and stood wordlessly. It was pretty fascinating how Shivaay's presence commanded the spotlight when he was in a room full of people, but the same man, at times, could go unnoticed- almost as if he was invisible. She was sure he had been standing behind her at least a few minutes. She held out the shirt at him, as she was still questing to unearth the courage to look in his eyes that were burning holes down her skin with every gaze. She hadn't felt that way until that very moment. She was usually very comfortable in his presence, but now it was leaving her disturbed, in a good way. She was feeling her skin heat up- due to the wet salwar kameez that clung to her body or the man whose eyes were evaporating every droplet of water that dripped down her, she'd never know.

When he took the shirt from her, she expected their fingers to brush. It did not, and it left her aching for a touch. This was new too.

She immediately saw him, and oh! Those eyes... she was drenched all over again.

Those eyes did not harbour any uncivilized intentions, not even the ones she was on the verge of having. Instead, they were genuinely concerned about the couple of times she knew she shivered. Annika could tell you that she was not cold. The shiver was caused by him and he hadn't even touched her.

"I'll change in Gauri's room. You can change here," Annika said, and waited for a nod. Shivaay's eyes stayed on the saree she was holding. He looked like he wanted to say something. But he said a barely audible 'okay.' A little confused, Annika left him in her room.

After ten minutes, she knocked at her door.

"I'm done,"

She heard Shivaay say. She slowly walked inside. He was in front of the mirror, and was tying his tie. She pursed her lips. Her half-sleeve white shirt was a little tight around his biceps and his broad chest. He had left the collar button open for now, she knew, and she did not want to see a tie over there. He must have read her expression because he immediately took it out. Shivaay looked over his shoulders, a quick up-and-down gaze with a withholding smile, Annika knew there was something he was reluctant to say.

"Is my saree not nice?" She asked, trying to conceal the disappointment that was dripping down her voice. Shivaay immediately turned and shook his head, trying to retract the consequence of his silence.

"You look beautiful, Annika. Very beautiful, I swear," He said hurriedly.

"But?" She asked.

"It's black. Dadi might have a problem with it because it's Friday," Shivaay explained, which left her puzzled.

"I'll change then," Annika said softly, and turned to her wardrobe. She felt a tug at her pallu, and she turned.

"You don't have to change. I'll handle it if she says something. I'm sure she won't, though," Shivaay's bass voice rang out reassurance as he left her pallu down. She nodded her head, unsatisfied.

Shivaay's eyebrows crunched for a second, then raised. She shook her head, conveying that she wasn't thinking anything.

He, then, crossed his arms, raised his left eyebrow, tilted his head back a little and openly checked her out now, making Annika gape. His head, not just his eyes, went from to down and back to her eyes.

Annika was caught without her armour, and her eyes widened as wide as they could. All his subtlety must have gone on a short vacation those couple of seconds. She had sure caught his eyes on her before, but they were always secretive and discreet. But now, he was openly checking her out. This encounter made her throat go dry. She swallowed hard, trying to feel some moisture again. He took a step forward,

"Don't change, Annika." He said, softly, before he walked out the room.

She was definitely convinced.

Annika dried her damp hair with the hair dryer for a couple of minutes before she left too. She was a little disappointed to see Shivaay hadn't waited for her.

"Don't be stupid, Annika. You are better than this," Annika muttered to herself before she walked to the pool. She was surprised to find no one in the kai pond. See, advantages of living in a mansion is that you don't have to go too far to get lost in your solitude. That was the disadvantage too. In any other situation, Annika would have basked in the silence in the kai pond. It was her favourite place to sit in seclusion. But this was not one of those times, was it? She had to spend time with eight new people and get to know them better. She didn't know how much time she had, but she was soon going to be in their company for probably an eternity, if not more. Eight was a big number for someone like Annika who took years to get completely comfortable with someone. It was one thing to hang out with someone and know them better, but she was supposed to live with them all. The whole thought of it made her head spin. Her thought train took a stop when she heard the notification tone of her phone.

Shivaaay 🖤

Hey, we're at the photo wall near the patio. I'm sorry I didn't wait up. Your father dragged me out here and told me you can find your own way. I see you haven't. Is everything alright, Annika? I hope you haven't stopped to change.

Read receipt? You did change, didn't you? I did not want to say anything precisely for that reason.

Annika, please reply.

I'm comin up.

I din change. Dw

Dw?

Don't worry^

But, where are you?

Turn to ur right

That's the wall

Oops, left

No, behind u

Not Funny. Your Dada Ji is looking at me like I've gone crazy.

Tell em u r cray abt me

Annika had reached where the family were by then, and she got to see Shivaay's expression first hand. His face was almost salmon, and he looked around him ensuring no one saw him. His expression made Annika chuckle. He checked her out before, so it was her turn. Annika mildly treaded on flirting, and it seemed to work.

Pink suits u

What pink?

Ur face

Annika had taken stealthy steps now, and was almost next to Shivaay.

Where are you?

I told u nah

Behind u

Not again, Annika.

"Hello, Shivaay," Annika whispered in Shivaay's ear, a little more huskily than she intended. Shivaay turned with a jerk, grabbing everyone's attention. His pink face paled before it turned pinker, making Annika want to laugh.

"Bhaiyaa, it is Bhabhi not a Bhoot," Rudra grinned toothily, making Shivaay glare at him. Shivaay did not say a word, and quite frankly, Annika was having fun.

"Maybe, this is Shivaay's way of telling that I look like a ghost," Annika pouted, and looked down with a crest-fallen face.

"Annika, that's not true. I already told you that you look... I mean, you know why I... You are why I...," Shivaay stammered, and Annika had to bite the inside of her cheeks to hold back a giggle.

"What did I do, Shivaay?" Annika asked innocently.

Shivaay had caught on to her now, owing to the depravity that danced in her eyes. He threw a glare, but before Annika could react, her eyes fell on to the pictures behind Shivaay.

"Oh Bete ki! I completely shut out the existence of this wall." Annika closed her eyes in embarrassment. She needed to have a word with her parents. Her mom owned an antique artefact collection she could have shown her future in-laws. Her dad had his own collectibles of ancient maps he could have shown off. Or her dad's collection of the Bloomberg Businessweek dating from the 50's.

Instead, they had brought the entire clan of the Oberois to the wall of shame, as she called it. Her mom, as a joke, decided years ago to display all of Annika and Gauri's embarrassing moments along with their proud moments, stating that the lows of someone's life must stay in remembrance along with celebrating the highs. This pretense to impart humility to the girls was just an excuse for her parents to have fun- their idea of fun. Hence, there displayed was all the times Annika had broken her bones in the most may-the-earth-swallow-me-before-anyone-knows ways. Totally, 8 times her bones had taken the brunt of her falls, but there were 17 pictures out there. She could only pray that they didn't ask the stories behind photos.

"You don't have broken bones, here," Shivaay pointed to a picture and stated.

"Oh, Shivaay, this was when Annika hospitalized after eating 60-something pani puris. And that picture... Annu fell asleep in the shower. Her temperature dropped very low, she had a fever, and she caught pneumonia," Amala said and sighed. Shivaay looked at Annika with his eyes displaying horror and incredulity.

"That sounds pretty serious, Amala Aunty," Shivaay said with uneven pauses, as if he was still in disbelief.

"Oh it was, Shivaay. Who falls asleep in the shower? But I'm telling you, huh. When you and kiddo have kids, if even one of them is Annika, assume that you are bound to have high blood pressure and some kind of heart disease. You'll be in a constant state of stress," Harsh laughed after saying this, while Shivaay and Annika looked at each other.

"Kids?" Shivaay whispered to Annika.

"Arey, Harsh Bhai, at least two of them should be like Annika. Shivaay was a proper child who did nothing naughty. Where is the fun in that?" Pinky joined the laughter after that.

"At least two? Did your mom decide on the number? We're not even fucking engaged." Annika whispered back, clearly irked.

"I don't think she means anything by that. Breathe," Shivaay said to her, but it sounded like more of a consolation to him than to her.

"Guys, try smiling," Omkara said with a swallowed smile.

Annika looked around. Only Shakti had a sympathetic smile towards them. The hilarity of the irony how Annika and Shivaay were prohibited from meeting each other until the engagement but their families were already discussing children did not cease to amaze Annika. She managed to give a saccharine smile hoping it conveyed sarcasm to those around her, while Shivaay chuckled when he saw the look on her face.

How was his anxiety not shooting charts listening to these ridiculous conversations? Had he already thought of these things?

"You'll need CPR every two seconds if you take things at face value, Annika," Omkara said softly, and Annika couldn't help but agree. The older Oberois and Trivedis were in the corner of the wall, looking at the actual achievements done by the two girls. They were busy chattering that it wasn't possible for them to hear the younger ones.

"See, this is the problem with arranged marriages. Thank God! I'm not going to have one," Gauri happily declared. Annika had to roll her eyes. Bold of Gauri to assume that Jay was the one she was going to marry. Sometimes, love seemed like an unwanted, cretinous affair.

"If it lasts, Gauri," Rudra guffawed, and Gauri was clearly annoyed. Annika was proud of her Devar for saying things that just ran in her head like a train that passed through the junctions but never stopped.

"Okay, you have to tell me why you hate Jay. He didn't seem like a bad..."

Annika immediately interrupted Shivaay, "We hate him, Shivaay. If you are going to marry me, you hate him. Do you understand?" Annika warned him in a no-nonsense tone. She immediately looked to see if Gauri was in her vicinity. Before Shivaay could respond, they were all called for the brunch. He merely shook his head and smiled at her. Annika smiled back, sheepishly, and she felt her cheeks heat up a little. Something about his gaze made her feel things she had never fathomed she would feel.

Annika and Shivaay reached after the rest, and the family had left two chairs next to each other for them. Annika wouldn't have thought much of it if it weren't the smiles that were being exchanged by the whole family. Shivaay went ahead and pulled out a chair, and looked at her. Annika raised an eyebrow...

Oh, he was being the gentleman that he was.

But she was not any less.

She pulled out the other chair and looked at him. Shivaay gave her an incredulous look, before he resorted into a silent chuckle. They nodded at each other and proceeded to sit in the chairs they had pulled out.

"Annika Beta, the songs you had sent were beautiful. The bhajans were very soulful," Dadi praised and Shivaay had frowned. Annika immediately thanked Dadi. But she had not failed to notice how her interactions with anyone else in the family seemed to trouble Shivaay. She wondered if it was because he felt she did not speak to him enough. That was something even Gauri had told to Annika. Their conversations were restricted to texts in the mornings and nights. Shivaay was not a good texter, and half the time she had no idea what to talk after the conversation was brought to a halt. But when they were in each other's company, it was different. It was magical. Annika learnt so many things from Shivaay, and it always seemed like he loved listening to her.

But that won't happen for a while now, thanks to Dadi's age old sentiment, Annika thought. She did respect the emotion, but while being in a dubiety on whether things would actually work out the way she had hoped, she couldn't help but wish they had been a little more progressive.

Annika had fallen completely silent as she was out in her head. The food had been served. The topics jumped from Annika's vegetarianism, her former life as a musical child prodigy, her crazy travel stories- but she wasn't saying any of them.

She meekly smiled at the Oberois every time they looked at her. Shivaay, however, was a completely different story altogether. He was completely absorbed and attentive, that he hadn't realized when his food was re-served. Annika had sneaked and put out the biriyani he had refused to take, and Shivaay had absent-mindedly eaten it.

Trying to swerve the spotlight from her, Annika asked Pinky to elucidate about the scar on Shivaay's eyebrow that she had been wanting to ask for a while. Apparently, seven-year old Shivaay had wanted to fetch some water Jhanvi, who was pregnant with Rudra, when she had started coughing. Rushing to the kitchen, he hadn't seen the wet floor and had slipped. He had injured his head. While Pinky had dismissed saying that it wasn't a fun anecdote, Annika looked at Shivaay as if he was delicate. He was a sweet child. He was still a very caring person. It was another aspect of his that could go unnoticed unless it was inspected.

He touched the scar on his head with an abstracted look on his face and looked at her.

That unobtrusive smile had her heart beating again.

"Annika Didi, Ishaan Bhaiyaa is working with Eaves, right? There was a buzz around in college," Rudra said with enthusiasm. At one point in life, Annika would've been able to answer that, but that was not the case anymore.

"I have no idea, Ru," Annika smiled, sadly. "But he should. He's very talented."

"Nah, it should be you. You deserve that and more. Why do you not go for it?" Rudra probed, and Annika's smile threatened to fade away. She awkwardly shifted in her seat. How would she tell Ru what she hadn't disclosed to anyone? If there was anything she was guarding with her very breath, it was that.

"She was a runner up in Chopin Piano Competition. She was the youngest pianist in India to play La Campanella. Di has enough accolades to prove she's talented," Gauri said, defensively. Annika looked at Gauri with widened eyes,

"That was unsolicited. Ru did not say anything wrong, Chutki. He's my side," Annika explained in a very soft voice.

"He mentioned Ishaan..."

"And you got the cue to run in with your bow and arrow? God!" Annika exclaimed, and shook her head. "By the way, Ru, I have a beef with you. Why did you tell Shivaay that Ishaan is my ex?" Annika pouted and pretended to be mad.

"Umm Didi, that was what I heard. Rumours, you know." Rudra scratched his head.

"And, rumour has it that Saumya Kapoor from BBA..."

"ANNIKA DIDI!" Rudra yelled, grabbing the attention of the whole table, who were all engaged in their own conversations.

"Rudra, why are you screaming now?" Jhanvi scolded and Rudra looked apologetic. He shook his head at Annika, and gestured her not to say anything.

"Saumya Kapoor as in Sumo? As in, Tia's sister?" Shivaay asked Rudra, and he turned pale. "What did you do, Rudy? You've always troubled her even when you were a kid." Shivaay's eyes had turned steely, and his teeth were clenched. This was the closest to the infamous anger of Shivaay that Annika had seen so far. She immediately jumped in to his rescue.

"Oh Shivaay, it's nothing like that. Saumya pulled a prank on her friend which misfired on Rudra. He ended up crying," Annika tried making up a story that seemed very feasible. She glanced at Rudra, who seemed a little relieved. She tried not to dig deep at the way Shivaay pounced like a Mama Lion protecting her cubs with how he'd pronounced Tia's name. Shivaay's mouth relaxed and he smiled a bit. Annika glanced around at the whole table. People around her were busy in their own little worlds of conversations concerning the certitude of the Oberoi's stocks for the season, what theme the Oberoi-Trivedi wedding should be in, or the tame version of who fucked whom adulterously.

For a minute, Annika was transported to the land in her head which played her favourite chords with each ruffle of a leaf. Each sound there had a meaning that got her mind elevated, unlike the incessant talk in the table. But of course, she never ever uttered that, or showed it on her otherwise expressive face. She shoved another spoon of rice in her mouth and chewed it out to a rhythm that was forming in her mind.

"Bored?"

Shivaay's voice made her return from her secret retreat. She nodded a little and smiled. Yes, Annika's attention was difficult to hold because she was easily bored. Unlike Shivaay, who was probably the best listener she's ever met, because she had witness him listen to her Dad's most boring monologue on his last travel to Surat just a few minutes back. She did not expect to be caught like that though. Seemed like her methodical nodding didn't work, after all.

"Does it look that obvious?" She nervously chuckled.

"Nah. I'm just a good observer," Shivaay paused, "So, I am almost finished with Sherlock. The other shows you recommended are just too long, Annika."

"Watch Ted Lasso. You'll love it. Only two seasons. Also, I watched Fire in the blood. I should start watching more documentaries."

"Ted Lasso¸ it is. And, I'll send you a list of documentaries you should watch," He said. And, she nodded. He looked at her with a mildly confused expression. She knew why. Her energy was just off. She appreciated how he was trying to engage her in a conversation, but it just wasn't doing it. Her mind was in a wishful place, yearning for something that had been lost in the process of trying to sit through many tables that were full of conversations similar to the one now if not verbatim. No, the Oberois were not boring in anyway, nor were her family. Annika just did not appreciate when the topics swirl around the commentary on the lives of other people's bad moments. She understood the Chopra's messy divorce was a meaty topic, but why?

"What happened to your cat?" Shivaay's voice made her look at him.

Was he asking her? Cat?

"Umm, the one in the pictures up there on the wall," Shivaay explained.

"Oh, him. He ran away one day. It worked out fine for Gauri because, as it turns out, she's allergic," Annika pursed her lips and looked down at her plate as she tried to dodge the dolour off her dove-shaped eyes. Eight-year old Annika would have killed for that cat.

"It's a he, is it? Did he have a name?" Omkara, who apparently was also listening, asked. The usage of a past tense kind of did sting. The cat must be dead by now.

"Yes, of course. Although, heads up, I did not name him. Dadi did and she was not exactly... creative, let's say. His name is... I mean, was Billu." Annika struggled with the tense, clearly. The name lit up Om's and Rudra's faces, for some reason. She must've been louder than she had intended, because Jhanvi, Tej, Shakti and Pinky also looked in her direction.

"How was he, your Billu?" Omkara looked like he was suppressing a snicker, while Rudra was giving Shivaay a weird, goofy grin. Annika had no clue why Shivaay looked like he was interested in the china and the cutlery before him.

"He was very inquisitive. He would bring me dead rats," Annika chuckled, fondly. "I used to be completely horrified. But Dadi would tell me it was because Billu loved me. It was his way of saying I love you, I guess."

"Billu sure had weird ways," Rudra laughed, with his eyes still on Shivaay. "He had green eyes, right?"

"Oh no, it was this beautiful blue. Almost like Shivaay's," She corrected. Shivaay looked at her with widened eyes. Why did he wear a betrayed look? Did he hate cats? Then, why would he ask her?"

"Of course, Billu did. I'm sure he loved your company, Annika." Omkara's voice sounded almost sinister.

"He and Di were inseparable. He'd sleep on Di's lap all day," Gauri's sentence made Rudra openly laugh. Annika looked around and all the faces that belonged to an Oberoi made her ear some silent laughs- all the faced that belonged to an Oberoi, other than Shivaay's. She was, now, very dubious. Why was Shivaay looking at the ground like he was chanting a hymn for it open up and take him to the Earth's womb? He glanced up at her, and shook his head lightly. He then sighed and whispered,

"I am Billu."

"Huh?" She asked, stupidly.

"I call him Billu, Annika. It's a nickname," Dadi Ji elucidated, as she guffawed.

Annika stopped breathing for a moment, as the whole table roared. Even Chitra, who was serving them food, was chuckling. Omkara and Rudra looked proud of themselves.

"Very mature, you guys," Annika tried to sound iron-like when she gave a pointed look at Omkara and Rudra, but it did not surely come out that way.

Her only consolation was the tomato version of a human sitting next to her.

♡♡♡

They were done with the brunch, and Annika hadn't eaten that much in a long time. She ended up eating the food Gauri hadn't finished, as she chided her sister for wasting so much food. That did make everyone else finish their plates. Annika had a little fun watching Shivaay swallow some ridge gourd, which she knew he'd hated.

They were all sitting in the terrace of the east wing in their house. They had retained some Haveli vibe with the décor, with swings and charpoys, keeping it very Indian. Again, Annika did not understand why six people had needed such a big house, but she never questioned- not back then, and not now when it was five. The Oberois lived in a Palace, anyway.

Swinging back and forth, Annika yawned once, twice and again. The biggest bane of being born into a business family was it sometimes felt like she permanently lived in a business meeting. Gauri was in one corner with her phone, so was Omkara. And Rudra had his eyes closed. Only Shivaay out of their lot was listening and conversing. She yawned, again.

"Okay, enough now. We have to discuss the engagement," Dadi Ji, finally, said. Annika was grateful at least someone remembered the agenda of the day.

"Oh yes, Kalyani Ji. We asked our Pandit too. The muhurat next month is right for the engagement. April 22nd or 26th were the dates suggested," Amarnath informed, and Annika frowned. When did all that happen?

"26th is a very auspicious day, our Pandit said. I think we should go for it, if no one has any objections," Dadi looked around. Shivaay immediately nodded her head.

"Dadi, I'm working on the merger. April 26th is not going to be possible. Sometime in May..."

"Billu," Dadi said, sternly. "Make it work. There are going to be other mergers."

"Yes, Shivaay. I'll take care of the Yarra Diamonds Merger. If Harsh is okay with this, we can go with this date," Shakti said, and her father immediately looked at Annika. She nodded, and the date was then fixed. She couldn't help but feel a little gloomy with how Shivaay picked out the merger over their engagement. But then, he had mentioned how important that deal was, because it was completely his baby.

Jhanvi had apparently talked to a couple of planners for the arrangements, and her mom ended up knowing one of them. The duo immediately called up the girl named Vanshika, and booked her. Annika tried requesting for a simple function, and it was met with immediate protests. Shakti immediately stepped in to Annika's aid, and declared it should take place according to the bride's wishes. The mothers present there said they'll try, but Annika knew it was going to be a far cry from simple. Jhanvi tried convincing Annika to try out her designer, and Annika did not want to flatly refuse. She said she would check them up, although she would much rather get her clothes done by this local tailor and designer of hers. The wedding clothes were, in no doubt, going to be done by her maasi, so Annika just had to get the engagement attire out of the way. All the engagement arrangement talks made her head spin. May God give her some strength for when the wedding arrangements commenced.

She looked over her shoulders, at Shivaay. He was typing something on his phone. He was seated in the cushion, near the swing she was resting in. Hence, she couldn't see what he was doing, but she did have an idea. He was most definitely working through his schedule to fit in their engagement. Annika couldn't help but hate the sound of that. Don't mistake Annika for a romantic whose head was lost in the clouds; she had no unrealistic expectations. However, it would be a little nicer if he'd put it down. He must've heard her thoughts, for he immediately looked at her. He looked back at his phone, and pressed the power button. After he'd kept it at the side table, he wore an apologetic expression when he saw her again. Annika smiled, and nodded at him. Shivaay was... nice. Her smile only broadened when he stood and sat next to her.

"The engagement is not convenient, huh?" Annika asked, and she knew it sounded like a taunt. She had not intended to put it that way, though.

"No, no. I just wanted it to be stress-free. But, it's fine. I'll manage," Shivaay looked a little abashed. She sat there silently, with her eyes on their families. She felt his fingers interlace hers as he took her hand. "I was just taken by surprise that it's soon. I'm sorry," He said, earnestly.

Annika found herself shaking her head. "I know, Shivaay. You don't have to apologize."

"This is good, if you think about it. We'll be allowed to go on dates after a month." Shivaay smiled. He was doing damage-control, Annika thought and she gave him a broad smile. This was not a big deal, really. Her father was someone who was like him, hence she actually understood that. However, a slight change in her countenance and her silence stirred a response from him she hadn't frankly expected. She could see why she liked him. She also knew she could fall in love with him.

Sometimes, love did seem like an unwanted, cretinous affair. But if the person who loved you was someone like Shivaay, it wouldn't be bad after all.