Shivaay excitedly walked into his room. The minute he entered and registered the image of his wife on bed with the duvet over her, his excitement dropped like a massive rock falling under the effect of gravity. 

"Anika!" His disappointment was evident. 

She slowly opened her eyes and peeked at him. "Hmm.."

"This is cheating!"

"What?" She pretended to not understand.

"You agreed to..."

" Your words were Tonight... And whatever dance. Go ahead and dance. You never mentioned who should dance. " she smirked pretending to yawn.

"Cheater. Cheater. Cheater!" He said sitting at the edge of the bed near her feet.

"A great person once said, all is fair in love and war." She was loving this.

"That was Shakespeare. " he added annoyed. Then his smile came back. All was fair. "So you want me to strip?"

"Do whatever you want. It is your room as much as mine. I am sleeping. " she turned to one side and closed her eyes. Her heart ramming crazily against her ribs. What was on his mind? What would he do? She was sure he wouldn't give up.

"Darling, I am not letting you sleep tonight." He said tickling her feet.

"Shivaay!" She groaned, and almost giggling pulled up her feet.

"This is just the beginning. You won't remember the number of times you scream my name tonight."

"Only in your dreams. Let me sleep. " she could already feel the tension building.

"Anika. Come on. Mom dad will come tomorrow. And then you know... You won't have time for me."

"Excuse me. " she said sitting up. "FYI, mom-dad being here or not, makes no difference. "

"Of course it has." He said crawling up the bed to her.

"No." She said adamant. 

He chuckled getting close to her. "I know. It at least made you sit up."

She looked at him like a deer caught in headlights.

"How about we fuck in the pool tonight?" He said nibbling her ears.

"Shivaay what's up with you these days. We practically ...."

"I know. You love it as much as I do." He said pulling off the duvet. Woah there she was in her black nightie. 

"You are a fucking..." He said checking out her perfect curves, then her cleavage.

"Language Shivaay!" She said pushing his face away using her fingers. He bit her index finger.

 "You have no clue, how hungry I get for you these days." He spoke his voice laced with insatiable lust.

"Shivaay..." She said pushing him. "Have you been taking some pills or something!"

He chuckled and then burst into laughter. She smiled seeing him laugh. Those eyes that grew small and those wrinkles at the edge of his eyes. She was so blessed to have this beautiful person in her life. She wanted to see him like that –happy, for the rest of her life.

She kissed his forehead at impulse. He stilled looking into her eyes. Her eyes shone with love. She freaking made every raunchy situation to a romantically soothing one. He wasn't complaining. He loved making love to her but more than that he loved seeing her so much in love with him. For he – loved her with the same madness. Looking at her was like looking into a mirror. Seeing endless love.

He straddled her caressing her face. Just like baby ran his small fingers over a face to feel it, his fingers ran over her face. She closed her eyes feeling every millimeter of his touch. She opened her eyes when his hand froze at her lips. He was gazing at her. Not with the desire she was anticipating. But with awe and love. This feeling was more overwhelming than his passion.

He kissed her forehead. His lips gently and delicately pressing against her skin between her brows. She couldn't be more loved.

The enchanting daze was broken by the loud ringing of the phone in the silence of the loving night.

Who could it be at this hour?

It was her phone. She frowned. He smiled getting off her slightly so that she could reach the phone. She blushed. God! Keep him sane. 

Her smile faded when she saw the caller id. Baffled he tilted his head and his face grew serious.

Vishal.

"Why is he calling at this hour?" Anika spoke aloud her thoughts.

"Maybe he called by mistake or he's probably drunk or something."

"No. I don't think so. Besides, its still ringing. " she said concerned. She lifted the call and he simply stared at her. He got off her and sat aside on the bed.

"Vishal. It will be fine. We are coming!" She said ending the call looking at her husband.

"I–" she grew anxious.

"Get ready fast." He said passing her a small smile.

She looked at him gratefully and scrambled out of bed hurriedly. He stared into empty space. 

He is her friend. He just needs support. Shivaay grow up. For her sake, don't get mad. He told himself. He tried not to be affected. He shouldn't.  He took a deep breath. He shouldn't get insecure. But he couldn't ignore the restlessness in his heart.

* * *

"Shivaay, you are okay?" She asked hesitantly as he drove.

"Of course." He smiled and turned back his gaze to the road. There was a storm building up in his heart. He tried hard to keep himself sane. That fact that Vishal called his wife out of the whole world didn't settle well with him. It was hard to see his wife have a friend other than him. Perhaps he was plain jealous. He had never seen her concern for anybody except him that way. It wasn't easy to digest. But for her sake he pretended to be cool.

Anika really didn't know what was on his mind. Maybe he was okay. She remembered his words after reading the letter. She shuddered. No. She shouldn't think otherwise. He loved her and their was trust and understanding. No room for pointless doubts.

He remembered how in the afternoon at the function when Vishal had come to greet them, Anika had securely held his arm. How she had put both her hands around his arm while talking to Vishal. He knew she did it for him. She wasn't even talking properly to Vishal. He felt bad that she was doing it to her friend for him, at the same time he felt good she was avoiding him. He knew it wasn't exactly healthy to feel good about it. 

* * *

"Hey Vishal. How is she?" Anika asked concerned. She had met his grandmother at two instances. She was a very jovial kindhearted lady. So full of life. It was one of those days when she was so upset. Vishal offered to make her meet a magician and his grandmother indeed proved to be one. She had told Shivaay about this on the way. 

He was disputed yet again. Everything was coming to him in installments. He didn't want to argue again. So he simply kept quiet. 

"She had a high fever and then stomach ache. She was unconscious by the time we made it here. "

Anika turned to Shivaay. He nodded and got to Vishal's side rubbing his shoulder. "Don't worry everything will be fine."

"Yeah, you sit here. " Anika said moving backwards. 

"Its just that – I have no one except her." The man sobbed.

Anika held his hand. She had never seen this man so vulnerable. "It will be fine."

The nurse interrupted. "Sir the payments for the medication. "

"I will take that!" Shivaay offered and walked away. He just had no heart to be there. He felt so lowly of himself. The man there was practically loosing all he had in life and he was entrapped in envy  and jealousy.

When he walked back the sight he saw made his world met with a massive crash. There she was his wife and the man crying on her shoulder. In seconds tears blinded his vision. Hot tears rolled down his cheek. Even though his mind had the best reasons his heart paid heed to none. He couldn't look at any man so close to his wife. 

He walked away. He couldn't tolerate it. He felt suffocated. His strides we're long and fast. He was like a walking tornado. 

She should have known he can't see her like that. It was solely his right to be so close to her. Only he was supposed to break down like that before her. Only he was supposed to cry on her shoulder like that. She should have known.

He sat in the car, his tears not stopping. He hit the steering wheel. He needed her to understand him. He was in pain, and only she understood him. Even he himself couldn't understand the throbbing pain in chest. 

He called the driver asking him to drive a car from home to the hospital to pick her up. In the meanwhile he drove off. He had no clue where he was taking the car but he needed to get away. To take his mind away from where it was. There was no point. The more distance he covered the more his heart shivered with thoughts of all kind triggered by his insecurity. 

And I dropped the bomb.

Give me your PoVs. Waiting eagerly.

-Anami!