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She stepped out of the car and stood beside him nervously , with her sight scanning the big building in keen . Shivaay sensed her tension and inter locked his fingers into her's , grabbing her attention .

S - you look like as if you've come to school after exams , and there's a bundle of answer sheets waiting to be distributed to you in class . Relax ! .

She narrowed her eyes when he giggled saying it . Before she could reply , they heard someone's scream.

Ru - hey watch out !!!

On hearing the sound, both looked up from where they thought it came and within seconds a football hit right on her nose.

A - sss!!

S - are you ok ?

He  cupped her cheeks and examined her nose which had turned so pink by now .

A - what sort of welcoming ritual is this ! Ahhh .

She winced and rubbed her nose which started aching badly while he kept blowing over it continuously.

S - I don't know how this

Ru - I'm so sorry !

Rudra who rushed downstairs , straightly jumped infront of annika and started apologising.

S- you?

Ru - I was playing in the terrace and suddnely by mistake the ball...

He stopped his words and presented a guilty face watching which annika automatically melted .

A - it's ok , thank God the ball wasn't tightly pumped . Orelse I would have already bled .

She casually commented and smiled . Shivaay once again focused on the wound and spoke in concern .

S - you're ok ? No , come with me to the hospital first .

A - shivaay , I'm fine .

S - promise ?

A - yup !

Rudra who noticed all this , spoke .

Ru - aww ! Baiya , your girlfriend?

As soon as he questioned , shivaay nodded with a smile and side hugged annika .

Ru - what about anitha then ?

Annika who was busy rubbing her nose , stopped her work and looked at shivaay immediately.

A - who's anitha ?

He widened his eyes in thrill .

S - no actually

Ru - you don't know ? During his college days , he used to talk only about her . He was so mad for her !

Annika's scowling meter was raising within every second while shivaay just kept shaking his head like a baby .

Suddenly , Pinky called Rudra inside and he just went without putting off the volcanic fire  which he had just developed.

A - which anitha ?that 2nd year girl with curly hair in our college, she ?

S - ohh god annika !

He was going to hold her but she slapped his hands away and moved back .

A - don't try to play with me shivaay , I'm not going to be a fool this time . Tell the truth .

S - mam ! ! He was actually referring to you only , annika !! He forgot your name so , spelled it as anitha by mistake .

A - really ?

S - really ! And I don't know any curly hair anitha , rather this horse tail annika . Believe me .

Stating this he quickly grabbed her hands and planted a kiss on her right palm . She then smiled slowly and hugged him , for he let a huge sigh of relief .

S - your trust scale is very weak .

He pouted and she pulled back from the hug to show her puppy face .

A - sorry!

Shivaay just blinked once and approved.

She slipped by stepping on the same ball while they walked , but he caught hold of her at the right second before she could fall .

S - careful .

A - this ball is giving me full of negative vibes ! What if aunty

He pressed his finger on her lips  , before she could complete. 

S - shh , you want some positivity right ? Fine ! Let's play our luck then .

A - what's your plan ?

She asked confusedly while shrugged and picked the ball .

S - ok , I'm going to throw this ball up . If it lands on the terrace , result will be positive , that is mom will agree .

As he completed, she frowned and shook her head .

A - sometimes you make me feel like you aren't young , rather literally a tiny little kid .

S - come on annika ! This idea is not as bad as your one year agreement by the way .

Shivaay argued mentioning it and she just rolled her eyes .

A - atleast let's have three turns , do you even see the height ?

S - awww , muaah! So much love on shivaay ?! Don't worry mam , we'll make it .

A - no mam please . I feel like I'm a granny when I hear that word from you .

S - it's your fault, you used to train me once , remember ? Mam!!

A - shivaay ,

S - ok ok sorry love. Concentrate ! 1...2...3

She bit her lips in tension and looked up as he threw the ball which flew high , to finally hit and jump bouncing on the terrace .

A - yay!!

He watched her to be  jumping in joy and grinned , sharing an hifi.

S - happy now ?

She nodded quickly . Shivaay couldn't control himslef after witnessing the cute her , he stepped close and left one light kiss on her pink nose for she just chuckled and pretended to hit him .

P - clean the table Rudra , set the frames neatly and look at the way you've kept your books .

Ru - I'll do it afterwards mom .

P - don't make me angry Rudy , do

On noticing someone entering inside , she focused her gaze on them .

P -  what a surprise! You , you are

S - annika .

Shivaay mentioned it loudly , fearing to not let another anitha moment to pop up . Rudra who realized just now , added .

Ru - ohh yeah annika it is !

Shivaay passed a fake grin and signalled him to shut his mouth for sometime.  Watching it, annika bit her lips to control her laughter .

P - haan yes , annika! I'm so happy to meet you .

A - it's nice to meet you too aunty , how are you?

P - I'm good , come please sit .

All of them settled on the couch .

P - after so many days , I guess it's been a year already . And you're here ,  must be something special .

A - actually aunty

P - let me guess , you've come to invite me for your wedding ! Am I right ?

Annika looked at shivaay once before showing a nervous smile to Pinky .

A - well...kind of .

P- great! What's your groom doing by the way  ?

A - he , he works as associate professor in JD institute .

P - shivaay works in the same place too!  Shivaay , do you know him ? Is he a good man ? you do one thing. Keep an eye on his activities . I'm telling this because, today we can't trust anyone just like that . Don't take me wrong dear .

A - no no.... aunty, it's ok .

She stammered in fear and looked at shivaay with the same reaction . He blinked in assurance and decided to speak .

S - mom I want t

P - and annika what about your future in- laws ? Do they seem ok ? Try to speak with them , because marriage is not only about uniting two people , rather two families.  See to that they treat you well. 

Ru - to my instinct,  I guess the father - in - law is quite easy to handle when compared to the mother of the groom .

Shivaay glared at him when he said this while Pinky looked confused .

P - how would you know about her in - laws ?

Ru - how can I not know when I meet them everyday , no literally live with them .

S - Rudy ...

Shivaay kept signalling him to wait but the very hyper kid here didn't notice his brother's weird reactions at all .

P - what are you saying Rudy? Live with them ?

Ru - mom you've become so dumb . With whom am I living now ? My parents , that's you and Dad obviously! And I right baiya ?

Only then he tilted his head and focused on shivaay who showed his fully raged face to him . Rudra slowly realised what huge stunt he had just made . He gulped and bit his tongue .

Pinky who slowly captured the meaning of his words,  turned towards annika .

P - is he telling the truth annika ?

Annika took a few moments to reply . She looked here and there in tension with her hands fiddling into each other.  That's when shivaay's neared and held her hand in firm , pinky noticed this .

A - yes aunty , we...we both love each other.

Pinky looked stunned first . She saw both of them alternatively.

P - what about your parents ? Do they know ?

S - not yet mom .

P- I'm speaking to annika .

She mentioned without looking at him .

A - no aunty , not yet .

Annika was worried on noticing pinky's silence. 

A - why aunty ? Are we wrong ?

Her light delicate voice seemed very soft and kind  . Pinky just smiled and shook her head in negation .

P - you see annika , even though he has grown up so much I still see him as my little boy only.  I haven't thought of his marriage till now .

A - we could have waited but since people at my home are already in search of alliance for me , we had no choice. 

P - how old are you?

S - mom , she's

P - I asked her .

She said sternly making him react defeated.

A - 27 aunty .

Suddenly they heard a whistle sound from the kitchen . Pinky excsued herself and went there .

Annika exhaled deeply and leaned back on the couch .

S - hey , please don't worry  .

Ru - yeah , don't feel sad . Mom might look strict but she's very sweet you know?

Rudra jumped to sit next to annika and tried to convince her , withholding shivaay's fiery gaze on him .

S - all because of you!

Ru - you would have admitted somehow right?

S - yeah but in the best way , not like your stupid puzzle like riddle .

A - guys , stop it ! What's next , think about that .

She shouted to insist them .

Shivaay obeyed and kept quite , thinking deeply of how to proceed further . And when his eyes casually  fell on the side table  , something stricked his mind .

S - mom neither agreed nor disagreed , right  ?

Ru - so ?

S - so our work is to just give our best and impress her !

A - means ?

S - I'll tell you . Hey Rudy come with me ?

Annika looked baffled when shivaay dragged Rudra with him and neared the  table kept in the corner . Both of them discussed for sometime and started arranging the things in the table neatly . From photo frames to books and stuffs , they set everything perfectly. 

She still looked confused when shivaay called her there after finishing everything.

A - what are you even doing?

Without replying , he passed a frame and signalled her to place it on the table . And she did it ,not before questioning him with weird faces .

Just then Pinky returned back and she was surprised on watching the messy space kept to perfection now . 

P - wow ! Only now it looks good  , annika you did this ?

Annika didn't know what to tell, she cornered her eyes to look at shivaay and Rudra who both insisted her to nod which she did .

A - yes aunty .

S - actually mom , annika is also very particular about  perfection. For her , everything should be clean and in order . See , even now she just noticed it and immediately took initiative to arrange things.  Isn't she the same like you mom ? !

P - really ? That's so surprising ! It's a very good habit annika , well done . These days , you don't often find people with this quality you know  ? Good !

Annika felt her head spinning fastly , she and perfection ? Really ? Didn't shivaay get any other topic to pull out this impression stunt ! She just silently maintained her the-girl- of - perfection kind of reaction on her face .

Ru - mom will you just stand and speak  lectures or will you even give anything to eat  for our guest !

P - ohh yeah , I just forgot ! Let me get you something.

Rudra showed a thumbs up to annika and jogged behind his mother , holding her shoulders while she went to the kitchen .

Then annika turned towards shivaay slowly who in no time lifted her in his arms suddenly. 

A - hey ! What are you doing shivaay ?

S - celebration!

He went into his room and started rotating around with her in arms while she just crushed her eyes and held him tightly  .

A - shivaay !! slow!!

She squealed lightly but he was in no mood to listen and continued his work.

Only when his knees hit on the cot , he slipped and dropped her on the bed and fell along to land just beside her.  Both breathed fastly.

He rested his head on the palm  with his elbow pressed to the bed and looked at her who lied flat on back  , beside him.

A- nice plan haan ?

S - hmm , we already had a pass mark but I had to bring it close to distinction right ?

He replied while playing with her hair locks. Annika smiled  listening to him .

A - we had a pass mark ?

S - definitely! Mom actually likes you , she's just confused as she didn't expect all this suddenly.

A - thank you my dear boy !  You really made it easy for me .

She pulled his cheeks and clung her hands around his neck .

S - anytime. 

Soon his eyes fell on her  bare waist which was more visible when her saree slipped away in that position. Looks like she used no pins today because his eyes captured most of her shining  skin there . He smirked and traced her waist softly for she gasped looking at him .

A - shivaay stop, it's your room !

S - then where else do I have privacy?

He added and pulled her close,  squeezing her flesh . Annika glared,  smiled , giggled , all at once .

A - what if aunty comes ? Don't you dare pull down my image which you just hoisted up with atmost effort .

Shivaay didn't pay any heed to her talks  and continued his sweet tortures . As his palm travelled on her bare skin , his nose tip moved smoothly on her face from cheek , chin and neck where he even dropped some trail of wet kisses . She grinned and squirmed like a snake on feeling tickled.

A - shivaay !!!

S - one second. 

Suddenly he pulled back his face which was buried in the crook of her neck  all this time .

A - what ?

S - why don't you stop wearing sarees to college?

A - why suddenly ?

S - I don't want any other student  crushing on you . You can't trust anyone .

Annika chuckled at his cute reaction .

A - see who's telling that ? By the way , won't boys crush on me if I wear anything else, excluding saree ? I don't get your theory.

S - you don't realise how attractive  you look in saree !

She heard him whisper this in her ears , and when he was just ready to taste her lips  , he was stopped by the knock. 

Ru - baiya ?

Annika pushed him immediately and sat up , making herself presentable . Shivaay let a defeated sigh and got up .

A - come in Rudra .

Ru - choco cookies and creamy cakes for you !

As he sang this and kept the plate on the table,  annika looked surprised. 

A - she still remembers my favourites .

S - sense the positive reaction love ! All because of m

He stopped when she exclaimed .

A - Rudra , thank you so much for your help .

P- Rudy , you forgot to take the cakes . Come and take them .

They heard pinky's voice  . Only then the trio noticed that the plate had only cookies and no cakes. Shivaay and annika laughed while Rudy made a grumpy reaction .

S - my little gajni brother , mom is calling for you .

Ru - I know .

Saying this he ran outside. 

A - is he always like this ?

S - sometimes of always .

She chuckled on hearing his reply and looked around his room .

A - hmm not bad  . You're room is quite neat actually. 

He was shocked.  There's never been a day he had passed without getting scolded by his mom for not keeping his room clean, and here , she's speaking the opposite .

S - these messy pile of papers and dumped clothes look neat to you ?

A - imagine how my room would look .

S -  I very well can . Ohh god , I've put up your image as a perfectionist infront of mom but I'm damn sure that you don't even practise the p of perfection . How are we going to manage annika ! 

A - that's your problem . I can act for one or two days , but every damn day after marriage , sorry not possible. 

She stated this and went through the papers kept there casually . Shivaay made all kinds of horrified faces after listening to her .

A- shivaay , you didn't tell me that you're handling a class full of girls ?

After going through the answer scripts which had only a girl's name on every sheet , she quizzed .

S - why , what's the big deal here ?

She just stood back and noticed him from top to bottom when he spoke this casually.  Then , without giving any intimation , she neared close and wounded her arms around and pulled him against her .

Tracing her cheek on his , she pushed his face a slight away such that her lips touch his ear .

A - girls are  dangerous.

She whispered this and started tracing her lips on his skin slowly . Shivaay was frozen for a few seconds , until when his hands got a sensuous grip of her back . He chuckled on hearing the information and pulled her infront to meet her eyes .

S - don't worry , I'm safe because I've got the most dangerous of them all as my love already .

She smiled. He didn't wait more to suck and feel her lips . They pressed themselves on each other and soon their rough positions betrayed them , they fell on the bed in force .

Ru - cake is here !!

He was going to enter the room when ,

S - wait rudy ! You forgot to bring coffee .

Shivaay shouted from inside. 

Ru - sss yeah , mom is going to slap me today . Thanks baiya .

After replying,  he once again ran to the kitchen .

Annika giggled and hit shivaay's shoulders who immediately held her hands and kept her arrested on the bed .

S - we've got two more minutes !

He smirked once again while she grinned and pulled him more into her .

Cause when I close my eyes , I'm somewhere with you 🌙

Here goes the epilogue!

Thank you for showering your love for this book . You guys are really amazing! ❤

Thought of giving some sweet moments before winding up . So how was it guys  ? Enjoyed reading it ? I'll be happy if everyone give your views about this book :)

Try reading my new book , The Reel , The Reason and The Real . It's also a short story.

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