Hola Guys ♥️ I am here much sooner than expected! Just that I found sometime to write and penned it down before it slipped out of my mind 😋

You guys guessed Annika is angry, then what made you think she won't go with her parents 🤔🤨

Anyway, Dedicated to ThilaMM for the perfect (doubtful) guess! ;)
Partial dedication to pavithra82  wilddevil2010 and mansal__

Happy Reading and of course Eid Mubarak to those who celebrate ♥️

Please don't expect the next chapter before weekend 🙈

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Shivaay kept tossing and turning on the bed. Sleep was simply far away from his eyes. 

"I was the one who sent her home and I'm not able to sleep without her by my side as well." He laughed at his own state.

Little did he know that his surprise would make him miss her so much. Like always, he picked his phone from the side table and opened the gallery which contained her pictures. There was one they had clicked about a week ago when they had been to the park near their house. His thoughts gradually drifted to that evening.

<FB begins>

They both were seated on the grass and watching the sky. Shivaay was the first to break the silence.

"So Annika.. what do you want for your birthday?!" He asked casually.

"Huh?!" She blinked which was when she was reminded of her birthday that was fast approaching and she had not even realized it. Sometimes, time flew so fast!

"What do I want?! Nothing Shivaay" she shrugged her shoulders.

"Come on.. it is your first birthday after our.. huh wedding..I mean together" his words stuttered and she chuckled.

"I really don't know Shivaay. I have been lucky enough to get all the nice things" she paused eyeing him "what more can I ask for?! I just want all this to stay with me forever" she confessed dreamily, her eyes now looking upwards. He just could not take his eyes off her. 

"Okay.. let me put it this way..what do you generally do on your birthdays?" He questioned now.

"Mmm.. nothing much.. for the last almost five years, I had been in the hostel, for my UG and PG.. so, I used to make sure I go home a week ahead and spend time with Papa and Mumma" she said nonchalantly.

"And, on your birthday?!" He stressed again.

"Huh.. get blessings from Papa and Mumma, go to the temple. Mumma usually makes something special. So I will just distribute those sweets or snacks to Chanda and my other friends who used to visit. And, Papa used to arrange lunch, sometimes for the people outside the temple, sometimes for those orphanage kids, sometimes for those school kids who travelled to our town from remote villages to study. That's it. And, my favourite part was the night. We used to sit in the terrace, in between those roses in the garden and have dinner, simply staring at the moon or  counting stars" she described letting out a giggle and he continued admiring his wife. This simplicity was what he liked the most about her. She found happiness in every small thing around her and had managed to teach him that art too! 

"You have a rose garden?" He was amazed.

"Haa. Terrace garden. You have never been there right? I will show you sometime when we go" she promised.

That was when he decided he would not take that week away from her. Afterall, she had not visited her parents even once post the wedding and this trip might help her rekindle their bond. 

Well, a day after that, she stated she was missing them and they had rightly called him to confirm their presence too. What a coincidence, he wondered!

<FB ends>

She had simply sent him a text message around half past eleven, informing that she had reached. He knew she would be tired after the journey and chose to talk to her in the morning. 

He was a little upset that he did not even receive a hug before she left. He knew she was too shocked to react and needed sometime to process everything. If only Dhruv was available at work, he would have managed to travel with her too. Atleast the weekend was fast approaching. He just had to discover a method to sleep on his own for the next few days, until she was back.

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Annika woke up startled. It was almost eight in the morning. She had found it so difficult to sleep in the night without Shivaay by her side. She had no idea when she had finally fallen asleep. She was also clueless about when she had got so addicted to his presence. She wondered if he also felt the same way.

However, she was really mad at him. She was baffled at what had gone into his brain all of a sudden that he was so determined to send her off to her hometown. 

She had just sent a simple text message to him - 'Reached', that too on her dad's insistence. When Harsh had asked her to call and inform, she covered up saying he would be asleep already. She was not going to talk to him, atleast not for the next few days. 

She freshened up and came. Peeking into her phone, she discovered one message from him with Good morning and a heart emoji.

She began typing the reply enthusiastically when her mind warned her.

"Annika.. remember you are angry"

"A simple good morning reply would not hurt" this was her heart speaking.

For the next five minutes, this battle between her heart and mind went on when she finally concluded what had to be done.

'MORNING!' She typed and hit the send button.

She was not even sure if the message had reached him, when there was an incoming call. No, this time she was surely not picking it up. Her heart ached, but she was not going to listen to it this time. 

She let out a sigh, shut her eyes for a moment, put her phone on silent and quickly stormed out of the room before her heart managed to play any games.

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"Good morning, Beta" Harsh was on call with his son-in-law.

"Yes, we reached safely. I stressed that he should stay back. He just left sometime back after breakfast" he was briefing about the driver.

"Is Annika around, uncle?" Shivaay asked hesitantly.

"I don't think so.  Haa, here she is. Wait beta. Let me handover the phone to her" he stated and Shivaay was on cloud nine.

"Annika.. call for you" her dad intimated her.

"Hello" her voice sounded like music to his ear.

"Hey, good morning" he spoke cheerfully. She was dying to hear this voice. How she wished she was next to him and he was waking her up, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Cut your thought, idiot! You are mad at him" an inner voice warned her, which was when she composed herself forcefully.

"Morning" she replied in monosyllable.

"Had breakfast?" He asked.

"No" again a one word reply. 

'Maybe, her dad is still around' he assumed.

"I had sandwiches and orange juice" he informed by himself.

'Great, I did not even have to ask him' she sighed.

"Okay" she gave a stern reply.

"Fine then.. I have to go to the site now. Will speak to you in the noon. Have your phone by your side" he requested in the sweetest possible tone and her lips automatically curved up. But, she was not letting him know that.

"Mmm.. bye" she responded.

"Miss you already.. Bye" he said and disconnected the call. She was waiting eagerly to hear that from his mouth. Nevertheless, she scolded him mentally.

"Then why the hell did the idiot send me here?!" 

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As she walked inside the kitchen, her mom was busy making something.

"Mumma.. what is this? What are you cooking in oil, this early in the morning?" She exclaimed.

"The weather becomes a little hot later, Annika. And, I find it difficult to stand here for long. So, I am making these snacks for you in the morning itself" her mom stated leaving her astonished.

"What is the need, Mumma? You just made some and brought to Goa?" She asked.

"That and this are different. And, you have come here for the first time after so long. Now, allow me to work" Meera retorted.

"Ok, let me do it. Move" Annika insisted.

"Did you let me work in your kitchen? What makes you think I would allow you to do it in my house?" Meera stated mockingly when Harsh came there.

"What is this early morning tug of war between mom and daughter?!" He glared.

"Papa. Mumma says this is her house and I don't have any rights here" Annika whined.

"Haww.. this is your grandfather's house" he remarked. Both mom and daughter facepalmed at his answer and began laughing loudly.

"Nothing can be done of you, papa" she laughed and Meera joined in.

"A moment back you both were fighting and now teamed up against me" he raised his brows.

"Anyway, I am going to the shop. Will come back soon" he informed and left.

"Huh?! Why so early, Mumma?" Annika asked her mom doubtfully.

"Someone from the neighbouring town had ordered in bulk for a wedding. They wanted to pay only to your Papa, since it was a huge amount. That is why we had to prepone our trip. Otherwise, we were starting this morning only" her mom explained and Annika's face fell.

"I think that is the very reason Shivaay had not intimated you about the trip as well. He might have thought of letting you know in the night" she added. Annika simply frowned.

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Mom and daughter soon walked towards the hall and got seated there, munching the snacks.

"How are you, Annika?" Meera asked softly, looking at her intently.

"I am fine, Mumma. In fact, I am doing great" she smiled.

"I can see that. I am sorry Annika. I know I messed up a lot, forced too many things on you." Annika could sense the regret in her mom's tone.

"Mumma please. I won't deny I was mad at you and Papa then. But, Shivaay explained things and made me understand. I am genuinely happy now. And, I think that is what matters." She spoke reassuringly.

"You like him a lot, don't you?!" Her mom teased her. 

"Who would not like him, Mumma?" Annika answered instantly but hated herself for being brutally honest. Here she wanted to whack that guy for what he had done, but he somehow managed to find a way to her heart. 

Meera was completely bewildered to find her daughter blushing. Never had she witnessed that look on her face. This was a wrong reference, yet not even once in the past had this happened, even when she had mentioned Rohit's name, which only proved what Shivaay meant to Annika.

"I am so happy for you.. I can see that radiance on your face" she pecked Annika's forehead.

"What radiance?!Mumma.." she smiled sheepishly as her mom teased her.

"I still remember how he came to collect the bag that you had left behind. Papa was planning to send it through someone after a week or two. But, he came all the way in the early hours, after we had called him the previous night, since you did not attend our call. He said he had an urgent meeting and left even without having breakfast." Her mom explained in one go. 

"This guy does not even let me stay mad at him for long" she thought to herself.

"How I wish he also accompanied me" she sighed.

Her mom then distracted her by enquiring about the people at Oberoi Mansion and they eventually lost track of time after Annika began telling her different stories that used to happen back in Mumbai as well as Goa.

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A day had passed. Shivaay did not have much work, everything was perfectly on track. However, with Dhruv's unexpected leaves, he had to stay back just in case something urgent came up.

But, less work only meant more of Annika's thoughts. Shivaay suddenly had a feeling something was amiss. He opened his whatsapp chat to check her messages. There were close to hundred or two hundred replies from her, but all in one word or maximum two. And, not a single message on her own, they were all replies to his texts. So unlike her!

Initially, he had brushed it off thinking it was because her parents were around. But, when it became redundant, he could obviously not stop himself from getting intrigued. Specially the last one he had sent a while ago.

"I couldn't sleep properly yesterday too :'(" was his text to her.

"Oh!" Was her reply.

Like really?! That was when his doubts strengthened further. 

"That means she is either angry or upset over something or someone. And, if it is 'someone', then that is surely me" he almost inferred.

He was pondering upon different options to clarify his thoughts, when gradually an idea popped up in his mind.

"Wow! Found it! Thank god!" he almost jumped in excitement. When he finally identified the contact number, he immediately placed a call to it.

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"I couldn't sleep properly yesterday too :'(" she caressed the message for probably the hundredth time  She was ideally supposed to feel bad. But, she was grinning like an idiot. The mere thought that she had such an effect on him gave her shrills. She bit her lower lip and rubbed the back of her neck. If his thoughts were driving her this crazy, she did not know what his physical existence would do to her at the moment.

"Annika.. look who is here" her mom's voice broke her chain of thoughts.

"Chandaaa" she went quickly and embraced her best friend. "You are here so early on a office day?!" She interrogated.

"I went early today. So managed to come back early and decided to drop by" Chanda stated casually.

"Annika. Give her some snacks and then continue chatting. I will go to the temple and come" her mom suggested, leaving the friends in privacy for a while.

"Then madam? How are you?" Chanda enquired.

"I am doing awesome :)" she smiled.

"How is your husband? The Great Shivaay Singh Oberoi?" She winked.

"Don't you dare talk about that idiot. I will kick you out of the house" Annika threatened and Chanda gasped in shock.

"Wh.. what happened Annika? Don't tell me you are still not on good terms with him. It has been like so many months now, literally. But, hey when we spoke last time didn't you tell me he is so nice and all?!" Chanda went on and on. Annika was just waiting for her to pause. Little did she know that Chanda's phone was on speaker.

"Hogaya?! Now listen to me. The guy is an idiot. I am so pissed with him right now. I mean, what does he even think of himself huh?! What was he smoking when he decided to send me off like this?! Does he even have the slightest idea how much I miss him?! And who is that idiot to conclude that I wanted to come here for my birthday?! It is my first birthday after we are married and he threw me out of the house. I so wanted to spend this time with him. I am quite annoyed right now. So you speak another word about him, I won't think twice before kicking you out, mind you" Annika vented it all at once and began breathing heavily.

"Annika…  how am I even going to sleep tonight?!" Shivaay whined at the other end, listening to his wife's words. Was his absence impacting her so much?! 

"Woah.. woah….that was something" Chanda spoke animatedly. She was staring at Annika without batting an eyelid.

"But, you know he might have just planned this as  a surprise.." before she could complete, Annika cut her off.

"What surprise?! Bakwaas surprise" she scowled.

"Uff.. Now calm down please.." Chanda placed her palm on Annika's trying to cool her down.

"Sorry Chanda. It..it is just that I was so worked up. I mean it is not like I did not want to come here or something. I would have felt good if he came along. I mean, I know his PA is on Paternity leave and his presence there is necessary now. But, yeh dil hai ke maanta nahi" she sniffed dramatically and Chanda did not know how to react. She basically wanted to laugh out aloud, but also knew her friend would definitely chuck her out.

"You like him so much, don't you?! I can see that new kind of glow on your face" Chanda teased her this time.

"Hey what is this glow and radiance that you and Mumma are talking about? Stop making fun of me" Annika spoke faking an anger.

"How are things otherwise between you two?!" She questioned winking.

"Yeah fine, everything is fine" she smiled sheepishly.

"Hmph.. where does anyone even allow anything to happen?!" She muttered under her breath, which anyhow went unnoticed by Chanda.

"Hahaha..okay just a minute huh. I am getting a call. Will be back in two minutes" she informed disappearing out of the house.

"So, got your answer?!" Chanda spoke into the phone.

"Indeed. Thank you so much"  he replied gratefully.

"That is ok. I hope you know what you are supposed to do" she chuckled disconnecting the phone.

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It had been three days since Annika arrived. Throughout the day, she kept herself occupied with either her mom or dad so that she did not miss Shivaay, although every other thing did keep reminding her of him. She knew for sure he would also have the same feeling. 

She had somehow managed to stay mad at him with her single word replies on calls and texts. She was pretty sure he would be aware of her anger by now. The guy understood her too well.

It was night, the most difficult point of the day, the time when she did not know how to get herself to sleep. Unusually, he had not sent her a good night text yet. 

"Annika. Here is the jug. I am going to sleep. You also go soon. I believe Mumma already slept. So, don't forget to lock the main door" her dad advised, handing over the water jug and the lock. "You have to wake up early too, right. Anyway, Advanced happy birthday" he pecked her forehead and left to his room. She simply smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Miss you, Shivaay" she pouted glancing at her phone screen for one last time, expecting a message.

"I missed you too" she heard a voice instantaneously and was stunned.

"Shivaay?!" Her jaw dropped finding that handsome guy who stole her sleep, standing right in front of her.

"How much did you miss me?!" He asked huskily, approaching her. She started blushing heavily and kept walking backwards until she was caged between the couch and him. 

He bent closer towards her neck and rubbed his cheeks against hers. His stubble created tickling sensations all through her body. Using the chance to his advantage, he blew some air near her earlobe. Her chest was rising and falling at every action of his. She slammed her eyes shut and held on to the couch as tightly as possible.

"Shivaayyy" she almost moaned when he pressed his lips against her neck.

She felt like she was floating in mid air with those chills running down her spine until a voice broke her reverie.

"Annika. You haven't gone to sleep yet?!" Her mom questioned while she blinked and almost began sweating profusely.

"Huh?!" She spoke looking around to find herself all alone in the hall. Her mom stood near the pathway that lead to her room.

"Go...going Mumma.. was lock.. locking the main door" she declared.

"Ok, sleep soon. You will have to wake up early right. Happy birthday in Advance!" Her mom wished her repeating her dad's words, and ruffled her hair. Annika simply stood dumbfounded at the same spot.

"What is this that is happening to me?" She wondered, wiping the little sweat beads off her face.

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Not a perfectly edited chapter! So feel free to point out any errors 😉

Here to my favourite part :

So, what do you think is happening to Annika? 😉 What would she do to SSO if he comes for real?! Shy away like this or give him a tight slap? 😛

Do you think Stupid Singh Oberoi will be able to manaofy his wife?! 😉

Keep guessing and let me know in the comment box below 😁

Hit vote if you liked the chapter and feel free to let me know your views! ♥️