I was not in mood to post this today as well!

But, then yeah, this is anyway a filler chapter and so I decided, sooner the better!

With almost half of 2020 gone with not-so-good events, let us hope atleast the next half gets better!
A happy upcoming week to all of you! ♥️

**************************************

Annika sat at her desk browsing her emails. There were close to three hundred plus that were unread. She could not skip any as well for she had no idea about what happened in her absence. Smriti had not reached office yet, so she had to wait for her to gather information.

Her trip happened suddenly. Shivaay had not even given her enough time to think. Otherwise, she could have carried her laptop to her hometown. Of course she knew that his idea was to make her spend some quality time with her parents, yet in the presence of her laptop, she could have atleast gone through the emails.

"Yeh Shivaay bhi na.." she sighed for a moment. However, just a mention of his name and his thoughts reminded her of the previous night and the current day morning. The way he looked at her, his soft touches and those tender kisses were still afresh in her mind, automatically forming a smile on her face. That video confession came up as an additional unexpected surprise. She felt proud of herself that she was the first person who had managed to create such a huge impact on the great Shivaay Singh Oberoi. She never knew a certain someone who would love her more than her parents would even exist, but Shivaay of course had been that one person who had been proving all her assumptions wrong every single time.

Her blush was adamant to stay on her face, when she had to force herself to concentrate back on the tasks at hand.

"Focus, Annika. Focus! There is lot of work" she reminded herself, shaking her head.

"Hey Annika..Belated Happy Birthday!" Smriti who just entered, almost crushed her in the hug.

"Thank you so much, Smriti!" She managed to utter after coming out of her hold.

"Your eyes look so tired! You did not sleep last night or what?" Smriti questioned mischievously and Annika's eyes widened in shock.

"Shut up, Smriti!" She smiled. "We had to travel right. That is why!" She managed to cover up. There was no way she was letting Smriti tease her. And, about the previous night, was it so damn visible?! No way! She had to keep a straight face for sometime.

"Okay.. I believe you" she winked.

"Whatever.. Tell me something. How come you are late today?" Annika asked. Smriti always reached office quite early on alternate days to avoid the boring breakfast made by her roommate.

"Had to go to the bank" she sighed and Annika nodded understandingly. "By the way, done checking all the emails? There are some shocks awaiting you" her tone sounded somewhat threatening that Annika almost panicked.

"Haha.. don't give that reaction already, Annika. Reserve some for the later too.. Pratik had strictly asked me to keep those decisions on hold until you came back and confirmed. Anyway, let me go and login. You ping me once you are done going through everything" she informed. Annika sat there perplexed, for she was nearly done and did not notice anything unusual so far. Perhaps, it was going to be a long day! She just wanted to wrap up everything quickly and settle in Shivaay's arms already.

**************************************

Ever since Shivaay walked into his cabin, his focus kept shifting from his laptop screen to the photo on his desk - his Annika's photo.  He could just not take her off his mind in spite of the huge amount of work piled up in front of him. Well, who really expected her to make such a beautiful confession out of the blue and startle him. 

Icing on the cake was her reaction to that video confession sent by OmRu. He knew Annika loved him immensely now, but little did he expect her to take that confession of his so lightly. If it was something from the recent past, it might still not have been very surprising. But, that one was way back, much before their wedding was fixed, yet she found it cute. Probably, she was also too overwhelmed like him. He smiled at the very thought of it. He had never in his wildest dreams expected Annika to fall in love with him. Of course, he knew sooner or later she would accept him and their relationship, yet she had particularly  clarified the very same point to him leaving him baffled.

"She loves me, with all her heart!" He smiled, his eyes now fixed on their photo, one taken during the birthday party that Annika had organized soon after their wedding.

"May I come in, Sir?" Dhruv's voice broke his chain of thoughts.

"Hey Dhruv! Come come. How are you? How are things?" He enquired. It had been over a week since they communicated with each other. Shivaay just let him enjoy some quality time with his wife and baby.

"All good, sir! Everyone is perfectly fine! I came in the morning itself. Just now got to know you are here." He reasoned.

"Oh! Alright. You could have taken off for some more time?!" Shivaay exclaimed.

"I have no work at home, Sir. Besides, both our parents are here. I felt quite bored as well. Poonam herself suggested that I leave. Anyway, I would have to reserve some leaves for the future for vaccination and stuff like that" he chuckled. 

"So, how was mam's birthday?!" He enquired. He knew Shivaay was planning quite a lot of things right from the time of their Bangalore trip.

"It went pretty well" Shivaay replied with a subtle smile, trying to mask his overflowing emotions. Dhruv found a certain glow on his boss's face. He did not fail to notice how genuinely happy his boss was, much more compared to the initial days of his marriage. He knew their wedding had not happened in very normal circumstances. He always wanted everything to be well in his boss's life, especially after he came to know all that happened in his past due to Tia and their family. And, that was now pretty much visible, after Annika walked into his life.

"Hey Dhruv.." Shivaay waved his hands in front of him. "You wanted to say something, looks like?!"

"Yes Sir.. By the way, we have a meeting today, Sir. After lunch" he added.

"Is it? Have not checked the schedule yet. What meeting?" He questioned.

"Not sure, Sir. It was scheduled just this morning. Probably something to discuss about the closure of the second phase" Dhruv guessed and Shivaay nodded.

"Oh. Okay I will check. You carry on with your work." Shivaay smiled and tried to get back to work mode. 

"Too many distractions" he giggled looking back at those photos again. "Allow me to focus on work, Annika!" He whined sadly. He wanted the day to end already and hold his Annika in his arms!

****************************************

Annika stepped out of the meeting room and fished out her phone. Next moment, her eyes widened in shock. 

"Fifteen missed calls from Shivaay!" She was petrified. She had put her phone on silent during the meeting. Nervously, she walked to a little secluded place and dialled his number. She was not sure if he would attend. He had texted her saying he had a meeting at noon. Or, was there a problem?!

Fortunately, he picked it up in the second ring.

"Shivaay. All okay? Anything wrong? You..you want me to come there or..?" She went on and on.

"Annika.. breathe.. relax" he spoke very casually.

"Shivaayyyy" she cribbed.

"Hey, it's nothing. I just called.. Umm to say that I won't be there to pick you up in the evening. Nothing serious" he explained, listening to her terrified voice.

"Huh?! That's it?!! Shivaay.. you know how tensed I was. Few more seconds I would have got a panic attack" she expressed, faking an anger.

"Sorry" she could feel him sheepishly smile at the other end. "Hmm, I was missing your voice. So, out of curiosity I kept calling you" he mumbled like a teenager.

"What has gotten into this guy?!" Annika blushed. He had all of a sudden drifted from his care and concern mode to a lovesick puppy mode. Not that she had any complaints, she indeed enjoyed this version of him. She in fact found it very cute. Just that she wanted him happy like this, always.

"You are crazy, Shivaay" she whispered.

"Yeah.. very much" he replied in the same tone. 

"I thought you were busy?" She questioned sharply.

"Well I am. But, you are distracting me way too much today. Probably the after effects of.." Before he could complete she cut him off.

"Shut up, Shivaay. You know what? I am..I am hanging up" she blushed profusely. She could hear him giggle at the other end.

"Okay, continue with your work. Rest can wait till tonight" he stated playfully before disconnecting.

Smiling at his antics, she walked back towards her desk. She could not wait to get home and give him a smack or probably something else. She smiled biting her lips. She had to control her thoughts. There were lots to discuss regarding the emails with Smriti. Too many other things came up in between and their discussion had got postponed.

***************************************

There were two upcoming events - a wedding and a birthday party. Just that the wedding was after a month itself. Otherwise, Annika did not find anything extraordinary or peculiar about the events. She wondered why Smriti had given such an alarming opinion.

"Hey Annika!" Pratik greeted walking over to her place. "Belated happy birthday!" He wished when Smriti arrived there rightly.

"Hope you had an enjoyable birthday week" he smiled and she nodded.

"Of course..isn't it visible?!" Smriti teased and Annika simply glared at her.

"Shivaay had personally requested me to grant you leave. And, he gave me the reason as well. How could I deny?" Pratik stated dramatically.

"You know what, Smriti. You shouldn't have told him about me and Shivaay. Ever since, these guys have been discussing so many things discreetly" she said sarcastically.

"Well Annika. We both already knew each other. Now, after knowing about you and him, how would we not speak?! I mean, I thought I met him couple of times at our office and events coincidentally. But, when I really got to know the reason, well, anxiety kept killing me" he reasoned.

"Oh, tell me about it! When Shivaay told me that your name is familiar, I assumed you guys to be business rivals. Little did I expect you both to be partners in crime plotting against me this way" she raised her brows.

"God! I am not in this game, alright. Let Shivaay only deal with you. I don't even know that guy now" he laughed. "Anyway, let's get back to business."

"So, Smriti. You told her?" He asked curiously and Annika was baffled now. 

"What's this over hyping guys? Tell me already" she insisted.

"Annika. The wedding and birthday events are for the same client" Smriti clarified and Annika was stunned.

"Huh?! But the names were different" she blinked.

"Yeah. One was the daughter in law and the other the mother in law" she giggled and Annika was taken aback.

"Oh.. well then what's the problem here? They are on different dates and we can accommodate both" Annika shrugged her shoulders casually.

"The problem is the client herself, Annika. Not the dates" Pratik paused and continued "Well, she is a very confusing person. Demands too many things and is stubbornly inconsistent" Pratik claimed and Annika was shocked now. Pratik was complaining?! That was new.

"We have already done an assignment for her in the past when Sam was here. So, we are familiar with her approach. She is very problematic, Annika. That is the reason even Pratik is so skeptical. And, we don't have much time as well" Smriti reasoned.

"All okay. But, seems like a huge offer! They are big industrialists, I guess. How can we right away decline this?" Annika probed. She did not want to judge the client without meeting her even once. For a moment, she mentally laughed at herself for judging Shivaay every other time in the past and ironically the same Shivaay had taught her how wrong she had been.

A brief silence fell between the three. Yet, Annika was totally unconvinced with their reason. To be frank, it sounded very silly to her.

"I don't want you guys to get stressed out for any reason, Annika. That is why I am uncertain" Pratik highlighted again.

"Pratik. Huh, you say they already came to us once. If she is approaching us yet again, it only means she is impressed with our work. Why should we even let this go? I mean, atleast, let me and Smriti meet her once" she tried to explain.

"Hmm alright then.. You guys go there this evening itself. And, keep me posted on the discussion. I am again emphasizing that I don't want you guys to get too worked up. If we can't do, we cannot! That is it!" Pratik agreed after giving it a thought.

"Sure, will see that" Annika smiled reassuringly.

***************************************

"Oh my god, Annika! Look how unsure she is! Such a wavering mind! I think we should have brought limited designs only" Smriti whined while they sat inside the car, after meeting the client.

"Smriti.. you know we can't do that" Annika stated sternly.

"The woman is such a snob" Smriti commented.

"Smriti..she is our client" Annika laughed and then silenced her. 

"Whatever.. but, Annika.. you think we can..?"

"We will" she replied confidently.

Anyhow, both Pratik and Smriti were right. Miss Devika Rao did seem to be a very inconsistent person. After every new design or every new dish they suggested to her, she kept changing her mind. She wanted everything, yet nothing. But, Annika strongly felt she could figure out some way to handle her. Her thoughts were fixed on only one thing now. It would take another almost two hours to reach home. Shivaay would be waiting for her, rather she was badly waiting to meet him. She quickly typed a text to him about her late arrival and continued her discussion with Smriti.

***************************************

Shivaay parked his car and approached the main door, humming his favorite song, only to find it locked.

"Annika has not come yet?!" He wondered. That was when he realized he had not checked his phone for sometime now.

"Going to meet a client! Might be late :("

"Just started!"

"Stuck in traffic! Will take around an hour to reach home :'("

She had sent him multiple messages and the last message was almost sent thirty minutes ago. It was already late and he knew she would be in a grumpy mood by the time she reached. Rolling up his sleeves, he decided to prepare some quick dinner for the two.

Half an hour later, Annika walked into her home, all exhausted.

Shivaay was seated on the couch, checking his phone for emails. In spite of the fatigue, she did not fail to notice how desirable he looked in that black shirt with his sleeves half folded.

"Hi.. finally I am home!!" She came and gave him a tight hug. He hugged her back, as though waiting for the moment.

"I am so tired, Shivaay" she sighed as she sat on the couch, resting her head on its backrest. He could see those weary eyes. 

He gently began massaging her arms and she gasped. He asked her to sit silently for a while and she obliged. She found his gesture quite comforting and relaxing.

"Wow.. feels so good" she said softly. It was almost ten minutes later that he took back his hands.

"Feeling better?" He whispered, bending close to her ears.

"Very very much" she smiled resting backwards on his arm, which was when she got reminded that he said he was busy too.

"Huh Shivaay.. it is already past nine. Sorry I just recollected that you told me you also will be late. Shall we order something?" She asked hesitantly.

"Dinner is ready, Annika. Let's freshen up quickly and have it" he stated casually and she readily agreed, although astounded. She really needed some refreshment now.

****************************************

He filled two plates and organized the table near the pool, when she joined him rightly. However, she quickly transferred all the contents to one plate, while discarding the other one.

"It is better this way" she smiled placing the plate between them and extending a morsel towards him. It had been quite some days since they had done this. He loved this feeling of togetherness. She had done this last when she came to his office. His eyes were stuck on her chocolate brown orbs.

"Shivaay.. I am waiting for you" she whined breaking his trance. She was seated with her mouth open and he smiled feeding her.

"I feel so lucky to have you in my life!" she admitted and he chuckled at the sudden cheesiness.

"Happy realisation" he teased and she hit him slightly by her arm.

"I was talking about my husband, who is waiting for me with freshly prepared dinner" she said animatedly.

"Whatever" he grinned.

"Ummmm Shivaay .. I am going to be so busy for the next one month" she expressed sadly.

"New event?" He questioned.

"Mmm.. The client wants a South Indian wedding with a North Indian touch. You know what, Shivaay. They are Bangalore based industrialists. It is their second son's wedding. The offer is huge too. If we are successful, we might perhaps get few more such projects through their contacts. But, problem is the woman seems to be very choosy, and has such a wavering mind. We just have a month's time. You think I will be able to handle this?I confidently told Pratik and Smriti that we will do it, but… I am uncertain now" She asked him after explaining about the client. He knew it was her usual habit of asking such questions whenever she got too tensed. She was also already fidgeting with her fingers like always.

"Of course, Annika. You have a month. Give your best. You have an awesome team with you as well.. Why worry then?!" he held her hand, placed a peck there and tried cheering her up. She somehow always found his words quite encouraging, although he said nothing different from what the others did. She nodded with a content smile playing on her face.

"Even I have a lot of work this month. The second phase is coming to a closure soon" he informed.

"Ohh.. so you will have to visit the site often?" She asked. 

"Hmm.. everyday" he clarified. "I hope we get to find some time for ourselves" he chuckled and she agreed, pressing her lips together and embracing him. He reciprocated the hug as both of them became thoughtful about the upcoming days. It was indeed going to be tough!

****************************************

The rest of the week was absolutely very tiring and exhausting for Annika. They had to visit the client's place every other day and so she and Smriti had decided to reach office early for the next few days till things settled down, so that they could as well get back home a little on time. 

Just like Shivaay had stated, they were hardly finding any time for themselves. While she left early, Shivaay decided to go late as the workers arrived only then and reached quite late in the nights.

The only decent time they got to spend together was during the night when they cuddled to sleep. Annika wondered how time changed things so quickly. She had been on cloud nine on Monday morning while was badly waiting for the week to end today. From having food on the same plate to not finding time to have even a cup of coffee together in a matter of four days was something Annika had not anticipated!

It was finally Friday. Shivaay usually arrived a little early on Fridays. So, she decided to cook his favorite dinner and sat waiting for him near the doorstep. She had also texted him in the evening about the plan, he had replied with an OK. Although he went on typing something more as well, that text never reached her. Since she already received a concurrence, she assumed that he got busy afterwards and decided to wait. Nonetheless, time was ticking but there was no sign of his arrival.

Annika was growing quite restless. She was mad that Shivaay neither called her nor attended her calls. She snapped at her stupid thoughts that said he was being irresponsible. She missed Shivaay way too much, apparently due to her work stress and also because this happened immediately after they had grown quite close to each other. She felt they were near, yet too far. And, she wondered how she was going to handle this situation for another three weeks, if she could not stand it for a mere four days that had just passed. Her mind knew pretty well that it was nothing unexpected in their current work circumstance and this was bound to happen in the future also, yet her heart failed to acknowledge the fact and only added to her frustration.

It was close to half past nine when Shivaay finally reached home. He was stunned when he found Annika asleep near the entrance of the house.

"Annika.. hey" he patted her cheeks gently and she opened her eyes with great difficulty. 

"Shivaay.. you came? Ss.. sorry.. huh I…" her words stuttered and she began rubbing her eyes.

"You could have locked the door and slept in the room, right?" He smiled helping her stand up.

"Sorry. I was.. I was waiting for you.. okay come.. have dinner and then you can change before going to sleep" she suggested hurriedly.

"But, I told you that we had a dinner meeting tonight, right?" He questioned very normally, while she blinked. "I sent you a text too" he said pulling out his phone only to note that the battery was long dead in his already silent phone.

"Oops..I think my phone got switched off and I failed to notice it. Anyways, let me go and change now. You better sleep. Look at your eyes!" He smiled again and without waiting for an acknowledgement from her, he advanced upstairs.

Annika stood rooted to the same spot. She had been waiting all along at the door, only to know that his dinner was done. A lump formed in her throat reminding herself of how she had behaved in a similar manner many days ago. She had no idea why she felt so miserable and already distant from Shivaay. Involuntarily, her eyes turned moist!

*****************************************

I have no idea what I scribbled here, specially the last part! I tried writing and rewriting, but just that my mind didn't work! So, gaalis are welcome 🙈

Having said that, if this chapter makes any sense, any idea where things are leading?!
Or, you find something missing?!

Hit vote if you liked this chapter and parcel your Chamelis through the comment box below!

Until we meet again, stay safe and of course, stay happy! ♥️