Monday it is! How many of you like it and how many of you despise it?? 🤧😛
I belong to the second category!😁

But these days, I believe to most of you, all days appear same 😃

Anyway, not sure if this update will make your Monday better or worse!
Whatever it does, do let me know in the comment box below 🙈

Happy Reading!! ♥️

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"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!" Shivaay smiled casually 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 long 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!

Not even a minute had passed when she heard the familiar voice again.

"Annika…" 

She swiftly wiped off the tears and acted like latching the main door. Composing herself as quickly as possible and forcing a smile on her face, she turned in his direction. What made him come back down before he could have even walked upto the room?!

"Shivaay.. you did not freshen up?!" She asked softly. His eyes were fixed on hers, like he was trying to infer something.

"Did you have dinner?" He asked looking into her eyes.

She so wanted to lie, she so wanted to quickly nod her head and walk away from there. However, she could not bring herself to do it. Perhaps due to the intensity his eyes held!

"Sshh.. Shivaay.. huh.. I...I was waiting for you" she swallowed half the words. But, as soon as those words had managed to escape her lips, he took her in his tight embrace. 

"I knew it. I am sorry Annika. I am sorry. I should have informed you. I..I did not even realize that my phone was switched off" he apologized softly in her ears and she was taken aback.

"Shivaay.. it is ok" she said slowly.

"No it is not. I should have been careful. They called me for a meeting at that time and we were so involved in it.. I am such an idiot" he said rubbing his forehead and she could sense how guilty he was. "Okay.. leave all that.. come and eat.. you must be hungry" he insisted and literally dragged her towards the table.

"You .. you made my favourite dish?" His words faltered when he looked into the hot pack and she nodded. The very thought of making her wait when she was yearning to spend time with him, did something to him. 

"Let me also taste it then" he expressed enthusiastically, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Shivaay.. you don't have to.." she tried to stop him. She knew he hated having too much food in the night.

"I want to.. I want to taste it.Two spoons should be fine, Annika. Nothing will happen.. Rest we can reheat and have tomorrow" he shrugged his shoulders and she chuckled. He extended a morsel towards her and she had it without dodging. He also ate from the same spoon intermittently. They did not speak, however kept stealing glances at each other all the while through eating. 

She wondered how he rightly came back and enquired her about the dinner. She did not know if she would ever be able to reach the level of understanding him so well like he did. He, on the other hand, could see the amount of love those chocolate brown orbs held for him.

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After dropping the plate into the sink, he came back and sat next to her on the couch. There was a momentary silence after which he gently took one of her hands in his.

"I.. I am sorry again" his voice almost quivered and she was horrified.

"I.. I actually typed the message too. See..Then, Yoko came there and we immediately went to the meeting room and I just lost track of time..I.. I thought I sent the text.. " he explained the events sequentially, showing her his phone.

"Shivaay.. what is this? I trust you, Shivaay" she spoke as a lone tear escaped her eye. "Don't make me more guilty" she stated and he was baffled.

"I was careless...I was. I was an idiot.. I.. I know how it would have felt when you were waiting and I casually told you that I already finished my dinner" he spoke softly and she knew what he was referring to.

Without thinking any more, she hugged him tightly and let her tears flow down slowly. He was puzzled at her reaction and within seconds realized that his shirt was slightly drenched.

"Annika…" he gently lifted her face from his chest and looked at her with questioning eyes.

"I.. I am so immature.. I assumed so many things like always.. I.. I thought your work suddenly became more important to you than me and I .. I got mad at you unnecessarily. I was upset you did not even bother to ask me if I ate.. Although, reality is none of this is true, every single thing I presumed was wrong like always. I am sorry.. I am sorry for being so stupid" she sobbed hugging him again and he was astounded at her confession, when she continued speaking. 

"Shivaay. Am I becoming possessive of you? It is wrong, no?? That means, that means, my activities are almost toxic right?" She whined like a little kid and Shivaay was petrified. This behaviour was so unlike Annika. What had gotten into her suddenly?! 

He was so perplexed and looked around him blinking when the small monthly calendar on the table caught his attention. He became thoughtful for a moment, trying to recollect something, when realisation dawned upon him.

"Acchaa. So that is why she is so cranky!!" He grinned, thinking to himself.

"If you are not possessive, who else would be?!" He muttered and she immediately looked up at him. He simply wiped those tears off her eyes and spoke again. 

"I am yours right" he stressed again in a very casual manner. His gaze had slightly turned intense by now. She blushed nodding in agreement, yet felt so bad.

"Still, I was so immature" she pouted.

"Hmm..so like my Annika" he giggled and her eyes widened in shock. After a moment, she blushed profusely and this time he was amazed.
She was smiling and blushing?! He sat there puzzled.

"You called me My Annika" she smiled widely as though understanding his confusion.

"Annika, but I also agreed that you are immature" he shook his head in disbelief. He was teasing her and she was so casual about it?!

"That is ok… it is true" she agreed, hiding her face in his chest. He giggled hugging her back and they stayed in that position for a few minutes.

"I cry too much these days" she cribbed.

"I guess that is probably because I forgot to give you something" he whispered and she shook her head quizzically.

"Will be back!" he said and disappeared into the kitchen only to be back within a minute.

"I think you needed this" he smiled, extending a bar of chocolate towards her. Her eyes widened in shock!

"I was wondering why you were suddenly so cranky and then I saw the date and realized this would probably help" he smiled sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck and she bent her head in embarrassment. The guy knew her, her actions as well as her reactions too well.

He was amused at her reaction and decided to tease her for some more time, but she quickly grabbed the chocolate from his hand and began feasting on it hungrily.

"For me?!" He asked eagerly and she simply twisted her lips.

"Well. Then, I have my ways you see" he said huskily and she gaped. The guy could turn his voice and actions from sweet to sexy within seconds!

"What?! You are such a … Here, have it" she broke half of it and extended it towards him. He chuckled, taking it from her. It was easy to get her doing things his way!

"Shivaay.. Ummm" she tried to gather some courage to speak.

"Hmmm…" he just hummed signalling her to proceed.

"I.. I don't want our work or profession to come between us, Shivaay" she said. "After so many days, we have just gotten close to each other. I don't want anything to come in between us" she confided her insecurity. He was bewildered, yet very happy. 

"It won't come. Had it come, we would not be sitting and speaking like this, Annika" he explained casually and she nodded, still being a little uncertain. "Trust me...it will never come" he reassured her, holding her face between his palms.

"Promise?" She asked him.

"Pinky promise" he guaranteed. "Feel better now?" 

"Yeah.. very much" she said chirpily.

 "Hmm.. shall we go for a walk then?" He asked and she was shocked.

"Shivaay..it is ten already"

"So what?! A short walk.. we will be back in twenty minutes..what say?" He requested with puppy eyes and she obviously could not say no to them.

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They walked back into the house hand in hand exactly twenty five minutes later. Shivaay had gone to freshen up, while Annika stood by the window in their room. She had to agree that she felt much lighter after their short stroll. 

The moon was clearly visible from their room and this was the first time she was witnessing this view of it. She smiled as her thoughts drifted to the incident from few minutes ago. She was flabbergasted when Shivaay had gotten her an ice-cream from a roadside vendor on their way back home.

"I never knew even such little things give so much happiness before you came into my life" he had told her heartily. Her heart fluttered at those words. No matter what, she still felt she could never love him as much as he did.

Minutes later, he came and snaked his arms around her waist and placed his chin on her shoulder making chills run down her spine.

"Where is madam lost?" He whispered into her ears.

"Never knew there is such a beautiful view of the moon from our room" she replied placing her arms over his.

"Hmm.. me too" he replied looking at the sky. It was indeed spectacular. They stayed in the same position for sometime.

"Shivaay.." she called softly moments later and he hummed.

"Remember the first time you came into Priyanka's room in our hometown and hugged me like this from behind.. umm assuming I was her?!" she stated shyly and he quickly took away his hands and gasped in shock. 

"That..that was by mistake" he stammered. She chuckled at his reaction and pulled back his arms towards her, placing them in the same position as before.

"I know.. I was just trying to say that..from there till now, we have come a long way" she explained.  

He nodded smiling and placed a chaste kiss on the side of her cheek. The feel of his stubble over her skin sent shivers all through her body and her cheeks heated up as a reflex. There was a time she used to get irked by his mere presence due to her misunderstanding whereas now she loved every tiny thing about him. Time and love did change everything!

"I wish we could stay like this itself" she expressed softly.

"Well, we could. But, our hands and legs might become numb if we do that. Considering the amount of work lined up in front of us for the next few days, I don't think it is a good idea" he grinned warning and she chuckled nodding her head. 

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Next morning, Annika woke up to find Shivaay still asleep. She ran her hand through his hair admiring his sleeping form. She got out of the bed, giving a light peck on his forehead a little while later, choosing to let him sleep more since he was tired handling too much work and most importantly her, the previous day.

She decided to engage herself in some dusting activity for a while until he woke up. Her colleague Akshay had called her a few minutes back to intimate that everything was in place for the event and she did not have to go there and check things in person since he was already present at the venue.

Heaving a sigh of relief, she continued cleaning a certain part of the shelf, when an object there caught her attention. 

She smiled as she recollected something. She picked it from there and advanced upstairs towards their room.  

Hearing the sound of the shower, she assumed Shivaay to be in the washroom. Meanwhile, finding his files scattered all over the table, she began arranging them properly.

"Good morning" Shivaay who tiptoed close to her whispered near her ear. Hearing his cheerful voice, she quickly turned in his direction. However, he had been standing so close to her that her hands automatically landed on his bare arms for support, while his hands found their way to her waist, holding her carefully. He had walked out of the shower with just the towel wrapped around his waist.

They stayed there with their eyes locked for some time, when Annika slightly squirmed realizing their position. But, before she could really withdraw herself, he pulled her closer towards himself and this time her arms rested in a much more comfortable position around him.

"I said good morning" he said huskily.

"Goo..good morning" her words stuttered.

"Waise Annika.. you know something. we are a very weird couple" he stated and she shook her head in bafflement.

"Did you notice something? When I shy away, you are bold and when you shy away, I am bold..hai na" he said looking intently and her cheeks had already reddened.

"Shivaayyy" she whined.

"Annikaaa" he mimicked in the same tone and she blushed further.

He chuckled inching closer if it was even possible and tucked some of her hair strands behind her ear.

"You were going to say something?" He asked softly.

"Huh..ummm" his actions and their proximity were already driving her crazy. He smelled heavenly!

"Are you going to say it or continue to check me out?" He asked playfully and she hit him slightly.

"You first get dressed.. I will tell you after that" she commanded.  "I..I will wait outside" she said, moving away when he pulled her back. 

"You don't have to...just give me two minutes" he smiled. She agreed and got seated at the edge of the bed, swiping through her phone. He was distracting her way too much and she did not want to lose her sanity anytime soon.

"Mm tell me madam" he said as he came and sat next to her, with his arms around her. He was fresh out of bath and looked so adorable that her thoughts were travelling in a totally different direction which she did not even know existed.

"Darn hormones" she cursed herself mentally. Quickly composing herself, she looked at him and began speaking.

"Remember this?" She questioned, pointing at the object that was placed next to him.

"Com.. complaint box??" he was shocked would be an understatement.

"Shivaay.. it is empty" she laughed and he sighed in relief. "Remember we decided to go out and share the expenses when this is empty.."

"Yeah..your idea of our future dates" he teased and she slightly punched him with her elbow.

"Ouch" he squealed.

 "Listen.. And, we are nearing the end of the month as well.. So.." she sounded pretty excited.

"Alright.. today I will have to go to the site after sometime. Not sure when I would be back. How about tomorrow?" He asked. She was disappointed, but did not let it be visible on her face. Afterall, like he already explained, they had to stay a little patient till the end of four weeks.

"Ohh.. but Shivaay. Remember, tomorrow is the event I was planning before my trip. I will have to be there" she said hesitantly.

"Oh yeah.. that slipped out of my mind. No worries, Annika. We will figure out something. We have the whole of next week" he tried to cheer her up and she nodded. She knew for sure Shivaay would not bring work between them, but trusted herself less in the aspect. She just hoped they could materialize a plan soon!

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Shivaay sat smiling at his phone. She had sent him a funny image of a decoration she had edited according to her client's demand using a photo editor app on her phone. Since she had a lot of complaints about the lady, Shivaay had suggested this method to her so that she did not get too worked up. He was also equally stressed with his work going on in full swing.

The past three days had been quite exhausting for both of them. The only way they could keep themselves sane was through such texts. Though their free time did not match most of the time, they did not give up on the few minutes it coincided as well. Either they called and spoke for a mere five minutes or sent those cliche miss you texts to each other.

"Sir.. the load has come. We can assess them" Dhruv suggested breaking Shivaay's trance as he walked into his cabin. Although not his work, Shivaay had chosen to personally ensure everything was in place. This was a very critical project for him as well as his dad and Bade Papa.

"Good. So, the contractor agreed finally?" Shivaay questioned.

"I guess so, Sir. Anyhow, we will know now once we check" he stated and Shivaay agreed.

"Let us get going then" Shivaay remarked, getting up from his seat, typing a quick message to Annika and also confirming that it was sent successfully. He was just being extra careful after Friday's incident.

"Sir.. we are a little behind Yoko's target schedule" Dhruv sounded worried.

"Don't worry! We will get there soon" Shivaay assured, but Dhruv still seemed unconvinced. "I am confident, Dhruv. Stop worrying" Shivaay smiled again.

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"Dhruv. We have settled them right?" Shivaay asked as they began inspecting the load.

"Yes Sir. He even confirmed that he received the payment"

"Should we talk to them again?" Shivaay asked, scrunching his forehead.

"Sir…" Dhruv's voice was tense.

"You dial their number. Let me talk" he tried to sound as normal as possible.

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Annika and Smriti impatiently waited for Devika to come down from her room. Someone had informed them that she was getting ready. Their waiting time sometimes appeared to be longer than their discussion time.

While Smriti was speaking to the caterers, Annika was typing some text to Shivaay. If there was something best that happened to her in these last four days in between her tight schedule, it was only those text conversations with him. She observed how Shivaay was being extra cautious in replying to every single text from her and the smile just refused to leave her face.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Devika came all decked up. Smriti and Annika looked at each other with a sigh. They were just thankful that she was not the bride.

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting" she smiled with those paint smudged lips.

"That is okay mam. We came here today for finalizing the designs. The designer was not keeping well today. She emailed us the designs you had already shortlisted. We just need a final confirmation before the go ahead" Annika explained.

"Of course. We can do that. That is the reason I have asked one of my close acquaintances to come here. She has a very good sense of fashion. She would be here anytime. Till then, let me arrange some juice and snacks for you guys" Devika gave a toothy grin. Annika was dumbstruck. It was the first time in almost ten days of their presence here that the woman was being extra sweet to them. Whatever was the reason! 

"Now who is this, Annika?" Smriti asked her in a hushed tone.

"Who knows?! I just hope she is not just as problematic" Annika replied back sounding equally terrified.

"Hi Devikaaaaa"  they heard a strange voice from the entrance when they both equally choked and were almost about to spit out the drink.

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Alright! So, you think all is well at Shivaay and Annika's workplace?!
Or, new problem(s) might crop up?!

Will they both be able to keep up the promises/decision they agreed on?!

Are you smelling something?!

Guess and let me know in the comment box below!

Hit vote if you liked the chapter!♥️

Stay happy and safe, enjoy the upcoming week! ♥️