Annika slowly opened her eyes to the morning sunlight through the sheer curtain. She stretched her arms overhead and felt the comforter. But the sharp pain in her left hand reminds her injury. She gently woke up from bed making sure to not put pressure in her hand. She looked at the clock.

"Oh beti ki!! I am so late, upar se yeh bagad billa ka ghar hai!! He might be thinking that I am such a kumbhkaran, be fast Annika!!", she murmured to herself.

Before she could do anything she heard a knock in the door.

"Annika it's me Shivaay!!"

Her eyes widened and she murmured phail gaya raita. She quickly opened the door and before he could say something, she started "I am sorry!! I didn't realise the time, and slept for a long time."

He was trying to stop her but she wasn't stopping her rant, being fed up with her he put his palm on her mouth to stop her from speaking.

She was freezed feeling her cold and rough palm on her lips and her eyes met his colourful eyes which showed care for her. Which was new for her erupting all those feelings which was new to her.

"Kitna bolti ho tum? I am just asking are you ok now, is it paining." He asked holding her left hand gently and her eyes went to her hand inspecting for any swelling.

"Why are you not answering?" he asked looking at her and she indicated her palm is on her mouth awkwardly taking his hand away he moved away from her.

"Ahm I am fine." She said looking here and there and he nodded his head.

"Ok great let's go we will have breakfast"

"Shivaay it's really fine, now I need to go home and I am really getting late for the office. I will have something there only.", she tried to make her point.

Listening to her he frowned.

"Really!! And what do you think I will let you go without eating breakfast. Look even doctor told you take rest, so just take a day off"

"But I am perfectly fine.." she stopped seeing his glare.

"Come now!!"he said with a smile after winning an argument against her.

"I need to freshen up ",she said.

He nodded his head and sat on the couch opposite to the bed.

After fifteen minutes Annika came out of the washroom after freshening up and was surprised to see Shivaay still there sitting on the couch talking to someone on his phone. Seeing her, Shivaay kept his phone.

"Oh you came!!, come let's go", he said standing up from the couch.

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"Arrey Billu you came, I was wondering why you are late for breakfast", said dadi as soon as she saw Shivaay.

But she was surprised to see a lady with her. Even others looked in the same direction and everyone was surprised to see Annika here.

"Annika di!!". Rudra squealed seeing her, meanwhile Annika passed her smile and wished good morning to everyone.

"Good morning Annika, you here? I mean I didn't know you were coming." asked Tej.

Before Annika could reply to him , Shivaay answered him, "Actually bade papa I insisted her to stay last night. We got into an accident and she got hurt."

"Puttar accident kaise hua? And you both are fine?", asked Dadi tenderly.

Shivaay narrated the whole incident. And soon dadi went to Annika and caressed her face and took her hands in her hands, "Thank you puttar for saving my Billu life. I am really grateful to you. You are fine right?"

"It's really fine aunty please don't thank me, and I am perfectly fine" she said with a smile.

A swell of pride passed from Shivaay listening to her but soon a frown formed in his head and when Annika asked, "Ahm Aunty who is Billu?"

"Annika didi you don't not know who Billu is?" he asked with mischief.

She nodded her head in negative.

"Arrey didi your business partner is Billu" Annika snapped her head towards Shivaay while he closed his eyes in embarrassment.

Annika stifled her laughter, but seeing her expression Dadi started to laugh and seeing her she couldn't control her laughter and soon everyone joined them except Shivaay.

"Ok enough everyone!!",said Annoyed Shivaay. Finally everyone became quiet after seeing his annoyed face.

"Dadi maine aapko kaha hai na, don't call me Billu" he said annoyingly.

"Ab Billu ko toh Billu bolungi na", she said innocently. Shivaay sighs in disbelief. And says to everyone let's have breakfast. He escorted Annika to her chair and sat beside her.

"Puttar I will get you haldi wala doodh it will help your wounds to heal soon." said Dadi.

"No no aunty, it is not really required, I am completely fine.", she declined her offer politely.

"Arrey puttar it is healthy you don't worry.", she said getting up from her chair, but Shivaay stopped her and said he will get it. And he stood up from his chair, went to the kitchen to come with turmeric milk and kept it in front of Annika much to her dismay.

Soon everyone begins their breakfast.

Once Tej and Jhanvi breakfast got over they went to their respective offices due to prior engagement, and requested to stay till lunch so that they could sit together and talk which Annika tried to decline but Tej insisted and she agreed to them finally. Soon Rudra and Dadi also went.

Now only Shivaay and Annika are left. He just finished his French toast and turned to Annika who is frowning looking at the turmeric milk. He smiled realising what she was thinking, she is such a kid.

"You know you should not curse it, you still have to drink it no matter what.", he said, hiding his smile.

Annika gave him an offended look "Who said I am frowning, it's just I am full."

"So drink it." he said with a smirk on his face.

"Ya..ya", she said, taking the glass in her hand and trying to drink it in one go. She drank whole glass making faces.

While Shivaay had a small smile seeing her childish nature. He wonders how a person can have so many personalities and it changes as per the situation she is unique.

He came out of his thoughts when he heard her, "Look I drank the whole milk." she said with a proud smile as if she won an olympic gold medal.

He looked at her, and saw her upper mouth was covered with a layer of milk. He comes close to her, and gently wipes the milk away from the lip. The touch was intimate yet light hearted. Their eyes met and they were so lost in each other.

A ping from Shivaay's phone broke their moment and they looked here-there.

"Woh there was milk so I just want to clean it." Shivaay explains himself.

Meanwhile Annika nodded her head and a red glow was visible on her cheeks.

"I..I should leave right now, have an important meeting. I.. will be at study, till then you can sit with Rudy and Dadi, I will call Rudy."

And he went away from there.

Annika who was sitting there lost, "What is happening to me?" she thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whole morning Annika sat with Rudy and they really formed a good bond with each other even Dadi also sat with them for some time and she insisted Annika to call her dadi not aunty.

"You know di, you are best no one really understands my sense of humour.", he says in his cheeky voice.

"I like you Rudy, you are the little brother that I always miss.", Annika says, agreeing with him.

"Waise Rudy where is your brother? I haven't seen him since this morning."

"He must be at his study, wait let me ask Karan"

He called Karan(housekeeper) and asked him about Shivaay. He said he was in his room.

"Didi he is in his room, come let's go and irritate him." he said with a mischievous smile.

"No..no if your brother gets angry na, phir woh tandav karne late hai.", she said in a frightened tone.

"Kya didi,you are scared of bhaiya? In fact I feel you are the only person who should not be scared of bhaiya. Afterall you broke the bhaiya's car windscreen.", he said, teasing her.

"Oh come on at that time he wasn't my business partner, but now we have a professional relationship?" , she said.

"Please na didi" he said making his infamous puppy face.

She melted seeing her face and finally gave in.

So they went towards the lift.

"I thought your and Shivaay's room is on the same floor."

"No..no didi bhaiya love's his privacy a lot. He wants to be alone once he has his dinner. So he had a complete floor for him. You know, he even has his own swimming pool."

"He has the whole floor!!",she asks in astonishment stepping inside the lift.

"Yes, he has had it from childhood itself. In the past only chote papa choti ma and bhaiya used to live there but after they passed away he didn't renovate their room to keep their memories fresh and then after that dad decided to let that floor be of bhaiya only as he knows how many memories bhaiya have there. And from that no one is allowed there without his permission except his family members."

Annika nodded her head in understanding. Once they come to the second floor Annika can sense complete silence , and the whole interior screams that it belongs to Shivaay only.

When they were going to Shivaay's room Rudra's phone rang.

"Annika di, I need to pick this call, you just go to the last door there, it's Shivaay bhaiya's room", he said urgently.

Before she could say something he went away. Having no other option he went to Shivaay's room and knocked on his door.

But no one responded. She knocked again but no one answered she was about to go but she realised the door is not locked so she just sneaked inside to see a humongous piano and two couches were kept there and there was a glass wall behind it and a partition probably goes to the bedroom.

In trance she went inside the room and pressed piano keys.

She was startled hearing his voice, "What are you doing here?" She turned to look at Shivaay who came from that partition.

"Actually I came with Rudra but he got a call so went away and told me to come here. And I knocked twice but no one answered and I saw the door was open so just came inside to see this piano. I hope I didn't disturbed you." she said to him.

"No it's ok, I wasn't expecting someone so I just got puzzled. Who's here and I was sitting near the pool."

She nodded her head in understandment.

"How's your hand?"

"Well it is fine." she said with a small smile.

He asked her to sit on the couch, and both of them settled there.

"So you play this? Or just a showpiece" she asked, teasing him, pointing towards the piano.

"Are you underestimating me?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"Well do I need to be more explicit?" she said, hiding her smile.

"Ok then let me grace your ears with my enchanting melody." , he said, stood up from the couch and settled on the bench. He played Moonlight Sonata for her.

"So how was it?"he asked her with a smirk, once he finished.

"It was truly amazing. I didn't know you could play piano." she said in amazement.

"Well you don't know many things about me Ms Mehra" he said boasting himself.

"But can you play 'Tum hi ho' on piano?" she said in a challenging tune.

He frowned and said, "I have not heard about it?"

Her mouth becomes completely O shaped and she says, " Seriously you don't know this song I don't know aap konse planet se ho."

"Well it is not necessary to know every song." he said and Annika can clearly interpret from his voice that he is offended.

"Ok, I know aap jaise angrezi logo ko nahi pata hoga jo sirf hollywood ki films dekhte hai."

He sighed, he knew he couldn't win against her. But before he could argue Rudra called him saying to come down from lunch and bring Annika di with him. He says let's go for lunch and Annika stood up and was going towards the door. But he called her and said

"I will learn it for you"

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SO THIS IT FOR TODAY!!

HOW WAS IT?

ARE THEY STARTED FELLING OF EACH OTHER?

WITH LOVE

DIA!!