"If that's the case then" he stood up from his stool.

He forwarded his hand and asks

"Will you be my friend?"Shivaay said directly, looking in her eyes.

Shock would be an understatement for Annika, she never thought the guy who threw a bundle of notes on their first meeting would take the initiative to be friends.

"Kya hua Annika you don't wanna be my friend?" he asked her hesitant when she didn't reply to him immediately there was a tinge of fear in his blue orbs.

His question brought her out of her shock and she immediately nodded her head in disagreement, by saying, "It's nothing like that, I am pleased to be your friend!!" she said, shaking her hand with him.

"Well then friends", he said with a broad smile. Even she reciprocated his smile. He settled on the stool where he was sitting previously.

Smiles weren't leaving their faces. Today both of them took a step towards each other.

Finally Annika decided to break the ice.

"You know what, this calls for celebration!!", she said standing up from the swing.

"Celebration?", he asked in a confused tone.

"Ya!! We really need to celebrate this, afterall the mighty SSO asked me to be his friend. It does not happen to me daily." she said, winking her eyes and went inside.

Shivaay chuckled at his statement and followed her inside quietly, not wanting to face her beast aka Ozone.

He saw Annika going inside the kitchen, he followed her. He saw her taking out two bowls and two spoons.

"Great you came here, I was going to call you" she said looking at him.

"Come here" she says while opening the refrigerator's freezer..

He went there, and looked inside the fridge, his eyes bulging out.

"Are you crazy!!" he screamed in bewilderment.

Annika frowned her eyes listening to his not so sweet words.

"Why are you screaming?"

"So what should I do?You have your own goddamn ice cream parlour in your freezer. How am I supposed to react?" He says looking at her.

She gave him the YOU-ARE EXAGGERATING-THE-MATTER look.

"Look, I have 20 ice cream flavours and you are reacting as if I have 100 flavours in my freezer. You know what even I don't have mint chocolate chip ice cream as it was finished last week" she said with a pout.

He gave her a look of disbelief!!

"Acha! Leave all this and which flavour do you want and how many scoops?" she asks in excitement.

Shivaay again looked at the freezer and looked for the flavour.

"You don't have vanilla?", he asked her.

"Who eats vanilla? Vanilla is boring." she said in an obvious tone.

Then she realised something and shot her head towards him, "Don't tell me you eat vanilla!! Jeez you are so boring." she said in a staggered tone.

"It's not that bland, it tastes amazing." he said, defending himself.

She shook her head, "You know what, just move aside I will select a flavour for you." She said, pushing him slightly. She stood there standing in front of the freezer and expressed wondering which flavour is good for him. And her eyes brightened finding the suitable ice cream for him. Taking out the box. She took the bowl and put one scoop in it and when she was putting another he stopped her.

"No..no one scoop is enough!! I don't like sweets at night."

Nodding her head in affirmative she picked another box for her and filled her bowl with three scoops of ice cream.

"You know why I chose butter pecan for you and choco chip for me?" she asked him. While keeping the boxes back.

"Well you might know I don't like chocolate" he tried to guess, but didn't expect a dramatic reaction from her.

"You don't like chocolate!! My goodness are you from earth only?" She was getting shocked one after another.

"Oh come on, it's not a big deal, not everyone is a chocolate lover." He stated his point.

"Whatever, but you know you should be in the museums stating that this guy eats vanilla and doesn't like chocolate ice cream."

He chuckled, "Then you should also stand beside me and your board will read this girl eat I am sorry breath ice cream and chocolates not oxygen." He said, teasing her.

"Hey don't come between my ice cream and chocolate they are bae." she snapped on him. And he raised his both hands accepting his defeat and looking at his face she laughed and he joined her.

"For our friendship", she said once, stopping her laughter and giving him his bowl.

"For our friendship " he repeated her line with a smile.

Taking a bite of ice cream she moaned in delight. He shakes her head seeing her love for ice cream.

"Well you didn't tell me why you chose this flavour for me?" he asks her to bring out her world of delight.

"Well I read somewhere that ice cream can guess the personality and since you are conscientious so I choose butter pecan for you . Waise toh, I would have chosen mint chocolate as you are argumentative but it wasn't available so this is good." she said cheekily.

"Who said I am argumentative?" he argued

"Really, do I need to remind you of our previous fights?" she said, biting her lips.

"Don't forget you were the equal participant in that." he countered the attack.

"Well can't decline on that , but trust me I enjoyed that when I shut you off" she said dramatically.

He chuckled seeing her reaction.

"So what does your flavour say?" he said, taking a bite of his ice cream.

"Well mine is chocolate which says I am full of life and provocative." she said enjoying her ice cream and settled on the kitchen stool.

"Then it gives me the explanation of all those fights too...that I am not the only one who is responsible for all fights." he said, settling on the stool beside her.

"Well, whatever makes you sleep at night." she said nonchalantly.

"And finally I won" he muttered so that she didn't hear.

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

It's been a week since that day, Annika also recovered from her injury. Even the day before yesterday when she went to the doctor to remove her stitches Shivaay accompanied her, at first she declined but he didn't buzz. In fact at night he used to drop her at home, she always tries to decline but he never listens to her and uses his tadi on her.

Today is friday, and they are going to have a meeting in the evening on the progress, and plans of their project phase two. So she was reviewing the presentation before presenting it to Shivaay and the project members.

"Excuse me ma'am", Annika looked above to see her assistant Meera there.

"What happened, Meera?"

"Ma'am Mr Oberoi cancelled today's meeting, his secretary came to inform me, he said he will review the progress on monday."

As her secretary finished talking a frown formed in her head, it's first time Shivaay postponed the meeting. It's not so him. Is he ok? She wondered.

"Did he tell you any reason,Meera?" she asked her.

"No ma'am, he didn't."

Nodding her head she dismissed her.

"Probably he might have something important." she muttered and drowned herself in her work.

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

"Uff, I worked so late today!!" she said, stretching her hands and looking at the clock, it's half past eight. Packing her things in her bag, she went towards the lift where she heard Shivaay's secretary Mishra who was talking to another employee saying, "You submit this file tomorrow only, don't give it to him right now. He doesn't want any disturbance right now." Nodding, the employee went away.

When she heard this, she frowned that Shivaay was in office but then why did he cancel the meeting. What is the issue? She decided to talk to Mishra.

"Ahm Mishra ji, Mr Oberoi is still at office?" she asked him.

"Yes ma'am, he is at his cabin."

"Then why did he cancel today's meeting?" she asked him.

"Actually ma'am.." Mishra was hesitating to tell Annika.

"Don't worry Mishra ji, you can tell me."

Thinking about Shivaay Annika dynamics he knows Annika is important for Shivaay so he decided to tell her the truth.

"Actually ma'am sir is in a foul mood today. Actually we lost a land deal, that too against his arch rival." he said. Annika nodded her head in understanding.

"If you don't mind, can I meet him right now?" She asked him.

"Ma'am but sir.." he was sceptical to say yes.

"Don't worry I will handle that.. Trust me." she assured him.

Nodding his head in approval, Annika went inside the lift and pressed the button of Shivaay's cabin floor.

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

"Who's there? I said, " I don't want anyone right now?" Shivaay barked as he heard his cabin door open.

"Main bhi nahi?"

He lifted his head hearing her melodious voice.

"Annika? What are you doing here?" He asked her.

One look at him and Annika knows how angry and frustrated he is right now.

"Yes!! I am here to meet you." she said, closing the door.

"Look Annika we can talk regarding the project on monday" he said not looking at her.

"Well I didn't come here as your business partner but as a friend", she said looking at him.

When he heard his statement he looked towards her with different emotions, and she smiled seeing his eyes which did not show anger.

Composing himself he replied, "I really appreciate your care for me, but right now I really want to be alone."

She settled on the chair in front his desk.

"Ok I will leave you alone, once you tell me what happened and I promise if you still said you want to be alone I will leave." she said.

He sighed, he knew she wouldn't buzz until he told her the whole matter, and he really didn't want to snap her out.

"Fine!!" he said and hearing her tone she knows he is exasperated.

"I lost a deal to my rival, you might know him Rana, Siddharth Rana." he said.

"Yes I know him, I met him once at a business party. But Shivaay it's just a deal...", she tried to make him understand but he stopped her by saying.

"You won't understand Annika, just leave it." he said annoyingly he knows everyone just says to forget it and move on!! But it's not easy. He stood up and moved towards the glass window and stood facing the window.

"I know by saying this it won't mend anything. I know how it feels when we lose a deal. And when someone says forget it . At that point the only thing that comes to mind is punching the person's face." she said standing beside him. A small smile crept in Shivaay's face but he immediately hid it, but Annika noticed it and decided to continue.

"You know when I started my venture I lost three consecutive deals and one of them was we have worked for a month and then they decided to give this contract to another company. At that point I was agitated and really decided to leave all this and run away to my nani's home." she said .

He looked at her tenderly, "Then what did you do?" he asked slowly. His anger and frustration vanished when he heard her.

"Well you want to know?"

He nodded his head.

But something clicked on her mind.

"You know what rather than telling you I will show you"

Before he could object to her she interrupted and said, "Trust me you will enjoy it and forget all this just give it a try" she said making a puppy face.

He sighed and agreed with her. He always wonders how much control she has on him. While Annika in excitement hugged him and says

"So get ready SSO!! To have some fun!!", and blabbered about other things.

But poor Shivaay didn't hear anything as he is lost in the sparks he is feeling right now on their first hug.

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

SO THAT'S IT FOR TODAY!!

NOW THEY ARE FRIENDS AND EVEN FIRST HUG!!

WHAT'S REMAINING?

WHAT DO YOU THINK ANNIKA WILL DO TO LIFT SHIVAAY'S MOOD?

DO TELL ME YOUR REVIEWS!!

TILL THEN GOOD BYE 

WITH LOVE 

DIA