"Shivaay you seem lost?" asked Annika once nani went to her cabin after dinner made by nani herself.

Shivaay who was in dilemma heard and looked with her confused face.

"You said something?"he asked her confusingly, still thinking about what her nani said about friendship and love.

"Are you ok?" she asked him, looking concerned for him.

"Yes I am totally fine, just thinking about random stuff, nothing serious." he said with a forced smile.

"You can share with me" Annika insisted on him.

Shivaay hesitated, torn between his desire to confide in her and his reluctance to burden her with his inner turmoil. He decided to change the subject, hoping to distract himself and Annika. "It's really nothing important. But, would you like to take a walk with me? The rain has stopped."

Annika, understanding his unspoken plea, agreed readily. She knew that sometimes, the best way to help someone is to simply be there for them, offering a listening ear and a comforting presence.

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

"By the way, Annika, your Nani isn't staying in your cabin?" Shivaay asked as they walked towards the restaurant.

"No, she has her own cottage. Actually, you might not know this, but my Nani owns this cabin hotel. The cabin I was staying in was a gift to my mother from her," Annika explained.

"Really?! Oh, now I see. It's named Batra Cabin Hotel. Wait a minute, isn't Batra a big hotel chain owned by Rajesh Batra?" Shivaay exclaimed, his surprise evident.

"Well, he's my Nana!" Annika said plainly.

"What?! You never told me you're the granddaughter of the Batra family!" Shivaay exclaimed, his eyes wide with surprise.

"You see. I don't have a good relationship with my maternal side, except for my Nani. She's the only one who knows I exist," Annika said, a bitter smile playing on her lips.

Shivaay's face paled as he listened to Annika's words. He quickly reached out and took her hand, urging her to look at him. As their eyes met, he saw unshed tears welling up in hers. With a gentle touch, he wiped away the moisture from her eyes, his heart aching at the sight of her pain. "Hey, what happened?" he asked softly, his voice filled with concern.

Annika could feel the genuine concern in his touch, a warmth that seemed to soothe her troubled soul. A flicker of hope ignited within her, a foolish hope that perhaps, just perhaps, there was something more to their connection. But she quickly dismissed the thought, reminding herself that it was merely a concern, nothing more.

"It's nothing, Shivaay. It's just the past. But let me tell you, it doesn't matter. I had an amazing childhood with my mom, dad, and Nani," Annika assured him, forcing a smile. She didn't want him to worry about her, or to see the pain that still lingered within her."

Shivaay squeezing her hand softly asks her "I'm here for you, Annika. If you ever want to talk about it, I'm all ears."He wanted to understand her better, to know the woman behind the facade.

Annika looked at Shivaay. She knew he was worried about her. They were both hurt, both broken in their own ways. Shivaay never shared his feelings, he always acted strong. But she could see the pain in his eyes. But he won't say a word about it, but if he sees someone else in slightest problem he will make the world upside down.

She decided to share her story with him. She wanted to connect with him on a deeper level. She wanted to be honest with him, perhaps driven by a love that was growing stronger with each passing moment.

Taking a deep breath, she began, "Okay, I'll tell you. You know my name is Annika Mehra, daughter of Captain Avinash Mehra. My dad was in the Indian military, and my mom, Kritika Batra, used to handle the Batra business. When they were young, they were neighbors and childhood sweethearts. Everything was perfect until my mom told her dad about her family. He was against it because he didn't want his son-in-law to be in the army. Even my dad's parents weren't happy with it, as my grandfather was a renowned businessman of that time and he joined the Indian army against their wishes. So, my Nana put a condition that my dad leave the army and join his father's business. But my dad refused. It was Nani's idea that they both run away, so she helped them escape and settle in Mumbai, far from Dehradun. My Nana and Dadaji were enraged and broke all ties with my parents. Since then, my mom, dad, and I have only been in touch with Nani, meeting here whenever we wanted."

Shivaay listened intently, a look of sympathy on his face. "It's a real-life movie drama," he said, trying to lighten the mood. "At least they had a happy ending."

Annika's voice softened as she continued, 'It was a happy ending for that particular chapter of their life . After moving to Mumbai, Mom started a new life, working for an event management firm. Dad returned to his military duties, and I was born. For a while, our little family was blissfully happy. But that fragile happiness shattered when, on my sixth birthday, Mom collapsed. A weak heart, they said. Despite Dad's desperate efforts, she couldn't be saved.The world turned bleak after Mom's passing. Dad, however, was determined to fill the void. He poured all his love into me, shielding me from the world's harshness. We moved to New Delhi, where he joined the Integrated Defence Staff. We found solace in each other's company, building a strong bond. But when I was sixteen, tragedy struck again. Dad was martyred in a terrorist attack in Kashmir. Since then, it's just been Nani and me." Annika told her and a lone tear slipped from her eye.

Shivaay felt really bad asking about her parents, he rubbed her tears and said, "I am really sorry, I shouldn't have asked it." he said apologetically.

"It's totally fine, you didn't know it plus there is nothing to be sad about. My dad used to say that he will meet mom above.",she said sniffing and looking above the sky.

Shivaay hugged her sideways and Annika leaned towards him a sense of peace washing over her as she felt the warmth of his embrace and they continued to walk.

After a few moments, Shivaay broke the silence. "If you don't mind, can I ask you something, Annika?"

She nodded, her eyes meeting his.

"Do you still believe in love, even after witnessing your parents' tragic love story?" he asked cautiously, "Sorry if I hurt your feelings." He immediately apologised to her.

"Well, I believe in love to be honest my parents only taught me what love is. Love is not some destination it's a journey where you two travel together holding hands no matter what. Even if they were not together but their love didn't die, it was in those memories or instances which they shared together. My father often said, 'True love isn't the tragic romance of Romeo Julliet, where love leads to death. It's the love that empowers us to live, even when our loved ones are no longer with us.'" Annika replied, her eyes reflecting the depth of her conviction.

"It's beautiful Annika, I never heard someone who defined it so beautifully", first time Shivaay felt that love exist it's breaking the foundation of 'not believing in love' wall and making all those feeling more significant.

"Just one last question: do you ever fall in love?" he asked looking in her eyes intensely hoping for a yes.

Annika was taken aback by his direct question., she don't know what to answer but looking at his eyes she saw that vulnerability which she is feeling at this point and realising even if their is a 0.1% chance Shivaay loves her she is ready to take it and decided to be honest with it keeping all her worries away.

"Yes I have", she whispered, her voice barely audible looking at him. "And it's standing in front of me and staring with his kanji aankhein"

Shivaay's breath caught in his throat. He had yearned for this moment, for this affirmation. As he looked into Annika's eyes, he saw the truth, the raw, unfiltered truth. And in that moment, he knew he was the luckiest man alive. Because he knows Annika loves him

"Annika," he began, his voice barely a whisper. "I... I don't know what to say." He paused, searching for the right words. "Thank you. Thank you for being so honest with me."

He took a deep breath, his mind racing. He knew he couldn't rush this. He had to be careful, to approach this with sensitivity and respect. "I value your feelings more than you know," he said, his voice steady. "And I promise, I'll give you an answer, an honest answer. But please, give me some time. I need to sort through my own feelings."

He pulled her into a gentle embrace, his heart overflowing with love and gratitude. "For now," he murmured, "let's just cherish this moment."

Annika felt a mix of emotions. Relief washed over her as she realized Shivaay hadn't misunderstood or rejected her feelings. Instead, he was taking his time, processing his emotions, and approaching the situation with care. She admired his honesty and vulnerability.

At the same time, a sense of hope and anticipation filled her heart. She knew that this was just the beginning, and she couldn't wait to see where their relationship would lead.

Whereas Shivaay was now confident that what he feels for Annika can't be called a mere friendship, it's love, blissful love deciding something in his mind.

He muttered to himself,

"Now I know what to do"

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

HI I AM BACK!!

I KNOW I WAS MIA FOR SO LONG BUT FINALLY I AM FREE !! 

AND I WILL TRY WITH REGULAR UPDATES

SO HOW WAS IT DO TELL ME

AND WHAT DO YOU THINK WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT

TILL THEN GOOD BYE

WITH LOVE 

DIA :)