"You will be staying here, acha"

"Wait, what? BHAI you will be staying HERE? Like seriously!?"

"Umm..yes Somu" Shivay replied cautiously. And looked at Anika in confusion. It wasn't the first time he crashed at Somu's - what was the big deal here? As Anika stood there - her spirits were already lifted, now seeing Shivay's innocent confusion she felt like she would burst in laughter.

"But bhai! How can you share my room? I am a girl!" she responded shocked.

"Um..I know. So? We have shared before also" he replied reasonably.

"Yeahhh, but back then I was a guy bhai!! Now I am a girl!!"she replied indignantly.

"Eh..Somu, back then you thought you were a boy - but you weren't! and I still stayed with you" Shivay tried again, not realizing why Somu was acting all cranky.

"Yes but now I KNOW I am a girl! You can't stay bhai" she said adamantly with arms folded in her front. Anika who tried being civil so far, burst into peals of laughter seeing Soumya's fierce stand on womanhood visavis Shivay's lack of understanding. Both sibling turned to face her, when Anika pulled Shivay into her room and excused them from Soumya - even though she pulled in innocence, he loved being dragged by her into her room - he had a goofy smile up his lips when Anika faced him.

"Shivay, Soumya is a newly turned woman in her head - she will take time to settle her scores right. It's like adolescence all over for her again - she is sensitive to her gender now - please be careful around her" she explained laughing.

"Oh" retorted Shivay, clearly not understanding of course. "So I fail my exams? Because my baby sister just realized after 20 years of life that she is a girl?" he asked amused.

"Umm no. You stay but you get to sleep in the hall at night - you cool?" asked Anika.

"Why not in your room? I am sure you know from much beforehand that you're a girl" he asked with an innocent smile.

"Hawww" it was Anika's instant reaction, and Shivay toppled over unable to control his laughter.

"Just Kidding Anika!! Just look at you" he laughed light heartedly. He was feeling awesome after a very long time. Anika had that impact on him. He was happier then he was in days, and Anika doubled up in laughter at her reaction, not realizing until that morning, every other word was bringing tears to her eyes.

***

"Om, Shivay is staying here at ours - for revision. I thought it is my duty as your fake girlfriend to let you know, lest you be fake jealous" she laughed over the phone, while Om looked mildly surprised - moved in, desperate much Shivay? He thought and hid a smirk.

"Oh, but as your fake boyfriend it is my duty to feel fake protective about you sharing your apartment with another man right? So out of fake concern, I have to figure out a way to protect you soon" he laughed and Anika joined in.

"Om you're MAD" she laughed and hung up the phone and came out still smiling from her room. Shivay noticed her smile and a frown covered his face.

"Informed your body guard, of me potentially raping you?" he asked darkly - Anika just laughed - not even Shivay could dampen her spirit today.

"Yes, he told me to keep pepper spray handy!!" she replied laughing and disappeared into the kitchen.

***

When Shivay told Tia about his whereabouts, she shuddered - he was staying at behenji's? Like STAYING!?!?! Moved in? Well it was Somz's house too - she tried consoling herself. But something didn't feel right - she knew that the behenji loved him - but she was keeping quiet for some stupid reason - but she couldn't depend on her - what if she made a move? No. It was time to mark her territory yet again and remind Anika where she stands in their life - and this time she would use her bhai - Om, he loved her right?

***

They were sitting in the living roof sprawled on the carpet and revising together, Shivay was going through her notes and she was explaining them to him wherever he faltered - it was late and Shivay had never felt more motivated to study - sitting by Anika and sipping coffee and chatting and studying - he was in a delirious world and didn't want to come out of it. Sometimes he would deliberately pretend to not understand so that she explained to him, and when she would explain, he would get a reason to look at her mesmerising eyes without feeling silly. He was reading a note quietly for quiet sometime, when he felt a soft thud on his shoulder, he turned to see her head resting on his shoulder, she had slept off - Shivay looked at her tired face, there were slight dark circles around her eyes, but she still managed to look exceedingly beautiful in a different way - his eyes seem to filter her and present an enhanced portrayal of the real Anika - he never noticed before, was she always this beautiful or was it his eyes? He sighed and carefully moved a lock of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. She seemed so much at peace while sleeping, she looked like an angel thought Shivay and carefully caressed the tip of his index finger on her cheek - she stirred in her sleep but didn't wake up - he decided to carefully remove her specs from her eyes, but just as he was about to do that her eyes gently opened - there was no shock there, she was gently staring at him, as if she always expected him to be there - he looked deep into her eyes, there was care and concern for him there, but there was more - was it lo" "SHIVAY"she stuttered just then disrupting his thoughts, she seemed to realize how close they were. Shivay jumped back and mumbled that he was just trying to remove her specs because she had dozed off, and she just accepted his words and soundlessly pushed back.

"I think you should call it a night Anika - it's quite late" he mumbled not looking at her

"Yes. Yes, I think you are right Shivay. I will go. You also sleep, we will take it from here from tomorrow"she replied quietly.

As she left, Shivay breathed out in relief, things were very tensed for a few moments he sighed. Then he turned to look at the couch that was going to be his bed for the next few nights and sulked, he would surely have a stiff body tomorrow morning. Just then she came back from behind,

"Shivay I don't think you will fit here, you go inside and sleep on my bed, I will sleep here" she begun. Shivay turned around to see her standing with a pillow and a duvet in her hand.

"No way Anika, it's your room. Don't worry about me, I will manage." He retorted and took the duvet and the pillow from her hand. Even though she insisited, Shivay didn't budge and finally Anika retired to her room for the night. Shivay also settled in the couch with the pillow and duvet and tried to sleep, but for some reason, for a very long time, Anika's gentle stare when she woke up some time back continued to flash in his mind - beautiful eyes she had...those were the last thoughts he remembered before slipping into slumber.

***

Rudra was sitting in his room and fiddling with his football, could it be? Was "he" wrong all along? Was everyone else always right about "him"? "He" was always Soumya? Then the kiss? Was it okay for him to kiss "him"er.. her? Well he was definitely not gay, that was done and dusted. About the liking the kiss bit - that was tricky - he liked kissing her, and she was a girl, that was okay, but then who was Somz? Was he gone forever? Would he never be able to see his friend again? The friend who kissed him and he abandoned in the middle of a night on the football field? He felt hollow inside - and Priyanka, should he hide all this from her? Rudra felt restless. If he pacified his mind consoling he kissed a girl and it was okay - it meant Somz was a figment of his and Soumya's imagination and he never really existed - but Somz was a very big share of his life, suddenly realizing he would never be around choked him - it felt like Somz had died. But if Somz was true then it also stands firm that he had kissed a guy and enjoyed it too - he shuddered at the thought - why did life have to be so complicated thought Rudra miserably. But the girl Soumya was nice - he had liked her he realized - but accepting Soumya was equivalent to killing Somz - was he ready for that? Accepting Soumya also brought Priyanka's stand in his life into question - but what choice did he have? When "he" "himself" accepted Soumya - he was feeling forced - he hadn't reached a decision whether he wanted to accept Soumya and forget Somz - Somz was too special - but Soumya didn't really leave a choice for him did she?

"Miss you Somz" he mumbled all alone.

***

When Shivay woke up in the morning, it was quite early - after a lot of tossing and turning at night he did manage to fall asleep, but the couch was so uncomfortable that he woke up very early - after grumbling for a few moments he decided to give up on sleep and freshen up and start his studies. As he trudged towards Soumya's room and tried opening the door, he realized Soumya had locked it from inside. "I am your brother you idiot" he mumbled at the door and turned around to realize the other washroom was in Anika's room. He knocked on her door cautiously, only to realize she hadn't locked it. He slowly entred the room to see her cuddled on the bed without a pillow or covers - Shivay frowned and looked around - not only was she not using any, there were no pillows or cover anywhere - realization dawned on him that he was using her stuff and she didn't have any - he felt guilty suddenly and went back to the living room to fetch the pillow and duvet - he fetched them and covered her delicate body with the duvet - once his fingers brushed her back and he felt a current pass through - but he didn't want to wake her up, so he just tucked her in and placed the pillow by her side and left for the washroom.

He had just taken a shower and was in towels when the door to the washroom opened and a sleepy Anika walked in - she paused for a second and squinted her eyes for a better view and then screamed at the top of her lungs, "Aaahhh...Bhooottt"

Shivay who was equally startled clutched his towel hard and tried to shush her frantically, "Shut up Anika it's me!!! Shivayii" he tried telling her desperately. After a few times she heard and became quiet and tried looking at him again.

"Why are you even trying to use those showpieces up there silly Anika"he refuted annoyed.

"Which show pieces?" she asked confused.

"The ones you keep in the shelf of your face and like it when people refer to it as eyes!" he complained, and then seeing her confused face clarified, "I meant, why you weren't able to recognize me Anika? You know our lives would have been much easier that way!!" he scowled.

Anika laughed, this was going to be the best morning in her life, waking up to bump into Shivay. "Do you mind moving out Anika? I am standing here in a towel with a bare upper torso, in case you didn't notice and you honey aren't wearing your undergears!" he chuckled.

Anika's eyes widened in understanding, and she immediately put her hand across her chest for cover before running away in embarrassment, but she realized, as a matter of fact she was wearing her "things"indeed - of course she was, last night she was too lazy to take them off - then? She squirmed hard to focus on Shivay's face and realized he was doubling up in laughter holding the sides of his stomach.

"Urghhh" she muttered and left the washroom to Shivay, as he called out behind her, "I was only kidding Anika!!"

Shivay laughed as he remembered her squirming her eyes and scrunching her nose for better focus - she was too adorable - that Anika - it's got to be the best day of his life, waking up to a adorable Anika, he thought.