Year: 2017.

Description: Before the reboot.

Love is a very strong word. It's the short form of many promises. It will indirectly say that she/he will stay with them whenever either of them needed the other. Shivaay was sure about one thing that he will never take that word to anika even he badly wanted to stay with her forever because he can't keep up the promises which will come along with that word. Anika remained calm, She didn't expect anything from him. But the time came that she had to ask him about what he thinks about their relationship.

They decided to go on a trip to Shimla. Shivaay completely forgot his birthday which was approaching and shivaay had no idea about it. And they were walking on the snowy roads of Kufri. They both were silent. Shivaay enjoyed the silence between them but Anika was thinking the same thing over the other in her mind which was disturbing her to the hell.

"What are you thinking?" - Shivaay finally asked her when she crossed the chocolate shop without looking at them. Shivaay stayed at the same place and called her.

"What?" - Anika asked, Turning back.

"Chocolates." - He said while pointing his thumb to his left side.

"I don't feel like it." - She pouted sadly at him.

"You're saying 'no' to chocolates, Are you okay?" - Shivaay asked her confusingly. She moved towards him, Held his hand, and dragged him from the spot. But the confusion remained stagnated in his mind.

"Shall I ask you one thing?" - Anika asked him.

"From when you started asking permission?" - Shivaay asked her. Anika stayed silent and her eyes fixed on her boots walking over the snow. She never thought she will feel hesitant that way.

"Anika. Everything alright, What happened to you suddenly?" - Shivaay asked but she held his hand and moved towards one of the snow-coated park benches and sat. He sat next to her but the confusion in his face still there.

"I found it in Facebook. Today is your birthday." - Anika said finally. Over then, He realized.

"I completely forgot." - He said looking at her deep shade brown eyes.

"But I didn't." - Anika said and placed the small gift-wrapped box in the table. She held his palms when he was about to take it.

"Before opening the gift, I want to ask you something." - Anika asked. Shivaay was puzzled.

"Just imagine, You came across a girl like me. And you're healthy, There's no valid reason from your hand to resist yourself to do anything. What will you do?" - Anika asked him. His face paled. But the answer came at the very next second.

"I would have gone on my knees for you,"- He said. Anika chuckled with the welled up eyes.

"Now open!" - Anika permitted him with a smiley face. There was a gift box. Shivaay hands became very hesitant to open it further. He looked at her. She encouraged him to open it. He opened it. Up to, His surprise. There were two wedding rings. In the upper box, There was a card.

WILL YOU MARRY ME?

His mouth got sealed. He had nothing to say. He was stuck in the middle. He had no courage, Either to say 'yes' or 'no'. He can't say 'yes' and made her stay decayed with him to rest of the life and also he didn't want to say 'no' and break her heart.

"You have become mad" - He said and stood up from the bench.

"That means, You don't love me." - She asked him when he moved away from her.

"I love you, That's why I am behaving like this. I don't want to get hitched to me and suffocate with me. You have your whole life ahead." - He yelled at her. Tears escaped from his eyes. She forwarded to wipe his tears but he backed off.

"This care, Ani. Stop it. I'm making up mind to die. Why the hell are you interrupting? Whenever you do like this, I wish to live longer, I wish not to die so soon. I wish to live with you every passing second." - He busted. She couldn't stop herself from breaking down.

"Shivaay. Listen." - She tried to hold his hand. But he jerked it off.

"Shivaay. Please. Listen" - She again tried. He stopped.

"See, I am not doing anything to yourself. I am selfish. If you're thinking that i am doing this for you, you're wrong. I am doing everything for myself. I thought I lost myself. But you introduced me to me after 10 long years. I am no shame in saying this. I suck in moving on. It took me nine years to move on from my mom's death. You came to my life when i lost hope on everything. I didn't show any pity on you, But you did according to me." - She busted off. He couldn't see the tears in her eyes. But he didn't want her to stay with him forever. If she couldn't see him cry, How will she see him die in a few years?

"Ani. Listen to me." - He tried to cup her face.

"NO. You listen to me." - She took his hands from her face and held it.

"Life is too unpredictable. Dad came to know about my mom's disease just three months before she died. Even he had loads of money, He couldn't do anything. Likewise, there are many stories. The thing is I need you as much you need me. Even it's ten years or 5 years or even one day, I want to spend it with you. That's it." - She asked him while looking at the floor. Snow started to shower. The climate was freezing. Then too, They stayed.

"You have gone crazy..." - Shivaay hugged her so tightly.

"Say Yes" - anika asked him.

"I can't fulfill any one of the vows..." - He whispered.

"I just want you to love me, And allow me to stay with you every second. That's it" - She whispered back.

"What will people say?" - He asked her.

"Are they going to live our life?" - She replied.

"Your father, Your family. What about them?" - He whispered.

"I already crossed all the limits to stay with you. Here I am just waiting for your answer. Please say only by asking your heart, Nothing else." - She replied while hugging him tightly.

"I love you." - He replied.

"Is that a Yes?" - She asked. He nodded. He couldn't hold up his tears. He didn't know what to say. His heart knew It was not only difficult it was also impossible to stay without her.

"Yes" - He cried.

"I love you too." - She cried. 

******

Shivaay slept purposefully for the whole day in the name of jet-lag. His family, His brother tried to wake him up but he was too tired to open his eyes. They tried for a few minutes, But they left without wishing him. He never thought fate brings him back to her on his birthday. He opened his eyes. Time ticked to 4 but it was too bright. Then he realized he woke up at 4 in the evening. It almost skipped half of his birthday. He checked his phone. 94 missed calls and 124 unread messages from Anika.

"Bhai woke up" - His brother rudy shouted when he saw him sitting in the bed.

"Happy birthday, Bhai" - Rudy gave him the tightest hug. He hugged him back. One after another, Everyone came. First tej, Then Jhanvi, And At last his dadi. Everyone wished him. Shivaay denied him when they planned to throw a party. He had something else in his mind.

"At least, You can have halwa, Right" - Jhanvi asked and fed him his favorite moong dal halwa. He had it with a smile in his face. He tried calling anika back but she didn't attend his call. Out of no option left, He asked rudy to call her. He called, But she didn't respond to his call, Too. Shivaay was surprised when he saved anika's number as Honey Baby.

"I think she's very angry with you." - Rudy spoke when she denied attending his call for the third time.

"Okay, I will go to her house." - Shivaay said and proceed his way.

"Who said she will be in her house by now?- Rudy asked him, He turned back puzzled.

"Come with me." - Rudy said and moved ahead. Shivaay had no other option other than accompanying him. He took his bike and asked shivaay to take the seat. Shivaay did as he asked. They traveled and his bike stopped nearer to a natyalaya.

"Naatyalaya?" - Shivaay asked rudy him.

"Your heroine is here. And yeah" - Rudy threw the keys to him. Shivaay caught.

"My gift for your birthday, And you can say thanks by filling my petrol tank." - Rudy said. Shivaay chuckled.

"How do you know about us?" - Shivaay asked him.

"My honey baby is not like you," - Rudy said. He left as soon as shivaay went inside. Till now, Shivaay didn't ask anything to anika about how she became so close to his other part of his family. Neither his father commented anything when shivaay introduced her as his friend. The expression in anika's voice was evident but shivaay was surprised. Because before she didn't say anything to him about knowing his badepapa and others so closely.

He couldn't take off his eyes from her when he saw her in the white salwar kameez dancing kathak and her hair was french braid. She was the second person in the first row. Another unknown fact about her for shivaay. She's the kathak dancer. When her eyes matched with his eyes, The anger sparked out. But shivaay felt it cute. He smiled but she stared at him angrily while dancing. In a few minutes, She excused himself as other girls in her dance class started losing their attention. She held his wrist took him outside.

"What are you doing here?" - Anika asked him in a cold tone.

"Why didn't you respond to my calls?" - He asked her while pointing the mobile phone in her hand.

"Oh yeah," She checked her phone fakely. "Oh god, Sorry, I think I slept. It won't repeat." - She said in a fake low tone. It's more like taunting. But he smiled.

"Am i looking like a clown?" - She asked out of patience when he smiled constantly looking at her. He chuckled in an instant.

"You're impossible." - She muttered and made her way ahead of him.

"But you're cute." - He said while holding her wrist and pulling towards her. She wanted to smile badly. But she wasn't ready to lose the game.

"Sorry, Jet-Lag. Don't do it on my birthday, Please" - He asked her when she remained rude when he pulled her towards him.

"Oh, Happy birthday." - She said in that same tone.

"Baby, Sorry. Please forgive me. I promise I won't repeat this mistake." - He whispered while pulling her more close to him.

"Baby?" - She chuckled. She can't play the game further long. He heaved out-breath of relaxation when she finally smiled.

"Yeah, Baby" - He said while intertwining her palms with his. Anika remained stuck for a while when he asked her to get in his bike. But she eventually sat. He took her palms from her shoulder and placed it in his waist. She was surprised.

"Seat belt, Baby" - He said with a smile.

He stopped his bike to a carnival. Anika eyes came out in surprise. She didn't expect it. They reached the carnival exactly at 5 in the evening. She thought they might be roaming around. But he opted to take her to the favorite place.

"Let's go..." - He ran inside while pulling her wrist. Sometimes she feels, He's too obvious about her.

"Tell me, How do you know about this?" - Anika asked him when they were waiting in the queue for the giant wheel.

"Shall i say the truth?" - He asked her. She nodded to him confusingly.

"Because I came from the future. And you know the funny part. I am your husband and we have 6 kids together." - Shivaay said in a serious tone. She hit him on his shoulder when he chuckled.

"Husband? Six kids? seriously?" - Anika asked him in disbelief.

"Very less, This time we aim for 10 kids, What will you say?" - Shivaay said while taking his seat inside the small compartment. Shivaay immediately closed the door when more people tried to step in.

"You have completely gone crazy." - Anika muttered.

"Okay, One more crazy question. Shall i ask?" - Shivaay asked her.

"It means you will stop If i say stop, Am i right?" - Anika asked him while crossing her arms. He smilingly nodded no.

"Then why are you even asking?" - She asked him.

"Okay," He pulled her close to him while holding her waist. She surprisingly looked at him and looked at his hand which was in her waist even after pulling her closer. The giant wheel started to move.

"The crazy question is, After 6 to 7 years, At this same place, If I propose you on my one knee, What will be your answer?" - He asked her. He didn't feel weird about holding her waist. But asked her shockingly.

"Six to seven years." - Anika acted like thinking even she was hell conscious of the proximity. She was too close to him almost an inch from his face.

"Yes, Or four to five years. It's up to your wish, Completely." - He said without changing the expression, He was quite serious.

"If I didn't get any other handsome Hritik Roshan, Then I will definitely spare to say 'yes' to you." - Anika said in a fake serious tone.

"I am your only Hritik Roshan, Understand." - He said while pulling her hand close to him. The compartment stopped moving when it's in the top.

 Both were silent when they read each other's breath. Shivaay wasn't intended to that moment. But when her lips touched his lips, He completely lost his control. His hands automatically came to her face and cupped it. Her eyes constantly shifting it's gaze from his lips to his eyes. Breath heaved in and out constantly both of their heartbeat synchronized and beaten too fast. He forwarded his lips towards her lips. They kissed. It was a very gentle kiss that exploded his emotion out. Tears escaped from his eyes feeling her. The sunset light kissed her face, Her eyes were closed. But he didn't stop her kissing. Their lips moved in a rhythm.

"Happy birthday." - She whispered when they went out of breath Kissing him. Their forehead kissed.

"Thank you for making it so special." - He whispered back while pressurizing his touch in her waist. For him, He felt like breathing on that day and for the first spark of his beautiful future hit him. 

******