Anika’s heart speeded up as she heard footsteps draw closer and closer. ‘you got this’ she whispered to herself, straightening up she plastered a big smile. The door to the pool side swung open and she sprang up “Surpriseeeeeee!” she yelled throwing her arms up. Shivaay froze in mid step, eyes wide and mouth open “wa-“

“I made you dinner!” Anika gushed, waving over the small table she had arranged on the side of pool with dishes and a few drinks. She glanced nervously at him dreading his reaction. His eyes flickered to the table and back to her “Dinner..?”

“ya” she chuckled awkwardly “I thought…I’d make your favourite dinner”

He moved, dropping his files onto a nearby chair and shrugged off his coat “why? You don’t even know how to cook”. She pursed her lips he had a point.

“Get out. I want some silence”

She frowned “ya sure I guess we don’t have to talk while we eat, if you want”

Shivaay gave her a flat look “am really beat, and will probably skip dinner, so if you don’t mind” he motioned her to the door. Her mouth fell open, as his cold words hit her. She stood there waiting for him to turn back. Turn back and realize how harsh he was actually being to her.

Two hours.

It had taken her two hours to get it all set up, rushing through her hospital work to get home early. And he didn’t even look at it.

She whipped away from him, her hands curling into fists, as tears pricked her eyes ‘don’t you dare cry’ she warned herself ‘don’t you dare let him see how much you are affected’. She threw a look behind her shoulder, her chin quivering, Shivaay was sprawled on a chair his head thrown back, and his arm over his eyes.

It wasn’t fair.

It wasn’t fair that he treated her this way, punishing her. When none of it would’ve happened if he’d been normal to her.  She blinked away her tears, so why the hell should she be the victim?

She stalked up to him, grabbing her sari that was lying on the table. She had never gotten the time to wear it and had settled for a crop top and shorts. She flung the sari at him, and it landed on his lap in a pile. Shivaay jerked up. “Fine. I’ll leave” she bit out “help me tie this sari and I’ll leave you alone”

He arched his brow. Anika jutted out her chin stubbornly.

A beat of silence settled upon them.
“you want me to-“

“Ya I want you to tie me a sari. Like how you did the last time” her voice came out flat and cold. His jaw clenched and she saw his eyes harden. Good.

He stood up towering over her “if you think I am going to-“

“If you won’t help me then am going to go and ask Prinku to help me wear it, and we are definitely going to get talking, and I might tell her about the last time I wore a sari”

If he was grounding his teeth before, it was no comparison to how hard his teeth clamped down then. She almost regretted her words, but there was no backing down. Not now.

He opened his mouth and Anika beat him to it “and I don’t care if I lost your respect.” She glared crossing her arms across her chest.

He stared at her his face unreadable, and the sari in his hands slipped, leaving an end in his hand “well come closer then” something in the way he said it, twisted her gut. She stared at him her throat suddenly dry.

Wait. Did she really walk into this herself?

She shuffled slowly, towards him, her mind racing to remember that she was still furious at him. Is furious.

“Closer” he murmured, when she was at his hand’s reach. She shuffled a tiny step, she could smell him now, his faint musky smell, conjured only by the mixture of his perfume with his own scent swirled around her making her mouth water.

“Is this good?” she mumbled. He moved, covering the distance between them in a single step, Anika’s breath caught in her throat as he stopped inches from her face “this is good” he murmured back.

Anika’s heart thundered against her ribs, as his fingers tugged her top higher his knuckles brushing her waist. His hands suddenly dipped, tucking the sari into her shorts. A gasp escaped her lips, and her hands flew to hold onto his shoulders. Shivaay paused ducking to see her face. Anika looked up at him, heat rippling through her skin. His grey eyes, burning with cold fire didn’t leave hers for a second as he gently twirled her, wrapping it around her effortlessly.

He planted his palms on her shoulder, with her back to him, he gently pulled her close. They stood there, with her back pressed into his chest. His hand moved, swiping her hair, draping it onto her other shoulder. Before Anika could move and ask him what was going on, she felt his beard rub against her ear as his head came, resting in the crook on her neck.

Her fists curled, fingers biting hard into her palm, his beard felt rough, rubbing against her cheek and ear, sending waves of tingles from the base of her spine to her knees. One hand rested on the curve of her waist while he gently tucked in the frills of the sari into her short, with the other.

Anika exhaled, her heart beat resonating through her entire body. Bits of images flashed in her head, of the last time he had dressed her in a sari, it were just mere brushes of skin at that time, nothing compared to how he held her now, pressing her into him, his fingers skimming every part of her skin, as if it were the last time he was touching her. Tears prickled her eyes again. The more time she spent with him, the more he reminded her of the time when she had to live without him. All the unanswered questions, the nagging feeling that something just wasn’t right.

She turned around in his arms, he watched her, his eyes wandering across her features, stopping at her moist ones.

“Shivaay” she whispered. She watched as his eyes darkened and his hands slipped away from her. Before he could move away, snap back into his harsh self, she grabbed his hands placing them back on her waist. “stay” she whispered her hands curling into his collar, not letting him move away.

His throat bobbed up, and he swallowed hard “Anika….. we shouldn’t”

“Why not?” she fought hard to keep the tears away from her voice “why not Shivaay? Why can’t we stay this way? Why should we deny this?”

“we can’t… I can’t” he whispered his arms tightening around her, his head tucked down, his lashes casting long shadows across his cheekbones.

She raised to her tip toes, cupping his cheeks. She closed her eyes, the tears slipping down, and rested her forehead against his. His skin felt hot against her’s. She sniffled “I don’t care what happened to you. I don’t care that you go out of your way to be mean to me, just….don’t push me away Shivaay”

He exhaled, his shoulders slumping under her touch, she opened her moist lashes and he was already staring at her, something hard recoiling in his eyes. Anika shuddered, and his hands dropped to his sides “I can’t do this Anika” he rasped, is voice suddenly hoarse.

He unlatched himself from her, “you need to stop thinking that there is something between us”

An ache spread across her chest, “what happened in Dubai…. Was just for business” he looked away stuffing his hands into his pockets “we were a couple only to get out of there alive… so stop acting like it meant something and just forget about it all”

She swallowed, forcing herself to push down the tears that were crawling up her throat, the ache spread, almost crushing her. She reached out to a chair, supporting herself. She was glad his back was turned to her. She was so glad.

‘don’t let him see’

“And” he looked at her “it’s for the best, that you stay as far as possible from me”

“When did I say that I ever wanted to be close to you” her voice came out faint but firm. His eyes snapped to her.

She took in a slow shaky breath, “ I never said there was anything between us, so I don’t know where you got that idea from”

“I just wanted us to be on good basis as we live under one roof” she looked him dead in the eye “ I am sorry you think there is something between us but, am afraid that’s never gonna happen”

Shivaay looked away “well am glad we are on the same page then”

Anika nodded “ yes we are”

A/N:

Hello guys,
How have you been? So here's your favourite Shivika chapter.

Any guesses why Shivaay is behaving like this? Do you think all that happened in between them is just for his business?