“Shivaay!!” She told irritated and he looked at her innocently.

“Go and play in your laptop! That's all you can do. Is this how you see tomato while eating?” She asked with a frown seeing tomato that was badly smashed and cut into unrecognisable shapes.

“I never identified the shape of tomato while eating. I mean it's cooked and shapeless” He told and she couldn't even get angry at him with him looking all cute.

“Go and sit there. I'll make this” She told calmly and he sighed.

“I'll help” He told stubbornly.

“Chop onion then” She told and he nodded before taking the onion and looking at it before looking at Anika.

“I'll show you” She told and took the onion from him before showing him how to chop it.

“Simple! I'll do it like this” He told snapping his finger and took another onion and slowly started cutting it while tears started rolling down his eyes almost immediately. He sniffed and she turned to look at him controlling her chuckle.

“Aww Shivaay, why are you crying?” She asked wiping his tears and he sniffed more while cutting the onion with much difficulty.

She turned to take something but turned back to him almost immediately hearing his shout. Her eyes widened seeing his finger covered with blood.

“Hey Shivji!! What have you done? I told you to go and sit there” She told keeping his hand under running water and he hissed feeling the sting.

“Why are you so stubborn Shivaay? Why can't you listen to me for once?” She asked while fumbling with the first aid box.

“Anika it's a small——”

“Shut up! This is deep” She told glaring at him and he looked at her who was taking anti-septic on a piece of cotton.

“Ahhh!!!” He jumped from his place as she pressed the anti septic on the wound.

“Relax! Let the blood clot” She told and he gritted his teeth to control himself from shouting on the top of his voice.

She band-aided the wound and frowned at him.

“Go and sit outside” She ordered.

“Anika I'll——”

“For God's sake, I don't want any help here. Please don't give me more troubles like this” She told and he nodded quietly before walking out.

He walked inside after two seconds and sat on the chair there.

“I'll sit here quietly” He told and she narrowed her eyes at him.

“Sure?” She asked and he nodded.

She continued cooking and he looked at her doing everything like an experienced expert.

“Attending a board meeting is simpler than this” He told looking at his finger and she chuckled.

“What were you thinking when you were cutting onion?” She asked and he was silent for a moment. Briefly turning to him, she looked confused at him.

“What was I thinking?” He asked and she chuckled before turning to the cutting board.

Smiling, he looked at her long hair that was left open carelessly. He had an inexplicable urge to run hands through them and feel them but shook his head and sat there quietly looking at his hand.

“When is your result coming out?” He asked on suddenly remembering about it.

“Three weeks later”

“So you're free for three weeks?” He asked and she hummed.

“Do one thing, instead of staying here, you go to Mumbai and stay there for a few days. You might be missing everyone right?” He asked and she smiled widely but her smile dropped as she turned to him.

“You're not coming?”

“I'm not in a position to leave office now”

“Then I'm also not going” She told frowning.

“Anika——”

“Shivaay if I wanted to go to Mumbai and stay with everyone, I would have done that long back when you were busy ignoring me. Now when we——I want to stay with you and that's final” She told and he smiled.

“As friends?” He asked and she turned to him.

“Friends don't do what you did back in the room” She told and turned his face embarrassed.

“So as husband and wife?” He asked and she nodded with a blushy smile.

*

“I know you love me more than papa. Papa won't believe but I know. I love you so much” Hearing the exact sentence he heard previous night, he raised his head to look at Anika who was talking over the phone.

“Ha ok ok bye. Now I'm not there na. You can hug, you can kiss——” She chuckled at the end but on noticing Shivaay's stare, she stopped laughing and smiled awkwardly at him.

“Good night. Love you” She told and kissed on the phone before hanging the call.

She kept the phone back on the table in front of him.

“It was mumma. Papa always says that mumma love him more than me. It's not like that. Mumma loves me more” She told and he smiled.

“Tomorrow, we'll go and buy your new mobile”

“You don't have to go to office tomorrow?” She asked and he nodded.

“Let's do one thing. I'll drop you in the mall while going. You do your shopping and call me when you finish. I'll come and pick you up” He told and she looked at him confused.

“I don't have anything to shop there” She told shrugging.

“You don't like shopping?”

“I hate it! I shop because I'm obliged to do that. Only for basic necessities otherwise I won't even enter a mall” She told scrunching her face and he looked surprised at her.

“Come here” He told and she sat near him confused.

He took his card from his wallet and showed it to her.

“This is my dear sister, Prinku's favourite thing” He told and she looked confused at him.

“So?”

“Ask me why” He told and she asked why with a confused face.

“Because she loves to shop. If someone tells her to sleep in a shopping mall, she'll do that happily​” He told and she chuckled.

“I know that. Before our engagement, Prinku dragged me for shopping and I turned tired on just seeing her running from one shop to other” She told and he chuckled.

“Basically, I thought every women would be like that”

“You found an exception right? There are many like me” She told with a smile.

“Don't tell me you don't like dairy milk” He told and she shook her head.

“I don't like” She told with a sheepish smile and he touched his chest.

“Prinku can kill anyone for a piece of dairy milk”

“I know that. On our reception, she was running behind Rudy for snatching her dairy milk. Remember she was running and pushed me on the way. I stumbled and fell on you pouring the juice straight on your suit” She told and he chuckled.

“Now you're laughing. That day, the way you glared at me, I felt my whole body going numb” She told and he looked at her with with a sad smile.

“I'm——”

“No sorry. Please Shivaay” She told and he smiled before pulling her close to him and hugging her towards his chest while she wrapped her arms around him with a blushy smile.

She raised her head to look at him.

“Your heartbeat——” She told confused before checking the watch that was on his wrist.

“Why is your heartbeat so high?” She asked.

“I-I don't know. You're the doctor” He told stammering and she touched his chest.

“Do you have some congenital heart disease or something like that?” She asked but he shook his head.

“Adrenaline increase may be. It happens” She told shrugging and he nodded.

“Ok then let's sleep” She told and he nodded.

••|To Be Continued|••