Anika left with no options, She was confused to the core but she can't resist the fact that she too loves him the way he does but whatever he just confessed to her was huge to take in. The reason behind loving him to this extent, The way she gets comfortable with him in an instant which shouldn't be ignored and it was still a mystery to her. Maybe she starts loving him from the moment before she meets him in person.

 She felt so connected to him and now when he asked her to make her own decisions, She could see the pain in his eyes. She didn't want to leave him. His eyes yearned to her but he pushed himself to get ready to drop her. She called Rithika and informed her even though she didn't want to go.

He dropped her in Rithika's house that night. She was not ready to go away from him, Her heart asked her to stay, But it was a clear battle of brain and heart, These 17 days was a breeze, She never feel any kind of discomfort in staying with him even though she didn't stay with any other man in her whole lifetime. But then too, She felt safe. She was still in her car seat thinking, Even he didn't urge her to leave but stayed silent. She couldn't even able to move her eyelids to him and see him. 

"Ani. We reached!" She heard his voice at last. This time, She turned her face and looked at him. Even he didn't face her. He was looking away. She loves him and she can't let him be in confusion for the hesitancy she haves in her mind. And especially her heart started to yearn for him when he ignored her completely and hid his feelings. But she understood each and every thing, She could able to say what he's thinking with his one look which cannot be possible in 17 days of togetherness. She reached her palm and held his palm which was in the steering wheel. 

"I want to say something" - She said looking at their united palms. He slowly turned towards her but she didn't move her eyelids to him while he turned his palm and intertwined her hand with her hand. 

"Shivaay, It's just I am confused. And I am moving out because I need some time to think about all these things happened with me. For a girl like me, Whatever happened was like a magic, I never thought I will find a person like you and really I am not a fool to lose you in my life." She said looking at him. Both of their eyelids matched, He slowly nodded his head with a warm smile. She just couldn't see him like that, Her heart ached when she saw him like that. Having no other options left she leaned to his face and kissed his cheek leaving him startled. She immediately closed her eyes when she felt he was staring at her confusingly. 

"If you don't me to go, I won't go. It's a promise!" - She said keeping her eyes down without meeting his eyes. Soon, She felt his hands cupping her face and raising it to his face. Her confusion was not important than him. She really have no idea, From when he become so important to her. But now, She was ready to do anything to him. 

"I understand! I even understand how desperately you need some space to understand everything going on between us. So, I never gonna stop you, And also, It will never change the way I feel about you. Let's slow down a bit, Okay." - He said cupping her face, She raised her eyelids to him. She didn't reply anything to him but could feel the intensity in his words. She initiated the hug and he hugged her tight. 

"Take your medicines regularly, Okay! I will call you." - He said while his one hand held her waist and other hand caressing her hair. 

"Hmm." - She replied monosyllabically. Both bid an emotional goodbye, Shivaay stayed at the same place till she waves him back from the balcony, Even though both are away, She felt so close to him like never before, Especially when he was available to her every call. 

******************

It has been 2 months since Anika started to live away from him but more than in those 16 days, He felt like knowing her more now, They met twice in week either for breakfast or dinner, Lunch she always spends in her office canteen, She shared everything to him from the each and every person who's working in the office, And also got to know about his rivals directly from her as she was working business stream, Now he understood how she got to know about him. 

He was a pro in handling parparazi but when Anika attended his pressmeet behalf of her channel where she was working, He lost the beat by that time, He couldn't able to deliver his speech properly looking at her every two seconds, She kept hand in her head when she felt so responsible for his imbalance. Things taking time but after every meet he felt so close to her, Especially when she kissed her cheek before she leaves to rithika's house, He felt the proximity between them. And he saw his caring Anika for the first time who can take anything but not his sad face. The only difference is he remembers everything and she didn't.

Anika called him to meet for the lunch as she have her week-off on that day, He should be getting ready to pick her up but he couldn't. Out of sudden, He felt so weak and dozed off for a quick sleep which turned out to a heavy fever. He got his fever last time when he was doing his eight grade. He almost forgot the feel of tiredness, Out of sudden, He recalls everything and so tired. He called his Personal security Khanna for his help. He didn't say any other word because he knew that didn't want to explain anything to him when he called the doctor soon. Sometimes he feel so proud to have a person like him, But eventually at the same when he messes up, He will loose his patience. Now he just want to message anika and cancel the lunch plan, He never does that, But now, He have to. 

A FAMILIER LADY'S VOICE woke him up from his deep and tired slumber. He tugged down his sheet and saw Anika was taking to the doctor who should have treated him while before. But how did she get to know about his situation, He never mentioned it in his text too. He was confused, She was talking about the medicines to doctor, Seriously while he tried to get up from the bed, But he couldn't, His whole body ached. And he hates it more. 

She turned towards him and saw him awake when the doctor finally went after dozing him. He was taken back in surprise when she rushed to him to his bed and sat next to him, Caressing his face.

"Feeling better?" - She asked him in a worried face. 

"Yes! How did you know?" - He asked her back in his weakest tone, He never sounded so weak. 

"Khanna ji messaged me, I got his message before I get your message, Why you have to lie to me, every time?" - She asked him in a bit high tone. He felt trapped again, Now because of khanna, He mentally cursed him when he left with no energy to curse him directly. 

"I just. I just don't want to trouble you."  He continued to say. 

"Okay, Don't take stress, You're forgiven. Just take rest! I will be right here, Next to you, Okay!" - She said and tugged the sheet back to his shoulder level and kept her hand in his forehead to check his temperature. 

"Oh my god, You still have fever." - Anika sounded so low and concerned. He immediately pick her hand and took it inside his sheet and kept it nearer to his chest. She smiled at his action. 

"Now I will become normal." - He said with a smile. 

"Anything else to help you?" - She asked him with sheepish smile. 

"Hmm... A kiss?" He said and her brows raised immediately, They were just sharing some dry kisses in these two months, He never asked her anything but he couldn't able to control the urge of his heart. But her reaction scared him again. 

"Forehead kiss?" - He changed it almost immediately. She chuckled to his request and kissed his forehead immediately. 

"Now take rest. I am leaving you until you become alright to function." - She said with a smile and turned off the light next to her. She stayed right there half-sitting in the bed looking at him. But he peacefully slept having her next to him. This is what he needed for decades. 

In a next three hours, He was again waken up by her, She had her soup in her lap. And she fed him when he tried himself up and sat up. Even though he had energy to take it on his own, he had it in her hands. She was worried through out and also gave him his medicines. But he didn't expect to threw up everything. She didn't feel disgusted but rubbed his back when he puked and also washed his face when he left with no energy. That was the last thing he remember before he falls asleep. It was very peaceful sleep, He never felt pain anywhere but felt comfort, His palms were warm as if they were holding something so soft and warm. And his head never felt so comfortable and warm ever in his lifetime, He remembered he was shivering before dozing off, But out of sudden, How could he feel so comfortable and warm? He almost forgot he was suffering from fever. 

Soon the things started to get clear when there was a slight moment in where he was holding, A little jerk, Which brought him back to his senses. He was not holding any other pillow or sheet but hugging Anika tightly keeping his head on her stomach and slipping his palms inside her top holding her skin. She was half-sat on the bed, Sleeping while caressing his hairs continuously. He was confused, If he done in his absent mind, She might have stopped him after all, He was weak to handle anything. But she instead stayed with him comforted him. He immediately took his hands off from her body and went back to the bed keeping his eyes closed, She helped him to move away from her, Acting he was doing it in his sleep. But instead, He felt an unexpected gesture, She tugged herself down to his sheet and hugged him from the back holding his palm inside her palms and kissed his shoulder. 

"Get well soon!" - She murmured and kept her chin in his shoulder which brought smile in his face. 

"Distance please! Otherwise you will get sick, too. After that, We both have to end up hugging each other and sleeping." - He murmured back while closing his eyes. He heard her chuckle from other side. 

"That's good option. But my immune system won't listen to anything, It's too strong." - She whispered back in her ears while tightening the hug. He neve expected this kind of reply from her. But he liked it. 

"Then, For what your immune system will permit you?" - He asked her. 

"For this hug," she hugged him tighter, "For these dry kisses." She kissed him in his forehead, He smiled to her every gesture. 

"That's it." - She said chuckling holding his palm, It was too cold, He tried to warm it but nothing worked. She felt it immediately when she hold it. 

"Shivaay, Turn around." - She said turning him around. He partially opened his eyes, And turned around, They were just an inch apart. In no moment, She half sat on the bed and made him lay in her lap, While she rubbed his palms to keep it warm. 

"So many perks, I wish I stay like this till the end of my lifetime." - He said smiling at her but her face looked so concerned and worried. He stopped blabbering when she hit him harder in his arm and he trembles in pain for speaking like that.

 In a few minutes, He dozed back to sleep but he felt a drag and his palms finds his perfect place to rest, He might be doing in his unconscious stage. But he palms stopped wandering when he felt her bra strip in her back. That's it, He didn't want to cross the limit, He spoke to himself in his unconscious state. Followed by that, He felt a pinch in his cheek and a tight kiss in his forehead. 

**********