•ANNIKA•
Since they returned from the shopping, Annika noticed a kind of tension on Shivay's face. He seemed lost & worried. She wanted to ask him several times but she couldn't ask him. She feared what if that was something related to Jennifer? What if he is missing her? What if he said that he wants to end this marriage soon. Her heart feared, she doesnt have the strength to face all those things for now.

•SHIVAY•
Shivay was certainly thinking about Jennifer. How can he get mistaken in recognising her face? That lady in the mall looked exactly like Jennifer. But why would she not tell him about her visit? He tried calling her but the number was unreachable. He decided to talk to her the next day.

•SHIVIKA ROOM•
It was a beautiful morning. The sun shined brightly making the sheets of ice melt on the hills. The chilling wind was still making the body shiver. She woke up but couldn't find him in the room. She was about to look out for him in the balcony when she saw him coming out of the washroom. He was wearing a white t shirt with black lower pants still he looked like the most handsome man ever. The way he was soaking up his hair with the towel made him look more sexy.
"Hey you woke up, good morning" he said giving her his ever so famous killing smile.
"Morning" she said looking at him.
"Comeon get up, I have a surprise for you" he said winking at her from the mirror.
"Surprise?" She said with a tint of confusion in her eyes.
"Yes, now dont ask what surprise coz then It wont be a surprise anymore. Go get fresh, ill tell you then" he said sitting on the bed beside her. "Okay" she said sweetly.

•SHIVIKA•
She wore a floral white & pinkish full length gown & tied her hair into a high pony. She wore big rounded silver loops in ears. It made her look so pretty. She looked simple yet elegant. She went towards the balcony where he was sitting.
"Shivay" she said in a soft voice.
He was busy checking something on phone but the moment he turned to see her, he got so lost in her that the phone fell down from his hands on the floor.
She was looking so damn pretty in that dress. Her high pony made her look like a cute teenager. Those round loops & red lip stick just added to her beauty.
"Shit!" he said picking it up with sudden embarrassment.

•ANNIKA•
Annika couldn't control her laughter, watching Shivay in that clumsy state. The Shivay Singh Oberoi who is always so calm & composed got so lost that the phone he always threw out of anger, actually fell down on its own from his hand.
The feeling that he admires her with that different emotion in his eyes made her blush.

•SHIVAY•
The moment he picked up the phone, he saw her laughing & he just froze. Wasn't it after so long that he saw her laughing? It seemed ages. She use to laugh when they were not married, she use to crack jokes around him although he never laughed on her jokes, they used to irritate him. She used to be the bubbliest before marriage.But look what he has done to her. This is for the first time he saw her laughing after their wedding. She must be having so many dreams but he broke them all.
He slowly went close to her & said
"Plz never stop smiling & laughing Annika, you look the prettiest when you laugh"
She felt a layer of tears pooling up in her eyes when she heard those lines from his mouth & suddenly she stopped.
He could see the pain in her eyes.
"Okay now comeon lets go inside, I want to show you something" he said dragging her inside.
"Come here Annika" he asked her to stand in front of the mirror.
She came & stood there without asking anything.
"Now close your eyes" he ordered.
"But Shivay" she hesitated in confusion.
"Do as I say Annika" she heard him say.
"What is he upto" she thought & closed her eyes.
He held her pony & kept it on her shoulder before taking out a beautiful pendant from his pocket. His warm hand brushed against her soft delicate skin which gave her a shiver. Her skin felt so soft. The way she closed her eyes made her look more naive. He could feel the nervousness on her face by the way she clutched her dress when his fingers touched her skin. She looked angelic. He slowly hanged the gold chain around her neck. He asked her to open her eyes.

•ANNIKA•
The moment she closed her eyes, she could feel his warm fingers brushing against her skin. She could feel her goosebumps standing straight on her skin. The warmth literally made her clutch her dress tightly in nervousness.
Suddenly she felt a chain like thing coming in contact with her neck.
"Now open your eyes" she heard his voice.
She opened her eyes slowly to witness a beautiful gold chain, with a heart shaped pendant hanging around her neck. It had something written on it.
"Smile, coz it matters to me" her lips bent into a smile reading the message.
"This is so beautiful Shivay" she said with twinkle in her eyes.
"I knew it will look amazing on you" he said smiling back to her.
"But, Is it gold?" She asked.
"Yes pure gold" he replied.
"I cant take it Shivay..I m sorry" she said looking straight into his eyes.
"But why Annika?" he asked confusingly.
"It must be very costly, I cant accept it" she said.
"Shutup Annika, how can you even say that. How does it matters if its costly? Its nothing in front of you. What matters to me is if you liked it or not!" he asked.
"Ofcourse I like it Shivay but" she was cut in between.
"I don't understand "buts"Annika. You have to take it & the message written on it is specially for you. Like I said keep smiling, you look prettiest when you do & I dont know if you believe me or not but your smile matters to me" he said.
They looked into each other's eyes from the mirror, although they were quite but their eyes spoke volume. Suddenly it broke when Shivay's phone started ringing.
He went away to take the call in the balcony leaving her behind with eyes full of tears. She couldn't figure out how many of them were flowing out of happiness & how many were flowing out of pain.
"He said my smile matters to him. He gifted me this beautiful present. I dont know how to contain my happiness. This is something which is the most special to me. The person I love cares for me, he wants me to smile, he protects me but the other side of coin scares me. What will happen when he will leave me forever & go. How am I going to live without him? Life is so fucking mean. It always gives you everything at the wrong time" She thought while crying.
She was planning to give him a gift but here he himself gave her the best present of her life. Its not the gold that matters, its his wish to always see her smile that makes a difference. He said her smile matters to him. This was the Shivay he always craved for. She felt like dancing at the same time she felt like crying. She was in a delimma. But may be this is what her fate has planned for her. May be this is how he will be with her, as a friend, always. He cant be her companion for life but he will always be the reason for her smile & he will always be the reason behind her life. These memories will give her the strength to live her life without him. He wants her to smile right? she will smile for him, she thought while touching the pendant for the hundredth time.

Precap : Annika got an admirer.

Hello readers.
Thanku so much for immense love you guys show to my FF. Actually its not my its our FF. I m so grateful to you all. Keep reading, keep voting, keep commenting & keep loving.
Silent readers plz hit the vote button, yours thankfully.
Okay so now some of you might be thinking that the story is moving a bit slow but guys let me remind you its a 20 days vacation n moreover the time that shivika will spend here will play a major role in the upcoming story. It will make them close & will be their strength.
well jennifer will be there in the next chapter & an admirer for Annika too. M excited 🙈🙈😆😆😅😅
Do not miss the upcoming parts for some Khidkitod new entries & jealous SSO. Enough of crying for Annika now SSO will have some fun 😝
Thanks, do tell me what you think about this chapter.
Take care till then
❤️