Be My Forever | ✓

Chapter 2

Annika sat on the window seat looking outside. He looked so handsome, like always. But his eyes, they were so upset with her. She could almost feel the pain in them. His eyes had always been expressive. She smiled remembering the old good days. The days she started crushing over him. Priyanka was her best friend. While her big brother was her secret crush. She smiled remembering that day of their farewell. It was twelfth grade. He was always there for her like he was there for Priyanka. Annika always felt she belonged to that family. After her grandmother passed away when she was in ninth, it was Priyanak who was there with her every minute. She had lost her mother to cancer. Her father to the war at border. She stayed with her uncle and aunt. They brought her up. Te Oberois were neighbors of the Trivedis. Priyanka and Annika were inseparable friends ever since middle school. 

As age started blooming the little girls into prety ladies, Anika started falling for Priyanka's brother. He was always there. Just that she had never seen him that way. But, that night when they were in eleventh grade and Priyanka fell ill. Annika realised that she had developed a crush for Shivaay. She would do anything to just get a glimpse at him. It wasn't hard as he was Priyanka's brother. 

Math was never her strongest subject. As they entered university for their graduation the math bug bit her harder. Maths and Accountancy were two subjects she struggled at. To top it all the professor was too strict. She couldn't even think of approaching him. In such cases their university provided an alternative. If students weren't comfortable approaching the professor for their doubts and shortcomings in the subject they could reach out to the student assistant assisting the professor. Call it fate,perhaps, that senior was Shivaay. In the final year of his MBA,  Shivaay was the assistant under the very same Professor Dughal.  

There was no way Annika was going to approach either. However her messed up grades didn't go well wih her bestfriend. Especially when her very own brother was a master at the subject. By now Annika, had a very unwavering liking for Shivaay. She found him terribly attractive and she was scared. When Priyanka told her big brother about Annika's test scores after the first test. He offered to help her. Being tongue tied,  like she was always around him Anika agreed with a mere nod. 

Things started to get better from awkward. Shivaay was surprisingly very good at teaching. Yet, Annika found it very hard to focus. His dazzling blue eyes enchanted her. Every time he gave her a problem and walked around doing his work or reading files related to his work, Annika would find her eyes stealthily following him. Their friendship grew. Shivaay graduated and joined his family's firm. He was excellent at whatever he did. He made a great businessman. However he continued to coach her. Annika at that time hadn't realized that her crush was transforming into something more powerful and deep. The attraction wasn't all that existed. She had started being more sensitive towards him. She would always make him his coffee or sometimes something to eat before he started to hep her study. They spoke a lot about things other than the subject. They played, joked, laughed. 

Annika sighed. She didn't realise back then that she was taking up so much of Shivaay's time and giving so little time to Priyanka. We all become a little selfish when beautiful things start coming to us. Sometimes even blind. Neither Shivaay nor Annika paid close attention to Priyanka. Who felt she was loosing not just her best friend but also her brother. Annika wiped her tears moving to the bed. A small smile on ber face. At least Priyanka was happy.

The next morning Annika reached her office. She smiled at her colleagues as she headed to the office of her manager. Her next event was supposed to be a New Year Bash, her manager had called her to give details about the same. She had woken up with a headache in the morning. She just couldn't stop thinking about him. Was she doing the right thing?