An Aesthetic Love: A Collection Of Shivika Short Stories

24| the way you love me.

Shivaay sat on the couch in the living room, tapping his foot against the floor impatiently.

He had told Annika multiple times that this "girls day out" they planned after Mallika came to stay over for a few days was an absolutely ridiculous idea, but none of the girls listened to him.

It was 9pm now, and he really wanted they do not delay their return journey anymore. They had left exactly 12 hours ago.

Just at that moment, the girls enter the large gates of the mansion, the woman he's been waiting for so impatiently busy talking to Bhavya.

"Tumhe pata hai, tum teeno kuch bhi kaho, lekin mai acche se jaanti hoon ki Shivaay mere liye kuch bhi kar sakte hain." She tells her, and a smile automatically forms on Shivaay's face.

"Bas," she continues, and Shivaay looks on, "aaj jo movie humne dekhi na, jaise usme hero heroine ke liye gaana gaa raha tha, woh nahi kar sakte." She ends, making Bhavya giggle, and the smile on Shivaay's face turns into a frown.

"Arey Shivaay!" She says, finally noticing him, "chaliye mai aapko aaj ke din ke baare me sab batati hu. Humne bahut enjoy kiya." She says and leaves, taking his hand and dragging him along.

When they reach their room, she settles down on the bed, him beside her, and kisses his cheek.
"I missed you." She tells him with a smile.
He rolls his eyes, but smiles nonetheless.
"Yeah, that's why you took 12 hours to come back," he says with a frown, but then kisses her forehead.
"Aap naaraz hogaye?" She asks him cutely. He smiles. Why can't he resist that cute face of hers?

He nods negatively, then kisses her nose. She giggles.
"Tumse naaraz kaise ho sakta hoon mai," he says with a smile. "Kya kiya tum logon ne wahan par?"

She looks at him with a smile, "mai batati hoon. Jab hum wahan gaye tab....." She starts her story of how she spent her entire day with her 'girlfriends.'

After a while, Shivaay, who was listening to her while resting his head on the headrest, raises his head, not hearing her voice.
"Annika?" He says, sitting up properly, and sees that she fell asleep on his shoulder. She must be really tired.

He looks at her with a smile, but it changes into a frown as he recalls her words from before, when she was talking to Bhavya,
"aaj jo movie humne dekhi na, jaise usme hero heroine ke liye gaana gaa raha tha, woh nahi kar sakte."

He holds her head in his hands and lays her properly on the bed, putting the duvet over both of them, still thinking of her words with a frown on his face when an idea strikes him, and he looks at her sleeping figure with a smirk.

"Itna time ho gaya humari shaadi ko, Annika," he says, removing the strands of hair falling on her face, "lekin tumhe abhi bhi nahi pata ki mai kya hoon aur kya kar sakta hoon." He says, still looking at her, "just wait and watch. Kyuki aaj yeh challenge maine khud ko diya hai, aur Shivaay Singh Oberoi koi challenge haarta nahi hai."
He says, and laying down properly, sleeps beside her.

1 week later.

"Shivaay, I still can't believe tu bhabhi ko impress karne ke liye yeh sab kar raha hai. I mean, you guys are married, yaar. Aur tu bhabhi ke liye itna kuch karta hai. Ek cheez nahi bhi karega toh teri height kam nahi ho jayegi." Om says, looking at him seriously.

It has been one week of Om joining Shivaay in his "singing classes". When he was asked about it, Shivaay told Om all about that day when Annika went on a "girls day out" with Gauri, Bhavya and Mallika. In Shivaay's words, "I know she is proud of the fact ki mai uske liye kuch bhi kar sakta hoon, lekin agar koi bhi aisi cheez hai jo usse lagta hai ki koi uske liye kare, lekin mai nahi kar sakta, I will try to do it. Annika ki khushi meri responsibility hai, Om. She has been deprived of love for far too long now, and I want to give her everything she wants."