Frozen - Shivika FF | ✓

Chapter 18 : Choice

Shivaay looked around uncomfortably. The room was pretty small for him. He was used to spacious marble floored rooms. He had called his mother to inform that they had reached and was now waiting for Anika to step out of the washroom. 

His Naanihal made him pretty uneasy. Although, well to do, his mother's family lived in this old ancestral home, had conservative ways, traditions and beliefs. 

His gaze quickly drifted to Anika as soon as he heard the squeak of the wooden door. She turned around and latched the washroom door. "Do you need anything?" He asked concerned. The bathroom was pretty compact too. 

"No," she answered softly taking the hand towel from the bed.

"Is anything wrong?" Shivaay finally questioned, her withdrawal had started irritating him now. 

"No," she answered again.

He got off the bed and walked around to the other side. "Sure?"

Anika momentarily met his gaze with hers and then looked aside. When his gaze kept on probing for more detailed answer she sighed, "Shall we go down? I am hungry."

"Yeah," he nodded still eyeing her. Anika walked past him to get out of the room.

"Anika!" He called after her.

"Hmm," she turned.

He pointed to her duppata and then her head. She nodded in acknowledgement and quickly covered her head.

He thoughtfully stared at her slowly retreating figure. 

"They are a little too orthodox," he remarked softly as he caught up with her, as they walked down the narrow passageway. "And honestly, it gets on my nerves, hence why I generally tend to keep away."

Anika was very keenly listening. Had anyone told her that Shivaay can speak his thoughts out she would have had a good laugh. But now that she was practically with him all the time, she realized that he spoke a lot. Or perhaps it was her own silence that finally let her listen to him. 

* * *

"What about your parents, Anika?" One of Shivaay's maami asked as they all sat in the courtyard after the uncles had left to be at their respective shops. Shivaay had preferred to sit on one of the three  steps that led down to the courtyard. He couldn't believe they still had the olden style cots, that they usually referred to as charpai. Three such cots were in the middle of the courtyard. The afternoon sunlight filtered in from the grills on the terrace. 

Pretty much everything was same. As a young boy he used to come down here for a few days during summer vacations.

Luckily, it was only the beginning of the month of February. Towards March and April the temperatures soared and the heat was difficult to beat.

"Anika only has a brother for family," Shivaay spoke up glancing at Anika apologetically.

"She can talk, can't she?" Naani smiled. Shivaay tried to look unaffected. His Naani always had this habit of taunting with the sweetest smile. Something his mother had definitely cultivated too. But his Naani's smile was too cold.

"How old is your brother? What does he do?"

"He's thirteen, in middle school, his name is Saahil!" Anika answered. 

"What do you do Anika, do your work or housewife?" The badu maami asked.

Anika for the first time in her life didn't know what to answer for that. Usually when people asked her that question she'd have a series of errands to tell about like her part time catering or delivering important packages or working part time at her friend's bakery or in the canteen.