|| THE PURPLE HEARTS ||

42. A Chaotic Morning

"Annika! Gauri! Wake up!" The sound of their mother's voice filtered through Annika's dreams like a distant echo. 

"Girls! It's almost seven-thirty!" Annika heard the voice again. This time a little loud.

Annika stirred, opening her eyes slowly when the voices became clear.  With a puzzled frown, Annika glanced around to see her entire family gathered around them, their faces a mixture of amusement and concern. 

Beside her, Gauri shifted, her movements slow and drowsy.

"Ma! Sorry!" Annika quickly excused and fell back again.

"Annika...What is this?" Her mom sighed and turned to her sister.

"Gauri! Wake-up!" Maya called her again.

"Annika! Wake up and go to your room!" Her mother gave her a little shake.

Gauri rubbed her eyes, a small yawn escaping her lips as she struggled to fully wake up. And Annika slightly opened her eyes and stared at her mom.

It took a few seconds for both of them to realise that they both had slept in the living room itself. The conversation they had that night had left them both drained and they both didn't realise when they dozed off.

"What were you both doing behind the couch?" Her dadi asked as she asked everyone else to leave.

"Dadi... that... we were.." Annika couldn't form coherent words. Her eyes weren't opening fully and she was still drowsy and her mind and body weren't functioning at all.

"Ice-cream...chocolate...Om..." Gauri fumbled.

"Alright! Alright! Both of you just sit here for a while and then go freshen up." Dadi said as she held Gauri's hands.

Annika struggled to gather her thoughts, her mind still clouded by sleep. She blinked owlishly trying to process the situation.

"Shivaay beta! Help Annika to the couch." 

Annika's heart skipped a beat and her eyes snapped open at the mention of his name, her senses suddenly sharpening.

"Shivaay!" she exclaimed, her voice betraying a mix of surprise and nervousness. In her haste to back away from him, she quickly got up and stumbled over her office bag, her heart racing as she teetered dangerously on the edge of falling.

But Shivaay was quick to react. He took a quick step and held her hands.

"Annika, are you okay?" Shivaay's voice was laced with concern as he steadied her, his touch sending shivers down her spine.

"Yeah...yes!" She gasped.

"Umm... Annika!" He called her as he pulled her towards him.

"Did you drink?" His breath tickled her ear as he leaned in closer, his voice low and husky. Annika's heart skipped a beat at the proximity, her cheeks flushing with a delicate pink as she struggled to find her words.

"No... Yes... A little..." Her voice was barely a whisper, her breath hitching in her throat as she felt the heat between them intensify.

"I think you should go and freshen up! I'll take care, here!" he said as he pulled her to his side and with a swift motion, he bent down to pick up the glasses and neatly placed them in her bag, handing it over to Vidhi, who stood nearby.

"Make sure everything comes out clean," he instructed with a smile, before turning back to find Annika gone.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he realized she had slipped away. That was a good start to his day.