The day was absolutely perfect, rainy but peaceful. The heaters warming up the mansion while a simple indoor swing sparkled with all of its decorations near one of the many windows. Annika sat with her hand caressing her heavily pregnant belly as she watched Shivansh play with clays, pounding and pushing at them until they were flat.
"Do you need any help?" she asked when he seemed unsatisfied with his work.
"No," Ansh answered cheerfully, bitting his lips as he continued.
So independent, Annika thought to herself. He was his own little person and growing up to be so much like his father.
As soon as the clay had the consistency of a cheap piece of paper, Ansh rolled it up, stretching and pulling at it until he had a square with tendrils of clay trailing down the sides. Evidently, this had been exactly what he had intended. He kept it tenderly to a side so that he wouldn't have to worry about marring his work with finger indents.
Annika watched as her son painted his masterpiece, covering it in all the colors available until it was muddy brown with green and purple blotches.She gestured for a maid to clear a puddle on the table, reckoning she was lucky that the paint only worked on the clay or else both the table and Ansh would be in need of a wash by now.
"Done," Ansh proclaimed proudly, moving over to her and holding out the clump. "Tell me about it."
Taking the sad little box from him, Annika held it in her palm, studying it. " Now, let us see.The shape represents the artist inner longing for freedom while the colors speak of his inner conflict. He longs for adventure and excitement but also enjoys the comfort of home, such as drinking hot chocolate while mummy reads him The Adventures of Dog man."
Rolling his eyes, Ansh laughed "You are being silly, mummy. Tell me what you really think."
"I love it," she tells him. In truth, Ansh could have handed her dirt and she would have called it masterpiece.
The little boy grins up at her, taking back the sculpture and tapping at it with the roller, rendering it pliable once more. As he works at the clay with his small hands contently, Annika closes her eyes and curls up under her cashmere blanket in need of rest. Taking care of her rambunctious four year old was starting to get difficult at seven months pregnant, but the thought of missing precious time with him was unimaginable for her. Annika would never be one of those women that handed her children over to nannies, tired or not.
"Daddy!" Ansh suddenly shouts, forcing Annika to open her eyes and turn towards the entryway of the hall where Shivaay was currently being tackled by their son.
Annika gazes at father and son with pure love as Shivaay takes Ansh in his arms, launching him high into the air and catching him with ease. Their baby boy howling with laughter and begging for more to which Shivaay obliges one more time before he looks to her.
"Mrs. Oberoi," he greets her, placing Ansh back on his feet and walking to where she sits, their child's attention back on his art in a flash.
"Mr. Oberoi," she grins as he bends down to kiss her.
"Yuck!" Ansh wrinkles his nose at their show of affection. "No smooches when I'm in the room."
Annika giggles when Shivaay pulls away to glare at his mini-me.
S: "I'll remember that when you want to smooch someone."
Ansh makes a face and turns back to what he was doing, not at all interested in the idea of kisses when there was too many toys to play with and so many adventures to have in this world.
"How's our baby?" Shivaay asks her.
"Sleeping," she smiles while looking down at her bump. "I think it finally tired itself out with all the kicking it did last night and this morning."
"Two more months," he consoles her, placing his hands over hers and causing her heart to jump in her chest. She loved him feeling their baby through her; the new life they had created through their love.
Another perfect little baby.
A: "I will miss being pregnant, though. Having you at my beck and call, doing whatever I ask."
He snorts. "You had me at your beck and call from the day you bumped into me in this exact hall, my love. Not much has changed since then."
Annika cuddles into his side and rests her head on his shoulder, inhaling his enticing scent. "How has it already been six years since we first spoke?"
"You are getting old, women," he teases.
A: "Excuse me, but you're older than I am. If anyone is getting old it's you!"
S: "You and Ansh have taken by best years."
She laughs and looks up at him. "Would you change us?"
"Never," he kisses her forehead.
"Mummy, look!" their child said.
Annika and Shivaay turned to Ansh who walks over to them, showing off what was supposed to be a liitle lion, but a bit uneven in some places and with only one fang.
He cutely says "For baby."
Annika feels her eyes water in affection at her precious boy. He would be an amazing big brother, loving and protective of their newest edition, just like his father.
A: "It's perfect darling, and I know just where to put it."
Ansh: "Where?"
A: "In the babies nursery of course!"
Ansh grinned enthusiastically at the prospect of something he had made adorning his little sibling's nursery. He always liked helping, but also making sure everyone knew he had been the one to help.
Ansh: "What do you think daddy?"
Shivaay takes the lion from him and examines the figurine. "I think you'll take after your mum or maybe Omkara chachu. God knows I have absolutely no talent for art."
"I want to work in the art gallery project just like mummy," he tells them. "I am going to be sculpture, like chachu."
"Sculptor," Shivaay corrects.
Ansh folding his hands "That's what I said sculpture."
Annika presses her face into Shivaay's shoulder and giggles as Ansh's enunciates the word back to his father. He was definitely taking after Gauri's sassiness.
"And what happened to your dreams of taming lions in Africa?" Shivaay asks.
"Oh, that's right! Could I do both and still be a super model like Rudra chachu?" he asks innocently.
"You might want to choose just one, my love," Annika tells him, smoothing back his hair and enjoying its softness between her fingers.
Ansh: "But Dog man does it all, mummy. He takes care of untamed animals, he's an artist, a policemen, an superhero..."
Annika and Shivaay listen to their son in amusement as he goes on about his favourite character in one single breath. Annika hoped Ansh never lost his passionate nature, nor his imagination. He was such a beautiful child that sometimes Annika couldn't believe he was hers.
"His hair is getting darker," Shivaay comments.
"It is, isn't it?" she says, observing the dark tone of Ansh's brown hair. "Seems like my genes are finally starting to kick in."
S: "I wouldn't exactly say that they are 'finally starting to kick in', love. His appalling temper is all yours."
A: "I do not have a temper!"
He lifts an eyebrow and gives her a teasing smile. "Sure you don't."
"I do-OH!" her hand immediately goes to her side where she felt a kick, announcing baby's presence.
S: "It's awake?"
A: "Yes, and it's all your fault."
S: "My fault? How exactly is the baby waking up my fault?"
Ansh : "Are you two even listening to me? Mummy?"
S: "Definitely your temper."
"Annika wake up! It's morning." Jeevika shakes her.
A: "Hmmm."
J: "Annika!"
Annika wakes with a start, her hand going to her stomach and feeling nothing there. It had all been a dream again. There was no little boy that looked so much like Shivaay, nor was her belly round under her night shirt. None of it had been real.
"Does your stomach hurt?" Jeevika asked at seeing her hand touching her flat stomach.
A: "No. It's not my stomach that hurts." The ache at her heart stronger than any other pain she could ever feel.
J: "I swear sometimes you talk in riddles. Now stop being lazy and get up from bed we have to go to OM for the first Ganesh Poojan or have you forgotten that."
Annika remembering suddenly that she is getting married in less than two weeks jumps from the bed and gives Jeevika a morning hug saying "Thanks bhabhi you saved me from getting late and chachaji's wrath. Gimme half n hour I will get ready and meet you for breakfast."
Jeevika returns her hug and says "Silly girl take your time, you can not eat anything anyways before the pooja, I have kept your clothes now go and get ready." Jeevika leaves her bedroom after that and Annika gets busy in getting ready for the first function of her supposedly marriage.
Dressing in a simple white salwar suit with a bright red silk dupatta Annika was all ready for the pooja. When they reached OM they were greeted by the smiling faces of Dadi, Tej and Jhanvi. Entering the mansion Annika was impressed to see all the preparations that took place in a nick of time, the hall has been cleared and beautiful white and yellow decorations covered the mandir.
OmRu were busy arranging the ingredients for the pooja including flowers, modak (A type of sweet), coconut, lamp, incense, durva grass, red thread, chandan and sindoor. Priyanka had gone out to bring the wedding invitations, as it is customary to present the first invite to Lord Ganesha (the Elephant God of Hindus). And Shivaay was nowhere to be seen.
Jhanvi sensing Annika's thoughts said "You know my Shivaay ever so hard working Annika. He is in his room finishing up an important conference call. It's about to end anyways, so why don't you go and call him for the pooja beta."
Annika smiled at Jhanvi and went to fetch Shivaay. Entering the room she said "Shiv what are you doing? Why is it taking so long for you to finish this call up?"
She sees him fidgeting with the buttons of his Nehru jacket and rolls her eyes saying "what now you can't even button up your jacket."
Shivaay glares at her and then smirks " Well miss prim and proper I didn't had the liberty to take half n hour to get dressed, so in the 5 minutes I had I managed to wear my kurta and lowers but the buttons are so small in this jacket it is difficult for me to see them."
Annika blows out and irritated breath and taps his hands to remove it from the buttons and start buttoning it herself. Shivaay smirks at this and brings both of his arms around her shoulders and watched her closely "You know, I can get used to this."
Annika glares at him, "Stop distracting me." When Annika finished she smoothed down the kurta and collar with her hands and looked up at him. Suddenly she was struck with how handsome he was. His hair's was still wet and tussled from his shower and a little smile played on his perfect lips. For a millisecond she was almost proud that he was hers. He was that perfect. His hands had travelled to her hips and he was watching her intently. Her breath hitches at their nearness and that look.
Annika blushed when he made her face tilt towards him and said "This is even better then my dreams." And as she was thinking how weird it was that she just buttoned up his jacket, they started kissing. She didn't know if it was him that started it or if it was her. She ran one hand through his hair and let the other rest on his back as his hands roamed up her body. It reminded her of the various talks she had with Gauri about passion, only this was so much better than talking.....because Shivaay was very skilled with his tongue. That thought made her blush harder.
He smiled against her lips when she moaned before kissing her again. He tastes like mint toothpaste and that bitter coffee he is so fond of. She loves to kiss him. She knows she shouldn't. She should hate this as it makes her feel so weak afterwards but it isn't fair that she should feel guilty all the time. So ignoring those thoughts, she turns her head in opposite direction when Shivaay tilts his head to kiss at another angle. When she looks at him she sees his cerulean eyes narrow and an angry scowl turn his lips. So to reassure that she was just teasing, she smiles and place her hands on his face as she turns to him again.
She grabs his left hand to look at his watch "We are going to be late if we don't go downstairs now."
S: "Oh shit I totally forgot about the pooja."
Annika smirks at this and says "I didn't knew that I can make you forget everything."
Shivaay also smirks at that and replies "There are many things about me you don't know Jaan. Would you like to know me some more?" He pulls her back in saying these words and Annika hits his chest and says "Such a cheapda (Cheap person) you are. Oh God what am I marrying into?"
Laughing at their banter they both hug each other but is disturbed by a squeak, they turn to find Priyanka standing in the doorway while covering her eyes with one hand she mutters "Oh God this room is like walking into a live disaster zone. Can't you two lock the door or wait for just few more days?"
It happens so coincidentally, that everytime they are in such a situation it's always Priyanka that catches them. Shaking her head Annika pulls Pri's hands from her eyes and says "What now I can't even hug him without closing the door. Stop being over dramatic pri. Lets go."
Priyanka grumbles something under her breath about how God hates her and tugging Annika with her they move towards the pooja. Annika and Shivaay sits together on the mat placed beside the Havan (Spiritual fire pit) and begins the rituals.
The priest informs them that this event is done to ask blessings from Lord Ganesha for a smooth wedding without any obstacles, as he is the Vighna Vinashak. Ganesh is the harbinger of good fortune and thus, every wedding involves his worship.
Then dadi tells them "Bacho It is believed that worshipping Lord Ganesh before marriage brings prosperity to a couple's life. Offering prayer leads to a good and happy life that's full of wisdom and positivity. So do this pooja with full faith and sincerity and pray for a happy married life."
Annika and Shivaay then get immersed in performing all the rituals whole heartedly. They maybe unsure about the other's feelings towards them but they both wanted one outcome from this marriage, happiness. After one and half hour of performing this pooja they are finally free. While Annika is starving Shivaay is busy in talking with the planners so irritated by this behaviour she says "Would you hurry up a bit, I am starving you know."
Shivaay looks at her amusingly and says "Oh my God! How can I keep my sherni hungry. You know you didn't have to do that. I mean you could have had breakfast Jaan."
Annika looks at him with narrowed eyes "What do you think that I can't stay hungry even for small amount of time. I can do that. You don't get to tell me not to follow all the rituals properly. This marriage might be a farce but it doesn't mean I will not respect my traditions Shiv."
Shivaay gulps down at her outburst and says "Chill out Jaan. Chill. Common let's go and get something in your stomach before you burst out at anyone else. Do you want Hot Chocolate?"
And like that all the anger vanishes from her demeanour and she skips towards the dining area with a happy jump in her steps, while Shivaay is shaking his head at his cute Angry bird.
Author's Notes : Yes I wrote another dream because I really wanted to and I am not sure whether I will be able to include it in future chapters. The wedding events have begin. Did you guys like the chapter? Do you want me to go into more details about the functions? Do tell.
This was a 2700 words long chapter and an absolute delight to write. An early update for my reader rainbowtweets. I hope you are happy with the chapter.
P.S. : I have written this one shot on shivika called My (Brother's) Wife, so if you are interested, can you guys give it a read?
Thank you.
Happy Reading. Stay Safe.