"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.
"Gauri! Did you both drink?" Aruna Dadi's voice interrupted his thoughts from behind.
Shivaay quickly composed himself, coming up with a plausible excuse. "Dadi! No, I think, they just had too much of the ice cream I had sent for Annika. It's wine flavored." he said, gesturing towards the bowl that lay on the floor.
Dadi shook her head in amusement, casting a knowing glance at Gauri, who sat innocently on the couch. Her head between her hands.
"These girls!" she exclaimed with a fond smile.
"Shivaay! Take a seat. Harsh will be here in ten minutes. I don't know why he wanted to meet you so early in the morning!" Dadi's voice floated into the room as she disappeared into the kitchen.
Once dadi left, he quickly instructed the servant to bring lemonade for both of them without anyone's notice.
Shivaay felt a little odd, when his secretary informed him that Mr. Trivedi wanted him at his house early in the morning. It was indeed unusual for Harsh to request an early morning meeting through their respective secretaries; their interactions had always been direct and informal.
As he waited, his mind was already speculating on the reason behind this unexpected summons. What could Harsh possibly want to discuss that required such urgency?
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. Harsh Trivedi entered the room in his tracksuit and tee, engrossed in his mobile phone. Shivaay quickly rose from his seat, nudging Gauri to leave before she was spotted.
"Good Morning, uncle!" Shivaay greeted him with a warm smile.
"Shivaay! What a sudden surprise! Come, sit!" Harsh gave his shoulder a friendly pat and settled on the couch opposite to him.
Shivaay couldn't help but feel puzzled. Hadn't Harsh wanted to meet him?
"Maya! Where is Annika? Tell her Shivaay is here," Harsh called out.
"Uncle, I came to meet you," Shivaay clarified.
"Me? What is it, Shivaay? So early in the morning?" Harsh inquired, his attention now fully on Shivaay.
"Uncle, I was informed very early in the morning that you wanted me to come here."
"What! I don't remember calling you, beta!" Harsh said, confusion evident on his face as he checked his phone.
"Not you, uncle. I was informed from the Trivedi office through my secretary. Is it something that requires an official call, uncle?"
"No, beta! I am pretty sure I didn't schedule any meeting," he said, quickly scanning through his schedule for the day.
"I think there must be some miscommunication. I will check on it," Harsh continued as he dialed the Trivedi office to inquire about the supposed meeting.
Harsh's brows furrowed in confusion as he listened to the voice on the other end of the line, his expression growing more puzzled by the second. "I see... Yes, thank you," he said finally, before ending the call and turning back to Shivaay.
"They had received a call from home and fixed this meeting," Harsh said, his confusion evident.
Shivaay's eyebrows furrowed in concern. "From home? That's strange."
"Maya! Did you call the Trivedi office and fix any appointment with Shivaay?" Harsh turned to his wife.
"Harsh, No, I would have told you," Maya replied firmly.
"Ask Annika," Harsh suggested.
Annika, who had just entered the room, looked puzzled at the conversation. "Ask me, what?"
"You fixed any appointment with Shivaay?" Maya directed the question towards Annika.
Annika shook her head, her brow furrowing in confusion. "No, ma. Is something serious going on?"
"Uncle, is it a security breach?" Shivaay interjected, his concern growing.
Harsh considered for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't think so, beta. The security reports I received were fine."
"Must be some mistake, No one would want a meeting with Shivaay early in the morning." Annika shrugged as she grabbed an apple from the basket that was kept on the side table.
"No. I wanted to meet him, didi." Saahil said, emerging from his room and walking towards them.
"Saahil! Why?" Annika asked, a little shocked and confused.
"I wanted to talk to him," Saahil said with a serious expression.
Annika sighed, shaking her head at her brother's impulsive behavior.
"Saahil, you can't just do it like that. You should have told me," Harsh chimed in from behind.
"Uncle, it's okay. Saahil just wanted to talk, that's all," Shivaay said, offering a small smile to both of them.
"Okay! Tell, what is it so important?" Annika crossed her arms, looking at Saahil expectantly.
"I want to talk to him alone," Saahil replied, meeting Annika's gaze with determination.
"No. Here," Annika insisted, giving him a stern look.
"You stay out of it, Annika didi. I want a conversation... with him... Man to man," Saahil turned to Shivaay. "In the study," he said firmly before walking towards it.
Shivaay exchanged a glance with Annika, sensing Saahil's seriousness. With a nod, he followed Saahil into the study, wondering what important matter he wanted to discuss.
Surprise!
See you soon people! 😊❤️