Broken Hearts and Strange Girls || Shivika AU FF

𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈

Annika was slightly unnerved by Shivaay's strange behavior. After coming home, he was lost in thoughts, as though he had found the secret to immortality at the same moment he had uncovered the truth of the Bermuda Triangle.

However, Annika left him alone.

When she entered her room, she was met with all the mess that had accumulated over the past week of her stay at the Oberoi Mansion. Tying her hair up into a messy bun and changing into a faded 'Rolling Stones' t-shirt, paired with some sweatpants, Annika got to cleaning the space.

By the middle of the second consecutive run of her shuffle playlist, Annika was exhausted.
She flopped on the bed, her bun loosening. Her silky black tresses scattered on the bed and she smiled satisfactorily.

She was finally feeling better.

From the doorway, Shivaay smiled. He had come up to call Annika for dinner, seeing as to how she had been 'starving all day,' in Jhanvi's precise words.

But seeing her dance around the room to an upbeat song as she swept and tossed and scrubbed and sang along had amused him. So he stayed.

"Annika," he called after a moment, and after much hesitation, for he didn't want to interrupt her peace. Annika was still refreshing, so she hummed in response. "Rick, the flash drive is on my desk," she mumbled, pointing to the closet door with her eyes heavily closed. Shivaay shook his head, and moved to the side of her bed.

"Annika," he said in a low voice. "Dinner's ready! Mom made aloo puri," he tempted her. Annika said something along the lines of "Love you, Jhanvi Aunty! Cho shweet!" and snuggled further into her pillows. Shivaay sighed. This was proving to be harder than he thought. 

"Annika," he called, gently shaking her, in hopes of coaxing her out of her coming sleep.

"Shivaay," Annika said back lazily. 

It took her a moment for her to gain her senses, and she shot up out of bed, almost knocking Shivaay over.

"Shivaay! You scared me!" Annika said, trying to calm her pounding heart. "I scared you? You scared me, madam! Who wakes up like that?" Shivaay shouted, rubbing his sore arm, which his lovely friend had punched (hard) in her flail of fear.

"Why did you wake me up in the first place?" Annika pouted.

"Because dinner is served, and it's your favorite!" Shivaay frowned. Annika's eyes brightened. "Lily Aunty's lasagna? But, Shivaay, how can Lily Aunty be here? She's at home, na?" Anika questioned. Shivaay furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Who is Lily Aunty?" 

"Oh, Lily Aunty, Shivaay! Luna's mom? She's so sweet! Whenever Luna takes me home for Thanksgiving, Lily Aunty makes lasagna, and it is heavenly. And Uncle Alfonso, Lily's dad, makes ravioli. I can't even tell you how fun it is to hang out with Luna's family! They're all like me, huge foodies," Annika continued chittering happily, and Shivaay shook his head. Who was to believe that this woman was fresh out of a nap?

"Adi, answer me this: two plus one is three. Four minus one is also three. How is one plus one three?" Aishwarya asked, exasperated with her son. Adi was due to start kindergarten next year, and Aishwarya had been teaching him simple equations and letters, upon Om's insistence. 

Her husband didn't want Adi to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of things he would learn in school, and so everyone in the house was helping, here and there, to teach the child. Sometimes, Jhanvi would put everything down to assist Adi with the spellings of words like 'cat' and 'pot.'