Annika paced across the hardwood floors of the bedroom, while the owner of the room himself was massaging his temples. Surely, this girl would drive him insane one day. Why did he ever agree to this?
His thoughts were put on a halt as Annika's voice carried over. "Hey, Meera! It's Annika."
Shivaay signaled to put the phone on speaker and Annika obliged him, sitting beside him on the bed.
"Oh, uh. Hey, Annika. Did Aishu give you my number?"
"No, actually. Shivaay gave it to me. I actually wanted to get in touch with you. I know we haven't really gotten close over the last month, but I was looking to change that. I sort of have a record of stealing all of Aishu's friends, and I didn't want to break my winning streak with you, so..."
"That's nice, Annika. I'm actually on my way to work right now, so do you mind if I call—"
"Oh, then let me make this quick!" Annika interrupted. "Actually, I was wondering if you'd want to come over with Kush to Oberoi Mansion for dinner today. We could talk and hang out. Only if you're free and willing, of course."
"Tonight? I might be busy, but I will check and circle back to you before tonight. Thanks for calling!"
"Sure! I will be awaiting your RSVP! Bye!" Annika smiled and hung up. Shivaay simply stared at her.
"Annika, please enlighten me," he began. "Was that phone call to set me up on a date with Meera or are you the one planning to go out with her?" he asked sarcastically. Gasping dramatically, Shivaay held his hand over his chest. "Is that why you rejected your best friend? Because you're actually a closeted homosexual?"
Annika rolled her eyes, smacking Shivaay's shoulder. "You idiot! What, do you expect me to do everything around here? I just said I had an idea, executing it is on you, isn't it?"
Shivaay widened his eyes in mortification, suddenly very, very, very afraid of whatever Annika had in store for him, because after all, she was Annika Keerthi Bhattacharya and who knew what tricks she had up her sleeve. Godji, please meri izzat bacha ke rakhiye. Pata nahi yeh pagal aurat mujhse kya uthak-baithak karwayegi, Shivaay prayed to his deity.
"Meera, Kushal! Always great to see you two in my kitchen!" Aishwarya smiled, slightly confused. Her lovely little sister hadn't informed her of the siblings coming over tonight. "Ooh, what's cooking?" Kushal asked, stepping forward to inhale the aroma of Indian spices brewing in the pot.
"Nothing special, just some dal makhni. If I'd known you two were coming, I would have prepared!"
"Anything made by you is lovely, Bhabhi! Even day old karele ki sabzi," Kushal praised genuinely. "Thank you, Kushal," Aishwarya chuckled.
"Annika didn't tell you we were coming?" Meera skeptically. Why would Annika invite them and not tell Aishwarya?
"Annika invited you?" Aishwarya asked in surprise. "I thought, maybe Shivaay..."
"Kush!" Annika beamed as she entered the kitchen with Shivaay. "Anni! What's up, dude?" Kushal replied, reciprocating Annika's excitement. Funnily enough, the very same excitement dissipated the moment that his gaze fell on the man beside her. "Hi, Kushal," Shivaay mumbled, receiving a grunt in response.
"Meera," Annika greeted, taking the girl standing next to her sister into a hug. "How are you?"
"I'm...good. You?" Meera asked politely, stepping back.
"Fantastic, thanks for asking! I talked to my friends from home a while back, so that was nice. Did my laundry, cleared my inbox. Lots of junk mail from these random websites I don't remember signing up for," Annika mentioned with a curious expression. "Oh," Meera exclaimed lightly, trying her best to sound interested.
"This is kind of why you don't give out your email to random websites, Annika," Shivaay commented, appearing beside his friend once again. "Hey, Shivaay," Meera smiled.
"Meera," Shivaay replied with a courteous nod.
Oh God, is this how he plans to win a girl's heart? Meera, I almost feel sorry for you, Annika thought. Clearing her throat and nudging Shivaay, Annika excused them. "Shivaay, I completely forgot! Aishu had asked me to set the table. Mind helping me for a moment?"
"I never asked—"
"Okay, thanks! Let's go!" Annika grabbed Shivaay's arm and dragged him away before her dear older sister spoiled her fib.
"What the hell, Annika? Look, you creased my suit!" Shivaay whined when Annika left his arm. "Shut up, you crybaby. What was that?" she hissed.
"What was what?" Shivaay asked, purely ignorant. "That! In there! With Meera!" Annika exclaimed.
"What did I say to Meera?"
"Nothing! That's the problem! Is this how you're going to impress her? Dude, the girl's smile literally lit up like a lightbulb, like a 100 watt smile! And all you give her, in response to her khidkitod 'Hi Shivaay' is a measly 'Meera'? Are you stupid?"
"Hey, I'm not stupid, okay?" Shivaay defended his ego.
"In some other quantum realm, I'm sure! There, you must be the smoothest Casanova to ever grace planet Earth. Here, though? You're a number one bhondu!" Annika said sarcastically.
"Then what was I supposed to say, Ms. Love Expert?" Shivaay asked in annoyance.
"How about 'Hey Meera! So great to see you! You look beautiful! How's it going?' Anything besides 'Meera' would have been wonderful," Annika mocked his tone.
"That's how I've always greeted her, Annika. You can't expect that to change just because now I'm looking to take her out."
"Shivaay! Have you not a romantic bone in your body?" Annika groaned in frustration.
"I'm sorry, I've never had that kind of relationship with more than one person, and that was three years ago!"
"Fine, whatever. Can you just please try to fix it, now? No more stating her full name. She knows her own name. She's known it for the past 25 years of her life. Be cool. Be macho. Be the smooth AF Oberoi I know you are. Deal?"
Shivaay sighed. "Deal."
"Then why are you still standing here? GO, TALK TO HER!" Annika urged, turning him around and shoving him towards the kitchen.
When he disappeared, she let a huge grin break across her lips. "I guess looks aren't everything," she whispered to herself.
YOU ARE READING
Broken Hearts and Strange Girls || Shivika AU FF
Romance"Hearts will never be practical until they are made unbreakable." ~°~°~ He was a breathing body, a lifeless soul, a tortured zombie, without someone to call "home." His brother was the opposite. He dwelled in every mome...
