Annika's peace was long gone. Yesterday, Clem the evil boss had sent her an email at eleven o'clock in the bloody night. He had mentioned something about this photograph collage that she was expected to contribute to.
Now, Annika was stitching together the best pieces from her portfolio into a huge collage consisting of 30 images. She only had 17 attached so far.
Her phone buzzed beside her, and she swiped right immediately, assuming it was Enrico. "Hey, Rick. What's up?" she greeted cheerfully.
"Who is Rick?" Suresh's voice crackled over the phone. Annika bit her tongue. Shit. "No, he's just my friend from Italy, Papa. Sorry, I didn't see the caller ID, I just assumed—"
"Why is this Rick calling you at 11:42 at night?"
"Leave it be, Papa. Did you need something? Why did you call so late?"
"Yes, well...Disha and I are missing you. I know you're leaving to go back soon, and Disha is itching to prepare a homemade meal or two for you before you leave, so I—we...were wondering," Suresh stuttered before clearing his throat. "Would you like to stay with us before you leave? Spend your last two weeks with us at home?"
Annika looked at the date on her laptop screen. Holy crap, there were only two weeks left before her flight back to Italy!
"Of course, Papa! I haven't been home in forever, and Maa's meals are calling me! When should I come?"
"Tomorrow at 7am. Ramdas will pick you up. Sounds good?"
"Yep! I'll start packing right away. Bye, Papa."
"Yes. See you," Suresh awkwardly muttered before hanging up. After four years of zero verbal contact, it was clear that he was having trouble readjusting with communicating with his youngest daughter.
Staying true to her word, Annika closed her laptop screen, but not before saving her work, and got to packing.
"Ann, what are you doing?" Aishwarya asked, leaning against the door of her sister's bedroom. Annika rolled her eyes at her sister's stupid question.
"I'm playing kabaddi. Wanna join?" she asked sarcastically, holding up a t-shirt.
"Haha, very funny!" Aishwarya smiled, approaching Annika's open suitcase and shaking her head in amusement. "You still haven't learned how to pack a bag?" she laughed.
Annika frowned, looking at the disarray of clothes crumpled in her suitcase. "It's a system!"
"What system, Annika?" Aishwarya asked incredulously. "It looks worse than when Adi gets into his laundry and tries folding it!"
Picking up a discarded t-shirt, Aishwarya carefully folded it into a neat square and placed it to the side. "See? Easy!"
Annika simply gaped at her sister. "Don't look at me like that. I pack Om's suitcase whenever he has to leave for meetings. I've developed a system. An actual one," Aishwarya grinned. As Aishwarya bent over to grab the next shirt and fold it, it was Annika's turn to smile.
"I always thought you would change after marriage. Now, here you are, packing suitcases for Om and taking care of Adi and this whole family, a housewife by choice. It's inspirational. You know how people are built for things? Like, some people are meant to save lives by becoming doctors and EMTs. Some people are meant to see the world, some are meant to build robots. Aishu, you know what you were built for? This life," Annika gestured to the piles of clothes, now slowly growing bigger.
"And I used to think it was a bad thing. But, I realize how much you love this, now. You love being a mother, and a wife."
Aishwarya smiled, even wider. "Well, I've always wanted stability from life. For me, home is filled with these people. I'm here now, with Adi and Om and Mumma-Papa, and my in-laws. I really couldn't be happier. My place has always been amongst loved ones. Yours is a different case altogether. You love the thrill, the adventure. Adrenaline is your lifeblood. I also used to think there was something unrealistic about that, but seeing the way you've built a life for yourself without any of our help has definitely changed my mind. You thrive in the unknown, Annika. That's what's inspirational to me."
Annika managed a brave smile.
"Now," Aishwarya cleared her throat. "Why are you packing so soon? You still have another three weeks before you need to go back, right?"
"Two."
Aishwarya winced. "Yikes, time has flown by. But, still. Why pack so soon? The Annika I know will wait until the last possible minute to get something done," Aishwarya teased.
Annika rolled her eyes. "Papa asked me to spend the rest of my vacation at the Bhattacharya Manor. Though I'm not sure it can be called that anymore, thanks to Clem—" Annika muttered with a low grumble.
"Really? That's great! Oh, I'd so love to come with you, but Adi..."
"No stress! Besides, your in-laws have probably grown sick of me by now."
Aishwarya shook her head. "They all love you, maybe even more than me! You even melted Shivaay's heart," Aishwarya said with a pout. Annika went rigid at the mention of her didi ka devar. "Yeah..." she trailed off.
"Speaking of Shivaay, do you want him to drop you off tomorrow morning? I'll ask him now—"
"NO!" Annika yelped, eliciting a curious look from her older sister. Clearing her throat, Annika tried again. "I mean, why bother him? You know? He has a new girlfriend, and work. And besides, Papa is sending Ramdas, so there's really no need at all!"
"Hm, okay..." Aishwarya smiled knowingly as she proceeded to fold Annika's clothes and place neatly into her suitcase.
YOU ARE READING
Broken Hearts and Strange Girls || Shivika AU FF
Romantik"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...
