Dearest Shivaay, || Shivika AU FF

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝔻𝕚𝕕 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝔻𝕠?

Shivaay was just about to stop Anika when she had suddenly left without an explanation. He had noticed her strange behavior as she ordered, but he was unable to decipher what had happened with her. 

Does it really take twelve minutes in the restroom? Shivaay wondered. I'm going to go check on her. Wait, no. That's weird...and mildly inappropriate. She should be fine. Still...y'know, I'll just text her. 

Shivaay pulled out his phone and typed out his message. 

S: Where are you??? 

No, that seemed aggressive. 

S: You've been in the restroom for twelve minutes. 

That seemed passive.

S: Your soup is getting cold.

That seemed passive and aggressive.

S: All okay? 

Shivaay took a breath. That would have to do. Pressing send, Shivaay put his phone to the side and looked at his half-eaten meal. Oh, God. He had really hogged on the ratatouille, hadn't he? Although, it was hardly his fault.

The morning had been hectic for him. Rudra had been running late for college, and since Tej had suspended his driving privileges because of a prank gone wrong, Rudra was reliant on his oldest brother for transport. As a result of Rudra's carelessness, Shivaay hadn't even gotten to eat breakfast properly. 

And on top of all that, he was eating lunch with the Anika Vardhan Trivedi sitting across from him. She was looking so effortlessly pretty in that traditional kurti and denim jeans whilst he had to make such grand and expensive efforts to look even half-so. It was so unfair that she could just throw anything on and look so, so beautiful. Yes, very unfair. 

So, instead of looking at her and her big, brown eyes that sparkled in the fluorescent light—which was weird because he thought that yellow lights were supposed to make everyone look unflattering but she seemed immune to it...ahem—it was easy to just look down at his plate and focus on eating. 

"Excuse me?" someone placed their hand on Shivaay's shoulder. He turned to see an elderly couple, the woman smiling sweetly. 

"Where did your wife go?" 

"Savitri, don't meddle in their lives—" 

"Arey, aap chup hi rahiye, Vinay. Bicharon ki nayi nayi shaadi hui hogi, pehla jhagda hai." Savitri frowned, looking at Shivaay. "I hate to be a bother, but I saw you two sitting together earlier, and then I also bumped into your wife as she was leaving the restroom. Are you two okay? She seemed upset." 

Shivaay fumbled for words. "She's not—wait, she was upset?" Shivaay asked, knitting his eyebrows together in confusion.  

"She seemed to be." 

What did you do, Shivaay? he thought to himself.