Shivika: Journey Till Our Hearts

|| 47. In This Together ||

He had his coat tiredly hung over his shoulder and shirt sleeves rolled up till the elbows. His eyes had bags underneath and each step he took looked like a mile.

He entered Oberoi mansion and was greeted by darkness. It was 12:30 at night and the only sounds audible were of some random night creatures. He knew he would be late so he had insisted that the whole family eat and go to bed.

After a hectic day that had almost seeped out the life out of him, the only thing he looked forward to was sleeping peacefully with Annika holding him close and caressing his hair. Oh! What bliss that would be.

Still in those thoughts, he was about to go to his room when his eyes fell on a figure on the dinner table. He sighed. He immediately knew it was her.

Reaching out to her, he saw her head plopped down on the table with the dinner vessels still there. He was a bit upset at her yet smiled seeing that there was someone he had to come back home to.

He bent down and pushed her hair which had scattered all over her face. He chuckled as she didn't move even an inch. Slowly going ahead, he kissed her ever so softly on her temple. That definitely did make her stir.

She squinted her eyes open to see a blurred image of her husband.

"Shivaay, aap aa gaye?" She stood up, rubbing her eyes so as to get a clear picture of him.

"Ha, but what about you? Didn't I ask everyone to eat and sleep. Tumhari health kharab ho jayegi aise Anni" He spoke in an angry tone but she also glared at him instead of bowing down.

"Ha and who would have given you food? The saadi waali daayan from one of the neglected rooms in the big mansion?"

Mentally smacking himself for even trying to get into an argument with his wife at almost 1 in the night, he conceded defeat.

"Fine, but you should have slept. Mein khaana khud le leta. I have been habitual of this since years"

"Not anymore. I am here and I will never let you eat alone. Arre bhai, biwi ke hotey hue pati late aakar akele kyun khaana khayega. Toh biwi hone ka kya matlab?"

"You do realize that I don't look at my wife as the typical wife who is expected to look after the husband's every need apart from doing her own work. Biwi ho tum meri servant nahi" He said sternly putting an end to her rant.

"Shree Shree 1008 Kanji Aakhon waala Bagadbilla, mein samajh gayi. Now will you have food, ya phir mujhe itna bolke pet bhar gaya"

He smiled and dumped his blazer on the chair before sitting on the adjacent chair and serving himself. She also settled beside him and kept her hand on her chin.

"Tumne khaana khaaya na?" He asked, pouring some more curry in his plate. She broke her gaze from him and fidgeted with her fingers.

"Please please before you get angry and blast on me, let me tell you, I did eat some rice. But I wanted to eat with you" She said innocently.

"Hmm" He tore a piece of roti, dipped it in gravy and forwarded to her mouth. "Khaao"

She smiled as she ate from his hands.

"Sometimes, I think how stubborn you are"

"Ha toh. Biwi hu aapki. Aapki chinta mein nahi karungi toh kaun karega. Dare you take away this right from me"

He just smiled faintly and kept looking at her. For such a long time that she had to snap her fingers in front of him to bring him out of his dreamland.