Anaya-His heartbeat

CHAPTER-19

SHIVARTHS POV

I woke up feeling... different. Yesterday's engagement was a whirlwind, and today? Well, I'm still trying to process how I feel. Happy, I guess. Which is strange because it's not something I usually feel. Not with everything that's been going on. After all, I'm marrying someone I barely know. Still, it wasn't all bad. I mean, who knew being engaged could make you feel so... shy? I finished my gym routine, wiping the sweat off my forehead, when Dad dropped a bomb on me. "The wedding rituals start five days from now—on May 16."Great. Just great.I stood there, frozen, towel in hand, staring at him like he'd just told me I had five days to live. Five days to what? Lose my mind? Yesterday, I was actually feeling good, like maybe things wouldn't be so bad, and now... now I had this weight on my chest again. The whole marriage thing—it's messing with my head. One minute I'm okay with it, and the next, it feels like a giant hand is pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe.Anyway, I walked into the living room, trying to shake off the anxiety when I spotted them—Ayaan and Samaira, both dressed like they had some grand plan. I could smell trouble a mile away.Samaira saw me first, with that mischievous grin of hers. "Shiv Bhaiyya, I need your credit card."I blinked. "Why?" Ayaan was already smirking. "We're going wedding shopping with *bhabhi,*" he said, emphasizing the last word just to annoy me.I narrowed my eyes at them. *Wedding shopping?* The thought of them running around, dragging Anaya into god-knows-what... I didn't trust them for a second. "You're going with Anaya?" I asked, as if I hadn't heard them the first time."Obviously!" Samaira said, rolling her eyes like I was the dumb one here."Who else would we go shopping with?" Ayaan added, grinning ear to ear. "It's not like you're gonna come."They both burst out laughing. Funny, real funny.I crossed my arms. "And why do you need *my* card?"Samaira tilted her head, looking at me like I'd asked the dumbest question in the world. "Because it's your wedding, *bhai.* You're supposed to pay for things."I sighed. "No, seriously. You need my card for that?"Samaira huffed, walking up to me with that dramatic flair of hers. "Fine, if you don't trust me, we can skip the whole wedding shopping and tell bhabhi it's because her *soon-to-be-husband* doesn't want her to have anything nice."I glared at her. "Stop being so dramatic."Samaira gave me a pout. "Come on, bhaiyya. You know how important this is. We just want to make sure Anaya looks absolutely perfect. Plus," she added with a wink, "you wouldn't want to be the guy who didn't let his fiancée shop, right?"I rubbed my temples. "Why do you always do this?""Because it works," she said, smug as ever.I pointed at her. "You're impossible, Samaira. Absolutely impossible.""And yet you love me."I sighed, shaking my head. "Fine. I'll give you the card." Samaira's grin was so wide, I thought her face might split. But just as I reached into my pocket, she snatched the wallet from my hand."Hey! I didn't give it to you yet!" I protested, trying to grab it back.She danced out of my reach, laughing. "Too slow, *bhai!* You snooze, you lose!"Ayaan chimed in, holding up his phone. "Should I record this for Instagram? 'Shivarth Oberoi loses wallet war to sister' sounds like a viral headline."I shot him a glare, and he just shrugged, still grinning. "Fine, take the card. But if you mess around—""Yeah, yeah, we get it," Samaira said, flipping through my cards like it was her full-time job. "We'll take care of it, promise."They were about to leave when I—*and I have no idea why*—suddenly blurted out, "Get her something from my side too. You know... if she wants."The words hung in the air for a moment before Samaira and Ayaan both slowly turned to face me, identical looks of disbelief on their faces. And then—chaos.Samaira's eyes practically sparkled. "Oho, *bade bhaiya* is being romantic! Since when?"Ayaan clutched his stomach, pretending to swoon. "Look at him, all thoughtful and caring! I never thought I'd see the day."I groaned. "Just go already!"But they weren't done. Samaira wiggled her eyebrows at me. "Don't worry, *bhai,* we'll make sure Anaya bhabhi knows her husband-to-be is thinking about her all the time."Ayaan added, "Maybe we should write a little love note from you too. 'Dear Anaya, pick whatever your heart desires, courtesy of your loving fiancé.'"I threw a pillow at him. "Out. Now."They left, still laughing and teasing, leaving me standing there, shaking my head. What had I gotten myself into? I tried to focus on work, but my mind kept drifting back to those two. I couldn't help but wonder how they'd behave around Anaya. They're a handful on their own, and adding her into the mix... I checked my phone, half-expecting some chaos already. And there it was—Anaya's Instagram story.Samaira had taken a picture of Anaya standing in the middle, Ayaan hugging her from behind like they were long-lost siblings. All three of them looked like they were having the time of their lives. I stared at the picture for a moment before sighing, shaking my head. "What are those idiots up to now?" I muttered to myself, laughing a little. But then, I felt something weird. Something... uncomfortable. Was I... jealous? Of Ayaan?I shook my head again, pacing. Jealous. Seriously, Shivarth? Of Ayaan hugging her? But then a strange sense of pride swelled up in me. The chaos, the teasing, the ridiculousness of it all—it suddenly felt worth it. Like maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all.Maybe, just maybe... I was starting to get used to this madness.