Kya Pyaar Karoge Mujhse....

Chapter 35- An Early Start

Annika was preparing dinner for herself and Shivi when her phone rang rather loudly. She was wiping her hands when Shivi came running in with her phone in her hands.

"Mumma, you have a call." She said and Annika smiled before taking the phone.

"Thanks baccha, now go and finish your homework quickly!" Annika said and Shivi ran back in her room.

"Hello." Annika said, putting the phone between her ear and shoulder as she cut a few tomatoes.

"Annika Di, it's Rudra." Rudra said and Annika smiled at the unexpected call. "I just wanted to tell you something."

"Say na!" Annika said as she moved to the carrots.

"Actually, Sumo and I decided our baby's name and we wanted to tell you." He said and Annika could hear the excitement and nervousness in his voice.

"Oh wow, really! What is it!" She said, leaving the carrots and tomatoes on the counter in elation.

"It's Rumya. You were the one who wrote this...remember?" He said and Annika's elated smile turned into a soft one. They picked a name which she had...oh God.

"I...yes I remember." She said and nodded. "Are you sure about...I mean, it's a very unique name."

"Yes, that's why we chose it. Everyone loved it." He said and Annika chuckled.

"I am very glad that everyone did. And I hope your baby does too!" She said and could almost see Rudra nodding.

"Accha Di, we...I mean Sumo and I have an appointment with you tomorrow, for the baby shower-

"Yes, I know. Get Om and Gauri too, I wanted to discuss a few things with them as well." Annika said and after an okay and we'll see you then, bye, she cut the call and focused back on her dinner.

Hardly ten minutes later, she heard the front door open and Sonakshi's voice filled her home.

"Anni! Do you have some...what are you making for dinner?" Sonakshi shouted from the hallway as Annika heard Aryan's footsteps coming in.

"Anni Ma, Mumma is very angry today!" He came in the kitchen and Annika laughed as Sonakshi walked in as well.

"What did you say Aryan?" Sonakshi said and Aryan ran in Shivi's room to save himself from his mother's anger.

"Sona, why are you unleashing your hormonal anger on him?" Annika said with a chuckled and Sonakshi sighed.

"Arey yaar, he...I was driving and he started shouting that he wanted pizza and when I said, let's reach home, he started pulling my hand and screaming in my ear! What was I supposed to do? So I stopped here." Sonakshi sighed and put her bag down. "By any chance, you have pizza?"

"No, I was making a veg casserole. But I can order one if you want." Annika said as she continued cutting the vegetables and Sonakshi shook her head.

"No, I'll just put onions and cheese on some bread when we go home." Sonakshi said and sat down on the high stool beside the kitchen island.

"I can do that. Wait, I will do that, I already have chopped onions and grated cheese." Annika said and quickly took out four pieces of bread as Sonakshi kept saying no, stop it.

"All done!" Annika said proudly four minutes later and Sonakshi sighed.

"You are a Godsend but also, you spoil my son a lot." Sonakshi said with a grin and Annika chuckled as she put the bread-pizza in the oven.

"Well, you do the same with my daughter so it's tit for tat." Annika replied back. "Anyways, have you thought about any names?"

"Names?" Sonakshi frowned and bit into a carrot. "What names?"

"Names for your new baby. Have you forgotten you are pregnant?" Annika said and crossed her arms.

"Oh, yes!" Sonakshi nodded her head. "No, no we haven't." She shook her head.

"Why not?" Annika frowned and Sonakshi just shrugged.

"It's too early, we don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet. We don't want to know this time. When I was seven months along during Aryan, we accidentally got know it's a he during an ultrasound, so that made easy for us to choose a name. So, I was hoping something like that may happen again." Sonakshi shrugged. "Or maybe we'll have a name after this one is here."

"Oh, okay. Just so you know, I have a few suggestions." Annika said with a shrug and Sonakshi looked at her.

"How many?" She asked and Annika scratched her hair.

"Fifty-

"Fifty!" Sonakshi gasped.

"-for a girl, forty-four for a boy." Annika completed and stared at Sonakshi's wide eyes. "I just had some free time during lunch-

"You are so cute." Sonakshi laughed, shaking her head.

"Thanks." Annika smiled cheekily before proceeding to complete the dinner.

--

Annika reached her office an hour earlier than usual the next day and it was silent as a stone. It was generally Eva who opened the office at eight am every morning and Annika arrived before nine after dropping Shivi to school and lately, after Sonakshi's pregnancy, she had also started stopping at her friend's place for ten minutes to check on them every other day so as to help with Aryan because Sonakshi needed to sleep more. Vikram had been worried lately because his wife had been suffering from a terrible bout of morning sickness and it disturbed her sleep a lot so Annika had volunteered to lend a hand.

But today, Aryan's and Shivi's school was closed and after dropping Shivi at Vikram's house, she had reached office to start working early. She had just completed preparing two schedules for two weddings when she heard the front door open an hour later. Expecting it to be Eva, she kept sitting in her cabin but when five minutes later Eva didn't come in with her coffee, Annika frowned. Just twenty minutes ago she had informed Eva that she was already in the office and to get her a Venti Cappuccino and her head had started pounding already with the lack of caffeine. Sighing and getting up from her seat, she walked out of the cabin to look for her. She looked around but didn't find anyone and frowned. She had definitely heard someone but no one was here. Shrugging, she turned back to go back into her cabin when she knocked over a small table and the vase on it came crashing down with a sharp sound, which resonated in the empty room.

"Who's here!" A man's loud voice from behind her startled her and she screamed loudly, her eyes wide and alarmed. "Annika?"

She frowned and turned around, only to face Shivaay.

"What...what are you...doing here?" She asked slowly, standing straight.

"I work here." He said and she rolled her eyes.

"I know you do." She said and sat on her knees to clean up the vase pieces. "I mean what are you doing here so early?"

"I always come at this time." He said and sat on his knees as well. "You are early today."

"Well, it's my office, I can come here anytime I want." She said as she picked the broken glass pieces.

"That's fair." He nodded as he helped her. "Ow!"

"Shivaay!" She gasped as a few blood drops dripped on the white marble floor from his finger. "Oh my God."

"It's okay." He winced and took out a handkerchief from his pocket. "It's just...a small cut."

"Come here." She stood up and held his arm. "Let's put some disinfectant on it."

"Annika, it's fine, I-

"Just shut up." She said angrily as she took out a first aid box from a shelf. "You'll do as I say, oaky?"

"Yes Ma'am." Shivaay nodded, with a soft smile, as she proceeded to aid him.