The Next Step We Take (COMPLETED) ✔✔

Chapter 10

"Shivaay, where exactly are we going? I'm super sleepy and the time must be around 3 in the morning, right now!" Annika stiffled a yawn as she walked along with her husband in the middle of nowhere. He still remained quiet.

After the countdown party held in the resort they were staying, they bid their farewells to Gauri and Om. Annika thought her husband was rushing them to their Villa to bring in the new year in their style. But, she was wrong. He had brought them to the jetty instead where a speedboat was awaiting them already. Annika looked at him in surprise while Shivaay just gestured her to get in.

After putting on the flashy yellow life-jacket, Annika groaned inwardly. She was already falling asleep but her husband was wide awake and very much enthusiastic. All she wanted was a good nights sleep. Even if they were making love instead of sleeping, she would have been fine with it! Travelling to somewhere in the middle of the night, especially on the speedboat was a big no for her.

"Shivaay, are you angry with me?" Annika asked all of the sudden, after blabbering all the way throughout their boat ride about how much she hated moving around at late night.

"No Annika! Why?" Shivaay asked back almost immediately.

"Have I ever made you feel anything less than my husband?"

"No!"

"Have I ever hurt you or something?"

"No Annika, you've never done anything such!" He assured her.

"Then why are you being the enemy to my sleep? I need to sleep Shivaay! I'm so sleep deprived!" She yelled at him.

"Just here... wait up..." Shivaay told her as he guide her through the forest that was getting less dense.

Annika could hear the sound of the waves crashing and she knew that they were by the beach. Whatever Shivaay is planning, it better be good! Else, she might just lash out at him for being an insensitive pig!

"Insensitive pig?" She asked herself as she struggled to stay awake with her mind going crazy with all sorts of thoughts, especially those on where to sleep in the forest they were walking through.

"The branch seems like a good choice! I will take Shivaay's tie and tie myself around the bark so that I won't fall... yeah! Just the way Katniss did in Hunger Games!" Her mind came up with yet another ridiculous thought. How she wished she could stop those thoughts!

"Sleep deprivation can really drive you cranky, doesn't it?" Shivaay sighed.

"Apparently!" She exasperated.

"We are getting there! Relax!"

"Are you trying to murder me?" Annika spoke her mind out.

"Maybe!" Shivaay answered back with a stifled laughter. Annika stopped walking and looked at him with a dreadfully bulged eyes.

Shivaay chuckled at the way she was behaving. He had never seen that version of Annika before. The cranky girl. But, he was enjoying that version of her nevertheless. She was as gullible as she ever was.

"There it is!" Shivaay pointed towards something and Annika shifted her gaze towards the direction to find a mandap just in front of the beach.

The mandap was beautifully decorated with real roses by the four pillars and every midpoint of the fairly huge gazebo. A plain white chiffon cloth was tied around the dome and let loose by the pillar, and a dim yellow light was fixed, giving it a total dreamy fairytale look! The path towards the mandap was red carpeted with red rose petals spread over it.