An Aesthetic Love: A Collection Of Shivika Short Stories

05| just another day.

The sun rays fall into the room, waking Annika up. She had become a light sleeper ever since she came into her and Shivaay's lives. She looks at the other side of the bed and smiles.

She gets out of bed, gets ready and moves to the kitchen, greeted by all the seniors on the way.

She prepares Shivaay's coffee and moves back to her room.
She puts the coffee mug on the table, and kisses his forehead, while he wakes up feeling her, and opens his eyes.
"Good morning." She says with a smile.
"Good morning." He replies back with a smile, and kisses her forehead.
Then they both look at the sleeping figure on his chest.
"She looks just like you while sleeping," he tells her.
"Yeah, just while sleeping. When she's awake, she's just like you. All grumpy. Kisi ki baat nahi sunti," Annika says, giggling.
Shivaay narrows his eyes at her. "Don't say that about my princess."
"Okay okay. Give her to me, and you get up and have your coffee. Aaj meeting hai na aapki,"
Shivaay gives baby Shivika to Annika.
Just at that moment, she wakes up and starts crying.
Shivaay takes her from Annika, because that's the only way she stops crying- Shivaay tells her, "Papa's princess doesn't cry, right?" And then she stops crying, as if understand everything, and keeps her head on his chest just like Annika does.
Then Annika takes her, and Shivika  starts playing with her hair, smiling.
Annika takes her downstairs, where she stays almost the entire day, playing with either the seniors or with OmRu, Gauri or Bhavya.
This morning, when Shivaay is about to leave for office, she comes to him, crawling speedily.
He picks her up in his arms, and she caresses his beard with her tiny hands, ruins his perfectly gelled hair (😂😂) at which he whines in front of Annika all the time, while she can only smile.
"Yeh aisa deliberately karti hai, tumhari beti jo hai," Shivaay rolls his eyes at Annika.
"Acha? Uss din isne Rudy ka phone todh diya tha. Matlab ofcourse galti se hua hoga, par tab kiski beti thi yeh? Aur Rudy aapse tab se naraaz hai, aapne usse manane ki koshish bhi nahi ki," Annika and Rudra smile at Shivaay's epic reaction to the revelation.
Then Shivika holds his thumb with her full little hand, as he leaves her in Annika's arms, bidding her goodbye, setting his hair in the process.
As he leaves, Annika breathes a sigh of relief.
"Kya hua bhabhi? Aap bhaiya ke jaane se khush hain?" Rudra asks her.
"Haan aur nahi. Nahi ofcourse, but haan isliye kyunki mujhe Shivika ko injection lagwane jaana hai, aur tumhare bhaiya yahan hote to isse kabhi jaane hi nahi dete." She says, at which they all giggle.
"Pata nahi Shivaay ko kya ho jaata hai yeh sunte hi," Om smiles at her.
Annika mimics him.
"But Annika, woh bacchi hai abhi! Usse dard hoga na!" And they all smile,
"This is when unhe sabse acche se pata hai ki injection lagwana baccho ke liye kitna zaroori hota hai." Annika rolls her eyes.
"Bhabhi, galti bhaiya ki bhi nahi hai. Agar aapko bhi zara si chot lag jaye toh unki behosh hone waali haalat hoti hai, yeh to Shivika hai. Ek saal ki bhi nahi hai." Rudra says, and Annika smiles.
"Om, tum chaloge mere saath doctor ke pass?"
"Theek hai bhabhi. Chaliye."
And they both leave.
Sometime later, Annika is in the car with Om, trying to console a crying Shivika after she got vaccinated.
"Om, ghar chalo. Shivaay bhi nahi hai, I can make her watch some cartoons and console her." She says, and Om nods, and drives home.
Meanwhile, Shivaay has reached home, and sees Rudra sitting in the hall, on his phone.
"Rudra, sab kahan hain?" He asks him, without any premise.
"B-bhaiya? Aap yahan? Iss waqt?"
"Haan, mera kaam khatam ho gaya tha toh aa gaya. Kahan hain sab?"
"Apne apne rooms mein." Rudy says, trying to not show he knows that Annika has taken Shivika out, and making an internal prayer.
But seems like it went unheard, as Annika and Om entered with Shivika just at that moment.
"Shivaay?" Annika says, a bit too loudly in shock.
He turns around, to see a silently sobbing Shivika with a candy in her mouth.
He takes her in his arms, "kahan they tum log? And Annika, how many times should I tell you, she should not be eating candies? It can affect her teeth,"
"But Shivaay, she was crying," Annika says, not looking at him.
"Crying? Why?" He looks at Shivika, "kya hua mere baby ko? Who made you cry?"
Shivika points towards Annika, making her open her mouth in shock.
"Annika?" Shivaay says, shocked, "what did you do to her?"
"Shivaay Shivaay. Relax. Tujhe yeh sunkar accha nahi lagega, but we took her for vaccinations." Om tells him, his eyes closed.
"Oh, okay- what?" Shivaay screams at them.
"Annika?" He walks towards her, "tum Shivika ko injection lagwane leke gayi thi? Mujhe bina bataye?" He asks her sternly.
"Agar mai aapko batati toh aap jaane nahi dete aur injection lagwana zaroori tha," she says quickly.
He sighs. Just then, Shivika holds- tries to hold- his face in her tiny hands.
He ignores her call.
She gets frustrated.
He is still scolding Annika.
"Papa!" Shivika says, on top of her soft voice.
Shivaay stops.
Annika stops.
They both look at Shivika, who is looking at Shivaay with anger in her eyes, probably telling him to not scold her mother.
"Kya kaha?" Shivaay asks Shivika, his voice a little softer from what it was when he was talking to- scolding- Annika.
"Papa." Shivika says, as if it was obvious.
Shivaay has tears in his eyes, as OmRu and Annika smile at the scene in front of them.
"Shivika!" He says, and hugs her, as she keeps her head on his chest.

At night, Shivaay is setting the bed, entertaining Shivika in the process.
"Aaj papa Shivika ko lori sunake sulayenge." He tells her with a smile, while Shivika smiles back, saying, "Papa," making him smile wider.
Just then, the door slams open.
"Bilkul nahi." Annika says a bit too loudly.
"Kyu?"
"Shivaay, meri bacchi abhi ek saal ki bhi nahi hai. Mai nahi chahti ki uske kaan kharab ho." She says, trying to control her smile.
Shivaay rolls his eyes.
"Tumhe kya lagta hai, mai bura gata hoon, haan?" He asks her seriously.
"Bilkul nahi," she says, with a sugar coated smile, "Aap bahut bura gaate hain." She says, and starts laughing, while Shivaay smiles at her as they both run around the room, while Shivika, sitting in a heap of soft toys, smiles at her crazy parents.