Amidst the pandemonium created world-wide by Covid-19, Annika is stuck in Toronto, away from home. After her university asks all students to leave the dorms, Annika has nowhere to go, that is until her best friend in India suggests Annika move in wi...
Annika did end up finding her passport the next day. It was inside a tote bag that lay inside her suitcase. She remembered, now, how she had kept it inside this particular bag to keep it 'safe'. Although she was extremely relieved to have found it, the harm was done. She and Shivaay weren't talking to each other, and her parents back home had been extremely stressed for the last 24 hours, trying to come up with solutions to the problem. Annika felt guilty and chided herself for not searching more thoroughly. However, she was pissed at Shivaay. She knew it would really be an irresponsible move to have left her passport behind, but he could have forgone the unnecessary outburst, right? Hell, wasn't he supposed to console her, and tell her they would figure something out?
Passport in hand, Annika moved to Shivaay's room and knocked. He opened looking a little disturbed. Annika maintained a passive face and handed him the passport.
"You found it?" Shivaay's eyes lit up. Annika only nodded and turned to go back. Shivaay quickly held her wrist. "Where was it?"
"Bag," Annika simply replied. She heard Shivaay sigh.
"Baby," He started, "I'm sorry about yesterday." His voice was full of sincerity. "I should have handled the situation better."
"It's okay," Annika shrugged, not meaning it at all. "Anyway I've found the passport, so nothing to worry about anymore." She tried removing her hand from his hold but he only took her into a back hug.
"You know," He said, his voice slightly muffled against her shoulder, "under normal circumstances, a part of me would have been happy about the fact that you couldn't find your passport. We could have prolonged our stay here, then."
Annika frowned. What did he mean by 'normal' circumstances? Shivaay continued before she could ask.
"But yesterday, just before you told me that you couldn't find your passport, I had gotten a call from Rudra." Annika immediately understood something was wrong and turned around to face Shivaay. "Dadi had suddenly fallen ill in the middle of the night. Our family doctor was kind enough to quickly go see her, and she's fine now, but it just really left me shaken."
"Oh," Annika said softly, biting her lip in guilt. "How did she suddenly fall ill?"
Shivaay sighed. "Stress, what else? Apparently, dad and bade papa fought over some business-related issues yesterday. Dad is never one to get into such tiffs, but I guess me not being there made him feel like he should speak up on my behalf. I don't know. Whatever it was, it made Dadi all tensed, and in turn made me want to go back home as soon as possible. And of course, I wasn't going to go leaving you here alone. So yeah. I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Annika caressed his cheeks. "I'm sorry. You should have told me, though. I would have understood why you acted the way you did."
"I know. I guess I just reacted without thinking. And I know I was being an asshole. You must have been so worried already, and on top of that I shouted at you and upset you more."
Annika took him into a loving hug.
"I was upset, yes, but I wouldn't have been if I had known what you were going through. I guess I was just feeling very insecure after you shouted at me."
"Why?" Shivaay asked, rubbing her back.
"In my head, I was thinking that if you're already acting like this now, what are you gonna do when we're not staying together anymore?" She knew it was a stupid thing to be worried about. But her insecurities had gotten the better of her. The Shivaay she had seen in India was really different from this one. What if he went back and realized that he didn't want this anymore?
"You know that's insane, right?" Shivaay asked, laughing softly. Annika looked up at him with a smile and kissed his lips.
"I know now."
--
It was their last night in this apartment. Their flight was early next morning, and they had decided to pull an all-nighter; it was roughly a 16-hour journey, and they could get all the sleep they needed on the flight. At night, they lay awake in each other's arms on Shivaay's bed. It had become a habit now to sleep together, without crossing any boundaries. As much as Annika liked being intimate with him, actually having sex was something she wasn't ready for just yet. Sure, things could get pretty heated between them at times, but her boyfriend would always retreat at the slightest sign of discomfort. Tonight, Annika just basked in the comfort of Shivaay's arms. They kissed in between, talked about everything and nothing at the same time, but mostly, they just relished in this feeling of being together. Because after going back to India, even meeting each other would become a difficult feat.
--
The journey back home was an anxious one. Shivaay and Annika took all measures and were extremely careful in making sure they didn't somehow end up catching the virus. After all, they now had their family members to worry about. After what seemed like forever, they finally landed in Mumbai airport. All passengers had to get their temperatures checked and were asked to be in self-quarantine for 14 days. After all the daunting procedures, they went to collect their suitcases.
"This is it, then," Shivaay said softly as they collected their luggage. Their cars would be waiting outside, and this was the chance to say goodbye.
"This is it," Annika replied, her throat forming a lump. She moved forward to hug him. Some people eyed them for not maintaining physical distance, but that was okay; this was India and people would eye you for not maintaining physical distance with the opposite sex, regardless of a pandemic. Shivaay quickly ran his fingers through her hair, and when she moved back, he pressed his mouth against hers.
With both of them wearing masks, she could barely feel his lips, but it was enough.
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Their days of being in quarantine together are over and it makes me sad :( I thought of prolonging it, but I knew that stretching this part would only mean that I would endlessly end up stretching the whole story.
Don't worry, this is not the end of the book. We still have a few more chapters left 🌸
PS sorry to disappoint everyone who was happy thinking they'll now be staying together for longer 🙈
