Bound by Circumstances

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"You don't have to watch this," Annika said as she hid her smile.

Surfing through Prime video, Annika had settled on watching a horror film after dinner. When Shivaay had come, she told him to go away before he got scared- in front of his family. Now, Shivaay had a point to prove, because Rudra made fun of him all the way from America when he had called. Shivaay was clutching on to a pillow, ignoring the looks she was giving him. Dadi and Om had decided to watch the film too, and to Shivaay's surprise, Dadi did not even flinch. He had an image to maintain. He knew Om would holler soon, and Shivaay could use that to escape.

"I'm not scared," Shivaay declared in his weakest voice as he mentally cursed Annika. Couldn't she prefer rom-com or something? He was taken by surprise when Annika took the pillow away. She interlaced her fingers to his and took a firm hold of his hand. He reclined a little and lifted his legs up. Once he was comfortable, he rested his head on Annika's shoulders. She put her other arm around him as if she was shielding him from the scare of the ghost. Whenever the background music turned spooky, he would close his eyes and hide his head on his wife's shoulders. His prediction came true when Omkara screamed at the scene where a lady bounced out of her grave, making an eldritch screech. Om mumbled good night and scurried away to his room. But Shivaay didn't leave. He was comfortable where he was. A little while later, Dadi too, retired to bed. By that time, the movie became background noise for Shivaay. Annika was making circles through his hair while patting occasionally. Her countenance had seriousness written over it like a poorly written letter, and her eyebrows were crunched in concentration like the centre of a dartboard. He straightened up, which made her look at him. She looked like she wanted him back on her shoulders.

"Going to bed?" She asked with dripping disappointment. Instead of giving her an answer, he took back the throw pillow from her side and placed it on her lap. He then lied down, with his face towards hers. She ran her fingers through his hair and her lips puckered for a second as if she wanted to give him a kiss. Her eyes immediately went to the screen while he studied her features and expressions. His eyes began to close a little, but they flung open when Annika's hand caressed his chest. Still watching the movie, her hands moved up and down his chest in the meekest way possible creating havoc to the rest of his body. Had her hand halted a little, she would have even felt his racing heart. She looked at his dazed eyes sharply, as if just realizing that he was staring at her. She bent forward and kissed his forehead. She looked up, ignoring his eyes, and Shivaay swore he saw a smirk on her face. Epiphany hit him that moment; none of what Annika was doing was involuntary. In a swift motion, he sat up straight. She shot a glance at him with a tad bit of mischievousness that shone through her eyes. That moment, he made a mistake. He took the remote and turned towards the screen to pause the movie. The very lady who rose up from the grave was staring at him with an eerie smile while holding a severed head on her hand. Shivaay screamed, and Annika broke into fits of laughter.

"Stop. Laughing." Shivaay gritted his teeth, which only made her laugh more.

"I told you not to watch it."Annika shrugged.