Shivay woke up with a slowly as though savouring a dream so sweet and seductive that made him want to go back to sleep. He turned to look for Anika, but to his astonishment, she was already up and out. He remembered their shared passion yesterday and smiled to himself. Anika gave her everything into whatever she was doing, especially when it came to him. Whether fighting with him, or fighting for him. He saw only the glimpse of her passion yesterday and it was glorious. He shuddered at the thought of her giving everything to the moment and give in to her desire with all that she has. He longed to look into her eyes and see if the fire that ignited yesterday is still lit. He wanted to see that beautiful blush she always wears near him has deepened its color. Only she was not in the room. She must be avoiding him. He chuckled at previous instance when she avoided him. He had finally found her under the sofa. Where would she hide this time?
Anika was indeed avoiding Shivay. She had woken up before him and hid herself in Dadi's room till break fast time. That also had given her idea to win the bet. She was walking towards the kitchen, formulating the plan in her mind and did not see Shivay standing in her way.
Shivay had seen Anika walking towards the kitchen, lost in some world. He purposefully stood in her, hoping to catch her when she fell on him and he did.
"Look at me, Anika" he whispered.
"No."
"You do realize you are blushing right now."
"No."
"Are you going to talk to me in monosyllables all day?"
"No."
Shivay lifted her face gently, holding her chin. Anika looked into his eyes, unable to look else where. Seeing him as affected by yesterday as she was and the knowledge that she is the one who did that to Shivay Singh Oberoi, that she has power to make him lose control gave her courage, also a kind of feminine satisfaction. The fact that Shivay was hers-body, mind and soul, and only hers, hit her at once. She caressed his face, traced the contours of cheek, his stubborn chin and finally, his lips.
Shivay stood transfixed. He closed his eyes at the soft touch if her fingers, never having experienced this sweet torture.
At last he opened his eyes. Anika shivered at the heat in his eyes, his pupil dilated with passion.
"The gown was your choice or Soumya's?" he asked.
"It was mine..." Anika whispered back.
"Good choice..."
"I bought more..."
"Damn it! You are killing me here. Anika!" Shivay growled, "I will make you wear them everyday after you lose the bet".
"Hah! I still have two days. And I will win the bet. " Anika stepped out of his arms, and went towards the kitchen.
**
After the lazy Sunday breakfast, Shivay found Anika in Dadi's room.
"What are doing here Anika? Come with me"
"Nope. I will stay with Dadi till you confess your feelings." Anika smirked.
"Anika, do not test my patience. And I will not confess anything."
"Fine then, I will stay here. I have even bought my night clothes, so I can stay the night."
"You cannot win like this Anika. Stop giving such ultimatums. It will not work. Now come with me."
"No, Dadi has asked me to prepare her luggage for her Tirupati trip. And I am cleaning the room and rearranging her wardrobe and stuff."
"Did Dadi asked you to do all this or you volunteered?"
"Does it matter? I am not budging from this room till you confess."
"We will see..." Shivay stormed out of the room, searching for Dadi.
**
"Anika dear, Shivay was asking for you. He said you refused to go out with him today." Dadi asked Anika.
"Nothing like that Dadi, I was doing your packing. I did not want to leave it half way."
"You are really sweet for taking on my work, Anika. But today is Sunday and you should spend some quality time with your husband."
"But Dadi..."
"Nothing doing. You go on. I can do my own work. Go..."
Aniika walked out of Dadi's room to find a smirking Shivay leaving against a pillar. She stormed out of there to plot her next move.
Anika waited till Shivay was on a conference call and packed a small suitcase. She went to the car garage and asked one of the drivers to drop her at her old place.
**
Much later, when Shivay was done with his call, he did not find his wife anywhere in the house. Shaking his head at her antics, he went in search of Khanna who would know here she went. When he realized that she is at her old house and she had a suitcase with her, he laughed loudly. So, this is her plan today. To keep giving me ultimatums.
He took his favorite car and went to get his wife back.
**
Shivay knocked on the door, almost wishing that he had bought a raincoat with him. The last encounter at her place when she was out of sorts with him had not gone well for him. She had thrown dirty water at him and he had to sit for hours in dirty, wet clothes. When she did open the door, he ducked out of long suffering reflex.
"Why are you bending like that?" Anika asked, holding the door open.
"I was afraid you will throw dirty water at me." Shivay entered the house.
"You have such low opinion of me!" Anika almost shouted.
"No...I have the right opinion of you. I know what you are capable of."
"Whatever..."
"Why are you here anyway?" Shivay asked.
"I am staying here from now on."
"But why?"
"There is nothing for me in Oberoi Mansion. My own husband won't accept his feelings. How can I stay at such a place..." Anika complained, a sight worthy of a Bollywood actor.
"Enough of this, my drama queen. Come home. You will not win your bet like this."
"No...I will sit right here..." Anika plonked down on the chair, raising days old dust into the air.
Seeing the state of the house, Shivay had an idea.
"So, you will not come home at all, is it?" Shivay asked.
"Nope. I will not. No matter what." Annika replied stubbornly.
"Fine...then I will also stay here." Shivay declared. He called Khanna and asked him to get some of his clothes he would need for the next couple of days.
"What are you doing?" Anika screeched.
"As i said, I am staying here. You know how I will miss you if you are not around. Since you are being stubborn, and insisting that you are staying here, you left me no other choice." Shivay made puppy eyes.
"But---but-- you cannot stay here..."
"Why not?"
"Look at the state of this house. You will have an allergy attack." Anika shouted.
"Well, it is okay. I will suffer through it for your company." Shivay put on a long suffering sigh.
"No you cannot risk your health like this.." Anika insisted.
"Well, anything for you, my dear. " Shivay added a sneeze or two for good measure.
"You--you---" Anika could not reply. She knew she was being manipulated, she knew Shivay very well. She also knew that he would stay here if it comes to that. Having no other recourse, she bought her luggage from inside and walked out of the house. She sat in the car without a word.
Shivay drove the vehicle back to the mansion with a triumphant look on his face. He did worry about the lack of words from his wife, but he brushed it off as the silence of the defeated. But he did not know that his enterprising wife was already plotting for the next move.
"We are here.." Shivay said at last, when they reached home.
Anika quietly took her bags and went inside.
**
All through the lunch and then afternoon, Anika did not talk to him. She talked to everyone in the house, but him. In all the time he had known her, no matter how much her talk, blabbering really, irritated the hell out of him, the moment she stopped talking, he always felt a kind of despair. He needed her to keep talking, to keep annoying him. Now she was using this against him.
"You little devil!! " Shivay did not if he is angry with her, or admiring her for her ingenuity. Talk about striking where it hurts. Well, no matter. Under no circumstances that he would give in and admit his feelings now. Especially not when she is using such tactics.
Shivay wanted to get his revenge on her for making him go through her silence. So, he stopped talking to her as well. For remaining of the day, the two boxers circled each other, in silence, each waiting for the other to give in.
At the end of the day, both of them were so irritated that, all the family members knew that something was wrong. Their fears were confirmed during dinner.
"Pass the salt, Rudy." Shivay asked Rudra, who was sitting right opposite.
"But, Bhabhi is sitting right next to you, and closer to the salt shaker!" Rudy pouted, passing the salt to his brother.
"Give me some of the dal, Soumya." Anika asked.
"But, it is right next to Bade bhaiya." Soumya was puzzled. She shared a look with Rudra, who was sitting right next to her.
By now, everyone had come to know that these two idiots were not talking to each other. What they assumed was that there was fight. No one would probably believe that these two are acting this way for a bet.
After the disastrous dinner, everyone quietly retired to their rooms.
By then Shivay had enough. He planned to put an end of this nonsense. As soon as Anika entered the room, he threw the entire water from the jug on her.
"Fhat the wuck!!" Anika exclaimed, "Why did you do this?".
"So, now you are talking to me?" Shivay asked angrily.
"No, I am not talking to you." Anika replied.
"Really, so who is speaking now? Anika's ghost?"
Anika stomped on Shivay's foot and went inside to change.
"By the way, you are on the verge of losing your bet." Shivay shouted after her, as she banged the door of the bathroom.
Having achieved his objective and gloating on the knowledge that he would win this bet tomorrow, he peacefully went to sleep.
Bindi
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Jodha Akbar
