5th Promise: "Call A Truce"
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He was not avoiding her. To suggest that he had altered his routine around one person would be giving that person far more importance than she was worth. No. Shivaay had simply been leaving for work extremely early and returning very late because he was focusing on an impending deal. He knew that Rana- the prick- was vying for the same contract yet again and so Shivaay was trying to figure out how best to undercut him.
He was therefore not heading in early or leaving late just because he didn't want to face Anika after what he had told her almost a week ago.
Shivaay was however, starving. As he nodded to the guards on duty that night, he walked through the dark foyer and made a beeline for the kitchen. It was as he was passing the dining room that he heard a loud noise from inside.
Was that... was that a snore? Was somebody snoring in his dining room?
Fully expecting it to be Rudra falling asleep having come down for a late night protein shake, Shivaay walked into the room and flicked on the lights.
A chair toppled over and a startled Anika woke from a nap, red marks on her face where she'd been resting it on her arms. "I know karate!" she yelled before her eyes adjusted to the light and she realised who it was.
"Fascinating though that is, it does not explain why you're sleeping at my dining ta-" he stopped mid-rant as he realised what it actually was he was looking at. On the dining table were several covered dishes, as well as two perfectly set places opposite each other.
"Fhat the Wuck?"
"Er... Dinner is served?"
Shivaay was momentarily flabbergasted and although a small part of his brain told him he should be saying thank you, it was drowned out by the much larger part which made him yell "Why are you here though?"
"I had to stay to make sure you ate."
'Like a wife.' That small part of his brain offered up the thought before he could shoo it away. Fortunately, the words he actually growled to Anika were "And why is that your responsibility?"
Anika yawned, "Because if I didn't, and you realised that I had made it, you might not eat it."
"Of course I'd-"
"Billu please. You don't even take water when I'm the one offering it. Every day, Pinky Aunty or Daadi or your siblings complain that you get home too late to eat and that you're ravenous by morning and in such a terrible mood you either won't talk to anyone or you'll yell at everyone over nothing." Her voice changed at this point, became more determined. "So please don't pretend as though you're not hungry, stop worrying and annoying your entire family, sit down and eat!"
Shivaay was speechless as he watched Anika tear off a piece of paratha. She popped it in her mouth and chewed exaggeratedly and made 'mmm' sounds. "See, it's not poisoned. Sit down and eat, Billu." She grinned and clapped her hands before reaching for the rest of the paratha. "I honestly think this may be some of my best work to date."
"Don't you ever get tired of praising yourself?" Shivaay grumbled, but he pulled back the chair opposite her and sat down.
Anika dropped the piece of paratha she'd been holding and just stared at him, slack-jawed, as he reached for one of the covered dishes.
"What?"
"Er... nothing."
"No. Tell me." He looked up and locked eyes with her. He was usually pretty good at reading people, it was an important skill in business negotiations after all, and anything related to business he excelled at. But he had realised there was a fundamental flaw in the process when it came to applying those instincts to Anika.
Usually, when somebody looked happy or sad or angry, it was because someone or something had made them happy or sad or angry and in the normal world, it was pretty easy to figure out exactly what. In Anika's world, A never led to C via B. Instead it diverted through F, M and R before leapfrogging over W to get to B.
So unless she told him (as she so often did), he had no idea what she was thinking. Even though right now, she looked amazed. And happy?
"I'm surprised you're actually eating."
"Would you rather I starve?"
"Well, I wouldn't mind."
He glared at her across the table and she smiled. "Okay, okay. We're eating so we shouldn't fight. Let's call a truce, okay? Until we leave this table, let's pretend we're friends."
"I would never be-" he paused. If it would allow him time to eat in peace, maybe he could pretend, just for a few minutes. He was a pretty efficient eater, anyway, so it's not like he'd have to be nice for long. "Fine." He consented. "Until we're done eating, we'll pretend to be friends."
Shivaay realised that although she was eating paratha with some kind of bhaji, the majority of the dishes he uncovered were not strictly desi. Grilled salmon, salad, steamed vegetables and two different kinds of pasta. He looked up and Anika wiggled her eyebrows up and down as though daring him to vocalise his surprise.
"This looks fine," was the extent of the compliment he was able to spit out as he spooned some of the pasta onto his plate and took a bite.
Though they ate in silence, Shivaay kept glancing up at Anika and she at him. They would, of course, both look away as soon as their eyes met. Anika opened her mouth several times, as though about to say something, but each time she bit her tongue and turned back to her food. Shivaay, for his part, made sure to try every dish. Even the paratha and bhaji Anika had been eating herself.
Everything was delicious. Of course it was. She had secured a huge catering deal for herself until he'd gone in and snatched it away from her. From the meticulous way she had been planning every aspect of his wedding, he knew she would have succeeded at it. He felt guilt twist in his gut as he knew he could no longer console himself by saying what he'd done was ultimately the right thing because Anika would have just messed it up. She wouldn't have. She would have excelled.
He might find her intensely irritating, but he could give credit where it was due. At least he could if it was given silently in his head.
It was at this point that he looked up and caught Anika opening and closing her mouth again. "What is it you keep trying to say? I told you already, as long as we're together at this table, the truce is in place."
"I have a few questions."
"About?"
"Your wedding."
Shivaay raised an eyebrow and shrugged his lip. Anika took that to mean he was okay with her asking. Anika wiped her hands on a napkin and bent down to grab a pen and that notebook from her bag. She flipped through the pages until she got to what appeared to be a list. Leaning forward slightly, Shivaay was able to see that at the top it said "Questions For The Kitty Cat". He felt his temper flare, but bit it back as he remembered the truce was still in place.
"Okay so, shall we start with the Engagement party?"
"Whatever."
"Have you designed a ring for Tia? Or would you prefer her to pick out her own? Omkara said he would be more than happy to mock up a sketch if you have a few hours to sit down with him and tell him what you want." She looked over the page. "Tia, for her part, says she doesn't really mind as long as the stone isn't yellow because she doesn't want her fingers to look like she smokes if the light shines off the ring and onto her hands..."
"She can pick her own."
"Okay." Anika jotted something down next to one of the questions. "Right, next. What will you be wearing? I assumed a suit?"
"For the Engagement?"
"Yes."
"Yeah. A suit."
"Okay, well I need to order you a shirt. Do you have any preference on colour or should I just order a colour that complements Tia's dress?"
"Whatever. Match me to Tia's dress, or Tia's shoes or Tia's socks for all I care."
"Great. Look, I don't know why you're glaring at me, Billu Ji, you're the one who agreed to answer my questions."
"Fine. Just get on with it."
"So, this question's actually from Tia. She asked whether-"
Tia. Tia. Tia. Tia. TIA.
He was done answering questions. He stood up suddenly, scraping back his chair. "I'm done. I don't care. Just do whatever Tia wants. Whatever makes her happy. I don't..."
"Shivaay, it's your wedding too."
His name from her lips made him freeze in place. He just stared down at her until she stood up and met his eyeline.
"You might not care now, but maybe you will later and then it'll be too late. A wedding is a partnership, you're equals. Your wants matter just as much as your wife's."
He didn't know what to say. Finally, "I'm tired, Anika. I'm going to bed."
"Good night."
"And Anika?"
"Yes, Billu Ji?"
"Don't call me-" Shivaay heaved a giant sigh. "Tomorrow I would like dumplings."
A beat of shocked silence. "O-Okay."
She could do this, Anika told herself. She could feed him. She could sit and eat a meal with him. It didn't mean anything. She ignored the part of her which screamed that she was hurtling too far too fast down a path that would bring nothing but pain.
She ate meals with the other members of the Oberoi family all the time. She cooked for them, or brought them food whenever she had time. She enjoyed feeding people. She loved it when they enjoyed her cooking.
Feeding Shivaay was no different.
She could do this. This was okay. This was still just her being civil.
She wasn't going too far.
As she looked up and saw the light come on in Shivaay's room, Anika pulled Chandra out once more and turned to the page about Shivaay's few good qualities.
7- he eats my food.
6th Promise- "Yes, Mr Oberoi"
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I was so so touched by the comments you guys left on the last chapter. To have inspired one of you to make your first post was so sweet. Also twerping, I replied to your comment with what was basically a massive fangirl over Om, if you're curious I think it's on Page 6 😆 Thank you all so much for the support and I hope this story continues to be one you enjoy reading as much as I am enjoying writing it.
Edited by fallingpieces - 9 years ago
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