Soothing the Fire-Shivika FF UPDATED(Chapter-20 on pg-144)06/09 - Page 72

Originally posted by: farinaks

Fantastic... Haha they both are nervous
Bt a cliffhanger
Eagerly waiting fr the dinner date
Get well soon dear ...take care of ur health...take medicine on time nd hve rst
Update ehen u r well
Ok
Tq fr pm

Originally posted by: sarcasticsmiley

R u alright payal dear..?? Just take care of yourself and get well soon..

I know its hard to do anything when we r suffering from fever but still u managed to post a chapter.. i appreciate your potential deary..!!

Coming to the update - it was amazing as usual..

It was not a filler episode rather a beautiful chappy potraying the emotions of both the lovebirds..

The nervousness and teasing by their brothers was tremendously fascinating..The conversation btw shivaay and omru , annika and sahil was marvellous.. This lightheartedness of ur story always makes me go awww..😳

Well i would also love to see shivaay singing the same song for his ladylove..😉

Today i love sahil's character to a great extent.. How he acts as an elder brother for his annika didi..

Also would love to see man to man talk btw sahil and SSO..

So now coming to a halt.. take care of yourself payal.. gud wishes 2 u from my side..😊

Originally posted by: water9786

res

___________

Unres

Sorry for being late in unres Payal😳

Loved it dear..

It was amazing.

Dadi and Sahil- Can I say love gurus of Shivika?😳😆

Awesome update as usual.

Please take care of your self and get well soon.

Originally posted by: --Nargis--

First of all...hope you are feeling better...and wishing you a very speedy full recovery!!

As for the story...so cute. Both nervous about this date, both having difficulty deciding what to wear...and both contemplating LOVE...so sweet. Loving the relationship they both have with their brothers...exemplified beautifully! Looking forward to the date...I too am curious to know where Bhaagad Billa is taking her!!😆

Ch-13

Here you go guys, the much-awaited dinner date. I tried very hard with this, and hope you all like it. Please try and read the note in the next post.

Enjoy!

Shivaay was having a hard time keeping his eyes off of Annika, but he had to. Sahil was giving him looks that were much too scary for an eight-year-old to be able to muster. Sitting there on Annika's shabby old couch, he wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead. Remembering the incident' that had taken place here the night of Janmashthami, that now seemed like a life-time ago, didn't help much. Swallowing hard, Shivaay wondered if he should ask Sahil for a glass of water, but thought better of it seeing his crutches.

Oh, the crutches.

He had gotten a shock as he had walked into the house, and not just because Annika looked absolutely radiant. No, it was because of the blatantly obvious fact that all those months ago, he had unknowingly made fun of a handicapped little boy. Shivaay had stood near the door, just gaping at Sahil with his mouth hanging open, until his brothers had pushed past him. They didn't seem surprised by Sahil's state, and Shivaay guessed that given their closeness, Annika may have already mentioned it to Om and Rudra at some point. It made him feel weird, the fact that he didn't know such an important detail about the girl he could die for.

Coming back to the present, Shivaay impatiently tapped his expensive Louis Vuittons on the floor. He had only offered Sahil a meek smile so far, and had ignored Annika completely, not being able to face her. She was now laughing and joking around with his brothers, while Shivaay looked on, just a tad bit jealous seeing their ease. He was brought out of his reverie when he felt the seat beside him dip down a little. Looking up, he came face-to-face with Sahil, who was looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"Why are you eyeing my sister?"

Shivaay gulped. Who would have thought the Great Shivaay Singh Oberoi would be reduced to a terrified mess because of an eight-year-old. Oh, the things men had to endure for their women...

"Um, I wasn't eyeing her," Shivaay tried to act as cool and nonchalant as possible. "I was just...admiring the...the tapestry behind her. It's really nice."

Phew. Shivaay absentmindedly thanked the lords in his mind for the tapestry there. He looked at the piece of art depicting a woman dancing, with distaste. This house really needed a re-decoration.

Sahil cleared his throat to grab Shivaay's attention again. The other three were too busy amongst themselves to notice this exchange.

"I need to have a talk with you."

Another gulp. "Yeah, go on."

Suddenly, Sahil's stern face broke into a wide, adorable smile, taking aback Shivaay.

"I just wanted to thank you!"

Now he was even more surprised. He had been expecting a warning, given all the almost-glares Sahil had been giving him for the past 10 minutes. Well, anything but this.

"Why?" He finally asked.

"Uffo, why do you think? For making my sister so happy, ofcourse. Just look at her; I don't think she's looked this happy in...forever!"

Shivaay did look at Annika, and she was indeed glowing. Laughing with her head thrown back at something Rudra had said, face lighted up under the yellow lights, wearing that lovely gown that hugged her just perfect- God, Shivaay could just look at her his whole life.

Sahil had to snap his fingers in front of Shivaay's face to bring him back again.

"Lost in my didi again, huh?"

This time, Shivaay didn't deny. Nodding his head sheepishly, he ruffled the little boy's hair.

"Come here," he said to Sahil, raising his arms.

And without a moment's thought, Sahil had climbed onto his lap, as if this was a regular occurrence.

"I'm sorry," Shivaay said before he could stop himself.

"Why?"

"Because...well, I've been quite mean to your sister previously." He couldn't bring himself to talk about the Apahij Ho kya incident.

"But I promise," Shivaay continued before Sahil could say anything, "I'll keep her really happy from now on. Always."

Sahil smiled at that, showing his two missing teeth at the front. He reached up to place kiss on Shivaay's cheek, and instantly pulled away because his stubble felt ticklish. Shivaay laughed at that. Sahil looked at him fondly for a while, before suddenly acquiring a mischievous light in his eyes. Leaning in close to Shivaay's ears, he whispered as menacingly as he possibly could,

"But just remember, if you hurt my didi, at all, you're dead."

Shivaay gaped at the little kid. He was joking, surely. But Shivaay wasn't going to take any chances. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he muttered,

"Of course."

"Aw, just look at you too." It was Om's voice. The three of them had been admiring Shivaay and Sahil for a while now. Annika was glowing even more, if that was possible, to see them bond, since she had been skeptical about whether or not they would hit it off like she wanted them to.

"Yeah, yeah, we're both very handsome men," Shivaay shrugged, and put Sahil back down on the couch. He stood up and went towards Annika. "Now, we're getting quite late, so...shall we, milady? He held up his hand for her to take."

Annika giggled, and let him pull her up.

"We shall."

Waving a good bye to OmRu and kissing Sahil on the cheek, before making him promise to be good and not disturb Om and Rudra too much, Annika finally let an exasperated Shivaay pull her out of the house, and into his car.

The car ride was silent for a few minutes, before Annika spoke up.

"Are you mad at me about something?"

Shivaay glanced at her for a second, his eyebrows furrowed, before turning towards the road again.

"Why would I be mad at you? And what made you think I am?"

"It's just that," Annika looked down, fiddling with her chaand bracelet, "I thought you were ignoring me when you walked in. And you didn't even tell me how I look. Not that I'm dying to know, She added as an afterthought.

Shivaay laughed, but it only lasted a moment. His face turned serious again.

"I was ignoring you, but it's not because I was mad at you. I was mad at myself."

Annika only looked at him quizzically, waiting for him to explain.

Shivaay sighed, before continuing.

"I had no idea that Sahil was..."

"Oh."

A moment of silence, before-

"It doesn't matter. My brother isn't weak. Being handicapped doesn't make him any different from anyone. Infact, he's one of the smartest boys his age and- "

"I know, I know. But that's not my point! It's just that... you remember when I first came to your house, and I told Sahil that..." He couldn't continue- the memory made him shudder now.

Annika had all but forgotten about that, given that she had first-hand seen Shivaay transform from the man he had been that day, to the man he was today. Reaching out and rubbing her hand over his forearm in a lovable way, she tried to soothe him.

"It's okay, Shivaay, really. You're not the jerk now you used to be at that time, Shivaay looked at her sharply at that, and Annika bit her lip to try and not smile, "and right now, right here, you're the best man I've ever known. The man who loves his family and can die for them. The man who makes me feel all sorts of things I never knew I could. Who bonds with my brother instantly. And what you are at the present is all that matters, okay? So let's not dwell on the past." She finished with placing a lingering kiss on his cheek.

"Why didn't you tell me, though? I'm sure you told Om and Rudra."

Annika shrugged.

"I don't know, I guess it just never came up. Let me remind you if you've forgotten, but we've never actually had long, deep conversations abut each others' lives. Every time you open that stupid mouth of yours, you inevitably end up fighting with me."

"Says the girl who knows exactly what I can do with this 'stupid' mouth of mine." Shivaay said playfully, giving her a wink. Annika blushed and looked away.

"And about how you look tonight," Shivaay continued, "I didn't say anything back home because, well, I didn't think you'd like it if I called you irresistibly sexy in front of both our brothers."

Annika smacked his arm, but mumbled a "You look great too" all the same.

"Anyway, Shivaay," she started after a while, "we won't bring up Sahil's state again, okay? As I said, it doesn't matter what you might have thought or said or done in the past. What matters is who are you now. And I know that this tadibaaz, baggad billa of mine, is the sweetest Billuji beneath all that arrogance and attitude."

Shivaay smiled gratefully at her. He had always marvelled at how her words lifted his mood or made him change his mind in a matter of seconds. She really was something, and he was glad to have her in his life. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

They were quite again for a long while; Annika had tried to put on some music, but then given up when she realized that all his CDs were of decade old English songs that made no sense- 'just a woman making shrilly noises at the top of her lungs', she had said, to which Shivaay had rolled his eyes and muttered 'No one understands the beauty of Opera'.

They had been in the car for about 20 minutes now, and had almost reached the outskirts of Mumbai, a place Annika had never been to before. Since Shivaay wasn't answering any of her questions about where they were going or how much longer it would take to reach, all Annika could do was huff and impatiently wait. The windows were closed, but she could tell by the heavy rustling of the leaves that it was windy outside. This was surprising, since the weather in Mumbai at this time of the year was terrible, and the heat was almost unbearable even so late at night. One would only experience this breezy weather if they were near the...

"Oh.My.God" Annika breathed out in awe. Shivaay had just pulled the car towards a beach, confirming Annika's suspicion. The area was entirely deserted, and they seemed to be the only people there, which was surprising, since it was after all a beach in Mumbai. Annika turned towards Shivaay, who was grinning at her cheekily.

"Oh My God." She repeated, making Shivaay laugh. Getting out of the car, he moved to open the door for her. Annika climbed down, her eyes fixated at the expanse of sand and sea that lay before them. Shivaay's hand was on the small of her back, and he was guiding her towards the shore. Annika was mesmerized by the place. It was amazing how the beauty of some places changed merely by the transition from day to night. Annika had been to beaches before with Sahil- they would mainly go to Juhu beach, whenever Annika had the time to take him. They had spent countless moments there, eating gola and splashing water at each other, just the two of them in their happy little world. But what these phenomena of nature had looked like then, was nothing how it looked like now. Right now, the beach looked serene and pure, as if it was in it's most natural form, stripped naked of plastic bottles and packets of chips and people. Entirely empty, the beach seemed vaster than any Annika had ever been to. The wind was blowing hard as the two walked over the sand, making her gown flutter against her legs. The night sky ahead was starry and dreamy, somehow. The air was filled with the smell of sea, and Annika took deep breaths to just breathe it all in. It was all too perfect, too unreal.

It was when she caught a whiff of his cologne that Annika came back to reality, and realized that Shivaay was here. He had opened his coat and rolled up his shirt-sleeves, and was now staring at her admirably.

"You're beautiful."

A simple sentence, one he had told her many times and in many ways over the past couple of days. But right now, hearing this beautiful man say it again in this beautiful place, Annika thought her heart might burst from all the happiness. Without any warning, she flung herself at Shivaay, who easily picked her up by the waist and swirled her around. Her arms open wide, hair blowing in all directions, Annika had never felt so free. They were both laughing, and he continued spinning her around a few minutes before putting her back down, maintaining his hold around her waist. Annika's arms went around his neck as she looked up at him lovingly.

"This is amazing."

"I knew you'd like it." Shivaay whispered (they were both whispering, as if talking out loud would break the sea's sleep), as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I love it," Annika replied, rubbing her nose against his.

None of them spoke for a while, before Annika remembered something.

"But Shivaay, why aren't there any people around here?" She looked around for a glimpse of anyone other than them. Nope, no one.

"Because I've booked the beach for tonight." Shivaay shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Annika looked confused.

"I didn't know you could just 'book' a public beach like that."

"You can if you're Shivaay Singh Oberoi. Now come on, let's have dinner." He tugged at her hand and started walking towards what looked like a decorated dais, and Annika stared at his back for moment before following.

Inka kuch nahi ho sakta, Annika thought while smiling and shaking her head.

They had dinner in silence, on platform that had been beautifully adorned by lights. The food was delicious, which came as a surprise to Annika, since it was angrezi khaana- Tom-yum soup, white sauce pasta with mushroom balls, and then chocolate mousse for dessert. After they were done eating, Shivaay intertwined his fingers with Annika's and walked towards the shore again.

They walked hand in hand along the shore, right where the land met the sea. Annika dipped her feet in the water, and gave a satisfying moan at the contact. They had both discarded their shoes earlier, but Shivaay was still reluctant to get his feet wet. After much coaxing from Annika though, and finally a are you scared?' with that perfectly arched eyebrow raised, he had given in. And he was glad he did. Pants rolled up almost to his knees, feet immersed in water, Annika holding his hand as they walked in silence- everything seemed so perfect. Shivaay Singh Oberoi finally felt like all the hard-work he had done in his life was paying off.

Suddenly, Annika bent down, cupped some water in her hands, and splashed it on his face.

"Paannika!" Shivaay yelled, flabbergasted.

Annika ran away from him, laughing all the while. Shivaay followed after her, and in a minute, they were both laughing their hearts out and chasing each other and splashing each other with water. Eventually, Annika stopped. Holding her hands up in defeat, she said with shallow breathing,

"Okay, I give up. Can't. Breathe."

Shivaay threw some face on her face one last time, before moving forward and kissing the top of her head. Then picking her up bridal style, which earned a surprised gasp from Annika, he walked a little away from the coastline.

He sat down on the sand, uncaring about his posh clothes, and made Annika sit down between his legs. She leaned back against him and relaxed, her eyes closed. Shivaay stealthily moved her hair from one side, and started peppering kisses on her swan-like neck. Annika squirmed due to all the sensations, but Shivaay held her tightly.

"Have I told you how gorgeous you look tonight?" he asked, head still buried in the crook of her neck.

"Well, you did say I look 'sexy' and 'beautiful', but not gorgeous, no." Annika said giggling; his stubble was tickling her neck, but he just wouldn't stop. Shivaay laughed too, and lightly bit the hollow of her neck before soothing the place with a warm-open mouthed kiss. Annika shuddered with excitement. This encouraged Shivaay even more, and he made her face towards him on his lap, and cupped her face. Rubbing his thumb lightly over her plump lips, he admired her for a minute. Her eyes were closed, and lips parted in anticipation. Not being able to take it any longer, he smashed his lips against hers. They kissed slowly at first, tasting each other as much as possibly, rubbing their tongues in the most intimate ways possible. Breathing seemed like a mundane thing to do at this point, when exploring each others' mouth was so enticing, so necessary. Things got much heated when Shivaay pulled her even closer, and Annika wrapped her legs around his waist to get in a more comfortable position, making her gown become all bunched up- but the two were too lost in each other to care. This new position gave much better access to the both, and Annika ran her hands wildly through his hair. Shivaay's hands were ferociously moving up and down her back, the thin material of the dress making him feel her heated skin. Unfortunately, they finally had to breathe. Resting their foreheads together, Shivaay spoke in a husky voice.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Annika laughed.

"Is this how you were planning to ask all along?"

"Well, no. I was planning to do that cliched bending down on one knee and all. But what the hell, right? When have we ever done things the typical way. Besides, I don't think I'll be able to let go of you long enough to actually propose that way."

Annika laughed again, before cupping his head with her hands.

"Fine. Yes. I will be your girlfriend."

Shivaay beamed, punched the air with his fist, and yelled a 'Woohoo!' that made Annika giggle.

"You know what this means, right?" Annika asked him.

"What?" Shivaay asked, a playful glint in his eyes, all sorts of wicked images forming in his head.

"It means," Annika leaned in closer to his ear, "that now, you have a girlfriend and a fianc, both at the same time!"

Shivaay stared at her incredulously for a moment, before breaking into laughter along with her. He then kissed her again, harder this time, almost as if trying to imprint her lips on his own. Annika was feeling much bolder in this erotic place, and slowly but surely, started fiddling with the top buttons of his shirt. When Shivaay's mouth moved to her neck again, she stared with concentration at the task at hand. Shivaay looked up, and seeing her scrunched up nose, mouth forming a slight pout, eyes transfixed on her hands on his buttons, his eyes shone with happiness. She finally undid the first three buttons, and hesitantly, moved her mouth to his neck to place a chaste kiss there. Shivaay whimpered slightly in pleasure. Annika became more confident at that, and trailed kisses up from his neck to his earlobe, biting it slightly and eliciting a groan from him, before moving to his jawline. That sharp jawline of his had always enthralled Annika, and she took her time in placing soft kisses all over it. She then finally placed her lips on his, nipping and sucking at that full bottom lip of his. Shivaay suddenly pulled back, making Annika's eyes go wide. Had she done something wrong?

The innocence in her eyes made Shivaay even more aroused, and her sitting right on his lap wasn't helping much. He pecked her lips twice, to assure her that everything was absolutely fine, and felt Annika relaxing against him again. Then, pulling her earlobe and placing a soft kiss right below it, Shivaay murmured something that made Annika's heart stop beating.

"I think I'm in love with you."

Chapter-14