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So I'm back to writing for Shivika after what seems like ages, and it feels so good! Actually I started this one a long time back but never got around to completing it. However recently seeing all those pictures of Shivika with that adorable kid made me go back to this one and finish it, and I thought I'd share it with you all too. It's just one of my random musings and it is not related to the current track, it's set a few years into the future where they're enjoying a beautiful evening on the beach with - well the title of this thread is a dead giveaway😆 Ok I won't waste time talking anymore, here goes the shot. Hope you all like it :)
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The beach was one of Annika's favorite places in the world, and there were many reasons why. This was one of the very few places which provided her with the peace and solace that she needed in her otherwise turbulent life. She loved the briny air, the warm sand and the endless blue span of water. She loved looking into the horizon and thinking about nothing in particular, a welcome relief from all the worries that life often presented her with.
She sat alone in a relatively secluded part of the beach staring at the waves crashing down on the shore and thought about all the good times that she has had here.
This was the place where she'd spent a good number of the beautiful evenings of her life playing happily with her little brother Sahil, away from Bua's cruelties and the troubles at home.
This was the place where she had come to after one of her fights with Shivaay, and she smiled thinking about how he had followed her and how he had apologised to her, and they'd had pani puri and made up. Well, it was she who had the pani puri, he couldn't be persuaded to take even one bite despite her best efforts to entice him.
This was the place where she'd spent some of the most memorable evenings during her pregnancy. She'd often get tired of sitting at home and come down here although she was prohibited to leave home by her overprotective husband - who'd eventually have to give up and accompany her most days instead. Some days Shivaay would be busy and then it'd be OmRu with their wives who'd be with her, and they'd all just sit around and talk endlessly till nightfall. On somedays they'd tease her about Shivaay and how she blushed everytime they talked about him. Omkara even made up a shayari once, about how the blue of the ocean reflected the colour of Shivaay's eyes, and how the blush in her cheeks could be compared to the crimson red light that bathed the whole sky at sunset and cast it's reflection in the blue water - and it made her cheeks burn harder. She could not remember the exact words now, but just thinking about those days made her happy.
And lately she's been spending many of her evenings here with her daughter Anshi. Shivaay isn't extremely happy about it, but she is nothing if not equally persistent. She wants her daughter to experience life like she did, she'd hate for her child to grow up trapped amongst the stone walls of the mansion. Like her mother, Anshi loved the beach too, also it gave Annika the much needed respite from the hustle bustle of daily life. The others too would accompany them from time to time, and they'd have small picnics almost every other day. Shivaay liked being with his wife and daughter, so the days when he was free from work he'd come down with them too - which was not often, and Annika thanked her stars for it, since he was the most difficult to deal with, especially when it came to their daughter.
"Mamma, Papa is not letting me have my ice cream!" complained little Anshi with a pout on her face, pulling Annika out of her reverie. She looked at her daughter whose little face was all red with sweat from running so long and she was panting a little. Annika's heart melted everytime she looked at that perfect little face of her daughter, and though it was silly she somehow felt proud that she was hers. The four year old with her blue eyes that mimicked her father's and brown skin and long hair that fell all the way down to her lower back was the cynosure of her parents' eyes.
A vexed Shivaay came running down behind her. "Anshi, wait! What did I tell you about not running on the sand, you could fall and get hurt!"
Annika rolled her eyes. Her husband was the most overprotective man she'd ever known when it came to his family and it had only increased to the level of being a maniac after Anshi was born.
"Seriously Shivaay!" she pulled in Anshi and rubbed off the beads of perspiration from her forehead and kissed her. "She's a kid, let her play! This is why I didn't want you to come with us," she complained.
Shivaay's face fell. "But I just wanted to spend some with you two, ever since I went on that trip to Paris last week, I've hardly seen your faces," he said so dolefully that Annika instantly felt guilty for rebuking him. "I know but..."
"Mamma, ice cream!" little Anshi butted in impatiently.
"Oh yes, the ice cream," Annika laughed. "So, papa, why aren't you letting my princess have her ice cream?"
Shivaay looked at her as if he couldn't believe that Annika had asked him such an obvious question, then looked at the child looking expectantly at him. "You'll catch a cold!"
"But mamma let's me have one everyday!" Anshi protested.
"What? Everyday?" Shivaay couldn't believe his own ears.
"Yes!"
Shivaay looked at Annika with wide eyes. "Are you trying to kill my baby? That's why she said her throat was aching yesterday...How could you...You know...What were you thinking!" Shivaay spluttered.
Annika waited till he was done with his rant. "Hogaya, Shivaay? She's my baby too!" She spoke angrily. "If she was sick I'd know too. And about that throat pain you're talking about that was just your 'baby' being naughty. She said so because she wanted to skip school!"
"What?" Poor Shivaay looked as if someone had punched him in the gut. "What are you talking about? She doesn't know how to do that!"
"Ofcourse she does!" Annika laughed. "Every child does such stuff Shivaay," she rolled her eyes at his bewilderment.
"But..." Shivaay shook his head in disbelief, at a loss for words.
Anshi giggled looking at her father. Annika smacked her lightly on the butt. "What're you laughing about! Shall I tell your father about that incident with Rudra chachu last week? Maybe then he would know exactly how naughty you've become," she threatened with mock anger.
"What incident!" asked Shivaay instantly, even though he looked like he couldn't take any more.
Anshi looked around helplessly, and shot a longing gaze at the distant ice cream vendor who was packing to leave now.
"Well she asked Rudra to take her to the zoo and when he refused she hid inside the boot of his car and - " she paused when she saw the look of sheer incredulity that was on her husband's face as he stared at the both of them. Anshi squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze and scooted closer to her mother. "Forget it," Annika said, probably taking pity on both father and daughter. She did not want to ruin their evening. "Yeh sab baatein ghar pe bhi ho sakti hai. You go and play now," she spoke to her daughter.
"Mamma can I touch the water then?" was her prompt request. Annika smiled looking at the spark in her eyes. "Ofcourse you can!" she said and looked at Shivaay who was staring at her with panicked eyes. "Wait let me tie up your hair first," she said and rolled up her daughter's long hair into a bun and clipped it neatly. "Go on now, before it grows dark. And stay at the shore okay," she said as the little girl skirted off happily. Shivaay instinctlively took a step after her but Annika's words stopped him. "Ek minute! Where are you going now!" she asked, frowning at him.
"With her, someone needs to look over her," he said.
"You-" Annika yanked him by his right and plopped them both onto the sand, "-are not going anywhere. She's right here, and we can watch over her together," she said firmly.
"But..." Shivaay trailed off helplessly.
Annika looked into his eyes. "Aap itni chinta kyun karte hai Shivaay? She's fine, see??" she spoke reassuringly.
But he was not convinced. "Why did you let her touch the water. She could fall sick, and she's so small..."
"Shivaay, Shivaay!" Annika held his hand.
"She's all right, okay? I know you worry about her too much and you have your own reasons for that, but trust me, she's fine! Ever since she was born she has been under the best medical care and every doctor that we've met has said the same thing. She's perfectly fit and fine, and she has not inherited your heart condition. She's as strong as any other child and she'll be just fine!"
"But how can you be so sure? I wasn't diagnosed until I was six. I'm telling you, we need to take proper care of her." Shivaay protested.
Annika put a firm hand on the side of her husband's worried face. "We ARE taking proper care of her Shivaay! Nothing's gonna happen to her, stop worrying! She's strong, and she has us. Just look at her, she's perfect!" Annika spoke firmly, trying to dissuade his qualms. "Look at her!" She ordered him again, turning his face to the right where Anshi was playing. She was building something with the wet sand, speaking to herself a trait she had apparently inherited from her mother. She squealed as a wave of water crashed over her handiwork and washed away the sand. "Bad water," they heard her shouting as she stood up and took a few hurried steps to where the waterline had receded. She stomped angrily on the water and squealed as it made a splash around her. She found this funny and started doing it faster and harder, until she was panting and giggling and then she tumbled down over the wet sand, her face glowing under the red sun.
Beaming at their daughter's antics, Annika looked at Shivaay. He looked calmer and his frown had smoothened out.
"She loves the beach, just see how happy she is," she whispered softly.
He looked into her eyes and nodded. "She's beautiful."
Annika fell back and put her head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly. "She's ours," she said. A smile played at his lips as he finally relaxed his muscles and put his arms around her and they sat there for the rest of the evening looking at their perfect little daughter.
The beach was one of Annika's favorite places in the world, and she loved how the reasons for that just kept adding up.
__________The End__________
I hope you all like it. Do leave your feedback if possible😊
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