The envelope read:
"To MY DEAR Wife and my life partner."
(The stress was on the words written in bold).
Shivaay entered the room expecting an excited Anika but instead he saw her walk past him expressionlessly.
She was wearing a navy blue night gown with lace work done on the sleeves with a deep neck line, only to reveal the rise of her beautiful bosoms. It had thin straps to hold on to her body and was perfect enough to make her look sexy even at this hour of the night. Her hair was let loose in a careless manner and with tired eyes she sat on the bed.
Shivaay found her too inviting even at this hour of the day but he chose to control his urges.
There was complete silence for seconds.
"I am not too comfortable with this idea of a honeymoon trip so soon," Anika said worriedly.
"I love to travel and explore new places. Maldives is an amazing place to be but...," she said stopping abruptly.
"... but... but what Anika? You still can't get over Daksh ?" Shivaay asked in a stern voice.
Anika looked quizzically at him. She so much wanted to tell him that she had got over Daksh long back and from the time she had agreed to date him she had not thought of Daksh even once...
There was silence again.
"Give it a chance dear," Shivaay said in a mellowed tone and went to sleep.
Little had he known that merely accompanying his cousin for consultation would help him find a confident, witty and a beautiful companion like Anika .
Anika pondered over this whole night. She thought, " Daksh is a closed chapter now and I cannot dare to reopen those pages. Shivaay has given me enough time when we were dating. I need time to know him too."
She wasn't sure if it was going to work out between them but there was a ray of hope.
Marrying an Businessman like Shivaay Singh Oberoi , with a completely different background had been a tough choice for her. At 25 he had already taken over the reins of the Oberoi Foundation in Mumbai. The man who was always on the covers of the industrial news and also managed to make it on Page 3 had actually agreed to marry a young Psychiatrist like Anika . It was strange but true.
Dating had been easy for Anika. They spoke like friends, behaved normally but on their first night after marriage, thoughts of honeymoon made her feel jittery. Shivaay , on the other hand was relaxed and poised.
It was 4 A.M; Anika was still awake. She waited for Shivaay to wake up. He was getting ready when he saw his beauty walk up to him.
"I just wish I could hold her tight in my arms right now," Shivaay thought.
"Shivaay ... I... I... will give it a try."
There was an abrupt pause.
She smiled faintly and said, "Let's hurry; we need to pack for the evening flight."
...
They reached Mal International Airport by morning. Shivaay had booked a small motor boat that took them to Paradise Island in Maldives.
"O bete ki.. It looks exquisitely amazing Shivaay ," Anika chirped out loudly...
One island only for us! Isn't it spooky?
Breaking into a crooked smile he said, "That serves the purpose."
Shivaay was a guy who was disciplined yet cool, challenging yet generous, modest and mostly fun loving. Shivaay was opiated by his work yet he made sure he arranged this trip. He wanted to make Anika feel comfortable with him in every way.
Maldives was just meant for them. Cool blue water, exotic tropical flowers around, a private villa, a private bar, sapphire lagoons, breathtakingly picturesque surroundings and a beautiful couple like Shivaay and Anika . The sparks were missing though.
Shivaay wanted to take Anika for some outdoor water sport as she loved it. Snorkeling could be the best of the choices made in Maldives.
Anika had a child like excitement to go dive in wearing the black outfit, long black fins and mask set ready. She looked superbly sexy in that outfit which revealed her curves and her entire figure which Shivaay had seen for the first time. She looked like a modern mermaid.