The house was glowing with beautiful floral themed decorations and staff were working like perfectly like clockwork under her watch. Everything was perfect and she made sure of it. Pleasing to the artist groom's visual delight, also made the blushing bride feel like a princess by her in laws.
However, this made Annika busy as a bee, flitting from one task to another from wee hours of the morning all week. Each rasm done to perfection. It was 5 days and 3 rasms to go for the wedding. Suffice to say, Annika would be a bundle of nervous energy.
Last night at 1 a.m., Shivaay had finished his conference call and found his bed still empty. Clicking his tongue impatiently he strode to the hall and found her waist deep in white chrysanthemums, stringing them up to be hung.
"Annika! Why are you doing all this yourself? Where are the staff?? This is ridiculous!" He huffed angrily , tapping his wristwatch.
She shushed him for making noise, pointing at the two helper girls who had nodded off beside her. "Poor things, I've worked them to the bone today. I'll finish these, the men with the tall ladders are coming at 7 tomorrow and these simply HAVE to be ready, Shivaay. Or all my plans will be spoiled."
Shivaay grunted impatiently and purposely cleared his throat extra loudly. The two sleeping girls woke up with such a start, Annika gasped. Both looked like they were about to weep at his dark forbidding look, and Annika touched his hand with a warning look.
Leaving the girls to the task, Shivaay pulled his wife back to their room. Tired of her resistance and protesting, he lifted and carried her to their room. After token protest, she yawned prettily ( strange that everything she does looks pretty to him nowadays) and leaned into his neck.
Setting her down just inside the door, she sped up into the washroom. He watched her brush her teeth vigorously, sniggering at the childish toothpaste grin she shot him.
"Careful, you might brush off all the enamel off your tooth."
"Enamel? What's that?"
"Hard shell of your tooth. Shouldn't be brushed too hard."
"Excuse me, I drink milk twice a day, a luxury I insisted upon Sahil and me from way back. I will die with strong bones I tell you!"
Shivaay reared back his head and laughed aloud. She's just too cute. She mock frowned at him, not understanding what was so funny. Flouncing out of the washroom she went to lather sweet smelling moisturizer all over her hands and feet.
"Umm, do you know moisturizers works best within minutes after a bath? So this routine of yours may be useless."
"What?! Who said so? A lie!"
"Nope, a dermatologist friend told me. Moisturizers have to be applied after a bath for optimal effect..backed by research"
"So, I have to have a bath right now when I'm sleepy just to put moisturizers? Uff, you boring rich people and your rules for everything. Pah!" She scoffed at him and went to fluff their pillows for bed. She suddenly made a wincing face which she tried to hide by loosening her shoulder muscles.
"Let me see your shoulder. It hurts, doesn't it? You've been working too hard."
She tutted and tried to brush it off but he placed a finger over her lips, to silence her.
His thumb found a particularly tight knot at the base of her neck and concentrated there. A moan of gratitude escaped from her as she felt relief from pain.
After a few minutes he was having trouble keeping it platonic. He couldn't resist letting his hand travel all over her exposed skin, moving the fabric to expose more.
It's been 2 weeks since they returned from Bareilly after rescuing Gauri. His impatience to be with her was steadily rising, first thwarted by her monthly menstrual cycle. But they'd indulged in loads of touching. Lots of dancing, kissing, touching, hugging and sleeping in her arms.
Then Om's wedding prep started and she's been so exhausted there had been no opportunity. Two nights ago he had to carry a sleeping Annika in to bed from her work. And yesterday, he found her asleep in Dadi's room among fabric stacks.
Dadi had told him to let her sleep, but he was vehement that she slept with him. That earned him a teasing jab from dadi. God, being teased by your Dadi about your sex life is the worst kind of humiliation for an adult man.
Now he kissed the nape of her neck, with a naughty little bite. But he found her head lolling forward.
Asleep?! What the -?
Shivaay laughed at himself. Shaking his head at the funny situations she kept putting him in, he slowly laid his sleeping wife back and tucked her into his arms for the night.
As usual, she was gone when he awoke the next morning. But when he came out of the washroom, there she was, fixing her makeup and applying her sindhoor.
He sauntered behind her at the dresser and leaned down. Shaking his wet hair at her, she closed her eyes to the droplets of water splashed. His finger traced through all the droplets like a network up her neck. Butterfly kisses on all the droplets on her cheek.
Gently grasping her chin and turning it up to him, he was about to land one on her lips when Dadi's approaching voice was heard outside their door.
He had never felt so frustrated in his life! She pulled his cheeks and giggled at him. Throwing her arms around him, she pressed herself into his towel clad body closely. Clutching his head, she softly pressed her lips to his cheek and then his lips.
She leaned back to inspect his surprised face. Carefully extricating herself, she pointed at her cheek indicatively before leaving the room with a grin.
Blinking confusedly, he turned to the mirror to see lipstick marks on his cheek. A blush rose in him, as he smiled to himself.
"Wait til I get my turn, cheeky girl."