Marry Me..Journey afterwards pg 35-36Thrd 4 Thread 1-2 -3 link on pg 1 - Page 8

Originally posted by: Jiforum

Sam,

😃 Will update now ? 👏👏👏 Will waittt.

Originally posted by: samiksha1993

Abhilasha di , Rohini, GD, Fari, Jilforum, Nitya, Tanuja, Mystic, and every one else who has been looking for an update and for me. Guys I am sorry for going MIA but was traveling back to Nainitaalunder strict parental supervision and orders of no internet and no phone. My mom revolted today morning😆. All of our generations spends far too much time on gadgets. Anyways I have just walked into my house will update tonight in a little while.

Thank you so much for looking out for me.

Lots of love

Samiksha

Originally posted by: Seema84

Thank God at least u came back 😉 hey dear did u get ur pp??? U were so worried about that so I was bit concerned about it ... n best of luck to aunty because keep away from gadgets is next to impossible so she is now on mission impossible 😆

Chapter 171

The final blow

Shivay returned to his room after five months. Amidst all the hulla bol in the Oberoi mansion where even Saumya had joined, Anika found her lost peace and happiness. This was her home, and she had returned. Their dinner outside had been a noisy affair, and all of them were relaxing in the living room now.

"Bhaujai with you gone, bade bhaiya also just came here for a few minutes every day. He never stepped into the kitchen and never cooked. Rudy bhaiya forgot how to laugh and grew up overnight, and Omkaraji he was reduced to a ping pong ball trying to keep up with badey bhaiya and Rudy bhaiya."

Shivay recalled just a day ago Rudy had finally come in his office and confronted him.

"Why did you have to do this bhaiya? I am not talking about the marriage but why did you not tell bhabhi later that it was all a waste and that your marriage to her was real?"

"What could I have told her Rudy that I used her ignorance to my advantage?" Shivay's distant and defeated tone had broken Rudy also.

"Bhaiya you love her you should have told her that."

"What is love Rudy?"

"That what you do with bhabhi." He was angry, and his volume revealed that.

"Betrayal, manipulation, this is love." Shivay had laughed sarcastically.

"Bhaiya that what you did in Singapore was love. The way you had beseeched bhabhi to wake up all night when she was out was love. The way you had glued yourself to those glass doors when she was inside was love. The way you retaliated to Daksha was love. The way you let her mess your closet, and your kitchen is love. The way your eyes dance with joy when you see her laugh is love. Love does not only come sitting on an arrow only to people like O. If that is what you think love is, then you are the fool of the highest order.

"Enough Rudy!"

"Rudy would have to shut up but had Anika bhabhi been in place of Rudy you would have not only heard but also enjoyed a longer soliloquy without a flinch. That is love."

"Stop it Rudra."

"No, I won't why are you wasting your life bhaiya. Bring her back she is no less in love with you. It hurts me to see you both in such abject misery." Rudra had made it a point to show Shivay the mirror that he was reluctant and afraid to see.

"When has a girl meant so much for you bhaiya that you were ready to use force to get her back? Is entering into contracts with women a norm for you?"

It took all his control for Shivay to not throw Rudra out of his room.

"Rudra leave!"

"Why? Why are you unable to throw away this phone." He pulled the phone out of Shivay's pocket.

"Rudra give the phone back to me." Shivay's tone carried a threat to his brother for the first time.

"No, I am going to throw it away. After all, you don't love Anika. Why hang onto her memories. Let's go back home bhaiya. Forget her you will get many like h."

Shivay had splashed Rudra with water from the jug on the table.

"Get our Rudra."

"You express your anger also like her now Bhaiya. Accept it; it will help you heal bhaiya." Rudra was about to leave disappointed by his failure when Shivay had hugged him.

"I love you Rudra; I love Om. I love every one and yes I love Anika also. I love her with all that is in me. Tell me what I can do now? It is too late Rudra, she is gone forever."

It was the first time he had said those words to Rudra not that Rudra did not know it but hearing it from the person who had acted as his father in every way possible was alleviating and rejuvenating.

"Bhaiya bhabhi is too tired she is wasting away, Please tell her, you love her. She needs you." Rudra had pleaded for her, and just then Anika had called him.

All his hope had died the minute she had asked him not to come, and this time he had opted to go by her wish.

He glanced at Rudra and then at Anika who was looking at her with all the affection in the world. He smiled at the bond that they shared, the relationship that had made Rudra stand up to him for her. Shivay's phone buzzed, and he answered the call. He disappeared in his library.

Anika looked at the retreating figure; she had seen a learned about a new facet of Shivay Singh Oberoi today. Had she not stepped in even then he would have thrown Tia out.

Once the meeting was over, and they had all gathered in the great hall of the Oberoi Headquarters for refreshments. It appeared more like a small reception for Shivay and Anika. Rudra had messaged Pinky, Dadi, and Gauri to join in Priyanka had come with Anika and Samar. Saumya was already a part of Oberoi industries.

"When did you marry Shivay Anika?" Tia had asked her loathsomely.

"Nineteenth of November." Anika had replied shakily.

"No that is when we registered our marriage. We got married on 14th October last year." Tia remembered her visit to Oberoi mansion and seeing Anika there, and Shivay laughed reading her mind.

"You overlooked her Tia, big mistake."

"People like her don't exist in my world Shivay."

"People like her are the reason for the existence of many in this world Tia. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about you. Don't make me insult you before such a huge crowd. Tia, you should leave." Shivay warned her, but she was far gone in her envy and quest for some unreasonable revenge.

"How long are you going to hide behind your despicable wife, Shivay? What's with Oberoi's and lowlife wives? "

"Miss Tia Kapoor," Bhavya's voice echoed in the great room.

"I am Assistant Director Enforcement Directorate. Bhavya Pratap Rathore. We are probing charges of criminal misappropriation of money and impersonation against you. You have got two British passports under two different names, Alaknanda Basu, the dead daughter of Sabyasachi Basu and Tia Kapoor. You Are under arrest; please come with me." Tia stood there ashen and horrified, She gazed around to see everyone looking at her with repulsion. She lost all her control and pounced on Anika blinded by rage.

"I will not let you live."

"Don't you dare!" Shivay stepped in front of Anika and held her hand in a vicious grip. Rudra and Om reached Shivay before Tia could blink her eyes. With a slight jerk, Tia landed face first on the ground.

"I never wanted you to face this kind of humiliation Tia. I have been brought up to respect women and to see you being so insulted hurts my upbringing. The other day you had asked me if I was nursing a broken heart. No, Tia, I was avoiding this, but it seems you were hell-bent to bring this upon yourself." He looked at Janhavi apologetically. The woman who had practically raised Shivay, the woman he looked up to for her poise and dignity, for her strength and endurance, had taught him to never raise his hands on women and the only once he had broken his promise to her was when he had misbehaved with Anika, and now. Janhavi looked away from Tia. She believed that respect could only be earned and neither bought, nor commanded, nor bestowed, the rule remained uncompromised for men or for women and Tia deserved what she got. Shivay had looked into the details of the person in the company's records who had transferred the shares to Tia after Anika had asked him to fight once again. The Name Alalknanda Basu stood out to him. He knew an Alaknanda who was a social butterfly, daughter of Sabyasanchi Basu who had rallied for breast cancer awareness after she herself had suffered it. She had later on succumbed to the disease. This person shared her name and date of birth with that women. It was too loud a coincidence and Shivay had called Bhavya for help.

Saumya came to Tia and helped her get up. "Tia didi please go." She ushered her towards the door. Tia had lost whatever little sanity she had the minute one of the women police officers held her hand, but they eventually dragged her away.

Bhavya walked up to Tej and Janhavi, looked at them and then spoke in calculated few words.

"You had come to our house, and that day I did not have an answer for you, but if your offer is still open, then I would very humbly accept it."

Shivay looked at a beaming Rudra, and Om punched his chest, while Saumya found the exit without coming into anyone's notice.

Anika came back to the present when Shivay appeared in the living room back.

"I am going to Pithoragarh tomorrow."

"Bhaiya bhabhi just came today." Rudra again poked his nose.

"It is Ok Rudra he must be having some important work."

"The first fifteen towers for Project Ujala were delivered today. Their installation process begins tomorrow. We will be using air cranes for the first time to lift the structure and lock it in place. I will have to go."

"Then take Anika with you. Pithoragarh is beautiful, and there are other places that you can go from there." Janhavi left no scope for argument as it was more of a command and not a suggestion. "There is no need to come back soon also. we have learned to manage without you." Om winked at Shivay.

"if she wants to come I have no issues." Shivay did not wait to hear the gasps of Priyanka and Gauri not the jibes of Om or Rudra.

"Bhaiya is a mine of iron," Rudra said looking displeased.

"I will be back." Anika tried to escape longing for a few lone moments with him. He would be leaving again tomorrow. The way he had left at being asked to take her along, Anika thought he did not want to take her with him.

"You don't have to," Pinky said to a retreating Anika.

"jee?"

"You don't need to be back if you don't want to." Pinky hit the bull's eye, but then she was Pinky she always did.

"Anika it is late we will also go to sleep." Janhavi tried to clarify while dadi glared at Pinky.

The minute Anika disappeared into her room. The living room echoed with the sound of Pinky, chotima.

"What I am fed up with these idiots who have such huge egos that they neither live nor let anyone live."

"Choti ma you cannot say the same about me," Rudra whined.

"Haan go drop her back, or her crooked sister who has straightened up with great difficulty would be curved back again by tomorrow." Pinky pointed towards Saumya, who was learning to take Pinky's slants with a pinch of sugar.

Italics are past references.

Chapter 172

Blown Away

Shivay came out of the washroom to find Anika standing next to the window looking at the garden in front. The music from the fountain filtered int here room; a soft number was playing with the beats of the tabla quite audible.

"It is santoor." He spoke to break the awkwardness that had spread its wings between them. Anika turned towards him but continued to look at the floor.

"I am s..."

"Don't say that Shivay. Life is too short to nurse grudges. It has taken me too long to realize it. Let's not waste any more time in seeking forgiveness." Anika planted her fingers on his lips to stop him from saying anything further. Shivay closed his eyes savoring the touch of her fingers on his skin as if it carried the power to revive him. He could have sworn on the very air that traveled in his blood he felt sparks emanating from her finger reigniting his desire to live. As her fingers surveyed skittishly his stubble, then his earlobes, touching the skin between her index fingers and thumb.

"You are sure you are not going to box them?" He opened his eyes when her fingers did not move. Before he knew it she had clasped her arms around his neck, or maybe he made her do it, any one of them won't be able to say with certainty, but now she clung to him as if her life depended on it, and sobbed her tears away. The tears that she had held back since the time she saw him in the conference room. She had felt her rigidity stab in her heart; he looked lost and distracted. Still dressed as immaculately as before, his eyes had lost the spark. Even though he still wielded authority with the same panache, he had lost that zeal with which he struck his opponent. He had sensed her presence and opened the door for her even before she knocked, his shock apparent on his face, but it was his hopelessness that had torn her bleeding heart a little more. Shivay was a name synonymous to hope, and optimism but the person before her did not even remotely resemble the Shivay Singh Oberoi she knew.

Shivay had seen her recover from her faltering steps and heard her heart scream,

"What did I do to you?"

"You turned me into the human I was born as." He whispered in her hair as he rubbed her back.

"Did I say that out loud? Or did you just read my mind?"

"I don't know."

"I love you; I love you so much." She tightened her hold on him.

"People don't do this to their loved ones." She added with regret.

" Life is too short for regrets also, Anika, so is it for tears. I still have not learned to endure your tears." He practically tore her away from his body and gently patted her cheeks with his thumb trying to smile but failing miserably.

She scrubbed her cheeks raw in an eagerness to remove the last traces of salt from her face.

"Careful they are not some heavy bottom steel pan from our kitchen that you are scouring them." They both laughed damp laughter, and Shivay pulled her back into his embrace.

"Thank you for coming back. I had given up hope."

"Thank you for letting me in without question."

"Life is too short for our thank yous too." He still held on to her feeling her so close to himself infused life back into him which had been brutally sucked out of him the minute she had gone. He was just fading away into oblivion every passing minute without her. He ran his fingers through her hair and felt the supple silk flow like water through his fingers.

"You are sure you are not going to pull them?" Anika whispered and as if on cue he tugged on a fistful of her hair.

"I have evolved but not morphed, so don't tempt the beast in me, it still is as wild as it was". His words grazed on her nerves igniting the fire that had somewhat doused itself in sorrow and uncertainty. Her toes curled in anticipation as he scanned her upturned face for evidence of the past suffering. Her skin glimmered in the dim light of the night. The moon was reflecting in her dark irises making them look almost silvery and magical. It was as if the skies had showered its glory and the stars had transcended in their room and taken away every single bit of their misery and sorrow. What was left were the body, soul, and heart of two humans in love, for whom only the other mattered. Shivay understood Anika was looking for traces of his past on his face, but all that was there was bliss, and his eyes gleamed with gratitude, desire, and profound love.

Her fingers grazed the skin under his ears, and as he had been waiting for her cue, his lips descended on hers. There was nothing humble about his kiss today, he demanded and claimed and she succumbed to his bites and nibbles. He wanted compensation for all those nights and days that he had craved for her, and she had no reservations left. He nudged her towards the wall till she was supported by it and he leaned into her delving deeper into her oral cavity and relishing the vanilla flavor. He sucked on her tongue, and an intense wave of excruciating pleasure cracked through every bone of her body. She felt her skeletal frame crumble and disintegrate; it was as if her entire body became fluid and she clutched his collars for support. Feeling her go limp in his arms Shivay understood his plight and withdrew from her gently. He tried to reign in his erratic breath while nuzzling in her neck; he licked at the pulse that was pounding away furiously at the base of her neck. Anika whimpered and tried to get away from t hs onslaught not because she did not want it but because it was a lot of pleasure for her to handle. Sensing her withdrawal, Shivay released his grip on her waist.

"Shivay!" She exclaimed at that sudden loss of warmth and proximity and shot her eyes open. Shivay looked at her swollen lover lip and traced it tenderly with his thumb.

"How do you manage to bring out this beast in me Anika every time. I am .."

"As long as this beast comes out only for me I think I can continue to love him."

"No one on this land can endure this beast but you Anika."

"No, I don't endure, but I love him."She placed her palms tenderly on his chest and pushed him slightly away to squeeze out from the confines of the wall and his hands.

"Where are you going?"

"Nowhere but I can't seem to find enough stamina to keep standing If you have not realized yet, my legs are shaking, and I must sit, or I will fall like a mass of fabric on your feet." She rested herself on the soft bed that she had also missed. She felt the mattress dip as Shivay tried to accommodate himself close to her. She moved a little to give him space while she rested herself on his chest.

"I will never let you down Anika," he said removing the pin that that held the dupatta on her shoulders.

"I know." Her breath quickened as she felt the fabric slip away.

"What are you trying to do Shivay?"

"One does not narrate such things Anika they are meant to be experienced not worded." He said in a voice hoarse with his desire.

He stroked his toes on her sole to help her relax in his fold. She had accepted her nervousness very openly to him, and he would do everything in his capacity to make this moment memorable for her.

He grazed her now bare midriff obscured from his vision by her luscious breast that was rising and falling as she tried to tame her wild breathing.

As he pressed his palm slightly on her umbilicus, she felt stars explode in her chest, and she dug her teeth into her lip cruely. A plea of mercy escaped her lips in the form of a soft whimper. She felt her muscles tense, and his heart somersaulted at the raw response that he could elicit from her. Probably this is what people talked about when they spoke of intimacy that not only sated lust but also slaked one's need to be nourished.

"I will stop when you want me to."

"No!" He chuckled at her response.

"Are you trying to mock me?" Her eyebrows shot up as she tilted her head to look at him.

"No, I was just happy to know that you are anxious for me as much as I am for you." He tugged at the first hook of her blouse, but that drat hook just did not come apart.

"Shivay wait?" Anika could foresee the fate of the lovely dress first gift from her mother, in law that she had promised to wear only, when she would find herself worthy of it. Shivay was far gone in his desire, and he tugged at her top a little too hard, off flew the hooks as the fabric gave way under his constant force. Anika pulled the comforter on herself to cover her self.

"You just ruined the first gift that mom gave me." She tried to get away from his hands that were now deftly removing the pieces of the ripped fabric from her torso and arms.

"It was my gift not your mom's" Her eyes grew wide in disbelief

"You are lying" She did not realize that Shivay had taken advantage of her disconnection with the present and done away with her inner wear. She was now bare for his hands to feel and explore every dip and curve of her upper body.

"I have sworn I will never lie to you Anika, never" The sincerity in his voice reached her heart, and she suddenly felt his fingers caressing the sides of her soft and plush breast. Her breath hitched up at the contact, and he felt her panic as she tried to push his hand away from his favorite spot. He stopped his tender explorations but kept his hand fixed under her breasts till she gave up the fight.

"You are so soft, so warm, so inviting. I want to taste you every inch of you Anika." Where his voice pleaded his hands claimed without mercy. He closed in on to the dark peaks that had hardened in anticipation of his touch. Tweaking and twisting the tony nubs, he enraged and irritated them purposely one at a time till they stood at attention as if ready to attack back. Anika moaned in protest when he retracted his hands from her body.

"Shivay." His name came out more like a request, request for something she did not know, but she needed it. There was a knot that had formed around her navel, and she wanted that knot to uncoil itself. Her whole body felt cold and hot at the same time. The soft velvet of the comforter scratched her super sensitive skin raw. She rolled away from Shivay and lay on her stomach. The unending vast expanse of her back lay bare beseeching Shivay with its tempting softness to touch and dig his nails in, to lick and bite till she was covered in his marks of love. Her hand timidly reached out to the buttons of his kurta, and he relinquished it far sooner that she had anticipated. While Anika brought about a tranquil peace upon him, he wrecked havoc on her. She was sure he could hear her heart thud against her ribcage. The blood in her veins roared his name in her ears, and she reached out to him for something more, something beyond her comprehension. She sobbed his name yet again when he was relishing the feel of her soft velvety skin with the back of his hand.

"Shivay it hurts!"She exclaimed.

"I know Anika It hurts me too. Everything about you hurts me" He clamped his teeth into her skin and sucked hard on it till he felt content for a while. He saw her clench at the sheet so hard that her knuckles turned white. When he surveyed the spot that had been receiving his particular attention, he saw it flame red. Right on her shoulder, it would remain there a gift of his love, a memory of their first union for many days to come. Determined to enjoy it's changing colors over the days and giving her many more of his restless bites he turned her on her back deftly.

Caught unaware like a doe in the glaring head light, Anika squealed and reached for her torso to cover herself, but he was too fast for her. He grasped her wrist and pinned them above her head in a crisscross way. Unable to do anything more she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Look at me Anika, open your eyes" He commanded, but she was too shy to comply.

Anika, he turned her face towards himself with his free hand and moved slightly away from her, allowing cool air to caress her supple skin. Though she wreathed in response and struggled to free her wrist he did not relent nor did she open her eyes.

"Anika if you don't want me to tie you to this bed post without a stitch on your body then look at me." She shot her eyes open and found him peering intently into her eyes. His eyes were dark with something far more intense than shallow lust and insatiable desire. He licked his lips and steadied himself right on top of her. It was as if he had chanced upon a window that bared their souls to each other, shredding their ego's resistances, and any other worldly bindings.

"Anika you have ripped and shredded the casket that I had locked my heart in and threw the keys away. It was dead, but the day you entered in my life and poured that purifying water on me you washed away the dirt that had covered the casket. Every time you met me you pulled out a nail till it lay in tatters and my heart breathed again."

"Shivay you don't have to..." she could see him labor to speak, so she wanted to stop him. It did not matter anymore she was with him and that was all that she wanted.

"Let me say it, Anika, please and bear with me." He knew that she could come up with the most bizarre idea in her mind and ruin it for her more than for him.

" He started not only beating but talking too. He told me to look after you, to look for you and to let you care for me but I kept snubbing him. You know that tiny little fist size thing eventually overpowered the bigger and heavier thing here." He knocked his skull. "You became the center, the core of my very being. I disliked it at first and then I tried to gain control over you. I forced you to marry me, and you did. It was my fault, but you bore the guilt, it was my mistake, but you kept bashing yourself, and I let you. I was scared of losing you, this little thing that had come alive did not know how to survive without you, and it had become too powerful to be locked away again. Anika, I was already confused with what was going on within me when you told me that you loved me. It was too much for me to handle." Anika could see all that he had gone through, she pulled her hands from his grip, and he let her. She held his face in her palms and looked at him with devotion so profound that he forgot all his words and rested his head on hers.

"I love you, Anika. I have never loved anybody with intensity as I love you." There it was out like a raging flood and engulfed them both. Whatever little resistance Anika had was gone in the torrent as she drew him into a soul-searing kiss.

Chapter 173

The high fliers

When Anika released Shivay, she was breathing heavily and was gripped by an untold desire for something, something that she could not put her finger on. She traveled on her journey of exploring his form, kissing his eyes, cheeks, the tip of the nose and he let her, reveling in her timid and unsure ministrations waiting for an opportunity to take control back. Some things never changed a control freak that he used to be he still was. He did not have to wait for long as soon as she sucked on his earlobe, he gripped a fistful of her silky hair and tugged gently at first, giving her a fair warning of the change in the dynamics of the play. Picking up on his rough game she bit on his earlobe, and he hissed in pleasure.

"Tomorrow if someone asks me what this mark is? I will not hesitate to look at you." Anika stifled her groan and took note that next time she would be careful to leave her marks.

Shivay cupped her ample breast in his palm and lowered his head onto the other, giving her a last glance before latching on it like a hungry infant he suckled on the soft fleshy mound till she moaned his name like an unstoppable chant.

"Shivay, it's..." She did not know what to say as all her thoughts were jumbled up into an incognizable mess. A sensation that either started from his palm or tongue or both pierced through her chest traveled in small waves shocking her out of her senses down south till all of those million waves collected there in a roaring whirlpool that threatened to rip her apart. She arched her chest to fill his palm further clutching the sheets hard. Shivay left her breast reluctantly and took a moment to admire his handiwork. A wicked smirked graced his lips to see his impact on her. Only if she could also realize how she had trapped him in her gentle and yet persistent grip, it would be more fun. She won't remain unaware for long he was sure, he had to struggle to release the sheet from her grip.

"Hold me, Sweet heart."

He brought her hand to his shoulders, and they embarked on their own journey, down his bareback, She continued to caress his back till she felt him releasing her breast. She held his head in place as if asking for more without as many words. Shivay moved his other hand to the very core of her body, and the minute he pressed his palm, she gasped and shuddered. Her eyes flung wide open, and her grip on his hair tightened.

"Anika don't look away from me now." He commanded when he saw her flame up at the intimate contact. Her skin turned crimson, and every strand of hair stood at its end. She tried to look away from him embarrassed at her brazen response to his touches.

"I love you" He whispered once again in her ear, and she looked at him with apprehension. When he gave her an encouraging smile and stroked her cheek with his rough beard indulgently at first and roughly afterward, giving into his desires, he knew she would be sporting a beard burn tomorrow for the most of her neck. He could not stop himself from doing so even though he tried.

Thus diverted he found a way to her core again and this time pressed a little harder through the fabric of her skirt. She could not keep an account of where to focus her burning neck, her aching breasts or her throbbing center. It did not even register in her awareness when she wantonly arched her hips to feel his hands. She did not have to wait for long as Shivay caressed her softly at first building tension in her. She had lost count of how many times she had called his name or gasped or whimpered. All she could understand was the raw basic need that pooled and swirled in her deepest cores.

"Shivay, help me." She did not know for what she was asking help.

She just cried out in desperation as she dug her nails into his back and it did not take Shivay much effort to rid her and himself of her remaining clothes. The first contact between them undid her, and she came crashing down around him. Her breath caught in her chest she floated to a world unknown, She felt as light as a feather.

"Easy tiger." He stilled her wreathing form by lowering his body weight entirely on her, and she exhaled still reeling from the aftershocks of her first climax when Shivay chose that time to enter her.

"Wrap your legs around me, sweety." He had wanted to be gentle, but he came across as commanding.

"Why? Besides I am not sweety" She raised her right eyebrow imitating him yet again. He was already holding onto the last bit of his control when the real Anika chose to wake up, and he wanted to smack his forehead.

"You are whatever I want to call you, and now if you don't do as I say I will leave you here and go sleep in the library." Anika did have to be told again; she grudgingly wrapped her legs around him trying to hide her anticipation in her pout. He found her center and manipulated it ruthlessly till she could not put two and two together. All her whys and her objections took a hike. He so wished he could send it somewhere from where they would never come back, but what was the fun in that. He laughed at his thoughts and plunged into her without warning. Anika had never expected such explosion in her soul, and she once again crashed feeling limp and utterly devoid of a single bone in her body. She was about to pass away when Shivay bit on to her nipple, causing her to jerk to wakefulness.

"You are a brute."

"You'd do better to remember that next time and not sleep on me." She found herself unable to move and incredibly full. She breathed a sigh of deep contentment but then Shivay withdrew from her, and she yelped in disappointment. He again thrust himself deep into her till all her thoughts were ripped from her and all she could think about was the age-old act that they were performing. Matching his every movement with a zeal she locked her hands on to his shoulders for support and Shivay grunted his approval before taking one last dive and coming apart in her depths. He kissed her forehead one last time before collapsing on her in sleep after months.

...

Anika had never slept so peacefully free of any nightmare or any craving sated, content and secure. She woke up to delicious aches and in her body and a Shivay Singh Oberoi staring at her all ready to fly away, wearing his uniform looking as majestic as a king.

As the scenes from the last night replayed in her mind, she turned a deep shade of red.

"I can never forget it." He said with a rumble in his tone, trying to tease her out of her slumber.

"I don't want to remember it." She said looking away from him.

"I can see you are reminiscing every detail right now, so you are lying. Learn better things from me."

"No, I am not" She spoke obstinately.

"As you wish."

"Are you going somewhere?" She observed him head to toe as he got up from the bed.

"Not me, we, are going to Pithoragarh." He reminded her, combing his hair.

"Get up and come down for breakfast. We will be late."

"I am not going anywhere; I am too tired and sleepy."

"This is a weird story I did all the work, and you are tired." He winked at her.

"Did all the work.." She rolled her eyes at him and added: "All you did was to order me to do this or that and if I did not agree you threatened me."

"You are not listening again, and I am compelled to threaten you again. If you don't get ready and come down in next fifteen minutes, I will take you down in whatever condition you are, even if buck naked." He glared at her, and she tilted her head trying to decipher if it was an empty threat or he could carry it through. Shivay could not keep his face straight for long and gave into his urge to laugh. His laughter echoes in the entire house. Anika threw the pillow at him which missed it's target.

"Bhaisahab hase to."

"At least Bhaisahab laughed."

Rudra said to Om with a chuckle.

"People take their wives on a long drive Shivay will take Anika on a long flight," Om said in an audible tone as he saw Shivay approach.

"Badey bhaiya you are pilot also."

"Good morning Gauri!" Om pulled her leg.

"You finish with your exams, and I will make you take commercial flying lessons too," Shivay said to Gauri exciting her to no limits.

"She began chatting away with Shivay who had come into the kitchen after five long months and Om and Rudra stood there as if they did not exist.

"Badey Bhaiya aapko khus dekh ke bahut accha lagta hai." She flashed him his widest smile.

"Sirf inko hi accha lagta hai hum to sab gaon se aaye hain"

"O why are you behaving as a jalkukda." Rudra finally found an opportunity to speak, and Gauri and Rudra laughed out loud.

...

"Shivay I do not like this idea of you flying planes." She whined again as she boarded the Viking Air DHC-6 Twin Otter series 400 with Shivay. One of the best small aircrafts that Oberoi Airlines owned. It was rented out to richest of the rich in India or used by Oberois themselves when they could not use a chopper, like today.

"Hey Kaveri" He smiled at the head of cabin crew, and waved to his first officer, Siddharth. He showed Anika her seat and walked away to the cockpit.

If I was to travel alone what was the need for you to come with me." Anika grudged and Shivay guffawed.

They were to fly to Dehradoon over Delhi. It was a flight of about an hour and forty-five minutes. After about twenty minutes when they had achieved the required height and were stable Shivay asked Siddharth to let Anika in the cockpit.

"Sir this is against the rules," He said resentfully.

"For twenty minutes only Siddhartha" Shivay remained passive though he was getting irritated at his consistent complaint.

"Give me a break Siddhartha. I know what I am doing now go and let her in." Not wanting to register his name in his bad books Siddhartha moved out reluctantly. Shivay looked ahead of him, nearly 16000 feet above the sea level the skies were clear and bright. Anika walked into the cockpit, and Kaveri closed the door behind her. She looked around in awe and finally fixed her gaze at Shivay. What a man he is she wondered and crossed her fingers before sending a prayer upward to keep him safe.

"Sit Anika" Shivay's soft tone reverberated in not only in the cockpit but also in her soul. She sat down on the chair of the first officer.

"So you are my captain today." He placed his cap on her head.

"Kuch bhi" She put it back where it belonged.

"Be careful Shivay." She looked scared.

"Anika we are on an auto cruise."He remained silent for quite some time and then gazed at her intently.

"How do you feel sitting here?" He asked her as he tuned into the sky outside again.

"Scary"

"Forget the height for a while, Anika." He urged her to look beyond her basic fears and thoughts.

"It is intimidating and exhilarating at the same time." She finally spoke after a few minutes.

"Exactly, you know why I started flying." Anika looked at him curiously.

"You are wonderfully beautiful, anyways the competition on the ground got suffocating and made me feel claustrophobic. I craved for vastness unending and infinite. I learned to surf first, but still, I stayed grounded, and the waves and the sound never gave me the peace I craved for and then I learned how to fly. The best experience is when you are in a glider, but that is a little too adventurous. The next best is this. When I look out whether it is day or night this extreme expanse of the blue-white hues, the bundles after bundles of fluffy clouds, the tranquility, the peace, everything is very meditative. It opens up the kins and knots of my mind and liberates me of all my fears. Imagining a fall from here reminds me that I am no one, that I mean nothing in the grand scheme of this universe, that no matter what I achieve I am still a naught a zero in this vast world and there was, is and will be someone ahead of me always. It humbles me and connects me to the infinite." He remained silent for a few minutes before speaking again.

"Imagine what a humbling thought it is that a sparrow lives a far carefree life than me with all my material possessions, I am not even as accomplished as a sparrow when it comes to personal evolution. My time in the sky kills my pride and ego a bit every time."

"Shivay I had never imagined you capable of such deep thought."

He laughed at her honesty.

"You are the most wonderful man I have ever known." She saw him turn a darker shade or red.

"You are blushing."

"Nothing is as liberating as being accepted and appreciated by someone you admire the most. It can make rocks blush I am but a human being."

"Anika the heights, the vastness always make me face my truth, my reality. I ruined it for you and me, but if I had been a little more patient, I would have said those two words here instead of in our room."

"What two words? Those are three words aren't they?" she scrunched her nose. Shivay thanked his stars for a woman who had so readily forgiven him.

"Marry me, is what I was talking about and those three words are my salvation, I can say it anywhere anytime, but here I want to tell you that there is no Shivay without Anika. "

"Tum ho to main hoon."

Finally, these two stupid headstrong creatures came around. I swear I will never try to make two bull heads fall for each other ever. It is too much work, but in the end, it is worth it. Yes, I am destiny saying Goodbye to you for now. Don't forget to tell your significant other that you love him or her. Never mind if you don't have one yet, I am just around the corner who knows what I might come up with.