Shivika: Oh for a love so deep, so beautiful

The opening scene had so many layers to it...an Anika so blissfully content, radiating a different kind of happiness as she cuddles close to Shivaay, telling him how happy she is today...he on the other hand is still distracted by Bua's threats, so lost in thoughts...when she asks him why he isn't saying anything, he changes the subject... remarks on the fact that he's rarely ever seen her this happy...then makes a solemn promise to always keep her happy like this...

Anika smiles yet again and places a tender kiss on his cheek...the way the scene then shifts to greater intimacy b/w them was so beautifully executed today...really a special mention to the direction and the performance by NM-SC...it's rare that an intimate moment b/w a pair on TV is shown without taam jhaam...the way it flowed so organically b/w them today...an Anika filled with so much joy, wanting to express her gratitude and love to him for what he'd just given her...raining those kisses on him, him soaking in her affection and feeling so moved...reciprocating by pulling her in closer for a hug, tenderly caressing her face, watching her with so much love on his face...NM really performed that brilliantly today...the way they then built it up to Shivaay moving her hair back, placing that light kiss on her cheek/nose...the way she was arching or moving in this scene was again done so nicely...aesthetics were A+ today...especially as an Anika feels more emboldened to kiss his neck today...a new move for her...lol and the way Shivaay takes it in, then reciprocating...again, it can't be said enough how aesthetically and beautifully this scene was shot...showing more evolution and a deepening of intimacy b/w Shivika even after 500 epis...it's a remarkable feat...

What made this scene really good was the lack of forced in heavy breathing that they were attempting to make SC do in the holi scene😆...the scene today totally flowed naturally, organically...with reciprocation done equally rather than one person being passive...Anika's beautiful smiles, Shivaay's emotional eyes then elevated the rest...

On a lighter note, I was laughing that finally Shivika were shown cuddling together on the bed in their room, rather than just going off to sleep...lol 😆😆

I thought that might be it for today's lollipop and baaki will be all Bua drama...but lo and behold, we got a second, beautifully meaningful scene...so many pleasant surprises today...

Shivaay really thinks after all this time he can fool Anika with a simple "Oh I just wanted to come back and hug you"? 😆...I was glad to see Anika calling him out and rightly suspecting that he's hiding something from her...even as he tried to sidestep and deny...I thought that might be the end of it and Shivaay may leave again...but again to my surprise, they get a moment...now even if it was a sindoor/MS reboot, it was shot so beautifully and meaningfully today...Shivaay was so emotional and NM performed it so touchingly that you really feel the depth of Shivaay's love there...as he lovingly puts the sindoor/MS on her...then in the most earnest way possible tells her that he loves her so much...that he will love her till the day he dies, with every breath, every fiber of his being...Anika feels thrown off by how emotional he's gotten but he continues...telling her as much as he feels he can tell her in the moment...that yes he is hiding something from her...that yes, the coming days will be hard for them, but he needs her to trust him, to not react to whatever someone shows her...poor guy, he so badly wants to protect her from any hurt in life...so in their own way, they've again managed to make this a measure of their immense faith in each other...and Anika promises...gives him a pinky promise, rather...lol that she will do what he asks...

Today was a shower of touching hugs and kisses b/w Shivika and yet every moment felt worth savoring cuz of the amount of feel NM-SC added into it :)

As for what's coming next...lol my personal sense is that despite all the parallels and reboots from the pre-seperation days that are being shown right now...the MS/sindoor scene, the blackmail, OmRu being taken into confidence...lol this is all mostly leading up to Shivika managing to prevail in the end...the rest is smokescreen for drama to freak ppl out given that the writers have already shown a tendency to do stupid last minute twists after showing good Shivika scenes...lol...but the silliness of Bua's antics and this entire lulzy shaadi plan makes it more likely it's just a setup for drama and Shivika won't fall apart over this.

Also, extra LOL@ Shivaay being made to say OFFICIALLY that he's choosing Anika over family...haha...again, that makes it more likely to me that Shivika will be fine.

In short it is so hard to Express the happiness with the way episodes have turned out this week but am going to try and do a quick edit and post beech beech main:) caz how can you waste such a day and such amazing episode

Waise I wonder why so many ppl are presuming a pregnancy track simply cuz Anika was shown to unbutton Shivaay's shirt today...lol by that rule toh she should have gotten instantly pregnant after Laal Ishq also...button toh us din bhi khola tha...haha yeh kya logic hai bhai...can't a couple simply have an intimate moment in their room without that leading to instant pregnancy speculation?

Not that I'm against a pregnancy track but all these predictions make me laugh cuz of how typical the expectations are...why instantly expect a pregnancy simply cuz they were shown being intimate? lol...can't it just be a symbolizing of how their love has deepened over time?

I don't want to think about it caz I want to enjoy the shivika moments whatever they are giving and yeh speculations just end up ruining the mood

I am one of the few who is guilty of thinking the pregnancy track! But what next? We do need that!but aside that, the entire sequence of events shown today put a huge smile on our faces and starts the weekend on a good note though with the thought that it goes by soon!

LOL thanks, Swash...as I said, it's not that I'm against a pregnancy track...but this cliched presumption that just cuz a couple had an intimate scene means for sure they are getting pregnant next...that is what makes me roll my eyes...I'd rather like to believe that Shivika don't need to be given an "official" scene proving the exact DATE of conception 🤔😆...

As for what's next, lol woh toh only Gulneet can answer...but I find it amusing to see them looping in fangirl speculations...ppl cried for Shivaay choosing Anika over family, so that gets dumped in...then a bunch of ppl keep crying for Shivika to have kids, so that will get dumped in? LOL

Anyways, I'd rather be pleasantly surprised by however they choose to do a pregnancy track if the time comes...rather than going the cliched route of a leap and a kid.

Today i was the one saying annika yeh tum kya kar rahi ho..lol...shivika in bed seq was pure bliss..both shivika seq today were to another level...love the progression..the only thing that has been consistent in IB has been shivika's journey ...& its magic is still intact after 500+ episodes infact it gets better

So many meaningful shivika seq in one week is like a dream come true woh bhi when NM is on a ten days vacation...

There were so many similarities in this epi and the one just before separation...the bed room seq followed by MS sindoor seq ( it was so emotional with beautiful dialogues)including the pinky promise...but this time definitely there will be no seperation like you mentioned in the title their love is so deep now thus unbreakable..

As for the rest...yes, despite all the parallels, I also get the sense that the writers are looking more to make Shivika's faith in each other win out again rather than resort to the falling apart from last time...cuz there were some crucial differences today...the fact that Shivaay directly told her he's hiding something, needing her to have faith in him...Anika didn't do all this in the seperation epis last year...that time toh Shivaay was clueless...so there is a progression this time for sure.