"Hey!" Anika greeted him rather awkwardly as he entered the room. It had been three days since they both had properly spoken to one another.

"Hi!" He answered turning around, getting his coat off. God, he missed her so much. Now that she was seated on their bed, he just wanted to take her in his arms. All his anger and frustration was out of the window.

Anika's eyes did not leave his form as he walked into the washroom and minutes later stepped out wiping his face. The sleeves of his olive-colored shirt now folded up to his elbows. It was weird how all Anika wanted was to be in his arms. She had so much on her mind that she had to say but everything was gone. 

He put the hand towel on the chair carelessly and walked towards the bed. Anika saw the hand towel fall to the floor. Her eyes darted back to her husband who sat beside her, not facing her though. A weird silence filled the air around them.

He inhaled sharply and turned his head to look at her. "You just left."

Anika stared at him. She had never felt such a strong urge to be close to him. "Yeah, you didn't have the time to listen to me that morning."

"Right, so you chose to text and tell me." He replied tersely.

Anika shrugged, "you didn't even text or call back."

"Really, Anika?" He spoke irked turning his body to face her. "You just decide and go. Drop a text and then don't even call. What's worse is that I come to know from my mother that my wife is not going to be home for two more days." Shivaay vocalized the facts that had been hurting him. 

"I told mom, thought you would be busy. You didn't call or text." 

"Anika, I am your husband okay? I should be there in your decisions not an audience to your declarations." Shivaay spoke annoyed.

Anika searched his eyes. "Are you trying to imply I should take your permission before...?" Anika vocalized her doubts.

"No, that's not what I am saying, Anika. I would just want you to involve me in your decisions. I don't want to be informed about my wife's plans by others. And definitely don't do that over a text."

Anika could see clearly how pissed he was. "Okay." She replied.

His eyes flew up to meet hers. "Are you mad at me?"

Anika stared at him. Finally, he noticed! "Sort of." She replied honestly.

A small smile appeared on his lips, "sort of?"

"It's not funny," Anika spoke seriously. "You didn't even call or text over the past three days."

Shivaay looked at her dumbfounded, "you didn't either!"

"You should have!" Anika mumbled annoyed, looking away from his face.

"I could say the same." He argued.

"You dismissed the fact that Gauri was my family, Shivaay. You didn't even hear me out completely before rushing out to Omkara's room. I agree I was judging Omkara. My bad. But, you didn't come back that night and the next morning you just said what you wanted and that's it." Anika spoke annoyed.

Shivaay's jaw tightened listening to her rant. She was sort of right but he didn't want to admit it. "You blamed my brother, Anika! You know how protective I get about stuff when it boils down to my family. Omkara was my priority."

Aniak stared at him. "Gauri is a part of my family. She was my priority at that moment,"she spoke. She didn't like this. This arguing between them. A silence fell.

"I don't like this!" Shivaay spoke moving his hand in the air between them. 

"I don't like it too," Anika confessed. She wasn't the kind to get emotional over fights or arguments. She was generally fierce. But very peculiarly this argument made her feel very bad. 

"You want to hug?" Her lips drew into a smile as she heard those words. She looked up at him, her smile widening. She scooted closer and so did he. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders placing her chin on his shoulder. She felt one of his arms snake around her upper back and the other around her waist. His face buried into the crook of her neck. "I missed you!" He confessed pressing his palms against her back,  gently rubbing, and pulling her closer.

Anika still hadn't figured what was so magical about his hugs. But she loved it. She felt strangely home and safe in his arms. Like nothing could ever make her feel bad. Her body was pressed against his, she found it anything but uncomfortable. As his arms tightened, Anika smiled it felt so nice. "I missed you too..." she confessed breathing close to his ears. She felt a kiss on her neck and smiled, pulling away. "We should make a treaty for such situations."

"You are going to tell me things like that in person before you tell anybody else." Shivaay put forth the first clause his hands resting on her waist. 

Anika nodded in agreement, "You're going to hear me out completely whether you like it or not." She put the second point.

"Fine, I am going to try. You're going to call me if ..."

"No, you are going to," she argued cutting him off.

"Fine, let's make a deal. If at one instance I make the first move, the second time you will. We go alternate."

"Agreed," Anika smiled her hands resting on his arms. 

"May I kiss my wife?" He asked grinning.

Anika's smile went wider and she leaned closer. Yes, she definitely needed a kiss from him. Anika felt like it had been ages since he had last kissed her. He lost no time in grabbing her face and kissing her mouth in urgent need. Anika's hands held his face and went to his hair pulling him closer. He pushed her over and came over her kissing her with twice the passion than before. Anika molded her mouth accommodating his needs. His hands moved down from her face touching and pressing against her soft skin. Anika moaned in the kiss, as he invoked tingles between her legs. 

They broke apart when they heard the door of their room being shut. They looked ta the now closed door. "Fudge!" Anika cursed under her breath realizing that someone would have witnessed their desperate kissing. She darted her eyes from the door to him. 

He looked slightly embarrassed but soon that wore off. He stared at her. "I don't think I can wait until after dinner." He leaving open-mouthed wet kisses on her face and neck, while his hands held her hand making her sit up. She was breathing heavily looking at him. He placed her hands on his shirt buttons while he proceeded to kiss her as he straddled her. Anika couldn't think straight from the moment he told her he couldn't wait. His desperation to have her rendered her wet for him. 

Soon enough his shirt was off and so was his vest. Shivaay pushed her back on the mattress after peeling the clothes off her. His hands caressed her waist moving down to unbuckle her pants. He had always fantasized about having her under him in her office clothes. A fantasy now checked off on his list. Anika wondered how he always knew where to touch her to get her feeling giddy. 

Long minutes later, Anika was seeing stars as he thrust in and pulled out of her while his fingers worked on her pleasure nub simultaneously. Her eyes admired him while her hands slowly moved from his arm to his chest. His gaze dropped to his hand and then met her eyes. His thrusts got deeper and made Anika moan. His eyes narrowed at hers and he pushed in harder and Anika gasped. Remembering what he liked to hear she drawled his name and Shivaay smiled increasing his pace, while she thrashed in pleasure beneath him. 

Anika's hand caressed his back while they tried normalizing their heartbeats after hyperactivity. She was growing fond of him. She liked touching him like this. She loved it when he hugged her in sleep. She had missed him. He turned his head towards her and flopped his cheek against the pillow looking at her. He was slowly getting addicted to her. It was just never enough when it came to her. His hand reached out to caress her cheek and her eyes met his. He could feel her fingers move over the muscles on his sweating back. 

"I think it's time we get dressed for dinner." Anika finally spoke still not looking away from his eyes. Like always her body never listened to her mind when she was with him it was only heart. 

He groaned sitting up staring at her naked form. "Look away..." Anika muttered pulling the pillow to block his view.

Shivaay grinned. He looked at how she was finally okay with their intimacy. But he needed so much more from her. His blood began pumping faster and he felt hot. Brilliant! He got off the bed and then picked her up bridal style.

"Shivaay, what are.." Anika exclaimed taken aback as he carried her. 

"We both need a shower I am saving time, besides I think we can do a quickie again." He muttered and Anika blushed.

* * *

Anika put on her pajamas and a kurti that she could sleep in. She was exhausted. She was talking to Rudra about his college when Omkara came and sat across the table. He smiled formally greeting her. Anika nodded looking away. Gauri's words floating in her mind. She sat silently eating her mind thinking about Gauri, occasionally looking up at Omkara. She gets warmth on her thigh and glanced down to find her husband caressing her thighs. She turned to him and almost immediately he turned to her. He winked at her secretly. She blushed looking at her plate. Her smile faded when she looked at Omkara again. 

* * *

"No, Mumma, I haven't spoken anything yet," Anika spoke drawing patterns in the bedsheet lost in thoughts. Her mother had advised her to talk to Shivaay about Omkara and Gauri. Anika didn't want Omkara to create havoc in Gauri's life again. However, her mother had other opinions. She wanted Gauri to talk to Omkara. 

"Thinking about me?" Shivaya entered the room shutting the door this time. He still wondered who shut the door earlier. It wasn't Omkara, he knew because Omkara returned late from work. "Sorry, I didn't see you were on call!" He muttered turning around and noticing that she had her phone pressed against her ear and was almost close to glaring at him. 

He flopped on the other side of the bed looking at her. "Yes, Mumma. Okay, good night. Sweet dreams!" She smiled and ended the call. 

She glanced down at her husband who was lying down beside her scrolling through his phone. "Shivaay,"

"Hmm,"

"Can we talk?"

"You have to ask?" He looked up at her placing his phone aside. 

"Um, what did Omkara tell you?" She finally asked.

His smile faded at her question. He wasn't expecting that. "Anika, do we really..."

"Yes, we have to." She answered firmly. "Does he still think that Gauri cheated on him?"

Shivaay sat up and placed a pillow behind his back. "Yes, he does," he answered looking at her. "But he still loves her, which is really beyond me." He muttered looking down at the circular patterns on the black and white bedsheet. 

"You said about Gauri being pregnant..." He looked up at her curiously.

"She was and it was Omkara's," Anika answered crisply.

Shivaay looked unconvinced. "How is she so sure?"

Anika had never thought she'd be having a conversation such as this with him. "Because he was the only one!" Anika answered feeling sick that Shivaay could actually go far to think that it wasn't Omkara who got Gauri pregnant.

"Anika, Omkaar told me that Gauri was with another guy, Liam."

Anika stared at Shivaay, "I know, Gauri told me about that. Omkara believed what he saw. Did he ever ask Gauri what was happening? Did he ever try to think through that the man who tried to force himself on her once could do that again? Did he hear Gauri out when she tried to approach him at so many instances?"

Shivaay sat still almost like a statue listening to those questions. He had a bitter feeling consume him. It all hinted at the fact that Gauri never actually cheated. It could have been Omkara's misunderstanding. "Oh no!" He muttered under his breath. "You mean, Liam was the one to blame?"

Anika nodded.

"What happened to the baby?" Shivaay asked horrified.

Anika took a deep breath breaking eye contact. "Gauri came back to India after her graduation. She didn't have a family so she started living in a ladies hostel. Mumma met her one day at a supermarket. She was four months pregnant then and in pain. Mumma came to know from her that she lived all alone and she suggested her to shift to Devi Women's Home."

"A home to those women that are looked down upon by their own families and have no one to care for. They take care of each other. Mumma, went there often as a life-coach to help the residents deal with personal problems and teach them to live again. Gauri got close to Mumma. Mumma also had developed a soft spot for Gauri. Gauri was in depression. Mumma started helping her out. One day when I accompanied her for an event, I met Gauri. Everything was falling into place. Until in the eight-month of her pregnancy, Gauri attempted to commit suicide. She jumped off the terrace." Anika paused.

"What!" Shivaay exclaimed shocked. A woman with a strong head like Gauri doing that was just not easy to digest.

Anika nodded in affirmation, "The baby died but Gauri was safe. She went mad after her failed attempt. I couldn't even be in the same room hearing her cries. But Mumma was by her side all the time. It took almost a year but slowly Gauri began to heal. She started living with us after the incident. We became a family. She became the sister I never had." Anika smiled fondly. "Mumma convinced her to her masters so that she could set up her own clinic to help people who get hit by life so hard that they forget to live."

"Clinic?" Shivaay asked confused.

"She has her majors in Human Psychology," Anika answered. "Everything was fine, she seemed happier than before when she returned until she met Omkara."

Shivaay exhaled rubbing his palms on his face. "That's why you went to stay with her."

"Yeah!" Anika whispered.

"That's so messed up." Shivaay exclaimed dismayed. "Shit, how is Omkara going to even ... shit. Anika, Omkara will go mad of he hears all of this. He's been drowning in guilt and now this. This is so messed up." Shivaay spoke rubbing his forehead in tension. 

"Guilt about?"

"Everything!" Shivaay answered. He literally had to steal all credit cards and manipulate Omkara's staff into giving him updates about him. He had been doing better without drinking or fooling around with women. But Shivaay knew the guilt was drowning him. Guilt, hurt, and pain. 

"Mumma thinks we should just push them to talk to each other. She believes that there is still a lot of unspoken and unclear misunderstandings between them." 

"I think she's right.." he answered biting his lower lip. He didn't know how Omkara would deal with whatever came but he knew that Omkara needed a closure. 

Anika was lost in her own thoughts. She didn't want Gauri to fall into the same pothole again. But her mother was right, Gauri needed a closure, which could only happen once the two of them spoke. 

Would love to know your thoughts. 

Also, do take out two minutes of your time to make sure you've voted on all chapters!

-Anami!♡