Annika opened and closed her mouth several times. Ball? What ball? If this ball was in public how were they supposed to go then? Didn't he already know that she was not ready for going public? What was he planning. Before Annika could open her mouth to ask him any further questions, Shivaay spoke. 

"This ball is in three weeks, we have time. If you want, we can go. I do need an escort though" Shivaay explained. If even after three weeks she wasn't comfortable going public, he would not force her, not now, never. Annika sighed out, that it was a bit of a relief to hear that it was not this week or next week either.

"Hey, just so you know, I will never, ever force you to go public with me" Shivaay assured her, caressing her cheek with both of his hands, making her blush. Annika knew him this much, she trusted him. And if he says that he won't do anything to make her uncomfortable, he does mean it.  

Annika smiled at him, running her fingers along the length of his shirt, Shivaay frowned at her, what was she doing? Annika rolled her eyes when he caught hold of her wrist. "What are you trying to do Miss Mehra" 

Annika ignored him and took back her wrist from his hold and again went back to tracing her hand from his chest down to his stomach. Shivaay looked at her with amazement. "Is this your way to turn me on? Because guess what? I am really turned on right now" Shivaay whispered close to her ear and Annika frowned. "Cheapde, get away from me" 

"So you turn on a man on purpose and then push him away? Is this some sort of trap Miss Mehra?" Annika's frown never leaving her face, what was this person even talking about? She had thought that it would annoy him but seeing such a different reaction, she didn't know how to react now.  

Shivaay studied her face, she was lost deep in her own thoughts.  He gently grabbed her waist, making her fave him. "Shivaay, there are cameras over here, you don't wanna do this, here" Annika tried to wriggle out of his hold but it was too firm. Annoyed, she hit his arm and he winced in pain the next second. Annika grabbed his arm, examining it to see if she had really hurt him that bad or he was just overreacting. 

Annika pressed different points on his arm in order to spot where she had exactly hit him hard but all along, he kept quiet. She left his arm, he had a smirk playing on his lips. "Go to hell Shivaay Singh Oberoi'' Annika stomped her feet in annoyance and walked away from him, towards her apartment.  Shivaay waited for her to turn around and come to him but she kept walking. 

Annika rolled her eyes, he wasn't even coming back to persuade her. With a sigh, she opened the door, totally forgetting that she had left Gauri and Omkara alone. When she opened the door, her eyes widened and she turned around immediately, regretting her decision to go back into her apartment. Now she couldn't remove the images from her mind, Omkara hovering over Gauri on the sofa, kissing her.

Gauri noticed Annika standing there with her back faced towards them. She pushed away Omkara from over her who was still busy kissing her, making him land flat on his butt down on the floor. Omkara winced, his eyes clouded with confusion. 

"Did I do something wrong, I should have kissed you on - "

"Hush, say no more" Gauri pointed towards Annika who had now turned around and was looking anywhere but at them awkwardly. Annika gave Gauri an apologetic smile whilst she glared at her. This was the second time they were being interrupted, now Gauri had made up her mind that she would never come home with Omkara for doing something intimate. 

Annika opened her mouth to speak but Gauri interrupted. "Om, let's go out, why don't we?" Gauri suggested and he nodded his head, still sitting on the floor.  "Guys I am genuinely sorry, I did not know that you two were, ahem, you were -"

"It's alright Annika, you need to need to apologize" Seeing a genuine smile on Omkara's face, Annika sighed in relief. The brothers were definitely different from each other. If it was Shivaay, he would have grunted and glared at the person until the person ran away for their life.  

Omkara and Gauri both got up and they went past her, walking out of the apartment. Annika yawned, she was a bit annoyed at the fact that Shivaay had left her without saying her goodbye and he hadn't come to persuade her. 

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Annika drowsily added sugar into her cup of coffee, yawing at the same time. Last night was long and when Gauri had returned after dropping off Omkara outside, she had thrown glares at Annika thousand times before talking to her. Annika had sat down and listened to her with a grumpy face, it wasn't her fault that they were not cautious when making out. 

"Annika, that was salt, not sugar" Raghav snapped Annika out of her day dream and her response was immediate as she grabbed the container which had no label on it. Opening the lid, she examined the content to realize that indeed, it was salt in it. Annika scrunched her nose, emptying out the so-called coffee into the sink. 

"Should have paid attention. Why are they so lost, today?" Raghav inquired, he had seen the way she had entered her office today and her face void of any emotion.  Everyday, she would greet everyone with a smile but today, she came in yawning. Annika sighed, what was she even supposed to say? Her boyfriend wasn't talking to her out of blue, that's why she was worried or Gauri was annoyed at her for making an unwanted appearance as she made out with her boyfriend. 

"Boy issue?"

"No, it's nothing. Was just up late last night" Annika lied, she wasn't going to tell him that Shivaay Singh Oberoi; her boyfriend was not texting him back. She had made hundreds of excuses in her head for the reason why he wasn't acknowledging her message but after every five minutes, his thoughts were back.  

"You know you can trust me, right?" Raghav gave her a small smile and she nodded. He was really a great friend and hiding things from him made her feel bad. "Alisha was so sure that you have a boyfriend. You are not seeing anyone, are you?" Annika bit her bottom lip, what was she supposed to answer? And looking up at him, she felt as if he was searching for answers in her eyes.  

"No....no, I - Do have a crush on this one person though" Annika rambled stuff out of her mouth, internally slapping herself million times. 

"Oh, ahem, I wanted to ask if you can accompany with me to this event, my sister's wedding actually" 

"As a friend or as a dat-"

"As a friend, Annika, if you are comfortable with that" Annika did not miss the disappointed look on his face.  This was killing her, she was lying and hurting him, she was making his hopes rise higher and she hated doing so. 

"I don't think I am the - "

"Annika, Mrs Rai called you in the office" Alisha interrupted Annika. Alisha was breathing heavily as if she had run all the way from Mrs Rai's office to the cafeteria. "Alright, I will see you at lunch then" Annika waved at Raghav and gave him a smile while he returned the gesture.  

Annika smoothed out her dress, dusting away the invisible dirt off her black skirt. With a deep breath in, Annika knocked on the door. Now, she had for exactly three seconds before Mrs Rai answered and when she did, Annika braced herself with a smile and opened the door to the office. 

Annika's eyes fell on the women sitting on the large sofa in Mrs Rai's office.  Annika greeted Mrs Rai and he gestured to her to sit down. "So, the article you have written on Shivaay Singh Oberoi" Annika immediately looked up, what about him? She wanted to ask, but Mrs Rai was finding something in the bundle of files she had on her table. 

"Right, so, this article. Well, first, let me tell you, this was a big hit. Our viewership has gone up with this particular article. Thank you Annika. Well, someone special wanted to meet you" Mrs Rai pointed at the woman Annika had seen when she had entered the office. 

"Hello, I am Pinky Singh Oberoi" Annika's  eyes widened in surprise, for some seconds she couldn't register what was going on. Shivaay's mother had come to meet her, did Shivaay talk about her to his mother?

"I just wanted to talk to you for a few seconds" Annika looked at Mrs Rai and then at Pinky.  Seeing Mrs Rai nodding at her, giving her the signal that she should go and talk to her. Annika nodded her head and she got up. Pinky followed behind Annika as she got out of the office. 

Annika gulped down, at the back of her head she knew Shivaay wouldn't tell a living being without her consent but it was his mother they were talking about, she was not sure anymore. "So, I have heard that you were the one to take billu's, I mean Shivaay's interview" 

"Yes ma'am" Annika wanted to laugh at the nickname but she contained herself, not wanting to look like a lunatic in front of her boyfriend's mother. "I wanted to ask if he mentioned....... Anything about a girlfriend or a girl" Annika frowned at that question, what was she trying to say? Girlfriend? Before she could ask something, Pinky spoke again. 

"I guess he has a girlfriend, he is not behaving like he used to. He seems like a totally changed person. He would randomly smile to himself and he is daydreaming a lot nowadays. Koi nahi, I will get going. It was nice to meet you"

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And this how Pinky and Annika meet. I hope you are enjoying this story.  Do let me know (: