Before 4 years.

She still remembered how nervous she was when she took her first step to NewYork, holding his hand, there were no second thoughts in her mind when she held his hand, her parents were too tensed to send her miles away for the first time in their life. She knew about their dad's plan, after the marriage they were planning to lock him up using Anika as their Pawn, but when he explained everything before the wedding, he didn't say he will cancel the wedding if she didn't agree to go with him to US but told her everything, he told her that his new start-up that he started with his friends, it was his idea and his friends invested solely invested it, and it won't be easy for him to betray his friends and stay there. Even Anika wasn't ready to leave her family and move away miles away, but she even couldn't break his dreams and make him stay with her and do something he didn't want to do. When she couldn't think of doing something like that in her life, how could she wish the same for the person whom she started to fall for? But promised her parents, that she will visit them every two months, she knew she can at least do that to her devoting parents.

"Hey, nervous?" He asked her while holding her palm tight when they walked out of the plane.

"Why should I be? Wait a minute, are you a serial killer who marries the naïve girls and kills them?" She asked him which provoked a wide smile on his face.

"Naïve? You?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I am naïve. Any doubts? I am nothing like you who didn't know about the number of girls he dated in his life that includes my cousin," She said, she knew for him, she was different, she could see that bluntly in his eyes the way he smiles at her and the way he comforted her in the wedding nights only by talking about each other's when she was so stressed with the lame bits of advice she got to hear from her cousins and aunties, thankfully, Tia didn't say anything, if she would have, it would have turned into a most awkward moment in her life. That night was very helpful to count his exes and flings.

"That's why I told you not to discuss it." He said in a little cold tone, but he didn't leave her hand.

"I should be thankful to you, it was such an ice breaker between us, now, I am shameless to share anything with you, you know how tensed I was..." She said to him, he chuckled and left her hand and brought it to her shoulder.

"So, Mrs. Oberoi. Ready for the night?" He asked her, her cheeks burned but replied.

"I don't know about that, but I am curious about something else." She said to her.

"What else? Very excited to see the bold version of you." He said with a smile.

"Expectations kill, Mr. Oberoi. Unfortunately, I am not thinking about that. I am curious about something else!" She replied in a serious tone.

"What's that?" He asked.

"Site seeing..." She chuckled off.

"You will see many sites tonight." He said and held her shoulder tightly close to him. Even though she was looking forward to the moment to lose her virginity, she couldn't deny the fact that she was looking forward to the life they would be leading together from this moment.

As he already told her, his two friends who couldn't take part in their wedding were waiting for them in the airport, she had already seen them in the pictures which shivaay had shown her when he arrived for the wedding and during the time, they sneak out from the wedding preparations to meet up. She had a lot of complaints about him when he was in New York since most of the time he would be busy with work, but when he arrived back in India, he was constantly behind her, she was surprised when he didn't visit his house but sneaked into her room from the back gate. He didn't wait a moment to kiss her and heaved out his breath like he finally found how to breathe. Whenever she thinks, he loves the intimacy between them more than her, he always proved her wrong. Their wedding night was an example of it, she was tensed, and he just chuckled off and made the wedding night the most memorable night just by his efforts to break the tension between them, even though she slept in his embrace that night, he didn't cross his limit, he was patiently waiting for her to get ready for the moment, and she made up her mind, she won't let him wait longer.

"Welcome, Anika," Omkara said while giving her bouquet, she accepted it with a wide smile, she still had all the signs of being newly married, even though they looked at her a little differently, she could feel the comforting arm around her with the same smiling face.

"It's just me or you, om?" Rudru asked him.

"Even I am wondering. Anika, we know each other for 5 years, and I never saw Shivaay smiling so hard," Omkara said, it was not the first time, but every single person who knew shivaay personally including her cousin told the same to her. There was no moment, he got irritated or confused when he was with her. Anika chuckled looking at him who also smiled widely looking at her.

"He's always like this when he's with me..." Anika said with a smile. That was true, it was from their first meet, but she couldn't tend to see it when he traveled back but when he arrived back to her, the smile found its place and stayed along with him.

***

Still, Shivaay couldn't believe that he was married to someone he barely knew and now looking forward to staying every passing with her, had no idea how her presence driving him crazy, there was a voice inside him keeps reminding him that it was not a love marriage but arranged but still his heart couldn't believe it, as her face, smile and the way she talks cares and her enclosed fingers with his fingers saying something else. Is he smitten by love? He always asked his mom; how could she feel that his father was the one who a less than a minute to decide, she never replied to his question but one day, she decided to reply. I just knew it.

Like shivaay could say to his friends now, He just knew it, she was the one. If he would have heard his words 8 months before, he would have laughed out loud. Everything happened in a go, the moment he decided to go for his mom's 3rd death Anniversary, meeting her randomly in the meet, locking his eyes with her when the conversations and all the good things his mother shared about her, breaking his cold war with his father for his mom's demise, his wish to see him married with his friend's daughter, his interest in giving it a shot even though he knew about her pampering father, and finally feeling the spark in her, that fine day, he decided in his mind, whatever happens, she will be that one in his life. From then to now, everything feels like a dream to the most practical person in their gang.

"Still, I couldn't believe it, you and arrange marriage?" Om asked him when they headed straight to a restaurant to have lunch and he opened it up when Anika excused herself to the washroom. It was still a mystery to them.

"And you were ready to leave whatever we started over here! That was the most surprising." Rudru finally said, before he headed to convince Anika for staying with him, he called his friends and explained the situation, they were not ready to believe it because they knew how much he fought with his parents to start his start-up over here. That same guy was ready to give up everything.

"Thankfully, that didn't happen!" Shivaay said with a pang of guilt, shivaay already knew how it feels to live without a parent and he felt if he loses Anika for his goal, he felt he will eventually lose everything in his life, from his father to the rest of the support system. That fear made him give up on that. When he explained everything to Anika in the hope of just 10 percent, she accepted it. He couldn't believe that because she knew how much she was dependent on and pampered by her family. When he asked her to repeat what she said, she placed her palms on his waist and pulled him to her for a hug.

"Don't think much, I am with you."

He felt the whole universe was in his favor that night, he couldn't stop hugging her and kissing her cheek, continuously. That day, he remembered his mom's words. If it was written for you, it will reach you and make your life better.

"I heartfully felt sorry for that." He said to his two friends who understood his friends.

"We forgot to say, we arranged a small party for your wedding tonight at our usual place," Om said to him. He was shocked a little since he had some other plans with his wife, he also booked a honeymoon suite for her in one of the Sea-facing five-star hotels for her, they were heading directly. Only he knew what he was suffering when he saw that tensed face of her on the wedding night, he just wanted to adore her. He did that, and now when he could feel she was more than willing, he didn't have any heart to turn her down with that. Also seeing his friends, he felt double-hearted.

While then, Anika arrived and sat next to him, without knowing his decision, Rudy broke the news about his party to Anika, who looked back at him with a surprised smile. He didn't know how to respond to that.

"We didn't plan much; we just rented the club for this night and invited our friends over there," Om said when Shivaay asked them about the preparation.

"Rented the whole club?" Shivaay asked in shock, he knew that would have cost them a lot.

"Brother man, YOU GOT MARRIED. This is our wedding present," Rudru said. Anika looked at him when he expressed his shock asking about it. But she blinked her eyes to a wide smile conveying everything was cool. He didn't deny it but headed straight to his apartment and saw Om's girlfriend Gauri already there inside his apartment didn't seem as if he left, everything changed, from the wall painting to the furniture, when he was there, and now everything was customized for the married couple. He knew it was none other done by his friends.

"Okay newly-wed, these are the matching outfits for you both to the party," Gauri said to them, who still held their hands and glanced at their home where they were going to live their lives.

"It's nothing like you had shown in the call!" Anika whispered to him in surprise.

"I know, but sorry to say, Shivaay, your tastes were very bad when it comes to interiors. We didn't change it for you but for your wife." Gauri said and side-hugged Anika who smiled at her comment. Anika took the outfits from Gauri's hand when she insisted. Soon they left giving them some privacy, Anika tried to make them stay longer but they left and told her they will meet them directly in the club.

They didn't have much time left to get ready, it was a black suit for shivaay, and Anika got a front slit black backless dress, leaving her changing in his room, he got ready in another room even though he was desperate to sneak into the room, he stopped himself saying that day was not long, maybe in the next morning. He smiled to himself, how his desperateness and hunger towards her get faded away with her one uncomfortable look.

"Princess, Ready?" He called her from the drawing room while checking his watch.

"Yes." She said in a little worried tone.

"What happened? Everything okay?" He asked while walking towards his room, but he stopped at that place when she walked outside, he couldn't find a word to describe it, she was looking drop-dead gorgeous. Her simple diamond stud to her free hair, even though her make-up was minimal, it did every justice to her features. The way her legs shined, he lost his breath and had no idea how he will control himself for the rest of the night.

"Shivaay, One problem." She said moving so close to him, even though he couldn't breathe.

"It's not sitting in there," she said in a crying tone.

"What?" He asked when he was confused.

"My..." She looked down at her breasts "It's too loose, and this dress is padded. It's not sitting in there, what shall I do? I can't wear any inner garments also, it's backless." Anika told while showing her backless pose which made him almost choke. That was a new kind of complaint from her where he had no other way just to lose his control over her.

"YOU ARE GOING TO KILL ME." He didn't think a moment to shout at her. 

****