Exams are over. Stress is over. Oh and please, I request you guys to read chapter 15 and 16 again....reason - I have changed some stuff. Hint - Anika won't be giving up her motherhood. Please reread the edits I have made so you are all up to date with the story :)

Anika's POV:

I didn't know why looking at Shivay sent shivers down my spine. He was really giving me this uncomfortable look and I just wanted that look on his face to soften up. Mum came and stood next to me, looking at the Oberoi family.

Mum: what are you people doing here?

Pinky looked at Mum, and said: we're here to ask for both Gauri and Anika's hands in marriage.

Mum: what?

Dad also heard what Pinky said and said the same thing as my Mum. I looked at both my parents...they seemed quite shocked.

Mum: didn't we say that Gauri was not going to marry Omkara, and what's this about asking for Anika's hand in marriage?

Pinky: is it okay if we can come in then we can talk about this?

Mum was about to say something, and I knew that she was going to disagree, so I had to speak for my mum.

Me: of course. Come in.

Mum looked at me with one of those strict mum looks as the Oberois came into our house. Mum wasn't the only one giving me the look, Shivay was still giving me a look. I just wanted all these eyes off me.

The Oberois sat down on the sofa. I made Gauri stand up so she could fill up glasses of water with me.

Gauri: why do they want your hand in marriage?

She asked as we poured water into the glasses and kept them on the tray.

Me: pata nahi. We'll find out when the Oberois and our parents talk to each other.

Gauri: I just hope no tamasha happens.

Me: no tamasha will happen. I promise.

Gauri gave a small smile at me before picking up one tray and we went to the living room, keeping the trays of water on the coffee table. Gauri was about to sit next to Om, when Mum gave her a look. Not wanting to make a scene, she for once did what Mum told her to do and sat next to Dadaji. I sat on the other side of Dadaji, then waited to see how this conversation was going to unfold.

Pinky: I knows that you are upsets with us for not telling you about what happened to Om and Prinku's parents, especially since our families were going to become one. We should haves told you what happened in the past, buts it was something we all didn't wants to talk about.

Mum: then why was the news published in an article years ago?

Shakti: that's because the media published the news without our permission. We didn't want the news of my brother and bhabhi's death to be public.

Dad: understandable.

Pinky: now looks, I knows that you think Om is an orphan but he isn't. He has me and Shakti and our entire family. Om loves Gauri and Gauri loves Om. On top of that, they're both expecting a child and it would be a sin to not let the child have both their parents with them.

Mum: but people have read the news, they'll eventually know that Gauri married an orphan. What will people say about us?

Pinky: that's why we're asking for Anika to marry Shivay, as well as Gauri to marry Om.

As if Pinky and Mum read each other's minds or something, Mum looked at Gauri and said: Gauri, do you really want to marry Om?

Gauri nodded. Mum then looked at me as well as Shivay and said: Anika, are you willing to marry Shivay for your sister and her stupid mistake?

Gauri and Om looked at each other, knowing that my Mum was impossible. I looked at my mother and nodded with a smile.

Pinky: and Shivay, you ready to marry Anika so then everyone is happy?

Shivay gave a nod. I guess his mother emotionally blackmailed beforehand to not say anything and just agree. Even though he nodded for our wedding, he still looked at me sending another shiver down my spine.

Pinky: toh chalo, everything is set. If Anika and Shivay marry then Om and Gauri can marry then everyone is happy.

Mum and Dad nodded. I was confused about what happened. I feel like most of the conversation happened between Pinky and Mum, but they must have had some mind conversation. All I knew was that later on, Mum would start babbling on about why she agreed for both marriages.

Shivay gave a small cough, then said: I need to make a phone call. Is it okay if someone can take me to a quiet place?

Mum: of course. Anika, take Shivay to a quiet place so he can call whomever.

I nodded, and both me and Shivay got up. We walked in complete silence on our way to the conservatory. He wasn't saying anything and I wasn't saying anything. The silence was like a thick blanket. It was impossible to take off that thick blanket.

Me: here's the conservatory. I'll leave now.

And I was actually about to leave when Shivay grabbed my hand and made my back face the wall. He came close to me, keeping his hands on my arms. I heard the loud rapid sound of my heart beating, and I could feel Shivay's heart beating against my chest.

Me: Shivay...

Shivay: I only agreed to the marriage because Mum emotionally blackmailed me, using Om and Gauri. But is our marriage what you were wanting to talk about with my mum today?

Me: voh...

Shivay interrupting: why did you agree to the marriage deal with my mum when I already told you that our deal was off?

Me: because...

Shivay interrupted again: I wanted to marry you, yes but you could have at least talked to me that you were going to talk to my mother. Also another reason why I thought to cut off our marriage deal at one point was because I knew you were going to leave me after six months and I didn't want to put myself through another heartbreak. Why are you trying to give me another heartbreak Anika? I know after six months, you'll leave again!

Me: another heartbreak? I...

Shivay was about to speak and interrupt me once again, when I kept my hand over his mouth.

Me: it's my turn to talk. I have been trying to talk but every time I try to talk, you speak over me. My turn.

I removed my hand from his mouth, and looked right into his ocean eyes. One glance at the shimmering ocean he carried in his eyes, and I was speechless for a moment. I was so fixed on his eyes.

Suddenly the cat clicked his fingers at me, making me snap out of whatever world I was in.

Shivay: have your turn to speak.

Me: listen Shivay, you weren't the one who had their heart broken that day. I was the one who broke that day and that was because of you. Because you had to drink!

Shivay: you didn't give me the chance to speak.

Me: because the damage was already done and stop interrupting! Now listen...I agreed to marry you for my sister and her child. I agreed to your mum's condition for my sister and her baby. Yes I would have left you after six months of marriage but don't forget, you was the one who gave me the choice, saying that if I wasn't happy I could divorce you. I went to talk to your mother so my sister didn't have to abort her baby and could marry your brother. You know, if Om wasn't related to you then I guess I wouldn't have to face you after five years. You'd be happy in your life and I'd be happy in mine without having to deal with our shared past.

We both looked at each other, then I got his hands off my arms. I started to walk and when I reached the exit of the room, I said: you can say that you missed all that we had, but I don't care how bad it hurts because you broke me first.

Shivay: maybe if other people weren't involved, do you think today we'd be happily married and have a child of our own?

I didn't say anything. I didn't turn to face him. My only response to what he just said was walking away, wiping the tear that rolled down my eye.

I went into the downstairs bathroom, closed the door and looked at myself in the mirror.

Maybe me and Shivay met at the wrong time and at the wrong place. Maybe things could have worked out if we met at the right time and at the right place....mature, not immature. Maybe if other people weren't involved, maybe things would have been different.

What if I did give Shivay a chance to speak that day? What if I never acted out and instead used my head? Would things have been different today?

I wiped the tears that rolled down my eyes, and turned the tap on to wash my tear-stained face. After patting the towel on my face, I went out of the bathroom and went to the living room, and Shivay was there.

Dad: where were you Anika?

Me: I got a work call.

Mum: speaking of work, that reminds me....Pinkyji, Shaktiji, after marriage, would it be okay for Anika to continue her job?

Pinky and Shakti: of course.

I could only give a small smile, as I sat down back in my place. My smile grew a little bigger, seeing that now my parents and Pinky-Shakti were getting along now, and I smiled seeing the glow back on Gauri's face.

Mum: so we'll call Panditji tomorrow to check Shivay and Anika's kundali then get the date for their engagement then for the both couples' marriages.

Pinky: that sounds great.

After a little while, the Oberois soon left, then my parents went upstairs....leaving me, Dadaji and Gauri downstairs.

Dadaji: what just happened?

Gauri: it's almost like that argument never happened.

Me: yeah thanks to me. I went to talk to Pinkyji about you and Om.

Gauri: oh so did you know about the proposal of yours and Shivay's marriage?

Me: no.

I lied, just to prevent any more questions.

...

"So do you really want to marry Shivay?"

Gauri asked me late at night, as we were in her room, eating ice cream and finding some movie to watch.

I looked at Gauri and nodded.

Gauri: pakka na?

Me: haan baba. Pakka. Why do you ask?

Gauri: because marriage is a big commitment, and I don't want you to commit to something just for the sake of my happiness.

Me: I am ready to commit to marriage and Gauri...I am willing to do anything for your happiness even if I have to kill someone for you.

Gauri: oh so can you kill my ex?

Me: the one who Om pretty much saved you from?

Gauri: yeah him.

Me: give me his name and address.

Gauri laughed as she finally found a movie.

Me: Gauri, choose some other movie. I hate 90s movies.

Gauri: well it isn't a Bollywood 90s movie. It's Hollywood and we are watching She's All That. Now stop complaining and watch it.

Me: urgh fine.

I took a spoonful of my ice cream, as she turned on the movie. I hated 90s movies. They were so...cheesy for words.

Watching She's All That, I got reminded of something....my past with Shivay.

Me: can we please stop watching this movie? The quality is making me cringe!

Shivay: calm down Ani. The quality of this film isn't the end of the world.

Me: it is for me! Can we please watch something that is...more in this century?

Shivay: we agreed that tonight was my turn to choose the movie. Last week, you chose Hidden Figures and I watched it without complaining.

Me: without complaining?

Shivay: yeah.

Me: you complained every five minutes!

Shivay: I did not!

Me: you did!

Shivay: I did not!

Me: you did!

He started tickling me at my weak point, my stomach. I tried holding myself together, until I started to break down in giggles, begging for mercy.

I smiled lightly. Watching She's All That, I realised why Shivay loved 90s movies....romance was much simpler back then. I felt a part of me wishing that I loved Shivay in the 90s, knowing we'd work out and back in the 90s, life wasn't a blur. I bet if I loved Shivay in the 90s, I wouldn't be broken.

Anika's POV ends

In the Oberoi Mansion:

Pinky was plaiting her hair whilst sitting on her and Shakti's bed. Shakti came in and said: I thought you said that Shivay would marry a rich girl.

Pinky: Anika is an accountant for a well known company and an accountant earns a lot of money. There you go, rich girl.

Shakti: why do you want Shivay and Anika to marry?

Pinky: there are two reasons why. Let's just say I know something about Shivay and Anika.

Shakti: which is?

Pinky: I'll tell you later. But Shakti, what's going on now is kinda what happened when I was 17.

Shakti: Pinky...don't talk about it.

Pinky: Lata never supported me Shakti...she along with my entire family knocked me out and destroyed the only thing that was left of mine and Jagesh's relationship. I wish that my sister was like Anika. Anika is willing to do anything for her sister. That's how a sister should be like. By your side. But Lata was horrible and stabbed me in the back!

Shakti side-hugged his wife as tears rolled from her eyes. Pinky never spoke about what happened when she was 17, and when she did, she would start crying. What happened when Pinky was 17, it was something that only Shakti and Pinky knew about...Shakti wasn't even supposed to know about what happened until Pinky told him on their wedding night.

Ever since the incident that happened, Pinky hadn't spoken to her sister at all. The last time she said a sentence to Lata was when she married Shakti.

...

Anika had turned the movie off since Gauri fell asleep. She kept the ice cream bowls in the kitchen then she went back upstairs to her own room. Anika didn't want to sleep. She didn't feel like sleeping, so she picked up the nail polish that stood on her bedside table, and started to run the dark red nail paint across each nail.

After painting her nails, she waited for them to dry. As she waited for her nails to dry, she stared at the wall, thinking of that conservatory moment with her ex boyfriend.

Did he actually feel heartbreak when they broke up? She knew that she said she didn't care how their breakup hurted Shivay to her, but truth to be told....she did care whether or not their breakup left him broken.

Once her nails dried, she heard her phone ping. Anika picked her phone up and saw that she got a message from the cat she was thinking about.

Shivay: your family is coming to my place tomorrow in the afternoon. Can you meet me in the morning though...at 8:30am since you always wake up early?

Anika found her fingers tapping at the keyboard, and as if her fingers had a mind of their own, they made Anika press send...

...

Shivay looked at his phone as soon as it pinged. Anika texted back....

Anika: sure, I'll meet you at 8:30am at Kala Ghoda Cafe.

Anika: don't be late

Shivay replied with an 'okay' before turning his phone off and laying down on his bed.

Anika: you can say that you missed all that we had, but I don't care how bad it hurts because you broke me first.

Her words ringed in his head. He did miss what they had, but Anika was right....he did break her first. He never wanted to break her. In fact Shivay never dreamt of breaking the only woman he ever loved, but he did....

They met at the wrong time.

He kept telling himself that from the last five years, ever since they broke up. He would also tell himself that maybe in a couple of years, they would cross paths again and they could try again...

And that kind of happened.

It had to be pure coincidence that his brother Om started dating Anika's sister Gauri, and Gauri got pregnant....if they didn't start dating and expect a baby, Shivay wouldn't have met Anika again after all those years of pain, regret and trying to stay strong when really all he wanted to do was break down crying.

Why did he let his ego take control of him?

But now...if him and Anika were going to marry, then they needed to set the basic ground rules and he should tell her why he first put forward that deal. He wasn't going to tell her though that he was going to make it hard to win her heart back.

And if after six months of their marriage, she wanted a divorce because his efforts didn't work, he would let her go and be happy. Because sometimes you have to let someone go if you want them to be happy.

...

The clouds were arranged as neatly as child's toys, scattered over blue, content to drift where they fell. The morning sun had the potential to bring a day as hot as yesterday, but those wonderful puffs of white radiated it back out into space. The air was cooler, the colours less vivid and all without a drop of rain.

It was 8:20pm.....Anika was already at the Kala Ghoba Cafe, dressed in black leggings and a thin light pink zipper hooded jacket to cover the plain white t-shirt she was wearing. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was looking at the menu. Long story short, her dad was awake early so Anika had to act like she was going on a morning run, which is why she looked like she was about to go on a run.

The waiter came up to her and said: what would you like to order?

Anika: I'll have Rasta sandwiches and a Strawberry Pineapple Cooler.

She thought to order for Shivay since he wasn't here yet, but she knew exactly what he liked.

Anika: and for the other person who is coming soon, I'll also like to order Akuri and black coffee.

Waiter: is that all madam?

She nodded and the waiter left. At that moment, Anika saw Shivay entering the building. Shivay's eyes scanned the room and he found Anika waiting. He came up to her and sat opposite her.

Shivay: hi.

Anika: hi...I have already ordered for me and you.

Shivay: what did you order for me?

Anika: your black coffee and Akuri.

She still remembered what he normally likes for breakfast.

Shivay: you didn't have to order for me.

Anika: didn't want to waste time by ordering at different times.

The waiter came with Anika's juice and Shivay's coffee. They both thanked the waiter. Once the waiter left, Shivay took a sip of his coffee and kept it down on the table.

Shivay: so I know that you are wondering why I want to talk to you.

Anika: yes I want to know so tell me, what's so important that you called me here early in the morning?

Shivay took another sip of his coffee then thought for a minute about what to say, before opening his mouth to speak.

Precap: Anika consoles Pinky

I hope you all liked this chapter and sorry for keeping you all waiting. Feel free to fill my conversation section with reminders of updates and also feel free to pm me with reminders. Also please I beg, read chapter 15 and 16 since I have edited the story a bit.