Her whole universe paused for a while when she saw him before her eyes in person, his wide shoulders, a slight smile in the corner of his lips and his professional attitude brought her back to the reality, they both were meeting in person after 7 long years, anika didn't want the separation but it happened at the end, the least she could wish was a sense of recognition in his eyes, a spark of anger for leaving without any notice, a spark of happiness to meet his first best friend after so many years, she purposefully didn't take the word 'girlfriend' in her mind because she knew she wasn't even in a capable situation to think about the possibility. But she found none. His eyes met her eyes for sure, but all she could sense was the sense of strangeness and unfamiliarity. But her work overcame everything.

"Spot" Anika called aloud in her intercom when she sensed her boss and shivaay talking with each other.

"Sir, Mike..." Anika initiated the conversation with him for the first time in these seven years, that too, face to face. His eyes blinked twice looking at her, even she felt weird calling him sir. Never on the earth, she imagined herself calling him so respectful in her life. But now, the time is different. But he just acknowledged and walked towards his seat which was surrounded by cameras. And the spot boy reached him in a moment. Anika walked towards the talk-back. But she had to rush back to the studio when she saw the spot boy troubling to fix the microphone in his collar, shivaay wasn't cooperating with him and she knew he was like nobody touching his collar area.

"Any problem, sir?" Anika asked shivaay while her eyes focused on the spot boy with a stern look.

"Nothing... This microphone..." He spoke out for the first time rather than acknowledging her and looked at her, she changed her perspective to shivaay. Without speaking anything, she bent down to his height and took the mike which was stuck in his collar because every passing second, he will turn into a most irritative person also looking at the red rashes in his neck, she couldn't stop herself. He remained stunned; his eyes went wider.

"Oh... Sorry... Sir... I thought it was troubling you, if you want, I will fix it with your blazer," Anika asked him while holding the microphone in her hand.

"Not on my blazer." He heaved out a deep breath. Anika knew his habit of holding the blazer and shake them appropriately while talking.

"If you don't mind, let me fix this. I promise it won't itch." Anika took the next few words in a husky tone holding the microphone in her index and thumb. She looked at him straight to straight into his eyes, when he nodded to her, she couldn't stop herself from smiling at him. That spot, she forgot everything including she was engaged to someone. Over that time, if anyone asks her what's the name of her fiancé, she will look blankly at them.

She was too careful, she didn't touch his neck, but her fingers swiped his chest when she lost balance, his palm automatically came upwards and held her up. She desperately wanted to bust out at that spot. She felt him after a long time, over then she realized how every inch craving for his touch, that spot her mind made a very invalid comment to her brain. But she brushed away her thoughts.

"Fine, sir?" Anika asked him. He nodded without meeting her eyes. That spot, he again reminded her about the reality.

"Ready!" She asked the talkback and got the thumbs back from the team.

The interview finally started. Anika was at the backend reviewing the whole interview, but her eyes were fixed on the monitor which focused on his face rather than anything, for the first time, she couldn't be able to read his face, he was answering the host question with a slight smile in his face. Nothing was clearer than that. Over then, the unexpected happened.

"Sir, we heard that you got selected in the under19 team, but you didn't take it as your career, what stopped you during that time?" The host asked him. That question was not in her drafted list, anika was confused something else was happening.

"What the hell happening? Sai, this question is not in the draft. What the hell you're asking?" Anika asked the host from the talk-back. He didn't respond but continued waiting for his answer.

"Over that time, it was my dream. I should have convinced myself when I couldn't make up my selection when I was 16, but I was motivated, I was convinced that it was not a fate play but my game. Eventually, it caught me up and now I am here." He told tears crossed her eyes without her knowledge, when he couldn't make it to his selection, Anika was there next to him, supporting him. She never let him give up even he had that idea of giving up. She even slapped him twice for getting demotivated, but eventually, she couldn't be able to continue it.

"They say right, everything is happening for a reason," Shivaay said, Anika quickly wiped off the tears.

Now she got to know, it was his choice not recognizing her and she didn't want to trouble. If he wanted to move on from his part of life, he have all rights to doing it and anika never expected him to wait for her, neither she left any hopes with him. The interview ended in a good note, his employees took pictures and selfie's with him and Anika was there with him in a corner in every photograph with a wide smile in her face, because she knew it would be their last meeting, and she didn't want to prove or explain anything to him but heartfully happy for him and the way he smiled when the host asked about tia which was also not drafted by her, told he was making up a face before her. But whatever it was, it was one beautiful memory to cherish for a lifetime.

******

Gazing at her image in her pictures all he could feel was his old anika, his heart still couldn't believe that he met her and speak to her direct, more than that, they touched each other. For a second, he thought nothing changed between them. The way she possessively looked at the spot boy who made him uncomfortable was still in his eyes. For a second, he thought she might hit that poor boy. But he never thought she would fix the microphone on her own. His eyes didn't leave her for the whole time, for a while, he couldn't be able to believe that she was present before him, he dreamt about that situation a lot of times. In his every consequence, he would either yell at her for ghosting him or he cried out to her, but the reality was far different from his mere imagination. He didn't know it was because she moved on in her life, but he couldn't be able to raise his eyelids on her even after spotting her for the first time in the set, her inappropriate braid, and her stud got him back.

But it was his helplessness, he spent the rest of the day in astonishment after knowing about her marriage with some other guy, he should be a fool to think she must be thinking about him for seven years, who does that? Except him. Or he may be wrong.

"Khanna!" Shivaay called his chief security who accompany him everywhere.

"Sir!" He called him back.

"Anika Sebastian, the producer of this interview. I want to know everything about her, her single detail, even about her personal life." Shivaay informed him turning on his laptop.

"Su... Sure, Sir. The information will be in your table as soon as possible." He informed him; Khanna must be wondering about his sudden interest in any other girl. But he was either not in a situation to explain to anyone or to share anyone about her presence.

****

Past...

Anika went on to a silent mode after his confrontation, even though he presented a cool face before her, he was hell scared of her reaction. But thankfully she didn't take violence as a tool to correct him, even he was not ready to correct himself. He fell in love with her, that's it. He didn't know anything neither about the past or future, but he was sure about the present. But the twin sister lie busted him apart, he never thought she will cook up something like that. He saved her from further embarrassment. He couldn't be able to believe that she asked him to maintain distance in school just for pineapple pastries and Mango juices.

But she didn't let that trouble her game, she did it, shivaay was jumping in happiness when she finally won the match, He looked upon her for congratulating her, but she ignored him, again. Straightly walked to her dad. He expected a hug, but she ignored him.

"Hey. Congo, Tigress." He said raising his hand for a hi-fi when she was with her parent, talking. She looked at him and his hand, next. He knew she won't do anything in front of her mom.

"Thank you." She replied bluntly, ignoring his raised hand. But the smile in his face was still on. He didn't know why, but he felt she won't hurt him, this time.

"Wrap up everything by tonight and start preparing for exams, it's approaching, right?" Anika's mom informed everyone when they reached home. Shivaay started to feel no difference between his home and Sebastian's residence, and it was all because of the comfortability that was given by Anika and her family.

"Yes, I remember Anika would be helping you with Maths, right?" Sebastian, her father asked them. Anika spilled the drink and stared at her father shockingly. Shivaay couldn't be able to control his laughter seeing her condition.

"Yes, uncle, on equations," Shivaay added with a smile. Anika looked at him in the very next second.

"Maths, Annie. Algebra," Shivaay corrected gulping his smile. But everything was conveyed to her very clearly.

"I think everyone forgetting about his under nineteen selection matches. That's prior than anything else." Anika talked for the first time, shivaay felt like she placed a riddle inside her speech.

"That too! I know about shivaay, I am stress-free about his game. But exams, shivaay?" Anusha asked him, which provoked a smile in everyone's faces, even shivaay felt a bit awkward, but he liked the care that this family showing on him.

****

"Don't think about anything. Your concentration should be in your match, tomorrow, got it?" Anika told him while they were walking in the corridor. He was finally relieved when she started talking with him casually after two days when he thought of apologizing to her. She casually bumped inside his room and put him to study with a warning about the consequences after he fails in his exams. And it has been 10 days since he took that topic.

"Hey, what are you thinking?" Anika asked him again when he went silent.

"Nothing. I told dad about my match." He started. They stopped walking and took seats in the stairs.

"What did he say?" Anika asked him.

"He was neither excited nor showed any kind of emotions to it." He told it to her. Anika immediately picked his palms and held them tightly. He suddenly felt the relaxation in his mind. But he became silent instantly. For now, out of all, he was confused about them. Her actions started to torture, and he was feeling impatient minute by minute.

"What happened to you?" She asked him when he stood up from the place.

"No., I think... I am sleepy" he said and tried to walk. But she pulled his wrist and made him sit next to her, he lost his balance but didn't fall.

"That was it?" She asked him when he was stunned by her actions.

"No., there are many things," He said to her.

"Talk to me, I swear I won't beat you." Anika chuckled. He was confused for a while but smiled along with her when he found the missing rhythm between them. But he was taken back when she caressed his cheek in the next moment.

"That's it! Don't stress, I have no courage with me to lose you in my life." She said looking straight into his eyes. She stood up and raised her hand to him to stand up, he stood up holding her hand.

"Wait, what did you say?" He asked her when they stopped walking in front of his house door which was locked.

"What did I say? I didn't say anything." Anika chuckled at him.

"If you care for me and my sleep, please say." He insisted in front of her house.

"Oh my god, you're too stressed. I think you need Jaddu ki Jhappi." She said and hugged him in the very next moment. He was stunned, he didn't even raise his hand to hug her back, but she hugged him tightly.

"Don't think about anyone, I am feeling excited, hoping to see you selected in the national team, praying for you every moment. Don't demotivate yourself. I have confidence, Okay?" Anika asked him. Tears welled up in his eyes hearing her. He hugged her back tighter the next moment, her body heaved inside in his response and his lips slightly touched her shoulder.

"Do I have to say?" Anika asked him, hugging him. He smiled through tears and nodded no to her.

"Sure?" Anika asked him.

"Sure..." He spoke out. He didn't want mere words to eliminate the feelings and rhythm between them.

"As you wish." She chuckled and rocked his back, slightly tilted her face to his neck. He felt her breaths on his neck, over then, he realized nobody can take away her position in his life ever.

******