She felt relaxed! Genuinely it has been a month of stress and pain that constantly hit her from every side. Now after facing the situation, she was scared off, she felt relaxed and trouble-free. Or it's because she came to know the reason behind his absence. But her heart never wanted to raise the expectation for that. When her parents died, more than their absence, pity eyes of third, unknown people scared her more, she didn't want anyone constantly reminds her that she was having none in this world, and she's an orphan. But today, when he hugged her, she felt the same, that she's alone and he has a responsibility that's her.

"Where were you?" Anika finally asked him when they made their way back to her grandmother's ward. She was forced to ask this question to match up with him when her grandmother ask him anything about his work and absence. For her, they were talking all night and that was the main reason behind her dark circle and sudden weight loss.

"I went for an NGO work, recently our company started investing on these NGO's. You did a documentary about musahars. Our NGO is currently working on their welfare." He spoke out of sudden; her heart skipped a beat. The person she knew would never even do a handshake to a random person. And he also acknowledged the documentary she did, even that documentary didn't reach 2k views on YouTube.

"I stayed in their place at their place, I was shocked to know that they are getting paid only in two digits for the work they do and some of them are jobless, doesn't know anything about the government orders." He added, she couldn't believe that he stayed with them.

"Wait, did you stay with them for the whole month?" She asked in surprise, how much she control, her tone said so.

"Yes, they didn't have accessibility towards a basic need, nobody has a phone over there and there's no tower, but my people are working on it. Our workshops are going on." He said with concern. But Anika still couldn't believe it.

"You didn't even do a handshake with a random person, aren't you suffering from OCD?" She asked him out of sudden, he turned towards her with a smile covering his lips, and his eyes now focusing on her.

"I am not school-going-teen anymore. And I admired that documentary which made me take this step." He replied looking at her face, and she became stuck for a while. She couldn't speak anything but walked along with them.

"We-well... What's being their response?" She asked.

"Initially there were zero, to be honest. But after we started giving free lunch for the people who attend the workshops, the number increased. Now we have to plan for their placements once they successfully finish their workshop." He replied to her. This kind of help she expected from the government and tried a lot to cover the issue, not only in muhasars, but there were also millions of people in the country who have no access to anything. But when it is happening, she couldn't help but heartfully felt happy for his work. But she didn't express any of that and they walked inside the ward where everyone waiting eagerly for them. But his grandmother's eyes shined when they entered together inside the ward.

"Can we discharge her?" Anika asked Saahil who looked at her with the expectation in his eyes. But she responded to none of that neither did she meet Jhanvi's eyes who stared at her with a smile.

"Yeah, we can," Saahil replied, and Anika walked towards her grandmother and packed her reports inside the bag while shivaay take them from her hand and asked her to take care of her grandmother, when Saahil and shivaay left to take the car, Jhanvi and Anika helped Greta in changing her clothes and walked her to the parking lot. Bhavya excused herself from the parking lot to her work, while Anika has no option but to travel with shivaay. He took the keys and drove the car for them. Before Anika could take the backseat, jhanvi sat next to her grandmother and she sat next to shivaay passing a slight smile on her face. It has been an hour since they met, but still, she couldn't get comfortable with him.

***

"Don't think much! I am used to taking couch!" He smiled when she felt awkward when they were pushed together to stay in her room. Her room caught his attraction it was nothing like her old room but incredibly beautiful than that, she stuck the picture of all her recent achievements on the walls. Her room is connected to the ocean side and has a huge window to view the beauty of Elliot's beach. But he didn't find any of her family pictures in her room. They had their picture in the hallway, but he could find none of her old pictures in the room.

And the couch was next to the window. When they were married, they were straightly taken to the apartment that her grandmother gifted her for their marriage, and he didn't feel at home even though everything was perfect. From there they have to part their ways, shivaay to his work. Anika to her movie. Automatically the refreshment he felt while before was gone when recalled their separation.

"No need, sleep on the bed!" She replied out of sudden. There was a sudden bang on his head, and he was all awake and full-on consciousness with her words.

"What?" He asked.

"I said you can share the bed with me." She replied more clearly to him. At then, he wanted to know what was going inside his lady's mind, but he felt hard to trace it out, but he could at least guess that she didn't them to get intimated at this moment.

"Okay..." He replied and she disappeared inside the washroom while he opened the transparent window and let the fresh ocean breeze enter the room. There was a smile on his face, he didn't know but he felt confident that their life will become normal like before. But when he saw her emerging out from the ward, he thought everything was done between them. But now, he felt a ray in darkness, and soon there will be a dawn, he said to himself.

Wearing a knee-length pajama and t-shirt, she walked outside with creams tubes in her hand, she didn't see him but walked towards the bed and sat on it while keeping her toes on the bed. He sat on the couch and watched her; however, he tries he couldn't be able to take his eyes off his lady.

"I have dry toes, so I have to apply moisturizer on my toes, is anything abnormal in that?" She asked him, he felt sarcasm in her tone.

"No." He replied.

"Then why are you staring at me like this?" She asked looking at him straight. He felt that usual jerk in his heart but didn't reply to anything.

"There's nothing in the room living who I could stare at, it's one and only you." He replied, she nodded in disbelief and continued massing her toes. But he didn't wait here, he walked towards her and sat opposite towards her while he took her toes a little backward.

"Can I ask you one thing?" He asked.

"Yeah..." She replied with a deep breath accompanied.

"Why there are no pictures of Anusha aunty and Sebastian uncle in your room?" He asked, she didn't reply for a while and continued to massage her toes.

"We have their picture... in the drawing-room." She replied. Her tone was too hesitant.

"But..." He tried.

"This room is a part of my new present. I don't have space for the people of my past but not my present." She said while continuing her work. He felt a strong pain inside him when she said that which clearly said that her wounds were still fresh, and she still couldn't accept her parent's departure. When she closed the lid of the cream and set it ready for the bed, he held her palm with all claims, she didn't refuse him.

"Ani, it happened! They had no choice for it. Otherwise, would they ever think of leaving you?" He asked, his eyes welled up when he asked that question, even it was huge for shivaay to sink into the information they are no more in this world, in their lives.

"Let me confess you this. I never told this to anyone, even to my therapist." Anika spoke, her tone was strong.

"When dad's car was stuck in the cliff, I was in the back-seat. My mom was next to my dad holding his palm tight. Dad was holding the break and unlocked the car door for both of us. Dad was requesting both of us to get out of the car, but mom didn't move instead promised me that she will get down once I get down from the car. Mere hearing her promise, I got down from the car and waited for my mom and dad. Even that time, she asked me to call for help, I did. I just stepped five steps away from them. And they were already gone!" She said, and he could play the entire thing in his head and felt a strong stab in his heart. He couldn't speak anything.

"I don't know, but she knew it, I will get messed up without her. Then too, she chose it and died, you know I couldn't believe they were dead for a couple of months. I was in a daze and rich, had loads of money which paved a new way for me, I don't know what to blame and whom to blame, its maybe my mistake, but drugs got me, and I became nothing but use and throw tissue." She said and he couldn't take it. He placed his palm on her lips to stop her from saying, he knows he triggered her to say that, but he couldn't take it, she faced hell during that time. And there was nobody around her.

"Please don't say that!" He whispered while moving close to her. He particularly ignored her dark past to think anything about it, but when she spelled out on her own, he couldn't stop himself from breaking down, the girl who changed him, his viewpoint, and his life suffered without any support. But before he could say anything, she distanced herself and moved away from there.

***