She opened her eyes to the light she felt on her face, but it was not like a usual morning, she felt strong and comforting arms around her, and she was hugging a man next to her. She had no idea when they ended up in the bed and when she dozed off in his embrace but now, she was here, close to him, in his arms, holding her protectively. A smile appeared in the corner of her lips when she saw him sleeping so peacefully next to her. She didn't know how many minutes would have passed, but she keeps staring at him and recalling his words and how he still sees her as the woman who stole his heart once, even though it happened accidentally, and she had no intention towards it. She had started to develop feelings for him from the start.

Over then, there was a knock on the door, and he struggled to open his eyes. She smiled at his antics when he still looked like a kid who struggles to wake up from sleep, but at last, he opened his eyes and stared at her. She didn't get hesitated but continued her powerful stares at him. Soon his grip around her body loosened, her heart started to miss him already.

"It's 10 already! We are late!" He said looking at the clock to her side. Wait for what! She slept till 10, how was it possible? Not believing his words, she turned around and saw the clock, it turned 10.

"Impossible" She muttered and sat up to see her phone, she grabbed it from the table beside her and checked the time. It said the same.

"You used to sleep till 12, forgot?" Shivaay asked in his sleepy tone. He again recalled her the old anika.

"But I never slept till this time in the past eight years." She whispered to him. He was silent, and but there was a knock on the door again to interrupt the moment between them. He got up from the bed before her and addressed the door. It was Jhanvi waiting for them.

"Come in, Maa." He welcomed her with a smile. But she couldn't smile or react to anything.

"I just wanted to check..." She stopped when Anika towards the door to greet her.

"She's fine!" Shivaay completed her sentence while turning towards her with a smile. She couldn't smile back; she didn't know what was stopping her to express her feeling with him, but she couldn't respond to any of his efforts.

"That's great to know" Jhanvi said and walked towards her. She held her face with her two palms.

"I won't annoy you with my advice, baby. But I know you're smart, strong, and most importantly God blessed you with the blessing of overcoming anything. Just be you! That's enough." She said and kissed her forehead. Shivaay nodded positively to her, Anika felt herself as a fool when she got afraid to contact them before 7 years and confess everything. They never changed. Not even a bit.

"Sorry" She whispered. She didn't know how the word 'aunty' slipped from her mouth, but she wanted to apologize for the mistake she did.

"It's okay. Don't call me 'aunty' hereafter?" She replied while pinching her cheek with love.

****

"Okay! You both get ready soon and accompany us for breakfast! And shivaay, first day in your in-laws house, this is how you will behave?" Jhanvi mocked him even in the hurry, but he didn't get annoyed. This morning was quite different, he won't say it was the best morning, but he could say he felt peaceful after so many days. Anika smiled at her mock which enlighten the morning more beautiful. He knew she meant those words when he asked her whether she trust him or not.

"Okay fine!" He said and closed the door behind as soon as she left.

"So." He asked her.

"So..." She replied.

"Breakfast!" He said pointing his thumb to outside.

"For that, you have to get ready first." She mocked him straightly. He afraid whether his hormones were working fine, because from morning instead of getting annoyed for mocking, he's feeling enlighten and smiling widely. He entered the washroom smiling widely. He never expected that everything will go well in their first interaction itself, but it happened, and he knew she must have buried all the negative thoughts about them in her mind and decided to give a try. I hope she does.

****

The smile in her face didn't take name of fading away, but she got afraid to stay smiled and happy for a long time as she didn't want jinx herself which will ruin the whole moment. While then, she got a call from Bhavya who decided to start the production of the short film for the story she had written, she tried a lot to convince anika to direct again but she was not ready for it. She decided to quit directing the films and concentrate on her media career, she couldn't forget that she got a job offer from Dubai for Radio programme producer. For now, she couldn't think about that job when her grandma was too ill. But she let Bhavya to direct her story, at least she could see her imagination in screens. She started to look for it in her wardrobe while then she heard the door of the washroom open. She ignored her raising heartbeat and frequent deep breaths and continue to search for it.

"Hey! Ani! Can you pass me my shirt?" He jerked her with his voice, but she remained calm with her expressions. She nodded to his request and turned around. She couldn't help but startle at his shirtless figure. Such a tease. And she knew he was doing it on purpose. But she was not going to fall into his trap. Sorry sweetheart.

"Don't you have your own hands and legs to help yourself?" She asked while looking at his face. While then she took the script from the wardrobe and kept it in the study table under a paper weight.

"I know about you very well, item number." She said taking her clothes to go inside the washroom. He didn't reply anything to her for a while but smiled sheepishly as if she caught his lies.

"How could I forget? You have done your Ph.D. in ignoring the hottest guy of your life?" He replied in a teasing tone. Well, that's true.

"Hottest guy? You? Please!" She tried to ignore him again and tried to go past him inside the washroom. But he stopped her by her wrist and keep her before his sight. If she knows about him, it was obvious that he knew about her as much.

"Then, why are you running away?" He asked chuckling.

"Excuse me. Who's running away? I am getting late also hungry!" She replied to him and tried to get away from his grip. But he didn't let her go.

"Hungry for what?" He asked her again.

"Enough! Whom you think you're?" She asked him in a slight high tone.

"I was tagged as 'recent crush' in social media." He replied to her, he was right. After that interview got telecasted, meme creators started referring him as crush. She can't deny the fact that he looked breath-taking in that interview, and she watched thrice in the name of quality check before it gets telecasted in the channel.

"And you should know who's the reason behind that? I am the one who directed the whole interview. If I focused your two missing teeth, this wouldn't have happened." She said to him straight.

"That's how you let me know how you look at me in your point of view? And the effect I became a recent crush." He whispered to her while pulling her a little close to him. She felt the chills inside. The gut in her stomach pulled up when he moved further close to her reading her breath. When his eyes fell on her lips, her lips automatically yearned to get kissed by him. But suddenly, there was a pause, her mind jammed when the thoughts she wanted to be forgotten aroused inside her out of a sudden. She bowed her head down. And there was an unusual silence between them. She held his shoulder for support without raising her head to him.

"It's okay! I love you!" He said and planted a kiss on her forehead and let her go away from his grip. But she stayed right there, holding his shoulder, and looking at the floor. In no moment, he moved his hands to her waist and pulled her slightly. She felt guilty but she couldn't let her past thought to ruin their beautiful moment, she moved both of her arms to his neck and wrapped it around.

"Ani..." He whispered against her forehead.

"Hmm." She responded.

"Okay?" He asked, she raised her head to his face and nodded no to him. He engulfed her to hug them the next moment.

"Everything will be fine!" He said and hugged her tight to his body until she started to feel suffocating to breathe. But she loved this intimacy. And everything became fine when he hugged her, and she inhaled his presence.

"I love you" She wanted to say, but instead she smiled widely looking at his face. He smiled back while kissing her again on her forehead. She knew he didn't want her to say anything. But the moment broke abruptly when Bhavya rushed inside out of a sudden and turned around when she saw them in that state. They immediately broke the hug and shivaay started to search for his shirt.

"I... I... came for the script. I am sorry, I should have knocked on the door." She spoke and rushed out.

"That's Bhavya for you, my college junior." Anika gave a proper introduction to her when he still stared at her in shock.

"Once you get ready! Give this to her. She's running late for her work." Anika said to him while pointing her finger to the script which was on the table. But he hardly responds, his face turned red, and she couldn't stop herself from pulling his cheek and kissing him on his cheek.

****

"Bhavya..." Shivaay called her friend holding the script in his hand to give her. Shivaay had no idea what it was but doing it as she said. And their moment, their conversation while before taking him down to the memory lane where they used to tease and love each other as nobody does. But he felt something was stopping her from being herself, and he knew it won't be lost longer. And he was steady in his thought that whatever happened they have nothing to do with it and soon he hoped his woman also understand it and move on.

"Yes," Bhavya responded and walked towards him, holding the croissant she was eating. Jhanvi and Saahil arranged the table with a lopsided smile on their faces. And he felt this was how every newly married couple will feel like.

"Ani asked me to give this to you," Shivaay said while dragging his eyes out from reading their faces.

"Sorry, it was my habit to rush inside her room just like that! Hereafter I will knock, I swear." Bhavya apologized to him for making him too uncomfortable.

"It's okay. But what's this?" Shivaay asked her.

"Script!" She said.

"Bhavya, why can't you join us for breakfast?" Jhanvi asked her while interrupting their conversation.

"No thanks, Aunty, I am running late!" Bhavya protested gently.

"Think again! We made grill cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, idlies, and chicken curry, which is made by the super chef, jhanvi Chopra." Saahil tempted her like he used to tempt his sister. He chuckled looking at him.

"I am going to kill you, Saahil. But we can't let food to wait for us," she said and walked towards the dining table. Shivaay walked towards the table to help them but saahil denied taking help from him.

"What are you doing, brother-in-law? It's the bride's family's job. You sit and relax; we are there to take care of your every need." Saahil responded dramatically and made him in the chair, while Jhanvi gulped the smile.

"Thank you! Saahil" he said and sat on the chair in a confused state. But Jhanvi was smiling without meeting his face.

"Why are you pulling his leg, Saahil?" Anika's grandmother walked out of her room and asked him. She took a seat in the dining. While everyone chuckled at his condition except saahil. Over then, Anika arrived and sat next to shivaay in her satin pink top and jeans. She was fresh and didn't wear a pinch of makeup. Then too, she looked breath-taking to shivaay, he couldn't take his eyes off from her for a while until he heard a throat clearing sound from saahil.

"Hello everyone!" She greeted everyone and passed the smile to shivaay.

"Early bird is late! Is everything okay, my love?" Greta started and everyone smiled silently.

"Mrs. Greta Alexander! I am perfectly fine! Thanks for asking!" Anika replied in her usual swag, shivaay turned his face to her. They just got caught hugging for that the whole family was teasing them as if they committed a crime.

"And you said you're running out of time, what happened?" Anika questioned bhavya.

"I can tell them I'm stuck in traffic" Bhavya replied.

"What if you are stuck in traffic?" Anika asked her.

"I will tell them I am stuck in heavy traffic," Bhavya replied while stuffing idlies in her mouth.

"So, bhavya was saying..." Her grandmother said and everyone chuckled except shivaay and Anika who were embarrassed to hell. Out of a sudden, Anika held his palm and raised it to them uniting their fists together.

"Guys, you know right? We are married!" She asked everyone.

"Anika, we know we are married, but please let me complete my sentence." Her grandmother asked her.

"Yes," Anika asked.

"She said you are giving up the idea of directing your story 'Butterfly'?" Her grandmother asked her out of a sudden. There was a pang of silence in the room after she asked that question. Shivaay was confused and he didn't know anything about it.

"She has been working on the script for the past three years." Greta cleared his confusion. And he was as shocked as everyone.

"No. I was about to say it at the right time, but... I think it's the right time." Anika started, for an unknown weird reason, shivaay felt tense as if she was giving up on directing.

"I am giving up on directing, I can't do it anymore." She said and his fears came true, nobody could speak a word after she said that.

"Anika. I thought you are taking a break." Bhavya asked her.

"No, I am not taking a break! I can't do movies," She replied to Bhavya. When shivaay was about to ask anything, her grandma interrupted.

"You decided?" She asked.

"Yes," She replied.

"Then. It's fine!" Grandma replied to it in an understanding tone.

"Why are drinking tea? You hate it, right?" Out of a sudden, Anika turned towards him and asked. He couldn't respond to her in shock.

"I will bring some coffee for you." She said and made her way towards the kitchen.

"I hope you remember about my request for a long drive!" Her grandma asked her.

"We will go, Paati," she said in an understanding tone.

"Ani. I have another request." Her paati asked.

"What?" She asked.

"I know you will get depressed! But I want to go Connor. I know you hate visiting that place, but this is my last Christmas and I want to celebrate it there." Her paati asked, her tone was very tender yet hurting. But Anika sat back on the chair. While then he recalled her words where her parent's car was stuck on the top of the cliff. And he heard her saying about Connor and Nilgiris popularly called as queen of hills. And now, they were patiently waiting for her decision.

*****