Her phone broke, he promised to get her new phone, but they crossed three phone shops in a row but still, his promise didn't cross his mind, she didn't know why but she felt weird even though he laughed and teased around her. But deep in her heart, some alarm was banging continuously.

"Well, Ani. You still like strawberry?" He peeped inside her thoughts and brought her to the present.

"Yes, I like the smell of strawberry! Why are you asking?" She asked him when they picked the strawberries from the fruit lender, he fed her one and asked her again. She was still confused about why he was asking the same thing again and again.

"Okay, let's go..." He held her hand and walked ahead without buying them. They just tasted them.

"You're confusing me! I don't know you're this much stingy." She asked him when they walked ahead. But he kept smiling, instead of taking cars, they decided to walk. And they constantly held their hands together while walking. That moment means a lot to her more than anything.

"I just asked to know your preference, you know..." He said casually.

"For what you want to know my prefer...." She stopped when she finally got about what he was talking about. And his sheepish smile throughout said everything to her even though he didn't spell a word further. Ok, it is happening.

"Finally..." He exclaimed a huge chuckle when he read her face and her face turned red even though she tried to maintain the same facial expression.

"You're impossible!" She said and tried to walk ahead but he pulled her to his side and made her face him in the middle of the pavement. They didn't speak anything for a while, it was the only topic which they decided to ignore when they were teenagers but this time, they can't ignore it. This has to happen one day. And one day will be anytime soon. She could feel that arriving.

"On a serious note. Are you ready?" He asked her finally. For a while, she couldn't figure out whether he got married to a person or Angel. Ever since she moved into Chennai or we can say adolescence, all the men she met never ask or wait for this long for consent. She was shocked when her ex-fiancé invited her to his best friend's wedding which lasts for three days before their wedding, even though he didn't say it, his actions to everything told her that he was expecting something else from her and she turned him down. Now looking at him, and the way he values her, she couldn't think anything further than this. And his question made her smile, he will know her answer.

"You know you're so cute when you're smiling like this." He whispered and pulled her further close to her.

"And you own this smile forever." She whispered back. When she slipped those words and looked back at his face, there was a wide smile and his eyes teared up. Is he feeling emotional? But for what? Everything going smoothly. And she couldn't see him in that state.

"You asked about my preference, right?" She asked him unexpectedly, and his expression changed in a second. She expected this. And his eyes shined, he was not emotional but curious.

"I prefer you, only you. Nothing else." She whispered and kissed his forehead. He looked at her confused for a while, but when she walked ahead, he finally understood and ran behind her.

"Hey... Wait..." He called her, she stopped walking with a sheepish smile and held his palm when he reached her. They didn't spell a word, but they are contented. Finally, all the dark clouds are fading away from her life.

***

How much he could try, he couldn't come over from it, it was not that image that was bothering him but the messages and the intentions of that bastard. By mistake, if anika saw that message, she would get shattered. And that fear overhead everything, he already saw the trailer of losing her forever and the way he felt helpless even though she was right before him, he could feel the hell over the earth. And now, he won't let that repeat, whatever it is, it will reach her after him. He produced this job for his most trustworthy secretary, Khanna. He was giving him updates every few minutes when he was shopping with her.

But when he feels, she was doubting him. He quickly changed the topic. He was on cloud nine with the way she reacted and her progress, not because they are stepping into some other phase in life, but she was ready to move on and let that part of her stay in past. But when he recalled the opposite happening in the reality, he couldn't feel the joy wholeheartedly.

"Sir, His name is Subash, once an addict, now a drug dealer. Its seen that he has been linked with Shreya who was Mrs. Oberoi's friend once. But for the past seven years, none of them are in touch with her."

Khanna messaged him, shivaay was there with Anika buying chocolates on a larger scale, he smiled and tasted the chocolate which she served.

"Let's try marshmallows," Shivaay said and made her move to the other display while he replies to Khanna's message. While then, he casually typed a reply message to Khanna.

"Now where's he? Any information about his recent update!" Shivaay asked.

"Try this!" Anika asked and served him as soon as he pressed the sent button and home screen. Even though he was hell nervous, he was acting casual with her. He ate the marshmallow and it melted in his mouth in the next second. He raised his eyebrows and signaled her thumbs up.

"Okay, shall we buy it?" She asked.

"Of course!" He said and kept his phone in his pocket.

"Shivaay! Is everything okay? It looks like something is bothering you and you're not ready to share it with me." She said and he felt his heart in his throat, but he was not ready to lose the game.

"Work! Nothing else." He replied to her without giving much information to her.

"Is that anything does with your father and me?" Again, she asked concerned, her eyes shined. For a while, he was out of words looking at her in a distressed state. But he instantly brushed it away with his smile and cupped her face.

"Trust me! Nothing serious." He said and kissed her forehead.

"I trust you." She replied and hugged him. His phone again chimed with a message. He was sure it was from Khanna, but he decided to ignore it.

"If you excuse me for a while, I will go and buy something for us." He said chuckling. She raised her head while smiling.

"For your birthday, Please Ani, don't be a spoilsport," he said when she nodded in disbelief.

"Okay! Drop me in the church! And pick me up from there after two hours." She suggested.

"That works." He said and held some of the bags from the bill counter and walked out. And he had a solid two hours to sort everything. Plus, he didn't want her to doubt him more, so they headed to the nearby phone shop.

"Will you deny if I buy you a phone with my money?" He asked her curiously.

"Definitely Not! Ask me why?" She replied to him in a cherishing tone.

"Because your husband's money is your money," He asked her in expectation.

"No, you are the one who broke my phone! And it's your responsibility to buy me a new one! And I want the latest one!" She insisted, and they both busted to laugh. Shivaay purposefully bought her iPhone instead of an Android one as retrieving the message from an Android phone will be very difficult.

"What about the sim?" He asked her even though it was with him safe.

"I couldn't find it. We have to go to customer care." Anika said.

"Okay, let's buy a new sim for now, and sort it tomorrow. Already we are getting late." Shivaay said and Anika nodded to his plan. Even though everything was going by his plan, he felt bad for lying to her and keeping her under the shade. But he has left with no options. When he excused himself to open the message, he finally saw the message he waited for.

"He's on his way to Ooty sir. And we are tracking him. As you asked, I informed the commissioner about him. Police are ready waiting in the check post to arrest him."

"And his phone and gadgets?" Shivaay asked.

"We hacked it," Khanna replied.

And that's the end of anyone who tries to trouble his wife.

***

Anika was waiting for her husband in the church for the past two hours, still, he didn't show up. She had spoken with the father and gave him all the needed things for Christmas. And now she sat on the benches and looked at the Jesus idol waiting for him. For a while, nothing was going inside her mind other than the excitement of the future she was going to spend with him.

"Hey! Am I late?" He asked while taking a seat next to her. She turned around him the next second with a smile.

"Yes, a bit, but not too late." She replied to him.

"I am glad..." He pulled her to his shoulder.

"Advance happy birthday, sweetheart." He said while kissing her forehead, and she knew her 26th birthday will turn out to be the best birthday she ever celebrated.

****