Shivaay's Pov

"Ani, wake up?", I asked whispering in her ear. She normally woke up early but not today.

"Sleep", she whispered back. I rolled my eyes and tried to caress her cheek but it was burning.

"You're burning, babe", I told her in a low voice, she replied with "hm" which made me feel more concerned for her.

"Open your eyes, my dear", I rubbed circles on her cheek. She slowly opened her eyes, which were slightly red and shot me a small smile.

"I feel tired", she told me. I sighed not knowing what to do, apart from calling the doctor. My family was supposed to arrive in the evening.

"Please, stay", her eyes glimmered and she pulled off the blanket as a sign for me to join her in bed. So, I did what she wanted me to.

"Those tensed lines on your forehead don't look nice", she said while touching my forehead with her burning tips.

"Maybe because I don't like seeing you this way", I shrugged my shoulder. It was true that I had no idea where I stood with Anika but one thing was clear, that I did care.

"Aren't you hungry?", I asked looking at her and she giggled.

"I'm always hungry", she answered and I felt a bit relieved.

"But strangely not today", and that's what I didn't want to hear.

"What's wrong? Have you been worrying about something too much?", I asked her, trying to find out the reason behind her suddenly falling ill.

"I don't know. I think it's you", Anika looked away and I furrowed my brows in confusion.

"How can it be me?", I asked her gently.

"You confuse me", and she turned her head back towards me, resting it on my chest.

"So, do you", I mumbled into her hair.

When Anika had fallen asleep once again, I called the doctor and left the bed to make a meal for her.

When I was back with some soup, Anika was already awake, staring out of the window. Her eyes held a longing that I couldn't seem to figure out.

"What are you thinking about?", I asked her which made her startle a bit.

"To be precise, you", and my heart did this thing again where it starts racing quickly and I feel a whole zoo in my stomach.

"And to be more precise, what about me?", I took a seat besides her, with the tray now resting in my lap.

"I think I can't digest the fact that we're doing this now", she told me with a shivering voice.

I didn't know what to say. We had a lot of ups and downs in the past few days that everything we did, seemed confusing. As if we weren't supposed to. As if we weren't meant to.

"Don't think about it too much", I ordered her but that only seemed to irritate her.

"How am I not supposed to? What if I fall and you don't catch me", she raised her voice at the end.

In that moment, it struck me...hard, that Anika was scared of me. Of the thought of us. It terrified her.

"I'm not supposed to take risks, Shivaay", she told me and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Why, we're trying?", I asked, the soup turning cold just like me.

"Because it might be easy for you to move on. You can have everything you want because you have power. I don't have it, I'm poor. And this game could cost me a lot. I fear, that it. might be ruin me", a drop of tear managed to fall down her hot cheek.

"And what if it's the other way round?", I glared at her.

"I can't be...I've gone way to far in this game", she looked at me and my eyes widened a bit.

"What are you trying to say?", my heart kept throbing. I didn't want her to love me, not yet, when I wasn't sure if I loved her too.

"Nothing. You'll just have to understand it yourself", her voice sounded blank.

I felt suffocated, so I left from there. When I entered the lounge room, I found my family entering the mansion at the same time. Adding up to my irritation.

"No welcome back?", Rudy asked me and I smiled. Omkara was standing beside him, when I pulled away I looked at him.

After a moment, I found myself hugging him too. Omkara and I had a bound so strong, which I destroyed when I turned into this monster.

"Hey, buddy", I whisperer and hugged him tightly. I missed him.

"Is everything okay?", he asked me... like always.

"Yes", I answered and pulled away, walking towards Dadi.

When I pulled away after hugging Dadi, I found Mrs. Oberoi standing in front of me. I clenched my fist, trying to not say something which would ruin the mood.

But when she smiled, something burned inside me. I wanted to see her suffering. And I opened my mouth to say something, but stopped when I heard the name.

"Anika", Omkara called her and I turned my head, only to find her standing at the stairs, looking like a mess.

She looked at me and then at my family. Her face still should signs of anger and I feared she'd burst out in front of them.

Anika walked into the lounge and greeted everybody. She hugged Omkara and Rudy.

"You don't seem okay", Omkara stated and I looked at her. He turned his head towards me and rose his eyebrow.

"What have you done to her?", he sneered and I looked at him confused. Why would he think I'm behind her being ill?

"What?", I exclaimed, slightly furious.

"She's fucking burning. Wonder she's still conscious. This must been you torturing her. We shouldn't have left her with you, it was...", and before he could've finished the sentence, I threw a fist on him.

Reality hit me like a bus, and I realized, I had just hit my brother. Everybody looked at me shocked. Some with fear, others...disgusted.
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Amna xx