Shivika - A story to unfold

♡ Chapter 22- Dinner ♡

~ Temple

~Annika

Unknown to both of them, someone listened to their conversation. The person looked at Annika one last time and left toward the dining hall.

Annika sat there, gazing toward the gate entrance, thinking about the previous conversation. She now understood that he had been trying since yesterday to ask her for friendship. He was nervous from yesterday, and her silence only added to his discomfort and made him hurt. His face dropped upon receiving her silence, leaving her somewhat restless.

What should she do? She had accepted this proposal because of a plan. This relationship held no future, and by agreeing to his friendship, she would be somewhere raising false hopes about their future together. She didn't want to inflict more pain on him. Her actions today might hurt him for a while, but accepting his friendship would only prolong his suffering and hurt him more. He better accept that she is not worthy to be a friend. She is hoping that he will avoid her from now on.

Friendship is a pure bond. When she is pretending in this relationship, and the whole thing is a lie, then how can she be a friend to him? If she does friendship, then it's like betraying a friend. Betrayal coming from a friend gives the worst heartbreak. She doesn't want to do that. This is one of the main reasons why she didn't want to do friendship with him.

She is thinking about all these by looking at the exit of the temple. He still didn't come yet. She thought he is going to clear his mind and will come inside. There was another way to the dining hall from outside. So maybe he went from there, she thought.

That thought confused her because he won't go alone, but whatever she did now he doesn't want to face her. Maybe? She thought.

She knows that Khanna is waiting outside the temple, so Annika messaged Khanna while going towards the dining hall.

She entered there and saw other family members except Shivaay. Youngsters are standing in the isolated corner. She reached near them. Rudra smiled at her.

"Annika didi, where is Bhaiya?" Rudra asked, looking behind.

Before she could answer, his phone started ringing.

"Shivaay bhaiya is calling me now?" Rudra looked confused and lifted the call. Listening to the other side made him frown. Noticing that made Annika alert. With Veer still roaming outside, it can be risky for him to go alone. But Khanna is outside waiting for him, and there is no way Veer or his mom can plan any attack now, then what's the reason?

Om, who noticed his expression, signaled him to put the phone on speaker.

"What happened, Shivaay? Everything okay?" Om asked him.

"Yes, Om, I urgently need to attend one online conference now. They asked me suddenly, and it's an important one so I can't avoid. I informed Ms. Raizadha about it already. You all will take care of everything there, right?" Shivaay asked.

"What is this, bhaiya? You didn't even have your lunch today, now you are going to skip dinner too? Today is a festival; why can't you business people understand this," Rudra cribbed at him on the phone with a frown on his face. A frown formed on Annika's face too, listening to Shivaay's words. She knows that he doesn't have any conference now. He left without eating because of her. His voice is sounding low. Even after getting hurt, he told that he informed her already so that no one can misunderstand her. Everything is making her somewhat restless now.

"It will take more time for dinner there, and I don't have much time for the conference. We have to do Annadhan first, so no problem. I will have my dinner here in some restaurant before going home. You people don't worry about that," Shivaay said from the other side.