Anika was sleeping with Mallika and just then she got a call. She cut it in sleep. It rang again and she picked it up. ‘Hallo,’ she said sleepily. ‘Anuuu, forgot me?’, said the person on the other end of the phone. As she heard the voice, she woke up with a jerk in excitement. ‘Shivaay?’, she said with a smile. ‘Yes, it’s me, have you been sleeping?’, he asked. ‘Yes, I was tired of shopping,’ she replied. ‘Uh-oh, you still didn’t change,’ he said teasingly. ‘Nope, I really didn’t wanted to go but what to do? My marriage date is fixed,’ she told him.

Shivaay shifted the phone on his other ear hearing this. ‘Marriage?’, he asked, his voice broken. ‘Yes,’ she replied. ‘With me?’, he asked. ‘No, someone else, seriously,’ she said. ‘But Anika, we decided to marry each other and talk to our parents about that, I know we aren’t in a relationship but we’re best friends, and it would be good if we get married, we know everything about each other, I will keep you happy always,’ he said. ‘Shivu, even I wanted that, I even made up my mind to talk to my parents about marriage with you, and just then they told me they’ve got an alliance for me,’ she said sadly.

‘Is he good? What’s his name?,’ he asked. ‘Daksh Agarwal, and no , he’s a flirt, we met in someone’s marriage and danced with each other unknowingly as we weren’t face to face, then when I got to know about him being behind me, he danced with me like lovers do and embarrassed me, now this marriage,’ she said rolling her eyes. ‘So why aren’t you telling your parents?’, he asked. ‘No, now date is fixed, I told yes, shopping is done, what to say now? I don’t want my parents to get embarrassed in front of someone,’ she said creasing her eyebrows.
‘OK, then run away one day before marriage,’ he suggested. ‘If I do this, then there won’t be any insult? When are you coming back from Italy?’, she asked. ‘Tomorrow, then I will try talking to them and they won’t know you said this, ok? Done?’, he asked with a smile. ‘I know their reaction but still, you can try,’ she said. ‘OK, I will try, but first of all I would like to tell all this to your sister,’ he said. ‘She’s sleeping right now,’ she told him.
‘I will tell later, no worries, you can sleep if you want, I will call later I guess, but I want you and your sister to receive me from airport,’ he said. ‘Sure, ok bye, miss you,’ she said and disconnected the call. She slept again with a smile. Later that day, at evening, she heard familiar voices and went downstairs. She smiled as she saw who’s it. ‘Somu, Surbhi,’ she exclaimed and went to them with open arms and hugged both of them. They too smiled seeing her.

‘Congratulations,’ Surbhi said. ‘Thank you,’ she said breaking the hug. ‘Come, let’s sit together in my room and talk,’ she said and went followed by them. As they reached the room and sat inside, their talks started and it was never ending. ‘Somu di is also marrying just after you,’ Surbhi said smilingly. ‘Congrats, love marriage?’, Anika asked. ‘Yes,’ Soumya replied shying. ‘Congrats, we’re always partners in crime, so tell me everything, how you both met, everything,’ Anika said excitedly keeping her hand on hers. ‘We know each other since childhood, we used to fight at small things but as we grew up, we developed love for each other and talked to our parents, they agreed,’ Soumya said blushingly.

Anika looked down as she said that. Surbhi sensed something wrong and kept her hand on her shoulder. ‘What happened?’, she asked. ‘Somu, you know what? You’re really lucky that you got who you wanted, even I decided to marry my best friend but before that, my parents fixed my alliance,’ she said sadly. ‘Whatever happens is for good, why don’t you tell your parents?’, Surbhi asked. ‘What will they say now? It will be an insult of them,’ she said creasing her eyebrows.
‘If he’s in your fate, you’ll surely get him,’ Soumya said. ‘Ok leave all this, mummy made kheer, will you both eat?’, she asked. ‘Yes,’ they said in unison and she went smiling at them and met Mallika on the way who stopped her. ‘Di, Somu and Surbhi has come, you go sit with them, I will bring kheer for you all,’ she smiled and ran away. Mallika too went to her room. ‘Sasrikaal,’ she greeted them and they too greeted her. ‘So what did you talk about?’, she asked sitting in front of them. They looked at each other before speaking.
‘We were talking about Somu di’s love life, actually she’s getting married just after Anika’s marriage, that’s it,’ Surbhi spoke forcing a smile on her face. ‘Congrats Soumya, but what’s this fake smile for?’, she asked knowingly. Surbhi narrated everything to her. ‘I think she’s not willing to do what she wants,’ Surbhi said. ‘No ways Subu, I m not going to do this, what will they think of me?’, Anika said serving one bowl to each of them. ‘Chhoti,’ Mallika said but was cut in between. ‘Di, Shivaay is coming back tomorrow and he wants us to receive him,’ Anika said changing the topic.
The trio looked at each other as she walked off. Next day, Anika and Mallika were waiting for taxi when Daksh came there and was just behind them. He didn’t see them but stumbled as he accidentally got pushed by someone and collided with them, as they turned, he too turned as someone tapped on his shoulder. ‘Tia?’, he exclaimed and hugged her. As Anika heard his voice, she came towards them and seeing her, they broke the hug. She looked at him with a blank look on her face. Mallika stood beside her.
(What do u think will happen next?)