Chapter 8: Heat Burn Heart Burn

Shivaay scanned every bit of the place; no sign of her. Yet people were working as if under strict supervision.

"Bro, you should seriously give up your job of an electrician and take up the job of a food influencer. With the way you have been spending the entire evening hogging up biscuits as if they're the most apetizing dish ever WHILE I FIX UP THE AC issue, you fit better as a food influencer." Shivaay recognized her voice and her long monologue.

"Heyya Mr. All good there? Just a reminder, the tent needs to be put up today. Not a week after" she continued sarcastically.

Oh. So people were actually "under" surveillance. She was standing on a bamboo framework up, fixing the central AC. He glared at Khanna. "Sir I swear I told her thrice to only manage and not do anything herself".

He looked up at the ravishing beauty and sighed. Tight jeans made her bosom look even more alluring. She was wearing an off-shoulder yellow top. It was getting dark but she was still beaming, full of energy. She climbed down and he helped her with her last flight. "The heat was killing me! I wonder how the labourers got so much done in this heat. Good that this AC is fixed, tomorrow will be easier." she sighed wiping away sweat from her forehead. Shivaay looked on with awe.

He ordered two glasses of lemonade. They sat on the bench beside the pool and sipped it off in silence. Which, felt nice. Shivaay noticed a waitress at a distance cleaning the pool. "Look at that booty! She is SO HOT, isn't she?"

"Hmm"

Bingo! He felt proud of the place he had made in her heart. They finished off with the lemonade and she got up to collect the glasses. She was upset. It was as evident on her face as the cream is on ice cream! She held his glass, he held her hand. She jerked off his hand, the glass fell down. She bent to pick the pieces. "Why are you doing this? Let the cleaner take care of it" he screeched.

"Let me do it. What if that HOT cleaner gets hurt? You'll feel sad." This time, he did not feel proud of making her jealous. He should have understood her complexes.

He bent down too, staring at those lucky tresses kissing her face and disturbing her playfully. Everything he would love to do! She took a band and tied her hair up "Ouch" he hurt his finger, blood rushing out. All because, as her hair went up in a bun, yesterday's make out replay began in his mind, as it's mark displayed itself on her neck, with all its glory. The first gift to her, a hickey!

"What the hell Shivaay!" she screeched this time.

"The heat really got to you, see you got a sunburn here" he ignored her and lightly traced her entire neck with his cold fingers, she bit her lower lip, shut her eyes as she let the tingle of his touch sink in. He felt his heart race every time he witnessed her reaction to his touch. He leaned closer to her ear, his stubbled cheeks brushing her smooth ones, "Heat burn huh?"

Their moment broke as the same cleaner came with first aid. They pulled apart and Annika felt his gaze leave her and catch the cleaner. She took the first aid box and readied the ointment. As the cleaner turned to go, she tripped on the broken glasses. Before she could fall, Shivaay caught her, "Timing!" He smiled at the cleaner. Annika couldn't bear the posture in front of her eyes. His hand around her neck, other around her waist.

"Get your wound dressed in time too" Annika intervened. Shivaay let go of the cleaner and smiled, "you're jealous?"

Annika fake snorted, "Dream on". He tried to instigate her more.

"Actually, more than this heat burn I can sense your heartburn. Am I right?" Annika smirked again. Shivaay looked carefully and realized she was not teasing him. He waited for her to respond in any way so he could understand what was going on in her mind.

She finished with her dressing, stood up, took his other hand, and slammed the box in it.

"I know my place Mr. Shivaay Singh Oberoi. It might be on your venues making fake arrangements for your fake guests at a fake event, but nowhere in your real life or inside your real heart." Shivaay was taken aback, to say the least. She was not naive, she was just playing along. He was astounded at the layers that this woman's personality could have.

She smiled but it was bitter. "My life hasn't been a fairy tale and I don't expect to be a Cinderella either. So no, I am not foolish enough to attach my heart to things like last night or even this morning, no matter how good it felt at the moment." Another jolt of hurt punched Shivaay in his chest. Never had words hurt him as much as her being simply frank was hurting him. He really never thought if he and Annika had a future, he just wanted to go with his feelings.

Apparently neither did Annika, because she never thought they had one.

"Sorry to break it to you, but you are wrong for a change Shivaay, my heart doesn't burn, my heart doesn't hurt, my heart doesn't get stabbed or broken. Because I don't let people reach out to my heart." With that, she left.

Shivaay stood stunned as he watched her walk away. In an unbelievable turn of events, he ended up feeling all the above things in his heart. But he also didn't fail to notice how she couldn't look him in the eye when she lied to his face.

He whispered to himself, "Maybe you didn't Annika, but now you will."