19. Facing Her Past #2
"Aksh, no. Let this house be our vacation home. A place where we can come for a break, away from all the crowd."
"Okay, as you wish," Rakshit said immediately.
"Aksh, where are the peacocks?" Shivika asked curiously.
"You'll see them in the evening. They usually come around the house at that time," Rakshit replied.
"Okayy," she said softly.
They walked around for some time without speaking. Their hands remained intertwined. The silence between them was comfortable.
After a while, Rakshit motioned for her to go inside the house again. Shivika shook her head.
He nodded.
She shook her head again.
He nodded again.
She shook her head once more.
Before she could react, Rakshit suddenly picked her up in his arms.
"Aksh!" she exclaimed, immediately holding his neck, shocked by his sudden action, only to hear him laugh.
He carried her inside, made her sit on the sofa, and then sat beside her. Shivika lay down, resting her back against his chest, while Rakshit gently caressed her hair.
"Now what to do?" Shivika asked, getting bored.
"Talk to me," Rakshit replied.
She looked up at him. "About what?"
"About you," Rakshit said, moving a few strands of hair away from her face.
"Huh?" Shivika blinked, confused.
She realised then that he genuinely wanted to know every little detail, whether it was about her childhood, her friends, or her dreams.
"But only if you also tell me about your whole life till we met," Shivika said firmly.
"Ika, you know there was nothing good in my life," Rakshit replied, clearly not wanting to revisit the worst parts of it.
"Please, Aksh. Please," she pleaded.
He sighed softly. "Okay. You start first."
"So where should I start?" Shivika asked.
"From anything you're happy to share," Rakshit said, kissing her forehead.
"Aksh, I was an obedient yet mischievous kid in my family," Shivika began, smiling faintly.
"I used to show a lot of tantrums when I was a kid… and honestly, I still do."
Rakshit smiled.
"When I was five years old, I saw classical dance on TV. And that moment, I knew I wanted to do that," she said, chuckling softly.
"So I told Papa, and he immediately enrolled me in a dance class. And now here I am, a proper classical dancer," Shivika said, pride clear in her voice.
Rakshit imagined a little Shivika dancing around and smiled to himself.
"I was even looking for places to open my own dance academy," she continued. "And then suddenly… everything got ruined."
Her eyes brimmed with tears.
"Ika, you didn't tell me about your school life," Rakshit said quickly, trying to divert her.
"Ohh, Aksh, my school life and college life both were fun," she said, instantly lighting up. "You know, when I was in third class, I met a girl who was a complete opposite of me. A total boss-girl type. I didn't even know she would become my best friend."
"With her, I did so much fun. And till tenth, we had a group of six girls. People say such groups break with time, but ours stayed the same."
She smiled, lost in memories.
"Aksh, we even went to the same college," she continued. "Different courses, but still… so much fun."
Rakshit watched her quietly, watching a woman who had lived such a full, happy life, only to have it all taken away.
"It was my last year when I first saw Kritaarth," Shivika said, her voice shifting from happiness to pain.
"Ika, you can skip that part if you're not comfortable," Rakshit said, cupping her face gently.
"I want to, Aksh," she said softly.
A tear slipped from her eye. Rakshit leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"I met him through mutuals," Shivika continued.
"At first, it was nothing special. Just casual conversations, small talks. He seemed polite, well-mannered… safe," she said, staring ahead instead of looking at Rakshit.
Rakshit didn't interrupt. His arms tightened around her slightly, silently telling her he was there.
"Slowly, he became someone I talked to every day," she went on.
"He listened to me. Or at least, I thought he did. I was at a phase where everything was going well in my life, Aksh. Dance, friends, dreams. And he became a part of that routine."
She paused for a second, taking a deep breath.
"I trusted him," she said quietly. "I shared things with him I had never shared with anyone outside my family and friends. I thought… he understood me."
Rakshit closed his eyes for a brief moment but said nothing.
"But that night," Shivika continued, her voice heavy, "I realised I was always adjusting. My time, my plans, my priorities. Somewhere, I started losing myself."
She finally looked up at Rakshit.
"I didn't notice it then. Or maybe I didn't want to."
Rakshit brushed his thumb gently over her cheek, wiping the tear that slipped out.
"Aksh, I never wanted to cross that step," Shivika said, her voice trembling.
Rakshit's hands immediately came up to her face, holding it firmly yet gently, forcing her to look at him. His eyes searched hers, fear breaking through his calm.
"Did he… force you?" His voice cracked while asking.
"No," Shivika whispered. "It was mutual."
Rakshit closed his eyes for a brief second and took a deep breath, steadying himself.
"He told me he would come to my house with a marriage proposal once he got a job in his dream company," she continued. "He was preparing for it, working hard. I believed him."
She swallowed hard.
"It was his birthday night when he asked again. He didn't force me, Aksh… but he kept requesting. Again and again. I gave in."
Her voice broke.
He didn't force her body, Rakshit thought bitterly. He played with her mind.
Rakshit clenched his jaw.
That man hadn't touched her against her will, but he had manipulated her innocence, her belief, her love.
And that hurt Rakshit more than anything.