43. Raksha Bandhan #2
"Good morning, aunty. What is all this?" Shivika asked, closing the door behind her.
"Actually, the vegetables and fruits were finished, so Rakshit told me to bring fresh ones from the market beside my house. Only good and healthy quality vegetables and fruits come there," Rashmi aunty explained as she started taking everything out of the bags.
She carried them towards the kitchen to wash everything properly.
"Ohh..." Shivika nodded before sitting on one of the dining chairs. "Then you must have brought them from there earlier too?"
"Yes," Rashmi aunty replied while washing the vegetables.
"Throughout your whole pregnancy, Rakshit ordered fruits and vegetables from there only. I used to bring everything here. And on the days when I wasn't available, I had already spoken to one of the people there. He used to come here and deliver everything according to the order."
Shivika's eyebrows twitched slightly as she registered the new information.
Though she wasn't exactly surprised.
Considering Rakshit's behaviour, this was probably just another normal thing he had done without telling anyone.
He had always been like this.
He cared in ways that people didn't even notice unless someone happened to tell them.
"Aww, she is sleeping so peacefully," Rashmi aunty said, glancing towards Akshvi from the kitchen. "She doesn't keep you awake at night, right?"
"No, aunty. She is actually quite calm compared to what I thought she would be," Shivika replied with a small smile. "And even when she wakes up, I just feed her because Rakshit doesn't let me even open my eyes."
Rashmi aunty chuckled.
Shivika's smile softened.
"Yes, aunty. He is a giver."
Her eyes unconsciously moved towards the bedroom where Rakshit was sleeping.
There was a softness in her voice when she said it.
Because she had noticed it.
Rakshit could take care of everyone without thinking twice, but whenever someone tried to take care of him, he somehow became conscious.
As if receiving love was something he wasn't used to. He wasn't.
Rashmi aunty smiled knowingly.
"He is like that only. He has done so many things for me too, but whenever I tried to stay till late if he got late from the office, and he saw me on the camera, he would immediately tell me to go back home."
She laughed remembering it.
"And if I refused, he would stubbornly blackmail me that he would fire me from the job."
Shivika couldn't stop herself from smiling.
She could already imagine Rakshit saying that with his completely serious face.
"Aunty..." Shivika suddenly remembered something. "What happened about that friend of yours who could do the massage?"
"Actually, she is out of town," Rashmi aunty replied. "She will come in two days. Then I'll talk to her."
"Ohh, okay."
Rashmi aunty then picked up a small plate and handed it to Shivika.
"Here. Eat this."
Shivika looked down at the ladoo in the plate and immediately made a face.
"Aunty, I don't want to eat it."
"Eat it quietly. It has its own benefits when you eat it in the morning," Rashmi aunty said strictly.
Shivika pouted.
"But aunty..."
"No but. Eat."
Shivika sighed dramatically but finally picked up the ladoo and started eating.
Rashmi aunty smiled in satisfaction.
After a moment, she looked around the room.
"Did Rakshit go to the office?"
She asked because if Rakshit had been awake and around, he would probably have been the one opening the door in the morning rather than Shivika.
"No, actually..." Shivika swallowed the bite before answering. "He was awake the whole night handling her, so now he is sleeping."
Rashmi aunty simply nodded.
She didn't say anything else, understanding exactly why he was sleeping at this hour.
Shivika quietly finished the ladoo before standing up with the empty plate.
She kept it in the sink and washed her hands.
The room fell silent again.
Rakshit's phone suddenly started ringing.
Shivika's eyes widened.
"Oh my God, she will wake up!"
She immediately rushed towards the phone.
Akshvi was sleeping so peacefully, and Shivika didn't want anything to disturb her sleep.
She quickly silenced the ringing phone and turned towards Akshvi.
The baby was still asleep.
Shivika sighed in relief.
Only then did she look at the screen.
Mr. Paulo Barbose
She hesitated for a second before answering the call.
"Hello?"
"Hello?"
Paulo's voice came from the other end, sounding slightly confused.
"Hello," Shivika repeated.
"Shivika?"
"Yes."
"Where's Rakshit? Shivika, it was a little urgent."
His voice sounded hurried.
"Actually, he is sleeping," Shivika explained quietly. "Is it important? Should I wake him up?"
Though the last thing she wanted was to wake him after he had finally managed to sleep.
"Umm... why is he sleeping at this time? Is he fine?"
Paulo immediately sounded concerned.
"Yeah, yeah. He is completely fine," Shivika quickly assured him. "It's just that he was awake because of Akshvi, so he couldn't sleep."
There was a small pause.
Then came the question that made Shivika hit her forehead.
"Who is Akshvi?"
Shivika closed her eyes for a second.
Of course.
They had told Rashmi aunty, Satyam, Jhanvi and Rahul about their daughter's name.
But Paulo still didn't know.
"We have kept our daughter's name Akshvi," Shivika explained.
"Ohh..."
She could hear some movement from his side before he continued.
"Shivika, actually Rakshit's signature is needed on some papers. It has to be done today only for further processing of the project, so we need his presence."
Shivika's face fell slightly.
"Ohh..."
So now she had no choice.
She would have to wake him up.
But then suddenly, an idea clicked in her mind.
"Does he need to sign them right now?" she asked hesitantly. "Would it be fine if you get his signature by tonight?"
"Hmm..." Paulo thought for a moment.
"It's needed today only, so yes, it would be fine if he signs it by tonight. I have to submit the papers tomorrow."
Shivika's face immediately brightened.
"Okay, then I'm inviting you for dinner."
She smiled.
"You can meet Rakshit over dinner and take his signature too."
There was a brief silence from the other end.
"Shivika, but I don't think that would be possible today," Paulo said hesitantly.
It was obvious he didn't want to reject her invitation, but he had some commitments of his own.
"Ohh..." Shivika whispered, her voice instantly becoming a little disappointed.
She had already imagined having dinner together and making sure Rakshit didn't have to wake up immediately.
But before she could say anything else, Paulo spoke again.
"Okay, leave it. I'll come. I can also meet the little rabbit and check if she is still reddish-white."
Shivika immediately chuckled at his last sentence.
"Thank you so much for understanding. We would be waiting. Come soon."
"No need to say thank you, Shivika. See you soon. Bye."
"Bye."
The call ended.
Shivika lowered the phone and looked towards the sleeping Akshvi.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
At least Rakshit wouldn't have to be woken up right now.
She quietly placed his phone back where it had been and looked towards the bedroom, knowing her stubborn husband was finally getting the sleep he needed.
"So, someone is coming for dinner?" Rashmi aunty asked, looking at Shivika.
"Yes. I have invited Aksh's business partner, who is also his friend, for dinner," Shivika replied with a smile.
Rashmi aunty smiled too.
There was a time when no one except her used to come to this house.
The house had always been quiet, almost too quiet. Rakshit had lived surrounded by silence for so long that having people around him had once seemed almost impossible.
She looked at Shivika with a warm smile.
The day wasn't far when this quiet house would no longer feel so empty.
Rakshit would be surrounded by so many people-people who would be his, people who would love him, and people he could finally call his own.
And somehow, Rashmi aunty knew Shivika was the reason that change had begun.
"So, what's the menu?" Rashmi aunty asked, knowing she would have to prepare everything accordingly.
"I have to think about that because I invited him so suddenly. I haven't planned anything yet," Shivika said, thinking about what they could have for dinner.
"Okay, think about it and then let me know," Rashmi aunty said before getting back to her work.
It was afternoon when Shivika finally decided to wake Rakshit up.
She quietly entered the bedroom and found him sleeping peacefully, one arm wrapped protectively around their daughter.
Akshvi was sleeping beside him.
Shivika had made her sleep there almost an hour ago, and looking at the way Rakshit had his arm around her, she could tell that somewhere in his sleep, he must have sensed his daughter beside him.
A soft smile appeared on Shivika's face.
She took out her phone, opened the camera and quietly clicked a picture of the father-daughter duo.
Looking at the picture, she couldn't stop herself from smiling.
She placed her phone aside and moved closer to the bed.
Sitting beside Rakshit's head, she gently ran her fingers through his hair.
His face looked completely relaxed in sleep. The usual seriousness was nowhere to be seen. His soft curls of baby hair had fallen over his forehead, making him look younger and much more peaceful than the man everyone knew.
Shivika continued caressing his hair softly.
Slowly, Rakshit opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was her.
A sleepy smile immediately appeared on his face.
Shivika smiled back.
"Good afternoon. Wake up now," she whispered, gently caressing his cheek.
Rakshit smiled lazily before turning towards her.
Instead of getting up, he simply placed his head in her lap and wrapped one arm around her waist.
Akshvi continued sleeping peacefully on the other side, completely unaware of her parents.
"It feels great to wake up to you," Rakshit murmured, glancing up at her face.