43. Raksha Bandhan #3
"I just want to lie like this the whole day."
He closed his eyes again and snuggled closer to her stomach.
Shivika's breath hitched.
Her hand, which had been running through his hair, suddenly stopped.
It felt different this time.
Earlier, when Rakshit had rested his head in her lap, she had felt nothing more than comfort and affection.
But now...
She loved him.
And slowly, they were coming closer to each other because of that love.
The closeness suddenly felt different.
Rakshit opened his eyes when he noticed her silence.
He looked up at her flushed face.
Shivika immediately looked away, trying to hide her embarrassment.
A small smile tugged at his lips.
"Your heartbeat is fast," he whispered.
He gently reached up and turned her face towards him, his hand resting softly against her neck.
Shivika closed her eyes for a moment, unable to handle the intensity in his gaze.
"I love you," Rakshit whispered.
His fingers moved gently over her cheek as if he already understood what his closeness was doing to her.
His words made her open her eyes.
And there they were.
His blue eyes were filled with nothing but love for her.
"I love you more," Shivika whispered.
She leaned down until her forehead rested against his.
They stayed like that for a moment, both of them gently caressing each other's cheeks.
"Aksh..." Shivika suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?"
"I have invited Paulo for dinner tonight."
Rakshit immediately opened his eyes properly.
His forehead creased into a frown.
"Why tonight, Ika?"
He slowly sat up.
"We could have invited him later. You'll be completely okay, right? Right now you should just relax and rest instead of planning dinner."
"But Aksh, he needed your signature on some documents," Shivika explained. "So I just gave him the idea of dinner. He can meet you here and take your signature."
"I could have handled that, Ika."
Rakshit sighed before getting up from the bed.
"But let it be now. You aren't going to do anything."
He looked at her firmly.
"Me and aunty will handle everything. You just take rest."
Shivika immediately reached out and held his wrist before he could walk away.
"Are you angry with me?" she asked softly.
Rakshit stopped.
He sighed before turning back and gently cupping her face.
"No, baccha. I'm not angry."
His thumb moved softly over her cheek.
"This is your home. You can invite anyone you want and do anything you want."
He paused.
"It's just that I know you. The moment you start planning something, you'll not sit in one place and forget about yourself."
Shivika remained quiet.
"I just want you to take rest," he continued softly. "This phase is really important for your health. Proper rest right now can keep you away from many problems in the future, like back pain."
He smiled faintly.
"And you need to focus on your dream too. You have to start dancing again soon, so you need to be healthy and completely healed first."
The moment he mentioned dancing, Shivika's expression changed.
Shock flashed across her face.
Rakshit noticed it immediately.
"What happened?"
"I didn't imagine you would remember that," Shivika said softly.
A chuckle escaped Rakshit.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"How can I forget about it, Ika?"
He looked at her with complete sincerity.
"It's your passion."
He paused before adding with a teasing smile,
"And not to forget, it's your first love."
Shivika smiled.
"I have never even seen you dance," he continued. "You don't know how much I'm waiting to see you as a classical dancer."
His voice dropped slightly as he whispered,
Shivika's heart warmed at his words.
She could hear the excitement in his voice.
He wasn't simply remembering her passion.
He was genuinely waiting for her to return to it.
"I promise I'll soon start working on my passion," she said, her voice filled with emotion.
She suddenly hugged him tightly.
There had been a time when Kritaarth had suggested that she leave dancing and do something else.
He hadn't even shown interest whenever she asked him to come and watch her performances.
And now...
She had someone who remembered her passion even when she hadn't mentioned it for so long.
Someone who was actually waiting to see her dance.
Shivika hugged Rakshit even tighter as the memories of the past started running through her mind.
She couldn't thank God enough for sending Rakshit into her life and taking Kritaarth out of it.
Rakshit felt the change in her emotions.
He gently rubbed her back.
"Baccha... kya hua?"
Shivika slowly broke the hug and looked at him.
The biggest smile was on her face, but tears had gathered in her eyes.
"I feel so happy when I hear that spark in your voice when you talk about my dancing."
Her voice trembled with excitement.
"I can't even wait to see your reaction when I dance."
Her vision blurred as the tears finally gathered at the corners of her eyes.
Rakshit chuckled softly and wiped her tears with his thumb.
"Okay, mera baccha."
He suddenly pinched her cheek.
Shivika blinked before realizing what he had done.
Then both of them looked at each other and burst into laughter.
"It got reversed," Shivika said between her laughter.
"Yes," Rakshit replied, grinning. "I found you too cute to resist, just like you do."
He winked at her.
Shivika immediately hit his chest lightly.
"Aksh!"
Rakshit laughed.
She finally gave up and hugged him again.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
After staying like that for a while, Shivika suddenly remembered something.
"Ohh... I just forgot that I came to wake you up for lunch."
Rakshit smiled.
"Okay. You go. I'll come after washing my face."
He gently pulled away and headed towards the washroom.
Shivika smiled before looking towards Akshvi.
She leaned down and kissed her daughter's forehead.
"Sleep peacefully, my baby."
She carefully covered Akshvi properly with the blanket before walking out of the room.
In the night, Paulo arrived at their house for dinner.
By then, Shivika had already made sure everything was ready. The house felt a little more lively than usual, especially with a guest coming over. Paulo greeted warmly before settling down with Rakshit and Shivika.
For some time, the three of them talked about random things and discussing how everything had been going. Paulo couldn't resist asking about Akshvi, and Shivika happily answered his little questions.
After some time, Shivika suggested they have dinner while Akshvi was still sleeping so that once they were done, Paulo could spend some time with the baby.
They both agreed.
After finishing dinner, they returned to the living room and settled back onto the sofa.
Paulo placed a file on the table and turned towards Rakshit.
"Rakshit, these are the management papers. They contain the responsibilities and the terms for the project. Since the project will be under your supervision, your signature is required on these documents."
Rakshit picked up the file and started going through the papers carefully.
Paulo continued explaining, "I have also shortlisted around a hundred people who will be working under the management team for this project. They'll handle the initial operations and work as the core team under your guidance."
Rakshit nodded, scanning through the documents.
"From these hundred, you'll have to personally select around four to five people who can form the primary team," Paulo explained.
"They'll work closely with you during the execution, so their selection needs to be done carefully."
"Understood," Rakshit said, closing the file for a moment.
"When are we planning to conduct the interviews?"
Paulo looked at him.
"I'll need to be present for the final selection. And for the next one month, I'm not leaving Shivika alone."
He said it without hesitation, making Shivika glance at him.
Rakshit continued, his voice firm but calm.
"She has just gone through delivery. Right now, I need to be here with her and Akshvi. I won't be able to give the interviews the time and attention they deserve."
Paulo nodded understandingly.
"I already spoke to Rahul about that."
Rakshit raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Rahul and I discussed the schedule. We decided we'll start working on the interview process after around one and a half months."
He opened the file again.
"We'll finalize the exact date soon. Until then, we can complete everything that needs to be done beforehand-the paperwork, initial planning, candidate details, project requirements and whatever preparations are possible."
Rakshit nodded.
"That works."
He looked through the documents again.
"Send me the shortlisted candidates' profiles beforehand. I want to go through their experience and qualifications before the interviews."
"Of course," Paulo agreed. "I'll make sure you receive everything before we fix the final date."
They continued discussing the project, going over the responsibilities, management structure and the things that needed to be completed before the interviews.
Shivika was listening quietly from beside them when suddenly a soft cry came from the bedroom.
Her head immediately turned towards the sound.
"I'll just check on her," Shivika said, getting up from the sofa.
Rakshit immediately looked towards her.
Shivika smiled reassuringly.
"She's probably hungry. I'll feed her and come back with her. You both continue your discussion."
Shivika gave him a small smile before disappearing into the bedroom.
Shivika came out of the bedroom with Akshvi in her arms.
Their daughter was wide awake now, her tiny eyes moving around the room while her little hands kept making random movements.
Rakshit and Paulo stopped their discussion as soon as they noticed them.
Rakshit's face immediately softened when he saw Akshvi.
"Someone is finally awake," he said with a smile.
Shivika smiled and walked towards them.
"Yes. And she has no intention of sleeping again."