43. Raksha Bandhan #5
She smiled at her own arrangement before looking at herself.
Something still felt incomplete.
She wanted to cover her head while doing the ritual, just like she had done during Rakshabandhan celebrations.
So she quickly went in her bedroom and picked up a dupatta, placed it over her head, adjusting it properly.
By the time she returned to the living room, Paulo was sitting patiently with his right hand extended while Rakshit sat opposite him, still holding the sleeping Akshvi.
Paulo looked at her from head to toe.
"You're taking this very seriously."
Shivika smiled.
"Of course. If I'm making you my brother, I'm going to do it properly."
She sat in front of him and placed the thali between them.
Paulo looked at the items curiously.
"So what happens now?"
Shivika smiled.
"First, I'll put the tilak on your forehead."
She picked up the kumkum and gently applied a small tilak on his forehead.
"Then I'll put some rice."
She placed a few grains over it before taking the rakhi from the box.
"And then I'll tie this rakhi on your wrist."
Paulo watched her carefully.
"Why do sisters tie this?"
Shivika smiled as she held his wrist.
"Rakshabandhan is a festival that celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. The sister ties a rakhi around her brother's wrist as a symbol of love and the promise of their bond."
She began tying it carefully.
"And traditionally, the brother promises to protect and support his sister."
Paulo listened quietly.
"So now I have to promise to protect you?"
Shivika nodded.
"Yes."
She smiled.
Paulo's expression softened.
Shivika finished tying the rakhi and looked at him.
"There."
She smiled brightly.
"Happy Rakshabandhan, bhaiya."
The word made Paulo go completely still.
He looked at her for a moment before a smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Bhaiya..."
He repeated the word quietly.
"It feels so different hearing that from you."
Shivika smiled.
"Different?"
He nodded.
"Yeah. I've never heard anyone call me that before."
His smile widened.
"Now you have to call me that only."
Shivika chuckled.
"I was going to do that anyway."
She picked up the small bowl of ice cream and handed it to him.
"And because we didn't have any proper sweets, you'll have to accept ice cream as your Rakshabandhan sweet."
Paulo looked at the bowl and laughed.
"I'll accept anything from my sister."
Shivika smiled warmly.
"Good."
She watched him take a spoonful before looking towards Rakshit.
Rakshit was already smiling at them, his eyes soft as he watched his wife gain a new brother.
Akshvi remained peacefully asleep in his arms, completely unaware that while she slept, her family had just grown a little bigger.
"Paulo, you need to give her something as a return gift too," Rakshit suddenly said.
Paulo looked at him, confused.
"You should give her some cash if you have some."
Rakshit said it casually, but he clearly knew about the tradition. He had seen his employees celebrating Rakshabandhan in the office every year, though he himself had always remained far away from such celebrations.
"Aksh!" Shivika immediately scolded him lightly.
She turned towards Paulo.
"No, bhaiya. You don't need to give me anything."
But Paulo had already started checking his wallet.
"No, no. If Rakshit is saying it, then it must be important. Wait."
He opened his wallet and started taking out the cash.
Shivika's eyes widened when he pulled out almost all the notes he had.
"Bhaiya!"
Paulo extended the money towards her.
"Take it."
"No!"
Shivika immediately shook her head and took only one note from his hand before putting the rest back into his wallet.
Paulo looked at her in confusion.
"Why only one?"
"It's auspicious," Shivika explained firmly, placing the note safely in her hand. "That's why I'm taking this one. And no more discussions."
She gave him a look that clearly told him not to argue.
Paulo opened his mouth to protest, but Shivika raised her eyebrows.
"No."
He immediately closed his mouth.
Rakshit, who had been watching the whole exchange, smiled.
"Good. At least someone can make him listen."
Shivika looked at him.
"Don't start again."
Rakshit chuckled.
He adjusted Akshvi comfortably in his arms before looking at the two of them.
"So, new brother and sister..."
He smiled.
"I think we should take a group photo with our little princess."
Paulo immediately nodded.
"Definitely."
Shivika smiled and moved closer.
The two of them settled beside Rakshit, with him sitting in the middle and Akshvi peacefully sleeping in his arms.
Paulo took out his phone and opened the camera.
"Ready?"
Shivika smiled.
"Yes."
Paulo lifted the phone.
"Say Akshvi!"
"Akshviiiiii!" Rakshit and Shivika said together.
Click.
After Paulo left, Shivika and Rakshit came to the balcony to spend some time in the open air before going to sleep. Rakshit was sitting with his arm around her while she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Aksh, how did you meet Paulo bhaiya and become business partners? But your bond is so special with each other," Shivika asked, as her curiosity couldn't stop her.
She had seen how they were. They didn't call each other best friends, but they treated each other like that.
Rakshit's smile vanished as he remembered the past.
"It's fine if you don't want to tell me," Shivika said as she realised it might have some bad memories too, and she regretted asking.
"I want to, Ika. And now that you have become his sister, you need to know what place he holds in my life," Rakshit said gently, caressing her hair as his eyes remained on the sky above.
Rakshit took a slow breath as the memories came rushing back.
"Ika, as you know, Shashikant uncle helped me stand on my feet. He gave me money for my startup, and everything was going well. When I got a deal from France, I couldn't believe it. I checked the company's background, everything. It was all true. I had to go to France for further processing.
I got my passport prepared and arranged everything." He said softly.
"I was so happy that day, Ika. It was the first time I felt like everything was finally falling into place. I had a company, a deal from France, and for the first time in my life, I felt like I was actually building something of my own."
A faint smile appeared on his lips, but it disappeared just as quickly.
"I left for France with nothing but hope in my heart."
His voice became quieter.
"But when I reached there..."
He paused.
"Everything changed."
Shivika lifted her head slightly from his shoulder and looked at him.
"The company I was supposed to meet didn't exist. The address was fake. The people I had been communicating with disappeared."
His jaw tightened.
"I tried calling them again and again, but no one answered. I checked everything I could, but the more I investigated, the more I realised that I had been fooled."
Shivika's eyes filled with concern.
"Someone had created an entire fake company just to trap me."
Rakshit looked down at his hands.
"I had already spent whatever little money I had on the trip. The money Shashikant uncle had given me was invested in the deal only. I couldn't simply ask him for more without even knowing what had happened."
He let out a humourless chuckle.
"And the worst part was that I didn't even have enough money to come back."
Shivika's heart sank.
"You had nothing?"
Rakshit shook his head.
"Nothing."
He looked towards the sky again.
"No proper place to stay. No money. No work. No one to call."
His voice trembled slightly.
"I remember sitting outside the airport for hours, trying to figure out what I was going to do next."
He swallowed hard.
"I had never felt so helpless in my life."
Shivika quietly slipped her hand into his.
Rakshit intertwined their fingers.
"I somehow managed to find a cheap place to stay for a few days, but even that didn't last. I started looking for work. I went from one place to another, asking if they needed someone."
He smiled bitterly.
"Imagine the so-called future businessman of the country standing outside shops and offices asking for a job."
Shivika squeezed his hand.
"Aksh..."
"I'm fine, Ika."
He gave her a small smile.
"At least now I can talk about it."
He looked ahead.
"After a few days, I had almost nothing left. I hadn't eaten properly either. I remember walking around the city for hours that day."
His eyes became distant.
"I don't even know how long I walked."
He paused.
"Eventually, I reached a playground."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"It was evening. There were children playing, parents sitting around them, couples talking..."
His voice softened.
"Everyone seemed to have someone."
Shivika's heart ached at the words.
"And I was sitting there alone."
Rakshit took a deep breath.
"I sat on one of the benches and just stared at the children playing."
He closed his eyes for a moment.