Love... Once Again ! (Completed)

7 - "Are you happy?"

"Do you think I should join office again?" Rakesh asked. He shut the door of their room and took off his jacket.

"Why? Are you bugged of me?" Prerna joked.

He came to stand behind her at the dressing table. She was struggling with the hook of her necklace. He moved her hair to one side and gave her a soft kiss on her neck. She tingled. He smirked, elated that he still had an effect on her.

"I would never be." He helped her take off the necklace. He placed it on the table and walked back.

"You are actually going because of Nisha right?"

"Yes. I think I retired too early."

"That was because of your health." Prerna walked inside their shared walk in closet closest but kept the door open to continue the conversation. "Also Nisha was ready for the responsibility."

"She was. No doubt in that. But maybe I should have stayed with her and handled a few projects myself."

"Are you worried about the work pressure on her?"

"No. I am worried about the pressure she is taking on herself... At first it was good. She was working hard to be good... or rather excellent at her post."

For a few minutes the conversation halted as both of them brushed their teeth in the washroom.

Changed into nightwear, Prerna and Rakesh walked to the bed. They both took off the bed covering and extra pillows before sitting.

Prerna continued. "And now when there has to be a pause, Nisha isn't taking one."

"Exactly! In the last six months she has taken over two companies and financed three hotels. Not to ignore the joint venture of the construction project with Charles industries. This is incredible and I am very proud of her. But I am afraid of the pace she is working at... I don't want anything to  go wrong."

"This is all because of one incident." Prerna placed her head on he husband's shoulder. "Sometimes I think I should have forced her to throw away that ring on the day of his funeral itself."

"She wasn't ready to listen to anyone on that day, what could have any one of us done at that time?" He asked rhetorically. "She could not even cry properly that day due to the days earlier she had spent only mourning. I had never felt so helpless in my life then I felt on that day. Looking at my daughter completely broken." Rakesh shook his head in dismay.

"We will get her back Rakesh." Prerna soothed. "It has been almost three years and now I think that it is enough. She needs to heal soon or it will just make her frustrated."

"Just a little more time," Rakesh said.

"When do you plan on joining again?"

"After two or three months."

"Another two to three months?" Prerna sat up straight and looked at him.

"Yeah. Any problem."

"Listening to the tone and manner you just spoke in, I assumed you planned to join next week itself."

"I wanted to." Rakesh explained. "But when I spoke to Rahul about this, he reminded me about the conference to be conducted next month."

"Is it the one which is held every year at a different location?"

"Yes. This time it's mostly in Singapore. Many potential investors are invited to the event. It is a good opportunity to maintain and even create new contacts. Nisha has taken a lot of efforts for it." He paused to take a breath. "I don't want to interrupt that. So after it gets over, I will tell Nisha about me joining back."