Entangled Lives

Chapter XX

FIRST LOVE?

"Of course, after all she is my daughter." Pragya chimed, her own eyes moist seeing her daughter finally getting the love of her father.

Though she had given her best to fulfil Prachi's every need since the beginning, she knew that she could never fill the void she had in her life that was her father's absence. Pragya knew that Prachi had always felt that void, but she never showed it. Prachi had always put up her strong face to hide her pain, and as much as it had hurt Pragya, she knew that Prachi do it only to support her. That was the reason that she never talked to her about it, she knew that there was a happiness Prachi got by hiding it. She was happy to be her mother's support and Pragya so very needed it.

"Let's continue the game." Rhea said, breaking the moment with her inconsiderate nature.

"Yeah, let's continue." Pallavi said, breaking Ranbir's trance by putting her hand on his arm.

"You go next Rhea." Abhi said, never removing his arm from around Prachi's shoulders.

"Mom?" Rhea said, holding the bowl in front of her and Pragya picked one.

"What is your favorite accessory?" Pragya asked with genuine curiosity shining in her eyes.

"Oh, my favorite accessory? Umm, haan," Rhea stood and dashed to her room.

"Will she bring out her whole dressing table?" Shahana asked when Rhea didn't return for a couple of minutes.

"Don't think so, her table is inbuilt." Aryan answered innocently.

Couple of minutes more passed, everyone were and returned with a couple of rectangular boxes and about three square wide pallets. She placed them on the table, in front of Pragya and started opening them one by one, letting everyone see her large collection. She opened every pellet that showcased different types of bracelets, of different colors, different designs, sizes, materials, metals, leathers, even cloth in some twisted designs.

"I love bracelets, or wrist accessories." Rhea said and scooted the pallets towards her mother, a never flattering smile on her lips and a childlike excitement in eyes.

"Of course, can see it from the collection you have." Pragya smiled, going over the accessories her daughter pointed to, mentioning how, when or from where she got them from.

"These are my favourites," Rhea said, picking up the two, kinda expensive looking rectangular boxes. 

"This is the one Ranbir gifted me on my birthday," She said, opening the box and picking up the vine like bracelet with plain and diamond leaves alternately. She held it high for everyone to be able to have a look, even though they had already on the birthday.

"It is really pretty and quite my type, Ranbir knows me so well." She smiled sweetly at the boy and he reciprocated with an uplift of his mouth corners, much resembling a grimace.

"And this one, dad gave me long ago." She said, showing the other box. She lifted it the same way as the previous one and showcased a silver one this time, quite old school.

"It even have a 'For my love' quoted-" "on the back of it, but upside down?" Pragya completed and Rhea looked at her surprised and then slowly nodded her head in confusion. "How do you know? I never showed it to you." She asked.

"Because it is mine." Pragya smiled. And Rhea's eyes widened. "Really?" She looked over to her father who nodded with a smile.

"So all along, I had a piece of you with me?" Rhea said more than asked, in amazement and Pragya smiled widely. She instantly adorned her mother's wrist with it and kissed Pragya's hand. "There, it got where it is supposed to be." Rhea said, smiling though her eyes turned a bit glassy.