For The Longest Time (Episode 16)

At Sanskar’s Apartment

“What do you think is going on over there?” Laksh asked while falling onto the couch. “I know for a fact that first she scream and shout and ask him to leave” Rohan answered, “Knowing Sanskar, he’s not going to leave from there” Ragini laughed “Poor Shona. She has never seen how persuasive and stubborn Sanskar can be”. Laksh sighed and said “I want my brother alive tomorrow”. Rohan laughed and said “I think we should switch off our phones, she might try contacting us and we’ll have no choice but to go back”, “I’ll call Sally and tell her to lie to Swara if she calls” Laksh said. “And I will get us coffee”

Swara’s Apartment

“UGH, why is everybody’s phone switched off?” she scowled at her phone; then she dialled another number while Sanskar gave a knowing smile. Ragini had messaged him already that the three of them would be out of reach, “Hello? Sally. Good evening. Is Rohan there?” she spoke into the phone. She heard what Sally said “What kind of paperwork will go on till night? Anyway ask him to call me as soon as he can” she kept the phone down, irritated. “So if you are done with your CID research, mind telling me what you’d have for lunch?” Sanskar asked her. She gave him a sarcastic smile and said “How about some rat poison? At least I’ll be free of this torture”, “I don’t mind, do you have a preferred flavour, baby?” he asked with the same sarcasm. “Don’t call me baby again. Ever” she hissed. He gave an uncaring shrug and went to the kitchen. “I will starve than eat your food” she shouted at him, and then she heard a laugh which made her even more irritated.

After a while when Sanskar came to the living room, he saw she fell asleep on the couch, she had become so weak because of the fever, he went closer to her, kneeled beside her and patted her hair. “For how long will you keep this hatred in you, Shona? Why can’t you see it is slowly destroying you and watching you like this, it is destroying me too” he whispered. She woke up with a jerk and noticed how close he was to her, they looked into each other’s eyes for a few seconds, and in those few seconds, the world stood still for them, time froze, and they felt a strong force between them, completing each other. Then she realized the distance between them was decreasing, he realised what was happening and moved back and said “Umm, I came to wake you up. Lunch is ready”, he looked at her, she was still recovering from their intense moment, and she composed herself and said “I do not want to eat”. “I am not asking you Swara, I am telling you to eat your lunch. You need to take your medicines” he said in an authoritative tone. She was taken aback, but she kept her ground “I said I do not want to eat” she got up from the couch and walked towards her room, when Sanskar caught her by her arm “I get it, you hate me. But I will not allow you to risk your health over your hatred for me. Do not test my patience Swara. Sit down and eat” he ordered her. She opened her mouth to retort back, but words failed her, not a single sound came out of her mouth. She reluctantly went to the dining table with Sanskar following her “I’m not going to run away from here” she murmured. He gave a small laugh and they had their lunch in silence.

After lunch Swara sat in the couch with her eyes closed. “Your medicines” she opened her eyes to see Sanskar handing out her medicines to her. She tried to rebel but realised that she had no energy left in her. She took the medicines and again sat with her eyes closed leaning on the couch. “Why don’t you lie down in your room” Sanskar suggested. “This is my home Mr Maheswari, not your office where I need to follow your orders” she said without looking at him. He sighed and sat beside her “Swara, I –” he started to speak when she cut him off “Mr Maheshwari, I am not interested in whatever you have to say. Please leave me alone” she said. “Will you stop calling me Mr Maheshwari for heaven’s sake?”  He asked in an irritated tone. “You’re my boss Mr Maheshwari and I am not interested in moving any further than that” she replied staring at the ceiling “Since you wouldn’t leave, and very frankly I am not in a state to take care of myself, is the only reason I’m letting you stay. The moment Rohan arrives, you are free to leave” she retorted. He felt as though someone had punctured his heart “You will have to listen to me Swara, I cannot live like this anymore” he said in a restless tone. “Mr Mahe-“ she started to say “DON’T CALL ME THAT” he screamed and seconds later he felt as though someone had deflated his lungs, he stood up and paced around to calm down, while Swara stared at him shock.

“Five years ago, what happened was my mistake. I should have told you about Kavita. Before anything happened, I should’ve clarified everything. I didn’t do the one thing I should’ve done. I am sorry Swara, I don’t know how else to apologize” still pacing around “Five years Swara, I have lived in isolation, without you, without Ragini and it took Laksh a long time before he could forgive me. Mom and Dad couldn’t figure out what was wrong with e and the sad part is I couldn’t tell them either. Five years I spent looking for you like a maniac and every time I came close to you, you disappeared. Do you know how frustrating was that?” “When I saw you for the first time, something pulled me towards you. I couldn’t take my eyes off you. Remember that night when we went clubbing and two guys were trying to get close to you, I swear to God I would’ve buried them there of you didn’t  hold my hand at that moment, remember that you had too much to drink that night? I’ll tell you what you said to me, you asked me why are you pulled towards me, why do you feel a strong connection with me” he looked at her “Do you know how It affected me? If you weren’t drunk I would’ve have made you mine then and there” “And then seeing you at the wedding, that passion I had buried erupted, when I saw you, I forgot everything Swara. EVERY DAMN THING. I did not even remember that Kavita existed in my life, until I saw her that day. That day my world shattered. The girl I loved left me forever for one mistake of mine. So if you think that it is only you who has suffered in the past five years, you are wrong Swara. I have suffered too. When I finally saw you after five years, I cannot explain how I felt, happy will be an understatement. Swara please, I know apologizing is not enough but that is all I have to offer, and I am exhausted now Swara, exhausted of feeling this way. Please Swara, I am begging you for forgiveness, I am begging you to give my life back, I am begging you to give me my Swara back” he sank down and sat on his knees with tears in his eyes.

Swara heard everything he had to say, this was the conversation she had been avoiding because she knew the moment this conversation happened she would fall weak, she stared at the floor with tears in her eyes “You think it is only about Kavita? I had never been in love before you Sanskar, I never had the connection with anyone but you” she wiped her tears looked at him and continued “I remember that feeling I got when I first met you, that feeling never left me Sanskar, I remember that night at the club, I remember how I managed to calm you down when you were angry, I remember how happy I was when I knew that I had that sort of an effect on you. I remember what I told you when I was drunk, I remember you took me to my room and kissed on my forehead” she saw Sanskar staring at her with surprise in his eyes “That day during the engagement when I was about to fall from the stairs, I knew it was you who saved me even before looking at you, that day of haldi when we had an intimate moment, you kissed on my nape, I still carry that feeling with me, that tingling feeling I had when your lips touched my skin, that feeling of my heart falling out of chest when our lips were about to meet” she looked him into the eyes “That feeling when you confessed your  love for me, that feeling which your burning gaze gave me. Every feeling that you have me is engraved in my heart Sanskar, no matter how much I try I never got rid of it, and then I figured out why. For every feeling that you gave me, I lost a piece of me, that day when Kavita came, and she told me that she’s your girlfriend, I lost such a huge part of me that it left a hole in my heart. Even today when I look into the mirror I cannot recognise myself Sanskar. I too have suffered in all these years and even I am exhausted” she said with a sinking feeling.

They both stared at each other; both of them didn’t know what to say. The silence between them was torturing both of them. “Swara, can you please give me another chance?” Sanskar asked but she could see his eyes were begging. She wanted to reach out to him and console him, because she realised that they both had suffered in these past years and that both of them had lost a lot. Am I ready to give us another chance? She thought to herself as he looked at her with hope. 

For The Longest Time (Episode 15)

At Swara’s Apartment

“Anita, get my coffee please” she said while sitting on the couch. “Didi, coffee” Anita handed her the cup, “Where are didi and bhaiyya?” Swara asked. “Didi, they left early. He left this note for you” she handed her the note. The note read “Sorry, had to rush out. We’ll see you in office. You were snoring happily, didn’t feel like waking you. Love, Rohan & Ragini”. “I don’t snore” she said to herself. “Anita, please make my breakfast. I have to leave in 10 minutes”. Swara was getting dressed when she received Ragini’s call “Hello? Why didn’t you wake me up before leaving” she spoke in the phone. “Will you stop blabbering Shona, Rohan dropped me off and you were sleeping peacefully, we didn’t feel like waking you up. What time will you reach office?” Ragini asked. “I’m leaving now. I’ll be there in an hour”. “Alright, see you then” the call disconnected.

While having breakfast Swara felt a little dizzy. “Didi, are you okay” Anita asked while holding her shoulder. “Yes I am fine” she said. Anita put her hand on Swara’s forehead “Didi, your body is burning. I am calling bhaiyya”. Swara sat with her head down, her phone rang and Anita picked it up “Swara where are you?” Ragini asked, “Didi, Swara didi has fever, her body is burning. Rohan bhaiyya has the doctor’s number” Anita spoke into the phone. “What? Anita, be with her I am bringing the doctor home. Make her lie down on the bed” Ragini disconnected the call.

Gadodia Industries

“Rohan, call the doctor. Tell him to reach home. Anita picked up Shona’s phone, she’s not well” Ragini said. Rohan got up and dialled a number, “Doctor Rao, Rohan Sharma here. Can you reach home? Swara has high fever. 20 minutes? Thanks” he walked out of his cabin while Ragini followed him “Sally cancel all my and Swara’s meetings today. Tell them there’s a medical emergency”. Laksh and Sanskar saw Ragini and Rohan rush out, “Ragini, what’s wrong?” Sanskar asked while catching up with them. “Anita picked up Swara’s phone, she’s not well –“ Sanskar cut her off “I am coming with you. Did you call a doctor?” he asked Rohan. Rohan nodded and said “The doctor is reaching home” he said while rushing to his car. “I and Sanskar will come in my car. You go with Rohan” Laksh said to Ragini.

At Swara’s apartment

“Doctor, what happened to her?” Sanskar asked. “She is fine, her fever is due to stress. Is she under work pressure or any personal issues? Whatever it is, she needs to be away from work and any kind of pressure or stress for a while. If she continues like this, it will affect her in the long term”. “Thank you, doctor. I’ll walk you out” Rohan offered. Sanskar went to her room, saw her unconscious “I am sorry Swara, for everything that happened. For putting you through all this. I never wanted to hurt you, I love you Swara. Please forgive me. I cannot see you like this” he felt a hand on his shoulder “Don’t worry bhai, she will be aright in a matter of days. You know how strong she is” Laksh assured him. Ragini sat beside Swara and patted her hair, she looked and Sanskar and said “Don’t worry Sanskar, she is okay. It’s just fever. The doctor said she’ll be fine by tomorrow”. Rohan came in and saw how tensed everyone was “So, because of her habit of over-stressing. Laksh’s Shimla plan is a bust” he said trying to lighten up the mood. Laksh understood his intention and joined in “I know right. Every time I have a brilliant idea, which is very rare. Things go haywire” Sanskar and Ragini gave a little laugh and she said “Let’s go to the living room. Let her sleep for a while”.

Anita gave tea to everyone while they sat in silence “I think we need a new plan to get her to talk to him” Rohan said. “Yeah now that my Shimla plan is a bust. Anyone else got any ideas?” Laksh said. Ragini grinned and Sanskar noticed that. “Rags, what are you planning?” he asked her. The three guys looked at her, waiting for her to speak “Rohan, Laksh lets go out for coffee” she said. Laksh frowned “Shona’s not well, we just had tea and now you want to go for coffee”. Rohan understood what she meant and said “Yes Laksh, let’s go out for coffee”. Laksh and Sanskar gave them a weird expression “Have you both lost it?” Sanskar said. Ragini gave out a sigh and Rohan explained them “Ragini, Laksh and I will go out. I will send Anita home and you Mr Maheshwari will stay here, taking care of your stubborn lady love”. “OH, now I get it” Laksh said Ragini laughed at him “Finally. So, now can we go?”

Swara woke up after a while, she called out for Anita, but there was no response, slowly she got out of her bed and walked towards the kitchen for water. As she was walking suddenly she felt dizzy, she lost her balance when a strong hold held her. “Anita, where were you” she asked without looking. When there was no response, she turned around to see Sanskar holding her, his brown eyes piercing through hers. “How did you come here?” she demanded while setting herself free from his hold. “Rohan? Anita?” she shouted. “There’s no one except for you and me. Rohan, Ragini and Laksh had to attend an important meeting, because they have to finish the formalities of joining the office and Anita had some emergency at home. So I am all you have today” he grinned at her. She shot him a glare “You can leave now, I will manage” she said through her teeth. He came closer to her “Try all you want sweetheart, I am not going anywhere” he said in a husky tone, and suddenly he moved back and said “It’s time to take your medicine”. She sat on the couch with arms crossed across her chest “I will not take anything that you give me”. He sat on the couch beside her and came closer to her, she froze in her place and he screamed in her ear, she shouted in shock and he popped the pills in her mouth. She sat there breathing heavily while he laughed at her. She downed the pills with water.

“I will get back at you for this Mr Maheswari” she said in a steely voice. He grinned at her and said “Bring it on”

For The Longest Time (Episode 14)

“Yes, I love her” he said, Ragini gave a smile and was about to say something when he cut her off. “Hear me out first. I love her, but not in a way that you think or how the world perceives our relationship. The sad truth is that there is no name for the kind of bond we share. But every relationship is not Black and white and it does not have to be like that either, there exists a grey area too and that is where our relationship stands. I understand your concern, as to what is the future of our relationship, what is at present will remain in the future too and not a single aspect of our relationship will change.” Ragini looked at him and said “You both need to understand that, you cannot go through life in the same way that you are currently living. I will tell you the same thing that I told Swara, there will be a point where you will have to decide about it. Maybe not each other but you both will have someone in your lives, how will you both handle new people in your life? How will you both handle your relationships? You very well know that this situation is very complicated.” “You know Ragini, we both are mature enough to handle all that and it’s just a myth that best friends will end up together. No, it doesn’t always work out like that” he said. “Now let me ask you something and you have to answer honestly” he said. Ragini nodded, “I want you to tell me what happened after Swara left and honestly. Don’t try to paint Sanskar in a negative picture”. She gave him a long hard look and sighed “After she left, I and Laksh had to convince both our mothers that we were mistaken and there was nothing between her and Sanskar. I told Ma that Kavita was his girlfriend, but he denied and said that he and Kavita were no longer in a relationship. I couldn’t avoid him because we stayed in the same house, but there is not one day that I did not hate for what he did to Shona”, Rohan could see the hatred in her eyes.

“Ragini, you know how much he loves her, yes he made a mistake by not telling her about Kavita beforehand, but he has suffered more than the mistakes he made, and you know that. If didn’t love Shona he wouldn’t have lived a miserable life for 5 years, he would have moved with Kavita or with someone else. I recently met him and I can see the pain in his eyes, you know him for so many years, I am sure you have seen it too. I understand your anger towards him for hurting your sister. But in all this anger, hatred, feeling of betrayal, all you forgot that you left your happiness behind. Did you give him a chance to explain himself? From what Swara told me, you both were really close friends, doesn’t it hurt to see your best friend every day and not talk to him? They both love each other immensely and you cannot deny the fact. For your sake for Shona’s sake, give him a chance to explain himself, hear his side of the story. We have an entire life Ragini, why should we spend it hating someone so much that nothing else matters. All I want is for Swara to get her love back and I will of whatever it takes to get them back together” he saw Ragini’s eyes fill up tears, he went beside her and hugged her “I am a very bad sister Rohan, a very bad friend too. I could see the pain in their eyes yet I let them suffer, I should have given him a chance to explain, I should have made Swara understand” she said while crying. He patted her hair “No one would ever do what you have done for your sister, all these years even you suffered silently Ragini, you lost your friend too. It wasn’t easy, maybe the time wasn’t right, but now is the time to put an end to all this. We need to find a way to get them together, but first you need to talk things out with Sanskar”. “See that’s why we keep thanking you, you always enlighten us with your wisdom” she said while giving a little laugh. He laughed and said “let’s go sleep now, and take Swara with you. We all have a long day ahead”

Next Morning at Sanskar’s Apartment

Sanskar came to the breakfast table and saw Ragini and Laksh talking to each other. He knew she wouldn’t respond to him, so he sat there silently and his favourite breakfast on the table. “You’re welcome” he heard her say, he looked up to confirm if she actually spoke to him or it was all in his head, he saw Laksh grinning and Ragini staring at him and she said “You’re welcome”, he sat there shocked, “I know you will thank me for making your favourite breakfast” she continued with tears in her eyes. He got up and went and hugged her, they both cried their hearts out. “You’re an idiot Sanskar. You’re an idiot because you didn’t even once force me to listen to your side of the story, you’re an idiot for not using your right on me as a friend to make yourself heard, you’re an idiot to let me hurt you for so many years” she said while crying. “I missed you sweetheart” he said “I didn’t know how to apologize to you and to her. I should’ve cleared out everything beforehand. I never imagined things would go so wrong” he said while patting her hair. Laksh joined them for a group hug “Mere do anmol ratan phir se saath aa gaye” and wiped away mock tears. “Shut up Laksh” the both said and unison and laughed at him. The three of them sat in the living room and talked Sanskar told Ragini how he felt when he saw Swara after a long time at the wedding, their intimacy screwed with his rational mind. Ragini and Laksh heard his side of the story. “All said and done, now we need to think of a way to get you and Swara together” Ragini said. Sanskar looked at her with a shocked expression, “Oh don’t look at me like that, you both love each other. Even a kid can point it out. Knowing Shona, she isn’t going to give in so easily. We need to make an elaborate plan” she said. “Baby, we don’t have to rob a bank” Laksh mocked her. “You know Shona better than anyone else, between convincing her and robbing a bank, it’s easier to rob a bank” she said to Laksh. “That is actually true” he laughed. “Has she moved on with Rohan?” Sanskar asked her. Ragini laughed at him “Rohan and her are anything but together. There’s nothing between them, I confirmed with both of them” she said. “I have a plan, let’s send them together to Shimla in lieu of a meeting” Laksh said. “She will never agree to go with him” Ragini said while Sanskar sat there listening to their discussion. “That’s where Rohan comes in. We will tell her she has to go with Rohan, and on the day of the trip, Sanskar will go to the airport” Laksh said. “I’ll handle all of that, you don’t worry about it. She’ll listen to me” he looked at Sanskar and said “Pack your bags. Oh and I am booking the same room for both of you. It’s actually the holiday season so you won’t get rooms anywhere else and we’re cost cutting” Laksh laughed. “Baby, when did you start getting such intelligent ideas” Ragini mocked him, he frowned at her while Sanskar laughed at them “Sounds like a plan” he said

Finally, Miss Gadodia, you will have to take me back he thought

For The Longest Time (Episode 13)

Laksh came forward to hug Ragini “I’m so happy you’re here baby” he said in a childish tone. Ragini put her hand on his chest to stop him “Don’t baby me mister, you’ll pay for this” in mock anger. Swara laughed at both of them. They settled and started talking “So this was the surprise you both were talking about” Swara said. They both looked at each other “Actually this was just a part of the surprise” Laksh said. Swara gave a questioning look “We both are shifting to Mumbai” Ragini announced. “WHAT? Really? Are you Serious?” Swara said in an excited tone. “The surprise isn’t over yet” she said. “Papa wants us to help Bhai in business, which means Ragini and I are going to join the office from tomorrow” Laksh said. Swara was squealing with excitement in her seat “Oh My God. This is the best news you’ve given me”, Ragini and Laksh looked at her, Swara noticed Ragini tearing up; “It’s been so long since I have seen you like this Shona” Ragini said. Swara held her hand and said “I have decided to let go of the past, I am finding my way back to my old self again. So now please stop crying”. Ragini smiled “Alright, I can’t handle overflow of emotions” Laksh teased them. “Shut up Lucky” they both said in unison, the three of them then laughed.

While leaving the restaurant, Swara asked Ragini “How did you know we were here?” “Rohan told me, I went home to see you. I told him to come along with me, but he denied. So I dropped my luggage off and came here.” She then turned to Laksh and said “don’t forget to pick me up tomorrow”. Laksh nodded and Swara stopped and asked “You’re staying with me today?” Ragini nodded and Swara almost jumped in excitement. Laksh and Ragini laughed at her. They reached Swara’s apartment, “Come over for a while Lucky” Swara said. “You guys have fun. I’ll go home” Laksh kissed Ragini and left.

Swara and Ragini entered and saw Rohan waiting for them. “You don’t sleep early nowadays” Swara exclaimed. “Yeah, I guess I’m turning into an insomniac” he teased. “You guys want coffee?”  He asked. “Wow, that’ll help you sleep” Swara teased him, he narrowed his eyes at her, “No coffee for you”, she threw a pillow at him “I want cold coffee” she demanded, Ragini and Rohan laughed at her while she showed him her tongue. “What about you Rags?”; “Nothing, I ate too much” she said. He smiled and left “So, what’s up with the two of you” she asked Swara. “What do you mean?” Swara said, “You know what I mean, it’s been 4 years Shona, you guys are staying together, and there’s no name to your relationship. I mean this doesn’t seem like just friendship there’s more to it” she said. “You know us better than that Ragini, I had a hard time explaining ma baba, don’t start again” Swara retorted. “Shona, you both can’t live like this forever. At some point you will have to decide about this relationship” Ragini said, just then Rohan entered and handed Swara her coffee. The three of them spent the night reminiscing old times.

“Where’s Ragini?” Sanskar asked when Laksh came home. “She’s staying with Swara tonight, she’ll come home tomorrow” he said while sitting beside Sanskar “Are you ready to face her?”; “Yes, I am. One day I have to face her. And you guys are shifting here not that we can avoid each other. I wonder how she’ll feel seeing me every day” Sanskar sighed. “Dear God, I will have to witness the silent tension between the two of you” Laksh said. “Let’s go sleep. We’ve to go to office tomorrow”.

Swara fell asleep on the couch while Ragini and Rohan sat talking. “She told me her past today” he said “I cannot even imagine what she must be feeling looking at him every day”. Ragini looked at her “You know I never thought she would be able to move on, but today when I saw her, I saw a change in her, I saw she wanted to live again” she turned to him and said “Thank you for being there for her when I couldn’t be, Rohan”. He sighed and said “Rags, please. I’m tired of hearing thank you from you, her, uncle and aunty. I have done nothing. What she has achieved, is all her hard work and her strength. I am happy about the fact that she let out her pain and decided to be happy from now. I didn’t know when I would get to see her smiling and laughing again, I am happy that I got to see that”. “Can I ask you something, but promise me you’ll tell me the truth” she said, he nodded “You love her, don’t you?” He looked at Ragini, not understating how to respond to her question. Am I in love with Swara he thought.

For the Longest Time (Episode 12)

Rohan and Swara sat in silence for a while. “I always knew you were a strong girl Swara. But I underestimated your past. I’m glad you let it all out, and now you can start afresh. You drowned yourself in work all these years, now live a little sweetheart. You never know when life will pass by you, and it might be too late by the time you realise it” he said. Swara turned to him “You have played a huge role in keeping me strong Rohan and I can’t thank you enough for that. The reason I let out all this is because I want to leave the past behind. Meeting Laksh after years made me realise how I sacrificed my happiness for because of the guy who hurt me. How much I have hurt people who love me, and I’m tired now. Tired of running, feeling this way, tired of hating him so much that it consumes me”; “I want to be free now Rohan, free of all my baggage. I want to be me again” she said with tears in her eyes. “I don’t want to be consumed with the hatred that I have in my heart”; Rohan hugged her “This is a start honey, everything will be fine. You’ll be happier than you ever imagined” he comforted her. “So Rags and Laksh are married? It’s funny how I never got a chance to meet my childhood friend’s husband all these years” Rohan said while laughing. “You hardly met me and Rags while we were Mumbai, how would you know about her husband, you didn’t even come to weeding even after she invited you” Swara taunted him. They both laughed “I still remember how out of the blue you got in touch with me during my final year. My destiny brought you to me when I needed a friend the most. And no matter how many times I say this, I can never thank you enough” she said.  “Now that it’s out, let’s leave the past behind Swara, we’ll never talk about it again. Deal?” he said. She smiled and nodded. “Let’s go to sleep now, we have a meeting tomorrow” he said. “I’m going out with Laksh tomorrow after work. Is that okay?” she asked him. “Why are you asking for permission, idiot. I’m glad you’re meeting him. Have fun” he said. They retired for the night.

At Sanskar’s Apartment

Laksh came home to find Sanskar waiting for him in the living room. Sanskar looked at him and was about to say something when Laksh cut him off “Do not say a word. There is no excuse for what has happened. You and I are aware of how much you have hurt her, and it has taken me a long time to forgive you for it, because I saw how much you love her even today. And I know that she loves you too. You are also aware of the fact that Ragini hasn’t forgiven you and the chances of that happening are very bleak. The past cannot be erased by one sorry and you have to earn back every bit of trust from both Ragini and Swara and it might take a while. I’m advising you not to rush it, what happened today will not happen again” he warned Sanskar. Sanskar sighed “I am aware of each and every thing Lucky. I also know the main reason why you have forgiven me is because she had given you her promise. There is no excuse for the mistake I made, but I never wanted to hurt her. Because of mistake I lost Ragini too. It hurts to see my best friend and not being able to talk to her. And I deserve every bit of pain I am going through. If going through this pain will bring her back to me, then I am ready to suffer ten times more than what I am suffering” he said in a quivering tone. “I can’t say that I know what you’re going through, but I’ll help you get through it. I know for a fact that even she is suffering and I want her to be happy now” Laksh said. “Go to sleep now, you have a meeting tomorrow” he said to Sanskar; “BTW, I’m going out with her after work tomorrow” he informed Sanskar. Sanskar nodded and went to his room.

Gadodia Industries

Sanskar arrived at office to find Rohan and Swara already there. He saw them laughing and talking. Seeing her laugh, he felt his heart flutter; it had been so long since she had laughed heartily laughed like that. Rohan saw Sanskar approaching them “Good Morning Mr Maheshwari” he greeted, “Good Morning Rohan. Please call me Sanskar. Mr Maheshwari is too formal” he smiled. “Good Morning Mr Maheshwari” Swara greeted him, “Good morning Swara” he replied with a smile. For a moment Sanskar could not believe his ears, she had greeted him today; he saw a change in her expression. Something had changed. She wasn’t as cold as she had been until tomorrow. He wondered what had changed. “Shall we start the meeting Sanskar, the investors are waiting for us” Rohan said. The three of them went for them meeting.

After the meeting ended, they got busy with their work. “Let’s go out for lunch?” Swara asked Rohan. “I’m too exhausted to go out, let’s order in please” he said. She agreed and he turned to Sanskar and asked “Sanskar, would you like to join us?” he looked at Swara to see her expression, “Sure I would love to” he replied. Sanskar noticed that Swara hadn’t denied him from coming nor did she react in anyway, he felt strange. The three of them were having lunch and casually discussing about work. Sanskar had noticed how Swara had not tried to avoid him, even though she restricted her talks to business related stuff, he was happy that at least she had started interacting. This was a win for him.

The day had passed by and Laksh came to office to pick up Swara. “Hey man, how are you? He asked Rohan. “Doing great” Rohan replied with a smile. “Ready to go?” he looked at Swara, “Give me five minutes, I’ll be done with this” she said without looking at him. “Your five minutes will never come” Rohan said while snatching the file from her, “You leave right now. I will take of the paperwork” he ordered her. Swara sighed and said “You always forget I am your boss Mr Sharma”. He laughed and said “Shut up and leave. Have a great time”, she narrowed her eyes and picked up her bag, kissed him on the cheek “We’re going for dinner to that Chinese restaurant, I won’t be late. See you”. Laksh saw all this and thought there is something different today. When they were leaving from office, the came across Sanskar, he smiled at her, she replied to his smile with an expressionless Good evening. “What time will you be home?” he asked Laksh, “No idea. I’ll call you” he replied. They said their goodbyes and left

Laksh and Swara reached the restaurant, and sat at their table. “Tell me something” he said; “Tell you what?” she asked him. “What is different today?” “I noticed you spoke to Bhai and you seem a little less cold towards him. Change of heart?” he asked. She frowned and said “Don’t read too much into it. The only reason I am acknowledging his presence is because it’s exhausting to constantly hate someone. I don’t want to waste my energy on someone who doesn’t matter to me” ; “Shona –“ he tried to say something, she cut him off “Lucky please, I don’t want  to spoil our dinner”, he nodded unwillingly. “BTW, you were supposed to give me a surprise today. What is it?” she asked. Suddenly his eyes went wide, “Oh no” he said. She looked at him “Laksh are you okay? What happened to you?” she asked. Someone spoke from behind Swara “He will not remain okay for a long time. He apparently forgot to pick his wife up from the airport”, Swara turned around to see Ragini grinning at her, she couldn’t believe her eyes “RAGINI” she hugged her. “Surprise Shona” Ragini said while kissing her hair. 

For The longest Time (Episode 11)

It was the wedding day; everyone was in a rush to get things done before time. Annapurna and Shramishtha with Laksh and Ragini had devised a plan to get Swara and Sanskar to confess their feelings. Unaware what was coming their way Sanskar and Swara went about completing their part of work for the wedding.

Swara was helping Ragini get ready in her room. Ragini looked beautiful in her bridal attire, “I never thought I could look this beautiful” Ragini said while looking in the mirror. Swara gave a little laugh “Yeah, it’s the bridal glow” she teased “How does it feel? I know you guys love each other. Still are you nervous?” she asked. She saw Ragini’s face change expressions “Relax, don’t freak out. I was just curious” she tried to calm Ragini. “Swara what if we are bad at marriage? What if he doesn’t love me after? What if we lose each other admist all the responsibilities?” She started freaking out. “Ragini, please relax. You’re hyperventilating. MAAA” she called out. Shramishtha rushed in “What’s wrong? What happened?” she looked at Ragini “Sweetheart what’s wrong?” she asked while sitting beside her “Ma, what if Laksh doesn’t love me after marriage? What if I am not a good wife?” she asked in a worried tone. Shramishtha laughed and said “Nothing will go wrong Ragini. Laksh loves you very much. You’re just getting pre wedding jitters. Everyone makes mistake in their married life, even you both will make mistakes. But you both will correct your mistakes and move forward. You both have a journey for your lifetime sweetheart. You will fight with each other and you will fight for each other, there will be days when you will hate each other so much that you wouldn’t want to see his face, but at the end of the day you both will want to come home to each other. That’s what makes this relationship so special” Ragini visibly relaxed and Swara let out a sigh “Thank you Ma for helping me out; otherwise she would have had a stroke out of nervousness.” Swara said. Shramishtha and Ragini hugged and started crying “I and Shekhar did not even realise when our little girl grew up” Shramishtha said. “How will I manage without you Ma” Ragini said while holding her. Shramishtha kissed the top of her head “You will manage everything better than I did”. Swara wiped her tears and said all this emotional drama spoiled my makeup and the three of them laughed. Swara and Shramishtha helped Ragini with her final touches and then Shramishtha put a kaala teeka behind Ragini’s ear to ward off evil eyes.

“Bhai, I am getting married. What if I am a bad husband? What if she hates me after marriage?” Laksh said while pacing around the room. Sanskar was laughing at Laksh’s state. “Bhai, please stop laughing at me” he narrowed his eyes at him “Marriage is a huge responsibility. What if I am not able to fulfil my part?” ; Durgaprasad entered the room and heard Laksh’s worries and joined Sanskar in laughing at him. “Dad not you too” Laksh whined. Durgaprasad controlled his laugh “Son, do you think I and Annapurna didn’t have our share of fights and mistakes? Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone questions each other at one point of time. It’s only human. There is nothing as a perfect marriage. And it’s the imperfections that make this relationship worth every second of your life. You and Ragini love each other and you both will get through everything with each other. The only advice I’ll give you is that never stop respecting each other. Never forget why you both fell in love with each other and never try to change each other. Compromise is a part of marriage, but never compromise so much that you lose each other”. “Wow dad that was some heavy advice” Sanskar said. “Don’t get too cocky with me” Durgaprasad said in a teasing way. Laksh hugged him “Thanks dad”. Annapurna entered the room and had moist eyes when she saw her family together. She went near Laksh moved her hand on his head and said “We never even realised when out sons grew up”. Laksh and Sanskar hugged Annapurna, “Stop being so dramatic Mom” both of them said and all of them laughed.

At the mandap, Laksh sat and Sanskar was beside him, while the Pundit chanted mantras. Laksh signalled Annapurna, she smiled and came near both of them. “Laksh how is Swara? I mean her nature and behaviour?” she asked, Sanskar listened to their conversation intently. “She’s a great girl Ma. Matured for her age and is very understanding. I have never seen her disrespect or misbehave with anyone” he replied. Annapurna and Laksh saw a smile forming on Sanskar’s face while they were talking about her. “But why do you want to know about her?”  He asked purposely. “Your aunt liked her. She wanted to talk about Swara and her son Vivek” she said “WHAT?” Sanskar said a little too loudly. Annapurna and Laksh grinned at each other. “Ma, Vivek and Swara? How could you even think about their alliance? Vivek is not worth Swara” Sanskar said. Annapurna gave him an amused expression when he realised what he just said. “I think Vivek and Swara will be great together. They have similar interests and I have seen both of them interacting couple of times. They both are comfortable with each other” she teased him. Laksh also joined in teasing him “Yeah bhai, they’ll be great together. But why are you so upset about it?”. “Nothing” he said and left from there. Annapurna called Shramishtha “I and Laksh told Sanskar about Swara and Vivek, he got upset and went to his room.” She laughed. “Now we need to make sure he sees Swara with Vivek. I and Laksh told him what he has to do”. “Got it” Shramishtha replied and told all this to Ragini.

Shramishtha and Swara brought Ragini to the mandap. Laksh was mesmerised seeing Ragini in her bridal attire. Ragini sat beside Laksh; they both looked at each other and smiled. “You have got to stop doing this every time, baby” he said. She looked at him in surprise “What did I do?”, he grinned “You made me fall for you again”, she laughed and said “Please don’t be so cheesy Lucky. I might have to rethink my decision” she teased him while he pouted. The rituals continued, Annapurna and Shramishtha spotted Sanskar staring at Swara. “Shona, please get me a glass of water” Annapurna said to Swara. “I’ll get it, aunty” she smiled and went to the kitchen, Shramishtha sent Vivek behind her.  

Sanskar went behind both of them. Annapurna and Shramishtha gave thumbs up to Ragini and Laksh and they grinned, their plan was to get Sanskar jealous so that he confesses his love to Swara and once that happened the four of them would do the same thing to make Swara confess her feelings. Sanskar entered the kitchen and saw Vivek and Swara talking, he saw Vivek flirting with her. With a lot of difficulty he tried to maintain his cool. “Sorry, I guess I’m disturbing both of you” he said sarcastically while entering the kitchen. Swara and Vivek looked at him. “Yeah man, she was about to agree to go on a date with me when you barged in” Vivek said purposely; Swara laughed and said “Liar, that was just your assumption” and hit him lightly on his arm. Sanskar could feel the heat in his body when he saw their rapport. “Oh, how cute” he said through his teeth, Vivek noticed this and teased him even more “You tell me Sanskar, don’t we look like the perfect couple”, Sanskar felt his anger rise when he heard the word couple; “What rubbish, enough of your flirting now. Let me go now, I came to get water for aunty and you got me talking” Swara laughed. “Vivek, Ma was looking for you and while going give her that glass of water too” he said through his gritted teeth. Swara saw his expression and got confused. “Let me take that glass of water, My Lady” she smiled and gave him the glass and Vivek left with a smirk.

“So Vivek, huh?” Sanskar asked sarcastically, she gave him a questioning expression “What about him?” she asked. “You both do make a good couple” he hissed while moving towards her. She glared at him “It was a stupid joke and what is it to you anyway” she retorted while moving back; “I do not like it when I see you with someone else Swara. Even though Vivek is my cousin, I would have smashed his through the wall for flirting with you” he said while pinning her to the wall. She felt his breath on her face, Swara was suddenly aware of how close their faces were. Swara looked at him with shock in her eyes, she couldn’t move because she was pinned to the wall by his strong hands “Sanskar, Wh-” he cut her off “Do you know how many guys I have killed in my mind today for merely looking at you?” she felt an electric current pass through her spine, she didn’t know how to digest what he had just said; she kept staring at him in disbelief. “Do you really want me to spell it out Miss Gadodia” he asked in an exasperated tone. Swara was not able to speak up at the revelations that had just come out of his mouth. She knew what he was going to say and she had just seen the intensity of his feelings for her, it was very overwhelming for her. “I love you Swara” he declared. A tear made its way out of her eye, she had been waiting for this confession, even though they had barely seen each other in the past year, the 2 days which they had spent with each other was enough for them to figure out that they had a special bond. She never thought that anyone would love her with such passion and such intensity and she never knew she could love someone with the same intensity. “I love you too” she said with a weak voice. Sanskar’s face lit up when he heard the words come out of her mouth. He moved forward and kissed her and she responded to his kiss. Their passion for each other came pouring out, tears were streaming out of Swara’s eyes, she found her love today and nothing that ever happened with her could match the happiness she felt today. They broke the kiss gasping for air, Sanskar hugged her tightly, “You saved Vivek from getting murdered today” he joked. She gave a laugh and said “Let us go out now, before someone comes in”.

Annapurna and Shramishtha entered the kitchen, just when they had composed themselves. “What are the two of you doing here?” Annapurna asked; “Nothing Ma, I came here to drink water” Sanskar said. She looked at Swara who was blushing and signalled Shramishtha, “Shona, are you okay?” she teased. Swara fumbled “Ma, I’m okay. Let’s go out Ragini and Laksh must be waiting for us”. “We were actually looking for both of you, and we found you together” Annapurna teased while Swara and Sanskar blushed.

Sanskar sat near Laksh and Swara sat near Ragini in the mandap. Annapurna and Shramishtha signalled them that their plan had been successful. “Shona, are you okay? You look a little flushed” Ragini teased her. “I- I’m fine. You’re getting married and you’ll not be there with me from now on. So I got a bit emotional” she lied, Ragini smiled and said “I’m not flying off to another planet, for you to get so emotional. Are you sure that’s the only reason?” she teased. “Here I’m getting all emotional about you and you’re making fun of me” Swara tried to cover up, Ragini noticed her looking at Sanskar and nudged Laksh. “Bhai, where are you lost?” Laksh asked; Sanskar came back to his senses “No- nothing, I’m here only” he said. “Sure it’s nothing else bhai?”  Laksh asked. Sanskar frowned at him and said “Pay attention to what’s going on here. Stop worrying about me”. Laksh and Ragini laughed, while Sanskar and Swara blushed.

The wedding was complete and everyone was emotional about the bidaai. Ragini hugged Shekhar “It all feels like a dream princess, I never realised when you grew up and today you’re starting your new life” he said while crying. Ragini hugged him harder “I’ll miss you baba”. Shramishtha hugged Ragini and they both cried. Ragini and Swara hugged each other “I’m happy for you Shona” she whispered in her ear, and Swara looked at Sanskar. They broke the hug and Ragini whispered to her “I’ll see you soon” which made Swara blush even harder. “Yeah you’ll see at your reception tonight” she tried to cover up. Ragini gave a little laugh and said “You clearly know what I mean. It’s no use hiding from me”. Swara turned shades of red.

Durgaprasad and Annapurna hugged Shekhar and Shramishtha. “We are taking our daughter home Shekharji. Do not worry about her; we will always keep her happy”. Annapurna spoke in a low tone to Shramishtha “Soon I’ll take my other daughter too” and they both laughed.

It was Laksh and Ragini’s reception at night. “Why do we need to have a reception? Look at everyone. Clearly no one is bothered about us and everyone is here for free food” Laksh whined while Ragini and Sanskar laughed at him. “Lucky, how much will you whine” Swara said; “Oh please, you’ll understand my state the day you and bhai have to stand here on the stage like this” Laksh said. Sanskar and Swara looked at him in shock; “what did you just say?” Sanskar asked. Ragini was trying hard to control her laughter. Swara looked at her and understood that both of them knew. “What are you talking about?” she tried to cover up. Laksh and Ragini burst out laughing looking at Sanskar’s shocked face. “You guys really thought we wouldn’t notice, what was going on between the two of you” Ragini said while laughing. “I thought you didn’t want me to date your sister” Sanskar asked her. “Sweetie, I had a problem with your workaholic nature and commitment issues. But I could clearly see how much you love her” she replied as a matter of fact. Sanskar gave a sigh of relief and grinned. Laksh looked at Swara “Shona, you look like a tomato” he said while laughing. Swara ran from there and got off the stage while Laksh, Ragini and Sanskar laughed at her blushing.

Sanskar kept tracing her movement in the hall; Swara could feel the heat of his gaze even though he was far from her. He saw her laughing and talking to her cousins and looked at her lovingly. He loved her laugh, it was very contagious. Suddenly he got a call and went out to receive it.

Swara was talking to her friend when a girl approached them and asked “Can you please tell me where I can find Sanskar?” Swara was curious to know who this girl was “He was on the stage a minute ago, I’m not sure where he went.” She said to the girl “Come, I’ll take you to him. By the way I’m Swara” she smiled. “Thank you Swara, I am Kavita” she introduced herself while walking with Swara. “Are you a friend of Sanskar?” Kavita asked. Swara nodded “Yes, his brother and my sister got married” she replied. “Oh congratulations” Kavita smiled. “Where did he go” Swara thought loudly, and then she turned to Kavita and asked “Are you a friend too?” Kavita gave a little laugh and said “Sort of”, Swara gave her a confused expression. “I’m his girlfriend” Kavita said.

Sanskar came back inside the hall and couldn’t spot Swara, he moved around trying to find her. He saw her talking to a girl, Swara looked very serious and then he noticed the girl she was talking to. Even though the girl’s back was towards Sanskar, he recognised her immediately. “Oh no” he thought, as he made his way towards Swara, she noticed him coming towards them. Sanskar noticed her moist eyes and was looking at her with pleading eyes. “Mr Maheshwari, your girlfriend was searching for you” Swara said as Sanskar reached her. Kavita spun around and hugged him “Surprise, baby” and Swara left from there. “Kavita, I’ll meet you at your hotel” he said in a stern tone. “But Sanskar” she tried to speak, Sanskar cut her off “Kavita, I said I will meet you at your hotel. Leave now” he said and rushed behind Swara.

Laksh and Ragini noticed Swara and Sanskar from the stage. “Lucky, I think something is wrong. Do you know that girl with Sanskar?” Ragini asked. He shrugged “I’ve never seen her before”. She saw Swara crying and going towards the washroom. “Lucky, I’ll go check on Shona”, he nodded and said “Go, I’ll manage here.”

Ragini got off the stage and rushed behind Swara, she saw Sanskar going behind Swara and asked him “What happened Sanskar? Why is Shona crying?” Sanskar looked at her guiltily. “God dammit, why is my sister crying Sanskar?” she asked in an angry tone. Sanskar narrated the entire ordeal to her. Ragini felt her blood boiling, and she didn’t realise when she slapped him. Luckily no one was around when this was happening, “How dare you? Who gave you the right to hurt my sister? I had warned you Sanskar” She shouted at him. “Ragini, I know I messed up, but please believe me, I love Swara. Kavita was a distraction from Swara for me, while I was in US. I was going to break up with her” he tried to explain. “Shut up. Not a word more Sanskar. You were going to break up with her. When exactly were you planning on telling us this. If Kavita didn’t come here we wouldn’t even know about your infidelity. You cheated that girl and my sister. And you want me to believe that you love my sister?” “Leave from here before I lose my temper even more. And if your dare to come near Shona again, believe me when I say this, I will not spare you” she said and went behind Swara.

Ragini entered the washroom and saw Swara sitting on the floor crying. She rushed to her and hugged her “Shona, stop crying” she said while patting her hair. “He cheated me Ragini. He was my first love and I got cheated by my first love” she cried. “Shona, please baby, stop crying” Ragini tried to console her. “What did I do to deserve this Ragini?” Swara cried. “Swara listen to me. Don’t you dare blame yourself, you did nothing wrong. Maybe it’s for the best. He doesn’t deserve you and you got saved before you could get into it any further”. Swara kept crying. “Swara get up now, my sister will not waste her tears for a jerk like him” Ragini said while making Swara stand. She helped Swara clean up and helped her compose herself. Ragini was cleaning herself when she saw Swara speaking to someone over the phone. “Rohan, can you send me early morning tickets to Mumbai for tomorrow. Thanks. Pick me up from the airport tomorrow” she disconnected the call. “Swara, wh-” Ragini tried to speak but Swara cut her off. “I can’t stay here anymore. I was going to tell everyone that Rohan and I are setting up out business. I was going to leave next month.  After all that just happened, I need to leave tomorrow. Handle Ma and Baba. And promise me you won’t tell anyone anything. I know you won’t hide anything from Laksh, tell him not to spoil his relationship with his brother and he has my promise if he does” Ragini listened to all this quietly and felt tears coming out “Shona” she tried to speak again. “Shhh, Let me speak” Swara interrupted “I’m leaving for home now, I’ll pack my bags and stay at the airport tonight. Handle Ma and Baba, tell them it was important for me to be there tomorrow. I’ll send them tickets to come visit me next month. I need to settle first. One more thing Ragini, i don’t know when I will come back. Till then take care of yourself and everyone else and make sure Sanskar does not know where I am. I don’t want to see him ever again” she said while crying. Ragini hugged her and said “I and Laksh love you Shona. Please take care of yourself. Don’t worry I will handle everything here. Leave from the back door of the hall. No one will be able to see you go from there”. “Swara cried “I love you Ragini. Thank you for being such a great sister. Tell Lucky I love and apologise for me, for me not meeting before leaving. And make sure he does not strain his relation with Sanskar for me.” She kissed Ragini on the cheek and left.

FLASHBACK ENDS

For The Longest Time (Episode 10)

Laksh and Ragini exchanged rings and were taking everyone’s blessings. Sanskar walked towards Swara and stood beside her. She blushed and made it a point to avoid eye contact. “You look different, from the last time I saw you” he said “You’ve become more beautiful” he said, she blushed harder. “Thank you” she said without looking at him. She was afraid; her eyes would convey her feelings to him. “So you talk to everyone like this? By not looking at them?” he teased, she looked at him and he held her gaze “No, it’s nothing like that” she said hesitantly. He laughed and said “Relax, I’m just joking” and she blushed harder. Laksh and Ragini noticed them talking “Lucky, is it my imagination or do you sense something between them?” she asked. Laksh gave a knowing smile and said “I saw something between them the first time they met”. “WHAT” she glared at him “why didn’t you tell me something before” she asked, “You were clearly not comfortable with their relationship and you spoke to bhai, what would I have told you” he said. She looked at them “I’m still not convinced, but I can read in Shona’s eyes that she has feelings for him”; “Let them figure it out on their own, let’s see where their destiny takes them” he said.

The day of haldi arrived, entire Gadodia house was decorated in tones of yellow and white. Ragini was made to sit in the centre of the hall and the elder started the rituals, the happiness was evident on her face, she was glowing. Sanskar entered Gadodia house with the Shagun haldi, Shramishtha greeted him “Thank you very much Sanskar. I would ask you to come in but this is a ladies function, I’m afraid I cannot invite you in”; “Please aunty, don’t be so formal, I’m aware of the rituals” he smiled; he bent to touch her feet and take blessings. Just as he was about to leave, a kid stained his shirt with haldi. “Sorry bhaiyya” the kid apologised, “No problem kiddo, you go and play” he patted the kid’s hair and smiled. “Sanskar, honey go and wash of this stain, the washroom is in the room towards your right” Shramishtha said; “Thank you, aunty. I’ll take a few minutes and leave” he said and went to the room.

When Sanskar came out of the washroom, he saw a girl struggling to tie strings at the back, “Shona, come quickly” Shramishtha’s voice came from the hall, “I will be there in 2 minutes Ma” the girl replied. As he moved closer, he saw her face in the mirror. He went closer to her, mesmerized by the way her yellow dress complimented her, her hair was loosely braided and strands of hair framed her face. As he moved closer, she felt someone moving behind her, then she saw Sanskar in the mirror and froze, he kept coming closer, she could see the intensity in his eyes, it matched the one in her eyes. He took the strings in his hands and started tying, while staring at her. They both held each other’s eyes, through the mirror. She could feel his breath on her nape, and he realised how close they were. Suddenly their chemistry erupted in the air between them, he brushed his finger on her nape and she shuddered, her breath became heavier, so did his. They lost every bit of control they had on their actions. He held her shoulders and kissed her neck. Her heartbeat increased and her legs went jelly. If he wasn’t holding her, she would have fallen. He turned her around to face him. He could see the coyness in her eyes, he brushed his thumb over her collar bone and she shuddered again, he saw her lips quivering, and had an overwhelming urge to kiss her. “Shona, are you ready yet?” came a voice. They came to their senses and realised what just happened. She got embarrassed and ran out. He also left without getting noticed.

That night, both of them could not sleep. They kept thinking about what had happened. Next day the families met to decide about the sangeet. Swara and Sanskar avoided each other as much as they could. “I think we should have a combined sangeet” Laksh said; “Everyone will dance in pairs”; “I think that’s a good idea” Durgaprasad said. “The couples will dance with each other, and others will be paired according to their relation to Laksh and Ragini” Shekhar suggested. Sanskar and Swara looked at each other. I can hardly control myself when I am around her, now dancing with her is going to push me over the edge he thought. Being close to him messes my sanity, how will I dance with him without losing my senses she thought.

Swara and Sanskar were paired together, and the theme of their dance was to portray Laksh and Ragini’s love story. They decided to dance on the song A thousand years. They weren’t aware of the fact that Laksh and Ragini had chosen this for them on purpose. They wanted to see their chemistry. Every time Sanskar and Swara danced together, their chemistry grew stronger, and it was visible to Laksh and Ragini. “I think have still not acknowledged their feelings” Ragini said to Laksh. Laksh nodded in agreement “I know and it’s frustrating me”; “sometimes I feel like shaking them and make them realise that they love each other”, then he gave a grin and said “if only they were smart like us, to realise it sooner” Ragini blushed “Stop it Lucky” she said.

The day of sangeet arrived. As the time for their dance came closer, their hearts started beating faster. Laksh and Ragini danced on You Belong With Me, their performance reflected their love for each other, it mirrored their feelings and everyone could see how happy they were. It was time for Sanskar and Swara’s performance, they came on stage and looked at each other and everyone disappeared. Looking into each other’s eyes, like always, they felt complete, nothing else mattered. They started dancing, and their chemistry sparkled, the air around them sparkled with their intimacy. Everyone could see they were bound together. Their performance ended and there was silence all around. Laksh and Ragini smiled. Before it got more awkward, Laksh and Ragini started clapping. It was their claps that got Swara and Sanskar back into their senses. While everyone clapped, Annapurna and Shramishtha came to Laksh and Ragini. “So kids, what are you both smiling about” Shramishtha asked them. “Ma, their performance was so good” Ragini tried to cover up. “Yeah, the performance was very good, and a very believable too” Annapurna said. “How much do you both know?” Annapurna asked. Laksh and Ragini looked at each other “if you both don’t tell us, your late night dates which you sneak out for will be banned” Shramishtha blackmailed them, while Annapurna laughed. “You both know about that?” Laksh asked them. “Yes, and now tell us. What is going on between both of them?” Annapurna asked. “They both haven’t acknowledged their feelings yet” Ragini said “But as you can see. They both definitely love each other”. Annapurna and Shramishtha looked at each other and said “Leave that to us. We’ll make sure they confess before you get married”; “but till then, no one should know about it” Annapurna said.

Laksh and Ragini grinned in all glory. “Nobody will know” they said in unison. Meanwhile Sanskar and Swara who were fighting their feelings and felt that they were losing control of themselves. The entire night their eyes were locked with each other. They were not aware of what was going around them.

I need to tell her that I love her he thought. I need to confess to him that I love him she thought