The Best of Things
(RagLak, SwaSan) Fan Fiction Series
By Bubble
Chapter 19
Later that week, Swara chopped vegetables for dinner and checked her watch. It was time for Sanskaar to come home - he'd been so busy, they had hardly had any time these past few days.
How well Lakshya's plan had gone! she thought as she shredded the cauliflower. He had intended to make Ragini feel good about herself - reset some of her ideas about the past and herself, and it surely had the desired impact? She hoped so. She was willing to do anything to help to heal and retrieve Ragini...
Where was he? He was coming home so late these days - why schedule meetings late in the afternoon? she grumbled to herself. And she turned and saw him. Leaning on the kitchen door, smiling, his work satchel still slung on his shoulder.
"Hi!" she exclaimed, a huge smile dawning, "I didn't hear your car!"
"I came with Dad - I sent mine to be serviced." Sanskaar grinned, "Are you done? Come up, I haven't spoken to you in ages!"
"I know!" she exclaimed, pouting slightly, "mornings are so rushed! I'm almost done with this... Kamla will come now and make the sabzi. Ok, tell you what! you go and freshen up, and I'll bring up the chai-naashta."
But that plan was destined to be thwarted - Ram Prasad buttonholed his son for an hour after that, and then Sanskaar had take a conference call that couldn't be put off... and it was only after dinner that they finally managed to be alone.
Swara unrolled the pacheesi cloth board, set up the pieces and they started to throw the cowries. Sanskaar lounged against the head board, indolent, propped up by three pillows, while Swara typically agile, sat upright in the middle of the bed... such a difference in their physical postures ... but curiously, both alert and equally involved in the game.
"Hahaha!" chortled Swara, at the end of thirty minutes, "Mr Sanskaar Maheshwari, prepare to lose!"
"I deeply suspect cheating, Swara, how can you win every time?" Sanskaar shook his head, as she finished the final moves and scooped the game.
"Naach na aaye aangan theda, Sanskaarji!" she stuck her tongue out and put away the paraphernalia on the side table, dimmed the room's lights before plonking herself against the headboard again. They chatted for a bit about his current work project...
"So, what's been happening at home?" he asked her, settling himself to face her, "did Lucky's little skit work?"
"No idea," she responded at once, "I didn't want to speak to Lakshya about it - Ragini tends to get upset even if we're within feet of each other."
Then pensively she went on, "You know, till Lakshya started asking me all these questions about the past, I never thought that Ragini had so many issues... but the more I thought about it, I could see what had happened. I think she had a soft corner for Debo too... but she couldn't act on it. She must've been so jealous of my closeness to him... she must've thought that I'd stolen him away from her... and Lakshya came into our lives."
She twisted her ring in some agitation. "To Ragini it must have appeared like a repeat of the same pattern. Lakshya was meant for her, he was engaged to her, but he fell in love with me... again, she felt I had stolen her man, and this time, she was not willing to give up without a fight."
"Hmm... looks like it..." he agreed thoughtfully. "Was it really true, though... all that you said yesterday? I was quite sure you exagerrated quite a lot... I mean, all those young chaps crazy after Ragini... at least some of them must've had better taste!"
Swara laughed, "No, Sanskaar, it was like that! Daadi always used to say 'Chahe kuch bhi karlo, meri Ragini ka tum saamna nahin kar sakti!' She was so tall and graceful, so classically beautiful, lovely eyes... when it came to beauty, there was no comparison between us!"
She seemed to be making a statement of fact... so it pricked Sanskaar's heart, when she paused and then asked, "Hain na?"
He frowned. This strange 'sisters-but-not-sisters' upbringing seemed to have left scars on both the girls. He had never thought that Swara could have insecurities.
"I'm the wrong person to ask, Swara!" he said, a little gruffly, lifting his feet off the bed and standing up.
"Kyun?!" she demanded, coming around to stand in front of him, leaning in to glare at him, "you're a guy, aren't you? And don't try to tell me you don't know how to scope out a girl!"
"No, I'm not trying to tell you that," Sanskaar admitted with a small grin, "but with you it's different."
"In what way?" she asked him, her eyes on his face.
He looked down at her... so innocent, so wide eyed, trying to read his answer before he gave it.
He couldn't help it. He cupped her face in his hands like a flower, tilted her face up to his... and said deliberately, "Kyunki mujhe tumhaare aage koi nazar nahi aata, Swara... because I can't see beyond you."
Her breath hitched. She stared at him, mesmerised by the look in his eyes, by the intensity he was emanating... her own heart was pounding almost painfully in her chest.
And suddenly, just like that, he lowered his face to hers and took her lips.
Edited by soapbubble - 9 years ago
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