Five days passed by and still she never came across sanskar even once. She kept on waking up early by keeping her alarm half an hour earlier from the previous day and going to sleep later in the nights. But however hard she tried he was gone before she woke and reached after she slept. She wanted to put an end to this. It's not that I am desperate to see him, she pacified herself, I just want him to know that
I still don't remember him and will be leaving the house in few days. She feared doing a introspection on her current state and instead planned on various encounters to meet him. She thought of going to his office but last minute decided it would give him wrong ideas. After five days she decided to confront him being awake whole night and here she was anxious as in a first date.
A clock stuck twelve in the corridor and she sat upright from the sleeping position. she wondered whether she had missed sanskar while she was diving into the past three weeks. But some unknown feeling in her heart made sure that sanskar was not yet home. She was feeling sleepy and thought of postponing the confrontation to the next day but decided against it to get it done as early as possible. She stood up, glanced at the mirror wondering what was she doing dressed up in a saree for a midnight fight that too a blue one, the colour she hates. Before she could analyze further she heard feeble sound of a car approaching. She could hear her heartbeats but knew she had a upper hand since it would be totally unexpected for him. She moved outside the room to watch him enter the hall and finally her long wait was rewarded.
He came holding his laptop bag in one hand. She stood transfixed in her position looking at him intently. He looked so beaten and tired, had lost lots of weight. He kept his bag on the central table and was about to walk up to dining area for a glass of water when he sensed her presence and turned back. She was Standing at the start of the stairs with her eyes watching him intently wearing a blue saree. His eyes widened, Swara he called... She had practiced the scene several times in her mind but had never predicted her next move in the wildest of thoughts. Half stumbling , half running she alighted the steps and hugged him with such force that he stumbled backwards. For a second he thought she had regained her memory but when she cried" Sanskar please don't hate me, don't chase me away from you, I am helpless in not remembering you, it's not intentional." he felt a heart wrenching pain and was sorry for avoiding her.
She felt light headed and giddy and sensing her weakness he scooped her in his arms and carried her. Halfway up the stairs, she felt better, opened her eyes and looked at him with anxious eyes, he was looking at her with tears in his eyes, their looks collided but they did not avert their gaze from each other.
After reaching the room he placed her gently on the bed and turned to leave. She held his hand from behind, made him sit near her. Moving closer to him she kissed him on his cheeks to wipe off the lone tear which had escaped from his eyes. She whispered...love me sanskar..He tried to restrain himself by cautioning her, Swara he called...sssh, she put a finger on his lips . Please sanskar she said in a husky tone
He could not hold any longer , he crushed her to his body and kissed her deeply with ignited passion and longing since the fateful day. She responded with equal passion. They let all the logical thoughts in their mind to rest and succumbed to the heat of the moment. Only love and passion persisted in their world.
She was in a dream when in the background she heard a Commotion ' Are jiji mera chora kahaan gaya, savere nou bajgaya, kudkushi kiya hoga bag idhar chodke , kya kya sehna padtha hai bechare ko'; bass sujatha tum Bait jaao, sanskar ko kuch nahi hoga,chachiji sambalo apne aapko, mein swara se pooch leti hum ki unki beech kuch ladaai tho nahi Hua Kal raat ko , mein bhi chalti hum chori...When realisation hit her Swara jumped from the bed and shot a tensed glance towards the door, thank god she remembered with relief, she had bolted the door around three in the morning when she got up to wear a night dress .She just had time to gather their clothes spread all around and put into the cupboard before the knock started on the door. She covered half awaken sanskar with a blanket and whispered to him..don't get up sanskar , just pretend to sleep I ll manage nd then she opened the door but before she could stop sujatha from rushing inside the room her mother in law had already entered shouting, chori mara sanskar...she stopped Midway and stood stunned with her mouth open seeing her chora in deep sleep where she least expected to find him. She was shocked would be an understatement. But ragini who followed upto the entrance consoling sujatha , even though shocked , managed the situation by taking her from there and announcing to the others waiting downstairs... sanskar swara ke saath hai.
Thinking of the looks they will have to endure at the breakfast table she closed the door with a grin and turned back to look at her husband. He was lying on his stomach and scanning her face to read her emotions. Sitting upright, With so much concern in his eyes he asked, swara are u ok, even though he din Mouth it she knew what he meant, the unspoken question ...do u repent what happened ?
She was overwhelmed, how can anybody love so purely, she wanted to wipe of all the pain he suffered for her from the start. His innocent look invoked a maternal instinct in her. She sat on the bed leaning against the back rest. Prompting him to lie on her with his head on her bossom, she stroked the back of his head and assured him " No sanskar, don't worry, I don't have any regrets for what happened yday night. I want to tell you something. Sanskar I don't know whether I am going to remember our past in any near future and I really don't Care now 'cause I know our future is going to be much brighter and more beautiful with only happiness .
I have realized from our family at various instances that between us you have been the more expressive and vocal of our love and that I never reciprocated the feelings with same intensity in my haste to prove myself a good daughter, DIL and sister. But from this moment I declare that nothing matters to me more than you, because
--I don't feel wanted unless you accept me...
--I don't feel beautiful unless you look at me..
--I don't feel loved unless you care for me...