I gather this will be a Three Part OS(because of the requests to continue the same)---
Falling in love, Acceptance and Fulfilment. Welcoming you to the first part.š
1.FALLING IN LOVE
Swara sat in the gathering twilight.
Everybody had gone out shopping for Diwali. Here she was alone, face corralled in her palms. She watched as the birds flew home in fleets.
Normally Swara would have been the first to jump up and go shopping for occasions. But she had pleaded a headache, staying home. She gazed on, as the blue slowly melted a dark blazing red, with the sunset...and the hue slowly faded away in velvety indigo. Light gave way to dark.
Sounds gave way to silence.
Swara felt lonely. She had been feeling lonely for days. Sanskaar was not here.
Well, he was home, yes. He was in the same room with her, yes. He answered if she talked to him, yes.
But there was distance in the nearness. There was silence in the speech. Swara felt...abandoned. yes that was it. Abandoned.
She knew she was in love. She was hyper aware of him, every second they were together...and even more aware still, every second they were apart.
He had not taken kindly to her decision of not leaving him for her new plan of uniting Laksh and ragini. He had, in the first few weeks, watched Laksh making sheep eyes at her with a resigned air...and had not uttered any protest whatsoever. He had slept as usual on the couch, giving her the rights to the bed, of course.
Swara had broken off the companionable friendship they shared. But she had not expected that, he would never ever hold a conversation with her again, except the sparse, very sparse, yes and no and goodnight and goodmorning...and such like. She barely saw him after waking up. He showered and breakfasted and went off to work...and after he came home, he straightaway buried himself his laptop.
A month had passed, two and then three. And Swara's feelings had started changing track.
She knew now, for instance, exactly how much time he took to shower. She decided that his deo had a very tantalizing smell. She knew now, that he hated coffee and liked juice...and she knew that his neck had been paining him from sleeping on that puny couch. She knew he liked his files colour coded and stacked according to priority.
She knew something more. That whatever she felt for him now, was not friendship. It was not the silly excitement she had experienced when she was with Laksh.
It was like she had been locked in a room with him...and found that she was meant to be here all along.
But she was knocking on a door, too late. It was as if, he had firmly shut it in her face. Could silence from the other end be so...deafeaning?
Swara would have quite liked to slowly fall in love with him. Now, that she actually felt tiny flutters in her heart, when she saw him walking through the door into a room. When something tugged at her heart, when he gave one of his grim smiles, which was all that was left now,of his once strong laughter she had been used to sharing.
If he stretched his hand out for something at the same time as she did...she could hardly resist trying to look into his eyes. Her heartbeats did not increase if he touched her by any chance. They most probably lurched. Her breath became like a steam engines puff.
She most certainly had a crush on her husband. The problem was her husband had confessed to be in love with her way before she had even been on the same footing. And now, he seemed to have decided, that it was better to have locked his heart rather than let it in her hands.
Swara missed him. Missed him most when he was away from her. But more, when he was there with her and yet, carefully maintaining his distance from her.
The doorbell ringing brought her back from her reverie.
Tiredly, she walked across the hallway, lighting it as she went. The family must have finished their shopping. She opened the door.
And there he stood.
Sanskaar nodded to her..and brushed past.
"Chai piyoge?"
"No, thanks"
"Maine banaya hai...saath pitey hai na..waise bhi sab shopping peg gaye hai"
Sanskaar looked at her eager face...and said "okay"
"Abhi layi" Swara gave him a brief smile...and flew off.
Sanskar stared after her, unaware, that how much this small assent had meant to his wife of three months.
He knew how much it would mean to him if he let it. But he was afraid to. He watched her dream at night, but he was afraid, that if he said so, it might break whatever it was that had kept her with him.
Well, now that they were sipping tea together in the same place where swara had previously been sitting alone...there was a different aspect to the darkness that had covered the light.
The stars were beginning to peep out.š
Will continue next week.š...see youš.
Part 2 is up alreadyš Acceptance: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/swaragini/4497739/swasan-os-acceptance-part-2-of-realisations-three-shot
Part 3 is up too Fulfilment : https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/swaragini/4499378/swasan-os-fulfilment-part-3-of-realisations-3shot
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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