Hi guys...happy new year...hope you have a great year ahead...I am gonna make my first post of the year...hope you enjoy...pms later...exams start on Tuesday...
So next update after 20th...sorry.
CHAPTER 11
Sanskaar sat on his bed. With one hand he turned the bedside lamp on and off, his eyes focused on the object he held in his other hand. Everytime he turned the light on and then off the darkness seemed to intensify. Wasn't his life too like this? Someone brought happiness and light, then plunged him into darkness. Then came another bringing with her more brightness and then she took it all away pushing him into a more scary darkness.
He looked at the chain he held in his other hand. A silver chain with a small crystal heart. He still remembered day he had given it to her.
*******flashback*****
"Shona, can't you stay? "She asked making a puppy face.
"Sunny, dont do that.I haven't gone home for months . My grandparents and Ragu would be waiting for me to come home. And anyway it is a month long vacation. What excuse can I make? " she said.
He smiled seeing her sulking.
"Its okay. I was joking. By the way I wanted to give u a gift. "He said.
She looked at him surprised. He smiled and pulled out a box from his pocket.
"Something to remind you of me while you are enjoying with your family. "He said placing it on the table.
"Wow. Great idea. I wasn't going to remember you at all otherwise. "She said rolling her eyes as she took it. He saw a beautiful smile spread across her face as she looked at the chain. She held the heart gingerly in her hand.
"It is so beautiful. It is perfect."She said her eyes sparkling.
"I did not buy it. It is a hand-me- down. But very close to my heart. "He said quietly.
She looked at him curiously.
"It was hers? "She asked.
He nodded "yes. She gave it to me when I was going away from her. "
She smiled and extended it to him. "Help me wear it."She said.
***********
Sanskaar smiled at the memory. He had told her that it was like her heart. Pure and white. Now he knew it was really like her heart. Cold and hard.
He heard a knock on his door and opened it. His mother stood there. He could see that she wanted to talk to him and there was no escape.
"I want to talk to you. It is very important. "She said impatiently dragging him towards the couch. She thrust a white envelope into his hand.
"What is this mom? " he asked clueless. No one evrr knew what was cooking in his mother's head.
"Sanskaar, these are photographs of some girls who I think are right for you. All of them are from good Marwari families, educated.."She replied.
"I am not interested. "Sanskaar cut in returning the envelope to her.
"Atleast take a look. How long are you stay single? I want a daughter in law. Look at jeeji. First she got Pari , now Laksh is marrying a girl from one of the best families in Kolkata. Dont you feel sorry for me? And anyways you were the one who said yesterday that your younger brother is getting married before you. I being your mother understood how sad you are. "She said impatiently.
Sanskaar couldn't say he was surprised. It was so like his mother to draw conclusions like this.
"Mom. That is not what I meant. I have no intention of getting married. You do not have to compete with Badi Ma. Pari and Ragini will be your daughters in law too. "He said sternly and calmly.
"But Sanskaar I want to see you married..."She started but Sanskaar cut her off by telling her that if she brought up the topic again, he would return to London. That had done the job. She left the room disappointed.
Sujata Maheshwari wasn't that easy to deal with . She wasn't going to give up. She came out of the room determined to get what she wanted as always when she saw her sister in law standing outside.
"I told you not to do this Sujata. " she said looking at the envelope Sujata was holding.
"I am only doing what is right for him Jeeji. I am worried about him. " Sujata replied.
"He is not a child. And you cannot judge what's right for him. The sooner you understand that the better. He has already suffered enough because of us. " Annapurna Maheshwari told her and left the place.
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Sanskaar knew his mother wasn't going to give up but he wasn't going to give in. He had given up on the institution of marriage and love. Anyone would after losing their love twice. The second time it hurt more. With Kavita, he had known a future together would be difficult but with Swara he had assured himself of a happy life. And she had broken his dreams.
He could never figure out if she had pretended to be in love with him or if she actually harboured any feelings for him. They had been very happy together. No. It was a sham. Meant to fool him. For what, he had no idea.
He remembered the firstfirst time he saw her. It was a day like any other. He had heard her voice as he passed the music room. Something had drawn him towards the voice. And then as he opened the door, he had seen her sitting there. Her huge eyes looking at him with that childlike curiousity. He had been left breathless. After years he heard his heart thud instead of a monotonous beat.
The next day she had come to his office with Rishi. He saw her beautiful eyes sparkle as he made the offer. He had experienced jealousy for the first time in his life that day as she saw him hug Rishi in excitement. He remembeed the time he had spend worrying that they were dating till he was reassured otherwise. That was wrong though. They had indeed been in love.
He had never sensed anything wrong in Swara and Rishi' s closeness . They were best friends. He himself had been best friends with Pari until he had left all of them behind. And then Rishi had been seeing another girl at the time. He remembeed Swara telling him that she felt the girl wasn't right for Rishi.
Then he had overheard a conversation. It was just before he left for Jaipur. He had gone to meet Swara and heard Ansh and Myra argue while he waited alone in the hall for Swara to come down. He hadn't eavesdropped. They had been too loud.
"Baby, you are angry coz you saw me drinking coffee with my high school crush. Then how should Sanskaar react. Rishi and Swara who had huge crush on each other are living in the same house and he doesn't even mind. " Ansh said joking.
"Coz he doesn't know about it. And I dont think Swara or Rishi will like it if you shout about it like this. "Myra replied.
Had he taken that seriously back then, he might have done himself a favour. But while it lingered in his mind why she had never told him about it, he never didn't take it seriously. He had grown close to Rishi too and liked him. He had reminded him of Lucky.
Then he had seen that letter. It was just after his return from Jaipur. She had told him to come over when he was free since she didnt want to leave Rishi alone. He had gone straight from the airport to her place. He entered the house to see her laughing loudly with Rishi. They were throwing things at each other and having a gala time. At that moment he felt like an outsider but the very next moment she fooled him again as she ran to him on seeing him and embraced him happily.
She told him that she and Rishi were cleaning up the place and told him to wait in her room for five minutes till she cleared the place. He had been too exhausted and went up to her room. She hadbeen cleaning it. He saw piles of books all around and started lookingtthrough them. It was then that he saw that letter.
A letter confessing her feelings for Rishi. A letter on how much she loved him. Right from when they met at college which was her dream. He was shocked beyond words. He had left the house making an excuse. He hadn't spoken to her for some time after that. It distracted him even from his work. Natasha noticed it and he had no option but to tell her everything.
"I knew it. Every time I see them together I feel there is something going on. " she had told him.
He didn't believe Swara was cheating him but he was stressed. There was another problem he faced. Laksh was trying to get to him. He had been mailing him frequently stating that he urgently wanted to talk to him. The family knew Natasha was working with him but she hadn't let them know where he was. But that wasn't hard to figure out. He had done his MBA at Ahmedabad. It was only here he had contacts. He didn't want his family to know about Swara. He couldnt risk losing her. So he decided that maintaining some distance was the best way. She was busy too. So it wasn't difficult. He hated it when she talked about Rishi when he called her.
She had started noticing that he was distancing himself from her and so he had asked her to meet him over dinner. He had wanted to tell her about Laksh too. He had never told her what exactly had happened. But when he saw that she had brought Rishi along he lost it. Once again she melted him as she told him how much Rishi meant to her with tears in her eyes. He hated himself for hurting her and doubting her feelings. So he apologised to her and told her that he had stayed away because of fear of his family. She advised him to give them a chance to explain .
That was the last time they were happy together. The next time he had seen seen her was the day her exams ended. She had shaken him up with her sudden proposal. The mention of engagement and marriage had brought to him some painful memories with the result that he tried to avoid the topic. Before he could explain they had fought. Their first and last argument ended with Swara saying that it was over.
The moment she left, he regretted his words. He felt she too hadn't meant what she said. He had planned to make it up to her once she had cooled down. But he had a surprise waiting back at home. Laksh.
Laksh had coerced him into returning with him to Kolkata saying that his mom was extremely unwell and the doctors suspected it could even be a heart attack. She wanted to meet him once, he was told. He had given in.
The whole night he had tried calling her till they boarded the plane. Finally he had gone home to the biggest surprise and shock of his life. Misunderstandings were solved and a happy reunion followed. Adarsh bhai and Pari were getting marrimarried and Pari had blackmailed him into staying. His sister had confiscated his phone once he had talked to Vikram who was only happy to give him time with his family. He told Natasha to explain everything to Swara.
The next few days despite his efforts his mother had refused to return his phone. He missed her like anything unaware of her deceit.
He had returned to Ahmedabad asap with the sole purpose of meeting her. He went to his office first to meet Natasha. She and Vikram were the only people he was allowed to talk to those day. But even those conversations were mostly in his mom's presence. So he couldn't ask about her. He hurried to his office to ask Natasha about Swara. She seemed disappointed as he put the question to her.
"Sanskaar she asked about you only once . A day or two after you left. She came here to return this. I told her you were in Kolkata. She didn't even wait to hear. She came with him. They seemed happy. "Natasha told him giving him the pendent and chain.
Sanskaar was shattered.
"How could she end it just like that? " he asked her.
"I don't think she loved you. She is a young girl. Maybe she was just having fun. She loves him. "Natasha told him.
"I don't believe that. " he said leaving the office.
He headed to her place to see the most painful thing in his life. Her engagement. He saw make Rishi wear a ring a huge smile on her face. That was it. He needed no more proof.
He had left for Kolkata that night vowing never to go back to Ahmedabad. But his broken heart made it too difficult to be with his family. He didn't want them to know. Fortunately, he got an offer from a company in London through Vikram. And so because of her he left everything behind.
And when he had finally returned , trying to move on, she came back. Why was he always the one to suffer? How could she just end it in a minute? He wanted answers.
And he would get them from her.
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Real Estate
