Hi friends.. Thank you for your love and support.. Here is the next installment of this story.. I hope I won't disappoint you all.. Please ignore mistakes and share your views.. Thank you once again..
Note:
I don't watch Hindi movies so I don't know about recent movies.. But I like Hrithik Roshan.. So that's why I selected that movie.. I hope you don't mind..
Chapter 4:
Sanskaar was finding himself strangely more and more attracted towards Swara every time she distanced herself farther away from him. It's like some kind of magnet was drawing him to her. Her arrogance and stubborn attitude only seemed to intrigue him rather than keep him away, making him want to know Swara even more than before. What is the reason behind her prejudice against him? Is it simply because he is American? He was getting a hunch that it was entirely because of just that.
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Uttara: Hey, brilliant idea! Why don't we catch a movie?
Uttara suggests as she finds herself become extremely bored by every passing second with her sister taking them to museums and parks around.
Sanskaar: You guys have theaters around here?
Uttara: Duh... India may not be comparable to America, Sanskaar, but we're not that far bad.
Sanskaar: (sheepishly)... Your sister would be up to it?
Uttara: Of course. She loves watching movies. That's what we do all the time during our free time. But...at the moment, I'm not so sure if she'll listen to me. Why don't you give it a try and ask her instead?
Sanskaar: (lets out a chuckle at the idea) You're asking the wrong person, Uttara.
Uttara: Why do you say that?
Sanskaar: Your sister completely detests me.
Uttara: (giving him an incredulous look) No she doesn't.
Sanskaar: Yes she does Uttara... tell me, have I done something to her unknowingly? ---To make her so upset with me?
Uttara: Well I can honestly tell you that you haven't done anything wrong...but to her, you may never know.
Sanskaar momentarily goes into a deep trance of thinking until he is alerted out of it by the sight of a flower cart. A grin makes its way onto his lips.
Sanskaar: You don't suppose flowers would cheer her up, do you?
Uttara: As a matter of fact, Di loves flowers. You should give it a try.
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Swara casually glances up from the map sprawled out in her hands and is given a pleasant surprise in seeing Sanskaar standing before her with a small bouquet of beautiful bright flowers in his hand.
Swara: (startled) Sanskaar?...
She watches as he wears a handsome smile on his face on hearing his name slip from her lips.
Sanskaar: So the girl speaks...
Swara: (blushing) Of course I do...
Sanskaar: (grinning) To everyone but myself...
Swara: (pushing away the much pended topic) What are these flowers for?
Sanskaar: (comments casually) I got them for you...
The blush in Swara's cheeks deepens. Swara looks behind Sanskaar's shoulder and sees her younger sister holding in her oncoming giggles. Of course this must be an idea of Uttara's of wanting some fun and where would she find a better bait than herself? She gives Sanskaar a dissatisfying look.
Swara: (snaps) I'm not amused...
Sanskaar: I'm not trying to amuse you... I just want to say that... Main tumse pyaar karta hoon...
After her shock passes by, Swara feels heat surfaces quickly to her face as she looks away shyly and nervously from Sanskaar's intense stare. Hearing Uttara explode into a fit of laughter, Swara angrily stalks off after remembering that it is all a sick joke, not heeding any attention to Sanskaar who stares curiously on after her...
Sanskaar looks back over to Uttara, seeming highly confused. He approaches her.
Sanskaar: You did tell me to say the right thing, didn't you? (giving her a questioning look)
He had asked her earlier on of how to apologize in Hindi since he knew nothing of the language, except for a few words here and there. He thought he would impress Swara in that way and break down the American image she has stubbornly created about him. But now he is doubtful about what he has said regarding Swara's reaction...
Uttara: Of course! Would I ever lie to you?
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For the next few days Swara mostly tended to ignore Sanskaar who tried his very best to be friendly, but she was hard as a rock. It would take a miracle for her to even speak with him, he concluded. But he was determined as well... He was going to make sure that this Swara would speak to him.
On the other hand, Swara was growing more and more frustrated by the stranger who she had to go out of her way all of the time to make comfortable. If this continued, she might just explode...
***********
After long protests from her baby sister, Swara finally caved into the idea of going to the Cinema rather than taking them around the city again. Besides, she wasn't very keen in sharing any type of communication with Sanskaar after his "joke". The three make their way to the theater where they look up which films are in and playing. Sanskaar, however, can't really put any input since he has no idea about the foreign films to him.
Sanskaar: Uttara, are these all Hindi films?
Uttara: Oh haan, I forgot. You don't know Hindi. Its okay Sanskaar, they have English subtitles. You can read that. Just pick which movie you think looks interesting.
Sanskaar shrugs and looks on at the movie posters, debating between confused thoughts of which film would be worth paying money for.
Sanskaar: What's this say? ...Ziinndagee Naah Milaaghee Dah--...
He asks while trying to pronounce the title of the movie, but to no success as Uttara bursts into a fit of giggles. Giving a backwards glance at her, he notes that even Swara wears a small laughing smile on her lips.
Sanskaar: What? (innocent)
Uttara: It's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Sanskaar... (politely correcting him)
Sanskaar: Well thanks for rubbing in my lacking skills in the Hindi language, Uttara.
Uttara: (grinning) Always a pleasure... You wanna see it?
Sanskaar: (shrugs) Sure, I guess. I don't really know what other movie to decide on anyways.
Uttara: (smiling) Good, because this is one movie me and Di have been dying to see.
Sanskaar looks over to Swara and gives her a sly grin while answering Uttara...
Sanskaar: Well then, what are we waiting for?
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Much to Swara's dismay, Sanskaar sat himself in the seat between her and Uttara. She looks around him and at her sister, who merely winks at her. Fuming, Swara crosses her arms against her chest and glues her eyes onto the wide screen, making sure to ignore Sanskaar's presence as much as possible. Sanskaar on the other hand was enjoying Swara's plight to the fullest. He shares a smile with Uttara. As the movie began, Swara found that she was able to forget Sanskaar and focus her full attention on her all-time favorite actor, Hrithik Roshan, and soon become fully immersed into the movie.
Sanskaar sighs in boredom in the middle of the movie. He was truly giving the foreign movie a fair shot, but he didn't have much interest in keeping up with the subtitles. His attention span was failing him at the moment. He however noticed that Swara's full attention is captured on the screen. He stealthily catches her bright eyes shining and her face so relaxed and serene-like that he finds himself momentarily smitten by the picture she makes him. What could have he possibly done to make such a beautiful girl angry with him?... He pondered to himself.
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Uttara: The movie was great, wasn't it Di?!
Swara smiles while agreeing with her. She was glad that they ended up going to the theaters after all.
Uttara: What'd you think Sanskaar?
Sanskaar: (smiling as well) It was nice.
He didn't, though, pay much attention at all. Thanks to the person right next to him who continues to act as if he doesn't exist.
Uttara: What do you want to do next?
Swara: (intervening) Nahi Uttara... bas hogaya... Ab hume ghar chalna chahiye... Maa Papa intezaar kar rahe honge... (trans: No Uttara... We've done enough... We should go home now... Maa and Papa must be waiting for us.
Sanskaar looks over to Uttara for a translation who gives him one along with a defeated look.
Uttara: She says that we should go home.
Sanskaar: (nodding) She's right... It's getting pretty late. I had fun though Uttara... thanks.
Uttara smiles brightly at him, clearly pleased in giving him a good time, whereas Swara tries to conceal her anger. She isn't very successful though as Sanskaar can see she has become peeved. He hides a grin. He had purposely left out thanking her. He's secretly enjoying seeing her get angry; she looks very cute whenever she is. As they walk out from the theater, they note that it is raining cats and dogs outside. Before any one of the girls say a word, Sanskaar clearly sees their hesitance in stepping out in the rain and willingly offers to bring the car to the front for them. They had borrowed the car for their outing due to Sharmishta's persistence.
Swara and Uttara watch Sanskaar make his way over to the parking lot, slowly disappearing from view. They linger by the entrance behind the small shelter that keeps them dry. A few moments go by in which the sisters continue to discuss about the movie, neglecting the fact that it is just the two of them out in the open late at night, when they hear approaching footsteps. Turning to their side, they see two figures making their way over to them. Thinking that they will pass, Swara steps back, her sister following suit and resume back to their flowing conversation. However, when Swara sees from the corner of her eye that they approach directly next to them, she halts in her words.
It takes Swara a good second to realize that they are two men, who seem drunk by the way they are swaggering over to them. As the men come closer, Swara protectively holds onto her sister's hand and looks around to see if anyone else is around. Not one person is in sight. It's dark and they are alone. Frightened for the safety of her and her sister, Swara desperately searches to see if Sanskaar is coming anytime soon.
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Thank you,
Shreetha..