Pride & Prejudice (SwaSan) - Ch 4 (27/08/17) Pg 5 - Page 4

Originally posted by: krishuuu

Hey dear...

Again awesome chapter 3...it was nicely penned...

Dadi is adamant in getting ragini and laksh together...gosh she was literally embaressing the girls...by her over enthusiasm...but girls somehow manage...i loved boys entry...laksh was behaving nicely... but sanky was pretty bored...and assumed so much about swara just by seeing her...they both have so many common point.even kavita is also in picture..im not sure what role she had in story...swasan did not have a good start will each other..after what sanky said about swara..excited for what future stores for them...waiting for more updates...

Love

Talia

Originally posted by: sneharay

Superb.. 👏

Originally posted by: MysticRiver

well written..

Originally posted by: RAONE8

really awesome...
Loved it...
Please PM me when u post the next chapter...
Too excited to know what happens next...

Originally posted by: Nynaeve

Res for this, just got the last line - he is so arrogant and that clinched it for me - SwaSan as Darcy and Lizzie - brilliant. Will be back, a little later in the day.

Chapter 4 - The Analysis

Gadodias had returned from the party by midnight. It was now 2 am and the girls were awake discussing about the party, and more importantly about Laskhya.

"He is so nice, Ragini spoke, "Dadi was continuously talking but he politely listened to her with interest. I felt bad for him."

"O, Swara had a mischievous look in her eyes, "What else did you feel for him?"

Ragini blushed, "Stop it."

Swara didn't pursue the matter. Ragini was a shy person. Swara was the only one with whom Ragini shared her feelings and that too not so frequently. Most of the time, she kept to herself.

"Though I can't believe Sanskar said that about you," Ragini commented. Swara had told her all about the Lakshya and Sanskar conversation during their ride back.

"You should have heard him," Swara deepened her voice to mimic him, "Her tastes might be pedestrian, she is not refined."

Ragini gave her an apologetic look. "May be you misheard him. Lakshya spoke highly of him. He said Sanskar doesn't really open up much to strangers."

"You always try to see the good in people, Ragini but I am right about Sanskar. He is a pompous jerk. He thinks he is the only one who is cultured; as if he is the only intellectual in the room." Swara huffed in anger.

"How can two brothers be so different?" Ragini added. It was more of a statement than a question.

Swara agreed with her. From what she had seen and heard, Lakshya and Sanskar were polar opposites. She was glad she would not have to interact with him ever again.

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The analysis of the party and the people continued till the next day. At breakfast, Parvati couldn't stop her excitement, "Sharmistha, did you see the way Lakshya kept looking at Ragini. He is already in awe of her, I'm telling you."

Ragini protested, rather requested, "Dadi, please stop."

"It's true Lado," Parvati used her term of endearment for Ragini. "He couldn't take his eyes off you."

Parvati then shifted the topic to Sanskar. "Annapurna was telling me that he and his younger sister live in London with Lakshya. His mother and father. Sujata and Ram, live in Mumbai."

"Is the younger sister's name Kavita?" Swara asked with uncertainty. She remembered the name from Lakshya and Sanskar's conversation about the girl in the floral gown, although she doubted if Sanskar would call his own sister somewhat tolerable.'

"No, his sister name is Uttara, she is around Kavya's age 18 or something. She didn't come with the brothers. That Kavita girl, who was at the party, is his friend. She works with him in his publishing house in London."

Swara was impressed with her dadi's skill of information gathering.

Parvati, however, was equally baffled by Sanskar's cold demeanor. "You know Sharmistha, I tried talking to him but he completely ignored me." Parvati was complaining.

"He didn't ignore you, Dadi. He was nodding." Ragini defended Sanskar. Swara rolled her eyes at Ragini's defense of Sanskar.

"Nodding is not equivalent to replying," Parvati huffed. "I was telling him about the Durga Puja that'll be organized this year. When I told Lakshya about the same thing, he was so excited. He kept smiling and asking me questions."

"But Dadi, maybe he is shy. Even I don't open up in front of stangers," Ragini protested weakly.

"What shy?" Parvati mumbled. "I think he is plain rude."

Ragini looked at Swara, in hopes that her younger sister would say something sensible to Parvati. Usually it was Swara who would do the talking but today, she didn't say a word.

Swara knew that Parvati was exaggerating some part of her interactions. Nevertheless it felt good when someone else had the same opinion about something you dislike and Swara was sure she disliked Sanskar Maheshwari.

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Days rolled by and the mention of Maheshwaris decreased day by day. It was a week after the party that Swara spotted a Maheshwari - her least favorite one.

She was at her place of internship a small local daily. On the advertisement for the internship it said that she would work in an area that would reflect her skills or interest and would even write stories under the guidance of editors or senior reporters. In reality her work was mainly to get tea and refreshments for her seniors and help them with very clerical level work.

On one such round of coming back from a nearby stall with a tray of tea cups and a packet of aloo chop when she stumbled upon Sanskar. He was at the corridor, talking to one of the senior journalists.

Swara froze momentarily. She quickly tried to hide the tea and food lest he see her and think that she was an employee good-for-only-delivering-food. But he saw her before she could. He looked at her hands, both occupied with food and a tray.

Swara took one step at a time, trying to slide past him and the other person. His gaze was fixed on her. She had never felt so self-conscious in her entire life. He must be judging me, she thought to herself. When she was just a couple of feet away from him, he finally called her, "Swara?"

If not for the senior journalist present with him, she would have slid away, pretending not to hear him.

"Hey," she replied, twitching her lips, trying to smile- trying, the key word.

"You work here?"

She gulped, "Yes, I am an intern," she then turned to face the senior journalist and gave a nervous laugh, wriggling the packet of food "it may not look like." She hoped the senior would not think of her as someone hired solely to run errands.

The journalist gave her a curt smile and spoke to Sanskar, "It was good to see you after so long." He shook hands with him and left, without saying anything to Swara. Another pompous jerk, she thought.

For a few seconds, Sanskar and Swara stood in awkward silence.

"That was an old school friend," he said, breaking the silence.

She raised an eyebrow, "So now you can talk to me?"

"What?"

"Am I refined enough to be spoken to?" Swara spat out the words with a smile.

His eyes widened in realization. "I... I..." he began to say but she didn't let him complete.

As she walked away with her back to him, she couldn't help but feel somewhat triumphant.