Swara was sitting in the cab. Snow covered roads with circular turns were beyond beautiful. The valleys, being decorated by small and large waterfalls, the mist, everything was divine. She wanted to capture all the beauty in her heart.
Sanskar was looking at the beauty too. But his heart was busy in the memories of the past. He remembered how he saw Kavita in the snowfall, trembling in the cold. How he offered his own jacket to her! But he did not know why, the face of Kavita was being replaced with Swara every time! There was a huge difference in their personalities. Kavita, a simple girl, with no strong ambitions and wanted just a small sweet family for herself. Her whole life was her family and her fiance, who was Sanskar's batchmate. On the other hand, there was Swara! Humble, gentle yet she had a fire inside her which erupted whenever someone tried to touch her self respect. She loved her family and her career, both a lot!
Yes Sanskar subconsciously started comparing both of them. Not that he doubted either Swara's choice of career or Kavita's choice of stay at home girl, he just couldn't come to the terms that after falling for a girl like Kavita, how could he fall in love with her opposite!
Suddenly, he felt a jerk.
"What happened?" He asked.
"Nothing sir! Maybe the tire got punctured." Replied the driver.
As the driver started to mend the puncture, Sanskar stepped outside. Cold wind was playing a soothing effect on him. He smiled at the valleys. Nature calmed him down of his thoughts and hid mind was getting lost in the white snow covered valleys.
Suddenly, he turned around to find a car passing by. He though his mind was playing tricks when he saw Swara sitting in that.
You started hallucinating again, mind reprimanded heart.
I am lost in beauty of manali, why you always blame me! As if she can't come to Manali! Heart scolded mind too
And then, Sanskar saw the car getting stopped. The lights of reverse gear were switched on and car started reversing.
"Dr. Bose?" Sanskar said as she saw Swara.
"May I help you?" Swara asked, "It's quite cold in here!"
"No issues! It will take only 10 minutes!" Sanskar tried to say .
"Sir! Around 2 hours!" Driver informed Sanskar.
"Mr. Maheshwari! Taking help will not count in unprofessional attitude. But reaching late to your destination will surely count in!"
Swara's words made Sanskar speechless. He had to agree as it was already 1:30 in noon and meeting was going to start around 3:30. So he sat in the car.
Trying to break the awkward silence, he asked, "You here?"
"There was a conference. Ram sir asked me to attend it on his behalf!" Swara replied.
"Ohh!" Sanskar thought Swara would ask another question, but she was, well, she was Swara! Even if she got an idea of Sanskar's feelings, even if she thought highly of him, she won't talk to someone who was rude to her without any reason. He needed to apologise to her.
For a moment, Sanskar thought of saying sorry, but he couldn't! He knew anything like that would lead to something which he wants from the bottom of his heart, but his guilt was not allowing him.
Journey was awkward yet peaceful.
"Your hotle?" Swara asked.
"Umm! Hotel woodsvila in!" Sanskar replied.
With a shock, Swara looked at Sanskar and then said, "Same hotel driver bhaiya!"
What was destiny planning!
------------
It was 9 o clock in the night when Swara got free from the conference hall. As she reached out, she saw Sanskar just coming out of the conference hall which was just opposite to hers. In the blue blazer and white shirt, he was looking every bit of handsome as Swara could imagine. For a moment, she got a little conscious of herself, though she herself was wearing an off white saree with her hair in a loose bun. She did not realise that Sanskar's gaze was already on her.
Trying to ignore Sanskar, she moved swiftly towards her room.
She had checked out of hotel early in the morning itself if news of landslides and blocked roadways had not come in notification. It would take 2 days to clear the roadways.
Swara looked at her bag in which, she had brought two pairs of clothes only, one of which was saree that she wore yesterday. Sighing at her stupidity of not packing clothes in case of emergency , she went to the market. A few dresses and warm clothes later, she took some gifts for everyone including Laksh. And then, a shirt , off white in colour caught her attention. Simple plain but the fabric was shiny too. She imagined how it would look on Sanskar.
Have you got more than enough money, brain tried to intervene.
Oh shut up you rational idiot. Sanskar will look so dashing in it, heart was screaming.
As if he will wear it when you give it to him. Is it professional attitude! Brain was eating away Swara's brains.
Purchase it! If not for him, then ask Ragini to gift it to Laksh jiju! Heart gave her solution.
As if you know his size, brain again intervened.
I can guess the size of my beloved, heart raged
Swara listened to her heart and she purchased it. When she returned back, she saw the hotel lounge decorated with heart shaped balloons. She looked at the banner on which VALENTINE'S DAY was written.
Oh yes! It's valentine's day. There was a celebration in the hotel. Swara smiled and looked at the lovely celebration.
"Ma'am! Please join us!" One of her colleagues asked her.
Swara could not deny. What's wrong to go to a party, even though she was not anyone's valentine.
She was on her way back when she almost collided with someone. Massaging her head with her palm, she looked to find Sanskar staring at her while massaging his own head.
"Are you fine?" Swara asked gently.
"Yes!" Sanskar replied and without saying anything went from there. Swara did not realise while cursing him under his breath, that he was with his colleagues too, on the way to the same celebration.
Swara looked at the full length white dress which she purchased for Ragini. She had only this one which was suitable for wearing in such parties. Mentally making a note to say sorry to Ragini for wearing her gift, she wore that. A little makeup, leaving her hair open, she entered the venue.
There were many game for couples. The couples who came for honeymoon were playing those. There were romantic songs, romantic dances and romantic poems.
Ek nazar me jo dekha
Ban gaya you deewana uska
Kya bayan kare ab haal hum
Woh shama
Main parwana uska.....
Sanskar heard someone doing this poetry and he immediately looked at Swara whom he had just seen. The glass of cold drink he had jn his hand, was about to be slipped.
Kyu hain ye fasle
Kyu hai ye tanhai
Lagta hai fiza ne koi
Dastan-e-gam dohrai
Aa ja bhoole sabhi
Duniya k dastooro ko aaj
Na fasle rahe na tanhapan
Dil ko mile tera sath
The poems were getting more intense. Swara felt as if this was for her and Sanskar. She raised her gaze and found Sanskar already looking at her.
Sanskar's mind too was getting restless. He wanted to go to Swara and tell everything to her. He wanted to confess and tell her the reason of his action. But he somehow held himself back.
Swara understood that she need to ask him, at least for once, the reason of his action. If he loves her, then why this much indifference!
She took steps towards Sanskar. Sanskar saw her coming towards him. With her every step, he felt his heart beats rising. Why was she walking towards him like this!
"Mr. Maheshwari! Can I talk to you for a second?" Swara said with a great deal of confidence.
Sanskar felt his breath getting struck in his chest.
Swara pulled his wrist and guided him towards a less crowdy corner. Sanskar did not know what was about to come!
In the corner, Swara stood up in front of him. Sanskar was getting nervous.
"Mr Maheshwari! I need my earring back!" Swara opened the conversation with such an atom bomb that Sanskar felt his tongue fell back in his throat.
"Yes! You took my earring! Why?"
Sanskar did not have any answer for this.
"You know Mr. Maheshwari! I saw something in your eyes. I know eyes can't lie!"
"Dr. Bose! That's... That's nothing like that!" Sanskar was stammering at this sudden confrontation.
"Oh really! Then why, of all the girls in this world, you made my sketch? And why, you were smiling with contentment when you got to know that I am fine in hospital?" Swara was asking in a gentle yet commanding tone now.
"You have been mistaken!" Sanskar said again.
"Seriously! Whom are you lying to? To me or to yourself! Ragini told me how worried you were for me! And why, whenever we are at same place, I find your eyes on me all the time?"
Sanskar did have the answer. But he should not! Swara should not suffer the same fate like Kavita. No!
"I hate you Dr. Bose! Get that?" Sanskar raised his voice with changed expressions. He thought the one standing before him, would get scared. But she started laughing hard! Was this girl mad!
"Very bad at acting! It's okay if you don't want to tell me! You could have simply said that I can't tell you the reason! Why complicate things?" Swara replied with such a calm tone that for a second, Sanskar thought this to be unreal!
"It's okay! Sometimes we want someone or something! But due to some reasons, we can't! It's not good to complicate things by spitting insults at someone if you don't want to disclose them anything." Swara said and sighed, "I got my answer! Don't worry! I will not force you for anything!"
Sanskar felt as if his whole life experience, whole knowledge was a lie! No, nobody could be so understanding! And how could she? What material was she made up off!
They were going from there when spotlight fell on them. In their conversation, they forgot the announcement that spotlight was gonna decide who would dance next, together!
Swara looked at Sanskar.
"What now?" Swara asked.
"For once, I am forgetting my boundaries! If you know everything, then I know a few things about you too! Shed your boundaries too, for today!" Sanskar's voice made Swara melt. With a smile, she placed her hands in his. The touch was electrifying. Both of them wanted to forget everything.
Ae humnava mujhe apna bana le
Sookhi padi dil ki is zameen ko bhiga de
Lyrics of the song matched Sanskar's condition exactly. He thought he would never be able to love anybody. But his heart did not know when, Swara made a special place. His life was more of a draught before her arrival. He had stopped painting. But now, when he started again, Swara's face was the first thing he sketched.
Their proximity was increasing the urge to melt in her arms for Sanskar. He knew she was the one for whom, he could do anything. He knew she was the one who had the capability of understanding him without saying anything. He could feel a love so pure in her eyes, thag could hardly be found anywhere.
Swara's eyes were getting tearful as the song was about to end. She wanted time to stop there. She knew it may be the last time they were together. It was so beautiful yet so painful. What was that thing that was stopping Sanskar from accepting his love for her!
Song ended. And so did their dance. Sanskar suddenly saw a face. A face so familiar that without saying anything to Swara, he rushed out of that party.