Days after... everything that happened over those times...
Days after Sharmishtha accident, days after she regained her consciousness, days after so much tension in the air, days after Swara's pain, days after Sanskar meeting Swara's mother... now here they were, with things that were better than before.
Sharmishtha seemed to be recovering slowly as days passed by, and her wounds seemed to be healing too. It's already been two weeks since she was kept here, and almost two days before, she'd even started to walk, after being on the bed for so many days.
If there was one thing that didn't recover, it was her general concern for Swara.
Swara seemed a bit lost all these days, she never started her day once she was convinced that she was alright and didn't need anything. Sharmishtha knew, her accident had been very hard on Swara, and how wouldn't it? Which daughter wouldn't worry about her mother who'd been in a critical condition all this while?
Sharmishtha knew Swara more than Swara knew herself. She was her strong girl, a dedicated doctor now and a woman with a positive attitude. But... she also knew that she was vulnerable and sensitive too. After what her daughter had gone through in her life, only Sharmishtha knew her daughter so much better. She always knew when she was really happy, or sad, or depressed. A kind of sadness in Swara's eyes, her eyes were the mirrors to her heart for her.
She was a mother. She knew better.
But... for Sharmishtha, there was another good thing that happened with her in these days.
A feeling of satisfaction aroused her whenever Sanskar was with them, especially with Swara. All these days, she'd seen him like a knight in shining armour for Swara and her too. He was there whenever they needed anything, always doing his duty like a gentleman.
This young guy was really surprising for Sharmishtha. As per how Swara had introduced her to him, initially she came to know that he was her friend. But somewhere... with the kind of conversations that Swara and Sanskar had, she was put to question to her own heart, was it really only friendship there? Because what she'd come to observe so far, was that sometimes whenever she saw Sanskar and Swara talking with each other on occasional purposes, she could see that somewhere, she could see a kind of spark in the way they stared at each other, and also in the way they talked with each other. The invisible spark in Swara's eyes... no matter if it was something Swara didn't notice herself, but Sharmishtha knew her daughter even more than she knew herself. Most of the times, she'd seen him bringing a smile on Swara's face even when her mood was upset, always.
Sharmishtha had taken note of it, that day when...
"Maa, you really need to eat well." Swara told her one day, as she was feeding Sharmishtha some meals. Sharmishtha had still insisted that she'd eat herself, but Swara had taken the initiative.
As for Swara, days were really slow in passing. It seemed forever that she saw her mother so strong, so healthy. Her mom's surgery had eventually weakened her a bit, but she was still better. It was truly a miracle for a neutral perspective that Sharmishtha survived such a gruesome accident.
Sharmishtha chuckled at Swara's words. "Swara, I'm really full. And I don't want to overeat, please."
"It's not overeating, Maa." Swara convinced her. "Your body needs to gain more nutrition in order to regain it's original strength and your health. Okay? Now stop complaining and keep your mouth shut." Swara scolded her like a mother and Sharmishtha's lips broke into a smile.
It's so overwhelming when tables turned so fast that even she didn't realise. Since childhood, it was always Sharmishtha who insisted her Swara to eat more... she always made her eat. And today, her daughter was using her own mother's words against her.
The realisation just made Sharmishtha admire her little Shona.
"Well, how can she keep her mouth shut while you are feeding her?"
The voice froze both Swara and Sharmishtha and they turned to look towards the only source of that sound... an optimistic Sanskar made his way in the room.
Sanskar turned towards Sharmishtha, carrying a file in his hand. "How are you, aunty?"
Sharmishtha smiled in assurance. "I'm good, beta. Thank you for asking."
His presence and his gentleman demeanor, it somewhere calmed her own soul. And she couldn't be more glad for her daughter.
Sanskar shaked his head smiling. And Swara made faces.
Sanskar observed her immediately and commented. "Now, don't make those faces! I was just here to check up on aunty, okay!" He told her truthfully.
"I didn't say anything!" Swara rebuked to him. "That was not for you."
"Yes, yes." Sanskar chuckled and teased her a bit. "Keep telling yourself that."
"Maa, I'll just come!" Swara uttered and then left the room immediately, somehow trying to save herself from the wrath of those embarrassing sessions by one and only Sanskar.
Sanskar smiled to himself for a while, wondering how cute Swara could be at times. But soon, he came back to his senses after he realised Sharmishtha staring at him. He cleared his throat immediately.
"I'm sorry aunty, but..." Sanskar confessed to Sharmishtha in an adorable way but she smiled looking at him. "Sometimes, I like teasing her. But yes, I'll stop it if you tell me to." He told her but Sharmishtha shaked her head.
"Why will I? You are her friend." Sharmishtha told him chuckling. "You have every right to tease her." She answered him in a factual and diplomatic way.
"Yes, but you know..." Sanskar smiled shrugging his shoulders in a regretful way but he was trailed off by Sharmishtha.
"You tease her." Sharmishtha interrupted him, and Sanskar froze at her words. "But your teasing, it brings a smile on her face. And honestly I couldn't have asked for more for Shona."
The statement just made Sanskar smile, with the thought of he somewhat being the reason behind Swara's smile.
"But aunty..." Sanskar confessed to her with all his heart. "Swara is really a sweet girl. And I'm lucky to have someone like her... I mean, as my friend."
Hearing what Sanskar just said rendered a feeling of satisfaction in Sharmishtha's soul. And with that... began the random ranting between them.
All these days, Sanskar also had been no less. He made sure he was always there if in case Swara's mother needed anything, even putting his own duties on hold. He gave his entire time to Swara and Sharmishtha selflessly and he always made sure that they both were fine. Sanskar didn't know himself, but, within such a short span of time he found himself to be very attached to both Sharmishtha and Swara. His day, too, never started without visiting both of them once.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
In one of the nights, though...
It was midnight. Sharmishtha was sleeping in the room and Swara was also sleeping in a room adjacent to Sharmishtha's. Now a days, Swara lived in the hospital only. Either she was always besides her mother, or sometimes in that adjacent room. Her mother always persuaded her to not sleep uncomfortably in her room and she only insisted Swara to go back to the hostel and sleep, and take care of herself. But Swara being Swara, she never listened and insisted that she stayed with her mother only.
As Sharmishtha was asleep, something happened all of a sudden and Sharmishtha was awake by the start of some disturbing coughs. She tried getting up slowly, covering her mouth as she coughed, trying to reach out for the jug of water but somehow she couldn't.
Swara, in the adjacent room, however, got up as she heard some strange sounds coming from her mother's room and just then she figured out what happened.
She immediately got up from the bed and pulled her legs off bed and on the floor as she ran towards the room...
But just when she could go inside, she already saw Sanskar towards the cabinet and helping Sharmishtha to drink water... the sight just made her heart skip a beat.
"Ab thikh ho aap?" Sanskar asked Sharmishtha in general concern, who seemed to be getting rid of those coughs now.
"Ahm I'm fine, beta." Sharmishtha smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you so much."
"It's my pleasure." Sanskar smiled back.
And Swara entered the room, interrupting both of them.
"Maa, what happened?" Swara asked Sharmishtha in genuine concern and she kept her palm on her shoulder. "Apko khaasi aa gayi thi kya?"
"Ha Shona." Sharmishtha shaked her head smiling in assurance. "It was nothing. I just wanted water. But he came and helped me."
Swara turned her head towards Sanskar in acknowledgement and he stared back at her.
"But beta..." Sharmishtha asked Sanskar. "How are you up at this time, it's midnight and you didn't go to sleep yet?"
"Ahh... no." Sanskar shaked his head. "I have night duty, that is why I stayed up. I was just doing my work when I heard you and then I..." He left his sentence incomplete and Sharmishtha smiled.
"Thank you, beta." Sharmishtha thanked him for the umpteenth time.
Sanskar smiled back nervously and then his gaze involuntarily shifted towards Swara, who was unknowingly smiling staring at him all this while.
"Thank you." Swara thanked him.
"You both are always welcome." Sanskar assured to both of them, and soon enough, he left the room, as Swara still smiled at him.
All these days, in this period...
Swara felt a strange kind of feeling in her heart whenever Sanskar was around her.
Sanskar helped Swara taking care of her mother. And...
Sharmishtha noticed both of them. Not only thrice, but every time. She could notice the unforeseen happening. She could see an invisible equation.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Sanskar..." Another day, Swara called out to Sanskar and he looked at her, as he cross checked Sharmishtha's new reports. "Can we shift mom in some other room?"
Sanskar looked on a bit confused at first, but when he noticed Swara really wanting to insist him into shifting her mother in some other room, he genuinely agreed, because he really didn't want to refuse to her. "Yes Swara, we can."
Swara knew Sanskar somewhere wanted to know the reason, and she told him. "Actually, I feel like this room is a little suffocating. I mean, there's not much fresh air in this room, so..."
And her statement immediately headed Sanskar to where it actually might be coming from. If it was to be acknowledged, Sharmishtha had been in this room ever since she was admitted in this hospital and ever since then she'd been here only. And the room, even though it smelled a lot like antiseptic and other kinds of strong medicines before, and now it's effect was a bit less now but still it was sort of there, she somewhere might had thought that why to keep Sharmishtha in this room when she could be put in a better room. It must be a bit troublesome for Sharmishtha too. The same room where she was lying amidst lots of blood...
And now, even Sanskar agreed to her. "Yes, you are right."
"Shona," Sharmishtha uttered calling out to Swara, as she heared everything. "It's okay, alright? Aur waise bhi mai kaha ab itne din yaha rehne wali hoon? In a day or two, I'm going to be discharged from the hospital."
"No aunty." Sanskar interrupted, "Swara is right. So, I'll go and search for a better room."
"No, please." Sharmishtha tried to convince both Swara and Sanskar. "I'm very much fine, I don't need to..."
"Bohot ziddi ho gayi ho na aap!" Swara stated and Sharmishtha found herself to be speechless at her daughter's statement. Swara turned towards Sanskar who was also looking at her. "Thank you, Sanskar."
And just then, Swara made the arrangements all by herself, leaving Sharmishtha totally baffled and Sanskar sort of amused. She helped Sharmishtha to get up as she held her delicately.
"Swara, wait!" Sanskar stepped forward to help Sharmishtha up, as she listened. "I'll help."
"I'll do it Sanskar, it's okay. You've already done so much for us and that is more than enough." Swara told him as a matter of fact but anyhow Sanskar still tried to help.
"We'll help aunty together..." Sanskar told only to be cut off by Sharmishtha.
"You two are behaving like I'm some old paralyzed woman who has lost her ability to walk!" Sharmishtha commented but ended up chuckling to her own disbelief.
"Shut up, Maa!" Swara shut her up in irritation. "I am not going to risk you with anything anymore. You are not walking by yourself until your leg injury is fully healed, okay?"
Even if Sharmishtha knew that her Shona was serious, which was understandable, it still made her smile, witnessing how her little Shona was now being just like her mother. And as for Sanskar, he had never admired Swara more.
Eventually, both Swara and Sanskar finally helped Sharmishtha go in a room, a fresher room and that probably had more room for fresh air, and a clean one.
Within a few minutes, Sharmishtha was lying down on the bed with which Swara and Sanskar had helped her, and when she was finally settled, she stared at both of them smiling.
Swara sighed and plunged herself down slowly on the chair besides her mother. "You take rest, Maa. I know you are almost healed, but you still need rest. Do one thing, you sleep for sometime. Meanwhile I'll... I'll stay here only. Aur Maa..."
Swara trailed off as she looked at her mother with uncertainity, already dreading to say something that had been bothering her since a while.
"D-Dida had called." Swara confessed to Sharmishtha, to which she responded by frowning. "And somehow she... she came to know about you."
This was something that Sharmishtha didn't want. But now that it happened...
"Maa kaisi hai, Shona?" Sharmishtha asked Swara cautiously and she sighed.
"The first thing she asked me when she called, it was how were you now. And how it happened." Swara told her softly. She didn't want to upset her Maa into thinking that her Dida came to know what happened with her. Not that they wanted to hide it from her, but they didn't want to give her any stress while she was in Benaras, that too for them only. "She paniced a lot, persuading me into letting her talk with you. But you were sleeping due to medicines at that time when she'd called, and I didn't want to wake you up. And she couldn't even call later because she hardly got range in that area."
"Par teri dida ko yeh pata kaise chala?" Sharmishtha asked in worry.
"She said that..." Swara stared at a spot uncertainly. "The local people called her on her number, to inform her about her daughter's accident and that's how she got to know."
With the distressed conversation taking place between Swara and Sharmishtha, Sanskar suddenly felt like an uninvited intruder between them. But then... leaving them like that would look ungrateful too.
"Hey Durga Maa." Sharmishtha uttered under her breath. "Bas Maa thikh ho."
"Don't worry Maa." Swara told her in assurance. "I informed Dida that her Shomi was fine now. She calmed down then. The only thing that she said after that was... she's going to come back in two days."
"Maa khamakha itna dar gayi hogi." Sharmishtha stated in worry but Swara smiled.
"Nahi Maa, Dida bilcul thikh hai. Mene sab sambhal liya. Or... chalo abhi aap kuch mat socho, bas aaram karo. Okay? And you are going to get discharged in two days, so it's good because Dida also will come back that day. Please Maa, aap fikar mat karo." Swara got hold of Sharmishtha's palms, and the warmth aroused to her by her Shona brought a slight smile on her face. "Sab thikh hai. Please, don't worry. And your Shona is always there, remember."
"Meri Shona." Sharmishtha cupped Swara's cheek, a proud feeling emerging in her heart seeing her Shona's love for her and her maturity, and Swara responded back to her with same love.
"Okay Maa, you sleep. Meanwhile, I'll go and..."
"Shona, wait!"
Swara was interrupted by Sharmishtha and when she waited for her mother to speak, she noticed her staring at Sanskar, without him noticing her gaze.
Sharmishtha raised her finger towards Sanskar for Swara to see, and Swara turned her head towards him who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. And the sight... it just made Sharmishtha chuckle.
She cleared her throat and looked at him. "Somehow, did Swara and I bore you?" She asked him and even Swara looked at him in a kind of... amusement.
And the voice immediately made Sanskar come back in his senses, and his head turned towards the two ladies who he'd been seeing a lot these days and had grown sort of attached to. Initially, he found himself terribly at a loss of words but somehow maintained his stance. "Oh, n-no aunty! Not at all!" And he tried hard to hide his embarrassment. God.
Sharmishtha smiled. "Okay then. Now you both go for your duties, in the mean time I'll rest."
"Yes, Maa." Swara caressed her mother's head tenderly. "You sleep. I'll just come."
After getting a response from Sharmishtha that was her nod, she got up from the chair and approached towards the door, when Sharmishtha closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep. Swara, giving a slight glance towards Sanskar, who was looking at her only, opened the door but suddenly... she felt a pull that suddenly stopped her from leaving the place...
Swara froze when she felt the pull and even Sanskar looked confused as even he felt something pulling his wrist. She turned behind to see what was it and just then, she realised that her dupatta was stuck to a holy thread that Sanskar had tied around his wrist.
And the realisation turned her gaze from her stuck dupatta to Sanskar, who also noticed it by then.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Sanskar immediately said, as Swara stared back at her dupatta. She raised her fingers to pull her dupatta away from his thread but somehow she couldn't.
"Wait." Sanskar stopped her. "I'll do."
Swara nodded her head and Sanskar tucked away her dupatta from his thread delicately. After a few seconds, her dupatta was freed from the thread.
"Huh, done!" Sanskar sighed gladly and Swara smiled slightly. "Bye." She greeted him.
"Bye." Sanskar greeted her back, and it was then when they finally set off to do their work, with Swara's mind preoccupied with Sanskar's thoughts, and Sanskar smiling to himself.
But they weren't the only ones smiling though. There was someone else too, who had been witnessing their relation all this while.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
A day before Sharmishtha's discharge...
Swara was seen doing her duties. She was slowly beginning to return back to her duties, all those she couldn't do in these days. Sharmishtha even then had told her to not miss her duties because of her, but again... it was Sanskar who finally managed everything by letting Swara put her duties on hold.
Swara was walking across the corridor when suddenly a voice shook her... a voice that indicated higher authority.
"Dr Swara?"
Swara stopped in her place as she heard her name. She turned around, only to find the Dean -- Dr Ramprasad Maheshwari looking at her.
"Yes sir!" Swara replied him immediately. "Good afternoon, sir." She wished him and Ramprasad greeted her back.
"Good afternoon, Dr Swara. By the way... may I know how is your mother now?" He asked her in general.
"She is fine, sir." Swara replied solemnly with a slight smile. "Thank you for asking."
"You are welcome." Ramprasad shaked his head. "I just wanted to know because... Sanskar is the one who handled her case and he had also let me know the same, about her status now. I am glad, that she is fine."
Swara nodded her head in humility.
"Okay." Ramprasad ended their conversation finally. "Anyways, take care, Dr Swara."
"Thank you, sir." Swara greeted him, and Ramprasad turned away to left. And with that, even she left to continue her duties.
Talking with Dr Ramprasad always made her feel as if she was just talking with another Sanskar Maheshwari. It was natural though, with Ramprasad sir being Sanskar's father, but something about these Maheshwaris just always made her feel so much welcomed. Maybe, every Maheshwari was the same.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sanskar was done with just another surgery on his plate and right now he was just generally checking up on all the patients in the general ward. He smiled acknowledging each and every patient and wishing them a speedy recovery.
With 'speedy recovery', he suddenly remembered Swara's mother.
She was going to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow, as she was now better, both physically and internally, and Sanskar couldn't help but get a slight feeling of nostalgia. He was truly going to miss this woman. Somewhere, even Sanskar wouldn't admit it but somewhere, she reminded him of his mother.
How he wished his own mother was fine...
Brushing all those upcoming thoughts aside, Sanskar decided to go and check up on Swara's mother. He wouldn't go inside the room and meet her, though, he would just check up on her from a distance.
Swara was also busy in her duties too, so there wasn't any point to meet Sharmishtha alone. Anyhow, he walked towards the room and found the door to be open. Sanskar frowned.
Why was the door open anyway?
He walked slowly towards the entrance of the room and found Sharmishtha lying on the bed, and looked like she was asleep as her eyes were closed. Sanskar sighed, and pulled the door to close it when he was suddenly caught offguard by the unexpected voice...
"Sanskar?"
And the voice totally caught Sanskar offguard. It was Sharmishtha's voice, he turned towards her only to make sure...
She wasn't asleep, it didn't look like she was sleeping. She was looking at him in acknowledgement.
"I... ugh... I'm sorry, aunty. You were sleeping and the door was open, so I was just closing it. I'm sorry if I somehow disturbed you."
"No, beta. You didn't disturb me at all. And honestly I wasn't sleeping, I was just lying down." She told him and Sanskar smiled apologetically.
"No problem, you rest, in the mean time I'll..."
"Sanskar, can you come inside?"
Sanskar was seriously anxious at this point. Was he hearing it right? Why was Swara's mother calling him inside?
"Ji?" Hr asked once for clarification.
Sharmishtha smiled. "I wanted to talk with you for sometime. But if you are busy, then it's alright."
"No, I'm not busy. I just came to check you so..." he told her uncertainly. He wasn't so sure yet.
"Yaha aao." She told him softly, and Sanskar nodded in humility with a smile before clearing his throat unnoticeably.
"Where is Swara? It kind of feels weird with just me going inside to meet her mother. God, please help." Sanskar wondered in his own mind in uncertainty.
And as Sanskar left the door in it's own place, he entered the room slowly with slow steps, and a feeling of being aroused by the thought that she was Swara's mother, yet he was really fond of her and her spirit. But today... something felt quite different about her. Sanskar suddenly felt as if he was being X-rayed by one of his own people.
He stopped and made himself seated on a chair besides Sharmishtha's chair, and Sharmishtha pushed herself to get up.
"I'll help!" Sanskar came forward to help but Sharmishtha had settled herself on the bed on her own.
"I'm okay now, beta." She assured him. "Even my weakness seems to be going away now."
"That's good." Sanskar was genuinely glad with the improvement in her health. It was truly a miracle, that this lady survived such a critical accident. He truly respected her and her strength.
Silence fell in between them and as Sharmishtha was pondering over some of her own thoughts, Sanskar felt his presence here slightly uncomfortable. He wasn't really okay with this silence. With Swara it was something else, but without her... there was something odd here.
"So..."
"So..."
They both began in the same time, and Sharmishtha chuckled. Sanskar smiled awkwardly. "I'm sorry, you say."
"Tell me something about yourself too. Anything, in general, just like that. It has been around two weeks since I've been here but not even for once you ever say anything about yourself." She told him and Sanskar simply shaked his head.
"Yeah, sure. You can ask me anything." He said.
"So... How long has it been since you started working in this hospital?" She asked him, and Sanskar paused for a while to join what came in his mind, to her question.
"Aunty... Actually this hospital, it was my parents' dream. Especially my mother's. Kolkata College and Hospital was my mother's dream and my father's challenge. My mom, however she had a major role in bringing where this hospital is today. She maintained the welfare of this hospital and everything about this place. This hospital, actually, used to be her lifeline. Mom always wanted to build a hospital that would help people in need and good facilities in order to help everyone." He smiled narrating his experience with his family as if reliving some memories of his life, and Sharmishtha smiled. "About me, I have been here since I earned my degree in MBBS. Be it my internship, my education and everything, it was done in this hospital only. Except for my specialisation, though, for which I had to go to Mumbai for two years for completing my post graduation in specialisation in cardiology. This hospital, honestly, it is like my second home. Even when I was small, I used to come here a lot. After my home, I have spent my life in this hospital."
"That's nice." Sharmishtha said smiling.
"Being a doctor was my childhood dream." He said shrugging his shoulders. "But for me, it was never a formality or a necessity just because my parents were doctors. I wanted to be a doctor because I wanted to."
"Just like my Swara." Sharmishtha mumbled almost inaudibly to herself, smiling. "Even she always wanted to be a doctor. It was her dream from childhood."
"So, Swara also always wanted to be a doctor?"
"Yes." She replied. "She held passion for curing those who needed help. She was always aimed towards her goal no matter what she'd gone through in her..."
She herself didn't know when she left her sentence incomplete as a feeling of sadness suddenly aroused her and her smile vanished. If only nothing had happened to her Swara... if only she hadn't suffered so much that day... if only all of it, everything had been reversed at that time! Then things wouldn't had been this complicated today. Her Shona wouldn't had been so vulnerable.
Sanskar could feel something indifferent arousing him and that was then when he suddenly cleared his throat apologetically. "I'm sorry, aunty."
"No, why are you saying sorry?" Sharmishtha told him immediately. She didn't want this humble guy to say sorry for something for which he wasn't at fault in any way.
"Just..." Sanskar uttered uncertainly but Sharmishtha interrupted.
"Sanskar, ek baat kahoon tum se?"
"Aunty, please don't ask for my permission. You have every right to say anything." Sanskar told her truthfully, and Sharmishtha smiled looking at him in gratitude.
"I wanted to thank you... for everything you have done for me and for Swara. All these days, you took care of me like I was your mother. People like you are very rare in this world. I've been seeing Swara for a while too and I can only conclude, that Swara trusts you a lot. And you know, she had told me something."
Sharmishtha sighed deeply before telling him what Swara had told her, and Sanskar was listening to her, giving his full attention.
"Swara told me, that you have always been there for her. You were always a good friend of her. And even I have seen, you took care of her when my condition was critical. That day... when she was crying for me to get up," Sharmishtha recalled the moment her daughter had broken down in front of her, persuading her into getting up and that she couldn't see her in that state. Yes, Sharmishtha had heard her daughter at that time. "You were there with her. And in these days too after I gained my consciousness, I have also seen that whenever Swara was upset, somehow, you brought a smile on her face by saying something that made her smile. I just... want to thank you for everything you have done beta. Yeh mai kabhi nahi bhul sakti."
Sanskar had an overwhelming urge to comfort Sharmishtha who had been the witness of her daughter's pain. They both had been through a lot.
"Aunty please, you are making me feel awkward. I did what I wanted to do. And taking care of you and her and being there for you whenever you needed something, honestly, it was not a formality. I was with her because I wanted to be. Meri mom mujhe kehti thi, ki logon ki hamesha madat karni chahiye. It is the essence of life. But aunty... honestly I would say that it's people like Swara who are very rare in this world. And girls like her, they set an example for how girls in today's generation should be. Swara bohot acchi ladki hai aunty aur meri acchi dost bhi hai. She's a very genuine soul and a dedicated person. To be very honest, I have never seen someone like Swara before in my life."
Hearing Sanskar's thoughts about Swara, honestly, it was enough for Sharmishtha to realise what she just had to do. She looked at him before stating what she'd always felt seeing Sanskar.
"You care about Swara, I know you do!"
It took nearly a moment for Sanskar to realise what Sharmishtha said and the meaning behind her words. Something... something just came and hit the right nerve of him. The words, they hit the right chord of his heart. His heart leaped as he tried absorbing those words in his soul but somehow, it came as a shock to him. Especially when it was Swara's mother who noticed that!
He looked on shocked as he conflicted with his inner self. Suddenly, he stumbled to speak even if his heart screamed only one thing... that yes, he did care about her! But he couldn't come up with any word to say. He didn't know what to say. Would Swara's mother be okay with it? Would she not? He wasn't able to figure out anything.
But, Sharmishtha smile on her face explained an entirely different story.
"I... woh... umm..." Sanskar didn't know what to say. He averted her gaze, trying to not keep an eye contact with him.
"I don't just think, I know you do." Sharmishtha stated to him and Sanskar turned his head back towards Sharmishtha. He noticed her smiling at him, as if she was... content. But... how could his eyes tell her that he did?
"Ji?" Sanskar managed to utter and Sharmishtha shaked her head in assurance. She had to admit, Sanskar was another person after Swara who was as transparent as Swara was. He was like an open book, not needing to explain anything because his eyes said everything.
"Anyone can tell that. The way you were just now talking about Swara, the way you look at her, it's easy to figure that out." She told him.
"Aunty, I really couldn't stop myself." Sanskar told her regretfully but was trailed off by her voice.
"Wait, what do you mean by that beta?" She asked him while Sanskar looked on uncertainly. "It's not like I don't approve of this. On the contrary... I'm happy. Look beta, having feelings for someone is completely natural. It is not at all wrong to like someone. In fact, I am happy that Swara can rely on someone like you."
"But aunty," Sanskar began what was there in his heart. "Honestly I don't know if me having feelings for her is right or wrong, but I have a slight feeling that Swara might not like it. I don't know but, there is just something about her that is very distant. I think it is something she will never expect from me."
"It's because what has happened with her in her past!" She cleared it within a spur of a moment. Sanskar was once again taken aback by the mention of her past yet again. "There is something that has happened to her and that has changed her outlook towards life. Lekin beta, ek sach yeh bhi hai, ki kisi chhiz keliye kadwahat jyada wakt man mein nahi rehti. Agar koi aur uss soch ko badalne mein safal hojata hai, toh usse bhi uss baat par vishwas hone lagta hai. In your case, I could see you changing Swara's perspective about life at some point. You make her smile! And you know... I have seen Swara. And I think she feels something for you too. And trust me, I am her mother, so only I can know what's going on in her heart even if she doesn't know it herself."
All this... it became very difficult for Sanskar to take in.
"Her past has changed her a lot." Sharmishtha mumbled almost as if talking to herself and left out a mournful sigh. "She doesn't read fairytales anymore, those were her favourite stories to read, you know. She believes in anything in this world but love and trust."
Why... what happened with her? What was it that changed her so much? Each and every word uttered by Sharmishtha about Swara was like a heavy blow to Sanskar that was tearing him apart from within.
"Do you know what happened with her?" Sharmishtha's question broke Sanskar's reverie.
"No." He answered blankly.
"Would you want to know what happened?" She asked him.
Taking a deep breath, Sanskar turned to look at Sharmishtha and he could see different emotions swirling in her eyes. There was also a flash of pain in her facial features.
"Aunty," Sanskar began as softly as he could. "I know somewhere that there is something that has happened with Swara in her past or else at some point of her life. That's another thing that I don't know what but... I really would not want you to tell me if you are not comfortable. Don't tell me when you are not in a state to. I know, it's been tough on you as much as it might have been on Swara, and I really don't mind if you are uncomfortable in telling what happened with Swara. But there's only one thing I can say and that is... you and Swara don't deserve this pain."
All this while, Sharmishtha had been in a dilemma. But after hearing what this young guy just told her... it erased all her worries for her daughter. She could just see it... her daughter's future did have something in store for her... in the form of Sanskar Maheshwari.
And the decision... it was made within a spur of a moment.
"Tumhe pata hai..." Sharmishtha began, as Sanskar looked at her. "Ki uski ek shaadi toot gayi hai?"
And... a heartbeat passed.
That single question, that seemed more like a statement, changed everything.
It changed Sanskar's entire perspective about Swara Bose. It changed his view about her entirely. But there was one thing that didn't change.
His feelings for Swara! And her place in his heart! Nothing could change that. Not even her past.
Not even the fact... that she had a broken marriage.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N : The end of part one of this chapter. Was it shocking for you all? Did anyone of you expect this?
Next chapter coming up tomorrow or else on Tuesday. A Bonus Chapter it is!
Thank you for reading. ❤