Sanskar was feeling terrible. All he wanted to take care of Swara. All he wanted to make her feel comfortable. All he wanted was her good health. But what she got instead, a slap and a handful of bad words, that too from his own mom.
He stood up and stormed out of his apartment. He ran towards his car and was soon on the way to Swara's house. After around 30 minutes, he was knocking on the door of her house.
A man in his early thirties opened the door. "Mr. Sanskar Maheshwari!" He exclaimed so hard that a girl around Swara's age came running out of the room.
Sanskar had seen those people first time in his life. He was feeling very awkward and uncomfortable at the same time. He then saw the girl who was almost unblinkingly staring at him. The guy's expressions were no different.
"If you both don't mind, can I please come inside?" Sanskar asked humbly. That time only they remembered that all 3 people were standing on the door of the house.
"Sure sir! Please! I am sorry I forgot!" Man said fumbling between the lines. After all Sanskar was a superstar and a superstar knocking at your doorstep is something rare.
Sanskar sat on the couch. All he wanted to ask for Swara but didn't know how to.
"Sir! You ... here!" Guy was still fumbling.
"I know. Swara said you will be coming here at any moment." Girl said from behind.
"Then why didn't you tell me?" Guy complained.
"Something should be secret in between best friends." Girl giggled.
Sanskar was still feeling a little awkward to ask for Swara. But looking at them, he assumed she was alright. He took a sigh of relief.
"Sir! Swara is here, in her bedroom. If you don't mind, can you please join her there only." Girl said with a smile.
Sanskar finally thanked god. He thought as if girl understood what he wanted to say. Was it too evident from his expressions!
Sanskar followed the girl to Swara's bedroom. Sanskar took a look at it. It was not as cozy as his but was filled up with photographs. Her books were neatly arranged in shelf. Minimal things in her room.
He then looked at the bed over which Swara was sitting keeping her head overthe headboard. Her eyes were closed. Her long wavy hair were loosely braided. There was a bruise below her eye.
Sanskar felt his heart sinking seeing her like this. He came near her and tried to take her name, but his lips parted and closed again. With what right he was asking about her health! He was indirectly responsible for her condition.
He couldn't gather the courage to speak anything. He couldn't gather the courage to apologise from her.
"Swara!" The girl called her name. Swara opened her eyes and looked at the girl. The girl signed her with eyes and then Swara's gaze fell over Sanskar.
"Mr. Maheshwari!" Swara got alerted seeing her, "aap kab aye?" Swara stood up from the bed looking at him.
"Dr. Bose! Please be seated." Sanskar said forbodding her to stand up.
"Nah! I am alright now." Swara said with her usual smile. This was something unexpected for Sanskar. He thought Swara would be angry at him, but it didn't seem so.
"Dr. Bose!" Sanskar tried to say something but couldn't find words.
"Wait! First let me introduce you to your biggest fans, Dr. Adarsh Mishra, a paediatric doctor by proffession, and Dr. Parineeta Mishra, gynaecologist by proffession." Swara introduced them with a smile on her face.
"Pari! See I told you, he will come looking for me." Swara said and then looked at Sanskar, "Mr. Maheshwari! I had tried you number so many times but everytime unreachable."
"Maybe" Sanskar was not able to understand the strange behaviour of Swara. She was acting as if nothing happened.
"Dr. Bose! I was tensed...." sanskar was about to say something when Swara cut him in between.
"I am really sorry Mr. Maheshwari! Due to emergency I had to run from there. I tried to inform you many times but you number was unreachable." Swara said which made Sanskar look at her in amazement. Parineeta was her best friend but she didn't tell anything to her.
"And then Swara called me. So we both ran to het when we got to know what happened with her last night." Adarsh said.
Sanskar smiled in return. But he wanted to know why she didn't tell anything to her best friend.
"You both talk, I ll be sending some snacks for you both okay." Parineeta said and signed at Adarsh.
"Yes! And I have to go back to my clinic. So meet you later Swara." Adarsh said. He then forwarded his kerchief to Sanskar, "sir! Autograph please!"
Sanskar laughed a little at his innocent gesture. Adarsh too smiled nervously at him, "Sir! Doctor bad me, fan pehle!"
Sanskar took the kerchief and gave his autograph. Adarsh looked at the kerchief as if it was the most precious possession of him.
"Bye! Bye! It was so nice meeting you Mr. Maheshwari!" Adarsh said.
"Same here! And maybe we will have more meeting in future too." Sanskar said with humbleness.
Adarsh and parineeta left the room leaving Swara and Sanskar alone. Sanskar could not gather the courage to look into Swara's eyes. He didn't even have the guts to utter something. There was complete silence in the room. Only their breathes were echoing within the walls.
"Dr. Bose!" Sanskar finally let out words from his lips.
"Yes!" Swara said with her usual tone.
Sanskar finally raised his gaze. Swara's face still had the calm aura. This aura was piercing his soul. He felt a little restless. He again lowered his gaze.
"No need Mr. Maheshwari. Be calm." Swara tried to calm him down. She knew how much guilt he had been feeling.
"I.... I am sorry." This was all his tongue could speak up. But these words were mkxed with such emotions that even Swara couldn't resist. She felt her heart becoming heavy. She knew she had to calm down Sanskar at the very moment.
"Mr. Maheshwari! Do you think I will be angry over what your mother did?" Swara asked a simple question.
"Dr. Bose! I... " Sanskar still couldn't gather to say anything. Swara suddenly felt as if Sanskar's hands were shivering. She then looked at his face. It had became red. She knew an anxiety attack was about to kick in.
"Mr. Maheshwari! You alright?" Swara asked.
He just nodded. But his heart was sinking in guilt. His guilt was trying to drown him.
Swara felt an unknown sadness in her heart watching him like this. This was not the usual sympathy she experienced with her other patients, but something different. It was so different that even her eyes shed a tear.
Sanskar was gazing at the floor. He felt as if his heart's gonna burst out any moment. At that very moment, he found the soft palms of Swara pressing over his.
"Your palms are cold as ice, Mr. Maheshwari!" Swara said.
Sanskar again didn't lift his gaze. He just nodded.
"Won't you even raise your gaze?" Swara asked.
Sanskar's heart screamed that he was not eligible to do so. But his tongue was tied. He again just nodded.
Swara pressed his palms again a little. "You are bottling up your emotions again, Mr. Maheshwari." She said.
"I know Dr. Bose!" Sanskar finally said a few words before shutting his lips again.
"But it's not good na!" Swara again pressed his palm.
Sanskar had no reply. He wanted to scream his heart out. But on the other side, he just wanted to keep mum.
"Mr. Maheshwari! Please, for me, say something." There was an urge in Swara's voice.
Sanskar felt this urge. He felt something different in this urge. He finally managed to shift her gaze at swara.
Swara looked at him. His eyes were red. His face were red. His lips were shivering.
"Mr. Maheshwari! Be calm. Deep breathe." Swara tried to calm him down.
But Sanskar's anxiety and guilt was not ready to subside.
Swara's panic was increasing watching him like this. She was ready to do anything to take him out of this guilt mode. And she did.
Sanskar suddenly felt himself getting wrapped up in a hug. He felt s gentle arm around his torso and then a face on his chest. For a moment, sanskar was not able to get what happened. But the next moment, he understood that the girl whom he was in love with, was hugging him.
Sanskar started reciprocating her hug gently. He placed his face over her shoulder, and encircled her soft torso with his arms.
This hug was not passionate, rather a soulful hug. At that moment, Sanskar was not feeling Swara's body, but her soul. The heartbeats were synchronising. This hug didn't raise his heartbeats, but calmed him down. This hug was their first hug, but not as physical lovers. They hugged as eternal lovers.
Swara was able to feel his pain. She was feeling all his guilts, shame and restlessness. She felt something more than care, more than sympathy, more than anything in that hug. She was feeling his emotions as her own.
Sanskar felt all his emotions flowing out of his eyes. He felt a warmth in his heart. He felt as if his life will become worthful once again. He felt something more than relief, more than comfort, more than calmness in that hug. He was feeling her calmness as his own.
They hugged like this for about a minute. Their trance was beoken by the ringtone of Sanskar's phone. He didn't want to pick up the call but his forehead frowned seeing the number. It was from AP.
"Pick up the phone Mr. Maheshwari! You have to face your own anger." Swara said.
"I can't." Sanskar replied.
"I am here." Swara assured. Her assurance had a different impact over Sanskar. He picked up the phone.
"Sanskar beta! Where are you?" Ap asked.
"I am with Dr. Bose." Sanskar replied with rudeness.
"That girl! You know son, she did...." Ap tried to say something when Sanskar snapped back, "Komal told me already, what you did!"
"Beta! She was behaving .." ap again tried to say.
"Lies! Lies are all that over your career has been built." Sanskar said.
"Sanskar!" Ap yelled.
"From my childhood to my adulthood, you have just yelled at me. But not anymore." Sanskar was damn angry.
"You are trusting that girl more than me." Ap fumed.
"Because in this small span of time, that girl gave me more happiness than you have given me in my 29 years of life." Sanskar said, "mrs. Maheshwari! From now, you are not allowed to enter in my house in my absence."
Sanskar cancelled the call and looked at Swara. He was feeling good and calmed. But still a guilt was there.
"I failed my promise Dr. Bose! I brought you at my place and then you..." he couldn't say further.
"Mr. Maheshwari, it's okay! Not everything is in our hands na!" Swara said, "God's plans are far better than anything our small mind has planned. See, that slap made me realise your condition well. And you came here running, so Adarsh and pari have met you."
Sanskar smiled a little. He looked at swara who was smiling too. How can she be so positive about everything everytime!
Parineeta knocked the door with a little hesitation. "Pari come na! Let's sit and talk. Your all time crush is in front of you!" Swara teased her.
"Swara Bose! I ll kill you right now!"Parineeta glared at her. She then looked at Sanskar and smiled.
Sanskar then had a good time chatting with Swara and parineeta. He got to kmow about Swara's friendship with parineeta. College batchmates and theb best friends. For Parineeta, meeting Sanskar was like a dream cum true.
Sanskar was about to leave after an hour for dubbing of his upcoming release. With a promise to come whenever he got free, Sanskar bid her goodbye.
Sanskar sat in the car and was thinking about the meet. The cool and calm Swara had a bubbly face too. Her giggles, her laugh was something to be adored.
Sanskar suddenly remembered the hug, the comfort and relief he felt after that was unimaginable. Hug was like a drop of rain after a hot summer.