Same day

Laksh watched Ragini enter the room with a content smile on her face. He waited for her to speak to him but she ignored him and headed straight to the washroom.
He grit his teeth in anger as he thought about the day's events.
He had seen Ragini enter the Mansion with Sanskar. He had seen her giggling with Sanskar and enjoying a hearty laugh.
Here he was waiting for his wife and she was enjoying her time with his brother. How easily she had ditched him!

He stared at her intently waiting for her to say something but Ragini seemed to ignore him.
She kept the bags on the bed and moved into the washroom. Few minutes later she emerged in her saree and sat beside the dressing table brushing her hair.

Laksh had had enough and finally broke the silence.

"How was your day? Had a fun ignoring your husband and spending time with his brother? " Laksh spat in anger.

Ragini was shocked. She had been expecting an apology or even remorse for his actions towards her in the morning but boy was she mistaken !
His tone was more accusatory than ever and he had suddenly turned around and made the issue about himself.

"Laksh !" Ragini raised her voice.
She had never spoken to him in such a tone but today his words forced her too. She had always tolerated the taunts and insults that came her way but today he had gone too far.
He had disrespected her, manhandled her in the office and instead of apologizing, here he was taunting her again when the fault had been his.
She had tried calling him during the day but he had cut her call.

"Don't you raise your voice with me. You argue with me, ignore me all day and now you decide to raise your voice with me" He yelled at her.

Ragini seemed startled. The tone of his voice was more aggressive than ever and was becoming dangerous.

She decided to keep her voice calm and reply to his taunt.

"I did call you during the day even and you decided to cut my call."

"So you should have called me again. You know I need space after an argument. But why didn't you check on me later. Isn't it your responsibility to check on your husband to know his well being? "

"To misbehave with your wife and then expect her to keep calling you to check your well being is a bit much of an expectation from your side"

"Misbehaviour. When did I misbehave with you? I just held your arms too tight when I was angry. You can't expect to act rational then. You should understand that this is normal for me"

"You think manhandling your wife and then feeling no guilt for it but justifying it is normal?"
Ragini was appalled by his words. To have such a demanding attitude and feel no remorse made it seem like Laksh only cared about himself. He didn't even want to acknowledge that his actions were wrong.

"You are becoming too sensitive Ragini. Earlier you were never like this. You had tolerated every tantrum and temper of mine without any complaint. But now that you have started working, you find fault in everything I do. " He exclaimed displeased.

"What has my working at a job got to do with my behaviour. You find my displeasure at being manhandled as being too sensitive? What is wrong with you Laksh ? How are you so blind to your faults? Can you not see your mistake? She half yelled in desperation.

"See. You have never fought with me like this. This is only happening now that you are independent and working with me." He complained

"What is wrong with you? I m fighting because you fail to see your mistake Laksh" She exclaimed in frustration.

"Well then if it is not the latter then there is only one thing possible. You are no longer in love with me as you used to be. You have changed Ragini and you have changed for the worse"
Laksh spoke and stormed off the room leaving Ragini alone to process the impact and meaning of his words.

As she sat lost in thought, she wondered whether his last few sentences were true. Had her love changed? Or was it the fact that slowly she was noticing the flaws in the relationship which she had always overlooked.

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Swara sat on her bed and kept her eyes on the door. She had witnessed his arrival with Ragini and was appalled to see his nonchalant attitude. She had been waiting eagerly for Sanskar to come and apologize to her but he had not turned up. What had happened to him!

Sanskar entered his room with a smile on his face. But his smile soon turned into a frown seeing Swara sitting on her bed with a sulking expression.

Was she upset or angry, he couldn't tell? Or maybe he could but for once he didn't want to put in so much effort just to understand her. But he decided to try for Ragini's sake as she had been apologetic for Swara's behaviour. Perhaps he had not been adept in communicating his feelings and that is why Swara could not understand him.

Really Sanskar? A nagging voice at the back of his head mocked him but he decided to shake the thoughts away.

He schooled his expression and spoke to her.

"Swara I need to speak to you."

"Oh. After leaving your wife alone for the entire day and enjoying your day with my sister, you have finally got time to speak to your wife."

Sanskar shut his eyes in frustration and rubbed his temples to calm himself. He decided to not respond to her taunt.

"You are not even denying it now, are you? Earlier you would atleast feel guilty and apologize but now you are not even making the effort."

"Swara I was not..." Sanskat began to speak but was soon interrupted by Swara.

"You have changed Sanskar ! You don't love me anymore." Swara banged the door and left the room.

As Swara stormed off, Sanskar stood frustrated. She had not given him a chance to speak and assumed an answer and stormed off. How were they to communicate their feelings to each other then?

As he sat on his bed, he pondered over her words.
Were her words true? Was it because he wasn't blinded by his love anymore or was it that the initial attraction in their relationship had vanished for them to realise the flaws in the relationship?

The day had led to a lot of unanswered questions in the minds of Ragini and Sanskar, the answers of which they were to find out in the coming weeks.

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Ragsan decided to ignore their partners for the next few days. They were done trying to mend their respective relationships. Enough was enough. Swalak had crossed their boundaries and it was time they apologized.

While they maintained a civil attitude toward their spouses in front of the family, it wasn't hard to observe that something was amiss the two young couples in the household.

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It was yet another busy day in the Maheshwari household. Both young couples were immersed in work as they sat in the study room.
Ragini and Sanskar were looking at some files while Laksh was working on a presentation. Swara had abandoned her work when Sujata had come to tell her about their new neighbors. Sanskar was just rechecking some data figures with Ragini when Annapurna entered the room. As they looked up from their work, Sanskar didn't miss the judgemental look that passed Annapoorna's face when she spotted Ragini working with him.

"There you are. I have been looking for both of you in the entire house." Annapurna spoke to Raglak.

Sanskar greeted her but she chose to ignore him. He continued his work.

"I have been meaning to speak to you both privately regarding an important matter."Annapurna hinted at Sanskar as she sat beside Ragini.

Sanskar understood the hint and decided to leave the room on the pretext of making a call.

He gave a last glance to Ragini and left the room.

Annapurna motioned for Laksh to come towards Ragini. She took Ragini's hand and Laksh's hand and held them together as she began speaking.

"I have noticed that the past couple of days, both the couples seem to be having a tiff with each other. I do not know what the issue is but I can't see my children so unhappy. So I have thought of a solution to resolve the differences." She paused.

"You have been married for 2 years now and I feel that I should get a chance to play with my grandkids.
I know it is not my place to say this but I feel now is the right time for you to try for a child. Having a baby will make your bond stronger and all your problems will disappear when you bring a child to the relationship." Annapoorna stated.

"I know you both have always thought about the family and you will fulfil our this wish too" She kissed Ragini's forehead and left the room with the smile.

To say that Ragini was shocked would be an understatement. While Laksh stood there blushing and a smile on his face, Ragini was still busy trying to process her mother in law's words.

'I think Maa is right. Let's try for a child.' Laksh whispered and nuzzled Ragini's neck.

Ragini flinched. Having children right now? It was true that she had dreamt of a future with Laksh where she had dreamt of a small family but now that dream didn't seem so appealing. It wasn't as if she had given up the idea of being a mother but she knew better than to bring a child into a relationship that seemed to crack with every moment.

"I will think about it."

Laksh was irritated.
"What is there to think about? Hadn't you dreamt about this always? Then what has changed? Let me guess now that you are working, you don't want to let go of your freedom na?"

"Laksh what rubbish are you talking. It's not about my freedom. It's just that I don't want to bring a child into our relationship at this stage when we have not even sorted out our mess."

"That is the point. A child will help us sort out our issues and make our bond stronger."

"A child is no glue that you stick in a relationship when you think it is falling apart. A child is a huge responsibility and both the partners need to be ready before they decide to take this step."

"You are just creating a fuss Ragini. But you know what, let's leave this discussion. I don't want to fight with you. I came here with a romantic mood but you managed to spoil it. I need to leave."

He stormed off the room. Ragini flinched at the sound of the door banging but did not go after him.

She realised belatedly that Laksh was never the one to sit and sort out differences. He would storm off or throw a tantrum everytime things did not go his way. She would always run after him in an attempt to pacify him often sacrificing her wishes, thoughts and feelings in the process.
But now she was done being the doormat in this relationship.
---------------------------------------------------------

Same day

Sanskar was moving down the stairs when Sujata called him.

"Chore athe aa. Aaj tune mujhe itni badi khushi di hai." (Come here son. Today you have made me so happy) Expressed sujata as she kissed his forehead.

"Kaisi khushi maa" He asked bewildered. (What happiness are you talking about Maa?)

"Yahi tu aur Swara humara vansh aage badhane waale ho." ( That you and Swara have decided to bring an heir to the family) Sujata said with a smile

"Jaanta hai main kitni pareshan thi jab Swara aayi thi mere paas yeh kehne ki tum dono ke beech anban hui hai aur tu uspe dhyan nahin de raha." She exclaimed. (Do you know how worried I was when Swara came to me saying that you both have had an argument and you are not paying attention to her)

"Magar jab ussne mujhse kaha ki tum dono bacchon ke baare mein soch rahe ho toh mere chinta gayab ho gayi." Sujata kissed their foreheads and left them alone. (But when she told me that you guys are planning to have a child, then all my tension vanished)

As Sujata left, Sanskar was still trying to process her words. He and Swara were planning were for a child ! When did they discuss this? Why use his family as a way to approach this subject?

Normally this news would have given him immense joy but today it seemed as though something was amiss and he wasn't as delighted with the news as he hoped to be.

It wasn't that he didn't like the idea of having children but he felt that Swara should have discussed this idea with him first before preaching it to the family.

He shook his head and attempted to speak to her regarding this when she interrupted him.
"Swara I.."

"I know what you want to say. You have no words to express your happiness na. I knew this news would make you so happy"

"That's not it. Actually I think" He was thinking of a way to approach the discussion.

"You think that you must have done some great deeds in your previous birth to get an amazing wife like me" She giggled as she interrupted him again

"I know I m great Sanskar. You my dear hubby are indeed very lucky to have me" She said as she tapped his cheek and winked at him as she left the room.

She left without even hearing what he had to say.

To say he was frustrated was an understatement.
All Sanskar wanted to do was to discuss this major decision which Swara had decided to spring up on him. It wasn't that he was not ready for a child but he felt that they both needed to work on some issues in their relationship before taking up this responsibility. He wanted to bridge the communication gap between them but it seemed as though she was in her own grandiose world. She had just assumed his decision and announced it to the world.

As he sat lost in thoughts, it struck him that her behaviour today was nothing unusual. She always took decisions for the both of them without even discussing it with him. Once she was determined about something, she would be adamant to do what she wanted no matter how wrong her decision would be. She would never even listen to his part of the story or his views or thoughts.
It had happened to him, when she left the house because Laksh went missing, when she had suspected him to be kidnapper of Ragini and on numerous other occasions. It was just that he always overlooked such incidents and didn't realize how they shaped the course of their present relationship.
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Few hours later (same night)

Sanskar sat waiting for Swara to return but there seemed to be no traces of her. He decided to move towards his parents'
room in a bid to find her. No matter what they needed to have a discussion today before Swara went proclaiming the news to the entire family.

He reverie of thoughts were broken by the chime of anklets. He saw Ragini walk past him in the corridor as she proceeded towards the kitchen with a water jug in hand. Her facial expressions conveyed that she was quite disturbed. He wondered what had put her in such a daze.

She disbalanced herself while putting her feet on the stairs and slipped and was just about to fall from the edge when someone shouted her name and a pair of hands pulled her up.
The water jug went crashing down the stairs. As she registered the crash, she realised what she was just saved from.

Her body was shaking and she had closed her eyes.
She looked up in shock to see Sanskar who had saved her from a massive fall. His eyes were mirroring the element of fear which was visible in her eyes.

He was speaking to her but her body was still in a state of shock to register what he was saying.

"Ragini" Sanskar tried calling her name for the third time.

"Huh." she responded as she finally registered his words.

"Are you alright" He asked worried.
She stared at his face and then nodded immediately.

"I m ok. Don't worry" She assured him.

"Are you sure?" He asked her again.

"Yes. I m absolutely fine. Don't worry" She fake smiled as she reassured him.
He raised his eyebrows as he caught on to her lie but decided to not question her further.

"Ok then. I will ask Shambu (the helper) to get a jug filled with water to your room. You rest in your room till then. Can't trust you walking down the stairs in a daze and pricking yourself with the shards of glass. " He spoke in a half serious tone.

She smiled at the last part and he was glad to see the smile back on her face.

" Yes Sir!" She half exclaimed and smiled.

As they both proceeded back to their own rooms, Sanskar was stopped by Ragini calling out his name. He looked back with a smile and raised his eyebrows in question.
Before she could open her mouth to say something, he blinked his eyes in acknowledgement and Ragini looked stupified.

"You really need to stop thanking me." He smiled.

"You really know how to read my mind" she smiled as he understood what she wanted to say without her even uttering a single word.

"That I do" He raised his eyebrows in a smug manner and laughed as he went ahead.

--------------------------------------------------------
Same night

Ragini sat waiting for Laksh's return. There had been no calls from him ever since he had stormed off a few hours back.

She checked her phone again. No missed calls or messages. She was starting to get worried. She tried his number only to discover it was busy. She tried again only to find the call was disconnected. She tried again a third time to again discover a message to not disturb him.

She closed her eyes frustrated. Laksh could not escape a situation by avoiding a discussion every time things would not go his way. This had to stop some time.
They needed to address this habit of his in order to bridge their communication gap.
But that discussion would have to wait till the next morning since he was not returning home anytime soon.
Well at least he was safe.
With this thought in mind, she retired for the night.
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Laksh groaned as he downed his fifth drink. His head was hurting and he could not believe Ragini said no to his wish. Over the past few months, her behaviour seemed strange. She was never one to argue with him and always tried to keep him happy by fulfilling his wishes. Then what had happened now? He had already made so many sacrifices in trying to give this relation a chance. She was never his choice for an ideal life partner but he decided to adjust anyway. But now her behaviour was making him rethink his decision. Maybe he made a mistake in deciding to stay with her.

He picked up his phone to see her calling him. He disconnected the call. She called again and this time he disconnected the call with a text asking her to not disturb him.
He was in no mood to talk to her. He put his head down on the bar and ordered a few more drinks.

After a few more drinks, he picked up his keys and stumbled across the club to his car. He started his car and shifted his gear only to crash onto the next car in the parking lot.
He had banged his head on his steering in the accident. Luckily he didn't sustain any injuries.

He opened his eyes only to find two security personnel in the parking lot helping him out of his car. They offered him water as he sat inside their booth. He took out his phone and messaged a number.

Few moments later, a silver car came to pick him up. He sat inside and left the premises.

---------------------------------------------------------

The car stopped beside a huge white Mansion. The person beside Laksh helped him walk inside the house.

Laksh plopped himself on the white bed in the room and fell asleep.
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Sanskar entered his room it to find Swara tucking herself in bed.
As he lay on his side of the bed, she spoke "I m very tired Sanskar and I want to sleep. Please do not disturb me" and switched off the lamps before he could respond to her statement.

As he lay on his side, eyes open with sleep far away from his eyes, he pondered over the day's events. His day today was a mess. Swara had sprung a decision onto him without even discussing with him first. In fact she had spoken or rather complained to his mother regarding the issue in their  relationship but had not decided to speak to him regarding it.  Even Ragini seemed disturbed today.
He was scared to death when he had seen Ragini almost fall down the stairs? He wondered what was Laksh's reaction ? Where was Laksh?
He sat confused.

The only good part about the day was when he made Ragini smile. As he reflected more on the day's events he realised with a smile that communication was strange that way. Sometimes you could never get your point across even with a thousand words. While sometimes even with no words, one could communicate so much. Perhaps understanding between the people was all that mattered.

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As another night drew to a close and the four individuals retired for the night, they lay unaware of the storm they would face in their lives in the coming days.
Whether or not they would survive it, only time would tell.

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No guys ! Not dreaming 😄😄 I m actually updating😂😂

Missed me😄😄

3600 words😁 Longest update I have ever written 😄😄

I really really hope it was worth the 5 month wait😄😄 😂😂 I really don't think it was😄😄.

I had tried writing this update since June but was stuck with the dialogues. I m just happy I have been able to move past the impasse😎

Hope it was not too repetitive and boring since I was trying to show the changes between the two couples😉

I know my style is a bit too narrative and I m trying to make it a bit more descriptive 😄 I think it will take time😊

Sorry for only one Ragsan scene😊 Was trying to focus more on their relationship changes😁

I know you were waiting for the big khulasa but that will still take time for me to formulate and put it down😁😁

Hoping you liked it😄

Waiting eagerly for your feedback 😊😊

This was supposed to be my Diwali gift for you guys😄😄
Happy Diwali, Eid, Durga puja, Ganesh chaturthi and all festivals that have gone by😄😄

Love you❤️

And thank you for waiting for this FF😊😊