"Finally," Sanskar could barely mumble taking a step towards her.

Swara downed her eye gaze realising his unwavering stare. Unknowingly she felt goosebumps when her mere presence brought ultimate satisfaction on his face.

"Good morning, Sir" she continuously shifted her gaze between him and floor.

"Hmm?"

"Good morning, Sir" this time Swara bit her lower lip looking at his confused face.

"Oh! Yes! Good morning," he turned and moved towards his chair.

"Ok, I had asked Brittany to update designs for floor panels of foundation." He was back to his professionalism.

"Yes Sir, I had discussions with her..." And there they went back to their routine discussions.

But it was something different for today. Usually, Sanskar's eyes used to get fixed on the TV screen whereas today it was mostly on Swara's serene face.

"Ok, thank you Sir. I will get those changes updated." Swara started her winding up.

She moved towards the door to go out. She halted and turned back to see Sanskar engrossed in his work.

"How is Granny Sir?"

In these three weeks if she missed any one terribly then it was Granny.

She could not gather courage to call her. She was scared that she would lose her emotional equilibrium and would break down in front of old lady hearing her loving voice.

She just messaged her couple of times and was happy with Granny's reply.

"Let me remind you we are in office."

'He and his sarcastic comments. Coconut!' She pressed her lips when her mind processed new nick name.

"You may leave now Ms. Mehra." Even though he was staring back at his Mac screen, he had observed her antics from corner eyes.

"Have a good day Sir." Now with professional tone.

"Granny is fine. She missed you a lot." His voice enriched her cheeks with bright grin.

"Me Too."

She quickly turned back with shining eyes.

'Me too' his unsaid words reflected in his eyes for flicker of moment. Before turning it cold.

They shared long eye lock which broke due to beep on Sanskar's phone.

'Did he miss me?' Swara came back to her seat.

'Why will he?'

'Ohh Kanhaji I forgot to thank him. He did a lot for me and my family. Thank you, word will be, such a smaller one. What should I do?'

Her lips adorned with huge smile when one idea popped up in her mind.

'About repayment of money I will talk to him on weekends when we go to meet Granny.'

'Granny, I am just waiting for Friday.'

'Then I am gonna meet you'

'Then I am gonna hug you,'

'Then I am gonna kiss you,'

'Then I am gonna tickle you,'

'Then I gonna say I love you Granny and I missed you so much.'

Next day, as usual Sanskar came to office early. He moved to his dressing room for walk-in closet with an expectation that his all ties would be ready with knot.

He saw all his ties were neatly folded with knot and on one navy blue coloured tie had on chit on top of it.

He opened the chit. It was a letter with beautiful cursive handwriting.

'Thank you would be such a small, negligible word for what you have done for me and my family. But I don't know any other word to convey my gratitude.

You supported me when I had lost my own ways, when I had lost my confidence on myself, I was about to give up this battle of life, but your support strengthened my will to stand for my family.

You might not realise it how much it meant for me, especially when you picked up my call and stayed on the call without any words. Even that silence acted as booster for me. I really needed someone that time. And I am glad I found you.

Thank you. Sorry I don't know any other word.

Thank you so much Sir.'

This was the 10th time Sanskar read that small letter.

His heart was running inside his ribcage with jet speed.

Every time he read the letter it was feeling that he was reading it for the first time.

Every time when he finished, he eyes landed on the first word to read it again and again and again.

'She is unique' Almost after reading that letter for 20 times he carefully folded it and kept it in his suit pocket. Close to his heart.

As usual, Swara entered inside his cabin, and they discussed routine stuff.

"Ok Sir, I will make those changes" Swara winded up.

"Yes" he purposefully straitened his tie knot.

It was the same tie on which Swara had kept letter.

Last day, she requested, or should we say lied, to Mike about something to forget in Sanskar's cabin when he was not around. Mike allowed her to go inside and there she found perfect opportunity to place her letter.

They shared eye lock, message was passed and received by both.

"Have a good day Swara."

"Have a good day to you too Sir."

It was Friday, and Swara could not wait to meet her Granny. She reached to their decided location.

It was late September in Canada, falls season was on the way. It was drizzling outside.

She saw Sanskar's car and ran towards it but meanwhile it started pouring heavily, she got wet.

She sat on passenger seat, "You are wet?" it was statement from him.

"Yes, it's ok."

"If you want to change, I can drove you to any mall."

"No no it's ok. Granny must be waiting." His lips stretched looking at her childish reply.

He shrugged his shoulders and started driving.

Surprisingly, Swara observed Sanskar switched off AC. Turning heater of the car.

'No No No Olaf, you will melt down.' She could not supress her chuckle this time.

"What happened?" he raised his eyes.

"Hmm? No. Nothing." She shook her head vigorously.

'Olaf will turn into Hitler if he gets even slightest idea of my dangerous thoughts.' She looked other side tapping her own forehead.

'She is crazy' he shook his head observing her moves from corner eyes.

Soon they were out of city and Swara could not believe on her eyes. They became wide open when she could see yellow, orange, pink, red, maroon colours of maple trees. It was most scenic view she had ever see till today.

"They were green when I was here last time." she talked to herself.

"This is autumn season. Maple changes their colours. Within a week or two these trees will shed all their leaves to be ready for winter."

"They say in winters it snows here?"

"Canadian winters are pretty heavy. Temperature goes down to -20. From December, Till March, April it will be complete white."

"-20? How people survive here?" her eyes became wide open.

'This must be Olaf's favourite season.' She rolled her eyes.

"One needs to have good jackets, shoes and hand gloves." He responded.

'I hope she has strong winter jackets. She is like frosty. Always feeling cold. I am sure she will not buy good jackets. I have to do something.'

With different thoughts going in mind, they reached to Granny's home. Swara opened the door as soon as he parked the car.

"Swara" he called.

"You had exams to finish your post grad back in India"

Swara kept on looking at him with confusion.

"The reason I gave to Granny for your three weeks of absence. I had told her not to disturb you since you would be busy with your studies."

"Ohh... I had completely forgotten about it. I will keep it in mind." She chirped and ran inside to meet Granny.

"Swara how are you?" Granny shouted her lungs out.

"Granny" she threw herself in Granny's embrace.

"I missed you so much Granny"

"Me too my child"

Sanskar entered to see beautiful moment of two special ladies of his house.

"Your husband is pathetic. You know he had restricted me from calling you every day. I am giving him silent treatment."

"Granny please don't do this. He did it for me. And because of his support only I am here. He did a lot for me." Sanskar heard her moist voice. She stared at him from corner eyes.

Sanskar was typing on his Mac but her gaze halted his fingers for a moment enriching his lips in small smile.

Rest day went well, Granny and Swara were inseparable. Sanskar was working from Granny's room but he could hardly concentrate as Swara was giggling, chatting, talking non-stop same was with his Granny.

His heart was at peace at the experience of the most precious moment of his life.

His Granny,

And his Wife,

To be precise contractual wife.

It was after dinner, Swara knocked on the study room door. After getting permission from inside she entered.

"What do you need?"

"Sir, I wanted to talk to you. But since this is personal. I could not broch this in office."

"Go ahead."

"Whatever you have done for me and my family..." she was interrupted.

"Listen, I don't want to talk about it. You can leave now."

"Please Sir for once. In India they always say that you need to have a son to carry forward family's legacy, to take care of his parents. I want to be that son for my parents."

"But you are already taking care of them."

"Yes, you are right from their perspective. It's yes, I am taking care of them but in my heart, I know it was you who took care of everything. I cannot repay or I cannot even say I want to repay, not because of the amount but because of the support. It meant a lot for me. But to lessen burden on my heart I want to do it." She put one paper on his desk.

He scrunched his eyebrows at paper.

"This is fixed deposit certificate with my monthly so called EMIs for home loan. If you take it, I will feel that I am actually taking care of my family." She persuaded looking at Sanskar's cold glare.

'I hope he will not burst out on me' She crossed her fingers.

"Do you think this some lacs will matter to me?" He raised his eyebrows. "I don't need them. You can keep them and consider as your fees for whatever you are doing for my Granny." He countered back with raised eyebrows.

'What does she think of herself? Superwoman!' He turned his back to her.

'She is getting on my nerves. Just go out else I won't be able to control myself from lashing out on you which I really don't want.'

Hearing his words her blood started boiling in that one moment. 'How dare he?'

'Sanskar's eyes speak more than his words. His eyes always contain what actually his heart wants.' She closed her eyes to settle her mind remembering Granny's words.

"Sir, first think, I don't think myself as a superwoman. And I am ok even if you blast on me, but I want to say what I think." Sanskar turned to her abruptly with scrunched eyebrows. Shocked was evident on his face.

'How does she know what is in my mind? Did I speak out loud?'

"I am just a simple daughter to my parents, who wants to take care of them, support them. Not because they are my responsibility but because I love them." She took a pause to glance as Sanskar's face.

"Secondly, whatever I did for Granny was because she is the lady who embraced me with love in this new country. Showered her abundant pious love over me. The bond I shared with her is sacred. I don't want to count it in terms of money. I don't want to malign this beautiful relation by tagging it as fees." She gulped audibly.

One part of her heart was scared with anticipation of his upcoming actions.

"Thirdly, I very well know some lacs of rupees won't be a matter for you. But I believe, my self-respect will be important for you. You will never want me to sacrifice my self-respect anytime in my life."

Those were the exact words, Sanskar had blurted out on their encounter when he had saved her from Ryan.

Sanskar became tongue tied with her explanations. Every time she made him astonished with her selfless nature.

'How can someone be so tender hearted yet practical? She always shook my beliefs with her convincing arguments.'

Unknowingly, his heart swelled with pride. She was an ordinary girl with golden heart.

And this moment she belonged to him...

She was his better half...

Even though it was just on paper.

Her simplicity, her elegance, her sinful beauty did not require any expensive outfits or layers of make up or branded jewellery to flutter his heart.

It was her pious, innocent heart, her selfless nature which made its way towards his, even before they both realize.

Her simple heartwarming smile was enough to enrich his lips with his signature smile.

His first signature smile which Swara saw for the first time in these 7 months of their marriage adorned her cheeks with cherry red colour.

'He understood me.'

*********************************************

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