Hi! Good evening!
Grab your coffee cups! ☕

Anyways, Onwards!!!

"Words in double quotes" - Talking

'Words in single quotes' - Thoughts

(Words in braces) - Telephone conversation

Chapter 10 - Cupid or Stupid?

Previously - Annapurna tells Swara about Sanskar's truth and the misunderstanding with Ragini. Swara plans to unite them. Laksh lies to Swara and says that he will go and convince Ragini.

Now -

#Same day, Maheshwari Mansion#

After tea, Annapurna left to do her household chores while Swara began to think of ways to convince Sanskar.

"Swara beta. Good morning." Swara looked up to find Sujata approaching her. "Can I ask you something Swara?"

"Sure aunty ji."

"Not 'aunty'. That sounds too outdated. Even Chachi is better."

Swara smiled at her words in amusement. "Okay Chachi. Ask what you want!"

"Swara, did something happen between Ragini and Sanskar? Ragini hasn't visited for a week. And my Sanskar seems so miserable now-a-days. It's like he forgot how to smile." Sujata spoke in sadness.

Swara held her hands. "Chachi, they are upset with each other for a reason. But don't you worry! I'm here and I'll solve everything."

"Are you sure they are going to be alright?"

"Of course Chachi. They are just going through some lovers' tiff like all couples go through at one point of time."

Sujata gasped. "You mean... You mean my Sanskar likes her?"she asked in wonder and excitement.

'Oops! Swara, you and your big mouth! Well... No use hiding the truth now. The damage is already done.' Swara nodded. "I hope it's alright with you an-"

"Alright? You're asking me if it's alright!?" Sujata grabbed Swara and started shaking her. "It's more than alright! It's perfect! Oooo I have to give this good news to Sanky's father! Thank you so much for telling me Swara. And I hope you can help them unite soon." saying that, she rushed off to find her husband.

Swara chuckled. "She sure seemed excited." She turned to look at Sanskar's room. 'Alright! Time to fill some sense into you.'

#Gadodia House#

"Good morning Dadi!"

Parvati looked towards the door to find Laksh standing there with a broad smile. It was almost kind of creepy. "Good morning. You seem awfully happy today."

"Yep! I'm one step closer to my goal."

"What?"

"No-nothing Dadi."

"Laksh? What are you doing here? Didn't Swara arrive at your house?" asked Shramishta, as she came near them.

"Yes she did. But Swara wanted me to come visit Ragini. You all know how Ragini has been sad these days. Swara thought it would be good if Ragini has a good friend with her. So she sent me here."

"But why didn't she come back with you?" Parvati asked suspiciously.

"She wanted to talk with Sanskar and try to find out what happened to Ragini." He replied. 'How many questions will they ask?! Can't they just let me pass and meet Ragini!?'

"I see. You can go meet Ragini. She should be at the backyard."

"Thank you aunty." He smiled and moved past them. 'Finally!'

Parvati looked at him go with narrowed eyes. She had observed Laksh's actions over the week and she didn't like what she saw. 'I might be imagining things, but for some reason, I feel like he is making excuses to get closer to my ladoo.'

#Maheshwari Mansion#

"Hey Sanskar! How are you today?" Swara asked happily as she entered his room.

Sanskar looked up towards her with a soft smile. "Hello Swara. Nice to see you. How's Ragini?"

"Well, I could tell you. But it would be better if we go see her. Don't you want to surprise her with a visit?"

Sanskar looked down. "I don't think she would like it Swara."

"That's ridiculous. She would love it! I'm sure. Besides, you never know until you try!"

"It's... It's not that easy." Sanskar sighed in misery. "Leave it Swara. You won't understand."

Swara came and stood before him, pretending to not know anything. "Why not? She's your best friend. Even if you both had some disagreements, you should be able to convince her and cheer her up. I've seen your bond and it's way to strong to be broken by such little misunderstandings."

Sanskar got up from the bed and moved towards the window. "Just forget it Swara. It's different this time. And I don't think Ragini will ever forgive me."

"That's nonsense! Ragini is the most understanding and forgiving person I've ever seen. You should try harder. You can't just give up so easily!"

"You don't understand Swara. What I did was..." he shook his head. "Forget it. Ragini won't ever forgive me. I know it."

"Yes she will. When I can, I'm sure she can too."

Sanskar looked up at her in shock. "You... You know the truth?"

"Yes Sanskar. Badi Maa told me everything. I know you love her and I also know why you're staying away from Ragini." She went and stood before Sanskar. "But Sanskar, at that moment she was deeply hurt and angry. It clouded her judgement. That's the reason she told you to stay away. If you wo-"

Before Swara could complete her sentence, Sanskar grabbed her hand and pushed her out of the door, locking the door after her.

Swara stood there, open-mouthed. She sighed in frustration and stomped her foot on the ground. "How rude!"

#Gadodia residence#

Laksh sat beside Ragini as she sat in a pensive manner. He had tried to cheer her up and talk about other things, trying to give her hints that he is into her. But nothing seemed to gain her attention. She was far too lost in her own misery. 'Okay. Enough is enough.'

He moved forward and sat before Ragini. "Ragini, it's been over a week. Don't you think it's about time you let go and enjoy life again?"

Ragini looked up at him in apology. "I'm so sorry Laksh. I know you're trying your best to help me. But this is something I just can't forget that easily."

"But why Ragini? Even when our engagement broke, you were able to break out of gloom and start anew. Then why not now? Why can't you just forget about what Sanskar did and start noticing other things around you that could give you happiness?" he spoke desperately. 'Why can't you see my love for you? Why are you stuck on Sanskar when I'm standing here in front of you!'

Ragini stood up and moved away from him. "I can't Laksh. What happened with you and with Sanskar are both different matters."

"Ragini...I'm your friend, ain't I?"

Ragini softly smiled at him. "You are not my friend, but my best friend Laksh. You've been there for me in these tough times. I can't thank you enough for it."

"Then why don't you tell me what exactly happened?"

"I.. I'm sorry Laksh. But it's not my secret to tell. I made a promise to Sanskar."

"I don't understand Ragini. You're avoiding him because he hurt you deeply. Look at you! You're so miserable because of him, yet you're defending that jerk? Why Ragini why?"

"I'm not defending him Laksh. It's just that.. " Ragini didn't know how to finish that sentence.

"Then what Ragini?" Laksh came and turned her towards him. "How?! How is it different Ragini? Why can't you forget him?"

Ragini looked into is eyes with her tear filled ones. "Because I love him! I truly love him."

Laksh stumbled back in shock. "You... You're joking right? You've got to be joking!"

"No I'm not Laksh. I don't know how or when it happened but I... I love him."

#Maheshwari Mansion#

Sanskar was lying on his bed with his eyes closed. Suddenly, he heard a thud and abruptly sat up. He looked towards the window in shock, which soon turned into anger. "What do you think you are doing?!"

"You wouldn't open the door. I had to do something. So I chose to enter through the window." Swara spoke, dusting her clothes.

"I'm not going to Ragini, Swara. Forget about convincing me."

"Why are you being do stubborn!? I know you love her! You think you're doing it for her good, but Sanskar....it won't make anyone happy, neither you nor Ragini. You're giving up too easily Sanskar! Do you have so little faith in your friendship that you can't believe that she will forgive you?"

"No Swara. I saw the hate in her eyes. I've never seen such hatred in anyone's eyes! She hates me to the core."

"She seemed to hate you so much because she loves you that much! There is a very thin line between love and hate Sanskar. And I know you can turn that hate back to love!"

Sanskar's eyes widened in shock. "W-what? What do you mean she loves me?"

"Yes. It's true Sanskar. I didn't want to reveal the truth to you because Ragini should have been the one to confess to you by herself. But you two are too much of dumb headed idiots to realize the truth!"

"So... So she really loves me?"

"Yes. I swear."

"She loved me."

'Finally he is starting to see my point.' Swara smiled and nodded vigorously.

However, her smile disappeared seeing Sanskar's face change into one of misery. "She loved me but now...now she probably hates me because she thinks I betrayed her. She must totally despise me now!"

Swara looked at him in disbelief. 'I tried to tell him she loves him so that he goes to her. But this idiot has twisted the facts to exaggerate his own misery! The heck!?'

"I have had enough of your attitude Sanskar. I never expected you to be such a weakling. You're giving up without even trying to fight for Ragini! Are you that selfish that you don't care for her happiness?!"

Sanskar turned to her in anger. "Of course I care for her. That's the entire reason I'm keeping myself away from her!"

"If you cared than you wouldn't leave her high and dry! I know that my sister loves you dearly. No matter how much she tells you to stay away, what she really wants is you by her side! You are such a selfish jerk Sanskar. Doesn't my sister have the right to know the truth!? Doesn't my sister deserve to get her love? Doesn't my sister deserve to be happy!?"

"Yes she deserves it. But I'm not the right person for her. Don't you see how much pain I've caused her?"

"So what? Which love story have you heard of that hasn't gone through such ups and downs. Such troubles in relationships are tests that measure your love! You're supposed to fight against these circumstances, not run away from them! You think Ragini will be happy with someone else. But what if she never is? What if she always longs for you and can never forget you? What if one day she learns the truth and feels guilty for it? She will forever blame herself for not trying to understand you. Do you want that? Do you want her to suffer forever till she dies?"

"No I don't! How could you even think like that?!"

"Then prove it. Prove that you care! Find a way to meet Ragini and tell her the truth. If she denies your love, I won't bother you again. But if you never try Sanskar, you will regret it for life!" saying that, Swara moved away from there, leaving a conflicted Sanskar behind.

#Gadodia residence#

Laksh felt like someone had just dumped him in ice cold water. Sure he thought that there was something going on between Ragini and Sanskar. But he thought that it was just a little infatuation. He thought only Sanskar was serious about it, not Ragini.

However, looking into Ragini's eyes, he could see the deep love in her for Sanskar. 'No no no! This wasn't supposed to happen this way. This wasn't supposed to play out in this manner. She was supposed to love me! Not Sanskar. This... This isn't supposed to happen. I won't let this happen. I must convince her that it isn't love!'

"Are you crazy Ragini!? You can't love him. Don't you see how he has hurt you?"

"I... It's not like I knew I was falling for him. It just happened."

"Ragini just think of it rationality. You can't love someone you hate! This must be some mistaken thought of yours. You were in a bad place and Sanskar was your only support. That's why you think this is love. Come on Ragini. People just don't fall in love in mere days!"

Ragini looked down in thought. 'Maybe Laksh is right. He isn't wrong about the fact that Sanskar became my support when no one was with me. Is that the reason I think I love Sanskar? In a cruel world, is it really possible for me to find love in mere days? Maybe...maybe Laksh is right.'

However, even if she tried to deny it, she remembers all the times she spent with Sanskar and couldn't help but feel her heart flutter. She remembers how she alway longed to see his smile, to hear his voice, to be near him. Even when she didn't need him to support her, she searched for his presence. When beside him, she felt complete. 'But I hate him.... Don't I?'

She couldn't deny that with him, she felt a happiness like no other. She didn't think of such things deeply, but now Laksh was making her realize it, although unconsciously.

"Ragini, recall this entire week. Recall each day how you spent crying over how he hurt you, how he made you miserable, how he made you lose your smile."

"I remember Laksh. I remember everything." 'He betrayed me, made our friendship on a lie. How could I ever forget it!'

"Yes. He did it without a care. He's probably going about his day right now smiling happily. It's good that you refused to believe his lies and silly reasons."

Ragini paused at that. Refused to believe? How could she believes when she didn't even give him a chance to listen. In her anger, she didn't acknowledge it. But now, thinking back, she remembers how Sanskar's face looked. When he had asked her, over and over, to listen to him, to let him explain once, he sounded so hurt. Like her leaving was hurting him physically.

Ragini clutched her heart as his words came words came to her mind.

Ragini. I'm your best friend. Give me the benefit of doubt. Please!

She recalls his painful eyes, filled with deep regret and sorrow. She would never wish Sanskar to be in pain and yet...yet, she was the one causing it. 'No.... No no no!'

Laksh was speaking in the background, but she was too busy in her own world. Laksh paused hearing her gasp.

Ragini turned to him and gave him a hug. Laksh was shocked first, but returned the hug, smirking. 'I guess I was finally able to get through to her.' Only if he realized that he had played cupid by mistake.

"I knew you would finally realize Ragini. Fina-"

"Yes Laksh. I realized how unfair to Sanskar I was. I didn't even give him a chance to explain himself. How could I do that to him? Yet, I claim to be his best friend."

Laksh looked at her dumbfounded.

Ragini wiped her tears. "But not anymore. I'm going to go to him and listen to what he has to say first. Thank you for making me realize my mistake Laksh. I-" Ragini paused when her phone vibrated.

"Hello Swara. Swar-"

(Ragini! Ragini come fast to the beach! Sanskar is walking deep into the water and refusing to come out! Ragini come fast!)

Ragini's mouth opened in shock. "N-no! Nothing can happen to him. I'm coming! I'm coming right away!" Without giving Laksh a second glance, she rushed past him, leaving him looking at her go with hatred...hatred for his brother.

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To be continued...

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~ 🌹 Mona 🌹