Well, to say the truth...I'm a bit nervous about this chapter myself.
😅😅

I tried to give a good RagSan proposal and all. Hope it's upto your expectations!
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I apologize at the beginning itself if it turns out boring. Sorry!!! 😀😀

Moving on... 💃💃💃

"Words in double quotes" - Talking

'Words in single quotes' - Thoughts

(Words in braces) - Telephone conversations.

Chapter 33 - RagSan

As she stepped into the park, her eyes were searching only one person.

Her love, her life, the reason for her existence.

Her Sanskar.

She gasped as she saw the grand decorations laid out for her.

Underneaths the flowers, Sanskar sat there with his back towards her.

'Maybe I can use it to my advantage and approach him silently from the back?' she chuckled quietly and took slow and silent steps towards him. She smiled a mischievous smile as she came near him, believing herself to be successful in not alerting him.

"You're here Ragini."

'Damn!' Ragini paused in her steps. 'How did he know?' she heard him chuckle.

"Wondering how I knew you were close Ragini?"

Ragini nodded. However, upon realizing that he probably coulnd't see it since he had his back to her, she spoke up. "I'm pretty sure I was subtle in my approach. How did you know?"

"Well, I heard you."

"But I didn't make any sound. I'm sure!"

"I heard you." Sanskar turned around with a smile. "Not with my ears, but my heart. You make me complete Ragini. The moment you came near me, I could feel the world around me change. The flowers smell a little more sweeter, the world looks a little more brighter and a sense of happiness settles within me. That's how I knew you are here."

Ragini was touched by his words. Nevertheless, she chuckled. "You've become a poet, I see."

"Only for you, Love." Sanskar got up and approached her. They smiled at each other and kept looking into each other's eyes.

In that moment, both wanted to say a lot of things.

She wanted to thank him for always being there for her, for helping her get back her family, for all the love he showers upon her, for his support, for him being always beside her, for showing her the bliss true love can bring, and for a thousand other things. But most importantly, for loving someone as damaged as her.

As he looked into her eyes, all he wanted to do was thank her or giving him a reason to live again, showing him the right way, saving him from despair, to make him be able to love again, to help him on every step, to forgive him even after he lied to her and most of all, for loving someone damaged like him.

But all they did was stand there and smile at each other. They didn't need to tell each other anything. Their eyes spoke millions. They already knew what the other wanted to say. After all, they were two bodies, but one soul.

Both knew they were broken and damaged. Each had their own scars, their own demons, their own skeletons in the closets. Their lives had been through tragedies.

But if life had given them tragedy, it has also given them each other as a remedy.

Sanskar placed a hand on her cheek and looked at her lovingly. "I love you Ragini."

Ragini leaned into his touch and placed her own hand over his. "And I love Sanskar." she responded. "But you didn't need to arrange all this. It must have cost a fortune and..." Ragini trailed off. 'And you don't have so much money yet.' went unsaid.

"I know what you're thinking. You can relax Love. I didn't spend anything." Sanskar replied. "Your Mani bhai did arranged all this pomp and gaiety. I know all these don't matter to you."

"But he said he didn't know a thing."

"You still don't know that little dramebaaz and his antics?" Sanskar kissed her forehead lovingly. "I love you."

"You said it already." Ragini spoke in amusement.

"I'm not saying it again just to impress you Ragini. I'm saying it to remind you that I'll always keep loving you. Be it now, in future or in death. I'll keep cherishing, I'll keep caring and I'll keep loving you till the end."

"Oh Sanskar..." she reached out and placed her hand on his face, standing up on her tip toes to kiss him. However, he placed his hand in between and shook his head.

"Not now Ragini. Today, I want to share everything with you. I don't want to leave anything behind."

Ragini nodded in understanding and motioned him to continue.

"Ragini, I won't lie to you. You aren't my first love. Kavita..." Sanskar swallowed the lump in his throat on remembering her. "Kavita was my first love. Even though I love you truly, she will always...always remain my first love. And I want it to remain. Because she was the one who first taught me what love is."

Ragini nodded. "I know Sanskar. And I won't hate you for it. One's first love will always remain alive in one's heart, no matter what! I understand. But I know how much I mater to you and that's enough. That's all I need."

He smiled at her gratefully. "My first love taught me what love is. And my second love saved me when I thought I didn't have any hope left after I lost my first.It made me realize that I can love again, when I didn't believe in myself."

"I'm glad I met you in life."

"I'm glad too. But you were never my intention from the start."

Ragini blinked at him in confusion. "I...I don't understand."

He took her hand and pulled her towards the seat which he had decorated for her. He seated her and sat opposite to her. "Ragini, remember how we met?"

Ragini nodded. "Yeah, you put a knife on my throat."

Sanskar flinched at her words. "Yeah, sorry about that. I never apologized, did I?"

"It was cool in a way. I mean, how many couples have you seen that can say that they met like us?" she joked in good humor.

"True. But you weren't the one I was aiming for." Sanskar admitted. "It was Swara. You...you were my mistake Ragini." Ragini didn't speak, but urged him to continue. "When my men told me that Laksh had a love interest in one of the daughters of Shekhar Gadodia, I asked for pictures. They messed up and showed my yours with the name Swara. That is why I had trapped you. But once your Dadi shouted your name, I was so furious of my mistake I...I was ready to kill you."

Sanskar looked away refusing to meet her eyes. Ragini wanted to console him, tell him it's okay. But she knew it wasn't her who can console him. He needed to make peace with himself.

Sometimes, the best thing one can do for another is give them space to get themselves right, and also without the threat of leaving.

Indeed, he looked up after a moment. "Revenge was the only thing that kept me living. And that mistake could have ruined everything for me. You were the biggest mistake of my life. But now...now that I look at it, I'm willing to make that mistake over and over again a thousand times because you Ragini are worth every bit of it."

"And I want you to know that you're worth everything to me. Your past mistakes, your imperfections, your flaws...they don't matter to me. You're flawed, but so am I. We're both imperfect, but that's what love is, isn't it? Being able to see perfection in a person even though you know every flaw and imperfections in them."

Sanskar nodded, taking both her hands in his. "After I lost Kavita, only thing I knew was despair. I felt like I would die out of grief." Sanskar closed his eyes and retracted his hands from her. Even though he was a grown man, at that moment, he seemed so small and fragile as he folded into himself. s if...as if shielding himself.

"Ragini, Kavita's loss hurt so much that couldn't bear the pain, the suffering, the sorrow. It was so intense. Only thing that kept me from ending myself was the thought of revenge. I was fueled by so much rage that it became my reason of existence! That was why when...when Badi Maa told me the truth, I...I didn't know how to continue living. I th-"

"Don't even dare continue that sentence! How could you even think about ending yourself? Don't you realize how much you're worth? How dare you try to take your life?! Are you that selfish as to think of ending yourself even before...even before I get the chance to love you? To be with you?" she got up and stood before him. "Loving you was my choice, being with you was my choice and no matter what happens, no matter what befalls you, I'll stay beside you. That too, is my choice. You can't and don't dare take that right from me! So you can stop telling me about your imperfections. No matter what it is Sanskar, you're mine. And there is no way I'm letting you go."

Sanskar smiled at her. He got up from his seat and got down on one knee before her.

Ragini had a guess what he was about to do and held her breath. She could feel her heart pound loudly in her chest, her anxiety at its peak. Her palms were sweating as she watched him with batted breath. She could feel her knees quivering. She swallowed hard and tried to calm herself down. However, nothing seemed to work. The butterflies in her stomach didn't show any signs of slowing their fluttering. His voice broke her out her thoughts. 'Is this really happening? Is this...is this real?!'

"Ragini?"

She wanted to say 'go on Sanskar'. But only thing that came out of her mouth was a whimper and a squeaking hum.

Sanskar took it as a sign to continue. "When I first met you, you were my mistake. Later, I tried to use you for my ends. When I got to know you better, you became my good friend. When we became good friends, you became my solace, the salvation to my solitude. It took me time to realize how much you meant to me. But when I did, I thought it was the best feeling I ever felt. But, the actual best feeling was when I realized that you feel that same for me." he admitted. "After losing Kavita, I never thought I would find love again. But you Ragini, you taught me to love again. You gave me hope, you gave me a reason to live. You became my soul, my heartbeat. If I was to choose between loving you and breathing, I would use my last breath to say that I love you."

She could feel her tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. It was moment of happiness. However, she couldn't stop them no matter how much she tried. Her heart felt it would burst from happiness. Never did she feel so happy. She squeezed her hands hard, making her nails dig into her palms to make sure she wasn't dreaming. As she kept listening him speak, she could feel her throat clog up with her sobs. However, she kept her tears at bay as didn't want to ruin the moment for him.

"Ragini, after losing Kavita, I never thought I would love again. Neither did I want to risk being hurt in love once more. But after knowing you, it was not possible for to keep myself from loving you. Maybe meeting you was just luck, maybe becoming friends was my choice. But loving you was totally beyond me. You, Ragini Gadodia, are imperfect. But for me, you are perfect in every way. Ragini, when I say I love you, I don't mean that I love you more than you love me. But what I mean is that I love you more than the bad days that we had and may have. I mean that I love you more than whatever distance may arise between us, I mean I love you no matter the obstacle that comes in our lives. I mean that...that I love you the m-most." his voice broke towards the end with his emotions overcoming him. However, he managed to smile despite his eyes tearing up.

Ragini let her tears flow freely on his words. She couldn't control them anymore. However, she had nothing to shy of it as Sanskar himself was close to tears.

All their lives, after all the troubles, after all the hurdles, betrayals, hurt, sorrow, loneliness despair...after everything, they were finally getting the happiness that they deserve which...

Which they could only find with each other.

Sanskar took a deep breath to calm himself and continued. "When I lost my Kavita, it broke me but I survived. When I lost my identity, it failed to break me. When I lost my family, it didn't break me. When I lost my everything, it didn't fail to break me. But Ragini, if you...if you walk away from my life, I don't think there is anything that will be able to bring me back from despair. Since you entered my life, I've found myself again. Your smile makes my life a little more brighter, your voice makes my heart flutter, your presence makes me feel alive and when...when you are beside me, I feel like I'm one of the the luckiest men in the world. My first love will always be something that I'll cherish, but it's you that is my true love."

Ragini let out a chuckle through her sobs. "I know I may not be your first love. But I'm lucky to be your true love."

Sanskar reached behind him into his pocket and pulled out a tiny box.

Ragini gritted her teeth so hard she thought she would break them from its sheer force. She could feel the excitement from what she assumed Sanskar was about to do. She could feel herself tremble and her legs quivered from the thrill and excitement. She was on cloud nine! It was Sanskar's voice that brought her back to the real world.

"Ragini, as I look at you, I feel like I want nothing more in the world as everything I want is right before me. I wanted was someone to care for me, I wanted was someone to be there for me, I wanted was someone to value me. And all I ever want is...is you, Ragini." he opened the box and revealed the ring inside it.

Ragini put a hand to her mouth to cover her sobs.

It was true that it wasn't the most luxurious and expensive ring that money could buy. But for her, the ring was beautiful in its very essence. It's value for her was beyond expressible.

She, like every other girl, dreams of the day that their love would finally make them theirs. The day the world would seem like it was rejoicing for her. The day that would feel like one of the happiest days in the span of her existence. The day she and her lover finally gave a name to their relationship. Ragini couldn't express the joy she felt at that moment.

The ring glowed in the sunlight like a pearl fresh from the ocean. In it, she could see her face reflected clearly. It showed the happiness that was evident on her face. As she gazed into the ring, she could feel a sense of happiness, and peace.

Sanskar smiled at her with tearful eyes. "Ragini Gadodia, I say this may a times, but it's still not enough. I love you Ragini. More than myself, more than my soul and more than any person I've ever met! You are the reason for my existence. You are the reason for my smile. Will you, Ragini Gadodia, agree to marry me and be mine forever, so that I may be the reason for yours?"

Ragini, by now, was practically bouncing on her heels at his words. So overcome by emotions, she was speechless and could only nod vigorously. Nevertheless, she composed herself enough to say a quiet 'yes'.

Sanskar heard it clearly, but wanted to hear it from her lips again. He wanted to relive the moment once more. "What?"

"Oh my! Yes, yes and yes!" Ragini, the ever composed polite girl, leapt over and hugged him. If it wasn't for Sanskar's quick reflexes, he would have probably fallen over due to the force with which she hugged him. The next moment, he felt his shirt he wet from her sobs. Sanskar didn't blame her for crying. After all, he himself was overcome with so much happiness that was making him tear up.

He let out a hearty laugh. "Ragini, first you smile, then you attack me, and now you cry? Women. Really can't ever understand you."

Ragini paused to glare at him and hit him on the arm. She sniffed and rubbed away her tears. Nevertheless, she let out a charming smile and hugged him once more. "Shut up! Do you really need to ruin the moment everytime?"

Sanskar chuckled. "Fine fine. At least let me put the ring on you."

"Oh my! You haven't put it yet? What the heck Sanskar?!" Ragini sat up straight and put forward her ring finger. "So? Why are you delaying?"

'It's my fault now, eh?' he shook his head at her words. He held her hand and put the ring on her finger. "Goodbye Ragini Gadodia. Welcome Ragini Sanskar."

Ragini didn't miss the fact that he left the 'Maheshwari'. However, she didn't want to bring out sad memories and ruin their moment. She smiled and looked down in shyness. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked up at Sanskar with her blushing face. "Thanks."

"And now I claim what's mine." saying so, Sanskar took her hand and kissed it. "I want you to be with me always." he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I will cherish ypu always." he kissed her neck, making her turn redder. "I will love you passionately forever and always." he kissed her shoulder. "I will value your company more than myself."

Sanskar took her chin and made her look at him. "And the last one, means that... I will love you...always." saying so, he leaned forward and claimed her soft lips.

Ragini, with the tears of happiness flowing through her eyes, smiled through the kiss and kissed him back. 'And I will love you too...always.'

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To be continued...

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~ 🌹 Mona 🌹

Btw... Shall I just solve the Adarsh-Parineeta plot and wrap this story up? I mean, is this fic becoming kind of boring? It won't be good extending if it becomes tedious. 😅😅😅