Hola!

So I was thinking this one would be a an OS within perhaps 1500 or 2000 words or so. But it crossed 4000. Hehe...glad though 😊😊

Anyways, hope you like it. And yeah, there are twists even at the ends. So, don't skip in the middle if you don't like the way the characters seem. 😜 😉

Moving on... 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻

"Words in double quotes." - Talking

' Words in single quotes.' - Thoughts

Timeline : When Laksh was in love with Swara but lied about it to Ragini because he didn't want her to stop caring for Sanskar as he thought only Ragini can help him recover. He also was pressured by Swara who wanted him not to break Ragini's heart by telling her that he didn't love her.

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Love Like An Ocean

Everything seemed peaceful on the cliff where both Ragini and Laksh stood. The sunset was near, and it was a beautiful sight.

However, the words "peacefull" and "beautiful" were far away from them. For Ragini looked like she was ready to kill and Laksh seemed to want to hide under a rock or flee to Mars.

"I know there's something both you and Swara are hiding from me. Please Laksh, tell me!"

"There's nothing to tell Ragini." Laksh said with a forced smile. 'I'm sorry but if I tell you the truth, you'll get hurt...and Swara would never forgive me if I break your heart. Not to mention you won't help Sanskar then.'

Ragini glared harder. "I may be a simple girl, but I'm not an idiotic airhead like your foreign friends."

Laksh blinked, surprised at this side of Ragini. Where was the quiet, obedient girl he knew Ragini was?

Ragini stood there fuming. Heck yeah she was pissed. And Ragini felt she had the right to feel it as well.

The guy she was getting married to was lying to her. The sister whom she trusted was lying to her. Her family didn't know or care to find out about the strange behavior of both Laksh and Swara whenever they were in the same room. Even a guy with one eye could tell that there was a tension between the two with all the secret glares and apologetic looks. 'Not to mention the goo goo eyes Laksh makes when he looks at Swara. Ugh! Makes me wanna puke rainbows.' Shaking her head of those thoughts, she stepped closer to Laksh. "Speak!"

Laksh, on the other hand, was unfamiliar with this side of Ragini and seemed intimidated by her. As she stepped closer, he stepped back in terror of being found out.

However, Ragini refused to let him escape and grabbed his wrist. "Laksh listen. Do you trust me, care for me, like me...forget about being lovers. Do you care for me as a friend?"

"Of course I do! You know I care Ragini."

"Then don't you want your friend to be happy? What would you do if anyone else lied to me and kept me in the dark about something...something that was important to me? Something that would eventually make me real sad?"

"Hunt them down of course!"

And Laksh wasn't lying. He would.

Ragini was someone who earned his friendship and he cared deeply for her. He always felt protective over her more than Swara because he knew that Swara was cunning and knew how to get out of a situation. But Ragini had a soft heart and she trusted easy. For him, Ragini was a naive girl who needed someone to defend her or someone would take advantage.

"Well isn't that what you are doing to me now? Lying to me, breaking me all the more. You say the truth will hurt, but the lie...is this comforting me? Look at me Laksh! Look at the mess I am. Do I...do I look happy to you? Are you really doing this to help me?"

Laksh looked away from her eyes in guilt. It was true. He wanted to hide the truth...but was it really to protect Ragini? Or was it just to escape Swara's look of disappointment and to save Sanskar? Laksh looked up at her with determination. "You're...you're right. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I'm only playing with your heart, naming it "to save you" when it is just something to ease my guilt. And im sorry for that." He admitted with a heavy heart.

Laksh took in a deep breath. "You wanted the truth, didn't you?"

And so he began telling her about his feelings for Swara, how Swara warned him not to break up with her, how he was lying about his feeling to her for Swara's sake, and how he was just using her to help Sanskar. Laksh knew he was perhaps dooming himself all the more by telling her the truth. But for once in his life, he wanted to do the right thing.

For his friend.

He wanted her to know. And although the fear of the consequences was there, he felt like a big mountain had been lifted from his shoulder. A mountain of guilt that he never realized had been crushing him.

Hearing a shaky sigh, Laksh broke out of his thoughts and looked at Ragini. What surprised him was the fact that she was actually smiling, rather than crying. "Are...are you okay?"

Ragini looked at him and chuckled. "Okay, hmm. My crush and my future husband just told me he didn't love me, but my sister. My sister knows this but wanted him to lie so that I don't break since she thinks I'm a fragile little lamb. My to-be husband also told me that he was using me to cure his lunatic of a brother. Turns out he was using me as a damned shrink." She smirked at him. "Now tell me. Should I be okay?"

Laksh flinched. 'I definitely asked the wrong question. Of course she isn't okay, you idiot!' he gulped and fiddled with his hands. "I'm sorry."

He felt her raise her hand and closed his eyes thinking she was about to hit him. And he would take the hit as well. He felt he deserved it. 'I just hope she isn't wearing any rings.'

However, instead he felt a soft touch on his chin, and soon, the hand encircled his cheek in the same soft way. Opening his eyes, he saw Ragini smiling at him with tears in her eyes.

"Don't be sorry Laksh. I...I am pained by what you did...what you both did. But...but you admitted the truth when I asked you if you cared for me. And it's the guilt that made you admit, which proves that you care for me. That you are a good guy no matter what idiotic and amateur decisions you've taken." She caressed his cheek and stared at his eyes. "My love for you Laksh...is like the ocean. Always remember that. And your decision only proved how I chose the right guy to love." With a smile, she pulled away the hand from his face and turned to leave.

Laksh stood there unable to tell her to stop. After all, what was there to tell? He expected her to be angry, he expected her to hit him, or he expected her to cry and blame them. The worst, he thought that she would snitch about him and Swara to the rest of the family.
But Ragini just told him she loved him and walked away. She was a mystery and he didn't know how to react to it.

Time skip...

"That's it?"

Laksh nodded at Swara's question.

He was so confused at Ragini's response that day. Next day, he woke up expecting his parents and Ragini's parents to come with guns blazing and ready to kill him. But turns out Ragini never told them. So he decided to tell Swara about their conversation.

He needed to be sane but everything was so confusing.

"Believe me Swara. All she said was that she knew she chose the right guy and...and that her love for me was like the ocean."

Swara's eyes softened. "See you idiot? She loves you that much! A love as big as the ocean, calm and beautiful. Why can't you just accept her?!"

"Don't you think I tried? I...I wish I could love her as more than a friend. She is important to me but..." he looked up at Swara in helplessness. "But I fell for you before I could fall for her. I can't make the heart love forcibly. I'm sorry."

Three days later...

"What...what have you done?! How COULD YOU!?" Laksh screamed, looking at the dead body before him.

The dead body of Swara Gadodia.

"I will show no mercy and stop everyone and anyone trying to stop me!"

"Stop this madness!"

"No one is going to stop me from killing Durgaprasad Maheshwari!" Sanskar shouted in rage.

Sanskar's truth had been revealed to the family and Durgaprasad wanted to throw him out of the family. Unfortunately, Sanskar had a gun and raised it to shoot Durgaprasad, but didn't fire yet. He seemed to heaitate even after removing the safety. However, the moment Swara rushed into the house, he turned to see her and his face turned completely red in anger. He seemed livid and he fired without a thought.

Laksh felt like the bullet hit him instead as he watched in terror as Swara's body jerked back and hit the floor, blood pooling around her head.

She was dead.

But why was it Laksh who felt like he died with her?

"Next, I'll kill you! ALL of YOU!"

Sanskar's shout broke him of his stupor. He was in anguish, his heart was in grief. But he knew he had to save his family. He couldn't lose them too!

"Sanskar don't! Sanky, Sanky for goodness sake, we're family!" Laksh shouted in desperation. "You won't ever be able to forgive yourself once you find out the truth! Baba didn't ki-"

"I know the truth! I KNOW THAT YOU BETRAYED ME. NOW SHUT UP AND DIE!"

A sound of the bullet.

But this time it was Sanskar's hand that was bleeding.

Laksh and the rest of his family looked outside to find the police there standing along with Ragini and her family.

"Sanskar Maheshwari, you are under arrest!" the officer looked towards Swara's dead body, as did Ragini's mother.

"SWARA! SHONA NO!" she screamed as she ran towards the lifeless body, falling down beside her and wailing at the loss of her daughter. Shekhar went near with silent tears, while Dadi too seemed like holding back tears.

Now, that Sanskar was under control and the danger was over, Laksh felt himself shake. It was as if a tremor was overtaking him and he felt like he couldn't breathe. Dark spots appeared before his eyes and he felt himself sobbing. He couldn't make sense of anything and felt like he was drowning when...when he heard a faint voice calling his name.

"La..."

'Must follow that voice...that voice...'

"Laks..."

'It's becoming more clear...just...listen to it...follow it...'

"Laksh, Laksh!"

Laksh gasped as his vision slowly cleared and he could see Ragini's face hovering over his eyes. "Ra...Ra..." he gasped, still feeling like he couldn't breathe.

"Laksh follow my voice. Don't give in. Don't...don't sleep!"

Laksh wanted to sleep. He felt like melting into the oblivion and not have to worry about anything, not think about Swara's death. Just...just be empty and unfeeling.

"Laksh no! Laksh, listen to my voice. Just breathe. Breathe." He felt someone grab his hand and put it over their heart. "Laksh, feel my heartbeat. Relax. Listen to it and try to count it and breathe. Breathe in, breathe out. Slow and steady, okay? Calm down and feel the heartbeat. Try Laksh, for me...for your friend."

'My friend...Ragini? She's trying to make me listen to her heartbeat. She...she seems in distress. Why? I...I must listen to her. Don't cry Ragini...don't...I'll listen.' Laksh tried to concentrate on the rhythm beneath his hand.

Ba-bamp. Ba-bamp. Ba-bump

"That's it Laksh. Count and try to breathe with the count. In, out. In, out. That's it...yes, slow and steady, slow and steady..."

Laksh could breathe again and he sucked in deep breaths. He was having a panic attack and Ragini had managed to calm him down. Slowly, he opened his eyes and tried to speak. "R-Ragini..."

Ragini smiled through her tears in relief. "Yes, it's me Laksh. Thank goodness you're okay!"

She slowly helped Laksh rise from her lap. As soon as his eyes landed on Swara's body, Laksh could feel his breath catch and his eyes filled with tears. "S-Swara...oh God! SWARA!"

"Shhh...Laksh, calm d-down. Calm down, okay?" Ragini tried to console him, bringing him into a hug. Laksh welcomed the comfort wholeheartedly and hugged her with all his strength. He wanted to be held, to not feel empty and so damn broken. In her arms, he cried his heart out...and Ragini let him. She didn't speak anything but let him cry and scream as much as he wanted until his voice turned hoarse. Seeing him in this state broke her, but she knew she had to be strong.

For him she would.

As Laksh cried out all his pain, he was left with nothing but silent sobs. And she remained quiet. After all, sometimes a presence was all that was needed. Words didn't provide the comfort that a silent hug or a silent touch could. The loss was too great to be explained or comforted with words. He lost the love of his life for goodness sake!

And Ragini understood him better than anyone else.

By then, the medical staff had arrived and checked everyone for injuries or any sort of mental traumas. Sanskar's hand had been bandaged and he was being carried away by the policemen, Sujata rushing after him while Ram remained back with the family. She was pulled away soon for a check up. Swara's body was being put in another van, Shramistha and Shekhar was there. Since Laksh still held Ragini like his life depended on it, Dadi asked her to stay back and come when Laksh was okay. After all, even though she wanted the best for Ragini, she didn't want the worse for Laksh, neither did she want Swara dead.

Dadi didn't look happy. Rather, she seemed sad and...was that guilt in her eyes?

Ragini understood that her Dadi felt guilty.

Ragini understood.

She could understood her guilt.

For she too was suffering through it as well.

Because she already knew Sanskar's truth.

Because she knew Sanskar kept a gun but never told anyone.

Because she thought Swara was heading towards the Maheshwari mansion but didn't say anything.

Because she knew everything...yet, she never spoke of it.

And she knew very well the reason why she didn't.

Guilty for that?

Oh no... She didn't feel guilty of all these things.

What she felt guilty was of the fact that she won't be able to tell the truth to her family and Laksh. And also because she used Sanskar, her 'dost'.

Now she understood how Laksh felt when he thought he was sparing her the pain by not telling her the truth.

As she watched Annapurna come near and hold Laksh, signaling her that she could go, Ragini nodded and left towards the van where her family was with Swara's body. However, she had one more thing to do before she went near them.

"Let go of me!" Sanskar shouted as he was manhandled into the vehicle, with both his hands in cuffs. His eyes widened as he saw them lock the door and leave to collect the evidences. "Hey! Let me out! Let me o-" he stopped as he saw Ragini appear outside the door.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Sanskar looked at her with confusion and disgust. "I just killed your sister and sent your lover into shock. Yet, you come to tell me sorry?"

Ragini nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry because I used you. Even though you were faking, I did consider you a friend."

Sanskar scoffed. "Idiot. I used you."

Ragini shook her head. "No. It was me as well. Because I knew you were faking from the start. I had heard you speak to yourself and confess your intentions." Sanskar looked at her in shock as she continued. "But if I revealed everything, Laksh wouldn't have any reason to be engaged to me. So in a way, to remain close to Laksh, I let you do what you wished without speaking out the truth." She looked at him with hatred. "I knew you were crazy enough to chose such a path. But I never expected you would murder your own partner in crime."

Sanskar's eyes widened all the more. However, his anger took over and he glared back. "She was the one who betrayed me! We had a deal! We would destroy Durgaprasad and bring him on the road. She would get 40% of the property! But...but that bitch betrayed me and revealed everything! Swara betrayed me! That's why I killed her. SHE RUINED FIVE YEARS OF MY PLANNING!" Sanskar screamed out.

Ragini watched as he sucked in harsh breaths once he finished schouting. He seemed like a madman, caged and trapped. Feral, yet pitiful.

Ragini sighed in sorrow. "I knew Swara was ambitious. But I never expected her to stoop so low. My paranoid self had went to see if you had hurt her when one night I saw her sneaking out of bed at night and I saw you out of our gate. I thought you might hurt her. But turns out, you and she was planning...together." Ragini looked solemn. "That was the day Laksh had admitted the truth to me and I was planning to come clean to him as well. I was gonna tell him about you the next morning. But...but now if I did, that would mean you would reveal the truth about Swara. She was my sister, but she deserved to be exposed of her wrongs. But I...I didn't want to see the broken looks of Laksh and my mother who believed in her so much."

Sanskar barked out a laugh. "So you planned to get her killed?! You sent her here so that I would kill her?"

"No. I would never." Ragini admitted truthfully. "Laksh called Swara earlier today telling us that he found out the truth about you when he heard Sujata Maa talking to you over the phone. I knew something bad would happen for you always had a gun with you. I didn't know what Swara was thinking as she rushed out of the hospital, perhaps she wanted to get here hoping you hadn't told them about her. I had a hunch, but all I could think of was saving Laksh. So I called the police."

Sanskar looked at her in horror and realisation. "So...so Laksh found out my reality by accident? You...you mean...you mean Swara wasn't the one who told Laksh the truth but..."

Ragini nodded. "I'm sorry to tell you this Sanskar but...but she never betrayed you. You acted on instinct. You were so angry at her thinking she ruined your five years of plotting that you killed her without a thought. You hesitated for Durgaprasad because he was family to you. But Swara wasn't." Ragini stepped back with a guilty look. "I can understand. I didn't want to expose Swara and thought after the police arrived here, I would stop you from speaking about her because she is family...you aren't. I didn't care what happened to you as long as Laksh was safe. Everything came second to that."

Sanskar fisted his hair and cried. He screamed and cried. He killed Swara for nothing. She never revealed the truth. He killed her for a crime she didn't commit.

Ragini could predict what he might be going through. "If it is of any help, you should know that perhaps she was rushing here because she wanted to hide her truth. So she would have lied about helping you anyways. Even though she didn't betray you, she would have anyway."

"SHUT UP! I don't want your pitiful words to put a balm to my wounds. I hate you as much as I hate Laksh!"

"I only was trying to help you as a friend. And also... because you helped me unknowingly today." Ragini looked over at the rest of her family and Laksh's. "This. Whatever happened today isn't...isn't what I imagined and I would wish there was another solution. But this is one solution that I cannot say I am not happy about."

"How could you be happy? Look at them. They'r all shocked, hurt and broken...especially Laksh."

Ragini nodded. "Time will heal them. But if they had found out about Swara, it would have hurt them more. Just imagine my mother... how betrayed and ashamed she would feel when she knows her daughter, her pride and joy, was upto no good. Would she be able to handle that? And Laksh? Laksh seems broken now. But he doesn't know what she was planning. So he's hurting because she is gone, not because she betrayed the image of her that he fell in love with. He will heal."

"Tsk! Such positivity. Makes me sick!" Sanskar spit out.

"And as for his brotherly affections for you?" Ragini looked at him pointedly. "You've set Laksh free. All this time, Laksh held the guilt that perhaps he was the cause you disappeared. But now, you killed Swara. All he has is hatred towards you. And hatred lasts longer but is not harmful for his mind. But the guilt that ate him from within for years is gone. And I guess I owe you a thank you for that." Ragini smiled at him. "Today you saved my mother and Laksh from the pain of knowing Swara's truth and also freed Laksh of the guilt."

Sanskar balled his hands into fists and glared at her. Raising his fists, he started hitting the door in anger. "You think after this Laksh will be yours?! He loved Swara, not you!"

"True." Ragini cocked her head to the side, looking at him innocently. "But the heart can know to love again. Even stones can be grazed with years of friction. Roads can be carved amidst the hardest mountains. Then why can't I be the one to change Laksh's darkened heart? I'll be the light in his darkness and guide him towards happiness again. And I know I can." She seems confident on her belief. "Both you and Swara are out of the equation. Now, I'll fix him. I know I can. And I'll make him mine. He'll love me so much that he won't depend on anyone else but me. Trust me more than his life. I'll give him that much love and my devotion."

"You're kidding me! You think you'll be able to live like this? To be able to met Laksh's eyes and not tell him that you knew everything!?"

Ragini smiled.

A smile that scared him.

"Like I once told Laksh. My love for him is like the ocean. For him, I could do anything. For him, I could die...but I could also kill. And if you had laid a finger on Laksh today, believe me Sanskar Maheshwari, I would have shot you. But you shot Swara and made it easy for me. You removed someone who was not healthy for my Laksh. She was betraying Laksh and mother. And you disposed her off. And you got yourself underarrest as well. Even if you tell the police about Swara, they won't bother since she's already got her punishment. And our families won't believe you. You've yourself in a sticky situation..." Ragini smirked. "Dost."

Sanskar's eyes widened in rage and he banged harder on the door with both hands. His nostrills flared with barely contained rage.

Ragini's smirk only widened. "I would do anything...anything for Laksh. To have him as mine...to spend an eternity with him, I would go to any lengths. I want him to be happy. I never planned to let him go, you know? Even when he admitted he loved Swara, I planned to make him mine by winning him over no matter what. But then you came and convinced Swara to join you. You made it easy for me since both of you were wicked. And hunting down the wicked is not the wrong thing. The more you and Swara planned, the more Swara kept forgetting about Laksh, the more she began to fall from the image that Laksh set for her in his mind. In fact...if pull came to shove, I would have revealed Swara's truth to Laksh to make him leave her."

"But you said you wanted to save him from learning her truth." Sanskar chuckled darkly and glared harder. "Was it all a lie then? Your Big talk about saving him?"

"True. But to make him mine, I would have. If your plan was successful, or even if you were caught, she would have been exposed one way or another. I just would have fastened the process by telling Laksh sooner and becoming more trustable to him."

Sanskar shook with uncontrolled rage while his eyes burned with tears of frustration and pain. "You...You're a monster. You're worse than me and Swara. You're a diabolical mastermind in all of this!"

Ragini's eyes widened, perhaps her guilt hitting her now that someone voiced it. But she soon recovered. 'This is all fair. For everything is fair in love and war.' Ragini glared back. "Don't blame me. No matter what I did, I never committed crimes that would put my family or yours in harm. You did this to yourself. I'm only enjoying the benefits that it provided me." Ragini leaned closer and whispered. "You poor...poor simpleton. Five years planning an unfruitful crime and still failing. Idiotic...pitiful...fool."

"ARGH!" with a shout, Sanskar managed to break the glass door and grabbed Ragini by the throat. "How dare you use me as a pawn?! HOW DARE YOU!? HOW DAR-ugh!" Sanskar fell back with a grunt as he was pushed back. He looked up to see Laksh standing there, Ragini held securely in his arms.

"You...YOU have done ENOUGH!" Laksh shouted through gritted teeth. "You already took away Swara, I'm not letting you hurt another person close to me!"

Ragini smiled looking up at Laksh's face and bringing her arms to hold him. "Calm down Laksh. You're still recovering."

"Then come with me to...to where..." Laksh couldn't continue.

But Ragini knew he meant where Swara was.
Ragini smiled and held his hand. "Yes. Let's go."

Laksh nodded and followed her, ignoring Sanskar's screams and obscenities that he shouted about Ragini and Swara. He didn't want to listen to a killer. But he still could feel his anger rising, as all he wanted to do was run towards Sanskar and choke him. His grip on Ragini tightened thinking about it.

Ragini smiled as she felt Laksh's hold, what she thought was him linking their hands together more securely. 'I know Laksh. Your heart still beats for Swara. You still love her and see me as a friend. But...but I plan on changing that. Once day, I'll be the center of your world. I'll be your world. And you'll see me in the place of Swara. You'll love me. Only me. You'll be mine.' She looked ahead with determination. 'And then...when I've won you over, when you have no more feelings for Swara, I'll tell you everything. I'll tell you about her ugly truth since I know it won't break you then. You'll be with me by then, in my arms. And I'll keep you safe. And if you're angry at me? I know you will come back to me. Because I know you Laksh. Your love is same as me...like an ocean. Just as the ocean is big and serene...peaceful and calming, your love is similar. You love with all your heart. Mine is like an ocean too. Only difference is that mine isn't calm. The ocean that I see for myself is in a raging storm. When it takes the form of a tsunami and wipes away everything that stands in its way. And I will wipe everything that stands between us.

Perhaps what I did wasn't right... But I know it wasn't wrong.

It was human.

You're mine Laksh. And I yours. And for us to be together, I would go to any lengths.

It will be us...forever...

You and me...

Me and you...'

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So, your thoughts about the fic? Even I myself am conflicted. Lol. I don't know what to think of Laksh and Ragini.

Who's right, who's wrong...idk. Just hope you liked the plot.

Over and out!💃🏻

~ 🌹 Mona 🌹