Hi there! The title's taken from one of the famous poems by William Blake named The Poison Tree. If you haven't read it, do check it out. It's an amazing one!

Moving on...💃💃💃

"Words in double quotes" - Talking

'Words in single quotes'  - Thoughts

Chapter 24 - The Poison Tree

Deep in thought, she let her mind cloud over with poisonous thoughts.

Thoughts about Sanskar.

Thoughts about him distancing himself from her.

Thoughts which piled upon one after the other until she felt they were physically suffocating her.

Ragini looked up from where she was picking up the plates from the tables. 'She seems tensed.'

It wasn't a surprise to her that the cafe was clearing slowly. The reasons being one, it was almost 4pm, which was near to their closing time. And the second, but the main fact was that Abhi had left to drop his Dadi, Vandanna and Ayaan home. Ragini kind of felt irritated for the fact that they had to work double because of the crowd Abhi brought. But she guessed in a way it did add up to Tanuja's cafe's popularity.

From where she stood, she could feel the negative aura spreading from her sister. "Swara? Are you alright?" getting no response, she put down the plates at the nearby empty table and approached her sister. "Swara?"

Swara jerked her head up abruptly when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Wh-what? What happened?"

"Nothing. It's just that you seemed kinda zoned out. Is everything okay? You're not coming out with a fever or something, are you?"

Swara adverted looking into her eyes as she checked her forehead.

Ragini removed her hand from Swara's forehead with a frown. "You seem fine. What's wrong? And don't you say it's nothing."

"Ragu, it's just that..." she looked at her helplessly. "Do you really think Sanskar likes me?"

#With Sanskar#

Sanskar sneezed as he approached the door to the kitchen. 'Someone's definitely talking about me.' Sanskar was on mission 'finding Maya and complaining about Nikhil'. He was sure he had seen Maya go inside accompanied by Arjun and Tanuja. He opened the door and was about to call out, when Rishi put a hand on his mouth.

"Shh! Now is not the time to interrupt." Rishi whispered to him from where he stood near the door as if guarding it. "Maya's not in the mood."

Sanskar smacked his hand away. "But it's important!" he whispered back.

"It has to wait. Just look at them! Have you ever seen Maya like that?!"

Sanskar looked over. It was only then did he notice the white band-aid over Maya's forehead. However, what shocked him was the red, puffy eyes of her and her shaky hands that held the coffee mug.

If he wasn't shocked to the core, what reached the limit was how close Arjun was sitting to her. While Tanuja was sitting opposite to Maya, holding her hand, Arjun was siting right next to her holding her by the shoulders.

Holding her by the shoulders with Maya allowing it and not ripping him into pieces with her teeth.

"Did I land into another dimension or something Rishi?"

"If you have, then I must have too." Rishi replied, who had been feeling the same disbelief.

As the two continued bickering in whispers, Pragya strolled in with a distressed face. She felt terrible after everything that Nikhil told her. 'Was he right? Do I really deserve Abhi? He's like a diamond and I'm a simple dahlia. He is admired by so many. But I? All I am is just a monotonous flower like any other of my kind. I'm not even unique!'

Pragya shook her head of those thoughts. Seeing her sisters, she came and sat down besides them. "Tanuja di, am I important?"

Tanuja looked at her pointedly. 'Pragya overthinks and ends up creating a storm of her own. I'm sorry Pragya. But Maya needs my support right now.' Tanuja tried to smile. "Yes. Un...Pragya, could you bake some more cookies please?"

"But I want to talk. Please Di. Why don't you do it Maya Di? You're free I suppose. You seem to be doing nothing." Pragya uttered.

So busy was in her own distress, she didn't notice Maya's state.

"Maya isn't going anywhere." Arjun spoke in an authoritative tone. "She'll sit right here."

Arjun irked Pragya all of a sudden. His attitude reminded her of Nikhil. She wanted to be consoled by her sisters. Couldn't he see that? "Why are you speaking for her? And Maya? You're allowing it?"

"What if she is?" Arjun bit back. Seeing the love of his life go through so much in a day already had him angered. And now Pragya coming in saying Maya was 'free' and 'doing nothing' pissed him off further. "Stop being a selfish brat and grow up!"

#With Ragini and Swara#

Ragini looked at her in disbelief. "That guy with an ego bigger than his size apologized to me just so that I could help him get closer to you. You really doubt Sanskar Maheshwari would do that for just about anyone?"

If it was another time, Swara would have accepted the explanation. However, her depressed mind was interpreting everything in a different light. 'Sanskar apologized to her to come close to me? Or am I just an excuse for him to get close to Ragini? When he was faking his love for me, he flirted with me directly. So why not approach me directly now?'

"Swara? There you go making that miserable face again! What is wrong with you?!"

"Nothing."

Ragini rolled her eyes. "Swara we all got work to do. If you're making that face just because you're getting to work, then better save the act." Ragini bit out rather harshly. It wasn't that she wanted to be mean to her sister. It was just that she had gotten into an argument with Laksh earlier which ruined her mood.

*flashback*

"Maa accepted you!"

"R-Really!?"

Laksh nodded vigoriously.

Ragini gasped. She turned to the customers and quickly took down their orders on the notepad. Grabbing Laksh's arm, she pulled him away towards where Tina was and handed her the notepad, moving out before she could protest.

Once outside, Ragini pulled Laksh into a bear hug. "I'm so happy! I'm actually elated!"

Laksh let out a hearty laugh and put his hands around Ragini's waist. He picked her off of her feet and twirled her around once. "I'm so happy I feel like screaming out to the world!"

Ragini giggled as he put her down. "Oh you! You finally managed to convince her."

"Actually, it was you who did. Although, unknowingly."

"Eh?"

Laksh couldn't help but find her confused face cute and poked her on the nose. "Let me explain."

After sometime...

"Oh, so that's how!" Ragini grinned. "Which means it is me to whom you should be thankful to. Yes, yes, come on now. Praise me!"

"Whaaa?"

"Didn't you hear me simpleton? Tell me how great I am!"

Laksh snorted. "Yeah, yeah. You're awesome. Happy?"

"Very."

Laksh shook his head with a smile, placing his hands on her shoulders. He looked at her eyes with affection. "I'm so glad Maa accepted. I was worried I would end up losing you...forever."

"No way! We would have found a way. We would have convinced her."

"You don't know my mother. Once she has decided something, she doesn't easily change her mind."

This got Ragini irritated. "What's with you and your fixation with this idea that your mother is so hard to convince? I mean it's a known fact that any sas would have complains about their bahu. But that's those are the challenges in life that we have to face together Lucky."

"Yes. But mother wouldn't have let me even meet you!"

"And you would have given up seeing me? Is that what you want to say?!" she asked in anger. "If my sisters had refused to let you be my boyfriend, then would have I left calling you, meeting you? No! I would have tried to meet up and think of ways together to convince my sisters."

"I never said I won't try to convince my mother!" Laksh bit out in irritation. "I'm just saying that my Mum is more strict than your sisters. She would have been really hard to convince."

"Then your mother isn't someone who is open minded. She is biased in letting others words form her opinion."

"Hey, I admit she was wrong in listening to Kavya. But that doesn't give you the right to insult her. Your sisters might be so called 'open-minded'. But mother is of a different time and tradition, okay?!"

"I wasn't insulting. I was just stating the obvious. Face it Laksh. Your mother would have rejected me if I told her to her face that she is biased. She does have an ego problem."

Ragini stated flatly. It was a known fact that she talked without a mouth-to-brain filter. She spoke up whatever she thought about a person without thinking about the consequences much. Not to mention Laksh's comment about her sisters irked her.

"Ego problem? Watch it Ragini. Don't say things you don't understand. Besides, you are the one who would have ruined everything if your sisters hadn't warned you to act responsible in the cafe. You're a menace who are obnoxious like a notorious child! Mother would have indeed rejected you!" Laksh spoke harshly. However, his eyes widened as he finished the sentence. "Ragini I..." Laksh stopped speaking seeing the hurt expression on Ragini's face.

"So...so are you saying I'm not marriage material? That I'm too immature to be your girlfriend?"

"Ragu, I didn't mean it like that! It was supposed to come out as a joke! But I messed up."

"Okay." Ragini spoke with a nod. However, from the way she hardened her expression, Laksh knew she was extremely angry on the inside.

"Ragini, don't be like that. Don't close up."

"Okay." she repeated with patience.

"Raginiiii..." Laksh whined.

"Look Laksh!" Ragini let out a breath. "If I speak now, I'll speak things that'll end in you getting hurt. So for now, please leave."

"Ragi-"

"Oh look! Abhi's coming out with your mother, brother and his Dadi."

"Ra-"

"For now, leave Laksh. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Laksh left speaking and tried to grab her arm as she passed by. However, she moved away from reach and left inside without a word.

*flashback end*

'Kya se kya ho gaya! There we were enjoying the moment, only for us to end up in an argument.' Ragini sighed to herself. Her anger on Laksh was no reason to let it out on Swara. "I'm sor-"

"Like you do anything? We all have let you do the least of the work." Swara grit out.

Ragini was surprised by her response. Sure she and Swara had arguments in the past. But never over such trivial matters. "Wow there! Cool down. First you act all depressed and now you're shouting for asking if you're alright? Swara, you need to sort out your feelings." Ragini joked, bending down to get the plates.

However, Swara caught her wrist in a vice grip.

"Sort out your feelings? Do I look like an emotional fool?! Don't you dare talk to me like that. I'm older and have seen the world better than you. How dare you belittle me? How dare you come and talk over me?!" Swara warned.

"Sw-Swara..." Ragini uttered in a soft voice.

All of Swara's mixed emotions and jealousy for Ragini was coming out in the worst way possible. It was as if all the insecurity she had regarding Ragini and Sanskar was coming out in the form of spiteful words.

It was a good thing the tables around them were empty. It gave them a bit of privacy. Although the customers close by were starting to stare.

Tina and Diya, who were nearby, noticed it as well. They began reassuring the customers that it was just some sibling tiff. Nothing serious.

However, they themselves were worried. Tina motioned Diya to leave for the kitchen to get one of the elder sisters.

#Kitchen#

Diya walked with fast steps towards the kitchen and burst in. "Guys, there's a big pro-" she stopped speaking when she found the thick tension in the place. "Um...something happen?"

Arjun was holding onto Maya. Maya was glaring at Pragya, who was close to tears. Tanuja was in Rishi's arms, both looking worried. Sanskar was beside the door with a sour expression.

"Get. Out." Maya spoke in a soft voice, but it felt like a bomb was dropped. Never had she spoken in that tone to Pragya.

'I don't deserve Abhi. I definitely do not deserve Abhi! And...and everything that happened here, proves this!' Pragya forcefully closed her eyes to keep her tears from falling and looked away. "I-I'll go se-serve these." she stuttered out, taking the tray and moving out.

"What...just...happened?" Diya asked in bewilderment.

Sanskar sighed from beside her. "Long story. But why are you here looking like someone killed your puppy?"

This reminded her of her purpose. "Swara and Ragini are fighting!"

#With Swara and Ragini#

"Sw-Swara, why? I didn't mean to be rude. It's ju-"

"Just what, Ragini?! Aren't you having enough fun getting the attention I want? Aren't you happy with the smiles you get? Don't you want to gloat?" she accused in whispers.

"What d-do you mean? Why...why are you acting like this?" Ragini questioned in a quivering voice. She couldn't understand why her sister was being so harsh with her. She felt hurt. Not to mention Laksh's stinging words we're still afresh. She could feel tears cloud her vision, unable to handle the emotional pressure any longer.

Swara noticed the tears and the fear in Ragini's eyes. It broke her from her anger and made her come into her senses. At once, she let go of Ragini's wrist. "I...I'm sorry Ragu. I don't k-know what came o-over me. I'm so sorry!"

"Sw-"

"Hey you two. Don't you realize you're creating a scene?" Sanskar chided as he came near them. He saw the red print of fingers that was forming on Ragini's wrist. "What the heck?! Did you do this, Swara?"

Swara flinched at his question. "I...I didn't mean to. I...I'm sorry!"

"Sorry? But why did you?"

"I didn't....I..."

"Didn't what!?"

Without a word, Swara ran away from the cafe before anyone could stop her. All Ragini could do was stare with a confused and hurt look towards the café door.

"What is wrong with you two? You fight like kids! Swara hurt your wrist. But I have no doubt that you made her angry enough for it." Sanskar accused.

"How come I'm the only one getting blamed?!"

"I'm not blaming anyone. I'm only saying that both of you must have done something to the other."

Ragini huffed, knowing he was right. "Whatever! Piss off!" she pushed past him and stormed off.

"Why you!" Sanskar ran forward and grabbed her ear, thereby twisting it. "This is how I punish my cousin sisters."

"Ow, ow, ow! Let go! Sanky! Leave me I said! Oi! Listen to me!"

🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

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~ 🌹 Mona 🌹