Ragini knew when to keep her mouth shut and yet it had been quite impossible that night when her mother kept talking bad about Swara and Sanskar, she had claimed they disrespected her when Ragini knew well enough that her mother must have did something to get that reaction from them, and it would never work in ragini favor if she contradicted her .So she remained silent until her mother ran out of words. So the last thing Ragini needed that night was for Swara to come and check up on her .

     
  Swara walking in alone was sure way to become prey to her mother anger and as always Ragini had been helpless when her mother unleashed her fury on to her cousin. She had been too brutal tonight that Swara had been close to tears when she left the room and Ragini decided to feign sleep instead of waiting for her mother to leave the room, so she had been relieved when her mother left the room few minutes later and she heard the footsteps of her husband returning back.

     
" I should have never told her you were sick when she called " Laksh spoke up as he gathered her into his arms, they both have been surprised by their mother visit and decision to stay the night when she found out Swara was out, Ragini knew it was more to check on Swara than her but no matter how much she convinced her mother that she was fine and Laksh mom had taken care of her well enough, her mother insisted on staying behind.

   " You were trying to protect me " She spoke up because in truth Laksh had been indeed trying to keep her mom from talking to her in phone but they both didn't expect her to visit either ,she told him briefly about her mother being rude to Swara earlier and she had expected him to blame it on her for not saying a word in Swara defense but he didn't say so and only told her that she shouldn't worry about everything and take rest so she can get better faster , he told her and it warmed her heart that he had been concerned about her

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Sanskar entered his room and found it empty without his wife, she had told him that she will check up on Ragini and he had hoped she would have returned back by now, he had to talk with his cousin about his manipulations and matchmaking tomorrow but not tonight when he would have been concerned about Ragini. So he spent an hour locked up in his office working.

 He freshened up and changed into his casuals and walked over to the couch and lied down on it,while waiting for Swara . He began to worry that Swara was being scolded for his words earlier, and yet he didnt feel it was his right to interfere not when Swara may assume he overstepped so he waited in their room instead .

          
And when she returned he noticed she was looking close to tears , at first she assumed he was sleeping so went and sat in the bed to cry silently so as not wake him ,but the moment he got up from the couch ,she stopped crying realising that he hasn't been sleeping .

  
" What happened now ? Did Ragini mom say something?" he asked for the couch not wanting to startle her further and waited for her to speak up .

  
"  Well nothing happened, " She had been quick with the excuse even though she knew he won't believe the lie .Yet he didn't know if asking her to talk about it would make her feel more  upset or if him letting it go will make her upset .In the end she made the decision on her own by speaking up again .

  
" Aunt always made her displeasure known with words ,so it didn't come as a surprise but it still hurt to be accused of trying to outshine Ragini when the thought never crossed my mind , as I said our family dynamic is complex  . I am just more concerned about Ragini that she would assume her mother was right " Swara spoke up ,he had understood there would be some conflicts when they all got married and lived in a same house and yet this problem didn't come with a solution of its own that he felt helpless.

      
" You married me for Ragini sake and what else they want from you " he asked frustrated to realize she wasn't treated right by her family .

       
" Aunt never wanted me or pari Di anywhere near Ragini , and now I am married into the same house ,so it bothers her a lot . I understand her fears to some extent , because she never could come between mom and uncle. She hated us in turn " she answered back and Sanskar understood that her family relationships were different from his family and yet he couldn't wrap his mind around it   

    
" Me and Tara are very close after our parents death it kind of made me over protective of her , I kind of see myself behaving like your uncle in the future " he spoke up wondering if his relationship with his sister bother Swara after she just supported her aunt actions .

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" Tara?" She asked him instead not willing to think beyond that said name at the moment ,her aunt words were casted to the back of her mind as she looked at Sanskar for answers .

   
" My sister ..Uttara " he answered back making her feel like a fool for feeling jealous of his sister but his question before along the same line ,if she would act like her aunt over their relationship.  

      
Swara had grown up in her family and learnt to accept each of their faults ,so it has been by default she came to their defense even her aunt and yet she understood the newness of her relationship with Sanskar and his concerns when it comes to the way she view family relationships.

   
" Pari Di is my sister Sanskar and when she first got married ,I was worried as well that we won't be able to remain the same . As you said my family shaped up my mindset ,one of the reason I had been against marriage at the moment was that I had been ready to leave my family yet. 

     
But the problem has never been about balancing two families Sanskar ,it just about forgetting one existence.  My uncle and Mom didn't know the meaning of balance , but pari Di did and she found time for her husband as well as me that I realized maybe my fears are unreal , so in honesty I hope to find balance with my life too .

           
You have nothing to worry  from me Sanskar ,I understand the importance of siblings . I got one too and I would never come between both of you over insecurities and if I felt neglected or being not given importance I will tell you and we will speak about it , I sometime wish that my dad or aunt spoke up their thoughts rather than holding back ,because it would have helped them " Swara finished speaking up ,she didn't know if she spoke the right words but it came from her heart that she knew he would understand her .

    
" I am sorry ,I didn't know why I jumped to conclusions " he answered back truthfully and she understood him better than himself ,in a new relationship it was bound to happen because they are still strangers . Just like how she felt jealous of a Tara ,who turned out to be his sister. 

    
" It okay Sanskar ,let sleep , I have to get up early tomorrow. Otherwise aunt will something else to complain about " Swara answer back truthfully even though she prefers to sleep longer if she stayed in her uncle house she woke up before ragini just to get out of her aunt lecture.

  " Just for tomorrow then , because what I said to your aunt is true Swara ,this is your house and there are no rules and you can  sleep however long you want."he answered back and she felt a smile flicker at his need to reassure her about his family .

 " I know Sanskar ,  it only for tomorrow, let no give her another reason to be angry " She answered back to him and then noticed he was lying on the couch and how uncomfortable it looked ,she could have ignored it and slept but somehow she couldn't do so ,inspite of her fears she trusted him enough to realize sleeping in the same bed was no longer scary as before .

       
  It took her some time to convince him that they should sleep in the same bed but in the end she won the argument by claiming they did it in Pari Di house and they can continue to do so here as well . Finally he relented after asking her if she was sure about it and she promised him that she was one hundred percent sure about the said decision.

      
Even then they both took the extreme opposite side of the bed and in-between them remained the hand built pillow wall , but when she woke up her eyes to the sound of alarm clock ,she found herself lying next to him instead  .

      
She was so close to him that she was right next to his sleeping face and she felt a small smile to see him sleeping peacefully until she looked at her hand that was spread across his chest . She took her hand away in an flash and was staring at it as if it betrayed her. She slowly got up and was still completely out of her wits. She shut down the alarm so as not to wake him up as well .

   
 Swara didn't have much time to worry about their sleeping arrangements as she remembered about her aunt and rushed out to get ready, she even wore the saree her aunt brought her in a bid to appease her . 

     
Fortunately for everyone Annapurna aunty left after breakfast once she decided Ragini was good enough and inspite of Swara wanting to clear the air between her cousin and assure her that she wasn't trying to outsmart her ,she hadn't gotten time to talk with her cousin because Laksh mom had demanded Ragini should sleep after breakfast leaving Swara with lot of time in her hand. 

       
Sanskar was with Laksh and Laksh mom had went out to meet her friends  leaving her alone with her thoughts,she called her sister first then reluctantly called her mother too . She decided to read a book instead of waiting for Sanskar to make an appearance and soon was lost in it until she heard loud noises from outside.

          
Swara rushed out to see if the noise woke up her cousin and found herself already out of her room as well ,they both didn't understand the reason for the notice until they walked to the living room and found a young girl hugging Sanskar , just when she has grown accustomed to the fact she wasn't jealous ,she found herself at odds with her feelings until the girl face became visible and her cousin beside her uttered a single word that clued Swara on her identity " Tara .." .

       
Uttara seemed total opposite of Sanskar as Swara observed that she was lot talkative and emotive then her husband ,his sister seemed so caught up with reunion that she was hugging Sanskar and Laksh alternatively all the awhile talking about how much she missed them and when she broke apart from her brothers ,she rushed to Laksh mom and Swara saw another side of his sister as she burst into tears .

      
Swara realized Laksh mom was like a mother to her and she felt it in the way Uttara clung to her , only when the tears subsided she turned towards ragini and her with a huge smile. She reached towards them and hugged ragini first with a smile and then turned to look at her with a hesitant smile that Swara understood was due to the fact they haven't met yet .

      
" Hi , I am Swara "Swara found herself greeting her with a smile and she was bit concerned when Uttara looked still confused by her presence in the house and she has her answer when she spoke up next

   " Hi Swara , You must be Ragini Bhabhi friend . Nice to meet you and Sanskar Bhai were is my new Bhabhi , is she still sleeping like usual  ?"Uttara kept talking but the entire family froze at her words including Swara

       
 " Bhai .How long am i supposed to ask, Where is Kavitha  ?"Uttara spoke up yet again when everyone remained silent until she saw Sanskar walk towards her . She has thousands questions about why his sister wasn't informed about their wedding but at the moment she more concerned about how Uttara would take the news of their marriage .

             
    
" Tara, This is your Bhabhi and my  wife Swara Sanskar Maheshwari" he answered back to his sister who looked shocked by his words that she kept starring at them with confusion .

      
Swara had promised Sanskar that they would find balance between his family and them but what if his sister hated her ,the thought fitted through her mind as she looked at his sister looking lost by his words . And Swara realized she didn't want to be the disliked Bhabhi after all it would be impossible to find happiness if her sister in law hated her .

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P.S : " That it for now ..Let me know your thoughts and feedbacks. Hit the votes if you liked it "

Juanita Reid