Three days later

Sujatha Ram Prasad Maheshwari looked at her family as they dined together in silence. Her son's seat was empty today as well. The miracle they all hoped didn't happen when Sanskar and Swara met again.

If Sujatha had hoped that by making them meet each other everything would work it's way out. She had been proven wrong because that night when Swara came to see her son. She hoped those two could talk it out, the misunderstanding, the anger, the pain over the distance they created between themselves.

Instead Swara ran away from his room in tears. It took Sujatha ten hours before Sanskar admitted she didn't say a word, but ran out.

Sujatha knew her son had hoped he would be able to make Swara forgive him for the silence. But now her silence had been his answer for three days. The whole Maheshwari family gave Swara the space and waited for her to come back.

72 hours later, they were left waiting still. Even Ragini was unable to get her sister to talk openly with her. Silence and more silence continued until Sujatha had enough.

"We need to do something ?" Sujatha spoke up and no one in her family asked her any question about her vagueness because they all are aware of what Sujatha considered to be a priority.

"What can we do Sujatha?. Sanskar won't leave his room and Swara won't leave her room according to her Grandparents. We need to give them space and time" her husband spoke up, but Sujatha was already shaking her head in answer.

No, time and space may heal lots of wounds, but for her son and Swara, the problem is they have been away from each other for so long. They no longer feel they know each other.

The tension and hurt keep each of them for approaching the other one out of fear and Sujatha had the perfect plan to break the ice between them.

She knew they didn't fundamentally change in the past few months. They were still the same persons who loved each other. Sujatha was going to make them see it for themselves.

"I think, I know what we need to do. But I need all your help" Sujatha spoke up and was glad her family stood by her side.

                      ******************

Swara starred at her phone and the message she had typed in it for the last one hour. She just needed a little courage to hit the send button, but her hand failed to comply with her heart.

She ran away from him. It was stupid and idiotic of her, but seeing him and having her fears confirmed made her run. Now three days later. She was still trying to find the words to talk with him.

"I am sorry", " can we talk","Sanskar", " didn't mean to run " they were variation of her message that remained un send from her phone.

Swara used to feel like she can talk with him about everything and now she was scared because nothing made sense anymore.

The time away from him made her scared about everything. She had kept remembering their last conversation over and over again. He said he loved her and she said it wasn't enough to erase the pain he caused her.

The Swara who longed to hear Sanskar say those three words, rejected him because he broke her heart by his abandonment.

She kept remembering Sanskar reasons for leaving her without a word. Back then nothing justified 9 months of silence to her broken heart. She understood he was confused about his heart, but leaving her without a word for so long felt like an unforgivable reason.

Until she learned the whole truth. He almost lost his life because of her. Now she faced with the truth that not only Sanskar loved her, but he risked his life to save her.

Even the most callous hearted person would forgive someone who saved their life for any crime. When in her case Sanskar got injured that it took him 8 months to walk properly and when her eyes fell on his scars, she knew what saving her had cost him.

Swara with all the new knowledge thought differently. She no longer assumed the distance and time between them destroyed everything. She wanted to give their love an another chance, she wanted to believe in their relationship one more time. She wanted everything she dreamed of her life with Sanskar.

But she couldn't make herself take the first step because she was scared and everything felt uncertain. Every word she typed felt inadequate, every time she tried to call her courage deserted her. So three days later, she was still in her home without her Sanskar.

                 ********************

Sanskar had 8 months to get used to his injury. He knew when Swara learns the truth, she would need some time to come to terms with everything. It had been the reason he didn't approach her after that night.

It had been three days and waiting was apparently not his forte. Every time he decided to call her or text her or go to her home and end this silence, he remembered that she faced the silence from him for 9 months and he couldn't even wait 3 days .

So he waited for her. Sanskar didn't doubt they would be able to work everything out between themselves. He had faith in their love, but he knew his mom was getting restless.

He understood his mother's love for him. She wanted him to be happy and she knew it rests with Swara, So she was less patient then him with the waiting.

It had been the reason Sanskar agreed to take her away for the weekend. The Maheshwari had a small vacation home three hours away from the city.

His parents often spent the weekends at that house. His mom used to say that was the only way to keep him away from work at times.  Today his mom demanded Sanskar take her to that home for the weekend.

"You can't stay in the room 24*7 Sanskar. Let us stay in that house for the weekend. Just me and you, maybe then you won't hide in the room " her mom spoke up, Sanskar agreed to her demand to keep her from worrying about him.

Sanskar stayed at his room for three days because he wanted to be available when Swara finally wanted to talk. If he went to work and got caught up on it then he wouldn't be available. So leaving the city for two days wasn't ideal, but he couldn't say no to his mother and he worried that if he kept denying her then she might take it into her own hands to help him.

So he allowed her to take him away from home for a vacation. Three hours in the car was a torture that his leg suffered as soon as he stepped out of the car that his mother rushed him to his bed with painkillers and a massage.

As Sanskar checked his phone for the hundredth time that day. He was relieved that Swara hadn't chosen to break her silence today because another three hours on the road back to her would not work given his leg's condition. Soon drifted off to sleep due to the side affects of the medication.

                      ****************

Swara knew her grandparents never asked her much, So when they asked her something, She couldn't refuse. She finally decided to meet Sanskar face to face that day. Swara didn't know if she would have backed off later, but when she woke up she was determined to drive to the Maheshwari's house until her grandparents request left her driving three hours away from him.

Swara never knew about her dada's friend but her grandfather asked Swara to go and meet him because he had something to give his friend for his birthday.

"He can't travel now and I couldn't travel that long easily either. He only have a caregiver who comes to take care of him during the day. " Her grandfather mentioned making Swara unable to say no to his request. So with the gift packed in her car's backseat. She drove three hours to the address given by her grandfather.

When she called her Dada to say no one answered the door, he told her to let herself inside as he gave her to security code. Her Dada told her that his friend might be sleeping and she should wait till he wakes up and then give him the gift.

"Make yourself at home Swara till he wakes up. He won't mind it. He only gave me the code for that reason, so you won't have to wait outside. " her grandfather told Swara.

It was how Swara found herself in a strangers living room waiting patiently for them to wake up. She tried not to explore the house because it would be rude, but after an hour of sitting in the couch she got restless that she moved around the living room looking at the decorations and then her eyes landed on the photos on the wall.

The familiar faces stared at her that it took her a moment to realize how easily she had been tricked by her family. How did she assume they would let her sulk away the days in her home without interfering.

Then she heard the sound of footsteps and she knew who it would be if her guesses were right. Swara was aware she had the exactly same plan to meet him today, but her family had given her a false sense of calm by the unusual request.

Now she had less than a minute to come to terms with the truth. As she turned around to see her friend, the man she loves walk into the living room. She saw the flicker of surprise in his face as well and she realized that his family interfered with him as well.

Swara looked at him for so long without a word, she knew that she had to say something, anything to break the silence in that room. She had lost nine  months with him and she didn't intend to lose one more day of their life.

But all the carefully thought out words failed her as she looked at him. Should she apologize first, tell him that she loved him, or explain away her presence.

But her eyes were quicker to respond as tears started making it's way down her face in an endless stream. Her vision was impaired by blurriness of the tears, but she heard his footsteps getting closer and closer until he stood right before her.

When she found the courage to wipe the tears and look at him. She saw his arms wide open waiting patiently for her to take the final step towards him.

Swara had assumed she needed words to bridge the distance between them, she needed more words to erase the pain they caused each other, she needed more words to apologize to him and that she needed more words to convey her love for him.

In the end, all it took was one step into his arms and every unspoken words between them fell away as he wrapped her in an hug that made her feel like everything was right in her world.

Swara knew those words would be said sometime later between them. But it wasn't needed at the moment between them. All they really needed was one moment of time to break the ice wall they built over their life. In his embrace she finally felt free of the fear that haunted her for the past three days.

Because she realized that this was her Sanskar and no matter the time that passed, she still knows him enough to believe they would be happy together and that they would be able to overcome everything together including their past mistakes.

"I love you Sanskar" Swara whispered to him as she leaned on to his chest as the tears subsided and she was ready to speak those words.

"I love you Swara more than you can imagine " Sanskar answered back and Swara believed him because she loved him beyond her imagination as well.

She loved him as a friend when his heart was locked away, she loved him when he walked away and she will always love him through everything  now that his heart was finally hers to cherish forever.

P.S:" The End. Let me know your thoughts and feedbacks. Hit the vote if you liked it. I have no idea if I could write an epilogue at this point. So I can't assure you one.  "

Juanita Reid