Dedicated to Gokka_Makka ,for the lovely cover .

Swara was mad at her sister, her date, and her sister's date as he drove them back home in his car . She couldn't fathom how her sister could like Laksh or how Sanskar could support him.

" I understand your concern, but Laksh won't hurt your sister " was all Sanskar said about his cousin and nothing more during their date that she had first silently fumed at his silence then concentrated on the food because she had been hungry, only during the time of dessert did she found herself curious about her date and by then it was too late to learn more about him as well.

"Drive them home safely Laksh " her date had told his cousin before heading straight into the bar counter after Laksh and Ragini joined them .

"I will come to pick you up " Laksh answered back before walking them to his car, while she didn't want to accept his offer, her sister already agreed to it.

" So how was the date with my cousin," he asked on the ride back, his question had a thread of worry that she realized he was concerned about his cousin.

"How was your date? , or should I specify the time and hour so you can explain better " She answered back sarcastically until her sister pinched her hands asking her not to anger him .

"My date with your sister was amazing and unlike what you assume I will never forget today," he answered with such solemnity Swara could realize why everyone fell for him.

Something about Laksh irked her, his causal approach towards dating made her instantly dislike him. To her, he looked careless about his life and she didn't think he would be responsible even after he got married.

" Well that is good to know, your next date better come prepared " She replied back unable to stop herself from lashing out .

" Why is it your are so angry with me?, miss Swara . Have you recently got your heart broken by some scoundrel and you taking out that anger on me " he asked her genuinely confused for a moment, she didn't want to tell him it was never her heart but her mother's heart that made her cautious about empty words and promises .

So she was fortunate that they reached home before she could answer, while Laksh waxed poetics words as farewell to her sister, she was quick to bid goodbye and drag her sister inside in hopes of talking some sense into her before she agrees to marry him and tell that to their Dadi .

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

Ragini wanted Swara to calm down and tell her that Laksh had no interest in her and in fact it was the first thing he told her after they got seated .

" Your sister is right you know about me not the marrying kind but she is wrong about me being a bad person," he told her at first and while part of her didn't like to hear the rejection, the other part of her felt relived to know she won't have to see her sister fighting for her yet again.

Because Ragini knew that she won't have a say when it comes to her marriage and if Swara felt that strongly about it, then she will fight on her behalf. And the last thing Ragini wanted was Swara to suffer because of her.

" She is very protective of me " Ragini answered back truthfully, she may not have known swara for long time but she knew it her nature to be protective .

" I understood that when she dragged you away, but from the looks of it I can see you intelligent enough to run away from me, yet here you are agreeing to the date . Why ?" He asked her and she couldn't answer him with truth, so held on to her silence and was thankful when he didn't press her for more answers .

Because the truth was Ragini didn't have the courage to go against her Dadi or papa. Because she was lacking in strength to stand up against them and because it was ingrained in her mind to obey them without a protest.

It was the reason she was so drawn to her sister's courage because she admired her. And in her sister, she saw the freedom she always longed for as a child.

So Ragini had been relived when they didn't encounter Dadi or her dad as they made inside the house, she knew her sister would start the reason of protest against Laksh and for some reason it warmed her heart to see Swara going on and on about Laksh's lack of suitability.

"Did you hear me, you can't agree to marry him. No matter what Ragini I am serious ,why won't you say a word ,don't just smile and answer me you wont marry him " her sister asked her and Ragini decided she had enough fun for now .

" He doesn't want to marry me Swara , it was the first thing he told me but he did like frustrating you and seeing you get red in face and asked me to play along, to be honest it was the most fun I had in years " Ragini answered back as she hugged her sister, warmed by her concerned heart .

And yet in the back of the mind, she was worried about her Dadi's reaction. Laksh had promised her that he would tell his family that he was the one who didn't like her and she need not go against her Dadi words but wondered if her Dadi will find a way to blame Swara for this as well .

"Now all we have to do is tell your Dadi " Swara voiced out her thoughts and the sisters fell into silence at the prospect of it . It wasn't like their Dadi to keep anything from her papa but she kept this one from him because she didn't want him to raise objection for the date .

And hoped they could keep it in wraps till the marriage gets fixed" Who wouldn't like my Laddoo, one look at you, he would be offering to marry you " were her words before she left and Ragini didn't cherish the conversation with her .

" I will do it, you don't worry about it " her sister spoke up as always but Ragini shook her head, she may not be brave like Swara but at least Ragini won't get slapped by her Dadi while with Swara her Dadi first resort always ends in violence .

" No, I will tell her. In fact,Laksh promised me that he will tell his family that he was the one who didn't like me, so Dadi can't blame me even if I said the date went well. " Ragini answered back but when they both stepped out of the room, her Dadi wasn't around but her father was home

" So you are home, mom said you went out. Fine, it is good you are here. I need to tell you something " her father spoke up at the sight of the sisters and Ragini stepped in front thinking he meant only for his eyes to remain focussed on Swara .

At times, Ragini really hoped her father would speak more kindly to Swara and it made her happy that he was speaking to her but it turned into despair when he told her sister that he arranged for her marriages without asking her consent .

"I knew you will come up with some foolishness if I brought them to meet you first, so I told them you are happy with the marriage. And next week you are getting married to him in the registrar's office or you will leave this house. I won't abide your foolishness anymore " her father words seemed way to cruel towards swara but if it bothered her ,she wasn't going to show it to him that much Ragini knew about her sister but she hadn't expected her laugh.

" Who is the groom this time , dadaji friend ?" Swara asked in between laughing that Ragini worried her father had pushed Swara's patience to an end.

" You always assume the worst ,who will marry you once they learn about your background , he is just few years older than you, the only reason he wants to marry you is for his three kids who wants a mother. " her father answered back and Ragini knew her father had more reasons of his own to push for this marriage .

" I won't marry him and you may have misunderstood me with Ragini, I am not that daughter who will say yes to everything you say and if you tried to kick me out of the home then I will raise enough ruckus about you that you won't be able to show your face outside" Swara answered back ,the laughter gone now but still her face held a hint of a smile and the threat made her father flinch as well because he knew that she would do it as well.

" Then fine, Ragini will marry him . I already signed the business deal with the promise of a bride and if it can't be you then your sister will marry him and as you said she won't say no to me " her father next words were the only words that had effect on her sister as the smile was gone and she looked furious .

" Well sure go ahead fix the marriage, but do sleep with an eye open because I just might stab you in the heart while you sleep " her sister's voice didn't raise an octave but Ragini knew she meant those words and so did her father who didn't like to be threatened by anyone.

And then Ragini witnessed something she never seen from her father, Violence . You read about it,you saw it in news about the brutality of human mind yet you never expect it from your home or the people you love and it was why it shocked Ragini to the core to see her father own hands wrap around her sister neck in a fit of rage .

She had believed herself to be coward and felt she had no backbone to stand up for what she wanted but at the moment, all of them ceased to matter as she rushed to her sister's side and tried with all her strength to push his hands away .

" You stay out of it, she is the reason everything around me is falling apart. I should have never brought her home " he roared in anger but Ragini for once didn't freeze at his words but rather hit him harder until he pushed her aside and she expected to fall down until a pair of hands caught her as she starred back at Laksh, whose ever smiling face was gone and instead he looked furious enough to kill .

" Help Swara, he may kill her " Ragini spoke up in a rush but someone else already got to her father as she turned to see Laksh's cousin, standing before Swara as a shield while her father was down on the floor clutching his hand in pain .

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

Juanita Reid .