Episode # 32: (Time to forget the pain)

"Sanskarrr!" Swara woke up with a jerk, her whole body drenched in sweat. She wiped the perspiration from her forehead and turned to the other side of the bed, only to find it empty.

Glancing at the time, Swara realized that Sanskar must be in the gym with the other boys. She sighed in relief and lay back down on the bed with a thud. "What the hell was that dream?" she murmured, fear evident in her voice.

"I will not let any harm touch my Sanskar," she said in a slightly shaky yet determined voice.

She got up, washed her face, and brushed her teeth. Not feeling like changing her clothes, she tied her hair in a messy bun and hurried out of their room to find Sanskar.

Making her way to the gym, she found everyone, including Shekhar and Sahil, exercising and chatting about random things. She scanned the room for her husband, but he was nowhere to be found.

A sudden wave of fear washed over her heart, and with her pulse racing, she tried to locate him again in the gym. Sahil noticed her anxiousness and called out to her, catching the attention of everyone else.

"Swara, what are you doing? What are you looking for?" Sahil asked, easily seeing that she was restless. Everyone stopped their workout and turned their gaze toward her.

"Bhai... wh... where is San...skar?" Swara asked in a shaky tone, causing confusion among the group as they frowned slightly at her distressed voice.

"Dove, what happened?" RV said, moving closer, followed by the others. Swara's eyes were still searching for Sanskar, and she again asked them about his whereabouts.

"Bhai, tell me, please, where is Sanskar?" she asked, her voice choked this time. Their eyes widened as they noticed tears welling up in hers. Rishi was about to reassure her when they heard Sanskar's voice from behind.

"What happened, guys?" Sanskar asked, stepping into the room. Everyone turned toward him, and Swara let out a sigh of relief upon seeing him unharmed, while Sanskar wore a confused expression.

He was standing there, holding a water bottle after coming back from jogging. Swara, who had been relieved until now, frowned a little upon noticing the mud on his white shirt. As she approached him, her gaze fell on his arm, where she spotted a small spot of blood.

"What happened to you?" Swara asked, shocked at the sight of his wound. Sanskar was about to respond, but he, along with the others, was left baffled by Swara's sudden angry tone.

"How many times have I told you to take care of yourself? And where the hell were you? I was searching for you, and here you come back with this wound! You na! Just come with me," Swara exclaimed, dragging him out of the gym.

Sanskar, caught off guard by her sudden outburst, stumbled slightly but quickly regained his footing. He tried to explain, but she was not in the mood to listen. She pulled him upstairs, gripping his wrist tightly.

The others stood there with their mouths agape, unable to comprehend what had just transpired.

"Swaraa, Swaraa," Sanskar called out, but she was not paying attention. She guided him toward their room and made him sit on the bed. Sanskar was genuinely confused by her behavior, as she had never acted like this before.

While Swara searched for the first aid box, she murmured to herself, and Sanskar couldn't make out what she was saying. She finally returned with the box and began treating his wound, which was merely a small scratch. He had gotten it from a tree branch when he slipped in the mud.

"I'm telling you, if you ever go anywhere without telling me or come back with wounds like this again, then I'm not going to talk to you ever! Understood?" Swara said angrily as she cleaned his scratch.

"Swara, Swaraa, jaan, I'm totally fine! Why are you panicking so much?" Sanskar finally said, holding her by the shoulders and cupping her face. Swara looked at him, letting out a sigh of defeat, not fully understanding why she was behaving this way.

It was just a dream, so why couldn't she shake off that fear? The mere thought of something happening to Sanskar felt like it was ripping her soul apart. Today, she realized that everything people say about love is true; when you find your true love, it's incredibly hard to see them go far from you. Just imagining Sanskar being distant brought tears to her eyes.

Sanskar, who had been waiting for her response, was shocked to see the tears streaming down her face. He immediately reached out to wipe them away, his voice filled with concern.

"Hey, hey, why are you crying? Swara jaan, please tell me what's bothering you?" he asked, his brow furrowed with worry.

Swara shook her head, trying to reassure him. "Nothing, it's just that I saw a bad dream, and when I saw your wound, it reminded me of it. Please, Sanskar, today you have to promise me that you will never leave me. Promise me," she insisted, holding out her hand toward him.

Seeing her extended hand, Sanskar managed a small smile. He placed his hand on hers, squeezing gently. "I promise, Swara, I will never leave you. Where can a body go without its soul? You are my soul, Swara, my heartbeat. Living far away from you would do nothing but turn me into a dead man."

Her eyes brimmed with tears upon hearing his heartfelt words. Each day, she never forgot to thank God for blessing her with such a wonderful life partner, one with a heart of gold.

"I love you, Sanskar," she said, and before he could respond, she pressed her lips against his. Startled for a moment, as it was the first time she had taken the initiative, Sanskar quickly regained his composure and kissed her back, pouring all his love into that sweet moment.

A few days later:-

Swara was diligently studying, preparing for her final exams, which were just a few weeks away. Meanwhile, Sanskar was in his study, balancing both his office work and his studies as he was also set to complete his post-graduation after these exams.

As Sanskar stepped out from his study, he headed toward the kitchen but noticed everyone except Swara sitting in the hall. It was evening time, and they were all enjoying their tea. He walked over to greet them.

"Karan, after 10 days, it's Swara's 21st birthday," Shekhar announced suddenly, causing a wave of happiness to wash over everyone. However, the joy quickly dimmed as they remembered that it had been only about 1.5 months since Swathi had left them.

Rishi, noticing their somber expressions, glanced at Swathi's picture for a moment before addressing everyone. "I know what you all are thinking," he said, prompting everyone to focus on him.

"Swathi was and will always be in our hearts; that will never change. She loved Swara like her own little sister, and I know that if she were here today, she would want to celebrate her birthday with full enthusiasm."

"Her absence will always be felt, but I know she would never want us to skip celebrating anything just because she's not with us," Rishi continued calmly, a lone tear escaping from his eye that he quickly wiped away.

Swathi, who was standing in front of him, clapped in excitement and then vanished, but not before sending him a flying kiss with a wink. Rishi chuckled mentally at her antics.

"But big bro?" Sanskar called out to him, but Rishi cut him off, stating that they would surely celebrate Swara's birthday, especially since that little girl had endured extreme pain in recent days. This celebration would be the best way to help her forget everything.

Seeing Rishi trying hard to forget his own pain, the others decided they would help him in that effort. If Swara's birthday celebration was the solution, then they were all in.

It was Swara's birthday night. Sanskar had made Swara sleep early by claiming he was feeling sleepy and couldn't sleep without her, so he managed to get her to sleep beside him.

Swara didn't protest, as she loved to sleep in his embrace, and she happily agreed, falling asleep in no time.

At 11:45 PM, Sanskar, who was sleeping, felt his cell phone vibrating near his head, where he had placed it to wake up on time. He checked the phone and found that it was Rishi calling him.

Sanskar gently disentangled himself from Swara's grip; she was sleeping peacefully, holding onto his shirt in her fist. Without making any noise, he left their room and found everyone gathered. Shekhar was holding the cake, while all the other boys were wearing party hats.

Karan had snow spray in his hand, and RV and Rishi were holding party poppers. Sahil was holding the sleeping Atharv, who was also wearing a birthday hat.

"Are all the things ready?" Sanskar asked, taking a birthday hat from Rishi's hand and putting it on. RV handed him some balloons, and together, they all waited for the clock to strike 12.

With 30 seconds left, they all entered the Swasan room and gathered near the bed.

The moment the clock struck 12, they all shouted, "Happy Birthday!" loudly, which caused Swara to wake up with a start, while Atharv woke up clapping his hands, only to fall back asleep again, resting his head on Sahil's shoulder.

Sahil chuckled at Atharv's antics and adjusted him comfortably in his arms.

"What the hell?" Swara exclaimed, placing her hand on her heart, which was racing from their sudden shout.

"Oops, sorry! But happy birthday, Swara!" everyone shouted together again, and Swara suddenly realized that it was her birthday. A bright smile spread across her lips as she thanked them all.

Later, Shekhar set the cake on the table, and Sanskar took Swara over to join the celebration. After wishing her repeatedly, everyone eventually left the room, leaving Swara beaming with happiness.

As soon as they were alone, Swara turned around and almost jumped into Sanskar's arms. He stumbled slightly but quickly regained his balance and hugged her back while chuckling.

"Today I'm so happy!" Swara said, her joy evident. Sanskar kissed her hair and tightened his arms around her.

"So, where is my gift?" Swara asked, breaking the hug. Sanskar feigned a sad face and said, "Oops, sorry, but I forgot to bring your gift."

Swara's happiness faded momentarily. "You forgot?" she asked, her voice dropping as she looked at him with a sad face.

Sanskar nodded, and she replied, "Um, it's okay. No problem," turning to leave with a frown. Sanskar quickly pressed his lips together to suppress a smile, then swiftly turned her back around and pressed his lips against hers.

Swara was taken aback for a moment, but she quickly responded and kissed him back. When Sanskar broke the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers and said, "How could I forget the gift for my most precious possession?" He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, and Swara began to beam like a thousand-watt bulb.

"Then give it to me!" she said cutely, her excitement palpable. Sanskar playfully pecked her nose and then walked over to the wardrobe to retrieve her gift.

Swara stood eagerly, her face filled with anticipation as she waited for Sanskar to return. He soon emerged from the wardrobe, chuckling at her excitement.

When he finally presented her with the gift, Swara's eyes widened in shock at the sight of what he had brought.

To be continued...

Don't forget to press '☆' button below 👇👇👇 😎😎