A/N

First of all guys, I’m very sorry for not replying to any of your comments. I’m running a bit short of time. I have exams in fifteen days, but to cover that up I’m writing an OS for you all and I’ll be posting it on the Valentine’s Day, i.e. on 14th of February. It’s taking some time as I’m trying to get the emotions right in it or else it will be a waste if you guys couldn’t get to feel what I’m trying to convey through my words. Alright, I’m going to stop here before I stupidly blurt out everything here itself. I just hope that you all will like it.

Here you all go with the next chapter…

*** CHAPTER 8 ***

He runs and keeps running aimlessly without knowing where his feet are taking him. He just wants to run away as far as possible. He hates the fact that he should have done something to avoid that situation, but he didn’t. He hates the fact that she is nothing but sweet to him and all he is doing is lying to her. He hates the fact that no matter how desperately he wants to do something to help her out but nothing seems to fall in place. Everything is like a huge puzzle with its pieces scattered all over and unfortunately none of them seem to fit in the other.

And above everything he hates how loved that one kiss has made him feel. He shouldn’t have felt like that. He knows it that she is someone else’s and just that one thought makes his heart wrench. He finds it hard to fight against his heart, trying to stop that dumb beating thing from acting upon his budding feelings.

No one has made him feel so loved before. Swara makes him feel that he isn’t unwanted in this world. She makes him feel that even he matters in someone’s life. The pain of his parents abandoning him seems to be fading away with the way she makes him feel. He should feel that everything that’s happening is wrong then why the hell everything feels so right!

Everything seemed so simple before. He had to pretend to be someone else, help her out and leave! Just like that, everything was sorted!

But now with his idiotic feeling getting in his way, he finds it more and more painful being with her. What wrong has he done in life to deserve such a fate? He has been running for what seems like hours but in reality it’s only been a few minutes.

His train of thoughts get broken when he accidentally bumps into someone and both of them fall down backwards with a thump. Vidhaan winces but soon enough looks up on hearing the person in front wince even louder.

Shit! Ragini!

Ragini: (grimaces) What’s wrong with you? Why are you running like that?

Vidhaan gets up immediately and trudges towards her forwarding his hand to help her up. Ragini looks at him with confusion but soon a small smile makes its way to her lips as she shakes her head before placing her hand in his.

Vidhaan: I-I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking.

He says avoiding eye contact with her. But soon enough his eyes fall on two small confused pairs of eyes as Chaitanya scans him head to toe before moving towards him to hug his knee as that’s the highest he could reach with his little height.

Chits: Sanky Papa! Aal (are) you not feeling well?

Vidhaan: (ruffles his hair) No Champ, I’m perfectly alright.

Chits: Then why is youl (your) cheek so led (red)? Does Mommy slap you too? She does when I don’t listen to hel (her).

Ragini’s eyes shot up the moment she hears her son’s blabbering and her eyes go wide the moment she sees the small tinge of pink on Vidhaan’s cheek.

Ragini: Are you blushing?

Vidhaan: (closes his eyes) I… I’m not!

Ragini: Yes, you are. Is there something I should know about my new friend?

Vidhaan opens his eyes and looks at Chits who is still clinging to his right leg and Ragini takes a deep breath.

Ragini: (pulls her son towards her) Baby, why don’t you go and see if Dadi needs anything?

Chits: But what about Sanky Papa?

Ragini: Your Sanky Papa is not going anywhere. You can come and talk to him later.

Chits: Okay! Sanky Papa, do you want choc… choc… choc-eight!

He looks at Vidhaan with love filled eyes forwarding a huge bar of dairy milk silk towards him. Vidhaan smiles, pushes the chocolate back to the little one and kisses his forehead.

Vidhaan: I’ll be happier if you enjoy this choc-eight yourself Champ.

Chits: Okay! Bye.

Saying this he runs downstairs hopping away happily. Ragini chuckles and looks at Vidhaan who in turn keeps looking at Chaitanya’s retreating figure. How happy and contented he looks even with a small piece of chocolate. That’s how children are… Selfless and full of life!

Vidhaan: He’s very cute. In a way he reminds me of my children back there in Mumbai.

Ragini: He really is our bundle of joy but at the same time he is the bundle of troubles as well. The way he makes me run after him all day, I seriously feel I can win gold medal in the Olympics.

Vidhaan: (chuckles) Every mother in the world can then! I seriously think I like choc-eight more than chocolate now.

Ragini: (laughs) Hah! I know. He still has some problem with the letter ‘r’ and with a few long words.

Vidhaan: Ragini, he is just four! He’ll get better with time.

Ragini: (smiles and looks at him) Do you want to talk about something?

Vidhaan closes his eyes and shakes his head in denial.

Ragini: You know talking to a friend makes you feel lighter at heart. Sometimes, it’s the best remedy.

Vidhaan: (takes a deep breath) It’s harder than I thought. She’s… she’s…

Ragini: Alright, let’s go to my room above. Laksh is also there. We can talk the things out.

Vidhaan: Laksh won’t like that.

Ragini: Oh come on! I know my husband looks pretty grumpy from outside but trust me he’s very sweet. Or else he wouldn’t have gotten such a sweet wife as me. Right?

Vidhaan: (chuckles) Thank you so much. I feel much better. I’m glad I have found a friend like you.

Ragini: I know you’re lucky. Well, not really. Lucky is my husband but you know… I mean…

Sanskaar: (smiles) Yes. Yes. I know.

Ragini: So, come on. Follow me, my new friend.

Chuckling she turns around making her way towards her room. Vidhaan smiles shaking his head a bit finally feeling a bit relieved after talking to her.

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Laksh narrows his eyes seeing Ragini entering their room with Vidhaan following right after her. Ragini smiles and offers Vidhaan a seat on a chair near their bed. He sits taking a quick glance around the room. It’s his first time inside the room and now that he is inside he realizes that the room is very much like the one he is currently staying in but instead of blue and white this one is more like violet and white. And a little bed for Chaitanya has been placed next to the king size double bed in the centre. Other than that everything is more or less the same.

Laksh: What is he doing in our room?

Ragini: He is here to talk about something.

Laksh: What? There is nothing to talk about.

Ragini: Shut up, Mr. Grumpy. We have been living together for last two weeks, the least you can do is be a little polite to him. As far as I can see, I see that he is elder to you. How old are you Vidhaan?

Vidhaan: Twenty seven.

Ragini: See, he is elder to you. He’s the same age as Shlok bhai which means almost an year older to you.

Laksh: Whatever!

He opens a file pretending to read it but in reality all he wants to do is avoid talking now. Ragini ignores him knowing he’ll come back sooner or later and turns her attention back to Vidhaan.

Ragini: So, why were you running like that in the corridor?

Vidhaan: Um… actually Swara…

Laksh: (closes the file with a bang) What about Swara?

Vidhaan: (shifts on his chair uncomfortably) I… I didn’t do anything. I was just helping her.

Laksh: What. Did. You. Do?

Vidhaan: Trust me. It wasn’t me. She just kissed my cheek and I didn’t know what to do, so I ran away.

Vidhaan says everything in one breath. Laksh’s eyes grow a shade darker the moment he hears this and he lunges in Vidhaan’s direction like a predator who pounces upon his prey making Vidhaan flinch back a little up from his chair. Ragini immediately holds her husband back and signals Vidhaan to sit down again.

Laksh: (growls angrily) How dare you? How…

He lunges towards him again but Ragini pulls him back forcefully.

Ragini: God Laksh! Sit down. Have some mercy on me.

Laksh: Don’t you hear him.

Ragini: I heard him, Mr. Laksh Maheshwari.

Alright, now she’s angry! Laksh sits back down on hearing his wife taking his full name which she does only when she is on the verge of getting pissed off. And he knows that she isn’t the best when she’s infuriated, especially when he is the reason behind her anger.

Vidhaan: I’m sorry. I didn’t want this to happen.

Ragini: It isn’t your fault Vidhaan. At least, I have come to know this much about you in these two weeks.

She sits beside her husband on the bed holding his hand and smiling a bit at his scowling face. The same face she fell in love with seven years ago.

Ragini: I know why you’re angry Laksh. I know you care a lot about Swara. But we knew this was bound to happen considering Vidhaan has to pretend to be her husband. But we should be happy that it’s him and not someone like Sahil. At least, he is honest enough to tell us what happened. That proves he has no ulterior motive. He won’t hurt her. Even if he has been staying with Swara for this long, not even once has he tried to take an advantage of her. You know I had a talk with her two days back…

Laksh: (slowly) What did she say?

Ragini: She thinks that she has done something wrong. Whenever she tries to go near him, he runs away. She even found him sleeping on the couch the first night he came back.

Laksh: (raises his eyebrow at Vidhaan) So, you sleep on the couch?

Vidhaan: (nods looking at his fidgeting fingers) Yes! I guess I was too tired that day, so, she found me. But now I’m taking care of it. I sleep after her and get up before she gets up and finds me on the couch.

Ragini: See, this is what I was talking about. You’re just misunderstanding him. So, Vidhaan! What did actually happen?

Vidhaan: Well she asked me… wait. It’s their first marriage anniversary in two months and a half?

Laksh: (holds his head) Oh Shit! We totally forgot about it.

Vidhaan: She even asked me something about some incident where Shlok saved her and they met for the first time. If you don’t mind can I ask when was it? I mean… I’m just asking in case she asks something again.

Ragini: So, you want to know about their story?

Vidhaan: (nods) I guess… but only if you don’t mind.

Ragini: Why would we mind? There’s nothing much to know about to be honest. Their first meet was in the college.

Vidhaan: So, were they classmates?

Laksh: No! He was two years senior to her.

He finds his anger subsiding a bit as he relives all those memories all over again. His eyes glimmers with tears on the beautiful memories he had shared with his brother. Shlok to him was more like his best friend. His human diary who knew each and every thing going on in his mind and in his heart. Vidhaan keeps a hand on his shoulder and Ragini rubs his other arm to calm him down.

After composing himself a bit Laksh nods his head to his wife and Vidhaan retreats his hand away from his shoulder. Laksh instantly misses the warmth and comfort that his palm provided but he isn’t going to confess it and word out his feelings out loud.

Ragini: So, as Laksh said Shlok Bhai was two years senior to Swara. He was in third year of the Bachelor of Business Administration when Swara came in first year. Laksh was the reason that they met each other.

Vidhaan: So, how did Laksh and Swara meet?

Ragini: (laughs) It’s actually a fun story.

Laksh: (rubs his palm against his face) That wasn’t funny at all, Ragini. Ugh! Don’t remind me of that.

Ragini: Yes, it was fun, love. Don’t even try deny that.

Vidhaan: What had happened?

Ragini: Actually, Laksh was very excited after going in second year. He was all giddy with the feeling of becoming a senior. So, he planned on having a ragging session for all the freshers. He, along with some other of our friends, they all started giving tasks and the freshers kept completing them.

Vidhaan: So, you were also there?

Ragini: Yup! What to do, I was so damn obsessed with my stupid friend back then that even though I didn’t appreciate the whole ragging thing, I accompanied him. So, when Swara’s turn came he asked her put her lip gloss on the cheek of any of the senior boys without actually using her lip gloss stick. You know, indirectly he asked her to kiss any of the senior boys.

Vidhaan: So, she did?

Laksh: (glares and points his finger at his wife) Don’t. Say. Anything. After that, Ragini.

Ragini: (chuckles) Come on, don’t be a fun buster now.

Vidhaan: (excitedly) What did she do?

Ragini: (laughing) She came and stood in front of him. He thought she’ll kiss him… but she kissed her palm and… slapped his cheek looking at him so innocently and saying ‘Sir, now the lip gloss is on your cheek.’ Everyone was so stunned…

Laksh: Not everyone! You were laughing like a maniac at that time. Just like you are now.

Vidhaan couldn’t contain his laugh any longer and the next moment he bursts out in hysterical laughs just by imagining the whole situation. Laksh glares at him but he himself starts laughing a few moments later joining the other two.

Ragini: Trust me sweetheart. Your face was picture worthy. I still have that picture with me.

Laksh: (stops laughing) Wait! When did you take a photo?

Ragini: (makes a puppy face) Oops! I wasn’t supposed to say that.

Laksh: I want that picture back Ragini.

Ragini: No, I’ll show it to Chits after a few years. He must learn from his father that he shouldn’t rag his junior. So, no! I’m not giving you the picture back. Anyways, it was after that moment that you two became friends and later best friends despite being in different sections.

Laksh: Well, it wasn’t my fault. I found her interesting, even though she got me a little angry on our first interaction.

Vidhaan keeps looking them admiring their relationship. How adorable they look together! Is this what people call being in love?

Swara…

Wait! What! Where did that come from?

He shakes his head to get Swara’s thought get out of his mind. He can’t  do this again. He has no right to feel anything like that.

Ragini: (looks at him) What’s wrong?

Vidhaan: Um… Nothing’s wrong. You two look really cute together.

Ragini: Tsk! Only I’m cute. He’s Mr. Grumpy.

Laksh: Excuse me! Anyways, this wasn’t about us. You were telling Swara and Bhai’s story.

Ragini: Yeah, right. So, one day Laksh was not able to go to college, so, he asked Shlok Bhai to take care of Swara because Sahil from her batch had been trying to pull some antics with her lately but Laksh was always there to help her out. Looks like Sahil was waiting for a chance and he tried to grab her and pull her into some empty classroom that day when Shlok Bhai found them. He actually threatened him and took Swara safely back to her classroom.

Laksh: Bhai never liked Sahil. He never favored the whole partnership thing as well but Bade Papa found the deal with Mr. Sen Gupta very beneficial for the company. Both of them knew each other for pretty long time, so, Bade Papa made them partners with us. Anyways, after that day, they never got to talk to each other. Swara kept bugging me to get her to talk to him because she wanted to thank him.

Vidhaan: (laughs) Yeah, she told me. She almost ate up your head.

Laksh: (chuckles) Actually, yes! So, to get her meet him I took her to a business party as my date.

Ragini: You know, I was so jealous of her that day. I almost made several plans to break your friendship but later I got to know she just wanted to thank him.

Laksh: (wiggles his brows) I never knew you were that crazy for me.

Ragini: Shut up! Even I think what did I ever saw in you.

Laksh: (rolls his eyes) Never mind! She thanked him and after finishing his graduation, Bhai went to London for his MBA. A year later, Ragini and I got married as Bhai had no intention of getting married anytime sooner and she was ready to pull the hairs off my head if I was planning to delay the marriage any further.

Ragini: We took a break for an entire year as we found that I was pregnant with Chaitanya. After his birth, we resumed our education going for MBA. That way we all, me, Laksh and Swara, we all completed our post graduation together. By that time Bhai came back and took over the business. Soon after our MBA, Bade Papa arranged Swara and Shlok Bhai’s marriage. Chits was a little less than three years old that time.

Laksh: But Bhai denied saying he never saw Swara that way. He kept denying for almost for an year and even Swara was not very sure about that. I knew they’ll be really good partners, so I decided to convince them. And at last by the year end they agreed. They were married for four months when that accident happened…

Vidhaan: (cuts in between) They met with an accident?

Laksh: Well, yes! What did you know?

Vidhaan: I don’t know much. Just that Shlok was returning from USA and Swara went to receive him at the airport. But when they didn’t return, everyone went to look out for them and found Swara unconscious near a cliff.

Laksh: That’s pretty much it that we all know. We saw the car and there were some serious dents on the driver’s side as if some heavy vehicle, something like a truck, crashed to it. Swara was lying unconscious there but there was no sign of Bhai. Several search operations were conducted but all we could find were his belongings scattered here and there in the forest below the cliff. Now, they have even stopped looking after they found some dried blood patches on forest floor bed. On tests it was found that it was… Shlok’s blood. They say… it’s the work of some wild animal… but I don’t think so. There’s definitely something more.

Laksh finds himself terribly trembling and he takes a deep breaths closing his eyes to calm his nerves down. Ragini has tears rolling down her cheeks and Vidhaan has an unknown feeling tugging at his heart. It pains as if someone has sabotaged his heart several times. He clenches his chest over the fabric of his shirt as he finds it a little harder to breathe.

Laksh: Vidhaan, are you okay?

Vidhaan: (nods his head) Can… I have… some water?

Ragini nods her head and gets up to pick up the glass of water from the side table. Taking the glass from her hand he drinks it all in one go. As he opens his eyes Ragini finds a different shine in his eyes.

Ragini: (narrows her eyes) Vidhaan, are your eyes brown? Like, chocolate brown!

Vidhaan: Yes, they are… wait… How did you know?

Ragini: Um… Because I can see your eyes right now.

Vidhaan: (shocked) What? Shit!

He immediately gets up running towards the mirror. The moment he looks at his reflection, the ground underneath his feet slips and his heart sinks.

One of his black eye lens in missing!

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A/N

Alright, I know that there isn’t much in this chapter but this back story was also essential. Now, from here on the twists will start unfolding. So, there is going to be a turmoil of emotions from now on. I just hope I’ll be able to write it properly and that you all will like it.

See you all later!

With love,
Stella ❤️