*** CHAPTER 48 ***

Sanskaar's grump-o-meter hits its maximum as Laksh pushes him down, making him sit on the farthest corner of the mattress that has been laid down in their backyard garden. He sits down with a huff and folds his arms across his chest having no intention of hiding how sullen his mood is at that very moment. Throughout the engagement ceremony, he has been planning how to spend time with his lady love, but all of that comes crashing down the very moment it is suggested that the whole family should spend some time together, which ultimately leads to the decision that they all will be watching a movie in the backyard of the house, which might even be followed by some games. Do these people not feel tired? Why are they not asleep yet? He feels a tinge of sadness in his heart as he sees everyone enjoying themselves without paying any heed to his gloomy mood. And that makes him even grumpier than an angry Chaitanya whenever he is denied his favorite thing!

His heart gets elated the moment he notices Swara entering the backyard with Ragini. She will surely notice how sad he is and will definitely do something to cheer him up. His heart assures him and he nods his head to no one in particular. He waits with a bated breath as Swara's eyes scan the whole place, finally landing up on him. He sits up straight and raises his hand to pat the place next to him. Without taking note of his intention, Swara smiles at him but is immediately pulled by Ragini to sit next to her. To his utter dismay, Swara sits beside her friend without any protest, not looking back even for once. Sanskaar is left gaping at everyone as they all cheer when the movie starts playing on the projector.

The rain has finally subsided but the chilliness still lingers in the air. Sanskaar's eyes wander toward everyone as they all lay wrapped up in their blankets, their attention completely on the screen in the front. In his peripheral vision, he can even see Tarun and Anshika cuddling in the same blanket, whispering something in each other's ears. His eyes involuntarily travel towards Swara and he sighs deeply. She is supposed to be his wife in two days! Can he not even get a few moments with her? This is so not the thing he had in his mind!

Noticing that his brother has been sighing a lot more than usual, Laksh, who is sitting next to him, taps on his shoulder looking at him rather suspiciously.

Laksh: What is wrong, bhai?

Everything! Sanskaar intends to say that out loud but all that comes out of him is a mere mumble. Under his brother's scrutinizing gaze, he sulks and tightens the blanket around himself, finally deciding to focus on the movie.

Halfway into the movie and Sanskaar feels Laksh tapping his shoulder again. Taking a deep breath, he turns towards his brother intending to ask him to scurry away, but his breath gets caught in his throat when he finds Swara sitting next to him, giving him a rather apologetic smile. Looking in front, at her former sitting place, he finds his brother now sitting next to his wife, his arms wrapped around her, and their son sitting on his lap. Unknowingly, a thought crosses his mind. Maybe one day, he can have such a family too!

Turning his head, he finds Swara still looking at him, smiling rather sweetly, a smile that always melts his heart. But even he has an anger to withhold. Huffing at her angrily, he crosses his arms once again and turns his attention back toward the movie. Swara is left shell-shocked at his childish tantrums.

A minute later, he feels a finger poking his shoulder and he does not even need to turn back to see who it is.

Swara: Gussa ho? (Are you angry?)

No response!

Swara: Will you not even talk to me now?

No response!

Swara: Sanskaar?

No response!

Swara: (whispers) My dear would-be husband?

And that earns her a hum in response. Swara shakes her head with a chuckle. Apparently, he is enjoying her distress way too much, and quite evidently, he wants her to pamper him now. Holding his arms, she uncrosses them with great difficulty considering he does not have any intention of helping her out. Placing her palm in his, she entwines their fingers before resting her head on his shoulder.

Swara: I was looking forward to tonight, you know?

She whispers and Sanskaar looks at her incredulously.

Sanskaar: W-What?

He asks in disbelief and Swara sighs rubbing circles with her thumb at the back of his hand.

Swara: I have no idea what you were planning to do tonight but I was looking forward to it. But this... (She points towards their whole family sitting in front of them and smiles) This is something worth cherishing. All of these people, are here to celebrate us, Sanskaar. Just look at the joy on their faces and you will realize what we mean to them... what our marriage means to them. I am blessed to have such a beautiful family.

Sanskaar: (sighs) Yes. Me too!

Swara: And I am more than blessed to have you in my life. I could not have asked for more.

She whispers in his ear and just when she realizes that he is turning his head towards her, she kisses his neck, right below his ear, catching him off-guard. A shiver runs down Sanskaar's spine, and he sucks in a deep breath. Finally, turning his head he looks at her, but giving him an innocent look, she turns her head back towards the front, as if she has not kissed him with every family member present right in front of them. Sanskaar's eyes, on their own accord glance all around, and he takes a breath of relief on noticing that no one has seen their secret moment. Perks of sitting at the very back!

Sanskaar: W-What was that?

Swara: (innocently) What was what, Sanskaar?

Sanskaar lowers his head, quite dangerously close to her face, and whispers huskily.

Sanskaar: Do not test my patience, sweetheart. I have very well intended to wait for our marriage, but your actions are not at all helping my resolve. You would not even want to know all the thoughts that are running in my head right now.

That holds Swara tongue-tied and she staggers backward. The look in his eyes makes her gulp, for she can very well realize that the thoughts, he is talking about, are nowhere near decorous. A part of her wills her to sprint back to her place, urging her to keep her sanity intact; but at the same time the other part of her challenges her to delve deeper into his thoughts only to unravel the wonders he has to offer. Her crazily thudding heart threatens to leap out of its cavity and her mouth runs dry.

Realizing that it is too dangerous to rile him up when their entire family is present, she decides to go back to her place beside Ragini. However, Sanskaar is not having it that way. He needs her near him to keep him sane. It is taking all his will to hold himself back from sneaking her away from everyone and end the game she has dared to start.

As soon as he sees her getting up, he pulls her flush against his chest, encasing her between his legs. A shriek almost leaves Swara's throat but Sanskaar places his palm on her mouth, effectively hushing her down. He pulls her closer as his arm goes around her waist. Swara can feel the heat radiating from him seeping down her back and her heart thuds at a fearsome pace. At this rate, she may even get a heart attack if he decides to continue his assault. She opens her mouth to make a feeble protest but all that comes out is a trembling voice. Sanskaar leans closer and whispers in her ear, "Shh, love! You will alert them all."

Swara shakes her head vigorously as if trying to bring herself out of the trance. Seeing how flustered she is, Sanskaar chuckles and holds either side of her head to make her stop. As he gathers all her hair to her left shoulder, she closes her eyes, not even sure what she has been anticipating. But she has definitely not expected him to push his hand inside his pocket and fetch a small plastic container out of it. Owing to the night and the lights that have been switched off because of the movie, Swara cannot see what it is. But as soon as he opens the container, a strong camphorous smell invades her nostrils. She chuckles realizing what it is and Sanskaar takes a small portion of it and starts rubbing on the side of her neck. He has been carrying a pain-relieving balm in his pocket all this while. The thought itself of being cared for in such a manner overwhelms Swara's heart with happiness and gratitude at the same time.

Sanskaar: (whispers) That was the whole idea, you know!

Swara: W-What?

Can he now even hear her thoughts? Swara cannot believe how much she has started stuttering in front of him lately. It is as if he is the same person she fell in love with, yet he is someone she has just started to know. He never fails to surprise her, no matter the situation.

Sanskaar: To make that rigidness in your neck go away. Everything else is a bonus. Now, focus on the movie.

Saying that he kisses her cheek before wrapping both of them in the same blanket, his arms even more securely around her waist as if he has his entire world in his arms. And indeed, he has!

✨

Swara is left awestruck the moment she steps out into the courtyard of the house along with Ragini. She has not been expecting much but what she sees right in front of her has her spellbound. It is her mehndi today, which will be followed by ladies' sangeet later in the evening. For almost half a day, she has not been allowed out of her room, and as the evening approaches, she is dressed in a bottle-green lehenga. Golden sequins intricately designed in the form of peacocks grace the floor-length skirt, and the golden thread that has been embroidered on the blouse is the sole witness of her heart beating nervously in anticipation. The dupatta that has been pinned on her shoulder flutters with the light breeze and she catches the corner of it to keep it steady.

She caresses the fabric of her lehenga, the velvet as soft as a petal under her fingers, and sighs. The feeling of nostalgia hits her hard as all the memories resurface. The tears threaten to well up her eyes and she closes them taking a deep breath. For sure, life has not been playing fair with them so far, but still, all she wishes for is a life worth cherishing with the one she loves. This is the second chance that she has been bestowed with and she will leave no stone unturned to prove herself worthy of this chance.

Holding her upper arm, Ragini gazes at her friend gently, well aware of the turmoil she is fighting within. With tears still lingering in her eyes, Swara smiles and shakes her head looking at Ragini, trying to assure her that she is alright. Taking a deep breath, she looks at the beauty in front. The whole courtyard has been decorated with drapes of myriads of colors. Strings of marigold flowers hang in every corner possible and right in the middle of the courtyard, two chintz-covered seats have been placed, quite evidently for her and Anshika. A canopy of flowers covers both seats, the only difference being, hers is light green in color and Anshika's is pink, matching their attires.

Swara becomes breathless with every passing moment as she is guided toward her place. Mehndi designers, two for either of them, have already arrived, and they smile at her as they notice her arrival. Taking a deep breath, she sits down and allows her eyes to take glance at the whole place once again before the village women start piling up in the house. She hears them gushing.

"Annapurna Bahu, your daughter-in-law is very beautiful."

"She has a shine in her eyes. She will keep your son very happy."

"She is indeed a keeper."

"May God bless them both."

Swara's eyes well up with tears as she takes a shuddering breath to calm herself down. 'Ominous' and 'not good enough'... This is what she has heard people calling her either behind her back or right in front of her face. However, hearing such endearing words now fills her heart with a hope that everything is changing for good and that life will be better from here onward.

The moment she feels the cool paste falling on her palm, a treacherous tear escapes from the corner of her eye. Mehndi... The moment she realized the truth that Shlok is no more, she came to an unsaid agreement that she would never be able to apply henna on her hand ever again, no matter how much she loves it. She will never be able to wear vibrant colors anymore, nor will she be able to doll herself up. And above all, she will never be able to fall in love again and accept that in front of all. But Sanskaar... Her Sanskaar has given her the courage to love and be loved. He has brought the colors back into her life, and now she is determined to fill the same colors in his life as well. She looks at her palms affectionately as the mehndi artist asks her the name of the groom and when she writes his name on Swara's palms, her lips curl into the most beautiful of all smiles.

Bending towards one of the artists, named Priya, she whispers shyly.

Swara: Can you please write something else as well?

Priya: (smiles and nods her head) Sure!

And when Swara tells her what she wants her to write, Priya's eyes shine seeing how deeply, how irrevocably she is in love with him. Nodding her head with a smile, Priya holds the mehndi cone tighter as she writes what the bride has requested...

'SwaSan' ❤️

✨

A/N

Hello everyone! 

The upcoming chapters, most possibly two of them, will be a bit shorter as I have an exam on the 14th of May. I hope you will like this one. 

Love and regards, 

Stella ❤️