Love Has a way of wilting Or blossoming

At the strangest,Most unpredictable hour.

This is how love is, An uncontrollable beast ,

In the form of a flower.

The sun does not always shine on it.Nor does the rain always pour on it

Nor should it always get beaten by a storm.

Love does not always emit the sweetest scents,

And sometimes it can sting with its thorns.**

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Swara leisurely laid on pillow ..her hands flipping the pages of album. A little smile played on her lips as she recalled the memories fondly..her eyes were fixed on photograph where a 11 year old kid stood besides 8 year old girl ,looking at her as if she is his world ,with a dreamy smile on his lips .

It was on occasion of Diwali , a year after Sanskaar had become a part of family . She still remembered how he was reluctant join the family photograph ,until she pulled him in and he willingly obliged like he can't say no to her.She flipped next few pages catching glimpses of their past years...she gently traced her hand over his photograph

Sanskaar ...she gently whispered

It felt new his name ..the way she took it ..the sound of it, the fluttering of her heart, her lips curving upwards ...the rush of warmth on her cheeks. Lost in her own musings she didn't notice the intruder until the album in her hands was flicked off. Jerked out of her thoughts Swara noticed it was her brother Sujoy Some never change Swara sighed exasperatedly looking at Sujoy

"Dada..you scared me , now give me back my album." She reached out to the album in his hands

"Not so soon My dear behna..Sujoy ran around the room " Not before I see what made you so lost" he crooked his eye brows with a grin "or should I say who?" He quickly caught glimpse of photograph ... "Oh oh .. I should have guessed.."he grinned widely.

Swara settled on bed giving up her attempts, yet carrying a curious expression on her face "Guessed what?"

Sujoy smiled "That it would be him" settled besides her , gave her back the album

"Aisa kuch nahi bhai .. I was just ..."

"Oh Shona! .. ab maan bhi lo" Gauging her curious expression "Hogaya hai tujhko tho pyaar behna .. Laakh karle tu inkaar behna" Sujoy gently nudged her shoulder. " You love him, don't you ?" he asked

It didn't jolt her.Hearing it ..may be she had known it from quite sometime. All these days when she longed for one glimpse of Sanskaar.. When she missed him as if someone ripped out a part of her heart .. The jealousy that raked through her when she saw Kavita their padosan ki beti ,trying to gain attention from Sanskaar ..Her Sanskaar , may be she had known it. May be she had been in love with him all these years but realization hit her just few days back.

The more he pushed her away , the more she had been drawn towards him, hopelessly. With his every step of indifference, she took a step forward to the realisation of her feelings for Sanskaar.. which ventured into new realms beyond friendship ,into love but ..."How did you ? I mean .." She halted in midway wondering if it was that evident.

"Well ,I had no doubt about Sanskaar.Sujoy replied confidently " I knew he loves you from the time when we were kids .. C!mon the way he looks at you .. I mean ..Shona .. .you are his life, but I was not sure about your feelings ... but that day at hospital when I have seen you ..I knew it then.."

Swara knew what day he was referring to.A call from her brother about Sanskar meeting with an accident made her rush like a mad person to the hospital.And when she found him in ward a flood of relief washed through her..Ignoring he was being treated, she rushed to into his arms startling the nurse and Sanskaar equally.

Her tears flowed out as she mumbled incoherently on how scared she had been until she felt his soothing touch ,his one arm wrapping her gently

" Shona .. I am fine kuch nahi hua mujhe" his voice came as soothing as his touch.She gently lifted her face from his arms to look at him ,her eyes pooling with tears " I got scared Sanskaar .. I just ..I ..." she struggled to find her words but she didn't have to.

He had seen and felt the naked fear in her eyes on thought of losing him and something much more ,which he feared to read ,yet he couldn't help, but get drawn into it .He had always been helpless and hopeless when it comes to Shona .. hopelessly in love , helpless of not having a say and hold on his heart.

"Hush...Shona..His hand cupped her face softly "Hush ...Bas ..ab rona bandh karo ."His fingers gently wiped off tears trickling down her cheeks." Main theek hoon."

"Sachi?'

He simply nodded ..and couldn't help but wrap her in arms again

Standing next to them, Sujoy felt the jolt of what transpired between them for one moment..one moment when Swara and Sanskaar looked into each other's eyes.It was something beyond words.

"I knew it then ..that tum bhi..."Sujoy Paused looking at his sister.Swara simply nodded with a little smile on her lips. " Tho kaisa Chal raha hain..teri love story?" he asked teasingly and noticed Swara's smile fading away, " Kya hua Shona?"

"I don't know dada.. Sanskaar, "her voice trailed off as she continued.."Main uske jitne paas jaane ki koshish karti hoon ..woh utna dur bhag raha hain. It's like something is holding him back and I ..I don't know what should I do about it.. And you know how dadi doesn't approve me being around Sanskaar."

"Lekin hospital main ?"

Back from hospital on insistence of Sekhar, Sanskaar stayed back from work for a dsy or two.Much to his mother's dismay Sekhar didn't object when Swara tended to Sanskaar and would spend sometime with him.

When sharmistha broached this topic" Mysti ..Tum bhi ? Swara aur sanskaar bachpan ke dost hain..aur logon ka kya ,,kuch tho kehte rahenge..mujhe unki parwah nahi ."

"Lekin Sekhar .. woh baat alag thi .. Sharmistha still protested "tab woh bache the ab..agar kal kisni shona aur Sanskaar ko lekar aisa waise kuch kehdiya tho..kal uski shaddi karni hain humne."

"Shaadi? Gudiya tho ab bhi ...'

"Ab aapki gudiya sirf gudiya nahi hain ..badi hogayi hain.. ek do saal main shaadi karvadenge uski ..abhi se shuru karenge tho, kuch acha rishtaa milpayega..acha parivaar unchi khandan..pada likha...aap samaj rahe hain main kya kehrahi hoon?"

Sekhar silently nodded .

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"Now stop acting like a bully Shona .. I am not having that herbs soup..please..Don't you dare to ...Sanskaar halted his protests in midway as he noticed the murderous glance of Swara.

"Bully ? Really Sanskaar! Swara settled besides Sanskaar holding soup bowl. " Remember those days when you bullied me into taking all those bitter medicines when I was down with fever. Ab chup chaap peelo... aaa karo.."

"Ziddi" Sanskaar muttered under breath

"Woh Tho hoon main .bachpan se ."Swara smiled as she fed him soup. Swara couldn't be happier as she felt old days are back ..their old days. They talked for a while .Sitting next to him Swara watched him drift to sleep.This was first time she watched him sleep, watched him this close after all these days. Swara checked her watch .It had been more than an hour...She should be leaving Nahi tho Dadi bewaja hungama karegi." Sighing Swara got up to leave..but halted as she felt sanskaar holding her hand. Her heart skipped a beat and a warmth surged through her

Shona ..she heard his murmur and whirled around.

"Mat jao Shona"..he continued to murmur stirring restlessly. Swara quickly settled besides him, held his hand and his fingers instinctively wrapped around her..and he slipped back into deep slumber.

Swara watched their joined hands. He took her name , he didn't want her to go. " Phir Kyu Sanskaar ..itne din mujhse itna dur chale gaye ..lekin ab Main tumhe chodkar kabhi nahi jaungi Sanskaar ..Kabhi nahi " she told resolutely to herself. Her gaze lingered on him for long , on his short sleek jet black hair, thick dark eyebrows just above his lashes which strikingly stood out..his eyes were of molten chocolate colour ..sometimes they were as transparent as glass for her to read , all open ,warm , sometimes they encompassed world's mystery.Grainy stubble coated his angular jaw,probably he hadn't had a shave from 2 days .

Well ,she always liked his stubbled look than' I- am -good boy' clean shave look. His hold was still warm around her hand...warmth slowly seeping into her. She resisted the urge to thread her fingers through his hair, stroke them gently... Watching him sleep was one of sight which she would remember and realised she can spend hours just looking at him.

After an hour or two

Sanskaar slowly opened his eyes ...feeling dizzy but the awareness of warm fingers entwined around his hand jolted him out. He slowly turned his face to other side to find swara,next to him ...asleep leaning onto his shoulder.

Shona' he quietly murmured trying to get up which jerked sawra out of her nap.

" Woh neend aagayi Mujhe .."

"Tum gayi nahi ? he asked surprised " Kab se ..yaha ..I mean Mujhe Laga ki"

"Woh main jaane hi waali thi ..tumne rukhne ko kaha main rukh gayi..ab bolo kaise ho tum ..Kuch Laavu tumhare liye ..Chai banake le aavu ?"Swara replied in her usual cheerful voice

"Maine kaha?"Sanskaar stared at her in disbelief. He asked her to stay ..he shouldn't have ..God! "Aur kuch kaha maine?"He almost felt horrified at idea of saying something which he didn't meant to say ..He looked at their joined hands and back at her.

"Nahi toh ... bas Shona Shona bol rahe the.. issliye main..before she could complete her Sanskaar snatched his hand back jolting her "Shona .. ab tumhe jaana chahiye..bahut dher hogayi hain"

Confused with sudden change in his stance "Lekin main tho ...Sanskaar kya hua?" Swara questioned him worried .

"Shona ..please jao yaha se ..Please mujhe akele rehna hai .. jaavo"

Suddenly warmth between them lost. Looking at him she knew he didn't want her to stay ..not a minute more. He was no longer relaxed ..his stature was more rigid.Hurt...Not Saying a word she got up and started to step out. Sanskaar watched her striding towards door.

Damn! He was rude and the hurt in her eyes ,He squeezed his eyes shut.

"Shona.."

She stopped in tracks listening his voice but didn't turn back

"I am sorry.I was rude." Why is she not turning back .He can't stay in peace knowing he had hurt her.

Not turning back she took her steps towards door.

"Shona ..Sorry Bola na" he tried again.

At the doorstep she halted for a while "Yaad hain Sanskaar ..bachpan jab main bimaar thi aur main dawa lene se jidd kar rahithi tab tume kuch kaha tha ...

Memories flashed through him . He held her by shoulders .With her doe eyes , pale face a little girl of 8 years turned to him and said"You will die" in an attempt to scare him.

It would be Before you ..he could hear his own voice , a voice of 11 year old kid.

Her voice broke his trance"Tab mujhe kuch samaj nahi aaya .. She turned to face him "par ab... samajh aa raha hain...and I want you to know ..it would never be before me.It would be together .I will never let you go away from me. "

Saying she stepped out leaving a startled Sanskaar behind.

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"Kaha kho gaye Shona?" Sujoy asked looking at his sister.

"Kuch nahi Dada ...Woh Hospital se aane ke baad .Sanskaar is back to stay away from me' mode ...main itni mushkil se usse baat karne ki, milne ki bahane dhoondti rehti hoon lekin woh ...main kya karoon dada?woh Samajhta kyu nahi ..." Swara huffed in impatience.

Sujoy didn't like disappointment in her tone .May Be he understood reason behind Sanskaars indifference but it was a mere guess.But he knew one thing for sure .He had seen it from years Swara aad Sanskaar are like two halves,One would be incomplete without other and they would be whole only together.

"Hmm, Problem hain ...tho phir ,Let's sort it out." Sujoy told resolutely

"Kaise ?"

"Don't worry ..tere Dada hain na. He cheered Swara up and told to himself "ab Sanskaar ko jijai banakar hi chodenge."

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"From when did you start fancying ice Cream ,that too in a parlour ?" Sanskaar gave a curious glance to Sujoy. He always shared a warm friendly bond with Sujoy didn't mind pulling his leg once in awhile.

"Things keep changing you know as well priorities ,Waqt ke saath badalna padta hain mere dost. Socha ab chuttiyan hain tho thoda masti karo... phir hostel tho waise bhi jaana hain,"Sujoy answered back smiling.

"Are we waiting for someone ?"Sanskaar asked as it had been 15 minutes and sujoy seemed in no mood to order.

"Lo aagayi ..Sujoy smiled as he glanced at his sister walking in and Sanskaar froze. Swara sported a simple maroon colour kurti which highlighted her milky cream complexion paired with black jeans ..her hair gently pulled to one side and braided loosely like done in hurry ,few strands hanged loose she looked ...At the loss of words Sanskaar stared at her blankly

"You didn't tell me Shona is joining us ." he mumbled at Sujoy

"There's Something called Surprise you know " Sujoy winked quickly at him and got up to give quick hug to his sister " Kya Shona ..Late kar diya tumne" he complained

"Sorry" Swara... held her ears ..her eyes focused on Sanskaar who gave her a smile , quickly averted his eyes but she didn't. After a while he looked back at her, her gaze was unwavering.Her golden eyes sparkled with a glint of mischief..unsettling him.

Fine! Sanskaar decided Had Enough ! If it's a game bring it on.His eyes met hers with equal glint, challenging .

"Ok now let's order Ice cream I will go with butterscotch ..Sujoy looked at Swara .aur tu shona ."Vanilla with chocochips .. Sanskaar answered before Swara could say something drawing a smile from her in response "that's her favourite."he concluded before Sujoy could came up with any questions ..his eyes fixed on hers.

"Make that two ...Swara said her gaze unwavering "that's his favourite too."

Sujoy smiled "Well! ,The plan seems to be working. Great job dude! he patted himself mentally.

Sanskaar already noticed few admiring glances at Swara from the time she walked in from other tables ,clearly feeling irked ..resisting the temptation to punch them.he directed it towards her "You could have told me you wanted an ice cream..I could have got it."

"But You wouldn't get it for you and would never share mine like before." she retorted back

"Who told I am sharing it now?"

" I never asked ..Now you better stop fighting with me Ok! ".Swara concluded reaching for her ice cream.

"Time to make an exit" Sujoy told himself and quickly finishing his scoop.Oh ..God! Maine kaise bhool gaya .. I had to meet a friend .. Sanskaar, tu shona ko drop karde..main nikal raha hoon and not giving Sanskaar a chance to react he rushed out.

Left with Her, Sanskaar tried to quickly finish his share as well. "Jaldi Karo ..Hame nikalna hain."

"Kyu ? Itna yummy.ice cream hain Swara replied enjoying her scoop "main tho ek aur khaavungi ..this is so good ..hmmm ...Lost in relishing her ice cream ..she licked her lips innocently not quite realizing its effect on person seated before her . His heart skipped a beat and then beat double.Quickly Sanskaar lowered his eyes blocking away all thoughts , shutting out all images that rushed through his mind.God, Knows how he spent next 15 -20 minutes as she hogged one after another ...He couldn't help but look at her and cursed himself for the same .. What a torture it was! especially when she met his eyes.

Sanskaar sighed in relief as they got up with Swara done with her fill . Thank God!On their way to Counter Sanskaar turned at Swara as she called him out

"Tum na Sanskaar .. aaj bhi badle nahi .. " before he could react her fingers touched corner of his lips wiping off ice cream and Sanskaar stood still. He stopped to breath for a minute .Her touch was burn...it had always been, just like his love for her .One day he knew this burning love and ache for her , the searing need to have her to himself would ruin him and all would be left is ashes...

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Few months later

Sitting amidst flowered bed in bridal wear ..red lehenga and choli waiting for him ..her Sanskaar . Swara smiled to herself as she gently traced mangalsutra gracing her neck .Her heart thudded as she heard sound of footsteps and leaped out as she saw him enter the room. In cream and red colour sherwani he looked nothing less than a prince charming

Sanskaar looked at his bride ..his shona. It was like a dream which he never thought of never dared to wish for ...but now..He ruined everything for her ..unknowingly .How would he face her ..Unable to meet her gaze, he silently walked towards window stared blankly at star studded sky " Vivah Samphan hua ..aaj se aap dono pati patni hain" Pandits voiced echoed in his ears.

Sanskaar ..she heard her soft whisper and sensed her just behind him ..few feet away.

" Shona .. he murmured softly and gathered his voice ... "I am sorry Shona .. I shouldn't have..His voice cracked in between "Sab meri wajah se hua hai..mujhe waha..he startled as she felt her hands embracing him from behind.

" Oh Sanskaar .. Bhool jao Sab kuch ..Main bata nahi sakti main kitni khush hoon ..Bahut khush hoon main ..ab hum saath hain ..hame koi alag nahi karsakta ..kaha tha na maine tumse ..I will never let you go away from me ..aur Wahi Kiya ... I love you Sanskaar . Her hands tightened around him unconsciously.

Silence ruled for few minutes.

Sanskaar turned to her ..his brows frowned. "Tum Khush ho?' he asked staring at her in disbelief. Swara nodded her face beaming with delight mistaking his expression.

God ! Sanskaar stepped back from her "I should have known ..I should have known it .."

Swara stared at him in confusion "Sanskaar "she tried reaching him out

"Don't you dare come closer to me.."his voice was like whiplash made her stop from taking a step towards him. His eyes turned red ... something unfathomable crossed them.

"You tricked me into this ..Didn't You? You tricked me into marrying you..Right?"

Swara looked shell shocked hearing him.They stood apart ..just few feet away but distance seemed endless.

He stepped forward his hands gripping her shoulders tightly in a painful hold " Iss baar mujhe sirf sach sun na hain ...his voice was as deadly as his stare " Sirf Sach.. Haan ya Naa? ...Haan .. ya Naa?"

She stood watching into his eyes ...He would hate her for this but she did this for them and she held no regrets would never hold any " Haan" Her voice echoed in their room breaking the silence leading to a nothing but deadly chilled silence next minute.

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