Together Forever

Chapter 71: Cracks

Sleep started to wear off; rather it was the morning light or faint voices that greeted him to reality. Sanskaar sat, a hand over his throbbing temples.

Headache from the last night had put him to sleep, beyond the usual timings. Beams of sun rays coloured his room bright. For reasons, the light blinded him.

He glanced at the window. Sanskaar had a vague recollection of drawing those thick curtains over the window before he slept.
These days, he dwelled more on darkness.

The laughter and murmurs outside, or precisely from the kitchen got his attention. Swara was here, he could tell. Asha would not share that kind of laughter with others.

She was here.

Three days down, since he lied. Sanskaar's hand placed more pressure over his temples. Swara reached out in her usual ways- texts and calls with no differences.

Now it was she who laughed. Sanskaar heard her, a door parted them; but he heard her.

Everything was the same; them, her-- but he wasn't. Because she trusted him and all he could do was to leave cracks upon that. Unwilling. Still, he did.

Vibration from his phone abruptly disrupted his musing. It was a call from NGO's - the very one he awaited to gain some helping hands on the prospect of funds.

Instantly, Sanskaar took Asha's file from the back of the book shelf and glanced at the reports. He had taken pictures of them but in case, he wanted to re - check if he sent all of them.

Sanskaar tugged the file back in haste. Asha and Swara were away yet, he could not stake the chances of them hearing. So he paced outdoors, too quick to be noticed.

But what went unaware was how a paper from the health file slipped off his grip, now on the floor unattended.

"Is he still sleeping?" Swara's head cranked to the kitchen's threshold that gave a limited view of the hall from the kitchen. Because if he wasn't then he could have come.

"Sunny had the worst headache last night." Asha sighed at the memory.

He often winced and kept himself away from light, by any means. Later, she gave a head massage that induced sleep.

"You don't see him sleep everyday."

That was true. Swara had never seen her dearest boyfriend slack upon his rising time despite how short of sleep he was.

"Anyways, can you call him for breakfast? I'll get the table set."  Asha asked as he closed the gas. The breakfast cooking was done, much earlier than expected with Swara's help.

"Dadi, let me help you with setting the table." Just as she picked up a dish, Asha took that away from her, "I can do it Swara. Go wake him up."

"But--"

"You came to see Sunny. Now that I give you a chance, you won't take it?" Asha's tease reddened Swara's face. Was she that obvious? - she wasn't sure. In a vail attempt of hiding the blush, she left.

Not to forget the giggles that followed behind. Swara strode; a hand gently pushed the door as she peeped in. Hoping to be greeted by a sleeping Sanskaar but what she saw was an empty mattress.

A frown adorned her face. The sheets over the bed were sprawled; neither she heard sounds from the washroom nor was he there in the balcony.

"Where did he go?" Swara looked around. Maybe, she should look outside if he wasn't here. She turned her heels and stepped forward- rather on something not the floor.

It was a paper. A neatly folded one. Swara got her hands on the paper. Just then, a hand snatched the paper and she turned beside to see Sanskaar.

"What are you doing?" He took a glimpse of the paper. One of the hospital's papers. God! She had not seen it, has she? Sanskaar looked at Swara.