THE RETURN - A Story of Unending Love

The Return (a)

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I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times...
In life after life, in age after age, forever.
My spellbound heart has made and remade the necklace of songs,
That you take as a gift; wear round your neck in your many forms,
In life after life, in age after age, forever.

- Unending love by Rabindranath Tagore

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Life hasn't always been a bed of roses for her. A peaceful sleep has been a long lost dream. Ever since her childhood, whenever she sleeps some nightmares, whose meaning she is unable to decipher, keep on haunting her. And that's what is happening to her right now...

Closing her eyes, all she could see is a girl, lying in a pool of blood, half unconscious, but slightly whimpering at the advent of the events.

Even though the face is not visible, but she could see someone dragging the unconscious girl by her legs. But what's more shocking is, she could hear what the girl in her dream is thinking...

"I need to go. He must be waiting for me. I need to tell him how much I love him. This can't be the end to our story. I can't die like this. My Arnav, he must be waiting for me.  Arnav. Arnav... "

"ARNAV"

Shouting the same name for the nth time in the twenty five years of her life, Swara wakes up with a jerk, completely covered with sweat and breathing heavily.

"Again the same dream...?!! ", asks her roommate, Ragini, coming out of the washroom. "Seriously Swara, you need to see a doctor. I have known you for almost five years now and everyday you wake up shouting the same name. And who the hell is this Arnav...??"

"How am I supposed to know that...??", says Swara rolling her eyes at her best friend cum roommate. "I have never seen him in my dream. By the way what's the time right now...??"

"7:30 am", answers Ragini applying kohl in her eyes.

"What...?!?! Shit...!! Shit...!! I can't be late for work again. My boss will surely fire me today...!!", says Swara jumping out of her bed.

Ragini turns towards her, "But two days before you said that some new person is coming as the new CEO of your office...!!"

As soon as the realization hits her, Swara shrieks, "Damn, I completely forgot about him. Why is it always me...?? I swear the God above really has some serious issues with me...!! You know how much difficult it is to get a job in Mumbai…!!"

Ragini chuckles and sits on the chair, "But why a new boss all of a sudden...??"

Swara shrugs and shuffles through her cupboard to find something suitable to wear, "I don't know...!! Apparently my boss thinks that he has grown too old and maybe this is the best time for him to introduce his son who has just returned from US...!!"

"Wait. Wait. Wait. Are you saying that your new boss is none other than your old boss' son...??", squeals Ragini like a teenage girl.

Swara looks at her wondering what in world was she thinking when they became friends. Pondering over a bit, she smiles thinking how Ragini has always been with her when she needed someone really badly. Sighing she says, "I guess I said the same thing Ragini...!!"

Ragini smiles mischievously, "Then there is a possibility that this time you'll become the PA of some hot shot hunk. Damn girl, you are lucky."

Swara rolls her eyes again, "Oh please Ragini. I'm there to work, not to check out my bosses. And what if this one turns out to be someone like a chimpanzee...!!"

Ragini stares at her in utter disbelief, "I don't believe this. I have a feeling that this new entry will be life changing for you. Anyways, I'm just saying that you should keep your eyes and ears open. You never know when and where your soul mate hits you."

Swara shakes her head slightly on the love theories of her friend. "Yeah. Yeah, alright Ms. Love Guru. Now, if you could excuse me, I need to take a bath."

Ragini grins widely at her, "Oh yes, why not...!! After all, it's your day and you have to appear enthralling to your new boss."

"Shut up Ragini", saying this Swara shuts the washroom door.

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Swara’s old boss Mr. Ram Prasad Maheshwari is sitting in the conference room with some other officials of the company waiting for his son. Swara, as usual, is sitting beside him.

Just then Mr. Maheshwari smiles pointing at the door, "And here ladies and gentlemen, my son Mr. Sanskaar Maheshwari, the new CEO of the company."

Everyone stands and Swara turns around to look at him. The moment their eyes meet, Swara could see something in them. A spark. An oddly familiar spark. Even though she is seeing him for the first time, she feels as if she has known him for ages.

She starts getting some flashes. This time they are not nightmares, but flashes she could see with open eyes.

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The girl in her dream, wearing a white salwar suit, is running. Only this time she is not terrified, instead she is happy...

"Stop it Arnav...!! I said no colors on me...!!"

"And as if you'll say something and I'll listen to you...!! Happy Holi Mishthi...!!", says Arnav running after her. He is wearing a blue Kurta and pajama, both his hands holding a fistful of colors.

The girl turns towards him frowning and says, "It's Khushi...!!"

Arnav shrugs, "Whatever...!! All I know is you are my Misthi...!!"

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Swara gets extremely shocked. For the first time she could see the face of the man who has been appearing in her dreams ever since she could remember. All the files she has been holding fall down and last thing she recalls is, Sanskaar running towards her before everything turns dark.


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"Swara, are you alright...?? Can you hear me...?? "

Swara opens her eyes on hearing this and finds herself in the same conference room. Everyone is surrounding her except for Sanskaar who is standing in one corner looking intently at some project file.

"I never knew my son's face is so terrifying that you fainted the moment you saw him", chuckles Mr. Ram Prasad Maheshwari, looking at Swara. "But hadn't it been him catching you at right time, you might have hit your head against the table."

Swara stands up, "I'm sorry Sir, it's just that I haven't been feeling too good lately. Sorry about the trouble", she turns around to look at Sanskaar, "And thank you so much Sir for saving me."

Sanskaar nods his head slightly before turning towards his father, "Dad, can we wrap up this meeting soon...?!! I have to check some files."

"As you say, Son...!!"

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In the evening, Swara is sitting on the couch in front of television in her rented apartment, when Ragini comes back from the office. She shares the apartment with Ragini.

Ragini comes and sits beside her. But Swara is all lost in her own world trying to sort out the mess her life has become.

"What happened Swara...?? Didn't it go well with your new boss...??"

Swara sighs, "If fainting as soon as you see your new boss doesn't count, then other than that everything was fine."

Ragini shrieks out, "What...?!! You fainted...!! Are you alright...??"

Swara keeps both her hands on her ears, "Geez Ragini, stop shouting. And I'm fine. May be it was due to weakness or due to workload."

"Oh okay...!! So, is your new boss handsome...?? "

And there she goes again. Swara takes a deep breath before nodding her head in agreement.

"Hot...?? "

"Hmm...!! "

"Hot or extremely hot...?? "

"Extremely hot, Ragini...!! "

"Sexy...?? "

Swara takes a deep breath and keeping the remote aside she turns towards Ragini, "He is extremely handsome, dashing, hot and sexy, but seriously not my type because on top of everything he is damn rude and there is nothing going to happen in between us. So, end of the discussion." She says everything in one breath to which Ragini just shrugs her shoulders, "You are hopeless."


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After a few days, Sanskaar calls Swara to his cabin...

"Ms. Swara, I want you to get these print outs and one more copy of this project file asap as our partner Mr. Jha will be here in an hour from Kolkata", says Sanskaar handing over some files to her, "And we'll be having a meeting with him so make the necessary arrangements for that too."

Swara nods her head and leaves the cabin to get the work done.

After almost two hours, Swara and Sanskaar are sitting in the conference room waiting for Mr. Jha.

Swara raises an eyebrow and looks at Sanskaar, "What happened Mr. Rude Chimpanzee is not angry...?? Even after waiting for almost an hour...??", she chuckles thinking this to herself.

"What's so funny Ms. Swara...?? "

"Umm... Sorry Sir...!! Just some random things...!! "

Shooting a glare at her Sanskaar opens his mouth to speak something but just then Mr. Jha enters...

"Hello Mr. Maheshwari."

"Oh. Hello Mr. Shyaam Manohar Jha."

The moment Swara hears this name her head snaps towards the fifty years old person shaking hands with Sanskaar. She could feel something. She could hear something. She could see something. She again starts getting some flashes...

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She could see Khushi terrified, breathing heavily with rugged breath. She could see Shyam holding her cheeks tightly, tightly to a level that she could feel Khushi's pain.

"You are mine. You got that...?!!", saying this he slaps her hard throwing her down to the floor.

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Swara lets out a scream as she could feel a throbbing pain at the back of her head. Keeping both her hands on her ears she shouts, "No...!! Leave me...!!"

Shouting she sits on the ground with a thump. Everyone at the office runs towards Sanskaar’s cabin.

Sanskaar runs towards her and sits on his knees in front of her, "Swara, what happened...?? Are you fine...?!!"

He tries to touch her but gets taken aback when Swara wraps her arms around his torso and hides her face in his chest crying bitterly. Sanskaar feels a tinge of pain seeing her in such a condition. He could feel as if he has hugged her before, consoled her before, and protected her before. Instantly, he wraps his arms around her stroking her hairs, "Shh...!! It's okay...!! Everything is fine. Nothing is going to happen. I'm there."

He signals someone to take her away. Some office employee holds Swara by her shoulder pulling her away from Sanskaar but Swara just jerks her hand away screaming, “No, don’t take me away…!!” She hugs him even tighter. Sanskaar looks at Mr. Jha asking for permission to take Swara away. He nods and Sanskaar takes her away.

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After half-an-hour, Sanskaar is in a meeting with Mr. Jha.

“All right Mr. Maheshwari. I think that the deal is final then”, says Mr. Jha forwarding his hand for a hand-shake. Sanskaar smiles and shakes his hand with him, “Of course Mr. Jha.”

“So, I expect to see you soon in Kolkata”, asks Mr. Jha.

“Yes. We will be there next week.”


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