Sanskar returned to Swara's house,whristling as he went up by the walkway.
Boarding up the building had taken longer than expected.The teens had broken up in the double doors,& the impact of the crash caused structural damage to one wall.He'd had to call one of his emoloyees who lived nearby to help him.
He ran up the steps & took out his phone to call Swara to let him in when he noted the plastic bag near the door.He picked it up & dialed her number.
Sanskar-Hi,I'm outside& so are ur groceries.
You're too young to be this forgetful already.😜
Swara-I'll be right there.
Hearing the sullen tone of voice,he became instantly alert.
Saskar-Whats the matter.
Swara-Nothing,I'm coming down to get u.
Moments later,Swara let him into the dark entryway.Seeing her sharply fomed outlined benath beneath the silk robe should have caught his attention,& spiked his lidebo,but bit didn't.
What caught her attention was her lack of response to his arrival & how she avoided looking at him.
Swara-Thanks (said in a hoarse voice).
She reached for the bag,still keeping her eyes averted & using her hair as a cover.
Sanskar-What's wrong?
Swara-I said nothing.
Sanskar flipped the switch on the wall.She squinted against the bright light & covered her face.
Sanskar-Look at me.
He dropped the bag on the side table & took her chin in his hand.
Sanskar-You've been crying (noting her reddened eyes)
Swara pulled away from him.
Swara-I'm fine.
Sanskar-You're not.What happened b/w the time I left & now?I thought we were good.
Backing away even more,she crossed her arms over her waist.Neither of them spoke as they looked at each other.Sanskar didn't know why she was behaving this way,but it pained him to watch her distance herself from him.
Swara-This isn't normal.
He doesn't have to ask her to explain.
She meant their relationship.
Sanskar-Says who?
Swara-I want normal.
Sanskar-No,u don't.Normal is boring.Tjis is way more exciting.😉
She gave a humorless laugh.
Swara-U have an answer for everything.
Sanskar-I wish I did.Then I'd know what to say to put your mind at ease.
He moved to reach out to her,but she tightened her arms around herself.
She blinked rapidly & gazed up at the ceiling b4 looking at him again.
Swara-In London,I suspected that you'd lied to me.
He frowned.
Sanskar-What r u talking about?
Swara-I suspected that u might be involved with someone.
Sanskar-How?
Swara-I just did.That first night at the restaurant,when I asked u if u had a gf,I suspected u weren't completely honest.I wondered if u were lying to me when u said your brother called the next morning,too.I could have asked u more questions,but I was afraid to know the answers.
Sanskar-I remembered the look in your eyes when u saw me with Kavi.U have no idea how much it killed me to know I caused that pain.
He ran his fingers through her hair.
The hurt he'd caused her had lashed his conscience.
Sanskar-I thought we agreed to keep the past in the past.6 yrs ago doesn't matter.We're starting fresh,here now.No distractions.
It's true they'd agreed to that,but the confrontation with Sahil had left her shaken & ashamed.She continued speaking as if he hadn't said anything.
Swara-When I saw u with her,I felt so used.Like I was nothing to u.
Sanskar-You weren't nothing.
Swara-Being with u like that was the only time in my entire life that I had ever done anything remotely spountaneous.The one time I threw cautioned to the wind,I ended up on the wrong side of the love triangle.
Sanskar-Swara--
Swara-Let me finish.
She took a deep breath.
Swara-It's not that I don't believe you care about me.I'm past that & I do believe u.You've shown me that u do.But I'm afraid all this passion & intensity will fade & then you'll realize that u made a mistake.What if u meet someone else that way u meet me?Then u won't need me anymore,& I'll be alone with this ache inside of me that won't go away.So how do I know that won't happen again?How do u know?
