It was the time last guest of the party who exited Maheshwari Mansion when the clock stroke 1. Durgaprasad’s smile turned into frown when he looked at Sanskar who was all smiles.
“Sanskar” he called out while Sanskar was on his way to his room. Sanskar gave ‘I know what is it’ eye roll before turning to face Durgaprasad who wore his agitated face back. It wasn’t any unusual for Sanskar. Because that’s the face he expects from Durgaprasad and thinks ‘suits just like the skin’ on his face.
Sanskar looked at the person who is also the elder brother of his father. A person whom his father has followed like the real Lakshman not realizing he is no Ram. Not even an ounce of his personality came near to Shri Ram Chandra Ji. But he could be a bit like Dashanan Ravan but then it will be an insult to the greatest king who ever ruled earth being compared to this man who had no regard for anyone. Not even to his own kids.
“What do you think you were doing in the party?” Durgaprasad reduced the distance between them. Annapurna flinched. She so knew the tone her husband was talking with will surely hurt Sanskar. And again the family will break. Though she very well knew her family has shattered long ago.
“Me? From when have you started being concerned about what I do?” Sanskar raised his one eye brow pretending he was really shocked. “Stop your nonsense” Durgaprasad’s anger busted which he had been kept under wraps for so long.
” You asked me to talk non sense didn’t you? Oh wait what was your question again” Sanskar moved a bit closer to Durgaprasad this time. Durgaprasad closed his eyes annoyed and took a deep breath. “Fueling your anger more? Happy doing that” Sanskar waved at him. “But I…. am tired” he yawned stretching his arms.
Ramprasad felt his son was being extremely offensive towards Durgaprasad. He felt his son should have been more discreet about what he was talking and to whom he was talking.
It was the head of the family and of course his elder brother. He made a quick move to reach Sanskar and placed his hand over his son’s chest to move him a bit back. Literally signing him to back off. Sanskar gave his father a mocking smile and a quick glance before turning to his so called Bade Papa.
Before he could let the next revert at Durgaprasad they heard a glass breaking sound and their head moved to the source. “Brother….” Laksh drunk walked towards the center of the hall where the Mahabharat was on it’s peak stage. “Don’t” he held on to Sanskar’s shoulder and collapsed. Sanskar held his brother and tried to making him steady but the alcohol had done its wonder. Was there any magic to make a drunk man come back to his pretending senses from normal? Of course not.
“Don’t disrespect father alright?” he said showing his finger and trying to figure out which was the real Sanskar as he was seeing many images of him right now. He shrugged his head hard to make it sure but the number only increased. “Laksh you are drunk?” a furious Durgaprasad almost screamed.
“Shhhhh” Laksh closed his ears annoyed and his hold on Sanskar was loose a bit and he was about to fall but Sanskar held him. “Thanks bro” he smiled at his brother with his half closed eyes.
“You expect people to just look at the bar and walk off when you arrange a cocktail party? How can you be so accurate?” Sanskar mocked making Durgaprasad fume more.
“Shut up” he screamed this time like the roof will fly if it was made of hay. But luckily the house was ancestral and was not built by the ever kanjus Durgaprasad.
“You earned it Mr. Durgaprasad Maheshwari” Sanskar smirked at him and walked holding Lakshya carefully. “You know bro I really did wrong” Lakshya’s face became sober looking at his brother.

“I should have listened to Maa. You know when she said my dad has chosen a right girl for me. You know his choices. I did not believe him” he chuckled while Sanskar helped him to climb the stair flight.
“I should have known Maa tho maa hothi hai. She never ever wants bad for her kid” he said smiling and Sanskar just made him to climb the next step.
“If I had that faith in mom the way you have in Chachi. I wouldn’t have to undergo all this” he said nodding his head. “I would have been a real lucky man” he smiled again and was imbalanced and was about to fall. Annapurna looked at her son emotionally and worried.
But Sanskar held him tight. “Life wouldn’t have been or our family wouldn’t have been this complex isn’t it?” he looked at Sanskar. “It’s too late Laksh to talk about it” said Sanskar as he reached the upper end of the stair flight.
“It is late bro but not too late” Lakshya smiled at his brother. “You have to rectify my mistakes bro. I did a big mistake as I thought somebody random will fit my family and will take care of it and glue it together rather than Ragini” he smiled with his half closed eyes. Sanskar looked at his brother.
“She deserved to be here. She really did. But I was blinded. I was blinded by the fake shimmering the life was showing without realizing that nothing on earth can have it’s own natural glitter. Only sun has his own glitter and everyone just takes out of it to shimmer” he said looking at his brother.
“She is the sun bro but I told you I was blinded” he smiled again. “Laksh” Sanskar tried stopping his brother. He glanced at Swara who was in tears hearing his confession.
He surely knew this will happen one or the other day but the situation made him pity on her. She sure deserved it but was Sanskar that cruel to let her face this humiliation?
Of course he was.
He smirked at his sister in law making her flare her nostrils looking at his ‘I told you so’ expression. She closed her eyes and fist. ‘You are going to pay for it and too hard’ she said in her mind.
“You will make her this house Bahu na bhai?” Laksh asked Sanskar. “Of course. Do I have a choice now? To make the differences more clear” he looked at Swara who narrowed her eyebrows looking at him.
“Do I?” he turned to Laksh who hugged him like a small kid and smiled widely. “I love you bro. You are my true family” he said and Sanskar moved to Lakshya’s room helping him.
He made Lakshya sleep and then walked back to the Kurukshetra. “You know Scrooj McDuck?” Sanskar crossed his arms. With his one hand under his chin looked at Durgaprasad.
“It is funny cartoon and I’m sure you have despised all the things which brings a smile on someone’s face” he smiled. “He was a rich duck. I mean he is still because cartoons never die. So he has this big room you know and it is filled with all the gold coins. You know he was the richest duck. But then one day somebody dug hole in that room from bottom and suddenly all his fortune just drained down from that hole. A mere rabbit hole. Even the last penny got swept off from his fortune room. What remained with him was his courage and the first coin he ever earned which was in his neck” Sanskar finished walking across Durgaprasad and stood facing him again.
“There is similar rabbit hole in your fortune room” he cocked his head towards Durgaprasad. “I know who is the rabbit. Do you know Mr. Durgaprasad?” he smirked. “Of course you aren’t even near to Scrooj in case of smartness. So keep your eyes open and ears sharp. You never know which mask may fall off and the real ugly face will scare you” he moved his head back.
As he walked to his room the smirk deepened. ‘You are not going to have it easy’ he spoke in his mind.
Durgaprasad stood there replaying Sanskar’s words. His family members who were witnessing the mock battle moved to their rooms. Something was new today. Not just the drunken Lakshya but also a person who spoke standing in front of Durgaprasad and looking straight into his eyes.
****.****
Sanskar opened the door of his cabin and walked to his table noticing Ragini immersed in her work. It was kind of good thing in his life because when she worked she used to forget that she has so many issues in her life.
He cleared his throat and sat on the couch. Ragini who looked up from the file found Sanskar smiling at her. She dialed the intercom. “Shreya send a french toast and orange juice. Boss is in the cabin” she placed the intercom back and continued her work.
Sanskar walked to her and she could feel his proximity which made her heartbeat wild like always. “How can you be so normal every time?” he asked as he placed his hand on the file. She looked up at him.
“Because I get paid for the same thing. To act normal” she shrugged her shoulders. “You know you confuse me a lot” he sat in front of her on the table and Ragini rolled her eyes not looking up.
“Some days you behave like everyone on the earth is hating you and you be sober that handling you becomes so difficult and some days just the right attitude. Like you can face anything. Even the Lucifer” Sanskar threw his hands in the air.
“Because” she looked up at him. “It is hard for me the days when I don’t know what you are up to. And the days I know your blo*dy plans. I buy myself the right attitude Mr. Maheshwari” she smirked and Sanskar narrowed his eyes looking at her.
“I finally know.” She rested back in her chair and played with the pen placing it between her index fingers.
“What is running in your mind” she smiled at him twitching her lips. “Sorry?” he asked looking confused. “What were you thinking Boss I will never come to know what games are you playing?” asked she.
“You want to make me against my sister that’s why you want to marry me and make me break my sister’s family” she gritted her teeth.
“Swara Bhabi called you right?” he asked and she did not reply. “Does it matter Sanskar who told me the truth? I know truth that matters” she stood up. And he moved and stood facing her.

“How can you be so blinded by your revenge?” she squeezed her eyes giving him a disgusted look. “Once you hurt your mother didn’t you had enough of it? I won’t let you hurt her again” she said flaring her nostrils.
Sanskar folded his lower lip and mocked at her words. “The love and those emotions all are fake. You have just one emotion in your life. That’s revenge. Revenge for the death of your would be wife….” before she could talk further she felt a pull and in next second her lips were sealed with his lips and he gave her a challenging smile while she widened her eyes like they will just come out and will be on the ground anytime now.
She got her senses back when he sucked her breath squeezing her waist. She blinked her eyes and struggled to get out of his hold.
She hit him with her fist but it was of no use. She pushed him and he dragged her more close and proved that he was stronger in this game. Finally when he could no longer breath without oxygen he left her and she fell backward a bit hitting the chair and Sanskar dragged her back and she landed on his hard chest.
“Excuse me sir” Shreya peeped inside the cabin through the door. Sanskar who was enjoying Ragini’s struggle to get out of his hold looked back over his shoulder. “Yes Shreya. Please place the tray on the table and make sure nobody disturbs me when I’m having my private time with my future wife will you?” he smiled at Shreya.
Shreya was too shocked for two reasons. One she saw Ragini in Sanskar arms though she did not felt her struggle. And second was Sanskar addressing Ragini as his future wife. But she was being paid to face the worst in this job.
She tried to bring that formal smile on her face. “Sure sir” she placed the tray and moved out to close the door as per her boss’s wish.
Sanskar turned his gaze back at Ragini who was still struggling. “You were right about me having a single emotion. But it isn’t revenge. It is love” she looked up at him.
“Love for you and only for you” he said looking at her passionately. Ragini’s eyes moistened. The tear was at the walls ready to drop.
You are the light….. You are the night
You are the colour of my blood
You are the cure you are the pain
You are the only thing I want to touch
Never knew that it could mean so much
“I’m sorry” she whispered closing her eyes. She could no longer see that pain in his eyes. “I can’t be cheating two people Sanskar. Don’t make me feel that tiny” she looked into his eyes. He wiped her tears which fell off her eyes.
“I want you to feel the love I have for you nothing else. And trust me you cannot deny my love” he caressed her forehead lovingly trying to lighten those wrinkles of worry. .
Only you can set my heart on fire
So love me like you do la-la-la
Love me like you do.
What are you waiting for
“I can’t Sanskar” she hiccuped.
She released herself from his hold and stood at a distance. “I’m scared. This will ruin everything I hold dear” she held both her hands near her chest and gave him a painful look.
He moved and untangled her hands and held each of them in his two hands. After looking how perfectly her hands joined with his he looked up straight in her eyes with all the truth.
“The only thing that scares me is you not being beside me” and those words which made the tears to reach the wall of his eye made her heart flinch.
“Don’t..” he took a sharp breath when she tried to release her hands. “Don’t do this with yourself. I can tolerate anything for myself. But I can’t see you like this. Broken. Breaking yourself for someone and then collecting those pieces and getting hurt while doing so. I can’t” he said honestly.
“Why? Why do you love me so much?” she asked moving near to him. “I have no choice. I don’t know what it feels like to lose you. I can’t even imagine that. I don’t want to” he looked down not able to look at her.
“But we can’t change it can we?” she asked helpless. “You can change it Ragini. You can. Just bring your confidence on our love. Or whatever it is called the thing we have. For me it is most purest emotion and I will never want to be deprived off it. Never” he nodded his head.
She hugged him and let out those tears. “Yes it is. Fine” she said determined. “I will let Dadi know that if I want to live my life with anyone then it’s you nobody else” she said tightening her grip on his blazer.
“I love you Sanskar” she said and he kissed her hair. “I love you too love” he smiled finally with that real smile of his.
***.***
Ragini entered the home with a new hope in her heart. She knew it is gonna hurt many but it was better than marrying Rudr having feelings for Sanskar. Not when she did not had the courage to live away from Sanskar.
She gulped the sore lump looking at her family which was discussing something over the tea. She held the strap of her hand bag trying to gain the strength finally to utter what her heart wanted. But was she ready for the consequences?
Time is the biggest healer and the biggest support right now she felt and took a deep breath to finally speak.
Speak for herself.
For the first time.
***.****
So the winner of the guess the dialogue before the update goes to GraciaHadid.
And this chapter is dedicated to her.
Too high on English songs now a days.
Love me like you do….
So let me know your views on the episode.
Till I come up for the next time
Love
Sally ?