Ragini paced outside her father's study. It has been more than half an hour, what were her parents doing with Sanskaar in their for so long! She wrung her fingers.

A giggle cracked through the tension. Ragini shot a look at Maya, who was sitting with her outside the study.

'Sanskaar is manners,' her Nani drawled from the other side, making Maya break into fresh giggles.

'Nani!' 

'Okay! Okay! Don't get so stressed. What is the worst that can happen?'

'Nani, if all you want to do is tease me than leave me alone,' Ragini said primly, crossing her arms. She threw a pointed glance at Maya for good measure.

Her nani shook her head, 'Come with me, Maya. We should get some sweets, just in case if ...'

'Nani!'

Time seemed to have slowed down once they left her alone. Every second drag. Every minute made the lump in her throat worse. She wiped her clammy hands against her jeans before wrapping her arms around herself.

The door opened after what felt like ages and her mother breezed past her. 

Ragini's heart beat rose. What did that mean? Was that a yes or a no?

Sanskaar walked out quietly. When he saw her, his face turned serious. He looked away as she rushed towards him. 

'Sanskaar?' she whispered, not daring to say any more.

But he just refused to look back at her. She pulled his face closer to her's. 'Sanskaar. Please say something,' she pleaded.

He looked into her eyes for long and then jerked his head in a quick 'no'.

Ragini gasped, dragging her hand away from his face, 'You promised,' she whispered, failing to keep the accusation from her voice.

'Rag–'

Ragini ran away before he could say anything more. She didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to hear those words. She ran up the stairs and barged into her room, plopping herself on the bed. 

She felt the door open behind her and heavy slow footsteps walk her way. A shaky breath left her and tears trickled down her cheeks.

'Ragini,' he whispered, his voice feeling a lot more defeated than she would have liked.

'Dont,' Ragini said swirling around, 'I don't want to know. You promised. You said no one would turn you down. You said it,' she yelled holding his collar.

Sanskaar looked away, 'I tried ...'

'No! No, you didn't. Because if you had, we would have been happy together right now.'

'Don't you think I wanted their approval too?'

'Then what happened? You just wouldn't give up when it came to pursuing me. And now ...now you have given up in one meeting?'

'I haven't given up,' Sanskaar said holding her hand.

Ragini pulled her hand away, 'You have. I can hear it in your voice.' She wiped her tears, 'Do you really love me Sanskaar? Do you?'

Sanskaar's head snapped up to look at her from where he now sat on the floor, 'How can you even ask that?' 

'Then what am I supposed to think? I told you. I told you, you needed to get Papa's approval for us to be together or you would have to forget me.'

'Do you really want me to forget you?' Sanskaar asked, pulling her closer, 'Can you forget me?'

Ragini looked away, 'I cannot go against my parents.'

Sanskaar left her hand, 'But you can leave me?'

Ragini turned to watch him teary eyed, 'What am I supposed to do then?'

'Come with me. Marry me.'

'Against my parent's wishes?'

'You love me, don't you?' Sanskaar asked, boring into her eyes.

'But I love my parents too.' 

'So you are going to marry the guy they have chosen for you then?' Sanskaar asked quietly.

Ragini's eyes widened as she stared at him. She gasped, 'What?'

Sanskaar met her eyes, 'They choose someone for you.'

Ragini shook her head, 'No. That is not true. They cannot fix my marriage without checking with me. They wouldn't. They know I love you.' Ragini stared into his eyes, 'That is not true, is it?'

Sanskaar stayed quiet.

Ragini shot up, 'I wont marry anyone but you. I am going to talk to Papa now.'

Before she could take more than a couple of steps, he held her hand. She turned to look at him.

Sanskaar shook his head, 'They wont agree.'

'How can you say that? I have to try.'

'The boy's family is going to be here any minute now.'

Ragini felt the air squeeze out of her lungs. She shook her head. No. That couldn't be true. 'No,' she whispered trying to leave her room, but Sanskaar stoped her, blocking her way.

'Ragini, I am not going to stop fighting, but ...'

'But what, Sanskaar?'

'Are you with me?'

'Do you even need to ask that?'

'What if it comes down to choosing between your parent's wishes and my love? What will you chose? Will you leave me and marry the one they have chosen?'

Ragini stilled, caught in his intense eyes. Her lips quivered as tears stared flowing down her eyes all over again, forcing her to look away. She loved him. She never meant to. She didn't want to. But now she did. She couldn't hurt her parents, but life without Sanskaar ...

'Oww!' Sanskaar yelped.

Ragini turned to find her Nani holding his ear.

'Nani! It is hurting a lot!'

'Good! Serves you right for teasing my granddaughter!'

'Teasing?' Ragini whispered looking between them confused.

'May be I should talk to Uday and really ask him to reject the proposal,' Nani warned looking at Sanskaar sternly, still holding his ear.

'Nani!' Sanskaar still, staring at her wide-eyed.

'Dont Nani me,' she warned primly finally leaving his ear, 'Is this why I helped you? To see you make my Ragini cry?'

'Nani?' Ragini asked, feeling lost. 

Nani looked at Sanskaar pointedly before turning to Ragini, 'What did this boy tell you?'

'Nani, Papa chose someone for me. That boy's family is coming here now.'

Nani hit Sanskaar on his arm a bit forcefully.

'Awww! Nani!' Sanksaar yelped rubbing his arm.

'Nani, is it true?' Ragini asked quietly.

'Tell her the truth,' Nani ordered Sanskaar.

'Truth?' Ragini looked between then before focusing on Sanskaar.

Sanskaar ran his fingers through his hair, looking chastised. 'The boy's family–Oww!' Sanskaar rubbed his arm again eying Nani cautiously, 'You are too strong for your age.'

'If you don't blurt out the truth quickly, you will see my real strength and Uday's and Janki's'

'You will do that to me?' Sanskaar asked moping. 'I thought you liked me.'

Nani shook her head smiling, 'Naughty boy.'

'Will someone tell me what is going on?' Ragini screamed.

'Well,' Sanskaar drawled

'Well what?' Ragini asked, crossing her hands.

'Well ...my parents saw you at your brother's engagement. They really liked you and asked your parents for your hand in marriage. For me.'

Ragini gasped.

Sanskaar twisted lips, his eyes darting around as he spoke, 'They wanted us to meet and then decide if we wanted it too.'

Ragini took a step forward towards him even as Sanskaar took a step away, moving behind Nani.

'When I saw you ...,' he whispered, his voice taking on a deeper quality, 'I knew ...I knew you were the one for me.'

Ragini paused for a second, his words tugging at her.

'I asked for your parent's permission to court you,' he said softly, 'I didn't want you to say yes to me just because of your parents or even in the arranged marriage construct. I wanted you to feel for me what I felt for you. I ...'

Ragini felt a warm mellow air surround her, before what he said trickled in. 'My parents knew?' she blurted, wide-eyed. 'They knew you were the one sending those flowers?'

Sanskaar opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, she charged towards him and he made a hasty exit.

Ragini watched him run away for a second before running behind him. She had lied to her parents. And they knew she had lied! There was going to be payback for this. And Ragini wasn't one to give up on making scores even. 

Ragini ran down the stairs, gaining on him with every step before her ankle twisted painfully. She grabbed at the stairs, squeak leaving her lips as her fingers slipped past the railing. But as always Sanskaar was there to hold her. 

'Are you okay?' he asked wide-eyed once he straightened her and lifted her up. Seeing her nod, he turned around to help her into the coach but froze midway..

Ragini turned to find her parents staring at them with raised eyebrows. Her father was glaring at Sanskaar, obvious enough for Sanskaar to clear his throat a few times.

'I was ...'

'...following your father-in-law's footsteps,' said a voice behind then. Her nani.

'Maa,' Uday objected, 'I don't carry Janu around in my arms in front of you.'

Ragini saw her Nani raise her eyebrow in challenge.

Uday huffed, 'Besides, she is my wife.'

'And Sanskaar is Ragini's soon-to-be-husband.'

'But they aren't married yet,' Uday pointed out, frowning.

'Papa, I twisted my ankle,' Ragini cut in.

'My princess! Are you okay?' Uday rushed to her, hovering around until she was settled on the sofa.

'She will be fine,' Nani said primly. Ragini saw her wink at Sanskaar. 'We need to have everything ready before they arrive.'

'You seem to have developed quite a friendship with my Nani,' Ragini said as Sanskaar massaged her ankle.

Sanskaar shrugged but didn't say anything, choosing to sport a pleased smile instead.

'Sanskaar,' Ragini drawled.

'What?'

'What else don't I know?'

'Today is our pre-Roka (binding) ceremony.'

'What?' Ragini sat up straighter, eyeing him. 'Roka!'

Sanskaar shook his head, 'Not Roka. Pre-roka.'

Ragini looked at him wide-eyed. And he was telling this to her now? Informing more like. 

'I wanted us to get engaged right now. But our mothers! They were all about murhurat and right time and all,' Sanskaar continued ignoring her reaction, huffing as he went on, 'All I could get out of them is this pre-roka.'

Ragini looked at him amused. 'And what exactly is pre-roka?'

'Its what we have when we cannot do the roka because of traditions,' Sanskaar went on, 'Roka of all the kunwars in the family has to happen at the ancestral palace. Stupid tradition.'

Ragini felt her breath catch. 'Kunwar?' she whispered.

Sanskaar left her ankle and sat on the floor holding her hand, 'I am an kunwar.' He moved closer twining their fingers together, 'Ragini Rathore, will you be my kunwar vadhu?'

Ragini felt his words echo in his head. Kunwar. Kunwar like the groom in her dreams. Her Sanskaar. Her breaths came in shallow gasps. She felt light headed.

'Ragini!' 

She felt his voice cut through her haze.

'Are you okay?' He asked, concern dripping his voice and reflecting in his eyes. 

She nodded gently.

'Don't worry. It is just in name now.'

'Sans–'

Before she could speak, the doorbell rang. Sanskaar looked away, 'It must be them.'

'Who?'

'My parents,' Sanskaar said beaming at her.

Ragini looked at herself, dressed in a simple kurti and jeans. 'I should...I should change.'

Sanskaar held her hand stopping her, 'I love you just the way you are. They do too.'

Ragini heard voices behind them as her parents rushed to greet his parents. 

Sanskaar threw a smile at them as they stood behind her. He turned her around to introduce them. 'Ragini, these are my parents. Adarsh Pratap Singh and Parineeta Singh.'

Ragini felt a wave of cold pass through her, breaking out goosebumps, as she heard those names and saw them some distance away, chatting with her parents. 

Sanskaar rubbed her arm, 'Are you okay?'

Thanks so much for reading. If you like the chapter, please do comment and like. It is a big boost to see the comments and feedback from all of you. It pushes me through the next chapters with renewed enthusiasm.

And about Sanskaar's feelings, we will know what is real and what is not slowly but surely. There is so much hidden in this story that the only true advice for Ragini now is 'Proceed with caution'