"Swara what is this? It's been 15 minutes since I was waiting for you." He cribbed holding his tie.

"Sorry! Sorry sorry. Badi Ma needed my help in the temple for tomorrow's puja." She ran inside making pout. She knew the weak points of her husband. Her cute pout was on top of the list.

"Puja is tomorrow. So what's the urgency now?" He replied in disbelief.

She took a tie from his hands.

"You know I have a very important meeting in the office and..."

"Then why don't you learn to make a knot by yourself?" Swara shot a glare.

"Mrs. Maheshwari, are you forgetting you promised me to make a knot for my tie everyday when I proposed to you." he circled his arms around her waist. He pulled her more on his chest.

"You can make it for at least for one day. I was so busy but..." She chucked with a frown.

"No, one day will soon turn into weeks, then months and then years. No way!" Sanskar was stubborn when it came to his love.

She opened her mouth to contradict but he cut her off.

"Swara, I like to have you by my side when I am getting ready for office." He brushed his nose on her chubby cheeks. His eyes twinkled with naughtiness but still Swara could find his crave for her in his intense voice.

"Hmm Mr. Maheshwari is in a romantic mood now." she narrowed her eyes. Her words brought him back from his dreamland.

"I am always in a romantic mood but poor me my wife is so unromantic." He pouted like a cute baby.

"Now aren't you getting late?" She crossed her hands.

"Ohh shit!" He checked time.

He planted a quick kiss on her head. "Love you"

"Bye. Take care, I will come soon." he ran outside taking his laptop bag.

"Bye come soon. And drive safely."  She ran behind him laughing whole heartedly.

There was a knock on the door. Swara gained her senses.

"Swara Bhabhi, should I keep your bags inside?" One of the servants came with her bag asking for permission to enter.

"Yes, please come inside." She looked to the other side to wipe her tears.

She came downstairs and headed towards the kitchen. Maheshwari House kitchen was filled with smells of different delicacies.

Annapurna Maheshwari has taken responsibility for today's lunch. She was on cloud nine as her son returned back to his home.

Sujata, Sharmishtha were helping Annapurna. Ragini was restricted from any help. She was asked to sit near the kitchen island.

"Badi Ma, do you need any help?" Swara entered the kitchen.

"No beta, you just sit besides Ragini. Today is my day to cook for my children." Annapurna replied, still concentrating on her work.

"Where did you go?" Ragini asked her.

"I was looking for Sanskar."

"But Bhai went to the office." Uttara cleared earning every eye on her.

"Even today he went to the office?" It was a question from Annapurna this time.

All eyes turned to Swara for their answers.

"Badi Ma, he has some very important meetings." She gulped and brought a fake smile to her face to cover up "He said he will come soon." She could not match her eyes with their curious eyes.

Swara mentally thanked the ladies of her house not to stretch the topic, but she could feel Sujata's eagle eye which distress her.

Swara observed the kitchen it was flooding with all Laksh's favourite dishes.

"Badi Ma, can I cook Moong Dal ka Halwa?" Swara knew her husband's love for this dish.

"Beta, just tell me what do you want? I will make it."

"Badi Ma please." She requested with puppy eyes.

"Ok. Go ahead."

"You are making Moong Daal ka Halwa for him, but he is not there for lunch." Sujata mentioned slowly not audible to anyone helping Swara with preparation.

"But he will come for dinner." It was more like a question than a statement.

"Are you sure?" Sujata challenged keeping her eyes on Swara's baffled face.

"He generally comes home at around 7, 7-30." She tried to convince herself.

Sujata left a humorous chuckle.

"That was 6 months back. A lot of things have changed in these last 6 months." Sujata gave her a reality check. She left, leaving Swara drowned in her thoughts.

'I hope he will come home on time today.' She silently prayed.

Lunch went smoothly but Swara missed Sanskar's presence. She felt incomplete when chair beside her on the dining table was empty.

After lunch Gadodia family was bidding bye to Maheshwari's.

"Shona, at least today Sanskar should have stayed at home." Sharmishtha had observed gloominess on her daughter's face. Mother and daughter got a few moments away from their families.

"It's ok Ma. It was a very important meeting otherwise he would not have left."

"I hope everything will be fine between you two." Sharmishtha wished, caressing her hairs.

Swara passed a smile with a blink of assurance.

"Shomi let's go." Shekhar came towards them.

"Swara, take care." He pulled Swara in a fatherly hug.

It was later afternoon, when the entire Maheshwari family settled down after long day.

"Laksh, Ragini do you really want to adopt Mishka? Have you both discussed about it? Adopting a child is a huge responsibility, there is no backing out from it. So think about it." Durgaprasad warned his son.

"Yes Papa, we are sure. Yes, it will be new and challenging for me and Ragini but we will give our best." Laksh replied and Ragini nodded her head in his support.

"Ok then ask our lawyer to make adoption papers ready." His father suggested.

"Laksh, whatever happened 6 months back was not acceptable. You cannot make impulsive decisions. You have to think about your family, Ragini. Do you know how much she had suffered?" Annapurna needed to take out her anguish.

"I am sorry Ma." Laksh kneeled down in front of his mother.

"Just sorry? Do you think all your mistakes will be forgiven with just a simple apology?" tears started rolling over his mother's cheeks.

"I had already lost my elder son, you did not even think about me for a moment." Annapurna cried her heart out remembering Adarsh.

Everyone stayed silent.

"I know that due to my foolishness I always gave pain to you and Ragini. In fact my entire family suffered because of me. But I promise Ma, I will never repeat my mistakes. Please forgive me for the last time." Laksh bent his head, folding his hands.

"This is the last time..." Annapurna pulled him in her motherly embrace.

After a long time, Laksh broke his hug and came in front of Swara. He folded his hands in front of her.

"I am sorry, Swara. In my issues, you and Bhai always gets dragged in. You both suffer for my irresponsible behaviour. I don't even have any courage to face Bhai. I have hurt him."

"It's ok Laksh. But please as Badi Ma said, don't take any irrational decision. We are a family, whatever it is, we should share and communicate. We should trust our family members." Swara forgave him as per her nature.

Sujata shook her head which went unnoticed by all but one pair of an eye observed it.

"Swara is absolutely right. Trust and respect are the pillars for any family and relation... Maybe I know it better now" Annapurna choked.

"Badi Ma?" Swara came to her.

"Sanskar... I did not trust him enough. I did not trust my child. My child who loved and respected me the most all his life." Tears started rolling over cheeks.

"I knew my Sanskar could never harm Laksh, but still I blamed him. My motherly instincts dominated my mind. He is broken because of my mistakes." Annapurna weeped badly.

"Badi Ma, Sanskar loves you a lot. Just talk to him. He will forget everything. We should let go our past and start a fresh." Swara wiped her tears.

"Just talk? At least he must stay at home to talk. From that day, he closed himself in a shell."

Recent revelation swiped floor beneath Swara's feet, she abruptly looked at Sujata to find truthfulness behind Annapurna's words. Tears streamed over Sujata's cheek, she gulped heavily looking everywhere but not at her.

"He doesn't stay at home. He buried himself in office work." Annapurna kept on mumbling.

"Ma but now everything will be fine." Ragini intervened for the first time. "Right Swara?"

Swara could hardly nod her head but uncertainty had created its home in her mind.

"Swara, will you please talk to him? Will you please ask him to forgive his Badi Ma? I know he will listen to you. Please beta." Annapurna was on the verge of folding her hands in front of Swara.

"For sure Badi Ma." She replied but her heart was grappling with pessimism.

Soon it was evening, Swara was in two minds whether to call or message Sanskar about his arrival. His morning reserved responses created commotion but with shaky hands she switched on her phone.

She opened her recent call list to dial his number but she could not find it. It was a moment of realisation that she had not spoken to her husband on the phone for the last 6 months.

It alarmed her. Her hands started shaking, she could not gather courage to call him. But her heart wanted to ask him about his arrival. She closed her eyes for a moment to gain her emotional equilibrium.

'He loves you from the moon to back, Swara.'

She opened their WhatsApp chat and a broad smile gleaned over her face seeing his last reply.

'Love you Swara'

But when her eyes landed on the date, it was the date when Adarsh played his cards, naming the entire property and business in his name. They had to leave their household to move to Baadi.

Durgaprasad Maheshwari could not take the insult and betrayal by his own blood, he collapsed suffering from a heart attack.

'Swara, you don't need to do this, till the time I am there." his words when she thought to take out her diamond bangles for hospital deposits.

"In just a few hours, Bade Papa will get the best treatment. I promise Badi Ma." Sanskar had promised. He went out to make arrangements.

But Laksh, as usual, irresponsibly took a short cut and landed in jail which brought havoc in Swara and Sanskar's life.

Remembering the last 6 months of separation, their hurtful words exchange, their loneliness, their pain, her heart squeezed with guilt and fear.

'Leave the past behind... start a new chapter.' again her mantra gave some courage.

'When are you coming back home? I am waiting for you.' She typed and hit the send button.

She waited for his reply back.

Here in office Sanskar was busy with his back to back meetings. His apple watch vibrated  with notification. He turned to see it was from Swara. His fingers ached to see the message after all it was a message from her after a long 6 months.

His assisting team member's voice seized his attention back on their office discussions.

Swara went to help with dinner preparations, but her eyes were fixed on her phone. Never before had this happened, his answer used to come in five minutes.

Finally after 2 hours her phone beeped with notification, 'I will be late. Don't wait for me for dinner.'

Her hands shivered, tears welled up in her eyes.

"Swara, come everyone is waiting for you for dinner." Ragini called from back.

Swara immediately wiped her tears and turned with a smile.

"Swara, where is Sanskar?" Durgaprasad asked, looking at his both daughter-in-laws.

"He messaged. He will be late." Everyone saw gloominess in Swara's eyes which she tried to cover with a fake smile.

Nobody said anything further but started filling their plates with food.

"Swara don't wait for him. He might eat in the office." Annapurna tried to control the situation.

Swara was reluctant but after strong push from family members she ate a few morsels of food.

"Ram, please talk to Sanskar, this is not done." Swara heard her Bade Papa requesting her father-in-law in whisper after dinner.

"Kaki, I will keep all leftover in the fridge after Sanskar's dinner."

"Swara Bahu, but Sanskar beta does his dinner in the office most of the time." Nirmala Kaki replied.

"Does he always come so late?" Swara could not stop herself from asking.

"Ye... Yes Bahu." Nirmala Kaki stuttered but left, leaving Swara alone.

Finally at late night she took the stairs and went back to her room. She changed and sat on bed on her side keeping her eyes on the clock.

It was midnight when Sanskar returned, he entered in his room to see his room was glowing with the light of a night lamp. Swara was sleeping in a sitting position. His eyes filled with tears looking at her.

How much he had craved to see her in his room in the last 6 months!

Now when she was here, he himself was running away from her. He knew she must have been waiting for him. But he couldn't gather courage to face her. Guilt for his past actions, insecurity and distrust about the stability of their relationship pushed him into a dark hole.

He carefully entered without making any noise. He went to the washroom for a quick shower and change. When he came out Swara was already awake.

"When did you come?" She asked.

"Just 20 minutes back." he replied again, not meeting her intense gaze.

"Dinner? Should I bring it here or...?"

"I had it in the office."

"Did you eat?" He asked after a moment. Small smile flashed on her lips.

'He still cares for me.'

"Hmm" She hummed with a slight nod.

"It's too late for you to come home." She checked the time, it was 1:30 am.

"Yes. There was a lot of pending work in the office."

"Will you eat Moong Daal ka Halwa? I have made it." She was facing Sanskar's back but he could guess her choked voice.

"Yes, sure." His hesitant reply brought a small smile to her face. She ran downstairs to get a bowl of sweets.

Even though he was fighting a battle on mental and emotional grounds about their relationship, their past, their separation; one thing always weakened his strong demeanour and that was her tears.

She came with a bowl. He took a few spoons and Swara was staring at his face without a blink.

"How's it?" she asked impatiently.

"It's good." He still kept his eyes on the bowl.

There was deep silence in their room. There was a time when both of them couldn't run out of words and now there is a time when both of them had nothing left to talk about. The distance of 6 months filled the seed of their relationship with so much awkwardness that both the hearts were afraid to even make a simple eye contact.

"I will keep this down." She took an empty bowl.

When she was back to their room, he was sleeping on his side. But one thing was captured by Swara's eyes. He was sleeping on the edge of his side turning his back to her side.

This had never happened earlier. She was used to sleeping in his arms. She laid down on the bed keeping her eyes on his stilled figure.

They were together, yet so far.

*************************************************

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