Swara tucked her loose strand behind her ears and wore a small stone craved droplet on her ears with a smile and adjusted her royal blue saree fleets on her arms which she hung loose, before taking a final glance of her look. Her mind wondered if he would like her in this saree? Not even for once she has felt so conscious about her looks like today, after all it was her first time wearing this six yard clothing in her entire  life and after hours of trying, finally she managed to drape herself properly and felt satisfied too. Can the New Year be greater than this?

As the door bell rang, She almost ran towards the door but then she couldn't, all thanks to her ethnic wear. Swara unlocked the door only to see her most favourite pair of midnight dark orbs and that stubble smile on his lips made her heart to flutter. A tint of pink hue automatically formed on her cheeks when she felt his intense gaze fall all over her. He walked in, closing the door and pulled her in a warm hug. And everytime he hugged her there was unexplainable emotion tugging right in her heart. Her short height made her face squish into his hard chest and she  inhaled his signature cologne like it was the only oxygen she could breathe and live with.

"You look so gorgeous, love." She felt his hand grip her arms as he parted a little from her. Swara lowered her gaze blushing even more harder. He was not the type of guy who would give you roses in the mornings, surprise you with a box full of candies, words sugar coated and layered with cheesy lines, he was different, that one very kind who would make you fall on your knees with just one breathtaking smirk of his.

Swara felt his fingers grasping her chin and tilting her head upward to look at him and she smiled, because she knew he doesn't like his girl's head hung down but rather looking forward with pride. She could feel his arms snaking behind to get hold of her through her waist and unconsciously she held his black shirt tighter as her breathe hitched when she felt his cold hands finally resting on her bare waist. Swara felt a hot breath on her neck, then the tender brush of lips. Burning as they make contact with her neck, "Sanskaar..."

And she was left with loss of words feelings his lips on her forehead, making her to close her eyes and his other hand slid to the crook of her neck, Swara knew where it was leading to and let him do whatever he wanted with her eyes closed wanting to relish the moment.

Knowing that he had his approval, he moved even more closer to her decreasing the distance and Swara could already feel their hot breathes mingle together, she really hoped her heartbeat weren't audible. And the moment she felt his lips crashing on hers tenderly ones, everything froze for them. It was like fire within the bones, every part that came from a dead star was alive, again and a sense of serenity and euphoria feeling each and every cell in their body. After what seemed like ages they unwilling pulled out for the need of oxygen with their foreheads joined together with uneven breathes.

"I can't let this beautiful rainbow be consumed by the darkest valley of mine, Swara." It took few minutes for Swara to register those words he uttered in his husky tone. Her doe eyes shot wide open realising the meaning he meant and stared at him. Not even an ounce of pain was visible on his face, he looked so calm and casual and it only broke her heart.

"Until the dawn I'm yours." A tear trailed off from her eyes with a million of emotions displaying in her orbs. Maybe she was just another girl he hanged out with like others told which she totally ignored to hear. Maybe her love was not strong enough to give him a reason to hold her back, not even one! Sanskaar held her waist even more tightly and gazed at her burning eyes, which brimmed with tears. He kissed her eyelids, and slowly her tear stricken face as she wiped away the tears that fell down from her eyes through the pad of his thumb and caressed her cheek.

"Just tonight, then I'll be gone-- far away."

And she never knew even heart breaks can also be hauntingly beautiful, Just like him.

~

The night sky was lit up with bright spectrum of colours, people looking energetic and filled with joy to welcome the year with a big heart, ofcourse the New Year night was supposed to look that way, isn't it? After all it was another 365 days laid before us, untouched and no one knew the adventure it would lead us to and a very new beginning-- New beginning? Swara could only laugh with sarcasm. She and beginnings never go hand in hand and it was her soley fault to think this new year would change everything, but little did she knew about the storm....

"You would fall." Her body stiffened hearing his voice but she didn't bother to look at him. She didn't want to breakdown infront of him. Sanskaar too sat beside her on the terrace slab as he puffed away on a cigar and watched the lady beside him bat her long eyelashes in disapproval but he knew she wouldn't complain, because he knew she knows him, not entirely but enough to understand he wasn't the person who would change his habits for one. He smiled as he crushed the cigarette on the slab before throwing it away.

Swara left out a dry chuckle, fall? hasn't she already fallen into the pit called 'Sanskaar' which she didn't want to recover from? It was her fault and she knew because she gave away her heart knowing he would break it, But then he was worth every heart break.

"Swara, you wouldn't ask me anything?" She felt his gaze on her but she had her eyes fixed upon the sky. Who said she didn't want to ask, she just couldn't while an entire battle was happening within her, slowly yet painfully killing her like the slow poison.

"I do want to but I just don't want to--" Words trailed off as she tried to gulp in the lump that formed on her throat. Swara seriously wanted to hold his collars, pour out all her agony and ask him what went wrong but she knew it was of no use. They weren't lovers but they weren't friends too, it was relationship something in between that cannot be defined in words or named to be called by.

They didn't initiate a conversation and embarked themselves in the silence watching the fireworks on the sky and the busy city considering to the fact that Swara lived in a 13 floor storey building.

They met in the beach and it immediately clicked. One night, two strangers met, one drunk conversation, and everything changed. It was one of the best night she ever had. Meeting him was something she would never regret even if he breaks her heart into million pieces, because even if he does every piece would reflect only the love she has for him and the worst part was she could never stop loving him.

Sanskaar always referred him often to be a deep, dark valley with no end. But for she knows he was a star, a bright star in the dark night made of rarest stardust and flames of fire that would burn with passion, one glance and the world would burn.

Maybe this is what they were meant to be, near yet so far, together but not forever.

Swara knew this was coming, out of nowhere she felt it. It felt like as if her love for him was the sand that she was holding in her fist. It kept slipping, as she tried harder to keep it in her palms and today she was reaching the end.

They were like the Earth and Ground:

Because they see each other day and night. Always near but, never together. But what made them together was the seven coloured horizon that the world rejoiced and looked at it with wonder.

They were like the moon and stars:

Because the undying love the sun has for the moon, let him die only to let her breathe in the night. They barely meet but when they do, even if it is for few minutes as eclipse they get enough energy to continue the endless chase.

They were like the dusk and dawn:

Lighting up everyone's day with rays of sunshine and ending it with darkness and blanket of stars shining. They do coincide every evening, might not be vibrant as dawn nor pitch black as the dusk but with its own shades of colours mixed together, called twilight.

For her, they were parallel lines meant to see each but never together. She won’t ever forget him and maybe that is the only forever the two of them together were ever meant to have.

"The night is about to end, I wish it doesn't at all." He said moreover like a longing whisper but Swara was too lost to hear the emotion his tone contained.

"Me either."

Swara didn't know how the night passed so quickly that now she could see the first ray of sunlight change the colour of the night sky. As darkness surrenders, every colour changes from tinges of charcoal to a vibrancy. She was a lover of dawn more than dusk but this time her priority changed, how much she wished the colour of the dusk don't change at all.

"I should leave." Sanskaar stood up and Swara too did, but she stumbled a little and Sanskaar was quick to catch her by her waist and not let her fall. Her eyes displayed the vulnerability of her soul which screamed that she needs him.

"Can't you stay, Sanskaar?"

Swara was too tired to put on a fight but a ray of hope appeared when she saw his eyes twisting and every bit of face changing expressions from soft and vulnerability and it immediately faded away in his neutral expression as he closed his eyes tightly. 

"Hurricanes are never meant to fall in love with the island. We were never supposed to make it. An angel like you deserves a prince charming not a dark devil as me, love. But if there's any parallel universe exist, I promise you would be the only girl who would I would give my heart with blind eyes, Swara. We are meant to be together but we just found the wrong time princess. Until then..." Sanskaar kissed her crown and her petite figure shook due to uncontrollable silent sobs. "I love you, Don't leave." She managed to speak irrespective of her sobs.

"I have to." His hands reached her cheeks and wiped away the tears. Swara closed her eyes feeling his touch and even before she would hold him back, his hands slowly slipped away from her cheeks and he continued looking at her while moving behind before he turned away, slowly leaving.

Swara watched him disappear slowly away from her eye sight, her life all at once.  Memories after memories flooded her mind and every memory she could only find him. She loved him with every fiber of her cell knowing it would leave her this way, broken. There was a clear foreshadowing to the fact of that their love was doomed from the very beginning.

He was wrong for she needs no prince charming to keep her happy when just his presence was enough to make her feel like a princess, his princess.

Will their story be the greatest tragedy ever? the one where it was meant to be, but never was?

Whatever it was, she would wait until the timing goes right, when the stars are all aligned in the perfect pace so that they would get back together, again. And that time they would stay longer than ever in each other's arms with their world made in a garden of wilted flowers, fingers tangled with each other's as he drinks away all the pain she holds on to, she would heal his deep scared soul and let it bloom into wild black flower as he was. And then maybe they could find their happily ever after.

They will remain as an unfinished story waiting to be written. For now, the pen lays sleeping while the ink stands still until these stars collides into each other, shattering into million stars of magic, together!

Until then....

~

A/N: Not made to make you all emotional at the start of the year by leaving this shot incomplete, because this shot was meant to be that way! You see I'm a sucker for sadistic stories. This shot is my personal favourite and I hope you guys enjoyed as well. Let me know your views and if you like the book then do tag your friends and spread a word about this book, that would mean a lot to me💓

Once again, A very Happy New Year!

Love,
Diya❤️