He had been in his hometown after ages. His mother had been on his case for last couple of years and this time he finally gave in. This city, Kolkata, had too many memories. Few good and few bad. This was the city he was born in and where he spend his childhood. These roads had seen his adolescent fun. Here he had spend his carefree days.

He looked out of his window and smiled ruefully at the bus stop. Faint night light gave it an eerie glow and with that hit a memory.

"I don't wanna talk to you. Just get lost," a teenaged girl huffed angrily at a teenaged boy. She wiped at her face, tucking away her wet hair. It had been raining for 8 hours straight and both of them were soaked to the bone. Feeling as miserable as a drowning rat, the boy clutched his ears and tried to give most innocent look.

"Swara, I'm sorry na yaar. I won't repeat it. I swear. This is the last time I'll be forgetting your birthday," he whined like a petulant child.

"This is the same dialogue you used last year to wriggle your way out, Sanskaar Maheshwari, and its previous year and the year before that. You've been swearing it since we were five. If you do not value me, I fail to see why should I?" She was stubborn as mule. He sneezed violently and all her anger vanished. She hailed a cab and they were gone.

He wanted to leap out of his car and grab that moment. That memory which he had not valued at the age of fourteen was feeling dear to him. He closed his eyes with resigned sigh and leaned back. The driver knew the destination and he could rest.

Few restless minutes later he open his eyes again to look out of his window. A Chaat-wala was preparing some Chaat for his late night customers. And he was thrown back in time.

"Sanskaar, try my one," Swara offered her chaat gleefully. He gave a horrified look and shook his head.

"Keep that thing away from me, you crazy bong. God knows what can burn your tongue. You wanna kill me with that thing?"

A trill laughter pierced the air.

And lord knows how much he wants to taste that right now. He stops the car and approaches the Chaat-wala. He clearly remembers her order, like everhthing else, and orders the chaat. His order is prepared in few minutes and he is savoring the taste.

Its spicey. Too much. His mouth is burning and his eyes teared up. Still he is eating wth vigor. It makes him feel like he is connected to that lost love of his. He smiles despite tears and praises the Chaat-wala.

Feeling comparatively happier, he set out on his journey again. He looked at his wrist watch to check time. His flight was in less than two hours and he needed to be in airport on time. He was going back to NewYork for a week to wrap up his head-office there and transfer it to his hometown. He had been living in USA for last 6 years. But on his mother's insistence he was moving back.

He urged his driver to drive faster. And his eyes laid on the playground on the other side of the road.

"Sanskaar, come push my swing," eight year old Swara called him. Sanskaar made a face but dropped his ball to push her swing. She looked at his face and grinned, "Mom says if you keep scowling like that, your face gonna get stuck like that," and laughed at him.

A tear threatened to escape his eye. Trying to gulp back he looked heavenward. And there he could see stars.

"Thats Orion you dumbo. Don't you see hunter's belt?" Swara asked with irritation, "where were you in science class"

Two ten year old were sprawled out on rooftop and stargazing. Sanskaar had failed to recognize most obvious constellation and it irked Swara.

"They're boring Swara. Mundanely boring. They are just stars. Just stars. Nothing special. They just twinkle and twinkle and twinkle. Nothing else. Nothing special," he drawled out.

He swore mildly. Stars were most dear to him these days. Swara loved stargazing and he believed that she would stargaze everytime she got chance. He took comfort in that thought that they were connected through stargazing.

But was he ever going to get away from those memories. Will Swara ever stop haunting him? Ever? He forcefully choked back a sob.

The car came to a smooth halt infront of the airport. He told driver to get back home and pulled his trolley inside. The air was something today. It had some kind of electric charge that excited him. His heartbeat had gone erratic and his eyes flitted around restlessly. Trying to calm his nerves he went to have coffee. His solemn face never gave away his inner turmoil.

"Where are you going swara?" He grabbed her elbow. A young adult of 19 turned around angrily. Few people around them looked curiously. Airport was sparsely populated at this time.

"Let me go, Sanskaar," she gave him a nasty glare and hissed lowly, "You know where I'm going. Don't try to stop me"

"I'm not stopping you," he pleaded desperately, "I'm just asking for a little time. I swear Swara, I'll be by your side. I'll help you achieve your dream."

Swara laughed sarcastically, "You? You'll help me? Who are you? Who are you Sanskaar Maheshwari? The son of great Ram Prasad Maheshwari. But who are you? You'll be joining your dad soon. As soon as you get in mood. As soon as you'll get time out of your mindless frolics. How will you understand the seriousness of situation?"

He flinched at her words still tried to plead his love, " I love you Swara. Please don't leave me. I'm not telling you to ditch your dreams. Just a little time. Let me be by your side."

"Time is the luxury that I don't have right now. This is once in a lifetime opportunity for me. I want to make my name in music Sanskaar. I want to fulfill my mother's dream. And your childishness will only hinder me"

"Doesn't my love, our love mean anything to you?"

"It means something Sanskaar. But it is not everything. I have been in love with you since I was 9. And I did understand your feeling before you. But I don't want to live as your appendage. And right now nothing is more important than catching that flight. Maybe this is not our moment. Or our destiny..." with those heartbreaking words she left him standing in the airport.

In his daze he had mildly scalded his tongue. He decided to sit in waiting room and opened the glass door. Only to crash into a woman.

"Sorry ma'am, I wasn't looking...." his apologetic smile slid off of his face. The very girl who had haunted his dreams for last 7 years was standing before him. In flesh and bone.

She had changed a lot. There was an air of serenity around her. She had grown beautifully. And she excluded calmness. She was practically glowing. But there was something in her eyes. It had a lot of sadness behind it. And her face glowed with happiness on seeing him.

"Sanskaar," she whispered in disbelief, "When did you come back? How are you?" And with that she hugged him. He broke out of his daze.

"I'm fine Swara," he gave a fake grin. He did not know, was he supposed to be happy? Or sad? "Couple of weeks back. Going back to NewYork now"

"Like right now?" She asked nervously.

"No. In an hour," he felt equally uncomfortable. What do you say to your estranged love? There should be a manual about 'What to do if you meet the woman you love after 7 years in airport' and a big one at that.

Deciding that catch-up was in order, they moved inside cafeteria. There they begin to describe what they had been upto. How Sanskaar had business at NewYork. How he had been living there. How he was moving back for mom. How he was going back for few weeks to come back permanently. How he had achieved the heights only few dared to dream of.

What he did not say was How much he missed her. How he couldn't stop thinking of her. How every nook and cranny of Kolkata reminded him of her. How much he still loved her. He wanted to live this moment as long as he could.

Somber look was back in her face. She told him how she had gone to Mumbai. How she had gotten that chance. How she had struggled and worked hard to make her name. And how she had finally fulfilled her dreams.

Both of them summarized their 7 years in half an hour. And now they had run out of topic, they sat there in awkward silence. Swara finally sighed and got up. And he followed her motion.

"I should be going. Keep in touch, Sanskaar." With that she gave a tight smile, the smile that silently screamed 'please stop me' and he read her eyes perfectly.

"Are you happy, Swara?" He gently held her wrist, stopping her in her track. Swara wordlessly turned back to face him. Her eyes reflected emptiness. Some kind of loneliness he had never seen in her eyes. He just wanted to wrap himself around her and take away her pain.

"You told me then that it was not our moment. But Swara, is it now?" His question made her eyes water. She meekly asked him to let her go. That one plea that her eyes asked him not to listen. Her eyes spoke volume.

"Maybe its too late. Maybe I'm too late, Sanskaar." She could barely speak.

And his calming gaze fell on hers. He walked closer to her, close enough to kiss that luscious lips of hers, gently lifted her chin and, "If you want, we can part our ways right here. Again. I'll always know that you're depressed and alone in your own personal hell, and you'll always know that I'm missing a piece of my soul. We will be two separate, miserable people living two separate, miserable lives - agonizingly close enough to touch, yet hopelessly out of reach. Is that what you want Swara?"

Her dam broke. She had been living in her personal hell for last 7 seven years and now she was sick of burning. She wanted her heart to stop aching. And she did something she wanted to do that 7 years ago in this very airport. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. She cried like a child and told him how much sorry she was. How much she missed him. How much she still loved him.

It took Sanskaar a better part of a quarter of an hour but he finally managed to calm her sobs. Though her tears were enough, Sanskaar could not help but savor in her words.

"I don't want to go back to that life Sanskaar. I don't. That empty house, that empty life bites me. Please take me with you. Please..." but her words were cut short by flight announcement, asking passengers to start boarding the flight. Their moment had finally come and they did not want to let it slip out of their fists again like sand. But time and tide waits for no one. Sanskaar had to go.

He pushed her in arm's length and wiped her tears, "I'll be back Swara, I'll be back to you. Just don't let our moment go"

With those soft words they parted their ways to meet again. In their moment....
**********
A/N: I posted it last night when I was falling asleep on my feet. And had so many spelling mistakes.😭😭😭😭 It's so embarrassing. I had to correct it first thing in the morning. Now enjoy. 😆