Yo! What to do? Busy schedule. So late on the updates. Hope this chapter makes up for your wait.
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Moving on... 💃💃💃

"Words in double quotes" - Talking

'Words in single quotes' - Thoughts

(Words in braces) - Telephone conversations

Chapter 9 - Changing Feelings

He smiled to himself as he waited for his beloved. He twirled the bright red rose in his hand as he leaned on the bridge and looked at the crystal clear water underneath. The swans sang out, as if celebrating his happiness.

"Laksh." came a voice from behind him.

He smiled and turned around to look at the one he had been patiently waiting for. He squinted his eyes to look at her, the fog making it difficult to see clearly.

She emerged from the fog wearing a beautiful red dress. Her hair flowed in the breeze, like golden tresses. Her physique looked like one which every girl would envy and die to have. The way she walked was filled with elegance and refinement.

However, all those were insignificant to him. Because he loved her not because of her outer beauty, but because of her beautiful heart.

He got down on one knee and held the rose before him for her. "You came Swara. Finally."

She giggled, which was music to his ears. However, he still couldn't see her face clearly. He got up and walked up to her.

Laksh held her hand in his. "My love, I wa-" he gasped as her face became clear to him. "Ragini?!"

*dream end*

Laksh shot up in bed in shock at what he had just dreamt.

After the incident with Sanskar and Ragini at the kitchen, he came rushing into his room. Somehow he fell asleep while thinking over things while lying on his bed.

Laksh's face scrunched up in confusion at his dream. It is said that dreams represent the subconscious. 'Then what was this supposed to represent? Why did it show Ragini when it's Swara who I'm pinning for? What joke is this?!' he got up and walked to the nearby table and drank water from his bottle. "Damn damn damn! What am I supposed to make of this dream?!"

"What type of dream?" asked Adarsh as he came inside Laksh's room. "Is it something related to your adult hormones?" Adarsh joked.

"Bhai, I'm serious!"

"Nah. He's in H.P. You're Laksh."

"Bhai! I'm really serious!"

"Then I'm Severus." Adarsh joked, making another Harry Potter reference.

"Bhai!"

"Okay okay. Chill, will you? You're being such a stuck up."

"I'm already getting goosebumps from my dream. Will you stop to consider my situation for a minute?" Laksh requested. He came and held Adarsh by the shoulders. "Bhai, I just dreamt something that isn't what I want. But I dreamt it! Why did I dream of it if I didn't want it? Why bhai? Why why?!"

"Will you stop shaking me already?! I'm not a tree, you know."

"Please, show me the way. Tell me what to do!"

They heard a knock on the door and looked towards it.

Ragini stood there with a smile. "Lucky, ready?"

"Ready for what?"Adarsh and Laksh asked in unison, blinking at her in confusion.

"Um...not that I don't want to tell you Adarsh bhaiya but...but this is just something which must be kept to me and Laksh." Ragini spoke in a meek voice.

"Aww...not that is just mean."

"I'm really sorry Adarsh bhaiya. I didn-"

"Oho Ragini! I'm just joking. Chill." Adarsh said with a chuckle, moving towards the door. "I'll go check what's for lunch. It's almost 1 pm. Bye!" saying so, he left, leaving Laksh and Ragini alone.

Ragini came in and closed the door behind her. "Lucky! The food is ready. Swara will be here soon as well. It's time we start the action."

"Action?"

"Yes. Put on an apron and try to make it seem like you made the food. She is sure to be impressed by you once she tastes the food." Ragini said with a smile. "You fell asleep. So, I made it for you. But, the plan is still the same. Let's go Lucky!"

"You made all the food but you want me to tell Swara I made it? Even if I forgot about the plan, you made the food to help me?" Laksh asked, looking at her with soft eyes.

"Yep! After all, I promised to help you, didn't I?"

Laksh smiled at her. "Thanks." He felt an unknown happiness for what she did. Not because now he could impress Swara. But because Ragini. went to such great lengths to help him. It felt good to know that he still mattered that much to her. Laksh mentally smacked himself on the head. 'There is something fundamentally wrong with me I think. Here, I should be thinking about Swara. But the thing which is bringing me more happiness is how much Ragini cares for me? What what what!What is wrong with me!?' he was broken out of his thoughts by Ragini's voice.

"Oh! And Sanskar helped."

Laksh's eye twitched in irritation. "Sanky?"

"Uh-huh. He may not be in his right mind, but he said he wanted to help. I asked him to hand over different things and he happily handed them to me. He seemed so happy that he was being able to help me cook!" Ragini smiled remembering Sanskar's childish glee.

"Oh." Laksh uttered out. He could feel his anger rising at Sanskar's name. If there was a jealousy meter, his would have already started getting near 100.

Ragini noded. "It was so much fun cooking together. He even helped me get the things that I couldn't reach. He said 'I don't want my dost to hurt herself again.' Aww...that was so cute!" Ragini spoke, more to herself than him. Thinking about Sanskar's antics reminded of her little children. Cute and innocent. There was nothing more than that.

However, for Laksh, Ragini praising another guy was basically like she feeding him bittergourd, that too mixed with chilli. He couldn't bear it!

"Is that so." He grit out. If Ragini would have paid more attention, she would probably have heard his teeth grinding against each other.

"And one time, he said he wanted to stir. So I held his hand an-"

"Okay enough of this! Let's go to Swara!"

Ragini looked at him in shock at his sudden outburst. However, she nodded. "Um...okay. Let's go th-." suddenly, the door to the room burst open.

Swara stood there, looking inside in shock. Soon, her shock turned into anger seeing them together in the room, alone. She fisted her hands to the side in rage.

"Hi Swara! You're here already?" Ragini asked with a smile, unaware of Swara's rising jealousy.

Swara smiled a sickly sweet smile at her. "Yes Ragini. Why do you look surprised? Did you want more time to spend with Laksh?"

"N-No. It's not that Swara."

"Oh? I see."

Ragini didn't understand why Swara suddenly asked such a question, but let it go. She let out a small smile. "Okay Swara. By the way, do you know why I called you here?"

"I don't know. Maybe to hear your and Laksh's secret and private talks with each other, in a closed room? I thought you forgot your love for him. But is it still there?" Swara asked scathingly.

Laksh, for the first time, felt irritated at Swara. Being rude to him was one thing. He could accept that. But Ragini? Laksh didn't like the way Swara was behaving with her. 'She knows Ragini loved me once. Why is she digging up old wounds?!'

"N-no Swara. Why...why are you behaving like this?" Ragini asked with uncertainty. She couldn't understand why her sister was behaving so rudely.

Swara realized what she just spoke and tried to cover up her slip. "Hahaha...I was just joking Ragini. Chill." she lied.

Ragini nodded, believing her sister without a doubt. "Um...okay. Anyway, the thing is that Lucky has planned a surprise for you." She stepped towards the door. "Lucky will reveal it to you. Let me go to Sanskar. He must be looking for his dost. Bye!"

"Oi! Weren't you just with him some time ago?" Laksh called behind her, still unhappy for her giving Sanskar so much attention.

"But he might start looking for me. I should go before he panics, right?" saying so she left, waving behind her. She did it mostly so that Swara and Laksh could be alone with each other. However, she wasn't lying about Sanskar. After knowing the truth, she didn't want to leave Sanskar alone and make him feel unwanted. She felt sympathy for him.

Once she left, Laksh turned to look at Swara. "Hey, Swara." he spoke in a shy voice. 'The one I love.'

If he would have been more conscious of his own thoughts, he would have realized that he always used to think of Swara as 'my love'. Now, however, it was as if he was trying to reassure his mind and heart.

"Hi Laksh." Swara replied.

Laksh looked surprised by her reply. 'She responded to me? That means she's slowly forgiving me. Yes!' thinking so, he smiled to himself.

Swara internally smirked seeing him smile at her like a love-sick puppy. 'I guess I still have the control over him.'

Somewhere inside, Swara knew she wasn't being fair. She didn't want things to end this way. She didn't want to use Laksh to win over Ragini. But that was the only thing she felt she could control.

Ragini seemed to become everyone's apple of the eye. She was praised by everyone in the Maheshwari Mansion and even her own mother gave equal importance to both of them. But Swara couldn't handle that. She wanted to be the best, to be the one everyone looked at in wonder, the one everyone should pay attention to. Getting everyone's attention gave her a high that couldn't match upto anything fo her. She wanted that high again. Without it, she felt miserable.

She knew she wouldn't be able to garner everyone's attention her way. But she knew Laksh would dance to her tunes. He was smitten with her. He would be able to satisfy her greed for attention. And by being near him, she thought she could hurt Ragini. In her mind, Swara believed Ragini to still be in love with Laksh.

Thinnking so, she took a step towards Laksh's room. However, Laksh's voice stopped her.

"Wait!"

Swara looked on confused as Laksh abruptly came out of his room and held her hand. "Let me take you to the kitchen. Your surprise awaits there."

Swara looked confused by his action. For some reason, she felt as if he was trying to prevent her from entering the room. 'But he let Ragini in. And I know I'm more important than her to him. Of course he would let me enter! I'm just overthinking.' Swara smiled and let him take her away. Laksh smiled back.

However, unknown to her, Laksh's mind was in conflict. Although he smiled, his mind was in turmoil. 'I pulled her away because I didn't want her to enter my room. But why?! She is the one I love and the one I would eventually marry. And yet, I don't trust her enough. But...but why couldn't I trust her when I had easily trusted Ragini? Is it because I still fear that Swara would break my heart again? But I love her! I...I love her...I love her, don't I?'

#Sanskar's room#

Sanskar smiled to himself as he looked at the wall, deep in thought. For the first time in a long time, he felt genuine happiness while working with Ragini. He had an amazing time as he helped her cook. Her smile, her laugh, her beautiful voice, her words, her movements...everything seemed to be etched in his mind. Time and again, thoughts of Kavita invaded his mind. Ragini's innocent and generous nature reminded it of her.

However, now when he made the comparison, he no longer recalled the painful memory of Kavita's dead body. Rather, he remembered the sweet moments he spent with her. In Ragini, he saw a glimpse of his Kavita in her happy days.

"Sanskar?"

Sanskar looked up as Ragini called his name. "Yes Ragini?"

Ragini looked at him in shock. The way he spoke, it was as if he was normal. "W-what?"

"Raginiiiii. Why did you call me?"

Ragini blinked at his childish tune. 'I guess it was just my imagination.' she shook herself or those thoughts and smiled. "Sanskar, what do you want to do now?"

"Eat."

"What?"

"I want to eat the delicious food you and I made. Why does Lucky and Swara get to eat and I don't?!" he said with a pout.

"Aww...is that so? Okie then. Let's go to the kitchen and get some for you. But! You must remember not to reveal to Swara that we made the food, okay?"

'Of course I will reveal it! I won't let Lucky get Swara and be happy in his life after what he did to Kavita!' he thought in anger. "Okay dost!" he exclaimed, lying through his teeth.

Ragini extended her hand for him to take. "Come on then."

Sanskar nodded and took her hand, letting her lead the way.

As they walked on, Sanskar kept looking at their joined hands. 'I feel happy when I'm with you. Why? Why is this happening? Am I...am I falling for you? But, that means I'll be betraying Kavita, wouldn't it? What do I do? What do I do?!'

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To be continued...

Well, don't know how this chapter turned out. Kind of felt it was a bore though. Will try to give a nice chapter next time.

Do vote if you liked. 😉😉😉

~🌹 Mona 🌹