"Sharon is my sister."

The fact sounded alien to Rey. "Come again?" He couldn't believe it. 

"Believe it." She responded, catching on to what he must be thinking. "She is my sister, so trust me when I ask you to stay away from her."

"Wait," He stopped her from speaking anything else. "Let me first swallow that before you break any more headlines." Knowing it was hard to understand that, she gave him a moment. She really wanted to know, however, what Sharon and he must have talked about. 

"Okay, if she is your sister, like you claim, why is she set on destroying your perfect little world."

There was a grim smile on her face as he said that. "Rey, my world is anything but a perfect little world."

"Could've fooled me." Rey answered, avoiding the fact that it's probably the first time she called him Rey, not Roy - the name he preferred. He didn't feel the need to correct her, though. 

"You just said it, Roy. My sister hates my existence. How is that a perfect world?" She counter-questioned him in all seriousness. He could tell her mood had changed, since she went back to calling him Roy. It seems calling him Rey was merely a slip of tongue. "As to why, it's a long story. So, please, just tell me what she wanted from you?"

"She didn't say it in so many words." He answered, feeling her need for answers. She looked scared to him, and he could understand that - if any sister was like Sharon... they needed to be scared. "But it was sure she was hell-bent on separating you and Swayam. I don't know why. Does she love him or something?"

When Kriya didn't answer, the silence told him the answer. He let out a laugh, "Are you serious? What does Swayam have that he has both sisters in love with him?"

Kriya shook her head, finding a pitch of jealousy in his tone. "You know what, forget it. I was wrong to try and be friends with someone who insults my husband like that. I have done my due diligence by warning you away. I'll say, try not to fuck up your life more than you already have. And whether you stay away from Sharon or not is now your choice. I could least care about it. Good bye, Roy."

With an unknown anger, she started to walk away from him. For some reason unknown to her, he riled up her. She didn't know why she even bothered to tell him who Sharon was. It's not like he gave her some useful information about Sharon. She already knew Sharon would try to create distance between her and Swayam. She already knew Sharon wanted Swayam, at any cost. 

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Someone's looking sexy."

Kriya stopped hearing that, and found Aashi raising her brows, teasing. She sighed, "Hey Aashi."

Aashi stopped the teasing look and asked curiously, "Why the long face?"

"That stupid boy. Roy. I don't know, he just has a way of pissing me off."

Aashi had heard enough about Roy, from both Kriya and Swayam. "What'd he do now?"

Kriya shook her head, "Nothing, forget it. Where were you, by the way? You're late. Is this the time you show up when your two best friends are hosting a celebration at their house? You're supposed to be the first one to show up!"

Aashi put her hands up in surrender. "Alright, jeez woman. Calm your freaking horses. I'm here now, aren't I? Besides, it's not like you needed help with getting dressed or anything. I know for a fact, Swayam's got that covered."

Kriya gaped, "You know?"

Aashi laughed, then put her hands around Kriya and made her walk as they talked. "Babe, I know everything there is to possibly know about you and Swayam. What do you think Swayam does when he isn't in a meeting in the office?"

"That's personal." Kriya commented, not knowing how to feel about Aashi knowing that detail.

Aashi gave her a look. Before she could speak what she had in mind, a third voice called Kriya. They turned to see Roy. Kriya spoke up. 

"Excuse me. Aashi, I'll catch you later. And if you're looking for Swayam, I'm sure he's around here somewhere. I need to go talk to mom." Saying so, she left them. 

She didn't want to have any conversation with Roy. She didn't care what he had left to say. He'd already made his opinion about Swayam, and she wasn't interested in being friends with someone who couldn't respect the one person who's name was attached to hers and meant the world to her.

"Um, hi." Roy awkwardly greeted Aashi, since Kriya left without acknowledging him.

"Hey." Aashi greeted with a smile and held her hand out, "I'm Aashi."

"Roy."

She nodded, "Yeah, I know. I've heard about you." He gave her a narrow look when she bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. She wasn't supposed to say that. "I mean... Swayam. He might have mentioned you once or twice."

Roy wearily asked, "He doesn't like me much, does he?"

Aashi gave a confused look now, "No, he does. Why do you think that?"

"I mean, any guy wouldn't like it if someone was flirting with their wife, right?"

Aashi couldn't help but laugh at that assumption, "Normally, that'd be true." She explained, "And I think for the shortest of minute, he might have been, but as you might know, they aren't your everyday couple."

"What do you mean?"

Like she thought, he didn't know anything. "Nevermind." She quickly covered up. "I have to go."

He came in front to stop her, "Hey, no. You can't just drop a conversation in the middle. What do you mean they are not your everyday couple?"

"You know. Just that they were best friends first. So, they don't really get jealous. That's all."

Roy narrowed his eyes at her, debating whether or not to believe that. From the comfort level he had noticed between Kriya and Swayam, he had caught on they were pretty good friends, apart from being married.

She saw the wheels turning in his brain and sighed. "Look, Roy. I know you have feelings for Kriya, but take my advice and don't go looking for scraps. You'll only hurt yourself because they are married and no matter how complicated their lives have been, or will be, Kriya is not going to divorce him ever because sooner or later, she is going to realize she is head over heels in love with Swayam. And, I hope for her sake, it's sooner rather than later."

This time, Roy let her walk away, but he was all the more conflicted about Kriya now. The part he did catch from Aashi's words were that Kriya hadn't yet realized her true feelings for Swayam. Now, he wondered if he should go on and avoid everything everyone keeps on telling him and help Sharon, for in his own way, he was seeing hope. He had seen a chance. At the time, he didn't care about that because all he wanted was a chance with Kriya. After listening to Aashi, he did care if his one chance with Kriya was worth putting what she had with Swayam on the line.

××××××××××××

"Oh my! This is perfect on you, dear!" Meena instantly complimented spotting Kriya.

She then introduced Kriya to her new friends she'd made in the short time. It had been ten minutes she had been out of the house. Literally every bone in her body was starting to freeze up and she would start shivering soon. The thin sari wasn't helping her either. "Mom, I think I'm going to go head in." She whispered in her ear before leaving.

"If you had stayed out for a second longer, I swear I was going to come out and drag you in." Swayam came up besides her, immediately covering her in a shawl and rubbing her upper arm as they walked side by side. They pushed through the crowd and entered the kitchen, where no one had invaded yet, seeing none of the ladies could eat. They weren't going to tempt themselves now, were they?

"Why are we even hosting this at our house? It's not even big enough to have all these people!" She spoke out loud. He laughed at her complaining. She was the one who had told him to not say a word to Meena regarding this and now she was giving in to her own request.

"There you two are!" Aashi came up to them. "Oh, look at you. All warm and cuddly, leaving me out there to freeze my butt off." She scolded Kriya.

"I didn't see you when I walked in." Kriya defended herself.

"Why do you girls have to wear such thin clothes then?" Swayam shook his head making the comment, simply to receive a cold glare from both the ladies.

"Not our fault we dress up for you guys!" She could feel a comment coming up from him and she interrupted before he got to it, raising her index finger at him. "Don't even say it." Swayam shut his mouth at her threat. He was going to point out that technically, she hadn't dressed up for him; he had dressed her up.

××××××××××××

"Can't the moon like hurry up?!" Aashi fumed. They were sitting on the dining table as practically all the other places were taken up and they couldn't simply disappear into the rooms.

Kriya laughed. "Why are you even keeping the fast? You don't have a boyfriend."

"Exactly! But noo! Mom just had to talk me into keeping it."

"Well, it's almost seven. It'll be out soon."

"Why are you keeping it?" Aashi asked. Kriya knew she wasn't asking the obvious answer of 'I'm-married'.

"I don't know. I want to."

Aashi shook her head, wondering when Kriya would realize she was doing it all out of love; love for Swayam; not out of duty as a wife and daughter-in-law. Aashi wasn't in love or hadn't loved anyone before. But she surely knew how to recognize love when she saw it. Kriya looked at Swayam who was talking to some of the business associates he knew who were here with their wives.

Aashi observed Kriya simply gazing at him. Her eyes held an expression. They were longing and confused. They were questioning herself. She wanted to give her the answers, but she wouldn't till Kriya asked. All she had to do was realize it and give the signal. Swayam was there, simply waiting. Only the lucky ones could have a person like him in their life who would wait for them till their last breath. And really, there was no barrier in Kriya's life. She was already married to him. There was nothing holding her back. Or so Aashi thought.

Somewhere along the way, Kriya had convinced herself Swayam was doing what he did because it was his duty. She believed he still loved her. Sharon. She believed Sharon was the only one who deserved to have that right in his life. But who was to explain to her that she simply was being naïve and taking all the wrong signals?

××××××××××××

"Kriya, mom's calling you." Swayam came up to them to call them. "Everyone's in the outhouse as it was getting too cold outside." He led them there.

Upon reaching outhouse, they saw everyone was dancing around and celebrating. Kriya instantly knew why Meena had called her. "Oh no, please save me!" Kriya tried to hide behind Swayam.

"Why? You love dancing."

"Yes. But have you seen what I'm wearing?!"

"Err, you've never danced in a sari before?" Kriya gave him the 'duh' look.

"Have you seen me wear sari?" She asked, now that he thought about it, never really. Only once on their wedding as it was mandatory. Other times, she was either in dresses, normal western clothes or choli.

"Ok, if not a Bollywood dance, you can do ballroom dance, right?" Swayam suggested but did not wait for her response. He went up and got the music changed to a soft romantic melody. Then he walked up to Kriya and asked for her hand. She placed it in his and both walked down to the side when Meena motioned them to go towards the center.

He placed his hand on her waist and gently pulled her closer to him. While he held one hand, she placed the other on his shoulder. They moved along with the rhythm. He reeled her out and back in. Her back faced his front. He brought his hand from her shoulder and traced it down her arm. She closed her eyes, feeling the same new sensation within her.

He made her turn to him. Her hand went on his chest and they moved from side to side. "What happened to you?" He asked, making her look at him. She didn't understand what he meant by that. "When we first met, you loved dancing. You wanted to be a dancer. What changed?"

She looked away while answering. "Back then, my life wasn't like this either." He stopped and she realized he must have felt guilty. She looked right at him and smiled. She held his chin up so he would look in her eyes. "I like my life now. It has a purpose. And as far as dance is concerned, am I not dancing right now? I don't have to be a dancer to be able to dance."

He let out a smile. "You know how to make a person feel better."

She shied before composing herself. "What can I say? You've taught me well."

He dipped her head and pulling her back up, she placed her hand on his shoulder. "So, what's your purpose in life now?" He asked.

"I thought I told you." She circled around him and came back up to his front.

"Oh, did you? I must have forgotten." He replied charmingly.

She couldn't help but let the smile spread on her face. "Oh, that's sad." She played along. "See, I have this husband who thinks he's the business tycoon. I have to prove him wrong."

"So you're trying to take his place?" He gave her a challenging look as he circled her out.

She came back in, then shook her head. "Who said anything about crushing him? I'm just here to share that title and show him I'm the reason he's successful."

He pulled her closer to him, their bodies touching. She let out a low gasp when he whispered in her ear. "I think he already knows that, love."

The atmosphere had suddenly turned hot for her. He leaned back to watch her expression. She had went cold, eyes wide, at the word 'love'. Seeing him smirk, she realized he had very smartly played the part. She couldn't think of a quick remark as the song ended and the partners changed. 

Swayam smiled at Aashi and danced with her, while Kriya danced with Vicky. In the middle of the song, Swayam got a phone call. He excused himself and walked towards the other end so he could hear. 

"Hello?" Swayam picked up the call. It was from a private number.

"Both of you looked so beautiful dancing." The girl replied.

"Excuse me? Who are you?" He looked around.

"Forgotten my voice already, love?"

Swayam's eyes went wide at the word. "Sharon." It could be only her. He would address her with that word all the time.

"Good boy. Now don't forget that name." There was laughter in her voice. Swayam looked around, fearing. If she had seen the dance, she must be somewhere close, within reach. He least cared about where she was. He was looking dearly for Kriya. "Oh, don't worry love. She's safe. For now."

"Stay. Away. From. Her." Swayam gritted the warning through his teeth, wanting to yell but controlling himself seeing the guests at the place.

Sharon let out a maniacal laugh. "You really think you can protect her, still, do you? How wrong are we! Pity."

"We're done talking. If you have the guts, talk face to face." With each passing second he spent talking to her, he was reminded of her betrayal. The anger simply rose. He ended the call at once and went in search of Kriya.

"Aashi, where's Kriya?" He asked as soon as he saw her.

She pointed towards Kriya, who was dancing with Rey. "What's wrong?" From his worried expression, she could tell something had happened. But her question went unheard. He immediately dashed towards her.

He gave a cold glare at Rey. "Excuse us." He said, and taking her by her wrist, walked her out to the main house and up to their room. 

"Swayam? Swayam, what are you doing? Swayam!" She tried to stop him, pull her hand out of his tight hold but he wouldn't stop at anything.

Closing the door behind them, he walked in and when he was sure they were alone there, he let go of her. She caressed her wrist which had turned crimson red and his finger prints clearly visible.

There could only be one reason for so much anger but she did not want to assume. "Swayam?" She questioned. He stayed silent, holding on to the chair. She feared he would pick it up any second and throw it across the room. Still, cautiously, she approached him and placed a gentle, caring hand on his shoulder.

"It's true?" She asked him. He didn't look at her. She forced him to stand and his chin up. "Look at me. I'm talking to you." She ordered, not wanting to but had to. Slowly, he took in a deep breath and dared to look at her. He knew she'd see the answer in his eyes. "She's back." Kriya stated. It wasn't a question any longer.

His silence vouched for it to be true. "Swayam, don't get worked up. It doesn't matter if she's back." She put his hands on his upper arm to make him believe her. But who was she kidding? She herself knew it did matter.

"It does matter. You know that!" He exclaimed, the pitch taking her aback. She hadn't seen him this furious in years.

She sighed. "I do." There was no point in sugar-coating things. "Let her come. Let her try. She can't change a thing in our life that she hasn't already. She's already destroyed it all. We have nothing to lose."

He shook his head, to say she was wrong. "I have you to loose." Her breath hitched in her throat. She could feel the weight of his words on her heart. He continued, "She knows that. She won't stop till she's satisfied."

"Let her try." Kriya repeated again, gaining composure. "We have each other. You won't lose me. Know why?" She placed her hand by his heart, feeling his heart beat. "You have me. You won't lose me. I'm here." She pointed to his heart, "She can't change that. She can't even touch me there."

All Swayam knew in that moment was that she was right. Being there for each other was more than enough to keep them both safe. They had nothing to worry about. He didn't have to be afraid of losing her. Kriya continued. "She can't take you away from me either. I won't even let her shadow touch you. I promise. Trust me."

"I hate her." Swayam had venom in him speaking of her.

"Swayam." She shook her head, silently asking him to not send ill wishes towards Sharon's path.

"Why do you still care? She's the reason you lost your parents!"

"She's still my sister! She still has the same blood in her as mine. How can I wish ill for her? All I know is, the fact remains. I won't lose another loved one. I won't let her harm you. But, I won't hurt her either to do that. Yes, our relationship is complicated and let everyone call me crazy for still caring about her. I won't stop caring like she did. What difference would there be between the two of us then?"

Swayam took Kriya in tight hug. If he had lost Sharon as a lover, Kriya had lost her as a sister along with her family. They had both lost the one's they loved. They had decided tonight. They won't lose each other now.

"It's just a matter of time before she realizes there's nothing left for her here." Swayam spoke.

Kriya nodded. "Yes, but for her, you're still her love. You'll always be."

"Well, that has changed with time." 

Kriya didn't know what that meant, and she didn't bother asking either. She could only think back to the conversation she had with Rey on the dance floor. She didn't like admitting it, but she needed his help.

----

author's note:

Sharon :D Do you hate her yet? I love her, lol. And who is fed up with Kriya for not realizing?

I hope you guys liked the update! Leave comments & votes! Next one will be on Thursday/Friday. 

Lots of love!