~ Always Besides You ~

42. Corollary

Ragini sighed audibly. "Sanskar! He's acting weird, I feel! I guess, I'm going to kill him if he dares to say something against what I said yesterday!"

"You said what?" Swara asked excitedly, crossing her fingers on her back.

"I said exactly what you're thinking!" Ragini plopped an apple towards her, a smile lingering on her lips. "Well, I can't let him slip in the middle. Need to treat him. Don't know from where my attitude got such a makeover!"

The duo walked to the hall where the family laughed merrily at jokes and memories.

"What's that lazy lad doing over there?" Laksh asked dramatically, munching onto the pakoras.

"Work!" Ragini resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"What work?" Durgaprasad asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "He's a drama king, worse than this Laksh. There's no work for a week to be handled by us. Ask him to find new ways to irritate you, beta!"

Ragini bit her lips, taking in the information and smiled at her Bade Papa. She walked over to Shekhar and spent a few minutes with him. He had started trying to walk slowly from morning and she's excited at the improvement.

Sharmishta pulled her from the hall to upstairs as she got to know the things in a hushed exchange with Swara. She raised her eyebrows at Ragini while Ragini pouted like a whining child.

"He acts disappointed!" Ragini confided in her mother's embrace. "And I won't like if he admits that."

"He won't do that. He won't hurt you." Mishti caressed her head lovingly. "And you should talk to him without wasting time." She patted Ragini's head pulling away and blinked her eyes in assurance.

•~•×✿ו~•

Ragini sighed before pushing the door open to grab Sanskar's attention. She would have missed him flinching a bit, if she hadn't been fully attentive to him.

What's with this sudden obstinacy?

Ragini huffed and closed his laptop forcefully as he stared her back.

"What's the problem, Sanskar?" Ragini asked, heaving a sigh of defeat. Her tone made Sanskar sigh and rise to his feet.

"We never had communication problems." Ragini continued, pressing her temple. "What went wrong? You can say anything to me, Sanskar." Ragini spoke, despite the thought of rejection made her heart bleed.

Sanskar walked closer, lessening the distance between them.

"What were we?" Sanskar's gaze intensified as he held Ragini in his hold.

Ragini raised her gaze to meet his stern gaze as she felt her heart drop on the past tense usage.

"Friends!" Ragini gulped visibly as she she felt an ache in her heart.

All she feels is various types of pain. Even then, she had a hope. He won't hurt her!

Not hope but belief!

"And what happened yesterday?"

The seriousness is Sanskar's voice scared Ragini.

"I... I conf--confessed my love to you. I love you!" Her eyes turned glassy yet she gathered courage to look straight into his eyes.

Within a moment, Sanskar's hold loosened while he continued staring.

"Rag--" Ragini closed her eyes expecting another heartbreak in her life while Sanskar trailed off seeing her reaction.