Part 2 : " Crush or Love? "

3 years ago

Juanita

@BlurredLines

Sanskar Maheshwari knew all the rules that controlled him. Rules dictated by his Bade Papa, Once it was declared Sanskar was expected to follow them without protest.

And he did followed it fairly well, as he owed it to the man who raised him and his Bade Maa who treated him as her son. So he knew one of his uncles rules were never to acknowledge him as anything more than his boss at work.  His uncle would never refer Sanskar as his nephew to anyone even if everyone know about it.

But it is also expected from Sanskar that he have to work in his uncle company regardless of what he wants,  which maybe working anywhere except here. Because if that was the case, he wouldn't have become Swara's boss.

And if he wasn't Swara's boss in hierarchy, he could have asked her out on a date as any normal man will do. She could have either rejected him or gave him a chance, but Sanskar will never know because she was working in his Uncle's company.

Another one of his uncle rule is that keep your personal life and professional life separate. Yet he expects Laksh, his own son and Sanskar , his nephew to work in the company. As if they were given any other choice.

Sanskar didn't mean to be ungrateful, while his uncle demanded Sanskar work his way up in the office hierarchy, starting from internship while he was in college. Sanskar knew his place in the office was partially due to his uncle's influence.

Because he had more opportunities than others to make it. Still he felt the need to walk away from all of them for her. It wasn't a crush or an attraction, if it was a simple as that then Sanskar would have assumed it wasn't worth it.

But for Sanskar it was Love, the four letter word that wrecks havoc in his heart everyday. He met Swara years ago, when he was still in college. There was a small cafe,  just two streets away from his college. A place Sanskar preferred more than his home.

Because of Sharmistha Bose, the owner of the cafe,  who would always treat him with a smile on her face and kind words. And she also had a reading shelf filled with book that the customers can choose and simply read till they are ready to leave.

That was where he met her the first time, Swara Bose. She would come daily in the evening to help her mom with the café during the rush hours. Since the cafe tends to be filled with college students, he was sure she never gave him a second glance, he was just like all the rest of them.

And yet he had always looked at her more out of curiosity. Because Swara and her mother shared a close bond between them that it would show in their every interaction. It was that bond that made him glance at her way more often than normal.

When he was eight. His mother got sick and his father tried his best to give her the best treatment possible, which included moving to US for her care and leaving behind Sanskar with his uncle's family. Sanskar wanted to go with them, but in kind words his parents told him that this was for his good. So all Sanskar had was the phone calls and weekly video calls from his parents for the next three years. Then when his uncle came to school to pick him up and drive straight to the airport. Sanskar knew something bad had happened and by the time, his 11 year old self reached the hospital in US, his mother was dead and he wasn't even given a chance to say Good Bye.

The next two months, Sanskar had his father back at home, even in his grief Sanskar had his father who held him as he cried everyday, but even that didn't last for long as his father decided to work in one of the Company branch located in different city.

"A Change of Scenery will be good for you" his uncle told his father.  " Sanskar, You got Laksh and your bade maa here, you should stay with them as I will have to work long hours since the company is new and I won't be enough to take care of you " his father told him and that was that as two weeks later, his father left him alone and there was no longer any one to held on to while he cried, the one time his uncle saw him crying, he said that he is a grown up now and that he shouldn't cry all the time.

And still Sanskar had asked his father, if he can come and live with him every day for the next two years. Because the occassional weekly visits once every two months wasn't enough. But the continuous No had finally registered in his mind one day, and he realized his father doesn't want a teenage Son with him. So Sanskar decided growing up would help, he could finish college and ask Bade papa to let him work with his father. At least Sanskar would have his father back.

And so he settled in with his life, lived under his Uncle's rule hoping he will allow Sanskar to do as he wishes once he completes College. and then when he was in the second year of college, his uncle came to pick him up again. This time Sanskar did arrive to the hospital on time, only to see his father die right in front of him . It was an accident they said and just like that Sanskar parents both were lost to him.

And unlike his younger self he didn't know how to grieve either, his father and his mother loved him. Sanskar know that and he had that for 8 years of his life. But then he didn't it wasn't a loss just in day but a slow gradual loss that he really didn't know how to grieve for them. When he still held a bit of resentment for them always leaving him alone. His mother had been sick, he understood that and his father was heart broken. But for young boy it wasn't easy to accept and while he understood them better as he grew up and let go of the resentment. He missed his parents and missed growing up with them so much.

And when it was completely snatched away from him, he was lost and that was when he walked inside the cafe to see Sharmistha Bose, who somehow see through his loss as she talked with him kindly. She would share everything with him, as if she realized he needs to hear something different. She would moslty talk about her daughter as if she was an angel

And then he saw the said daughter and mother together, and he wanted that, the happy family. He liked seeing those two happy, he knew there was no Mr Bose, but both of them were happy. Swara would tell her mother everything, they will always whisper between each other , so no one over hears but he loved it. Over time, he admired Swara more and more, and liked her even and had a big crush too that her mother probably noted and often said he should talk to her.

" Sanskar, My daughter is always lost in her books. The only two people who read all the book in this shelf are you and her. But she doesn't make friends easily. I think she would like to have you as her friend " her mother told him one day, but Sanskar even with her approval had been hesitant to act on it

Until it was too late , his last semester he hardly had time to visit the café with his internship at his uncle's company and his exams. When he visited after two months, he found the café was sold and heard the previous owners moved to some other city .

And that was the end of his crush Sanskar assumed and until two years later when Swara Bose walked inside his office. And Sanskar hoped that she might recognize him. But alas she didn't and so he had been the only one who somehow knew her and yet not really knew her.

His life should have been a TV show, how to have a one sided love story with someone who doesn't know about you at all and then she called him handsome and well he made the mistake of replying back which undid all the years works of trying to keep his professional and private life separate.

Now as he walked into his office room , his eyes went straight to her to see her response. But if he expected anything out of the ordinary , he was both relived and disappointed when there had been no reaction from her. 

An hour later his cousin walked inside his office room, if his uncle knew about it . He will ask them to stop acting as cousins at work. Laksh apparently needed a break from work or something he wanted to share that can't wait. 

"Did you ask Swara out on a date yet ?" Laksh asked Sanskar , which made him glance at her working in her desk as if she could hear her name spoken from the distance.

" From your reaction, Not yet. If you kept waiting like this then let me tell you, my father would get you married to the girl he chose from the family he wants and you will have only yourself to blame " Laksh answered back, which was kind of true but Sanskar never thought about it yet.

" What brought this on ?" Sanskar asked his cousin, wondering if he knew something about the said marriage.

" Since your are two years older than me. My parents decided you should marry first. Tonight they are going to drag you to meet your bride, and I thought as your cousin and friend, I should give you this information first, so you can realize you no longer have much time to delay ,because once my parents decide on something they get it done " Laksh told him and walked away leaving Sanskar upset and agitated the rest of the day 

In spite of Laksh warning, Sanskar couldn't escape when his uncle ordered him to come with them to meet the girl's family few hours later.

" You will like her and she will be your perfect wife " his bade maa spoke up with a smile, when she realized he was about to protest. that was his aunt way of making him agree to everything his uncle demanded.

She will highlight the advantage of following his uncle orders, and would never allow Sanskar to question them . And so he went to the house of Shekhar Gadodia, one of his uncle's friend who happened to have a daughter of marriageable age .

But when his eyes found Swara walking out of the room, when Shekhar Gadodia called his wife to bring their daughter out , his heart burst with happiness that maybe it was fate or so until he noticed the girl walking beside Swara.

" This is Ragini , my daughter" Shekhar Gadodia introduced his daughter but Sanskar eyes remained focused on Swara who looked as surprised as him . 

P.S :" That it for now . Let me know your thoughts and feedbacks."