~*~*~* HER POV ~*~*~*

Haha... And that's how I met him. Shocked? Or rather surprised? You might be thinking that how come such a troublemaker turned out to be the biggest reason of my existence today and how I was able to achieve my dreams today. That day, what he did was more worthy of 'thank you'.

That day when I met him I didn't really like the idea of Durga Maa for creating unnecessary obstacles on my way. But then later, I realised that he was the person who was sent by Durga Maa as an angel for me... as a guide to me. So let us move further with the story...

I never thought that Sanskar would ever fall for me... A girl like me who just wore a simple kurta with black jeans, and hairs tied in a French plait every day...

Oh, I remembered something else too. Sanskar, at first, didn't know that I was 'Swara Bose', the person who failed all the subjects. There was always my full name at the bottom of the board. He assumed me to be 'Swara Sharma', one of the toppers of our university. But I am sure he didn't get attracted to me for that. But God knows why did he bump into my home that day.

What had happened the same day was still a mystery for me ...

~*~*~* SHOT 2 ~*~*~*

"Arey Bhai! Where are you pulling me bro... Atleast let me complete my burger!"

Laksh insisted trying to get rid of Sanskar's strong grip on his hand. He was forcefully making him cross the road.

Sanskar : (irritated) Laksh! So gaya kya tere andar ka discipline head?

Laksh (shocked) : What the f ...

Sanskar : You roam everywhere in the university campus to check discipline. Now, if you have to roam over here, why is there a 'no' on your face?

They managed to cross the road. Before Laksh could angrily resist, Sanskar dragged him inside the hostel.

Laksh : But at least tell me why are we going towards this damn hostel?

Sanskar : I have a strange feeling regarding this eyelash. I don't know why but maybe someone needs me. And I saw it coming from there. I'm going to check out what's there.

Laksh (angrily whinned) : Then atleast you would have let me complete my burger na!

Sanskar : (girlish fear) Lucky yar. Mujhe dar lag raha hai. Even you accompany me.

Laksh : Damn you Sanskar! Wh- don't you dare let me utter the 'f' word!

Sanskar (annoyed) : Shut up Laksh!

He snatched Laksh's burger and threw it away in a random direction flushing his brother further.

Laksh (cried) : M-My burger.

Sanskar (in disbelief) : I don't believe this. All you bother about is this stupid one hundred and twenty rupees burger?! Ha? Not your brother?

Laksh : (angrily) I'll kill you today Sanskar!!!

Sanskar dragged him to the staircases.

Sanskar : (with his full power) Come with me!

Laksh : (shouted) Arey yaar. But what if we find nothing?!

Sanskar : But at least let's see.

With this, he began interpreting from how long had the eyelash landed on his shoulder. How about fourth floor?

Sanskar noted the flat at the front side and entered Flat No. 405.

Sanskar : So I think this is the house.

Laksh : Wow, a true physics champ. How did you manage to mentally calculate all this trigonometry?

Sanskar : Shut up Laksh! It's just a guess. And now...

He put finger on his lips asking Laksh to stay quiet. Laksh nodded his head in assurance. Sanskar slowly knocked the door.

Sanskar (murmured) : Hello? Anyone here?

Laksh : Bhai.

Sanskar (to Laksh) : Tch! Remain silent. (knocked) Hello?

Laksh (fear) : Bhai, I don't think its good. I suggest let's go from here.

Sanskar (irritated) : Abey fattu! If you want to go, you go. But unless and until someone opens the door, I won't go from here. (knocked the door) Hey. I'm opening the door. It seems open.

Laksh (horrified) : No Bhai! No...

But he was too late as Sanskar had already flung the door open by then. He got shocked on seeing no one there. Laksh put his palms on his head on seeing the house.

Meanwhile somebody came out of the washroom. The person got hell dumbfounded to see Sanskar there and not only her, even Sanskar was horrified on seeing her.

Sanskar-person : YOU?! What are you doing here?

Person : SHUT UP! First I asked.

Immediately a broad smile cropped on Sanskar's face.

Sanskar : Woohoohoo. So our Ms Swara Sharma lives here.

Swara (angrily) : How did you come here? No rather, what made you come here? Sanskar! How dare you enter my house like that.

Sanskar : I-I...

Sanskar was completely dumbfounded. The last thing he expected was for this Swara Sharma to live in this home! He looked at Laksh exchanging silly looks.

Sanskar : I had come here to meet my rishtedaar. But seems like someone gave me the wrong address.

Swara : (confused) Really?! So, where do you want to go?

Sanskar : I don't really know that.

Swara folded her arms and left out a frustrated sigh.

Swara : So why are you standing here if it's the wrong address? Go find the correct address.

Sanskar (smiled) : But I think something was here which attracted me here.

Swara (confused) : What do you mean?

Sanskar : I mean, what if it is you, who was calling me? (winked)

Swara (annoyed) : Are you sure you're that stupid or you're doing it intentionally to tease me?

Sanskar : (like a kid) Arey but why will I tease you? I-I'm just generally asking you one thing. (concerned) You're okay na?

Swara (a little worried) : I-I am..

'No. No. No. This is not at all happening!!! Bhai...'

Laksh who was already hell horrified dragged Sanskar outside. Sanskar got shocked at the sudden movement.

Laksh : We are getting the hell out of here right now!

Sanskar : (shocked) Laksh?!

Laksh : Bhai, this is not the right time. Please let's leave from here.

Sanskar : Arey...

He tried talk to Swara but couldn't. On the way he saw Swara's biochemistry book's label name.

'SWARA BOSE?!'

He was astonished on hearing the familiar name but couldn't do anything...

At the other hand Swara looked at the duo hell annoyed.

Swara : What on earth is this happening? For a few minutes I had thought that Sanskar is a sweet person. But now I think he's rather really silly in spite of being the topper of the University. (looked up) Oh God! Why do you make me bump into such people?

Once again, she questioned God for creating havoc situations in her life.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

'What the hell Laksh??!! Why did you pull me from there like that? What she might be thinking?'

Sanskar paced up and down on the footpath. Laksh was folding his arms looking at him.

Laksh : And there you were on a verge of embarrassing yourself. What, was I supposed to let it happen?

Sanskar (stopped and looked at Laksh) : That's okay Laksh. But what I saw there right now is concerning me more.

Laksh (shocked) : What is it?

Sanskar closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Sanskar : She's not Swara Sharma or any other Swara! She is... Swara Bose!

He looked at Laksh opening his eyes.

Laksh (freaked out) : What?! So that girl is Swara Bose, the latest student and probably the first student to fail in our University! The one whom Papa criticises?

Sanskar (immediately angry) : Laksh! Correction over there. She's not the first student to fail, got it? She's just one of those who couldn't make it to...

He stopped as he felt some kind of pain, something he never felt before...

His heart just dropped down a mile and he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Why did he even panick?

He needed a break from his talk. He took a deep breath while Laksh looked at him astonished to see his brother so angry for the first time in his life. And right now he could see something flicker in his eyes.

Laksh (shocked) : What happened Bhai? You never get angry like that.

Sanskar : (a bit guilty) I'm sorry Lucky. I shouldn't have shouted on you like that but I need some time alone for myself.

Laksh : Alright. But let's go home first. Maa and Chachi would be waiting for us.

Sanskar : (smiled half heartedly) Yes, let's go.

Both of them sit in their car. Sanskar still was concerned ever since he discovered that he just met Swara Bose. He indirectly knew everything about her from his Bade Papa. And he also knew how her Maa and Dida had passed away.

Clouds of sadness surrounded him as he himself didn't know why but he's really feeling pain. Some sort of pain he never felt.

Laksh observed his expressions and somewhere he understood that how his brother was somewhat attracted to her. He assured himself that it was okay.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Swara Bose. Swara Bose. Swara Bose.

It was 3.00 am of the night. Sanskar was still tossing and turning on his bed pulling his blanket to cover himself, not being able to sleep.

Whole night he was thinking about Swara. He was not able to remove her from his thoughts and mind. He finally got up folding his legs in a cross and murmured to himself.

Sanskar : Swara Bose! She is Swara Bose. But how can she... She seems really smart and intelligent enough to conclude something. Also she's seems so sweet. Tch!

He jerked the blanket and sighed.

Sanskar : No. I think something is doing with her. Today also when I first saw her, her eyes were clearly red by which it was evident that she was crying. (thought deeply) But what is up with this Swara Bose! I don't know why but somewhere, I want to see her. I want to talk to her! I want to know her! Seeing her eyes it looks like she's not having a very peaceful time in the university or maybe, not even in her life too. She has no family to support her. I wonder how she is even managing to stand without anyone. But except for this there is something else which is bothering her. (sighed) But what? How can I know more about her? Does she have a friend in the university? (determined) I want to know more about Swara, now! I just hope this night passes by faster. But I can't really believe that when I met her just two times I can conclude this much about her! What is in her which is attracting me towards her, and her loneliness?

~*~*~*~*~*~*

A week passed by like this. In this one week of seven days Sanskar tried hard to talk to Swara but everytime something or the other came in between. Also, Swara noticed that somewhere Sanskar was following her and trying to talk to her but she intentionally didn't talk to him, knowing that he was the dean's son and she felt that it would be better if she would stay away from him as far as possible.

Somewhere Swara was also getting attracted to Sanskar. In this one week, she had found out that he was really sweet in nature and not irritating. They hidingly started seeing each other in the campus. Whenever Swara sat alone in the bench of the lawn practising to read the text, Sanskar would often watch her in fascination -- in a good sense -- and he himself didn't know why but he found himself adoring her everytime he saw her.

Once, he even approached her complimenting her voice, twice he told her that she had beautiful eyes and the next time he told her to believe in herself. While Swara was confused why he was saying these things to her, she was feeling how the walls around her heart were slowly breaking by none other than -- Sanskar Maheshwari.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

One day, Swara was sitting in the Cafeteria with her book when a sweet girl approached her.

Girl : Swara? Hey... you're Swara Bose nah?

Swara looked up at the girl and got the surprise of her life.

Swara : Ragini Gadodia?!

Swara immediately got up and both hugged each other in sisterly manner.

Swara : (smiled with happy tears in eyes) Where were you? You were my best friend in the school Ragini. 10th ke baad toh tu gayab hi hogayi thi. Where were you?

Ragini : (happily broke the hug) Arey meri chhod pagli! Tell me how are you? You look a bit changed yaar.

Swara : (smiled) You too.

Both sat on their respective chairs.

Ragini : You know I joined this university today only on the insistence of my boyfriend.

Swara (surprised) : Hmm! Boyfriend and all haan. Kaun hai hamare Jiju?

Ragini : Laksh Maheshwari! Hey, if I'm not wrong, he's the discipline head of the university na? I wonder how his dad made that duffer one!

Swara : Laksh... (shocked) Sanskar's brother!

Ragini (positively amused) : Sanskar? You know him?

Swara looked at Ragini with a thrilled face.

Swara : It has been a week since we've met each other.

Ragini : Well, that's nice!

Swara thought something and got a bit embarrassed. Ragini noticed that Swara wanted to say something but she was hesitant.

Ragini : Do you want to say something?

Swara : Actually Ragini, woh... (played with her fingers) Don't take me wrong but... Can I ask you something?

Ragini : Haan, ask. Don't hesitate to ask me anything. I'm your best friend na? (smiled)

Swara (assured) : How... is Sanskar?

Ragini : Oh! He's fine! I just met him a week ago.

Swara (hesitantly) : N-No I mean that, by nature and by... his behavior... Ugh.

Ragini looked on naughtily as Swara looked down embarrassed.

Ragini (genuinely) : He's a big prankster, but at the same time he's a very caring and loving person. The day Laksh introduced me to him as his girlfriend, he treated me like his younger sister! He is really fun loving in the university campus but he is completely someone else when he is outside the campus! Swara, maybe I know the reason why are you asking me this. Nevermind, you've seen his troublemaking nature, right?

Swara nodded her head anxiously.

Ragini (smiled) : Trust me, he's not. He acts to be crazy but the truth is he's very polite and sweet. And I'm observing, you are so anxiously looking at me and carefully listening to me. (winked)

Swara : (shocked and stumbled) What? No. I don't.

Ragini : (nodded her head) By the way. It's sad that I'm going for engineering field. Not medical like you! Accha tell me, how is dida?

Swara got teary eyed hearing the name.

Swara : Dida... also is no more. She passed away due to diabetes.

A sudden pang of guilt crossed Ragini's heart. It was just the day before her 10th board exams she met Swara's grandmother.

Ragini (shocked but controlled herself) : Never say they are no more Swara. They are there, in your heart, always! Okay?

Swara sobbed a bit while Ragini pacified her a bit.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sanskar was going towards the library, in between glancing at his watch as he feared the university bell would ring any time and he had to collect the books he wanted before that. But his feet stopped frozen when he heard giggles of a group nearby.

"Look who is here! Swara Bose, she's actually going to the library!" One female voice said.

Sanskar's heart skipped a beat on hearing Swara's name.

"Oho. I think she has made her mind of getting herself rusticated. Have you checked her semester results, Kavita?" Sahil mocked.

"Yes, I have, Sahil darling."

Unaware of why he was getting so much angry on hearing Sahil and Kavita's taunts on Swara, he angrily made fists and made his way to walk towards them only to find that Swara's tears threatened to come out from her eyes. He felt a tinge of pain on seeing her cry. Sanskar didn't think about anything and he immediately put his arm around Swara's shoulder dragging her closer to himself, in an intention to calm and comfort her.

Sanskar : (concerned) Swara! Sssh. Sssh. No! Don't cry. (glared at Kavita and Sahil) Don't pay attention to those people who have even bigger weakness than you, wanna know what is it? It's inhumanity! It's all they have. And nothing else.

Sahil (mocked) : Excuse me Sanky, why are you bothered about her so much? Dekh raha hoon dino se, I see you with her most of the times during recess.

Sanskar (hissed) : What's it to you, you dickhead!

Kavita : Come on, we were just suggesting her better options yaar. Don't you think she's that kind of girl to visit library and buy books?

Sanskar : (angrily) Before I show you both my better way of kicking you from here, Just. Leave. I said Leave.

Sahil and Kavita exchanged looks to each other and go from there shrugging their shoulders. Sanskar looked at them absolutely discontented.

"Idiots!" He spat.

Swara who was silently sobbing all this while stared at Sanskar. Sanskar turned to look at her. He put his palm on her shoulder and smiled at her in assurance.

But next moment he was shocked to the core after Swara immediately hugged him, encircling her petite arms around him. Sanskar was hell shocked but at the same time he felt as if something pierced his heart badly on seeing her tears.

All he could do was pacify her hugging her back and patted her back while she was crying bitterly in his embrace.

Sanskar : (concerned) Swara. Sshh.

And that broke Swara completely. She cried bitterly, concerning Sanskar even more.

Sanskar : Swara don't cry. Tears don't look good in your eyes. Stop. Stop crying please.

Swara (expressing her pain) : I'm alone Sanskar! All alone in this world! I have no one here who could pacify me. Who could help me fight. God gave me the biggest punishment for my last birth's sins of snatching away my family from me. My only family, my Maa and my Dida. I don't wish to live anymore now...

Sanskar was more shocked to the core. From her painful voice he could sense that he had come to know about all her pain. He comforted her as if she was precious to him more than anyone else in this world.

He didn't know why, but...

Her tears hurted him!

They both were completely unknown to each other. They didn't know each other too much. But even then, to some extent, Sanskar felt as if he knew everything about her. He wanted to connect himself to her pain! Even though he didn't know what her actual pain was, but...

He pacified her more, made her feel that he was there for him, even if she thought that there was no one for her.

Swara amidst all this realised how she reacted but didn't want to leave him. She didn't know why but she found comfort in his embrace. A sensation of being loved by someone after her family. Some kind of feeling she was craving for to get from this world after her family!

'COMPASSION'

Which she was getting from this person whom she hardly knew in just one week but was somewhere getting a strange feeling too. Anyhow she broke the hug wiping her tears, leaving Sanskar shocked.

Swara : (hesitantly) I-I am so sorry! I did not mean to react like that. I'm sorry. Just forget it.

Sanskar (calming her down) : Bas, bas, it's okay. Mujhe bura nahi laga.

Sanskar : (in mind) Neither I'll ever feel. Having you in my embrace made me feel so different Swara. I don't know what kind of feeling it really is but as moments are passing, I am coming to know more of you. I am coming closer to you!

Swara (looked at Sanskar) : What? Did you say something?

Sanskar : (shocked) Oh, woh, nothing!

Swara looked at Sanskar in a bewildered expression and he smiled.

Sanskar : Swara, would you mind if I become your ride tomorrow? Well, no. I mean, you stay so far from here, atleast you...

Swara (hesitantly) : Ugh... I am sorry...

She left from there without making any other eye contact with him. Sanskar stood there confused but was kind of lost in his own thoughts.

The way Swara hugged him, how he pacified her and how she blurted out his pain to him. He was quite impatient when Swara blurted out her pain of losing her family to him, but by that he seemed that he finally knew her problem. He was so impatient that he wanted to ask her what, where, how, why type questions but couldn't as he knew this was not correct.

Just then he was about to walk but then next moment he was about to slip but somehow balanced himself.

Sanskar : God! What was that.

He was going to slip because of a spoilt paper fallen down. Within a few seconds he realised that it might have fallen down from Swara's book which she was holding all this while.

Sanskar : (raised his eyebrows) Oh my god. A paper? Must have dropped from Swara by mistake!

He knelt down to pick up the paper. It was a folded paper.

Sanskar : It is folded. Should I open it? (thought something) Umm, no! What if it is something personal. And as one knows a girl has a lot of things which she keeps to herself. But then why am I feeling as if I should open it.

He slowly tried to unfold the paper, it had various folds. Within every unfold his heart skipped beats as he got a really weird feeling about this, and it was something of Swara. Finally after four to five unfolds , he managed to open the paper. But what caught Sanskar's sight at the next moment shocked him to the core...

His world came to a halt. His eyes widened as his vision blurred.

The words written... the inability of writing...

It was written :-

I vvanl to raed enb vvrlte !!!

- Swara Bose

Sanskar : I wan.. to.. what?! What is this? This is really freaking me out.(scared) Normally this doesn't happen with anyone. Why has she written it like this?! (horrified) No. No. This can't be happening!

He immediately put his palm on his forehead scared. His eyes became teary eyed after seeing the way of the writing. Maybe deep inside his heart, he had come to know that what was this. He took out a pen from his pocket and started deciphering the words still kneeling down.

Within a few minutes, he finally deciphered the words and read out the text with his trembling hands...

I want to read and write !!!

- Swara Bose

"Swara..." He immediately looked at the paper more hysterically.

Sanskar : That means Swara... is dyslexic?!

Now he understood all those words blurted by Swara. Automatically his hand lose the strength to hold the paper anymore, and it slipped off his hands. His world started spinning around him. He did not know how to react. This was something so unexpected that someone like Swara had this disability.

Why god, why?

Sanskar : So that means, she has severe difficulty in reading and writing and that is the reason why I always found her struggling when she always read a book.

A few moments flashed infront of him when he always saw her struggling with her book and how there was discontent and sadness in her face.

The revelation stroke him! One by one, he came to know her reason of pain and her... problem...

Sanskar : She has seriously gone through so much in her life? Why God didn't show some pity for her? Also, he snatched away the most loved people of her life from her?! Why is everything in her life so sad? She doesn't deserve this, not at all. She has been through so much and she couldn't even share her pain with anyone in this world? Why... why such a big tragedy with such a pure hearted girl god?

He felt his heart pierced by something sharp and his tears had begun rolling down his cheeks, falling on the paper. His tears reflected how painful he was feeling to see her pain. But immediately, noticing his tears, he wiped them off, and composed himself, knowing that it wasn't the time to fall weak!

Not now, not ever!

Sanskar : (composing himself) So I finally know the biggest truth of Swara's life, which has been bothering her so much. (determined) Swara, from today and now, I promise you will never cry. I promise you, I'll disappear all the reasons of your pain! You will read and write Swara! I promise you that I won't let a single tear come out of your eyes! You will become one of the toppers Swara, it's my only promise I make today!

And when he determined that, he decided to let his heart out. The heart that had been tingling with his mind for a while noe and he knew the reason was no one else but Swara. He finally spoke his heart out...

Sanskar : Swara tum bohot special ho. I wonder how did you even manage to compose yourself after your family's demise. Kitni himmat hai tum mein. You're very special Swara! If I have really started feeling something for you, I am proud of my feelings then! I feel proud to feel something for a girl like you! Par ab bas. You will not struggle with your weakness anymore, when I am there to help you overcome your weakness! I promise to fix everything in your life Swara!

He recalled all his moments spent with Swara till then -- How he first met her, how she got angry like a kid on him, how he found out about her vulnerability and how she broke down right now in his arms.

He really didn't know what place she held in his heart for her but all he felt to do was treasure her with love. He wanted to give her all happiness she deserved! He didn't want her to see in pain!

'I promise to make everything right in your life Swara!' -- His only determination.

♡♡♡♡♡~~~♡♡♡♡♡

With much daring and courage Swara went to Dean Durgaprasad to ask him about his note on her progress on the last week's assignment. While Durgaprasad checked a few records, he ordered Swara to call a few students to him.

Then in the corridor of the University, Durgaprasad announced the results.

Durgaprasad : According to Mrs Khanna's feedback, Aisha stands first for this. and then... (so on) Ria stands thirteenth. Rohit stands twentieth.(Swara closed her eyes) Swara stands forty eighth that is third last.

Durgaprasad asked everyone to leave and asked Swara to wait. But none of them left and stood there to watch the entertainment.

Durgaprasad (disappointed) : Once again Ms Bose. You failed to show me your intellect. But now, these are assignments for just one fifth of the portion. On a serious note, what will do you in second semester?

Swara : I'll work harder sir.

Durgaprasad (angry) : But I'm hearing that only since you entered the university! When will you actually work harder Swara? After these four years are over?

Swara looked down avoiding tears all over again.

Durgaprasad : I'm sick to death of students like you now. Do you think I'm stupid enough to hold myself back for rusticating you? I, Ms Malhotra, and some teachers want to give you a chance but you have already decided to get yourself rusticated from here! So I really think I'll do this. Right...

Swara (scared) : No... Sir! Please, no.

Durgaprasad : Just tell me one thing Ms Bose, (she looked on) You have to pass three and a half years more in this university now. And not only like that, you have to give seven semester exams, twenty five internal tests and so many assignments how in this world are you going to manage yourself here? Examining dead bodies is nothing, even a small child can do that!

Swara tried hard to control her tears.

Durgaprasad : You can't take anything loosely in my university. Last time you failed in two subjects but now in semester you failed in all! Why should I still keep you in my university...

"Enough Bade Papa !!!"

A voice which stopped everything for a while. Swara who was silently bearing everything till now, also looked up. Durgaprasad was hell shocked on seeing who stopped him. The students who were already standing there smiling were no more smiling. Their goofy smiles had also disappeared in one go.

"Now I won't hear a word against Swara Bade Papa, now even if I have to go against my Dean!"

Swara understood who the person was... She turned to look behind and saw an enraged Sanskar looking sharply at Durgaprasad.

~*~*~*~*~*~*