Hi! Last second chapter. Almost nearing the end.

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

Moving on... 💃💃💃

"Words in double quotes" - Talking

'Words in single quotes' - Thoughts

(Words in braces) - Telephone conversations.

Chapter 20 - Of Lovers and Tiffs

"It's because I know you love another and won't ever love me!" Swara blurted out in anger. However, she gasped once she realized what she accidentally spoke out loud.

Mani was speechless. He probably wouldn't be as surprised as he was then if someone dropped a bomb on him. "Wh-what?"

Swara adverted her eyes and looked away. "N-nothing. Let's go. The others might be waiting."

"No! First tell me what you meant."

"It was just a slip of my tongue. Forget it!" Swara bit out and tried to move past him.

However, Mani caught her wrist in his grip. "I heard you say that I won't ever love you. But if you love Laksh, why did you say this to me? Anwser me. You're not leaving until you tell me what's in your mind."

Swara struggled to break free. "I told you it was just a slip of my tongue! Now, let go!"

Mani glared at her. "Swara. Tell. Me. The. Truth."

Swara refused to back down as well. "There is no truth to tell. And even if there is, I'm not saying. So. Let. Me. Go!"

Mani looked at her pointedly. After a moment, he let her free. "Fine. Fine then leave."

Swara looked confused as the usually stubborn Mani let her go that easily. However, his next action shocked her.

Mani gripped his bandaged shoulder and squeezed it, making it bleed out.

"Mani! What are you doing? Mani! Mani, you're making it worse!"

Despite her cries, he simply kept looking at her nonpulsed and kept squeezing. "Not until you tell me the truth. If there is no truth to tell as you say, leave. No need to care about my well-being."

All Swara could do was stare at him in horror as he remained firm in his decision. 'If I don't tell him, he'll bleed out. But if I tell him, I...I might lose the friendship I have with him. What do I do? What do I do?!'

"So? Will you tell me or not?" Mani asked with a serious face.

Swara balled her hands into fists. 'If I don't tell him, he'll continue hurting himself. And I would rather have him not talk to me than see him in pain.' She took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright, I'll tell you."

#With Ragini and Tanuja#

"Ow!"

"Hold on Ragini. I'm almost done." Tanuja assured as she applied the bandage on Ragini's hand. "Where did you hurt yourself by the way?"

"While escaping through the vent. That was the only way I could get out."

"I see. I'm glad you're okay. Not only because you are my about to be husband's sister. But also because you are like a sister of my own."

Ragini smiled and hugged her. "I know Tanu di. Swara may be your biological sister. But you love me just as much as her."

Tanuja smiled back. "That's true. You bo-"

"Is this a group hug? Then I want to join in as well." Sanskar joked as he came near them.

Tanuja gave him a playful smile. "You can. But something tells me, you would like it more if it is Ragini who hugs you alone."

Both Ragini and Sanskar blushed at her statement.

Tanuja's phone rang, distracting them. "Oh! It's Maa and Baba. They want to know what happened. Better tell them before they worry themselves to a fit." Tanuja joked and moved away to take the call.

Ragini and Sanskar stood there in silence, not knowing how and where to start.

"So then?" they spoke at the same time.

"You finish first what you were saying Sanky."

"No. You start first Ragu."

"No. You go first."

"Thiis is getting us nowhere." Sanskar replied, making Ragini giggle.

Sanskar smiled at her. However, his heart was pounding at the speed of a bullet train. 'It's a miracle she isn't hearing it!' he thought in panic.

Ever since his confession while they were fighting Pawan, Sanskar felt both relieved as well as anxious. Relief because he finally told her that he loved her. But, on the other hand, he was anxious as she hadn't replied the same to him yet.

"Sanky? Why are you sweating this much?" Ragini asked in worry. She took the end of her dupatta and rubbed his sweat. Sanskar gulped at their closeness. "Sanky, now you're turning red. What's wrong?"

"N-nothing! Nothing at all."

Ragini looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Sanky, tell me already!"

"Well, you're the one who's supposed to tell me your answer!" he blurted out in uncertainty.

"Answer? Answer to what?"

Sanskar looked down in embarrassment, rubbing his neck. "You know...um, in what I... I had c-confessed earlier a-and um...you know!" Sanskar looked up when he heard her giggle. As he looked at her dumbfounded, she broke out into laughter pointing at him.

"Ahaha... Sanky, your face. It was...it was priceless!"

"Eh?" he replied clueless, making her laugh harder.

After a moment, Ragini calmed down and looked at him lovingly. "Oh Sanky, you can be so dumb sometimes. I already know what you want to hear." she placed her hands on his shoulders, smiling at him in mirth. "Yes, I understand what you meant. And my answer is..."

"Is?"

Instead of answering him, Ragini stood on her tip toes and gave him a kiss on the lips.

Sanskar kept looking on in shock, his brain still unable to process the events. "So...so this means you like me too?"

Ragini pouted. "Sanky, do you think I would go and keep kissing random people just for fun?"

Sanskar smiled and pulled her closer. "Don't you even dare try to kiss another. You're only mine and I, yours." he joined their foreheads and closed his eyes, relishing the moment.

Being in each other's arms, they both felt happy and complete. No one else existed for them, but themselves.

"Where are Rishi and Laksh?" Tanuja enquired as she came near them, making them break away from their embrace.

Sanskar snorted at her question. "You mean where are Dumb and Dumber?"

"Eh?"

"Rishi purposefully let Pawan loose so that he and Laksh can take their revenge. What else am I supposed to call them?"

Tanuja and Ragini looked at him aghast.

"And you just let them leave!? How irresponsible!" Ragini accused, moving past him towards the police.

"Arre, I can't believe she blamed me and not them." Sanskar pouted.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I'll make sure Rishi never thinks of doing this again." Tanuja warned and stormed in the direction Ragini went.

Sanskar looked at them leave in thought. 'Follow them or not follow them? Ragu might start chiding me again if I go now. But, on the other hand, it will be fun to see Rishi being scolded by Tanuja.' he smirked and jogged after them.

"Officer!" Ragini shouted the moment she reached the police vehicles. "Officer, are they back yet?"

"No. I've sent my men after them though. Don't worry ma'am."

"How could you let them do that in the first place? How irresponsible of you as well!"

"Your brother is an intelligent man. He managed to trick us before we got a clue what he was up-to."

"That's no excuse for bei-" she stopped mid sentence when she noticed movement before her. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open at the sight.

There stood Rishi with a black eye, his shirt torn, and with a big lump on the forehead.

Laksh was no better. His upper lip was swollen and bleeding, and his shoulder, dislocated.

However, the worst was Pawan. The guy was practically limping towards them with two black eyes, a bleeding shoulder and a lump on the forehead. He kept limping forward and readily flopped inside the police vehicle. "I'm done. Take me to jail! I prefer jail time than being beaten to death by these two."

The police officer chuckled. "Alright then." just then, the sirens of the ambulance could be heard. "The ambulance is here. They will provide the needed care. As for us, we'll be leaving now. But two of you need to come with us to prepare a report on this case."

"I will go. After all, this entire mess started with Pawan kidnapping me. I can tell you everything you need." Ragini stated. She shivered remembering how scared she was while being under Pawan's threat, not only for her own life, but for Rishi.

'No way am I leaving her alone in this state.' Sanskar thought, determined. "You needed two witnesses, right officer? I'll go as well." Sanskar offered.

Ragini smiled in gratitude. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it, as if saying thank you without speaking.

"No you're not!" Rishi shouted as he and Laksh stood side by side, holding their injuries. "You just need an excuse to be alone with my sister. Who knows what you might do to her?!"

"We're leaving with the police. How could I possibly take advantage of her?" Sanskar shouted back, miffed. 'In fact, it was she who kissed me first!'

"I don't know how. All I know is that you're not going with her."

Laksh chuckled. "Rishi, let him go. Bhai, won't do anything obnoxious. You can trust him to behave."

Sanskar smiled at Lucky. "Thanks Lucky."

"Yeah, he might try to kiss her. But that isn't much of a deal." Laksh added in an innocent tone.

While Rishi looked at Sanskar in anger, Sanskar glared at Laksh. "I take it back. You. Are. Evil!"

"Haha-ow!" Laksh held his cheek as it pained from laughing. "Can't even laugh now? Great!" he shouted in frustration.

"Sanskar is going. That's it!" Tanuja interrupted.

Rishi looked at Tanuja. "No he isn't. He's not a responsible person."

"You're the one to talk. Wasn't it you who let Pawan free purposefully?!"

Rishi looked at Tanuja in horror. 'She knows? She wasn't supposed to know. Oh my God! I'm dead for sure.' he tried to smile at her. "Tanuja dear, it isn't as it looks like."

"It's exactly as it looked like! You're the greatest idiot ever! Pawan almost killed you and Ragini and yet...yet, you pulled such a stunt?!"

"Well, I was at gunpoint then. Now though, we were confident we would win, right Laksh?"

"Yep!" Laksh high-fived him. However, both looked down in fear as Tanuja continued glaring at them.

"Laksh doing it, I can understand. But you Rishi? You were supposed to be the adult here!"

"Well, I'm still a kid at heart." Rishi joked, pissing off Tanuja more.

"Why you..." Tanuja surged forward and pressed the lump on his head hard, making him hop in pain.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! What the hell Tanuja?! It hurts!"

To his disappointment, Tanuja simply walked off towards the ambulance with Laksh. He sighed in defeat and looked at Ragini. "Fine. You and Sanskar can go with the police."

"Thank you bhai." Ragini responded, moving away to get inside the vehicle, Sanskar following close behind.

"Alright then Mr. Bedi. We'll take our leave." the officer stated.

"Alright officer. Thank you for your service." Rishi shook hands with him. "And officer? If that Sanskar tries anything funny with Ragini, you have my permission to shoot him." he added as an afterthought, making the officer laugh out loud.

************************************
To be continued...

If you liked this chapter, please consider giving your vote. Thanks!
~ 🌹 Mona 🌹