Upto Chance

Part 13

Karanveer watched her calmly as she left, but internally, his emotions were a whirlwind. 

What the heck was that? When did he become so bold as to hold her that way? But it felt good. Having her so close, his heart beating in sync with hers, calmed something deep within him, a wild desire that yearned to possess her in every way. He didn't have a name for what he felt, but whatever it was, he was diving deeper into it.

He hated Laksh, maybe not just because he was her ex-husband, but because she had loved him. And somewhere within, Karanveer wanted that love for himself, exclusively. 

He questioned why he was late to her life, why they didn't meet sooner. They could have, if he hadn't initially declined the marriage proposal when Dadaji had asked him two years ago.

Maybe he should have met her then. But would he have felt the same? Or would his decision have been different?

Even after their marriage, it took him time to come to terms with her. If someone else had been in her place, they would have surely demanded his time, but she didn't. 

He knew she was hurt by everything that had happened in her life. Did this marriage make things any better for her? He questioned this endlessly. The questions had no answers, or maybe they did if he asked her. 

He never regretted anything in life more than the time he lost contemplating his marriage. All he did was move questions in his head, he might have found answers if he dared to and spoke to her instead of just contemplating in his head.

—------------------

Ragini walked to the hall, her mind still racing from the encounter with Karanveer. She found Swara and Sanskar seated with Dadaji, Anditha, and Mihir. Swara's eyes lit up as she saw her sister, and she rushed over, pulling Ragini into a tight hug.

"What happened to you?" Swara's voice was laced with worry.

Ragini gave her a reassuring smile, "I'm fine, Swara. Just some mild fever and cold. Nothing to worry about."

Swara frowned, pulling back to look at her more closely. "Mild fever? You look like you've been through a lot more than that."

"You know how my fevers are, Swara," Ragini replied with a small smile. "They're high when they start, but then I get better. I'm feeling a lot better now. Sorry I couldn't call you yesterday."

"It's okay," Swara said, her concern still evident.

Swara wanted to ask her so many things. Though they spoke on the phone often, their conversations were always mild. Swara shared everything, but Ragini didn't even share one-fourth of what was happening in her life. Swara questioned in her head if her sister's second marriage was so uneventful that there was nothing to talk about. She always wanted to ask about Ragini and Karanveer, how their bond was, but whenever she brought up the question, Ragini dodged it.

Swara was about to say something when Karanveer entered the room, his expression softening as he saw Ragini. Ragini caught his eye for a moment, and they shared an unspoken emotion, but she quickly looked back towards Swara, feeling a bit embarrassed and unsure. 

Swara saw the exchange and had more questions, which she decided to ask later.

"How is your health now, Jiju?" Swara asked Karanveer.

He gave a polite smile and responded, "A lot better. Thank you for asking, Swara."

"How is your stay in Mumbai going?" he asked, attempting to start a conversation.

Swara smiled, sensing his effort. "It's going well. Sanskar and I are enjoying the city. The hustle and bustle are quite different from Kolkata, but it's exciting."