Fated

Chapter 7

Sanskar was sitting on his side of the bed, quite unsuccessfully trying to read a book. 

Unsuccessfully, because his thoughts were still on the attacks. 

True, he and Ranveer had discussed the incidents almost a week back and everything pointed to both happening together, being more of coincidence rather than an elaborate plan. 

If he looked back to the facts that they had discussed, it did seem as though Swara was just there at the wrong place at the wrong time, but put that in the context of Ragini's attack and he still couldn't get his mind to agree that both being attacked by bikers in helmets using guns could only be coincidence.

There was also bigger and more serious question bothering him.

What he really knew about Swara. 

He would never admit it to anyone, but there were questions that his mind was throwing at him – questions that were slowly but steadily enveloping him in a cloud of doubt. 

This was the girl he loved. 

Questions doubting the basic premise of his understanding of the girl – not just by others – but now also by his own mind, was leaving him feeling unsettled. 

He needed clarity one way or the other. 

But he had almost exhausted the easily available avenues of information, and now the ones that were left brought with them their own set of discomfort.

As he thought about the three names that were revolving in his thoughts, his eyes drifted towards Ragini who was sitting in her usual place by the coffee table, working on her project. 

When they shook hands and became friends last week, he had never expected that she would become something close to his best friend, in such a short span of time. But then again, friendship wasn't about time spent, it was about trust, and somehow he felt that immensely towards her.

It was strange, at least for him, to come across someone that he could share those things that he wasn't all that comfortable sharing with his friends in LA or even the ones that had been with him since uni days. 

And yet here he was, sharing those with Ragini, his friend of mere 7 days. 

But then she somehow made it easy for him to share those things. It sometimes felt as though they were just on the same page – in complete sync – over many of their views and that was something that he had not even realized he would enjoy as much as he did. 

It was strange that what would start out as quick chat breaks, from her project work, would soon turn into hours of discussion, with the project being left aside. 

 They had been trying to be consciously disciplined, since yesterday, not to get too carried away with their chats, so that her project wouldn't get impacted.

He had come to respect her and admire her for her resilience and her philosophy of life. 

He felt protective of the innocence that she still displayed despite what she had been through. 

He had come to appreciate the warmth that she spread around, as she spoke to his family and with him.

And that was preciously what made some of his investigations tougher. 

Besides the complication of not even being sure if he would be able to have a decent discussion with them, he was worried about hurting her, his almost best friend, in the course of the investigation and part of him wondered if it would be betrayal of their friendship.