Unmasked - A Swasan Story

10 # Smoke and Fumes

Here is the next update. Apologies, I am late than intended. Life got busy, but I hope this long update makes up to it.

Happy Reading and don't forget to let me know your thoughts. Please ignore any errors and typos found

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Sleep evaded Sanskaar, that night. His mind was plagued with questions. His troubled heart looked for answers. And this game of heart and mind never seemed to end. From two years he had his heart locked in memories of that one night and 'her'. His masked girl. He had been waiting for her, however absurd and logicless it was.

She had his heart. It didn't have the right to beat for someone else. It didn't, till Swara walked in and it flipped.

'Traitor' Sanskaar scowled.

There's no doubt his feelings for Swara were escalating at a rapid scale. His heart seemed to have a will of its own on being drawn towards her and here comes the worst part: He didn't have a say in it.

All these years, he met many women but no one stirred rush of emotions like Swara did, just in a matter of few weeks. His dates with other women never went right. He couldn't be around them for long.

No one had his interest, but with Swara, it's totally different. There's no denial at all. He liked being around her. She made a way into his thoughts, these days more often. And he didn't mind at all. It felt like a harmless activity, until today.

That one moment in the car, how hopelessly he was drawn to her, made him severely restless and he felt more threatened than ever, of his feelings.

That's being disloyal to the masked girl. Was he?

In a spur of a moment, he pulled out drawer and took out the mask. And it hit him. It had been days, he cast a glance at it, when before it would have been a ritual every night. These days, he was so tangled in his feelings, his work and of course Swara, he didn't miss 'her', Sanskaar admitted grudgingly. He needs to feel terrible, not confused.

He is cheating.

Cheating? really? with an imaginary character? or the one you have no clue would ever turn up? is what Laksh would say, shaking his head at this theory.

Still, how could he be drawn towards two women at once? Wrong! Sanskaar thought sternly.

But here is the fix. When it felt wrong with others, why doesn't it feel the same with Swara? He had been forcing himself to accept, it was wrong...when in reality it didn't.

Why?

And he had no answer, like always.

God! Sanskaar tossed and turned on the bed. Was his life less complicated with mystery now it turned into a triangle love story? Great! Sanskaar.Enjoy! Teri phuti kismat. You couldn't handle one, Now you have two, and the bad part again: Both girls were clueless of torture, they are inflicting on him.

He stared at the mask intently. He slowly moved it away from his eyes. Then there was the image of Swara with her heart in the eyes, 'for him.' Then again the mask...Swara. Mask and Swara.

He played this game for a while, didn't even realize his eyes giving up.

He still had the mask in his hand and he dreamt...

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The whole space was dim lit. It was the same room and dance floor as of that night, but he was all alone. Music faintly touched his ears. He knew the song at once. It was Dmitri Shostakovich - Waltz No2, the one which played while they were dancing that night.