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As soon as Swara reached her bedroom, she slowly removed his coat and draped it around the back of a chair, and then proceeded towards the dressing room. But as she passed the large ornate mirror, she stopped and gazed at her reflection. The Swara, whom she saw now, looked so different and lovelorn. Her kohl-lined eyes were exuding a dull and lifeless look, which not at all befitted the face a of a girl who was supposed to be dreaming about Lakshya -- the person who had happily accepted her proposal of unending love to him.

Her thoughts went back to the terrace, to the moment when she thought Mr.Maheshwari was going to kiss her.

"Ohh God..! What had happened to me, then..? Why did I close my eyes in anticipation, while his lips were so close to mine..?! It was as if I too wanted that kiss to happen..!" she thought bitterly and a lone tear escaped her left eye. As it rolled down her soft cheek, she slowly wiped it with her palm, and then turned away from the mirror, unable to face herself.

She shut her eyes tightly and thought again, "I refused his proposal in the morning, saying that I loved only Lakshya and some minutes before at the terrace, I was about to....(she opened her eyes with shock) Oh no..! What would he be thinking about me now..?! (tears filled her eyes) God..!!Why is this happening with me..?! (and she sobs softly) I know love Lakshya..But whenever I am with Mr.Maheshwari, why do I keep losing my hold over my actions and my behaviour..? Why does he affect me so much..?!"

Swara was not at all able to find an answer to her question, but she was unaware of the fact that her heart was letting her know the answer through her feelings, which she was trying to suppress with all her might, with her never ending rational thoughts.
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Meanwhile, inside his bedroom, Sanskaar was reclining on his window side couch, and he was gazing at the moon through the open window. This helped him a lot, since he could feel Swara's presence beside him, but it caused a sad smile to form on his lips, since he knew that she loved someone else, not him.

But what puzzled him the most was, the raw emotions he saw in her eyes, whenever he went close to her. And tonight, when he was about to kiss her, she had been so vulnerable, and he wondered right now that, if he had indeed went ahead with the kiss, what would have happened.
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Swara now lay in her bed, clad in her nightdress and hugging a pillow for comfort. She thought, "Now there is only one more day left..After that, I won't be seeing Mr. Maheshwari again in my life..We would be back in our own worlds, mine in Mumbai and his in Kolkata...And I hope I can keep my resolve intact for one more day.."
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With his eyes still on the moon, he thought, " Tomorrow is Uttara's wedding..And after that Swara will go back to Mumbai.."

His heart twisted at the mere thought and he closed his eyes for a moment. Then he thought again, " Tomorrow I will try talking to her one more time..Just to make sure of her feelings for me.."
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The wedding day dawned bright and clear, much to the happiness of both the bride's and groom's families. The air itself was filled with a euphoric feeling, which only a wedding only could provide.

Swara and Lakshya worked hard from dawn to dusk with their team, monitoring everything, and instructing everyone around by means of walkie talkies. But in spite of all that, some last-minute adjustments also had to be done and they took care of that too.

By evening, the haveli itself was decked up like a beautiful bride. It looked resplendent with fairy lights, attractive flower decorations, multi coloured draperies and mirror disc curtains, all of them tastefully done. The "mandap", elaborately set for the wedding, looked equally grand and splendid.

Sanskaar had been away in his Study all the while, he had some important international video conference calls to make and this provided to be an excellent excuse to be away from the wedding preparations. No one disturbed him and he got a lot of time to think over his action plan.

Swara had been unintentionally hoping to bump into him sometime around, the whole day, but nothing of that sort happened. He was nowhere to be seen and she began to wonder why it was so. She shrugged off such thoughts, trying to believe that it was for the best. The least she saw of him, the better it would be for her.

Finally it was time for her to get ready and Swara proceeded towards her room. As she passed the door of his Study, her curious eyes couldn't help it and they cast a look inside the room, but the room seemed to be empty, after all. Swara assumed that he would have gone to get ready for the wedding function and she walked along the hallway leading to her bedroom.

She walked inside the room and locked it securely from inside. Just as she turned around, she was shocked to see him sitting on the chair, waiting for her. Swara's eyes were widened in shock, but no sound came out of her mouth. Sanskaar was gazing at her, rather intently.

She was wearing a pair of jeans and a green colour sleeveless knee length kurti with red embroidery work along the neckline and arm line. There were some smudges of dirt in her dress and also along her cheeks and neck, as a result of working really hard, all the day. In spite of all that, he still thought that she looked really pretty.

Sa: (serious tone) Swara....If you want, you can keep the door open, that is, if you don't feel safe with me.. It's just that, I wanted to talk to you and so I was waiting for you..

Swara cast a look at the now locked door, but still she didn't make any move to unlock it, she waited for him to speak. Slowly, Sanskaar stood up from the chair and walked towards her. He stopped right in front of her, and looking intently into her beautiful doe-like eyes, he began,

Sa: Swara..I know that you loved Lakshya before..

Sw: (hastily and defiantly) And now also I love him, Mr.Maheshwari..

But Sanskaar held up his hand, signaling her to let him finish, first, and continued.

Sa: But don't you think that, after meeting me, you have changed..? (sharp look)

Sw: (gasps) What do you mean..?

Sanskaar moved closer to her and Swara flinched a little bit.

Sa: When I come close to you like this, don't you feel anything for me, Swara..?

Sanskaar looked into her face with love filled eyes and Swara's heart beats began to race. She looked into his eyes, intently and answered, feeling afraid of herself.

Sw: N-No..

Sanskaar slowly raised his hand and using his thumb, he rubbed away the smudge of dirt on her cheek, carefully.

Sa: (whispers hoarsely into her face) And when I touch you like this, don't you feel anything..?

Swara closed her eyes, as a shiver ran through her body and she parted her mouth with a gasp.

Sw: (slowly whispers) Please, Mr.Maheshwari...don't... do this... to me..

Sanskaar slowly placed his arms around her narrow waist and tilted his head a bit and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. He could feel her slightly squirm in his hold, and then he whispered into her ear, softly,

Sa: Not even now, Swara..?

Swara opened her eyes and gasped for breath, quite audibly. Quickly, she distanced herself from his hold, slightly pushing him away in the process. She looked straight into his eyes and, said,

Sw: (confident voice) Mr. Maheshwari, please leave from here..

But Sanskaar was not ready to go, he wanted his answers.

Sa: (intense look) I will surely go, Swara..But only after you answer my questions..

Swara realized that Sanskaar was not going to budge, she glared at him with a scorching gaze as uncertainty and fury bubbled inside her.

Sw: (impatiently sighs) Fine then..you stay here..! I am going..

She said stiffly and then turned toward the door. But Sanskaar was quick for her, he caught hold of her shoulders and shoved her against the wall, in a clean move. She was too much shocked to yell at him and so she simply glared at him.

Sa: (slowly and clearly emphasizing each word) You.. are not..going off..anywhere..Do you get that..?!!

His eyes were blazing as if they had caught fire, and they met her eyes, defiantly. But just at that moment there was a loud knock on the door. Both of them were startled, and their eyes were on the door. And a moment later, they heard Kavita's voice.

Ka: Swara..are you getting ready..? Open the door, please..

Sw: (loudly) I am coming, Kavita M'am..one minute, please..

And then she turned towards Sanskaar, with pleading eyes, which began to slowly fill with tears.

Sw: (helpless voice) What are we going to do now, Mr. Maheshwari..?

Sanskaar felt really bad, when he saw her tears, so he took off his hands from her shoulders and looked around for a place to hide. He noticed the door to the dressing room and went over to hide inside.

Then Swara went toward the room's door and opened it. Kavita was standing there, looking really pretty in an orange and pink coloured designer lehenga.

Ka: (with her hand on her hip) How do I look..? (raises an eyebrow with a smile)

Swara tried to smile, in spite of her worries.

Sw: You are looking really beautiful, M'am..!!

Ka: Ok, leave it..actually, I came here to see your dress..But you have still not gotten ready..??

Sw: Well..M'am..actually..

Kavita entered inside the room and Swara was highly tensed, for a moment. But Kavita sat down on the chair in her room and spoke in a cheerful voice,

Ka: Ok..Ok..I will wait for you here..You go inside the dressing room and wear your dress and come..

Swara was shocked at her words and stared at her with an open mouth.

Ka: Oh Swaraa..you are looking like you have seen some ghost..? Just go, please..!!

Swara nodded quietly and proceeded towards the dressing room with staggering footsteps. Once she reached inside the dressing room, she closed the door, behind her. The dressing room was a small room with a wardrobe and a mirror. Sanskaar was standing there with wide eyes and an apologetic expression.

Sa: (low voice) I am sorry Swara..But, I promise you that I will turn around and keep my eyes closed, while you are changing..

Swara looked into his eyes with frightened eyes, but she nodded in agreement, she felt that she could trust him after all. With a polite nod, Sanskaar turned away from her facing the plain wall on the opposite side. Gathering her hair up, she tied it into a loose bun, and then went over to the built in wardrobe to take out her dress.

She could see Sanskaar's back clearly in the mirror while she started to remove her jeans. He was standing there as still as a statue, not even making a wrong move to break his promise to her. Swara slipped into her orange lehenga and zipped it up and tied its dori securely. And then she raised the hem of her kurti keeping her eyes fixed at Sanskaar, and raised it edges up till her neck and removed it off. She knew that she had to remove her upper innerwear in order to wear the padded choli, which had a deep back neck. She began to feel rather uncomfortable to be in a semi-clothed state in that small room, with Mr.Maheshwari. But she had no choice, Kavita was waiting for her.

Without thinking any more, Swara unhooked her innerwear and removed it in haste. She inserted her arms through the armholes of the sleeveless choli and secured it in place around her upper body. And then she heaved a sigh of relief and she tried to hook it securely at the back. But with her frantic hand movements, to fasten the hook as fast as possible, the shocking thing which happened was that the hook's clasp came out of the fabric.

Sw: (gasps) Oh nooo..!

Sa: (without turning, in a low voice) What is it, Swara..?!

Sw: (whispers back, frantically) Nothing..Please, don't turn..

Swara thought, " What to do now?", just then she thought about Kavita, " Yes..I will ask her to secure the blouse opening with a safety pin.." Swara took a safety pin out of a box and turned toward the door. Just at that moment, Kavita received a phone call from Annapurna.

Ka: Yes Aunty..What..? Oh ok.. I am coming..!

She disconnected the call and she yelled out to Swara.

Ka: Sorry dear, Swara, I have to go now..I will see your dress later..Bye..

And she ran out of the room in haste. Swara let out a helpless sigh and she turned towards her sole resort, who was standing with his back facing her.

Sw: (pleading voice) Mr.Maheshwari..can you help me, please..?

Sa: Can I turn around..?

Sw: (softly) Yes..!

Sanskaar turned towards her and he forgot to breathe for a moment. She simply dazzled in that beautiful lehenga, even without any makeup or ornaments.

A wave of desire emanated from his eyes and she was taken aback, feeling its intensity. Her knees threatened to give away and Swara looked away, in haste.

Sw: (softly) Uh..Mr.Maheshwari..

Remembering that she had been asking for his help, Sanskaar asked,

Sa: You needed some help, right..?

Swara had momentarily forgotten about it and she regained her senses.

Sw: (embarrassed tone) Oh yes..Can you please pin the ends of my choli opening, together.

She held out the safety pin to him and he gazed at it, feeling shocked.

Sw: (hurt face) My hook got damaged..(hastily adds) I thought of taking Kavita M'am's help but she too went off..And I can't go out like this, right..

Sanskaar knew that she was in a dilemma and badly needed his help, and so he didn't want to tease her right then.

Sa: (nods, with a serious face) Ok..Turn around..

Swara turned around like a meek little girl, but she was dreading his closeness. Her breathing pace turned into a rapid one, and she closed her eyes feeling tensed.

Sanskaar's eyes were not prepared for the view of her smooth and creamy back, which lay beautifully bare, except for the thin piece of fabric which he had to fasten together with the safety pin. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, to gather reigning control over his raging hormones.

Then he turned his gaze towards the blouse opening and when his fingers grasped its two edges together. His fingertips grazed her bare skin and Swara could feel a hundred butterflies dancing inside her tummy. But Sanskaar's full attention was on his job of fastening the safety pin securely to the fabric ends. Then he noticed the two strings on either side of her neckline at the shoulder area.

Sa: Swara.. you need some help with the dori too..?

Swara opened her eyes and she looked at him through the mirror. At the same instant, Sanskaar also looked at her face and their eyes locked with each other.

Sw: (softly says) Can you..?

Without breaking the eye contact, he took the strings in his either hand and then tied them together.

Sa: There you go..

Swara's heart was being filled with an unknown feeling of warmth right then.

Sw: (with sincerely grateful eyes) Thank you, Mr.Maheshwari..

Sa: (nods with a serious face, into the mirror) Swara..now you get ready quickly..And even I have to go and dress up..

Sw: (nods meekly, into the mirror) Ok..

Sanskaar was about to open the dressing room door from inside, but then, he turned back, as if remembering something. He reached for her hair, and loosened her bun, making her long and wavy dark hair cascade over her bare back, like an opaque curtain. Swara gasped and looked at him through the mirror.

Sa: (looking sharp into her eyes) Leave your hair open...There is no need to flaunt your backless look to everyone else..

Swara gazed at him with and open mouth and widened eyes, and then she blushed to a shade of deep crimson, when his real implication sunk in.
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Afterwards, as the function began, Swara and Kavita escorted the bride, Uttara from her room. She looked extremely beautiful in her bridal attire, and was looking like a real princess. As they were walking along the corridor and reached near the staircase, Uttara exclaimed happily,

Ut: Bhaiyya..

Swara's heart skipped a beat, and she looked down the stairs. Sanskaar stood at the bottom of the stairs and he was looking very much dapper in this:

She just couldn't take her eyes off him as they walked down the stairs and Sanskaar noted with interest that she had indeed let her hair down, and was looking gorgeous.

Swara watched as Uttara happily hugged her brother as soon as they reached downstairs.

Ut:(pulling off from the hug) Bhaiyyaaaa...You are looking so handsome..!

Sanskaar pulled off from the hug and cupping his sister's face in his both palms, he looked into her eyes with lots of affection.

Sa: And my adorable Uttara is looking like a princess..(kisses her forehead)

Sanskaar took her hand in his and he led her towards the "mandap" where Karan was waiting for her.

As Swara watched him, she remembered their moments inside the dressing room. She knew that if he had wanted to, he could have taken advantage of the situation and forced himself upon her. But he hadn't done anything like that, he had actually helped her out.
****End of Part 10****
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Naina