18. Elizabeth or Darcy?

"Intezaar hai tera,

magar tu aana mat." ~

Darsh blinked, momentarily caught off guard before his lips stretched into a grin, the kind that made his dimple deepen.

"Arre Miss Swastika, aaj aapka mood kuch theek hai" He said, his eyes twinkling with something softer, something fonder. "Aur aap keh rahi thi ki kuch khaas nahi hai? Kuch to baat hai? Hainaa!"

Swastika bit her lower lip, her excitement bubbling over. "I don't know yaar, magar na" She inhaled deeply, as if trying to contain the sheer joy that threatened to spill over. "Sab kuch ek sapne jaisa lag raha hai!"

Darsh tilted his head, his smile never wavering. "Kyun? Sapne sach nahi hote kya?"

Swastika stilled, the weight of his words settling in. The sincerity in his tone, the gentle confidence-it did something to her.

She shook her head, dismissing the sudden thudding of her heart. "Hote hain, magar kabhi kabhi darr lagta hai ki koi jaga dega," she admitted, her voice softer now, almost vulnerable.

Darsh leaned in slightly, voice dropping just enough for only her to hear. "Jo sapne aankhein khuli rakho toh koi jaga nahi sakta, Miss Swastika."

A nervous chuckle escaped her, but she couldn't deny the warmth spreading through her chest. "Aap toh bohot philosophical ho gaye aaj, Mr. Darsh."

He simply shrugged, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Aapki khushi dekh ke ho gaya shayad."

Her breath hitched. But before she could respond, one of the students ran up to them, waving a notebook.

"Ma'am! Ma'am! Maine ek poem likha hai!"

Swastika let out a shaky breath, gathering herself. "Chalo, sunao," she said, her voice returning to its usual enthusiasm.

Darsh stepped back, watching her with an amused smile. But his eyes-his eyes still held the quiet admiration he never said out loud.

After listening the poem of the student, Swastika turned back to Darsh, She couldn't hold it in any longer. Her heart was drumming wildly, and her fingers curled into fists in excitement. She turned to Darsh, eyes gleaming, lips stretching into the widest grin.

"Omg, you know what, Darsh?" she blurted, practically bouncing on her feet. "My book got a publishing contract! I'm finally an author!"

For a second, Darsh just stared at her, as if processing her words. Then, slowly, his expression transformed-first into surprise, then into something indescribably warm.

"Swastika..." he breathed, his voice softer now, carrying something deeper. Then, just like that, he broke into a proud, boyish grin. "This is HUGE! Aapne mujhe pehle kyun nahi bataya?"

Swastika laughed, pressing her hands to her warm cheeks. "Kal raat official confirmation mili thi! Subah tak soch rahi thi ki sapna toh nahi! Can you believe it? I'm an author, Darsh!"

Darsh let out an exaggerated whistle. "Mujhe toh pehle se yakeen tha ki ek din aisa hoga." He placed a hand over his heart dramatically. "Lekin ab mujhe autograph chahiye. Kyunki aaj ke baad, Swastika ma'am bohot busy hone wali hain!"

She rolled her eyes but couldn't stop smiling. "Haan haan, pehle mera book launch hone do, fir sochungi."

He chuckled, shaking his head. Then, his voice dropped into something more sincere. "Seriously, Swastika. I'm so proud of you."

That did it. Her breath hitched, her heart flipped, and for the first time in forever, she found herself speechless.

------

The old bookstore smelled of aged paper and ink, a quiet escape from the bustling streets of Benares. Wooden shelves stretched high, packed with leather-bound classics and poetry collections. Swastika moved through the narrow aisles, fingers trailing over the spines of books, while Darsh followed closely behind, hands in his pockets, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"You know, Miss Swastika," he drawled, plucking a worn-out copy of Pride and Prejudice from the shelf. "Aap mujhe Elizabeth Bennet wali vibes deti hain."

Swastika turned to him, raising a brow. "Oh? Toh aap khud ko Mr. Darcy samajhte hain?"

Darsh flipped the book open, scanning a random passage before grinning at her. "Arre nahi, Mr. Darcy toh bohot serious aur rude tha. Main toh bas ek pyaara sa insaan hoon jo ek nayi naveli lekhakh sahiba ke peeche peeche ghumoonga jab tak woh ek pyaari coffee date ke liye haan na kardein."

She scoffed, shaking her head, but the blush on her cheeks betrayed her, trying to act nonchalat but Darsh being an observer, he noticed everything, especially when it came to her "Aap aur aapke yeh purane tareeke. Koi aur ladki hoti toh shayad pighal jaati."

He stepped closer, just enough to make her heart stutter but not enough to cross a line "Acha? Toh aapko pighalne ke liye aur kya karna padega?" His voice was smooth, teasing, but there was something in his eyes-something soft, something old-fashioned, something that made her stomach flip.

Swastika huffed, turning back to the books, pretending to read the titles written while all the other professors and students were gathered around a special corner for literature enthusiasts.

"Mujhe sirf acche books se pyaar hai, Mr. Darsh."

He chuckled, leaning against the bookshelf. "Toh phir sahi hai. Ek kitab hoon jo sirf aapke liye likhi gayi hai."

She glanced at him, confused. "What?"

He tapped a book on the shelf behind her. She turned and read the title- Love in the time of the Cholera.

Her breath hitched slightly, and Darsh grinned. "Ek mohabbat jo intezaar kar sakti hai saalon tak... Bilkul old-school romance jaise. Bilkul aapke jaisi."

She swallowed, pressing her lips together to stop a smile. "Aapko flirting karni aati hai, Darsh. Lekin main easy target nahi hun."

He let out a low chuckle, brushing past her just slightly as he walked ahead. But before leaving, he leaned in, his voice a mere whisper. "Good because i never cared about taking the easy road."

And with that, he walked off and waved towards his colleagues, leaving her standing between the bookshelves, clutching Love in the time of the Cholera, her heartbeat far from steady.

"Ye aadmi kisi din mujhe pagal kar dega"

☆

ik this chapter is a short one, but I'll write a long one after this with much detailing.

As much as I love you guys for voting on my book, I'd be glad if you commented too!! I mean, I also want to have an interactive audience/readers, plus I'd love to read your comments !!!

Also a close friend of mine said that I should write long chapters so that people would actually comment smth, but I don't think so long chapters are actually my thing, but please feel free to advice me or tell me anything, your thoughts, your views!

- love, A.