Chapter 8

Blithe

@nancy56

Faded#8

There is a fine line in seeing something which is lost as missing, and seeing it as it might be found. Or as the tale goes around, that there is a fine line between pushing your love away towards an end and pulling it towards a new start.

Suman proceeded to kiss his cheeks, hard of trimmed beard. She murmured everything her heart had held for so many years. It was like a dam left open, superfluous of all emotions. As she diligently did her task, with passion and confidence ( a special gift of hard liquor), Shravan found himself washed of varied emotions of shock, surprise, and then ravaging love. His cheeks burned and he felt turning scarlet. Most of everything he felt paralyzed, his body relishing to the calm it was enjoying after years. He looked in her eyes, his heart sprawling with a flower. He felt his breath tighten, his hands torturously moved on her back. His dilemma to hold her or not was dissolved as she brushed her lips with his for a second. 

She was high, but he wasn't.

But, at that point ethics and morality hadn't hit hard. The next thought he had was that she smelled strongly of Vodka, her lips were still wet. He measured the explosion of so many things inside him. And he knew he was getting dangerous and Suman was so unaware of it. The first thing he could see was her collar bone, slightly covered with her saree. It was sharp, her skin stretched as a golden expanse. So he lowered his head, as she closed her eyes and bit a piece of her skin, thinking that if it really tasted like maple syrup. It did. At this Suman let out a moan which was a melody to his ears.

There was a sudden ring in the hall, Suman's phone sprang to bring their fever of proximity down by degrees. Suman, who was clearly disinterested with the turn of events cursed it under her breath. 'Look who it is.' she commanded Shravan without a second thought. Shravan who could view her phone saw it to be 'Vikram'. The phone buzzed off itself, but so did Shravan. There was a sudden realization of their posture and position, that how well Suman fit in his arms, that her forehead was literally touching his lips, that his chest was pressed hard against her. He jerked off, looked at her sleepy face, and mentally kicked himself for losing control.

What the hell were you thinking! she is drunk.. he muttered inside his mouth, trying to return to his normal self. 

'Shravuu...' Suman pestered him as she was pulled up to a legit bedroom, where she could pass the rest of her night, away from his presence and with her drunken self.

'SUMAN TIWARI!!!' Shravan had enough of her nonsense. He was much angrier on himself than her. And he could still notice her skin going red wherever he had done it a few minutes ago. 'YOU BETTER KEEP SHUT.' he commanded and Suman was all his to agree. 

'You know Shravan. Papa, mama...' she trailed off with some tears on her cheeks, as he lay her in the bed, tucking her with a comforter. ' they both left me.' Shravan looked at her with precision reading her wobbling lips. 'Aunty too?' he asked, his voice heavy and warm like spring. 'Hmmm..' Suman couldn't help but shed a tear. Shravan held her hand, patted her knuckles as she felt a curly grin spreading on her lips. The tunnel vision she had at that time was enough to know that Shravan was the most handsome guy she would ever see. It wasn't just his built, height, or his perfect jaw. His eyes, or his perfect color. It was his ability to shine the moon brighter, his ability to touch her and transform her worries to happiness. 

'I know how it feels. When someone you love leaves you. When the one who was responsible for your existence dies, of no fault of there own.' Suman's sentences were clear, but there was a sense of flight in it. She had no intention to present a show of about how wrong everything had gone in their lives, it was just a general idea of 'I care'. Shravan felt soft under her touch as she too held his hands. There was a solace in the fact that they sat in utter darkness together. He couldn't see her clearly, but he could measure the weight of her words, their truth. He felt her bend over, and kiss his forehead with a slight pause he had always craved for. It was like throwing himself in a warm ocean of waves, being washed with love, care, and affection. 

She put her head across his lap, snuggling closer to her peace. Shravan couldn't help but smile. He had no plans of anything of this sort happening. He wanted to live through this moment. He wanted to deceive his own brain into a night off. So, it all went as such, that he hummed a lullaby, whose language only the two of them knew, as they drifted off to sleep.

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Suman's eyes fluttered at the first ray of early sunlight hit her eyes. She knew that it was a holiday but her routine had barely deterred. She would go and look for some or the other work in the Cantt. no matter what. So basically, she realized, that it wasn't her own bed. The ceiling had some elaborate pattern she couldn't imagine for a lifetime and the biggest shocker was a pair of arms holding her with her dear life. She looked up at the face of Major Shravan Malhotra, of whom she always stood with a foot's distance. But right now the cheery face and smug smile of this man's face reminded her of her lover. Has she got lucky?

But then a throbbing pain hit her head, as she barely remembered her journey last night. With a few things clear and a few things hazy, her stomach churned in worry. It was clear that she had set out to meet Vikram. It was clear that he hadn't come. It was clear that Shravan was also present there. And it was clear that she had chugged Vodka like water. And then things blurred out. She dreaded to remember some horrid visuals of losing control. She had her phone spilled at a hand's distance, as some message flashed 'Sorry couldn't come. Some cases popped up. Holy work. Apologies, apologies! Would call you tomorrow.' She slightly mouthed the message from Vikram, still gripped in Shravan's hold. She was partly enjoying it but she dearly thought that Shravan won't be the happiest person to see himself like this. So she used her force, clearly embarrassed at the state of her saree. She still couldn't remember anything and her frustration just mounted. Not being able to get out of his hold, she thought of patting him a good morning and then seeing his horrid face. After all, he too played a part.

'Good morning MAJOR!' She partly screamed, holding on a laugh. 'Lemme sleep.' he snuggled harder in her chest which made her feel fuzzy. At this, her tension increased. If it could happen to me now, then......... she didn't want to fill her worries. 'Shravan, you better get up!' she was serious. In a blink, he opened his eyes a bit, saw her and went nuts in 10 seconds. He sprang, almost a feet away from her, standing in a salute maybe.

Suman examined her own state, her hair was a mess, her saree was another state of disheveled. She couldn't find her fancy bun holder and then she saw it sticking out of his pockets. 'What happened last night?' She asked him, her tone a bit accusing. 

'You behaved like an insane drunkard.' Shravan felt his gaze towards the ground. He- won't-laugh.

'And?' she was interested in what happened next.

'And I had to drag you till my house until you wished to hear some lullaby. You had gone bonkers and I was counting if it could be used for your suspension.' Shravan made the toughest face he could.

Suman looked down, and she felt that he was right somewhere. 'I know you offered me to come to your place. You better keep it easy Major. I never pleaded you to take me along.' She stood. holding her head.

'Lemon juice?' he asked.

'I have a house. Figuratively.' She responded. She stood across him, seeing his opened shirt, she had all the wrong thoughts. 'If you were really singing a lullaby, why ...' but before she could complete she closed her mouth. Staring at his chest, she could feel her hands pressed to them.

Suman's eyes and her constant staring did no good to Shravan. he realized that she may recall all the events herself. 'It was nothing. You are safe captain.' he mouthed and measured if it felt fine to hear all that. Suman gulped harder and walked away, leaving Shravan Malhotra stranded in the middle of nothing.

Of course, it was nothing.

Bloody lies.

Part 9, Page 10