Hello
This update itself is because of her. So Its dedicated to Meri Anuradha !! 😃
I swear I was about to abandon this again today cause I did not know what to do next till I got your PM. Thank you 🤗
PART 26
"Shravan aap log kaha ho?" Preeti was whispering on the phone as a groggy Shravan opened his eyes wide immediately trying to see the time. 5am!!
"Yahi hain ghar ke bahar"
"Jaldi Di ko lekar a jao, mummy ke uthne ka time ho gaya hai"
"Haan abhi aya. Tum darwaza khol do please."
"Ok"
He looked down at her leaning on his shoulder, a bit uncomfortably due to his height and the distance between their seats.. But her hand was secure in his. Few more days Sumo and I would not let anyone disturb me while watching you sleep like this. He smiled tucking stray hair of her cheeks behind her ear.
"Sumo. Utho"
"Mmm... nahi thodi der aur sone do na Shravi"
"Hmm Shravi subah subah. Sumo tum mujhe pagal kar dogi"
"Mm" she tried to snuggle closer.
"Sumo suno na.. Mamiji gaadi ke bahar khadi hain"
"Huh? Haan.. Kya?" she woke up with a start looking outside in every direction and he laughed his heart out.
"Nahi ayi hain par jaag jayengi. Chalo jaldi se"
She was about to walk over to her window when he stopped her and pulled her towards the door.
"Shravan darwaza khatkhatyenge kya?"
"Nahi buddhu"
"Good morning Jiju" Preeti smiled at the two as a dumbstruck Sumo saw between the two of them. "Jiju?"
"Good morning meri sweet si saali saahiba. Ab le jao apni behen ko. Aur mere bhai ko bahar bhej do please"
"Morning Bhahiyya Pushkar came behind his wife rubbing his eyes"
"Pushkar tu yaha?" Suman almost shouted and all three shushed her at the same time.
"Kyu love life sirf teri hai? Meri nahii? Tumhare shaadi ke chakkar mein logo ki neend haram kar rakhi hai" Pushkar mumbled waving goodbye to his blushing wife and pulling his brother who still stood rooted at the door watching his girlfriend till time permitted.
"Loverboy Malhotra chalein?"
"Jyada bakwas mat kar warna kal se drop and pickup service band kar dunga"
"Sorry bhaiya. Sorry!" Pushkar joined his hands and then started pulling him away to the car parked a few houses away.
"Preeti tujhe pata tha?" Suman exclaimed
"Us Malhotra's stick together" her sister winked and Suman had a wide smile on her face. There was definitely a change and it felt so much more comfortable now.
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Her phone rang in the middle of engagement prep and she shook her head smiling while picking up the hundredth call from him probably
"Sumooo ye 6 kab bajenge"
"Tumse na Shravi , Dabbu me jyada patience hai" she replied exasperated because Shravan was behaving like a child today. It had been 3 days since they last met on their date. And he was hopeless. She was not better either, but she was definitely not whining as bad as him.
"Dabbu ki shaadi hogi na tab dekhunga mai uska patience"
"Tumhari ye side bilkul nayi hai mere liye"
"Kaunsi?"
"Bachpane wali. Tum to bachpan me bhi kitne serious hua karte the"
"Tab bachpan chin raha tha, ab wapis mil raha hai. To Ji raha hoon any problem?"
"Ji nahi bilkul nahi. I looove this childish Shravi as well"
"Sumo ab to mai aa raha hoon waha"
"4 Ghante bas. Please patience. Waise ek baat kahoon"
"Kaho na life"
"Mujhe achcha lag raha ki tum itne desperate ho rahe ho mujhse milne ke liye"
" Kitna desperate hoon wo to tumhe milne ke baad bataunga"
"Aaye! Kya plan bana ke rakha hai aaj? Waha bohot saare log honge, unke saamne agar tumne..."
"Aisa waise kuch nahi karunga yaar. Kisi ke saamne kuch nahi karunga. Promise"
"Hmm. To thik hai"
"Thik hai?"
"Matlab? Tum mujhe batao tum kya karne wale ho. Mujhe tension ho rahi hai"
"Secret. Now bye. Gimme a kiss quickly"
"Nahi deni jao"
"Thik hai to mai a jaata..."
"Naaahi. Ok aankhe band karo"
"Kar li"
"1...2...3..."
Hung up!
"Sumo ki bachchi!! Tujhe mai shaam ko dekh lunga"
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He kept glancing at the watch in his hand as Ramnath introduced him to some old acquaintances , smiling and nodding trying to pay attention to their law talks.
"6.30 baj chuke ab to..." he muttered under his breath and Ramnath smiled gesturing to Nirmala who came to take her son away from the huddled up oldies.
"Shravan kya hua?"
"Ma kisi ki baat hui unse? Itni der kyo lag rahi hai?" he said almost pulling out his phone to call her one more time. To his credit he did wait an hour since the last one.
"Aa jayegi beta. Wo lo a hi gaye" she said walking towards the Tiwari's who entered the venue. At the end of the tiny bunch was Preeti helping Sumo manage her Lehenga.
The Orange dress which he had last seen in the box. "Finally" he exclaimed letting out a breath of relief as her eyes met his and she smiled shaking her head.
With the subtle jewellery, hair let loosely in curls, she was walking divinity. The Peach brought out the newfound blush on her face as she smiled and all he could think of was that she glowed with some indescribable magic inside of her.
She looked at him and the way he kept looking at her going oblivious to the world around him. He was a perfect specimen of the male species and was surely crushing hearts in his noir purple bandhgala suit. Beard trimmed to perfection, hair set. She wondered how much time he must have spent on that today and giggled. His best feature shone today, his eyes. A shade of light brown, it was as if his love, his happiness had brought out a new spark in them.
They sat on the stage now staring intently at each other but not daring to start a conversation. It was like being in a skit, all eyes on them. Almost!
"Suman bhabhi" Nidhi came to meet them on stage and they shared an embrace.
"Sorry Nidhi meri help karne ke chakkar mein tum late ho gayi"
"Arre nahi bhabhi. Aaj to aap ka special day hai. Waise thanks to mujhe bolna chahiye, aap ne mujhe apni help karne di. Family member ki tarah is sab me participate karne diya" Nidhi spoke in her soft tone and they both smiled.
"Family member ki tarah ka kya matlab hai. Humne decide kya kiya tha?" Shravan inquired and Nidhi laughed.
"Family member to mai hoon" she said. "Achha to fir mai baith jau yaha beech me? Dulhe ki choti behen hoon bhai!!"
"Ha Ha. Nahi yaar 3 din baad dekh raha hoon. Dekhne do please" Shravan pleaded making Nidhi laugh as she left them alone while Sumos cheeks filled with blush color.
"Ye tum sharmane lagi ho tabse na..."
"Tabse kya?"
"Tabse to bilkul..."
"Bilkul?" she asked now shyly looking down
"Tomato ke jaise lagne lagi ho. Oops sorry Carrot, Tomato itna patla thode na hota hai"
"Shravan!" she raised her had to hit him in the arm and realized they were on stage with people watching them.
"Sumo bhaag kar hi kar lete hain shaadi" he said looking down now as she giggled.
"Beta, aap dono ka ho gaya to rings exchange kar lein?" Kamini asked as the elders came up on stage.
"Ek min!"
"Kya hua bhai?" some of the family enquired.
"Surprise for my fiance to be !!" he winked.
He cleared his throat to take the mic in his hand.
He took Suman's hand and made her stand next to him
"Sumo" he looked at her and she raised an eyebrow to which he simply pressed her palm lightly smiling nervously.
"Apni best friend se aaj apne pyaar ke baare me kuch kehna chaahta hoon.
Kya batau aye dost mere, dil ki daastaan tumse
Har pal bechaini hai , sukoon bhi hai jara sa kahi
Dhadkane milti hain jab, kuch rukti hain, kuch chalti hain.
Haatho me haath mil jaaye to tapish mehsoos hoti hai
Fir wahi haath chuute to jalan si dil me uthti hai
Ankho se bayaan hote hain jazbaat dil ke dotarfa
Baaton me misri hai ghuli har rang bhara hai nazron me
Kya batau aye dost mere, ke dil paraya kab hua
Tum jo mile, saansein thami , tumhi ne hai chura liya.
To mere hamdam mere dost... is dosti ko rishtedari me badal dein??" He winked producing the ring out of his pocket as he went down on a knee which made her gasp in surprise and an ecstatic crowd to go berserk in hoots and claps.
"Sumo, jaldi bolo na. Shaadi karogi na mujhse?"
"Shravi tum..." there were no words to acknowledge the immense love that this man kept showering on her since the day he had realized it within him. She nodded a teary yes as he slipped the Solitaire Emerald ring in her finger making her break into sobs with emotions she would never be able to word out.
He gave her a bear hug planting a kiss on her head as Preeti eventually came to her and gave her the ring which she put on his finger.
They were still mingling with the crowd receiving congratulations and exchanging pleasantries. His smile was getting weighed down she observed and she felt his fingers intertwining hers as she slowly moved to the edge of the gathering.
"Shravan hum kaha ja rahe hain?"
"Ho gayi na sagai. Ab to thodi der mujhse baat kar lo"
"Tum 5 saal ke ziddi baccho ki tarah ho gaye ho pata hai na" she complained as he kept walking with her to a more secluded area of the garden.
"Sumo, do you realize. Aaj se ek hafte baad hum sirf dost, ya fir even girlfriend boyfriend nahi rahenge. Hum pati patni ban jayenge."
"Haan"
"To tumhe darr nahi lag raha?"
"Darr? Tumhi se to ho rahi hai shaadi!"
"Matlab mere saath rehna hoga, mere ghar me, mere kamre me...tumhe darr nahi lag raha?"
"Baat to aise kar rahe ho jaise ke mai pehli baar rahungi tumhare saath"
"Haan lekin wo alag tha na. Ab mai ye karunga na" saying so he slowly started moving his finger around the lace pattern on her back and she gasped moving away.
"Kya kar rahe ho?"
"Kya matlab?" he again moved closer holding her close to him while his fingers traced a path around the openings between the pattern. He realized her back arched as her palms formed into fists on his back.
"Shravan please nahi" she gave a shaky plea and he stopped to make her look up to him.
"Are you uncomfortable" he asked wary of that reaction
She nodded in a weird way and he chuckled.
"Make up your mind"
"Hame chalna chahiye. Sab log hame dhund rahe honge" her sentences were still shaky as she moved away from his embrace.
"Sumo. I am sorry"
"Nahi!! Wo to bas. Wo to bas" she did not know what to tell him. She wasn't uncomfortable with him she could never be. It was embarrassing as hell though to realize how her body was reacting to him. But of course she couldn't tell that.
"Mujhe dekho mat" she couldn't take his intense stare anymore and hid back in his arms.
"Shravi mai tumhare liye kuch layi hoon" she told him after they settled in a park bench a little further from the party venue.
"Oh wow gift !!" he exclaimed and she laughed nervously.
"Itna bada kuch nahi hai so don't get too excited. Mai lekar aati hoon yahi ruko"
She went towards the car holding up her heavy lehenga when she heard someone sobbing talking slowly on the phone.
"Nidhi! Kya hua? Are you Ok?"
"Oh. Haan Bhabhi I am fine"
"Kya baat hai? Kya mujhe bata sakti ho"
"Bhabhi" she was talking between sobs " Bhai ko... bhai ko"
"Shravan?"
Nidhi shook her head and Suman understood who she was talking about as her stance froze. She shrugged the feeling away and attended to Nidhi as a priority
"Kya hua...Aditya ko" she asked her voice devoid of emotion
"Bhai ko kisi ne fake charges pe. Business rivals. Unko custody me" she sobbed.
"Ma ko bataya tumne?"
"Bhai ne manaa kiya, wo chaahte hain ki Ma Shravan bhai ki shaadi me rahein warna Shravan bhai ko bura lagega"
Suman gulped. It was hard to accept the fact that Aditya could sacrifice so much, his freedom and reputation for Shravan's happiness.
"Aditya kaha hai abhi?"
"Yahi Delhi me the do din se"
"Kya charges hain?"
Nidhi looked up at her unable to form the word and Suman saw no reason to force the girl into it.
"Chalo mere saath"
"Nidhi " Shravan held her close as the girl sobbed in his arms now.
"Sumo kya hua?"
"Shravan" she paused "Aditya ko tumhari help ki jaroorat hai" she said and walked away from there.
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He was sitting in his room with his head clasped in his palm looking at his feet.
Sumo did not talk to him after that. The Tiwari's shortly left from the venue and so did the Malhotra's.
Once back home he spoke to Nidhi and let Ma know about what had occurred. After which Nidhi narrated the details to him and Ma.
"Shravan beta, mai jaanti hoon tum logo ki raye Aditya ke baare me jo hai, usme usi ki galati hai. Lekin mera yakeen mano beta, he is not that kind of person. Wo aisa gunah dobara to kabhi nahi kar sakta. Please Shravan, mera yakeen karo"
"Ok Ma, lekin aap samajh rahi hai na. Mai isme aapki koi madad nahi kar sakta. Sumo is baat se bohot hurt hogi"
"I understand beta" Nirmala said slowly and walked out of the room.
For him to really believe in Aditya's side of the case it was inevitable to meet him at least before recommending any other lawyer even to help him out. But there was someone else he needed to check on before that.
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She heard the knocks and knew it was him as she had expected. Was he upset that she brought Nidhi to him to get help for Aditya. But ignoring his existence wouldn't last long anyway. If Shravan was inviting his mother and sister into his life, Aditya was the baggage they could not avoid much longer.
Hopefully tonight she would be able to convince him that they both get a closure on this topic once and for all.
"Sumo..." he cupped her face to check her expressions up close. Trying to search in her eyes if it was fear again or just dilemma. The haze would not lift though.
"Shravan tum gussa to nahi ho na?"
"Sumo? Mujhe to darr tha ki tum, tumhe bura lag raha hoga"
She shook her head then looked back up at him trying to find where there conversation needed to go from there.
She took his hand and they walked on to the bed and sat there facing each other.
"Shravi... I want closure"
He pulled her into his arms as she sighed finding comfort in the familiar warmth.
"I wasn't sure about it, mujhe laga ki tum fir se..."
"Mujhe koi darr nahi hai. Bas mai nahi chaahti ki Ma aur Nidhi ko tumhare hote hue koi help na mile"
"Mai ye nahi janta ki wo sach keh raha hai ya nahi. I don't trust him"
"I want to meet him" she said pulling away from him and looking into the brown orbs which now reflected fear.
"I will be fine. Tum hoge na mere saath"
"Sumo... I am ..."
"Maine pehle bhi tumse kaha tha... we need to move on with our lives"
He nodded and pulled her closer still unsure of what the next day was going to do to their life which was just about now getting its share of happiness.