PART 2
Sumo groaned as Avni and Preeti sighed over her bike ride with Shravan story for the umpteenth time. The girls had decided to do a night over at Suman's place to cheer her up. They had been seeing her all worked up for her dad and were shocked to see Shravan dropping Sumo off. Him muttering something and her blushing was enough for them to build castles in the air much to Suman's chagrin.
"Haaye. ..blue suits you. .bus maar hi daalo"sighed Avni as she faked a fainting act with her hand on her chest.
"Haina Avni Di! ...A compliment and that too from The Shravan Malhotra. .woh toh Thank you bhi aisa boltein hain jaise ehsaan jatate hain."Chipped in Preeti as she fell on the bed still shocked at the turn of the events.
"Haan toh tu itna Shravan Shravan karke peeche kyun ghoomti hain uske agar itna hi akdu hai woh toh?"Suman was surprised at her own ire even while she questioned Preeti.
"Preeti baby. .dekh rahi hai. .ab ek baat bhi uske khilaaf sun nahi sakti humaari Sumo." Avni was in no mood to let this teasing session end though she could sense the growing frustration of Suman owing to the unceasing leg pulling that she was being subjected to.
" You know what let's call off this night out if Shravan is all you guys want to discuss."Suman looked serious and just like that they girls dropped off the topic and moved on to other interesting discussions.
As much as Sumo was relieved that her friends listened to her with further fuss, her mind was constantly wondering how the coming couple of weeks would unfold, she could only pray that the picking up and dropping off sessions would just move smoothly without Shravan and her trying to kill each other.
...
The next few days did roll off smoothly just as Suman had prayed. Shravan would drop her off to the tuition centre at 5 pm and be there by 8 pm to pick her up. They would just exchange pleasantries, he would enquire about her day, she would ask about his studies and that was just about it as far as conversation between them would go.
There was one thing that had definitely lessened between them and that was their initial awkwardness. They might not have immediately turned into best friends but they were definitely no longer the self proclaimed sworn enemies.
Shravan tried his best to be cordial and Suman could sense that which in turn prompted her to keep her razor sharp tongue in check though there were times when he used to have a chat with all the juniors and work his charm on them tempting Sumo to just pick that balloon of inflated vanity that he had around him. The guy used had a major attitude according to her and she was forced to gulp down that attribute. He was nice to her and hence she had no reason to behave otherwise.
...
"Bhai. .what's this that I hearing. .you have been assigned to the chauffeur duties for your arch enemy." Pushkar exclaimed with a chuckle as he plonked himself on Shravan's bed.
"Yaar Chote, maa ne fasa diya. Senti ho gayi meri Mom. Boli baby. .mere liye kar do na." Shravan rolled his eyes as he mimicked his mom.
Pushkar gave a loud laugh at Shravan's act and Shravan joined him with a hi fi at that.
" Hmm. .so how's the wild cat?"Pushkar raised an eyebrow.
"Yaar. .either she's actually mellowed down or she's had a memory loss in some serious accident. Bandi woh purani wali Sumo hai hi nahi. No arguments, no tantrums. .hell. .no drama. I actually double checked to confirm that I had the right girl behind me on my bike." Shravan laughed as he slipped his hands into his pockets.
"Preeti was telling me that she's very worried for her dad Bhai. .Preeti was herself very concerned about her sister going silent all of a sudden" Pushkar informed him looking pretty morose himself.
"Aah Preeti pareshan hai toh mere Chote ko badi bechaini ho rahi hogi." Shravan laughed as he saw his brother going all red at his statement.
"Please Bhaiya, she's a nice girl and good to talk to .that's it okay?" Pushkar feigned anger even as Shravan fell back on his bed laughing. Pushkar threw a pillow at him in mock anger that he dodged with ease.
...
They were on the bike for ten minutes now and Shravan could sense that Suman was unusually quiet today. She wasn't really a chatterbox around him even otherwise, but they did have these routine conversations wherein they enquired about each other's studies and other random things. Suman today hadn't even greeted him with her usual hello while looking into his eyes.
"Sumo?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you okay? Is something worrying you?"
"I am fine..what made you ask Shravan?"
"I was just telling Pushkar the other day. ..either you have actually grown into a silent girl or you have definitely banged your head somewhere...I mean where are those claws of yours. You don't use them against me these days?" Shravan chuckled and so did Suman.
"Woh. ..it's my dad's birthday today and I have been trying to call him since morning. But he's just not picking up and neither has he replied to any of our messages. The day is almost going to end and it's going to be the first time in all these years that I won't be celebrating his special day with him. You know on his birthday every year, we go and have samosas from his favourite shop. He hates cakes." Suman choked through the last few words and Shravan was sure that she would cry herself to sleep once he drops her back. So he did the unthinkable..he took a right turn instead of left.
"Shravan ...you took a wrong turn" Suman was surprised to see him deviate from the usual route.
"I know that. .patience Suman Tiwari" Shravan responded with a smirk.
He pulled up his bike at a corner and Suman got down looking around her with a smile on her face.
"Are we here for what I am thinking we are here?" She was amused.
"Bingo girl. .see its uncle's birthday and you guys have a tradition of eating samosas from Sevanand on his birthday. Even if he's not in the town this year, the tradition should continue. So, if you would please follow me." He smiled as he placed the bike keys in his pocket and led the way.
Suman followed him with a smile and just as they were about to cross the road to reach the eatery a rashly driven car raced past them. She froze in fear and just then Shravan instinctively took her hands in his with a frown on his face as he muttered "Easy Princess." under his breath still glaring at the car in rage. He didn't leave her hand till the actually reached the restaurant. While he looked absolutely unperturbed by the action, somewhere deep down in Sumo's heart, a little heartbeat fluttered coyly.
As Shravan poured the mint chutney liberally on his samosas, she gave a small laugh. He made a simple action of munching down yummy samosas look so technical and detailed. He crushed the samosas in a certain way added garnishing and finally the chutney part which seemed to be his favourite. All through the process, he looked extremely focused.
"So Suman, other than aiming to break my record at the board exams, what else do you dream about? What will you take up after 10th? Have you given it a thought?" Shravan asked while he still struggled to bring up his plate of samosas to his level of liking.
"Socha nahi hai Shravan. I still have to think about it. There's so many things that I want to do. I am really yet to decide what works the best for me. What about you? Have you gotten your calling yet?"
"Me. .I knew what I would be doing even when I was a kid. I have always been fascinated by cars you know. .and more importantly, their spare parts. I can't really remember what triggered my passion for them though, might be the fact that dad was into automobile spare parts manufacturing and that I was exposed to that world at a very early age...whatever it is, I am going to pursue mechanical engineering and then a MBA from one of the Ivy league colleges and finally join Dad's business and take it to greater heights." Shravan's eyes gleamed as he spoke about his future passionately and Suman could only smile at him. Shravan was both bright and hard working, so she knew that he would undoubtedly achieve all that he had planned for.
"I wish I find my passion too, though right now I am just stressed about my dad. I wish I could do something for him at this juncture, but there's nothing that I can contribute. I just feel so helpless at times." Suman's agony could be felt in her tone.
Shravan leaned over the table and spoke softly "Look Sumo, the only thing that you can do right now is to concentrate on your studies and score well in your board exams. That would be your best and biggest contribution towards uncle's happiness. Better things are coming, you just have faith and keep working. Just imagine their pride when you top the school Sumo. So just give your best shot at the boards. Other than that, stay around Priya aunty, find little things that you could do for her. Look happy, that would calm her like nothing else. Do what's in your hands and whatever your hands can find, do it with all your heart."
Suman listened to him earnestly and nodded her head in affirmative.
"Hmm... who would have thought that I would the lessons of life from my favourite foe? To what do I owe this miracle? Do I start believing in magic now Shravan?" Suman teased him.
"Miracles don't need belief in magic Princess, they just need disbelief in the limits." Shravan retorted with a laugh.
They went on to talk about an array of things and Shravan could not help but wonder how similar their likes were barring a few. He could see that she smiled at a lot and that her eyes twinkled when she spoke about something that was close to her heart. She was an apt listener as well, a trait that he never really attributed to any other female but his mom.
He was taking out his wallet to pay once they were done, when his phone gave out a shrill ring. Suman walked towards the counter to check on the sweets at display. Shravan looked at the screen and gave the most breath taking smile.
"Ma. .yaar kahan ho aap? Aaj basketball khelte waqt haath mein chot lag gayi aur ghar aaya toh aap gayab. Aur aapne halwa bhi nahi banaya. Kya yaar mummy..aisa koi karta hai? You promised me. Haan abhi bahar hoon. Suman ko chod kar aata hoon. Aap please jaldi aao." Shravan had a scowl on his face as he disconnected the call and Suman could not stop her laughter at that. Here was the heartthrob of the school whining at him mom's absence like a 5 year old. If only his basketball teammates who hailed him as a hero and all those cheerleaders who sighed at the very look of him could see Shravan this way, they would be scandalised to hell she thought with a grin.
As she got down the bike once they reached her home, she looked at him smiling and said "Thanks for a wonderful evening Shravan and a bigger Thank you for celebrating my dad's birthday with me. It meant a lot more than I would ever be able to express."
"That's no big deal. I had a great time too surprisingly. Plus guess what .I had a tough day as well." And the cute scowl was back on his face.
"So I overheard." Sumo burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" Shravan raised an eyebrow.
Sumo came forward and pinched his cheeks as she cooed "Yahi ki baby ko khelte waqt chot lag gayi. Dard hua. Mamma bhi ghar par nahi thi aur mamma ne halwa bhi nahi banaya. Aww. .kitna bura hua baby ke saath. She was rocking with laughter by now.
"Avoid Sumo." Shravan tried to mask the heat rising his cheeks with a mock glare and that only made Suman laugh louder. He just shook his head and wore his helmet again as he started his bike.
"Mama's boy." Suman teased.
"Proudly so." He quipped with a smile.
Just as he was about to move ahead with his bike, he heard her soft voice. He switched off the bike and removed his helmet as he turned towards her to listen.
"Shravan. ..how did you know that Sevanand was my dad's favourite joint for samosas?" She gulped down the tears that threatened to spill out at the mention of her dad.
"That was not rocket science ...Uncle has mentioned it many a times during our family dinners."
"Okay..and how did you know that it's my aim to break your grade 10 record at the boards?" She was pretty curious to know this part.
Shravan sighed dramatically as he leaned towards her " Now that my dear Tiwari is elementary. You see, contrary to your belief your obsession with me has been quite obvious to my eyes."
"Show off." she muttered under her breath as he roared off yet again on his bike even as she turned a shade of crimson.
"Are you sure Princess? I definitely wish I had a friend like me."
She heard him shout and couldn't help chuckling at that.
Shravan Malhotra was definitely not what she had believed him to be. He was different she thought as she walked into her house. ..he was something.
Edited by reshmanair356 - 7 years ago
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