It was a bright sunny morning and Sumo had just woken up. The wind from outside blew in, slightly rustling the curtains in her room. Still in bed, Sumo let out a sigh as her thoughts roamed to the happenings of the last day. Already Shravan's sudden outbursts and annoying behavior in the past few days had left her confused and distracted. And the way he had so rudely refused to get his lunch from PCT, it left her deeply hurt and angered. Off late Shravan's mood swings had been driving Sumo insane and though Nirmala's advice of giving their relationship some space had been her only viable plan of action, somehow it didn't seem all too right. Staying away from him that too when the undercurrents between them had started to feel so obvious wasn't as simple as it seemed to be. She missed him, missed their little moments together, their constant bickering and making up, and sometimes it would be so bad it would begin to physically hurt her. How many times she would pick up her phone and think of calling him or leaving him a text but then drop the idea thinking about her own resolve to not interfere in his life.
Sumo was still lost in her reverie when a sudden beep from her cellphone broke her train of thought. Thinking it to be a message from Shravan, she quickly sprang out of her bed and reached for her phone with an anticipating smile but her smile faded almost immediately as soon as she saw Pushkar's name flash on the screen. With a vapid expression on her face she unlocked the phone to check the message.
"Hi Sumo...kya tum abhi ghar aa sakti ho...Shravan bhaiya is very sick...I think he ate out yesterday and he is throwing up since morning...please come soon" read the message.
Sumo's eyes widened with concern as soon as she read about Shravan's health. He was unwell and there was no body to look after him, the thought itself was enough to make her wriggle with worry. At that very moment there was nothing else she could think of apart from being by his side. Without giving a second thought to any of the resolves she had made to stay away from him, Sumo quickly changed her clothes and dashed towards the Malhotra house. Upon reaching there she rushed inside and went straight to Shravan's room. As soon as she entered the room the first thing she saw was a completely exhausted and pale Shravan struggling to reach the bed from the loo. He was limping and almost tripped on the door mat.
"Shravan!" she yelled and ran to his side, supporting his body weight onto herself. His eyes met hers and locked briefly, for a second totally whisking away from their minds all thoughts of restrain or resentment they had been harboring since a while now. Shravan's expression turned solemn as soon as he felt the intense concern flickering through her features and though he would never acknowledge the truth, but the very thought of Sumo running to his side hearing about his bad health had his happiness soaring.
"Bahut kharaab lag raha tha na tumhein mere PCT ka khana...ab dekhliya haal" she snapped at him angrily pulling him out of his thoughts. He drifted off her as soon as his mind registered her words. Seeing her there brought back to him the reminiscences of some old moments from the deep recesses of his memories. He remembered how during childhood she was always the only person person in this world to be able to pin him down whenever he fell sick. His lips curled into an innocent smile at the sweet childhood memory but he brushed the stray thoughts as quickly as they surfaced. Trying to keep himself off her he tried to pull her arm away in anger but she had held him more firmly and didn't let go off him this time and supported him to the bed.
Sumo felt his forehead and below his cheek from the back of her hand and without looking back or talking to him, she began to walk around the room and gather the stuff she needed. The first thing she did was to reach for the thermometer and some fresh towels from his closet. She then headed towards the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of cold water and some ice cubes from the fridge; meanwhile Shravan waited impatiently for her to be back in the room. Her indifferently bizarre behavior had him literally infuriated by now and he was sweating profusely, more because of his irritation than his raised temperature. He saw her run back to his room and hold out the thermometer towards him. Crossing his arms on his chest he faced away from her making her shift to his other side.
"Shravan kya tum please aise bachchon ki tarah behave karna band karoge...for heavens sake you have a fever dammit" she scolded and glared sharply at him.
"Aur tumhein usse kya farak padta hai...tum apni hi kahi hui baaton ko itni jaldi bhool kaise jati ho. Remember ab tum meri life mein kabhi interfere nahin karogi...tumne hi kaha tha...please go away Sumo" he squealed in anger but only to realize his protests going on deaf ears.
"Just open your mouth Shravan and let me take your temperature" Sumo ordered. In no way she was going to let his snobbish ways make her back out. Not atleast when he was so sick and burning with fever. .
"No my mouth is my business...I don't want anyone around me. You please leave me alone Sumo" that might have sounded reasonable if it wasn't for Shravan's squeaking. This way it just sounded absurd and funny.
Sumo smirked. "You really think this is gonna owrk? I would have surely left you alone Mr. Shravan Malhotra if you hadn't compelled me to take that stupid injection that day. You see now it's time to return favors"
Shravan sighed and shook his head in exasperation. His eyes were burning now and he felt like throwing up everything that was left in his gut and to add Sumo's prodding and poking wasnt really helping matters. Giving into her orders was the only option that looked reasonable for him at the moment.
Seeing him resign finally, Sumo inserted the thermometer in his mouth and waited for it to beep. Shravan looked away trying to avoid her gaze leaving Sumo gasp in amusement at the absolute cuteness he looked in his sulken avatar. The thermometer beeped after a minute and he only turned around to let her take the it out of his mouth. Sumo gasped seeing the reading. His temperature was quite high and it needed to be brought down as soon as possible so she dipped a fresh towel in ice cold water and pressed it over his forehead. He moved from the sudden cold and she realized he was shivering and pulling the covers up on him to get warm.
A pang of extreme worry ran through Sumo as she looked at Shravan's disoriented and upset state. He had become quite dehydrated due to passing out and the fever. Securing the blankets on his body so that they covered him from head to toe, Sumo moved closer to his side and took his hand in hers, "Don't worry Shravan you will be fine soon, I am right here now" she assured and this time a genuine faint smile touched his lips before he closed his eyes due to exhaustion. Sumo continued to apply cold compresses to his forehead and rubbed his hands continually to lower the shivering. After about thirty minutes she finally heaved a sigh of relief as she noticed a considerable difference in his temperature. Though his fever hadn't broke but his body was not emanating heat like it did before and his breathing too had evened out. Seeing him rest peacefully Sumo decided to go out and see if Pushkar had come back from Dr Arora's clinic and also fetch something to eat for Shravan but as soon as she moved away Shravan caught her by the wrist.
"Please kahin mat jao Sumo...please don't leave me I need you" his voice was nothing more than a feeble wheeze that made Sumo feel a sudden sob rise in her chest. She took his hand in hers and pressed it softly. "Main yahin hoon Shravan..." she assured with a soft smile, gulping down the thick lump that stung in her throat. "Bas kitchen se tumhare liye kuch khane ke liye lene ja rahi hoon...just give me two minutes". He nodded weakly at her and Sumo left the room quickly trying to hide the dampness in her eyes. She didn't know if it was her concern or love for him but seeing him in that state made her feel extremely cranky and miserable. She loved him like her sadu taunting Qutub Minar. Even when he hurt her or fought with her atleast she could be angry at him and tease him but seeing him in such a fragile state made her feel uneasy. Sumo quickly prepared some light breakfast and a concoction of a few home-made recipes for Shravan and headed back to his room. Pushkar too was back by then and Sumo heard him head towards Sharvan's room.
"Shravan bhaiya Arora uncle to ek conference ki wajah se bahar gaye hain so unhone phone pe ye medicines prescribe ki hain apke liye aur kaha hai ki agar phir bhi raat tak tabeyiat theek na ho ek injection lagana padega" Pushkar briefed Sharvan and made him have his medicines when Sumo entered the room with a tray and some cds.
"Koi zaroorat nahin hai kisi injection ki" she declared and kept the tray on the side table.
"Shravan tum ye pi lo aur phir dekhna raat tak kaise tumhara bukhar aur food poisoining chu mantar hota hai" Sumo held out the glass of her ultimate potion and brought it near Shravan's face. He made a face as soon as he sniffed the nauseating drink.
"Please Sumo ye wohi kadha hai na jo tum bachpan mein banati thi...please I am not drinking this...Dr. Arora ka injection is much better than this" Shravan muttered sulkily.
"Oh please han dont you dare compare my kadha with that stupid injection...aur ye na koi aisa waisa kadha nahin hai...Ma ise nanu ke liye banati thi aur phir unka pet ekdum theek ho jata tha...so please...and Mr. Sharvan Malhotra already na mere banaye hue khane ko reject karke tum pachta rahe ho" Sumo told with a smug expression that made Shravan glare at her mutinously.
"Sumo tum yahan aayi hi kyun ho...please go away" Shravan's tone was that of an irritable puppy now that made it hard for Sumo to stifle her smile. Had he not been so sick, she would have teased the hell out of him.
"Chalo jaungi but first you drink this" Sumo ordered trying to maintain a straight face.
"I am not drinking it Sumo and thats final"
"Acha to theek hai...Pushkar tu ek kaam kar abhi Ramnath uncle ko phone kar" Sumo asked and Pushkar who was totally enjoying the oh so adorable bickering of these two dumbos from a distance, now had a gleeful triumphant expression on his face. His future bhabhi was surely one of a kind.
"What? Papa? Sumo tum pagal ho kya aur Pushkar tu kya daant phaad ke hans raha hai...there's no need to call Papa..woh bekar mein hi pareshan ho jayenge"
"Ab bhaiya agar aap bade papa ko pareshan nahin karna chahte ya phir to be precise unki daant nahin suna chahte to Sumo ka kadha hi apke liye ek option hai" winking towards Sumo Pushkar gave her a high five.
"What? I don't believe this Pushkar...tu mera bhai hoke iske side ho gaya" Sumo smirked seeing Shravan's deflated expression.
"Ab bhaiya ye kaunsi parayi hai...ye bhi to apni hi hai...aur I should say bahut jald ho jayegi" Pushkar teased with a chuckle, this time making both Shravan and Sumo shudder in uncomfortable silence. For a fleeting second Shravan glanced up at Sumo's embarrassed scarlet face and that's when he felt it. The butterflies in his stomach, the thumping of his heart against his chest, the warmth of his face as he blushed. Everything just felt as intense as it had been ten years ago. It was all just the same. Shravan gasped at the thought.
"Waise Pushkar ek dum sahi bol raha hai tu...Jis speed se teri aur Preeti ki friendship ja rahi hai na...I am sure bahut jaldi hi tu bhi humare liye paraya nahin rahega" Sumo put her hands on her hips. Now it was Pushkar's turn to feel the heat.
Shravan giggled at Pushkar's crestfallen face.
"Aur tum zyaada khush hone ki zaroorat nahin hai...kyunki ye kadha to tumhein peena hi padega. Pushkar tu chal haath pakad"
Though ten years ago Shravan would have had no doubts that Sumo had it in her to force feed him like this but she doing it now had him totally perplexed.
"Sumo tum pagal ho gayi ho kya...I am not drinking this...Sumo please yaar" he protested but there was no hearing. Sumo held Shravan by the nose and made him gulp the drink till the floor of the glass could be seen from outside.
"YUCKS" Shravan sulked and made the most pathetic face ever. "What was that...it was horrendous" Shravan's throat felt on fire as the potion ran down his gut. Sumo smiled at his adorable antics and the sound of her giggles, filled not just the air but someone's heart as well. Shravan sighed looking at her gorgeous face. Her radiant sun-kissed face, her deep chocolate brown eyes and plump rosy lips adorned by her beatific smile. Even in her most simple appearance she was breathtaking to him.
Shravan was now feeling drowsy as Sumo's medicinal potion took its effect. Seeing him drift to sleep Sumo put some soft music on and dimmed the lights in the room.
Few hours later Shravan woke up from what seemed like the most satisfying and peaceful slumber of his in the last few days. He felt good as new and completely disease free. A blissful smile had tucked at the edges of his lips as he could feel Sumo's warmth still afresh on the fringes of his senses. He was lost in his thoughts when the beep from his cellphone caught his attention. He reached out for his phone almost impatiently and looked for the notifications. A new message from Sumo was surely what he needed to complete a day that was already going too amazing for him.
He immediately opened her message and read it out intently.
"I know qutub minar tum yahi soch rahe ho na ki ye Sumo kitni badi besharam hai...khud door rehne ka vada karti hai aur phir khud hi tumhare ghar pe dava bol deti hai. But I just want ki tum samajh lo that if its about your health na to main poori life aise hi besharam rehne wali hoon. Hamari ladai ya hamara jhagadna apni jagah hai but please Sharvan I can't see you in pain specially because of me. So kal se agar mere PCT ke khane ke bare mein kuch bhi ulta seedha kaha ya wapas bheja to phir uske baad jo hoga uske liye I am not responsible...Ab please zyada sadna mat aur rest karna...Good night"
"Lalloo kahin ki..." Shravan grinned reading her message. She was such a stupid girl. So stupid that how much he tried to keep himself away from her they ended up being closer. And though slowly but surely, Shravan had now been realizing his own dumbness in trying to shoo her and her love away.
"Shravan tum to kabhi problems se nahin bhagte" he remembered her words and sighed in pleasure.
"Tum theek thi Sumo...main shayad itne dino se isliye itna confused tha kyunki main bhag raha tha. Bhag raha tha tumse, khud se. But jo cheez mere ander iss tarah se ghar kar gayi hai ki woh kitni koshish bhi karlo door hi nahin jati, use main kaise bhag sakta hoon. Koi apne hi sach se, apni haqeeqat se kaise bhag sakta hai. Main nahin bhaag sakta Sumo. Nahin bhaag sakta kyunki main jitna bhi sochta hoon tumse door jaun utna hi tumhare kareeb aa jata hoon. Ab meri kismat mein pyaar hai ya dard hai ya rejection hai...jo bhi hai...mujhe jo bhi mile ye sab mere sach ka hissa hai and I will not run away from it. So from now on I will not run away from you Sumo, Not anymore. Now I will face it, aur ab dard mile ya khushi, I will accept it with pride, as my own...my love. I love you Sumo...from always...and no one can change that...shayad main khud bhi nahin"
He finally drifted to sleep, adamant to soon turn his thoughts into actions. Now there had to be no looking back and no running away ❤️
