Hello everyone!
Sorry for the wait, although it's only been one week, I am on a mini vacation
right now so I haven't been writing much, sadly. I am already dreading starting
school again in September and having to stop writing.
I've been getting
a lot of requests to write a cannon-fic on the current plot, so I thought I'd
address it here. I only write cannon-fics when I feel like something has been
handled horribly by the show and I can see a way that would be "better". I've never felt that way with EDKV, they execute
all the tracks so perfectly and way beyond my expectations, anything I write is
probably going to end up falling short in that sense, so I am not going to
bother with it unless something really bothers me, which probably won't happen.
For a minute I thought about writing Suman's accident track and Shravan's
redemption, but I was so shocked that they cured Suman so quickly that the plan
went right down the drain, that's how it's going to be with this show, the
CVs/writers/just everyone is so amazing at telling a poignant story that there
is no room for changes!
Anyway, that's my
little spiel for today, I'll let you get on with the story, if you read my note
this far, thanks! :)
X-X-X-X
Chapter 6 -
Oxford, Year 4
September
"Are you sure you
have everything you need?" Sumo asked fixing Shravan's white shirt-collar, she
had managed to tie his black tie in a perfect Windsor knot, he couldn't do it at all, so she had taken it upon herself
to perfect it. She tucked the tie under his coat and buttoned one button and
stepped back. Sumo looked at her handiwork with a smile, he looked really good in the suit and white shirt.
"I am going to
work, not war Sumo." He laughed, but the nervousness was evident in his voice. "It
is only ten minutes away even if I do forget something."
"Nervous?" She
asked placing her hands on his chest and looking up at him with a small smile.
"A little." He
admitted leaning down and pecking her lips.
"Don't be. You
survived Law School at Oxford, with
flying colours, and got your first pick for your training, you have nothing to
worry about Shravan." She reassured him caressing his face with her right hand
and looking into his eyes with a smile. He sighed and nodded. "I love you." She
murmured before getting on her tippy-toes and pecking his lips.
"I love you too."
He said, a real smile gracing his face for the first time all morning.
"Now, you're going
to walk in there like you're the shit, and wow their pants off, not literally
though, if women start taking their pants off, call me and I'll cut them." She joked causing him to
laugh and nod before he left the house for his first day on the job -
professional experience year.
Sumo prayed that
his first day went well before grabbing her own bag and heading out the door to
her first class of the semester with a smile on her face. They had only been
back in Oxford for two weeks and were getting back in the groove as they always
had to when they came back from India. This year was a bit more hectic than
previous ones because she was starting her MBA, and Shravan was starting to
work. Thankfully, he had gotten his first pick and was going to working in
Oxford and would come home every day, some of his classmates weren't as lucky
and were shipped off to various location all over England.
"You're late!"
Riya said handing Sumo her cup of coffee as she passed the caf at the corner
of the street across the Ashmolean Museum.
"Hey Sumo." Amelia
smiled from beside her, her own cup of coffee in her hand.
"Sorry girls, I
was freaking out since it's Shravan's first day today." Sumo smiled.
"You two are way too cute." Riya smiled fondly. "I
can't wait until you get married."
"Haha." Sumo said
rolling her eyes, Riya was obsessed with them getting married.
"You are almost at
the two-year mark Sumo, and you've known each other for a billion years, I am
obviously going to get antsy." Riya teased. "Have you told your parents yet?"
"I think they
suspect it, but ignorance is bliss." Sumo shrugs. She had a feeling their
mothers were catching on, but they seemed to be going by the if we don't ask it doesn't exist mentality,
and she was liking it.
"Will they be against
it?" Amelia asked confused as they walked down Beaumont Street heading towards
Worcester College where their class was.
"They'll be very
happy about it actually." Sumo admitted.
"Then why haven't
you told them yet?"
"It's just that we
live together, and if our parents knew we were dating I am pretty sure they'd
have a problem with it, and they'll be hyper-vigilant."
"Why? You two are
adults." Amelia said confused.
"You don't know
the brown life Amelia!" Riya laughed. "Our culture is a bit different when it
comes to dating, it is very uncommon and live-in-relationships are definitely a
no-no...you're supposed to pretend sex is not a thing until your wedding night."
Sumo rolled her
eyes.
"Awww, wait, so
you two are waiting to have sex because you want to get married first?" Amelia
asked.
"Seems like it."
Sumo murmured. It wasn't that they were particularly waiting to get married but
she didn't know how to explain it, it was just that it was a line they didn't
let themselves cross - a part of it had to do with the guilt they carried for
not telling their parents and another part of it had to do with accidental
pregnancies.
Sumo knew that
Riya herself had a scare a few months ago despite using protection, things
happened, preventative measures were not 100% guaranteed. And Sumo didn't want
to put herself in the situation where she would have to choose to have a baby
or get rid of it. She didn't know what she would do in a situation like that,
so the easiest way was to not put herself there. Plus, she knew that their
parents would be really disappointed in them, and she couldn't stand that.
"You don't sound
to happy about it." Riya said.
"Well have you
seen Shravan?" Amelia giggled causing Sumo to whack her playfully.
"I don't know how
they do it." Riya said as they walked into the lecture hall.
"It's hard." Sumo admitted
and Riya burst out into giggles waggling her eyebrows, and Sumo glared at her.
"You're sooo mature Riya."
[CENTER]X-X-X-X
November
"It's so much
work." Shravan whined causing Sumo to smile sympathetically. It was a Friday
night and the two of them were just lounging around on the sectional sofa. She
was sitting with her back propped against the backrest, her legs out in front
of her, and his head was resting in her lap as he lay on the other side.
"Do you want me to
scare them to give you less work?" She teased running her hands through his
hair like she had been for the past twenty minutes. His hair was so soft and
begged to be touched, and he loved it when she played with it, so it was a
frequent occurrence. It was calming for the both of them.
"Maybe. You scared
the other student pretty well for me." He teased.
"Ain't nobody
going to make moves on my man." She
said with a laugh.
"She was not making a move."
"She was definitely making a move, trust me, if
she got through law school, she definitely knows the answer to all the
questions she's asking you." Sumo murmured.
"I love it when
you get jealous. Makes me feel loved." He said with a lazy grin.
"Shut up, at least
I don't revert into a Neanderthal and punch people."
"That was one time."
"One time more
than me Mr. Malhotra."
"Fine, you get
this one." He gave in.
"Hmmm." She smiled
"Did you call
Naanu?" He asked suddenly remembering that she had mentioned it in the passing
this morning.
"Yeah, everyone is
doing well." She said. "But Maa was wondering if I'd like to come back during
Christmas Holidays..."
"Oh." He said.
Sumo had two weeks off since classes were stopped, but Shravan did not since he
was working, he had about four days off: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New
Year's Eve and New Year's Day that he wanted to spend with her. "What did you tell her?"
"That I'd see." She
responded trying to gauge how he was feeling. She was conflicted, on one hand
she wanted to go see her family, especially Naanu, and on the other hand she really didn't want to leave him for two
weeks, especially during the holidays when all their friends were back home.
He'd get really lonely, real fast. Plus, the thought of getting on a plane
without him made her really antsy.
"If you want to
go, you should. I'll be at work all day on most days anyways." He sighed.
"So you want me to
go?" She asked.
"Why would I want to be here without you?" He sighed.
"That's not
helping."
"I know,
ultimately it's only two weeks...and I know you're worried about Naanu so you
should go." He said moving his head in her lap so he could look at her.
"This is going to
be hard."
"We survive summer
vacation don't we?" He laughed.
"Yeah, but at
least then you're only a car ride away." She murmured.
"Do you feel like
we're a bit too dependent on each other sometimes?" He asked, speculating if
this was normal.
"Yeah. But we've
grown up together and we haven't really spent time apart since we've gotten together." She shrugs and he nods.
"I am going to
miss you." He murmurs turning his head sideways and burying his head into her
soft stomach causing her to let out a giggle.
X-X-X-X
December
"Are you okay
beta?" Priya Tiwari asked her daughter as she handed her a hot cup of tea.
"Yep. Thanks Maa."
Suman smiled up at her mother taking the cup from her, her mother sat across
from her on the couch with her own cup and looked at her daughter speculatively.
She had noticed that although Suman was here with them, it sometimes felt like
her mind was elsewhere. She was always attached to her phone and there were
dark circles under her eye that she couldn't really attribute to jet lag
anymore.
"It's too bad
Shravan couldn't come back with you." Priya Tiwari said and she didn't miss how
her daughter's tired eyes seemed to light up at his name.
"He has work and
only gets Christmas and New Year's off." She sighed sadly.
"Hmmm." Priya
hummed while she sipped on her tea. "You miss him." She said, it was a
statement rather than a question but Sumo nodded.
"He's just always
around, so it's weird when he's not." She shrugged trying to play it off.
"A year and a few
months and both of you come back right?" Priya asked and Sumo nodded with a
smile. "It feels like it's been so long since you've left, you've changed so
much, grown so much, and you'll get married in a few years-" Priya smiled at
her daughter.
"Why is everyone so
interested in weddings all of sudden?" Sumo asked rolling her eyes.
"Sumo, your
classmates are either engaged to be married, or looking to get engaged." Priya
laughed.
"They are only
22." Sumo groaned.
"To each his own I
guess." Priya laughed. "I was only 23 when I married your father."
"That is still too
early Maa."
"And when do you
plan on getting married?"
"At least after
25."
"So you have
decided on an age, is there a man in the picture that I should know about?"
Priya teased.
"Maa." Sumo
whined.
"I refuse to
believe that no one has taken a liking to my daughter. Unless everyone assumes
you're with Shravan or something." She said sipping on her tea and looking up
at her daughter conspicuously trying to see how she would respond.
"Why would you say
that?" Sumo asked.
"Nirmala and I
recently discovered that most of our relatives and friends assume that you and
Shravan will get married one day." She said, this was true, but she left out
the part where Nirmala and her hoped it was true as well.
"Oh." Sumo nodded.
"You're not
opposed to the idea?" Priya asked but Sumo just sipped her tea and didn't
answer. The room was filled with silence as Sumo sat there wondering what she
should say, she wanted to tell her mother, but at the same time she wished that
Shravan was here with her so they could tell everyone together, like they
planned. "You love him, don't you?" Priya asked with a smile after a few
minutes causing Sumo to freeze in her place. She really didn't know what to say
to her mother right then, but she didn't want to lie since the topic had come
up so she nodded.
"I do love him."
She said, her voice a bit above a whisper.
"And does he know
that?" Priya asked wondering what the equation between the two of them was, but
she was pretty sure that Shravan loved her too.
Sumo nodded. "He
knows."
"And, does he love
you too?" Priya asked.
"He does." Sumo
said with a small smile, and the confidence of her voice and the way her eyes
lit up told Priya Tiwari everything she needed to know.
"Hm, so Nirmala
and I shouldn't try to convince people that we haven't really thought about the
two of you getting married?" She asked with a smile. Sumo shook her head no
with a small smile.
"He is it for me."
She said causing Priya to tear up a little.
"I think so too."
She smiled. "But remember that the two of you aren't married yet...and I know you
two are living together but there are lines that shouldn't be crossed Suman."
"Don't worry Mom."
Sumo said looking her mother straight in the eyes with a reassuring smile,
Priya nodded seeing that she had nothing to worry about.
X-X-X-X
December
31st
Sumo groaned as
the bus slowly lurched forward on the highway, which was empty considering it
was New Year's Eve. She had caught a last minute flight back when she heard his voice over the phone, he sounded so
dejected and she missed him a lot.
Her mother had taken one look at her and told her to go after she had hung up
with him. The plane ride alone was no fun, again, but she endured it. But the
stupid bus was taking forever to get to Oxford and it was annoying, Sumo thought
that she would be lucky to get home before the clock struck midnight at this
rate.
Sumo forced
herself to calm down and closed her eyes, hoping that Shravan was awake when
she got home. When she had asked him about his New Year's plan he had said that
he planned to watch TV and catch up on sleep, which had made her really sad. She didn't tell him that she
was coming back and was hoping to surprise him.
Sumo breathed a
sigh of relief when the bus pulled into the bus depot at Gloucester Green, she
rushed off the empty bus and headed towards the direction of their house. The
streets were empty, with most students still away at home, the only people
around seemed to be tourists and families that lived in the city. Sumo rolled
her huge suitcase down the cobblestone pathway, it created more noise than the
occasional car on the road. She walked quickly, the frigid winter air making
her shiver and speed up.
She breathed a
sigh of relief when she saw their house, all the lights were off and for a
minute she wondered if Shravan was even home, he might have been dragged out by
a friend. She hoped for the best and dug in her purse for the house key and
opened the door. The house was silent and all the lights were off. She placed
her suitcase by the door and locked the door before taking off her jacket and
shoes. She walked around the bottom floor and found it empty so she ventured
upstairs.
She walked down
the hallway and opened the door to his room and found it empty. The bed was
perfectly made and he wasn't it. Sumo groaned in disappointment, he went
somewhere and her plan to surprise him went down the drain. She had thought
that he would rush to the door to see who it was, she had imagined the smile on
his face and him lifting her into a hug. Alas, he wasn't home, Sumo figured
that Rishi or someone had probably dragged him out.
Sumo sighed and
turned towards her room, her feet dragging against the floor, she opened the
door and flipped on the light on, barely holding back a gasp. Shravan was
laying in her bed, his face buried in her pillow and the comforter covering his
legs but exposing his bare upper body. A smile graced her face at the sight, he
was fast asleep. She turned the room light off and switched the bathroom light
on before throwing her sweater off and quietly grabbing a pair of lounge shorts
and an oversized t-shirt from her drawer. She quietly tip-toed to the bathroom
and changed into them. She wanted to shower, but figured it would just wake him
up, so she washed her face and tied her hair up in a bun before stepping back
into the room.
She climbed into
bed right beside him and turned sideways so she could look at his face, which
was illuminated by the bathroom light she had left on. He was sleeping on his
stomach, his face turned towards her and his hair sticking up in ten different
directions. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his beard looked like
it needed a trim. A feeling of contentment filled her as she stared at him, his
body was moving rhythmically with his deep breathing but his face didn't look
like it usually did when he was asleep, he looked sad.
Her hand found its
way to his face, her fingers first pushing away the hair from his forehead. Her
fingers seemed to have a mind of their own as they traced his face, his perfect
eyebrows that were neither too thin nor too thick; his nose was straight and
angular, yet soft; that space between his eyes and where his beard started was
so soft under her fingers; his beard was the opposite, prickly, yet she loved
how it felt against her skin when he kissed her; and his lips - she loved his
lips, they were so soft and beautiful, especially when they were pulled up in
that smile she loved.
She felt him move
under her touch and watched as his eyes fluttered open, slowly, and met hers. "Hi."
She whispered with a smile. He shook his head and closed his eyes, before
opening them again causing her to giggle. His eyes grew wide with shock.
"You're here?" He
asked his hand reaching out and touching her cheek, as if he had to touch her
to make himself believe that she was really there. A huge smile grew on his
face as his hand came in contact with her skin.
"I couldn't leave
you to spend New Year's all alone." She replied with a smile.
"Holy shit." He
said with a laugh.
"Happy New
Year's." She whispered leaning in and pecking his lips.
"Happy New
Year's." He smiled back pulling her to him, her hands rested on his bare chest
between them, and their noses almost touched with how close they were.
"I was planning on
surprising you, and then I got home and found the house quiet and your room
empty. What are you doing in here?" She asked curiously.
"This room is
easier to sleep in, the pillows and sheets smell like you." He whispered, his
hands rubbing up and down her back.
"I missed you."
She smiled rubbing her nose against his.
"Oh you have no
idea." He whispered before taking her lips with his.
Despite the fact
that they had been together for almost two years, her heart always skipped a
beat when his lips met hers, and his was no different. Their lips always moved
slowly at first, their lips and bodies moving instinctively against the others,
his hand splayed on her back and pulled her flush against him, her own hands
strayed on his bare chest, her right hand over his heart which fluttered under
her touch. His hands found their way underneath her shirt and up the bare skin
of her back as the kiss deepened. Her tongue swept against his bottom lip and
his lips parted in a quiet groan.
The room was
filled with sounds of soft sighs and groans mixed in with occasional giggles
and whispers as the fireworks went on outside, but they were oblivious in their
own little bubble. They had a lot to catch up on.
X-X-X-X-X
February
"UGHHH!" Sumo
let out a frustrated scream slamming her MacBook shut causing Shravan to look
at her in surprise from his spot on the couch across from her. Her eyes were
closed and she looked so frustrated that Shravan's eyes grew wide.
"What's wrong?" He
asked, the worry evident in his voice.
"This stupid
paper, I don't know what I am doing, it's due in two days and I can't think or
find sources." She said, the frustration was evident in her voice and her face,
her eyes watered and her lips quivered. He understood the feeling, sometimes
school was so overwhelming that it felt impossible.
Shravan got up
from his side of the sofa and grabbed her MacBook from her lap and put it on
the coffee table. He sat down beside her and pulled her into his lap, sideways,
he was leaning against the back of the sofa and her back was leaning against
the arm rest, so he could see her face. He wiped away the few tears that seemed
to have escaped from her eyes and she sighed and scooted down a bit in his lap
so she could bury her face in the crook of his neck as his hands intertwined
with hers, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on the back of her right hand. She
took a deep breath, the smell of his perfume mixed with his body wash calming
her down.
"I don't know what
to do, this is so difficult." She murmured, she was tired of all the work. If
she thought undergrad was hard, the MBA program was in a whole another league.
She was constantly studying, and working, but it never seemed to be enough, there
wasn't enough time in the world.
"I know, but
you'll get through it. Just let everything go for a while and then go back to
it. Follow what you preach Sumo, you can do this. You're so hard-working and so
smart, it is difficult sometimes, but
taking a step back before diving in again helps." He murmured placing a kiss
atop her head. He felt her sigh against the skin of his neck and smiled a bit
as he felt her body relax into him.
"I can't wait
until I am done." She murmured finally looking at him.
"Me too." He
smiled reassuringly at her.
"Thank you. I
needed that." She smiled up at him and pecked his lips.
"You're welcome."
He smiled wrapping his arms around her and holding her.
"I don't know what
I'd do without you." She murmured, and she didn't. She would have probably gone
back home long ago if she had to do all of this alone. He was her support
system, much like she was his.
"I am pretty sure
we'd both be hot messes." He laughed.
"Probably." She
agreed with a smile running her fingers through his soft hair, it was getting
kind of long, and it was a lot of fun to run fingers through but Sumo knew he
would start complaining about it soon. "You need a haircut." She reminded him.
"I know."
"But not too
short!" She warned.
"I think you
sufficiently scared the barber last time, he won't cut it that short ever
again." Shravan laughed.
"Good." Sumo
beamed.
"Want to continue
my cooking lessons?" He asked, he wanted to get her mind off school for a
while.
"I think teaching
you how to cook is more challenging that graduating from Oxford." She said, her
voice serious. But the sad look on his face made her burst into giggles. "I am
kidding, lets go burn things Shravan Malhotra."
"Hey! I didn't
burn the paneer last time."
"The amount of
salt in it may have helped to keep it from burning." She teased.
"You're so mean."
He pouted.
"I love you." She
laughed placing a kiss on his cheek, the put disappeared off his face and
turned into a smile as she peppered his face with kisses while giggling.
X-X-X-X-X
March
"YELLOW
DIAMONDSSS IN THE LIGHTTT AND WE'RE STANDING SIDEEE BY SIDEE AS YOUR SHADOW
CROSSES MINEEE WHAT IT TAKESSS TO COME AALLLIVEEE IT'S THE WAYYY I'M
FEEELING I JUST CAN'T DENYYY BUT I'VE GOTTA LET IT GO WE FOUND LOVE IN A
HOPELESS PLACEEE WE FOUND LOVE IN A HOPEEELESS PLACEEE!" Sumo literally sang
at the top of the lungs over the sound of the vacuum cleaner as Shravan laughed
watching her dance around on the carpet. He had a mop in hand and was currently
working on mopping the kitchen as Rihanna blared from the speakers.
Sumo had her
"cleaning" playlist on today, their friends were coming over for dinner tonight
and she had demanded that the house be clean. So they had gotten up at 7:00am
and tackled the bottom floor. Everything was dusted and in it's place, the only
thing left was mopping and vacuuming the carpet in the living room.
"I love that
song." Sumo sighed turning the vacuum off as the song played its last chords.
"Oh thank god it's
over, my ears." Shravan teased as she came and stood right in front of him.
"Rude! And you
missed a spot!" She said grabbing the mop from him as the next song started.
Shravan laughed when she gasped and let out a happy squeal as the first few
notes of Thinking Out Loud came on,
Sumo loved Ed Sheeran.
He laughed as she
started dancing around with the mop singing the song. "When your legs don't
work like they used to beforeee and I can't sweep you off of your feet." She
looked up at him with a smile as she sang the next part and arched her eyebrow.
"Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love, will your eyes still
smile from your cheeks."
And, darling, I will be loving you til we're seventyyy.
And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23. And I'm thinking bout how
people fall in love in mysterious ways. Maybe just the touch of a hand.
Shravan grabbed
the mop from her hand, letting it rest by the fridge, and pulled her towards
him, his right hand went to the middle of her back and his left hand clasped
her right one and she let out a laugh as her left hand went onto his
shoulder. "If we fall I'll kill you."
She warned as they waltzed around the kitchen laughing as Ed Sheeran's voice
sang in the background.
Well me I fall in love with you every single dayyy and I
just wanna tell you I am. So honey nowww. Take me into your loving armsss.
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars. Place your head on my beating
heart.
Sumo giggled as he
pulled away and spun her around before pulling her close again. "Your dance
moves have improved." She laughed as he pulled her closer and swayed. It was an
interesting sight, she had to look up at him and his head was bent down to look
at her as they both danced.
"Practice makes
perfect." He said pecking her lips.
"Hey! No kissing,
only dancing!"
"The song just said kiss me." He said as they did a hybrid waltz of some sort, if you
could call it a waltz, they were just swaying and dancing around the kitchen at
this point with huge smiles on their faces. And it was perfect.
X-X-X-X
April
Shravan Malhotra
stepped into their house after a long day at work and found the house quiet
apart from the hum of the TV coming from the living room. He placed his shoes
in the rack and hung up his keys before venturing towards the living room.
He smiled when he
saw Sumo fast asleep on the sectional, her head resting on the powder blue pillow and a dark grey throw
covered her. He grabbed the TV remote and turned the TV off. He knew she was
waiting up for him, they hardly saw each other these days apart from when they
woke up and went to sleep. He was at work for most of the day and she was
caught up in school, presentations and papers. Even though they lived together,
he missed her just like she missed
him. He missed hanging around the kitchen watching her cook, cuddling on the
couch and watching TV, going on walks and trips...just being with her. He was
glad that the school/work year was coming to an end soon and allowing them a
break they badly needed.
He wanted to push
back the tickets they had booked for India from mid-May to June, to have her to
himself for a whole week or two at least. He wondered how things would be when
they went back this time. Sumo had told her mom about them and then he had a
long conversation with his own mother over Skype. They were really happy for them, but he knew that
they weren't overly fond of the idea that they lived together, but they also
knew there was no point in trying to separate them now and they trusted their
children.
He knew for a fact
that it wouldn't be long before they brought up marriage and he knew that he
didn't want them to be the first to bring it up. He wanted to ask Sumo himself,
she deserved better than having their family pester them about it. He thought
about it often, proposing, but he didn't know how to go about it. He knew that
she would say yes and that they would probably have a long engagement until
they were done with school. But he didn't know how he should go about asking her, he just knew that he was going
to soon. Calling her his girlfriend didn't seem like enough
anymore, she was more than that, had been for a long time.
Shravan ventured
upstairs quietly and changed into a pair of sweatpants and grabbed a blanket
before venturing downstairs again. He pulled the throw off of Sumo and lay down
beside her before pulling the blanket over the two of them and wrapping his
arms around her and pulling her into his chest. He smiled when she sighed in
her sleep and nuzzled herself closer to him.
X-X-X-X
May
"A vacation before
a vacation?" Sumo laughed as the train they were on sped through the English
countryside.
"Precisely." Shravan
smiled sinking lower in his seat, one of his arms was wrapped around her and
she was leaning into him, her head resting on his shoulder as they looked out
the window.
"And where are we
headed exactly?" She asked, she knew they were headed to Cornwall, but she
didn't know exactly which part yet. He had cited that they needed to spend some
time together since they barely got to in the past few months due to work and
school, and they were on board a train the next morning. They only had a week
before they were flying out to India.
"It's a surprise."
"Why is everything
always a surprise?" She pouted.
"I like to spoil
you once in a while." He teased.
"You're so
melodramatic."
"You love it."
"I know. I was
just making an observation." She said leaning up and placing a kiss on his jaw,
she was too lazy to move, she was perfectly content right where she was. "I wish
you could take a train to India." She observed a few minutes later. "It's so
much better than airplanes."
"I thought you
would get over your aversion after travelling alone in airplanes twice." He
said referring to her trip back home in December.
"I was asleep
before the plane took off." She reminded him, she had popped sleeping pills and
told the flight attendant to wake her up only when they got to the destination.
"How many times
have you travelled by plane now?" He asked but already started counting in his
head. "11 times." He answered his own question. "Has anything happened?"
She shook her head
no but still rolled her eyes. "You could have just agreed with me when I said
that trains are better than planes." She mumbled.
-------
Sumo was in love with the little town they were
in, St. Ives, Shravan had announced to her. It was a costal town with beautiful
beaches looking over the azure Celtic Sea. There were lots of colourful houses
and ships around, adding to the picturesque costal life image that the town had.
The air had this fresh salty feel, and the weather was perfect, not too hot and
not too cold. They were staying in a little house, every window had a perfect
view of the water and the beach. The town was really small and cute with little
shops and bars littered amongst houses, cobblestone pathways and roads that
were narrow and well-travelled by foot, and a charm that was undeniable.
"How did you find
this place?" Sumo asked as Shravan came up behind her and wrapped his arms
around her from behind, his head resting on top of her head as they stood in
front of the large patio doors overlooking the beach and sea.
"Google." Shravan
answered. "I didn't expect it to be this
nice." He admitted.
"This is perfect."
She smiled leaning back into him.
"So what would you
like to do today?" He asked.
"Explore and find
somewhere to eat." She answered.
"Aye aye captain."
He laughed.
------
"Nooo! Don't
build up yet, we need a stronger foundation!" Sumo said whacking Shravan's hand
away from their sandcastle. They had
lounged around on the beach all day and seeing kids make sandcastles had
brought back fond memories of rare trips to the beach in childhood. Of course,
their sandcastle was already a lot more elaborate than the ones they had seen
today. Sumo had bought "sand castle building supplies", buckets and carving
tools.
They had a pretty
elaborate one-storey sandcastle so far, and Sumo was hitting the sand and
trying to make it compact so it would stay, Shravan found her enthusiasm quite
adorable as he played the role of, as she called it, the shirtless tanned assistant.
Shravan waited for
her to okay the foundation so he could start building the castle higher as she
began on the design. "I think we're
too old for this." Shravan laughed as a bunch of kids walked past them, their
mouths agape at their sandcastle.
"Shhh, you're
only as old as you feel Shravan, stop acting like an old man." She chided as he
worked on the castle. She got a devious smile on her face suddenly that he
missed as he worked on making stairs leading from the balcony of the tower. He
had dug out the inside of the tower which had annoyed Sumo but she had given in
when he promised to put stairs leading from it.
"AHHH!" Shravan
let out a yelp as he felt cold water hit his body. Sumo stood behind him
laughing, she had filled up a bucket of water and dumped it over his head.
"Payback is a
bitch." She smirked falling next to him, he had thrown her into the water earlier
despite her warnings.
Shravan rolled his
eyes but his left hand instinctively went to his pocket to check if anything
had fallen out even though he hadn't really moved, he rolled his eyes at his
paranoia before continuing with the castle beside a giggling Sumo.
In about another half
hour, they had constructed the perfect sandcastle, it had only taken them half
the day, the sun was setting leaving a nice pink hue in the sky and the beach
was half empty and quieter than it had been all day. "Not bad shirtless tanned assistant,
not bad at all." She said admiring their work.
"Go get the
camera." He said and she nodded before jumping up and running back to where
their stuff was near the recliners under the umbrella where they were laying
earlier. Shravan smiled and quickly took a box out of his pocket, taking
something out, and placing the box it inside the tower he had dug out. It fit
perfectly, and he breathed a sigh of relief as Sumo came running back with her
camera in hand, already clicking pictures.
"What is that?"
She asked when she caught sight of the robin egg blue box inside the tower, her
eyes narrowed and she looked at him, but he just shrugged. She fell to her
knees in front of the castle and looked at the box closely before looking back
up at Shravan who looked back at her innocently. She narrowed her eyes and took
the box out of the tower and inspected it, a small smile growing on her face
when she realized what it was. She held the box in her hand and looked at
Shravan, her eyebrow arched and a smile on her face.
She opened the box
and let out a gasp before whacking his arm hard causing him to laugh, the box
was empty. She was about to start yelling at him but he pulled her down so she
was sitting across from him and she noticed the sun glinting off the ring he
was holding between his thumb and index finger. She looked at him expectedly,
waiting for him to say something but he just arched his eyebrow at her.
"You better start
talking or I am going to hit you again." She murmured and he smiled before
clearing his throat dramatically. "Wait! You have to get on one knee!" She said
scrambling up and causing him to laugh.
Shravan pulled himself
up so they were both standing in front of each other before falling onto one
knee and smiling up at her. "Suman Tiwari, you're the best thing that's ever
happened to me, and I want you to be a part of my life until the day I die, I
want to see your face first thing in the morning and I want to kiss you
goodnight every day. Marry me?" He asked looking up at her with a smile.
"Will you please
do me the honour of becoming my wife." She corrected and he arched his eyebrow
at her in question. "That's what you said in my dream." She said.
"You had a dream
about this?" He asked shocked.
"Is that the
question you want to ask right now?"
Shravan gave her a
sheepish smile. "Sumo, will you please do me the honour of becoming my wife and
making me the happiest man alive?" He asked.
"Did you think I
was going to say no?" She asked with a laugh, tears were streaming down her
cheek.
"So is that a
yes?" He asked, confusion and fear evident on his face.
"I always have to
spell everything out for you don't I?" She smiled falling to the ground on her
knees in front of him. "Yes, of course I'll marry you, Shravan Malhotra." She
said holding her left hand out. He let out a euphoric chuckle as he slid the
ring onto her ring finger. It was beautiful and delicate, much like her. There
was an oval diamond in the middle set into the platinum ring surrounded by bead
set diamonds creating a captivating halo effect.
"Did you actually
think I was going to say no?" She asked.
"More of a not yet." He admitted.
"I'd have said yes
even if you asked a year ago." She smiled pecking his lips.
"That's good to
know." He laughed.
"I love you." She
said as his fingers traced over the ring that was now on her hand.
"I love you too,
so so much." He smiled.
X-X-X-X
June
"You guys can
totally get married during your Winter Break!" Preeti said excitedly as they
sat on Sumo's bed painting their nails.
"No." Sumo said
rolling her eyes with a smile, Preeti was really
excited about the ring on Sumo's finger. She had a feeling that Preeti and Riya
would be really good friends when they met.
"I can't believe
you didn't tell me that you two have been dating for so long." She brought up
trying to guilt her sister into agreeing to get married soon.
"No one knew."
Sumo pointed out.
"Priya Bua knew!
Nirmala Aunty and Bua literally screamed as soon as they saw you at the airport
and I stood there like a confused soul." Preeti said.
Sumo smiled
thinking back to the day at the airport. Shravan had told her that their
parents already knew that he was going to propose, because he had asked Priya
if he could propose to her daughter.
Sumo remembered the smiles on both Priya and Nirmala's faces when she saw them,
they had taken one look at her, and then down at the ring before they started
screaming happily and hugging them and each other.
Preeti had stood
there confused, trying to figure things out, they didn't click until Shravan
wrapped his arm around Sumo and placed a kiss on her head that Preeti's eyes
went down to Sumo's left hand and then back up to her eyes, realization finally dawning on her.
"You're always a
confused soul." Sumo teased causing Preeti to glare at her. "We're not going to
get married until we're back in India for good." She told her.
"So I have to wait
another year." Preeti whined and Sumo nodded. "Di, you're living the life."
Preeti said after a while.
"Huh?" Sumo asked
confused.
"Fell in love with
your best friend, moved to another country with him, lived with him, and now
you're engaged to him!" She said excitedly causing Sumo to smile, it sounded
pretty good. "I can't believe the parents are letting you live together."
"Me too." Sumo
admitted, but she figured that they realized it was too late now and that there
was no point in not letting them live together. She had noticed the looks from
her mother though, like she was trying to figure something out, but she would
then nod to herself, as if she had answered her own question.
"I can't believe
he whisked you away for a vacation to pop the question." She said dreamily.
"He's a romantic, isn't he?"
Sumo smiled and
nodded, Shravan was definitely romantic - it wasn't the usual flowers and
presents kind of romance - because that wasn't real. He was thoughtful and considerate, he liked giving her cute
little surprises, he looked at her and hugged her like she was his world, and
he grabbed her and kissed her for no apparent reason all the time. It was the
cuddles, the small things he said, and the way he acted that made him what
Preeti associated as romantic.
"Did you cry?"
Preeti asked.
"I teared up
pretty bad when he got down on his knees, but the crying didn't start until
hours later when it sank in. It took a whole to realize that he wasn't my boyfriend anymore but my fiancee."
"Haiii, so
cuteee!" Preeti sighed wishing she had a best friend that she could fall in
love with.
Sumo sighed and
nodded wondering how she got so lucky. "Lately, I've been wondering what I did
to deserve all of this. Sometimes I am afraid that something will go wrong because everything has been going right for
so long. He's so perfect and we're engaged, nothing went wrong, our parents are
ecstatic, we're finishing school at Oxford and - everything is just so right that I am afraid something will go
wrong."
"Nothing is going
to go wrong Suman." Priya Tiwari's voice came from the door of the room, she
walked in and sat on the bed in front of her daughter having heard her worried
words. "Life isn't like what they show you in movies, with people and things
always out to get you. Life tests you in little ways, those breakdowns you have
when things get tough, your own health, your family's health, being away from
family and the little everyday challenges."
Priya grabbed her
daughter's hand between hers and smiled at Sumo before continuing. "I know life
seems perfect, but that's because you've always been strong and you fight
things as they come. The biggest battle people have is against themselves,
finding the energy to get up everyday and working, taking care of your mental
health, being kind even when you're having a bad day - that's what normal
people struggle with. And I know you've had a fair share of those problems, you
were just lucky to find a best friend that was by your side for all of it,
someone who loves you just as much as you love him. You know, when your father
passed away and we moved here, you were so
quiet, you had friends but you never opened up to them, until Shravan, you two
clicked from the first day. You fought like crazy, but there was this bond
there that was much deeper and more meaningful than any fight you two ever had,
you two went to great lengths to apologize to the other, to take care of each
other. There was always something
there that made Nirmala and I believe that we'd be here today. You two worked
hard for this, you waited until you were ready for a relationship, you worked
through all the fights to become closer than you've ever been, you deserve this and nothing is going to
come take it away from you."
Sumo was in tears
by the end of her mom's speech, and she nodded understanding what her mom was
trying to say. "Sometimes I look at him, and I am afraid of what's going to happen to me if he's not there Maa." She got
out through her tears.
"If it were anyone
else I would hesitate to say this, but I know
that Shravan is not going to leave your side no matter what. And I know you're
thinking about your father right now Suman, he died, unexpectedly, but that
doesn't mean the same thing is going to happen to you, beta." She said before
kissing her daughter's forehead.
"Ugh, I am so
emotional, stupid periods." Sumo said laughing through her tears.
"Shravan bhaiyaa
must hate this time of the month." Preeti giggled.
"He's actually
very sweet about it, he buys me pads and makes me tea." Sumo said and then
blushed when her mother hummed, a sound that meant she was impressed.
"And what else
does he do Suman?" Priya teased. "You haven't told me why he's so perfect."
"Maa." Sumo
mumbled.
X-X-X-X
July
"Oh, Mrs. Mehra, this is Suman." Nirmala said as soon as
Sumo walked into the Malhotra mansion, Sumo's eyes grew wide as she tried to
figure out what was going on. There were a bunch of women sitting in the living
room including Nirmala and Kamini, and Vandy. She figured that her mother was
missing this month's kitty party.
"Suman baby, come
here!" Vandy said patting the seat next to her.
"Let me introduce
all of you two my future daughter-in-law." Nirmala said as Sumo sat down beside
Vandy, Sumo's eyes grew wide at Nirmala's words, they were keeping the
engagement on the down-low until the formal function in August, something
Nirmala and Priya had insisted on, so the fact that Nirmala was announcing it
already piqued her interest.
"They are
absolutely smitten with one another, he didn't even wait to propose, we are not
telling anyone until the formal engagement - which will be a week after Vandy
and Varun's wedding anniversary party!" Nirmala said smiling at Mrs. Mehra, realization
dawned on Sumo, Mrs. Mehra was probably trying to hook up her daughter with
Shravan or something. Sumo smiled at Mrs. Mehra, who nodded with a forced
smile.
"Shravan is sooo in love with her, has been for
years. He whisked her away to propose to her, and the ring is sooo beautiful!"
Vandy piped up, grabbing Sumo's hand and showing everyone the ring.
"And we're so
happy that Suman is going to be our bahu,
she's already a part of the family." Kamini said with a smile holding up the
platter of cakes and offering it to the guests.
"What was that all
about?" Sumo asked when Mrs. Mehra and company walked out of the house a while
later.
"She spent the
past fifty minutes telling me how perfect her daughter would be for Shravan,
and then I told her he was to be engaged to someone else and she had the nerve
to tell me that he daughter would be better for him." Nirmala rolled her eyes.
"Every time we
would change the topic, she came right back to it." Kamini said rolling her
eyes. "Kuch bhi, aivinayee." She huffed.
"You guys are so cute." Sumo said with a
laugh.
"I knowww." Vandy
smiled as Sumo looked up the stairs wondering where her Qutub Minar was. "Mhmmm." Vandy cleared her throat arching her
eyebrows at Sumo as Kamini and Nirmala disappeared into the kitchen. "You're
here for party planning, no?" She asked.
"Of course." Sumo
nodded.
"To my room!"
Vandy said with a grin as Sumo's face faltered. "But I think we may need...pens,
they're in Shravan's room." She said and Sumo laughed but nodded before
bounding up the stairs. "They're sooo cute!" Vandy squealed as she walked
into her own room.
X-X-X-X
August
"Remember when I
used to ask you if there was something going on between the two of you, and you
used to deny it, I can't believe you lied to your own brother." Pushkar said
rolling his eyes at his brother, he was sitting on the sofa in Shravan's room,
and Shravan was standing in his closet, in front of the mirror, buttoning his black
sherwani.
"I think everyone
kind of knew that there was something, but they didn't want to say anything in
case it wasn't true, the two of them have always been close." Varun said from
beside Pushkar as he typed away on his phone. "I remember when Vandy first saw
them she was so sure they were together."
"Can we stop
speculating my relationship status guys?" Shravan groaned.
"We have two years
and 5 months of teasing to catch up on Bhaiyaa." Pushkar grinned causing Shravan to
roll his eyes as he picked up his comb and tried to fix his hair.
"I can't believe
they've been living together for that long too." Varun murmured.
"Can we stop
talking about that?" Shravan groaned, he'd had enough of the oh you two lived together followed by a
long pause that implied that they were probably sleeping together, which they
weren't in that sense. Pushkar laughed at the annoyed look on his brother's
face.
"Varun Bhaiyaa, shouldn't
you be with Vandy Bhabhi right now?" Shravan asked and watched as Varun's face
blanched, he had come up to check on his brothers and had gotten sidetracked.
He gave Shravan a sheepish smile before getting up and leaving.
"Should we go?"
Shravan asked Pushkar, motioning to the door.
"Haiii, so eager
to see his fiancee." Pushkar teased
causing Shravan to glare at him. "Jokes apart, I am glad you two are together
Bhaiyaa." He smiled.
"Shravan!" Nirmala
said walking into his room before Shravan could reply. "Great, you're ready,
lets get going, guests are starting to arrive."
--------
Sumo smiled
looking around the yard which was beautifully decorated with a stage set up
under the huge tree behind the Malhotra Mansion. The guests were almost all
here, and her family was scattered around the yard with the Malhotras, everyone
had a smile on their face. Ramnath and Naanu were standing to the side talking
to some colleagues. Sumo could still remember the happy smile on her Naanu's face
when he learnt of the engagement, Shravan and Sumo had told him together,
during a riveting game of chess. Naanu had laughed and said he should have
understood because Sumo always seemed to cheer for Shravan when playing chess.
"I feel like we're
on display at a museum." Shravan said from beside her, they were both seated on
the stage, in a big throne-like chair. People would come up to them and congratulate them before being ushered off the stage.
Sumo laughed and
looked up at him with a smile. "This is what next summer is going to be like."
"We should totally
just get married on the down low." Shravan murmured.
"Our moms will
kill us." Sumo laughed.
"You're killing me
right now." Shravan groaned and Sumo rolled her eyes, she had noticed as much.
She was wearing a pink lehenga with hints of silver and black, with her hair up
in an elegant bun, and Shravan's eyes seemed to stray on her a lot longer than
was acceptable in a public setting. His hand always found its way to her bare
back, and he tried to sneak in kisses which resulted in glares from her because
he was messing up her lipsticks.
"You need to keep
your hormones in check so we don't scandalize all of Delhi." She said smirking,
she was loving this, she was usually the one that drooled over him, which she
still was - that black sherwani on him was sinful - but it seemed that he was
having a harder time with it than her these days.
Shravan sighed,
his eyes going down to her hands, she was playing with her ring finger, rubbing
it with her other fingers. Sumo noticed his gaze and sighed. "It feels weird to
not be wearing the ring." She smiled, she had taken it off for the ceremony -
since they were formally getting engaged today. Shravan smiled grabbing her
hand in his and squeezing it. "It'll be back in a few minutes." He smiled.
"You get one too
this time!" She smiled.
"I love how you
get away with not proposing to me." He teased.
"Oh, so I should
have gotten down on one knee and asked you to marry me?"
"I did it, and
that's why I got to put a ring on your
finger, so it makes sense that you do it too." He pointed out.
"It doesn't work
like that."
"Hypocrisy!"
"I would have
popped the question if you didn't." She smiled.
"Really? So if I
didn't propose until say a year from now, you would have proposed to me?" He
laughed.
"Yeah, the
boyfriend title was getting old." She smiled.
"And how would you
go about proposing?"
"I'd probably just
slide the ring onto your finger while you were sleeping." She said. "It's not
like you would have said no."
"So I should have
just slid the ring onto your finger instead of going through all that trouble."
"I didn't say
that, I loved your proposal, but the thing is that I'd be happy with anything
as long as you proposed."
"I wish I had
known that before, I spent so long figuring out how to make it perfect, and
then you messed it up because you started directing it according to your
dream." He teased causing her to whack him.
"They never
realize that there are people watching them, do they?" Pushkar's voice came
from in front of them, Shravan and Sumo looked up to see their families
standing in front of them with a smile. They hadn't even realized that they
were there.
"Should we carry
on with the engagement or is there something you two need to fight over right
now?" Preeti teased causing everyone to laugh.
Edited by astonm - 7 years ago
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