ShraMan SS: Looking for the Happy Ending (UPDATED PART 3) - Page 2

When Suman reached the hotel, she thought she saw Ramnath Uncle's car pass by. Wondering what he must be doing there, she entered the lift.

She hesitantly knocked on Nirmala's door. Somehow, she felt a nagging pain in her chest.

Nirmala opened the door and smiled at her. Suman once again noticed how much that smile resembled Shravan's charming grin. She looked over Nirmala's shoulder and saw her clothes scattered, in a state of being packed.

Nirmala noticed Suman look at her room and answered at once. "Yes beta, I'm leaving."

Suman walked in, now confused as to what to say. Nirmala offered her tea which she politely declined.

"Thank you, Suman beta", Nirmala began to say. "I am indebted to you for letting me meet Shravan, even if the meeting was not as I had hoped it to be. You're a true friend."

Nirmala's words, instead of making Suman happy, made her angry. She remembered Shravan's accusations the day before and felt like a cheat. She was finding herself on Nirmala's side, a side which was against her Shravan.

This made her answer bitterly. "No, I'm not, Aunty. It was a mistake to let you meet Shravan. 10 years back, when you had left him, I wasn't there for him. And in a stupid attempt to undo that mistake, I took you to him. I got trapped in your words. But I ended up hurting Shravan all over again, just because of you. And that's why I have come here to tell you to leave." Suman spoke rapidly, not looking at Nirmala. She couldn't understand why her own words didn't sound correct to her.

Nirmala let out a wry laugh, as if almost expecting this. "Baffling, isn't it? How the woman is always at fault? Tell me Suman, you're a working woman. Is it wrong for a woman to work and aspire after marriage?" When Nirmala received no response from Suman's end, she shook her head sadly. "I'm not trying to pit you against Shravan or his father. Nor am I trying to defend myself. It's too late now anyway. But I'm asking you as a woman, who had dared to dream for herself at your age. Is it wrong?"

"Why are you asking me this after all these years? And what were your dreams? Another man?" Suman shot back, unable to take this interrogation.

"So that story has been fed to you as well?" Nirmala asked. Suman was confused. She saw Nirmala walk to her nightstand and produce a cheque. She handed it to Suman. Suman saw it to be a blank cheque signed by Ramnath. Her eyes questioningly darted towards Nirmala.

"This is what I've been given to stay away from my son", she explained. Suman recalled seeing Ramnath's car earlier and put two and two together.

"If I am actually with another man, if I was actually at fault 10 years ago, why would he pay me to keep my moth shut?" Nirmala reasoned.

Suman was left confused. "Why didn't you come back earlier? Why now?"

"Shravan was in London. He was happy. I had almsot given up on the thought of ever going back to him, only to cause him pain. But when I heard he has come to India, I couldn't stop myself." She paused. "I don't want to snatch him away from his father, Suman. I'm aware how much he loves him. All I want is Shravan to stop seeing his mother in a bad light. Is that too much to ask for?"

****

"Hello, Shravan? Haan beta, who aurat chali gayi. You needn't worry now. And jaante ho kaise? Suman ki wajah se. She told her to go away, from your life. Haan beta. Khush raho, bye."

Suman heard Ramnath talk to his son over the phone. After Suman had come to Ramnath's office and confronted him, asking him about the cheque, Ramnath had said nothing in his defence. He had simply dialled Shravan's number and what followed was beyond Suman's comprehension.

"Jaao, Shravan ke paas. He was upset with you, right?" Ramnath said as he put down the phone, a cunning smile playing on his lips. Just then, Suman's phone began to ring. She looked at it to find Shravan calling.

"Shravan?" Ramnath asked, laughing. Suman left the phone unanswered. Ramnath walked up to her. "Kya hua, Suman? Pick up the phone, talk to Shravan. After knowing that you have sent Nirmala away, he won't fight with you anymore."

"Uncle?" Suman uttered in a confounded horror. Was this man so hell bent on keeping Shravan away from his mother that he would let Suman and Shravan come close, the union he utterly disliked?

"Kya soch rahi ho?" Ramnath interrupted Suman's train of thought. "Yahi na that why would I want you to make up things with Shravan? Yes, Suman. I disapprove of you for Shravan. In my opinion, you both are a highly incompatible pair. If I want you to stay away from his life, it's not because I have something personal against you. It's only be because my priority is Shravan's happiness. And right now, for the sake of his happiness, Nirmala has to leave. Even if that means you coming back in Shravan's life."

Suman was stunned in silence. Even though they had never told Ramnath uncle formally about their relationship, he was smart enough to infer. Especially after Shravan's withdrawal when Suman tricked him into meeting Nirmala, it was clear how important Suman was in his life. But what stunned Suman was how calculated Ramnath was. He was practically using Suman's love for Shravan in order to hide his fallacies and send Nirmala away. Suman made no effort to hide her disgust.

Seeing Suman grimace, Ramnath shook his head. "It's all about the choices you have to make, beta. And my choices will always be in interest of Shravan's happiness. It's your turn now. Whether you want to choose Nirmala and risk losing Shravan, or you want to go back to him happily and let things be like they have been since the last ten years? It's your choice to make, Suman, a choice for Shravan's happiness."

****

Suman was driving back to her PCT office, her mind clouded with absolute confusion. Shravan had rung up over 10 times but she couldn't talk right now. There were messages from him stating the he was sorry and he wants to meet her ASAP. The thought of meeting Shravan was a huge temptation. Her body ached for him. Once, she had almost answered his call. But then, Nirmala's face flashed in her mind and she held herself back.

She stopped in front of her new office, a lager once which she bought 3 months back. She had the second floor renovated into a nice pad for her to stay in, as traveling back and forth with so much work load had become problematic. So she mostly stayed in there, sometimes spending the weekend at Tiwary Villa, whenever she felt homesick. This shifting of base had also let Suman spend more quality time with Shravan.

The thought of Shravan made Suman fondly remember their first night in this house. After the small puja and housewarming, everyone had left, leaving behind Shravan and Suman alone. He had dragged her out of the house, and then picked her up at the threshold like a baby.

"Shravan!" Suman gasped. "Kar kya rahe ho?"

"Arrey, I'm welcoming you in our new house in style", he stated.

Suman scoffed. "Ahem, our house?"

"Well, now that you're staying here alooone", Shravan said, rolling his tongue, "I'm going to be tempted very frequently to drop in and bother you." He rubbed his long nose against her cheek, causing her to giggle.

He took her to the bedroom, the only room in the small house, and made her lie down on the bed, towering over her. Sensing his intentions, Suman quickly pushed him back.

"Shravan, I have to cook."

"We'll order", he quipped, leaning in and nuzzling at her collarbone.

"Not for you, idiot", Suman said, slapping his shoulder. "I'm here to work." But Suman's protests were already feeble as Shravan left kisses along her shoulder blade.

"We're working", he mumbled. "Very important work."

Before she knew, her legs were wrapped around his waist, his lips were on hers, and she was tugging at the hem of his T-shirt. Needless to say, all work was forgotten for the night.

Suman was startled out of her thoughts with another ring of her phone. This time, it was Preeti. Suman thought she could share her turmoil with her sister, and answered at once.

But before she could say anything, Shravan's voice jumped out from the phone. "Sumo yaar! Kahaan ho? I've been calling you since an hour now", he complained. Suman did not answer, fearing she would break down at the first word she uttered. "Naraaz ho?", he asked softly.

Suman closed her eyes as tears gushed out. How she wished she could run to him right now and kiss away all this pain.

"Sumo? I'm sorry. Gaddha hoon main. Please meet me. Kahaan ho?"

Suman inhaled sharply. She had to say something now. "Shravan, main abhi nahi mil sakti." Her voice was shaky. She heard him sniff on the other end.

"Please", he whispered. When Suman did not answer, he spoke again. "I'm going to be waiting for you at PCT." He hung up.

Suman began to cry at once. What was she going to do? With no energy left to drive back to somewhere else, she surrendered. She walked up to her place, lied down on her bed, and cried to her heart's content.

****

Shravan hung up, as Preeti was waiting impatiently. She was well aware of another war going on between the two, this time more serious than any of the wars, and was immensely relieved when Shravan had showed up a while back, looking for Suman.

"Kya hua?" she asked worriedly.

"She doesn't want to meet me", Shravan shrugged. "But I'm going to wait for her at her place. Aaj toh mil ke hi ghar jaunga. Tum please Pushkar ko inform kar dena."

Preeti smiled and nodded. As Shravan thanked her and left, Preeti could only hope that Suman's anger had died down by now. She knew a little about Suman bringing back Nirmala aunty and Shravan being furious at her. What had caused Shravan to apologise to Suman, Preeti had no idea. She was sure her Suman didi would tell her everything once the matter was sorted. Hoping that happened very soon, she went to call Pushkar.

Shravan drove to Suman's house. His elation after Ramnath's phone call had now disappeared and turned into a deep regret. He cringed at recalling the rude words and behavior he had thoughtlessly showered at his Sumo. He should have given her a chance to explain herself.

When his father called up to tell him that Suman had sent away that lady, realizing her mistake, Shravan was bonkers with happiness. He had at once called Suman. But when she had not answered any of his calls or messages, he realized that he had hurt his Sumo very bad, and it was time to apologize. He rationalized that his so called mother must have manipulated Suman, and he had unnecessarily misunderstood her. Pushkar was right after all.

Shravan was mad at himself. He promised himself to keep his anger in check from now on, especially with Suman. After all, she was the most integral part of his life. He was even planning to break the news to his father. Then how could he mess up?

As he parked his car and climbed up the stairs, he hoped that Suman would forgive him. They could then tell Dad about their relationship, lead a wonderful life together, without any more traces of that lady who unfortunately was his mother.

Shravan fished out the keys from his pocket and opened the door. From the hallway, he saw Suman lying on the bed, her back facing him.

He smiled. "Paagal ladki, ghar pe hi toh hai."

He quietly walked into her room, sat beside her, and kissed her ear from behind. Suman turned in her sleep. Shravan saw dried up tears on her face and felt terrible about himself.

He placed a kiss on her forehead. "Sumo?" he called out softly. She slowly opened her eyes. They were red and puffy.

Suman sat up. It took her a minute to break away from her sleep. She saw Shravan in front of her. He was saying he was sorry. At once, the last few hours came back to her, and she leaped into Shravan's arms, wailing like a baby.

For a moment, Shravan was taken aback. But then he wrapped his arms comfortingly around her, rocking her back and forth. "Shh, I'm sorry." He kept repeating his apologies, and Suman went on crying harder and harder. Only if she could tell him about the meddle she had invited.

After a while, her crying subsided, and she just lay there in Shravan's arms while he ran his fingers through hair. He then cupped her face, and made her look at him.

"I'm sorry, Sumo. I got you all wrong. I promise to listen to you from now on. Please, I'm sorry. Ab rona band karo." Seeing Sumo's expressionless and disoriented face, Shravan cursed. "It's all because of that goddamned lady. 10 saal pehle bhi she had ruined my life, and now she's back at it. I hate her."

Suman was pulled out of her reverie as Shravan angrily cursed his mother. She suddenly got up and walked away. Would this unfair anger welling up inside Shravan let him ever be happy? Didn't he have the right to know that his mother is not as terrible as he thinks? Didn't he deserve to be freed of all the bitterness?

Apart from Ramnath, Suman was the only focal part of Shravan's life. Ramnath had clearly no plans to help Shravan on this front. So Suman had to take it upon herself. She had to help her Shravan see the truth, even if that meant being the victim of his anger for a while. In that moment, Suman had a sudden clarity.

Shravan walked up to her and hugged her from behind. "Kuch to bolo, Sumo. I said I'm sorry. Kuch nahi toh at least scold me, haan?"

Shravan began to nuzzle at her nape. Suman breathed in his scent. God, she had missed that so much. His arms went around her waist, and Suman's hands instinctively placed themselves over his. As if on cue, she arched her neck, giving him access to her sweet spots. Shravan traced up her earlobe as his hands paced up and down her abdomen.

Like a lightning, realization struck Suman, and she pushed away Shravan with all the strength she could gather.

Shravan was highly taken aback. "Sumo?"

"I did not tell Nirmala Aunty to go", she said at once, before her resolve would give away.

"What?" Shravan asked, puzzled.

"I told her to stay back, Shravan."

This made no sense to him. "Why?" he managed to ask.

"Shravan", Sumo began slowly, walking up to him. "You have to hear her out. The impression you have about you mother is flawed, completely flawed. Give her a chance. Give yourself a chance."

"But Dad said you told her to go back", Shravan tried to reason in an unsure voice, as if all Suman had said fell on deaf ears.

"That's because he wants aunty to go away! He doesn't want you meet your mother. He even..."

"SHE IS NOT MY MOTHER!" Shravan shouted. Suman trembled.

Shravan exhaled, trying to shake away the anger.. "Sumo", he said softly. "Can we not do this, please? I have put this behind me. Nothing is worth losing you. Please?"

Suman almost melted at those words. She wanted to abandon her conscience and all her worries, and just be with this man in front of her. That's all that mattered.

But then, Ramnath Uncle's words came back to her. It's your choice to make, Suman, a choice for Shravan's happiness. Did Shravan's happiness lie in being in the dark forever? In harboring a wronged grudge against his mother? Would he ever be as happy as he deserves to be?

"No", Suman answered, an answer to both Shravan's questions and her own thoughts.

Disappointment washed over Shravan's face. Seeing this, Suman began to talk fast without thinking twice. "Try and understand, Suman. Ramnath Uncle has misled you all these years. He wasn't the only one wronged. Your mother was wronged too. And he has kept you in the dark, feeding you false stories. He even..."

"ENOUGH!" Shravan screamed, involuntarily raising his hand in a bout of rage. He stopped in the last second, and his hand was left looming over Suman's cheek, shaking with anger.

Suman was shocked. He had never seen Shravan this angry. Tears spilled over her cheeks as her entire frame trembled in fear and hurt. "Maaro na, Shravan. Ruk kyun gaye?", she said, hardly able to pronounce her words.

"Maar deta", Shravan hissed. "Maar deta, had I been as shameless as you." He pulled back his hand and fisted it in anger. "This, us", he said, pointing at the two of them, "It's over."

With that, Shravan left, banging the door behind him.

This time, Suman did not try to stop him. She knew that much more than mere words were needed to convince Shravan. She sank back in her bed, sobbing.

Ramnath Uncle was right, she had to make a choice. And so she did. The choice, though the harder once, for her Shravan's happiness. For their happy ending.

___________________________________________________________________________

(Don't throw chappals at me for incorporating the cheque idea here pls 🤪)