Dedicating this chapter to - orion23 ❤️❤️❤️
~
Chapter 32
Arms crossed on chest, a satisfied smile gracing lips - Suman looked on at the extended outdoor mini restaurant side of her PCT. It was open now since this evening and some customers - not many... were already enjoying coffee and snacks. That was a good start she believed. The possibility of success from her this venture was most certain, it was not her over confidence speaking despite of it sounding a hell lot like that. It was in stead more the fact that a University and a school was nearby. Crowds of students passed by this road, and it was now surely to be her avail.
Her mind drifted back to this morning when she'd woken up alone in the bed. Never had she ever felt so disappointed in waking up to loneliness. It had strangely felt like isolation finding the spot near her feet vacant where Shravan had fallen asleep last night. But the next moment came as a surprise as her eyes fell on the pillow next to hers, she could clearly remember putting it beneath Shravan's head but somehow it was now resting next to her own pillow and looked slept on. There was an evident dent on the pillow, also the empty side of the bed - the sheet was rumpled there - as if someone had slept by her side and had stealthily snuck away before she woke up. Not feeling disturbed by it however, Suman shocked herself leaning in and inhaling a lungful of his familiar scent from the pillow. Her temporary husband was sly alright.
A car smoothly pulled over at the side of the road behind her where she stood by the fancy fence of her new - outdoor restaurant.
Suman sighed, not even turning back she could tell who it was. Firm thuds of footsteps approached her with long strides and the spellbinding scent of the familiar cologne surrounded her again. She inhaled a long breath while trying badly to hide a different kind of smile that began spreading on her lips.
How can a person smell so good even after a whole day in office? One of these days she was so going to just ask him straight off!
"So," Shravan began conversationally. "You've become a restaurant owner as well I see."
Suman lifted her shoulders up into a soft shrug and glanced at him sideways briefly. "I guess so."
"And it's running quite nicely too."
"Looks like it."
"Good to know my wife's on her way in becoming a successful business woman. Do you have plans on making it more serious with the restaurant?"
There was just something in the way he referred her as his wife each time that made her lose focus on everything and hold onto how that word sounded coming out of his mouth.
Suman gulped, looking as a couple of new customers went in, her new staff specifically for the restaurant ushering them in. "I've got ideas, maybe someday they would see life."
"They will," Shravan said earnestly.
Suman turned to look at him with a playful smirk. "You seem way too sure about it."
"I am," Shravan said, reaching out to tuck a hair behind her ear and making her halt her breath in the process. "There's nothing my Sumo can't do if she makes up her mind."
My Sumo!
He was making it quite the custom calling her his. Did he know how that every time made her feel all over the place? Despite when he was probably just saying it out of innocent friendship. But he wasn't aware how his Sumo's brain had turned into a stinky gutter, it reeked of all the mature stuff parents hide their little children from.
"If you're done ogling me, can we leave for Tiwari Killa now?" Shravan said with a devilish smirk, running his hand through his messy hair, flexing his biceps that his tight office shirt hugged intimately.
What a show off!!
Suman narrowed her eyes, trying like hell to not blush at his teasing. "I wasn't ogling."
If possible Shravan's smirk only grew bigger. "Of course you weren't. I trust you."
Suman pressed her lips and turned to stomp away to her car. There was no point in arguing with him.
However, Shravan stopped her mid way. " Don't you think it would be convenient if we ride in the same car as our destination is the same?"
Suman nodded. "You're more than welcome in my car. Come on."
Shravan frowned but royally disregarding him Suman went in the driver's seat.
Placing palms on the roof of her car he leaned down and looked at her through the rolled down window. To grab her attention, he cleared throat. "I was talking about my car, Sumo. I doubt all your belongings will fit into that purse you call trunk and that little cookie container you call backseats. And this is to not mean any offence but to present plain reality."
Suman glared at him clearly offended. No one insults her car. No one!
"Listen, if you want to ride in the same car with me you're more than welcome to come in," she pointed her thumb towards the passenger seat. " If you don't then please drive after me on your own damn - elephant car. But don't say a shit about mine, I won't allow it."
Shravan raised a brow, amused. And Suman raised her chin, defiant.
Then she faced away, turned the key expecting the proud roar of her car. But what she got was the deflating gurgle of the engine's betrayal.
What! No... no... no! Not bloody now!
The next two attempts provided the same result, and the next four too. Her spirit and her pride sank.
Shravan was still in the same position, leaning in through the window.
"Sumo...," he began indulgently.
She looked up at him again, and she knew she looked as defeated as she was feeling. Defeat - not because she lost their little fight, but because of the occurring knowledge that soon she would really have to give up on her car. That she would have to give up on another of the things that belonged to her mother.
Yes, she lived in the past. It was probably her biggest downfall that she didn't know how to let go.
And right now, it all pathetically showed on her face.
She was not like this, never like this. She never wore her emotions on face, especially not vulnerability. It had been always considered as weakness of character to her, but then why it seemed normal now - only around him!
By the look of his face he was going to make a sarcastic remark and talk her into going in his car, and Suman would have done just that this time around, that drained she felt suddenly. But the moment he looked at her face, it looked like he suddenly changed his mind, as though in a span of a moment he had sucked in all that she felt.
Surprising her, he went around to open the hood, saying, "Sit here, let me see."
After ten long minutes of him shuffling behind the hood while Suman had half her body out the car window trying to sneak a peek, he asked Simmy to get a screw driver and then a gallon of water. Simmy, who had come out to see the operation of her boss's car, happily obliged.
And in no time, a fascinated Suman found her tall husband sitting weirdly hunched beside her and ten of her PCT women pushing the car making wild faces of strength and determination.
"Dam lagake..."
Shravan said loudly over the women's screaming voices and bellows, "Start the engine now."
Suman did as told. It roared and then stopped.
"Again," Shravan encouraged.
"Dam lagake... Haia..."
And the engine roared to life.
Suman spun her head towards Shravan and beamed the biggest of grins. And the grin she got in return with his soul shining in his eyes, captivated her very heart that moment.
-- -- --
Shravan had let the Tiwari clan know beforehand that they were coming that evening, and so, the second their car was parked before the house - the door was thrown opened and grinning people came pouring out to welcome them. Shravan had been holding her hand during their small walk out the car to the front doors, the familiar warmth of his hand only got separated from hers when Dabbu came flying and collided into her giving a furious hug. Next were her aunts and uncles and then of course, Preethi.
In between hugs they were somehow shoved inside the house and sat in the living room. There they chatted cheerily to the Tiwaris a bit, mostly it was Suman who chatted while Shravan stared at her engrossed in whatever she said, smiling weirdly whenever she threw her head back and laughed. Noticing the intense attaention, she couldn't leave the blush away from her cheeks which was quickly spreading out to her neck and ears. If stares contained heat, Shravan had perhaps a very much awake volcano in his eyes. Suman was burning.
"Ah...," Suman sprung up on her feet suddenly. "I'm going to go and start packing, or we'll get very late."
Manju smiled and nodded. "Go ahead, everything's exactly where you left them. Shravan, why don't you go with her as well? I better start preparing dinner."
When Suman opened her mouth to protest, Manju glared at her affectionately. "I'm not letting you two leave without having dinner. You guys have come for the first time in this house after marriage after all. Preethi, come with me I'll need some help in the kitchen..."
When Manju left with the ladies, Shravan jogged forward to walk side by side with Suman as they walked towards her room.
"You're flushing, Sumo. Are you alright?"
Damn!
"It's exceptionally hot in the house," she tried to cover up.
"But the windows are open and besides, you were shivering as well back there." Shravan was just not going to leave it be!
"So! What is it your problem with it all?" Suman snapped back feeling embarrassed beyond limits and praying that he dropped the topic.
Raising both his brows, Shravan clucked his tongue. "Chill. I was just looking after my wife who's probably coming down with something."
And she began flushing even more. Why was he always calling her his wife? Did he just love transforming her into a red - shivering mess all the freaking time ?!
She reached her room with Shravan on tow.
"Should I lock the door?" he asked casually.
Not looking at him Suman went to get the chair from her study table. "It's not like we're going to make out behind the locked door. So leave it be."
She took the chair in front of her ancient looking almira, her suitcases were on the very top.
There was absolute silence behind her for a long minute as if Shravan had stopped breathing for some reason. Then she heard the unmistakable sound of a shaky release of breath, he muttered something incoherent.
His behavior was so weird at times!
Suman climbed on the chair and still not looking at him said, "If you're done muttering stupid things, can you come over here and help with the suitcases?"
Wordlessly he came up next to the chair.
Raising her arms and standing on her tiptoes Suman grabbed the first suitcase, she brought it down and was about to give it into Shravan's hand when she finally looked at him properly after entering the room. Big mistake.
Because of being on the chair, she stood taller than him. His face was just below her chest and apparantly he was in the middle of raking his eyes openly throughout the entire length of her body. His gaze went up... up her thighs, hips, stomach and then it halted to her breasts which pushed up because of her raised hands holding the suitcase above her head. The evident lust and the incredible amount of it in his eyes caught her off-guard the moment they finally looked up at her eyes directly.
But then the next second his hooded eyes popped open in alert.
Suddenly she realised she was losing her hold on the suitcase.
In lightening speed one of his hand went to catch the suitcase, the other rested on her hip firmly. As he slowly took the suitcase from her hand and kept it down on the floor, they stared at each other - bound by something ardent and inexplicable.
Her chest was heaving with heavy breaths now, so close to his face that if he even leaned forward a bit then...
It made her twin tips pebble and she hoped he wouldn't notice.
"The other suitcase," her voice came out as a weird croak. She cleared throat, then bit her bottom lip nervously.
Removing his hand from her hip, Shravan just faintly nodded and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear before she could move away.
This time, Suman was highly aware of his keen eyes raking all over her and she made sure to not look at him while handing the second suitcase.
"Is that all?" he queried in a husky voice that had her knees turn into jelly.
"There're some bags under the bed too."
Before she could step down from the chair by herself, making her surprised and tremble feverishly his hands again went to grab her hips. She gasped, her palms instinctively rested on his shoulders as he lifted her up effortlessly. She held her breath while he slowly put her down on the floor.
And even if her feet were firmly set on steady ground, it strangely felt like moving water beneath her feet. She held on to his shoulders as the tides threatened to float her away. He began leaning in towards her excruciatingly slowly, his breaths fanning her face.
"Suman...,"
Someone had barged in through the slightly ajar door.
Both of them snapped out of the trance they were in and spun their faces to look at Manju standing by the door mouth wide opened. "Oh! I..., actually." she left soon after the meaningless stammering, muttering something like - locking the doors next time.
Suman looked back at Shravan with a panicked face only to realise they were still in the same position, his hands around her hips and hers on his shoulders as they stood literally pressed against each other.
Looking shocked, she swatted his hands away and jumped back.
Shravan, however, didn't look even a bit bothered by the embarrassing moment. In stead, he had the gall to look smug.
What a jerk! He was thinking it all funny when it was clearly not.
Suman glared at him and stomped to drag both the suitcases near her bed, she then yanked open her almira and began emptying all her clothes on the bed. She heard Shravan sigh and walk to her.
"Hey, let me help with these," he said chuckling as if amused by her and not waiting for reply dug in.
Suman gasped looking at where his hands went in. "Don't..., Shravan...!" But she was way too late. He already had a handful of her lacey panties, one of her red - flimsy bras dangled from his pinky finger.
With an embarrassed hiss Suman covered her squeezed closed eyes with one hand.
"Wow!!"
Suman peeked through the gap of her fingers hearing that and curled her mouth immediately at the sight. The bra was spread open by his hands before her face, and she could see his shit eating grin through the sheer material.
"Nice color, huh."
"Shut up!" Suman barked moving her hand off of her eyes, there was no unseeing this bewildering - shameful reality. "Give it to me, you jerk."
Shravan looked at her comically and when she tried to snatch it away from him, he had the gall to move it away from her reach.
"Arghhh," Suman fumed, going for the bra again. "Shravan, stop it."
"Stop what?" he asked innocently while taking the advantage of his height pulling the damn bra way above her reach. He snickered, backing off. "Tell me what it is you want me stop, honey?"
"Shravan, I'm going to f***ing kill you!"
"Language, honey-bun!"
At that point, out of her mind, Suman pounced on him and kicked him on his leg. Shravan fell on his back on the bed behind him screaming, "Damn, Sumo! You'll hurt your ankle again!"
"Ankle, my foot!" Suman growled and taking the chance climbed on top him on the bed quickly, her focus on that red bra still clutched tightly in his fist above his head.
Shravan stayed spread out on the bed however, his composure relaxed and eyes mischievous as Suman came up to straddle him. She was completely unaware of what she was doing at this point.
"It's mine, give it to me," she huffed trying to pry open his fist, stretching her upper body on his chest, leaning in as far as she could. "Shravan!"
"Hmmm..."
Her hair had fallen to spread as a curtain on both sides of his face, and as she looked down at him she noticed - it was back. The unhindered amount of desire in his eyes. And soon, like a domino effect she noticed how she straddled him, the most intimate parts of their bodies grinding literally.
Suman's mouth fell open, she didn't know if it was for shock or for the fact that she could feel the very hard proof of his desire if it wasn't already showing enough in his eyes.
"Holy shit!" Someone again screamed from the door.
Suman snapped her head to the side along with Shravan, they both peeked out through the curtain of her hair.
It was Preethi this time. And she had her mouth covered with one hand and eyes wide opened at the sight before her.
Shravan exhaled a long breath which deliciously tickled the skin on her neck as she stayed frozen.
"It's not what you're thinking it is, Preethi," Suman hastily explained getting her voice back.
"Yeah," Shravan agreed easily, too easily. "It's not like we're having a quickie with our clothes on. Oh... and here's your bra Suman, put it on fast, we're getting late."
Preethi garbled something unintelligible, became red understanding what Shravan just insinuated and walked out of the room in reverse, shrieking, "My eyes! My poor eyes!"
Suman straightened over Shravan, staring down at him in shock. "What did you just do?"
Shravan hissed at the friction her movement caused. "Don't ask me that, Suman, when it's you who is doing everything here." He gestured down his body.
Suman followed his eyes, gasped and scrambled to get off of him.
"You're unbearable, Shravan," she screeched, red faced, going back to packing finally - more like throwing and punching clothes and shoes inside the suitcases and bags.
She knew Shravan was no saint, he was a perfectly healthy man - with natural functions and needs - who was suppossed to react just like he had back there twice under specific circumstances. But still, he should try more to control himself. They were on dangerous waters and could afford no mistake at this point.
And you're such a hypocrite, Sumo!
You're lusting after him! And he's doing the same too just as he would with any other woman. By the way, would he really look like that at any other woman for real? Like he wanted to devour her whole?
Whoa! She sounded ridiculous to even herself.
Where were the reins? Where was her strength, and her resolution?
"Sumo, here's your bra."
Of course.
Suman closed her eyes, inhaled a long breath and prayed for patience as Shravan dangled the bra in front of her face.
A scowl immediately formed on her face discovering it was ripped in the middle from all their furious tugging. "You destroyed it, Shravan," she said deadly calm.
Shravan threw it away and laughed nervously. "Errr..., no need to get upset. I'll buy you more."
"Listen to yourself, Shravan," Suman returned to shove her clothes in her bags again. At this rate her clothes and bags were going to get destroyed too. "That sounds so wrong! You can't... you can't buy me all that."
"Why not?"
Suman sighed, picking up a couple of her favorite recipe books. "Tell me, what would you do if one of my male friends buys me undergarments?"
"Now who the freak will dare to even think about doing that? I'll beat him into a bloody pulp," Shravan growled.
Suman was taken aback by the seriousness of his voice and the sudden fury in his tone but she immediately calmed her composure. "Exactly. Shravan, as a male friend of mine it'll be extremely weird and crossing a boundary if you do such a thing."
"A friend ?!"
Why did he look broken!
But that was for a second only and he had this blank look on his face that made her think she had just imagined it.
"Your're forgetting, Sumo," he whispered. "I'm your husband too."
"Only by name," Suman looked away while saying this for she needed to hide the pain in her eyes from him. "And not for long."
Why holding on to the truth that hurt so much? Because at the end of the day - it's only the grand truth after all.
After a long deafening silence between them, when she was almost done putting all her clothes in the bags and suitcases..., she was suddenly whirled around in the speed of light. Shravan was on her face, gripping her arm, his eyes piercing down at her.
"You don't get it, do you ?!" He gruffly asked.
"Shravan...," she croaked.
She was not dumb, she was hesitant and she was scared. What was growing between them was so palpable, but how could she entirely let it materialize while knowing very well how capable he was in the art of ruining her. She'd experienced it after all, point blank.
They had called truce, had cleaned the slates but what about the wounds that wouldn't just speed up their healing process despite the nicely coated balm. Could she take the risk of falling weak and having them ripped opened yet again.
For there was a huge difference between her best friend Shravan, and the Shravan that returned and married her out of vengeance. While the prior condoned, the later mastered on the subject of inflicting hurt. And the prior she could always embrace, the later she knew better to run from.
"Shravan, Suman! Dinner's served..." Manju's shout came from outside. "Your Nanu's also up from his nap. Come quickly!"
Shravan sighed defeatedly, closed his eyes and then backed off.
For there were different versions of truth and she would choose the safer version, as long as she could.
~
There starts the bleeding road to ever after. 😭 💔
But folks, tell me one thing - what do I hear - EDKV season 2 ????? 😕 Is it true? Will Namik be there? 😳 Fingers crossed.
Back to chapter, how was it? Shravan has clearly excelled at giving hints! The guy's plainly out of his freaking mind now. Let's see how he wins his Sumo, who's clearly still hesitant regarding their unfamous past. They're kind of friends now, will they ever be more? Will Shravan be able to ward off her hesitations? Will she allow it? Especially when Khurana's coming back, and lets not forget Kamini, and then Shravan himself has the potentials of flipping ninety degrees sometimes. Just as Suman said - "The guy just can't function properly in anger." 😈
Please don't forget to like and comment! Tell me what part, scene or dialogue of the chapter you enjoyed the most.
Thanks for liking and commenting on the earlier chapter. You made me sooo happy! Hugs... 🤗🤗
Sorry for not having them wake up together in the morning. There was just the pillow this time and no Shravan. But trust me, that was needed. Dooriyan bhi hai zaroori - to realize what one's missing out.
Take care till the next upload.
Love you all,
Lara.
P.S. PMs will be sent to people who liked and commented.
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