SS: Love feels like War|| Chp5 Pg18 (17/02/17) - Page 11

Originally posted by: sptrno

Awww beautiful heart-touching as always dear...

Take care dear

Love,

Spandana

Thank you all so much for the likes and lovely comments! I truly and sincerely appreciate them all. Hope you all like this chapter too.

CHAPTER FOUR

Suman sat on her bed, lost in dark thoughts. It seemed that fate was cruelly against her. She decided to go east, destiny steered her west. She thought of no, fate forced a yes'. She wants to stay but has to go.

All her attempts and arguments to stay in Delhi were shot down by Mami, as Sumo had expected, and also by Nanu, surprisingly. Nanu had a stern face, throughout her debate with him. And as Suman places pros upon pros of staying in Tiwari Killa, she foolishly thought that she was winning. But then Nanu changes his stance. He sat down on the single sofa chair, and places both his hands, one upon the other. Oh, how Suman knew what that posture meant...

It meant that her fate had been sealed. Nanu had ruled against her. "Tu ab uss ghar mein kabhi nahi jayegi. Shravan ne mera bharosa thoda hai."

Any further retorts were futile. She bowed her head, blinked away the hot tears welling her eyes and retreated to her room.

Suman sat on her bed for over an hour, staring into the distance. She pondered about her life and the miserable situation she was tangled in. This wasn't how she imagined her married life with Shravan would be. This wasn't how she imagined anything in her life would be but alas! She wiped her cheeks, though there were no tears on them and she chuckled realizing how wiping away tears had almost become a habit.

Two hours of locking herself in the room, and she had accepted that she was leaving Delhi, but she had also decided that there was something she had to do first.

-COFFEE? - she typed on her phone and sent.

She gave him a span of 15 minutes to respond, and upom seeing the blue ticks, swiftly typed another message.

-Same place, same time. -

-I will be waiting. - she added shortly and impulsively after the previous text.

She didn't bother waiting for a reply this time around, pulled the duvet over her body and willed herself to sleep.

Suman woke up the following morning as she usually did before her marriage. She freshened herself up, fetched the newspaper from the main door, and set about preparing everyone their breakfast. After, serving breakfast to the family, who were pleasantly surprised about she went about her daily chores unaffected, Suman packed her purse with the essentials and called out "Mami, main PCT ke liye nikal rahi hoon. Bahut kaam hai, kitchen ki saare zimmedari Preeta ko samjhane hai, aur important calls bhi karne hai." Mami merely hummed, and Suman was thankful for it. "Aur aap please Nanu ko bhi bol dena!" She shouts from the door. Sumo herself could go and inform Nanu but she could never lie to him. He would always catch her.

The traffic was a pain, but somehow Sumo always enjoyed it. It was kind of like having personal quality time. There would always be an oldie song playing on the radio, and if the weather permitted she would roll down the windows and let the wind mess up her hair and her thoughts mess up her mind. Suman looked forward to getting stuck in traffic somedays. Traffic was an affordable safe space and a reasonable excuse keeping her away from work and home.

Despite the heavy traffic, Suman found herself seated in their customary place in Caffeine Cup half an hour before the decided upon time. She shrugged to herself, having no option but to wait and ordered an Americano. She wasn't the type to sip on Americano, she was more in to the frothy cappuccinos, or chocolaty mochas. But he liked Americano...

Two Americano's down she glanced at her phone. 11.28 am. She knows she was going to be here for a long time. She starts doodling on the place mat paper.

1.00pm and she orders a buttered croissant and Caesar salad.

3.45pm. -The salad was soggy. - she texts him.

Suman was on her 4^th game of Sudoku and was losing hope fast. She once again glanced at her phone. 5.25pm, it read. Her battery was on 30%.

"Never took you for the Sudoku kind." His voice comes from in front of her. She raises her head up from the paper to look at him.

"Not everyone is made for crosswords" she smiled. "Sit."

"So, What's this all-" he starts gesturing between them and then to their surroundings.

"Hum America jaa rahe hai." She blurts out, cutting him off.

He was taken aback at her sudden statement. "Hum as in?"

"Hum as in Mama, Mami, Dabbo, Nanu-" she gives him a weak eyes, that hid a million tears and completed. "-Aur main."

The waiter decided to interrupt them there, though the only thing he interrupted was silence. "One Americano, please." She orders with a curt smile and the waiter takes his leave. Shravan raises his brow in question at her. And she scoffs at that. "Kya? Tumhe laga mujhe tumhari coffee preference nahi pata? Tumse judi har cheez yaad hai mujhe."

It's his turn to hide a frown behind a smile. "Rukogi nahi?" His voice is so small, that Suman almost misses the question. She couldn't make out what his emotions were at that point. All she knew was that looking at him, looking at them right now, was hurting and she had to turn her face away from his pleading eyes.

"Kiske liye?" She answers his question with another question, a classic lawyer move, she believes.

Ek baar keh do, rukjao...

So baar Ruk jau

"PCT..." he says dejectedly after a while.

Jis haq se roku, woh Haq kaha se lau...

She reciprocates the smile, equally dejected. "Preeta ko handover kar rahi hoon. I am sure ki woh sab sambhaal legi."

Phir tumhi batao, kis rishte se ruk jau.

"Kab jaa rahi ho?"

She shrugs at first, not sure when Mami's next whim may come and she would decide that they needed to leave the very next day. "Shayad ek hafte mein." She estimates.

Shravan slumps in his seat, head bowed and eyes fixed on anything but her.

"Arey, coffee thandi padh jayegi!" she says, trying hard to change the topic. He absentmindedly reaches out for the cup before noticing that there was only one cup on the table.

"Tum nahi piyogi?" He asks distressed, searching for a waiter to order another cup.

"Arey nahi! Subah se paanch cup pi chuki hoon. Tum piyo."

And the guilt bubbles vindictively in his chest again. It was not his intent to keep her waiting for 7 hours. That wasn't like him. It was just that he couldn't bring himself to face her. Visiting her while she was asleep in the hospital was one thing, but sitting here face to face was another. He had furiously paced the length of his office, file in hand in vain attempt to study it, Sumo on his mind. He lost track of time. It was when Rakesh ji came in to consult with him on one of the cases that he noticed the time.

Part of him, the bitter part, was certain that she would have left long ago. It certainly went against her so called self-respect to wait on someone for more than 15 minutes.

But then there was a softer part that was still buried in the nooks of his heart that refused to believe that she left. That part of his heart thudded with magnitudes that he couldn't ignore and he simply had to, he just had to go and see for himself. He drove like a mad man, reaching the caf in under thirty minutes. He had made he wait seven and a half hours. But more importantly, she waited for him for that long. The fact didn't sit well with his bitter part, that was now burning to ashes and giving rise to the phoenix of guilt.

"It's okay." She assures him, as if she had read his mind.

He places the empty cup of coffee down and looks at her with anticipation. Things were almost like they were the last time they both were here for coffee, but not quite. This time there was too much that needed to be talked over and not enough coffee. "Toh batao.." he initiates, desperately trying to fill up the awkward silence.

"Kuch zyada nahi hai bol ne ke liye." She mimics his posture, hands clasped on the table before her. "Nahi, actually kehne ko bahut hai par shuru kaha se karoon samajh nahi aa raha hai. Aur shayad aaj saare baate karne ki na humare paas waqt hai, aur na himmat." She stops there, trying to decipher the look on his face, trying to reassure herself that they were on the same page. They apparently were. "Main bas itna chahti hoon ki US jaane se pehle hum at least ek dusre se maafi maange, aur bas itni umeed karti hoon ki, hum iss maafi ke baad kam az kam phirse dost ban sake."

She spoke with hope and her eyes reflected them. It automatically bought a smile on his face. And it felt weird, smiling. He doesn't remember the last time a genuine smile had graced his face, or hers for that matter. Smiling felt good.

"Aur kyuki aaj Sumo day hai. Toh maafi main maangoon gi. SHH! Its Sumo Day!"

She takes a sip of water, clearing her throat, and straightening her slumped and defeated posture.

"Shravan," she starts. Shravan could see the genuineness shining in her orbs. The words to come he knew wouldn't be one of the mind, but those of her heart. "I am sorry for the way I treated you when we were younger. Jaanti hoon ki maine uske liye pehle se hi maafi maang li thi, par its important I do this again. Kyuki mera woh bachpana, mera woh bartaav ne tumhe bahut dard diya hai. Aur tumhare aurto ki aur nafrat ki beech bhi shayad maine hi boyi thi. Aaj humare beech jo bhi problem hai shayad mere wajah se hi ho. So, I am sorry."

Shravan hates this. He hates sitting there, listening to her taking the fall for everything that went sour between them. Whatever their problems may be, it isn't because of one single person. And to see her so bravely own up for her mistakes and his, he tears up.

"And I am sorry for being rude to you, for all the times I was rude to you. And I am sorry for ignoring you during Pushkar and Preeti's marriage. In my defense, I was hurt by Uncle aur mujhe bas unhe diya hua promise pura karna tha. I am so, so sorry Shravan. And I am sorry for all the bitter words I hurled at you after our marriage, and I truly sorry for questioning your abilities. Tumhse zyada kaabil aur acha lawyer maine aaj tak nahi dekha." She reaches out to take his hand in hers, surprising even herself. She liked how warm and large his hand felt in hers. "I am sorry Shravan, for everything."

And this was catharsis. This was the rain washing away the dusty layer of guilt and hurt from their souls. This was revival of old friendship and new feelings. This was unstaining purity.

Suman could already feel herself breath in lighter. Her shoulders felt unburdened.

Silence fills up the space again, giving both time to reflect. This time the silence wasn't awkward. The waiter came by and dropped the bill card on the table. Obviously, Sumo dashed to reach it, keeping tradition and paid the required amount.

"Mujhe bhi chalna chahiye." Sumo says a short while after the waiter leaves. Of course, Shravan being the gentleman he is, gets up too. "Until we meet again." She says extending her hand. He gladly shakes it. She smiles again. It seemed like they just couldn't stop smiling today. And goes on her tip toes, her breath tickles his ear and she whispers, "Apna khayal rakhna." Before placing a small peck against his bearded cheek.

~~~

Later that night Shravan tossed around his bed. Sometimes kicking off the duvet from his body and pacing the room. Other times just sitting on the couch, head buried in the palm of his hands. If he was confused earlier than he nothing was any clearer now.

Why couldn't they be together again? He wonders for the umpteenth time during the past couple of days. But then again was it all so simple? Could they just start living together and everything would be all dandy and fine?

He doesn't think so. There were just too many tangles that needed to be solved. Plus, he thinks that the space would do them good. They needed to clear their head, needed to clear the air and smoke between their family first.

And for that she needed to go away. God knows that couldn't keep away from her if she was in Delhi. His resolve would melt like ice.

She needed to go away.

Shravan fell into a restless sleep. His dream horribly contradicted what his thoughts were earlier that night. Oh! But how sweet were his dreams! And that's what woke him up repeatedly. His dreams were too simple and reality too complex.

One day, he promises himself, one day we will get back together the same way.

TO BE CONTINUED...

That's all for this update folks. I know it is on the shorter side but that's how I want to build the story. Please drop in your valuable comments. And if there was any part that you disliked please let me know, so that I can improve upon it.

Thanks again.

Hmm...so Shravan wants a little distance. ...my thoughts exactly when I was watching the series. ..and saw this beautiful relationship crumble. ..I thought that they should just take a break...he should just go somewhere. ..to calm his thoughts. ..to heal his heart. ..so I don't mind Sumo going...

Awesome chapter...

Absolutely fantastic and simple too!!!!

She has waited for him just the same way in the show Shravan waited for her... Let's see this distance between each other makes any difference in their life...

yes...they need space. there are many things that gave me answers to those puzzles raised from the show. First, during preekar marraige track, Why should sumo treat shravan so bad, I thought she is doing too much only for the sake of keeping ramnath's promise, but there is this answer. she is HURT. Yeah that will make her do things. beautiful update

Awww beautiful heart-touching as always dear love it thank you..take care

Do they really need space ? Is he really letting Her go evn after knowing all,even after him breaking her and still she took that step to come back ? Still she wants to stay with him ? Shouldn't she know he came in hospital? Shouldn't He know How much broken she is ? Isn't it Him now to work upon all the follies,to rejoin the broken pieces of sumo and shravan and make them Shraman again,And he needs her for that ? Will he really let her Go so easily ?😭