Suvan FF: A Thousand Years - Completed - Page 15

Chapter 10

~ SHRAVAN’s Point of View ~

It felt good to be back. When I took up this mission, I knew it was going to be a challenge and that there was a huge risk of me not coming back alive. But, I didn’t care...that is until I met Sumo at the wedding. The way she pleaded for me to be safe, I knew that I had to come back...for her. I almost told her about the mission when we were departing because I didn’t want her to worry. But then, I thought if someone knew that she had information about the mission, her life could be in danger and I couldn’t let that happen.

This mission had to be kept confidential because unfortunately we had some traitors in our Army that were working with the terrorist group. Part of my job was to expose those traitors. But, the main purpose of the mission was to capture the leader of the terrorist group. That’s why I planned an attack where the terrorists were hiding but I knew that the traitors would inform them. Everything went according to the plan and the terrorists took me in their custody. This gave me access to know everything: their plans, the routes within their hideout, the leader, and all the traitors. I sketched out a whole plan that was kept under wraps and the mission was successful in the end. Yes, there were times when I was beaten badly and thought I would die but I promised someone that I would come back to her safely so I did everything to survive and succeed.

Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to contact Sumo yet as I was busy with meetings and getting treatment but I couldn’t wait to see her again. I broke out of my thoughts as General Bakshi walked into my hospital room. I lifted myself up to salute him but felt pain shoot through my ribs. He smiled, “It’s okay, Major. Don’t exert yourself. I just wanted to tell you that I knew you were the right person for this mission and I am very proud of you. I had full trust in you that you would be successful. I will let you rest now”. He turned to leave but suddenly stopped and turned around. He smiled and said, “Oh yes, I almost forgot to tell you. There was one other person who never gave up on you - Captain Suman Tiwari”.

My heart fluttered hearing her name but I became confused as to why the General mentioned her as she was not involved with the mission. “I’m sorry, General. I’m confused as to what you mean?”

“Captain Suman Tiwari was very worried about your safety. When everyone presumed you to be dead, she crossed all barriers to find information about you. She even illegally accessed classified files”.

I was in disbelief. Sumo doing something illegal? She would never do that in a million years. I confusedly replied, “I think there must be some misunderstanding. Captain Suman Tiwari would never break any rules”.

The General smirked and said, “But she did, because she was so desperate to know about your whereabouts that she put her whole career on the line. I guess people really do go to any extent in love”.

My mind was numb. This stupid girl! How could she throw away everything she’s worked for her entire life just like that? I nervously asked, “You didn’t take any strict action against her, right?”

The General sighed, “What she did was punishable to the extent of permanent dismissal from the army…” I felt my heart drop. No...she couldn’t lose her position in the army because of me. The General continued talking, “But I didn’t do that. She didn’t have any malicious intentions and she was genuinely concerned about you. Unfortunately, she did break the rules so according to army discipline, I had to punish her so I suspended her for a month. But, during doing research on her and meeting her, I realized she has been under-appreciated for her work in the army so when she comes back, she will be considered for a promotion. You’re very lucky to have someone who cares that much about you, Major”.

After the General left, I closed my eyes as I tried to contain all the emotions that were going through me. I felt so restless and I wanted to see her now. When I see her, first I will yell at her for being crazy enough to risk her career for me. Then, I’ll hug her and tell her how much I missed her. I will apologize for making her worry so much. I’ll tell her that I love her and that her prayers are the reason why I came back safely. Lastly, I’ll ask her if she will spend the rest of her life with me as my wife. I promised to myself that I will always keep her happy and never be the reason for her tears again.

Later, there was a ceremony where I was awarded a medal for my bravery during the mission. As I stepped onto the stage, I looked into the audience that was seated in this large auditorium. The lights were so bright that I couldn’t see anyone and the seating area was dark. As I received the medal, I wondered if Sumo was one of the hundreds of people sitting here watching me. I wonder if she’s proud of me?

After the ceremony, I was surrounded by people congratulating me and the media taking my interview. Finally, as the evening progressed, there were less people around me. Then, I saw a petite girl, with her back towards me, intently watching the TV showing me being awarded the medal. I walked towards her but stood a little afar. I felt little sparks go through my body as I couldn’t contain my excitement. I took a deep breath and called out to her, “Sumo…”

Her body stiffened upon hearing my voice and she turned around slowly. I became worried as I saw tears in her eyes. She ran towards me and tightly wrapped her arms around my neck. She buried her face in my neck and sobbed, “I knew you would come back. They all told me to give up but I never did. I never lost hope even for a second, Shravan. I missed you so much”. She grabbed my shirt in her fists as if she was afraid that if she let go, I would disappear. I felt her hot tears streaming down my neck and felt my own tears welling up in my eyes. I pulled her closer and tightly laced my arms around her waist. In the hospital, I kept rehearsing over and over again what I would say to her when I saw her. But, now that she’s here in front of me, I was at a loss of words and my mind was blank. I just wanted to hold her like this forever and never let go. She started crying harder so I placed a gentle kiss on her temple and hugged her tighter. We’ll never be apart again.

Suddenly, I heard a voice behind me call out Suman’s name. I felt Sumo stiffen and loosen her hold around me. She placed one hand on my chest and stepped back. I was confused by the sudden change in her behavior. I looked down at her hands and noticed the intricate mehendi designs. A slim man with blue eyes walked over to Suman and placed his arm around her waist. “Nice to see you again, Shravan. I see you have already met my wife. Too bad you couldn’t attend your best friend’s wedding”, Anish spoke snidely. He smirked and continued talking, “I know you got a medal today but for some reason, I feel like between the two of us, I’m the one who has won”.

I looked at Suman confusedly as she stared down at the ground with a blank expression. Nothing was making sense to me. What rubbish was Anish saying and how dare he have his arm around my Suman like that. I lifted Suman’s head to look into her eyes and she let out a sharp exhale. My hands were trembling as I asked her, “What is Anish saying? What wife? What wedding?”

Anish laughed, “I always knew you were a fool, Shravan. But I didn’t anticipate that you were this foolish. In what language should I explain to you that we are married. She’s my wife and I’m her husband”. I don’t believe him. He’s lying.

I ignored Anish’s words and kept staring at Suman. Why was she standing there quietly like this? I felt scared. My voice broke as I said, “Suman, please say something. Please, tell me this isn’t true. You said you would wait for me”.

Anish smirked, “Really Shravan? You thought Suman would marry you? A traitor’s son? You thought she’ll marry the man who has the same blood as the man who killed her father? No matter how many awards and medals you get, it’ll never change the fact that you are the son of a bloody civilian who betrayed his country”.

I felt my blood boil and roughly grabbed Anish by the collar. I clenched my teeth and angrily spoke in a hushed voice, “Shut the hell up. I’m talking to Suman, not you. Stay out of it”. Anish’s eyes grew wide in fear.

Suman snapped out of her daze and held my hand, “Shravan! No! Let go of him!”

I felt myself calm down and loosened my hold on Anish’s collar. I took a deep breath and gently put my arm on Suman’s shoulders. I looked into her eyes and said, “Is any of this true? Please, say no. I want to hear it from you”. My heart was racing. Why isn’t she saying anything? Why does she keep looking away?

Suman looked down nervously and started breathing heavily. She stuttered, “I can explain-”.

I cut her off. My voice shook as I asked, “Yes or No?” I felt a lump forming in my throat and my vision blurred from my tears.

She closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her face. She said with a soft voice, “Yes”. I felt a sharp pain in my heart. I let go of her shoulders and stepped back. No...this couldn’t be true. This was a lie. I must be dreaming. Maybe, she’s joking.

I looked down and noticed the name on Suman’s mehendi. I lifted her hand and asked, “Then, explain to me the meaning of this”. Her lip started quivering and her eyes teared up as she stared at my name on her hand. Her eyes were red and tears started falling down her face again. The pained expression on her face broke my heart. What was I doing? I promised myself that I would never be the reason for her tears and I was making her cry. Yes, I wanted an answer because I knew there was more to the story than what Anish said but I wouldn’t ask at the expense of Suman’s tears.

Anish pulled Suman’s arm and said, “Come on, Suman. Let’s go home”. He started to walk away with her but she kept looking back at me. The sadness in her eyes was killing me. I genuinely want Sumo to always be happy...even if she’s not with me. Don’t think of this as a selfless wish because the truth is I can never be happy knowing that my Sumo is sad.

I lunged forward and caught her other arm. I said with a broken voice, “Sumo, I sincerely wish that you’ll always be happy in your life. But, if for any reason, you are ever in any trouble or sadness, your friend will always be here for you. Don’t hesitate to come to me. I’ll always be there for you. No one can ever stop me from caring about you...not even you”.

Anish stepped in and roughly removed my hand from Sumo’s hand. He smirked, “I can take care of my wife. You don’t need to worry about her”. Sumo looked at me silently with tears in her eyes. Anish took Suman’s hand and started walking again. I stood there silently watching them leave together. I felt like someone tore my heart and pulled it away from me.

--- A Couple Days later ---

I decided to go to Vrindavan for a couple of days to visit my mother. Bunty also came with his family to visit me. I sat on the ground in the balcony with Bunty’s daughter as we colored in her jumbo coloring book. I was trying to keep myself distracted but somehow I would always end up thinking about Sumo. I broke out of my thoughts as Bunty’s daughter pulled the crayon out of my hand and giggled, “Chachu, what are you doing? You’re coloring the sky green”.

Bunty walked in and smiled. He sat down next to me and said to his daughter, “Princess, why don’t you go help Dadi? She’s making kheer for you. I have to talk to your Chachu alone for a minute”. His daughter smiled and ran out of the balcony.

Bunty looked at me sadly and put his hand on my shoulder. “Shravan, what’s wrong? You haven’t been yourself ever since you’ve come home. Your mission was successful, you got a medal, and everyone is talking about you. But, you’re not happy. I can see it in your eyes. Did something happen?” I hadn’t talked about Suman to anyone. I picked up the crayon and started coloring again. Bunty snatched the crayon out of my hand and angrily said, “Shravan, I asked you something!”

I gulped trying to hold back my tears and whispered, “Bunty...Suman got married”.

“What? When you called me before you left for Kashmir, you said that everything was going fine between you two, then what happened? When and who did she marry?”, Bunty looked at me with a confused expression. I had called him from the airport to tell him about Suman before I left because I couldn’t contain my happiness and had to share it with someone. I reminisced about those moments with Suman. I hadn’t felt that happy in years. That night, Suman and I dreamed together about our future. We dreamed about things we never thought we would have the chance to experience together. How did I believe I could be so lucky? I was so unaware that life would play a joke on me again.

I answered Bunty without looking up so he couldn’t see my tears. “She got married to Anish while I was in Kashmir”. I grabbed the crayon and started coloring again.

Bunty ranted angrily, “Anish? That chirkut from your army school? She couldn’t find anyone else? How could she do this to you? You were fighting for your life in Kashmir and she was planning a wedding and dreaming about her future with that Anish”. A tear fell from my eye onto the paper and I watched it spread. Bunty continued talking, “I hope she’s never happy”.

I stopped coloring and looked up at Bunty, “No, don’t say that. I want her to always be happy”.

He looked at me confusedly, “What is wrong with you? Even after what she did to you...you want her to be happy?” I nodded. Bunty looked at me in wonder and asked, “So, what are you going to do now?”

I furrowed my eyebrows and asked, “What do you mean?”

Bunty hesitantly said, “I think you should get married too…” I widened my eyes in disbelief. He continued talking, “Aunty really likes Naina for you. She took good care of Aunty when you were in Kashmir. I heard she’s also an Army doctor so she’ll understand you well”.

I stood up and sternly said, “I’m not getting married”.

Bunty got up angrily and said, “Why? Are you just going to wait around for Suman’s marriage to end?”

I looked at him with confusion and said, “No, I don’t want her marriage to have any troubles. I don’t wish anything bad upon her that would hurt her”.

Bunty yelled at me, “Then what do you want? I feel like I don’t even know you anymore. I don’t understand you at all”.

I started to get irritated. “Do I have to get married just because Suman got married? Besides, I can’t marry Naina...I don’t love her”.

Bunty turned me around and scoffed, “Love? Shravan, I also had an arranged marriage and didn’t love my wife at that time. But, as we got to know each other, we learned to love each other. If you give Naina a chance, you’ll learn to love her too”. I turned away from Bunty. He didn’t understand. I could never love anyone besides Suman.

Bunty angrily yelled, “Shravan, the one you love, betrayed you! She left you for Anish! Are you going to ruin your life because of that girl? You need to move on! You are a fool for still loving her despite her breaking your heart like that”. I know she has a reason. She didn’t betray me. I clenched my fist as Bunty continued accusing Suman and saying harsh words about her. I felt myself losing control over my anger and I raised my fist to hit Bunty. I suddenly stopped realizing what I was about to do.

Bunty looked at me with pained eyes and said, “Go ahead, hit me. Scream, cry, or break things but don’t sit there quietly keeping your pain inside of you. You’re hurting yourself. Let it out, Shravan. The quicker you accept reality and move on, the better it will be for you. She betrayed you and she’s never coming back”. His words cut me like glass. Never in a million years would I believe that Suman betrayed me. Bunty continued talking harshly about Suman.

I looked around frantically and suddenly felt like I was suffocating. It was as if the walls were closing in around me. I have to get out of here. I turned to leave and Bunty grabbed my arm. I pushed him away and said, “Please, just leave me alone”. I ran down the stairs and out the house. I heard my mother and Bunty call out after me.

Naina was walking into the house and I bumped into her. She looked at me and asked, “Are you going somewhere?” I held my head as I felt a strong headache come on. I need to get out of here. I need to get away from everything and everyone. The wind got strong and I felt tiny raindrops fall on my skin. I turned around and started running. The voices behind me calling out my name got fainter as I got further. The loud thunder booming loudly suppressed their voices and my thoughts. I kept running as the storm got stronger. I didn’t know where I was going or what I was running from. I just wanted to be alone.

I suddenly stopped and realized that I didn’t know where I was. I stood in an empty meadow and looked down at my feet. They were bruised and bloody as I forgot to wear shoes when I left. I fell down to my knees and it started raining harder. I looked up at the gray clouds and closed my eyes as the heavy raindrops mixed with my tears. I bit down on my lip until I tasted blood and pulled on the grass. Bunty’s words echoed in my ear and I kept seeing flashes of Suman and Anish together in front of my eyes. My heart couldn’t take it anymore and I finally let myself break down. I cried my heart out and screamed into the barren meadow where no one could hear me. I would rather take a thousand bullets in my body rather than feeling the pain that I am enduring right now. No, I don’t blame Sumo for anything. I gave her the right to give me love or to give me pain. I don’t know what the relationship between us would now be called but regardless, I will love her forever...no matter what anyone says.

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A/N: And that's a wrap! The End! 😆 Just kidding! There will be more chapters and the story does not end here. This was a very melodramatic and depressing chapter but I promise that there will be a happy ending! A good love story is incomplete without hurdles. This is the first time I wrote a chapter in one go, edited, and posted all in one day. It isn't that long so I thought why am I procrastinating so much.

Thank you to everyone that commented/liked the last chapter and took the time to read this chapter. As always, comments are appreciated! ❤️ Stay healthy, everyone!