Suvan FF: A Thousand Years - Completed - Page 26

Chapter 18

--- Suman’s POV ---

I slowly opened my eyes as the sun shined on my face. I smiled to myself as it was a new day. Ever since, Shravan and I confessed our love, I genuinely felt happy in life. Suddenly, Shravan and Sagar barged into my room singing “Happy Birthday” loudly. I usually never celebrated my birthday but today felt special since I had the two most important people in my life next to me. Sagar jumped into my lap and placed a big kiss on my cheek. He handed me a drawing that he drew for my birthday. It was a picture of the three of us together. Sagar giggled as he watched Shravan place a soft kiss on my temple as he wished me a happy birthday.

Shravan spent more time at our house now and sometimes he would spend the night. But, he became worried as he wasn’t sure if Sagar was comfortable with our relationship. I told him he was worrying too much and that Sagar was probably fine with it. But, Shravan was adamant to talk to him about this. I felt a bit awkward as I didn’t know how to explain our relationship to Sagar, as he was a child, but Shravan handled it perfectly:

Shravan made Sagar sit down and gently asked, “Does it make you uncomfortable when your Mumma and I hold hands when we go out together? You can be completely honest with me”.

Sagar shook his head and said with a smile, “No, actually I like it a lot when you two are together. I would be mad if you held someone else’s hand. So, you can only hold my Mom’s hand. My friend’s parents also hold hands and they are a family. I wish we could be a family too”. Shravan smiled as he felt reassured that Sagar was comfortable. Then, Sagar spoke up again, “Actually there is one thing that bothers me. If you like Mumma and me so much, why do you still go back to Bunty Uncle’s house sometimes? Stay here with us forever”. Shravan was taken aback by Sagar’s request. I laughed seeing Shravan’s surprised face as Sagar stubbornly pulled his arm to go to Bunty’s house to pack up his stuff and bring it to our house permanently.

Sagar and Shravan both went downstairs saying they had a surprise for me. After freshening up, I saw them in the kitchen whispering to each other but they suddenly stopped when they saw me. Their faces looked like they were caught stealing. What were they up to? They made me sit down and set a large plate of waffles in front of me. Sagar said with a bright smile, “Here is your birthday breakfast! Coach made the waffles and I decorated it with whipped cream and fruits. Do you like it?” I nodded and gave a hug to Sagar. I looked up and mouthed thank you to Shravan, who smiled lovingly at me. After eating breakfast, I got up to go to the lawn to water the plants but Shravan and Sagar blocked my path and yelled, “No! You can’t go there!” I grew confused seeing their odd behavior. Sagar handed me a bag and said, “We have a long day ahead! Go get ready”. As I went back upstairs to get ready, I looked back to see Shravan and Sagar giving each other high-fives. I rolled my eyes trying to contain my smile. I loved these fools and they were all mine.

I stepped out the shower and slowly took out the dress from the bag. I smiled as I saw the dress...this was definitely Shravan’s choice. It was a white floral dress. He always likes me in simple dresses. I wore the dress and twirled around but suddenly my attention went to the scars on my arm. It was a sleeveless dress. I still didn’t feel comfortable with my scars. I felt hideous when I looked at myself. But, I always got confused when Shravan looked at me. He looked at me and even my scars as if he’s never seen anything more beautiful. He keeps telling me that I have to learn to love myself again but it’s so difficult. I took a deep breath and grabbed a white cardigan to wear over the dress to cover up my scars.

I walked out of my room and heard bickering coming from the guest room where Shravan stayed. Sagar pointed at Shravan’s teenage picture and groaned, “No, Coach! I want my hair exactly like how you have it in this picture! I think my hair needs more gel”.

Shravan rolled his eyes, “You don’t need more gel. It’s exactly like how I used to do my hair. Why are you acting so odd today? It’s your Mom’s birthday not your wedding, Dulhe Raja. Also, why are you wearing green? You don’t even like this color”. I burst out laughing seeing their silly argument. They both finally looked up and noticed me. Sagar told me with a bright smile that I looked like a princess and I pulled his cheek. I looked over to Shravan who was gazing at me with a soft smile as if he was lost in a dream. I felt myself blushing. Maybe, I should see myself from his eyes and I might learn to love myself again.

We both looked away as we heard the doorbell ring. Sagar jumped up and excitedly said, “They’re here!” and ran out to open the door.

I gave a confused look to Shravan. Who was here? He tapped my nose and said, “It’s a surprise”. I shook my head and started to walk out. He pulled my hand back and I slammed into his chest. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my forehead. He whispered, “Happy Birthday, Sumo. You look even more beautiful than I imagined in this dress”. He slid the cardigan off my shoulders and I held his hand to stop him. I couldn’t show my scars to the world. He sighed, “You don’t need this. You’ll still look beautiful without it. Remember, you promised me that you would love yourself again? Please, if you can’t do it for yourself, do it for me. It hurts me to see that the woman I love thinks that she’s not beautiful”.

I took a deep breath and nodded allowing him to take the cardigan off. He tucked my hair behind my ear and kissed my forehead again. I felt myself overcome with emotions. Why does he love me so much? I looked in the doorway to make sure Sagar wasn’t there and pulled Shravan near to kiss him. I felt myself getting lost in him as we deepened the kiss. Suddenly, we heard a squeal, “Happy Birthday! Oh! I’m so sorry...I’ll come back later”. We quickly moved apart.

Shravan slapped his forehead. It was Kancha. What was she doing here? Shravan muttered to himself, “She always walks in on the wrong time”. I looked at Shravan and became surprised as I saw his ruffled hair and half-open shirt. I didn’t even realize when I did that to him. He quickly buttoned his shirt and fixed his hair. He pouted, “Look what you did, Sumo”. I giggled and apologized. We held each other’s hand as we started walking down the stairs. Shravan leaned in and winked, “I promise we will finish this later”.

As we came downstairs, I was surprised to see everyone there. Shravan had invited: Kancha and her family, Chacha and Chachi, Bunty and his family, Avni and her fiance, his Chachi, and Kavita Aunty. They all wished me a happy birthday and Shravan looked at me with a big smile. Bunty came forward to wish me and went to hug Shravan but stopped. He quietly whispered, “Miyan, you could’ve at least looked in the mirror once before coming down”. I grew confused as Shravan looked fine to me. Then, Shravan turned his head around as he heard someone call his name and I noticed the trail of lipstick marks down his neck. I covered my face in embarrassment. Bunty leaned in to inform Shravan about the marks and his eyes grew wide in shock. He quickly took out his handkerchief to wipe off the marks as Bunty gave him directions, “Up more...to the right...no that’s too far”.

These two were still dumb and dumber together. I felt so mortified and grabbed the handkerchief from Shravan. I pulled him towards myself and quickly cleaned off the marks. He grumbled, “It’s your fault”. Just, then Kancha walked over to us with her husband and Shravan groaned, “Seriously, can this get any more embarrassing?”

Kancha looked coyly at us and introduced her husband to Shravan, “Karan, finally you get to meet The Shravan Malhotra, he was our handsome neighbor and a Major in the Indian Army. You know Karan, you could get a few tips from Shravan. Suman is always praising all your talents, Shravan…” Shravan’s face turned pink and we both awkwardly looked at each other. She winked, “...I’m talking about the upgrades you are doing around the house”. I sighed thinking to myself that Kancha will never let us forget this.

Shravan handed a glass of wine to Karan who started talking to him, unaware of what Kancha meant. “Oh yes, I would love some advice, Major. I’m currently making a bookshelf for the kids but I get so tired...I feel like I have no energy”.

Kancha smirked, “From what Suman told me, Shravan has a lot of stamina”. Shravan choked on his drink and started coughing. My eyes grew wide in shock and I rubbed his back. Kancha will never change. Karan finally understood what she was talking about and apologized to Shravan for her behavior. She giggled, “It’s okay, he’s used to it. We have been Jiju-Sali since our school days”. Karan pulled Kancha away to save us from more embarrassment.

Shravan looked at me with big eyes, “What was that? Do you tell her stuff about us?”

I shrugged, “Sometimes...when she asks. We’re sisters! We share everything”.

His eyes grew wide, “What? Everything?”

I stuttered, “Well no, not everything but yeah I tell her some things”. Seeing him fuming, I nervously said, “I won’t tell her anything from now on, if it bothers you that much”. Luckily, I was saved by Shravan’s wrath as Sagar walked up to us.

He saw Shravan’s annoyed face and innocently said, “Coach, are you mad at Mom? It’s her birthday”. Shravan sighed that he would be nice to me. I bit my lip trying to suppress my giggles and Shravan narrowed his eyes at me. Sagar pulled our arms bringing us out onto the lawn. I was taken aback to see all the decorations and arrangements that Shravan had done. He smiled seeing my reaction. I was about to thank him but Kancha and Avni took me away.

Avni was updating me about her life in the US. She was engaged and doing her PhD in Chemistry. I tried to listen closely but my attention kept going to Shravan who was laughing with Bunty, Karan, and Avni’s fiance. Shravan looked extra handsome today in his dark blue shirt. Suddenly, Kavita Aunty sat down next to me and told Avni she wanted to talk to me alone. I felt uncomfortable as I recalled our last conversation when she disapproved of my relationship with Shravan. She put her hand on mine and wished me then she asked how I was. I replied I was fine and asked about her health. She slowly said, “I’m sorry about what I said to you that day. You were right. Shravan can’t be happy with anyone else besides you. I haven’t seen him this happy in years and it’s only because of you. I hope you can forgive me. You did so much for Shravan without asking for anything in return, not even love, and I talked so harshly with you. He’s standing on his feet only because of you”.

I hugged her and said, “Please, Aunty don’t apologize. Let’s not talk of the past anymore. I know you didn’t have any ill intentions and you only wanted the best for Shravan”.

She smiled, “You are the best for Shravan...no one else is better than you for him. He was so angry when he learned what I said to you”. I was shocked to know that Shravan knew about our conversation. He never even mentioned to me that he knew. I continued talking with all the ladies until I noticed that Shravan was preparing food for everyone and getting ready to serve.

I nudged him as he looked up with a smile and I fell in love with him again. I started helping him but he grabbed my hand. He said, “Nope! You are not doing any work today. It’s your special day”. He continued working and I noticed Sagar talking to a girl his age. I nudged Shravan and asked who the girl was and he replied, “Oh, that’s Aditi, Bunty’s younger daughter. I told Bunty to send his daughters to the Army school. Aditi studies in the same class as Sagar. They are actually also Buddies at school just like us”.

I watched Sagar carefully as I saw him blush for the first time. I giggled and said to Shravan, “I think he has a crush on her. First, a Civilian boy and Army girl fell in love and now it seems another story is about to bloom with an Army boy and Civilian girl. They remind me of us”.

Shravan raised his eyebrows and said, “Oh, now it makes sense why he was acting so odd today! So, this is why he wanted the same hairstyle as me. Smart boy...he knows girls used to die for this hair”. He winked and I slapped his arm. We listened closely to overhear their conversation. Aditi told Sagar that his shirt looks good on him and that green is her favorite color. Sagar got nervous and out of panic complimented her socks. Shravan shook his head in disappointment. Sagar ran over to us and asked for juice because his throat felt dry. I smiled and handed him some juice. Shravan said, “You know Sagar, Bunty is my childhood friend. If you want I can ask for Aditi’s hand in marriage for you”. Sagar looked up in shock as his face turned red.

I whacked Shravan’s arm and said, “Stop it, Shravan! Don’t tease him. He’s already nervous”. I passed another glass of juice to Sagar and he gave me a confused look. I winked, “This one’s for Aditi. I’m sure her throat must be feeling dry too”. Sagar covered his face in embarrassment and I laughed, “I’m going to give you real advice unlike your Coach. Girls like it when you do sweet things for them and give genuine compliments...so compliment something else besides her socks”.

Sagar’s eyes grew wide and said, “So, you were more impressed by how sweet Coach was to you rather than how good his hair looked?” I giggled and nodded. I looked over at Shravan who was blushing.

As Sagar walked away, Shravan leaned in and said, “You’re such a liar. You loved my hair”. I rolled my eyes at him trying to suppress my smile. Sagar ran to Aditi and handed her a glass of juice as she blushed. Then, he complimented how her dress made her eyes look more beautiful. Shravan looked at me with shock, “We are going to have to keep an eye on him when he grows up...he’s ten steps ahead of Stud Malhotra. Are you sure he’s not my son?”

I laughed, “Well, he might as well be your son. No one has influenced him as much as you. But, I really hope you weren’t flirting with girls around him”. He poked my nose and said that there was only one girl he likes to flirt with.

Later, it was time to open the presents. Everyone handed their gifts to me and I opened them one by one. I smiled seeing what Sagar got for me. It was a heart-shaped pendant with a ‘S’ on it and inside was a picture of the three of us from the fair. He told me with big eyes that when he was selecting the pendant he realized all of our names started with a ‘S’. I laughed and pulled his cheek. One day, I will tell him that it was intentional and that his Coach had named him long before he was born.

I opened all the presents from everyone except Shravan. I turned to Shravan and giggled, “Everyone gave me a present except you. Did you forget to get me something?” I was pulling his leg because honestly, his presence in my life is the biggest gift.

Shravan smiled, “No, I didn’t forget. I’m just wondering if I should give your gift now or later”. I told him that I wanted my gift now and everyone chanted the same. He took a deep breath and held my hand. I felt confused as I saw him go down. When I heard gasps and squeals behind me, I realized that he bent down on one knee. I covered my mouth with one hand. Was this really happening? I must be dreaming.

He looked up and said, “I have loved you long before I even knew what love was but even at seventeen, I knew that it would always be you. Our love is no less than a battle but, you and I, we are fighters. Destiny separated us many times in our lifetime but we fought for our love and today destiny has surrendered to us. I promise you that we will never be apart again. You stood by me like a rock through the darkest time of my life and gave me hope to live. I’m here only because of you. I want to spend my every living second with you because you make me so happy. Honestly, I don’t have enough words to explain what you mean to me so I’m not going to waste any more time by talking”. He reached into his pocket and slowly pulled out a ring. He smiled, “So, I would like to ask you, my Brigadier Sumo...will you marry me and spend the rest of your life with me as my wife?”

I bit down on my lip and vigorously nodded. My voice shook as I said, “Yes! Of course, Shravan”. He slipped the ring on my finger and placed a kiss on my hand. I pulled him up and tightly wrapped my arms around his neck.

I buried my face into his neck and sobbed. I couldn’t believe this was real. We would finally belong to each other. Shravan pulled back and wiped my tears. He whispered, “No more tears...let’s start this new journey together with a smile. I love you so much”. Everyone around us clapped and we laughed seeing Sagar do his happy dance. Shravan gently smiled and said, “Actually, I’m not done yet”. He kneeled in front of Sagar and took out a watch from his pocket. Sagar’s eyes got big and he said that he liked this watch when they were in Mumbai. Shravan lovingly ruffled his hair and held his arm. “I know this watch is a little big for you but one day you’ll grow into it. Sagar, you have no idea how happy you make me. I love you more than my life. I want to spend my whole life protecting you and watching you grow into an amazing person. Will you be my son?”

Sagar pretended to think and slowly asked, “Does this mean I can call you Dad?” Shravan nodded with a grin and Sagar jumped into his arms calling him Daddy. Shravan took Sagar into his arms and wrapped his other arm around my waist. Bunty told us to stay as we were and pulled out a camera to take our picture. I smiled to myself. My family was finally complete.

As the evening was winding down, music was playing and everyone was relaxing. “A Thousand Years” started playing through the speakers and slowly all the couples made their way to the middle to dance. I laughed seeing Sagar grab Aditi’s hand and pull her onto the dance floor. Suddenly, I felt an arm lace around my waist. Shravan gave a warm smile and put his hand out. “It’s our song. Can I have this dance?” I nodded and he pulled me towards him as we slowly danced under the soft lights. He rested his forehead against mine and whispered, “Did you like the ring?” I realized that I was so focused on Shravan that I didn’t even properly look at the ring. I smiled when I looked at it. It was simple, just like how I liked it. It had our names engraved on the side. But, honestly, if he had proposed without a ring, I would have still said yes because I only need him and nothing else in this world. He pulled me closer and asked, “Are you happy?”

I smiled, “Yes, I’m very happy. This is the best birthday ever, Shravan. Thank you so much. I’ll never forget this day. I love you”. I giggled as he twirled me around and pulled me in again. We were so lost in our dance together that we didn’t realize that we were the only ones dancing and that everyone was watching us. As the song concluded, everyone clapped and we slowly moved apart as we blushed.

The next few days, our families stayed with us and Shravan and I barely got any time alone together. I was starting to miss him. But, during this time our wedding date was fixed and Kavita Aunty gifted me her ancestral gold bangles that she had saved for Shravan’s bride. After a couple of days, everyone left and Kanchan took Sagar with her for the weekend as he wanted to spend more time with his cousins. Finally, Shravan and I were alone.

I watched Shravan as he worked on building the new cabinets in the kitchen. He asked for a screwdriver and I accidentally handed him a wrench. He laughed asking where my attention was but my whole attention was how handsome and muscular he looked in his gray tank as he intently crafted the cabinet. He stepped back and asked, “Hmm...how does it look, Sumo?”

I dreamily replied, “Mmhmm...so sexy”. He turned around and gave me a confused look.

He smirked, “You do know I’m asking about the cabinet, right?” A blush crept up my cheeks realizing what I had said. He shook his head and laughed as he got back to work.

I hugged him and rested my cheek on his back. I sighed, “I can’t believe it...you’re my fiance! It sounds so weird". Shravan patted my hand but continued focusing on his work. I kissed his cheek and whispered, “I love my fiance, Shravan Malhotra”. I wrapped my arms around his chest and said, “I can’t believe you’re finally mine, Shravan”.

He turned around and kissed my forehead. “I was always yours, Sumo and you have always been mine. We are one soul and in every lifetime we will find each other. This marriage is just a formality...we have always belonged to each other”.

I sighed, “I guess you are right but our wedding is special. We will be married according to all the laws of the universe and I can rightfully call you my husband”. He smiled and turned back to concentrate on his work. I remembered our kiss on my birthday and tapped his shoulder. “I think you are forgetting a promise you made to me”.

He looked up confused, “Promise to marry you? Sumo, there are two months until our wedding”.

I groaned, “No...the other promise...the one you made to me in your room after Kancha walked in on us”.

He looked side-eyed at me and smirked, “What promise? I don’t remember anything”.

I pouted angrily as he remembered exactly what I was talking about but he was trying to irritate me. I trailed my finger on his back and nonchalantly said, “Well, that’s disappointing...I thought Major Shravan Malhotra was a man of his words. I guess I was wrong”.

I turned around to leave but suddenly felt a tug on my hand as Shravan swiftly turned me around. In one quick motion, he lifted me up with one arm and made me sit on the counter across from him. He rested his arms on both sides of me as he looked deeply into my eyes. I looked nervously at him as I had never seen this side of him before. He pulled me close to him and spoke huskily in my ear, “Are you questioning my integrity? Shravan Malhotra always fulfills his promises”. He leaned in and kissed me deeply. Even after all these years, his kisses make me feel like there are fireworks exploding inside me. He lifted me into his arms and we made our way into the bedroom without breaking the kiss.

Afterwards, I lay in his arms writing my name over his heart as he stroked my hair. He suddenly asked, “Sumo, where do you want to go for our honeymoon?” I looked confused at him as it didn’t even occur to me that we would go on a honeymoon after our wedding. I shrugged my shoulders and he asked, “You do want to go, right?”

I blushed and said, “Yes, it’d be nice but I don’t really have a preference where we go. Maybe somewhere warm”.

Shravan smiled, “Isn’t there a place in particular that you’ve always wanted to go to? I want to fulfill all your dreams, Sumo”.

I sighed and melted into him. “It doesn’t matter where we are in this world, as long as you are with me, I am happy. Marrying you is my biggest dream coming true. I don’t want anything else”.

He covered my eyes and softly whispered, “Okay, so pretend we are alone somewhere. Where are we?”

I smiled and recited a dream that I’ve had many times. “You and I are walking hand-in-hand along a beach and we stare off into the ocean that contains the entire night sky. We bury our feet in the cold sand and watch the moon rise as we melt in each other’s embrace”.

Shravan groaned, “You are so complicated. Can’t you say something normal like Venice or Paris like other girls? How am I supposed to find an ocean with the entire night sky for you? Does that even exist? Your poetic language confuses me sometimes”.

I giggled and planted a soft kiss on his lips. “We can go wherever you want. Like I said, I just need you by my side to be happy”.

He smiled and pulled me close, “Well, you’re going to be stuck with me together forever now. But, looks like I’ll have to plan our honeymoon alone since you are so vague”. I rested my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. Little did he know that for me, there was no place more beautiful or peaceful than his embrace and that I wanted to stay in his arms forever.

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A/N: LOL in the show, Suman is still mad at Shravan and this week both Lavy and I are hell-bent on getting them engaged in our FFs 😆 This was a light-hearted and happy chapter. I made Suvan a lot more fun and flirty since they have been so serious and sad in the whole story. We have 2 chapters which will include: wedding, honeymoon, and epilogue. I really don't want to but I might have axe a chapter. Please comment/like and let me know what you think.

Also I wrote two OS this week and if you have not read them yet, link is below!