OS: Forever and a Day
Shravan and Suman had been best friends for over 2 years now but to them it felt like an eternity. They were inseperable, both in school and in colony. Either of the two was seen in each other's company, at all times. Whether it was for their school parades, dramas or society and family functions. Seeing them apart was a sight long lost in anyone who lived in Bhopal.
They had broken all shackles of 'A civilian and an army kid can never be best friends'. Both were sides of the same coin; a soul made for the other. The perfect yin to the yang.
***
"Shravan, have you filled out your form yet? New term will start in a month." Suman broke out Shravan's array of thoughts who was engrossed in his sevaiyaan.
Shravan and Suman were out on a drive, musing through Bhopal streets and now neatly nestled on one of the kattas facing the lake. Tikki, gol gappa and falooda shops took up much of the space with people, cars, bikes added to the hustle-bustle. The roads were busier than ever for a Friday evening but the buddy duo had found solace in each other's company. Ever since their first late-night food adventure, Suman had loved getting out once in a while, pausing the army discipline. Even going as far as taking permission from her Brigadier Dadu who eventually had to give in to his grand-daughter's wishes.
"Umm"
"C'mon I got the form standing in line for a good 2 hours and you didn't do the one thing I asked you to! You only had to fill in your details, Shravan!"
Suman snatched the tupperware bowl out of his hands and had the white-moustache guy's attention within a second. Shravan watched back with the prettiest set of deer eyes he could. Suman gave out a laugh, then wiped his sevaiyaan-smeared lips. She couldn't even be mad at him, she sighed.
"I don't know what career field I'm gonna choose! Besides where's the hurry Sumo? We got our entire lives ahead of us. Look around, the weather's so pretty today!", beamed Shravan.
Bhopal was best in its night time glory but nobody could deny the splendor it brought with its evenings. The street shops and an over-viewing lake added to the spell.
"I prefer a planned life Shravan. Where every decision we make is sorted out. A rushed life may be thrilling but in the end one may regret it".
Shravan joined his hands in an apprehensive namaste. "Message received Grandma!". Suman gently slapped his arm.
"Seriously Shravan, you need to think ahead and quit living a little carefree at least."
"Look", she said pointing towards the street vendors. "We're out here in chaat gully and yet you're already busy smacking the sevaiyaan which I had got for you to take home to Avani".
She was obviously lying. "Is that so? Sumo, why do you try to lie when you surely cannot. It's a default setting, you can't change it!", he smiled slyly and Suman's heart skipped a beat. Shravan was now on his feet to get her favourite tikki which she had honestly began to like because of her best friend.
"Oh what will I do without my Fraud Malhotra!"
The street was brimming with Bhopal explorers and loyal foodies alike. The aroma was draining through the air and Suman who was nicely perched on the katta felt even the neighboring lake exuded deliciousness.
"Here you go", Shravan said handing over the tikkis to her. "I could become a street vendor here though", Shravan said blowing air on his hot tikki piece.
"Please, no jokes, Shravan" Suman gave a cold eye through her face half covered with food.
"Heyyyy! Easy for you to say!", Shravan snapped. "You got your life all sorted AND planned out".
Suman straightened her poise as if tightening an imaginary tie. "Yes", she began in a conceited manner. Shravan recognized that tone. It was the tone filled with pride and love for the army.
"I'm gonna join the armed forces as soon I complete my graduation. I would've joined early if I could. It's sad women have to wait till their graduation to join the academy", she ended with a frown.
"Believe me if you could join the men's troops, they'd have a pretty harsh competitor to look out for. Honestly they wouldn't want that."
A benevolent smile escaped Suman's lips. "Doesn't any thing ignite your mind? Like a fire, like a never dying dream".
"There is one though". Shravan said after a pause. "I hope I make Papa proud one day". Suman gave an assuring pat while Shravan pursed his lips into a forced smile.
"Don't worry Shravan, Uncle is proud of you. As for me, I too wish to make my Dadu and Papa proud.".
"That isn't something unfathomable for you. Give a rest to your fretting already 'Miss. Main Papa ki ladli' ", he spoke imitating her firm stance. "My life on the other hand is all in tumbles", he added with a hard chuckle.
"You too can, in all seriousness, attain anything you like! And I'm not kidding", she said pre-judging her best friend's next words. "A doctor, an attorney or even an army officer!"
"C'mon don't try to flatter me! It's not possible. Imagine how I would look doing the salute. Shravan got up from his seat and jolted himself into a crisp salute.
"Well.... that's not bad eh Mr. Malhotra". Shravan reminded that was cause of her company and the fact that he had taken part in their school's republic day parade. He adjusted himself back onto the hard cement curb, facing his back to the water. Suman saw his embarrassment and pulled his cheeks.
"Whatever the reason, I was so proud of you that day and still am to this day. What I was trying to reiterate is, you have the potential of a trailblazer, Mr. Lazy Malhotra. If only you put your mind to it!"
Shravan felt a little light from the topic and decided to be engrossed in his tikki and sevaiyaan instead. He had combined them both to form an absurd farrago. Suman gave an appraising look, which Shravan returned with a thumbs up and both cracked up. Shravan liked giving a chance to everything new, she thought. The only quality she was yet to pick up. Not that she wasn't flexible like her admittedly rigid Dadu, but she needed to live in her own sweet time to take things in her stride. But Shravan; he had been quick to adopt anything new or different. That if it accelerated or hindered his progress was something he didn't give much importance to.
"Your tikkis are gonna become colder with the wind. Eat them while they're still hot, Sumo". Bhopal had cool dry mid-winters despite its central location on the map.
"Waise what subject are you trying to major in?" Shravan asked curiously.
"Umm. I thought psychology would be good. Since that can help me in future enemy and criminal psychology classes during army training".
Shravan gave an eye. "I don't know how you never forget to include the army in every work, in every thought, in every sentence you do."
"What about you?" Suman asked back intently.
"Definitely not Maths. Who's gonna stick with it for 2 whole years! The neighbors will certainly think either I'm going crazy or suddenly had a weird science spider biting me."
"Since when did you start caring about the neighbors!" Suman replied and broke out into her usual Sumo-ness laughter.
Shravan found himself getting lost into it like most times but had found ways to hid it. He reckoned it was becoming more and more difficult for him with time. Her laughter brought him a sense of serenity and he could've embraced it from the cruelties of a mortal world to preserve it for a lifetime.
"I do, okay. Maybe not much as you but I do".
The changing cold winds had ushered guts within Shravan.
"Also do you know what else the neighborhood is talking about these days?", he tried asking with as casualness as he could find; not knowing where it might lead to. Suman became grim all of a sudden and muttered a What.
"Well they're saying that we might, you know, be more than friends, that we could be dating", he finished it in one breath.
"Oh rubbish". "Do you actually believe this?", Suman said nonchalantly.
"No. But that's what goes around these day.."
"Shravan we've talked about this before. People will talk what they want to; whether they hear it themselves or it passing through a thousand mouths" "Kuch toh log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kehna".
Suman had finished her tikkis and had gotten up to throw away the containers in a nearby bin. She signaled Shravan to handover his plastic plate as well and went to drop them in the trash can.
"I know. But you know, if someone were to question you over it? Someone you know?"
"Then?"
"Will you get bothered by it? The rumor I mean", he said rubbing his hands to get rid of the remaining masala and nervous sweat.
"Yes" Suman answered non-frivolously and Shravan lowered his face.
"I will get bothered. Cause I would've certainly expected better from this person who apparently knows me well. Besides why do we have to label every relationship we see? Even love comes with a tag these days. If we know, that's it. I certainly don't think anybody else should be given the right."
"Right".
"To add to it these people like to label on proportions they deem perfect. Hugs and embraces, love for sure. Jitters and vibes, oh love it is. Two see each other every day, definitely dating. It's all formulated for them."
Suman spoke in such aggression that she would've given a tough game to the hot selling food in and around the place.
"So.....do you....umm.... feel there is any of those things between us?"
"NO"
Shravan regretted asking cause Suman had stopped speaking and lowered her face to her cardigan.
"What we share.....is more than that".
Unbeknownst to Shravan, she was exploding with butterflies in her stomach. Shravan turned away in flushing red. He didn't know where this was heading and repented letting it go that far. He had avoided asking it in the past for their friendship's sake and cursed himself.
"It's so romanticized, Shravan", Suman said shyly. "Your soulmate isn't someone who makes your heart pound or someone who makes your hands tremble and knees weak. It is someone who makes you feel composed, makes you feel at home like there's no anxiety left on earth, no agitation and no hesitation".
Shravan looked up to face Sumo whose face was shining like one of her Papa's glorious medals. Suman always had a way with words, even with things that seemed mature for kids their age.
"Someone.......someone like you", she ended.
Shravan looked at her as if she had the last drop of honey left on a dying, famine-struck earth. He held her hand instinctively and she responded with interlacing their fingers.
Shravan spoke, "We'll always remain together. Same college or not. Whether we go places together or not. You'd always be my missing broken part. The one that completes me".
Suman blinked her eyes as if in an affirmation.
"Together. Forever." "Forever? That's the greatest number entity out there, right? Sorry you know my math", he said rubbing the back of his mop-head.
Suman fired the precious smile again.
"Forever and a day. That's how long we'll stay".
"Forever and a day", they repeated.
Both Shravan and Suman wished for the moment to be frozen in time forever. The streets of Bhopal had come to witness a fairy tale of their own.
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A/N : This OS literally came to me in a dream😆 I think our discussion over the soulmate topic the other day made me think of it subconsciously. And unlike my other updates, I was quick to pen it down😆
I hope you like this little piece😃
I have planned yet another OS which is rather dark and deals with an army personnel death. Hoping to bring out my ideas on paper soon since I won't be able to update as much when the lockdown is lifted and life returns to normalcy in my city.
Happy reading and have a great day!
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