Suvan FF: A Thousand Years - Completed - Page 28

Chapter 19

--- Shravan’s POV ---

Sagar sat next to me and giggled as he threw flower petals at my face. Suman’s chacha held his hand to stop him but I told him to let Sagar have fun. He wanted to express the happiness of his dream finally coming true. He had a complete family now. He giggled as I picked up some petals and gently threw it back at him. I was ecstatic too as today was an important day for me. But, it still hadn’t hit me yet that I was getting married to Sumo. To be honest, this marriage is just a formality between us. She was mine and I was hers the moment we crossed paths. Yet, for some reason I still had butterflies in my stomach. I broke out of my thoughts as Sagar hugged me and said, “You look really handsome today, Papa”. I lovingly ruffled his hair. I couldn’t believe that I would get to spend the rest of my life with the woman I loved and the little boy who meant the world to me. I can finally be happy.

Amidst the wedding hustle, Sagar and I continued playing around at the mandap. But, suddenly everyone got really silent. I saw Sagar look ahead and widen his eyes. Slowly, he broke into a bright smile. I looked up and saw everyone looking in the same direction with soft smiles and starry looks in their eyes. I turned to see what everyone was looking at and I felt my heart stop.

I was mesmerized as I watched my Sumo slowly walking towards the mandap. She looked so elegant in her red lehenga and gold jewelry. I had many dreams of Sumo decked up as a bride but she was much more beautiful than I imagined. Maybe Sumo was right. Deep inside, even I knew how holy and spiritual our marriage would be as it is the union of two lovers who fought for their love against destiny. Suddenly, the realization dawned upon me that the girl I loved my entire life was walking towards me as MY bride. Soon, I will rightfully call her my wife in all means. She will be mine forever and nothing in the world could change that. 

As she sat down, I noticed that she didn’t use a concealer to hide her scars. Even her blouse was sleeveless for the world to see the beautiful scars that decorated her body. I felt like my heart was going to burst out of joy. My Sumo was not ashamed of herself any more. She finally felt beautiful and accepted herself. I leaned in and sighed, “You look gorgeous, Sumo. I can’t believe this is real. At last, we are going to be husband and wife”. She shyly smiled as I placed a soft kiss on her hand. 

She caressed my cheek and said, “This is real, Shravan...it’s actually happening. After this moment, you and I will belong to each other forever. By the way, you look quite handsome too”. 

We turned our attention to the priest who explained the vows that we would take. Sumo and I exchanged amused smiles. We both realized that we had already fulfilled all these vows even though we weren’t married to each other. Her eyes teared up when I filled her parting with vermilion and tied the mangalsutra around her neck. Even I got emotional as neither of us imagined that this day would come. We were asked to stand up to take the pheras around the holy fire that would unite us for eternity. I reached out my hand to her. She took a deep breath and clutched my hand tightly as she stood up. Avni tied the gathbandhan between us but unknown to all, there was already an invisible bond between us since the day we met. That bond is what kept our love strong despite the distance. We interlocked fingers and Sumo took the first step starting the pheras. She looked over her shoulder and gave me a soft smile. When it was my turn to lead the pheras, I walked past her and gently brushed her hand. As we took the last phera, my heart was racing and I gently squeezed her hand. We were finally husband and wife. 

After all the rituals were over, Sumo and I were finally alone in our room. I took off my sherwani and said to Sumo, “Why are traditional clothes so uncomfortable? We should have gotten married in our army uniforms instead”. 

Suman stood in front of the mirror and giggled, “You are so silly, Shravan. Can you please come here and help me take out these pins from my hair?” 

I walked over and sighed as I took in the sight before me. She stood with her back towards me in her lehenga and set aside her heavily embroidered dupatta. She was breathtakingly beautiful. I started taking the pins out and gently ran my fingers through her soft hair. I asked with an exphaserated voice, “Why do you have so many pins in your hair? Doesn’t your head hurt?” She covered her mouth and giggled. Finally, we took out all the pins and she stood before me with her hair open. I nuzzled her neck and sighed, “You are so gorgeous, Sumo. You should’ve just come like this”. I turned her around to face me and tucked her hair behind her ear. I whispered, “I still can’t believe that you’re my wife now. It feels like a dream. Pinch me”. 

She grinned and tightly pinched my cheeks. I yelped out in pain and frowned as I rubbed my cheek. She caressed my cheek and giggled, “Aww...did I hurt my Babu?” 

I rolled my eyes and picked her up into my arms as I walked us over to the bed. I narrowed my eyes and said, “First rule of marriage, no cringey nicknames like Babu or Shona. Just Shravan is fine”.  

I gently placed her on the bed and laid down next to her. She got up on her elbows and said, “That’s not fair...you call me Sumo. Why can’t I have a nickname for you? Actually, you do have a couple of nicknames: Fraud Malhotra, Barbie Doll, Major Hottie…”

I raised my eyebrows in surprise, “What? Major Hottie?” 

She pouted, “Well, I didn’t give that name to you. All the ladies in the army used to call you that. You didn’t know?”

I shook my head and replied, “No, I didn’t. I guess all my life, I’ve always gotten female attention and at one point I just stopped caring”. I saw her frown as she thought of other girls flirting with me. I tapped her nose and smiled, “As long as I’m getting the attention of one woman in particular, then no one else matters to me”.

She snuggled closer to me, “Yes, you are mine and only mine”. I lifted her hand to look at the dark intricate mehendi designs. I ran my finger over my name that was written in the middle of her hand. My name never looked so perfect before. It was as if it was meant to be written only in her hands. Sumo sighed, “You could have been mine years ago, Shravan...only if I had stood up for our love and hadn’t given into Daadu’s wishes. I was getting married to Anish but your name was on my Mehendi because it was always meant to be you”. 

I smiled, “Sumo, I was always yours even if we weren’t married. I think us being separated was a test of our love. Don’t blame yourself. What matters is that today we are together. But, you know I always wondered how did my name end up on your mehendi that day?” 

She smiled, “I saw the news of your return from Kashmir and I said your name not realizing that mehendi girl had asked me my future husband’s name. So, she wrote your name on my hands. Anish wasn’t very happy obviously but I should have taken it as a sign that I was only meant to be with you”.

Seeing her get sad, I placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Let’s not talk of the past anymore. This is a new start”. 

Sumo sighed, “You know, I can’t believe either that we are finally married. Every morning, I will wake up next to you. After work, we will both come home to each other and have dinner together everyday. We will grow old together. Nothing can separate us now. I just want to spend every second of my life being your wife, Shravan”. 

I stroked her hair and debated whether I should talk to her about what had been going on in my mind lately. I hesitantly said, “Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about”. She grew confused seeing my face and slowly nodded. I took a deep breath and said, “I think you should join the Army again”. 

She looked up with shock and then started laughing, “Hmm...bored of me already and trying to send me away?”

I shook my head and said, “I’m being serious, Sumo. I really think you should rejoin the Army. I know you’re not happy with your current job as a trainer and to be honest, your talent is being wasted. I’m not saying this because you are my wife but because I have actually worked with you. Sumo, you are capable of doing so much more and I want to see you reaching new heights in your army career. The Army has been your biggest dream since you were a child”. 

She got up angrily and said, “But, maybe my dream has changed and that’s not what I want in life anymore”.

I looked confused and said, “But...country is above everything, Sumo. I would have never left the Army if I didn’t have to…”

She bit her lip as her eyes teared up. “Maybe my priorities have changed. You don’t understand, Shravan. We’ll be separated again when I have to go on missions. I don’t want to stay away from you anymore. Haven’t we been away from each other for too long already? I even missed out on Sagar’s whole childhood and I don’t want to miss more of it before he grows up. Do you know what he said the other day? He wants a little sister. I also want to have a family and live a normal life”. 

I held her hands and kissed her forehead. I sighed, “Sumo, I promise I won’t let you miss out on anything. Have faith in me. Vijay Uncle was also in the Army and had a family. If he could do it, so can you. Don’t think I’m only saying this because I’m not in the Army anymore. If we were both in the Army and got married, I still would have never asked you to quit and sit at home. It would have been difficult but we would have made it work. So, definitely since I’m not in the army it makes it a little easier for us. You can rejoin the Army and I can take care of Sagar. I promise you won’t miss a single thing”. 

She rolled her eyes, “Why are you so adamant about this?” 

I sighed, “Because you are talented and deserve better. I want to see you succeed and reach your goals”. To lighten her mood, I lightly punched her cheek and said, “Who knows maybe my Brigadier Sumo will really be a Brigadier one day…”

She furrowed her eyebrows, “It won’t bother you if I was at a higher rank than you?” 

I grew confused, “No...why would it bother me? Your success is my biggest happiness. I’ve seen how hard you’ve worked your whole life to get to where you are today and I know you have a longer way to go”. 

She gave a soft smile, “You’re so different...you know, Anish was really upset when I got promoted to a higher rank than him. Then, when Sagar was born, he wanted me to quit the Army. But, you are telling me on our wedding night to rejoin the army and that you want to see me at a higher rank than yourself”. 

I shrugged, “I’m not Anish. Let’s not talk about him. Sumo, my happiness lies in your happiness because I love you. Look, the final decision is yours and I don’t want to force you into anything. This had been on my mind for a couple of days so that’s why I told you. Just think about it”.

She rested her head on my chest and said, “Okay, I will think about it but right now, I just want to be with you”. I wrapped my arms around here and suddenly she looked up. “Oh, I forgot to give you this”. 

She handed me a glass of milk and I wrinkled my nose. “Milk? I don’t even like milk. I don’t want it”.

She rolled her eyes, “Just shut up, Shravan. It’s a ritual so you have to drink it”.

I pulled my hair and said, “Please, not another ritual! What is even the purpose of this? Also, where is your glass? Why do I have to drink it alone?”

She blushed and giggled, “It’s only for the groom. I think it’s because...umm...so you have energy”. 

I winked and smirked, “I’ll do perfectly fine without it...You know that pretty well”. She covered her face and smacked my arm. I laughed, “But, since it is a ritual, let’s drink half and half because we are equals in this marriage”. She wrinkled her nose as she also hated milk but I made her drink. I burst out laughing seeing her milk mustache and wiped it away. I drank the other half and then we lay in each other’s arms. I spoke up, “Sumo, do you think Sagar will be okay without us for a week when we go to our honeymoon? I think we should bring him along. I don’t want to leave him alone”.

Sumo giggled, “He won’t be alone. He’s staying with Bunty’s family and they will take good care of him. Also, did you see the smile on Sagar’s face when Bunty offered that he could stay with them? He’s getting happy thinking he will get to spend more time with Aditi and you are trying to ruin his dreams”.

I pouted, “I think he’s too young to have a crush. I don’t want him to be heartbroken. When he’s older, I will personally go to talk to Bunty about his marriage with Aditi”.

Sumo slapped her forehead and said, “You will make me go crazy, Shravan. Sagar is only eight-years-old and you are thinking about his marriage? He just has an innocent crush. He will be fine. How about we focus on us right now since we got married today? I can’t believe I married such a boring man”. 

I raised my eyebrows, “Boring? Me?” She giggled as I pulled her closer as we started kissing. I gently smiled, “I’m so happy. You gave me the best wedding gift today”. She grew confused so I continued talking, “You finally accepted your scars and feel comfortable in your own skin. You’re glowing extra today”.

She softly smiled, “Well, I did what you said. I looked at myself from your eyes. The way you look at me...I feel beautiful”. 

I kissed her and whispered, “That’s because you are beautiful...every inch of you inside and out”. I pulled her into my embrace and promised myself that I would keep her happy for the rest of my life. 

A week later….

I sat under the shade of the palm trees as I sipped on my Martini. I closed my eyes and listened to the ocean waves. Life was so calm and peaceful since Sumo and I had gotten married. We decided to come to Thailand for our honeymoon. I opened my eyes and saw Sumo walking towards me in her swimsuit and she wrapped herself with a bikini wrap. I lowered my sunglasses and winked, “You’re so hot”. 

She rolled her eyes and giggled, “Shravan, how many drinks have you had?”

I pulled her onto my lap and said, “Hmm...three maybe four?”

She took the drink from my hand and took a sip. “No more for you”. I pulled her close and wrapped my arms around her. She smelled like coconuts and sea salt.  She rested her head on my shoulder and sighed, “I hope we stay like this forever”.

We got up and walked towards the ocean together. I smiled, “Our love has only gotten stronger over these past years during separation and it will get even stronger now that we are married”.

She interlocked her fingers with mine and leaned against my arm. “You know Shravan, I love you so much. I can do anything for you...except eating fish. I’m never giving up being vegetarian for you”. I laughed thinking how Sumo was struggling with eating food in Thailand as the vegetarian options were limited. She looked at me with disgust whenever she watched me eat fish. 

I laughed and said, “Hmm...should I quit for you?” She shook her head and said she liked me just the way I was. I gasped in surprise when she bent down and splashed cold water at me. She giggled and started running as I chased her along the beach. When I caught her, I spun her around and whispered in her ear, “Oh by the way, I have a surprise for you tonight”. 

When the sun went down, I covered Sumo’s eyes with blindfolds and took her near her surprise. She held my hand as she walked blindly. She asked in a frustrated voice, “Where are we and when can I take these blindfolds off?” I laughed at her impatience and told her that we were almost there.

She gasped when I uncovered her eyes and she took in the sight before her. I leaned in and whispered, “Here is your ocean full of all the stars in the night sky”. 

She turned around to look at me with tears in her eyes. “How did you? I...I wasn’t serious. I was joking”.

I smiled, “Remember? Even your silliest things are important to me. The way you described it, I knew it was a dream you had and I want to fulfill all your dreams, Sumo”. 

She bit her lip and said “You know all my dreams even without me telling you. You know, I thought a lot about what you said about joining the army again. I think for a couple of years, I want to stay with you and Sagar. Then, I will rejoin the Army but I will try to stay in Bhopal as much as possible to stay home. You and Sagar are my life”. 

I smiled, “Thanks for taking my advice into consideration. I think that’s a good decision”. I looked out at the ocean and sighed, “Isn’t it beautiful?”

She leaned in and kissed me. She whispered, “Even with the ocean full of stars, I can’t take my eyes off you because you are all I need in my life. You are my dream...my everything. Promise me, you’ll always be with me...for a thousand years. I love you so much”.

I pulled her close and kissed her forehead, “I love you too but a thousand years is too less, my love. We will be together for eternity”. We sat down onto the cold sand in each other’s embrace as we watched the full moon reflect onto the waves of the ocean full of stars. I guess what they say is true...mil jaate hain jo bane hain ek duje ke vaaste (those who are made for each other will eventually meet)

Next Part: Epilogue....Suvan's life after 3 years

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A/N: So, I don't know if this part was necessary or not. Halfway writing though, I felt like it was kind of a waste. It might be a bit lousily written as I was losing interest. But, I hope you liked it. The ocean with the stars is real...those of bioluminescent phytoplankton that shines up in the dark. I don't exactly know how it works. But I wish to see it in real life one day. Next chapter will be the last chapter. It will be a short epilogue which will show Suvan's life 3 years after marriage. Personally, as a reader I like epilogues because I'm always curious "did they truly live happily ever after?" so that's why I'm adding one for my story. Sorry for spelling/grammar mistakes. Please comment/like!