The Love That Was Once Hidden

Chapter 11

"Wow! This is yumm!" Riya exclaimed as she tasted Suman's handmade mozzarella sticks dipped in spiced avocado.

"Thanks!" Suman beamed at her.

"I totally needed a snack yaar. Being an accountant is so hectic." Riya groaned making Suman give her a sympathetic smile.

"Anyway, any special occasion? I see quite a number of exquisite food being made today." She eyed the pasta bake, garlic bread and a 'Suman-made' dip whose name she didn't quite get.

"Hmm actually, the thing is, today was the day Shravan graduated from law school 5 years back." Suman said as Riya widened her eyes.

"Wow! Are you really sure you two are just freinds? There he accurately remembers how long you'll are friends for and here you are celebrating the anniversary of something that may be insignificant to others." Riya said.

"Psssht we're best freinds! And best freinds remember such special moments." Suman shrugged keeping herself busy in cutting the potatoes in thin slices for chips.

"Yeah right." Riya muttered, "By the way, I'll get going before my boss hunts me down."

"You mean Rishi sir hunts you down." Suman wiggled her eyebrows.

"Paah! This guy is so professional during working hours! At office, while I'm busy of course, I'm not his lady love 'just a normal employee'." She said air quoting the words making Suman giggle.

"Well, since I'm going to him, any message you want to give for Shravan?" Riya cocked her eyebrow making Suman blush but she soon recovered from it and whined.

"Haha okay baba. See you later alligator!" Riya yelled out as Suman giggled, happy that she had made a good set of friends in London already.

"You see! Even Riya caught onto your feelings for Shravan!" Samantha beamed at Suman making the latter shake her head.

"Well, if we're done with the documentary on my feelings, shall we put this up in the canteen?" Suman asked sarcastically taking the dish of the pasta bake and made her way out the kitchen door.

"Hey Pushkar!" Suman greeted over the phone.

"Hey yaar, kaisi hai tu?"

"I'm fine. Tujhe aur Preeti ko bohot miss kar rahi hoon."

"Haan Haan, dekh liya kitna miss kar rahi hain, tabhi to hafte se phone bhi nai Kiya." He scoffed.

"Tujhe pata hai, work keeps me busy." Suman shrugged her shoulders.

"Excuses." He said making Suman roll her eyes with a smile.

"Mera chod, tu bata, ghar pe sab kaise hai?" Suman asked.

"Sab Theek hai. Especially after knowing Shravan Bhaiya London mein hi hai." Pushkar shrugged making Suman smile.

The previous week they had decided on informing their families about Shravan's whereabouts due to which both the families were relieved.

"Waise, tu badi khush hai na?" Pushkar remarked making Suman crinckle her eyebrows in confusion.

"Matlab?"

"Matlab, tum donon ek hi sheher mein, bina kisi family member ke. Uppar se, tu unke hi office ke kitchen mein kaam kar rahi hai. Aur tum donon bohot time ek dusre ke saath spend karte hai." He went on making Suman smile even though he couldn't see her.

"Haan. Khush main bohot hoon." She said absent mindedly before face palming herself in realisation, "Mera matlab, atleast I have someone who I know you see."

"Ahaann. Okay if you say so. But yaar ek tum donon ko dekho aur ek taraf main aur Preeti." He pouted. "Tum donon ne abhi tak pyaar ka izhaar nai kiya yet you'll are free to spend as much time together as you two want, aur yaha hum lovebirds ke paas voh aazadi bhi nai hai." He complained making Suman laugh.

"Don't worry lover boy. Jaldi families ko batayenge phir shaadi hojaane ke baad, no one can stop you two." She teased.

"Waise, I've got work, I'll talk to you later." Suman said before the two hung up the phone.

》》●●●●●●●●●●●●《《

"Open the door." Was what she heard before the phone got cut.

Looking on in confusion, nevertheless doing what she was told, she placed her feet in the fuzzy bunny slippers and walked over to the door opening it to a very impatient Shravan.

"Really Shravan? Itni raat ko tum yahan kya kar rahe ho?" Suman asked. She had just treated herself to a warm bubble bath and was about to hit the bed.

"Offo, stop complaining." He said and walked in leaving her shaking her head by the door before closing it. It was only then she noticed Shravan carrying a huge bag with him.

"Kya?" Shravan asked as Suman pointed to the big bag he kept on the table.

"Yahan shift ho rahe ho Kya? Itna bada bag kyu laye?" She asked sitting cross legged on the couch.

"Haha so funny. Bas kuch saaman hai." He shrugged before taking a seat next to her.

"Par isme Kya hai?"

"Tumse matlab?"

"Khadus." She muttered.

"Kuch kaha aapne?" He asked with a fake smile.

"Nahi toh."

"So why did I hear you say something?"

"Cuz you've got ears you dumbo!" She exclaimed making Shravan poke his finger in her stomach.

"Oww!" She glared at him as she rubbed her stomach.

"Seriously Shravan. Itni der tum mere ghar par kya kar raho ho?" Suman asked.

"Where has this world come to?" Shravan asked dramatically, "I've come all the way, aur tum ho ki chai pani puche bina aise sawaal pe sawaal pooche jaa rahi ho?" He said making Suman roll her eyes.

"Shravan!" She whined, she was really missing out on her precious sleep.

"Sheesh! Calm down woman! Waise, tum thoda taiyyar ho jao, hum kahi jaa rahe hai." He said as Suman squinted her eyebrows in confusion.

"Itni raat ko? Kaha?"

"Mars!" He said sarcastically before continuing, "Isse kya fark padta hai. Just get ready aur haan, ek overnight bag bhi taiyyar karo." He said making himself more than comfortable on the couch. She narrowed her eyes at him, but done what he said nonetheless.

"Shravan where are we going?" Suman asked for the nth time. It had been well over an hour and they were still driving. From how much she could see, they had left the city and were driving literally in the middle of nowhere. All that surrounded their car were trees on either side of the road and the only source of light in that pitch dark area was that of their car. What creeped her out the most was the fact their's was the only car on that dark road.

"Calm down Sumo Darling." He winked at her before concentrating on the road ahead. Suman pouted ignoring the butterflies that had erupted in her stomach on being called darling by him.

"We're here." He announced stopping the car as Suman looked around and was confused seeing just trees.

"Shravan, I don't get you at all. Hum kaha aaye hai aur kyu aaye hai?" She asked and turned to face him only to find his seat empty. Panicking, she faced the window and was, for a minute, startled seeing him looking at her from the outside with a wide grin.

Getting out of the car, she punched him several times as he laughed, "Idiot! Aisa koi daraata hai kya?" She asked still hitting him.

Feeling tired of punching him, she stopped looking elsewhere with her arms crossed over her chest. Shravan lovingly shook his head at her childish antics and took their bags, carried them over his shoulders and took her hand in his. Startled, Suman looked at Shravan who was looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face, His eyes had a glimmer in them and she wondered what.

"Chalo." He mouthed to which she willingly obliged.

They walked for a few minutes till they reached a spot in that little forest. By then, Shravan had already blindfolded her so she couldn't decipher where they exactly were. Shravan slowly opened the blindfold and Suman gasped taking in the surrounding. They were no longer surrounded by trees. In front of them was a projector screen, in front of which laid stacks of pillows and fluffy blankets. There were two boxes of pizza from her favourite pizzeria and another brown box which held something she couldn't see at all.

"Yeh sab?" She asked still taking in their surroundings.

He guided her to the stack of blankets of pillows and the two sat after removing their shoes. Shravan took out his laptop from his overnight bag and connected it to the projector.

He removed the cap off the projector and started the video. It was a slideshow of all her memories from the day she was born, then came along a few with her family from Tiwari Killa, followed by their teenage pictures, followed by pictures of her graduation day, some taken with Poorna, some with her PCT family, a few after they had reconciled back in India and the few they had taken in the past few weeks. The video then went blank for a few seconds before something wrote its way on the screen. Suman widened her eyes after reading what was written, 'People fantasize the love stories of Romeo Juliet, Heer Ranjha, Lailah Majnu; But my favourite seems to be our very own, that of Sumo Shravan.

"Shravan." She whispered looking at him, her eyes glistening a little.

"Suman, Mujhe tumse kuch kehna hai." He said taking her hands in his.

He rubbed the back of her palm with his thumb looking at their hands intently before continuing what he was going to say,

"Sardi ki dhoop, garmi ki chhav.

Barish ki pehli boond, ek pyara sa gaaon.

Dekhkar tumhe jaane kyun, hamesha yeh khayal aata hai,

Jaane tumhari har beeti hui baat pe, kyun mujhe pyaar aata hai?" He finished off, not once looking at her, his eyes glistening with tears he blinked back.

"Yaad hai yeh Kavita? Yeh vahi kavita hai, joh maine tumhe sunayi. Wahi kavita joh 16 saal ke Chashmish ne apni Sumo ke liye likha tha.

Sumo, you've brightened up my life from the minute you've entered it. My boring and dull life suddenly had a meaning to it. I had a reason to live for. I remember, every night I would impatiently wait for the next day so as to see you face at school. One glimpse and I would forget all that used to happen back home. Those days we used to spend at your house after school, used to be the best moments of my days. Despite my parents' problems back home, I used to look forward to living each day just because of you. In search of peace, people often go to temples and mountains; my heart used to search for you. You were and you are my sanctuary. Only I know how I spent each minute for those ten years in London all by myself, without you. And the minute I saw you at your house, I felt alive again, that day I felt my heart beating again after ten long years.

Sumo, will you give us, two imperfect souls, the chance to live together a perfect life?

Sumo, I love you. I love you so so much and I need you." He said and by the time he finished, tears voluntarily slipped from his eyes and he done nothing this time to stop them. Suman too had tears listening to his heartfelt confession; this was what she had been waiting for from the time she realized her love for him.

She slowly, held his cheeks making him face her and shook her head indicating not to cry. Without a minute wasted, she wounded her arms around his neck as she let the tears of happiness cascade down her cheeks.

"I love you too Shravan. I love you too."

"Phirse kaho na." He pleaded.

"I love you Shravan. Mujhe tumse pyaar hai." She said looking back at him as her lips broke into a wide smile.

Hearing her, he hugged her again, this time a big smile on his face.

"Sumo, ek aur baat." He said while the two were enjoying each other's arms.

"Happy birthday." He wished as he placed a lingering kiss on her forehad. The contact his lips made with her forehead made her close her eyes voluntarily, basking in that bliss.

"I totally forgot." She gasped.

"Jaanta tha." He smiled and she smiled back.

"Now your birthday gift." He said as Suman looked at him confused. He pressed a few buttons on his laptop and pressed play. With his hands, he gestured towards the projector screen and soon Kaho na Pyaar hai was playing. Suman gasped in pleasant surprise looking at Shravan.

"Open air theatre?" She asked excitedly as he nodded his head laughing at her childlike smile.

"Thank you thank you so much! I love you I love you I love you!" She exclaimed attacking him in a hug as he laughed and hugged her back. They then adjusted the pillows and lied down side by side watching the big screen while munching on pizza.

"Dance with me?" He asked putting forward his hand. She gladly accepted it as they slow danced to Kaho na Pyaar Hai's title song.

A while later, they cut the cake feeding each other.

"Suman! This cake isn't sweet enough." Shravan whined making Suman look at him confused.

The cake tastes pretty amazing according to her!

"Nahi Shravan. It's perfect." She said.

"No Sumo. There is cake sweeter than the one I'm having." He said.

"Kaunsi?" She asked.

"Yeh." He pointed to the icing on her lips. She blushed seeing him lean forward and her insides churned seeing his eyes darken in desire.

"You have no idea Sumo, how long I've waited for this." Came his husky voice and her heartbeats quickened.

"May I kiss you?" He asked just an inch away from her lips. No matter what the situation, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable at all.

"Yes." She replied closing her eyes in anticipation of feeling his lips on hers.

Seconds ticked and she soon felt his soft lips on hers. For a moment, she almost froze but soon snapped out of it and reciprocated the kiss. It was gentle and soothing. It was a silent promise of eternal togetherness, of eternal love, eternal friendship.

Of eternal them.

"I love you." He spoke through the kiss, pulling her closer.

"I love you too." Her heart spoke.