Part 2 - Kuch Toh Hai
*"Mere tumhare darmiyan mein...Jo baatein hui nahi hain...Kabhi dua mein, Kabhi zubaan mein...Kyun tumne kahin nahin hain..."
"Shr...Shravan...tum kab aya?"
"Abhi. Just now"
"What...did you hear me say?" asked Suman with some hesitation in her voice.
"I heard you saying..."Kuch nahi hai"...But...it's clear...kuch toh hai! Are you OK Sumo?" asked Shravan in a quiet tone.
"Yes of course I am OK. Muje kya hona hai?"
"That is what I want to know too. Tume kya huwa hai? If everything is OK then why are you up here alone, and not downstairs with everyone else?"
"I just needed a bit of time out. Just to think..."
"Think? About what? Everything is fine now. The case is won, Khosla is out of your life, and no more issues for your family. So what have you got to think about now?"
"I guess I am just overwhelmed with everything that happened for the past few weeks you know?"
"Yeah tell me about it. It was quite taxing on everyone. But we got the outcome we wanted in the end, so it's all good. Like Shakespeare said "All's well that ends well" right?"
"Wohi toh problem hai...sab END ho raha hai" said Suman under her breath.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing...I mean...actually...Shravan..." Suman stopped and took a breath, and looked at Shravan squarly. "I just wanted to tell you again...how thankful I am to you...for how you handled everything, and also how sorry I am for..." Suman was saying when Shravan cut her off.
"Tum kab yeh "Sorry" aur "Thank you" se bahar aogi Suman?"
"Matlab?"
"Matlab...when will you stop thanking me and saying sorry for... I don't know what? I thought we were past all this?"
"What do you mean Shravan? What's wrong with thanking someone? As for Sorry...well I wanted to say sorry for what happened in High school. I should have apologised to you in person a long time ago...tried to apologise at least...I..."
"Sumo...It's ancient history now. Just forget it!"
"Really? Ancient history? Clearly it was way more than that, even a few weeks ago Shravan. Don't try to pretend it meant nothing. You were still hung up about it even now!"
Shravan was about to speak, but Suman lifted her hand and indicated to him to stop.
"Please let me say this. Look, I know how I was in high school. I was a bit overbearing and sometimes insensitive. It may have looked like I didn't value our friendship, I can see that now. But that doesn't mean I didn't. I really did. But I had this need to act cool and in control in front of everyone. That image I created was everything to me. I didn't even realize how much I was taking you for granted. I should have supported you that day at school. I was immature Shravan. But I was still wrong. I can see how that would have felt for you then. You were right to give me a taste of my own medicine!"
"I don't know about that..." Shravan said with a twist of his lips.
"I do. You were right. Muje meri galti ka ehassas dilana bohot zaroori tha! That is what you did. I am not saying how you did it was right. You were a jerk. But I got the point. Fact is...even after all that, you were there for me, for my family when we needed you. So like you said...let's forget it. It's ancient history now!"
"Tum sach main sab kuch boolana chathi ho Sumo?" asked Shravan in a quite tone.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean...everything that happened in the past few weeks. You want to forget all that? Go back to the way it was before?"
"Before what?"
"Before I came back!" Said Shravan gravely. Suman's expression changed but she tried hard to school her features. She gave a small shrug.
"Wahi toh hoga na...jab tum wapas jaogi?"... Suman's voice trailed off. "Kyaise kahu tume Shravan ki main nahi chathi ke tum wapas jao!" Suman thought in her mind as she closed her eyes and turned towards the garden again.
Shravan watched Suman and shook his head slowly. "Ek baar kehedo Sumo...that you want me to stay!" Shravan said in his mind.
"Kis haq se kahu Shravan? I lost that right over you years ago. I can't expect that of you now!" Suman told herself as she balled her fists. She quickly took control of her emotions and turned around to face Shravan.
"We are being too dramatic about this yaar...I mean there is social media now. It's not like those days when people never stay in touch with people overseas. I mean...sometimes we talk to our social media friends more than people who are in our day to day life. Now that you have added me to Facebook I can chat to you every day. Add me to Twitter and Instagram too. Trust me you'll get sick of me soon!" said Suman with a forced laugh.
"That won't happen!" said Shravan in a grave tone.
"Tum wapais serious hogaye?" said Suman trying to deflect from the subject.
"Serious toh main bachpan se hoon. I haven't changed that much!"
"Haven't changed? Whatever...! Trust me you have! I mean have you SEEN the way you look now? Your swagger...that style...your BODY?" Suman trailed off as she realized that she had spoken those words out loud.
Shravan stared at Suman like he had never seen her before.
"My BODY?" said Shravan with an incredulous expression.
Suman's face flamed. "God Sumo...tum kiteni bawakoof ho! How can you just blurt out stuff like that without a censor?" Suman reprimanded herself in her mind.
"Oh please don't go all Macho man on me OK? Stop being a chauvinist! You guys always discuss girl's looks and body. So why can't we discuss you? Not so happy when you are being treated like an object?" Said Sumo in her usual mile a minute style.
As always Sumo had managed to talk her way out of something! But Shravan was no less and he was not about to drop the subject.
"So I am an object now to you? You like what you see Sumo?" asked Shravan with a twist of his lips!
"Ithana bhi mat udo OK? Clearly you workout so you can have a "Body" that girls check out. So stop acting coy!" snapped Suman.
"I don't work out so girls can check me out! I work out for my health!" said Shravan in an ironic tone.
"Yeah right!" said Suman sarcastically. "Like...how many 26 year old guys do you know that workout for health? I didn't fall down in the last shower Mr London returned. Let's break this down. You have a "body"...I said so! Let's not make it more than that!"
"So you mean to say...you go around telling random guys they have nice bodies?" said Shravan with a raise of his browse.
"Don't be cheap! You're not a random guy! Cant friends admire friends for having a Fit look?"
"Friends...THAT is what we are right? Friends? Nothing else...nothing more...?" Said Shravan looking at Suman directly in the eyes. The look in his eyes was making Suman feel like she was under a microscope. Had Shravan always had that intense stare? Suman looked away.
"Nazare kyon churathi ho? Answer me! We are just friends right?"
"Yes we are friends!" snapped Suman looking back at Shravan. "What more do you want me to say Shravan?" said Suman in an exasperated voice.
"Wahi...jo tum soch thi ho lekin kehena nahi chathi ho!"
"And what is that?"
"That I am more than a friend to you!"
To be continued...
*Lyrics derived from the song - "Anjana Anjaani Ki Kahani" - Movie - Anjanaa Anjaani - 2010
Next Part - Kuch Toh Hai - Part 3
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OK so here is part two. Just wrote it quickly. Will try to update the next part very soon!
Cheers
Mandy
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