"I must be ever so careful to remember that my pain is a precious salve that when used in the service of others can heal a thousand wounds and more. And I must likewise remember that if I do not use it as such, I have done nothing more than wound myself yet again."

- Craig D. Lounsbrough

* * * * *

As soon as his phone rang, Shravan could tell it was her without even looking at it.

"Haan ji?" He asked her with a soft smile on his lips.

"What does "I will tell you in the evening" means?" She asked in anger he knew was just a facade.

He could imagine her with a frown on her face, eyes narrowed and hands warped around her waist. And that image made the smile on his lips move up to his eyes too and lit up his eyes beautifully.

"I should have known that my doing all your homework in high school would have life long after-effect, so much so that you don't even know what 'evening'." He said in fake sadness and let out a disappointed sigh while he held back a laugh.

"Shravan!" She yelled and then he couldn't hold back his laughter anymore, he started to laugh and didn't stop even though she continued to mutter the most horrific ways of revenge she was planning for him. 

"You wait, you'll find out what my fist can do..." She said as threateningly as she could and went on.

"Sumo," he called her out with a soft sigh, stopping her rant in the midway. There was something in his voice that made her stop and listen to him.

"I would never find the words to tell you..." he whispered, but couldn't continue, "Can we meet in the evening?" he asked with a sigh as he closed his eyes, still overwhelmed by her thoughtful gesture.

There weren't words powerful enough to express what he felt when he had read her note. He was moved by her gesture, her care and there was no way he could tell her any of that on the phone or write it down on a piece of paper. She had considered his words important and that showed she cared, so much. He had to meet her, he decided as the longing to see her and hug her tightly tormented him. The bittersweet pang he was feeling in his heart wouldn't go away until he would hug her - there was a part of him that planned to do just that - for as long as she would let him and then tell her how much he had craved for the love and the care she was showering over him. He had to tell her how much he cherishes and appreciates her attention and care. He had to let her know how much he treasures each and every moment spent in her presence...

The way he was overwhelmed, he feared he would end up crying in front of her, in the same manner, a person wandering in the desert would cry at the sight of a stream of water. He didn't remember the last time when he had someone who had done something so meaningful for him, only for him...

Despite having his father's love and care, he had craved for his mother's - there still was a part of him that continuously craved for her love and care. But a decade-long distance, the suffering, and anger for being abandoned had suppressed that craving from breaking him more than he already was.

Apart from the two, there had been only one more person whom he had craved for and had wished to belong; Suman Tiwari, his Sumo...

He had craved for her, for years, longed for her and now when he was getting her attention, care and love, he felt as if he was slowly healing. Her undivided attention, thoughtful gestures were working like a salve on every open wound of his, soothing them with the warmth of her care. He, for the very first time in his life, was actually moving forward without looking back. His mornings were lighter and the nights were much more peaceful. Now his eyes smiled too every time his lips did and as he moved, there was a carefree skip in his steps. He was happy, and so was she and nothing else than that mattered...

He had craved for her love and care for so long, so much that he had no memory of a time when he hadn't lived desiring her. She always had appeared like a far-fetched dream to him. Someone he had desired, longed for with every fiber of his being despite knowing that she may never feel the same. But now her every action, every gesture, every move was a manifestation of his importance in her life. He was important to her and she made sure he knew it. From the smiles she had on her face whenever they met to every glance of hers in his direction, she made him feel as if he was the one and only she wanted to spend her time with...

"Just tell me when and I will be there..." Suman answered, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Today, half-past six, in the evening?" He asked as he looked down at his watch, planning to wrap-up all his work before leaving to meet her.

"Done." She replied before ending the call.

* * * * *

Sitting on the stairs of gazebo - the usual place for their meeting in the evenings - away from the crowd which was getting lesser as the time passed, Suman was waiting for him impatiently but Shravan was nowhere to be seen. As much as she tried to force herself to enjoy the fresh air and the sunset, she could not. Every now and then her gaze would restlessly wander around the park in his search, only to be disappointed.

Letting out an impatient sigh, she once again looked down at her watch. It was a quarter to seven, and that meant he was fifteen minutes late.

'The only time I came early, he is late,' she thought with a frown.

Tapping her feet on the irregular beat in impatience, she shook her head in exasperation. Was there any end to this torture, she wondered. She had been dying to know whether he liked the daal she had made or not the second it was made. She had planned it for weeks, picking out every ingredient with care and made sure she would add the right amount every ingredient. Truth was that she had back out several times in the fear of making something he wouldn't like, but in the end, putting aside all the nervousness she felt, she had cooked for him today and made sure it reached him on time. But Shravan being Shravan, he had to make her wait some more for his answer.

Suddenly someone cleared their throat, startling her from her thoughts, Suman's head snapped up only to find Shravan looking down at her with a smile.

"How come you are early today?" He asked her as he sat next to her.

"You are so cruel, Shravan Malhotra." She stated as she turned around to face him.

"Tell me something new, Suman Tiwari." He replied with a smirk.

Letting out a laugh as she whacked him, Shravan tried to get a hold of her hands in an attempt to stop her.

"Okay, sorry, I got stuck in the traffic. Otherwise, I am never late," he said as he tried to pacify her.

With a sigh, she calmed down, knowing he was telling the truth. He was always on time and had even waited for her whenever she was late, which almost always happened.

"So, now that you are here, tell me, was it any good?" She asked nervously, making him smile at her.

"Hmm..." He said with a nod as a mischievous spark glinted in his eyes.

"Now what does 'hmm' means?" She asked as she narrowed her eyes.

"'Hmm' means 'hmm', Sumo," he said patiently as if he was talking to a child.

"Tum pitooge mujhse Shravan ke bache!" She threatened to beat him up.

"Sumo, mere koi bache nahi," he informed her, holding back a grin, "I am not even married yet," He said as he laughed.

"You say that as if you do want to get married, you women hater." She said with a huff as she tried to suppress the curiosity she felt to know if his views have changed during these months, at least for her, because of her.

"Point noted, My lady!" He said as nodded with a smile on his face, making her suppress a sigh of disappointment.

"Sumo!" He called her out, sensing the change in her mood.

"Hmm?" She asked, snapping out of the gloomy thoughts.

"What happened?" He asked quietly, worried as he saw her look at him with something similar to pain and longing in her eyes.

"Nothing. I just realized you must not have liked it, that's why you are avoiding answering." She whispered, changing the subject.

"Sumo," he whispered as he held her hand in his, intertwining their fingers.

"You are always so impatient." He told her as caressed the back of her hand with his thumb.

"That's because I have been waiting for such a long time," she said as she looked down at their hands, intertwined so perfectly together.

"I have been waiting for a long time too," he whispered as he gazed down at her with tenderness.

Her head snapped up as soon as she heard him say that. There was something in his voice which made her feel they were no longer talking about the daal.

"You are forgetting that you are the saint Chashmish while I am just Sumo," she said with a small smile on her face, making him shake his head at her while smiling back at her.

With a sigh, as he looked down at their hands, he tried to remember the words he had been planning to tell her ever since he was done with his lunch.

"So, my Master chef, let me tell you that the daal you had made was very tasty. But more than anything, the fact that you considered my words overwhelms me...A thank you isn't enough..." He whispered as he tightened his grip on her hand.

"The first thing I wanted to do was to go find you and hug you," words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them and when he realized he had said them out loud, it was too late to take back what he said. Tentatively, he looked up at her just to find her smiling at him tenderly.

"So, who is stopping you?" She asked, equally impulsively.

"Sumo?" He called her out as she stood up and tug the hand she was already holding, trying to pull him up.

"So?" She asked with a confused smile when he just stood in front of her, looking at his feet, too embarrassed to look up at her.

"Now it feels awkward," he whined as the tips of his ear turned red, giving away his embarrassment.

Laughing out loud, Suman closed the space between them, standing on her tiptoes, she raised her arms as high as she could and wrapped them around his shoulder, pulling him down with a sudden movement. His arms as if they had a mind on their own, wrapped themselves around her small back and then with a smile on his face, he pulled her off her feet and laughed when she let out a squeal. And when he lowered her to ground still in his arms, with a deep sigh, they tightly wrapped their arms around each other and soaking up the warmth of contentment that came with holding each other so close. After lingering for a few seconds, reluctantly, they pulled away from each other,

"So, do you go around hugging every person who makes daal for you?" She asked with her eyebrow arched at him but a smile on her lips.

"No, only the ones who do it just for me." He answered with a smile of his own.

Shaking her head at him, she once again sat down at the stairs, pulling him down by tugging on his hand. They sat there in comfortable silence, looking at the sight in front of them. Despite being far away from the crowd, they still could hear the laughter and delighted screams of the children in the park.

"I have always loved your cooking, you know. And I have always loved how passionate you are about it." He told her and turned around to look at her as he sweetly smiled at her.

"I wish I could say the same about you." She playfully answered with a smirk.

"I do know how to cook, madam," he informed her as his eyes narrowed at her.

"You don't believe me?" He asked when she didn't answer back.

"Actually, Shravan, even though you are my best friend, I can't lie about that," she said with a smirk.

"Let's have dinner together then, tomorrow night." He told her as his brain came to the conclusion that he had to prove her what he was claiming, only then she would believe.

"Why? Are you going to cook?" She teased with a smile.

She could tell where the conversation was going; as she already knew that the next day the Malhotra family, excluding Shravan, would be having dinner at the party they were going to. And knowing Shravan had the habit to give the servants off whenever he was alone at home, they would be alone.

"Yes!" He declared with a determinate nod.

"You sure?" She asked once again.

"Yes. But no Indian food." He warned her.

"Done. Tomorrow night then!" She said with a smile.

"Yes, but you don't have to be late. Jaldi aana!" He reminded her.

"Okay." She answered with excitement.

That night, when they talked on the phone, she still had an excited grin on her face while she talked nonstop, and he only listened to her with a smile on his face.

"Shravan!" She called him out just when he was about to end the call, sleepy after the tiring day.

"Hmm?" He asked, half asleep.

"You can hug me anytime you want." She whispered, snapping him out of his drowsiness.

And before he could respond, she ended the call. Even though he was tried, sleep didn't come easily to him that night, and when it did, he still had a soft smile on his face as he slept peacefully, lost in a dream that now had a possibility of becoming his reality, their reality!

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A/N:- I hope you guys liked it...Please let me know your thoughts and leave a comment! :)

Thank you for reading and know that I am very grateful to each one of you for your encouraging words and support. Thank you! :)