"You're going to make it;

You're going to be at peace;

You're going to create, and love, and laugh, and live;

You're going to do great things."

― Germany Kent

* * *

Their courting period confirmed to Suman that Shravan Malhotra was even more of a contradiction than she had thought him to be...

He could say and execute most romantic gestures casually but would flush from head to toe over the most trivial things. He could drag her to the Tulip Festival and propose to her amid the felids of her favorite flowers with an elegant emerald ring but would fumble like a teen around Nanu and his father when asked something about her. He would scowl and talk back to anyone - family members or outsiders - who even slightly said something against her but wouldn't let her do the same for him. He claimed that he would be excused for his rudeness in the name of him being a London return while she would be frowned upon.

"Good and bad cop, Sumo. That's how we have to play it," he had told her when she protested. "I can handle Kamini chachi, don't worry."

But that one time she had let Kamini chachi say whatever she wanted. Shravan, after dealing with her, had turned towards Suman with a frown. His disapproval had led her to remind him about his good and bad cop approach.

"That absolutely doesn't mean you should let her walk all over you. If she says something to you, show her your Sumo avatar."

"But she is your chachi. You shouldn't have been so harsh with her for me," Suman had muttered.

"You are my priority. I don't want anyone to disrespect my wife in any way," he had responded firmly. And when she couldn't suppress her giggles and hid her blushing face behind her hand, he was puzzled at why she avoided eye contact for the next few minutes after he casually said those words.

Shravan Malhotra was an oblivious man...

But he was her oblivious man...

So she shall overlook how oblivious he was...

Whenever they went to parties together, he never corrected anyone who assumed they were married, on the contrary, most of the time, he led them to believe they were and relished people's attention on them with pride. The agitation and malonic grief that had been a part of him for so long had given way their place to calm and peaceful contentment. Happiness suited him best, and his smiles made his eyes seem like a galaxy of stars resided in them. It wasn't wrong to say that the in-love Shravan was the most beautiful version of him. It filled her with pride to know he was hers, in love with her, and had every intention to stay with her for life...

Sometimes, Suman feared losing him and the serenity he brought into her life, but she reminded herself to live in the present. They had suffered and lived in uncertainty for so long that learning to live in a time of peace, stability, and unity was critical. Living happiness and making good memories together will keep them anchored during challenging times. They weren't stupid to believe that there would be no difficulties ahead of them, but with each other at their sides, they would overcome anything, they firmly believed.

During their courting period, she was also introduced to different sides of Shravan. For once, he was mischievous and vindictive. Suman was introduced to that side of him thanks to Kamini.

It was one normal Wednesday when it happened. Shravan had been busy with a particularly consuming case and hadn't met her during the weekend and the two days after. In the past few months, she had gotten used to seeing him almost every day and his absence had taken a toll on her. And therefore, Suman hadn't been able to resist the urge to check on him. On her way to his house, she kept debating: she was and would be a supportive partner but that didn't mean she couldn't steal a few minutes of his, right? She convinced herself of being right before knocking on his door.

After getting his permission, she opened the door and peeked inside his room but he remained lost in his files without caring who entered his room. She observed him for a few seconds before clearing her throat, forcing him to look up at her.

"Hello fiance," she greeted with a cheeky smile.

"Admit it, you missed me," Shravan welcomed her with a beaming smile as he closed and pushed back the files.

"As if you didn't miss me," she responded with a huff when she came to stand by his side.

"I am not going to deny that," he agreed with a nod, taking hold of her as he looked up at her from where he was sitting.

"Can you even find anything in this chaos?" She wondered, taking in the countless files and papers that were overflowing his desk and its surroundings, covering a large part of the floor.

"I know exactly where to find the files I need," he responded and went ahead to explain to her how systematic the clutter was.

"You do this for every case?" She asked out of curiosity.

"Only the messy ones or whenever I am stuck. Why? Are you worried about the tidiness of our room?" He asked, so casually, as if he didn't realize how his remark made her heart giddy with joy.

"I can always use the study room," he offered when she stayed silent.

"No. I would like your presence in the room even when you are working," she admitted with a slight blush.

"Okay then," he beamed at her, swinging their hands between them.

His expression changed suddenly. "Suman, I wanted to tell you something."

"What?" She asked with a frown, more confused at his taking her name than the change of topic.

"I have thought about it a lot. Now that we are getting married and it's confirmed that I am staying, I want to claim back what's mine," he said with a determined nod.

"What?" She muttered, amused at the way his eyes shone mischievously.

He was up to something, the way he was suppressing a smile told her. He was a good actor when he wanted to be, and it was something they had been doing for months now; they kept doing these skits randomly where they had to guess what the other person wanted from them and play their part according to that. What she couldn't understand was who they were putting on the show for. As if she had asked the question out loud, Shravan subtly tilted towards the dressing table mirror.

"As you should. We have to think about the future, Shravan. You should take what's yours by right," Suman said with a nod, a model of a supportive partner.

Suddenly they heard the sound of glass breaking somewhere behind them. When they turned back, they found Kamini gasping with an expression of shock and horror on her face.

"Chachi," Shravan alarmed rushed towards her.

"Are you okay?" He asked her as he gently pushed her away from the broken pieces of glass on the floor.

"What were you saying, Shravan?" Kamini asked, with a worried frown marking her forehead.

"Huh?" He asked confused, then suddenly remembered their skit, but no longer had the heart to torture her. "I was talking about the law firm in London. Eric wanted a confirmation of what I wanted to do about it."

"Oh, I thought...It doesn't matter. I will send someone to clean this up and to bring the fresh juice I made for you both," Kamini said with a forced laugh, yet looking relieved as she bolted away.

"Was that necessary?" Suman asked when he looked at her after closing the door of his room.

"No, not really," he responded with an amused grin.

"Then why?" She asked, shaking her at his antics.

"Every time she sees me talking with Papa or having a heated conversation with Pushkar, she has this worried and scared expression, and it doesn't matter how much I try to tell her that I am not going to do anything to harm Pushkar or take over Malhotra Firm, she keeps looking at me as if I am the villain of her story. That's why, I thought, why not? After everything she has done and does to make life difficult, this is nothing," he said with a shrug.

Even though the glint of playfulness was still present in his eyes as he talked about it, she could see that Kamini's behavior bothered him. However, what transpired also demonstrated that he was no longer the Shravan who would take everything thrown his way without giving back. He knew how to hold his ground and wouldn't hesitate to put people in their place. With a rush of fondness and pride, she realized he was protecting himself. He no longer wanted to be a sacrificial goat and wouldn't jump on fire to prove his loyalty towards his family.

"So, what are you going to do about the London firm?" Suman asked curiously. With Shravan being as selfless as he was, it was easy to forget that he had a life in London and a well-established career that he had left behind for his father.

"I and Eric have been discussing it for months now. Opening a firm together had been something that we had planned to do together ever since we were first-year students. But with me coming back here, it isn't easy for him to manage everything all alone. He has been thinking about merging with some other firm. I may have to go there for the process of dissolving the partnership sometime soon," Shravan said with a sigh.

"Do you regret staying back?" She asked, for once overcoming the fear of hearing his answer.

"I don't regret staying here," he responded softly as he took her hand in his. "My fear of losing my father was indeed a big part of the reason I stayed, but I had been hesitating to go back even before that. After a decade of being away, I had forgotten how living with my father was, how living surrounded by so many people felt like. And then there was you. You just reminded me of all the reasons why I fell in love with you."

His effortless confession made her heart skip a few beats. Shravan may never truly know how much his words meant to her. As always unaware of the effects of what he said on her, he continued.

"So, no, I don't regret it. It may not be what I wanted, but working in the Malhotra firm has its benefits. Though I hate how everyone perceives me as a product of nepotism," he muttered.

"Did someone say something?" Suman asked with narrowed eyes, ready to fight whoever offended him.

"Hold your horses, my Sumo," he said while laughing. "It doesn't matter what they think. I would let my work speak for itself."

With a shrug and a smile, he made it seem like it did not bother him. It was something she had noticed he did effortlessly. He now had better control over his emotions and handled things practically and maturely. It was one of the changes in him that made her heart swell with pride.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Shravan asked her. He relished her gaze on him. Every time she looked at him, her eyes glowed with the warmth of so many emotions. It made him curious about her thoughts. He couldn't help but wonder: Why was she staring at him lovingly? What to do so she would keep looking at him like that?

"I am proud of you, but you already know that. What I have realized today is that you are vindictive, Shravan Malhotra. You weren't like that before," she commented.

"That's true," he agreed, but as he went on, there was that similar flash of mischievousness in his eyes: "And anyway, I had to. Only then would I have been a worthy rival of the Sumo."

"Rival?" she confusedly asked.

"Yes," he muttered with a nod.

"What are you talking about?" She asked with a frown.

"When I came back and heard you say what you said and did what I did..." Shravan insinuated to distract her and, taking advantage of her perplexity, he seamlessly moved closer to her.

"What happened on prom night..." she muttered with annoyance after understanding where the conversation was going.

"That was nothing," he confirmed, "Not the original plan of mine. I did that only because you insisted: koi itni bhi bari baat nahi thi..." he mocked her.

"What else could have been your plan?" She asked, baffled.

"Oh, Miss Suman Tiwari, you have no idea, the things I had planned to do to you," he whispered as he continued to crowd her space, forcing her to take a few steps back.

"Shravan?" She faltered when her back hit the wall behind her.

"You don't know the things I had imagined doing to you..." he whispered, his voice taking a husky tone and the scent of his cologne surrounded her as he placed one of his hands on the wall behind her.

As she glanced up at him, she noticed a humorous sparkle in his eyes. It didn't take long for her to realize that he was pulling the same ruse that he had used to get her to agree to pay him the fee for defending Tiwari Killa in court. He was going to give her certain ideas, lead her to believe something, and then leave her high and dry. Her eyes narrowed upon realization and she glared up at him, prompting him to break his character and burst out laughing. He didn't even attempt to stop her when she continued to whack him.

"God, you are mean, Shravan. Why did I even agree to marry you?" She muttered with an annoyed huff.

"It's too late. You can't back off now," he said with a chuckle.

"If I can't back off, I might as well indulge," she muttered, looking up at him.

"Huh? What do..." and before he could ask her what she meant, she rose on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his once before stepping away to take in his reaction.

'Serves him right,' she thought, suppressing her smile as she observed his lost expression as he continued to blink at her.

"Is that what you call indulging?" He finally muttered with a frown.

"Well, If you..." She lost that thought when she looked up at him and noticed how he was staring down at her. Her mind went blank.

"Indulgence, huh?" He posed it as a question, even though he seemed to know the answer, as his hand cupped her jaw and tilted her head up.

His eyes slowly flickered from her eyes to her lips and back up again until, with a quick intake of breath, she nodded at the question his eyes were asking. He leaned in and his lips hovered over hers for a second, a second too long, she decided as she locked her arms around his shoulders and parted her lips in anticipation as he met her halfway. And then it was as if nothing else existed in the world but Shravan. When he warped his arm around her waist and gently pulled her closer to him, the warmth of his closeness spread through her, lighting up her insides with zeal. Could he feel her racing heartbeat? She thought when his hand moved down from her jaw to the side of her neck. She slipped her fingers into his hair, but before she knew it, he was pulling away. Too soon, she thought as she chased his lips.

"There is someone at the door," he clarified while holding her neck between his hands and placing a gentle pack on her lips before moving away. He turned towards the door just in time for someone to come bursting into the room.

"I knocked on the door multiple times. Kamini madam said to bring you juice," the housemaid explained with an embarrassed laugh as she placed the tray on the table.

"Thank you, you can go now," Shravan muttered, moving back and forth to block her view to keep Suman hidden Suman behind him.

"Let me know if you need something," the housemaid said with a giggle before rushing away and closing the door behind her.

"Do you think she noticed?" He asked with a frown as he turned around to look at her.

"With the way your hair looks, I am sure she did," Suman said with a giggle before standing closer to him to fix his hair, which was currently looking far from his usual impeccable hairstyle.

Taking in his flushed face and the way he was avoiding her eyes, Suman couldn't help but laugh. "Are you blushing, Shravan?"

"No, I am not," he muttered as he took in a deep breath and tried to look unruffled.

"You are," she teased.

Seeing how her words made him stand up proudly and look into her eyes with a firm expression on his face, Suman giggled and moved away from him just in time before he attacked.

"You come here, I will show what blushing means," he muttered with a serious expression as he advanced toward her, just to smile fondly as she continued to run around and push him away, giggling as happy tears slipped down her eyes.

* * *

Laughter and music filled the lush garden of the Malhotra mansion. It was the engagement party of Malhotra's youngest son, Pushkar, with Tiwari's youngest daughter, Preeti. The only available Malhotra son broke the hearts of many aunties who had their eyes on him. But he too was off the marriage market now.

"I was hoping to marry off my niece to Malhotras," Mrs Shubnam Das muttered with a sigh. "But she was too young for Varun. I don't even know when Shravan's status changed from single to engaged to getting married next month, and now Pushkar too is engaged."

Hearing her, the women surrounding her gasped and frowned in confusion. "What do you mean Shravan is getting married next month? He is already married to Suman," Mrs Leela Sharma yelled, scandalized at the new gossip about her favorite couple.

"That's what I thought," Mrs Meena Shethy seconded it along with others.

"You girls are crazy," Mrs Shubnam Das remarked. "If they were married, we would have been invited to their wedding. Ramnaath Malhotra won't have gotten his only son married without at least a reception party."

"How would we know? "How would we have known? After living abroad for ten years, he was always accompanied to parties by Suman upon his return." We thought they were a married couple. I called them as such on their face many times and they never corrected me, not even once," Mrs Neha Mehta said.

"Once he came alone and when I asked him where his better half was. He said Suman was busy preparing for some new big deal and, like a supportive husband, he went on to brag about how amazing she is," Mrs Janvi Kumar said with a giggle.

"I asked them their opinion on kids and Shravan said he wanted at least two and Suman agreed, saying that they both were the only child and how lonely it is to not have siblings," Mrs Sanam Khan informed.

"I told her to come to me when it's time as I have a diary full of pregnancy-friendly recipes," Mrs Payal Singh, the new mother, shared.

"That's nothing," Doctor Naina Yadav scoffed at them. "I told them to start making babies and come to me if they needed any information about the perfect timing and positions. Only now it makes sense why they blushed so hard and escaped without saying anything."

"They led us on," Mrs Leela Shrama made an observation, disheartened.

"Come on, Leela, what is this long face for? Mrs. Zainab Shah chuckled and said, "Come on, Leela, why are you looking so glum? Your favorite couple is getting married and they are going to invite you to their wedding."

"Oh, yes. You are right," Mrs Leela Sharma cried out with a cheer, making the other women laugh together.

"I am going to find just a perfect gift for them," Mrs Payal Singh said with a soft smile.

"Oh, I have a perfect gift for them already!" Dr Naina Yadav smirked and when asked, her response and wink made the women around her giggle and blush.

***

It was mid-April when the Malhotra mansion was once again lit with beautiful lights and colorful tulip flowers. People were coming in, laughing and mingling. It was a very happy occasion and an even happier one for the ever-growing ShraMan fan club, who were huddling together in groups right in front of the stage with their eyes fixed on the lovely couple. Some of them were crying with a smile and some were close to letting go of their happy tears as the couple took vows that would bind their souls together for not only one but seven lives.

"Their love seems so effortless as if it was so easy for them to come together," Pushkar commented with misty eyes as he saw Shravan and Suman standing side by side on the stage - finally husband and wife - whispering about who knows what and giggling together like teens in love.

"As if their shippers didn't survive out of sheer resilience a decade-long famine because of their separation and didn't live on crumbs for months after their reunion," Nana Ji commented with a scoff.

"I didn't know you were a shipper, Nana Ji," Vandana gasped, confused at what to be more surprised at: Nana Ji knowing modern slang or him shipping ShraMan.

"What are you saying, Vandy Bhabhi? Nana Ji is the founding member. He was there when the fandom didn't even exist," Pushkar informed her.

"Is shipping more fun with young people, Tiwari Ji," Ramnaath interrupted, shocking them all apart from the man in question.

"Come on, Ramnaath, you are for deep conversations and analysis, and these young kids are for fun and exciting stuff," Nana Ji said, consoling his fellow shipper.

"I never thought shipping them would become such a time-consuming group activity," Varun said with a weary sigh.

"That's more fun, son! The more, the merrier," Lala Ji yelled with a cheer.

"I think there are many groups of shippers that we don't even know about," Preeti remarked while pointing out a group of rowdy elderly and young women who were cheering out loud and showering the couple with flowers and gifts.

"I always shipped them, but no one took me seriously," Mausi Ji complained.

"I think Papa ships them too," Daboo observed, pointing at his father, who was looking at the couple with a wide emotional smile.

"I think you're right, Daboo beta, let's go and get him," Mausa Ji said before dragging his brother-in-law to their group so together they could appreciate how lovely the couple looked on their wedding day.

"Ah, they are so cute together," Vandy cried out the sentiment as the rest agreed with fond smiles.

* * *

If a few years ago someone had told Shravan that he would enjoy being married, he would have scoffed. If even a year ago someone had told him that he would end up marrying Suman Tiwari, he wouldn't have believed it even though it had been his greatest unattainable desire. Or so he had thought it was unattainable. Now, after being married to her for months, he still experienced moments in which the reality of them finally being together overwhelmed him.

Everything was beautiful with her by his side...

Now that her presence in his life was certain, their time together seemed timeless even though they spent most of their days away from each other, busy in achieving their individual goals that they celebrated together once accomplished. The testing time didn't seem difficult because she was with him. Whenever he felt stuck, a cup of coffee made by her, along with an encouraging smile, gave him the strength to get back to work.

Her presence brought peace and stability into his life, even during storms. Sleep came easily, and he felt rested even when running on three hours of sleep. Intimacy with her was easy. They could laugh off the initial awkwardness, trying to figure out what clicked and worked for them until comfort along with passion settled in. And it was everything and more. Being with her was his reality now. It made him excited for the future and to grow old with her.

It had been three months into marriage when he found the newspaper on his side of the dressing table one fine morning. It was strange; he didn't have the habit of reading the news in the morning. But what captured his attention was how Suman was roaming around the room without doing much. One glance at her was enough for him to know she was excited about something. As soon as he reached for the newspaper, he saw her materializing in front of him. With a fond smile, he took in the way she was vibrating with anticipation.

"Sumo!" He let out a gasp when the first thing he noticed on the paper was her picture.

"Read it, Shravan," she demanded with a huge smile on her face.

"PCT of Suman Tiwari wins the award for the most promising food service of the year," he summarized after reading the article.

"This calls for celebration, doesn't it?" He asked with a soft smile as he pulled her towards him in a hug. "I am so proud of you," he muttered as he imprinted a trail of kisses on her forehead, down her cheek, and along the line of her jaw.

On their way out, they were cornered by the press, who stormed their way as soon as they were spotted. With the sudden attack, all Shravan could do was shield Suman from their view.

"This is private property. You can't just walk inside. Don't push!" Shravan snapped at numerous men who were talking over each other while asking questions to Suman, who was looking overwhelmed.

Soon, the direction of the questions changed.

"Mr Malhotra, why aren't you letting your wife talk?"

"Why are you taking her spotlight?"

"Are you jealous of your wife's success?"

Before Shravan could process what was happening, Suman emerged from between his arms that had been hiding her in her Sumo avatar and snarled at the reporters.

"You better apologize to him right now," she growled.

"This attitude won't take you far, madam," some man muttered.

"Okay, that's enough. Whatever you are expecting by insulting us, you won't get it. "Okay, that's enough. Whatever you are expecting by insulting us, you won't get it," Shravan warned, stating that they would take legal action against any leaked footage. "If you want an interview or her comment on her winning, back off now and behave civilly."

"What my son intended to say is, let's slow down," Ramnaath intertwined before the matter could take a negative turn. "It's so early in the morning, you all must be hungry. Let's discuss this over a cup of tea, shall we?"

Shravan could only look at the sight in confusion as his father, with a social yet cunning smile, handled the crowd with ease. After being promised breakfast and a cup of tea, the reports calmed down and backed off.

"You have to learn Indian ways, Shravan. This isn't London. There is no such thing as privacy here, nor would anyone want to know the truth if they decided to present you both in a negative light. You must keep people in power placated, especially the media. They deliberately trigger people into saying something controversial and paint everything negative. Be careful," his father told him and patted his shoulder when he nodded.

After requesting the reports not to overwhelm them, his father stepped back and let Suman take his place and answer some questions regarding PCT. When Shravan was asked about his thoughts, he calmly stated how proud he was and how he was determined to continue to support her in any way needed. And no, her success didn't intimidate him, nor was it in a way affecting their marriage negatively. His irritation with the reporters melted away when Suman smiled his way while saying: "My husband is lucky for me."

Shravan didn't think his heart would stop skipping a beat whenever she called him hers in any way. It was amusing, to others, the way they both fumbled and blushed whenever one of them said something positive about each other in public. But it wasn't their fault. They never had someone who had bragged about them or said so many words of affirmation. Nevertheless, it was something they had now in each other and made them feel secure and loved. So much so that whenever they fought, it didn't feel like the world was ending the way it used to before marriage. Most of their fights were petty, anyway. They made up and came back to each other effortlessly. In Suman's words, their fights happened only for the sake of having some drama in their married life. It did create some temporary friction that was always melted away by the passion that they felt when they came back to each other after the self-imposed distance.

* * *

"We have half of the guests that you did in your wedding, yet I feel so overwhelmed and exhausted," Eric commented by the end of the night.

It was mid-October and, as promised, Shravan was attending his friends' wedding as a married man with his beautiful wife by his side.

"You are doing a great job," Shravan encouraged his friend as he patted his back.

Eric was an introvert too, and the common trait between them had made cultivating friendship and their life at the dorm easier. In the initial years of Eric and Angela's dating, he had confessed to Shravan that it was only her large extroverted family that scared him a bit whenever he thought about marrying her. Back then, Shravan had promised him that he would be his moral support on their wedding day, and years after, he was doing just that wherever Eric came to their table to escape for a few minutes.

"She is looking so beautiful, isn't she?" Eric muttered, mesmerized, his eyes never straying away from his wife for longer than a few seconds.

Shravan looked at his side and there was a matching amused smile on Suman's face. Eric was helpless, lasting only a few minutes before gathering strength to take his place by his wife's side even though her Italian family loved to test his limited social skills. After observing them for a few minutes, Shravan turned towards his wife and smiled.

"May I have the pleasure of dancing with you?" He asked in a forced thick British accent and was rewarded with a giggle and her hand.

Leading her towards the floor, he was reminded of the time when he had first arrived in London more than a decade ago, heartbroken and homesick. Back then, the dream of ever being with Suman Tiwari had seemed impossible, but now, he was in the same city and she was his. He could roam around the same streets and go to the same places that had witnessed his longing for her, but now with her by his side. He could disclose the most ridiculous dream and deepest desire that had pained him during their separation, and she would make it come true. Her eyes, her smile, her touch, the way she always leaned on him, her every gesture and every breath seemed like a confession of her love for him.

As if she had heard his thoughts, Suman whispered: "I love you."

"I love you too. Thank you for being mine," he responded before kissing her forehead and wrapping his arms around her.

There were times when Shravan looked at her and felt his heart so full of gratitude and love that it overwhelmed all of his senses. There was no one as beautiful as his Sumo in this world, and whenever he confessed and complimented her, her sudden bashfulness made her all the more magnificent. So yes, he loved being married to her.

***

A/N:- SO THIS IS THE END! T____T

I hope you all liked the last chapter. I am a mess. I don't know what to say. But anyway, about the chapter...So, let's start with the kiss! Yes, that happened. Ever since I heard a famous writer say a romantic story isn't satisfying for readers without at least the first kiss, I had been debating whether to write it or not for YEARS. I was inclined to not write it because it was too out of my comfort zone. But then while I was watching a drama (one word: Sung-jae ah!) I understood why I must. I wanted to give you all the same giddy happiness that is felt when after so much longing and pinning the two characters finally are together. So I soldiered on, fighting the urge to just melt out of embarrassment while writing this whole chapter. So yeah, I don't know, I just hope it was somewhat okay!🤭

About the theme of the rest of the chapter: I have a trauma regarding the last few episodes. For me, they don't exist in the same universe as the original ShraMan. I had not watched those episodes, had just a general idea of how painfully bad they were, so while writing this chapter, I wanted to check if some names were dropped for PCT's award, etc, but I couldn't stomach even one second of it, so I gave up. But that reminded me about the INJUSTICE they did to Shravan by showing him as a nepo loser who was employed just because of his father and was jealous of his wife's success. And I absolutely hated how Suman was reduced to a bragging brat who was gloating over her successes and becoming more insensitive episode by episode...

God, I can't even put it into words how they butchered both their characters. My blood boils even after 8 years. How can I still be stuck there? So that's why I wrote this chapter the way I did. Hopefully, you and I can move past that trauma by re-imagining it in a way that is befitting of our ShraMan... T___T

Let me hear your thoughts in the comment section. I would love to discuss and hear anything and everything you want to say... :) *hugs*

I don't know how much I was successful, but I hope you all enjoyed reading this story and enjoyed this journey along with me. I had never thought this would be my first completed story, but I should have suspected it. "Being Loved" came to me much easier because the purpose of writing this story was to give myself and my fellow ShraMan lovers the "happy ever after" that we were denied.

I will forever be grateful to you for your beautiful company and all the generosity you have shown me with your words, time, and love. Thank you to each one of you, my lovely readers! *hugs*

I hate goodbyes and endings and that played a huge part in why I was avoiding writing this epilogue. But at the same time, I couldn't keep you all hanging for too long. So all I can do is hope to meet you again, in my other stories, or somewhere else. Until then, please take care of yourself and be safe! <3

Thank you for everything! *hugs*

Until we meet again! <3

* * *