~ Tujhe paaya nhi hai fir bhi khone se dar rha hu,
Chup chup k tujhse, tera chehra mai padh rha hu~

Suman parked the car and almost ran up to the third floor ICU, when her eyes caught the extra tall figure pacing right outside Pushkar's room. She slowed down, trying to gain her breaths before walking up to the giant she had met just twenty four hours before. Shravan noticed her and stopped dead in his tracks, watching her.

What explanation was he supposed to give if she asked why did he message her? Or why did he took her number without her permission?

But the questions never came. Only a smile did. The smile that lit up her perfectly carved face, as she looked up at him, and gestured to enter the room. Shravan was suddenly extremely uncomfortable, he wasn't sure if he could enter the hospital ward again, especially with Pushkar being awake and his mind already walking back into his memory lanes.

" Mumma mumma", a thirteen year old Shravan walked into the hospital, his cheeks wet with the constant tears he had shed.

The door revealed his mother sitting on the bed, a bandage tightly wrapped around her forehead, a ghost of a smile on her face when she looked at Shravan.

Shravan walked upto her, and raised his hand to touch her cheeks.

" You will be fine right?", His voice trembled, his little eyes searching for any traces of blood on the back of her head where she had been hit.

Nirmala smiled her practiced, graceful smile, patting her child's head.

" I am already fine dear, see. Just a few more days and I will be home", she tried to cajole Shravan, who was still looking at her with dead eyes. She could see the frown lines on his forehead, the way his lower lip trembled.

" Don't come home Mumma, who knows if or not you will be injured again".

" Shravan?", Suman's voice brought him back, but yet the jerk in his body language made her narrow his eyes at him. Shravan stared at her, but didn't really looked at her. He seemed to be in another parallel world, and Suman could not help but fret about how often he escaped there.

She didn't know what else to do, so she extended her right hand and entwined with his left hand. His palm was sweaty, but in that moment, worth it. It was a pretty bold move to say, considering they were still practically strangers, who have met just yesterday, but Suman didn't feel that uncomfortable. She was at ease, and she realized he had only drawn some strength from her hold, she could see it in the way his shoulders relaxed, and his hooded eyes cleared out.

Sometimes, every gesture is not to be validated in words. Not every thing in life can be calculated in pros and cons. Some steps, are just spontaneous.

Suman pushed in the door, and Pushkar looked at her, raising his eyes from the book he was reading.

" I have a surprise for you", Suman chirped through the half open door, and Pushkar laughed, hoping it to be some of her special 'halwa' that he loved, but nothing in the world could have prepared him for the sight he met.

His brother, in flesh and blood.

Fifteen years later.

Within one mile of him.

" Shravan bhaiya?", Pushkar blinked several times to be sure he wasn't hallucinating, but his expressions were so childlike, and of so much wonder, that both Suman and Shravan giggled.

Shravan took a momentary pause before  stepping in, but once he did, he freed his hand from her hold and walked over to sit beside Pushkar.

" How are you, little one?", Shravan ruffled his hairs and Pushkar smiled, the brightest one Suman had seen on his face in days.

" First class. And now that you are here, whatever is left, will be okay soon", he hugged Shravan, the smile not leaving his face, and Suman could not help but adore the brother duo. They looked extremely cute, especially the way Pushkar was holding onto Shravan.

" Uhh, I think my presence has been forgotten", Suman fake coughed, and it only made Shravan shake his head at her, while Pushkar teased her with his tongue out. She laughed at him, and then moved out to check with his doctors.

Some time later, the entire Malhotra clan was at the hospital, and Suman watched them all from a distance, laughing and trying to ease out Pushkar. She hadn't seen all of them so relaxed, so vibrant in all these years that she had known them, and she could not help but wonder if it was related to homecoming of the elder son.

Her observant eyes didn't miss Shravan, whose eyes were in turn stealing glances at his own parents. She narrowed her eyes to watch what was so different about the lawyer couple that their own son was watching them with hawk eyes, but couldn't find anything weird.

Sometime later, when she saw Shravan busy dodging Vandy bhabhi's questions about his marriage, and smiling at Kamini's jokes, she sneaked out, she had to overlook the day's order at PCT too.

Not that her mind stayed at PCT though, while she tried her best to concentrate. All she could think was Shravan, his scars, his hesistance to physical touch, his despise to his own house, his unbelievable expressions for his own parents, his fear of hospitals. The guy seemed too much of a mystery to her, and yet, something drew her towards him, she just couldn't finger what.

Suman baked some chocolate cookies for Pushkar, in the late afternoon, and after wrapping up most of the work, drove off to the hospital again. She had been doing this since the last week, visiting Pushkar every morning and evening, hoping against hope that he would say something, anything that could be a clue to her helping him out of it.

When she parked the car, and came out, she was surprised to find Shravan sitting on a bench in the garden. His head was resting back on the headrest, and his eyes were closed. It was late evening, almost close to 8 at night. Suman considered walking away, but somehow her feet moved in his direction, until she reached him and sat beside him.

She contemplated asking him what was wrong, or if she could place her hand on his shoulder, but decided against it. Instead, she opened her box of cookies, and shook him slightly.

Shravan opened his eyes to some delicious Cookies, and a smile graced his lips when a feminine whisper reached his ears.

" Sometimes chocolates are the best stress busters", Suman gave him one of her best smiles, and for the first time in a long time, Shravan smiled back, almost chuckled in a friendly manner without consciously putting an effort.

He picked up one and bit into it, immediately moaning in delight.

" I am taking it that you like them", Suman laughed while Shravan put the entire cookie into his mouth, savouring it before taking another.

" What do I have to do so that you bring me these everyday?", Shravan raised his brow, not sure if she took the reference.

Suman did, after all Peter Kavinsky was one of her crushes, and she smirked.

" Be my friend, and oh, you can call me Sumo!", She replied back in the same tone, and her answer told him she got his point.

Shravan laughed, before extending his hand to her.

" Friends then?"

" Friends".

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Note: First of all, a big thank you to everyone who took pains to congratulate me on my message board.
Those who have no idea what I am talking about, I recently cleared my final year MBBS exams.
Also, from April 1st, my internship has started which means I have 12 hours duty at the hospital, which is why there is a little irregularities with update. Just bear with me this month, Next month my posting changes and I will be more frequent!

Thank you!