~ Bin kahe, thehra tu har mod per, O yaara, mere liye;
Bhula tu khud ki dagar, O yaara, mere liye,
Har kadam, Sang chali, teri hi yaari!!

-Atrangi Yaari, Wazir. ~

Suman patted her hair dry with swift movements, and threw the wet towel on her bed as she ran out. Straining the tea into the designated cup, she hurried to her Nanu's room, serving him his tea and breakfast. With spring on her heels she again ran down the stairs to pack Dabbu's tiffin and Mamaji's lunch. Once done, she quickly moved to her room and clipped her now semi dry hairs. Putting her wallet, phone and a few other necessities into her carry to bag, she fixed her face slightly, applying her cream and was almost done when she paused.

"Your eyes are the most beautiful ones I have ever seen".

A voice rang in her ears as she bit a smile before picking up her Kajal pencil and liner. This time she actually smiled into the mirror, applying her regular lip gloss and then picked up her beloved ambassador keys to run out. She was already running late, for PCT.

Parking her car, she entered the PCT with a huge polly bag carrying stuff Preeta had asked her to get but before she could keep them down, her leg twisted and she was about to fall when two hands held her in her place, keeping them on her waist to steady her.

Hushed chuckles erupted from the workers as Suman blushed, and Shravan giggled slightly, taking the bag out of her hands.

"You are late again Sumo", he shook his head, in an exaggerated motion while she stuck her tongue out.

"Unlike you Mr. London return, I have work to do", she glared at her staff, who quickly averted their stares and started chopping /garnishing /washing whatever they were supposed to.

"Not my fault my parents think I should settle down with the air first, and I do go through Papa's cases at night", he shrugged, muching on a carrot he had picked up from the vegetable basket. Suman chuckled, before tucking all her hair in a huge hair clip as she began to make tadka for her daal.

It has been two months since Shravan returned, and he had to admit, he had never been happier. Pushkar was still in therapy, there still were nights Shravan would hold him the entire night because Pushkar found it difficult to breathe, but he was coping. The family was wary but they were too handling things, and this unexpected friend that he had found was like the cherry on the cake.

He sat and watched her, like every other day and they both continued to bicker amidst. Once the lunch was done and packed, Suman asked the staff to have their lunch and rest a while before beginning to prepare for the dinner, before she picked her bag and dragged him out, her grip tight on his wrist.

The realization that he didn't flinch on her touch anymore melted her heart. She had noticed him not getting stiff anymore if her gaze landed on his marked wrists. His eyes reflected a certain warmth, and no body could say she was her brother's best friend, not his. Her mind travelled to that day, a few weeks ago when she had barged into his room wanting to take him out for coffee.

"Shravan? O Shravan? Qutub Minar?", she sang as she danced through his huge bedroom wanting to spot him, but was terribly failing until the washroom door opened to reveal a bare chested, but delicious Shravan.

"Delicious? What is wrong with you? ", Suman had to literally scold herself, and tear her eyes off him, well aware of that smirk playing on his lips.

"Too hot to handle?", Shravan asked, pulling his t-shirt, amused as she turned her face away.

"Thank God you didn't say, 'Like What You see?' I swear I would never say you are my best friend again, if you did" , Suman blabbered, wanting to dodge the flush on her face and his questions, but the pause from Shravan made her turn back to him.

"We are best friends?", Shravan's question was basic, and well to be honest, obvious. How many days it had been since they know each other?

"Of course we are", Suman pressed, because for her, time had never mattered. She cared for him, she had told him her worst secrets, and she knew he would hold her whenever she needed. That's all that was important.

She saw the shadows passing his face, the uncertainty crawling in his eyes. It broke her heart in a way she could not explain, but watching him wary of her, struggling to trust her words told her how deep his insecurities ran. It was in that moment she knew she wasn't gonna leave his hand ever, like who ever had did that to him.

"And because you are my best friend", Suman shouted extra chirpily, her face adorning her brightest smile, she attempted to hold his wrist, "Let's go for coffee!!!!"

But sooner than her skin touched his, he had flinched, jerking her hand away, immediately moving back to keep distance between them. Suman paused, and if it might have been anyone else in her place, they would have been shattered with hurt, but Suman understood. She knew better than to make all this about herself.

"I am sorry. I-", Shravan fumbled, struggling to explain but once he raised his eyes to look at Suman, he met with only assurance.

"You don't like being touched?", she asked, softly, not wanting to accuse him.

"I am just uncomfortable with a touch I haven't known long", he answered, and he knew how ironical it sounded.

Suman claiming they were best friends and him, getting scared of her touch.

Suman could see he was beating himself up for something that wasn't in his control and she knew exactly how that felt, so she immediately rushed to comfort him.

"Shravan, its okay. Like I said, we are best friends, so I understand. You will need time to adpat to the idea of me, but don't you worry, I am going to hover so much that it won't even take time!!!", she threw in a tease, and it worked, he calmed down. Turning to set his hairs, he looked at her through the mirror.

" But Suman, Coffee, seriously?", he raised an eyebrow, and Suman shrugged, averting her eyes.

"I thought Englishmen love coffee", her answer only amused him more, enough to make him chuckle.

"Poor Englishman then, because you have already made me drink tapri wali Chai before", he laughed, only for her to end up giggling.

For the first time in years, that day, both Suman and Shravan didn't feel like life was too tough to handle.

"The frequency of your Zoning out Suman, makes me want to recite a melodramatic line about how You must have fallen in love", Shravan's voice broke her trance, and she shook her head, flushed, because well, she was afraid it could come true, his prophecy.

Shravan laughed looking at her reaction, and Suman immediately elbowed him, making him wince dramatically.

"Don't forget its your beloved ambassador that I am driving. If we get into an accident, we might survive, this won't", Shravan teased her again, only for Suman to exclaim a louder "Shravan!!!!!!!", in response, because no one was allowed to say anything about her ambassador.

Technically, no one but her was allowed to drive it either, but here they were, negotiating her terms already.

They spent the evening in the park, talking about random things, and didn't realise when they had shifted too close to each other that her hairs were falling over his shoulders and his hand was tightly wrapped in his, as she softly caressed his wrists. All of it was happening while they weren't even conscious about it for Suman was narrating him her famous stint at Chandni Chowk, where she bought a said handbag of 400 rupees for just 80.

Who knew it was their destiny to meet or was it their need, but somehow two strangers were coming too close, and on their way to carve out a new chapter altogether.

Note: Apologies for being so MIA with this story, I had just lost my vision of this and I didn't want to ruin it. But now I am back, clear with where this is going and quicker updates. Stay tuned!