Even If The World Was Ending

33. The second family

"But this time, I am here to never let you go. To forever love and cherish you. With Intention of marriage and kids" Everyone in the room gasped. Even Shubman gasped audibly.

Ishan, then did something which almost made everyone stay shook and stunned to their core.

Ishan removed his ring on his middle finger of his left hand and raised Shubman's hand, stopping just a few millimetres away from Shubman's middle finger.

"I promise you Shubi that this time, I WILL fight against the world. Maybe, this is too early in our relationship that I'm putting this" Ishan pointed to the finger with his eyes "This ring on your finger. I will not force you to accept this, and I'll happily wait forever till I can have you. But this is a promise ring. I have loved you long before I understood what love is. Maybe I loved you years ago.. maybe I loved you at first sight. But I was sure in love with that dimpled smile and see? Those killer dimples of yours are enough for me to ask you this question" Ishan stared at Shubman who was looking at him with eyes wide open with shock and mouth so open, that it could reach the ground.

Ishan let out a shaky breath and then finally spoke "Shubi..Meri Jaan...Be mine forever? Be MINE till we fight against the world. Be MINE till, THE WORLD IS ENDING."

Everything around Shubman stopped working. Maybe even his brain stopped working.

Sitting in front of him, in a fucking hospital room, was a big idiot with doe eyes and messy hair, in a fucking hospital gown who just fought death, asking his hand in marriage in a most unromantic setting yet in romantic way.

A year back, if someone had told Shubman that his bestfriend was going to propose him... He would have laughed it off by saying "kya chutiya prank hai" and called Ishan an idiot. But right now, the fact that Ishan IS an idiot hasn't changed, just that this wasn't a prank but reality.

When Shubman had asked him a month back to fight against the world for their love, Shubman never in million years would have thought that Ishan would forfeit his heart, soul, mind, body and everything to Shubman forever.

If this proposal was in any other setting, with Ishan being healthy and not in a fucking hospital room with Ishan's confused family and some dumbfounded teammates, Shubman would have said yes.

But now, Shubman just shut his mouth and breathed in. Finally Shubman spoke, what felt hours for Ishan.

"This is.. this is too fast Ishu. I-I mean.. I- I do love you but marriage?" Shubman questioned and everyone in room passed a disappointed sigh.

Shreyas literally wanted to bang his head against a wall and the seniors, wanted to nothing more than to threaten Shubman with something like throwing him out of the ICT for forever for breaking Ishan's heart.

Ishan smiled disappointedly, his heart breaking but still understanding from where Shubman was coming from. He brought his raised hand with the ring back.

"It's ok Shubi...like I said, I'll wait for you forever. I meant it. I'll face hundreds of rejections, hundreds of no-"

"YES"

"Yes, hundreds of no-"

"Yes Ishan."

"Ya I understand Shubi.. I'll accept hundreds of Yes..I mean...no. Wait? WHAT?!!"

And the fact is, Shubman would have said yes in every circumstance, to every proposal even if it was in fucking jungle.

Shubman giggled and brought Ishan's hand back up and placed that ring on his middle finger.

"I'll support you Ishan.. through thick and thin.. through your stupid antics and pranks.. through smiles and tears. Through everything." Shubman smiled as he placed the hand with the ring on Ishan's cheek.