***No proof reading.
***Not edited.
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"What are you trying to say Shravan?"
"Listen Erik, get this straight! Suman isn't the girl for you, trust me!"
"What do you mean she isn't the girl for me dude? What the hell is wrong with you?"
Erik was clearly aggravated.
"It's not me buddy. It's her. She is wrong for you. She isn't who you think she is!"
Shravan raised his tone. He was desperate to prove his point.
"Really? And why do you think that?"
Erik's voice sounded irked. He was almost on edge. He could sense from the very beginning that Shravan wasn't very fond of the idea of him and Suman being together but he was confused why. Erik toned down a bit as he shot his next question
"Do you like her?"
Shravan's head snapped at his direction
"What?"
Erik held up his hand in a defensive gesture
"I mean do you see her as more than a friend? If that is the case dude, then I understand-"
"Oh shut up! God dammit Erik!"
Shravan yelled.
"Have you lost your God damn mind? Me? Interested in Suman Tiwari? Are you out of your mind?"
Erik shook his head in frustration
"Then why do you not like the fact that I have a thing for her?"
Shravan narrowed his eyes at him. When he spoke, his voice was ice cold
"Because that bit*h isn't worth the shot Erik!"
"Shravan!"
Erik couldn't believe the high pitched scream that escaped his mouth, neither he could buy his friend speaking of a girl like that.
"How could you say something like that about your friend? That too your childhood best friend?"
Shravan laughed hysterically at that remark
"Friend? Childhood best friend? Huh! That is the biggest joke I've ever heard Erik!"
Erik looked at Shravan stunned. He was speaking like he was dead drunk and was on the verge of being knocked out.
"She isn't my friend. She never was. She was a bully. She used me. She bullied me to her heart's content. And I let her do all that to me. But not anymore."
Shravan's eyes were glistening with tears. Agony dripped with each word he spoke. The amount of grudge that he held in his heart shocked Erik. He murmured in a low whisper
"High school's over buddy. Grow up Shravan."
"It's not over. I'm not over it and I never will be."
Shravan said through clenched teeth. His breathing was heavy and Erik could see his hand in a fist, almost painfully. He stood there in silence as Shravan left the spot without another word.
***
Shravan was trying to concentrate. His absence had given rise to a huge pile of paperwork and he had to finish them before he got back to London. He was skimming through the documents on his iPad but as he scrolled down the screen relentlessly, he realized that he hadn't read a word. Exasperated, he put the tab down on his table and decided to read a book to refresh his mind. The shelf on his table wasn't home to a big collection, he didn't deny. But his most favorite books were there. Books that he read over and over again and still he didn't get bored. As he scanned the whole shelf, he decided to read GOT.
A song of ice and fire.
A smile tugged at his lips as he read it. Somehow, it reminded him of himself and Sumo. He jerked his head. He needed to clear his mind, not go on a frenzy mode again.
He pulled the book from the shelf but in the process had knocked over another. As he picked the other book from the ground, his eyes fell on the cover and he stopped in his tracks
'Crossword Dictionary'
He could see a piece of folded paper peeking from the edge. He knew what it was more than he knew anything in the whole wide world. It was the declaration of his destruction. The destruction that he called upon himself. The destruction named 'Sumo'.
He snapped out of his stance as his phone beeped. A message from Suman Tiwari. Had to be a coincidence. Shravan heaved a sigh, clearly annoyed but later smirked in an attempt to mock the message.
"I am going to talk, laugh, flirt with anyone I want. You don't want me near Erik? Sorry but that's your problem. If Erik wants me and I want him, there's nothing you can do about it. You are not going to tell me what I can do and what I cannot. You have lost that right long ago. I will be as close to Erik as his clothes are to his body. Do whatever you want to do. I don't give a damn to your threats. Grow up!"
Shravan's blood boiled in rage. He threw his phone to the floor. He felt like breaking some more things. She did that again. He felt like she slapped him hard on the face.
Though he regretted his action immediately. He needed the phone more than ever at the moment. He had to give a reply. To crunch the pride of that woman. He dropped both the books to the ground and grabbed his car keys.
Now that Suman had challenged him, he wasn't going to step back.
'You want to play Suman Tiwari? We will play then. And don't worry about the rules. I am the one who will set them and I will break them on my terms. You are going to regret each and and every word in that message. That's a promise. Because, when it comes to my game, I play it dirty.'
His lips quirked in a cruel smirk. Suman Tiwari was soon going to regret messing with him. She was fire. He was ice. When they merge, a vortex will rise and a song will be sung. Heavens and hells will clash and God knew it wouldn't be a song of love. But becoming one was inevitable for them, whether they liked it or not.
***
The road to Tiwari Villa seemed nearly isolated. Shravan turned the radio on and sped up the car. Suman Tiwari was soon going to regret her words.
***
Suman scrolled through her contacts. There had been an incident at PCT, a client had complained about 'inconvenience'. She didn't know precisely what the case was because she wasn't present in PCT at the moment. And so she needed to talk to Preeta and know the whole story. She found her number at last and was going to press the call button when her phone rang
"Pushkar?"
Suman picked up but before she could say 'hello', Pushkar's panicked voice made her heart stop for a moment
"Sumo, Bhaiya had an accident. We are taking him to the hospital. Please come soon..."
Pushkar's voice cracked. She could tell he was on the verge of breaking down. And so was she. She couldn't help the tears streaming down her face. She cut the call and closed her eyes. Something was suffocating her, knocking her out of breath. She started chanting in her head
"Please don't let anything happen to him, please let him be safe..."
She couldn't lose him. She couldn't lose him at any cost. She couldn't lose her Shravan. Never.
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