The Boundaries of Love

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The chatter around him slowed down the moment Shravan's eyes fell upon her. He didn't know she was going to be here in Akshay's fundraising event. He looked at Akshay who was already looking back at him, humour dancing in his eyes. That cheeky brat! What would he do, if it weren't for him?

Suman slowly turned to look at him, and the soft hum he was hearing simply just gone mute. She looked mesmerising in that black dress. Shravan could see her eyes widened as her eyes roamed around his body. He could bet that was the sexiest thing he had ever seen in his life. Her slow and lazy gaze lingered upon his face, while her cheeks warmed. How he wished if he had access to her thoughts.

Shravan chuckled to himself as Suman snuggled up into him. He circled his arms around her tighter. Shravan had seen her from up close here. But seeing her sleeping like a baby in his arms, his heart fluttered. He remembered when Suman had fallen asleep on his lap at his house when she came to see him after he got home from the hospital. She looked like an angel.

Sometimes he wondered, how a girl like her agreed to marry him. Then again he smiled, well, he didn't give her any options either. "Mm . . ." Suman mumbled into his shoulder. Shravan eyes travelled towards her mouth. His heartbeat doubled again, tonight she had willingly, without any inhibition, kissed him, the moment he was waiting for what seemed like forever. She didn't even know she had managed to make him hers.

Shravan closed his eyes, tightening his hold around her. He could feel soft tears burned his now-closed eyes. When had he felt this overwhelmed he didn't remember, rather he should say, never. No one in his life made this much impact other than his parents. This fragile girl, who was brave enough to run behind a man, just because she was angry . . . He shook his head, in any other circumstances he would have found it extremely charming. But with his Sumo, no, he wouldn't take such risk. When one of Suman's bodyguards called him to say they had lost track of her watch and her whereabouts, he could swear, his heart stopped for a second or two. That fear of losing her was something he was not ready to experience again.

Shravan opened his eyes when his driver's voice broke his reverie. This was the reason he always avoided being driven around by a driver. They had the worst timing. But tonight he knew he would be getting drunk, and he was not a man who would take unnecessary risks. He had already called Preety, telling her about Suman's condition. Shravan was aware of the fact that his would-be father-in-law wasn't a big fan of his when it comes to his daughter.

"Sumo!" He placed a soft kiss on her hair, "We are home." Amused he looked at the love of his life, she snuggled more into him, mumbling something unintelligible.

God, she looked beautiful. Her skin clear of any makeup, he could see her sun-kissed skin, and it impressed him more that she didn't try to cover the uneven tones on her body. His Sumo was original.

"Sumo!" He nudged her hand which tightened around his waist. And again that obnoxious feeling of possessing her peeked into his mind. Slowly and softly he dragged his nails over her bare hand. A soft red mark appeared and disappeared on her arm which pleased him to no end, as though he was marking her as his. 'What am I doing!' he clenched his jaw, this was insane, for God sake he was completely losing his mind.

"She is a heavy sleeper." Shravan almost jumped listening to the voice. Preety was peering into the car. He didn't know when his driver had rolled down the windows.

"Yes, I can see that." He was embarrassed that she had caught him looking at Suman like a creep. "I was just waiting for her to wake up . . ."

Preety waved her hand, "Yes, I can see that too." A soft chuckle slipped through Shravan's hand. Suman did tell him about Preety's nature about calling a spade a spade.

"I know how to wake her up." Preety laughed, "Sumo, Mark Ruffalo!" She shouted. And Shravan saw the magic of that one word. Suman jumped in her seat as she sat straight, looking around like a maniac.

"What. . . Where . . . Where . . ." She looked at Preety and then at Shravan, "Where am I?"

Preety laughed out loud, and turned to walk away from the car, "I'll be waiting at the foyer. I am sure you two need time to say goodnight to each other, but please make it fast, I am sleepy."

"Mark Ruffalo! Sumo!" Shravan was amused, "Don't tell me I have to compete with a fifty-two-year-old man."

Suman stifled a yawn, "Well, there is no competition, he is my first love, and you have to live with it." Shravan laughed and kissed the crown of her head. He was beyond amused. Everything about Suman was making him want her more. "Preety is waiting," Suman mumbled into his chest, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He helped her to get down from the car. He stood there with a soft smile lingered on his face, he was about to get into the car when he came face to face with Arnab. Suman's brother was an intriguing personality. He had never met someone who talked less than him. "Hello, Arnab."

Arnab regarded him with a frown, "Hello, I wanted to ask something." Shravan nodded, "Sumo told me about the bodyguards." Shravan thinned his lips. He didn't want them to know in the first place, but he guessed Suman needed to confide in someone. "Don't worry, I haven't told anyone. But that doesn't mean I won't if needed." Arnab's voice was devoid of any emotion, "And make sure you are worth all these problems she is facing because of you."

"I would never," Shravan shook his head when Arnab waved his hand to dismiss him, the clear sign that he didn't want to talk anymore about this. He nodded at Arnab, and mumbled an inaudible goodnight and got inside the car with a promise to himself, he would not let anyone harm his Sumo. She would never regret her decision to marry him.

***

"Hey, bro." Shravan threw his car keys on Akshay's office desk. Akshay had called him last night and asked him to meet him at his office. Because of Sunday, the office was empty.

Akshay pushed the laptop towards him, "You should see this."

Shravan looked into the screen, "CCTV footage of last night. You have managed to get it finally,"

"Yes, and what I found is, well, see for yourself," he pressed the space key on the laptop and the video started to play.

At one point of time, Shravan could see, a man in black stood just beside Suman, when the light dimmed while the fundraising started. They couldn't see properly as the cameras weren't focused on a particular place, but all they could see was that the man was holding only one glass of champagne and he placed it in front of Suman. She drank it, and the man stayed there until she finished it. Shravan snapped his eyes at Akshay, "This means,"

"No wonder she was drunk even when she had just two drinks. She was drugged." Akshay nodded, "But there is more. Look." Shravan again concentrated on the screen. "There," Akshay pointed towards a man who was with a woman in a very compromising position.

Shravan looked at the couple, frowning as he found it uncomfortable to watch them making out at the dark corner of the corridor. Suddenly he gasped, he could swear he had seen the man's backside when Suman ran after him. Why didn't he think properly, he had seen him at the party! Of course. It was Saahil, he was there with Suman, and all he had to do was wear a black coat over his black shirt.

Rage, it was pure rage that formed inside his head when he thought how stupid he was that he didn't think of it sooner. His curled fist connected with the table with force, "Not so soon, mate. There's more."

The girl he was making out with was none other than Ananya.

***

A small update, as I didn't get enough time to write.

PS, not edited. Overlook the mistakes.