A Thousand Years

Chapter 18

Suman's POV 

I slowly opened my eyes as the sun shined on my face. I smiled to myself as it was a new day. Ever since, Shravan and I confessed our love, I genuinely felt happy in life. Suddenly, Shravan and Sagar barged into my room singing "Happy Birthday" loudly. I usually never celebrated my birthday but today felt special since I had the two most important people in my life next to me. Sagar jumped into my lap and placed a big kiss on my cheek. He handed me a drawing that he drew for my birthday. It was a picture of the three of us together. Sagar giggled as he watched Shravan place a soft kiss on my temple as he wished me a happy birthday.

Shravan spent more time at our house now and sometimes he would spend the night. But, he became worried as he wasn't sure if Sagar was comfortable with our relationship. I told him he was worrying too much and that Sagar was probably fine with it. But, Shravan was adamant to talk to him about this. I felt a bit awkward as I didn't know how to explain our relationship to Sagar, as he was a child, but Shravan handled it perfectly:

Shravan made Sagar sit down and gently asked, "Does it make you uncomfortable when your Mumma and I hold hands when we go out together? You can be completely honest with me".

Sagar shook his head and said with a smile, "No, actually I like it a lot when you two are together. I would be mad if you held someone else's hand. So, you can only hold my Mom's hand. My friend's parents also hold hands and they are a family. I wish we could be a family too". Shravan smiled as he felt reassured that Sagar was comfortable. Then, Sagar spoke up again, "Actually there is one thing that bothers me. If you like Mumma and me so much, why do you still go back to Bunty Uncle's house sometimes? Stay here with us forever". Shravan was taken aback by Sagar's request. I laughed seeing Shravan's surprised face as Sagar stubbornly pulled his arm to go to Bunty's house to pack up his stuff and bring it to our house permanently.

Sagar and Shravan both went downstairs saying they had a surprise for me. After freshening up, I saw them in the kitchen whispering to each other but they suddenly stopped when they saw me. Their faces looked like they were caught stealing. What were they up to? They made me sit down and set a large plate of waffles in front of me. Sagar said with a bright smile, "Here is your birthday breakfast! Coach made the waffles and I decorated it with whipped cream and fruits. Do you like it?" I nodded and gave a hug to Sagar. I looked up and mouthed thank you to Shravan, who smiled lovingly at me. After eating breakfast, I got up to go to the lawn to water the plants but Shravan and Sagar blocked my path and yelled, "No! You can't go there!" I grew confused seeing their odd behavior. Sagar handed me a bag and said, "We have a long day ahead! Go get ready". As I went back upstairs to get ready, I looked back to see Shravan and Sagar giving each other high-fives. I rolled my eyes trying to contain my smile. I loved these fools and they were all mine.

I stepped out the shower and slowly took out the dress from the bag. I smiled as I saw the dress...this was definitely Shravan's choice. It was a white floral dress. He always likes me in simple dresses. I wore the dress and twirled around but suddenly my attention went to the scars on my arm. It was a sleeveless dress. I still didn't feel comfortable with my scars. I felt hideous when I looked at myself. But, I always got confused when Shravan looked at me. He looked at me and even my scars as if he's never seen anything more beautiful. He keeps telling me that I have to learn to love myself again but it's so difficult. I took a deep breath and grabbed a white cardigan to wear over the dress to cover up my scars.

I walked out of my room and heard bickering coming from the guest room where Shravan stayed. Sagar pointed at Shravan's teenage picture and groaned, "No, Coach! I want my hair exactly like how you have it in this picture! I think my hair needs more gel".

Shravan rolled his eyes, "You don't need more gel. It's exactly like how I used to do my hair. Why are you acting so odd today? It's your Mom's birthday not your wedding, Dulhe Raja. Also, why are you wearing green? You don't even like this color". I burst out laughing seeing their silly argument. They both finally looked up and noticed me. Sagar told me with a bright smile that I looked like a princess and I pulled his cheek. I looked over to Shravan who was gazing at me with a soft smile as if he was lost in a dream. I felt myself blushing. Maybe, I should see myself from his eyes and I might learn to love myself again.