Forever and Always

Suman rested her head on her desk. She was exhausted from studying so much. To make matters worse, even Shravan wasn't around. After Shravan and Suman finished high school, Suman joined an army medical college as she was aspiring to become an Army Medical Officer. Shravan also joined the army as a cadet-in-training to become a soldier. They both thought that it would be a good idea as they would stay in the same city and could be together. But, little did they know that they would both be so busy with their studies and training that they would barely get time to see each other. Shravan was often traveling to different cities for his training and therefore they mostly had a long-distance relationship.

Suman really missed Shravan as he was currently in Jaipur and she hadn't talked to him in three days. She wondered how he must be doing. She picked up her phone and scrolled through Shravan's social media. She pouted as she saw his pictures with his cadet friends enjoying Jaipur after training. Suman sighed as she looked at her books. Shravan was in Jaipur...enjoying his life without her while she was stuck with thick books. Suman smiled to herself as she zoomed into Shravan's picture. His smile was so infectious and brought her instant peace. "I miss you so much, Shravan. I wish you were here", she whispered to herself.

Suman suddenly heard footsteps in her room and froze. She clutched onto her pen and turned around to stab the intruder in the neck. "Ahhhh!! What are you doing? It's me", the intruder yelled in fear. As the intruder stepped into the light, Suman's eyes grew in excitement and she threw her arms around him.

"Shravan? You're here? I missed you so much! Why did you sneak into my room like a thief? I got so scared". Suman jumped in excitement as she was glad to see Shravan.

"I missed you too, Sumo. What was I supposed to do? You know I won't get entry into a girls hostel at this hour. I barely escaped the guards", Shravan said in one breath.

Suman rolled her eyes and said, "I swear, one day your antics will get you hurt by me".

Shravan put his hand over his heart and dramatically sighed, "I will gladly accept any pain from you with love". Suman rolled her eyes and whacked his arm trying to suppress her giggle.

Suddenly, Suman remembered that Shravan wasn't supposed to come back until the end of the month. "Wait Shravan...why are you back so early? Did something happen? Are you okay?"

Shravan gave a soft smile and said, "I'm fine. It's just that...I really missed you so I took a one day leave to come see you. I wanted it to be a surprise".

Suman wrapped her arms around Shravan and rested her head against his heart. She whispered, "I'm glad you're here. I was missing you too".

Shravan broke out in a bright smile as he pulled a wrapped gift behind him. "I bought something for you". Suman opened the present and gave a gentle smile. It was a white salwar kurta with a blue Jaipuri design dupatta. "When I saw this...I knew I had to buy it for you". Suman blushed at Shravan's words. Shravan then said, "Go wear it! I want to see how you look".

Suman's smile faded, "Right now?" Shravan's attention focused on the stack of books behind her. He realized that he had come at a bad time as Suman was busy. Suman noticed how Shravan's excited face fell with disappointment. She stuttered with guilt, "I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that. I love your gift. It's just that I have my exam tomorrow and I have to study".

Shravan forced a smile trying to hide his disappointment. He didn't want his Sumo to feel bad. He cared about her studies as much as she cared about his training. They both wanted each other to be successful. Shravan put his hands on Suman's shoulders and said, "It's okay. Study for your exam. We can spend time together after your exam is over".