Storm of the Bruised Hearts -Chapter 10 (EDKV) [by Ariana]

Happy New Year sweetheart!!! So it’s a brand new year with old boring dumb headed Aru but my wishes r strong. Hope you all r enjoying well n made perfect resolutions. Add one small thing if u didn’t yet- Smile everyday.
I won’t blabber much rather would jump onto my story coz it’s step no. 1 towards revelation n also the last Sumo’s POV. Hope you make your way through coz the revelation is somewhere hidden in my small description.

CHAPTER 10: AN ACHED MANUSCRIPT

(SUMO’S POV)

My feet pressurized each clustered mass of white crafted snow as I kept walking on the sidewalk…dead. Every step was more like deleting moments of my life. I was experienced, I consoled myself. Betrayal isn’t new nor was I a mudded toy. I named me, I was me, I formed me. I had all powers to control myself. “Please don’t” shouted inside my soul as I wondered who it was. The answer was well known yet I ignored and walked on. At one point tear made it’s way out of my big dried eyes making me realize my continuous breaths. Finally I was back to reality. I got ditched by the only chance I took this life. Once again my soul shouted in pain and the fact haunted me but he also wished me the brightest life ahead. I was ‘moving on’ as he said. Where I don’t know but I was moving on- Wherever this street shall lead me.
Oh crap obstacles aren’t done playing with me! I thought once again what happened realizing my butt all moisturized due to wet melted ice, as I lay over the thick pile of roadside snow like a drunk frame. I smiled looking at the sky. It was all dark yet lighted with millions of small stars. Oh look I can see me there, with others…

Dong…Dong…Dong…

I turned my head at an angle to see the big framed clock hidden behind the high raised glassed buildings showing midnight. It was 12. A perfect 12 am and my best day begins.
Slowly curving my hip I tried balancing on my legs but luck was too nice this time too. “Happy Bir-woooaaa” My left leg slipped off the black ice yet again making me fall straight on my face. Good job Sumo! Best birthday gift you can give to yourself! My hands, gloveless, which were freezing till now went all warm and numb as I moved my chest up making a push-up pose. The ice under my stomach laid red, with shots of heavy colour. Oh man people should stop drinking, I thought until I cleared the fact that my hands broke through the ice shield and those red viscous liquid mixed in layers of ice was nothing but my blood.
Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt. I broke rest of the ice and took my wrist onwards hand out as my eyes trailed small scratches all over my palm.
“Oh jeez! Come on I’m helping u get up” A sharp melodic voice spoke as I felt thick arms around my waist pulling me up and bringing me on my legs. I was on the road level once again yet my eyes kept looking down at the cluster of blood which faded away in the shiny ice. I wish my pain also burnt away that easily.
Rubbing my bruised fingers on my stomach, clearing the small soft snow off my jacket, I turned around showing my back to the merciful soul and kept marching away shouting a warm thanks. I walked…marched…jogged…ran, yet leg on the very same spot jerking.

“Leave me” I cried out trying to push away the same thick arms which held me strong on the same spot.
“Relax! Why are you running away on this slippery snow? Besides, it’s late. Not safe either.” He spoke again sounding much concerned.
“Why do you care? Following exactly what your brother wanted.” I broke off resting my stomach on his arms.
“What?” Push asked confused, removing his arms from my body making me fall yet again on my face. “Oh!! Sumo it’s you? I’m so sorry! Get up.” He cried out pulling me up once more. Before I could balance on my feet, he carried me to a dark room filled with cars and layed me on the edged wall of the parking lot.

“Girl you are frozen. Why are you on your jacket only? Where are your gloves and snow boots? Omg!!! Your cheeks got some cuts too. Were you lost?” He kept scolding me trying to rub off the dried blood off my left cheek.
“Nope. Finally entered reality.” I smiled removing his fingers off my face.
“You hands!!! Bruises!!! What were you up to? Wait I’m coming.” He jumped off immediately running to a random car and talked to the person inside bringing an aid box.

Pulling my hands, he started rubbing off alcohol to clean my blood, while I kept moving it away. I don’t deserve such care after all.
“Listen, I know it hurts but let me do it.” He explained once I snatched my hands away from his control.
“It doesn’t hurt. These bruises are too small to be detected.”
“Sumo are you drunk?” He asked as concerned as confused,
“Was,” I grinned. “Drunk….LoooV-err”
“I’m here you know right? Your best friend, your brother. What’s wrong? You were completely okay few hours back. What happened?” He interrogated again as tears rolled down my eyes. It was just saltwater- no emotions attached to it. Push crawled on my right hugging me cornered as he placed a soft kiss on my forehead. I placed my head under his shoulder while he kept cleaning my bruises. Slowly, stabbing my heart I spoke finally before bursting out with tears again, “He is committed…already”
Push looked at my face for a while, judging every cell of me before I traced large water droplets coming down his eyes too.
“Hey don’t cry Push,” I console him clearing off his tears, “It’s okay. I bet she’ll be a far better sister-in-law than me. After all, he chose her.” I hiked ending my words as he took me into a bone crushing hug.

“I’m sorry Sumo, I’m so so so sorry.” He kept muttering as I reminded him that it was me who fell for his silliness. “No Sumo you don’t get my guilt. I knew. I always knew about it yet a small hope inside me shouted that you could change Bhaiya for betterment.” He sobbed harder finishing his words as I stared, perplexed.
“You know Sumo the day you walked into our house and Bhaiya allowed you to stay with us, I knew you had an unknown power to control bhaiya. I thought, just for a moment, just for a while with my childishness, that you could fix his bruised heart. And look I was so right! You melted Shravan Malhotra’s frozen shield but who knew it was at cost of your pure heart? I’m sorry Sumo I pulled you into this mess.” He explained avoiding eye contacts.
“Push…Push stop. What’s bugging you? What was it all with Shravan? I didn’t change him. He is the same. But what were you up to? I really am done with your and Shravan’s hide-n-seek game. Please for god’s sake tell me what’s so off with him” I pleaded when he finally dared looking into my eyes and faced a poor smile.
“You still love Bhaiya don’t you?” He asked as I looked down. Is forgetting someone that easy, i wondered as he began…

“I lied. All of it. My life, Bhaiya’s life, our life, everything.” He spoke as my eyes found it’s way back onto his which were flooded. “Our family isn’t back in India. We didn’t come to Canada when 5 and didn’t grow up in Toronto’s Boarding School. Remember how I made you promise on the first day of our friendship that we would never talk about our family or anything?” He asked clearing his tears as I nodded recalling those moments. “It was all for a reason. We have a dark- well not dark but tragic story behind which we don’t like bringing up. I did get over most of it but Bhaiya didn’t. He just couldn’t.” He sobbed again when I paused, asking him to elaborate.
“Well mommy and papa ran away from their families and married settling in Canada. So you see we never had large family or any Indian background. It was a small happy family of me, Bhaiya, mommy and papa. Then our family enlarged as our one Indian neighbour family supported us. Their only daughter, Sanam was our best friend. I mean mine, as for bhaiya, things went beyond. We trio explored the whole city and always ended up in Tom Uncle’s Paan Store. So yeah today, Tom Uncle just mixed you with her.” He smiled as I felt him going through the best moments of his life.

“What happened to Sanam? And where is uncle, aunty?” I asked not being able to hold back my curiosity an longer.
“To the point I see,” He winked out of his tears making me giggled a bit. “Our happy family with a fixed bhabi. What can you expect more? When Bhaiya was 15, he finally asked Sanam out and they turned into the cutest couple of the town.” I smiled adoring his memories though my heart tore apart with the fact that Sanam is his that love.
“But you know sadly good things ends quicker?” He asked when his smile faded behind those painful tears. I knew, very well, so I nodded. My days of love and adore also rushed away in a second. “It was bhaiya’s 18th birthday and Sanam planned the biggest surprise for him. It was indeed the greatest surprise.” Push threw his arms around me once more hugging me like a teddy bear while his tears rolling down my waterproof jacket.
I was lost on that one name which rhymed mines so well yet owned much more authority than me- Sanam, but Pushkar’s small hik helped my way back to his story. What was so wrong about Shravan’s birthday? What happened that day? I kept throwing darts all over my head until Push mumbled some words, unclear yet clear enough to explain me all of it… “CN Tower-Bhaiya and me on subway-Family up-2010”

XXX

“Please don’t” it shouted with weak view as those hands pinned around.
“Promise?” She smiled letting her petit arm in the air to be landed on the greatest vow.
“Wake up…please” it moved shaking the world aside
“Forever” the thick voice declared in pride
“Leave” she cried as darkness covered her own disgust.
“Change…once more.” The curved smile vanished behind cold tears as the ink dried.

XXX

“Sumo wake up” he cried again shaking my head as I opened my eyes finding myself lying cold, dry and nearly soulless on the rough pavement.
“Push go to Shravan-NOW” I demanded balancing on my hip and sitting facing his perplexed view.
“Are you okay? And…Why?” he asked confused, looking through my walls.
“Don’t worry about me. I broke-” I admitted letting large water droplets roll down my bruised cheeks once more. This time with huge burden of fear and terror. “He… is still a child from heart. Unprepared and fragile.”
“And you can see through him, Sumo. You get him better than me without any connection.” He tried convincing when I corrected-
“WITH a connection.” Push wildly stared at me as I forced him up and prepared for a departure.
“Go” I ordered.

While he slowly marched his leave, I wondered how much those poor souls went through. That smile, full of innocence and childishness covered the dark marks of unforgettable manuscript. That one day changed their lives so miserably that me-an intruder- is also facing the circumstances. Shravan’s 18th birthday was that very dark day of Toronto when Russian refugees attacked CN Tower and killed 14 souls. Who knew those included 5 of Shravan’s hearts? I’m here celebrating the lose of my one love and he there, I don’t know how kept surviving so long even after losing his family and love. Life has been unfair, not only to me but to these pure beings too. If love had been my destruction, reality had been theirs. Fear explained mines through solitary and theirs- shades of humanity.
I stood on my feet once again with maturity as those past few mins taught me another story of this world. A deadly cursed smile curved my face as realization of the fact dealing the true character of this planet hit me- we all are victims of this overpowered greedy compassion and none were, are, or will be safe until the air of death welcomes us casually.

Leading my brain out of theories I looked at the exit door which shadowed the frame whom I ordered to fortake.
“Hey Push,” I asked as he turned around, “What differentiates me from Sanam so miscellaneously that he could never accept me?”
“Sumo- Bhaiya loves you, he just needs to let go the past. Or I can say-let go her ‘va te faire foutre’ red hair…” he replied mixing in the mist
__________________________
Aha!!! Could join the dots now? To all those who imagined Sanam as Sumo- dude I’m proud to blow off your mind with the fact Sanam is the red haired girl. Now this chap was very nonsensy ik but I am SORRY. Remember how I informed you all at the very beginning of my story it is more about social conflicts than a sweet ‘pink unicorn’ love story? So u’ll find more of these nonsense than bubble soaped spa romance.
If you are a non-fic lover buddy welx coz I’m sure u read at least We All Fall Down edition 1 on 9/11 or edition 2 on 2nd June 2010, CN tower terror attack (it’s not fictional- it’s true.) n u could relate.
Now back to the story: Hope u got the answer behind Shravan’s coldness and also all those mysteries related Shravan, calling him CN Tower, and him being committed.
My two questions: If Sanam is dead, why does Shravan count himself committed still now?
Is there a connection between our sweet red haired girl which Sumo intercoms and Sanam?
Nxt update by the end of this week
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Happy New Year again!!! Many many warm wishes of happiness, success, peace, good health and a prosperous life. Enjoy this year. Keep smiling n spread love. Chase ur dreams and exploreeeeeeeeeeee
Loads of love
Huggies n kisses
-Aru