"Our nature is obscured by work done by the compulsion of want or fear. The mother reveals herself in the service of her children, so our true freedom is not the freedom from the action but freedom in action, which can only be attained in the work of love."

- Rabindranath Tagore

* * * *

"Do you remember, Bhaiya, last time I had told you to reserve the table for two? That day I ran away when I saw you there. I am so glad that now you know and I don't have to hide anything from you," Pushkar told him as they stepped into the hotel.

He looked excited, an energetic puppy with his wide eyes and innocent smile. He truly was melting his heart, a Pushkar in love, Shravan decided, was a very amusing sight...

"Why didn't you tell me back then?" He asked with a laugh.

"I was afraid how will you react, especially after hearing your rants on how untrustworthy women are," Pushkar reminded him with a pout.

"You can tell me anything and I may rant about this and that, but your happiness is above anything, Pushkar," he told his cousin before ruffling his hair with a fond smile.

"I know, Bhaiya," Pushkar side with a wide smile.

"Uff, what a strong bromance, I think we should leave them alone for some more, Preeti," suddenly they heard Suman whisper out loud to the visibly nervous-looking Preeti.

"Sumo," Pushkar cried out her name and then with a blush, he whispered; "Hi Preeti," while smiling, awestruck.

Inviting them to sit on the table, with the couple of the night blushing while sitting side by side, and Suman sitting by his side with a nod yet a critical expression on her face, Shravan didn't know what to do more than smile in amusement. After a round of unnecessary introduction, he called the waiter who after taking their order, disappeared into thin air.

"So, Preeti, tell us something about you," Shravan said, breaking the awkward silence.

And as Preeti muttered random things about her, her rigid and nervous stance disappeared and she once again was in her full bubbly avatar that Suman knew and Pushkar has come to love.

As the conversation between them went on, he enjoyed the company of three of them as much as the food they were served, and even though, along the way, he somehow became their target, he laughed at their antics.

"When I saw Bhaiya that day, I was panicking and I dragged Preeti away from our first date in that supposedly most famous hotel and we ended up having our dinner date in the parking lot outside," Pushkar narrated with a pout, making them laugh.

"I must say, Shravan, you have changed so much," Preeti said with a laugh after hearing Pushkar and Suman both narrating exaggerated version of events to tell Preeti how much they feared Shravan.

Lies...

"Oh, really?" He asked formally as he glared at the other two, why were they teaming up together to make fun of him in front of Preeti, he didn't know.

"Yes, you have. I remember during teens you seemed to such an innocent soul, I used to have a crush on you," Preeti causally confessed with an amusing laugh, shocking the other three into silence.

But within a heartbeat, Shravan recovered and saw in the innocent confession an opportunity to strike back and take his revenge from the duo who had been teasing him all night.

"Tell me, more, Preeti, why was that?" Shravan asked smirking at his cousin who was now frowning.

"Remember you used to tutor me for maths when I was in the sixth stander. You used to explain it so simply and reward me with so many chocolates when I used to pass the tests. That's why. Come to think of, you were my first crush," she said with a casual laugh, obvious to how Pushkar was paling and how suddenly Suman was glaring at her.

"That's so interesting, Preeti, and thank you for giving me the honor of being your first crush," he charmingly told her with a smile, making her giggle.

"I didn't know by introducing her to my brother I would be putting my own love story at risk," Pushkar whispered with a frown, paling a the sight of the duo laughing together.

"Do something, Pushkar, or otherwise, I will end up killing your brother tonight. So shamelessly he is flirting with my younger sister," Suman muttered as she continued to glare at Shravan who was dedicating all his attention to someone else.

"What my poor brother has done? Didn't you hear your sister confessing her crush on him?" Pushkar frowned at her.

"Your poor brother is taking advantage of the situation, see how much he is enjoying," she muttered as she fumed in rage.

"Ah, it's better to separate them then," Pushkar whispered and with a nod from her, he turned to Preeti.

"Wanna dance, pretty Preeti?" He asked at her while extending his hand towards her and smiled wildly when she with a blush she put her hand on his, and then after smirking at the other two, he was off to the dance floor with his lady.

"They look cute together," Shravan said as they observed the couple dancing together but frowned when he saw her fuming in rage.

"What's wrong?" He asked her.

"You were flirting with her," she muttered with a glare.

"No, I wasn't," he denied with a confused frown.

"Yes, you were," she insisted while banging her hand on the table.

"Are you crazy, Sumo? I was just curious, she is probably the only one who had a crush on nerdy Shravan," he said with shrug.

Not that he had ever paid any attention to anyone else than her. Suman Tiwari had been the one for him ever since she had come in his life. But it was strangely amusing yet sad to know that her younger cousin sister had been wooed by the efforts he had been putting into wooing her by helping Preeti with maths during their teen years.

"That's not true, 10th stander Manvi Sharma and 8th stander Navya Singh liked you too. And I am a hundred person sure Naina from our class with her big eyes and even bigger glasses had a solid crush on you," she muttered with a frown.

"But they never confessed, why?" he asked with a fake sad sigh.

"That's because I scared them away," she confessed in rush, only to regret later.

"What?" He asked her with a confused frown.

"Nothing," she muttered, "anyway, do you want Kulfi for the desert, I have heard it's very good," she excitedly told him in an attempt to change the topic.

"Okay," he muttered with a shrug.

After the dinner, while sipping their coffee and green tea, they continued to talk about everything and anything, laughing together without realizing how the night was coming to an end. As Preeti told them about the newly interesting course she was intending to follow, Shravan thought it was the time to go back to the business they were gathered for.

"That's great," Shravan said with a nod as he analyzed her.

There was something very naive and endearing about Preeti, he could see why the sunshine Pushkar was attracted to the positive radiating energy Preeti. He could see their aura and personality meshing together beautifully. A truly uncomplicated and sweet relationship they had and if it transformed into marriage, Preeti would be a good addition in the Malhotra clan. He could predict a strong friendship between Preeti and Vandy Bhabhi. Varun Bhaiya as always, would go along with others and Lala Ji would adore her, he realized.

Kamini Chachi could create problems, he could tell but maybe if they would be able to convince his father, Ramnaath Malhotra - as the head of the family - would be able to handle her opposition.

"What are your intentions with my brother, Preeti," he bluntly asked, ignoring Pushkar's cry and Suman kicking his leg under the table.

"I-I don't know what to say," Preeti shuttered in shock.

"Do you think of him as a friend or something more? Do you see you both getting married?" He asked with a frown.

"One day, I hope so," she whispered with a blush as she looked at Pushkar with a soft smile while his cousin smiled back at her with his eyes shining brightly.

"Okay, so whenever you both are ready, I and Suman will talk to our families on your behalf if you want us to," Shravan promised them while Suman nodded at them with a smile.

"Oh, Bhaiya, Sumo, thank you!" Pushkar cried out and pulled them into a hug.

"Now that love story is on the right path, it's their turn," Pushkar whispered to Preeti, conspiring a way to bring the attention now to the other couple.

Oh, yeah, he has already convinced Preeti into joining his ShraMan fan club, they were shipping - as Vandy Bhabhi had put it - their respective cousins together and had been planning to play cupid tonight.

"That's great, Bhaiya, but I don't think our family would agree to let us marry each other until you and Suman don't get married first," Pushkar muttered with a fake frown.

"What?" Shravan shattered while Suman looked at them with wide eyes.

"I mean, yes, you both are elder to us, you both should get married before us," Preeti said with a fake concerned expression on her face.

"Me and Suman? Marriage?" He whispered, his heart skipping few beats just with the thought of marrying her.

"Shravan, if you aren't interested in someone I have so many friends, I am sure you will end up liking one of them," Preeti suggested, convinced that by making her sister jealous, she could force her to claim him more openly.

'Did you once thought about me? You want my Shravan to date your stupid friends,' Suman thought as she continued to glare at Preeti.

"I don't think any of your friends is Shravan's type," she muttered forcefully.

"Di, do you know who could be Shravan's type?" Preeti challenged her with a seemingly innocent smile.

"Of course, I know, I am his best friend," she replied with a frown.

"Really, Sumo? What do you know?" Shravan asked with an amused smile.

"All Preeti's friends are annoyingly immature, you won't find them interesting and they don't know how to cook and they also are too young, you should marry someone mature, Shravan, someone our age," she said with a frown, annoyed at his sudden interest in someone else.

"Hmm, you have a point. So, introduced me to some of your friends then, Sumo," he said with a smirk, enjoying her frustrated rants.

"All of my friends are feminists, they are going to refuse even meeting you," she said with a glare.

"Come on, Sumo, I am sure at least one of them will find the idea of changing my views tempting. Isn't this what all the romance novels are all about? Women changing bad boys into good ones? Am I wrong, Preeti?" He asked before turning to the other woman on the table who after thinking briefly nodded positively at him in response.

"You are the most unromantic and problematic guy on the earth, whoever marries you will end up regretting it anyway," she counter-attacked in hurry without realizing she had hit a weak spot.

"What?" He asked weakly, hurt shining in his eyes.

"No," she whispered quickly, suddenly struck by the realization how he would interpret her words and before she could apologize or take her words back, she saw him going back in his shell, visibly retreating from her as he turned back to the shocked duo sitting in front of them.

"Not that I want to ever get married and we were just talking about me dating anyway. But you both don't worry about that, I am sure we will be able to convince both families," he told them with a forced smile.

And even though they went back to talking, Suman could see the invisible wall that was now dividing them, he didn't look at her way even though he kept nodding and smiling at whatever she said, continuing with the facade for the sake of their younger cousins.

'I am so stupid,' she thought to herself with regret. No matter how much they tried, they always were back to score zero. One of them always ended up hurting the other, why? She asked herself, blinking away the tears of frustration.

And when she had called him at night for their goodnight calls, he had been silent, had only muttered a few words, forcing her to apologize.

"Shravan, you know I didn't mean that, don't you?" She asked him.

"I know, I was just thinking... You know me the best and you know me the most, Sumo. And I just..."

"If you said that, there must be some truth to it, right?" He asked in a bearly heard whisper.

"No. That's not true, Shravan. I sometimes say hurtful things when I am in my stupidly defensive mood but I didn't mean to hurt you. I never have," she confessed after a long silence.

"And believe me, despite your sometimes cynic and misogynist rants, you are the most caring and kind person I know," she assured him.

"And anyway, from past months, I had not heard any misogynist comment from you so maybe you are on the path of recovery," she said and smiled when she heard him chuckle.

"I want you to know that whenever I say something wrong or whatever I do, I have never meant to hurt you and I will never hurt you intentionally, Shravan," she promised sincerely.

"And I promise you to do the same, Sumo," he whispered back with a smile before returning back to their original conversation as they told each other their plans for the next day.

That hadn't been the first time they had talked about a misunderstanding so freely, so comfortably. Ever since they had first started to resolve their misunderstandings, their communication abilities had gotten better, more transparent, and more frequent. They had started to address even the smallest issues, frowns and silence, and by doing so, they had gotten a better understanding of each other, themselves and their feelings. And that gave them hope, for a day when they would be able to verbally acknowledge the unbreakable bond between them...

One day, hopefully, soon...

* * *

After ending the weekly meeting with the junior lawyers and the interns, Shravan was on his way to update his father when he stopped midstep the moment he heard her voice.

"Please, Ramnaath Uncle, consider it," he heard her plead his father.

'Sumo is here?' He thought to himself with a frown.

"Get out of here, Suman, before I end up saying something wrong," he heard his father yelled at her.

So, he was right. He had been observing their interactions and behavior around each other from the past few months and had come to the conclusion that something had gone wrong between them, something both his father and Suman were hiding from him. A cold war he was not aware of, something that had them frown and glare whenever he mentioned one to the other. And before he could enter in his father's office and intervene, the next words coming out of her mouth froze him.

"How long you plan to hide the truth of Nirmala auntie from Shravan? Can't you see how much not know what happened in the past is still hurting him? He deserves to know the truth," he heard her tell his father.

"Are you threatening me, Suman Tiwari? Are you planning to make them meet once again like you had that day?" The aggressiveness in his father's voice shocked him to the core.

'What is going on?' He asked himself confused.

"No, I am not. Because I know if you tell him the truth it would hurt him less. And even if I do tell him, he will never, believe me, he trusts you too much, loves you and respects you too much. But, Ramnaath uncle, he is hurting, he never tells us but he is. He wouldn't have a normal life, wouldn't truly have a happy married life if he doesn't get to know the truth. That anger, that hatred, and that pain of his can end up ruining everything good in his life if he continues to give this much importance to what had happened in the past. He is still hurting, please, just tell him the truth, let him met her once," he heard Suman plead passionately.

"You know nothing, I know what is best for my son and you are nobody to interfere," he heard his father yelled at her once again.

And that had been enough for him to move forward and walk into his father's office.

"What's going on here?" He asked, taken aback when he saw his father towering over her in an intimidating manner.

"Nothing," they both shuttered, stepping away from each other, the tension between them transforming into a silent alliance which irritated him to point of snapping at them.

"I have had enough of this cold war between you both, and I have heard your conversation, so no one is going to walk out of this office before telling me what's wrong," he told them with a glare.

"We all have established that we won't mention Nirmala Ahuja anymore, so I don't understand why you both are fighting over her," he said to them.

"And I didn't even know you were in contact with her, Sumo. What's going on?" he asked her with a confused frown.

"Well?" He demanded when neither of them talked.

"Every now and then, she comes to meet Nanu, the last time she came was a few months back, and she wanted to meet you. That day, before you went to Bangalore, when you had come to meet me, she was there," she confessed.

"What?" He asked with a gasp and frowned in confusion. But as he looked back to what had happened that day, his father's rage and her guilt, it made sense.

His father had stormed into Tiwari Killa and had glared at Suman while yelling at them for something he couldn't even understand. Back then he hadn't been able to make sense of whatever was being said by his father but now he could.

"Did you meet her?" He asked his guilty-looking father.

Misplaced guilt, if they asked him, why was his father hiding that from him anyway?

"Shravan, I..." his father muttered before looking away from him, strangely timid.

"Ramnaath uncle, please, just trust Shravan, he loves you the most, and he deserves to know the truth," Suman told his father in an encouraging manner, shocking both the males.

"What truth?" Shravan asked both in confusion.

"I need you to sit down, Shravan, and hear out your father calmly, please," she told him as she gently pushed him towards the sofa before looking at his father pleadingly.

And when with a tiring sigh, his father came to sit in front of him, and put his head in his hands, hiding away half of his face, Shravan could feel it was something so big that has the power to make the strongest man he knew appear so weak and defeated. He felt despair locking his limbs yet the always present fear made him want to run away. But then her soft smile and her warm hand on his shoulder forced him to stay still.

He looked at his side and found her sitting next to him and he felt as if the warmth of her presence was enough to give him the strength to look at his father once again.

"I don't know how to tell you, what to tell and what to not..." Ramnaath confessed with a tired voice.

He didn't want to Shravan to know, he wanted him to never find out, to never meet Nirmala once again, but ever since she came back, he had been living in fear of losing Shravan to her. And knowing that his son loved Suman Tiwari had not only intensified that fear more than ever, but it also had made his fear for his son's future. He had wanted to separate them and he knew he could force Shravan into silence, possibly even into marrying someone else, but the fear of Shravan ending up in a loveless marriage just like he had, was haunting enough to stop him from manipulating the situation into his control. He had never seen his son so happy and smile so widely, had never seen his eyes dance with joy as they did whenever she was around...

Even Jhanvi - his friend's daughter, a marriage counselor - had told him that he should give them a chance and observe rather than interfere, warning him that most of the time the third party's interference would only make things worse for the couples. And he had tried hard to not control or manipulate the situation in his favor. And after a point, he had even started to tolerate Suman's presence in their lives, but then today suddenly she once again came to stand in front of him with the demand of bringing Nirmala back in his son's life.

Oh, how he hated the girl with passion, how dare she?

But now that he could see how petrified his son was looking at the mention of Nirmala and the past, he realized that she had been right back then as he had feared she had been, and she was right even now, and that's why he had to let his son know the truth. Because if whatever she had said was true, if whatever she was doing, it was for Shravan, he had to let the truth be known, even if his son would end up hating him after that. He had to...

And now that he observed the interaction between them, her concern and how Shravan was leaning towards her for support, he now could see what he hadn't seen that before - she was his allay. Anyone who loved and cared for Shravan was his allay, why he hadn't realized that before?

Too late, so much to regret...

Now that he looked between them, he could almost see an invisible yet strong thread tying them together, and he no longer wished to break it because his son was finally happy and for once, he seems to have found a woman who he trusted, loved and wanted to marry. Shravan had not told him any of that yet, but he had seen that in his eyes, the desire, the longing, and those bashful smiles whenever he talked about her. Yet he had also seen how somedays Shravan frowned, was lost in his thoughts, his eyes full of unsaid pain and uncertainness...

He hadn't known the reason before, and according to Suman Tiwari it was the past which kept haunting him, it was his and Nirmala's broken marriage and what had happened a decade ago was the reason why his son was suffering even now. That it was Nirmala Ahuja's abandonment that was making his son fear the people he loved leaving him, the reason why he clings and desperately seeks approval of the people he holds dear. It was his fear of being unloved, a burden and countless insecurities caused by his mother's abandonment the reason why he would back off from claiming what's his; from the Malhotra firm to the girl he was in love with. The reason why he tried to be content with whatever was willingly given to him and would never protest even when he was hurting...

How come I had never realized how much he was suffering in silence? He asked himself when he looked at his son.

"I still remember what you told me after what happened with Urvashi and I had been shocked, and fearful that your hatred for women will make your life very miserable and lonely. But then you never have said to me anything else after that, so now I want to ask you, Shravan, is your mother leaving us still hurts you?"

"Do you want to meet her? Do you want her back in your life?" He asked in a fearful voice.

"You have been my father and my mother ever since I remember, Papa, I don't need anyone else," his son readily assured him, clearly distressed by his odd behavior.

"Why aren't you answering my questions?" Ramnaath asked in a tired voice.

Seeing his father in so much pain hurt him, he could no make sense of the conversation, why Nirmala Ahuja was being mentioned so suddenly? Conflicted and confused, he got up from where he was sitting and walked towards his father before sitting on the floor by his father's foot, removing his father's hands away from his face, he took them in his own and tried to smile at him.

"I don't know where this conversation is going, but whatever it is, Papa, you can tell me. You can tell me anything, I promise, I will make it alright," he assured his father with a smile, in the same manner, his father used to when he was a child.

"Back then, your mother did come back for you, she didn't want to leave you behind," Ramnaath confessed weekly.

"What?" His son asked with a gasp, shaking his head in denial.

"I had sent you off to London before she came, but she had come back for you. She wanted you, she didn't mean to leave you," he confessed, in an attempt to soothe his son's pain.

"I had been very disturbed and I had feared that she will take you away from me, that's why I never told you that," he confessed in shame.

"You should have told me," Shravan whispered with a frown.

She had come back, his mother, she had come back for him, she had cared for him enough to come back for him, she had wanted him back, she hadn't meant to leave him behind...

What he was supposed to do with a decade late revelation? He asked himself. What and how he was supposed to react now? What should he do now?

"I know, Shravan, I know. I should have never let my hatred for her, my mistrust towards her, her betrayal and our broken marriage be the reason why you didn't have your mother in your life. I was wrong in telling you to stop thinking and asking about her, I was wrong when I tried to stop you from meeting her, I was the reason why you were deprived of your mother's love,"

Ramnaath breathed in deeply, regretful and guilty...

"I had never before thought how much it must have hurt you, how much you must have suffered, I never wanted to make you feel as if you were abandoned or as if you were unimportant or a burden, but when she left, when she walked out of our home I was blinded by hurt, hatred, and betrayal. So much so that I had not seen that what I was doing was wrong,"

And only now when he looked back, Ramnaath realized how what he had done and had told to a sixteen years old Shravan - who had already been mourning the loss and was hurt by his mother's abandonment - must have increased the intensity of his pain, his trauma...

"I shouldn't have taken you to her office, I shouldn't have told you what I did about your mother, I shouldn't have sent you away before meeting her, I shouldn't have stopped you from meeting her when you wanted to. I shouldn't have let my broken marriage scar you into distrusting the institution of marriage, I shouldn't have let my hatred for your mother become your hatred towards the whole women kind,"

"I am sorry," he whispered in deep regret, tightening his grip on his son's hands.

"I am sorry for what I did, Shravan, please, forgive me. Don't leave me," he pleaded, tears slipping his eyes and when he felt his son retreating his hands back his hands from his, he felt as if his soul was leaving his body.

"I don't know what to do with this confession," Shravan whispered in confusion.

"Just stop hurting, I want you to stop looking back and move on. I want you to be happy. And if it means you wanting Nirmala back in your life is going to help, then you must. I won't stop you," Ramnaath whispered, pleading his son.

Did he want to meet his mother? Did he want her back in his life? Was he ready to hear her side of the story? Did he even want to? Was there even a need to hear her out now, after a decade of complete silence from her side? Why did she never contacted him? Did she even want to meet him now? What were her reasons?

So many questions...

"A decade ago when everything had happened, I was too young, too biased, too hurt to find her and demand her an explanation, it's only fair that I do that this time around, don't you think?" Shravan asked softly, wiping his father's tears with a soft smile.

"Just promise me you will come back," Ramnaath pleaded his son.

"And where else will I go? Don't you already know, papa, that you are my home? No matter what, I can't be upset or angry at you, and I can't stay away from you, never," he assured his father with a smile.

There was no question about his devotion and love for his father, nor he had or ever could question his father's dedication and devotion towards him. Ramnaath Malhotra, in all his flaws and shortcomings, has been a wonderful and loving father, and no one could tell him otherwise. And no matter what he had done a decade ago, or would ever do, Shravan knew he would always forgive and overlook because his father was his only family and the only person he could not hold grudges, could not ignore, could not forsake...

And even though he had done what he had, no matter how much he felt angered and conflicted by his confession, he couldn't find it in him to make his father cry over the matter anymore, he couldn't have the heart to make him worry and fear anymore...

"I don't know what will happen, but it's going to be alright, papa, I am not going anywhere," he whispered before gathering his father shaking body into his strong arms.

"I am so sorry," his father whispered as he cried.

"It's okay, everything is okay, I am not going anywhere," he consoled his father.

Ever since he had reached his twenties, especially after coming back to India, he had started to feel as if the roles of the father and the son has been reversed between them, with him taking over the role of caretaker whenever he saw his father neglecting his health, scolding him a few times and forcing him to take breaks and lessen his workload. And now as he consoled his father, he was reminded of how the countless times his father had done the same, had forgiven him and loved him selflessly...

Ramnaath Malhotra was his person, his father and his only family, and he was accepted and loved by him with all his flaws and shortcomings in the same way his father had loved and accepted him with all his flaws and shortcomings...

"It's going to be alright," he whispered out loud, assuring his father and silencing his own thoughts.

He didn't know what to do, there was so much confusion and he felt conflicted, with countless questions and thoughts, he turned to her - as he always had - to sake comfort, guidance and solace. She had been his confidant back then and so was even now. Someone who had fought for him even when he hadn't known, someone who had known what he had needed when he himself hadn't realized it and was the reason why he now finally knew the truth...

"I will take you to her," she promised with a nod.

* * *

A/N:- A very long chapter, the reason for the delay, but I hope you liked it and I hope you are liking where the story is going so far...

Nirmala-Ramnaath broken marriage, her abandonment and what had happened in the past has been hurting Shravan, but nothing had been done for that, something that had angered me a lot, still does. So I am going to address them here in a way I would have wanted the writer and makers of EDKV to do in the show. His abandonment and trust issues, his insecurities, and demons that keep stopping him from moving towards Suman and their future together, the reason why the past needed to be revealed and problems need to be solved, but I promise you, happy times are nearby... ;)

Please leave a comment or more to let me know your thoughts and feeling on the chapter... :)

Thank you for reading, for your kind words and support, for the patience and the sweet comments and the votes! :)

And please, stay safe and healthy during these tough times, if any of you feel the need to talk and converse about anything, feel free to contact me. Sending your way warm hugs and positive energy... <3

I will be praying for everyone's safety, wellbeing, and health, I hope all of this ends soon...

Thank you! :)

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