Homecoming

Chapter 25: Reparations

Shubman spent the entire night turning and twisting, until he gave up on sleep altogether, and went out for a run. He wanted to get out of the house, away from Ishan and his alluring lips. No, bad Shubi, he chided himself when his thoughts strayed again, and shook his head to get rid of inappropriate thoughts.

He ran for miles, and when his body could not take it anymore, he plopped down on the ground, and gulped air greedily. His thoughts were in a disarray, and the lack of sleep had not helped. He needed help, and he needed help fast.

Di? No, she would come boink me on the head and kick me in the crotch for good measure.

He was dismayed to notice that usually Ishan was the person he used to go to for such advice. Not that Ishan wouldn't boink Shubman on the head, but he would say something so profound yet easy that Shubman would just stare in awe at how cool Ishan was.

Well, that was out of the option.

He could call Surya bhai, but he was really not in a mood to be made fun of.

His last options were two guys he knew had the best relationships he had come across - Rohit bhai and Virat bhai.

Rohit bhai would kill him if he woke him up this early, so Virat bhai it was.

Virat bhai picked up on the first ring.

"What did you do?"

"Bhai, it's Shubman."

"Okay, what did he do?"

"Bhai, c'mon, how do you know I did something?"

"Why else would you call me at 6 in the morning? You sleep even later than Rohit, and that's saying something."

"Hey! I just like my sleep, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah - so what did you do?"

"Bhai, I–"

"C'mon, spit it out, I don't have all day."

"I fucked up a little bit. Uh, a lot actually. But I wasn't the only one responsible - it's his fault as well!"

"What is with you two?"

Shubman could just hear Virat bhai's eye rolls.

"Okay, I don't want to know what you guys did - but say sorry. It's not rocket science. Say you are sorry, and mean it. Do you know how many times I have fucked it up? Tons, and I still don't get it right most days. The important thing is to show up, everyday. If you love someone, show up during the good days and the bad, nothing else matters. And don't worry, Ishu is wayy easy to console than Anushka. But don't tell her that!"

Shubman muttered a quick thanks, and pondered over Virat's words. Saying sorry, he could do that. But Ishan needed more - Ishan deserved more.

He picked up his phone, and dialed a number.

He was home in an hour or so - he quickly whipped up breakfast for Ishan and went to take a shower. He didn't think he was ready to face Ishan yet so he took his merry time getting ready, and when he finally came out, he was glad to see the plates emptied. He grabbed a smoothie for himself, and set to work.

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Ishan could hear Shubman rummaging around the house all morning and afternoon, but he dared not venture out. The midnight fiasco had left him embarrassed, so he wallowed in misery inside his room all morning. He knew it was not fully Shubman's fault, and he was angrier at himself for forgetting himself and making out with Shubi as if it was an everyday occurrence. He had sat in bed last night, blaming his mind and his body for reacting the way it did - as if the past 8 months had not happened. He was glad Shubman was not initiating conversation or forcing him to participate in whatever activity he had cooked up, but as lunchtime grew nearer, his growling belly eventually forced him to come out of hiding.

When he opened the door, he was instantly hit with the aroma of his favorite foods, and for one wild moment, he thought his mom had come back, so he wheeled himself to the dining room and stopped short.

Shubi was laying out something on the dining table, wearing aprons with.....ducks on it? Ishan was trying his hardest to understand the scene before him, but no words came to mind.

Shubman spotted him, and for one moment they both just looked at each other, remembering what had happened the last time they had been face-to face. The moment stretched, until Shubman cleared his throat, and motioned for him to come forward.

"So, uh, I cooked something. I know you miss home cooked food, so I called your mom and got some recipes - I hope it's okay. I consulted the doctors and adjusted everything, so don't worry about the cholesterol and stuff."

For a second, Ishan's mind was stuck. Shubman had done all of this? He proceeded to wheel himself toward the dining table, where Shubman served him his favorite pakoras, litti chokha, and some dessert that looked suspiciously like Dudhauri.

"Um, I didn't make the dessert, sorry. It would have taken a day and I only had a few hours, so I had to order it."

Ishan did not know what to say, so he did what he did best - he attacked his food.

In no time, Ishan had demolished half the food - Shubman tried to get him to slow down, but worried that Shubman might swipe the food for the bland nutritional crap he was served, he quickly gobbled it all down.

And then he remembered his manners.

"Uh, thanks, it was.....it was very nice. Thank you."

Shubman's eyes lit up as if he had scored a century, and he blushed under the praise.

"I am just glad you liked it. I know I can't replicate your mom's cooking, but...I just wanted you to have something of home."

Not knowing what to say, Ishan just gave him a small smile, and proceeded to his room.

As the day went on, they became less embarrassed around each other - they watched some mindless television together, all lazed out, and even shared a fruit platter. It was not totally gone, though, as they were yet to address the elephant in the room.

It was Shubman who gathered the courage, while watching television.

"So....about yesterday....."

Ishan instantly clammed up, intent on hearing what Shubman had in store.

"I am sorry Ishu, it was wrong of me to take liberties with you. I should have had better control, and I promise it won't happen again. I am here to take care of you, and your comfort is always #1. I am sorry."

"I....I am sorry too. I initiated it, and I put all the blame on you, that was wrong of me."

"Truce?"

Ishan turned to see Shubman holding a pinkie for him to shake, which earned him an eye roll and a soft 'I am not a 5-year old'.

To which Shubman replied,

"Then why do you eat like one?"

All he received was a pillow to his face instead of a retort, but he was forgiven and Ishan had a smile on his face, so all was well again.