Chapter Seventeen : Is This Love??
The next
morning was undoubtedly awkward. Maan & Geet couldn't even make proper
eye-contact, let alone speaking to each other. Maan arranged for a car mechanic
& that's how they got home. Upon arrival, they had to face none other than
Mrs D'costa & normalquestions.
"Where were
you two the whole night????Did you make love in a cottage while it was raining
heavily outside???" she asked excitedly!
Though that was
just a random question but Maan & Geet were very shocked. And Geet felt all
the more awkward. She remembered that she had found herself in Maan's arms when
her eyes opened that morning & that they were holding hands. Though nothing
had happened between them, but most probably they had slept in each other's
arms...
Mrs D looked
questioningly at both of them. They were behaving so weird! Then Geet just
walked inside the house without saying anything.
"Huh...Excuse
us."
Maan followed
suit.
He entered the
house & saw Geet standing with her back to him.
"Geet..."
The awkward
silence surrounding them broke & she shrieked inwardly hearing him.
"Look, I am
sorry for holding your hand. You can slap me if you want."
His voice was
earnest but that ironically infuriated Geet.
"So it's wrong
in your eyes to even hold my hand, right?!!!!!!"
.
Geet just blurted
out & clenched her fists frustratingly, not able to fathom what was up with
her. Maan was thoroughly taken aback!
"I---"
But she went to
her room without hearing him & locked the door behind her!
"Why
does he always behave as if he has done a crime by coming closer to
me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Why does he think that I despise his touch!!!!!!!!!!!"
Geet was breathing
heavily falling on the bed. A lone tear escaped along her eyes...She took a
deep breath.
"Calm
down." she told herself, "What's happening with me...?? He
is perfectly right on his place! It's I! It's I who is not alright! I should
have hated him when I saw him sleeping next to me, but no! I am not angry!
Infact I feel that it's the most righteous thing!"
She recollected
how she had found herself all cuddled up in his arms when she had woken up.
Geet noticed her cheeks turn a bit red in the mirror. Even her heart skipped a
beat...!
"Aisa
kya ho gaya hai mujhe that not only my thoughts & views about him have
become different but also I feel differently of him...!"
Then she
remembered her words to him last night.
"Maan...I
feel safe when I hold your hand...don't know why..."
"Now why
the heck did I say that to him??? But...dekha jaye toh...that is true,
right?" she reflected.
On the other hand,
Maan was laying down their breakfast of bread & cheese.
"This
can't possibly happen...!!!We don't even get along well!!!!!"
He saw Geet
coming. They sat to eat but diverted their eyes from each other. There was
silence. They used to fight during each & every meal they had together but
right now there was silence. They wanted to speak...or rather taunt & tease
each other but they felt rather awkward to start a fight on the first place!
Both were putting
cheese on their breads. That's when Geet stole a glance to look at him...&
she kept staring at him...as her hands unconsciously went on applying more
cheese...
"Do you
want to become a hot air balloon that you're having so much cheese?" taunted Maan!
"Woh kya
hai na, I don't wish to be a skeleton like you!!!!" Geet shot back sarcastically!
Maan was startled
by hearing her out of the blue!
"Excuse
me??? What did you just say???" he peered at her.
That's when she
realized that she had been dreaming & that he hadn't taunted her.
"Umm...uh...nothing...Ignore
me...I-I mean ignore what I said..."
She stammered. He
didn't probed further. That's how their breakfast was done with!
~*~~*~
Next day onwards
the wedding preparations of Sid & Lorraine began. All their family &
relatives were to arrive in Singapore & it was to be an Indian affair right
from the food to the rituals & wedding as Lorraine had wanted. And yes,
Geet chose to be from the girl's side while Maan chose to be from the boy's
side! Seeing, Lorry-Sid so excited & happy in their marriage preparations,
Maan & Geet remembered how they had been least interested & unhappy for
their own wedding.
It was the day of
the mehendi ceremony. Geet had wore a beautiful maroon anarkali suit. As Maan
passed by her room, he saw her wearing ear-rings & other accessories. And
damn! He stood there rooted to the floor intoxicated by her beauty. Her
elegance, those rosy cheeks, those pouty lips & the sparkle in her eyes
enchanted him to an infinite extent!
Geet noticed him
gawking at her like that & by the looks of it, she could make out that he
had been staring at her since a very long time & she didn't know why but
her heart skipped a beat and her cheeks grew a shade redder! He had never
looked at her like that before!
"Why are
you ghurofying me like that?" she finally asked facing him,
simultaneously conscious about how she looked.
"Huh..." his trance broke, "Woh...you're very beautiful Geet" he confessed
For a moment,
she couldn't believe what he just said.
"Achcha?
Can you please fix an appointment with a doctor as my ears need immediate
medical help!!" she taunted.
Maan made an angry
face seeing her smile teasingly!
"Oh sorry!
I praised you by mistake!" he snapped & left from there!
"Hwww!!!" she frowned crossing her arms but
then the next moment she broke into shy smiles & blushes.
"He says
I'm beautiful!" she tapped her head, "Oye! Why is your face so red??? Pagal!"
The resort where
the wedding was to take place was decorated excellently. Guests met &
greeted each other. All the ladies were excitedly getting their palms inked
with mehendi. Geet sat with Lorry & her friends. And Maan always stole a
glance to look at his wife whenever he got a chance. And even Geet
(un)consciously wanted him to be around her.
After mehendi was
done in their hands, Lorry asked,
"Umm...Geet,
is there any significance why we apply turmeric to our palms in this
manner?"
"Well...ah!
It is said that darker your mehendi is, the more your husband will love
you!" she replied.
Then Lorry
compared her mehendi with that of Geet's.
"Your
mehendi is darker than mine! Does that mean that Maan loves you more than Sid
could ever love me?"
Geet was startled
hearing that. She didn't know how to react or what to say! She looked at Maan's
direction. He was already staring at her. He diverted his eyes as they met
Geet's...
"Kya
Maan mujhse...no Geet! there is nothing of this sort! Don't act
insane!!!!"
After some time
when Geet looked around, she could see Maan nowhere. She looked here &
there but did not spot him.
"Where
is he???? Abhi abhi toh yahi the..." she pondered.
Geet came out of
the hall & was searching for Maan. Walking by the coridoors, he mind went
back to past memories...
FLASHBACK
It was Geet's
mehendi ceremony. All the ladies were giggling & talking about her to-be
handsome hubby, But Geet's mind was busy planning & plotting ways to avoid
getting married to Maan so much so that she even told the lady who was applying
mehendi to her palm
"Can you do
me a favor?? Please do not write Maan's name in my palm."
The lady was
shocked to the roots hearing Geet but still she hid Maan's name in Geet's
mehendi design without making her aware!
And then later,
Geet & Maan accidently bumped into each other!
"Oh hello!!
Can't you see & walk!!!!!" she sneered.
"Excuse me???
It's you who was looking down at your palm!!!!" he shot back.
"For your
kind information, your name is not hidden in my beautiful mehendi!!!!" she snorted.
"Yeah! As
if I care about your mehendi or even you!!!!"
They both crossed
paths giving angry glares at each other!
End Of Flashback
Geet could just
wonder how come her feelings about Maan could change so drastically. She looked
at her mehendi & smiled. All they did after their marriage was to fight!
But still she couldn't fathom why she was so happy that Maan's name was inked
in her palm.
And as expected,
she bumped into Maan at a turn!
"Oh hello!!
Can't you see & walk!!!!!" she snapped.
"Excuse
me??? It's you who was looking down at your palm!!!!" he shot back.
Yeah! History
repeated itself!
"Achcha
listen! I have been searching for you!"
"Why? Are
we playing hide and seek?" he asked raising his brows.
"Maan!!!" she whacked his arm & showed him her
mehendi, "Find your name else you havta give
me a gift!"
Maan was startled
hearing that. He held her palm & looked keenly at her beautiful mehendi.
"Are you
sure? Have you REALLY got my name written on your palm?"
She nodded. His
eyes turned desperate to find his name. He didn't know why but he wanted to see
his name inked in her palm...perhaps that would be the best thing in his life,
he thought...! But he didn't succeed!
"Ha! Ha!
Like always it's I who have won!!!!" she exclaimed teasingly.
Maan glared at her
but then when he saw her giggling & smiling, he was yet again dazed...He
had always admitted to himself that her smile was angelic but that day he felt
even more blissful...He couldn't help but getting lost in her...
His trance broke
& he diverted his eyes from her.
"What's the
secret behind your shiny teeth? Colgate or Pepsodent?"
Hearing his
mocking voice, she frowned heavily at him! Aww! She looked so cute! Maan
smiled!
No comments:
Post a Comment