Thursday 8 August 2013


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!





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