Shackles of Love#4# MG FF Chpt 17-21 - Page 20

 CHAPTER 18:

"No. I. Will. Not. Come. Back. For. Lunch." He stressed each word patiently. "And neither do you need to do anything about it. In case you have a memory loss problem, let me remind you what I said yesterday and repeated some time back. I. Don't. Want. You. To. Interfere. In. my. Life. I don't want you to do anything for me. I don't want you to come near me for whatsoever reason. Is that clear enough?" he answered back coolly, determined to keep a check on his temper. After thinking over it, he had come to the conclusion that he nearly always loses his wits around her, especially when he is angry. So he had decided to not get angry and treat her calmly. No more outbursts, just polite disinterest.

"But'"

"Geeet!" His temper worn thin, "Lord! The woman just knew how to rub his wrong side!" He controlled himself with difficulty, and spoke with barely hidden displeasure, "Leave me alone!" and he left, banging the door behind.

"Dusht! Danav! What does he think of himself? Lekin mai bhi haar maan ne walo me se nahi hu! Khana to aap mere saath hi khaoge aaj!"

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She knocked hesitantly on Naintara's door, who came over to open it, sipping a cup of tea. "Aare Geet aao na! Tumhe knock karne ki kya zaroorat hai. Baitho. Let me grab another cup for you!"

After they had settled with their cups, Geet decided to get to the matter at hand. "Didi, Maan roz lunch kaha karte hai? Mai soch rahi thi unke liye lunch banao. Also I don't know anything about his likes and dislikes. Except for the fact that he drinks that kadvi coffee" she said making a yucky face.

Naintara laughed at her antics but was glad that Geet was taking an interest in Maan's likes and dislikes.

"Maan Veerji to itne choosy nahi hai'wo sab kuch kha lete hai! Bas mirch kam khate hai. But if you are asking me his favorites then I would say Italian. Wo unhe bahoot pasand hai."

"Italian khana?" she asked making a pout "Wo to mujhe nahi aata! Babaji! Inko bhi vilayati cheezon ka shauk hona zaroori tha? Humare Punjabi khane me kya burai hai?"

She looked hopefully at Naintara who took her bait and replied, "Agar aap chaho to hum aapko seekha sakte hai."

Geet pounced on her immediately, hugging her, glad to have found a solution. "Sach didi? Aap sikhaoge mujhe?"

"Haan kyu nahi! Magarrr'." Naintara smirked, wiping the smile off Geet's face.

"Magar kya?" she asked hesitantly.

"Magar tumhe humara ek kaam karna hoga!" butted in Annie who had just entered.

"Kaisa kaam?"

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Geet followed Naintara's instructions carefully and prepared the pasta. Hoping that this would cool down his mood. She knew she had gone overboard in the morning, but she hadn't been able to resist the last dig. Surprisingly, he hadn't shouted at her or taunted her over it.

Looking at the clock, she saw that it was nearly 1.30pm. "Aate hi honge, Didi ne kaha tha na, ke lunch ke liye ghar 1 baje tak aayenge!" she set the cutlery in the living room, letting the pasta simmer. Then there was nothing to do but wait. When it was half past 2, she realized he was not coming. But she was not so easily put off. She decided to go to his office with her peace offering. She packed up everything and called Naintara to take directions to his office. But Dev picked up the phone. If Dev was surprised at her enquiry, he didn't show it. He had guessed in the morning that something was not right. Maan's attitude since yesterday was unusual to put it lightly, plus he had seen Maan returning back late at night. Not wanting to disturb Naina till he was sure, he had decided to keep the information to himself.

He patiently gave her directions to reach Maan's office which was just 10 minutes away and teased her "Kya baat hai Geet! Shaadi ke first day hi apne pati ki itni khatirdari? Kuch special hai kya?"

"Nahi, nahi Jijaji. Aisa nahi hai. Bas wo lunch pe ghar nahi aaye na, unhone subah hi kaha tha ke bahoot kaam hai. So I thought ke mai hi lunch leke chali jaati hu."

"Hmmm" was all he said. "Enjoy your lunch Geet. Bye"

So here she was, on her way to his office, the trepidation in her heart urging her to turn back, but the determination of her mind not letting her. "Geet puttar, go as you mean to go on. If you lose your nerve today and step back, you will never garner the guts to do so again. What is the most he will do? Shout at you and refuse to eat right? But at least you would have tried. Now don't think so much. Just go ahead!"

As she reached the building which housed the offices, she looked around curiously. It was a rundown place with a few offices and storerooms stacked with files and files and more files. Right in front was the one she was looking for. It had a name plate Maan Singh Khurrana CEO. The name plate stood out in the dusty surroundings. The place had a broken down feel to it and the front office was empty. She spied Pari behind a computer, typing away oblivious to her surroundings. As Geet approached her, she stood up and smiled at her, hugging her. "Geet! Tum yaha? Sir se milne aayi ho?" to which Geet nodded!

"I thought so, waise bhi Sir is hell angry since morning! Shouting at everyone! He must be irritated at having to leave his beautiful bride and come to work. Must be missing you!" Pari winked making Geet give a weak smile at the irony. "Haan unka bas chale to bas mujhpe hi chillate rahe! Aur kisi ki kya zaroorat hai!" she thought!

"Is he inside?" she asked Pari who replied with a snort! "Yes he is inside! Making my life hell since morning! Given specific instruction to not disturb him! But I guess you are an exception. Go ahead! I just hope his mood settles down! And I am off to lunch too. Subah se kaam kar rahi hu! Break bhi nahi liya. Tum aayi ho to sir thoda time to busy honge na?" she raised her brows suggestively making Geet blush.

With a slight prayer "Bacha lena Babaji!" she moved to his cabin and knocked on it before entering.

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Maan had been leaning back on his chair looking out of the window when he heard the knock. Irritated as he had told Pari that he was not to be disturbed, he turned to see the object of his misery walking in.

 He had been busy since morning, ironing out the formalities of the property transfer. But Aditya, the CFO at KC was a gem and had handled it all for him. With that out of the way, he should have been happier, but still his mind refused to settle down. His thought kept going back to his wife! Everything kept splashing against his mind's eye.

Their closeness, their fights.

Her tears, her pleas, Darji's words.

 He was confused and irritated at his lack of control where she was concerned. Distance was what was needed! And he vowed to keep it! There was no way he was letting another woman play with his emotions! Especially not her!

And to see her, walking into his office as though she owned it sparked his temper. She had a basket in her hands which he deduced was lunch. After he had specifically asked her to leave him alone, this was enough to burst the volcanic temper brewing silently.

"What the hell are you doing here? Who allowed you in? Pari! Pariii!" he shouted.

"Why are you shouting at her? She tried to stop me! But I didn't listen to her." She gulped in hard, but tried to appear unaffected. "Anyways she has gone for lunch. Aap robot ho aur aapko bhook pyaas nahi lagti, par wo bechari insaan hai. Use to lunch karne diya hota!" while saying this she had already cleared some space on his desk to arrange their lunch.

He caught her hands as she was about to remove the lunch box from inside. "How many times do I repeat myself before you understand a simple sentence Geet?" he asked, seething with anger.

Geet looked at her hands which were clasped tightly in his. She tried freeing them but he tightened his grasp on her wrists, hurting her. "Maan mujhe dard ho raha hai! Please chodiye na!" she pleaded.

He kept glaring at her and twisting her hands before suddenly dropping them like they were something dirty. He disgustedly turned away "Just get lost Geet! I don't have time for all this."

Hiding her hurt at his behavior, she shouted, "Haan chali jaungi. Bus aap khana kha lijiye." When he didn't respond, she ventured softly, "Maan its just lunch. Maine banaya hai. Aapke liye. Aap kha ke to dekhiye. Aapne waise bhi subah me zyaada kuch nahi khaya tha"

Surprised that she had noticed, he turned to look at her, which was his mistake. Those eyes showed care and concern for him. He was lost in a whirlpool of emotions those eyes projected effortlessly, as if they were made to talk to his. Whatever he did, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't defy those words in her eyes. They tied up his thinking and all his preformed notions went for a toss. The only reality left was those eyes, pouring forth unchartered emotions which he wanted to believe in. He wanted to trust them. He wanted to drown in them; he wanted to drown in her. He wanted to forget everything except her. And him. Them. He moved towards her, their eyes still locked when the ringing of his phone broke his trance.

Shocked at his thoughts, he grabbed his phone, mentally thanking the caller for saving his lost wits. "Yes Adi? Perfect! How long do you think it will take to transfer those funds? Hmmm. Okay. Hmmm. Thanks. Keep me posted." He cut the call and turned back to her. He was now completely composed. His talk with Adi had been a reality check for him!

She was looking around fiddling nervously with the end of her pallo, while she waited for him to finish the call. She looked at him when she felt his gaze on her, and realized that the anger was back. She gulped hard to lessen her nervousness and moved towards the table to get the lunch ready.

"Aayiye, khana kha lee jiye."

Maan's anger bubbled over at his helplessness. She was the only female who made him feel so out of control. Hadn't he made it clear to her that he was not interested in her or her lunch? He went towards her and grabbed her hand to turn her to face him. "Looks like you don't understand simple words." Angrily he pulled her with him towards the door and threw her out of his office, making Geet lose her balance. She pushed her hand out to stop her fall, and all her weight fell on her left wrist, sending a jolt through her body. She winced in pain, a few tear bursting out as she felt the pain shoot up through her arm to her shoulder and hip. But it was nothing compared to the pain she was feeling within. She looked around to find that there was no one no witness her humiliation, finally concentrating on his words.

"This is your place! Outside my office! Outside my house! Outside my life! This marriage is nothing but a sham. So why are you making it out to be the love story of the century? Just stay away from me. I tolerate you in my house, who meri majboori hai. But it doesn't mean I will tolerate your interference in my life and office. Don't you ever step in here again. Samjhi tum? Aur haan. Tumhare ye aasoun na kisi aur bewakoof ke liye sambhaal ke rakho. Mujh par inka asar nahi hota!" he spat.

Back inside the food basket kept there grabbed his attention, spiking his temper further, he took it and threw it down besides her spilling the pasta she had so painstakingly prepared.

He was surprised for a moment, looking at the pasta, never imagining that Geet would know about his preferences. But he was too adamant to care. "It is all part of her plan to trap me. Her feminine wiles didn't work on that poor sucker, so she is trying them on me!" Without a backward glance he went back in and shut the door. Moving back to his chair, he leaned back against it to simmer down his temper and calm himself enough to work. Pushing everything out of his mind, he pulled a file to start work when a single red rose fell from his table.

The bud was just about to bloom, its petals soft and fresh. Latently innocent, just waiting to view the world out there. The fresh morning dew was still present amongst its petals adding to its beauty. Maan picked it up and caressed it with his fingers; he had no doubts as to who might have brought it here. The unsullied magnificence of it reminded him of something similar which was much softer and pliant to his touch. "Why? Why can't I get her out of my mind?" he rued and in a fit of anger crushed the flower in his hand and threw it in the dustbin. The flower lay there, crushed before it had even begun to bloom. Its sorry condition once again reminded him of Geet, the way she had lied there, as if broken beyond means. "There is no place for softness in my life! The sooner she understands that, the better it will be for her!" he concluded before clearing his mind of everything and concentrating on his file.

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Geet got up slowly, wiping her tears when she heard him retreat back to his office. She ignored the faint twinge in her wrist and started gathering the spilled food. It represented the remnants of her broken and scattered dreams. She gathered what she could, cleaning the mess created. But even after cleaning up, she realized that the stains were still there, to testify that what had occurred could not be wiped away so easily.

Like a statue, she walked out, unaware of a pair of eyes which were watching the entire fiasco.