Chapter 9

                         Part - 9

Present....Mumbai.... Khanna house....

Geet is waiting for Dev... They are going out for dinner tonight... It's already 6 pm and Dev has not yet come back from office.... Geet calls Dev...

Geet: Dev, where are you?

Dev: I'm on my way, where are you? 

Geet: what? at home waiting for you

Dev: you come there directly, I'll also come there, ohhh this Mumbai traffic is driving me crazy

Geet: ok but be there on time

Dev: ok

Now Dev has been waiting for Geet... Is this the time for revenge? Ye Geet bhi na! Dev calls Geet....

Dev: Geet, the waiter can no longer wait, where are you?

Geet: at the mall, Dev, I asked you to come here first

Dev: what? 

Geet: you should have been here Dev

Dev: but what are you doing there?

Geet: shopping aur kya?

Dev: phir se?

Geet: Dev, you are forgetting something, it's November and someone is very angry with you, you forgot their birthday

Dev: no no no Geet, how could I forget? I'll be there in 10 minutes

Geet: it's no use Dev, you are too late, I don't think you can get away with it easily

Dev: I know what to do? You just wait and watch

Geet: I'm waiting

Dev goes to the mall and gets two ice cream cones chocolate and butter scotch... He knows that would cool everything 

Geet is very angry... She just ignores Dev... Dev just stretches his arms forward with the cones on both the hands.... Geet thinks that this time he is not going to fool anyone with those ice cream... she won't let him escape easily this time... 

Geet: don't think you are too smart Dev, it's not going to work everytime

Dev: let me see

Dev gets closer and closer... Geet is also determined not to let him win... But before she could stop a pair of little hands reach out for the ice cream and Dev has a winning smile on his face... Poor Geet, Dev's tricks always work... 

Dev: Hallo sweetie pie, come let's go

Geet stands still looking at little Aditi jumping happily into Dev's arms with the cones.... All the while Geet kept telling Aditi that she should not forgive Dev easily and they should teach him a lesson this time... But all her efforts have gone waste... 

You know kids easily forget and forgive but it's only the grown ups who hold their grudges against each other forever and make their lives miserable....

Dev: Geet, did you forget something? Aren't you coming with us? 

Geet: this is not fair Dev, you know that as well

Dev: ohhh come on Geet, be a sport, learn something from Aditi

Geet: look who needs to learn their lessons? Me?

Dev: aur Kaun? How could you forget our little angel's birthday, I asked you to get her her favourite Rapunzel dress and you still haven't got it for her, now we don't need your help, we'll find it ourselves, haina sweetie?

Aditi: haan papa, aur mummy ne mujhe ice cream bhi nahi khilaya

Dev: achcha? That's so bad, chalo Geet, ask sorry

Geet: what? I'm not going to ask sorry, you should

Dev: come on Geet, don't behave like a kid, even Aditi is ready to forgive you

Geet: what?

Aditi: nahi nahi, mummy didn't say sorry

Geet pretends to be sad.... : Papa ki bachi, how could you do this to me? 

Dev: chalo sweetie, let's forgive mummy

Aditi pretends to be thinking seriously... : Ok

Geet: Dev, we missed you so much, it's high time you stopped all this

Dev: Geet, why are you so serious always?

Geet: but Dev, Aditi is old enough to miss you, you should understand that

Dev: I know, I promise I won't leave you alone hereafter

Geet: that's better, come on, we are getting late

Then they get a cute Rapunzel dress for Aditi.... Next week Aditi turns four... Geet loves Aditi so much and she'll do anything for her...

Now here is someone from her past knocking at her doors again... What would she do when she comes to terms with her reality?....

He has already opened her Pandora's Box and her memories start taunting her...

She goes back into the past....

Past days.... Hoshiarpur....

Past.... Hoshiarpur....

Geet is still at the Khuranas party... she is kind of following Maan secretly.. but she doesn't want Maan to know that... So she pretends to be ignoring him whenever he is in close proximity.... 

Maan is hooked by Geet's hide and seek... She is nervous but equally intrigued by him... The one thing that drew her attention is the way he treated her... He didn't just sympathise with her instead he  wants her to fight for herself... 

Here's someone who just doesn't boast to be "the man", the supreme being always trying to prove who the boss is, he is not like the men she knew but totally different... He has instilled the confidence back in her and made her believe in herself.... 

She also likes the way he cares for her... there is something going on between them which both can't deny... You can't say it's the usual love affair like Romeo Juliet or our Laila Majnu... 

Geet looks up to him maybe for his guidance  while Maan is happy to see the fire in her to break her cage and set herself free... It's not like Maan is giving her wings to fly but he is only reminding her about the wings that she already has and he wants to see her fly high using her own wings.... 

What Geet likes the most is the way he takes his own rights in her life like he is not a stranger but someone very close to her... When her own family doesn't understand her feelings here is someone whom she can rely like family..

Dadi is looking for Annie to introduce her to someone... Annie is not there....dadi asks Geet to go find Annie...

Geet goes in search of Annie... she finds Annie going upstairs.. Geet rushes to catch her.... 

Geet: Annie

She climbs the steps in a hurry... She is only looking at Annie and not her steps... She stumbles and is about to fall.... 

Luckily for her Maan was closely following her and he catches her and stops her from falling....

Geet is embarrassed.... Annie comes...

Annie: are you ok Geet?

Geet: hmm Annie dadi is calling you

Annie: what's the rush Geet, you should be more careful, agar bhai nahi hothe toh patha nahi kya hota

Maan is staring Geet only... Geet looks at him with gratitude... And she leaves with Annie as Maan watches her....

Geet kind of likes being taken care of like this... she is happy Maan was right behind her... Why was he after her? Or was he also looking for Annie? 

Geet is confused.... Whatever it might be Geet is very happy.... 

While Geet is dwelling in her past memories someone is worried about the present... 

Back to the present......

Gayatri has not missed to see the sudden changes in Geet... she comes to see Geet to know that she is okay...

Gayatri: Geet bete, what's going on? Is everything okay? I am worried beta

Geet: kuch nahi maaji, it's just that I'm a little tired, you know it's Aditi's birthday coming and I have a lot of things to do... And you know Dev, he always escapes, I don't know how I would manage

Gayatri: hmmm, so that's the matter, I was really worried beta, you don't worry this time it's Dev's responsibility, why is that it's always you? He should know that he is equally responsible, it's high time he took everything seriously

Geet: but maaji I don't want to put any kind of pressure on him

Gayatri: it's his life and he needs to take charge, it's not just about you only

Geet: I know

Gayatri asks Geet to just relax while Dev will take care of the party... He'll decide everything from the theme to the guest list.... Babaji has his own way of doing things... Guess who would top Dev's guest list?

Probably babaji has already started working out his plans.... If Geet is destined to face the truth then no one could stop it... She can't keep running away from the truth... Here's her first encounter with the truth..... 

Dev also has the right to know about her past, haina? He may not be interested in her past but if babaji wishes otherwise then even Geet can't stop it.... Dev'll find out on his own....

Geet doesn't know what's in store for her for it's going to be the one and only MSK's reentry in her life..