Chapter Twenty-Three
Geet paced around the house in annoyance. Why did Maan have to go without telling her? Where did he ago? Was he safe? He had not even taken his cell phone along.
Suddenly the doorbell rang. Without any hesitation she ran and opened the door.
A tired Maan walked into the house,feeling like he would collapse any second.
"Where did you go!!" she exploded. "Don't you know how worried I was? How worried Dadimaa was? Really Maan, why do you always do this to me?"
Without further ado, he kissed her.
For a moment she felt like pushing him away, but it felt nice and made her light-headed. Music playing in the background. Roses showering from the sky. Maybe you did not need to snort some powder to experience ecstasy. Maybe all you needed was a tired husband coming from work and kissing you and you knew that at the end of the day he was yours and only yours for life.
Finally, he broke apart and touched her cheeks. She had tears in her eyes and he moved his hand over them, and they closed, as if it was some kind of magic trick.
They hugged each other in a passionate embrace, that unfortunately lasted only for seconds. The spell was broken as a horrified Geet ran upstairs, unwilling to believe that the man she had considered to be just some annoying distraction in her life had turned out to be someone who would keep her happy and light-headed forever. It made her miserable-the perfect paradox. She remembered a time when she had been like that, and that experience had hurt her badly. So badly that she did not even consider Maan to be worthy of her trust.
"I know what you're thinking." he said.
"What?" she said in a firm tone.
"That I don't know anything about you."
"So?"
"Well now I do. Everything. Your stupid family, that stupid town and your stupid first husband."
"My life is always stupid for you isn't it?" she asked bitterly.
"Well, it would, if it did not belong to such a perfect woman."
Why her cheeks were flaming up in response to his answer was something maybe even those two years of taking the commerce stream could not help her. Somehow business communication with your boss wasn't easy when it had turned personal-or 'romantic' for the laymen's language.
"Just leave me alone."
"You are alone Geet. You don't have anyone in your heart. Just give me a place. Be it the smallest, I will somehow make my way into it."
"You already have," she said, half smiling, half crying.
"Well, why don't you set about developing it? Handa and Khurana Constructions? What do you say? If not my wife, at least be my business partner," he teased.
"Shut up," she said, and unable to control herself, ran into those arms which had been waiting for someone to love and hug for years.