Parachute (Maan-Geet) Ch 09, Pg 22 - 21/03 - Page 2

Thanks for the PM...great start...looking forward to reading this....BTW when are you planning to update God is Dead?

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interesting start..

Chapter 2: Weightless

The day's events had made him immensely uncomfortable. Once back home he had stared out of the window for many minutes, his mind astray with events of the day and how his friend was tied to all of it. Dev wasn't particularly his friend, per se. They always happened to be at the same place most of the times so that had evolved a sort of acquaintanceship between them. They had joined the construction firm around same time and were leading independent teams for quite a while. Over the years the familiarity that they had was reused as friendship by both of them within their own convenience. Neither complained about the way things were between them.

But Maan was seriously reconsidering the entire exchange he had had with Dev all these years and sincerely searching his memory which would provide a hint for his misconduct. Unfortunately none turned out which brought the situation to an impasse.

His dreams that night were filled with images of a woman grieving in the middle of chaos.

--o00o--

She found her voice struck in her throat when she tried to enquire about Dev with receptionist at the office where he worked. Both of them had kept their professional lives separate and she rarely interacted with the people he worked with; unless they happened to bump into someone while they were out. She as such didn't have that strong a career to boast of, but she was juggling many things at the moment. She was sure that in coming two years, she would be in a place where she most wanted to be.

"I am sorry ma'am but I don't know where exactly Dev currently is; at least not from his calendar", the receptionist said to her politely.

"Is there someone who might know where is? Outside the professional boundary I mean", Geet said and adding the last part as an afterthought. The receptionist looked at the woman in front of her for a moment. Helplessness was perhaps carved into her feature or was somehow evident to make the receptionist take pity on her to place few calls.

"Can you wait for thirty minutes ma'am? Dev's team would be here soon after site visit, they might help you out", she offered kindly. Geet thanked the receptionist and sat on a nearby chair.

And then the wait began.

She waited patiently for his return at both home and office. She didn't have direct access to his house or even his building for that matter, so she sat on steps of his residence building and waited till late in night. The time she spent waiting for Dev, she never really formulated an argument tactic or even the ways she could make him to take her back. Her mind was filled with images of herself being happy with him after a very long time. It didn't take a lot to make a woman like her happy. She was one of those who thought little was too much which had made Dev's life all the more easier. Like any other couple even they had their issues but it never really spilled too much for them to go back and forth.

But there was this feeling, a tiny annoying sensation which gnawed her gut centimeter by centimeter when she thought of herself and Dev in a long term permanent relationship. When she first invoked the topic of a permanent relationship, Dev had been breezy about the entire situation. It wasn't as if he was avoiding it completely. But he didn't think it was a very big deal; at least not with her in the picture.

It had hurt. Just a little.

She rubbed her palms together trying to keep herself warm. It was day number three post her engagement date and Dev was still not in town. The receptionist had told her in the morning that Dev was on a personal leave. She had only raised an eyebrow at that and had restrained from showing any emotions. The night was particularly chilly considering how it was close to winter now. She decided to wait for a little longer and then head home. There were things which she needed Dev to clarify for her which in her mind would bring her life back on track. Right now, there were too many things tied with Dev's decision and she was seeing control slowly slipping from her hands.

She was startled to see pair of running shoes in her line of vision. Her bent head snapped and looked up to catch the solemn face of Maan Singh Khurana, who was holding two cups of coffee. She took the cup wordlessly when he passed it and she didn't flinch when he settled down next to her on the steps.

"He is not at a meeting." She broke the silence first and told him the first thing she had learned about Dev's missing act.

"I heard so too. It must be serious." He added as an afterthought.

"You really think so?" She asked incredulous at his response. He merely shrugged. He was never good at these guessing games and decided not to add on to her irritation. She didn't press anything further and drank coffee in silence.

"Do you live nearby?" She asked him realizing only then his sudden nature of his appearance in front of her.

"Yes I do; just a block away from here. Unlike Dev I live in quieter part of this area. It's not like I don't like this boisterousness but there is too much of light and energy all around, you know?" He said gesturing his hands, coffee sloshing in the cup. His face clearly reflected the mild annoyance he felt as he was unclear about his thoughts.

"I know. The slowness, darkness and gentleness that a night has to offer to a tired body are kind of lost when you live in downtown; like this one here", she replied thumbing at Dev's building. He nodded in understanding. She had wrapped up his entire thought process he had been through when he chose his apartment in one sentence. He felt a surge of respect for her.

As the traffic in front of them wore thin, lights in apartments dimmed and cacophony of footsteps reduced a distant hum she continued to wait and he just sat next to her. The air had gotten cooler as the clock steadily moved deeper into the night. They had surrendered to the silent ambience and couple of more cups of coffee.

"Why did you bring me coffee Maan?" She asked after many moments of silence had died, looking straight at him.

"Because I couldn't see you sitting alone", he replied catching her stare.

His honest answer startled her and she couldn't help but blatantly stare at him.

"Geet!"

Geet and Maan turned around at the same time breaking their gaze.

"Dev?"

hey nice part
add me to ur pm list

This was a great part! 😊

finally dev has come hope now gets all her answers

brilliant update

i hope next i'll be longer one pls cont soonnnnnnn thanks pm