Chapter 16
Geet & Pari were so amazed by the Khurana Mansion that they didn't even notice Savitri Devi rush out to greet them, followed by an excited Dev & a worried looking Maan.
"I see you like the house," said Dadima, smiling as she stood beside Geet. Geet snapped out of her trance & bent down to gain her blessings, followed by Pari.
"Live long," she said.
"So, what do you think?""It's a truly beautiful house," complimented Geet.
Dev & Pari caught each other's eyes & exchanged a loving smile, with Pari looking down & blushing. Geet gave Maan an angry look, which geniunely made the hairs at the back of his neck stand up.
"Come on girls, let's get inside. Dev, tell Nakul to bring their bags out of the car."Dev rushed inside to fetch Nakul, whilst Maan & Dadima led the twins up to the entrance of the house.
They stepped in, & just when the Handa sisters thought they couldn't be any more amazed, they were proved wrong.
The living area was huge, & boasted two luxurious sofas. A long curved staircase was to the right, a corridor was to the left which seemed like it led to the kitchen. The floor looked like it was made of marble, and there were several photo frames scattered around the wall, boasting pictures of Maan & Dev.
Geet & Pari were led to sit down on the sofas. Dev appeared & sat opposite them, with Maan whilst Dadi took her own seat. Nakul came through with the two suitcases.
"What do you think of Delhi so far?" asked Dadima, beaming happily.
"It's a vibrant city, that's for sure," replied Geet.
"And what about you, Pari?"
"Ji, it seems like a very interesting place to live."
"It is. I know you girls will be used to your Hoshiarpur, but I'm confident you will both enjoy your week's stay here. But first thing first, you both must be so hungry after that trip. Which is why I got the servants to prepare a feast for my future daughter in laws. I'll just go & check on the food, see how it's going."Dadima left the room, leaving the newly engaged couples in awkward silence. Maan was waiting for the moment when Geet would confront him, but to his surprise, she had a calm expression on her face, almost as if she had forgotten all about the Dadima saga.
"So, how are Uncle & Aunty?" Dev asked Pari.
"They're good, thank you," she replied.
"I missed you," he added, smiling at her.
Pari giggled softly & Geet rolled her eyes at the whole exchange.
"Geet, how did you like bro's gift to you?"Maan's head shot up & he gave Dev a deathly glare, who shrugged his shoulders. Maan was mentally preparing himself for all hell to break loose but Geet smiled.
"I really like it, it's a great gift. Thank you once again, Maan."Dadima arrived to announce dinner was ready. She led the way, followed by Geet & Pari with the Khurana brothers behind.
"Why did you ask her about the phone?" whispered Maan.
"To break the awkward silence, I thought I was doing you a favour."
"Don't mention anything which will trigger off me lying to her about Dadima."They all took their positions at the table, with Geet & Pari next to each other.
"Why don't you & Maan switch places?" Dadima suggested to Pari, who got up & sat beside her fiance & Maan beside his fiancee.
Maan was trying to avoid Geet, but it seemed impossible now. He knew his Dadima would try to bring the couples closer together.
"Could you pass me the water, please?" asked Geet.
Maan was lost in his own thoughts.
"Maan?"
"Huh?" he replied, looking dazed.
"Water. Please."
"Oh, right, sorry."He gave her the jug of water, & for a few minutes, everyone ate in silence. Then Dadima decided to inject some conversation into the atmosphere.
"Geet, Pari, we were thinking of taking you both tomorrow to see the sights of Delhi, and for a spot of shopping. What do you think?"Pari's face lit up, but she looked to Geet to reply.
"It sounds great," she replied.
"But to be honest, shopping is more of Pari's thing. I'm not really into all that.""So what would you like to do?"What Geet really wanted to do was to visit her future workplace, Khurana Constructions. But she had promised Maan not to make the business side to their marraige seem so obvious, so she simply smiled.
"You know, I think I'll come shopping. Maybe I'll gain more of an interest into it," she lied, taking a sip of water.
"Are you sure?" asked Dadima.
"I don't want to force you into doing anything you wouldn't want to.""No, really, it's fine."
"That's settled then. Sightseeing, then shopping. It will be a good day."~After dinner, Dadima ordered Geet & Pari to go to sleep as they had travelled a long journey. Nakul had taken their suitcases into their rooms, which they had been given one each. Both of their rooms had a massive four poster bed, a dressing table & an enormous closet, complete with an en suite bathroom.
Pari had poked her head around Geet's door to say goodnight, who had been sat on the bed, getting prepared to sleep. Geet returned her goodbye, but as soon as Pari had left, she jumped up, grabbed a chair & camped out in front of her door.
Geet sat there for a good half an hour, listening intently out into the corridor. She heard the first set of footsteps, but they were soft, and she could hear the tinkles of jewellry as the person walked past her door. Dadima.
The next set of footsteps were louder, & Geet had to listen in even carefully. She heard the clearing of a throat. Dev. He went past her room.
Which left the coast clear for Geet to strike on her target. Moving the chair back, she stood by the door, one hand poised on the handle. She listened intently as she heard the last of the footsteps come up the stairs, and turn onto the landing.
Geet took a count of 3 seconds before she opened the door. A startled Maan's eyes widened as Geet pulled him into her room by his arm & closed the door shut.
"Geet, what's going-"Geet raised her slender index finger in the air, indicating for Maan to be silent. Her hazel eyes were wide with annoyance. Maan knew what was coming. He had thought he'd gotten away with it, but clearly he hadn't.
"So, Dadima was ill, was she?"
"Geet, look, I can explain-"
"You said Dadima was ill, didn't you? You said she had a sore throat, she was poorly in bed, & you were at home taking care of her. So explain this, Maan, when Dadima called our house & I picked up, why did she say she was perfectly fine? Not only that, but she added she had been out all day & you had been in office."
"It's not what you think."
"Really?" Geet folded her arms.
"Yes, you see, I was just... I was..."
"There's one other thing I don't get. If Dadima says she was out at the time when we phoned to ask about her health, then who did I talk to?"Maan looked away sheepishly.
"Was it you?" Geet asked, eyes widened in surprise.
"No, I... I got Dev to pretend."
"So you dragged him into this, too? Why did you lie, Maan?"
"I honestly didn't mean to, it got out of hand."
"Out of hand?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"Try me. There has to be a reason behind you pretending that Dadima was ill."
A short silence followed as Geet waited for Maan & Maan racked his brains on how to begin.
"Ok, Geet, here's the thing. Now, don't get angry with me again, but-"A loud knock on the door stopped Maan from saying whatever he was about to.
Precap: Dinner Date
CID
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
193