Maneet FF:Dreams ~4~ Part 39, page 125 :) - Page 2

PART 33

No amount of cajoling worked this time for he didn't understand what was bothering her more, the fact that he fought with Grandma or that he had hurt his hand in the process. Though she looked pained to see his bleeding hand, she seemed miffed at him for other reasons too. Reasons he couldn't put his finger on. Seeming that he was clueless to the reason behind the foul mood of his wife, Maan had no clue how to close the bridge. She had maintained her distance at the breakfast table, making minimum conversation. The presence of Daadima at the table added to the tension in the air. Moreover, when she made an excuse of tiredness to stay behind and not accompany him to office, his belief just got stronger. She was enraged and she wouldn't say why. So when she followed him to the door to bid him goodbye, Maan scanned her face to look for clues. Finding none, he gently held her shoulders and kissed her forehead. His eyes lingered on hers before he dropped his hands to his either side. Asking her to take care of herself, he left for work leaving his heart behind.

Geet was furious. He made no attempts to talk to her. All he did was apologize for his behavior. At one point she wanted to talk to Daadima and know what was going on between them but then decided otherwise. If there was something she needed to know, Maan should be the one to tell her. She refused to get the information from other sources. If she had to trick, fake her anger or plead. She would do that. But she would wait till he came and shared his inner most worries with her. She was after all his better half, wasn't she? What bothered her more was the edgy look in his eyes. He could keep a straight face but his eyes wouldn't lie to her. Why was he so restless? What was going on in the head of the great Maan Singh Khurana? She wasn't surprised to see his anger but was surprised at the person it was inflicted upon. It had to be a big thing for she had never seen him so mad at his grandmother. When she made an excuse of staying back home, he made no attempt to coax her into accompanying him, he had just nodded his head slightly and resumed eating his breakfast. So as a final effort she made her way to the main door in the hopes of getting a few words from him but had to take pleasure of his lingering lips on her forehead that warmed her to the tips of her toes and be content with that. Smiling slightly she waved him a good bye.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He had almost made it to the gates of Khurana mansion when he saw Naintara drive up. Frowning upon her arrival he slammed on the brakes and honked at her. Signaling her to wait he parked his car by the side of the road and walked up to her. Naintara was already out of the confines of her car and waited as he made his way to her side of the road.

"What are you doing here?" wondering if she was here to meet Dev.

"Main Geet Bhabhi se milne aayi thi" The reply annoyed him. What the hell did she want from Geet? Did he trust her enough when he didn't even trust his own brother? As if reading into his thoughts she answered.

"I needed to talk to her about Dev."

He frowned upon her choice of words. "I don't want her to talk to Daadima about us." She continued. She knew Maan would not leave her off the hook until she told him everything.

"And why is that? You guys concocting up other plans?" he mocked her.

"I don't want to marry Dev" she said with tears in her eyes which threw him off the tangent but he kept his poker face on urging her to go ahead.

"Dev is too obsessed with himself. I don't think he loves anybody else other than himself. He has so much hatred contained in him that it scares me. I don't want my child to grow up in such an environment. I am more than capable of taking care of my child" placing a hand over her flat midriff she pleaded "I know this is Khurana heir but please Maan Veerji, I don't want this life with Dev"

Rubbing her cheeks by the back of her hand she turned around "I am going back to Mumbai tomorrow, so I thought I should atleast tell Geet Bhabhi about my decision" Maan stance sobered listening to her. How many lives will his so called brother destroy till he was finally brought to justice? Not knowing how he was supposed to console her, he cleared his throat and asked her to proceed towards the house.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Maan worries increased manifold when Adi informed him about Dev's cancelled check. He had a pretty good idea why his younger brother would require such a large amount suddenly. The last thing Maan needed was another nuisance in his life. Laying his head back and closing his eyes, Maan saw once again the heartbroken look on his Geet's face when he'd had left for work today. Rubbing his temple, he called Adi asking him to freeze all Dev's accounts. He was done doing damage control for his brother and he had already made his mind, he just needed to talk to Geet and make sure she was going to be on his side, even when his own grandmother wasn't.

Maan groaned internally, thinking about all the times when he had left Dev off the hook, sometimes on Daadima's persistence and sometimes thinking he would finally change. But he hadn't, in fact now he has grown into a thumping tumor that he needed to eradicated from his life for good.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As Naintara walked inside the huge mansion for the first time, she studied the photographs of Maan and Dev hanging on the wall. There were plenty of them but in each picture Dev looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. The smile on his face was a fake one. Sighing she made her way to meet Geet.

Sitting on the sofa, Geet curled her feet under her and stared in confusion as she listened to what Naintara had to say. At first she had such difficulty understanding as Naintara shared her feelings about Dev. But as she spoke and told her inner fears she realized just how devastated she had been by their on-off relationship. Where Naintara kept waiting for Dev to finally understand the importance of love in his life, Dev had being consumed with hatred for his own family. And now he would loose the one person who had been there for him for all this while.

Geet leaned over to grab Naintara's hand, "You are sure about all this? It is a very important decision" she asked in concern.

Naintara stilled, Geet watched as she gave her undivided attention. Lowering her eyes, she took a sip of her juice and answered, "Yes, I am. I know what I am doing" she laughed bitterly, "Ironically, I thought I was going to have a wonderful life with Dev." Tossing her head like in self mockery, she looked at Geet "Like yours"

Geet felt her stomach shift uncomfortably. Naintara was hurting but she had put a brave front and refused to accept any help. She wondered how it felt like to be alone emotionally and physically.

"Naintara,"Geet sighed, "I wish I could do something to help. Maybe if you gave Dev---"

Naintara didn't let her finish "No, You don't know him like I do. He is so engrossed in planning to hurt you guys that he hardly ever pays any attention to me and last night—" she choked, struggling to continue any further.

With wide eyes, Geet watched as the woman finished her sentence " the fight ended with his palm print on my cheek."

Geet gasped and so did the older lady who happened to have just entered the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Geet knew she had to share this little information with Maan. She had promised herself that she would share everything with him, no matter how small the thing was. But when she picked up the cell to call him, she stilled. No, she would talk to him in person. Plus she wanted to know whatever he was hiding from her. The fact that Maan would hide something from her, was eating her inside. She was annoyed that he didn't trust her enough that he could share his worries. Making up her mind that she needed a talk with her husband, she thought of a plan.

"Geet?" He looked up from the papers he was buried in. He hadn't expected her to come to work at all, much less bearing a smile. She confused him to no ends. He was so sure, he would have to grovel when he came back home but her cheerful nature made him feel like doing a back flip in his mind. Maan's heart welled as he took sight of his wife. Only a few minutes ago, he felt suffocated in his own cabin but that changed as soon as she had put foot inside. He couldn't imagine his life without this incredible woman.

"Chaliye lunch kar le jiye" she hadn't dared to look into his eyes as she closed his file and started to clear the space to put the lunch box she carried with her. She had come with high hopes of making him open up to her. A smile plastered on her face, she continued to set the contents of the afternoon meal she had prepared for him. He watched her with immense love and gratitude, as she offered him the plate.

"Tum ne khaya?' he asked even though he already knew the answer to that. When had she ever eaten before him? He smiled inwardly when she nodded her head in negative confirming his views. He reached out his hand to help her settle near him. His grasp was warm as always and an involuntary tingle ran through her body.

Offering her a spoonful of rice, "Here, have some" he made her eat.

He was relishing the food, when she spoke softly "Maan, Aaj Naintara aayi thi ghar par" He made a grumpy sound but didn't show any surprise. Swallowing the food, "I know, I met her in the morning, outside the house" he said before she could continue. She was contemplating how to continue the conversation, he has said met not saw. Did it mean he had a talk with her too? Before she could put her words in to a proper sentence, Adi knocked.

"Sir, The lawyer is here---"

"Adi, I will meet him in the conference room" Maan spoke too quickly for Geet to not notice that he didn't want her to know the details. She blinked in confusion. Putting a hand over hers, he spoke in an assuring tone "Trust me, I will tell you all later"

Angry tears gathered behind her closed lids. When later? He had been saying that ever since he came back from Chandigarh. What was that he just couldn't talk to her now? How had she failed him? She grimaced. Maybe the "how" didn't matter. The fact was irrefutable: He just didn't trust her enough.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She sat by the window and looked out, the sky was dark and thunder clapped overhead, she felt the same inside, like a storm was brewing. The things happening around confused her. Naintara had told her things about Dev. She recollected her conversation with Dev when he told her that he hated Maan, always had and always will. She knew the reason behind this immense hatred. She had seen Naintara as a hope of ray of bridging the gap between the two brothers but all that looked futile. Would these two brothers always be at each other's throats? She had no idea what type of person Dev was. Had he really hit Naintara? She was pregnant with his baby. She trusted Naintara more than Dev and what reason did she have to lie to her? Why had Dev not thought about her? Was hurting Maan more important than taking care of this woman who was carrying his baby? Maan was hiding something from her. He looked worried and on the edge the whole time she was there in office. He had promised to have a talk once he came back home and she had relented. She had called Maan five times in the last hour and each time he had assured her that he would be back soon. Being away from him, made her restless and she hated the feeling. Why and when had she become this nagging wife, she didn't know but their last fight had scared her and she wanted to hold onto him forever.

She pressed her warm fingers against the cool glass of the window as she heard rain drops smash against it. As if the rain summoned her, her feet acted on their own and she was out of her room, climbing the steps towards the terrace. The air was humid and moist. The raindrops hit her skin, hard and firm, she let the water wash all over her, erasing all her fears and worries. The only thing she felt was the cool water in her skin.

She lifted her face towards the sky and she spun on the spot, outstretching her arms. Closing her eyes she savored the feeling of water over her skin. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she did not know when Maan had appeared there watching her getting dripping wet and soaked to the bone.

Maan stood watching her twirling around carelessly. The serene look on her face was nothing compared to the flustered look she gave him before she closed the door of his cabin on her way out. He remembered her face when he had insisted her to go back home and he cursed himself. He wanted to talk to her, share his worries and sorrows, but he didn't want to do it there. He had wanted to do it in isolation and peacefully. He walked soundlessly towards her in quick long steps while she stopped as if sensing his presence. He stared with intense eyes through the rain and she turned away from him, self-conscious of her water soaked attire. Before she could walk away, he captured her wrist quickly and pulled her back towards his chest slowly. She trembled against his solid body and Maan holding her hand turned her around to face him and pulled her in harder. His other hand rested on her waist and she shuddered at the contact. He looked down at her as she blushed lowering her eyes, her clothes clinging to every curve of her body.

"Aap kab aaye?" she managed to speak after she found her voice.

"Jab tum mujhe yaad kar rahi thi" he spoke as he moved his hand from her waist to her back, drawing her close to his body. His other hand reached up to move her hair from her face, and she laid her head against his chest.

Geet chuckled slightly and sighed. She had missed this. She had missed the tranquility she got in his arms. She might be upset but he was her anchor. With him nearby, everything would be all right. Lost in each other's arms they swayed lightly to the sound of the rain. No words were required between them and they let silence take over for each knew what the other was feeling. Maan's hand roamed up her back and gently pushed her hair aside. His sensitive touch caused her skin to shiver. Her mouth opened slightly as she gasped when she felt Maan's lips grazing against the tender skin of her shoulder. Wrapping her arms tightly around him, her body fitted perfectly into his and his mouth travelled up her smooth neck. He grazed his lips against hers softly; Geet parted her lips inviting him, pressing her rain soaked body against his.

"I missed you" he spoke ever so softly and wondered if she even heard him.

"I was always here. And you were gone for just a few hours" she replied letting him know she heard him and his every heart beat.

"Too long" he said as he grazed his lips gently over hers. He heard her moan, and kissed her properly and harder this time, letting her know how much he missed her. However unwillingly they broke apart. Their breathing heavy, Maan rested his forehead against hers and smiled at her blush. "Geet…"he whispered into her hair…"Hmmm"… "I love you…" she heard him whisper again, His voice thick with emotions and sincerity. When she didn't reply, he looked down at her and he saw that her eyes were brimming with tears.