'Daddy said I had to ask you if I can have a ride in his car,' Daksh piped up. 'Can I, Maa? Can I?'
'May I,' Geet corrected automatically, wrenching her gaze away from Maan's,
'We can't all fit in that car, Daksh. If we're going to Lake Shore ā¦' The outing agreed upon.
'Perhaps a quick spin around the block?' Maan suggested.
'He's not a stranger any more, Maa. It can't be a bad thing to do.'
Geet flushed at the reminder of the argument she'd used in a protective need to keep Maan a stranger to Daksh.
'Just a short ride then,' she muttered, feeling hamstrung by her own dictate.
'Five minutes at most,' Maan promised, undoubtedly realising it was stretching her trust to let him go off alone with their son. It was against their agreement.
'Okay, five minutes,' she conceded, shooting him a warning look. One transgression didn't mean he could trample anywhere he liked. He grinned at her, triumph dancing in his eyes. Daksh whooped with joy and they were off, leaving Geet to fret over the feeling that control was slipping away from her.
In fact, it had been slipping away ever since Maan had re-entered her life. Her independent stance was gone. Any peace of mind was gone. The future directions she had been considering were hopelessly blurred by the now prime consideration of whether or not she should entertain the idea of marrying Maan Singh Khurana.
With a helpless sigh, Geet retreated into the house, checked that everything needed for their day out had been put in the backpack before zipping it shut, slung it over one arm, grabbed both her hat and Daksh's, and went back out to the porch, locking the front door behind her.
The Ferrari came vrooming down the street as she walked towards the Beetle.
Maan had kept his word. He didn't want her to be frightened of him. The problem was it was difficult not to be when her knees went weak at the sight of him.
She unlocked the Beetle and waited beside it, wondering how she was going to cope in his company all day longāa morning visit to the aquarium, lunch in one of the many restaurants overlooking Lake, idling the afternoon away at the children's playground or the Rock Gardens.
Father and son emerged from the Ferrari, holding hands to cross the road, both of them wearing jeans and T-shirts, just as she was. The three of them were dressed like a family, going on a holiday tour together, and Daksh was skipping with excited anticipation. He'd had his ride in his father's flash car and now he was going to see all the fish from his favorite movie, 'Finding Nemo'.
Geet handed the Beetle's key to Maan. 'You drive. I haven't been near inner-city traffic for so long, it would make me nervous.'
'Then this should be a practice run for you,' he argued.
'I'd rather do that alone.'
'I could help you avoid mistakes.'
'Just let me be a passenger, Maan. It's your day with Daksh.' Not with me.
He instantly picked up the implication not to assume too much and gave her an ironic little smile as he took the key. 'Keeping your distance, Geet?'
'Keeping out of trouble,' she answered.
She had trouble enough, sitting so closely beside him in the car on their way to Lake Shore. His physical presence in such a small space dominated her consciousness, even though she kept her gaze fixed on the traffic, trying her utmost to ignore how acutely all her other senses were attuned to him.
Nor could she stop her body from feeling all keyed upāwhether to repel any touch from him or welcome it, she didn't know. Just being near him aroused the memories of the fresh intimate moments from last week, but she couldn't let that happen again, couldn't risk any kind of intimate contact while she was still trying to sort through the situation between them.
Daksh was full of chatter, keeping Maan engaged in conversation, for which Geet was intensely grateful. She listened to their voices. No strain in either of themāhappy, cheerful, having fun. Would Maan be a good father in the long run?
Discovering a son was still very new to him. He wanted to indulge Daksh, but there was more to parenting than indulgence.
Still, Geet couldn't quarrel with the indulgence when they finally reached the aquarium and walked into a new entrancing world for Daksh. The touching pond and the showcases of fish were fantastic. Seeing sharks swimming overhead was positively awesome. She could not have afforded to give Daksh this experience and he was loving every minute of it.
The tropical fish, of course, were a very special attraction, and he told Maan the names of those he recognised from having watched 'Finding Nemo' many times since Geet had bought him the CD for New Year. Naturally the clownfish was his favourite.
Eventually they'd exhausted every attraction and Geet suggested a toilet visit before going on to lunch. She automatically took Daksh's hand to lead him into the Ladies' Room, only to be halted by Maan.
'He should come with me, Geet.'
'But he's a little boy,' she objected.
'I'll look after him.' Hard challenge in his eyes.
It was his day with Daksh.
Rather than make a fight of it, Geet reluctantly let them go together. She was waiting for them when they came out and Daksh rushed over to her to whisper proudly, 'Maa⦠I went to Gent's toilet, with Daddy.'
Geet grimaced over this highly basic piece of male bonding and rolled her eyes at Maan who was totally unabashed about it.
'About time I had a first in my son's upbringing,' he said pointedly, reminding her of all the firsts he'd missedāfirst word, first step, first day at schoolā¦
Daksh skipped on ahead of them as they walked towards the aquarium exit and
Maan seized the chance for some private talk between them, 'Geet, you seem to lose weight, from last time I saw you.'
'No⦠I don't think so,' she answered quickly, a wave of heat whooshing up her neck, thinking he is even noticing her body structure.
'Geet, Did you⦠Did you give a thought about what I said you'. From, morning he was trying to have a word with her. But, every time, she puts him off, finding one or other reason.
She knew, very well this is coming, but this fast, it was least expected.
'Maan, We really don't have time to go into all this now, especially when Daksh is around.'
He glared all the harder. 'You're always evading. In the past five hours you've put me off about fifty times.'
She clutched her mobile tightly. 'I can see you have picked up a tendency to exaggerate along with all the other ways that you have changed.'
He folded his arms across his chest. 'I'm not leaving today until we work a few things out.'
'I told you, now is not the time.'
'Have you noticed that since I came back, it's never the time? You've always got some excuse why we can't tackle any tough questions right now.'
'You keep blaming me.'
'I don't.'
'You do ā and maybe I am to blame. Because, I let you to get near Daksh⦠and you took it as a license to run my life'.
He didn't answer, just kept on looking her.
Maan called out to Daksh, bringing him back in line with them, taking his handāa hand that was readily given, unlike hers. Geet wondered if Maan would stoop to seriously playing Daksh as a persuasive force in getting her to accept his proposal of marriage. Or was he simply counting on, her own vulnerability to a connection with him?
She couldn't block out the powerful attraction and stirring emotions he can still exert on her, yet marriage was something else entirely. No way was she going to rush into a decision. Six years was a huge gap to bridge and she was far too conscious of the murky waters that flowed all around them, making a foundation on which to build seem very rocky.
They proceeded to a Lake Shore restaurant where Maan had booked a table out on the open terrace, shaded with a canopy so they could watch the colourful passing parade of people and the boats in the waterālots of boats on shore this weekend, reminding Geet of how she had first met Maan and his brother.
It was at the end of her second year of university and she and her friends decide to have little freak out before, the exams tension get in to their nerves. Aditya, one of her friends, was from Mussorie, a beautiful hill station city, known as 'Queen of the Hills', and that, trip changed her life foreverā¦
Adi's parents were very loving and caring. They had a small super market, near the 'Lake Mist'. The lake is situated on the Kempty Road, before the Kempty falls. It's a beautiful spot, which is not occupied like other lakes and spots of Mussorie, as it's a newly developed scenic picnic spot.A person who has a poetic heart, can best portray the beauty of these lakes, as it itself tell you the poemsā¦
The Khurana family had owned a huge waterfront mansion nearby 'Lake Mist' in those days. Probably still did. The group of five was in full swing to enjoy their maximum, as after that, they have their exams stretching on, and more over, Adi and Harini was Diplomas in Fashion Designing, so they will complete their course after this. And, when ever they got time, inbetween their site seeing and exploring the places, all the five helped Adi's parents in the supermarket⦠and the sweet old couple were more than, happy to be surrounded with the always smiling, laughing, energetic kidsā¦
That summer, the Khurana brothers had sailed every weekend. She had met Dev first, serving him in the shop. He'd flirted with her and all the other girls in the shop. She did not give much attention to him, taking him as another spoilt brat.
Until one day, Maan had appeared, with Dev, completely knocking out all her resolution of not falling in love with anyoneā¦.If Dev, was charismatic, Maan was all about Power and Maleness. A Greek-God, in all meansā¦.
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