Desperation
She was still in bed when he woke up. Which was something unusual the he wondered if she was all right. He leaned near her to touch her cheek. It didn't feel hot. But before he could take away his hand, she caught it in hers and cuddled into it. The dreamy smile that brightened her face made him catch his breath. He leaned closer to caress her hair back from her face which then slid down to caress her cheeks.
"Maan..." her sound was a dreamy whisper, so full of invitation.
"Geet" he patted her cheek, consciously pulling away from the desire she ignited.
"Mmm"
Why is she not waking up? She always made a point waking up before him. "Are you all right?" "Mmm"
"Then why are you still sleeping?" Maan asked concern making him irritated. He pulled his hand away sharply. "Don't expect me to wait for you if you are late for the office. I have a meeting scheduled at 9:30."
"Toh?" she sat up push the pillow back and leaned on the headboard. " You can go when you want to...I'm not coming with you."
"Then?" she looked so adorable with the sleep tousled hair and soft lips, so warm and cuddly. He moved away from the bed.
"I'm taking a day off." She stretched her arms above her, arching her upper body drawing Maan's eyes to her curves.
"And you didn't think it was necessary to inform me?" His voice turned harsh. He didn't like the images that entered his mind on seeing her lushious curves and seductive stretch. He folded his arms across his chest and glared.
Geet imitated him and glared right back. She had tried to inform him about the leave since yesterday, but as he was on Geet avoid mission she couldn't. Then after three failed attempts she decide not to.
"You will find the leave application at your desk." She said , then added after a moment"...Maan sir!"
"may I know the reason for this sudden leave?"
"Cant I take a day off when I feel like it? any way there is no urgent work that needs completion. But if you really must know, I am going shopping."
"A whole day for shopping? I don't think I can allow pinky to take the day off for your whims."
"Pinky?"
"You must be planning to take her along, right?" He had seen the friendship they shared. Geet was almost protective of Pinky. He wondered why he was doing this...why did he have this sudden urge to spoil her plans for the day...
"But I am not going with pinky. I'm going with Mahi, if you must know. Mahi wanted me to help him choose a few indian dresses for his sister,"
Why did that irritate him further, Maan wondered as he stood under the shower. When he refused to accept her as his wife, why did it make him angry to know that she was spending the day with Mahendra. For the past few days he went out of his way to avoid Geet, to keep himself at a distance, to pull himself back from the temptation she presented. He would either make sure he worked late or be in bed before she came. At times he felt he was fighting a loosing battle, for even when he avoided her, she was never far from his thoughts. But he wouldn't accept it, couldn't accept it that he was under her spell already. Whenever he thought of marriage he had thought of choosing some one from the same social background as him. Someone like Sameera. Sameera that was another puzzle...what had happened to their relation that was on the brink of engagement? Daadi said they had decided to wait because Sameera preferred to further her career as a model to being married. So had he married Geet on the rebound?
Yet there was no denying the attraction he had for Geet , the desire that pulsed thru him. He admired her quick thinking and was impressed by the way she stood against him fearlessly, though it did irritate him to no ends. But how can he accept this relation that was forced on him. he is Maan Singh Khurana. No one dictates the rules by which he must live. Nothing and no one can make him accept any relation that he doesn't want to. He didn't want a wife, of whom he had no knowledge. He wouldn't accept the burden of being a perfect husband to someone whom he had no memory of choosing. However much she tempted him, burned him with lust, he wouldn't budge.
She could feel a resistance in him, as if he was fighting her. Then he was always fighting her...but she had felt him mellowing a bit. But now he was back to his old self, deliberately trying to pick issues with her...to irritate her. as if he was mocking her for thinking they were coming close again. Gone was the Maan who had given her the promise to keep her wishes. The spirit of pleasing her was gone from the game. Thinking that he might be feeling that she was pressurizing him with their dates, she decided to make him feel relaxed. For the next wish she planned a picnic with the kids from the orphanage.They were at the Amusement park accompanied by Daadi and even Mahi.
Though Maan was a bit preoccupied at first, soon she could see him relaxing and enjoying the company of the kids. She could see it took him no time to be the hero of the boys. He accompanied them in most of the rides and joined them in the various tricks. His laughter rang out as one of the boys managed to win a skill game.this was the first time she had heard his laughter after the Memory loss. It filled her with a happiness and contentment.
"Geet didi chalo na, roller coaster pe .." it was Atul and his buddy prithvi.
"why don't you ask your Maan bhaiyya?" she enthused.
Geet was someone who couldn't enjoy even the Giant Wheel. And Roller Coaster!
"But Maan bhaiyya says he will go with us only if you go, too! Please come na, didi!"
"But I need to keep an eye on..." she looked around for some one whom she needed to stay with... "...daadi!"
"Haan Daadi will get lost if you are not there , na? Maan teased. It was such a long time since she saw that naughty spark in his eyes...for him to look at her without a trace of suspicion in his eyes, so carefree and happy. She didn't want to spoil the mood. She wanted this moments with him to last. "Come on Geet! be a sport. Let us go!"
the enthusiasm in his voice pulled at her. she could feel herself melting.
Atul sat with Prithvi on the seat in front of them. She was relived to sit beside Maan. Once they were locked in she took deep breaths in preparation for the torture that was to come. as the train climbed up, her hands sought Maan's and held on in a death grip. Maan turned to look at her and saw the frightened eyes too dark for her pale face. She was scared, he thought guiltily. He hadn't thought she would be afraid of heights. As the train started its descend she couldn't hold back her whimpering. Her eyes were tightly shut. Her vulnerability struck a chord in him. He placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. She clutched at his shirt and turned her face into the crook of his neck. "Shhh...it's okay, I'm here! I wont let anything happen to you, Mishty" he soothed. His words whispered in her ears calmed her. She breathed in the unique essence of him, which helped to settle her turbulent stomach. She felt safe in the circle of his arms. The ride was over and as he helped her back to ground on her shaky legs, making sure the boys were with them. Then it struck her. He had called her Mishty! She stopped in her track and looked at him. "Maan..." her legs felt as if they would buckle.
"What happened Geet? Are your legs still wobbly?" Not waiting for her answer her he lifted her up in his arms to carry her towards Daadi.
He could feel her eyes on him, the wonder and expectation in them. He couldn't fathom the reason though. She was frightened and he had tried to sooth her. There was nothing more to it than that. Did she expect a declaration of love from him because he had put his arms around her and comforted her? He kept his eyes ahead and walked fast so that he could leave her with Daadi and get away from her.
"What happened?"
"Nothing, Daadi. I was just feeling wobbly after the ride."
"Are you sure Geet?" the emotion in his words drew Maan's eyes to Mahendra.
"I'm okay, Mahi."
"Can I get you something to drink? Water? Here wash your face..."
"Mahi, I'm okay." Geet repeated looking towards Maan who was walking away.
Maan observed the interaction between Geet and Mahi during the rest of the picnic. That they did share something more than a business relation was known to him. But was it just friendship? Or was there something more than that? There was a softness in his voice when he addressed her. He noticed Mahi watching her with an intensity in his eyes.
He could feel his senses stirring as he watched her. She was a beauty, all right. He enjoyed the way her kurti clung to her curves when the wind blew. He saw the way her eyes followed her husband, the yearning in them. But he knew that her husband didn't love her. Why, he didn't even care for her or respect her. He had heard the way he shouted at her. With the right move, he could make her fall for him. Her husband didn't want her. So may be Maan Singh Khurana wouldn't mind if he took her off his hand. He started plotting.
A few days later:
Somehow after the Picnic, Maan seemed more aloof. She had noticed him watching her. But that filled her with a strange sense of agitation, because she could sense something different it the way he watched her...it was not a good feeling. Adding to the tension was the crank calls and flowers she received, without the identity of the person. The calls played some love song and the card was signed your admirer. Yet the need to act on her hope that sprung from Maan calling her Mishty took precedence over everything else. Maan did remember their relation somewhere in the deepest corner of his mind. That was what prompted her to plan their weekend away from the crowd to the place they had first met, a camping at the riverside. They were back where it all begun, would he remember their first encounter, the time he saved her from drowning?
Now their relation was almost like those old days...his aloofness, his distrust of her. But how could she accept that when she had been treated to that bliss of togetherness they shared. Their love that had broken down all barriers, the level of understanding they shared. Each day with him yet apart from him was killing her, even when she put on a brave act in front of him. The influence of him had made her strong enough to face him, to stand up to him. She may have come a long way from the old Geet who accepted authority without a question, who then fought for her rights inspired by the words of a stranger. Life with Maan had given her the confidence to fight for her right, not to be a doormat. Yet she was also the Geet who had become so used to the love of her husband, who craved for his soft words, his gentle touch, his passionate love..
(Zara zara bahekta hai, mahekta hai
Aaj to mera tan badan, main pyaasi hoon
Mujhe bhar le apni baahon mein) - 2
Hai meri kasam tujhko sanam, door kahin na jaa
Yeh doori kehti hai paas mere aaja re
She watched him swimming, cutting across the current with powerful strokes, as music kept her company. The grace of his movement, the display of his broad shoulders filled her with yearning.
Yunhi baras baras kaali ghata barse
Hum yaar bheeg jaaye is chaahat ki baarish mein
Her thoughts flew back to that first moment with him in the rain... his presence near her became the comfort she sought. The safety and comfort she felt in his arms.
Meri khuli khuli laton ko suljhaaye
Tu apni ungliyon se main to hoon isi khwaahish mein
Sardi ki raaton mein hum soye rahe ek chaadar mein
Hum dono tanha ho, na koi bhi rahe is ghar mein
His eyes would brighten in appreciation whenever he saw her after the shower... she now missed his hands running thru her wet tresses...nuzzling his face on the curve of her neck, making her gasp with tickles and caresses...another image flashed of their trip to Switzerland ... sitting by the fire huddled under a blanket as they fed each other the food that had turned cold because they were busy quenching a different sort on hunger.
Zara zara bahekta hai, mahekta hai
Aaj to mera tan badan, main pyaasi hoon
Mujhe bhar le apni baahon mein
Aaja re aa re
He finished with his swim and walked towards the tent in graceful strides...he took the towel she offered him with a smile... another time she would have made him sit on the chair while she dried his hair for him. His arms would have circled her and with his head pressed to her body, it wouldn't have taken him a moment to take advantage of the proximity.
Tadpaaye mujhe teri sabhi baatein
Ek baar ae deewane jhootha hi sahi pyaar to kar
Main bhooli nahin haseen mulaaqaatein
Bechain karke mujhko mujhse yun na pher nazar
Roothega na mujhse, mere saathiya yeh vaada kar
Tere bina mushkil hai jeena mera mere dil mein
She reached over to run her hand along his shoulders and biceps...admiring the strength of him and the feel of those sinew muscles. Then pressed her face into his chest putting her arms around his waist. Placing a kiss on his heart, she lifted her face up for his kiss. She saw the fire that burned in his eyes and welcomed the mouth that descended with a smile. A snap of his fingers in front of her brought her back to reality. A need so intense consumed her that she reached out to touch him. He looked at her outstretched hand and to her face. She was sure he could read the yearning in her. But he took a step back, rejecting her. She let her hand fall down, empty, bereft. Then turned away to hide the tears that had started to fall.
(Zara zara bahekta hai, mahekta hai
Aaj to mera tan badan, main pyaasi hoon
Mujhe bhar le apni baahon mein
Hai meri kasam tujhko sanam, door kahin na jaa
Yeh doori kehti hai paas mere aaja re
Aaja re, aaja re, aaja re
Her throat ached with the strain of holding back a cry. Her heart throbbed with the weight of her silent agony. She needed to get away...away from him , if only for a few minutes...
Her steps carried her towards the river. And the water beckoned with its sweet sound. Here she could hide her tears...she walked on farther into the cool water.
PART 11i am updating without editing...kindly bear with me...😃..sorry for the delay...as i said the scene was not playing correctly for be...even now😭...any way hope u r not too disappointed😃
so i've added a few incredients more...chances for new twists and characters...let me know ur suggestions😃
Edited by bangalores - 13 years ago
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
267