A Sudden Change Of Heart(MG FF)-Link to 2nd Thread - Page 26

CHAPTER-9

Geet. GEET.. Geet Handa.. The name gave him a strange sensation. A surge of feelings he didn't know even existed in him. How could he feel so strongly about someone he only knew for about two months? What did he know about her actually? Except that she lived alone, without her family. All her loved ones lived in Mumbai. She had violent mood swings, one minute she was happy, the next minute she was depressed. She was everything at the same time- simple, sweet, sharp, witty, stylish, traditional. She was professional, and domestic. She was in fact, he admitted grudgingly to himself, PERFECT.

And not that, she had even instilled some of her features in him. She had the ability to soften him, she was able to make him feel closer to humanity, and emotions- something he had long forgotten. She infuriated him, took his temper to levels unimaginable, but, also triggered all other kinds of feelings in him. She could turn him into a brutal monster, who could kill with looks and his tongue, and then again, she could transform him into the most calm and understanding person. It was simply unbelievable, the effect she had on him. And here he was spending minutes and hours trying to deny that. Ignore that one fateful word rising in his neurons every time he thought about Geet.

And yet, he thought, all the vital signs were present. He had an almost continuous urge to stay with her, look after her, protect her, care for her. Whenever he had seen her in difficulty, his first and primal instinct was to protect her. That's why he had dragged her out of the party, that's why he had asked her whether she faced any problems from her uncle. When she had voiced out her thoughts to him, sitting on that dark, deserted road, it seemed as if she had handed a piece of her heart to him, and he had gladly accepted it. He felt so important to know more about her, have her unburden her heart and soul in front of him. He knew, that Geet was a strong and independent woman, someone, who didn't like to show her weakness to anyone else in the world. Almost like him. And yet, he had seen her in the most hurtful and sad moments of her life. It made him feel more closer to her, and a part of her life. And, suddenly, to Maan, that was very important.

He stepped out of the car in a trance, making his way towards the office, without even realizing that he had spent about half an hour thinking about Geet, when he should be in is cabin working as usual. As soon as he entered the cool work environment, his eyes scanned desperately around for her. He had just become so used to seeing her every morning. But, Geet was no where near or around him. His train of thoughts were broken, when, Adi called out to him.

" Sssiirr…"

He whipped his head around, and fired the question out at him without thinking, " Where's Geet?"

" Ssiirr… Geet toh aaj aapne office se kaam karengi. She called in the morning to tell me that."

She's not gonna come today? Then, why didn't she call me up, and tell me?

Maan strolled around his cabin, clenching his fists in anger. Geet works with me, she should call me up, and tell me, that she is not gonna come today. Why did she call Adi and tell him? Mujhe batana ussne zaarori hi nahin samjha. Last day, she was vomiting the whole time. Usski tabiyat kaisi hain woh bhi batana zaarori nahin samjha. Ussne yeh janne ki bhi koshish nahin ki ke site wala problem solve hua ya nahin. Thik hain, agar usse koi parwa nahin, toh mujhe bhi nahin… bhaar mein jaye… Wait, Maan.. why are you talking like her?

*****

" Check the goddamn menu, the wine, and the reservation. Waise bhi, I screwed up the party, now I don't want the same thing to happen with this corporate dinner. Clear?"

Geet slammed the files on her desk, dismissing Pinky, and glanced at her phone for the millionth time that morning. She hadn't been able to sleep, eat, or do anything since last night. There were a lot of things on her mind. And she just couldn't throw them out, no matter how hard she tried. She picked up her phone, and then placed it back on the table with a thud.

Its almost been 12 hrs, and he still didn't bother calling me up. He didn't even call me to ask why I wasn't coming to his office to work today. I had to tell Adi about it, because he was late in coming to work. And he doesn't even bother wanting to know about it. As if he doesn't care. Mk ne toh site ke baaremein bhi mujhe kuch batana zaarori nahin samjha. Woh Sasha jo hain. They make such a great team. Huh!! Great team meri jooti..kaal mujhe site pe bhi aane nahi diya.. he was being so concerned about my health. Toh aaj toh ek bar phone karke bhi nahin pucha ke main zinda hoon, ya marr gayii.. Chaaddo Geet, tu bhi kisse expect kar rahi hain.. Fine, if he doesn't care, neither do I. Waise bhi iss dinner ko leke bohut pareshaan hoon, I don't need extra stress.. Bhaar mein jaayee Mk.

*****

She paced up and down the lobby of the Oberoi Hotel, dressed in an off shoulder kameez, churidar and duppatta, with her hazels lined perfectly with light makeup. Geet was waiting for the clients, and especially for her Mamaji to arrive. She had even thought of an excuse for the party incident. She could easily say, that there was a problem on the site and she and Mk had to leave to tackle that. Mk. She glanced at her cell again, willing it to ring. But, alas, it didn't. Chaddo Geet.. forget it..

But, no matter how hard she tried she couldn't. she hated to admit it to herself, that after the party, she had spent almost every minute thinking about Maan. She had spent all of last night, just thinking of and about him. And yet, every time she just tried to deny that one word which came in to her mind whenever she thought about him. She couldn't disagree to the effect he had on her. The soothing, calm, and splendid effect. But she couldn't bring herself to accept that word. Not after everything that had happened in the last few months. But, it was the truth. Maan had changed things in her. He had altered her system, giving rise to emotions and feelings which she had never experienced before. And now, she couldn't get him out of her mind.

" Geet Handa"

She jerked to the presence, as a group of 5 men and 2 women looked at her inquiringly. She ran her eyes through them, and spotted Ranbir Handa at once, dressed in his usual black formals, with a huge smirk plastered on his face, as he ran his eyes over her dress non chalantly. Aaj zaaroor puchenge ke Geet yeh dress kitne ki hain?

" Good evening. I was just waiting for you people. Come on, I think we have the table ready." Geet said confidently, and after exchanging a few words with the waiter, the group settled themselves down in the hotel restaurant. The usual chatter started, as the waiter served the guests wine and then offered them the menu. Geet could feel the tension radiating from her, as she felt her uncle's eyes on her. Babaji, please, let him ask anything, but not about Dev. Please..

" So, Geet," he said loudly, immediately grabbing attention of all other people on the table. " Where did you go between that party?"

"Office"

"Site"

She whipped her head around, and saw him, standing there in a white shirt and black jeans, staring back at her angrily. She smiled slightly seeing him, thinking that he had come just for her, then frowned, as he continued to glare at her. Suddenly, she realized. They had just said two different things to the clients. Geet looked back at them, as they stared in confusion.

" Uumm… actually… we went to the office first, then we had a problem, so we went to the site." She gulped her saliva down, and tried to sound as convincing as possible.

She is a horrible liar. Maan, yeh ladki toh jhoot bhi nahin bol sakti. Tujhe yeh hopeless hi mili thi kya?

" Mr. Khurana! I didn't know you'd be here too.." Ranbir Handa said, taking in Maan's appearance sharply.

The table was for 10 people, and the chair next to Geet was conveniently not taken. Maan settled himself on it, and said smartly, " Yes, my secretary told me at the last minute about this dinner, so I'm a bit late. I hope you all don't mind. So, did you guys order?'

Conversations started on the table yet again, with Ranbir still glancing at Geet and Maan while the two were busy ignoring each other. Atleast, Maan was. Even though, he sat beside Geet, he never said a word to her. It didn't take a brilliant mind to guess, that he was angry, and Geet knew that very well.

Saara din phone nahin kiya, and he's showing me attitude. Whatever, I really don't care. Who told him to come tonight?

Ek toh saara din gayab rahi, she didn't even tell me that she had this dinner tonight. Akele aa gayii..aur phir, mujhe tewar dikha rahi hain..

Both of them stretched their hands to reach out for the water, resulting in their skin slightly brushing against each other. Maan glared at Geet, who glared back at him, and withdrew her hand immediately. She sat there, hardly talking, and hardly eating, her anger extremely evident. If he could ignore her, then so could she. And she could do it better than him. But she still couldn't overlook the fact that he was here because of her..only for her. And that brought a certain softness in her heart despite the anger.

The dinner continued, as all the deals and details were discussed with the clients thoroughly. Maan and Geet had refused to even look at each other during the whole time, something, which didn't go unnoticed by her uncle, who sat conveniently in front of them, his eyes hovering over them all the time. Something is definitely going on between them… he thought to himself.

Just as dessert was served, Geet leaned forward to help herself to some peach mousse, when her napkin fell down on the floor with a thud. She sighed, and looked around for a server, but, no one was in sight. Maan saw her fidgeting over the fallen napkin, and on an impulse, offered her his one without saying a word. She snorted and looked around the table. The clients were all busy talking to each other, so she seized the moment, and whispered out harshly, " Why didn't you call the whole day?"

" Why didn't you call the whole day?" he retorted back sharply, still holding the napkin conveniently in front of their mouths.

" Why will I call?" she spit out.

" Why will I call?" he answered back.

" Stop quoting me Mk. And you.. you could have called to tell me about the site problem… whether it was solved or not." She said furiously.

" You could also have called me up to talk about the site problem. And just yesterday, you were vomiting like crazy. Aaj phir bahar khana khane aa gayii?" he glared at her.

" You remember I was vomiting the whole day, so couldn't you have called and asked me whether I am still throwing up or not? And main shokh se nahin aayi.. it was scheduled for today." She spoke in a low voice, trying not to arouse any suspicion.

" Why did you come alone, despite being sick? Why didn't you even tell me once about this dinner? And you work with me, why didn't you tell me that you were not coming to the office today?" His voice raised an octave, but Geet quickly shushed him.

" I called you in the office, but you were late, so I left the message with Adi. And Meera told me you told her, that you had something more important lined up for tonight. So, I didn't think its necessary to disturb you. I'm sure there are more important things for you to do, than attend a dinner with me." She turned her face away, obviously putting an end to their conversation.

Maan held her arm, and jerked her back, so that she faced him. He continued with gritted teeth," Why did you listen to Meera? Mujhe ek baar bol nahin sakti thi?"

They would probably have gone on forever, but the clients, chose the moment to call it a night. They shook hands with Maan and Geet, who apologized again for the party, and after a few more smirks, and I-understand-everything looks from Ranbir Handa, the procession finally made its way out of the Oberoi.

As Maan and Geet made their way to the basement towards their respective cars, a heavy silence reigned over them. They were both aware of the conversation that had just taken place inside. And neither of them had been able to justify themselves completely. Geet unlocked her car, took a deep breath, and said, without looking back at Mk.

" Main kal bhi aapne office mein kaam karne wali hoon."

" Tumhare jo marzi mein aaye karo." The same rudeness was back in his voice, and that made Geet jerk her head and look at him. He unlocked his car, and opened the driver seat. He was about to step in when Geet said, " Aap aise kyun behave kar rahe hain?"

He slammed the door shut, and faced her, his face radiating rage.

" Toh what do you want me to do? Beg you to come and work with me in my office?" he said angrily.

" Mk, aap aise kyun baat kar rahe hain?" she said, trying to figure out why he was acting so rude.

" Tumhare har sawaal ka jawab dena main zaarori nahin samajhta." He tried to leave, when she stopped him, and said coldly, " Lekin mujhe isska jawab chahiye."

" I was just saying, ke kal aapko bhi mere office aake hi kaam karna parega. Because the clients are going to come there. And all you're doing is showing me attitude. Agar aap isliye naraz hain kyunki I didn't call you the whole day, I can say the same thing. You didn't call either."

" Geet, just go home. I don't care whether you call me or not. Waise bhi, I wasted a whole lot of time in this damn dinner today." He said furiously, and then, immediately felt a sharp pang of guilt.

Geet couldn't believe her ears. She just heard him say, that he considered the night to be a waste of time. And she had thought that he had come for her, to make sure that she was not alone at the mercy of her uncle. Geet felt a small part of her shatter, when she heard those words from his mouth. She looked at him, feeling the calm and cold Geet slip into her skin again, and said softly, " I'm sorry for wasting so much of your time,Mk."

She got into the car, and drove out, leaving a confused and remorseful Maan behind.

PRECAP: Mk, don't panic. Its fine.

Okay, I know, I updated early, but I was just not feeling like studying today. So I thought, I might as well do an update. On Friday, which is the 21st of October, therefore, I will only be updating Fantasy!!😃

And now, on a serious note, I got 82 likes on the last chapter and only 32 comments. Thats not even half of the number of likes!! I feel as if this is some kind of a bad joke, where you people are kind enough to press the like button, and then leave without giving me an awesome/awful comment!!

Come on guys, comment away all you want. I really want you to do that. But, apart from that thank you to all my readers, even the silent ones for sticking by me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too.

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Love

Sarzah