Let the Games Begin!!

Aug/16/2010 - Today's scene was so complete and perfect that I could not help myself from writing about it. I may have fallen short but still could not resist, so here goes''

Maan walked in, to see Geet adorned in bridal jewelry. He felt like he had walked into a dream, his dream. He stood there with an awestruck expression and wondered if she was real or his mind was playing tricks and had conjured up these images. It was only when she hastily ran from there, did the spell break and he suddenly felt an urgent need to go to her.

Seeing Maan in the room looking at her fiercely had made Geet 's breathing scatter. She knew she should wait for Dadi to come back and return the jewels but waiting here with Maan gazing at her intently was too much for her and she had run out of the room. She stopped outside in the passages and looked into the mirror to see what Maan had looked at with such intensity. She looked like a bride to be with her red salwar-kameez and the jewels. She fingered the jewels as they reminded her of another time, a time where she had expectantly looked forward to the future.

He found her outside in the hallway, standing in the shadows looking at her reflection. He went up to her and let her know that Dadi's needed the jewels. Geet started removing the jewelry but seemed to struggle to remove the earrings. He stood gazing at her for a moment and then extended his hand towards her ear, as if he had done this a thousand times before. He reached for her earring and she let go, seemingly accepting his right over her. He began to gently undo the earring and while doing so, felt her head move. He saw her looking in the hallway mirror, at the image they made together and was himself mesmerized. He somehow managed to take the earring out and stepped behind her, inhaling the subtle fragrance that was all her. He began taking off her other earring slowly and her breathing seemed to turn shallow, coming in short gasps. He had wanted to prolong the moment to eternity. This time, it was he who wanted to see them together and as if willed by him, she too raised her eyes to their reflection.

He removed the earring, barely managing to let her soft lobe go. Bending close to her, Maan asked in a whisper that sent shivers down her spine ' "tum kyun wahan se bhaag aai ". He stood in front of her to take off her necklace and putting his hands around her neck in an embrace almost, he felt a current of awareness pass through her. He nearly blurted out that she looked like a bride ' his bride, in these jewels. He stopped in time or so he thought but she knew, her eyes showing him something that was echoed in his heart. They seemed to urge him to follow without asking her to lead. She could stand no more and wanted to leave then. He questioned why? Why she wanted to leave him, how could she leave him? Could she not see what it was doing to him but then changed it to why she threatened to quit. Her answer was to demurely lower her eyes and wait for him to finish what he had started. As he moved to take off her tika her gaze seemed to be drawn to his to let him know how he was affecting her before she looked down again.

Maan needed to know why she refused to look at him. Why, every time he asked her something she averted her eyes. What was it that she was trying to hide? Why would she not let him in? Truth be told, he missed drowning in those pools of amber and reading so easily what was in heart. She had changed these last few days, especially since they got back from the dargah. Finally, she lifted her eyes and whispered again "mujhay jana hai".

He held her hand to remove the bangle and could not resist asking her something that had been on his mind for the better part of the afternoon. Why had she refused to look for girls for him? Her eyes gave him an answer that he felt he understood but wanted, nay needed to hear her say it. He felt compelled to hear it from her so that maybe he could safely let go of his own feelings. She mumbled something with eyes that darted everywhere but him and he again asked her to look at him, oh! How he wanted her to look into his eyes and answer him.

His questions ran through her mind repeatedly like wild galloping horses and his eyes, those searing eyes waited, looking at her with expectation. What could she say? That she realized her feelings for him and to do what he asked of her would shatter her heart and even if she somehow gathered the pieces she might never be whole again. How could she answer him without letting on what was in her heart, her soul? She would have to bury it so deep that even she would not be able to see it reflected in the mirror. It was then, that she answered in a voice she barely recognized "mai aapkay liye ladki dhoondoongi".

Maan was lost. He had been certain that she would confess or at least let her feelings slip out but this was not what he had expected. How could Geet agree to this when her eyes, her face, her silent lips told an entirely different story? How could he have misjudged? What was she holding on to? Maan felt torn between the need to make her confess and a helpless anger at having failed. He decided that if she wanted to clamp down on whatever it was she felt and refused to acknowledge it, he would be just as determined to get it out of her. He calmed his agitated mind and resolved that if this was the way she wanted it to be then he would have to play it her way to get her to come his way. And made up his mind thinking'."Let the Games begin".