He saw her standing right before him, dressed in red and white saree. She looked mesmerizing, she looked out of this world, she could hold anyone captive with her beauty and make him her slave. As he took in her full form from head to toe, he but wondered at the extent of her love when he noticed that she chose to mix both their favorite colors for the special occasion, which brought him to another through - what was the special occasion? As he went up to her and gathered her in his arms, she willingly came in, resting her head on his chest with such fervor that it made him wince at the poke of her earring on his chest. She immediately loosened her grip to pull back and as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, she tenderly placed her finger on his lips and shook her head silently telling him that this moment was reserved only to be felt, not to be disturbed by anything other than emotions. But little did she know that she was not only lying to him, but to herself too.
She turned around in his arms that were now enveloping her waist. She tightened his grip on her as if assuring herself that he is going to be there for her. No matter what she did to savor the moment, her thoughts frequently drifted to the direction she didn't want to go – after today how long will it be before he holds her like this again, or will he ever? But the warrior that she was, she decided to put her apprehensions away once again and came back to the moment tightening his grip even more by hugging onto his arms. This moment was only for him. She could do anything to make him smile today. She would go to any lengths today to keep him happy. For she knew, she would again be the reason for his pain after she spills the beans. But she wanted to give him this last bit of happiness before she loses everything once again – even her wish to keep him happy or bring a smile to his face.
He had been waiting for this moment for long, the moment when she would stay in his arms without feeling shy, without any compulsion, without any hesitation. And now that she was, there was something amiss. Something was not right. All the emotions were right – love for her, passion to hold and touch her, need to be loved. Everything was right about the moment – they were alone, she was in his arms, the ambience was set, there was candles all around; the air, the moon, the candles, the flowers, the fragrance – everything was perfect. But something was still not right. And he didn't take much time to realize he couldn't hold her in his arms and enjoy the moment with the fear of losing her plaguing his mind, and the moment too. He wanted to hold her, to touch her, to feel her, to love her but not like this. He wanted her to himself, but not with the thought that this could be the last time he was holding her. These thoughts made it difficult for him to breathe.
He slowly turned her so she would face him now and titled her head up so she would look him in the eyes which were now lowered in anticipation of what he is going to do next. She looked up in surprise when he asked her 'Kya hua hai Geet? Tum mujhse kuch chupa rahi ho na? Aisa kya hua hai pichle do dino mein ki tum Khurana Constructions ko chod ke ja rahi ho? Aisa kya hua hai jo tum mujhe chod ke ja rahi ho? Bolo na Geet? Tumhare mann mein kya chal raha hai? Mujhse ab aur nahi saha jata. Sagai wali raat ko bhi kuch hua tha na? Naintara aur Sasha kis sach ki baat kar rahe the? Kya hua hai...ab bol do na Geet!'
No sooner she heard these words, her eyes welled up tears which came trickling down her cheeks. He knew instantly that time was up and the truth be told. He knew she was going to give out something very grave which not only raised his heartbeat but also made her tremor in his arms and look away. He took both her hands in his to reassure her 'Tumhe darne ki koi zaroorat nahi hai Geet. Main hamesha tumhare saath hoon – haan!'
She looked up again in his eyes and with all the courage she could muster, now said 'Jis insaan ne mujhse jhooti shaadi ki, mujhe dhoka deke mujhe airport pe chod kar chala gaya, jiska bacha meri kok mein pal raha hai, who aur koi nahi, aapka bhai Dev hai'.
What followed was pin drop eerie silence. None of them spoke for a few moments. Without breaking her gaze, he started moving back and she felt the grip of his hands loosen a little before he let go of them. And her heart started pounding when her apprehensions resurfaced – God know when she will be held again like this, or will she ever again?
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
Cricket
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