The courtesan
The golden temple sparkled in it's known beauty, compelling the spectators to exhale in wonderment. Admist the crowd, he made his way to the water, which was known for it's blissful holiness. His black short cropped hair was covered by a white cloth, tied with a firm knot at the back of his head. Closing his eyes, he murmured his prayers and paid his respects. Maan opened his eyes and slowly backed away, only to crash into a slenderly lithe figure. Whirling around, the first thing that captured his attention was her barely concealed hair, as the white dupaata threatened to slip off. Whimpering in frustration, the unknown girl adjusted it back over her head and looked up at him with innocent eyes.
Taken aback with the naturalness of her mesmerizing beauty, Maan found himself rudely staring at her nervous face. 'I'm sorry' he murmured in a gentle voice. Nodding her head, the girl was about to walk passed, when she suddenly halted midway. Curious to see what caused her to stop, he watched her bend down onto the ground to retrieve a silver coin. 'You must have dropped this when you bumped into me' she whispered in a soft voice. Maan looked intently at the coin and shook his head, 'It's not mine'. His response made her look up at him, dazzling him once again with her beautiful eyes. 'How can you be so sure?' she replied. Maan shrugged his shoulders arrogantly, 'I don't carry coins'.
Understanding dawned upon her as she listened to the smug snobby tone of his voice. 'Well since I don't carry cheques in my pocket, the coin would more likely be mine' she replied proudly. Tilting his head onto the side, Maan noticed her defensive tone 'well then congratulations on your coin' he stated. 'Thank you' she replied sarcastically. Intending to leave, Maan turned around only to be stopped as a small hand grasped onto his forearm. Looking over his shoulder, he raised his eyebrows, starting at her hand gripping onto his arm. 'Since the coin was found on the ground of this holy place, it may be considered good luck.'
Maan was about to question why she was telling him all this, when she placed the coin onto the palm of his hands. 'Take it, who knows when you may need a bit of luck in your life'. Shell shocked, he watched her walk away. 'What a woman' he murmured to himself, surprised that for the first time, it was a woman walking away first and not him. And even more astounding was the notion, that she never spared a glance back as she took a step further away from his life.
**********
Donned in his business attire, his staff stood up in respect as he walked passed them. Murmuring their goodbyes, Maan ignored them and headed straight to his car. Slamming the door shut, he turned on the ignition and sped away in absolute fury. His younger brother Dev was bringing shame to their families name, partying and spending away like an animal. The whole city knew of the Khurana family, the most powerful, influential and respectful business owners. If the media came to know that one of the Khurana sons was busy destroying the families clean name, then it would be all over the news.
Maan parked his car beside the kerb and stepped out, squirming in disgust as a group of drunk women eyed him appreciatively. 'Filth' he hissed as he made way into the nightclub, and tired to search for his disgraceful brother. Once he found him, Maan intended to bash him into pulp. Someone had to knock some sense into him. Too busy scanning his surroundings, he was slow to react when a couple of prostitutes approached him. 'Looking for someone lover boy' they purred, giggling and twirling around him. Maan intended to ignore them, when one of the girls confidentially caressed his muscular chest. Snaking his arms out, Maan gripped the girls hands and flung it away from him in disgust.. 'Do not ever make the mistake of touching me' he warned through clenched teeth. 'You can't even afford to look at me, let alone even touch me' he stated, 'you are so beneath me, that it's an insult for me to even consider you worthy of my shoe'.
In order to make his point, Maan raised his legs and placed it upon an empty chair. 'You see these shoes' he pointed out, 'It cost me 2000 dollars. Now that is probably your yearly commission, selling your bodies for 1 dollar or less'. Shrugging his shoulders, he walked off, leaving the girls shrieking in offense. Making his way to the bar, Maan asked the bartender of Dev's whereabouts. 'He was here only moments ago' the bartender replied, 'he should be here somewhere in the club'. Nodding his head, Maan casually glanced around the dimmed room, trying to point out his brother from the crowd.
Suddenly, everyone began to cheer as the music changed and a slim figure began to make her way onto the stage. The pole dancers swung away, but the attention was lavished upon the popular figure. Hooting and cheering, the girl began to dance, blowing kisses to the drunk men. Averting his gaze, Maan looked away in repulsion. 'Geet. Geet, Geet!!' the crowd began to shout, compelling him to once again glance at the girl's direction. From the distance, her face seemed familiar. His curiosity peaked up as he began to make his way closer towards the stage. Shouldering the men roughly to stand away from his direction, Maan stood right in front of the stage, tilting his head upwards to have a better view of her face. His eyes widened in recognition, for beyond the pile of makeup, those mesmerizing eyes could never be forgotten. Unconsciously, his hand reached towards his pocket to grasp the silver coin into the palm of his hands. It was her.
Edited by _SiinnceMaan_ - 14 years ago
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