Maan walked into the terrace to see Geet mid-krump, stomping to the beats of the song, blaring out of the music system behind him. He waited and watched her push, jump, stomp and lunge aggressively. He could see the effect the exercise was having on her. 2 minutes into the song, the frown disappeared from her forehead. A minute later she was singing along, adding her own stunts to the choreography. He lowered the music and walked forward, handing her a towel.
Seeing him seemed to remind her of the tensions surrounding her and she frowned again.
They stood in silence as she sipped water.
"They haven't backed down'', she said after she had got her breath back.
"I know. They tried to get me to convince you."
She looked at him in disbelief, and then looked away shaking her head.
" I should've expected it. But you know Maan, I'll go ahead with it. No...listen" she said when he opened his mouth to protest; "but if I'm doing this, then the guy has no clue what is in store for him."
"How is that sane, Geet? I hardly see this as the guy's fault. You shouldn't put him through a tough situation, if the only crime he's done is agreeing to meet you. "
She frowned at his words, neither agreeing nor contradicting his words.
He waited her out, and she slowly nodded.
**************************************************
Meera stood washing the dishes. Dinner had been quiet with neither mother nor daughter saying much. The former trying to introduce conversation, while the latter eluding it; the result being a foregone conclusion. It was inevitable nonetheless.
"So Mr. Khurana is quite a young chap'', her mother said, tentatively.
"Yes''
"He's quite handsome too", she prodded.
Meera kept her face impassive as Vicky's face flashed in front of her eyes.
"Is he?"
"Don't you find him handsome?", Mrs. Shergill pushed.
Meera shrugged noncommittally , to save herself from giving an answer. She stacked the plates on the rack and moved to wipe the table.
"He's quite a charmer. Is he like that in the office?'', her mother asked following her.
"I don't see him much in the office; I barely interact with people much. And anyway, it's his older brother, Maan Khurana who is my boss."
"But he praised you for your skills; that doesn't sound like you barely interacted. And if his brother is your boss, what was he doing here?", her voice gathering speed like pinpricks, just as Meera had known it would.
Meera clamped down the anger building in her, and increased her vigour in the cleaning, begging for endorphins to release. She took a deep breath and replied, ''Well if the boss is praising me, then it's good news. At least it means that my works is being appreciated."
"Yes, appreciation that makes him come to your home to get his work done", her mother replied , contemptuously.
The last remark made her see red and she finally turned to face her mother, her anger spilling out and her voice getting louder by the syllable.
"What are you trying to say, mom? For a change, save me the trouble and ask me exactly what you want to know. What are you trying to insinuate?"
"If you haven't done anything, then there is no need to shout is there? Does it make you look less guilty? And, that's a nice way of addressing your mother."
She turned around and stalked off to the guestroom, while Meera stared at, tears of frustration spilling on her cheeks.
She had expected an argument, just like this. Only, she hadn't expected it this early.
***************************************************************
Nida waited as Isra walked up to her, wiping the moisture off her forehead.
"Was that Farhan , you were chatting with?", she signed to Isra.
Isra looked up, nodding slightly. She was exhausted, and it was only mid afternoon. The main batch came in the evenings. She walked to the locker and pulled out her stash of juice and handed one to Nida.
As she leaned against the chair, she saw Nida sign again.
"You don't seem that awkward with him anymore."
"I'm not", she replied, a soft smile lighting her face. "it was just a crush. Silly...".
"So, he's not the dream guy, anymore, huh? Just an ordinary chap?"
Isra thought back to the conversation she had had with Farhan. Even while they had been conversing, she had been amazed that she was actually in conversation with him. That he had spoken so long to her.
"He's not ordinary. I still admire him for the person he is. In fact, I barely knew anything about him before. "
"What do you mean?"
"...you know, things like how hard he works. I had no idea that he was the last person to leave every day. And he and Geet practice the choreography every night after the studios are shut. I've never seen anyone as dedicated as him, Nida. And I'm glad my crush evaporated, or I'd never have had my eyes open enough to see it."
precap:
The next instant the only thing he was aware of , was being physically lifted off the ground by Maan, and thrown across the floor.
Maan leaned into his face and hissed angrily.
"You dare manhandle her once more, and I'll make sure you're unable to handle even a piece of paper for the rest of your life."
Yep , I know I know - short update, but I had to write it while it was still in my head. I know I'm no gr8 shakes at writing, but this story is just something I had to do. So I just wanna say thanks for sticking with me this long.
Muah. 🤗
Financial markets and global economy
Ishaani
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