OS: The one that got away: Part 4 Pg 30 (4/9) - Page 10

The one that got away

In a matter of months they had become closest of friends. It had become habitual to call each other up and discuss the most mundane of matters while making the most important part of their day. Both searched for excuses to meet up, till they stopped making excuses and just met.

The shared moments that seem to suspend their lives and those moments felt surreal in its perfect. To an outsider it would be just a sharing of coffee or in a bookstore, yet to them it was a meeting of minds.

"If you could be anyone and be anywhere, who and where would you chose?" Geet asked Maan. She had a penchant for asking questions like this for no apparent reason but Maan enjoyed the way she had him questioning himself. In reality she wanted to know him to dampen her ever present curiosity about him. It was disturbing how much she was caught up in this man.

"You answer first" Maan jokingly poked her shoulder. "I don't want to sound like an idiot next to miss smarty pants"

Geet laughed but answered the question, "Well, I would want to be me, because I am about to fulfil my childhood dream of getting my own book published. But I would love to be in a small chateau in rural France so that I can write in peace and enjoy the beauty of the world. I know it is cliched, which is the worst thing for a writer, but sometimes cliches are truer than any pretentious original idea."

Maan smiled, "Well, once you get published and people find out who you are, then you will need to run away somewhere like that to get privacy"

"One can only hope" Geet smiled dreamily at the idea but then her gaze sharpened again, "But don't dodge the question"

"Well, I would want to be me" Maan answered directly, giving her a look that seemed guarded yet beseeching.

Geet laughed again, "Of course, Maan Singh Khurana would never want to be anyone else but himself."

Maan stepped closer towards her, "I would be me and would want to be here, right in this bookstore because I am with you. There is nowhere else I would rather be, than with you"

Geet's breathe caught at his words and she averted her eyes, unwilling to look at the sincerity on his face, "I bet you say that to all the women"

"Which women are you talking about?" Maan cupped her chin and made her look towards him. "Do you see me with anyone else? I never spend time in cafes with other women, I never listen to people talk about their dreams and I never share moments like these with anyone else"

He leaned forward till their foreheads were resting against each other. Geet was absolutely speechless, unable to lift her eyes. But Maan wasn't letting her get away with silence, "Say something Geet, you are the one with the words"

She raised her head, causing their noses to brush. "I...I..you leave me speechless"

"In a good way?" Maan brushed his fingers lightly across her flaming cheeks, before lightly pressing his lips against them, "Or a bad way"

Geet clenched her fingers, willing her heart to calm down, "In a way that can't be defined. It is both the worst and best of feelings"

"Not good enough Handa," Maan smirked, realising the effect he had on her, "tell me clearly"

Geet finally looked into his eyes, "I am crazy about you"

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Maan wanted to see Geet. He wanted that one glance after a decade of distance from the one person who had touched him like none other.

Yet he had a core of integrity that stopped him from doing anything covert, so he took his family with him to the book signing. They would be his anchor, reminding him of his place in life.

"I can't believe we are going to see Geet Handa" Sameera beamed with excitement, blatantly oblivious to her husband's turmoil. "I know that you've let me meet so many writers, all brilliant but she takes the cake. It is surprising though that despite being signed under your company, she never came to our house or office"

Maan felt the words hit his chest with the force of a hammer, painful and jolting. But he just answered with a simple, "She is very private, prefers to stay away from all the drama"

"How was she before she got published?" Sameera asked curiously, "she seems so calm and collected during her rare interviews"

"She...she was a bit different but still had a certain confidence about her" He spoke, recalling the old Geet, "But then again I personally knew her for a short period of time."

But the truth was that there was a time when he had spent more time with her than any other writer, when she had become more special than anyone else in his world and in the end had become his world.

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"Come with me" Maan rushed into Geet's small one room apartment in excitement. Geet's book had been released last month and already reviewers were praising it to the sky. The sales had also been great, with building momentum.

However Geet had decided to remain oblivious, warning Maan not to tell her any of the sales figures and also refused to give her name to the public. As far as everyone was concerned the author of the brilliant book, Burning away, was a mystery.

"Where?" Geet asked in confusion. She was wearing ratty t-shirt and oldest jeans, so wasn't in the mood to get out.

"Remember you told me that the day your book would reach the New York Best seller list, you would stop fighting me about releasing your identity to the public" Maan picked her so that her feet were dangling in the air. "Well that day has come!" He pressed a kiss on her lips, so quick but it still stole her breathe, "You did it Geet!"

"Wow" she was stunned but more so as he gave another kiss, "wow!"

He lifted her and sat her on the counter, "Yes, it's true." He brushed his fingers across her delicate lips, "You were brilliant and your story is brilliant, so it was bound to happen. Everyone is loving it"

"Wow" Geet couldn't find anything else to say.

"But there is something even greater than this" He let his lips graze her hair, taking in her unique fragrance that had managed to get seeped into his soul, "I want the whole world to know about us, about how much I love you"

"Maan" Geet's eyes widened as she saw the look of absolute devotion in his eyes.

"I am going to talk to Dadima about us tomorrow" Maan promised, "Tell her about all that you mean to me. Before the whole world knows you, I want her to see you"

Geet smiled, feeling all the happiness in the world, "What did I do to deserve you?"

"You are you, that was all you did" Maan tweaked her nose, "That is all that is require, just for you to be Geet in order for me to be yours"

"Maan promise me that you'll always be like this" She held his face in her hands, "Make me a promise that you'll always be with Geet"

Maan kissed her hands, "I promise that I will spend the rest of my life with my Geet"

"Thank you" She beamed, filled with so much joy.

But just then they were jerked out of their magical world by the sound of Maan's mobile. Frowning and muttering, Maan reluctantly took the call, "Hello? Dadima what happened?"

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"Daddy, she must be lovely" Gia spoke from behind, jerking Maan back to reality.

"Why darling?" Maan asked smiling.

"Because she has the same name as me" Gia gave her beaming smile. It was true, Gia was a shortened form of Geet. Maan had named her Geet but couldn't bear to call her that, so had instead given her the nickname Gia.

"Yes" Maan swallowed the lump of emotion, feeling the strain of her words, "But you are my favourite girl, not even Geet Handa is as lovely as you"

But once up on a time she was all that I could ever think of...and today she is all that I would wish for.

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