By the shore tucked away
Relationships are threads;
Stringed together they say
Pieces we left by
In that far corner; by a shore tucked away.
"Wooohooo"
Vicky, Romeo and others from MBA batch hooted as they jumped over a surprised Samar when the three entered an eerily dark house.
"Happy birthday..."
Everyone else roared and the house glowed with lights and party poppers.
"Woah! You guys..."
Samar was startled and at a loss of words seeing all his friends hoot, cheer and wish him while his parents and Meera stood behind the table with a huge chocolate frosted cake.
"Thanks guys"
He mumbled laughing; completely taken by surprise.
"And you two...I knew something was terribly fishy"
He darted towards Geet and Maan pouncing playfully on them cocking an eyebrow.
"Happy birthday"
Geet beamed her hundred watt smile and Maan slapped his back with a miniature smile. That was the extreme he could come to smiling apparently; Geet chuckled looking at them and heard Maan wish his best friend.
"Happy birthday man"
"Hey young man! Come here"
They turned to see Samar's father who patted Samar's back and gave him a side hug as the young boy flushed.
"Happy birthday darling boy"
His mother kissed his cheek and Samar flushed more.
"You two are embarrassing me now"
He whined shying away as his mother pulled his cheek and all his friends laughed as they saw the parent-son mocking.
Except one.
He stood alone, as if frozen amidst a fast moving world; gaping at the boy, that boy on the threshold of becoming a man with his father patting his back and mother cooing at his cheek. Embarrassing, dramatic, sentimental...whatever it meant; it was from his parents nonetheless.
------------------------------
The party roared in full swing as Meera pushed the cake in front with beaming dark eyes and Samar kissed her cheek lovingly.
Maan noticed all but his mind was numb now, his heart was shut again. As if he was plunged down a dark bottomless alley which was transporting him back to a time so recently historic and yet that felt ages ago. His life in the last couple of months had taken him down a new road; one he hadn't chosen but set off with some new friends and her...Geet. But now suddenly he was reminded what a fool he was; what a loser unlucky bas***d, what a loner he was.
His face was pale, devoid of any expressions as the fun and frolic went around. But unknown to him, another soul scrutinized him from another corner of the room. The very soul who would have had the capacity to look through his face; who had the natural ability to understand the expression that his blank face showed.
"Let's sing' happy bday' now"
Meera teased as Samar picked up the knife.
"Nooo"
Samar warned and blew the single candle shaking his head at the pink-blue stripped candle.
"Had Meera had her way, this cake too would have been pink"
Samar laughed at his own joke and Meera smacked him hard.
"Oww"
"That's good. You've grown up so start behaving"
Meera scolded.
"Oh that reminds"
Samar said putting his knife down and taking Meera's hand in his.
"Dad"
He winked at his father who gave him an encouraging smile.
Geet, Pinky and Vicky knew what was coming next; they had known that coming a long time and were only waiting for the romantic proposal' to tease their two friends later on till the end of the world. Maan too had a vague idea. More than anything else, he knew his observant skills from that night at Subway were not that bad as he saw Samar going down on his knee with a dramatic sigh. Samar and Meera were finally happening! Maan thought.
"Be my girl Meera Shergil"
His declaration was followed by some gasps of surprise from his friends and mega watt beams from the group while Meera looked as shocked as the blown away candle stick.
"Come on...say yes"
Geet nudged and Meera smiled.
"Yes"
Her affirmation was followed by another round of applause as the cake was cut, but instead of him alone; by them together and congratulations' were resounded. Samar's parents seemed elated with the happenings so did the gang as they ate cake and drank sprite since warned by his mother to keep the kids sober. Maan was more aloof than ever now, as Geet had constantly being noticing.
It seemed like that calm before a storm that had been swirling in him since forever...
The wait was finally coming to an end! The volcano was about to erupt...
She stood in front of the mirror adjusting the dress and combing her fingers through black-brown waves she had spent a good half an hour on. She'd thought of leaving them open but then tied it up and then opened them again. She was a confused mess with all decorating stuff' now...college were different days, she had wanted to look the best then but now she didn't really want to spend time decking up. She didn't have that sort of time to waste now. But seemed as if she was having a bad hair day!
"Hmmph"
She blew at a tendril and clipped her hair up for the last time; giving up the never ending war.
Geet looked at the woman in the mirror, dressed in the cream bodice dress with little sleeves and a thick brown belt adjusted below the bodice; her body came out perfectly in that dress. It was decent and pretty, typical Maan! The moment he had handed her the present, Geet knew it would be a modest decent dress even without looking at it because she knew what Maan was made up of and what his tastes were.
It shouldn't bother you!
Her inner conscious seemed to mock her and she realized the motto of their date.' Sighing heavily, she bent down to retrieve her heels from below the dress table and slipped into them wincing twice with the itch at her shoe bite. She scowled at the shoes and then chided her reflection before her eyes locked with a smoldering pair of chocolate brown ones through the mirror.
There he stood gloriously, in a black shirt with close neck jacket open till the chest, his hair damp from shower and gaze desirous from her posture. There was a sharp musky blast of his cologne tingling her senses, dangerously and sinfully affecting her resolve as he prowled towards her. She straightened up, still gaze-locked with his as they saw each other in the mirror; their reflection doing the talking.
He prowled slowly, his tiger's gait making it all the more sensual. She couldn't move, couldn't escape the danger now as her own defenses weakened. He was peeling every shred of her self control layer by layer with each moment that passed; and proud as she was of her resolve, Geet was terrified of a day when nothing but a quivering mess would remain if he succeeded in pulling down every defense.
Maan stopped behind her, his chest touching her curvaceous back, his lips breathing out near her ear. She shuddered as he exhaled smooth minty breath and flinched again as he inhaled her fruity womanly scent. The air was heady with an explosive combination of male cologne spelling musky sensuality and womanly lavender smelling soft scent...
Maan was enraptured by the ethereal beauty in front, more beautiful than he'd imagined her while picking up the simple yet elegant piece. He skimmed her top to bottom, shamelessly roving her tingling body with those dark piercing eyes and stopped short of her ankles. The sight made him frown.
Turning her around, he slowly went down on one knee, held her hand with one hand and pulled her shoe-bitten foot out of the heeled pump.
"Maan what are you..."
He didn't let her complete as his hand worked her feet out of both the shoes gracefully, planting them securely on the wooden floor. Putting her shoes back under the dresser he narrowed his eyes down another simple pair of flats and pulled them out. They weren't fancy or pretty, didn't match her dress either; plain cream flats without glimmer or gloss. But he made her slip them on. She followed annoyed and confused, at her wit's end with the Mr. difficult-gallant-tyrant.' Geet slipped easily into the new footwear and instantly felt her ankle relieved but rolled her eyes mentally at the man who was straightening back up.
He stood up, towering over her now as the heels were gone and she barely reached above his shoulder. For the first time since their initial few encounters back long ago; Geet felt intimidated by him in a sensual way; a raw strangeness oozed out of his demeanor in spite of the caresses his gaze wove. But still she made her common sense prevail.
"I cannot wear flats Maan, they don't match"
She said waving her hand over the length of her dress.
"You look great"
He said with adoration.
"You think Dev and his girlfriend are going to believe this? You are so tall and... I..."
She reasoned, trying to pull out of the date situation' at the end moment because now her nerves had started getting jittery.
"Don't you get it Maan? This doesn't work... I can't even reach above your shoulder"
She huffed frustrated.
"But I can always bend down to you"
He whispered dipping his head down to her lips, hovering over those glossy pink buds while her breath quickened. In a move so fluid and sensual, he missed her lips to her nose and pecked her there with gentle reverence. With a wink he pulled the clip out of her hair and opened the waves that came cascading down her back. She stared startled and instantly pulled the clip out of his hand scowling. He smirked pushing a lock behind her ear, kissing the spot her tendril had vacated on her temple.
"Be yourself Geet. You and I fit when we are real and flawed, though I can't confirm the latter for you!"
His smirk deepened as he continued.
"You're perfect Mishty. Just perfect."
Perfect!
She gave a hollow laugh at the word as he led her out.
-----------------------------
"I was still doubtful if you guys will make it"
Dev exclaimed with a grin as Maan made his way through a thin crowd with Geet by his side. The lounge was more of a quiet pub, with low music and scattered tables. Dim lights and a huge glass window skimming a whole wall across from the bar they stood at, that overlooked the great waters. Geet was always fascinated by New York night life, so much so that she thought party mongers here were creatures from Venus...but all her teen excitement she once had was only a remnant fossil now when she was actually going out.
"Hey you guys! Loosen up"
He offered them shots each. Maan eyed it skeptically and cocked an eyebrow at Dev. Geet eyed Maan and rolled her eyes in frustrated amusement.
Yes Mr. Senior doesn't drink because he can't handle...and doesn't let me drink too!
But then Geet knew she too didn't have much of booze capacity so she decided to decline and go for a soft drink instead.
"Now can we meet the lady whose wound you around her little finger?"
Maan asked, clearly curious and a wee bit excited. Though he didn't want to show that!
Dev laughed at the comment and winked at them both as the bar tender served their drinks. Handing a glass of Coke to Geet, Maan took his bottle of Rio and made his way to the table Dev had booked and where the object of their attention apparently sat!
Geet too was getting curious by now, excited to know this girl who had led her to come on a date with Maan!
As they scrolled through the crowd, Maan's hand tightened firmly around Geet's waist warning anyone and everyone to stay away while they approached a table by the sea window.They were quite the attraction for opposite sexes and obvious reasons; but Maan's glares to men and indifference to women made it all clear!
She didn't face them but the sea ahead, dressed in black; the girl had a great physique and long dark hair, Geet mused as they approached the table in a far quiet corner of the lounge.
"That's Meera for you"
Dev announced as she turned hearing them approach and Geet's breath caught in her throat.
There was a stunned silence for a split second as Maan mirrored her reaction. This was an era of reunions it seemed, but the shocks accompanying them were heart chocking. All three stared at each other stunned and shocked as Dev tried to gauge the connection. A beat passed and they were enraptured at the questions tugging up and down. Period.
"I surmise you'll know each other?"
Dev peered into their eye contact sheepishly and Maan was the first one to get back.
"Yes off course. We were together in college."
"Yes actually, Maan was our senior."
Meera added standing up and going over to Geet.
She hugged her, tightening her arms around her best friend after so many years and Geet responded with equal warmth if not more; while Dev and Maan stood gaping. Meera kissed Geet's cheek and they both chuckled lightly. It wasn't one of those hearty college-day-laughters but a more subtle laugh.
"I've missed you Geet"
"Missed you Meer"
Geet hushed.
"And you too Maan Singh Khurana"
Meera added gleefully over Geet's shoulder...
They all chuckled and began settling down as the shock sunk in. Maan pulled out a chair for Geet while he saw Dev do the same for Meera and something came back to him; a de ja vu struck like a lightning bolt as he remembered a similar situation.
Only, it wasn't Dev then but someone else. His best friend.
What had happened in the span of eight years?
He had thought only he was lost and tumbled; only he had lost more than he'd gained...but here it seemed every life had turned!
As students, as young friends they'd wished and thought and dreamt; building castles in thin air and chasing after every dream like runners to the finishing line. Today, even if their dreams and careers were intact; even when they had achieved what they had set out to once; things still weren't in place. In pursuit of the goal; their ways had been lost somewhere. On their way into another world; he knew more than anything else now, that they had left a part of themselves and their relationships in that shored city tucked far away in another corner of the world.
So?
How was the shock?
Zor ka jhatka zor se laga???
Though many of you'll had guessed it might be Meera but...surprise surprise!
And a simmering storm in past...will erupt soon and double date has a lot more in store! This was a trailer...picture abhi baaki hai mere dost!
So now do leave me long long comments and likes...
Will be waiting.
Maaneet VM// Geet-Maan Piya na rahe (Tanu weds Manu) Maaneet & Baby
http://youtu.be/W*F64ncIX7Q
Until next update
<3
Frosted Starlit.
Love Friendship Dating and Relationships
Bindi
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