Results : Maaneet Confession || OS Competition ||

Ever Ours

"Ever thine, ever mine. Ever ours."

They stood on the Brooklyn Bridge, she demurely beautiful under the twinkling lights that made every night a festivity on the suspension bridge in this part of the world; he, brooding about something that evaded her.

They had been together for a short while; a very short while of eighteen months. For others, the time might have been long enough to get married, have babies and make a lifetime before breaking up and probably moving on to other interesting prospects. For them, eighteen months were short enough to know each other and yet not know all of each other.

"Geet"

He whispered close to her ear while she stood leaning on the railing, gazing into the long stretch of twilight over the darkening waters. The hour of dusk was nearing, traffic thinning on the pedestrian stretch even as cars zoomed past on four lanes. It was a cold evening, snow whitened the bridge at edges and the path lay thinly layered in ice. The afternoon had drizzled snowflakes but the sky had clear lately.

"Geet"

He touched her upper arm softly, encasing her shoulder in his big hand covered in leather glove. This time he turned her to look at him. Her big brown eyes bore up into his and there were bigger, glassier tears swirling there. Her lips were moist and tender, cheeks cold, hard and pink under winter's fangs. Or was it something else?

He cupped her face in both his hands and made up his mind.

"You know I love you"

She smiled

"Yes I do"

"You've always known it, haven't you?"

"Yes"

"Then say it back today"

He urged her, pulled her up to his chest but her eyes cried more looking away.

"Listen to me Geet, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my days with you. Walk by me please"

She slowly met his dark eyes

"You never said it before today sir"

He smiled at her calling him Sir.'

They had met at a caf all those months ago, when she had been waitressing at nights at a Books & Cuppa joint where customers had access to a plethora of books and coffee. While Geet had, for the first time seen him sitting on a table reading a thick book on world wars and approached for his order; he in turn had observed her for days before that day. And then finally when she had been assigned to wait his table, he had grabbed the opportunity.

The handsome man he was, rugged but beautiful, it hadn't taken his charms long to work her virgin heart over. She, a classical romantic at soul had started falling for her customer whom she would see every night at her caf and approach with a smile and "What can I get you Sir?" even before she knew it. Her mornings were spent at medical school and evenings in the caf until late night when he would walk her to her apartment and meet her in the afternoons thrice a week. And so they had progressed, their friendship had progressed.

Though their relationship had changed since, the Sir' still remained.

"Then I say it now"

Maan emphasized holding her close

"This is all I want. You are all I want. Will you marry me Geet?"

Her expressions changed suddenly and a look of disbelief crossed her. The tears coursing down stopped and she looked incredulous.

"Are you serious?"

"You doubt me?"

"Off course"

He gave a hoarse laugh

"I love you. Now. Say it please, accept me"

"Sir, I..."

"No"

He interrupted

"Call me by my name. Call me Maan"

Her lips curled up and eyes started watering again, cold shivering her more than ever in his warm arms.

"Then yes, I will marry you Maan"

He pressed his lips to hers and nothing in the world remained the way it was until the previous moment. Life changed, skies changed, they changed. In that second they became one. He kissed her so soft and sweet, she lost every inch of her sense, her nerve ends tingled as his mouth captured hers.

"Ab zindagi ki har subah tumse shuru hogi; aur har raat tum par khatam"

He said breaking apart.

"Ab zindagi ki har subah aapse shuru hogi; aur har raat aap par khatam"

She repeated.

Her forehead rested against his stubbled chin as they held on to each other in a rush of love and ecstasy. The smile that lit up his face that moment was reverential, almost on the verge of sacred to the heavens above. They rested in that moment for long before he produced a little silver lock from his pocket and removed one glove from his hand. She looked on dumbfounded as he patted his pockets again and came up with a key.

"We lock our love here"

He showed her the lock and key so she grinned.

And like so many other lovers who had locked their love on Brooklyn Bridge and thrown the key away into the water, they went on to lock their life together on the railing of that bridge. She held the key in her hand after locking it and eyed it with deference.

"Now we throw it away"

He murmured holding her fist that had the key.

"Ever thine, ever mine, ever ours"

He promised

"What does that mean?"

"It was Beethoven's love letter to his beloved"

Maan brushed his warm palm over her cheek, taking her face in his hands.

"That I am ever yours, you are ever mine. That we are meant together"

He kissed her fist which contained the key and guided her to abandon it into the waters, not for a moment leaving her gaze.

"Will that be your wedding vow to me?"

She asked.

"Off course. What about you?"

She pretended to make a face and shrug and his face fell.

"Morn and night, in your sight"

Her silken oath caressed the shell of his ear as she stood on tip toe. He turned suddenly and caught her in a kiss.

-----------------------------

Later, as dusk overtook the paltry skies and gloom enveloped the long stretch where they still stood; he proposed to marry her in four months.

"Isn't that too early?"

She argued

"Four months, four short months. That's it. That's all I am giving you"

He said enveloping her from behind, his arm curling around her shoulder blades and head dipping to peck her on the cheek as they saw the skies transform on the horizon. And she smiled. The dusky twilight hours were times of brooding and cynical thoughts for the world. For them, that time of the day never remained the same. Because dusk became equivalent to locking-love-proposals and twilight, the time for confessions and promises. The cold wintry air swirled around them and nothing remained the same.

Nothing ever remained the same.

Because the week after that, Maan was beckoned by duty.

The air force captain had been called to the ever volatile region of Middle East to fly his fighter planes. The Israelis had been at loggerheads with Palestinians since forever. But now the Jewish and Islamic ideologies had come to rest on arms and bullets and bombs over a small stretch of land called Gaza. The world and the USA had been silent observers for as long as they could, while the two countries fought over a minor piece of land. But now the fires were rousing to inextinguishable amounts. US citizens stuck in the terrorized nations needed evacuation; the innocents in Gaza needed protection.

And Maan Singh Khurana, an American born Indian was called upon for his services.

She didn't see him then. His letters had come however, at regular intervals. His emails had been Geet's constant companions for more than two months as he wrote to her about how humanity was breathing its last in that part of the world and how life was no more important than a crumpled sheet of paper. He would tell her how much he missed her and how badly he wanted to come home. And in the next letter he would again talk about cruelty of people to people and how he wanted to save each and every one. How every last life there mattered more than his.

-----------------------------

Geet,

I write to you from an alien land. I wish I could come home to you. In staying away from you after almost two years of constant togetherness is when I realize how badly I miss you. The love in my heart swells double to what it was yesterday. And then double of what it is today will it be tomorrow. And when I start marveling at the amount of love multiplying within me for you in this terrorizing excuse of a world, I realize it grows every minute, every hour.

When I am not on rescue missions or flying over burning strips of land, when I am not brooding over rising death tolls or strategizing my next move, all I think of is you. Think of me and pray these wars end. And I shall come back to you.

Yours ever,

Maan.

-----------------------------

She would love reading his letters, for he would express himself like he had never before in person. She would reply in earnest and wait for his next letter. Sorry as she was for the state of the Middle East as she saw it through his words; her heart swelled with every word of love he wrote; waiting with baited breath for him to return. His constant letters made her believe in him, in his courage and strength. She knew it was only a matter of time before the words in his Emails would flow from his mouth and he would be in front of her to hold and kiss.

-----------------------------

Dearest Geet,

This is a terrible excuse of a country. I mean, which nation shakes hands on cease fire and then attack in the dark of the night like a coward savage? That is what the Israelis are doing here at Gaza. They fired and blew up three refugee camps in UN protected areas, opening fires on schools that sheltered children. Children and women! Yesterday they delivered a healthy crying baby from a dead woman's womb. How can humanity be so cruel? A child born motherless

Here are childless mothers stone faced and half dead, and orphans who cry wherever you look around, men crippled and wounded; soldiers still firm. I almost come to the verge of boiling point and my tears are shackled only by the dams of my uniform and the ego of being a man. This is a savage world Geet.

I thank the supreme powers everyday that neither you nor I were born here.

Now I need to leave for another air strike.

Morn and night, you are in my sight.

Maan.

-----------------------------

It was now precisely seven months and twenty three days since they had stood on the Brooklyn Bridge together, looking forward to a new life. And it was five months since his letters had stopped coming. Morn and night, you are in my sight'; his last words. She had been confused and panic stricken in the first few weeks when his jet went missing. The authorities had declared him missing but not dead. She had clung to hope, even when numerous Emails to him had gone unanswered. She wrote to him every day and every night in hope of at least once in a day his phone beeping and alerting him; wherever he was.

It was getting intolerable, hopeless even. Hope was dying with every passing day and despair coming to life with every new night.

Every dawn came with a new promise to hear from him, to hear from the authorities. And every consequent dusk set with a day lost, a day wasted without news about sir.

There were invisible walls separating them, but the fight for him was all she had ever known. She had fought for him with herself. All Geet had ever wanted was to become a doctor and achieve the self respect and self satisfaction she had been always denied as an orphan in India. She had worked doubly hard to get where she was on scholarships. And when her life's goal was bright and clear in front of her eyes, within the bounds of her arms reach, her paths had crossed with a man who left her smitten. The romantic in her had come alive. She had fought with herself to be with him and in their traverses together come to lose herself in order to win him.

And now, when she had started living in the possibilities of living with him, her reason to love, and her reason to fight had been brutally snatched away from her.

The cheery mood of spring was dampened, almost eclipsed in the darkness of his absence. His letters stopped but she never stopped writing.

Dear Sir,

Every day I am lost. Every night I am alone. I know not where you are and I feel I might as well be dead. But then I think what if you were alive? What if I kill myself today and you come home tomorrow searching for me? I despair in that death which will kill the prospect of a life with you. I am going mad here. Life makes no sense, neither does death. Wherever you are, please be alive. Please come back.

Yours breathing,

Geet.

She cried and cried. And then slept and slept...

-----------------------------

Dear Sir,

Another day passed and you are not here. It's soon going to be summer. Spring is ending. No news of you still, and that means no bad news. I am running out of patience here. Studies don't interest me anymore. Please live for me and pray I can live for you.

Until you come back,

Geet.

-----------------------------

Summers approached and she was a little more cheery. The Middle East was still at war, fighting and killing and the land of Gaza, now barren and lifeless lay bloodied, waiting to go to the victor. She kept writing to him, on and on. Sometimes so weary and sad she would be that she would type a single sentence, ask him to come home and sleep. On others she would write pages and pages of their memories together, of her plans for their future, of her wait for him.

And then one day an Email came.

It wasn't from his ID but it was from him.

Sender: Jack Cooperman

Receiver: Geet Handa

Subject: No Subject

Time: 00:19 a.m.

Live dr. geet

M

She was ecstatic, almost on the verge of tears at his sign. It was him, it indeed was him. But then her tears cleared, fell away from her eye lashes and her heaves silenced into calm cries giving way to sense. She read and re read his one and only line, three words; Live dr. geet. What he meant by them she knew not, but it compressed her heart in weak moments. What if it meant that he was never coming back and asking her to live on?

No, he couldn't. He couldn't be so cruel.

But he wasn't dead. And that was something, wasn't it? She told herself whenever her heart cried at his urge to live.

Dear Sir,

You ask me to live. I can't. Without you, I can't.

Yesterday was a brighter day. Somehow I was happier and kinder to myself. Because I felt you would come. Felt you would be alright and safe out there in that torn world, helping people and saving lives. All your Emails re read, I felt better and more alive. You asked me to live, but I can't. I met your friend Adi as I do every night nowadays, as he sits by in the caf and talks to me of any news about you; which is no news.' He said I looked more like a human today because I was talking to him. I know not what he meant by that but only that I might have been an alien these past days without realizing myself.

Adi said that three airplanes had been missing and none of their pilots had been declared dead until now. One of them is you. And now I know you are out there somewhere.

I've been waiting for you Sir,

G.

-----------------------------

As summer waned into autumn, her spirits started waning further. She would meet Adi every day in the caf, as he would come down to read and sip coffee. He was a colleague of Maan, an Engineer in the Air forces who had his work cut out to monitor radars from his homeland unlike Maan, who flew to the unknown. Adi would offer to walk her down to her apartment every time and she would decline every time. For that was sir's right. Only his.

And yet, Adi was beginning to break through her alien exteriors without her realizing. She would read with him sometimes, study even as her semester exams and practicals approached. They would sit together in the caf and read long after midnight.

-----------------------------

Dear Sir,

Please don't do this to me. I am depressed and broken and shattered and lifeless. I spend days stone faced in college not knowing what I learn. I spend nights half breathing at the caf serving my customers and exchanging a word or two with Adi who still has no news on you. He is good company but I don't know why he wouldn't leave me alone. I am no good to him. But then I know I need him; he is my only link to your whereabouts.

Afternoons are the most empty because without you I know nothing.

I might have been brave enough to be able to write a little happily in the last few letters but I am honest to you sir, I am breaking apart.

Come home,

Geet.

-----------------------------

She lost herself in a trail of memories as she always had whenever her mind had any free time in the world. Standing by the small window of her isolated little apartment in Manhattan, Geet closed her eyes as the last picture in front of her vision which was of a busy autumn evening, gay and lively set into her eyes. The lovely birch and pines had fiery orange boughs, thrusting down over swirling winds while the roads lay welcoming the onslaught of those crisp fall leaves. Everything about nature was just as it should be; only he wasn't there.

"Are you cold?"

Adi asked from behind and she shook her head lightly.

"Geet, Geet?"

He called again but she was lost in a world far away. She would still write to him every day, tell him to come back every day and love him every day. When she sat to pray at nights, she would remember to start by praying for all her friends and teachers, her benevolent caf master and patients and Adi and all those who had been her near and dear ones. At last when every prayer was said for, every loved one in her life remembered, she would pray for him.

"Geet are you listening to me?"

"Yes Adi"

She hummed

"Then there is something I wish to tell you"

Geet turned around frowning.

"It has been eight months now..."

"Seven months twenty three days"

She cut

"Yes. He was declared missing but we all know he is no mo..."

"Stop"

"He is never coming back"

"You talk nonsense now. Look it's a good autumn evening"

"Stop fooling yourself"

"Isn't it warm in the room? Perhaps I should open the windows"

"He is dead"

"What do you want?"

She shouted, tears suddenly springing to her eyes. Adi stopped and his face turned down.

"Stop breaking apart please"

He said.

She shook her head agitated, almost hysterically at the rush of thoughts of him being dead. Her body quaked violently, chilled to the bone as she was.

"Gee...Geet"

He held her to himself tightly; rubbing his hands up and down her arms to warm and soothe her.

"Shh, I'm here Geet. Shhh it's okay"

Adi hugged her tightly to his chest and she coiled her arms around him to find the anchor and strength inorder to come back to reality. Her head stopped bobbing and lips quivered no more, tears subsided and she rested on his chest for a moment longer. Such was the peace there that she heard no other sound.

After she pulled back, Adi lifted her hand and kissed it. When his lips left her fingers, she marveled at the glint of the platinum band on her ring finger where he had kissed. She smiled tentatively at him and a movement caught her peripheral vision.

Her heart stopped and breath froze because it was him.

"Sir"

She gasped, even as her head whizzed in the direction of the door, finding the culmination of all her hopes, all her prayers, all her life's worth come alive in the form of that one man. Her eyes roved him over, throat knotting tight at the weight he had lost and sunken marks that circled his eyes. His body was weak and thin, face bruised but almost healed. He was there in blood and flesh before her, not in words and stories or Emails and memories. He was alive and back in front of her, hers to hold again. What broke her heart though was the look of pain and ferocity that burnt in his dark eyes as they rested on the ring on her finger and her hand in Adi's.

"Sir I..."

He was gone.

Like a wisp of wind, he was gone as fast as he had come and she was left stricken. She blinked up at Adi who was as shocked as her but didn't waste any time and dashed behind him.

"Sir, Maan...Sir"

She shouted from the top of the stairs, running down with the help of the banister at double speed even as she heard faster, firmer footsteps descending the floors below her. She peeped down from time to time until she had reached the third floor and he had left the building. She ran faster. Her feet, cold now even in the light boots made her run like never before. She caught sight of him getting lost in the jungle of humans down town and she followed like a parched man towards the river would. Only, her river was running away from her.

"Sir wait"

She screeched over the crowd again, panting and tired as the thinning weakening form of her own body protested. Her feet crushed the leaves below them, gravel and twigs crunching too. She ran and ran, pushing through crowds and shouting over banter; eyes never leaving sight of his brown cloak.

She saw him cross a road and when she came over, the signal turned. She was forced to wait but her eyes followed him until he turned a corner that she couldn't see. And so she couldn't wait anymore. Geet ran amidst cars, inviting cussing and ire of drivers and fellow pedestrians alike. But she cared not. For those few moments when she lost sight of him, Geet felt as if the world was snatched away from her yet again. But then she saw him walk over to the Brooklyn Bridge and her spirits rejuvenated. She stood a moment and breathed deeply before breaking into a run. The traffic on foot was light and without shouting for his name she dashed; saving all her energy for running. He had slowed his gait now, probably relaxed that she had lost him in crowd.

"You can't leave me again"

He was forced to stop at the cries in her voice. Her panting and heaves, the thin watery voice that was ready to melt into a puddle any moment made him stop. That was when Maan turned and eyed her for what she had become, a half dead shadow of her former self.

"Go back Geet"

He whispered, but his voice was not his. It was hoarser and thicker, as if his throat cracked at every word uttered.

"No. You are back, you are here. I am so happy sir"

"Stop please. Geet"

He stopped her advancing with a gesture of his right hand.

"But..."

"You are someone else's' now. I do not wish to disrupt your life"

He breathed.

"No, what non sense are you talking?"

She countered stepping towards him.

"Nonsense?"

He said pulling her left hand up with his right and showing her the ring.

"This isn't nonsense, is it?"

He looked away agitated, sighed after a second and met her gaze.

"Look, I know I wrote you to live and you should. I am happy you are happy. But go away now, don't make this any more difficult for me than it already is. Adi is a nice.."

She pulled him by the collar and sealed her lips to his, silencing his broken words. She kissed him hard, her lips coaxing his hard ones to open. And when he did, finally she breathed him in and dived home. She kissed him for a long moment, pushing him into the shadows by the railing while he held her loosely by the waist.

"Ever thine, ever mine, ever ours. Remember?"

She asked on his lips, kissing the angular jaw of his, layered in dark stubble. He flinched but held her loosely to himself; unable to push her off even when she didn't belong to him. He didn't turn to reciprocate either. She pulled back.

Removing the platinum band from her finger she held it up to him. In the gloom of an autumn evening and glowing overhead lights he could barely make out the tiny inscription, but his heart registered what her heart had wanted to say.

Morn and night, in your sight

It read. So he couldn't help repeat his promise to her all over again.

"Zindagi ki har subah tumse shuru hogi"

"Aur har raat aap pe khatam"

She completed and smiled then, an honest to god smile that enlightened her features and his soul.

"This was for the day we were supposed to get married. I was married to you on that very day we set for our togetherness"

She held up the ring in her hand and he covered her hand with his. Their fingers intertwined and the ring rested inside the cocoon of their joined hands.

"I'm sorry"

He said

"For what?"

"For everything. For going, for almost never coming back, for the doom that it brought on you"

Geet started crying then, wailing like a child; sobbing like the world was ending. Like a dam busted, she let go and threw herself into his arms like an abandoned stream into the vast seas. He caught her tightly, wrapping one arm around her back, holding her close as she cried and mourned and celebrated.

"So you are mine?"

He asked after a long moment when her crying had stopped and the bubble of nostalgia busted.

"Yes. Every morning and every night. How could you doubt that?"

She pushed him standing far away from him and tilting her chin up in defiance. He gave a watery laugh, shaking his head and advancing further.

"Come here"

"Wait"

She halted him, her words punctuated with sighs and cries

"I am warning you, if you come any closer then I am not letting you go away ever. On any mission, any air strike, anywhere"

His face hardened and he looked still as a statue.

"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't"

He said. She frowned.

Maan removed his left hand from the cloak pocket, supported by the right one. It was bandaged and stiff, the fingers distorted, jutting out of the plaster. And even though Geet was a doctor in making and had seen worst, her heart clenched and fear lanced through her like gripping vice of a venomous snake. His hand was almost not his.

"Does this repel you?"

"What? No"

She chided.

"This angers me, this saddens me. That you had to go through the pain pains me sir"

He looked at his hand and chuckled before sliding it back into the pocket. She caught the hand in between hers and smoothed her fingers over it like a fairy's touch, worshipping the sacrifice he made, thanking the stars that it was only a part of him and not him that was taken away from her.

"What happened?"

She asked.

He sighed, looked around at the crowded bridge and took her hand in his good one. They started walking towards a secluded spot on the precipice of the railing, the night sky falling and moon rising in the distance over them.

"My plane was brought down by some fundamentalists. They captured me and kept me prisoner for a very long time. It was gory Geet, I would spare you the hideous details"

"No, tell me everything"

She turned to him as they walked.

"Never. I wouldn't taint your innocence for the world"

"Did they do this to you?

She pointed to the crippled hand.

"Yes"

"Tell me please"

She slowed her pace but he shook his head.

"Suffice that it was bad. I didn't know how many days or months passed inside the dungeons where I was kept. Only that the stones turned warmer during the day and cooled at nights. That is how I kept track of morning and night, kept you in my memoirs and prayed I would meet you soon or send across a message to you that I would never come back"

She squeezed his hand so that he smiled.

"One day I found another fellow fighter pilot down with me"

They continued walking

"He hid a satellite phone with him and was about to destroy it for there was no one he wished to inform home. He thought it better they would believe him dead. I took hold of his device and sent you the email"

He stopped walking.

"Even then I didn't have the heart to tell you that I was never coming back. Because I wanted to, I desperately wanted to. Before I could write you more, there was danger of the phone being discovered and we had to destroy it. I knew you would be disturbed, worried but I didn't know how to contact you again..."

"Say no more of that time Sir, say that you will be here with me, please say that you shall walk by me again"

He held her hand that had the ring fisted in it and took it into his own.

"Before I give you my hand and my heart and my life to keep and cherish forever; before I beckon your heart and love to keep and cherish for myself, I need to warn you of this one thing Geet. I would never be able to hold you the way I once used to, I won't be able to clutch your hand while we walk as I once used to, I won't be whole the way I once was"

"Yes, you won't"

She said

"You would be more. More than you ever were. For today I love you more than ever and tomorrow I will love you more than today. Every day you would mean more to me"

She confessed borrowing his own analogy.

"Ever thine, ever mine, ever ours. Remember?"

As the dusky twilight hours replicated that winter night in autumn, he slipped the ring on her finger where it had always belonged. The moon, pale red behind a light damask of clouds shied away when he pulled her in for a kiss and deepened slowly, steadily, his right hand holding her waist firmly and fingers splayed over her behind goading her towards him.

"Who said your hold isn't as whole as it once was?"

She drawled in a husky tone, her hips meeting his under the pressure of his hand. She removed his other hand from the cloak pocket and guided it to her back. And then as his hand belonged to the seductive man that he was, Maan's deformed hand goaded and clutched her with light feathery touches under the support of her own.

"We should be quite a show for the pedestrians Sir"

Geet panted out of his kisses. He smirked.

"For the umpteenth time, Maan"

He chided.

"Maan"

She rolled his name over her lips

"Ahhh that kills me Geet. My name on your lips takes me to heaven"

He kissed her again and they turned in unison as her body collided into the railing behind. Numerous locks tingled in unison and they knew that once locked, their love wasn't going to be unlocked very soon.

"Morn and night, you are in my sight"

He promised

"You are my dark, you my light"

She finished.

Vellai Pookal(White flowers)

It wasn't love at first sight, nor were they friends all their life. There were no bump and fall, no accidental meetings in their story.

They were normal people met under normal circumstances. Batch mates and part of a common gang, though they haven't shared a great bond one to one, they hanged out together with same set of people hence had to see each other almost every other day.

The empty unused class room in the third floor was the group's meeting place, where they all went to whenever they didn't have a class. Having taken different electives, not all of their classes were same and whenever one doesn't have the class, all they need to do was to go to their adda where they did their own work; sometimes studying, sometimes minding their own business, teasing, laughing, pulling each other's leg, watching movies or anything for that matter...

In one of the semester, him & her happened to take more of the common subjects and ended up being in their meeting place alone, quite often.

At first they did all but discuss something more on the surface, about assignments, group or anything, until one day when something random stimulated, a conversation started, a banter continued touching various personal topics which they never thought they would share with each other, when their words weighed their feelings down, when the debate which started as a clash of their opinions was backed by their own justification of the reason of their thoughts as much as the thought is.

She thought his idea of romanticism was unrealistic, cynical realist as she was.

He thought her idea of belief in God treaded on a thin line of being superstitious, atheist as he was.

Yet, they didn't say anything to each other. They were different from each other, yet they had something in common, which is not judging each other.

-

"What happened?" he asked one day, when they were alone.

With their friends around, she was smiling, pretended to be happy, but the missing light in her eyes told a different thing altogether.

"Nothing"

"Geet""

She remained silent, and he gave her enough space to absorb the warmth that spread around just by being there.

"I think my sister is seeing someone"

He knew her sister who was two years younger to her, whom she was very attached to, and felt a sense of protectiveness as he waited for her to complete, a sense of anger already coursing through him towards the unknown person for hurting the little girl.

"Did he hurt her?"

The surprised expression on her face told that it wasn't the case.

"Why are you upset then?"

"I have to share her with him now"

A beat later, his laughter filled the room.

-

"Sexy"

"Please" she said wrinkling her nose. "You find the heroine wearing the oversized jersey sexy?"

They were watching a movie together, and what was a movie without cracking comments, and having contradictory opinions?

He gave her a meaningful smile.

"Uh oh please don't tell me it is your fantasy that your girl would be wearing your jersey"

"Only jersey"

She groaned "Too much of information"

_

"What sort of craziness is this?" she said disgusted at the book she just read, more angry on him for suggesting her it.

"It has a good plot"

"It has shallow characters"

"Who?"

"The perverted jerk of a protagonist had slept with a woman twice his age, and hit on her daughter"

"Which is bothering you the most?" he asked amused.

"The woman who cheated on her husband sleeping with him"

"Humans need love Geet. A woman who wasn't appreciated or cared for, got that attention from someone else. You can't blame just her"

"My problem wasn't with the physical intimacy Maan. It was the violation of wedding vows. She wasn't cheating on her husband but herself first. She could've ended her relationship with her husband. Falling in love more than once was not a mistake. Not taking a stand is"

He knew her to be an idealist. He could've explained why it was impractical. Yet, he didn't. Instead, he let her rave about it for another ten minutes before he distracted her by treating her with an ice cream.

-

"Naku pichhi pattindi" (I have gone crazy) she repeated again, hiding a smile.

"Are you sure that really means I love you in your language?"

"Yes Maan, it really means that in Telugu. And why would I teach you otherwise when I know how important it is to you to learn the language?"

He narrowed his eyes "Why is it important to me Geethika Jagarlamudi? Care to explain?"

"You really think I haven't noticed how your eyes search for her, and stop at her, or how anywhere we plan to go, you ask me to get my friend? I am neither stupid nor blind"

He shook his head, giving up, while she grinned "Crushing on Divya eh?" she said elbowing him playfully.

"Stop stressing your little brain by overthinking Ms. Jagarlamudi" he said tapping on her head.

"D'uh! First stage is refusing to accept. How many stories had I seen, go ahead refuse all you want" she said ruffling his hair "Anyway how is I love you told in Marathi?"

"Me tuzhya mulachi aai honar aahe" (I am going to be your child's mother) Maan said with a poker face.

_

It was a cold evening. They stood a little behind while their friends were busy clicking pictures. She had always been the one to be behind the camera, he was always the one who liked to be before the camera. But that day, when she was quietly watching how the city spread beneath her feet from the cliff they had been to, he stood beside her and asked "Does Hyderabad look this beautiful?"

There was a glint in her eye as she looked at him with a smile "More than beautiful"

"Any film city or resort tourists generally associate Hyderabad is not what it is. The city has a soul. A story. It is based on a love story. Charminar is not any other monument. It is in the heart of the most beautiful place where there are two religions living together. Be it Ramadan month or Ganesh Chaturthi, the two special festivals of the city, the food, the crowd, the color, the rain... even the traffic jams, the culture, the language, everything about Hyderabad is unique."

"I miss home" she said as she crossed her arms for the cold, or as a gesture of soothing herself, he doesn't know.

With his hand around her shoulder, he pulled her closer. "Would you show me around your city and let me know it like you do?"

She grinned "Sure thing. Only if you take me to Marine drive on a rainy evening"

"Now who's being romantic?"

"Please. Romance is unrealistically associated with rains. Romance is just a state of mind. Sab moh maya hain, If that person who's going to grace my life is going to say cheesy lines like Zindagi ke har subah tum se shuru hogi aur har raat tum se khatam, I swear I'm going to run in the opposite direction"

He laughed and had a sudden urge of pulling her cheeks, which she so dearly hated. As she looked up at him, with those large complaining eyes, her lips pulled down as she talked with vehemence, he couldn't help but to pull her cheeks.

"Expression is a part of life Geet"

"Please don't tell me what expression you're talking about"

He laughed louder this time "That too"

"Eww"

"Love making isn't a sin"

"You've gone that far? I've been stuck at the first stupid phenomenon"

"Kiss?"

"Please let's not have this conversation"

"You can't judge it before knowing what it is"

"Who said I have never known it?" she said her eyes challenge, her petulant chin raised in defence.

"Have you ever had a boyfriend?" he asked his gaze penetrating through her, his face holding hint of a smile.

She spluttered. He got the answer.

"Saving the first kiss are we?" he teased.

"You might definitely not have" she got back.

He grinned.

"So you had a girlfriend before?" she asked him and the smile was frozen for a moment before it got back but it wasn't the same. There was no light in his eyes, making her realize she said something she shouldn't.

"It's late. Chalein?" he asked.

Knowing that he needed space, she nodded. But knowing that he needed that warm comfort of a friend, she slipped her hand to his waist, while his was still around her shoulder, as they walked towards their group.

_

Watching movie with her was fun. Even movie couldn't entertain as much as she did. With her face in hands, her expression tired and irritated at the movie, the sight made him smile.

"Nice shot no?" he goaded her knowing talking to her would be more fun, as they saw two friends under alcoholic effect undressing each other on screen.

"This is gross and illogical"

He laughed. "They're drunk Geet. When drunk people behave in an entirely different way than they usually are"

"Really? Had it been two men who got drunk, would they have sex, if their orientation is straight? Had it been his cousin over there, would he had done the same thing? Don't bullshit about alcoholic effects Maan. Alcohol lowers down the control you've on yourself. Nothing else. If it wasn't in the back of their mind, they wouldn't have done that"

He was in half the mind of shaking his head and laughing. "Everything doesn't follow logic Geet. You don't calculate when you fall in love with the other person, when you kiss them. It happens"

"Did it happen to you?" she asked and instinctively caught his hand knowing he would go back to his shell.

He didn't reply to her instantly and when she turned back to the screen, her fingers still laced with his, she heard him say "Yes"

"Can I ask why it ended?"

"Her parents wanted her to get married. I was still studying. I can't support her and me if we were married then. We are from different castes, and the only way out was us eloping. It didn't work out in short"

"Can I see her photo?"

"With or without her husband?"

"Very funny" she said even though she took the phone his phone that was extended to her.

"She's pretty" she breathed "But not as much as Divya" she teased.

"Kuch bhi, matlab" he said shaking his head pulling his mobile away, but the slight smile on his lips told a different story, and with a thudding heart she realized that the slight teasing her friends were doing with him, associating his name with Divya wasn't all a joke after all.

_

Divya Cherukuri, her best friend and partner in crime was sitting across her, her face in palms, stirring the coffee. With light brown eyes, and wavy dark hair flowing graciously down her shoulders, she was the prettiest girl alive. Her beauty was not just skin deep. It went beyond that, way beyond that. She was a great person, and someone Geethika loved dearly.

"So what's the scene between you and this Marathi mulga?" Divya asked raising her eyes, making Geet splutter her cold coffee.

"As pure as the one between Harry and Sally" Geet said as her eyes flitted towards When harry met sally poster in her room.

"They end up together in the end"

"Oh please" Geet groaned

"I am being serious here Geethika" Divya said "Are you sure about your feelings?"

"Very much. He's a friend. Besides he likes you"

Divya didn't reply. "I know" she said after a beat, and forwarded her mobile where the top chat was with Maan.

"I never saw you guys talking while everyone was around"

"We talk in whatsapp" Divya said.

"Oh" Geet didn't know how to react. She should be happy, she must of course. It was two of her close friends ending up together. Then why had she felt something unpleasant in her heart?

"Does it bother you?" Divya asked, observing the minute changes in Geet, her gaze penetrating, warm and understanding.

"No, why would it?" Geet said smiling as she shrugged and lifted the cold coffee to her lips.

Divya smiled looking at the girl.

It's time, she thought. Almost time...

-

"Love is when your gaze wavers without you knowing it, when that single person becomes your focal point even in a crowd..."

It was what he told her eons ago, when they were at their romantic vs unromantic debate like usual. She found it cheesy, unreal even. But that day when they were celebrating their friend's birthday party and when Maan though physically present right beside her seemed restless, his eyes searching for someone continuously, only stopped when Divya entered the room had Geet understood both the things; that what he said was not unreal and that Divya was right. It bothered her...

-

She was standing with her back to him, near the window, her palm pressed against the window pane, looking at the rain. He walked towards her and pressed a palm on her shoulder, and saw her react to his touch though she didn't turn back to acknowledge him.

"Priya is engaged with her boyfriend. Marriage is in three months"

Priya is Geethika's younger sister. While it was a little unconventional of their parents to get their younger daughter married first, since Geethika wasn't ready to settle down yet, and since they liked Rahul enough, and thought Priya and Rahul are great together, they went ahead with wedding preparations.

"And?" he prompted

"I can't call her in the middle of the night like I used to. She can't drop in anytime she wants"

"You're exaggerating it Geet"

"I won't be her first preference anymore Maan" she said making him smile shaking his head at her, while pulling her into his arms.

"Maybe he will have a separate place in her heart, like you will have for your life partner. Do you really think it is replaced by other person? It can't"

"I won't mind her giving him higher priority Maan. I want her to be his world, so I don't mind her reciprocating it. Yet, when I think I can't go to our common room and can't fight with her over how messy she keeps the room and all those little things, it depresses me. Why do we need to grow up? Why should our preferences change?"

"Everyone's preference changes over time Geet. Yours will too"

"Never" she said raising her face to meet his eyes "Even if I were married tomorrow and god forbid if I had a fight with him, I would share it with my sister, but if I had a fight with her, I won't tell him that"

"There would be certain things which you won't share with her, maybe your insecurities or maybe your worries about her, which maybe only between you and him"

Like these moments... she thought.

Like these moments, a thought crossed his mind.

-

"Harder" he said, while she hit him with all her might in his stomach, only to hurt her knuckles.

The man was such a show off. He went gymming alright, and he was a fitness freak, but he also liked to flaunt them as much only to her.

Whenever she was angry and hit him, it hurt her, not metamorphically but physically.

And then he would goad her into trying harder.

That rat!

Irritated, she twisted his arm beneath his back, while in a fluid moment, he twisted the hand out of his grip, and at the same time, gripping her small wrist in his, he changed sides in one moment where now he has her arm twisted behind her, with her back plastered to his chest, her twisted arm held between them.

She heard a gasp of pain, while he loosened his grip, yet held her closer.

"This is how you do it" he whispered, his warm words touching her, as she turned her profile towards him, a sudden sheen of moisture in her eyes glistening, as she looked at him.

A loose curl of her hair went out of her plait, distracting him, making him want to touch it, tuck it in, and as his fingers raised towards the strand of hair, she had pulled her hand away from his grip and ran away from the room, leaving him bemused...

What he didn't know was that she went out of the room, and stopped just outside, plastering herself against the wall, as she tried to lower her heartbeat rate.

What was happening to her?

-

The classroom was empty, like it had been these days... Maan was not around often these days. He, Divya and their other friends go out often these days, while she always showed up a reason or another to not go out with them.

She had no clue why would she do it, nor did she want to think about it. She tore another page, for doing the math sum wrong, and tossed it away.

-

Maan sat beside Divya and watched as she laughed at something their friend said. His eyes flitted for a moment towards Geet who entered their mess, drenched in rain.

She forgot the raincoat again, isn't it?

He felt like shaking the idiot girl to life. When would she learn? He wanted to give her a piece of his mind, and waited her to come to the table they were sitting in. However she didn't stop at his side, rather walked further and sat beside Rohan, who patted the seat next to him.

In the next fifteen minutes, though he was physically present, his eyes wavered occasionally towards Rohan and Geet who were laughing at something not noticing anything around them.

"They look good together. Don't they?" Divya asked him.

"Huh?" he said at the unexpected intrusion in his thoughts and find Divya expecting a reply.

"Who?" he asked with as much of a blank face he could muster.

Divya smiled and thought You know who.

-

Two months left for them to pass out of the college, and it was a day when she was placed in a company she had always wanted to.

When the result came out Rohan, who was a good friend of her was there with her, and as she squealed in delight, he lifted her off her feet making her laugh, and that was when her other friends came in... including Maan.

While every other friend of her came in and hugged her, and demanded a party, her eyes sought out to him, and as she had seen him walking away jostling through the crowd of her batch mates coming to wish her , had she heard the same voice again in her head.

"Love is when your gaze wavers without you knowing it, when that single person becomes your focal point even in a crowd..."

-

It all ended just like that. They were still hanging out in the same group, but they never talked one on one again, like they used to.

Geet, as was already placed preferred staying in hostel room the most, while him and his other friends stayed late in college, preparing for impending interviews.

At times, he would look up from his laptop, whenever he wanted to show a lovemaking scene that would irritate her. And then he would realize she wasn't next to him.

At times, she would dial his number accidentally, wanting to share details about her sister's wedding, but she would cut the call later.

Missing each other was a phenomenon they haven't expected or wanted to accept yet.

-

One by one everyone got placed in their group, and they decided to celebrate grandly. Geet however was not around who went home, and even though with everyone around, partying, he felt alone, as if something was missing.

As Divya pulled him on to dance floor, he smiled as he walked with her to join the gang.

-

As the invigilator announced the end of the final exam, Geet submitted her paper and walked out to watch friends locked in emotional group hugs, some of them tearing up, as it was finally the day they were leaving.

Her cab was ready and waiting, already as they were going direct to the airport from there. A message from Divya said that the cab was parked outside the college, and all of them had the luggage fit in already, and waiting for her.

This was it, this ends here. Though she would come back on convocation which is a month later, it still hurt knowing she won't be here anymore, won't be attending classes, roaming around in the campus, can't hang out with the friends anymore, can't have this life back anymore.

As tears welled up in the base of her throat, had she heard him.

"Geet?"

It's been more than two months since she heard him call that. As she turned to face him, with tears in her eyes, it felt a life time since she had seen him. They don't know who moved first, but as she felt her heart breaking with supressed sobs, she ran to him, so did he as they were locked in each other's embrace.

As tears spilled down her eyes, she mumbled "Why are you gone away from me? Do you know how much I missed bullshitting your favourite movies and books, you know how much I missed discussing Priya's wedding and crib about Rahul? How much I missed your rock hard abs? Why would you do this to me you asshole?" she said hitting him continuously.

He didn't reply. Just held her closer, while she sobbed some more, before pulling away.

"I have a flight to catch" she said not meeting his eyes, making him loosen the hold.

She took a step back, and looked at him. The mist in his eyes, the intense of his gaze was her undoing, as she turned around and walked away, not wanting to break down before him and show him her heart.

-

He tossed his clothes in the suitcase as he packed the remnants of the stuff. His mobile pinged with a voice mail and he irritably took it in his hands, and his frown softened as soon as he knew who it was from.

Geet.

"You are right Maan. I am selfish. I can't share the person who I love the most. It kills me. But I am not a coward to not express, and let that go. I want to tell this to you that I want you right next to me to watch all your rom coms, want to wear your oversized tee, want to show you around Hyderabad and kiss you near Marine drive. I want to learn how to punch you, and want you to push away the strands of my hair off my face.

"Me tuzhya mulachi aai honar aahe Maan"

The voice mail ended making him smile.

He taught her the wrong sentence he thought then, but he haven't. He did want her to be his child's mother, and his wife.

He packed the remnants of his clothes with gusto. He was going to miss his flight to Mumbai. He was going to Hyderabad after all.

"You want him suitably distracted so that your romance is not caught by his eagle eyes, right? Consider it done."

So the game began for the sake of friendship...

Maan walked towards the farmhouse where the party was being held with determined steps. If his sister thought an excuse of car breakdown would make it acceptable for her to stay back late in the party and then roam the night with her friends she was absolutely wrong. Okay, so she had assured that her friend Geet was with her who was coming home with her. It was a fact that as much as he didn't trust his sister's impulsive nature, the opposite was true for Geet. She came across as someone who was dependable and so timid that her meekness instilled in you the faith that she would steer clear of all troubles especially the ones that spelt guys'. She had stayed with the family more than a couple of times but the way she blushed and stammered in his company, made him wonder how she coped in college. She was so different from his sister ...maybe it was this diversity that worked for the friendship... one so vivacious and mischievous and the other so shy and grounded. It was a sense of protectiveness along with her academic merits that made him accept Geet's application to work with his company even if it was temporary.

Stepping into the party Maan found that some sort of game like passing the parcel' was going on. But here, only the girls were involved in passing the red heart-shaped cushion, and that too dressed in costumes. When the music stopped, the one who was left holding the heart stepped away to ask one of the guys (lined up as in swayamwar!) for a dance. After one spell of dance the game continued.

At first Maan watched the game proceed, careful to keep himself at a safe distance, scanning the ladies to see if he could spot Annie. Thinking that he had succeeded in finding her, he stepped forward so that she too would notice him.

The music stopped and the girl in the golden dress stepped away. Someone tripped over Maan pushing him forward to join the group of guys who were participating in the game. The girl in golden gown walked up and now stood before him. Realising the mistake, Maan tried to back away...

"Sorry, I am not ..."

She held out her hand, "You are not allowed to say no.."her voice was low and husky, the hazel eyes behind the mask twinkled mischievously. "Part of the game's rule, right peeps?"

The crowd hooted in assent and encouragement. With a shrug, he led her to the dias set up for the dances.

Music...

Lights dimmed and the spot light came on them.

Aa ... (humming)

He drew her closer with his hand on the small of her back and the other holding hers, swaying together...

Her eyes linked with his and held, through the twirls and the dips ... luring him with the shine in them... making him forget the game and rest of the world...it felt like the soulful rendition of the lyrics were meant for them... making the dance something deeper , a powerful expression of romance.

As the music stopped to the resounding applause he was brought back to the awareness of the where and the why. She withdrew her hand from his warm clasp and stepped away.

"Bhai, aap?"

Dev's surprised voice made Maan turn.

"Dev, what are you doing here?"

"Annie asked me to pick her up. Geet is not keeping well and she didn't want to disrupt her friends' enjoyment. But she didn't tell me you were going to be here.."

"Haan... woh.. I thought..."

"And you were dancing." Dev cudn't contain his shock, "...with Annie's friend!"

"It was just..."Maan turned to see that his dancing partner had moved away, "...accidental. I came for Annie and someone stumbled and..."

Even as he explained his eyes scanned the room trying to trace the golden girl who had disappeared without a word.

Maan was curious to know the identity of the girl whom he had danced with. But Annie was so angry with him for what she declared as his high-handedness and spying that he decided to wait a day for her to calm down, before mentioning about the party. The next day he walked into her room with a tub of chocolate ice cream as a part of making up gesture, only to find that she had already pardoned him because his unwanted meddling' in her affairs had led to a hike in her popularity. Her friends didn't think her uncool for having a meddling brother but were rather in awe of his dancing skill. Moreover they thought his willingness to participate in their game cool'.

"They were all so flattened by the pics.. just look at them... it is the ult!"

He looked at the snapshots of the dance.

"Ermm... Annie do you know her?"

Annie gaped, "You mean you don't know?" she hit her forehead with her palm. "Shucks! And here I was making bet with Geet about who she is. I think it is Naina Rathod, Arjun's sister, the who hosted the party... but Geet says this one is shorter than Naina... "

"I thought you would know," he tried not to feel disappointed. "It was your friend's party after all."

"I do know most of them... but it was a large affair..."

So after much deliberation Maan decided not to pursue the matter. He was Maan Singh Khurana , the MD of Khurana Constructions who had more important things to spent his time on than resolving the identity of his dance partner! So he wrote it off as an intrigue that touched a person's life, a memorable incident which he was glad to have experienced, but which should have no more impact on his life.

But then the memory refused to stay put ...It teased his dreams. And as if that was not enough he got another reminder of the dance... a CD that had the recording of his dance with the mysterious lady,was delivered with her message which flashed at the end of the dance, "THE END COULD ALSO BE ONLY THE BEGINNING.."

And beginning it was...the beginning of weekly messages delivered any day, anytime, anywhere and thru any one.. sometimes just quotes,

"Well look who I ran into," crowed coincidence.

"Please..." flirted fate, "this was meant to be"

At times personal ,

"You look so dashing in this white shirt... you take my breath away!"

And always accompanied with a red rose. Someone was flirting with him...he realised and someone who knew his whereabouts was helping her... but who? He decided to keep a look out.

More than a month passed, Maan was still clueless even though he was watchful when he went out. He kept receiving snaps of him along with the messages... Snaps so magnificent that he would have hired the person to work for him. Then came the request...

Maan, am I pestering you? Though I am enjoying this game of hide and seek (where you are still to find me), may be you don't wish to continue. So, if you wear my favourite white shirt with blue jeans tomorrow, I will know you don't mind. But if you wear black with black this will be my last message.'

The next morning Maan stood before his open wardrobe and took out the blue jeans to pair it up with blue shirt.

"Neither white and blue nor black and black?" Dev asked.

"Mysty claims she is enjoying the game...so let us see what she makes of this!" He smirked.

"Misty?"

"Myst-y as in mysterious lady... portmanteau."

"And what does this get up mean?"

"I haven't an idea!" Maan laughed. " I just want to confuse her as she is doing with me."

Maan spent the day in a good mood, thrilled with the knowledge that he was paying back Mysty in the same coin... let her rack her brain to resolve this as he did trying to find her identity.

But the sense of victory, however, was short lived because he didn't get any note the next week or the next.

He tried his best not to notice...crushed down the unsettling feeling of misgivings and the impulse to wear white. May be he shouldn't have teased. But then how was it right that she had all the fun and he couldn't even have his payback? And at the slightest challenge she withdrew... just what did she want? Whatever it was, he was not going to disrupt his perfectly ordered life ... let her make a mess of his concentration in work because of her silly game. He was not going to expect anything...he was not going to wait for her reaction, he decided.

So when the Singapore clients wanted a meeting with the representative of the company, he decided to go . Just for the petty pleasure of it he wore the white shirt to the airport, while going away ... just in case she was watching!

Through the lens of her camera she watched him walk towards the terminal and clicked in rapid succession. What are you trying to convey, Maan? As if sensing her he turned towards her direction and she quickly hid herself, though it was unnecessary because he would not have been able to see her. Aiming her camera at him again, she smiled sadly. So close yet so far...just like how they were. She knew he was alert these days, his eyes scanning his surroundings so casually... yet he didn't see her because as she claimed people only saw what they expected to see' and a chashmish bookworm was not what Maan expected to see. She sighed , walking away towards Nandini's scooty. There was no reason to feel this way, not when her plan was working so perfectly... not when her desire to have him interested in her was being fruitful... if she was truthful to herself the plan to distract Maan from getting suspicious about Annie's romance was just an imperative... a reason she could cite to act out her fantasy!

I didn't count on feeling like this.. this feeling of betrayal.

The rush I feel whenever Maan is near has intensified many fold. Now my heart goes bang bang not just to be in his company, of seeing him everyday... but also at the fear of being recognised. But then I feel disappointed that he didn't. When the illusion wins every time, as I expect it to, why do I feel hurt? Yes, it hurts every time it is proven that the real me' merits no attention. How can you be so unaware of the way my pulse raise whenever you are near, the way my hand trembles? Don't you realize that it is you who turn me into a clumsy fool who drops things and walk into doors whenever you are around? How could you be so blind Maan??? And now you are gone and I miss you already.

She wiped the moisture off her eyes.

PS: Why did you wear white? Shall I take it that you care? '

She closed her diary

Back from to office after his trip Maan had just walked into his cabin when the harassed security called in that someone had tampered with his car to cause alarm. Acknowledging Geet's good morning' with a crisp nod, he hurried to the parking. There, stuck behind the wiper was the answer to the question that had nagged him for days, if Mysty would contact him again...

The envelope had the snapshot of him at the airport.

Your clue was too cryptic to decipher. So I took the liberty to read it the way I want .. moreover I want to welcome you back. I missed you these days ... so I say :

Abhi main na dekhoon khwaab woh
Jin mein na tu mile
Le khole honth maine
Ab tak the jo sile

Mujhko na jitna mujh pe
Utna iss dil ko tujh pe
Hone laga aitbaar
Tanha lamhon mein apne
Bunti hoon tere sapne
Tujhse hua mujhko pyaar o o..
Poochungi tujhko kabhi naa
Chaahun main ya naa
Tere khaabon mein ab jeena
Chaahun main kyun naa!

And it was signed I am your girl ... are you my Maan ?'

Maan pressed his fist to his lips trying to hide his smile.

Next week he got a challenge

Catch me if you can:

Monday 7 - 7:30 AM, Radhakishen Temple... I will be wearing your favourite colour.'

As if fate was plotting against him, Geet had chosen to be born on the same day and Annie wanted to surprise Geet with a bouquet. So he had to take her to the florist and wait until she chose the flowers before dropping her off at Geet's place, who they learned had gone to the temple. So by the time he reached the temple the arti was over. Not just that, many of the women had chosen to wear white... even Geet, was wearing white.

I wanted you to win even if it meant the end of the game. My defeat would have made me feel so victorious...my most precious birthday gift!

You are such a fool Maan and I more so for feeling betrayed by my own illusion!!'

The next gift Maan received was a five mukhi Rudraksha , "Better luck next time!"

PS: Five Mukhi rudraksha is believed to bring good luck.

Maan was so riled up that he refused the invite to Geet's party. He considered approaching a detective yet didn't want to give up the thrill of doing it by himself.

Still it was hard to feel annoyed with his naughty Mysty for long, especially when she was so innovative about her gifts. He got a toy frog with a sloppy smile next week. It had a lipstick mark on it and the note attached to it read,

"I tried kissing the frog, to turn it into my prince. Alas it didn't turn into my Ma(a)n!"

The visual the note created on his mind was so intense that it kept intruding with his concentration.

Adi was explaining the projections with the slides and his mind slipped back to the note and the image of Mysty kissing the frog

"Why don't you come over then, kiss me and see if I am your prince?"

"Sir!" Geet's gasp from the seat next to him made him realize he had voiced his thoughts.

"Sorry.. please continue" Maan told Adi who had paused.

Yeh ladki muhje pagal kar degi!" he thought to himself.

The next week Maan got a new challenge.

I'm feeling generous... impatient too. SO the CD has the places I frequent. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!

PS: Valentine Eve is just about a month ahead. If you find me by then perchance we can share another dance, this time without the mask.

The CD opened to a woman dressed in a red dress was dancing with her back towards the camera.

On the walls in the background hung snaps of him taken, from what he assumed over a long period of time.

She turned and the camera switched to a long shot even though it was impossible to see her face clearly with the hat frivolous hat angled to cover most of her face.

O mil jaaye is tarah, do lehre jis tarah - 2

Her hands imitated the movement of the waves.

Yeh vada yeh vada yeh vada...

She held her hands together in the gesture of vada towards each of his photo.

She took the framed picture of him from the table and hugged it close to her heart.

The screen showed the snapshots of him in various places.. giving him the proof that she followed him.

The video ended with her holding out her hand towards the camera, as if asking him to place his on hers in promise.

He watched the video many times over to find the clue that would lead him to her but found himself distracted by her cute gestures. Each time he watched it, she looked familiar... He didn't want to share the video with a third person, not even Dev because it felt as if she was dancing just for him. He knew he was being fanciful because someone must have shot the video, still it felt too personal.

He was spell bound, not just by the grace of her dance but to know that someone was so crazy about him.

"I will find you sweetheart ... that is my promise to you." He murmured touching her image on the screen.

The next day the accident happened. It revealed to his eyes a new side of his sister who shed the image of a careless party girl to become the support and strength of Geet who had an accident and was hospitalized with serious injuries.

It was so odd to see that the absence of someone could rob the vitality of the whole office. He hadn't even realised that he had become so used to seeing Geet dashing in between the cabins, dropping things and bumping on to things, that he would miss the same things that he had thought irritated him. Not when he knew that her working with Khurana Constructions was just temporary, until she joined M.Arch. Neither could he account for the protectiveness her felt when he saw the way she cowered in the company of her stepbrother who had visited her.

It was that feeling of unease that he had felt in Brij's company that had him go to the hospital a little early that made him overhear the argument between the friends.

"... may be this is babaji's way of saying that I can't escape my fate. He can now put the pressure on Darji to call me back... I can no longer stay alone not when I have to depend on someone even to take a step ... going back to hoshiarpur is the only option."

"Don't say that, what about M.Arch?"

"M. Arch? Do you think I will be well enough? Not possible."

"You can stay with us, Geetu. No, hear me out first." She took Geet's hand when she shook her head. "I can't let you go...not knowing how cruel Brij is. If you are worried about Bhai..."

The tap at the door made her turn, "Maan Bha! You are early.."

Maan couldn't help but notice the sudden tension on Geet's face and the flush on Annie's face.

"Something wrong?" Maan asked.

"No bhai, I was telling Geet that she should come with us when she is discharged. She thinks it is no longer proper as she is your employee."

"Then I will have to make it an order that you will stay with us."

"I will render in my resignation then Sir. Anyways what is a handicap going to do.."

"Geet," Annie admonished sternly. "The tests haven't been done yet... you are being too pessimistic."

"I'm sorry," Geet was contrite "you are being so kind and I ... I'm sorry."

"It's not kindness Geetu," Annie cupped Geet's cheek, "if the situation was reversed wouldn't you do the same for me?"

Geet nodded her head, sniffling.

"It's settled then, Geet will stay with us." Maan declared wanting to avoid the weeping contest between the friends.

The second adversity came thru' Mishti or the lack of Mishti. She didn't contact him the next week. He tried not to feel worried, but the memory of Geet's accident was too fresh in his mind. He tried to calm the uneasiness he felt by thinking that she must have been busy or just being naughty and troubling him. It was not as if she promised to contact him every week. But by the end of the second week, he couldn't find a reason to avoid the horrible thoughts that entered his mind unbidden, ruining his concentration on everything else. He sought the help of a private eye.

Then he got her message:

"Some things are never meant to be... thank you for the most wonderful days in my life. I will cherish it forever. Good Bye."

And Maan was furious. Here he was frantic with worry and it was still a game to her. He was angry with her for playing with him, awakening emotions in him with her silly game and more so with himself for falling for her tricks. He doubled the detective's fee to find the identity of the person who dared to make a fool of him.

At the office and home those closest to him had to bear the brunt of his anger. It was after one such tongue lashing that Dev got to know about the identity of Maan's Mysty from Annie.

"But I can't tell Maan bhai. I promised Geet. She had a crush on bhai for a long time. Now bhai is attracted to her too. But Geet claims he is only attracted to an illusion and not to her. I want to help them find each other but what if Geet is true? I don't want to hurt Geet further. But I can't see Maan bhai like this. What a mess!"

Learning all the details from her, Dev helped her to plot the plan that would reveal Mysty's identity to Maan. What should follow was for Maan to decide.

Maan unlocked the door to Geet's apartment. He had to take over the duty of transporting a few of Geet's possessions to Khurana Mansions because Dev was late for the flight. Annie wanted everything set properly in the room she had prepared for Geet before she was discharged from hospital. It was true Geet couldn't see her belongings, still Annie wanted her to feel the comfort of having the things familiar to her around her. As it was a tendency these days, thoughts of Geet soothed his agitated mind. The doctors said the chances of her recovering her sight was at 60 - 40 odds.The courage with which she had suffered the pain to get back the semblance of normalcy back in her life was remarkable.

Maan opened the door to the master bedroom door and the sense of familiarity hit him. The walls were blank but he could see his portraits hanging on them. The top of the chest of drawers was empty but he could imagine the photo frame with his picture on it.

"Geet!, " he murmured dazed, "it was you..."Pulled by an invisible magnetic thread he walked towards the window and pulled the string that closed the blind. Sure enough he gazed into his image, "... you are mysty!" he shouted aloud truimphantly.

His mind flashed back to the times he had come across Geet while he searched for Mysty . "I have been such a fool..."He shook his head in self-reproach, "... such a blind fool. Forgive me!'

He spend the next hour in Geet's flat trying to acquaint himself with his Mishti and struck gold when he came across her diary. He hesitated just for a moment knowing that he was invading her privacy then shrugged away the uneasiness muttering "everything is fair in love and war."

Geet had shifted to Khurana Mansions earlier in the week. Annie said Maan had a bell installed to make sure that she would not have to go without assistance when she needed it and yet giving her the freedom to choose for herself when she needed help. She was familiarising herself to live in the darkness that surrounded her, the one that might never fade. ...

Every effort was taken to see that she was safe and comfortable... yet...

Each time Maan visited her (that was no less than thrice a day), which it seemed he had put in his routine of playing the perfect host, she was filled with a sense of loss. He had surprised her by insisting on carrying her to her room that first time.. never had he taken such personal interest in his sister's friend. It had puzzled her and then it hit her, he didn't need to be so attentive because she was not an invalid then.

Pity! It had finally come to that... he pitied the blind invalid who was dependant on his family.

As a fresh wave of bitterness rose to consume her and she counted the steps that would take her to the French window that opened to the garden. She had to get away.. had to convince Annie to let her leave. She had to convince Annie how difficult this has become for her.

But at least a part of the game worked, she thought... Maan had let Annie go for the Valentine Eve party had even relaxed the curfew time provided Dev brought her home.

Valentine Eve... she remembered her last challenge to him. What if he had found her and then the accident had happened... it would have put an end to any relation that blossomed... she smiled sadly at her fancy thought .. he wouldn't have found her.

A sound made her turn, "Who is there?"

"It's me."

"You don't have to feel obliged to keep me company because Annie has gone to the party." She turned away slightly, wishing that he would go away yet hoping he would stay.

"Maan singh Khurana does not do anything on obligation. You know me well enough to know that, Geet." His soft trends brought him closer to her and he saw the tension in her stance. He reached down to take her fisted hand by her side, "I am here to claim my dance."

She jerked away almost colliding with the window frame if not for his quick move to put his hand between her head and the frame. "Some things never change ...you keep bumping into things in your attempt to run away from me."

Disoriented and hearing his voice close to her, she turned her head only to bring it closer to his.

He raised his hand and caressed it down her cheek to lift her face, " But now I have caught you... so what do we do about it, haan Geet?"

"I... I don't under..underst..."

"Shhh..." he silenced her feeble whisper with his thumb against her lips. "No more lies ... no more games. Agreed?"

She gave a quick nod ready to accept anything that will release her from the spell cast by his touch, which made her brain turn woozy and her knees weak. He dropped his hand and stepped back.

Wanting to put as much distance between them as possible... to get back her coherent thoughts, she limped and stumbled to, know not where.

Her sense of relief was so palpable, that he could barely contain his amusement. Chuckling, Maan scoped her up in his arms and carried her. Ignoring her struggles easily he placed her on the cot. His chuckle was the limit. She stood up immediately to push him away.

"You find this amusing do you... my stumbling around in the darkness?" she shouted enraged.

" You misunderstood Geet..." but she just brushed it aside and tried to move away.

He pulled her back and she swung her hand trying to slap him.

He pushed her down, "Sit," he commanded. "If you want to fight let us at least make sure you will not fall down and hurt yourself."

"Go away! Leave me alone." She turned her face away from the direction of his voice.

"Never!" He went on knees beside the cot. "Never again Geet." He turned her face back to him, "You made a promise to me and now I want to make one in return." He took her hand in his, opened it and placed his hand palm down to cover it, " zindagi ke har subah tum se shuru hogi aur har raat tum se khatam "

Geet drew her hand back and smiled sadly, "The one whom you want to make the promise to do not exist anymore. You were attracted to an illusion and I am not her...not anymore... may be never again!"

"True, I was attracted to an illusion and I am sorry for being a fool ... a blind fool who couldn't see the one who was right in front of his eyes." He cupped her face with his palm, "Please forgive me Geet for causing you pain, for ruining your birthday."

She gasped. "You read my diary," she accused.

"Yes and I won't apologize for that because I don't repent my curiosity to know more about my mysterious lady."

"Don't you get the point Maan, I am not her... the one who could make you take notice. I am just... just your sister's friend, who doesn't even merit a second glance from you." She shook her head, "I am not the illusion you want."

"Then tell me this Geet, since you seem to be an expert about what I want... If I am in love with this illusion, why am I drawn to you? Why am I here with my sister's friend?"

"You are confusing pity with love."

"Really?" Maan asked rising to his feet to sit down beside her. Smiling he saw her shift immediately to put space between them. You are not immune to me as you want to let me believe.. may be only that will convince you... "May be you are right, but I have never felt this kind of pity for someone before and I doubt if I will ever feel it again... it makes me feel both wonderful and frustrated.." he raised his hand to lift her chin with his fingers, "it makes me a silly one who feels jealous of a frog..." he moved his thumb to run it gently over her bottom lip.

She knew she should move away break the contact but felt frozen in the moment. He leaned closer and she felt the warmth of his breath on her lips. There was a gentle pause as if he wanted to give her time to stop what was to happen if she willed it. But she wasn't capable of thinking anything save the anticipation of his kiss. His lips brushed against hers in a slow drugging caress that stirred up unknown sensations in her. At the touch of his tongue on the corner of her mouth a shiver ran through her...anticipatory, all-consuming. His fingers tangled in the hair at the nape of her neck and he tipped her head back to deepen his kiss.

Breaking off the kiss that had turned more passionate than he had planned on, he held her close to him with her head tucked under his chin. After taking a moment to calm his ragged breath, he started to recite, "The first time I saw you, you were wearing a white salwar, simple and elegant just like the person you are."

His hand caressed her hair in an absent manner.

"When you came to Khurana Mansions to stay over you the first time, you wore a pale blue salwar with a duppatta that looked like it had trapped a part of the starry sky.The day that you dashed right into me drenched in rain you were wearing white again..."

Her indrawn breath made him shift away to look at her and saw the surprise that reflected on it. He tucked back a soft tendril behind her ear and tugged her unadorned earlobe playfully.

" You love to wear jumkas and they sway in rhythm to your steps... Last Diwali your glowing face put the diyas to shame... on Holi you looked a pataka' as Dev loves to dub enticing females."

He watched her expression turn from surprise to opened mouthed shock. He gently tapped her mouth shut and asked, " Does that answer your remark about not meriting a second glance or should I go on?"

"But.. I never..."

" Shh... You claim that I should move on because you are not mysty anymore ...But I knew I could never let you go the moment I found out that you are mysty... enticing yet an innocent, graceful yet clumsy, naughty yet serene, sexy yet nave, daring yet loyal ... with a sense of humour that promise that life with you will never be dull... what more could this Maan want. In you I found my woman."

These were the words she had wished for yet never expected to hear. Still there was the greatest fear she had to face...

"Meri zindagi mein ab agar subah hi nahi hogi toh?" she asked, her voice hoarse with unshed tears.

"60-40 is not a bad odd Geet . We will cross that bridge when we come to it but I promise you this Mishti, I will never give up on you neither will I let you do it.

She hugged him hard, the fear that she valiantly held back breaking thru in sobs within the comfort of his arms. He held her, soothing her with the stroke of his hand.

Later he insisted on dancing with her despite her protests. He gathered her close to sway to the romantic notes with her standing on his feet to avoid exertion.

"ummm?" Held so close to him with the strength of his arms protecting her, she decided she never wanted to be disturbed.

"Could you quarrel with me often when we are married?"

The request surprised her enough to lift her head from it's resting place on his shoulder, "Why?"

"Because I like the way I can win an argument with you ... the way I can make all thoughts fly out of your mind with just a ..." he touched his lips to hers in the softest caress.