30.
They have parted after a long while.
She hadn't raised her eyes to look at him afraid that if she will, she wouldn't be able to stop the tears that are threatening to fall.
She was afraid that he would see it too, the strength of her feelings.
"Missed me Ms. Hoshiyarpur express?" He asked with a tilt of his head.
She raised her eyes then, glad that in the guise of the rain, she could still look at him with wet eyes.
"Dadima did"
"And you?"
"Those clothes are getting wet. I should go" she said vaguely pointing towards the heap of now wet clothes.
"Wait" he said catching hold of her wrist. "Why are you in a hurry?"
"I want to leave before it's too late"
"It's already late Geet. You have no choice"
"You do" she said, fighting her agony.
"What are you talking about?"
She turned towards him then, just a couple of steps away.
"This" she said waving her hand between both of them, "This shouldn't happen"
"Who says that" he said taking a step closer, becoming the Maan sir everybody fears. He had been just Maan for a few moments out there, but she had effectively pushed him away.
"I don't deserve you" she said her voice a mere whisper.
"I don't" she said shaking her head taking another step back.
"That is true" he said then. "You don't deserve my short temper. You don't deserve my scathing words. You deserve better"
"Maan..." She says taking his hand that was extended towards her.
"I am scared"
He took both her hands and entwined his fingers with hers.
"You should not be"
"I am not a virgin"
"Neither am I for years now. What's your point"
She smiled through tears at how comical he suddenly made it.
"I was married"
"You were trapped. It wasn't your fault. I think we already established that"
She couldn't hold the tears that escaped now. She had longed to hear this one line; that it wasn't her fault. Maybe that would have been enough from her family. Strange how we find family in strangers when your family turn into strangers.
"You have to let go of yesterday if you want to move forward"
"What if the past catches up with me?"
"Then I'll help you in kicking your past in its ass" he said making her smile. "All this Tai-Chi practice should lead to something now, don't you think?" He said and when she smiled, he looked at her with those kind eyes that warmed her heart.
He pulled her closer now with his arms circling her waist, her forehead touching hers.
"If I had any control, I would have made sure with every drop of blood left in me to save you from the hurt, from the deceit. Geet, are you going to push me away because what someone else had done?"
Such tenderness had undone her. She raised both her hands to touch his jaw. "I can't even if I try till my last breath. Maybe I'm too weak"
He smiled. "If so, I'm glad you're"
With that he took her in an embrace that was a promise to protect her from everything that could possibly come between them, while she hugged him back as fiercely with all the love left in her.
Maybe the cliched words of love wasn't needed after all, maybe their relationship unnamed as it was, still meant more than any other relation ever did to both of them.
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