Whispers of the Heart
Song: Bol Do Na Zara from Azhar
My entry from the Maan Geet Autumn One Shot Contest. I have written a story on Maaneet after ages. I didn't win the contest but thought of sharing the OS on the forum anyway.
Please do give your feedback and do read the author's note below.
The rain outside fell in steady sheets, blurring the world beyond the large glass windows of Maan’s office. It was a fitting reflection of the turmoil brewing inside him—a storm of emotions he had kept hidden for too long. Maan sat there, watching Geet as her face flickered between hope and heartbreak. Deep down, he wanted nothing more than to ease her pain, but he couldn't bring himself to say the words she longed to hear. He'd grown up in a world where love was shown, not spoken—a world where vulnerability was hidden, not shared. His silence wasn't a lack of love but a protection, a wall he'd built long ago, shielding himself from the loss and disappointment he feared would follow if he let his guard down. The air between them had grown thick with tension, and for weeks now, Geet had been distant, her silence like an unscalable wall.
Maan Singh Khurana was a man of few words, but Geet… she had always been his weakness. Instead of speaking his love, Maan chose to show it in every way he could, hoping it would be enough. He remembered the times he'd stayed up all night, worrying about her safety, arranging for her comfort without her knowing, ensuring her world remained steady even if it meant sacrificing his own peace. His love was in these acts of service, the small gestures, the silent reassurances. When he brushed a stray strand of hair from her face or let his fingers linger on her hand, it was his way of saying everything he couldn't put into words. Her mere presence used to light up his world, her smile the balm to his otherwise stoic life. But now, that light seemed to be slipping away, and no matter how much he wanted to stop it, he couldn’t bring himself to say the one thing that might make her stay.
Flashback (Few Weeks Ago)
The sound of crashing glass echoed through the Khurana mansion, followed by the heavy thud of footsteps retreating into the silence. Maan stood frozen in the center of the room, his eyes fixed on the shattered remnants of a vase—one of Geet’s favorites. It had been an accident, but it felt symbolic, as if the fragile pieces of their relationship were breaking right before his eyes.
Geet's voice, a fragile whisper, broke the silence. Her eyes, brimming with unshed tears, bore into his. "Aap mujhse baat kyun nahi karte, Maan?" she pleaded, her voice rising with each word. "Why do you make me guess?" Her shoulders slumped, her heart heavy with disappointment.
Maan had clenched his fists, his jaw tightening with the effort it took to remain calm. "Not everything needs to be said, Geet. Sometimes it's better this way."
"Better for who?" she had snapped, her voice rising. "Aapke liye? Because it’s certainly not better for me! I can’t keep living in this uncertainty, not knowing where I stand with you. Do you even care anymore?"
Her words had pierced through him, and though he had wanted to reach out, to assure her that he cared more than she could ever know, the weight of his own insecurities held him back.
Geet gazed at him, feeling the weight of all the unspoken words pressing down on her heart. She loved Maan for the way he protected her, for his silent strength and unwavering presence. Yet, that same silence was the source of her pain. She needed to hear the words—to have something tangible to hold onto. She had whispered "I love you" to him so many times, hoping, praying he would say it back. Each time he remained silent, the ache grew sharper, yet so did her love.
She'd fallen for him precisely because of the way he loved, unassuming and deep, but she also needed the reassurance only his words could bring. She wanted him to know that his silence left her restless, yearning for a confirmation of the love she could feel but not hear.
But, like always, he had chosen silence. A silence that now lay between them like a wide, impossible gap.
Flashback (Two Nights Ago)
As the days passed, the distance between Maan and Geet only grew wider. Every conversation became a minefield, every glance a battlefield of emotions neither dared to express. The weight of everything unsaid bore heavily on Geet, but she wasn’t ready to give up. Not yet.
One evening, she decided to take a step—one last effort to salvage what they had. Maybe, she thought, if she could get Maan to see how much his silence was hurting them both, he might finally open up.
She knew where she would find him. The terrace. It was where he often went to think, to escape the pressures of work and life. Tonight, she hoped, it could be the place where they could talk, where she could break through his walls.
The air was thick with the scent of rain, the sky still cloudy from the earlier downpour. Maan stood at the edge of the terrace, his hands gripping the railing as he stared out into the distance. Geet watched him for a moment, her heart aching at how alone he looked, even when she was right here. She stepped forward, the soft rustle of her dupatta catching his attention.
“Maan,” she called softly, her voice barely audible over the distant sound of raindrops hitting the pavement below.
He didn’t turn around, didn’t acknowledge her presence right away, but she knew he had heard her. Taking a deep breath, Geet walked closer until she was standing beside him.
“Mujhe aapse baat karni hai.” she said, her voice firm despite the uncertainty gnawing at her insides.
Maan’s grip on the railing tightened, but he remained silent. The cold wind whipped around them, pulling at Geet’s hair, but she didn’t care. She had to make him listen.
Her voice, a mere breath, trembled as she confessed, "I can't bear this silence anymore, Maan. It's suffocating me." Her eyes, filled with a mix of sadness and anger, met his.
Finally, Maan turned to look at her, his expression guarded. “Tum kya chahti ho, Geet? Kya kahoon main tumse?”
“Main chahti hoon ke aap mujhe batayein ke aap kya mehsoos karte hain?” she exclaimed, frustration and sadness bubbling to the surface. “I’ve been waiting, waiting for you to let me in, but you keep pushing me away.”
Maan’s eyes flickered with something she couldn’t quite place—guilt, maybe, or regret. But his voice remained steady, distant. “There’s nothing to say. Everything is fine.”
“Fine?” Geet’s voice broke as she shook her head in disbelief. “Is that all this is to you? Fine?”
Her words hung in the air like a challenge, daring him to contradict her. But Maan, who was always good at hiding his feelings, said nothing. His silence was the answer she had feared all along.
Tears welled up in Geet’s eyes as she took a step back, the pain of his indifference hitting her like a punch to the gut. “I don’t know how much longer I can wait for you to feel something, Maan. I can’t be the only one fighting for this.”
Maan’s jaw clenched, his hands gripping the railing so tightly his knuckles turned white. But still, he said nothing.
Geet swallowed hard, her heart shattering with every second that passed. “If you don’t care enough to fight for us, then maybe… maybe there’s nothing left to fight for.”
She turned around and walked away, her chest tightening with the weight of what she had just said.
Present Day
Tonight, like many nights before, she stood by the door, ready to leave. Her fingers gripped the handle, knuckles white from the force, as though she was holding onto more than just a piece of metal. She was holding onto the last shred of hope she had left.
"Maan," her voice, though soft, cut through the silence like a knife. "I can't do this anymore."
Maan’s heart clenched. He knew this conversation was inevitable, but it didn’t make it any easier. He remained silent, staring at her back, willing her to turn around, to look at him, to give him one more chance to make things right. But Geet, in her typical fashion, didn’t wait for a response. She had waited long enough.
"I can't keep pretending everything is okay when it’s not. You've pushed me away for so long, and I’m tired of waiting for you to care."
His fingers twitched, desperate to reach out and stop her, but he didn't. Instead, he spoke coldly, his voice devoid of the emotion raging inside him. “You’re making a big deal out of it, Geet.”
She turned then, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Am I? Or are you just too afraid to admit that you don't care about me anymore?"
Maan’s breath caught in his throat. Of course, he cared. Of course, he felt more for her than he could ever express. But years of discipline and control had taught him to suppress such emotions, to remain distant and guarded. The one time he had let himself feel… it had resulted in heartache. He wouldn’t allow himself to go through that again.
"You think this is easy for me?" he finally spat, his voice harsher than intended. "You think I don’t care?"
Geet blinked, startled by the sudden outburst, but the hurt in her eyes remained. "You don’t show it, Maan. How am I supposed to know what you feel when you never say it?"
A faint melody began playing in the background — Adi must have switched on the radio, but the sound seemed distant compared to the storm brewing between them. Music drifted through the air, the melancholic tune punctuating the tension in the room.
Itni mohabbat karo na, Main doob na jaun kahi
Vaapas kinare pe aana, Main bhool na jaun kahi
Dekha jabse chehra tera, Main toh hafton se soya nahi
Geet’s lips trembled as she spoke again, her voice cracking with emotion. "Main kab se intezaar kar rahi hoon, ke aap mujhse kuch kahenge. Anything that would show me that you still care."
The song’s lyrics echoed in Maan’s ears. Bol do na zara, dil mein jo hai chhupa… Say it, the song urged. Say what’s in your heart, before it’s too late.
Bol do na zara, Dil mein jo hai chhupa
Main kisi se kahunga nahi
Bol do na zara, Dil mein jo hai chhupa
Main kisise kahunga nahi, Main kisise kahunga nahi
But Maan couldn’t. He wanted to, God, how he wanted to, but every time he tried, the words got stuck. He was never good at expressing his feelings, especially not when they ran this deep.
Geet took a step toward him, her voice trembling. "I thought… I thought we had something real. But now, I don’t even recognize you anymore. The man I fell in love with—he’s gone. And maybe it’s my fault for holding onto the past, for believing that you—"
"That I - what?" Maan interrupted, his heart pounding wildly.
"Love me," Geet finished, her voice barely above a whisper.
The silence that followed was overwhelming. Maan’s chest hurt with the heaviness of those words. He wanted to shout that he did love her, more than anything else, but the fear of being vulnerable stopped him. What if she didn’t believe him? What if he confessed, and she walked away anyway?
The tension between them was a complex blend of longing and restraint, a soulful connection that transcended the physical. For Maan, words felt inadequate, while Geet longed for the intimacy that only a spoken confession could bring. He knew she needed him to let go, to share in her vulnerability. She wanted his soul, not just his presence—a love beyond physical desire, where the mere acknowledgment of emotions was an act of trust.
The lyrics of the song hung in the air, swelling with the intensity of Maan’s unspoken feelings.
Mujhe neend aati nahi hai akele, Khwabon mein aaya karo
Nahi chal sakunga tumhare bina main, Mera tum sahaara bano
Ik tumhein chahne ke alaawa, Aur kuch humse hoga nahi
He had felt this way all along. Why couldn't he just say it? As the realization hit him, Maan stepped closer, his heart racing. “Geet, I—”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she shook her head, backing away from him. “You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to, Maan. I understand. Just know that I can’t wait for you anymore. This… this pain is too much to bear.”
"I can’t do this anymore," she repeated, her voice breaking. "I can’t keep waiting for you to feel something. I can’t keep hoping that one day, you’ll tell me what I need to hear."
Maan stepped forward, panic rising in his chest. He couldn’t lose her, not like this. "Geet—"
But she shook her head again, her tears now spilling freely down her cheeks. "I’m done, Maan. I’m done waiting."
As Geet turned to leave, the song reached its chorus, the words a perfect mirror of Maan’s silent plea. Bol do na zara… Tell her now. Before it’s too late.
Bol do na zara, Dil mein jo hai chhupa
Main kisise kahunga nahi
Bol do na zara, Dil mein jo hai chhupa
Main kisise kahunga nahi, Main kisise kahunga nahi
It wasn’t always like this for them. Once, not too long ago, Maan and Geet had shared a bond that seemed unbreakable. He remembered the first time he realized just how much he loved her. It had been during a particularly chaotic day at the office, one where everything seemed to be going wrong. Geet, as usual, had taken charge, her calm demeanor and infectious laughter bringing a sense of peace to the entire team. And to him.
He had watched her from across the room, the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled, the way she made everyone feel like they belonged. It was then that he knew—he was in love with her. But admitting it, even to himself, had taken time. Too much time. By the time he had finally gathered the courage to tell her, life had thrown them a curveball. Misunderstandings, family obligations, and his own insecurities had kept him from ever saying the words that could have made all the difference.
The rain outside had slowed to a drizzle, but inside, Maan’s world remained in turmoil. He couldn’t just let her go, not without a fight. He had to tell her—no more holding back, no more letting fear control him.
He grabbed his coat and rushed out of the office, his mind set on one thing: finding Geet.
He drove through the rain-slicked streets, his heart racing. He knew where she would be. There was only one place she went when she needed time to herself, and he prayed that she was still there, that he wasn’t too late.
The café where they used to spend quiet moments together came into view, and Maan parked haphazardly outside, not caring about the rain that soaked him as he sprinted inside. His eyes scanned the room, and there, in the far corner, sat Geet, her head resting on her hands as she stared blankly out the window.
The café’s radio was still playing the song, now nearing the final verse. Maan's heart clenched as he approached her.
Humari kami tumko mehsoos hogi, Bhiga dengi jab baarishein
Main bhar karke laya hoon, Ankhon mein apni, Adhoori si kuch khwahishein,
Rooh se chaahne wale aashiq, Baatein jismo ki karte nahi
For a moment, he just stood there, watching her, his heart aching at the sight. How had it come to this? How had they drifted so far apart?
Taking a deep breath, Maan walked over to her table. She looked up as he approached, her expression unreadable. The room was filled with an unspoken conversation, a yearning that spoke louder than any words. Maan reached for her hand, letting his fingers entwine with hers. He looked at her, his gaze intense, as if trying to convey what he couldn't say. She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of his touch, wishing it were enough, but knowing her heart craved more.
"Aap yahan kya kar rahe hain, Maan?" she asked, her voice devoid of emotion.
His voice, barely a whisper, trembled as he spoke. "Mujhe tumse baat karni hai, Geet." he confessed, his eyes filled with a mix of hope and fear.
Geet sighed, looking away. "Baat karne ko ab bacha hi kya hai? There’s nothing left to say."
But Maan shook his head, his heart pounding. "Sab kuch. There’s everything left to say. I'm sorry, Geet. I’ve let my pride and my fears come between us, and I don’t want to lose you because of that. I care, Geet. I care more than you know.”
Geet searched his eyes, looking for any sign of truth in his words. “Then why can’t you just say it? Why can’t you let me in? Main aap par yakeen kaise karoon?”
“Kyunki main darta hoon.” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’m afraid of what I might lose if I let you in completely.”
She glanced at him, her eyes still filled with doubt. "You’ve never told me how you feel, Maan. How am I supposed to believe you now?"
Maan swallowed hard, his hands trembling as he reached across the table to take hers. "Because I’m telling you now. I love you, Geet. I’ve always loved you. I was just too afraid to say it."
Silence enveloped them again, but this time, it was a different kind of silence—one filled with unspoken words, shared breaths, and lingering glances.
“Main tumse bahut pyat karta hoon, Geet,” Maan confessed, his heart pounding against his chest. “Par mujhe wo dikhana aur jataana nahi aata. Mujhe laga ke agar main tumse doori banakar rakhunga, I was protecting you. Protecting myself.”
Her eyes widened in surprise, but she didn’t pull her hand away. She blinked back her tears, her heart racing at his admission. “You could have just told me. I would have understood.”
“I know that now,” Maan said, stepping closer until they were almost touching. “I know I’ve hurt you by being silent. But I need you to know that I never wanted to lose you.”
“Then don’t,” Geet replied, her voice steady. “Don’t push me away. I want to be here, with you, but you have to meet me halfway.”
For a long moment, they just stared at each other, the tension between them palpable. The song’s final words played softly in the background...
Bol do na zara, Dil mein jo hai chhupa
Main kisise kahunga nahi
Bol do na zara, Dil mein jo hai chhupa
Main kisise kahunga nahi, Main kisise kahunga nahi
Maan’s voice cracked as he spoke again, his heart in his throat. "Please… mujhe ek mauka aur dedo. I promise ke main tume aisa kabhi mehsoos nahi karaunga like you’re not enough. I love you, Geet. And I’ll spend the rest of my life proving it to you."
Tears welled up in Geet’s eyes, and for a moment, Maan feared that she would reject him, that it was too late. But then, slowly, she nodded, her hand tightening around his.
"You should have told me sooner, Maan," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
"I know," he whispered back, his heart pounding in his chest. "But I’m telling you now. And I’ll keep telling you, every day, for the rest of my life."
Geet smiled through her tears, and in that moment, Maan knew that they were going to be okay. They still had a long way to go, but for the first time in months, he felt a flicker of hope.
As they sat there, the soft glow of the café lights casting a warm glow on their faces, a sense of peace washed over them. The rain had stopped, and so had the storm within their hearts. They held hands, their fingers intertwined, a silent promise of a future together.
In that moment, they realized that their love had always been there, unspoken but undeniable. The silence that had once threatened to tear them apart had now become a bridge, connecting their hearts in a way that words could never express. As they walked out of the café, hand in hand, a new chapter began, filled with hope, love, and the promise of a beautiful future.
____________
A/N: This is dedicated to a few friends I made in the Geet Forum when the show was on-air - Manpreet, Pratima, Dillu, Tonya, Muskan, Dew, Naddiya, FireSafireFiree, Reya, Tina, Mayuri, Gagori... sorry if I am missing out a few names but it's been over 12 years that I was active on this forum.
You can find all the entries of the contest here: MG Autumn OS Contest Entries
Results of the contest were announced here: MG Autumn OS Contest Results
Love,
Mrina
![SS||Whispers of a Broken Soul [Complete]](https://img.indiaforums.com/userimages/13/5600-650527.png)
100