I'm a lazy bunny. So my updates from now on are gonna be a little staggered. Heh. Anyway, here's the next part, totally Meet-filled! WHEE! 😃 I'm dedicating this part to Radz, because I didn't let her edit her comment on the previous chapter. 😆 (This probably isn't the right time for me to mention that she had a couple of weeks to edit it...😆)
Anyway, enjoy!
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The Handmaiden's Tale, or Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye
Part Fourteen
Later That Night…
Meher and Tanuja were in Tanuja's room, packing the clothes that Heer and Teji were taking for the children at the orphanage the next day.
"I heard Lord Prem agreed to go as well," Tanuja commented. "How is Lady Heer handling him?"
Meher grinned at her mother. "He is a very worthy adversary, Maa. She's going crazy trying to figure him out."
Tanuja laughed. "What the girl has against marriage, I have no idea."
Meher laughed.
The two spent the next few moments silently packing clothes.
"Speaking of marriage, Meher," Tanuja started.
Meher winced. She should have known this was coming.
"We need to find a man for you too. A few more years and you'll be past that age, and no man will want you."
Meher rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Maa."
Tanuja sighed. "You know what I mean, Meher."
Meher sighed. "I know, Maa."
There was a sudden rap from the window. Meher and Tanuja looked at each other, both frowning.
"Did you hear that?" Tanuja asked.
Meher looked to the window as another rap came. She looked sharply at Tanuja, eyes wide. Forgetting that she was still holding a brown tunic, she crept to the window. She looked out and suppressed a gasp.
Preet looked up at her, a bunch of pebbles in one hand and waving with the other. There was a lamp on the ground, and he motioned for her to come down.
Meher glanced at Tanuja, who raised her eyebrow.
"Um…" Meher looked at the window again, then an idea sprung into her head. She opened the window and leaned out, dropping the tunic. "Oops!" She withdrew her head and turned to Tanuja, a sheepish smile on her face. "I…will go get that."
Without another word to Tanuja, she hurried out of the room, her face flushed.
Tanuja frowned, wondering at her daughter's sudden strange behaviour. She went to the window to see for herself what was there, just in time to see Meher hurrying out of the house. She met up with a man, and Tanuja gasped, squinting to see who it was. Luckily for her he held the lamp up to his grinning face, and she saw that it was Lord Prem's manservant. She turned away from the window, one hand covering her smile, not sure at all what to make of that.
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"What are you doing here?" Meher hissed as she hurried to Preet.
Preet grinned at her. "Would you be interested in a moonlit boat ride, My Lady?" he asked.
Meher rolled her eyes. "You're kidding, right?"
Preet raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like I'm kidding, My Lady?"
Meher studied him and wasn't at all surprised to see that he wasn't. "My mother is up there and she's probably watching us right now," she told him, glancing up at Tanuja's room nervously.
Preet did the same. He waved at the empty window, and Meher felt a headache coming along.
"My Lord…" she began.
Preet put a finger on her lip, startling her. "What's stopping you, Meher?"
Meher simply stared at him, her eyes wide. Her entire body felt electrified by the feel of his skin on hers. She couldn't breathe.
"Meher?" Preet asked, frowning in worry.
"Hunh?" she mumbled, still staring at him.
"Will you come with me?" he asked cautiously, fully expecting her to say no.
"Okay," she whispered.
Preet removed his hand, surprised. That seemed to break Meher's spell.
"You said yes!"
Meher frowned. "What?"
Preet grinned. He wasn't going to let this pass him by. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the waiting boat. "You said yes!"
Meher's frown deepened. When had she said yes? The last thing she remembered was Preet waving at the window, and then he put his finger on her lip.
She gasped. "You! You took advantage of…of…" Of her what? Her momentary blackout?
Preet grinned at her. "That I did, My Lady, that I did!" He got into the boat and turned to help Meher in. She stood at the bank of the lake, her hands on her hips, glaring at him. Preet wiggled his eyebrows at her, and Meher bit her lip to stop herself from giving herself away. She shook her head. Preet pleaded at her with his eyes. She shook her head again. Preet held out his hand, pulling a puppy-dog face on her. She rolled her eyes and placed her hand in his with a heavy sigh.
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"This is crazy," Meher muttered. "This is just absolutely crazy."
Preet rolled his eyes. "Meher, will you just stop talking and enjoy this?" he pleaded, rowing the boat.
Meher glared at him. "What if someone sees us?"
"Let them! The night is our time, Meher. At night, we're not Lady Heer's and Lord Prem's servants. We're Preet and Meher."
Meher frowned. "When did you start calling me 'Meher'?"
Preet paused, thinking. He shrugged. "I dunno. But it felt right." He grinned at her. "Admit it, you like it when I call you 'Meher', don't you, Meher?"
Meher made a face at him and looked away, hiding a smile. She would not admit that she did indeed like it when he called her 'Meher'.
Preet smiled at her as she glanced at him and blushed, looking that much prettier in the soft light of the moon and the stars.
"This is nice, isn't it?" Preet asked her.
"It is…soothing…" she grudgingly admitted.
The boat rested in the middle of the lake, bobbing gently.
Meher looked up, smiling. "Look at the moon," she breathed. "It's so…"
"The moon has nothing on you." The minute he said it, Preet wanted to take it back.
Meher looked at him curiously. "What?"
He looked away, feeling embarrassed. "Nothing," he replied quickly.
Meher studied him. He glanced at her, and both of them looked away, smiling to themselves.
Bina baatein kabhi mujhko pukare
Karta kabhi chup chup ke ishaare
Aur dekhe kabhi kissi bhi bahane se
Koshishein bhi maine kar dekhi sari
Iss ladke se aaj hari main toh hari
Issne na seekha darna zamaaney se
Tu kis uljhan mein pad gayi?
Yeh kaisi baatein kar gayi?
Mohabbat kya woh mohabbat jo duniya se dar gayi
-|end of part fourteen|-
YAY for Meet! Right? 😉 Anyway, since my updates are gonna be less frequent now, do let me know if you want to be on my PM list! 😃
Love,
Bhav (:
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
