FF: Serendipity [Completed] - Page 23

Originally posted by: Tyro

They were now closer than that.


how do u define 'closer'... by that does it mean u can sit silent in each other comp n not feel awkward... or does it mean that u talk for hrs n yet it seems like a few minutes...

in their case...i think it is just diff...

Chapter 16 (End)

"I think the party is a success, don't you think so?" Maan handed Geet a glass of orange juice as against champagne flute that were generously passed around. Geet accepted the glass with little less grace than she generally exhibited, the orange liquid sloshing a little when it passed hands.

"Thank you. I needed that," she replied and emptied the glass in one long sip. "Sorry about that, am parched."

Maan laughed quietly. "Don't worry about it Geet. Its good." Geet swallowed remains of orange juice along with the tightness in her throat. There was cold wind settled in her lungs that refused to budge as the what if scenarios never left her mind. She and Maan were friends and when it came to her, she wanted it to be more than that. She didn't have the heart to broach the subject or take a step forward given the kind of person Maan was. It would be a rejection she could never recover from. If being friends with Maan meant shoving her feelings down to the darkest pit of her stomach - then so be it. She would suck it up and be the best friend Maan deserved.

"You seem lost," Maan asked pulling out a chair for her. The reception hall was brightly lit, the soon bride-to-be and groom-to-be were mingling and the remnants of laughter was still echoing all around them.

Geet shook her head. "No, just thinking. Nothing serious," she added when he looked mildly concerned.

They had continued to meet when all preparations were done and it didn't exactly necessitate them to be around each other. They found a pattern they could work with, meeting at dawn or dusk when one was finishing the job and the other was starting their day. Day and night became relative terms and they found themselves sending odd messages, impromptu breakfasts and planned late night dinners more often. Dev and Nayantara were surprised at best.

"Do you think they will ask us to plan their wedding too?" Maan asked looking around, not really paying attention to anything. Geet couldn't decipher the subtext. If it had any in the first place.

"Will that be too hard?" She asked anyway. Around him she was the biggest masochist one can find in the city. She would ask for the ache in her chest growing exponentially everyday in his presence, the school girl crush grown out of proportion to something more solid and tangible already.

"Am I a bad person if I decline?" He asked, twirling tablecloth in his hand. She bit her lip and swallowed a sigh.

"No. If you don't want to do then you don't want to do. When it comes to that, I will take care of it, don't worry about it." She replied, gushing too many words meaning too many things. They all did mean something in her head but once out loud, they didn't make much sense to her chagrin.

Maan frowned. "Why do you do that?" He asked, his voice impossibly soft. Geet felt punched.

"I don't understand..." She trailed. The changing currents between them was becoming more and more pronounced since the day he said he liked her. At a ground level she understood it meant he accepted her enough to welcome into his life. But she had analyzed and dissected the line to a degree of insanity. She prodded the current and nudged the universe often to bring the feelings brimming beneath the skin to surface. There was a fire lit in her bones and it was slowly burning its way through her flesh and threatening to consume her completely if she didn't do anything about it. Or put her into a spot she couldn't return from. Or ignore the way she did with Dev. She had let go of Dev more easily than she was willing to accept. With Maan, however, the balance was heavily tipped.

"Come," he said simply and motioned to follow him.

They took stairs and she couldn't help but remember their first meeting. The panic attack, the fatal attraction that rooted in her mind and the conscious way her body remembered taking him to her arms. Her arms had felt strangely empty for days and she had caught herself looking at them as if they were betraying her for someone else. Maan didn't talk or offer an explanation for his act and she didn't ask for one. With Maan, patience came automatically.

"Ah, here it is." She heard Maan say and focused her eyes at where he was standing.

There was a telescope. Not the huge one she had seen at his work but the one from his home. She didn't want to delve into the thought how she had come to recognize Maan's different telescopes after spending only ten weeks with him. No. It was too early for that. Or too late? She didn't know.

"The hotel is on top of a hill so there is an added advantage of elevation. Also there isn't much civilization around us so there isn't excessive light pollution to damage the view." He spoke, his back at her and eye stuck on lens. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

She was mildly disappointed that it wasn't for the talk she hoped they would be having. She couldn't stomp the silent relief passing through her when it became obvious Maan was still not aware of her attraction and possibly something more serious towards him. There were feelings and emotions she couldn't fathom. Rejection would only make her head messier than it already was.

"What are we looking at today?" She asked, easily. This, she could do. It put them in their mutual comfort zone and she didn't even have to participate in conversations. There would be little words, lots of breath taking moments and feeble touches. She was content with those.

"The center of galaxy," Maan grinned. Geet only raised an eyebrow at that.

"Won't that be, I don't know, a mass of bright or dark sphere?" She asked walking towards him.

Maan shook his head. "It's ironic how we perceive world in black and white while nature in itself is anything but. We are in a spiral galaxy and since our home is somewhere in the edge, the center kind of looks like a band of contrasting colored stars. It's one of the most spectacular thing to see in night sky." He adjusted the lens and motioned her to take a look.

She sighed softly when her eyes caught the reflection of the said object.

"It is beautiful Maan." It sounded almost like a prayer.

"In many parts of the world one can see this on a clear autumn day. All they have to do is look up and its there. Some look at it and don't understand its importance or its beauty. They just think its just bunch of stars and turn their heads towards neon lights and camera flashes. Its pragmatic, its surreal and its breathtaking every time I lay my eyes on the sight. It's presence is becoming something like a constant in my life and I look forward to it every passing day." There was a raw, primal honesty in his voice. Geet shivered at the passion with which he spoke about things he loved.

She looked up and smiled softly at him. Words failed her making her sigh and wrap her arms around herself. The silence wasn't awkward anymore. Maan readjusted the telescopes and motioned her to take a look. He explained what she was looking at and with child like curiosity she gobbled it all up and questioned him some more. The tight muscle in her chest finally seem to expand when he flicked her nose after she made a smartass comment.

Maybe she wasn't alone in this insane sea of pull. Maybe Maan felt something - however infinitesimally small it could be, it was probably there. His history with Nayantara effectively managed to squash every inch of hope in her heart. He was a jilted. He was rejected. His affection for Nayantara was still fresh. She hated this feeling of being lost and confused. She had never felt this way before even when she was in a steady relationship.

"I should probably leave," she said suddenly cutting off Maan mid tirade. Maan looked at her in confusion.

It was too much for her. There was too much of Maan in her system and she couldn't afford to ruin it all by confessing to something she herself didn't understand well. What was with her and liking men who loved Nayantara enough to propose her? She had never felt this jealous or defeated.

"Geet? Is everything okay?" Maan was being his nice self.

Geet nodded and refused to turn and look at him and started walking towards exit. She wasn't ready to face him just yet. She would probably surface back once her throat is raw after screaming silly to her pillow and cried ten years worth of tears. It was just too much for her little heart to handle.

"Geet, please stop. Please don't run." Maan rushed, hoping to catch her. Geet didn't reply but surged forward planning to reach the reception hall before Maan could catch her and see the naked truth in her eyes. She would easily put on the mask and smile at guests and cameras inside. But in these lonely hallways - all bets were off.

She stifled a scream when an arm snaked around her waist and pushed her to the nearest wall. His breath fanned across her cheeks and the closeness nearly made her cry. She looked at him behind glossy sheen of tears and hoped he would leave her alone now. She closed her eyes, ashamed of the truth dancing on her face and her affection for him blatantly obvious.

Her eyes shot open when she felt him lean on her some more and drop his forehead on her shoulder. He breathed on her skin and relaxed in her space.

"Reminds me of the first day we met. You were invading my personal space and threatening in my ears." She tries humor but her voice shakes horribly thus failing in spectacular fashion. She feels more than she hears him sigh. It tingles her spine and her arms automatically come around him. They don't speak for several minutes and Geet belatedly realizes Maan's anxiety when it came to darkness. Something heavy settles in her stomach and she feels terrible to leech off warmth from him.

"Are you feeling better now?" She asked, her hands smoothing on his shoulders. He looks at her in confusion for a moment and then it hits him.

"Is that what you think this is?"His voice is incredulous. His palms curl at her elbow and pulls her a little. Surprise is evident on her face. "You idiot." He says fondly.

She doesn't understand what is going on and watches him laugh softly. "I like you Geet." He presses insistently. Her widened eyes gives him the push he was waiting for. "I don't understand everything I am feeling right now but I do want this - you - for a long long time." Maan watches the myriad of expressions crossing her features and finally her face shuts down and her body slumps forward. He catches her easily and slots her face at the crook of his neck.

"I maybe socially awkward person Geet but I do have a heart and I do feel things, you know?"

It was then she broke down and gave in to affection and attraction that she felt for the man supporting her. The tiredness, loneliness and the disappointments life threw at her started to drain from her skin and accepted the warmth offered by the man hugging her as if she was something to be treasured.

"We will be okay Geet." He whispered. Geet took a step back and rubbed her palms on her face suddenly feeling silly and embarrassed about her breakdown.

"You promise?" She asked, her voice tiny.

"As much as I can in my capacity," he answered sincerely.

She cannot help but laugh a little at his admission. Maan was forever a man of logic and rationality and somewhere in his brain a promise without any clauses just didn't make sense.

"I can accept that," she quipped.

"Let's go home," he replied instead. He became the same aloof individual he was few hours ago, putting a healthy distance between the two and walking purposefully towards a destination. She noted with pleasure that the distance between them was shorter than they normally maintained while Maan spoke excitedly about the new photograph of crab nebula he had commissioned just for her and a new t-shirt with a picture Rosette nebula with false color hybrid because he was feeling rebellious.

She smiled at the way his hands moved along his speech. He opened the door and allowed her to pass first without taking a break from his speech. She asked questions whenever she felt left out and he offered her explanations simple enough to make her understand. She didn't bat an eyelid when he ushered her into taxi and gave his home address. It only felt natural as if they have done it million times before and it was just the way to be. Maybe it was.

They weren't in love or anything. They didn't even know if what they felt for each other was tangible enough to pursue for a future together.

They did have something. They had moments. They had memories. They had feelings. There was attraction. There was affection. There was understanding and ready acceptance. There was a pull neither could deny. They understood each others passion. In the eyes of the world, they were wired wrong. But they found the jarred edges of their personalities slotted together perfectly. They were better together than being alone. They were them. And that was enough to put their rejections, disappointments behind and start something new. It was time.

The serendipitous moment had passed.

They cheered together on the other side of it.

The End.

Note:

Finally! Its the end! I was meaning to complete it few updates ago but I wanted to explore Maan and Geet a little bit more before giving the meeting moment a conclusion. Its a complex relationship between two non-linear thinking people so their starting moments are anything but straight forward. I will not be writing an epilogue because it would not do justice to the progression of what might have been. So it ends here at both ending and a beginning of new aspect of their lives.

Thank you everyone who commented and gently nudged me frequently to keep the thread alive. I am indebted to you all for without the "update soon!" or "Waiting", I wouldn't have come back here this soon to conclude one of my oldest stories. So thank you guys for being there.

This chapter is dedicated to all who are here with me on this thread encouraging me to write and update frequently :-) Hope this ending works!

Sorry dear..net is troubling me...not able to 'like' the update...will 'like' it later

Originally posted by: Madhuri53

Sorry dear..net is troubling me...not able to 'like' the update...will 'like' it later

I sandwiched your update 😃

Start with new MG story, for us 😛