Hey guys my lappy is fried and I have kidnapped my husband's temporarily to update.😆
I will not be able to reply to all the comments until my laptop is fixed.😛
Haven't really had a chance to proof read, so ignore the mistakes if any.😉
Enjoy the huge update. 😉
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In The Eyes Of The Beholder
Chapter 10
Maan drove the bike out of the college gates and started in the direction of the girls hostel. She chatted the whole way about anything and everything under the sun, then half way through she abruptly stopped.
"Geet are you okay?" He tried looking at her through the side view mirror and saw that her face was wrinkled up as if in pain and she was squeezing her middle and hitting it and muttering something.
He strained his ears to hear the words. All he caught were a few muttered words in between
"Damn you...Stupid thing... Never listens...Because of you I have to suffer."
"Geet are you curisng at me? He asked warningly.
She looked up startled and he realized that she had not been talking to him after all. He grinned to himself and pitied the poor fellow who had riled Geet Handa enough for her to be cursing at him.
"Diez stop right here." She called out loudly and squeezed his shoulder hard to convey her urgency.
"Why stop here Geet? Didn't you want a ride back to the hostel on Hades?
"I did but I have changed my mind. You can drop me off here." There was enough reluctance in her voice for him to know that whatever the reason for this abrupt change of mind it had certainly been a
He sighed and pulled over the bike to the roadside.
She jumped off the back, unhooked the helmet and handed it over to him while muttering her thanks; then started beating a hasty retreat to the other side of the road before he could question her further.
Was he ever going to understand that crazy female? Did he even want to understand what went behind those ever dancing eyes that were windows to her certifiable brain? Nope, definitely not if you want to maintain your sanity Maan He nodded vigorously at that very sound advice to himself, put the bike in gear and drove off in the direction of "Bowled Caf". He had perhaps been driving for about half an hour, when he realized that Geet's ice tube in which she carried all her artwork was slung across his chest. He had taken it from her when she had gotten on the bike.
He wasn't sure if she needed the stuff inside immediately or not, but he decided that he might as well go back and give it to her. He was strangely excited at the idea of seeing her again, even though he'd seen her barely half an hour before. He made a u-turn and started driving back towards the girls hostel yet again. Just as he was driving past the point where he had dropped off Geet, he saw a small crowd gathered around somebody or something in the park He stopped as the traffic light turned red and as he stalled, he looked at the gathering with ideal curiosity. It was mostly a male crowd and he saw one of the men rip off his shirt while leering at whoever was in his sight Maan shook his head at the man's idiocy. Just then the crowd parted momentarily and his eyes rested upon an unmistakable electric blue T- Shirt, and a bent head with a hornet's nest for a hair style. He cursed as he cut across the honking traffic that had started to move forward as the light had just turned green.
This time he was going to kill Geet Handa for sure.
Geet ignored the remarks that were turning cruder by the minute and continued to diligently sketch the caricature of the man sitting before her. Her eyes were focused on his face intensely when a shirtless guy pulled him out of the chair.
"Sweetheart how about you draw my real body instead of all those caricatures you've been drawing? I can even sacrifice myself and let you feel me for the sake of art, if you'd like. I can pay you extra for the service if you'd like. "
He threw a few notes on her sketch pad and settled himself in the chair in front of her.
Geet did not like the tone of his voice. He sounded far more aggressive and determined than any of the other's had. This was one side of an otherwise pleasurable sketching experience that she sometimes faced. She was just thinking of a polite way to decline his request when a bike stopped with a screech of brakes inches from where she had set up shop.
She looked up and gasped.
"Hades!! Diez"
Maan's eyes were blazing with hot fury as he looked down at the bare chested man who was gaping at him.
"Pack your things Geet."
"But Diez.."
"Now Geet."
He got off the bike and started putting her things away haphazardly.
"Diez be careful with that sketch set. It's expensive to replace it."
"Shut up Geet, before I dump the whole thing in the nearest water body I find."
"Hey who the hell are you to interrupt? I have already paid and she still hasn't finished sketching me. She can't leave until she's done with me." The half naked hairy beast growled in irritation.
"She's done for tonight. In fact she is done for any and every night from now on. Aren't youGeet?" Maan folded his arms across his chest and glared at her ignoring the gorilla completely.
Geet frowned at him. He sounded angry? Was he mad at her? But why? She wondered.
"She is not done until I say so." The ape made a grab for Geet's arm.
Maan felt a red haze sweep before his eyes and before he could form a rational thought his fist had slammed into the granite like jaw of the bas***d who'd tried to paw Geet.
The pain that shot through his arm cleared the angry fog surrounding his head immediately. The other man who had fallen to the ground after taking a hit was getting up and the gorilla had transformed into an enraged bull. He came charging at Maan head first. Just as we was about to be head butted, Maan neatly sidestepped, sending the man flying to the ground yet again.
Damn this was beginning to look like fun. Just as the thought entered Maan's mind, he heard sharp whistles in the background. Shit the cops were here. He did not want to be caught by them. If he was taken into the police station even for an enquiry his father was going to blow a fuse. Maan was sure the old man was going to cut off all ties with him for sure if that happened. Not that Maan gave a damn about those royal ties, but he loved his maa and could not bear hurting her. Not that she was even aware of his existence after Sameer's death, but still she was his mother and he wanted to believe that somewhere in a small corner of her heart he still lived.
He frantically searched his pockets for the bike keys, but could not locate them.
Damn it not now. He looked around on the ground for a moment, but couldn't see them in the gathering darkness. To hell with it. He took the stuff from Geet's hand, grabbed her palm in another and started running in the opposite direction from where the cops seemed to be coming.
"Diez why are we running? Geet asked excitedly.
Trust her to be excited in such a situation. Maan squeezed her hand tighter in his throbbing one and started pulling her along.
After they had been running around for what seemed forever, Geet pulled on his hand and signaled him to stop.
"I can't...can't run anymore Diez." She gasped and bent over trying to catch her breath. They stopped and looked around. They were in front of what seemed like an old abandoned church. Geet collapsed onto the steps that lead up to the now derelict building. She was still holding his hand and jerked on it reflexively while sitting down. He gave a loud grunt of pain and found himself unable to uncurl it from around her palm.
"Ouch. Hell. Geet can you let go off my hand slowly?"
"Diez.. what happened? Are you okay?" She squeezed his hand again in her anxiety.
"Ouch Geet, ouch my hand." She realized her mistake and loosened her own carefully from his. She lifted his wrist and looked at the now swollen hand and tears promptly sprang into her eyes.
"I am sorry Diez. It is all my fault. Also we abandoned Hades right there and ran away." She wailed.
His eyes narrowed on her.
"Geeet,,,what are you more sorry about? The fact that my hand is hurt, trying to protect you or the fact that Hades was left behind?"
"I..I umm think..yes of courseI am more sorry that your hand is hurt Diez."
"You hesitated and stuttered before answering Geet." He said incredulously.
"I I did not." She pouted
"You did too." He knew he sounded like a petulant five over old, but how dare she put that scrap of metal on equal terms with him and that too when he had been her knight in shining armor...he looked down at himself...well a knight in a ripped t-shirt and jeans.
"Diez it's swollen." He felt a tear drop fall on it. Then she hastily wiped her eyes and took a deep breath,
"Enough Geet. Your tears are not helping the injury" she mumbled under her breath
"We need ice to bring down the swelling, but since there is none to be found here, we will improvise." She opened up her bag, and pulled out a menthol based ointment an antiseptic cream and a crepe bandage from her bag.
"We artist's usually carry these things around. Hours of holding a brush can lead to cramped and painful hands. Plus the occasional cut on the hand while sharpening a lead or a piece of sketching charcoal is also common." She explained as she carefully placed his hand on her lap and applied the ointment to the swollen hand The antiseptic cream went onto his knuckles where the skin had scraped open. She then wrapped the whole hand snugly inside the crepe bandage and tied the ends neatly and surveyed her handiwork.
Maan had long forgotten the throbbing in his hand. All he was aware of was the gentle ministrations of the woman before him while holding his hand in her lap, completely unaware of the havoc it was playing with his senses. The physical awareness was intensifying with every minute he spent with her. His entire being was focused on the contrasting feel of her hands as they soothed medication over.The soft palms moved gently over his, while the rough calluses on her fingers, she had probably gotten holding the paint brush hour after long hour, caused his whole body to throb in awareness.
He imagined those contrasting hands moving on his back as she had been doing this morning, only this time, they would be exploring his bare back and he would not stop her.
She lifted his palm and placed it back gently on his knee and his brain that had screeched to a halt at the first touch of her hand, jumped back to awareness of his surroundings and he groaned mentally.
God this was not happening. He dragged his good hand down the length of his face and closed his eyes to collect his scattered senses.
"Thanks Diez,,,,,for everything. I don't have much to give you as a token of our friendship. This is the only thing I can offer for now." He felt the touch of soft cloth on his arm and opened his eyes to see her holding out something in her hands. He took it from her warily.
"Thanks."
She nodded towards it and grinned.
"Open it."
He warily opened the upper part of the T- Shirt and groaned. God not another one of her misspelt T- shirts.
He passed a fleeting glance at the T-shirt and was relieved to see the letters Batman at the top of the T-shirt. He saw the hooded face in the darkness of the night that had settled over the place and assumed that perhaps this was one T-shirt that had escaped the name butchering. He sighed in relief and opened the whole thing only to see a pouty mouth with a highly developed chest and a clingy body suit.
"Damn it Geet. This is not Batman, it's Catwoman."
He handed it back to her.
"Give me another one Geet. I will happily wear a misspelt one."
"I'm sorry Diez, but this is the last one I have. I have given away all the others. You don't have to wear it, just keep it with you."
"No way Geet. I am not keeping this."
"Please Diez."
Maan could only sigh and nod his agreement, however reluctant, hearing the pleading note in her voice. He balled it in his fist and swore silently, that the piece of cloth was never going to see the light of day in his lifetime.
She seemed pleased with him and beamed at him. After that they sat in companionable silence for a few minutes and watched the moon rise in the eastern skies.
Finally Maan asked the question that had been bothering him the whole time.
"What were you doing there Geet? Why were you in that kind of place sketching those monkeys? There are other places you can sell your art. A footpath on a busy street will not attract the right crowd. What was so urgent that you had to jump off the bike, half way through and go sell it in that place. If you felt the urge to sketch take over you so desperately, than I would have come with you, or we could have waited and gone to a better place during the vacations. A place where there are real people who understand and appreciate the value of art."
"I am sorry Diez and you are right, I felt an unbearable urge come over me and I had to paint today. Besides, how could I ask you to come with me? You have already gone out of your way to help me today. Praneet Da forced you to drop me off at the college today morning. You were ready to drop me off at the hostel too. I could not add one more thing to it"
Maan gritted his teeth on hearing that. He did not like it at all. Somehow the whole dynamics of their relationship had changed from the moment he'd assumed the identity of Diez. He did not know why, but he wanted her to rely on him more. According to her self-confession he was her only friend. If he was not there for her then who else would be. He looked at her and saw her gaze was intently fixed on the moon.
"Diez have you ever seen a more beautiful sight then the full moon?"
Maan groaned silently. God he had not expected Geet to be a girl who waxed poetics on the moon. He had heard enough romantic rubbish from girls about the moon and how it made them feel all emotional or very poetic. Some of them had even jumped all over him and told him that it made them feel wild.
Geet was still talking.
"Do you know today's full moon is a supermoon? It is so called coz it is the closest to the earth and it is the fattest. Diez do you know what I feel when I look at the moon, especially the full moon?
"Here we go again." He muttered under his breath. He was going to let her talk about it for a full 60 seconds and then he was going to stand up and walk away.
"What do you feel Geet?" He asked reluctantly.
"Hungry."
That got his attention pretty fast.
"Hungry? For what Geet?" He asked her warily.
"For the moon of course. She giggled.
Suddenly her stomach gave a loud growl and he looked at her with startled eyes. He noticed that her eyes were fixed on the moon and that she was licking her lips greedily.
"You know, whenever my pockets are empty and I am feeling hungry, I feel like eating the moon. Just look at it. It looks especially tasty when it is full and pure white and round like today. I can never decide whether to eat it with roti or bread. Should I apply butter or jam to make it tastier. Break it into pieces or swallow it whole."
He looked at her in shock for a moment and then he burst out laughing.
"I should have known better than to expect romantic drivel from you Geet. I always thought the waxing and waning of the moon was a geographic phenomenon. I have just learnt otherwise and that too straight from the moon eater's big mouth.
They were both laughing over the shared silly banter when Maan abruptly lost the smile on his lips. He heard her words clearly in his mind once again. He thought of all the events that had occurred today, then looked down at the balled t-shirt in his hand; put two and two together and he had the whole picture in front of his eyes.
He had not seen her in the canteen today. It had been her stomach she had been cursing not a person when she gotten off the bike. The sudden urge she had talked about had been of the basic kind; the kind driven by hunger and not creativity.
"Why are your pockets empty today Geet?"
She looked at him, then looked away and shrugged.
"It just happens sometimes. I run out of money."
"But why did it happen this time Geet? You spent all your money on buying these t-shirts didn't you?"
Her gasp and the wary look in her eyes was answer enough.
"Why didn't you ask your parents to send you more money?"
She looked at him yet again with a startled expression.
"Do parent's actually give money to their kids if they ask them? Do your's give you?
Yes,,,in abundance, before my father had this genius idea that his son needed to shape up to his standards. Though he thought it, he did not say it out loud.
"Never mind about me Geet. We were talking about you. How could you spend your entire allowance buying something off the street, when you knew that you would have to go to that place just to feed yourself? Why Geet..why go to this extent?"
"How could I not Diez? Those kids had nothing but hope that somebody would buy the t-shirts. That hope, that was going to fill their bellies, how could I not fulfill it? You saw how that man behaved today. How could I let them face it Diez? How could I let them go to their beds imagining different ways of eating the moon to distract themselves from the gnawing hunger in their bellies? I have been blessed with god given talent and with that I can earn my livelihood. And if I can help a few kids just like myself along the way, then I will"
He looked at her in awed silence for a moment.
"Geet close your eyes and help me change out of this ripped t-shirt. Since the only thing I have is this fashion disaster you have gifted me, it will have to do for now."
Geet looked at him for a moment then gave him a tight hug.
"You are a good man Diez, a really good man"
"That I absolutely am, but I am still not letting you look at my chest. I most definitely don't want you to start comparing me to your beautiful hairy admirer. Now help me, then let's go collect Hades and go grab something to eat. Since you have earned today, you'll pay right?"
She closed her eyes tight and nodded.
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Edited by Susegad - 11 years ago
...going to her hostel...Geet happily chirping away 
...suddenly he hears her cursing ...he wonders if it is him but she looks so shocked when he asks her that he realises it is not him ...she stops him abruptly, gets down and walks away...he is confused with her behaviour ...he starts his bike and decides to head to the cafe ...after half an hour he realises he has Geet's ice tube with her artwork with him ...he makes a u turn and happily goes back to the spot where he dropped her ...but when he gets there she is sketching people in the roadside park ...he spots her in midst of a mostly male crowd ...one guy removes his shirt ...throws money at her ,passes crude comments and forces her to sketch him ...Maan was blazing with fury ...he tried to be polite but the creepy guy was asking for a fist in his face badly ...he got more than he asked for from Maan ...he was saved by the cops whistle Maan takes Geet and runs from there...not because he is scared but for the sake of his Mom and his love for her ...they sat down on the steps of a an old church ...Geet clutches his injured hand...he asks her to let go and she squeezes it again ...he shrieks in pain 
...she cries seeing his hand and remembering the abandoned Hades ......Maan is shocked after all that he has done she values his bike more than him ...but the way she nurses his hand with so much love and care makes him all ...he feels soft cotton and sees it is one of her misspelt T-shirt ...he is all happy thinking it is a batman T-shirt 
...but to his horror it has a sexy Catwoman figure on it 
...he tries to give it back but her pleading face stops him.....he asks her why she got down from the bike to sketch and that too at a place like that...her answers showed she did not want to bother a friend who has already done so much for her...while he is thinking about what she said ...she asks him to look at the full moon 
...she dreamily asks him so u know what i feel when i see the moon ...she says it makes her feel hungry and starts giggling seeing his shocked face...he thought she will say something romantic...and here she is licking her lips looking at the moon ...talking as if it can be eaten with bread. ,butter and gobbled down like a burger ...Maan for a minute is like and they both burst into laughter ...then he realises the real reason behind her growling stomach and sudden sketching...she had no money ...her thoughts and actions show her pure soul ...he is all in awe of this angelwith a big heart...finally he agrees to wear the T-shirt and she gives him a big hug ...friends again they keep bickering and bantering...have a happy weekend Nisha ...thank u for the awesome update... 
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