Maaneet FF Binding Ties(4) Ch 30, Pg 63, June 9, 2016 - Page 27

CHAPTER 29

"Geet, Khuranans ke yaha abhi jaane ki kya zaroorat hai? Woh sooji ka halwa kal bhi toh leke ja sakti ho na tum?" Brij shot her a confused look as he sat in the driver's seat and they took off towards Khurana Residency.

"Bhaiyya aap ko yaad nahi, aai kehti thi ki kisi ke liye mannat mango, toh unki mannat puri ho jaane ke baad unko mitha khilana chahiye. Maine Dev ke liye mannat mangi thi ki jis din woh pehli baar mere saath treatment shuru karne jaayega uss din main prashad chadhaungi aur usse mitha khilaungi."

"Haan toh phir thik hain na, kaal bhi toh leke ja sakti ho mitha. Brij continued to argue with her.

"Na...Nahi..aai kehti thi ki jis din mannat puri ho, mitha ussi din khilana chahiye."

Geet looked at Brij through the corner of her eye as she stuttered out the small white lie. There was a perplexed look on his face, but no suspicion and Geet breathed a sigh of relief. Her aai had never said anything about feeding the person right on the day that the mannat was fulfilled. However the moment she had heard from Dadi that Maan had not eaten for the entire day and more than likely the previous day either, she had known instinctively that yesterday's fiasco had been the cause for the hunger martahon. She did not understand this crazed sense of urgency that compelled her to go and feed that man, but it was an instinct that would not let her rest until she saw him eat something.

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Maan stood up and rubbed his palms over his face. He drew in one last lungful of the perfumed mogra flowers and decided he might as well go the gym and exhaust himself out, perhaps then he'd catch some sleep. Just as he was about to leave the room a large envelope that was sticking out from under a bunch of mail on the desk drew his attention. He passed a cursory glance at it and then stood arrested as he read the name and address of the detective agency he had hired to do a background check on Geet. He picked it up slowly and looked down at it as if it were a coiled snake. The moment he had been waiting for so restlessly was finally here. At last he was going to get some answers for the enigma called Geet Handa. However along with the sense of urgency to reveal the answers, there was a strange reluctance inside him for having using this method. He ripped open the envelope and then let it drop back. He was not in a state of mind to handle anything distressing right now and he knew the information inside was going to be a potential minefield. He had waited for so long, he could wait for some more time. He would complete his workout and then come back and read it. He could not concentrate in the gym and was back half an hour later. He walked in, picked up the envelope, dropped it back again and headed for the shower. He came out refreshed and just as he was eyeing the envelope yet again there was a hesitant knock on the door. Maan ignored it, all his attention focused on his dilemma. The knock came again, this time, more insistently. He gave a sigh of impatience and jerked the door open ready to chase away whoever was there.

He opened his mouth to say something and stood there with his mouth gaping open. He blinked and he blinked again, unsure if she was an apparition or was real. He extended his hand slowly to confirm, when she thrust a piping hot tin in his hand. The hot sting brought him back to reality with a bang. She was real. She was here. He hissed belatedly as his sluggish brain finally registered the heat that was biting his hand.

Geet realized that she has passed him the tin without the protective covering which was still in her hand.

She gasped and grabbed the tin back from him.

"Oh God. I am so very sorry Mr. Khurana." Tears sprang to her eyes as she kept the tin down and then grabbed his palms and blew on them.

"Woh Dadi ne kaha ki aapne do din se kuch nahi khaya toh main yeh garam sheera banake layi thi...umm mere matlab hai sooji ka halwa jise hum Marathi mein sheera kehte hain." Geet groaned and squeezed her eyes shut as her runaway mouth gave her away blatantly. She let go of his palms and slapped her own on her blabbering mouth, but the damage was already done, still she tried to salvage the situation by backtracking furiously.

"Nahi...nahi mera woh...woh matlab nahi tha. Maine Dev ke liye mannat mangi thi ki jis din woh pehli baar treatment ke liye jaayega main prashad chadhake usse mitha khilaungi uske liye banaya tha aur phir yaha aane ke baad Dadi ne kaha ki Dev toh thak ke so gaya hai toh isliye main yeh aap ke liye... She groaned and closed her eyes in sheer embarrassment.

"Woh maine Dadi se kaha bhi ki woh aap ko ye halwa de de, par unhone kaha ki aap nahi khayenge, toh isiliye main yeh leke yaha aa gayi."

Geet realized that she was digging herself into a deeper hole, so she just turned around and started walking away.

Maan knew he was in serious trouble as his heart gave a hard squeeze. She was nervous as hell, unsure of the welcome she would get from him after all that he had said and done and yet she was here with food that he knew for certain would not only fill his belly, but would warm his soul. He sagged against the wall and his hand reached out involuntarily to grab her wrist.

"Bohot bhook lagi hai. Woh sheera nahi khilaogi?"

Geet slowly turned around, picked up the tin and this time passed it along with the covering.

"Woh aap thik hai? Haath bohot jaal raha hain kya?

Maan lifted his hands and looked down at them. "I deserve nothing less right Miss. Handa?"

She gave him and exasperated look and shook her head.

"Woh aap ki soch hai, meri nahi."

"Iss baat ko main dheere dheere samajhne laga hoon...Geet." He couldn't, just absolutely couldn't call her Miss. Handa anymore. It was another strike against his rapidly crumbling defense he knew and yet he couldn't do anything, but call out her name with all the desperation and confusion he felt in his heart.

Her eyes turned huge as he enunciated her name huskily, but was unsure what it meant. All she knew was that he was a vulnerable man under that hard, cold exterior and that she did not like being the cause of that vulnerability.

"Dadi sahi keh rahi hai na. Aap ne do din se khana nahi khaya na? Aise koi bhooka rehta hai kya? Dadi kitni pareshaan ho gayi thi."

"Toh yeh mere hisse ka sheera Dadi ki wajah se lekar aayi ho?"

The startled look she gave him at that question was answer enough for him and a corner of his lips kicked up. He was suddenly ravenously hungry. He opened the tin and started gulping down the hot, sweet sheera.

"Dheere khayie na. Muh jal jaayega aapka."

"That also I deserve nahi?" He gave her a self-deprecating smile.

"Miri bhi kisi baat pe apni mamma se naraz ho jaati hai toh aise hi bhooki rehti hai. Bohot minnato ke baad hi maanti hai."

"Yaane iss waqt tum meri barabari ek panch saal ki bacchi se kar rahi ho." He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Yeh bhi aap hi ki soch hai, meri nahi." She grinned mischievously at him.

And once again his heart felt congested. For the first time ever since their fateful meeting her smile at been directed at him. As he looked down at the now empty tin in his hand, he realized that her act of forgiveness far outweighed any words of apology he could offer and so he did not say the words. Instead his attention went back to the envelope that he had cast back on the desk when he'd gone to open the door and suddenly he knew what he had to do.

The sense of urgency to reveal her secrets had been washed away by the sweet taste of that sheera. There was absolutely nothing more important to him in that moment then gaining her trust.

"Geet andar aao tumhe kuch dikhana hai" He called out.

"Ji...ji main yahi thik hoon. Actually main nikal rahi hoon. Bhaiyya mere liye bahar car mein intezaar kar rahe hai."

"I know this is a big step for you after the way I have behaved so far, but just for once will you trust me? Please Geet, this won't take long."

Could she trust him she wondered? She'd already known the answer to that when she'd come rushing and knocked on his door hadn't she?

He grimaced and nodded at her hesitation.

"Thik hai. I don't blame you. Wait right here just for a moment then." Before she could take the required step of faith inside his room, he turned around and walked away.

She drew in a deep breath and stepped inside behind him.

The scent of mogra wafted towards her and her gaze went to the flower garland that was lying next to his parent's photograph and she shivered. To her those flowers were the epitome of love and though it had been for Dev's sake, it was still a strange feeling to realize that she had brought those flowers into the room of the man that to date she'd thought she despised. She shivered at the dangerous direction her thoughts were taking and spoke out loudly to dispel them.

"Ji boliye. Kya kehna chahte the aap?"

Maan whirled around and saw her standing just inside the threshold and he closed his eyes momentarily as a myriad of emotions bombarded him at this leap of faith from her. It only reaffirmed the decision he had made moments ago.

He lifted the envelope and walked over to her.

"Geet thode din pehle, I hired a detective agency to do a background check on you and your family."

She looked at the open envelope in his hand and all the color drained from her face. Is this why he was behaving so gently with her? Did he pity her, after finding out about her pathetic situation? Had he investigated her medical records as well? How much had he found out? She couldn't bear to be pitied, especially not by this man and a silent agonized scream rose inside her.

Although not a single sound left her mouth, he read the agony in her eyes and cursed himself yet again. God damn it NO!!! This is not what he had wanted her to feel. He dropped the envelope and grabbed her shoulders.

"Geet listen to me. Meri baat suno Geet."

She was shaking and fat tears started rolling down her eyes at this act of utter betrayal from him. She should have known better than to trust him, but like a fool she had been swayed by her emotions and run over to feed him and soothe him.

"Stop it Geet, just stop it." He could not bear the look of utter desolation in her eyes and he shook her hard. Then he helplessly folded her in his arms and hugged her tightly to his body.

"Don't assume the worst Geet, don't make the same mistakes I made. I did not read it. I promise you. I wanted to, but it just did not feel right." This is the only copy I have. I did not trust sensitive material like this to the whims of electronic mail and so I asked the agency for only a hard copy. From this day forward I will not dig into your past in any way, until you are personally ready to share whatever you want to with me."

"You have no reason to believe anything I say, but will you believe me anyway?"

For all the words he spoke it was the desperate strength in his hug that finally got to her. It just felt so right being there, drawing comfort from him, even though he was the instigator of her misery. And the fact that she could even allow such a thought to cross her mind, had her jerking out of his arms immediately.

As soon as he felt her struggle he dropped his arms and stepped back instantly, shocked at his own actions.

Maan looked down at her and saw the tears clinging to her flushed cheeks. He slowly lifted his hand unconsciously towards them, but she jerked back immediately. He clenched his fist and dropped his hand. He had overstepped his boundaries more than enough for one night.

He bent down, picked up the envelope and ripped it right across the middle.

That ripping action shredded along with it, the fabric of mistrust that had been standing between them for so long.

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I know it's a short chapter, but it was the right place to end it. This is a major turning point in the story and I wanted to make this chapter only about these two and not not add any other character in here and detract it.😃

Ch 30