Distorted Lives..... FOUW...Link to Thread 2 Updtd - Page 67

Part 13

Star-crossed lovers

Geet noticed Maan. He was different from both his usual meeting. A heavy jacket and a cup of hot coffee and he stood in front of her yet an aura of mystery surrounded him.

"Hello Mr. Khurana!"

Her greeting made his smile disappear. He had never thought that Geet would find his surname or rather, the implication of his surname.

"I see you found out my surname. If I may ask, how did you find it out?"

The silence was deafening even if there was too much noise everywhere surrounding them.

"You may ask I might choose not to answer."

"Hmm. So, will you answer the question Geet?"

Geet thought for a minute. Whether she wanted to answer the question was not what was bothering her. She knew Maan deserved the answer but how to answer. She didn't know how to tell about Sameera.

"I don't know how to answer your question. It's complicated."

"The beginning is always a nice place to start. I take it you are going to Darjeeling as well Geet?"

"Yeah, I guess for one last time."

"How are you going there?"

"I don't know. I might take a bus. Initially my elder brother was supposed to accompany me so we thought of hiring a cab. But now that I am travelling alone I don't think the idea is good."

"Yeah, the roads are not nearly as safe as they used to be."

There was a silence again but both were acutely aware about each other. It was so different from their first meeting. That day they both had spilled their life story to each other with little apprehension but this time they were much more cautious. May be that day their pain was speaking. And today it was their logical mind stopping them from speaking.

When it seemed that none of them would speak again Maan broke the silence.

"Geet, I am going to Darjeeling as well and I prefer hiring a cab rather than taking the bus. It is easier that way. If you trust me enough you can come with me."

Maan watched her with an unreadable face observing each emotion on her face. Geet knew what this meant. Whether or not they shall remain familiar stranger is her choice. Maan is clearly interested to talk with her but he wanted this to be her choice.

Geet thought ruefully, what did she want? Did she want to take this opportunity and know Maan or did she want to pass it up? The truth was that she was intrigued by Maan and his aura. The talk with Sameera had actually created more questions than answers.

But, what about Muskaan? Can she really afford tangling her already tangled life anymore? Maybe she can just take up his offer of going together to Darjeeling. What can one journey together really change? Smiling she answered his question.

"Yes, I think I will like that Maan."

"So I am not Mr. Khurana anymore? I like that. So we have a lot of time, tell me how you came to know of my surname? It wasn't before we met at the court so what changed after that?"

*****

Brij sighed. He knew why Geet left in such a hurry. Looking at Tara however he knew that he needs to do this.

"Where are you going to stay Tara?"

"I have booked myself in a hotel nearby; Makes it easier to catch my international flight later."

"Mind if I stay at the same hotel?"

"Why would I Brij? I want to talk Brij. For once in my life, I want it to be just us. I want to live just for me."

Brij smiled softly at her." It had been years...hasn't it?"

"Too many years Brij...too many..."

Pyar ke liye chaar pal kam nahin the
Kabhi tum nahin the kabhi hum nahin the
Pyar ke haseen kab yeh mausam nahin the
Kabhi TUM nahin the kabhi HUM nahin the

They went about the formalities of checking in silently. They had both luckily got the rooms on the same floor. They decided to join each other for lunch in Naintara's room together. Once together however the words were leaving them. Finally after what seemed like ages, Brij broke the silence inside the room.

"How are you Tara?"

"Isn't it bit late for the pleasantries Brij?"

The silence stretched a bit.

Yeh din barson ke baad aaya
Kuch tumhe, kuch hamein yaad aaya
Kasak phir yeh dil mein uthi hai
Honton pe baat aake ruki hai
Kabhi itne majboor to hum nahin the

"I want to know Tara. Even today, after all these years it is important for me to know if you are happy."

"I don't know if Happy' is the right word to describe my world. My husband is a good man. He knew about my past with you; gave me time, enough to be ready to move on. I am at peace. I respect my husband, we have a lovely son. But I have never loved him. My heart was stolen long ago and I never really got it back ever."

"I never wanted you to be unhappy..."

"I am not unhappy. The word happiness just lost its meaning. Then again it was our own choice, wasn't it?"

"It was my choice. I have wronged you Tara. I should have fought for us. I should have been selfish for us."

"As you said, you won't be the man I fell for if you had been any different. And I agreed with you Brij."

Pyar ke liye chaar pal kam nahin the

Kabhi tum nahin the kabhi hum nahin the

Pyar ke haseen kab yeh mausam nahin the
Kabhi tum nahin the kabhi hum nahin the

"Still, I can't help but feel guilty about it. I have always tried being a good son, a good brother but I failed big time as a lover."

"No Brij. I could have stopped you. If I would have asked you once to not leave I know you wouldn't have."

"So why didn't you?"

"Then it wouldn't be the woman you had fallen for..."

Agar tum yeh dil maang lete
Jaaneman hum tumhe jaan dete
Tumhe kaise hum bhool jaate
Marke bhi tum hamein yaad aate
Tumhe hai pata bewafaa hum nahin the

Brij looked on. They talked more in that one eye lock than people can with thousand words.

"So...this...this is alright? Us, being strangers?"

"We can never be strangers Brij Handa. This is the life we chose Brij. Do you regret it now?"

"I don't regret it per say. But I am lonely Tara and I can't help but think of what ifs."

"Don't Brij. What ifs' are not worth it. So, tell me ...tell me that you didn't waste your life...that there is someone for you."

"The only woman for me is married to someone else Tara. I had promised my mother that I won't marry against her wish. I never promised on marrying on her wish either."

"I wanted you to find happiness Brij, however little you can find. I am doing well. As I said, my husband is a good man. I may not be able to love him but we respect and trust each other and that is sometimes enough. Try to find someone like that Brij, this life is too long to live alone."

"I will try Tara. That's all I can promise for now."

"I will hold you on to that promise someday Brij."

*****

"You really want to know Maan?"

"I do. You had me intrigued the first time we met Geet. But I knew then that you don't know who you are. The second time we met, I was sure you might find out who I am but you didn't. So I am pretty sure you didn't find it out from the usual sources. So now I want to know how come you found out my surname."

"I met your wife. Sameera. That's her name... We met because of my brother. We talked a lot and the common topic was our individual ex-husbands."

"Your brother... is it Brij? You are Brij's baby sister aren't you?"

Geet smiled...rather laughed out loud. At thirty she is rarely called baby anymore. But the thought of her eldest sibling warmed her heart.

"Guilty as charged."

"Brij has got a lot of influence on you I see."

"Hardly, I would say I am more corrupted by Yash bhaiya. But veerji had always been the constant support in my life. It's the feeling that even if the world's against me, there's one place I can always fall back to. He is my pillar of strength."

"You know, Brij is going to kill me once he knows."

"That night was not wrong Maan. It wasn't a mistake. At least for me, I needed it. And I don't regret it."

"I don't either. I can't explain but something about it was just right."

"Then let it be. That night is not something we can ever explain. And we never really kept in touch after it. It is nothing malicious and from what I know, you were honest with your wife about it. In fact I feel guilty. I feel like Meera. I did the same with Sam what Meera did with me. But then, I don't know why I can't feel guilty or ashamed about what I did."

"No...No no definitely no. You are nothing like Meera. You didn't know Sam. You were not her best friend and you definitely did not steal her husband and still pretended to be her best friend. We would have had our divorce even if that night hadn't happened. That night was just a proof that I and Sam were not right for each other. And I respect Sam enough to be honest with her. And, even Sam would agree with me that we were parted a long way before Darjeeling happened. You were not the cause."

"You are a good man Maan."

"So, if you are divorced then why are you back here again? "

"I am here for the only point of my long marriage I am thankful about."

"What?"

"My daughter...Muskaan."