Wired Hearts (6) Ch:46, Th:7 (Jan 7) - Page 53

Originally posted by: marde

Hey nice ff

I came across it just now

I read it in one go

Loved it

Waiting eagerly for your update

Please continue soon

Originally posted by: mayyo

I hope the holy water sprinkles did the job 😆

Is teaser se pehle wali update Maine parhi 😕
Meri yad-dasht chali gai 😆

Originally posted by: dqno1

tum jo aaye

if pe

baat ban gayi😆

[B]Hello hi bye bye]/B]😃

Isse Aashu yaad agayi 😆

Main update bhool gai 😲
Read it again 😆

Originally posted by: _SharmeenLuvsGC

Isse Aashu yaad agayi 😆

42. The Golden Ticket

"I really need to clean my cupboard. God knows for how long I've been dumping things in it." I mumbled to myself when I opened the cupboard and a stack of already ruffled papers fell to the floor in an untidy mess.

Kneeling down, I began with the task of sorting the papers out instantly, since it was Sunday and I had time on my hands after quite a while. Sifting through, I discovered that most of it was junk. It comprised of old bills, spam mails, which I had dumped in moments of laziness. I scrunched the unwanted papers into a ball and leisurely threw them out of the way, into a heap I knew I would have to clean up later. A piece of paper - a file, to be precise - which became visible from under the stack, made me slow down in my casual activity, and then when I carefully observed what it read, I sat straighter, all signs of a light Sunday afternoon gone.

It was a file I had purposefully dumped in this stack because I had not wanted to revisit it at all. Now that it was in my hands, memories flew into my mind; memories of whitewashed walls, of beeps and hushed voices, of worried faces around my bed and of the one that stood at the door of the room, emotionless. In a matter of seconds, I was transported approximately two and a half months back, when I had been there on that hospital bed, helpless and depressed. Hospitals and the memories associated with them had never been pleasant for me. They chilled me deep within my spine and sent me into a state of inertia, as if I was living everything again, and so it was in this moment, that I could clearly see everything that happened two and a half months ago.

I remembered what it felt like, or rather, I remembered the feeling of nothingness which had filled me then. It had felt like life was over for me, that I did not deserve to live, that I could not live with the burden of being responsible for the demise of three lives... Three... The number had only increased a night before I was hospitalised. It was one of the darkest nights of my life, a night when the storm and the rain had been the wildest, yet it had been nothing as compared to the storm which had raged within me, the storm which had led me straight to a hospital bed with an added burden of grief on my already tired shoulders.

I remembered hazy things, like broken conversations between people around, like not knowing the time of the day, and yet some memories were as clear as crystal, their effects as sharp as a knife. I clearly remembered the moment Maan had come in my room that night. His sudden appearance had scared me, as had his presence in my room without anyone else being there. The harmless glass of water which he had held up for me bore witness that he meant no harm to me, so I had relaxed myself and took the glass from him to soothe my parched throat. He had sat in silence for a long while, a silence which had been burdened. Perhaps it had felt so to me alone. Maybe he didn't really feel the heaviness. His silence was intriguing, and as I had noticed him looking at his hands, I tried to figure out what he was thinking and why had he come here.

Had he come to see me in this state and rejoice, as he must have been doing for the past couple of days since I was in this merciful condition? Or had he been pitying my state? A tiny voice inside my head had spoken from a corner then, "what if he had come out of his concern for me?" I had to give him the benefit of doubt because even if his eyes had felt estranged to me on that night, I could not perceive him to be someone vicious and sadistic.

"Geet." I had heard him say. There was something in his voice which had made me look at him slowly, not knowing what to expect from him. It had been a combination of the words he had spoken and the solemnity etched on his face which had worked like a magic spell in my recovery.

"I forgive you," he had said and it had seemed like he meant it in that moment. I had stared at him in disbelief, almost sure I had wrongly heard him.

"What?" had been my squeak when he had not spoken anything else.

"I forgive you, Geet," he had repeated. "I forgive you for... for everything."

It had taken me another few minutes of staring at him before his words had begun to sink in. He forgave me, my brain had churned the thought over and over again until my eyes closed on their own accord, my shoulders felt a wee bit lighter. A couple of teardrops had escaped my closed eyes and slid down my cheeks. At that moment, I had barely been able to speak. It had felt to me like Maan had given me the most precious thing which was humanly possible.

My thoughts were broken by the continuous ringing of my phone, which I was thankful for. It was Vyan, demanding, in his sunny manner, to meet him right away stating that he wanted to discuss something important. I willingly pushed away all the papers in front of me and got up to get ready to go and see Vyan.

During the past two and a half months, Vyan had been one of the greatest supports for me. He had been there for me without any questions or any demands in exchange of his supportive shoulder. No complaints, no demands, he had once described the basis of his friendship for me. He had been true to his promise of staying within his limits, yet being one of the few people I could completely rely upon in the recent times. He had not questioned what stress I had been under which dragged me to the hospital, but I felt he knew more than he let on. He had a very strong sense of relationships so perhaps he had realized some of what lay between Maan and me.

I spotted a fidgety Vyan sitting at a corner table as soon as I entered the restaurant where he had called me. The dear friend that he had proved himself to be time and again, I could not help but think what was the cause of the restlessness on his face.

"What took you so long?" He questioned as soon as I took my place across him.

"I'm well, thank you. How are you?" I answered sarcastically to his impatient inquiry. The slight flush of his cheeks made me smile.

"Come on, Geet!" He whined. "Don't be so mean. I'm already nervous as it is."

"Okay, I'm sorry." I raised both my hands with a grin. "Tell me why you're nervous."

All of a sudden, I could see his hands shaking a bit and his eyes uneasily moving around. "Umm... Uhh... I..."

"Hey!" I interrupted when he didn't speak anything. "What's the matter? You can tell me, okay?"

"I know." He looked at me for second as he said it and he quickly looked away. "I... Geet, I..." It seemed to me as if he was avoiding eye contact with me. As I waited for a couple of minutes, he took a deep breath and then hastily said it. "I need to show you something."

I waited for him to show me what he wanted but when he didn't move, I encouraged him to go ahead. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small black box, slid it across the table towards me and hastily pulled his hand back. I looked at the box and then at him. It appeared that his was holding his breath as he flitted his eyes between me and the box.

It was obvious that he wanted me to open it so I caressed the soft velvet, already knowing what was inside it. When I slowly opened the box, the small smile playing at my lips brightened up immediately. Embedded in the soft satin inside was a small diamond intricately fixed in its place by the design of the platinum ring. It was the most beautiful ring I had seen till date.

"It's so beautiful, Vyan!" I exclaimed in a voice louder than the usual, attracting attention from the people occupying the nearby tables.

"You think?" His eyes seemed so innocent that I reached across the table and pulled his cheek.

"Of course!" I gave a wide smile. "This is the most beautiful gift any girl could ever get."

"The ring?"

"No, you idiot! The proposal from a guy like you." I meant what I said and I saw him release a long breath. The eyes which had been so nervous a while ago were now soft and glowing as they gazed at me.

"You're a wonderful woman, Geet!" He tenderly put his hand over mine on the table, his voice as soft as his eyes. "I'm so lucky to have found you."

I smiled at him. "So am I, Vyan."

We stared at each other for a moment before I looked at the box and demanded to know why he was so nervous. The fidgety Vyan came back, but on a much smaller scale.

"I... I'm not sure what she's going to say..." He locked his hands together and opened them again, rubbing them slightly.

I leaned towards him a bit. "You love her?" He nodded almost immediately, adding a "very much" before I continued. "Does she love you too?" He nodded again but with a little hesitation. "Then what is this uncertainty about?"

Vyan took a deep breath and released it. "I don't know. I, I just... can't explain." I raised my eyebrows. "I just want everything to be perfect when I propose Kittu."

I gazed at him with the love I held for my dear friend. "Kittu loves you Vyan. She loves you just the way you are, so you need not worry about everything being perfect because that would sugarcoat things more than needed. Think of what you want to say to her when you propose but don't prepare a speech and learn it by heart. Make the most of the moment as it will be as Kittu will love it without a doubt."

At the end of my speech, I could tame Vyan a bit and push him to be more enthusiastic than nervous about asking his lady-love to marry him. When I left that restaurant two hours later, I was gloating with the happiness I felt for Vyan. The man that he was, he deserved the best of everything, and Kittu was the best for him.

The loud honking of a horn made me realize I had almost stopped walking on a zebra crossing right in the center of the road. I quickly threw an apologetic smile to the driver of the car without really looking his way and rushed ahead to clear the road. It was merely a moment before one car from the traffic I had jammed, pulled up beside me. I sped up my walk to flee the scene but my steps froze in place when I heard my name being called, in a voice I had not heard in a long while.

"Wait!" The voice exclaimed as I heard the door of the car open and then close. I briefly considered walking away without looking back but he was fast. "Geet," he called again and I knew he was standing right behind me. There was no way out. I had to turn around and face him as he stood at a decent distance from me, looking every bit as perfect as he always seemed to be.

Maan did not say something so I supposed he was waiting for me to acknowledge his presence, which I did with a small, "Hi".

"How are you?" His question made me look at his face for a short minute before I hastened to look away.

"I'm fine, thank you." I felt quite awkward, not because I did not expect this question from him, or because he sounded sincere in his willingness to know how I was, but because I had not seen him even once since he left the hospital that night.

"Long time, isn't it?" He spoke somberly after a few moments of silence.

I nodded but changed the topic by asking how his mother and Zara were. It had been quite a while since I last saw them too. I did meet them a couple of times after the hospital but not as frequently as I used to earlier. I had wanted to steer clear of all the ways which could make my path intersect with Maan's. Meeting him unexpectedly after so long and at this place certainly didn't prepare me to keep my usual guards high.

"They're both well." He answered my question. "Why don't you come over some day and meet them?"

"I will," I said in a courteous manner before trying to take leave. "If you'll excuse me now, I need to be going home." I took a step away from him without turning around but he made me pause.

"I can drop you off." The words blurt out of his mouth as if he had been waiting for me to find my escape to put forth his offer. There was a polite smile on his face.

I quickly made up an excuse to turn him down. "I am actually headed for some grocery shopping before going home. Thanks for your offer, though." I returned his polite smile before readying to walk away but he stopped me again.

"I can take you there." His voice was small this time, as if unsure of himself this time. I looked towards his face. "I mean, I was just out for a drive to nowhere in specific so I can take you where you wish to go. Helping out a frie-" he broke off mid-sentence and looked at me before clearing his throat and continuing, "an acquaintance is better than spending an aimless day on the roads, isn't it?" This time, the smile which came to his lips was more than just polite because it touched his eyes.

As I saw his eyes crinkle at the edges, I was reminded of times gone by, when his smile was infectious, when we both were young and to some extent, carefree, and when we were friends, not just acquaintances as we were now. Before the rush of memories long forgotten could make me nostalgic, I shut my eyes, took a deep breath and opened them back again. Maan was holding the door of his car open for me now. "Shall we?" I could not refuse him then.

Already struggling to control my emotions, the musky scent of Maan's perfume which filled the car did no good. Thankfully, his voice distracted me. "So where did you want to go for grocery?"

Momentarily, I had forgotten about the lie I had told him but I couldn't expose myself now, so I directed him towards the grocery store near my building where I often shopped.

"How is Raya?" He asked as we drove towards the shop in relative silence. "When is she coming back?"

The second question surprised me so I threw a question of my own, which came out in a voice sharper than intended. "How do you know she's not here?"

Raya and Raunaq had been away for three weeks now. They had gone back to visit Raunaq's parents since his mother had been quite unwell lately. There were chances that Raunaq might insist on getting transferred back home so he could be there for his parents.

Maan looked at me, very obviously taken aback by my tone, or perhaps it was my question that he found odd. As he looked back at the road, he shrugged in an easy manner. "Raya came to meet me before leaving." He threw a glance my way. "How else am I supposed to know?"

That was another surprise for me. Raya had not mentioned anything about having met Maan before leaving. "Oh," I murmured and shut myself up and looked out of the window silently.

When we reached the store, he insisted on coming inside with me, but I refused. I told him to go home and that I would manage from here since the building was hardly a few minutes away, but he insisted on staying. I quickly went in and thought of what to buy to keep up the charade. "Well," I said to myself as I went about the chore, "there are a few things I needed to buy anyway."

I had two bags in my hands in the end when I went outside. I was hoping Maan would have gone but to my disappointment, he was still there, leaning against his car and talking on the phone. When he saw me, he took the bags from me, carefully put them on the backseat, opened the door for me and waited for me to sit in while still being on the phone. He was doing everything as if it were the most natural thing to do but I kept wondering why he was being so chivalrous.

"Exactly," he said on the phone as he started the car and started driving towards my building. "Yes, I'll be coming to Khurana Constructions tomorrow." I listened quietly as he paused and then spoke again, sneaking a glance at me when he thought I did not notice. "No, actually, we've still not found our head designer..."

Maan kept on speaking but I was not listening anymore since his words had struck a chord. Head designer for Khurana Constructions... I remembered the day he had called me to his office and offered me that post. It had been so long since then that I didn't even remember where the offer letter was or if I had thrown it away yet or not.

As we arrived, he was still on phone but he offered to carry my grocery to my apartment, which I declined firmly. His chivalrous behavior was not going down too well with me for the time being so I needed to get away from him to get my thoughts straight. I thanked him and quickly made my way for my apartment after he acknowledged with a smile.

Dumping the stuff on the kitchen counter, I came out and slumped on the sofa, resting my head against the back. There were things running in my mind and I could not suppress them any more. I had to think them through. The day had been quite a mixture of emotions for me. On one hand, the resurfacing of unwanted memories of the hospital made me numb, while on the other hand, I felt extremely happy for Vyan and his decision to take his relationship with Kittu to the next level. Meeting Maan, though, was a completely different scenario and the emotions I felt then varied greatly. Suddenly feeling the need of fresh air, I sprang up from the sofa and made my way to the balcony which faced the front of the building.

Maan was still there, still talking on the phone, using his hands to express what he was saying. It seemed like he was having an intense conversation. I watched him walk from side to side and then he suddenly looked up at me, as if he had known I was standing there. Just then, he cut his phone and waved at me with a smile before getting in his car and driving away.

I looked up at the sky and let out a deep sigh. Maan was such an enigma. Why was he acting so nice and helpful today? My mind flew back to the day in the hospital. He had said he forgave me. His words had been so soothing for me at that time. It had only taken a few hours for me to be fit enough to be discharged. I had come back home the next afternoon, to be precise. I had been grateful to Maan for forgiving me. How could I not be when he had removed some of the burden of my guilts?

But as days had passed and I had thought over it, I had come to disagree with my own earlier point of view. Why had Maan forgiven me? What for? Had he forgiven me for not accepting his proposal and choosing my own path?

I remembered the argument with Maan in the meadow the night before I was bedridden. My whole point in the fight had been that I was not at fault for having refused him, for not loving him as he loved me. Who was he to forgive me then? I had done no crime, I had not wronged him that I would need his forgiveness. I had become angry on Maan. I had wanted to go and confront him, to extract answers from him, to question his act but I stopped myself. I had reined in my fury because the little sane part of my mind told me to keep my calm and not be a fool and ignite another round of the thunderous argument and create a scene of myself in front of everyone. I had promised myself that I would never see him again. It was a solution I felt was better for the wellbeing of me and everyone else connected to me. To carry this promise out, I had taken special care not to go to places he could possibly be at. I had even lessened meeting with his family, declining any offers of parties and get-togethers in Khurana Mansion. But alas, I could only steer clear of his path for so long since we lived in the same city and one day or another we would have crossed paths.

Today, however, Maan's behavior made me question my own anger. He had acted so polite and so normal that I was doubtful now. He was so helpful today. I had not seen him act like his since I had come back to this city. Today's Maan was different, someone I had known in the past and someone I had believed was dead now. Was he, though? I couldn't answer the question in positive with certainty. My mind and heart were now conspiring to put forth the possibility of Maan really forgiving me for what he thought were my faults. Had he really moved ahead in life? Did he really start afresh and forget all those bad memories? "What should I do if he has moved on?" The question swirled in my head.

For the rest of the day, I tried to busy myself with chores in the kitchen. I made pasta for dinner as I chatted with Raya over the phone. She told me her mother in law was recovering but the speed was slow so she still didn't know when or if they were going to come back. It made me sad but I did not say it out loud. Raya needed to stay there or else she wouldn't have left me alone for so long. Although I lived alone here, as I sat for dinner, I felt lonely. I wished I had someone to talk to at the moment. I thought of calling G but I knew Sneha was down with flu and fever. Besides, it was Sunday so Jeejaji must be home too.

It was then that I thought of Anaya and without a second thought, dialed her number. Only after the bell rang did I realize that this must be their family time too. I cut the call, lowered my head on the table and began to think of my own family. Life had been so different a year and half ago. I was so happy with my parents.

Before I could really drown in my memories, my phone rang. It was Anaya. She must have seen my call.

"Hello?" I said and then cleared my throat since my voice sounded a bit low.

"Hi Geet!" By her manner, I knew she had picked on my voice. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes." I replied in a happier voice. "Everything's great. How are you? How is Ayush and the kids?"

"They're great." She sounded as if she was thinking something. "They're just leaving for ice cream."

"Oh! Okay, you need to leave then." I tried to hide my disappointment. "We can talk later then. In fact, come over someda-"

"Geet," she interrupted me. "I said 'they are leaving, not me," then as an afterthought, she added, "hold on a sec."

I waited for a couple of seconds as I heard her say something to Ayush. "Geet," she came back on the line, "I'm coming over to your place."

"O...kay..."

"See you then." She cut the call in haste.

I sat there thinking that even though I had things to complain about and sulk over, I had quite many blessings to be grateful for. How lucky I was to have a friend like Anaya in my life! I was sitting right there when the bell rang and I jumped up from my seat to welcome a brightly smiling Anaya inside. I told her to sit while I brought coffee for us and she frowned distastefully.

"Stop treating me like a guest, will you?" I chuckled as I followed her into the kitchen and heard her blabber. "Actually, you sit here and I'll make coffee for us."

"But -" I tried to speak as she opened the cabinet and pulled out two coffee mugs.

"In fact," it appeared as if she hadn't heard me try to say something. "How about cold coffee? You know I make excellent cold coffee." She grinned smugly. "You do have the supplies here, don't you?" Without waiting for my reply, she whizzed past me towards the fridge. "Ice cream, check." She scoured the counter next. "Coffee, check. Sugar, check. Milk..." She went back to the fridge and pulled out the jar of milk. "Check, and ice, check."

Putting everything on the counter, she paused for a moment and turned to me. "You won't have chocolate syrup at home?" I raised my eyebrows and shook my head. "Ahh! That's okay," she said. "I normally use it to add flavor but I can make great coffee without it too, you know."

Anaya will always be Anaya, I thought to myself as I finally gave up and leaned against the counter where she worked and chatted off nonstop, telling me about her day. The kids were going to begin school tomorrow so she had been on her heels to prepare for everything. Since Ayush felt bad for them for coming of age to be joining school, he had taken them out for ice cream. She told me she did not want to go since she was tired and wanted to relax and have some "me-time". I was quick to feel bad that she was tired and yet here she was, at my house, and making coffee for us. Before I had a chance of saying a single word. She sternly told me not to feel guilty about it since she believed spending "me-time" had categories and spending time with me was the best one of them. Then she went on to ask about Raya and my work and stuff as she finished with the coffee and we went out to sit in the living room with our legs propped up.

The coffee was indeed delicious and I told her so, which only made her fan herself with her hands haughtily and I laughed at her. Anaya was such a lovely person. The aura she carried around with her, the vibes she gave off were always of happiness and laughter. I could feel my house, which had felt such a lonesome place a while ago, shine brighter with her presence alone.

"What did you do today?" She asked as she licked her lips and put the glass down.

I told her about my cleaning spree in the morning which I had left halfway and the crushed papers were still piled up in the corner. I narrated my meeting with Vyan and told her how happy I was for him. She listened on with eager interest, which made me want to talk about anything and everything.

"And then I... uhh... I did some grocery on my way back home." I left out the part of meeting Maan and my consequential thoughts. "I called up Raya then. There's still some time before she can come back."

Sadness crossed my face as I said that.

"Is that why you sounded upset on the phone?" Anaya held my hand as she tenderly asked me.

"You don't miss a thing, do you?" I looked at her with a tepid smile.

"Not when it concerns you." Her voice was firm and her face was soft. I looked at her and I could feel tears forming in my eyes.

"I'm so lucky to have you as my friend, Anaya." I held her hand in both of mine.

She smiled warmly before quickly rolling her eyes and fanning herself like she always did. "Of course you are! Not everybody gets the pleasure of having Anaya Singhania in their lives, you know."

I laughed with Anaya this time. She had lightened the mood once again. Thinking for a moment and getting over my hesitation, I decided to go for it.

"Anaya," the laughter gone from my voice, "I want to talk to you about something."

She was immediately concerned. "What is it, Geet?"

"I..." I hesitated a bit. "I met Maan today."

She didn't find anything extraordinary in it. "So?"

"After almost two and a half months."

"What?" She smiled naughtily. "And you remember how much time it had been since you last saw him? How sweet."

I knew she was harmlessly teasing me but it didn't make me laugh, or even smile. "Because the last time I met him was when he came to see me at the hospital."

She sobered up almost instantly. "Oh? Did he say anything?" I shook my head but did not speak. "Then what's the problem?"

I sighed as I looked down at my hands, wondering where to begin. "Do you know why I was in the hospital?"

"Of course. You'd gotten wet and contracted high fever..." She faltered in her words as she saw me and then spoke in a small voice. "And stress..." I took a deep breath and nodded. It clicked her then. "Was Maan involved?"

I puckered my lips thinking of what to tell her. "Yes."

"How? What happened? Did you two fight? Maan didn't mention anything either. Why do you both keep secrets like this?!" She burst out at once.

"Calm down, Anaya!" The words came out spontaneously and Anaya immediately relaxed.

"I'm sorry." She said. "I'm just frustrated at you two behaving like this. But yeah, who am I to complain about it."

"Don't say that!" I rested my hand upon hers. "You mean a lot to us."

Her face was slightly turned away but I could see when her cheeks lifted a little. "You're a good friend, Geet, but how can you say Maan thinks the same about me?"

"Because I know him." As soon as the words slipped out of my mouth, she turned her face with a full smile.

"Really?" She blinked her eyes dramatically.

"Anaya..." I said warningly.

"Okay, okay. I'm listening to what you want to say." She patted my hand, her face held warmth for me.

"Maan and I fought the night before I was hospitalised."

"Why?" She questioned quietly.

"I... He... Uhh..." I hesitated.

"It's alright, Geet." She patted my hand. "Don't talk about it if you're uncomfortable. You're not bound to tell me anything."

"No, Anaya. Please try to understand. I... I..." I spoke desperately. "I need to speak, I need to talk it all out."

She squeezed my hand a bit. "I'm listening to everything you wish to say. Tell me all you need to spit from your system."

I told her everything then, beginning from how we met coincidentally on that fateful night, how we got into an argument, how he blamed me for breaking his heart and changing the core of his personality for good.

I was almost sobbing when I told her how I could hardly breathe everyday with the burden of taking my parents away. "I just couldn't take the blame of killi..." I took an uneven breath, "killing the real Maan too."

My head sank into my hands and I sobbed for some time while Anaya tried to soothe me down. I gathered myself back and continued on telling how he had come to the hospital and how he had said he forgave me for everything, how it had affected me back then and how I felt angry at him after I thought about it later.

"Who is he to forgive me for a crime I never committed?!" I pressed my lips into a thin line.

Anaya sighed. "Geet, I can understand your point of view, and as much as it hurt the rest of us to see Maan suffering because of your departure, we knew you had your own free will and nobody could force you to do what you didn't want to." She paused for a moment. "But don't be angry on him. Whether you consider it your fault or not, he suffered and he blamed you for it but don't you see it, Maan is not a bad human being. He could not see you in that condition."

"But -"

"Listen to me first." She didn't let me speak. "He wasn't forced to meet you at the hospital, or to forgive you. Nobody really knows all this that you've told me. But think about it, he was regretful of causing hurt to you so he came to you and gave you what you needed the most at that time. He freed you from the burden of the guilt he had made you feel. You think he deserves your anger for this act?"

Anaya's words were slowly hitting home. She was right. Perhaps he had said he forgave me because he knew I needed to hear it out.

"Geet," Anaya's voice distracted me. "Did Maan say anything today?"

"Yes." I answered.

"What? Something hurtful?"

"No, no!" I was quick to dismiss her thought. "In fact, he baffled me today."

"What do you mean?"

"He was being so extra sweet and helpful today." Anaya frowned in disbelief. "He dropped me here and even took me to the grocery shop since I needed to buy a few things."

"Really?" I nodded at her. "Then that means he really has forgiven you and moved on." She said happily.

He didn't need to be so extra nice even if that is true, I thought to myself doubtfully.

"If he has moved on," I thought aloud, "what should I do?"

"Why do you need to do something?" She raised an eyebrow sceptically.

I turned towards her. "Anaya, if he has moved on, don't you think I need to do something to... to..." I hunted for the right word, "to make up for all the pain he has suffered because of me, even though I didn't do it intentionally?"

She thought about it for a few minutes. "To do something for him, you will need to spend some time with him, be in touch with him more often... What could possibly be done about that?" She was thinking out loud. I raced my mind too. "Maybe you should begin dropping in at Khurana Mansion everyday." I raised my eyebrows at this suggestion. "Or every now and then." She offered.

"That would alert his family and they might think something else is up between me and him."

Anaya rolled her eyes and gave an alternative. "Then drop in at his office as often as possible."

That reminded me of something. "Anaya," I said in a hushed voice, even though I did not need to, "one day before that fight, Maan called me to Khurana Constructions."

"Why?"

"He offered me the post of head designer in the company."

With a gaping mouth, Anaya stared at me before asking what I had done.

"I refused him then. I don't even remember what I did with the offer letter."

"Perfect!" She clapped her hands in joy. "Find that offer letter now. You're taking up his offer." She grinned ear to ear.

"But -" I tried to speak.

"No buts, Geet!" She shushed me. "Don't you realise?" Her eyes gleamed with excitement. "To do what you wish to, that offer letter is your golden ticket!"

Hospitals and the memories associated with them had never been pleasant for me. They chilled me deep within my spine and sent me into a state of inertia.
I remembered what it felt like, or rather, I remembered the feeling of nothingness which had filled me then. It had felt like life was over for me, that I did not deserve to live.

Spot on!

The nothingness she felt, the depression was described perfectly. How does one get past this? Especially her parents. The argument with Maan did not help either.


I could not live with the burden of being responsible for the demise of three lives... Three... The number had only increased a night before I was hospitalised. It was one of the darkest nights of my life, a night when the storm and the rain had been the wildest, yet it had been nothing as compared to the storm which had raged within me, the storm which had led me straight to a hospital bed with an added burden of grief on my already tired shoulders.


His sudden appearance had scared me

He must have felt like a stranger for her to be so scared. His anger, his hurt lashing her when she least expected it.


It had been a combination of the words he had spoken and the solemnity etched on his face which had worked like a magic spell in my recovery.

It had felt to me like Maan had given me the most precious thing which was humanly possible.

She needed his words; the only thing he could give her.

Redemption is one of the most intriguing thing for me. I love stories where characters have a change in their lives, where something big happens and they turn themselves around.

I remember Devi had written Dev's character like that and upto now it is one of my favorite Dev's ever.

There is an eternal hope that someone will right the wrongs that they have committed.

And yet here is our fence dwelling Geet again😲 wondering who he is to forgive her. I agree with her but seriously she drives me crazy because she herself has two minds about everything.


Helping out a frie-" he broke off mid-sentence and looked at me before clearing his throat and continuing, "an acquaintance is better than spending an aimless day on the roads, isn't it?"

Mr. Maan is redefining the relationship ❤️ I have to love that he never gives up. Maybe it is eternal optimism on my part or he could simply be checking up on her because Raya is away but my dreamy brain refuses to accept it.


As I saw his eyes crinkle at the edges, I was reminded of times gone by, when his smile was infectious.
Already struggling to control my emotions, the musky scent of Maan's perfume which filled the car did no good.
Had he really moved ahead in life? Did he really start afresh and forget all those bad memories? "What should I do if he has moved on?"

Awareness at last😃

Yes Geet what would you do if he has moved on? 😃

Alas it is not to be. He is a glutton for punishment.

I wish it was the opposite and you had to work really hard to get love in your life simply because you would treasure it more.

This Geet however is not bold enough to take the chance.

Even now she is hiding away from him.

Will she take the Golden Ticket?

Do it!!

Everyone deserves happiness. Even you, especially you.

Loved the update Mari.

Can't believe I am so biased but I am 😃 and not ashamed of it either.

First of all... Welcome back dear