Chapter 8
"I can't do this anymore" I mutter softly.
Maan looks up from his dinner plate, he simply sighs and stands walking away.
"Maan" I stood following him, "Speak to me. It's been 3 months since I returned and you haven't spared me with a single sentence".
He pauses by the door, his hands on the doorknob and he glances over at me. He stares for a moment and hope rises that he would tell me what is bothering him.
"I'll pick my clothes up in the morning" he mutters instead.
"What?" I look at him in surprise, I was beyond shocked. I hadn't ever thought we would come to this.
I blink trying to stifle the tears that stung my eyes.
He turns his head away from me opening the door, I hurry down the hallway.
"Maan, listen to me" I call out reaching for him.
"Geet don't" he pulls away from my grasp. "We're obviously not working out".
"What?" I struggle to understand where he is coming from. "Maan, talk to me please" I plead with him. "Tell me what's bothering you"
He hesitates, he then inhales deeply. "I... I cheated on you, Geet"
His words pierces through my heart, before I know it I swing my palm across his cheek. My heart stings as does my palm.
"I'm sorry" he mutters before he turns his back to me and walks out leaving me at the door. Angry tears spills down my cheek as I try to grasp and struggle with his confession. I barely register anything, my hand pushes the door closed and I find myself walking into the living room and slumping onto the sofa. My hands cradling my fallen head.
My husband cheated on me.
"Have you both done the deed, then?" Archana looked between Geet and Maan as they sat eating dinner.
"Seriously?" Geet looked up scowling at her grandmother.
"You better not have stained the sheets, boy" she warned Maan.
"Grandma!" Geet squealed.
"So, did they do the deed?" Kavita entered joining them at the table.
"I'm done with dinner, I better head back. Varun might be returning from the movies" Maan stood.
"Sit down" Geet grasped his wrist pulling him back into his chair and scowled at her grandmother and aunt. "Both of you shut the hell up! Or I'm going to go and live with him" she warned.
"Good idea, you should go and live with him. I wouldn't have to clean after you anymore" Archana nodded solemnly.
"Are you being serious?" Geet screamed.
"You want her to move in with you boy? She's a messy f**k" Archana looked at Maan.
"That's it, I'm moving in next door" Geet stood slamming her hands down on the table angrily. "We're going" she grabbed Maan's hand pulling him up.
"Good luck with the crazy bitch" Archana yelled out whilst Kavita laughed.
Maan looked at his girlfriend as she dragged him across the garden and towards his house next door.
"I'm never going back" Geet stated firmly standing outside the door.
"Okay" he smiled.
"They're such bat shit crazy bitches, I don't know how I live with them. I'm the only sensible on, it's hard to believe that they're adults" she huffed.
Maan smiled, he cradled her cheek and lowered his head kissing her hard.
Geet instantly melted, her arms wrapping around his middle and tiptoeing deepening their kiss.
"Where are you going?" Maan questioned seeing Geet climbing out of the bed and grabbing her discarded dress.
Geet looked at him sheepishly, "Home".
Maan sat upright and watched her dress, "I thought you're never going back to the crazies?"
"Loopy, I would've stayed but your bed is uncomfortable. I want my bed" she quickly leaned forward kissing him. "Bye, miss me" she smacked another quick kiss and hurried out.
Geet tiptoed inside and paused when the lights switched on.
"Thought you moved?" Archana questioned teasingly.
"Whatever! I hate you both" she grumbled stropping up the stairs.
"So did you do the deed?"
Geet huffed, she stopped at the top of the stairs and turned around resting her hands on her hips. "Yes, I did! And he's f**king 10 stars in bed" she announced and walked towards her bedroom closing the door behind her.
I knock repeatedly on the door, I could hear Varun yelling that he's coming but I don't care right now. I continue to knock, each knock harder and angrier.
"What the f**k" Varun squints rubbing his eyes.
"Where is he?" I push past him and look around.
"Who? What?"
"Where the f**k is your brother?" I ask angrily.
"Geet, what's wrong?" Varun looks surprised and concerned at the same time. "Has something happened?"
"Did Maan tell you he f**ked someone whilst I was away?" I snap at him.
"What? Maan bhai?" he looks at me then laughs. "Geet, this is Maan bhai. He loves you"
"No, he f**king doesn't. He walked out tonight telling me he cheated on me. For the last 3 months, I've been walking on eggshells because he was so f**king grouchy since his accident and today when I asked for answers, when I asked that he speaks to me. All he does is turn around and tells me he cheated on me"
"He... he wouldn't do that" Varun shakes his head, he obviously doesn't believe it.
I don't want to believe it, I don't want to believe that Maan cheated on me. It just seems so unbelievable, this is Maan. My Maan.
"He's gone" I whimper squeezing my eyes closed tightly. "He's gone, Varun. He walked out saying he cheated on me. He didn't even turn around once".
"I... I'm sorry" he's also struggling to believe that Maan could have done this. Varun comes close wrapping me in his arms and holds me. I envelope my arms around him and I cry hard. I don't want to believe this. I don't want to believe the words he said.
But how do I explain his distance? How else do I explain his aloofness whenever we happened to be in the house at the same time. How do I explain the reasons he chose to sleep on the sofa in the pretence of watching tv.
How do I explain all of it? His silence. His excuses of physically avoiding me. His eyes no longer meeting mine.
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