"Huh! Mujhe iss ghar mai ek aur kadam aage badna hai to, aap ko wo teesri member ki bhare mai pata chalna chaye.....pata lagaye. Mai badh mai aata hu."
"Sir!"
With that said he walked out, while Maan stood there complementing what to do and how while looking at the now broken bulb.
******************
Part 16:
Maan sat admist his open office files in his study but his mind was else where. His head throbbing with pain and worry.
'What if there was really a ghost residing in their house?
How will they send it out? Was it that easy?
Bloody how will we even converse with it to know what it was doing here and why their house? But before going there, I will have to confirm about it's existence. I can't go with this dual mind, one saying its just an illusion while the other says it's for real!'
Maan was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize that Geet was standing beside him trying to gain his attention from past 5minutes.
Geet had brought his coffee and had made up her mind to tell everything today. Though Jessie was nowhere to be seen since Maan's accident, but she knew that he was lurking around waiting for the right time to play his cards. It was already too late that she has not informed Maan about it but not anymore. Making up her mind she entered Maan's study to find him engrossed in his office files. She stood beside him, called out his name but got no response from him. That was strange!
She called him again and this went on for a couple of minutes. Finally she even slightly shook him, still no response. Keeping the cup on the table she shook him hard and that was when he finally came back from his thoughts..
"Huh? Huh! " Maan stood up with a start looking around, as if recognizing the place he was in.. That's when he looks at a wide eyed Geet, who was looking startled and worried seeing him like that. He pressed his eyes tightly and inhaled sharply. He slowly opened his eyes feeling a soft palm on his shoulder to look into a worried Geet.
"Maan. Aap..aap teek hai? " he just nodded his head
"Nahi, kuch hua hai, aap itna tensed or khoye khoye se lagrahi ho. Mai pichle panch minute se aapko bularahi hu lekin aap tho pathar ki tara baite tee."
Geet was calling him from five minutes! Was he so lost in thinking that he didn't feel the presence of another person in the room.
"Nahi Geet, kuch nahi hua hai. Buss office ke kaam tha.. Aur kuch nahi." Maan lied seeing Geet getting tensed. He cursed himself for being so lost and worrying Geet.
"Kya aap succh kehrahe?" Maan raised his eyebrows in question
"I mean, itne din aapko kaam karte hue dekhi hu lekin aapko itne tensed aur khoye khoye sai nahi dekhi. Issliye pucha."
Maan was on cloud nine hearing that his wife did keep an eye on him, while all the while he thought that she was not atleast attracted to him, where as he always had women flocking around him for attention. He formulated a quick way of convincing her in his mind, for he didn't want to inform her about this when he himself didn't have clarity.
He gently held her hands in his and while looking into her eyes he replied.
"Ha Geet. Office mai kuch problem hui hai, uskeliye parishan hu. Aur koi bath nahi. Woo...last week mai office nahi gaye ti naa so, kaam zayada badgaya hai. Pata nahi horaha tha ki..ki... Ha.. Ki kaha se start karna hai."
Maan's answer was not that satisfactory to Geet,
"The important ones will go first right? " she questioned in her mind.
"But maybe things are not that easy as she thought! And he was right, being away from his office might have messed things up! "
Maan could clearly see the play of emotions that were taking place on her face. He felt happy to see her getting worried for him, well that might feel inhuman, but he couldn't help being happy that his love was there for him, anything happening with him concerned her. That was all he could ask for. So he gently pulled her into his embrace and hugged her gently, patting her head
"I'm fine Geet, don't worry. Everything will be fine. *then remembering the cause of his lost state, he thought to himself,* I will make everything fine. I will just need ur support if what the thing I'm made to believe turns out to be true" he parted from her and kissed her forehead
"Thoda kaam bacha hai, I will finish it up you take rest. Good night Geet, sweet dreams."
"Zayada tension math kegiye. Aap be sojaye, u need more rest then me." she pushed him out of the study room into the bed asking him to sleep.
Seeing Maan worked up, Geet thought telling about Jessie now was not right, he is already under work pressure.
****************
Two days later, Maan's cabin at lunch time.
Maan had altered that days schedule, such that the very important meetings that couldn't be neglected was scheduled in the morning and he made sure that he was free by lunch time.
He sat in his cabin connecting the pen drive into his laptop. Maan though not being sure if this thing works, after a lot of research, he thought to give it a try. So the previous day morning before leaving for work he brought a CC camera and fixed it on the wall such that it could clearly capture the main door and the living hall. So the camera had recorded everything that happened the entire day.
He played the video, while he sat down biting a piece of his burger. Hours went by but he didn't come across anything that was spooky.. Once in a while Geet did wander around in the living room, but she behaved normal.
Maan sat relaxingly ,but his all attention was on the screen. He had just taken another bit from his half eaten burger, when he saw something white zoom pass through the main door and disappearing into the corners of the living room. It happened just like that in a blink of an eye, and this made Maan to anxiously sit up straight in his chair, softly chewing onto the piece of burger.
He pulled himself closer to screen looking from one corner to the other to see if he can find that thing again.
His heart beat increasing, sweat beads forming on his head as he looked on. Seconds passed by, and from the very same corner of the living room the white thing moved directly into his direction (camera)in a flash, as if he knew who would watch him doing this stunt. Reveling his face, with a smile which was not friendly, which was more of a mocking and a deadly one.
Maan who was watching the screen, jumped backwards putting out his left hand on his face as a shield to avoid the creature that came as if it would jump out of the screen and do god knows what..
The impact of the jump was such that the things placed on his table were accidentally pushed off when Maan lifted his hands in defense.
Maan looked back into the screen to find no one there, but he was for sure that what he saw was real.
He needed no more evidence, he just stood up from his chair holding on to the table for support and stumbled his way out of the office.
*******************
A panting Maan reached to Mr. Khan's house, since the door was open he just rushed inside without ringing the bell.
Maan entered the living room searching for the man, when he found him going through a book standing near the book self. Maan stood in his place catching his breath so that he could narrate the incident
"Tou pata chalgaya ki woo teesri member kon hai!" Mr. Khan asked without lifting his head from the book. It was more of a statement than a question, he didn't need to literally look into Maan's face to know he had found out, his breath told the story.
Mr. Khan put back the book and turned towards Maan, who was still gasping for air.
"*gasp* sir *gasp* Sir.. Ye kise hosakta hai? *gasp* I... I can't believe this."
"Mmm... Aisi cheese kohi rahasy ya dark mystery kehte hai." he offered Maan a glass of water for him to calm down. After Maan calmed down a bit he continued to question Maan to get the answers that he would need to know, to tackle any of the situation that may arise in near future.
"Waise, woo aatma...aapke ghar me kya kar raha hai?"
"Sir, mujhe kise pata hosakta ha.i.. I don't know." Maan answered.
"Aapko to pata nahi hai.. Lekin.. aap ki biwi ko pata hosakta hai na?"
This all was just too much for Maan to take in. The mystery that he thought he solved was only getting complicated, indicating that much more was yet to discover.
"Now she only has to answer!.... Maan...aap jakar unse puchye.....Baaki ko mujh par chod dijiye, I will look after it."
******************
Maan reaches to his apartment, with all the possibilities running in his mind. The fact that Geet may have known about it and she had not confided it to him, did pain him. But he thought to better not judge her, if this was something related to her past as he had promised earlier he would stand by her side.
Just this past few days was unbearable for him then what must she be going through! She was silently gulping all that down. O my God! He just hopped that it was not too late to realize and rectify.
He reached his room after searching for Geet down stairs. He saw her sitting on the edge of the bed folding the dried clothes, with her back facing him. He removed his coat and loosened his hand cuffs.
Geet did know that Maan was here through his footsteps, so she was not startled when he called her.
"Geet."
Geet turned her head sideways recognizing his presence and hummed before continuing with her work.
Only a couple of clothes were left to be folded so she thought to finish it off first and by the time Maan freshens up she would get his coffee.
"Kya aap mujhse kuch chupaya hai?" that one statement frooze Geet from what she was doing.
"Dekhye, mai aap par shak nahi karrahi hu.. Ghar mai jo problems horahi hai aap ko bi maaloom hai. Usko solve karne keliye aapse puch rahi hu..iske alava aur koi irada nahi hai. Agar aisa kuch hai to please bata dejiye.. "
Hearing Maan, Geet realised that Maan was tensed about these things.
"Shaadi se pehli, mai ek aadmi se pyaar karta tha. Bohat pyaar karta tha." Geet completed sarcastic laugh in the end.
Maan though was pained hearing that, but he was pulled out of it hearing that mocking laugh she gave. He looked on for Geet to continue.
"Well that's what I was made to think. Asal mai meri taraf se koi pyaar vyaar tha hi nahi.*sob* meri dimag ke sath ye manipulation ka game itne ache se kelha ki mujhe pata hi nahi chal ki mai ek kisi aur ki obsession ki jaal mai phas raha hu." she narrated the important things that happened like who the person was, how she met him, and how she found out about him being dead for one and a half years.
"Uski wajhe se Shilpa ki mauth hui, aapko bi accident mai marne ko kosish ki. If I didn't feel anything for him back then, but I'm definitely disgusted of him for all he did to innocent people around me. Mai usse uskeliye kabhi maaf nahi kar sakti. Kabhi nahi." Geet added through her greeted teeth with tears rolling down her eyes.
Maan was totally blank hearing her voice out the truth. But was quick to compose himself hearing a loud sob, only to realize that she had been going through this hell without uttering a word. The thing that happened is gone, now they had to face what ever that comes their way, because they had no other way than this.
"Aab mai buss yahi chati hu ki, meri aakri saas tak aapki nazar mai ek aachi aur layak biwi banke rahu."
The last words she said brought up a small satisfactory smile on Maan's face. That was all that he needed, that she had accepted him.
"Thanks Geet, aapki past mujhse share kar ne keliye nahi, but for the concern that you have on me.... Aap insab ke bare mai chinta math kijiye, mai dekhlongi." Maan was so lost in assuring Geet, that he failed to notice that Geet's sob had suddenly came to an halt.
The room was silent all of a sudden, and the wind picked up speed and started blowing up the curtains high.
A few seconds after he finished speaking he heard the snapping of fingers, he lifted his head to see it was Geet, who had snapped her fingers and signed through her hand for him to come near her.
Maan moved towards her, she sat there rigid like a stone, oddly her head was bent down and he could see few of her front hair strands flying in air.
Maan heart beat quickened sensing the change in the atmosphere. He was just a step to reach Geet, when he was choked out of his breath by a soft but powerful grip on his throat, and it increased as the seconds passed.... And the dreadful sight infront of him left him wide eyed as he fought to get out of the deadly grip around his throat.....
**********************
Thank you so much friends, for your likes, comments and support for this story❤❤
Next part will be an intense one. Hopefully all your doubts will get cleared in the upcoming updates..
Thanks again..
Apologies for the grammatical errors..
Pati Patni Aur Panga
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
1.1k