Ok people...here is part 15...I hope you all like it...Man did it take me some time to write it (I think like 25 hrs)...this one is the longest one so far..firstly because i wanted to cover the full LV trip and the second to give Maan some time with Geet for all the time he had missed her ..I had to rewrite Maan and Geet scenes 4 times 😭..I wasn't content with what was coming out...because I didn't want to be stepping on boundaries😉...I had to make sure that the essence of friendship was pronounced strongly than anything else.. I always kept forgetting to let you people know something about my Hindi...I'm very bad with grammar..so please bear with me...Please please post and comment...looking forward to hear your favorites...
Part 15: Cap
ou pas Cap..(Game or not!)
<Maan's
monologue>
We were at
the airport'it was short notice'I could only manage seats on American'she was
there'she smiled all right at Yash's or Meer's jokes'but it seemed all too
superficial..She was still hurting underneath'
We boarded
the flight it was a 5 hr 45 mts flight..crowded with a slight chance of
discomfort'Ouch'I hated flying economy'one of us had to sit alone and Yash was
more than happy to move three aisles down next to a blond. Meera was not
comfortable and it was way too obvious'
Geet sat by
the window seat, followed by Meera and then me in the aisle seat'Meera sat down
checked the seat and for some reason'got up and asked to be seated in the aisle
seat'she was not comfortable being centered'I was next to her'once again'she
turned and smiled at me but clearly appeared pre-occupied'
She was not
the same person I had walked with in Central Park'
2.00 hrs
done and counting'the hard seat cushion was getting to my nerves when the most
wonderful thing happened'.She was in deep sleep and her head was going back and
forth due to lack of support'I decided to place a small pillow behind her neck
and support her head'instead her head landed on my shoulder'she looked comfortable'I
didn't want to move her'I wanted time to slow down'the logistics changed in split
seconds'I smiled'it was going to be the most memorable trip ever'.
Meera tapped
on my shoulder as we landed in LV'I had dozed off with my head leaning on
hers'I didn't realize'I wish I was awake to have savored that time'As I was
getting up I felt a pull at my collar and looked down'she was clutching onto my
shirt collar'.well'I let out a loud breath and it was all too much for me to
take in'as I removed her hands, two of her fingers caressed just beneath my
collar bone and I could feel steam gushing out of my ears'
Funny as it
was, being a long time new Yorker, I was used to getting bumped .. I was sure I
had grown insensitive to people's touch'she disproved me once again'she had
awakened so many unknown emotions and desires'that I thought had long died in
me'
We rented a Volvo
C70 and landed at Bellagio' we were staying at the villa'.
Meera: "MK,
I thought I said'we were going to split the charges'"
Maan:" It's
all cool meera'"
Yash:" Am I
dreaming?'.I'm in one the most expensive stays in the LV strip'private villa at
Bellagio'$6000 a night'."
Meera:" You
shouldn't have MK'this is just going overboard'"
Maan:" Trust
me'we all need this after the 6 hr flight from NY'I got a bad deal on the
flight'thought I can make up with this'"
She was
silent'she didn't participate in any of our conversations'
The villa could
be put to good use with its two bedrooms,
five bathrooms, private terrace, pool, kitchen and a fully loaded bar'if
only she could break out of the trance she was in'She seemed dis interested in
everything'
Meera and
Geet took one of the bedrooms and I and Yash landed in the other'
We all
quickly showered and changed to hit the streets...I only wish it was fun for
her too'Meera and Yash were ruling the roulette'lady luck was favoring them'
I was +400
at blackjack and Yash was at +150'Meera was a whooping +1700'Geet didn't engage
with any of the activities'She would occasionally cheer upon Meera's wins'
Her spirit was
dampened and it was rubbing off on Meera and Yash too'
It was 4.00
AM and we decided to get back to the villa...I had still not spoken a full
sentence with her since the start of the trip'I wanted to' but thanks to my
luck'we all crashed immediately after we landed in the villa.
The routine
followed the morning too'we showered and changed 'we were about to go out'when
meera called out to everybody's attention'
Meera:"
Ok'Geet'see we want you to break out of this'"
I and Yash
moved out towards the end of the room as we were not sure how this was going to
turn out'
Meera:" I'm
not going to go crazy'but lets take baby steps..lets try one day at a time' and
I have a plan to make it interesting'"
She got all
our attention including Geet'We all were standing surrounding the bed in Meera
and Geet's room'She threw in a small box in the center of the room' it appeared
to be a tiny gift box'she also threw a small paper bag alongside'
Meera: "Cap
ou pas Cap'"
I understood
immediately'and I smiled'
Yash:"What?...."
Geet seemed
to show interest'
Meera:"Game
or not'I have some dares in the paperbag'don't worry I don't know what it is'I
asked a friend to write it down'each of us gets a dare and we need to do it no
matter what it is'the one with the shortest time to complete the dare wins the
gift"
Yash:"
Cool'I'm up for it'Meera'I didn't think you had it in you seriously..lagta hain
mujhe mera opinion change karna padega'"
She wacked
him on his shoulder'
Yash:"
Ouch'"
Meera:" but
here is the catch'.you don't get to choose the dare you will be doing'someone
else does'you cant tell anyone else that you are doing a dare "
Yash: "
Wow'hold on'what kind of dares are there in this? What if its too risky'"
Meera:"
Don't worry its not'" she smiles'
Yash: "
Ok'let me be the first one'"
Meera picked
for Yash and it was "Wear women's clothes and get a girl to kiss you'"
Geet picked
for Meera" Take 6 shots and dance on the poker table for 2 mts without getting
thrown out"
Yash picked
for me and it goes " Try to hit on a guy and get his card" I was doomed but
felt much better compared to Yash
Meera picked
for Geet which was to tap on 4 hotel rooms with people inside and not get
caught'
Yash went
ahead and bought a girl's dress from the hotel boutique as neither Geet's nor
Meera's would fit him..It was hilarious when he changed into the dress'
I had to
give it to him for being such a sport'She smiled'or shall I say laughed'
Yash went to
the bar and had a conversation going on with a Blonde'at first she dismissed
Yash'but the guy's charms eventually won her'.He convinced her to give him a
kiss after 17 mts'
I was
surprised he had it even going that long'It was a crazy sight and my tummy
ached'She was laughing too'Yash ran to change'
The next was
Meera'.She was not used to shots'It took her 13 mts to just complete the
shots'She was drunk'I had no hope that she would even be able to get to a
center room poker table and stay there for 2 mts'The guards are usually pretty
active on the floor'
Meera was clever'she
joined a table game and started a fight with the dealer'she made a huge ruckus
and got on top of the poker table'She was a brat'.she managed to stay there for
2 minutes before the guards came running down..She only had to stand on the
table'she was already swaying from the intoxication and almost appeared that
she was dancing...The whole dare took her 19 mts'We were ofcourse thrown out of
the casino'we just hopped to the next one'Meera was more fun after the dare as
she was wasted after 6 shots'
Meera had
already lost to Yash'
Next was my
turn'I was embarrassed to the core but I didn't want to be spoil sport'I walked
straight to the bar and had a conversation going on with a handsome
guy'apparently'I was out of luck'the guy turned out to prefer guys too'Meera,
Yash and Geet had a crazy laugh'Ofcourse I didn't have a tough time getting his
business card..It took me only 7 mts'he was more than happy to meet me after a
round of drinks'I ran for my life'
It was Geet's
turn'Yash was holding onto Meera as she was high'I had to time Geet'we landed
on the 7rd floor at Bellagio'Geet was at first reluctant to start
off the dare'but with all our encouragement she walked into the hallway'we were
all standing at the farend close to the stairs'all waiting to run'
She tapped
the first door loudly'started the second and went on'An old lady was out the
first door'The second door didn't get anyone out'the third door got a middle
aged American man out'
The fourth
door didn't get anyone out'
She had to
do two more'but the two others who were already on the hallway were
yelling at the top of their voices'Geet was cracking underneath'she closed her
ears with her palms and broke into a run'she tapped on a few more doors not
knowing if she will be able to cover two successful doors'
She was done'after
3.56 mts only and we all ran before the hotel security could get us'the old
lady from the first room had already called them'.as we were running down the
stairs'I felt as if we all had turned back our clocks and had become 10 years
younger'
It was a
ruckus'we reached the villa and couldn't control our laughter'Geet had finally
broken out of it'Thanks to meera'
<Geet's
monologue>
I couldn't help
feeling better'.but something still bothered me and I was unpredictable'I wasn't
sure when I would break into a crying spree'
Meer and
yash had settled in...I walked to the terrace'the moon was shining brightly'I
could use some fresh air'It seemed as if I was transported to a villa in Italy...it was a calming sight...Meera was right...Maan always goes overboard...
He was
standing by the ledge'probably taking in the view of LV'
'he was dressed in white shirt and casual trousers'I couldn't take
my eyes off him and felt it was a bad idea to be here'I was about to turn and
get back to the room when he noticed me and called my name'
Maan:"Geet'"
Geet:" Ji'main
to bus'abhi nikhal rahi thi'."
Maan:"Kyon'mujhe
dekkar dar lagta hai'"
Geet:" Dar'kis
baat ka daar'"
Maan:" Phir
kyon baage chali jaa rahi ho'"
Geet:"
Actually'mujhe paani'" and before I could finish my sentence he picked up a
water bottle from a nearby table and handed it to me'
He scared
me...I didn't know what this irrestible pull was'I didn't like it'His gaze
pierced me'I pulled away my eyes from his'
I turned and
was about to get out of there'when he held me by my wrist and stopped me'
He
came closer and stood right behind me
'he let go of my wrist and turned me
towards him'I lifted my head to meet his eyes'
Maan:" Ab
tum kaise ho geet'"
Geet:" Ji'main
teek hoon'"
Maan:" Sach
sach bolo'tumhari aankhen kuch aur keha rahi hain'"
I lower my
head'and tears start rolling down my cheeks'
He lifted my
chin and made me meet his eyes again'He hesitated at first, but went ahead and
wiped my tears with his fingers'
Maan:" Geet
please bolo'what can I do?"
Geet:" It's
not you Maan'.no one can do anything about my situation'"
His gaze
turned angry'he turned away not to face me'
I walked
towards him and stopped him by laying my hand on his shoulder'he turned to look
at me once again'
Maan:" I'm
sorry Geet I can't see you like this'mujhe bus vus Geet ko dekhna hai..jo
central park mein saath chalne ki vaada ki thee'jo kisi aur ke liye vumeed
rakthee thee'"
Geet:" Main ab
bhi vahi Geet hoon jo aapke saath chaloongi..aap ke liye vumeed rakoongi..aapko
hasaane ke liye kooshish bhi karoongi'lekin farak sirf itna hai ki'kisi aur ne
mere saath kiye vaada thod diya hai'mujpar vummed rakna chod diya'hai'"
He waited to
respond'almost as if he was fishing for the right words'I walked to the ledge
and was almost half seated on it'He turned and walked towards me'He stood close to me..but kept his
distance and faced me'
Maan:"Tumhe
kuch kar ne liye zaroorat nahin hai Geet..Aur 'mein apna kooshish hamesha zaari
rakoonga'bus tumhe is haalaath se nikal ne keliye'mera haath pakadkar'agae
badna hoga'"
<Maan's
monologue>
As a sign of
acknowledgement'she took her right hand that was clutched to her left and held
mine....
She gave it
some time...she didn't turn her eyes away from mine this time'she knew this was
my promise to her'she slowly rested her forhead below my chin'right next to my
collar bone but she didn't close the distance between us'we stayed that way for
some time'and then she lifted her head to look at me and smiled'it came from
deep within and I had waited more than a week to see one'
We both
turned to take the view of LV again'
Maan:" Toh'gift
box mein kya tha?
She took the
box and placed it in my hand'I opend to see a deep blue cystal in it'it seemed
rare'
Maan:"
bilkul tumhari tarah'"
Geet:" Ji'matlab'"
Maan:" transparent'kuch
chup tha nahin iske andar... jo bhi hai'sab saaf saaf dikta hai'"
She looked
at me as if she was in agreement with what I just said'she knew what I meant'I
wanted to make the air a little ligther'I went on to tease her'
Maan:" Main'teek
tho keh raha hoon 'jo mann mei aaye'tum sab bol de ti ho'waise us din'peet's
coffee mein'kya kaha'haan..ki mein tumhara peecha kar raha hoon'"
Geet:" Maan'."
She had a fake anger on her face'
Maan:" Filter
naam ki kuch cheez suni hain?...woh dalna padta hai baath kar ne se pehle'"
Geet:" To
aap maan le the hain'ke aapke dil ke baath kabhi zobaan pe nahi laate'."
She paused
and looked at me as if she was trying to look deep into me'we broke our gaze'
Geet:" I
mean mera sawaal tha'ki kya aap hamesha har baat ko filter kar ke hi bataatein
hain'." She paused'
Geet:"logon
se chup the kyon ho Maan"
I didn't know
how to answer that question'
Geet:" Aapne
vaada kiya tha'.remeber project hot chocolate'"
We laughed'I
liked the way she called it'
Maan:"Maine
tumse kabhi kuch chupaya nahi Geet'waise" My words trailed off'I wasn't sure if
I wanted to finish the sentence
"tum ho na' mujhe
sika ne ke liye'har woh baat jo main nahi jaanta'"
She seemed
excited'something came to her mind'she was trying to be the one who walked with
me in central park'she started off her usual banter'her arguments' her theories'
We spent the
entire night on the terrace'we walked around the pool a couple of times'sat for
some time'stood by the ledge'.She even dipped her feet in the swimming pool
while I stayed seated on the pool chair'
She made it
up to me for the entire week that I missed her'
It was
almost 5.00 AM'we wanted to catch some sleep before our flight to NY'as we were
about to leave I wanted to apologize to her'I didn't know why'but I wanted to
make sure she heard it'
Maan:" Geet'.Sorry'I
dint check on you the whole week'I only pinged you'I didn't know how to come
over or call'"
Before I
could say anything'she cut me off'
Geet:"Maan'you
didn't have to'aur baat rahi phone ki'aap jab chase mujhe call kar sak the ho'"
I wanted
that'.I was waiting for her to define my boundaries and I was glad I got one'Her
smile was changing as if wanting to tease me'
Geet:"'Lekin'call
kar ke'aap karenge kya'ab bhi aap ek gante mein paanch shabd hi to bol te ho'aaj
raat bhi main hi baat kar rahi thi'aap tho bilkul chup the'"
I wanted to
tell her how much I had missed our silly conversations and that I didn't want to lose one minute of
it tonight..I didn't know if I was going to get such an opportunity again'
I smiled and
brushed off her comment'
We walked
back to our rooms'There was some thing in the air that told me it was changing'she
was indeed holding my hand and was making an effort to move ahead'She forgot
her crystal and left it with me'I stared at it for some time'it felt like she
had left a piece of her with me'it was transparent'deep and above all PURE'
Edited by Hasini67 - 13 years ago
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