I'm making up for the Maneet who went missing the last couple of parts...I hope we haven't crossed boundaries...Let me know...cant wait to hear from you all....
Part 26: Cupcake, candle and starlightā¦
<Geet's monologue>
It was dark already...I wasn't sure if it was going to snowā¦On the way back I wanted him to stop by a department storeā¦
Maan:"Geetā¦what do you want? I think they have extra of everything at the place we are stayingā¦"
Geet:" No Maanā¦I need somethingā¦hmmā¦its actually personalā¦"
I liedā¦I hoped and prayed that he wouldn't question me further and he didn'tā¦he was a gentleman as alwaysā¦
I got out of the carā¦I was carefulā¦there was sleet on the floorā¦I shopped all that I needed and asked them to pack it in a brown bag for meā¦
We went back to the place we were stayingā¦I acted pretty tiredā¦
I wanted to go to bed earlyā¦he was probably hoping for us to stay awake talking for a little whileā¦but I had other plansā¦
I went into my roomā¦quickly switched off the lights and seemed to be asleepā¦
I could see the light from his window...it stayed on for a whileā¦and then it turned offā¦
I crawled out of my roomā¦and walked to the kitchenā¦
I had no idea why but I had no hopes of succeeding in my missionā¦one mistake and he would be awakeā¦I was praying that I could finish whatever I was startingā¦I wanted to surprise himā¦
I woke the maid and asked her to help me outā¦
I sieved the flourā¦added the eggs and sugarā¦whisked slowlyā¦with just the least noiseā¦stirred in the vanilla and cocoaā¦
I carefully poured the batter into the moulds and placed it in the oven to bake
I asked the maid to get back to her bedā¦I could take care of things from hereā¦
I was carefully watching the cupcakes rise in the molds through the oven windowā¦ it was soft, warm and tenderā¦I wonder howā¦but they turned out to be the perfect batch of cupcakes I had ever madeā¦I frosted them and they were ready for the surpriseā¦
I wasn't sure if I wanted to changeā¦I was in my silken pajamasā¦but it looked decentā¦
It was 11.55ā¦I walked to his room and knocked on his doorā¦
Geet:" Maanā¦.sogaye.?"
I heard him walk to the doorā¦
Maan:" Geetā¦sab kuch teek tho haiā¦"
He appeared to have been sleepingā¦I felt bad for waking him upā¦but it was his birthdayā¦there was no way I was going to stay behind and let him sleep through the nightā¦
He must have been sleeping without his shirt onā¦he was hurrying to wear his vestā¦.
Geet:" Come with meā¦"
I grabbed him by his wrist and took him to the window sittingā¦The view was still perfectā¦the moon wasn't out thereā¦.but it was a perfect star lit nightā¦I seated him down there and walked to get the cupcakeā¦I got a single cupcakeā¦lighted the candle and walked back to the window seatā¦
Geet:" Surpriseā¦.Happy Birthday Maanā¦"
I walked towards himā¦
He was indeed surprisedā¦
Maan:" When did you get itā¦?"
Geet:"Commonā¦I made itā¦.I was waiting for you to come out and catch me red handedā¦"
Maan:" Thank youā¦."
He was about to blow the candleā¦
I stopped him and asked him to make a wishā¦
Maan:" Geetā¦I'm 29ā¦do you thinkā¦I still need wishesā¦"
Geet:" You never know when you need oneā¦."
He finally gave in and he blew out the flameā¦I took out the candle and took a piece from the top and fed it to himā¦
Maan:" Hmmmā¦.thank youā¦its so goodā¦I can't believe you made itā¦"
Geet:" I'm going to take it as a compliment and leave it at thatā¦"
He took a large piece from the cupcake and wanted to feed meā¦
Geet:" Maanā¦itna bada pieceā¦pleaseā¦not sā¦."
He didn't let me finish the sentenceā¦he force fed meā¦the entire pieceā¦
As I got up to go to the kitchen to wash my handsā¦he got hold of me by my wrist and pulled me closerā¦
I was shiveringā¦the chillness must be seeping in through the window glassā¦
He lifted his hand with his thumb in the open and came close to just beneath my lipsā¦I wasn't sure how I was to reactā¦his eyes seemed to be fixated on my lipsā¦I couldn't face himā¦
I closed my eyes and my breathing became shallowā¦It seemed the whole world had stopped around meā¦
Then I felt his thumb wipe off the frosting that was stuck to my skinā¦just beneath my lipsā¦
It seemed as if the tip of his thumb was almost tracing my lower lipsā¦
He walked awayā¦I stood there not sure of the moment beforeā¦I took me some time to come back to the living world...a second agoā¦I was twirling away among the constellationsā¦
Maan:" How did you manage it?...I meanā¦I know I'm a light sleeperā¦"
Geet:" I just didā¦ guess I know you too wellā¦"
I went to the kitchen to wash off the frosting in my handsā¦I came back to the window sitting and put my feet upā¦.It was cold thereā¦
He seated himself in the opposite side and put his feet up tooā¦He handed me a throwā¦and took one for himselfā¦Babajiā¦I needed that throw more than anythingā¦
At first I didn't know what to sayā¦I couldn't help stare at his shoulders for all he was wearing was a vestā¦the milky light from the starsā¦seemed to give it a strange highlightā¦
A couple of days ago I was fixated on living a life that presented as it isā¦and now I felt like a teenager drawn to himā¦wanting to agree with every word he had said that eveningā¦I couldn't help wonder his thoughtfulness to bring me back to the same place where I had started it allā¦I was thoroughly confusedā¦he was the pied piperā¦leading me away and I had no will or control to stop anythingā¦
Maan:" So that's itā¦just a cupcakeā¦no cardā¦no giftā¦"
Geet:" Acchhaā¦I thought you said you didn't need anything from meā¦"
Maan:" So I have to ask for my own card and gifts nowā¦."
Geet:" Hmmā¦ā¦ek minuteā¦cardā¦rightā¦"
I got up and walked around the room looking for a penā¦all I could find was a felt tip markerā¦
I came back to the window seat and sat close to himā¦
Geet:" Ab aapka haat dikahiyeā¦"
Maan:"Kyonā¦"
He was puzzledā¦I took his hand by the wrist and turned to have his palm face upwardsā¦.I started writing on his armā¦.
Maan;" Geetā¦I can tolerate anythingā¦but not the tickling ā¦."
He couldn't take it as I was writingā¦he was sighing all alongā¦
I took his hand back and took it close for him to read itā¦
Maan:" Happy Birthday Maanā¦Card kal doongiā¦bas ab issi se kaam chala le naā¦Geetā¦"
<Maan's monologue>
She had written in tiny lettersā¦I couldn't believe my eyesā¦that was the sweetest birthday message I had ever receivedā¦
The cupcakeā¦her holding my hands to scribble on itā¦and the star lightā¦everything was driving me crazyā¦for a moment I thought I would even slip and regret laterā¦but she was too precious to make any mistakesā¦
Geet:" Maanā¦aapko kya chaiye?"
I was taken backā¦what did she meanā¦I raised my eyebrows in questionā¦
Maan:" You mean giftā¦"
Geet:" Ji Haanā¦"
Maan:" Jo bhi tum chahte hoā¦I will have no complaintsā¦"
Geet:" Main kaise decide karoongiā¦how I can ever give you anything that will be good enough for youā¦"
I was about to cut her offā¦when she raced me to itā¦
Geet:" Aah Aah! ā¦I want to talk nowā¦pleaseā¦"
Geet pleaseā¦mujseā¦please mat boloā¦I was ready to melt at her wordsā¦
Geet:"You are always there for me Maanā¦Whenever I'm lostā¦you are just thereā¦"
I didn't like the way it was goingā¦I didn't want her to get seriousā¦not nowā¦I wanted her to smile and be herself nowā¦her silly selfā¦I decided to lighten the topicā¦
Maan:" You should look upā¦and look to Polarisā¦you will never be lostā¦"
Geet:" Jiā¦.I don't understandā¦"
Maan:"Do you know how to look for Polaris in the night skyā¦.actuallyā¦.it so fitsā¦now that I think ofā¦its my zodiac constellation tooā¦"
Geet:" Jiā¦I don't understand what you are sayingā¦"
Maan:" Have you ever watched the night sky?"
Geet:" Yeahā¦"
Maan:" Do you know that every zodiac month has its own constellationā¦"
Geet:" Hmmā¦not reallyā¦"
Maan:" Chaloā¦I will show youā¦"
<Geet's monologue>
He went close to the windowā¦and tried to spot some stars and asked me to look for a particular patternā¦
Geet:" Jiā¦I don't think I see itā¦."
He grabbed the pen from my handā¦.He started drawing just like I had written on his handā¦and placed four dots each in one corner of a squareā¦He got up and walked around to sit behind meā¦I could feel his breath on my napeā¦he was so closeā¦did he know how close he was? But he was all too lost in showing me the night skyā¦
Maan:"Now look to the left of the great dipperā¦.Do you see three starsā¦now follow that and see if you can look at this arrangement" He pointed to the square group that he had drawn on my handā¦He continued to hold my handā¦
I was struggling to spot the patternā¦I had to trace the line of stars all the way up and my head kept tilting backwardsā¦when I realized that my head was resting on his shouldersā¦I wasn't sure if I wanted to moveā¦his breath was warm on my cheeksā¦I looked down instantlyā¦but I continued to rest on his shoulderā¦But he seemed determined in helping me spot Polarisā¦
I was even more taken backā¦when his right hand came all around meā¦as if he was about to hug meā¦but it was a relief when he once again started placing dots on my left handā¦which he was already holding with his otherā¦His chin was almost touching my shoulderā¦I wondered what would happen if I turned to my right for about three quarters of an inchā¦
Maan:" Alrightā¦now lookā¦trace through this pattern and you will find Polarisā¦"
As he was mouthing the word traceā¦his index finger was tracing the same path on my handsā¦I didn't know if I had it in me to go any longerā¦one more moment and I was going to snapā¦
With great difficulty I managed to spot the brightest star in the star grouping that he helped me to traceā¦not because I was bad at following his instructionsā¦but more because..I couldn't take the closeness between usā¦I was able to feel him all over me....I wanted to trace my body along hisā¦rather than anything elseā¦
Geet:" Jiā¦ab dik raha hainā¦"
Maan:" That shows you the way to the true north..."
As he was explainingā¦he got up and walked back to the other corner where was as seated earlierā¦
Maan:" They say it's the most important star in the night skyā¦it gives lost travelers the direction to true northā¦the interesting thing is thatā¦it is also my zodiac constellationā¦"
Geet:" Teek to haiā¦You keep showing up whenever I seem lostā¦and Polaris does for othersā¦"
We laughedā¦at my silly jokeā¦but it was a personal oneā¦
I didn't knowā¦but he was back once againā¦he was back in the same speed he disappearedā¦it seemed like months since that Sundayā¦but it had only been a week thoughā¦
I wondered what had changedā¦He had become Maanā¦from being Maan Singh Khuranaā¦
Our evening conversation ran through my mind once againā¦"Just tryā¦.I will walk with youā¦"His voice brought back the other promise I had made to him in central parkā¦it was strange that the fogginess in my mind now wanted to clear a littleā¦at least it seemed soā¦He went away and I wanted to distance myself from the worldā¦and now when he is backā¦my world turned upside down once againā¦how can one person control my life so much?
<Maan's monologue>
I had not expected any of thisā¦It was a perfect birthday and I had no complaintsā¦I fought within myself every time I came within inches of herā¦when I was bending to draw on her handā¦and when I was sitting so close to her napeā¦On the cold wintery nightā¦I could feel a bead of sweat on my forehead...I was bewitched by her beauty...her skin so smooth when I traced the dots on her handā¦I succeeded to get up and walk to the other side without disrupting the eveningā¦that to me was my biggest achievement everā¦
We talked for some more timeā¦I was just not ready to get back to bedā¦it was an impeccable night that nature had planned for me and I wanted to take in every moment of itā¦
With her by my side and her hands in mineā¦I just wasn't ready to call it a nightā¦
Pati Patni Aur Panga
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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