Tum Kaun Ho?
A Maaneet Fan Fic
Chapter 43
Apr. 7, 2011 10:30 pm
Geet had turned her light out and laid down on her bed, but she couldn't get to sleep. She knew that something was going on in this household, and she had a suspicion about why it was happening, but she couldn't figure out exactly what was going on. Today Nakul had been virtually absent. No one would tell her where he what he was doing. When she tried to follow him the few times he had made an appearance, Maan had always been around to distract her. His distractions were very effective, for he would always grab her in his arms, hugging her, whispering in her ear, giving her intoxication little kisses on her neck and face, basically turning her insides into jelly and mind into mush.
Maan was behind all of the strangeness, she was sure. This morning at breakfast he had declared that he would be the one who drove them to JD's school and to pick him up in the afternoon. He was doing it under the guise of filling his promise to her about introducing himself to JD's teachers, but the look between him and JD made her wonder. Dadi seemed to be the only normal one, but somehow Geet thought that she was aware of what was going on. Geet had tried to get Dadi to tell her what was going on, but Dadi feigned ignorance. Geet was left to ponder on the odd behavior of the males of the family that had started the night she got her driver's permit.
Apr. 5, 2011 7:50 pm
"JD, JD, where are you? JD, it's almost time for bed!"
Geet had thought that JD was watching cartoons like he often did before bed, but when she went to the media room he wasn't there. She looked in his room and he wasn't there. He wasn't with Dadi and he wasn't in the kitchen. The only other place Geet could imagine him to be was in her office on her computer. She started making her way there and as she turned the corner into the hallway, she heard voices coming from Maan's office.
"So there's Petunia, Sookie and Stella. Which one do you like, JD?"
"I like that one."
"Why?"
"'Cause it's black."
"Sookie is black too."
"But I like that one."
"Stella? Okay, we'll go with Stella."
"What are you guys doing in here?"
Maan and JD looked up at Geet, clearly surprised by her presence. They were sitting at Maan's desk, with JD on Maan's lap, clearly having been looking at his computer screen. Geet knew her little JD well, and he had the look on his face whenever she had caught him doing something that he shouldn't be doing. Geet couldn't figure out what they were up to, trying to get a look at the computer, but Maan shut it down and closed the laptop before Geet could see what had been occupying their attention.
"Geet, what are you doing here?" asked Maan casually.
"It's time for JD to be in bed. Anyway, I would like to know what you two were doing here, when I remember JD telling me that he was going to watch cartoons." Geet folded her arms, giving them both a look that said she expected an answer.
JD looked at Maan nervously, but Maan calmly replied, "We were just having a little guy time."
"Guy time?"
"Yeah, GT, me and Uncle were having guy time. But I'm ready for bed now." JD put his hand over his mouth and yawed, though Geet would swear the yawn was fake. "Goodnight, Uncle. Don't forget."
"Goodnight, JD. Don't worry, I won't forget."
Apr. 7, 2011 10:35 pm
That was only one of many instances where Geet had found Maan and JD together, talking quietly with each other. This was not their usual behavior, so Geet was naturally curious. At the same time she was pretty sure she knew what upcoming occasion was the cause for all this 'guy time' they were having, but she was still no closer figuring out what exactly they were planning.
Apr. 8, 2011 6:42 am
"Happy Birthday, GT!"
Geet felt a thump on her bed and then a little warm body crawling on top of her as she woke up to those congratulatory words. Opening her eyes, she saw two little brown ones staring down at her. JD said his happy birthday to her again, putting his small arms around her neck and kissing her cheek. Geet put her arms around JD, reciprocating his hug.
"What are you doing up so early?" she asked.
"I wanted to wake you up with 'Happy Birthday', and Uncle and I are making you birthday breakfast, aren't we, Uncle?"
"That's right, JD."
It wasn't until he spoke that Geet realized that Maan was standing in her doorway. His arms were crossed and he was looking at her with an expression that was designed to turn her into a pile of goo. She couldn't keep her gaze on his, she was so self-conscious about the fact that he was in her bedroom this early in the morning. In fact, she didn't even want to let her thoughts drift in that direction because it was just too dangerous.
Turning her attention away from those sinfully dark eyes to JD, Geet asked, "Is this why you went to bed early last night?" When JD nodded yes, Geet touched his nose, commenting, "Sneaky."
"Yeah, and besides breakfast Uncle and me are taking you out today and you won't guess what else..."
"JD, remember that we are surprising GT, today, right? So don't tell her too much."
"Oh, that's right. GT, you just get ready and come for breakfast. All you need to know is that we planned fun stuff for the whole day."
"The whole day?" came the surprised response. "But you have to go to school."
JD was shaking his head no, and looking so much like like the Khurana he was as he pronounced, "No school today. Uncle said that your birthday is a holiday, so I don't have to go to school. Now, hurry and get ready."
JD was almost out the door when he suddenly turned to Maan and exclaimed, "Uncle, you didn't wish GT a happy birthday!"
Without taking his eyes from her face, and giving her a gaze that sent delicious shivers down her spine, Maan answered, "I will."
Apr. 8, 2011 9:00 pm
When JD said they had stuff planned for the whole day, they weren't kidding. Breakfast, once they finally got things figured out with a little help from Dadi, was pineapple pancakes. While they ate Geet had tried her interrogation techniques on them, but no one gave her the slightest hint about what the plans were. Even little JD, who could never keep his mouth shut, refused to give away one single detail. The first that she knew they would be spending time outside the house was at 9:30 am, when Maan told her to come with him and JD in the car.
Having never been a person who drove, Geet was unfamiliar with most Chicago suburbs. The route that Maan chose was unfamiliar to her, and she wasn't sure where they were going. After a little more than half an hour of driving, Maan finally pulled into a large parking lot, that Geet saw belonged to the Golf Mill Shopping Center. Geet had never been to this place before, and couldn't figure out why Maan and JD would bring her here. It wasn't until JD said that they were really near the place with the pets and where they ate India food, that Geet started to get a clue. She asked Maan if the two of them had started secretly planning all this while she was getting her driver's permit. Maan just grinned at her without saying anything except that their next activity was JD's idea, so he would let him be the one to tell what they were doing. JD was excited to be in charge. It made him feel like a big boy. As they all got out of the car, JD grabbed Geet's hand and eagerly began pulling her towards the large doors of the shopping center.
First on their itinerary was a movie. They headed over to the AMC Showplace Niles 12 Theatre, bought lots of snacks, drinks and popcorn, before going to watch the movie Hop. The movie had naturally been JD's choice, as it was all about the Easter Bunny's son. They all laughed a lot, but JD the most. He thought it was so funny that the bunny pooped jelly beans. When the movie was finished, Maan declared that Geet would practice driving around the parking lot. JD was super excited to see Geet driving, but Get didn't feel the same way. She had only driven up and down the large drive way back at the mansion, and she was concerned not only for how busy the mall was, but also that JD was with them. When Maan started to argue with her, Geet protested that it wasn't right to make her do something she didn't want to do on her birthday. Maan would not accept that argument, saying that she had to practice her driving every day, and there wouldn't be an opportunity later. With JD's continued insistence and Maan's logical reasoning, Geet gave in.
In the end, the three had quite a lot of fun as Geet drove all around the parking lot, practicing how to pull into a parking space and how to back out. She thought that there must have been many people who thought she was crazy, seeing her drive around aimlessly, but as Maan and JD were with her, she didn't care. By the time it had reached 12:30, everyone was hungry. Geet thought that Maan would take them somewhere else, but no, they went right back inside the mall, to the food court. Since it was Geet's birthday, she made the decision to get their lunch from Great Steak and Potato Co. There were all sorts of choices, and Geet couldn't resist ordering the Wisconsin Inside Out, in memory of the place she grew up. JD of course knew nothing about the significance, but Maan was glad to see one more evidence that she was really starting to put the past behind her.
On the drive home, JD fell to sleep almost immediately, allowing Maan and Geet to talk uninterrupted. Geet was really surprised by what they had done so far, and teased Maan. What would his important business associates think if they saw the famous MSK enjoying food and a movie at a mall like an ordinary person? In the past Maan would never have stood for anyone making fun of his image, but today it didn't matter. He frankly told Geet that only as long as he was with her was he able to enjoy life, regardless of how simple an ordinary the activities may be. Geet had only been joking, but that heartfelt confession by her Maan was enough to make her teary-eyed with emotion.
They arrived home in the early afternoon and Geet had been unsure what would happen next. Her uncertainty increased when Maan blindfolded her and he and JD each took one of her hands and started leading her around to the back of the mansion. As they neared the back, Geet could hear a faint noise. The noise continued to get louder the closer they came to the backyard and garden area. Geet recognized what must be making the noise, but couldn't understand why she would be hearing it. When she felt a wet nose touching her hand, she pulled off the blindfold and saw a black dog with white chest and feet wagging it's tail, and sniffing her.
JD excitedly began telling her that it was his idea to get her a dog, the dog's name was Stella, and that they had got her from the animal helping place. Geet immediately recognized the name "Stella" from the time she interrupted them a few nights ago, but she didn't understand the rest of what JD said. Maan explained that JD had wanted to get her a dog for her birthday after visiting PetSmart, and it had been Maan's idea to adopt a homeless animal from one of Chicago's animal shelters. They had looked at different dogs online and JD picked Stella. Geet saw Nakul standing off to the side and wanted to know if he was in on the whole thing. Nakul explained how it had been his job to look after Stella in the carriage house after she was brought home.
The rest of the afternoon was spent with Geet getting to know Stella and she and JD playing with her in the back. Maan joined occasionally, but he also took time to oversee the rest of the day's preparations. That included helping Dadi, who had declared that she wanted to make a traditional Punjabi dinner for Geet's birthday, and Maan was anxious to see that she didn't overwork herself. When dinner was finally ready, Geet was not allowed to lift a morsel of food for herself, instead being fed by everyone on JD's insistence. The meal was finished off by a chocolate cake that had the words "Happy 24th Birthday Geet" written in white frosting.
A little more playing with Stella after dinner was the way Geet's birthday ended for JD. Having had a wonderful day with his GT, he quickly got ready for bed and was asleep within minutes of putting his head on the pillow. Soon enough Dadi was also ready to retire and Nakul was given the responsibility of watching Stella, as Maan wanted to spend the remaining time alone with Geet. That was why, even after the entire events of the day, Geet was once again being blindfolded and led through the house by Maan.
Geet tried to guess where he might be taking her, but Maan was very sneaky. Instead of going the direct route, he took her all through the house until her sense of direction wasn't working anymore. Finally he took her inside a room, where he started some soft music before taking off the blindfold.
Geet looked around and immediately knew where they were, even though she had never been in the room before. The entire front half of the second floor was dedicated to the mansions' ballroom, a room that was rarely used, and only opened once a month when the cleaning service came to take care of it. Maan had had it decorated from top to bottom with red. There were small round tables placed all around the edge, each with a dozen red roses in a beautiful crystal vase. Large swaths of glittering red fabric were draped across the ceiling from the chandeliers to the walls. The lighting was low and soothing, and gave the entire room a romantic atmosphere.
Maan held out his hand towards Geet and asked softly, "May I have this dance?"
Without hesitation Geet placed her hand in his and he led her to the middle of the room. The music played a mixture of different songs, which allowed them to experience all the different emotions a couple can when they dance together. Maan and Geet were so wrapped up in each other that they were not even aware of how much time passed. They spoke very little, using their movements to convey their thoughts. Geet found the experience so intoxicating that she wasn't even aware of the times when Maan's hands explored a little more than past times.
When Geet noticed that the music started repeating, she asked Maan, "How long have we been dancing?"
"I don't know. There was at least two hours of music in the playlist."
"It must be late. We should be getting to bed." Maan agreed, but neither of them moved to release each other. Instead their arms only tightened more and Geet rested her head comfortably on Maan's chest.
After a few minutes Geet felt Maan's lips brush her head, and then heard him say, "Happy Birthday, Geet."
She smiled, lifting her head up, and responded, "This was the best birthday I ever had. I'm glad that you chose the activities that you did, and didn't do something crazy like buy me a car."
Maan laughed and said honestly, "I thought about it, but I know that your not the kind of girl who cares much about expensive things. We've already enough cars for you to chose from, and I thought you would enjoy things where we could all spend time together."
A tender smile came on Geet's face as she said, "I'm glad that you know me so well."
She looked so beautiful that Maan thought he had never seen a sight more lovely. She was everything he ever wanted, but for years had thought he would never have. He wanted her with him for ever. He felt the words that would make her his well up inside him, waiting to be said. He was on the verge of posing the most important question of his life, when he felt a small pang of fear that had him hesitating.
To cover up the tension that had started to take over, he said, "I wasn't quite sure about getting you the dog, but JD insisted that you had to have a dog."
Geet laughed. "I suspect that Stella is somehow going to become JD's dog as much as she is mine. However, what I really want to know it, did the great MSK actually adopt a dog from an animal shelter?"
"What, you don't think that I can be compassionate towards animals and what to give a dog that's had a hard life a good home?"
"I didn't say that," responded Geet with a smile, enjoying this opportunity of teasing Maan. He was still sometimes too serious, and she wanted him to loosen up more.
Whatever response Geet was expecting, Maan quickly moving her hands behind her back and glaring at her was not it. "So what did you mean, huh? Tell me, Geet."
As Maan started moving towards her, Geet was forced to back up. "I just meant that you seemed the kind of person who would be more comfortable going to a pet store."
"Oh, really. So that means you think I'm some sort of rich snob?"
"No." Geet felt her back touch the wall, but that didn't stop Maan. He kept moving closer until his face was no more than an inch away from hers.
"Then what did you mean? What have I done that makes you think I'm incapable of doing things like regular people?"
It was hard for Geet to concentrate when Maan was pressed against her so aggressively like he was at that moment, but she did manage to say, "Well, you did spend three quarters of a million dollars just to buy me a Van Gogh drawing."
When Geet mentioned the Van Gogh, a strange light appeared in Maan's eyes. "You know, I had a lot of plans for that evening that were spoiled. I think maybe I'll carry them out now."
Without warning Maan crushed Geet to himself, capturing her mouth with his own, violently plundering the sweet depths of her mouth. Geet was shocked at first, but soon began fully participating in the passionate kiss. It was a long time before they broke apart, with Geet forgetting to get the answer to her question about the animal shelter.
Apr. 7, 2011 10:00 am
From the News page of the Friends of Chicago Animal Care and Control webpage.
A Large Donation!
A wealthy patron who wishes to remain anonymous has generously donated 500,000 dollars after recently adopting one of the animals from our shelter. This money will be used to pay for facility upkeep, food, medical care, and other services that are badly needed by Chicago's homeless animals. We are very thankful to this wonderful patron and also to all the other kind Chicagoans who have continued to support us in our efforts to promote animal adoption.
(Check out the next page, there is a conversational post with lots of goodies.)
Finally I updated and it's a long one, so..... Anyway, lots of goodies surrounding Geet's birthday.
In order of appearance in the update.
Petunia
Sookie
Stella
Ballroom - undecorated
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