MG FF - Gharwali, Baharwali - note page 149 06/12 - Page 87

Chapter 24

"Maan!"

Maan had been sat in his room, intensely focused on the laptop before him when he heard his Dadima call for him.

She never usually called for him before, so he began to panic & rushed to the landing.

"Dadima is everything ok?" he asked, running down the stairs in a dishevelled state with his hair messy, his shirt loose from his trousers & barefoot.

Dadima, Dev & an unsuspecting man with measuring tape around his neck gave Maan a skeptical look.

"The tailor's here," Dadima said, eyeing her grandson with a disapproving glare.

"Tailor? You never told me about a tailor."

"Because I knew you would disagree. I am aware that you disapprove of social interactions with people but this has to be done. I can't have you both wearing too tight or too loose sherwanis on your wedding day."

"Try not to get your head stuck in it like last time, bro," Dev sniggered, referring back to the engagement incident.

Maan shot him an evil glare as he stepped forward to greet the tailor. Upon closer inspection, the tailor looked rather... feminine.

"I'll leave you guys to it, I have enough preperation of my own to do," Dadima said & sauntered off upstairs.

"I'm Romeo," the tailor purred, winking at Maan who moved back, startled. He shot a glance at Dev, who looked as equally stunned.

"I'm Maan, this is my brother Dev."

"My my, what handsome young men. Your brides must be very, very lucky." His voice was high pitched yet somewhat sultry at the same time.

"Why don't we just get on with it?" Maan snapped, feeling highly uncomfortable. He made a mental note to confront Dadima afterwards.

"Oh dear, so much anger is not good for the aura."

"Aura?"

"It's a meditation thing, bro," Dev chimed in, but was silenced when he saw Maan's annoyed expression. "I saw it on the TV," he finished off quietly.

~

Back in Hoshiarpur, Geet found herself in a dressing room holding a very heavy bridal lengha in her hand.

"This thing must weigh more than me," she muttered.

"Geet are you done yet?" Rano asked.

"No."

A short silence followed, then Geet heard gasps & the sounds of oohs & aahs.

Pulling her curtain back, she saw her twin sister looking beautifully dashing in a red lengha

Pari's Lengha

"You look like a princess," Rano said, feeling emotional.

"Truly beautiful," Geet added.

Pari turned to face her sister & smiled.

"Geet, have you not even tried yours yet?" Rano exclaimed, breaking off the sisterly moment as she saw her daughter still dressed in her salwar kameez.

"I, er, I was waiting to see Pari first, Maa."

"We don't have all day, now please hurry up."

Geet muttered as she pulled the curtains back & tried her dress on reluctantly.

Moments later, Geet angrily threw the curtains back & stood in her lengha.

Geet's Lengha

"Geet you look absolutely beautiful!" Rano beamed, using a tissue to dab at her eyes.

"Maa took the words out of my mouth," Pari added, feeling elated.

But Geet thought otherwise. "It weighs more than me! I can't even walk in it, my torso is being crushed and-"

"Dear oh dear, a complaining bride?!"

Rano's eyes bulged out as she saw the tall, figure with extravagant overuse of make up stood just behind Pari, beaming as she revealed her perfect white teeth.

The formidable Veera, or Tayyi-ji as she was known to Geet & Pari.

"Well well, what do we have here?" she asked, walking up to Geet in her incredibly long heels. Rano looked on disapprovingly; it was fair to say she didn't think much of her sister in law.

"Tayyi-ji?" Geet asked, surprised.

"Yes darling, it's me!" She squeezed Geet into a hug, who was already feeling suffocated in the lengha & needed to be released for air.

Veera then hugged Pari, who felt compelled to hug back, although she raised a mock eyebrow at Geet who shrugged her shoulders.

Veera stopped in front of Rano & hugged her loosely, pretending to care.

"When did you come from Canada?"

"Just yesterday. My dear brother Mohinder informed me of the wedding, I just had to be here!"

"Did he now?" Rano asked, twisting the ends of her dupatta.

"Well of course! My two gorgeous nieces, becoming brides, I wouldn't miss it for the world! Althought I do regret not bringing some dresses over from Canada, they are much more stylish."

"I think we're better suited to Indian," Rano replied tersely.

"It was just a thought, Rano. Loosen up, darling. You're looking all tense."

~

"You've taken down the measurement 5 times!" Maan barked.

Romeo was enjoying the close promixity to the incredibly dashing Maan Singh Khurana. He had overheard his girl peers gush many times over the hot tycoon, & now he was face to face with him.

He had to seize the moment.

He was unneccesarily touching Maan's flexed arms with the measuring tape repeatedly, making sure he ran his fingers over the bulging muscles. He had taken the measurement down correctly the first time; his physique was just too much to resist.

"You touch my arm one more time & I'll break your hand," Maan threatened.

Dev had been watching his brother's unfortunate encounter with the tailor & was dreading his turn. He was coming up with ideas to get out of it.

"Er, bro, i think I can hear my phone ringing," Dev said, standing up.

"It can wait," Maan ordered him, indicating for him to sit down.

"It might be Pari."

"It can wait," he repeated more sternly, indicating in Romeo's direction that Dev had to stay & couldn't leave him alone with the tailor.

Dev reluctantly sat down, sighing heavily.

"Don't worry darling," Romeo purred, eyeing Dev. "Your turn will come very soon."

Dev feigned a smile, wondering how on earth Dadima had chosen him to take their measurements.

"I need to do the other arm," Romeo said, eyeing his flexing biceps. Maan stood up, knocking the tape over.

"I'll measure it myself."

"But-"

"You've done one arm. That's more than enough. Dev, measure me up."

"Me?" Dev asked in a small voice.

"Yes, you. Romeo here can read out the measurements."

"But Savitri-ji said I had to-"

"You're wasting our time." He threw the tape over to Dev.

Romeo was dejected & grudgingly agreed to read the measurements out. Atleast he would still get paid.

Dev measured his brother's arm, then his shoulder length, torso but stopped when it came to measuring his leg length.

"What is it?" Maan asked.

"Bro, this is kind of uncomfortable."

"Why would it be uncomfortable?"

"Because-"

"We're brothers. I helped you potty train. Now hurry up."

"You didn't have to mention the potty training," Dev mumbled as he measured his leg.

Once Dev was done with Maan's measurements & ensured Romeo had wrote them down, Maan angrily measured Dev up, hastily placing the tape wherever he felt neccessary.

"I-I don't think you measured his arm lengths properly," Romeo suggested to Maan.

Maan shot him an evil look & threw the tape at him once he was done.

"You can improvise when you make the suits. Now leave."

"Er, when-when do they need to be-"

"I'll get my Dadima to call you. There's the door."

Romeo quickly gave the Khurana brothers a nod of the head before rushing out of the house, regretting that he had ever wanted to meet Maan Singh Khurana.

"Bro what was all that about?" Dev asked.

"He was touching me up!"

"I know, and that was wrong but you didn't need to be so harsh on him."

Maan ran a hand through his hair, and after a short silence, spoke. "Everything's a joke." He said, lost in his thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Dev asked, confused.

"I just want to be left alone," he stated. Dev took it as an indication & stood up, shooting a worried glance at his elder brother before he left the house.

As the wedding approached, he began feeling more apprehensive about the proposition on which his & Geet's marraige was based on. He was fully aware that she didn't see him the way he saw her.

And at first, he had been fine with that. He had thought that along the line he'd be able to convince her & hopefully she'd realise her feelings.

But ever since their visit to Delhi, it had been a slap on his face. He had realised that Geet was not one to be changed so easily.

He observed Dev & the way he felt genuinely happy about Pari, & couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. His younger brother was marrying out of love. His love story, or desired love story, seemed far from completion.

The confusing thoughts & rush of emotions led his anger to being a lot more visible these days & he was taking it out on everyone.

He had to confront Geet.

If she had no intention whatsoever in taking this relationship further than a marraige proposal, he was prepared to call the wedding off.

Maan Singh Khurana was not willing to give up his life to someone who possibly may never feel the same way.

~

As Geet sat in her bedroom that night with most of her wedding stuff laid beside her on the bed, she wondered if she was doing the right thing.

She had always said to herself she'd marry out of love. But Maan's proposition had been all that she had ever wanted. And at that time, she had thought that marrying then running a business afterwards would fulfill both her wishes & her parents.

But as the days got closer, Geet became more anxious than ever.

She didn't even know if Maan liked her or not. Sometimes she felt as if he did; certain things he said or did led her to believe so.

But other times, he appeared indifferent to her presence.

It didn't help that her twin sister was clearly in love with her fiance. That her parents thought she was ready to become a wife. That Dadima had high hopes for her as the eldest Khurana bahu.

Geet realised she would have to confront Maan before the wedding somehow.

She couldn't go through with this if neither of them wanted it.

She would always have a nagging feeling eating away at her conscience if she didn't talk the marraige through with Maan properly & work out what they both wanted.

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