Present
Taking another swig of the drink he held in his hand Maan reflected back on the two most important things in his life – one, his family and two, his business. His family meant the world to him because without them what did he have, who did he have? They showed him how to love, they made him laugh. They are the ones that made his life the best life he could have asked for. Then there was his business, a business that his father had started but both him and his brother had made successful. Together they had put their blood, sweat and tears into making Khurana Constructions the reigning empire that it was today. For his family he'd do anything and for his business he'd do anything, even if his heat was in a completely different place.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Past
Maan ended up staying abroad due to his business trip for about a month and a half. He hated every minute of it – he couldn't concentrate, his mind kept going to Geet. It annoyed him to no ends. No girl had ever had this kind of affect on him – no one had ever made it hard for him to eat, sleep or think. He had to take care of this 'situation' as soon as possible. Or else his business, health and most importantly, his sanity would all be destroyed before he knew it. He still couldn't wrap his head around how all of this was happening because he had only really seen Geet once, at the wedding. Apparently that was all it took for her to seep into his mind, heart and soul.
Maan had kept in touch with his family. He talked to his Pammi Bhabi on a daily basis because Teji was usually at the office when he called. Maan really liked her, she was a great person inside and out; he finally understood why his confirmed-bachelor brother had fallen head over heels in love with her. They talked about everything and anything, except for Geet that was – Maan just couldn't bring himself to ask his Bhabi about her younger sister. However, every once in a while when he did talk to Teji he would casually ask about her. It was through this that he found out about Geet coming by the house every now and then to visit with Pammi and what not. All Maan could think about was the fact that he wasn't there!
After his business deals and everything else was fixed he was looking forward to come home. He was happy, happier than he'd been in a long time. The day he booked his return flight he was ecstatic…actually, he was absolutely GIDDY!!
The day that Maan finally came home was not a good day in the least. The airport had been horrible, traffic and what not. When he got home no one was there – Teji Veerji was at the office, Pammi Bhabi and Biji were both out of the house; the only person there was their butler Nakul. Maan decided to go up to his room to rest. About an hour later he had heard Biji and Pammi Bhabi return but he was so tired, that he didn't even bother getting up. He figured he would just meet them once he was sure he would be able to stay awake for the conversations.
When Maan finally woke up it was almost six in the evening, Teji Veerji would be home any minute. He had just gotten out of the shower refreshed and was getting dressed when he heard a distinct voice, a voice that was calling someone 'Didi'. Maan had to see if he had really heard her voice or if his mind was playing tricks on him. He just grabbed a white shirt that was lying on his bed, yanked it over his shoulders and didn't even bother to button it. He walked out of his room and looked down to living room area but didn't see anything. Maan was disappointed because it looked like his mind was actually playing tricks on him. He was about to turn around and go inside when he heard her call again. He looked in the direction that the sound was coming from and that's when he saw Geet…there she was in the flesh, standing in his house looking as cute as ever, yelling at the top of her lungs.
Maan began descending the stairs and buttoning his shirt, but all the while he kept his eyes on Geet – he was afraid that if he looked away for a second she would vanish. He came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. He saw Geet turn in his direction and give him a beautiful and warming smile; what he didn't see was a door open behind him. The next thing he knew she began running toward him with her arms out stretched.
The only thought in Maan's mind was "Oh my God! She is going to hug me! She is coming to me!"
Maan stood with is arms out stretched ready to engulf her with his arms. There she was, coming closer…closer…closer…past him…………wait, past him? Maan turned to see a grinning Geet run into the arms of her sister, Pammi, who had just come out of the bathroom. Oh, how he wanted to be his Bhabi at that moment – holding Geet in his arms.
"Didi, congratulations!" Geet yelled. "Where is my Jiju?"
"Thanks my love," Pammi said as she took Geet into another hug. "…and your Jiju is still at work."
Geet looked shocked. "What…work…why? He shouldn't leave you in this condition."
That is when Maan finally spoke up, announcing his presence to both women. "What condition? Bhabi, are you ok?"
"Maan, you're awake!" Pammi said, with a smile on her face. "Biji and I have been waiting for you to get up. Have you me my sister, Geet?" she asked turning back to Geet.
"Oh yes, at the wedding. But Bhabi, are you ok?" Maan asked again. He didn't even realize that he was ignoring Geet, but at this point he was worried about his Bhabi. What condition was her sister talking about?
Maan caught a slight blush creep onto his Bhabi's face, while Geet stood next to her beaming.
"Oh come on Didi, don't be shy," she said, "…its normal." Geet waited for a few more seconds for Pammi to speak, but when she didn't, Geet continued. "Ok, she's not going to tell you because she is dying of embarrassment…but…congrats Maan!"
Maan watched as Geet stuck out her hand in an attempt to shake his. Maan confusingly advanced his own hand, still not fully able to understand what was going on.
"Umm, thanks I guess. But, for what?" he asked.
"You, Mr. Maan Singh Khurana, are going to be a Chacha!" Geet announced.
For a second Maan was confused, "A Cha…" but then it finally dawned on him, "Oh my God! Congratulations Bhabi!" Maan gave his Bhabi a quick hug, and by this point he too was beaming. "Just let that brother of mine come home, then I'll see him."
Pammi put a hand on Maan suddenly, "Actually, he doesn't know yet. I just found out myself. I haven't had a chance to tell him."
"Oh, I understand," Maan said. "That's fine, I'll get him later," he promised.
Maan had just turned to Geet so he could say a few words to her when she spoke up.
"Ok Didi, I have to go," she said as she hugged her sister again.
Before Maan could protest, Pammi did.
"Already?" she asked, "I mean, you just got here – at least have something to drink."
"You know I don't want to leave but I have to. I have an evening class, which I am already late for," Geet said as she glanced at her watch. "Ok Didi, bye…love you!" With one more hug Geet was off, but not before she yelled "Bye Maan, nice to see you again!" over her shoulder.
She was gone as fast as she had come. Maan wanted to kick himself, that was meeting #3 – another useless meeting. Of course he was happy for his Veerji and Bhabi, he was excited to become an uncle; but he couldn't get two words in with her.
Maan would never forget the reaction that Teji Veerji had when he found out that he was going to be a father – the shock, wonderment and happiness was all etched on Teji's face.
The next few months passed in a blur. Maan was swamped with work for their new projects. He thought about Geet every day, all the time – he couldn't help it. He caught glimpses of her in the house every once in a while; none were long enough to satisfy his hunger for her. He felt that even if he glared at her all day and all night, it still wouldn't be enough.
Then one day, it was like God answered his prayers. Maan had come home from a busy day at work. He was walking in with Teji Veerji when he heard laughter; not just any laughter but the laughter – the one that was music to his ears. As he walked further into the house, he saw Geet – sitting on the living room sofa, laughing her heart out with Pammi Bhabi. It was one of the best sights he had ever seen. Her hair was flying around her due to the fan, and her eyes were mirroring the sheer joy she was feeling. Maan just kept watching her…and watching her…and watching her…and………BAM! He had literally walked into a wall. He had been so busy gawking at Geet that he hadn't been watching where he as going.
As soon as he had collided with the wall all eyes flew onto him, even Geet's. Maan had never felt like a bigger idiot in his life. Of all the times for something like this to happen, it had to happen in front of Geet. He didn't know what to do or say, so he just retreated upstairs to his room. As he climbed the stairs he could hear Geet burst out into a fit of laughter as Pammi Bhabi tried to get her to be quite – although failed to control even her own laughter.
Later that evening, after discovering a big red bump on his forehead, Maan had found the courage to come back down to face his Veerji and Bhabi. He sat at the dinner table sighing in relief because Geet was gone; he didn't want her to see the remnants of his idiotic goof up. Biji, Teji Veerji and Pammi Bhabi were already at the table when he arrived. He saw movement coming from the kitchens direction. When he lifted his head to see what, or who, it was, he nearly fell out of his chair – it was Geet. Maan was shocked to see that she was still there – he was completely dumb founded. What was he supposed to do now?
Geet began serving everyone food. When she got to Maan she tried very hard not to laugh, everyone tried. In the end, they couldn't hold it in any longer; Geet was the first to laugh, but everyone joined in soon after. Geet was still standing next to Maan – he couldn't help but watch her because he was mesmerized by her.
Maan was finally broken out of his spell when Teji spoke to him.
"Maan, what happened to you today?" he asked.
"What?" Maan asked. "Nothing happened. I'm fine."
"Oh yeah, because you just walk into walls all the time!" Teji teased as he and Geet high fived each other; causing everyone to fall into a fit of laughter again
"What? No!" Maan yelled in retaliation, "That was…that…Oh, shut up!"
"You guys don't tease him," Pammi said, in defense of her devar. "Maan I hope that you didn't get hurt too badly. That bump looks really bad."
Pammi smoothed a gentle touch over his bump and winced herself.
"No, I'm fine. Really, it's nothing," he said.
The family went back to eating and making small talk. It wasn't until about 10 minutes that Teji finally spoke up.
"Oh Maan, I forgot to tell you…Geet will be staying with us through Pammi's delivery."
This one statement caused Maan to nearly choke on his food. Great, just great – add inability to eat to his inability to walk!
"Staying here…with us…but…" Maan couldn't finish his sentence because he wasn't even complete sure what he was trying to say. God! This girl was going to be the doom of him.
"Well, Geet's exams are over," Pammi said. "I can't seem to do too much work myself now days – I either get too tired or too nauseous. Geet being here will help me out a lot. I hope you don't mind," she added.
"Oh no, of course not Bhabi," Maan said. "If it helps you, then gladly."
Mind, no way. Why would he mind? Geet living here means he gets to see her all the time, where ever he wants. He would go to be happy every night happy knowing that she was in the same house as he was and that she would be there in the morning when he woke up too. It was a great feeling, odd but great.
Although, Maan was happy that Geet would be around more, he was also worried because Geet would be around more. Sure, she would be helping out Pammi Bhabi, but it also gave her the potential to see more of his stupid antics. For some reason when Geet was around Maan lost all grace and stability.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Present
Whenever Maan thought about the wall incident, his hand automatically went up to his forehead – it was a habit. He let out a little laugh. He had been a fool that day, lost in her beauty and innocence. Such a trivial thing brought her so much laughter and joy. Geet had laughed will all her heart that day and that night when she had seen her red bump.
Oh, to hear that laughter again. Anything, Maan would do anything to hear it again. If it meant walking into walls until he bled, he would gladly do it – just to hear her laugh once more. To give his heart and soul the sound that did things to him he never imagined possible. To see the sheer joy on her face again - once more…just once more…Maan would give his life for that laugh…just one more time.
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