FF: Serendipity [Completed] - Page 2

Chapter 2:

There were no walls, there were no boundaries; his scope for expansion was practically limitless.

"Maan?" He heard someone call him. He turned around to see his friend with a woman, waiting on him.

"I am sorry that something like this happened Dev. I came here as fast as I could," he said, apologetic about the episode. "I wish I could apologize to that woman too," he added quietly.

Dev couldn't respond to Maan immediately. He discreetly exchanged glances with the other woman in the room, Nayantara. Both had noticed that Maan was steadily refusing to meet her eye or even acknowledge her presence.

"Maan, turn around please," Nayantara said, shaken from his blatant disregard for her presence. He continued to stand still making no indication of having heard her plea.

"Here is your water Maan," Dev handed him a glass. "Do you want anything else?" He said softly. Their friendship had lasted for more than a decade and the sight in front of him wasn't foreign to him. In fact it was one of the first things he came to know about Maan; that Maan was claustrophobic.

"Thank you Dev. I am sorry for..." He trailed and motioned his hand in general direction, still studiously ignoring Nayantara.

"Hey, it's okay. There is no need to apologize. I am sorry for calling you out at this time and labeling it as an emergency," Dev couldn't be sorrier. Maan drank water and took several deep breaths.

"What did you want to tell me?" Maan asked bringing little bit of life back into his voice. Dev and Nayantara exchanged glances making Maan frown inwardly.

"Sorry, I am little late," a voice came from the door.

"Geet, come in," Nayantara welcomed heartily. Geet tucked a curl behind her ear, a nervous tick she had since she was a child. She smiled warmly at Dev and then her eyes fell on Maan; the man who had created havoc on her mind from the time she took him in her arms. She felt her cheeks growing warm at the memory and only a tad moment late she realized in horror that she had been staring at the man the whole time.

"Are you okay Geet?" Nayantara asked her friend who had turned a shade of pink. Geet merely shrugged and smiled back in response.

"You wanted to meet me urgently?" Geet asked looking from Nayantara and then to Dev.

Dev cleared his throat and motioned everyone towards sofa at the other end of office. It didn't miss his eyes when Maan stole one last look at the open window and let out a troubled sigh. He wondered how Maan would take the news.

"You are our closest friends, granted you never met each other before. We wanted to tell you the news before we break it to others," Nayantara said, holding Dev's hand.

"We have decided to get married," Dev exclaimed happily.

Geet jumped from sofa and dived to hug the happy couple exclaiming wishes and congratulations. It took the three of them several moments to notice that Maan had quietly slipped away from the room. Only when the door was shut behind him did Nayantara looked at the door and averted her eyes.

Geet looked at the couple in confusion when their moment of happiness was slowly turning solemn.

"Is everything okay?" Geet asked, still confused about the couple and Maan's behavior. It all seemed like daytime drama.

"Yes," Nayantara forced a smile and refused to meet Dev's eyes.

"I'll see you guys later," Geet said standing up and picking up her bag. "I...need to go. Congrats again," she added cheerfully and exited the room before Tara or Dev could react.

She had to talk to Maan. And suddenly that seemed like the most important task to do.

She had no idea why her heart was hammering in her chest at the thought of meeting him.

To be continued

Originally posted by: sindu555

awesome start... loved the vulnerable Maan ...

plzz add me to the pm list ...

waiting for more

love

Sana

Chapter 3:

It was the echo of his footsteps which made her run towards the staircase. Once broken into a run, she had first come near elevators only to realize her obvious mistake. His footsteps had called her out the next moment.

"Maan, wait," she said climbing down the stairs. Maan, who was walking down briskly halted for a moment and then turned around. Her clambering had alerted him much before she called out his name. He sighed deeply when the sound of her feet neared.

She was the last person he wanted to talk to. Awkwardness was something that followed him like a cursed shadow.

He waited patiently for her to arrive and he fathomed she would know he would be waiting for her at some point of time but her continued clambering had him wonder about her intentions.

"There you are," she said panting heavily once she reached the floor where Maan was standing. The staircase was amply lit and she couldn't see the traces of his earlier persona on him. In his jeans, t-shirt, converse and messenger bag combination, he looked like any other guy she met on street; hiding their insecurities and inhibition under an almost perfect mask.

"Yes?" He asked her, sparing her a look of pure curiosity.

"I...you...I..." She stammered. She had no idea why she bolted off from Dev's office in the first place. It was perhaps she caught a glimpse of his dissatisfaction in the way he had shut the door behind him. Or probably his residual aura seeped into her system and made her do things she would probably never do otherwise. She hated that feeling of not-knowing.

"What?" Maan cut her when she was simply being incoherent. He knew he was being unnecessarily caustic with a friend's friend but he didn't care. The news of Dev and Nayantara marrying had turned his senses cold.

She breathed slowly till the racing of her heart reduced to normalcy and the warmth of flush cooled. At the same time she collected her thoughts to confront the man who met only an hour before and had no idea why she was desperately trying to hang on to something intangible.

"I am sorry," she blurted out before she could stop herself. She cursed inwardly when she saw confusion creep his face and when a realization of her words set in, his handsome face started to scowl.

"What are you...?" He halted and waited till all the random threads in his head got together to form one tight yarn. He maintained eye contact with Geet whose eyes betrayed whatever she was thinking. It didn't take him more than handful of moments to understand the implication of her words. That innocent apology held key to many things he was unaware of; like Geet's knowledge of his infatuation with Nayantara for instance.

"Don't you dare," he whispered harshly. "Don't you dare," he repeated again. She didn't know if that was for his conviction or hers. She didn't dare to question that.

"I just...'" she trailed, not knowing how else to talk to him, console him.

For a brief moment she considered the wild idea of hugging him close to her chest and telling him that everything was going to be alright. She didn't know why an inexplicable need to brush off his frown lines itch her fingers. A terribly tragic persona wrapped him in its embrace and it annoyed her that he didn't even bother fight it.

"I just wanted to make sure you are okay," she said haltingly and reprimanding herself in her head. The whole business of following him was now turning out to be a very bad idea.

Maan merely grunted in response, turned around and started climbing the stairs.

She suddenly felt angry, sad and frustrated. It wasn't the greatest combination of emotion and it was a mix doomed for failure and heartbreak; and sprouting unnecessary words at worst circumstances.

"You could have at least congratulated her," she whispered to herself and looked down her shoes. Had she been looking straight, she would have seen the fluidity in his action; the way he swirled around and climbed two stairs at once and pushed her against the wall. A breath left her throat when he grabbed her and pushed her against the wall, and she let out a yelp of pain when her back harshly contacted the wall.

He grabbed her wrist and held it above her head and pressed her body with his.

"Mind your own damn business Geet and stay out of my life," he hissed in her ears.

Her tongue felt sandpaper dry and her wrists hurt. His grip was strong and painful which made her bite her lip hard.

"Do you understand?" He growled in her ears strengthening his hold on her wrist. She tasted blood on her lips. Had it been any other guy or some other moment, she would have kneed the guy in groin and elbow his stomach. But in that moment she relented. She hadn't knowingly crossed the line but what she had heard of him, it was pretty serious deal.

There was a flutter in her stomach at this physical closeness. He was terribly angry with her and was currently holding her wrists and caged her with his body but that feeling she had felt earlier had returned again; the sense of tranquility that chased away her loneliness.

Tears sprung into her eyes when the high octane drama of the past hour suddenly washed down her. The vulnerable man was long gone and in his place stood one with pride and ego.

She turned around to nod her head and winced when the pain finally caught up with her addled brain. At that moment he jumped away from her, as if he had breached a century old promise of abstain. They stood look at each other for several moments.

"I am sorry. That was out of line," he said.

And with those words, he was gone. She collapsed on the floor several minutes later.

Originally posted by: Simran_14

awesome

loved it so far

sounds interesting

plz cont soon

n add me to ur pm list