Chp.24 Another rendezvous by destinyGeet couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. How could Princess Sasha talk to Princess Pinky in such an offhand manner, especially when she was fully aware of how harsh life had been on her? Instead of consoling her and trying to make her forget her grief, she was aggravating her by her words and actions. Geet didn't understand how could a sister be so inconsiderate towards her own sister. She thought that when Gauri said that Princess Sasha and Princess Pinky were total opposites of each other, she meant it in every regard. Geet didn't know what to do. After contemplating the whole afternoon, she decided to go and see Pinky. Pinky was sitting in her room and weeping when there was a knock on the door. She got up, wiped her tears and asked the person to enter. To her surprise, Geet walked in. She allowed herself a quick look around the room. It was big and spacious with a sitting area in the front, where the princess entertained her guests and it also housed a personal library and then the bedroom. But it was all done in dull and pale shades which Geet didn't fail to notice. Geet looked at Pinky's face and her puffy and swollen eyes clearly indicated that she had been crying. However, she tried to act as normal as possible.
"Hey Pinky, how are you?" she asked.
"Geet! What a surprise. Have a seat," she replied. Geet seated herself on a chair opposite Pinky.
"So what brings you here?" queried Pinky.
"Actually I've finished my work and was free so I was wondering if you were free and didn't mind then could you join me? I wish to visit the temple but since I'm new here I don't know the way," replied Geet
while praying for a positive reply.
"Geet, I do not have the liberty to go out of the palace, but since you wish to go to the temple, I can join you because there are no restrictions for that," she replied.
Geet heaved a sigh of relief and replied, "Oh, thank you so much. I'm ready what about you?"
"Just give me two minutes," she replied disappearing into the bathroom. She changed and returned after a while.
"Okay, let's go," she said. Geet smiled and they left.
Pinky asked her personal servant to stay back and told her that if anyone asked for her, then she was going to the temple. Pinky was silent on the way so Geet decided to start a conversation. "Why are
you not allowed to go outside the palace?" she asked casually.
"Well Geet, being a widow, life is tough," Pinky replied without emotion. Geet didn't know where this would lead, she knew that it would also mean digging wounds and hurting Pinky in the process but she decided to carry on, "but being a widow doesn't mean being dead, you are still a human and still have feelings and emotions."
"No Geet, these are the customs and traditions which are followed right from the time of our ancestors and nothing is more important than the ancestral values and traditions of the Khuranas," replied Pinky.
"Traditions which slowly but brutally kill a person by destroying their confidence and self-respect? Traditions which crush hopes and kill expectations?" asked Geet.
***
After returning from the temple Pinky and Geet both went their own ways. Geet went to BR's room whereas Pinky retired to her room. She sat contemplating over Geet's words. She was pretty surprised and impressed by Geet's boldness. People around her would always think before speaking and would always manipulate their words so as to impress her for their personal gains. But Geet's talks were very much selfless. Pinky hadn't got a chance to reply to Geet's words as they had reached the temple and on the way back both of them had remained silent. She admired Geet for her guts and she couldn't even deny the truth in her words. But Pinky had a vague feeling that Geet must've witnessed the scene that Sasha had created today earlier in the day. She thought that going to the temple with Geet hadn't been a bad idea after all. Initially, when Geet had asked her she wanted to refuse but then she had changed her mind. She liked Geet more and more with each passing day.
*****
Maan returned from work all tired, the day had been a hectic one. He had hardly found any time to think about Geet, but now that he had returned he wanted to know if Adi had found out anything from Pinky. He decided to meet Adi and find out, but Adi was nowhere to be seen. Maan decided to go to his room and check out. He knocked twice before Adi answered. He looked too tired. He greeted Maan and enquired about his presence. Maan asked him if he had got any information from Pinky but he replied in the negative. He didn't seem his usual self to Maan. He wondered what could have happened that Adi was so unusually quiet and disinterested. He asked Adi if there was any problem but Adi just said that everything was fine and Maan thanked him and left unconvinced.
Maan couldn't comprehend what the matter could be. He was engrossed in Adi's thoughts as he made his way back to his quarters. Maan sometimes wondered that Adi was not as open with him as he was with Adi. He felt that Adi often kept things with himself and he was more reserved with regards to his personal matters. Suddenly he felt a hard jerk in his ribs and soon found himself covered in red powder as he heard a bang. He was jerked out of his thoughts by a very sweet female voice apologizing, "I'm so sorry, please forgive me."
Maan looked down to find a girl picking up flowers and laddoos that were strewn across the floor. He bent down to help too but as soon as they laid their eyes on each other both of them jumped up in shock. Maan couldn't believe his luck, it was the Riverside girl!
Geet had been walking back to her room with a pooja thaal in hand lost in Pinky's thoughts and didn't look where she was going but was brought out of it when she banged into someone spilling color all overhim. She apologized but froze when she saw who it was. She quickly collected everything and apologizing, turned to leave, but stopped in her tracks when he called out to her, "Did I say I have forgiven you?" Geet couldn't believe what she heard, how could he do that! Her heart
beat quickened when she saw him coming towards her. Maan was glad that his words had done the task. He knew that if he simply called out to her, she wouldn't stop and would disappear like last night and he couldn't afford that. He needed to talk to her and desperately. Destiny had planned enough rendezvous for them, now it was his turn. He stood before her as she gave him a blank look. He smiled and said, "Well if I would've just called out to you, you wouldn't stop and just disappear like last night and I couldn't let that happen."
Geet couldn't believe her ears. Had she heard him right? Did that mean he had been thinking about her too?
"Why?" she asked him softly.
He opened his mouth to reply but then became quiet. She was staring at him trying to understand what he was doing, he wasn't looking at her. Suddenly he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her away from the corridor, behind a pillar. Geet was shocked, what was he doing? The force of the pull brought her very close to him as he stood with his back to the pillar. Her body was inches from his. Her heart was
beating wildly in her chest.
"Wha-," she tried to speak but he cupped his hand around her mouth muffling her words, his other hand having a firm grip on her shoulder. She wanted to know what was he up to but he wasn't even looking at her. It was then that she realized where he was looking. She followed his gaze and saw that it was directed to the place where they had been standing moments ago.
Geet was shocked to see Bhanumati standing there, looking around for the person who had created the mess in the corridor. Maan had heard footsteps approaching and so as a precaution he had grabbed her and moved away from there, which he now thought had been the right decision. They stood there silently, not daring to breathe. Bhanumati couldn't find anyone so she called out to a servant and asked her to clear the mess and left. Maan and Geet heaved a sigh of relief. Maan turned to find Geet staring at him and he realized that his hand still covered her mouth. He moved it away but his other hand still
didn't move from his place. He apologized and she asked, "You're afraid of Bhanumati?"
Maan wasn't afraid of Bhanumati but was afraid of the amazing power of gossip and he in no case wanted to be a hot topic of gossip among the domestic help and staff of the palace. The Prince being caught with a girl although his alliance had already been fixed with Princess Nandini would definitely be an interesting topic to gossip about.
"Not really, you are not either? That's interesting. I didn't know, but then I hardly know anything about you, not even your name. What is your name?" he asked, eyeing her with interest.
"It's getting late, I have to go," she replied releasing herself of his grip and broke into a run.
Maan just didn't understand what her problem was. One moment before, she herself had started a conversation and when he asked her something, she disappeared as though she had seen a ghost. What could be the reason behind her disappearing every time? He sighed and turned to go back to his room when something on the floor caught his eye. He stooped to pick it up. It was an anklet (payal). She must've dropped it while running, he thought. He pocketed it with a smile. How many of her belongings would he have to collect before he could actually have a proper conversation with her? he wondered.
He walked back to his room still trying to figure out the reason behind Geet's disappearance every time. A servant approached him and said, "Kunwarji, the royal family is expecting you at the dinner table."
It was exactly at that moment that it clicked. Yes! He thought, the reason behind her disappearance maybe was his royal status! He was a Prince and maybe that was what kept her from talking to him. That was the only explanation he could find for her reserved behavior. He went to his room to change before going down for dinner. He looked at his white shirt which was now red, thanks to Geet, he thought. He smiled and took it off but instead of putting it in the laundry, he hung it in a corner in his wardrobe, put on another shirt and then joined his family for dinner after which he retired to his room for another
sleepless night. He took the anklet from his pocket and stared at it, lost in her thoughts. How long would it be before he would be able to have a proper conversation with her without her just running away like
this? He hoped it would be soon. He was feeling frustrated at his own desperation. He promised himself that come what may, the next time he was not going to let her escape without having a proper talk with her. He placed the anklet with her earring and tried to catch some sleep.
Geet on the other hand didn't know why she had run away from there. She just kept trying to come up with an explanation but in vain and the explanation which she came up with, she didn't want to accept it. When he said he couldn't let her go, she had been surprised yet happy. But then she thought maybe she was getting excited for no reason. Maybe he just wanted to thank her for saving his life in the forest
that day. She really wished she hadn't run away. She was behaving like thieves and not giving him a good impression at all. Impression? God! Why did she care about giving him an impression? What was happening to her? She decided to put his thoughts at bay and catch some sleep but she found that it was an uphill task.
Edited by tes_v1 - 13 years ago
Ishaani
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