Hey ! One Question : Who wants me to finish this SS before 6th Dec. ? As I am not in town for 15 days after that, It's HOLIDAY time ! So, either I can finish this SS before I left or I can update after I come home after almost 15 days, but for that I will have to stop at an interesting part and keep you anxious for many days ! 😈
So, tell me your choice ! I just finished THE END ! So, I can update now, but it would be too fast, and many of you will not get time to read even ! 😆
So, Slow motion updates OR fast-fast update as in One part per Day ?
I will go with the majority ! 😉
Say It ! 😊
Best Friends
Five
Maan successfully convinced Geet that his work was done in Mumbai, even though it was not, but he left after one week to Delhi, his home. He did not avoid her but he surely ignored passing time with her, they worked but he never took it to other level. It was tougher task to do for him as he knew his one wrong move could ruin his friendship and one more forward step to care for her would make it hard for his love, he would not stop himself from loving her and one step backward would ruin their friendship. He was confused for this balance act.
He spent more six months fighting with him, each and every night he would see himself in the mirror and close it and fight with himself not to love her. It was impossible for him, and the best possible way to ignore his thoughts was to keep himself busy in work and he did that which worked. He worked like maniac, for six months he traveled the world and worked, he ignored the calls from home, his dad, his sister and even Geet. The only excuse he gave to them was, work. It was like work was the best possible excuse to answer all the questions from everyone. His dad called him several times but he avoided. Geet tried to speak to him, he did speak but it was all limited. And he was succeeded as still Geet had no idea what was wrong with him except work as he presented himself as extremely busy in business and then, he was perfect in balancing his friendship and his one sided love.
***
Geet was done with her regular work and came home early, he tried to call Maan several times but he was not answering. It was something new for her; Maan never ignored her calls, as she knew he would surely call back her but this time it was five days and he did not call which disturbed her, she called at his office but they told her that he was not in office from last five days and she was scared. The only possible way to get to him was to call Aditi. She called Aditi.
'Hey…Aditi. How are you?'
'I am fine. How about you?'
'I am worried.'
'What?'
'Maan. Where is your brother? Why he is not picking up my calls from last five days. Where the hell is he?' she was angry on him.
'Oh…He did not tell you?'
'What?'
'He is here only. At hospital. With my dad.'
'What? What happened? Is he alright?'
'Oh…yes. Maan is fine. It's my dad. My dad is not well. He was diagnosed with last stage cancer last week, and he did not even tell us. It was from last eight months and we only knew last week when he collapsed. I am very scared, Geet. I don't know even know whether he would survive or not…' she cried.
'Shhh…Okay. Don't cry Aditi. Uncle will be fine. So Maan is with him?'
'Yes. Even I am shocked. He is with him in ICU from the moment he found out that dad is not well. He did not even come home from two days. May be that is the reason he did not picked up your calls. He is not leaving dad for a second even.'
'Oh my god…Aditi, do you want me? I can come if you want any help.'
'No. It's fine. We are fine. We have Maan. Okay, I have to go now, bye. We will talk later.'
And she cut the call leaving Geet worried for Maan. She completed her reply which she wanted to give to Aditi,
'I know you have Maan. But I am asking for Maan. He is there but who is there for him?'
***
He was angry, very angry on his dad. He was sitting on the chair beside the bed. From last five days he could not find rest, the minute he knew from Aditi about his father's cancer, he flied directly to the Delhi. He could not stop thinking about his dad, it was two days and three nights, he was there in ICU watching his dad. He did not lose hope until the doctors gave their final answer, he had no time left. They were late. He was late. He looked at his father angrily. He was waking up, in all these days he did not wake up but then, as if he sensed it that it was time, he slowly opened his eyes. His face was pale and he was weak. He looked at him with smiling face. He stood up from his chair and looked straight into his eyes,
'I had a right to know.' He said in plain voice.
'I thought you would not like it, and anyways…You talk less with me so...'
'…so what? You could have stopped me. You should have stopped me; you should have slapped me once and made me sit and listen. You should have kicked me hard to talk with you. Why didn't you try?' he was on edge, it was impossible for him to block his tears.
'I tried…'
'…Why didn't you try harder?' he shouted back. There were tears in his eyes.
There was silence in the room, he was standing with tears in his eyes, and his father was looking at him lovingly as if nothing changed, as if they were stopped in timeframe and it was once again before twenty years when his wife was alive and they loved their elder son like anything. How he carried him to the school, how he spoke his first word which was 'Pa', how he used to make race with his father and how he would lose purposefully just to see smile on his son's face. He smiled again, and Maan could not control anymore, there were tears slipping down his cheeks. He never cried in front anyone except his mother but now he could not stop, he just could not. And, after all, he thought, he was crying in front of his father, a part of himself. They were part of each other. His dad signed him to come to him and sit, he refused.
'Its time…I have to go. Please…I don't wanna go alone…It scares me…'
And swiftly he sat by his side and held both his hands tightly. They did not talk for few minutes and his father broke the silence,
'It was always your mother…'
'What?'
'I only loved your mother. She was the one.'
'Then why so many…'
'…life is too long and unfair, Maan. You can't spend it alone, never. You might love someone wholeheartedly but you can never spend all your life alone. You need a friend, you need support with each step of yours…I was just having support to walk through the life…I had friends who helped me walk through the life…Love is not something you should bind upon…it means freedom. I loved your mom, but I had to accept what happened…I could not cry lifelong for her…She would hate me if I'd end up like a loser…she hated losers…'
And they both smiled through tears.
He had nothing to say, he just looked at him. Again there was silence, and again he broke the silence.
'Geet is a nice girl, I am sorry it happened to her at this age…but she is lucky, you are with her.'
'What are you saying dad? What Geet has to do anything with…'
'…You love her, don't you?'
'I…'
'…You do. Don't waste it, Maan. Don't waste your time. I am proud of you that you brought our business to another level which I could not even dreamt of, but Maan…there is something called personal life, love and marriage.'
'Dad please…We don't need to…'
'Marry her.'
'Are you mad?'
'May be…as I am dyeing.' He laughed.
'Stop saying that. Nothing will happen to you, I talked with doctors, they said…'
'…I will die soon. Come on, Maan. I am your father, you can't fool me. I created you son…Be a brave boy like me and accept this.'
He did not say a word.
'It was always, love. I wonder why you both did not realize it.' He added.
Maan chose not to say anything.
'She completes you. Go spend your life with her. You know why?'
Maan signed him to answer it; he was not in a shape to talk much.
'Minimum Love is Friendship but Maximum Friendship is Love. And, you two are best friends…You two won't need anyone else because you are best friends, son.'
His father's one sentence made everything to clear. He understood what he was trying to explain him and all his questions were answered, his fights were over. But at that moment, he did not want to leave his father; he stopped his thoughts and looked at his father.
'I love you, Maan. I love you so much son.'
'I know. I love you, too dad. Its just that I…' he could not complete it and sobbed on his father's hands. He ran fingers in his son's dark brown hairs.
'Take care of yourself and Aditi. I wish I could see you getting married…but as I said, life is unfair.' He was smiling.
'I am sorry, Dad. I am so sorry' he kept chanting it until his father stopped him strongly.
'Maan…you don't have to. We both were at fault. At least you are here now, that's it. I am happy, you are holding my hands and I am not going alone.'
Maan did not get up to look up to him, he had no strength left. He just lay down on his father's one hand. And he kept running fingers in his hairs.
'I need to sleep now. Good night, Maan.' He said.
'Good night, Dad. I am here only okay? Sleep.' He said but he did not left his hands, he made him sleep carefully, and again sat on the chairs with his head beside his father's hands, keeping them close to his eyes.
When he woke up with startling feeling, it was morning, early morning. He just woke up to check on his father and he found no pulse. He was gone. His father was dead. He wanted to talk so much, all that he missed in those years in his stupid attitude and anger, and now when he understood it all, he could not talk since his father left him. He regretted his own acts. He went home and they finished all the rituals, he held Aditi in his arms and let her cry as much as wanted to. But he did not cry. He could not. There were only two persons on front of whom he would cry and they both were gone, his mother and his father. He could not cry. In between all this, he forgot to call Geet back and when she called it was evening, he picked up,
'Thank god you picked up phone Maan…How are you and how is your dad?' she said it hastily.
'Er…Geet. I am fine and Dad is…gone. I mean, he is no more. Last night, he passed away…'
'Oh…'
There was silence on the both the side for few seconds. She broke the silence.
'So…how was it? I mean…was it painful?'
'Hmmm…No. it was not. It was just…he was sleeping.'
There were tears in his eyes and slowly it started to make their marks on his cheeks. He was alone in his room; it was silent, dark evening. No one could see it as he wanted.
'Did you talk to him?'
'Yeah…we talked.'
He said in perfect normal voice so as Geet could not sense that he was crying. He controlled his husky and hoarse voice.
'Are you okay Maan? Do you want me to come?'
He quickly answered before she could finish,
'Of course, I am fine. No. Don't. Don't come as I am going US after two days, so it will not worth it. I am not here, what would you do?'
'Are you sure?'
'Of course, I am. Don't bother.'
And he cut the call before he burst out in tears and she would find out, he sat on the couch and cried for long time, like a baby. He missed his mother, he wanted to sleep in her lap and cry his heart out but the reality was bitter, he was alone, his parents were no more. For long time, he sat and cried and then, went to bed even if he knew, he could not sleep, and he tried and failed miserably.
It was midnight when his employee called to his room and informed him about the guest was there to see him; he was surprised as it was late and Geet could not come as she was not in town. He went to see who was there and he was shocked to see Geet standing on the door.
'What are you…'
'…I had to see by myself.'
She just said and moved forward and hugged him tightly. The way he hugged her and rested his head on her shoulder assured her that her decision to go there was not wrong. She did right. He completely surrendered himself to her, he could not control, he found all his 'I-am-fine' theory wrong and all he wanted to do was to give up everything on her. They both decided to sit in his room; it was silent, dark night. They sat without saying anything. He stood by window, staring in to the sky with blank look.
'I know you were crying.' She broke the silence.
'What?' he asked confusingly.
'On phone. I know you were crying. It's hard to hide it from me.'
He did not say anything. He just stood there staring again in to the sky.
'Its okay to cry…You lost your Dad, you can cry. I am not just anyone…I am your friend, your Geet.' She said and he turned around with teary look.
'He said he loved me, he was sorry and I said I was sorry.'
She did not say anything and smiled as finally, he made up with his father. He looked at her and suddenly he said,
'I am tired. I am too much tired. Can I sleep here?'
She nodded and she pulled him in her lap and started running fingers in his hairs, and within few minutes, he was fast asleep in her lap. From the distinct corner of the universe, someone was happy and smiling watching Maan and Geet being there for each other. Each fiber connecting to them was enlivened by eccentric energy, his parents saw him at peace and they were happy, they were smiling.
Book Talk
CID
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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