FF: Serendipity [Completed] - Page 5

Originally posted by: Boogleton.Schiz

Caught up, Barbie girl.

Love teerayangle? Maan 'loves' Nayantara, Nayantara 'loves'(?) Dev and Geet has a theng for Maan. Hmmm...

For you 🤣

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyhrYis509A&ob=av2e[/YOUTUBE]

Originally posted by: Boogleton.Schiz

@Madhy- Yes I know 🤣 I realized when I was reading the lyrics today so I opted for the video instead 🤣

Originally posted by: Boogleton.Schiz

@MadhU- It was a typo lol, 'y' is right next to 'u' it was an honest mistake.

Chapter 5:

Geet stifled a yawn rubbing her eyes in the process hoping to remove all traces of sleep. Nayantara was seated in opposite chair drinking herbal tea and sniffing every once in a while. After tossing and turning for most part of the night plagued by the voice of the man she had met several hours ago, her mind had finally untangled from cobweb of dreams and fallen into darkest crevice. The fitful sleep was unceremoniously disturbed by her closest friend who stood on her doorstep with tears in her eyes. She hadn't had the heart to turn her away and swallowed the words that sprung into her mind.

"I know I should have told him Geet but I couldn't, you know?" Tara played the tune that she has been singing for an hour now. She had arrived at Geet's right after she walked out of Maan's apartment desperate for some comforting words and warm tea. Geet had been her closest female companion for years now; after meeting at a party they had engaged in exchanging strange quips about their jobs and lives which had both having a really good time. They had become friends quickly and had accommodated one another in their respective lives.

Geet rubbed her temple in despair. "Why did you want to meet him now Tara especially after last night? It's a given " She finally asked her friend. Without missing a beat and noting the flicker of surprise that ran on Tara's face, she said, "Are you looking for justifications for your actions here?" Geet stood up and turned on the coffee machine.

"I...I...I just wanted to..." Nayantara stammered, looking at Geet's questioning gaze. Unable to answer, she averted her eyes and wrung her hands in despair.

"What do you want Tara?" Geet asked few moments later, leaning on the counter her eyes strangely clear. In the moments of silence that followed her question, she looked at her friend who was running her index finger on rim of the mug. The rhythmic continuous circular motion created a hum around her.

"There are times when I felt that you and Maan are alike. I really couldn't pin point to the exact characteristic but now I think I have a faint notion of what that might be," Nayantara said getting up and picking her almost empty tea mug. Chamomile sloshed at her actions, its aroma dying with time. She placed the mug in sink and walked back to the table where she had dropped her bag. Without saying anything further, she picked her bag and walked towards the door. Geet strutted behind her in confusion wondering if she had hurt her friend by her indifference.

Nayantara stopped at the doorway and tapped her finger on the door frame, as if she was speculating her thoughts and next steps. When she spoke, her voice was hollow. "Both of you openly challenge and contest confusion born out of emotions which are risen due to complexities of relationships and their participants. While many bring out their kid gloves to deal with people who are in the vortex of this mess, both of you either run very fast in the opposite direction or rip off the band-aid tad too early increasing the pain." Nayantara looked back and smiled faintly. "I'll see you at lunch tomorrow?" She asked Geet who was standing five feet away from Nayantara, her mouth agape. She nodded mutely unable to form any words.

Even after Nayantara clicked the door softly behind her as she left the apartment, Geet stood in the same place for handful of moments with a glaze of tears in her eyes. She was unknowingly being unhelpful to her friend and today Nayantara had put that out in open.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Who is waiting for me at the reception?!" Geet exclaimed as she balanced phone between her shoulder and ears as she finished typing a report that was to be sent out in next five minutes.

"Ah-huh, I heard you the first time Stanley, but are you sure?" She asked as her eyes scanned the document one last time. Her fingers stilled a moment on keyboard and she rolled her eyes as a reaction to something the young male receptionist had just said over the phone. "Fine fine. Tell him that I will be there in ten minutes, okay? And has anyone told you how sassy you are getting these days?" She added the last line in innocent jest. She chuckled softly and muttered "I love you too" and hung up the phone. Once the document was sent over email, her face lost the small smile that was left as a mark of a satisfying workday after hearing about the visitor who was waiting for her in reception area.

"We need to talk." He said as soon as she was within hearing distance.

"Hello to you too Maan. I am fine, thank you. My day has been going really well," she replied blankly. He was taken aback and for a moment she thought she saw the veil of indifference lift his face and displayed the emotional turmoil. But that moment was lost and she realized that he was talking about something and she hadn't paid attention to it.

"I am sorry, what?" She asked settling her elbow on her knee and her chin on her palm. His throat suddenly went dry when he looked up and saw her posture, his mind bombarding him images of Nayantara sitting exactly in the same posture when he explained why he wanted to be an astrophysicist.

"Maan?" Geet asked, her eyebrows knit. "I am fine," he said recovering from flashes of the past. She didn't respond but merely peered at him.

He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat as Geet looked on. "I formally apologize for last night," he said looking at her straight in the eye. She was taken aback at the honest confession expressed with most sincere eyes. She swallowed as his eyes pierced her exterior and rendered her breathless. She flushed at the sudden onslaught of memories of the previous night. As if remembering the same thing, he averted his eyes the same time she averted hers.

"I must apologize for crossing the line too," she said softly. "No, you don't!" Maan snapped. She looked up and looked at him with raised eyebrows. "I don't usually get angry but last night, I guess I was...agitated. I know you meant well but I wasn't thinking of anyone else apart from me at that moment," he replied.

His response stunned her a little. While she had heard many people professing the self-sacrificial "If you are happy then I am happy" analogy, she had rarely come across anyone who put themselves before any other person in their lives. It looked as if Maan belonged to the minority.

"Are you free for dinner tonight?" His request came as a total surprise. "As an apology," he added noting the surprise that danced on her face.

"Where do you want to meet?" She asked once she recovered. Maan hesitated for a moment.

"Can you come to my apartment? It's...better that way," he said not taking eyes off her. Geet wondered if she could ever tell him how mesmerising his eyes really were.

"I will come," she replied. The certainty in her voice made him take a deep breath.

"I will be waiting." His voice held a tiny tinge of emotion that he knew he would dissect and analyze all the way back home. For now, he had to leave Geet's workplace.

She sat on the sofa at visitor's lounge long after Maan had left. There was an intensity in his presence that demanded attention and once that attention was received, it was commanded to never waver. She wondered if it was this very thing that attracted Tara to Maan in the first place. She jumped when the cellphone in her left hand buzzed with arrival of a new message.

Her thumbed traced the screen that showed address of Maan's apartment as her eyes was transfixed at a random spot.