ALMOST LOVERS
Chapter Seventeen
Lack of faith
Great height of love leads to
The pain of falling
The shatter of broken dreams,
The culmination of a storm,
Trust built like bridge,
The slow decay causes crumbling,
The loss of faith destroying,
The connection between souls
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PRESENT:
It was chaos galore in Maan's mind after the incident with
the reporters. Maan could feel the vein on his temple throb as he tried to
control his volatile temper. Others may not know or understand his wife but he
knew that her words were said with deliberation and hidden intent.
It was no secret that she felt animosity towards him. He
faced it every day and it was his penance for acting the way he had.
But that didn't mean that he wouldn't try to find out her
game.
"What is it that you want?" He tried to keep his voice
steady as they stood in their bedroom. He wanted everything to come out into
the open.
"What do you mean?" Geet said in a mock innocent voice.
"What are you implying?"
"I know that you are doing something and its related to Khurana
enterprise" He felt the words burn his throat as he said them. "You lied to me
the last time I asked"
"I meant every word" Geet smirked. "I have nothing against
Khurana enterprise. So why don't you ask the question that is burning within
you"
"You are planning something against me then" He didn't ask
it as a question, instead realised the fact.
"Maybe or maybe not" Her smirk was more pronounced. "But,
let us say hypothetically, I was to plan something, what would you do? Go
against your own wife and tell the world how it was your wife that brought your
downfall? They will then want to know the reasons and I don't think you are
ready for that"
Maan didn't feel anger for he could never truly be angry at
her. It was guilt because the Geet he had known would have never felt the need
to take such an action. Geet Handa hadn't understood the concept of something
vicious as revenge and destruction.
So he slowly walked up to her and stood right in front of
her.
Gently he laid a hand on her cheek, for he knew that she
wouldn't shove it away. It would be a sign of weakness if she was to move and
Geet Khurana had destroyed all her weak points. She would just stand there,
letting him know that he had no effect.
"If you want to destroy me'.go ahead" He leaned his head
against hers. For a second he closed his eyes, wanting to savour the moment of
being close to her even if it was an illusion.
He was a man starved from her love. If he hadn't experience
her love maybe it wouldn't have been as bad but they had shared beautiful
moments, before everything fell apart. He
wanted her to remember those beautiful moments and bury the past. "If it would
help you I would let myself burn" There was such regret in his words but he
meant every single one of them.
Geet took a step back and looked at him right in the eye
with a blank expression. "Words are easy and simple but actions are what count.
You will always remain a selfish man who only thinks of himself. You think you
love me but the truth is that you are plagued by your inability to love,
instead trying to create a facade of an emotion you have no concept of."
She walked away, leaving Maan to glare in frustration behind
her.
Why did you believe me
when I lied, yet cannot see the truth? HE wanted to scream out to her but
he knew that it was useless for she was blinded by the betrayal he had wrought
on her. He wished he could make her understand that, yes he was selfish for her
love but more importantly he wanted her to be happy. He hadn't know how to love
but he learnt it after meeting her.
Her happiness was now he prerogative and priority but she
had let go of that emotion.
But just as she was oblivious to his pain, Maan didn't see
the way Geet's hands were clenched as she walked away and couldn't see the tear
that slid down.
This insanity will
burn both of us but you began the game and I'll be the one finishing it, she
thought even with the pain in her heart.
--------------------------------
PAST:
Geet stared at Rehan with beseeching eyes. The gloomy
silence around them was stifling her in the meaning they gave.
Rehan had been her anchor ever since she was a child and
today more than any other day she needed him but it frightened her to think
that he would not believe her.
"I swear that nothing happened" Geet finally broke the
oppressive silence, "He was just fixing my dress"
Rehan just remained silent, staring out of the window. There
was a contemplative look on his face, as if he was weighing his decisions. It
made Geet's stomach churn with anxiety.
He trusts me, I am
sure he does, she tried to tell herself despite the doubts creeping within
in her. Ever since she was a kid he knew everything about her, so if he doubted
her everyone would.
Rehan closed his eyes at the pain within him. He had loved
Geet ever since he could remember but he always felt unworthy of her love.
Today he had gotten the proof he needed.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Rehan asked in an emotionless
voice.
Geet was confused with the questions, "What do you mean?"
"If you wanted to be with him, you could have told me."
Rehan turned to her with burning eyes that bellied his cold tone. "I love you
enough to want the best for you"
"REHAN!" She screamed out, "It isn't like that, Maan is just
a friend!"
"Geet my own father saw it with his eyes" Rehan ran a
frustrated hand through his hair. "He told me that he saw Maan unzipping your
dress. And you were standing there, letting him do it"
"But-" Geet tried to protest but was cruelly cut off by Mr
Parekh.
"Leave my son alone!" Lalith screamed out. "You are a
typical rich girl, trying to have fun with the a middle class boy just for a
lark!"
"Uncle yeh app kya keh rahein hai?" Geet was shocked because
she had known Mr Parekh for so long and had never heard him raise his voice.
"I am saying the truth!" Lalith's face had gone red with
frustration. He didn't want to do this but fear of Maan Singh Khurana was a
strong a motivation. He didn't want his son to suffer for loving this girl. "I
saw what you were doing with that man!"
"Rehan, trust me!" Geet entreated Rehan again, realising
that Mr Parekh was hell bent on disgracing her. "I didn't do anything with
Maan!" She felt the tears of frustration leak from her eyes as she tried to
make Rehan face the truth. "Don't ruin our relationship for a misunderstanding!"
"Are you saying that my father is a liar?" Rehan asked her,
now with anger in his eyes. "I think its best you leave. I guess we were never
meant to be together"
Geet felt a coldness seep into her soul the moment he said
those words. It felt like a death sentence and condemnation. Of all people,
Rehan was the person she had put her trust and faith in. But it seemed that he
hadn't returned the favour.
"Rehan, listen to me." Her voice was stronger now, pain
making the words harsh. "If you turn your back on me today, our relationship
will be over from this minute onwards. We can no longer be anything more than
strangers. So please think!" The last word was a plea as well as a promise. She
understood that there could be no turning back from this decision. It is the time to check the strength of our
relationship.
"Then let it be!" Rehan's mind was jumbled with sense of
betrayal and hopelessness. He could only visualise Geet in Maan's arms. He
would have believed her every word if his father hadn't been a witness to the
scene. Still he didn't realise the effect his words were having. "Leave me!"
Geet looked at him with sadness and anger. She now knew that
he would never be able to move beyond this moment. So it was with an aching
heart but numbed emotions she said the last words, "Fine. I only hope you don't
come to regret this moment because from now on I won't regret it"
Like a queen, with her head held high she walked away. I have lost so much but I won't let my
dignity get swept away.
Yet despite the calm exterior the heart couldn't help but
thud in pain.
--------------------------
She sat in the corner of the club with the glass of vodka in
her hand. She hadn't taken a single sip but sat nursing it in her hands.
She tried to make sense of all that had happened but failed.
Of all the things she had expected this was the last. She never realised the
fragility of relationships till today.
If their relationship had been a normal dating one she could
have gotten over it with a good cry but it wasn't as simple as that. He had
been her childhood anchor, her bestfriend and the man she loved. In one moment
she had lost all of that.
Is this what our
relationship meant? Geet thought with anger. Years of love and friendship coming down to a moment like this.
She pressed her fingers against her forehead, trying to
control her emotions but it was useless. She felt such emptiness.
"Are you okay?" A familiar deep voice cut across. Almost
reluctantly she opened her eyes to see Maan standing next to her chair. Without
asking he went to sit across from her. "You look like you could use someone to
talk to"
Geet gave a humourless laugh. "Yeah because talking to
someone will help. The sheer stupidity of the situation won't go away with "talking"
about it." Her words were derisive, contradicting her usual personality.
Maan again felt the unfamiliar pang of guilt as he saw the pain
in her face. HE never meant for her to get hurt this badly. But he had wanted
her too much to see her with Rehan. Almost involuntarily he spoke out, "I am
sorry"
Geet looked up in surprise and then gave a sad smile. Her kind
nature shone through again, "Don't be sorry, the only thing you are guilty of
is trying to help me. It's not your fault that people are dim witted enough to
believe something else"
Maan should have felt relieved at her words but it only made
him feel worse. He wanted to say something more but instead settled for trying
to cheer her up. "Fine but if you don't smile with me than I'll believe that it
is my fault"
Geet gave a wobbly smile and thought with some amusement, All those people thinking he is so ruthless
but the truth is that he has a soft heart. "Thanks Maan."
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AUTHOR's NOTE:
Thank you all!
As always I loved all the comments!😳
So hope you all are starting to get an idea of how Maan will make her fall in love with him and why Geet has such anger against him.
And a lot of you raised the question of whether Geet loves him or not.
She does but love doesn't mean that you can't hate that person as well. Indeed love and hate are very closely connected because only if you care for a person can you feel those emotions.
PLEASE DO COMMENT and press the LIKE button!!
Nothing motivates me as much as reading your comments!😃
-SanjanA
Edited by maan-ki-sanjana - 12 years ago
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