Chapter 48
"This was all that was left to make this night perfect," commented Maan at his sarcastic best.
Geet paid little attention to his words, to busy grabbing onto his arm in fright. When she saw his expression in the faint moonlight, her hands dropped suddenly. She quietly explained that she didn't like the dark and had been afraid of it since childhood. Maan snorted at the admission, informing her that it looked like a storm was on its way, so she better get over her fear quickly.
Geet suddenly remembered something, smiling as she said, "Maa always taught me to be prepared with candles in my bag in case anything happened."
"Candles? You have candles in your bag?"
"Candles, matches, chili powder, pain medicine and...well never mind. I'll get the candles." Geet moved toward the table, but when she bumped into it, Maan called out that he would get her bag.
"No, it's okay, I can get it," said Geet hurriedly, grabbing for the bag at the same time as Maan, causing the contents to spill on the floor.
When Maan reached down, Geet cried out, "Don't touch anything! Didn't you see the chili powder that fell out? You didn't get any on yourself, did you?"
"I don't think so."
"Well, just stay away from it. You don't want to get chili powder in your eyes accidentally. You could go blind!"
Maan was amused by Geet's hyper response. "I never expected you show such concern for my wellbeing."
The laughter in his voice momentarily stole her own, before she replied defensively, "No. I would worry about anyone getting chili powder in their eyes."
"Really? So if you actually had to use that on some thug, you would feel sorry for him too?"
Geet thought for a moment, then answered, "Yes, after I ran away, I would."
"Unbelievable!" exclaimed Maan. Then, almost as if he couldn't help himself, he questioned, "If you had the chili powder all this time, what was that drama with the paper cutter?"
"Oh, well, I was afraid if someone snuck up on me in the office, I wouldn't be able to get the powder before they kidnapped me."
"Kidnapped you?" Maan felt like he was becoming Geet's permanent echo and it frustrated him. "Are you going to get those candles out, or do you need me to do it?"
"No, there's no need. I will do it," said Geet, quickly shoving stuff back into the bag before bringing it close to her chest.
Maan didn't miss her action, which was so odd that he again questioned her, "Why don't you want me to look for the matches? What else do you have in that bag, that you seem so intent on keeping a secret?"
"Um...I...uh...I didn't want you to see my...my childhood doll," Geet finally answered nervously.
"Doll? You have a doll in your bag?" Geet nodded and pulled out the doll for Maan to see himself.
"You mean, this doll goes everywhere with you in this bag?" When she nodded at his skeptical question, Maan really had no response. Finally he said, "Get the candle out then, if you're going to do it."
While Geet turned to put her doll away and begin searching for her candle and matches, Maan walked to the window. Opening it up, he tried to figure out how long the storm would last, and hence how long they would be without power. He heard the match strike from behind, indicating Geet had found what she was searching for. Another sound was also heard, coming through the window from somewhere below.
Baahar se koi andar na aa sake
Andar se koi baahar na jaa sake
Given their situation, the words of the song were not at all welcome by Maan. Looking out the window he tried to discover where the sound was coming from.
Socho kabhi aisa ho to kya ho
Socho kabhi aisa ho to kya ho
Glancing back towards Geet, Maan saw her flinch as the match she had forgotten to extinguish burned down to the point where her fingers held it.
Hum tum ek kamre mein band ho, aur chaabi kho jaaye
Maan hurried to Geet, grabbing her hand and asking, "Geet, did you burn your fingers?"
Feeling Maan's breath on her fingers was unexpected for Geet. Finding it difficult to think as she looked into his eyes, Geet murmured, "No. I'm fine."
When Maan let go of her hand, Geet suddenly felt very conscious of their closeness, and the strange atmosphere created by the candlelight and the song. She moved quickly in an effort to put some distance between her and the unsettling presence of the man by her side.
Hum tum ek kamre mein band ho, aur chaabi kho jaaye
Her intention had been to move to the window, but after only a few seconds she felt an odd pull on her dupatta. Glancing back, she saw that Maan's hand had trapped the end of the dupatta against the table top. He had a look on his face like he couldn't understand how the whole thing came about. Geet couldn't understand why he didn't move his hand, eventually pulling the piece of cloth free herself.
Tere nainon ki bhoolbhulaiya mein Bobby kho jaaye
Maan watched Geet rush off towards the open window and wondered at the contradiction that she seemed to be. On the one hand, there was the woman who had constantly argued with him from the time they first met, who sold her land to him like the most experience negotiator he had ever known, and met every challenge he had thrown at her as his secretary. Then there was the little girl, afraid of the dark, seeming to think monsters lurked around all corners, who carried her doll with her everywhere, hidden in her bag.
Without being consciously aware, Geet's truth about Gurvinder had changed something in Maan's opinion about the young woman. He thought about how his actions in this situation would be totally different if they were really husband and wife in the true sense.
Hum tum ek kamre mein band ho, aur chaabi kho jaaye
He would come up slowly behind her, brushing his hands along her arms until they reached her shoulder. She would shy away from the contact, but his grip would firm up, pulling her back towards his hard length. His nose would nuzzle her soft hair, while one of his hands would slowly slide her dupatta off her shoulder, giving a clear indication of his intentions. She would turn toward him slowly, giving him the opportunity to press light, seductive kisses on her cheek, eye and forehead.
A clap of thunder and lightening flash broke Maan out of his trance. He couldn't believe how involved he had become in the fantasy. What was it about this girl that seemed to draw him toward her?
Hum tum kahin ko jaa rahe ho, aur rasta bhool jaaye
Though his mind was screaming at him to walk away, Maan found himself moving steadily towards Geet's moonlit figure. There was a primitive need to discover all her secrets, especially the one that would explain her strange hold over him.
O ho
Hum tum kahin ko jaa rahe ho, aur rasta bhool jaaye
He walked up behind her, studying her partially obscured profile, fascinated by the strands of hair the fluttered lightly next to her cheek due to the wind.
Teri baiyaan ke jhoole mein saiyaan Bobby jhool jaaye
She became aware of his presence, turning slowly towards him, her eyes locking with his as they had done hundreds of times before. Neither could look away from each other, a thousand questions passing back and forth, each time unanswered.
Hum tum ek kamre mein band ho, aur chaabi kho jaaye
Some form of self preservation finally kicked in for Maan, forcing him to jerk his gaze away from Geet. Angry with himself, he ordered Geet to close the window, muttering under his breath about idiots who listened to such crap. Not knowing what else to do to diffuse the awkward situation, Maan told Geet that they should both sleep. He ignored her protests, instead sitting himself in a chair and turning so it's back was to her.
He could hear Geet muttering to herself, with the words, "dusht danaav" and "scary" making their was to his ears clearly. Normally Maan would have jumped up and confronted her, but he was in no mood do any more talking. He spent his time trying to understand what was happening to him, and why he had been thinking of Geet in such a manner. He only conclusion was that she was slowly making him crazy, causing him to act without reason.
His thoughts were still in a whirl, sleep having eluded him, when the storm ended and the lights came back on. Turning to Geet, Maan saw that she had fallen asleep on the couch in what looked like an awkward position. Blowing out the unneeded candle, Maan walked quietly over to Geet. She had wrapped her dupatta around her shoulders to ward off the cold, but she still had her arms folded. The dupatta was also falling off one shoulder, and Maan could see goosebumps on her arms, a clear indication that her efforts to stay warm weren't working.
Deciding that at least one of them might as well have a comfortable rest, Maan unbuttoned his shirt and draped it carefully around her small frame. He tried to position her head against the back of the couch, but she kept falling over. Finally, Maan sat down next to Geet on the couch, where she naturally laid her head against his shoulder, almost as if that was what she had been waiting for. Putting a pillow behind his own head, Maan promised himself to sleep for only a few minutes, before he drifted off also.
Precap
"It doesn't matter what they say about you, because you're a man, but it's different for me."
****
"I'm not going with you to any party!"
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
Cricket
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