All that was running through Maan's mind at the moment was that the woman he was attracted to was kissing him, and her hands had slowly wound across the back of his neck.
So naturally, he started to kiss her back, their lips moving in a dance as his hands made their way to the small of her back, where the tips of her curls brushed against his fingers in a delicate manner...
They were so lost in the kiss, that they hadn't noticed the poor doorman covering his eyes & turning away from them. It was only when Maan's hands started to travel further up her back that Geet realised what they were doing, & she abruptly pulled away.
Geet bore her eyes into the ground, wishing it would open up & swallow her whole. Maan ran his hands over his jaw when Yash finally appeared.
"Maan, Geet?" he asked, pretending to act surprised. "What are you guys doing here?"
Before Maan could even answer, Geet suddenly pulled her phone out with the pretense of having received a text message & looked at Yash, avoiding Maan completely. "Pinky went walkabout so we came here to try and find her but she texted me saying she's home now so I'm gonna go," she spoke all in one breath and walked away as fast as her lithe legs would allow her.
Yash wondered why Geet was lying, and why Maan was shuffling from foot to foot, a habit he only did when he was deeply lost in thought about something...
He all too soon realised what had transpired between the two and smirked to himself, but quickly wiped it away when Maan looked up at him.
"Do you want to come in?" Yash asked, loud enough so Pinky could find a better place to hide.
"Er, no thanks, I'm gonna head off..." he trailed off as he turned back & left the gates towards the car.
When Yash walked back into his living room after waving Maan goodbye, & Pinky knew it was all clear, she rolled out & patted down her hair with her hands to see Yash smiling.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Cupid's arrow has struck once again. And it's not even Valentine's."
Before she could question his cryptic answer, he pulled her in for a kiss.
__________________________________________
Her several alarms rang the next morning, but she paid no heed to them as she buried her head in the pillow. She knew Pinky would burst in at any moment, demanding to know why she wasn't up, but Geet already had her lie all worked out with the pretense of monthly female stomach pains.
The truth was, after the kiss last night, she needed a day off & away from Maan Singh Khurana, for reasons she wasn't entirely sure of herself.
The kiss had been a ploy to prevent him from finding out about Yash & Pinky - at first. But even Geet couldn't deny that she had gotten a little carried away, & then he started kissing her back...
She groaned into the soft fabric as Pinky threw the door open & pulled the warm duvet off her. "Geeto, get up!"
"I have stomach pains of you know what because of you know why so leave me alone."
"Take some tablets & you'll be fine-"
"Pinky, I'm not going in."
Pinky wasn't aware of their kiss, & Geet had no intention of telling her. She had returned home half an hour after Geet had, & to Pinky's surprise, Geet had already retreated to bed, not allowing Pinky a chance to explain the events of last night.
She sat down on the edge of her bed, & Geet contemplated groaning a little too loudly in order to make her 'pain' believable.
"Geet, I just wanted to explain why I left the apartment without telling you last night. I told Yash about Mohan."
Geet, who knew the Mohan story all too well - hence her over protectiveness when it came to Pinky's love life - pulled the pillow off her head & looked up at her friend. "Why?"
"Because he told me he was falling for me, & it brought up the past. I didn't believe Yash was genuine at first, & he was wary of that, so I had to explain my side of the story."
She narrowed her eyes. "Yash is serious about you, right?"
Pinky smiled, blushing slightly as she nodded. "I'm sure he is."
"I thought you said it was just a casual fling."
"It's obviously developed into something more. I'd much prefer to be in a committed relationship than a fling anyway, every woman would."
"I can think of a few people who fit into the opposite category," Geet muttered, remembering Sasha.
"Have you called into KC?"
"Oh, er, not yet, I will do in a bit," Geet's stomach filled with dread as she realised she would have to talk to him over the phone. Unless...
__________________________________________
"You have stomach pains?" Dev said as he walked into KC & stepped into the elevator. "...Ok, but couldn't you- Sure, get well soon."
She had already hung up on him as Dev shook his head, smiling at her antics. The lift stopped at the top floor, & as he walked out, he smirked as he made his way to Maan's office.
Maan had had a sleepless night, so he wasn't in a good mood. And to top it off, he had a hunch Geet wouldn't turn up after the kiss - leaving him to do the damn presentation alone.
He was still trying to clear his mind when an unwanted knock disturbed him. Looking up, he saw Dev walk in with a look on his face that only indicated smugness.
He rolled his eyes. "What do you want?" Maan barked.
"Geet called me to let you know that she's not coming to office today. She's not feeling well."
"Why didn't she call me herself?!" he demanded, then told himself to control his emotions.
Dev smiled to himself, enjoying Maan's plight. "Maybe she sees me as a friend - and you as just her boss."
He noticed Maan's fists clench, & satisfied with himself, he walked out of his office. Maan threw a file across the room in anger, then stood up, surprised at his actions.
Why am I so angry with Dev's words? Why do I get jealous when I see Geet & Dev... that day at the theme park when she was ill, today when I hear that she called him first & not me... why have I noticed every little detail about her, from the way her curls bounce wildly to the way she bites her lip when thinking & how her eyes light up... why do I dream about her, why did I attempt to kiss her, why did I eventually kiss her... and why can't I stop thinking about her...
His eyes widened as the sudden realisation hit him.
Am I falling in love with Geet Handa?!
__________________________________________
Geet was trying to take advantage of her day off & enjoy meaningless daytime TV, but her eyes kept travelling to the clock. It was 10am, & she couldn't help but wonder if he had given the presentation, & how it had went.
Numerous times she picked up her phone, trying to muster the courage to talk to him - but backed out & put the phone down on the couch.
This is so unlike you Geet! You're a sherni, you're not afraid of doing anything... so why so much nervousness today? Why do your palms sweat & your heart race fast when you attempt to talk to him...
The small noise of Pinky placing a cup of tea down in front of her broke her out of her thoughts.
"You've been awfully quiet this morning," Pinky stated as she switched channels.
"I'm just feeling under the weather," Geet picked up her tea & took a sip, hoping the warm liquid would soothe her insides & her anxious heart.
__________________________________________
Pushing the wheeled board into the usual KC boardroom, Maan didn't fail to notice the surprised mumurs of the meeting members. Ignoring them, his gaze instead flickered to Pammi & Dev, who were seated in their usual seats, whispering to each other.
Manish entered shortly after Maan, raised an eyebrow at his son's choice of presentation then took his seat at the head of the table, nodding his head & indicating for Maan to begin.
For a moment, he stared at the glass board with pictures in front of him, unsure of where to start. But his imagination created a figment of Geet, the ever smiling Geet, who looked at him with nothing but hope & belief in her eyes.
"Start from the top," she said softly, & Maan began from the top left. To everyone else, it appeared as if Maan was taking control solely, & they were impressed at his efficiency. Of course, only Maan was privy to the imaginary Geet, who guided him through the presentation.
He hadn't realised he had covered the ideas stated on the board until the room broke out into appraisals & claps, almost as if he had been in a trance. Blinking a few times & smiling politely at everyone - including the fuming Pammi & not so pleased Dev, Maan met Manish's eye, who was smiling the biggest smile he had ever seen on his father's face.
Maan vowed then, he would do everything in his power to fulfil his father's dream.
__________________________________________
"That was a disaster!" She slammed a perfectly manicured hand down on the table, as Dev sat opposite his mother, adjusting his glasses. "You are failing with the plan, Devendra."
"He's improving, Mother! What can I do?"
"I'll tell you what you can do! You must do everything in your power to sabotage Maan Singh Khurana. We start now, forget these small baby steps. With the way he's going, he'll be CEO before we know it! The entire business world is aware that Manish is fast tracking him to success."
"Uncle won't give power to Maan until he feels that it's appropriate."
"Manish has been coveting an early retirement, & that man is more than comfortable enough to afford it. We can't waste any more time."
"Mother, I really think we should think about this. You're angry & upset, don't make decisions in haste-"
Pammi saw red. "Do not tell me what to do! You are my son, you do as I say! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here!"
Dev, now equally as annoyed as his mother, stood up, pushing the chair back. "No, if it wasn't for me, you would never be here."
He turned on his heel & began to walk out.
"Dev! Devendra! Don't walk away from me!" she yelled.
The door closed itself shut behind him.
__________________________________________
After Manish had called him into his office to congratulate him on his success, & he had dealt with loose ends of paperwork, Maan found himself free to leave KC at 3pm. Usually, he would head home, shower, & hit the gym for a few hours. But today, some inane force pulled himself towards Geet, hence him giving a surprised Nakul the directions to Geet's block of apartments.
__________________________________________
With Pinky out of the apartment to do grocery shopping, Geet found the freedom to being able to walk (& dance) to her heart's content without having to feign a stomach ache.
Dhinka Chinka came on the TV, so she got carried away, turned up the volume to full blast & imitated Asin's steps from the movie, convincing herself she was a better Bollywood dancer than the heroines could ever be.
So lost she was in the music & her moves, that she failed to hear the knocks on the door.
__________________________________________
He ran a hand through his hair as he sighed, fighting a battle between his head & his heart. Eventually, after having remained in the car for 15 minutes as he tried to figure out what he could say to her, he gave in - ordering for the car to be turned back around from the parking lot & driven home.
__________________________________________
Giving up on anticipating for someone to open the door, Yash began to leave the building when he saw Pinky arriving down the street, balancing her bags of groceries. Pinky thought she had seen Maan's car drive down the street in the direction that she was walking, although she wasn't too sure.
She beamed as she saw him, & he gave her a small wave as he walked towards her to give her a peck on the cheek before taking the bags off her.
"Hey, you said Geet was off sick today, right?"
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
"I've been knocking on your apartment door for ages, but no one answers, & all I can hear is Dhinka Chinka playing."
"Dhinka Chinka..." Pinky spoke through gritted teeth, her eyes narrowing as she hurried inside. With a sudden rush of energy that Yash hadn't witnessed before, she opened the door & flung it open... Geet stopped in her tracks, giving her an awkward smile.
"Pinks... hey... I was just testing the tablets, to see if they worked."
"By dancing around?"
Geet nodded meekly, then turned the music off, at which point Yash appeared behind Pinky.
"I knocked on the door but-"
"I was preoccupied," Geet finished off for him, feeling embarrassed.
Pinky closed the door behind them. "Yash is gonna cook for us tonight," she smiled as she pointed him towards the kitchen where he could place the groceries down.
"Really? What are you cooking for us?" Geet asked.
"Lasagne, it's been internationally acclaimed."
"I have high expectations," she replied. Pinky walked over to Geet & put an arm around her.
"I appreciate you making an effort with him," she whispered.
"Yeah, well, maybe he's not as bad as I thought," Geet said, & they shared a smile.
__________________________________________
It was late evening, early dusk as the clock struck 7pm in Delhi. Throwing his now empty bottle of liquor into a bin, a drunk Dev Singh Khurana, who had never usually been so heavily intoxicated, stumbled his way into a bar, discarding his blazer on the street without a care in the world.
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