Chapter 23: Foundations of Pyaar
Geet walked out of the room confused at her own feelings. Of course she couldn't deny her physical attraction towards him but she had brushed it away as mere infatuations. Her fights and challenges stemmed from the fact that she wanted to keep him away from her. Her heart denied to accept his genuine feelings fearing that they were ephemeral and volatile. But the fact that it killed her a thousand deaths when he was attacked was something she couldn't brush away carelessly. Even the flash of that horrendous event made her shiver thinking of the consequences if something had happened to him. Definitely, she would never have forgiven herself for putting his life in danger. She wondered if the fear of losing him was so high that she couldn't even think of such things, was there something more than infatuation between him and her. It was almost like the same feeling when she saw her mother being wheeled into the operation theater. She was confused was it merely a sense of gratitude towards him that she feared losing him or was it something else? Before she could answer, she was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Geet! Thank you, actually thanks is too small of a word for saving my baby sister," Charan said. He held her hands and smiled gratefully while Geet smiled in return. "Mujhe pata bhi nahi tha ki she was in so much trouble. And if not for you, I really cannot think of the consequences," he said shuddering at his own thoughts.
"Please don't thank me. It was my duty that's all," she said, politely getting out of his grip.
"Arre nahi nahi, hum aise kaise aapko chod sakte hain? Iska treat toh banta hai, mere khatir," he smiled. Geet was about protest when he added, "Ah nahi please don't deny, please?" with a longing look on his face. She reluctantly agreed not having the guts to deny such an earnest request. "Thank you!" he beamed and was about to hug her when Chaitu came from behind.
"Arre Chaitu, I hope you didn't get hurt?" Geet asked, turning her attention to her and managing to pry off of his grip.
"Nahi Geetji, I am fine. I just wanted to say thank you. Agar aap nahi hote toh by this time he would have forcefully married me and spoilt my life," she said getting teary.
"Magar voh kaun tha? I mean they all looked dangerous and like gundas toh?" Geet asked doubtfully.
"The other guy saying he was in love is actually my maternal aunt's son. We grew up together until the age of twelve when I finally moved out of here to Hyderabad. We were really close friends," she chuckled reminiscing about her past. "I never really thought of him more than my friend magar pata nahi when he began to see me differently. After we moved he used to visit me in the city and I never knew of his intentions then. But the day I declared I was in love with someone he became completely enraged and went away. I thought he was angry that I kept a secret from him. But a week later when his parents came to ask my hand in marriage I realized what was going on in his mind. He tried to woo me with his words and deeds but I really couldn't think of him that way. He was my close friend that's it. Yes, I grew up with him and the bond I share with him goes back a long way but love cannot sprout just because I have grown up with him no?" she asked regretfully.
Geet who had been listening until now was taken aback by the sudden questioning. In her books, love was indeed something that a person would grow up with not something that could sprout out of the blue. She never believed in love at first sight and had scoffed away when her friends fell in love as mere infatuations. Strong foundations of love were only possible when two people shared a long life together before tying the knot but here was a girl who had brushed away the man with whom she had grown up with and wanted to share a life with for another stranger whom she probably would have met recently. Her own mother suffered under the hands of her father who saw her as another piece of rag. They had never met and her mother was married off to an unknown man whom she had never met before marriage. Her brother was no less different. He only used his bhabhi for his own needs and to serve his father. There was no love and neither was there any care that the men in house carried for their wives. She had come to conclude love only came through blood relations and through strong foundations since childhood. But her brother never really cared for her, her mind pointed out. She wondered if she was wrong all the while in assuming love was something fictitious to sprout in an instant spark?
"Pyaar jab hota hai, bas ho jata hai. It just takes an instant to fall in love," Chaitu said dreamily, as though answering Geet's internal turmoil.
Instantly Geet remembered the first time when Maan caught her before she fell on the ground. Something had definitely stirred inside her when she saw him for the first time.
"It really doesn't need ages of strong foundations or guarantees on the future. It transcends into your heart like a little thief so you would hardly know it," she continued to narrate with a dreamy smile. Another incident when Maan came to wipe her sindhoor that spilt on her nose popped in her mind. She had certainly held her breath with his closeness and somewhere in the corner of her mind she felt proud. As Chaitu continued to gush about love many incidents of the past with Maan flashed in her mind like a reeling film. A small smile played on her lips as she began to recollect the beautiful moments between Maan and her.
"Geetji? You alright?" Chaitu asked slightly patting her shoulder. She had begun to talk about love and the way she had fallen in love with Arun when she noticed Geet initially frown before going into deep thought.
"Huh?" Geet said, still dazed in her thoughts. Seeing Chaitu look worriedly at her she quickly assured she was fine. Chaitu was about to continue when Geet kindly excused herself that she needed to check on Maan and bid her goodnight saying she will meet her tomorrow.
Geet rushed to the room where Maan was peacefully sleeping. He was sleeping on his stomach with his head facing the other side. She slowly walked to the other side and unknown to her heart was beating rapidly. And as soon as she saw him serenely sleeping, her heart skipped a beat. She didn't know if she could name this new feeling as love but it did definitely feel good. She bent to kneel by the edge of the bed and softly ran her hand through his hair.
All these days she had consciously run away from mere mention of love and care scoffing them as unreal and shallow. Yet reliving those wonderful moments with him seemed soothing and satisfying. A sense of warmth enveloped at the mere thought of his presence beside her, something she only felt when her mother was around. Maybe it was too early to call it love but it was definitely something strong. She knew she was being harsh by shunning away his care for mere responsibility in spite of his every act that showcased his love and genuine care for her. She definitely wanted to give this relationship a chance more than that she wanted to give him a chance. Yet it pricked somewhere that she might have lost the right to give him a chance. She was unsure whether he would allow her to explore the depth of her feelings for him and fall in love. As if on cue Maan stirred a bit, caught her arms, and tucked it safely under his chin. She held her breath fearing he might have woken up from him sleep but he continued to sleep undisturbed. She felt him tightly hold her hand under his chin as though assuring he would always be there for her no matter what she decides. His small gesture gave her new hope and put a contented smile on her face.
Geet realized she had no say in the relationship that had tied Maan and her together but that didn't mean she would have to endure it even if it suffocated. But not once did she feel she was being forced by him. He had never made her feel his superiority nor did he allow her to do things the way he wanted them done. It had always been her choice be it as little as her meal for the day or as big as wanting a divorce from him. "Mujhe pata hai Maan ki main bahut buri hoon. Aur mujhe yeh bhi pata nahi whether I deserve you or not? But I want to give us a chance. Yeh mera vaada hai Maan, humare liye aur humara rishta ke liye," she whispered sincerely before leaning forward to slightly peck his forehead. Having given her promise she felt something heavy lifted off her. She always felt guilty of pushing him away in the pretext of physical attraction but today, having accepted his love, she felt extremely elated. "Ab main chalti hoon Maan, aap acche se soyiye. I await eagerly for a new and fresh start tomorrow," she said as though he was listening to her and slowly untangled her hands from his, making sure he didn't wake up and marched to the door. She switched off the light and turned around to have one last look at him before she went to her room to retire for the night. 
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
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