MG-FF What does she want? Thread 2 Chapter54 pg134 - Page 41

Chapter 47

Maan closed his eyes as he felt Geet's soft hands on his shoulder probing gently and applying balm to the bruised areas. "Does it hurt...how about here?" he heard her ask sweetly.

"Why is she torturing me? Maan, control. Stop thinking about her, and start thinking about something else. If you don't Maan, you will both end up doing something you may regret...and you really need to talk before doing that. Okay think...Daadi...work...Adi...Brij..." Maan told himself trying to occupy his mind with things other than Geet.

On the other hand Geet, although trying to concentrate on the bruises, couldn't help but admire Maan's physique..."it's a good thing I am behind him and not in front", she thought.

Through her ministrations on his back, Maan remained silent. Actually he didn't move..."Has he fallen asleep?" she wondered, so she leaned over his shoulder to look at his face. In doing so, her hair tickled the side of his face and he opened his eyes to meet her hazel ones. Their eyes locked and they remained in that position paralysed and unable to move. Finally Geet, couldn't maintain her position leaning over his shoulder, and fell forwards half off the bed, but never hit the ground, because Maan noticing her descent caught her in time.

"You know, I will keep catching you Geet...you don't need to keep testing me though" he said smirking at her.

She made a big "O" with her mouth and pouted at his teasing.

He pulled her up onto the bed in a seated position and turned to face her. He held her hands and said "Geet, we need to talk"

"About what Maan...and before you ask for the 10^th time...I AM FINE"

"Good to hear Geet, by the way I am not deaf, so no need to shout...but I do want to talk about something else" Maan said seriously.

He reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a very worn tattered envelope

She looked at him and then the envelope in his hand curiously.

"Open it" he told Geet, handing her the envelope.

She took it from his hand and opened it. There was a well read letter inside. She recognised her hand-writing, even though it was smudged and faded somewhat. It was the letter she had written him. She kept her eyes down, not daring to look at him. "What does he want to discuss, Babaji? Well I suppose I will find out soon enough"she thought as her heart began racing with anxiety.

"Geet, do you recognise it?" Maan asked softly

Geet nodded, not making eye contact. She was embarrassed. She didn;t think she would ever see the letter or Maan again, let alone sit with him to discuss the contents.

"Geet, I won't force you to look at me, but I prefer to make eye contact when I talk to someone. Unless that is, you are afraid of me? Well why wouldn't you be, especially after the way I sent those men packing earlier" he said trying to lighten the suddenly heavy mood in the room.

Geet's eyes snapped up to meet his.

"Glad to see you are not afraid then..."

"Geet, you are probably wondering why I gave you the letter...well maybe because, I am still wondering why you gave me this letter" Maan continued.

Maan held Geet's hand again and spoke looking into her eyes "Geet, imagine if you will the morning when we were due to come to Delhi...the morning you left Hoshiyarpur, actually. I awoke and not finding you in our room, I found this letter instead. I opened it, and to my surprise the letter told me that you were setting me free and you actually returned the mangalsutra"

Geet could read a number of emotions in Maan's eyes as he spoke...anger, hurt, despair. Tears started to pool in the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall any moment.

She held it together as he continued. "And all I could think of was, Why? Why would Geet do this? Had I not made my position clear to Geet? Had I not told her, that I would respect our marriage vows and that I wanted to give this marriage a chance? Had she not understood that I didn't care about status differences? Or did she not believe me?"

He paused to take a deep breath and then said "I know of your encounter with Ms Roy, Geet"

She gasped at this piece of information "I am so sorry Maan...I know I shouldn't have slapped Ms Roy...But she" she said apologetically.

Maan interrupted Geet saying "Geet, you did the right thing. I couldn't care less about Ms Roy. She had no right to speak to you like that. You are my wife, and by insulting you, she insulted me"

Hearing the word "wife" from his mouth, made her heart race.."does he still see me as his wife...does he still want me as his wife?" she wonderd

"But I told Mama not to say anything" Geet interrupted thinking she had been betrayed

"It wasn't Mummyji. It was actually Rajji, who I am glad to see, takes after her sherni sister" Maan said. "And don't give Ms Roy a second thought now...she is irrelevant. She can't hurt us...I have made sure of it"

"So Geet, coming back to the letter and what I have just said to you...do you have anything to say?" Maan asked.