Shackles of Love#28#MG Pt 64 pg 125 5/4 - Page 83

CHAPTER 64:

Geet looked at the time, shocked to find out that it was nearly noon. She had been in a dreamlike state ever since Maan left, sitting on the couch, blushing and reliving the kiss. If some corner of her mind screamed at her to remember Sameera, she pushed it aside, remembering Maan's words to trust him.

He wouldn't play with her feelings if he really loved Sameera would he? She searched hard and long for answers, but they kept eluding her, until she felt like screaming. It all came down to one thing.

Trust.

Was she ready to take that leap of faith in him? She was no nearer to the answer than she had been an hour ago. But her heart was whistling a cheerful tune and her lips were trembling to contain the smile that threatened to burst out remembering her husband's mischief from the morning.

Before she could get lost in him again, she quickly got up to prepare lunch. He leaving empty stomach pinched her and she couldn't get past the haunted expression in his eyes. She couldn't see him in pain. He had expressed his earnest desire to forget the bitter days of their past to make new happy memories and she wanted to be a willing participant in this plan. She wanted to trust him again and let him lead their lives towards a better tomorrow.

She blushed again as her mind conjured up the naughty smile he had bestowed upon her when he was teasing her. She wanted him to keep smiling like that always.

She hurriedly prepared some fresh pasta, so lost in anticipating his delight that she didn't hear when Naintara knocked.

Looking at Geet's blushing face, Naintara didn't have the heart to scold her over getting out of bed. She didn't know exactly what had transpired in the two days, but she could see whatever it was, they had managed to sort it out. Maan had only told her the bare details of what the Handas had done to her after confessing that he had been a fool and it had been his foolishness that had nearly cost him her life.

Glad to hear her stone-hearted brother talking so emotionally, Naintara thanked Babaji for sending Geet into Maan's life and making him start to live again.

Clearing it all from her mind, she put on what she hoped was a strict face and tapped Geet on her shoulder, scaring her. She heaved a sigh of relief that it was Naintara but the look on her face did not look too appealing. Geet gulped hard, knowing what was to come and made a cute innocent apologetic face.

Naintara just raised her eyebrows, needing no words to express her displeasure at Geet's disappearing act. Geet just held her ears and jumped on Naintara, hugging her hard, mouthing sorry over and over again.

Naintara hugged her back, grateful that she was back safe and sound, but warned her softly yet firmly against doing anything like that ever again. Geet nodded, suitably chastised, and Naintara grabbed her into a hug again. Annie crashed in, and seeing the two hugging, jumped in for a group hug.

They then dragged a protesting Geet with them and settled her on the bed, lounging beside her for some girl time. Maan had asked them to keep an eye on her and divert her mind from the happenings of yesterday and they planned to spend some time with her.

Naintara and Annie talked randomly but Geet's eyes were on the clock. It was past one and she wanted to go to Maan, but didn't have the heart to deny her SILs who had come especially for her.

Naintara noticed her distraction when she repeatedly glanced at the clock with a sullen face and nudged Annie.

Finally noticing that Geet was not interested in their talks and her entire attention was on the clock, Naintara questioned her. Geet tried to bluster it out, but gave in at the end and confessed that she wanted to have lunch with Maan.

Unable to resist the innocent plea, Naintara and Annie let her go but not before feigning great hurt at her betrayal of choosing Maan over them and indirectly mercilessly pulling her leg. Geet happily hugged them and ran away to get ready.

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Geet reached Maan's office and greeted Pari cheerfully. However, her face fell when Pari told her that Maan had gone to Delhi. She recollected that Maan had mentioned something about a meeting in the morning, but she had been too distracted, and she blushed as she remembered the cause of her distraction.

Pari watched the girl in front of, her face an open book to read. Her face which had reflected the glow of anticipation was now crestfallen with dashed hopes.

Pari suggested her to call Maan and ask him to which Geet refused, not knowing how he would react to her disturbance. But Pari insisted on calling him herself. She dialed his no and thrust the phone in Geet's hands. Before she could protest, Maan had answered the call.

"This better be important Pari! I told you I don't want any disturbances…..I am very busy…"

Geet's voice stuck in her throat, afraid to answer him, she cleared her throat, formulating the words, "Wo mai hu………"

"Geet?" His surprised voice came back, "What are you doing there? Is everything okay? Tumhe kuch hua to nahi?" He was now panicking. "Nahi! Aap please ghabrayiye mat. Mai bilkul theek hu." She calmed him immediately.

Maan released the breath he was holding, sending a small prayer to the almighty that she was fine. For a second he had thought that….He passed his hand over his face, unable to even think along those lines.

Garnering some vestige of control, he replied back, his voice gruff in an attempt to hide his fear, "Tum office me kya kar rahi ho?" The tempo of his voice increasing as his anger got the better of him. "Tumhe ek baar kahi gayee baat samajh nahi aati? Didn't I clearly tell you to rest at home?"

Geet got annoyed at his tone, "Haan samajh me aa gayee! Aap na kabhi nahi badal sakte! Bas aapko sirf chillana hi aata hai!" she retorted and slamming the phone wiped off a tear which had managed to escape her and stalked off.

On the other hand, realizing he had gone too far, Maan immediately called back, only to have a subdued Pari receive the call and tell him that Geet had left. Pari didn't want to anger her boss by meddling in his personal affairs more, but his tone made her reveal to him that Geet had just come to have lunch with him, and she had left leaving it here.

Well, he should have expected it, Maan chided himself. Especially after leaving without breakfast, he should have known Geet would do something like this.

This was the first positive step from her side ever since they had returned, and he like a fool had messed it up! "Lekin mai bhi Maan Singh Khurrana hu!" He smirked, "Apni biwi ko manana mujhe aata hai."

Sorting out his meetings with Adi, he cleared a few hours and nearly ran to his car, trying to call Geet, but Geet refused to pick up.

He rushed home, making a couple of stops en route, only to find his wife sulking in bed.

He tried talking to her, but he was royally ignored. Getting fed up of the silent treatment, he went to her and picked her up in his arms, and started walking towards the door.

Geet, who was determined to not bend, squealed angrily but her protests were ignored as Maan dumped her in the passenger seat and quickly started the car before she could escape.

Muttering profanities under her breath, Geet scowled at him, "Mujhe aap ke saath nahi jaana! Kaha le jaa rahe hai aap mujhe? Gadi wapas ghumaiye!"

Maan smiled at her and said indulgently, "Meri biwi ko mere saath lunch karna tha. Meri itni majaal ke apni biwi ki baat taloo."

Geet's mouth opened in an O and she glared at him while Maan chuckled, "Geet is that an invitation? I don't mind dessert before lunch" He winked at her and his form inclined towards her even as his eyes stayed on the road. But she pushed him away, shutting her mouth tight.

"Mujhe nahi karna koi lunch wunch! Mera lunch ho gaya! Aapki daant sunke." She cribbed.

Maan turned the car in a side lane and braked suddenly, stopping the car. He turned to her and said tongue in cheek, "Well then, yeh toh achi baat hai." While Geet stared at him suspiciously, he continued huskily, while looking intently at her lips, "We can skip lunch and head straight to some dessert…"

He bent towards her and his hot breath falling on her lips sent shivers down her spine and she jumped, "Nahi!!" she shouted, then getting a grip on herself, muttered with feigned nonchalance, "Mera matlab hai abhi aap aa hi gaye hai to lunch kar lete hai!"

Maan smirked at her but let her escape, not wanting to crowd her. He got out of the car and taking all the things from the backseat, handed some to Geet and led her towards an opening which wasn't visible from the road, but now Geet could see it was a dirt road which led into the forest area surrounding the highway.

"Maan ye aap kaha le aaye mujhe?" she asked, while taking in the crisp fresh air and the beautiful surroundings.

"Geet, there's a small clearing in the woods here which the local use it for Sunday gatherings or small picnics." By that time they had reached the enclosure.

It was very small, nothing huge, with trees enclosing it and then giving way to the banks of a river. The waves lapped on the shore peacefully, glinting in the sun casting a scenic panorama to make the place enchanting.

Geet went ahead admiring the place, her eyes twinkling with delight as she drank in the beautiful scene laid out before her eyes. In the meantime, Maan spread out the rug and the lunch he had brought with him.

Geet smilingly turned to him, only to find her husband trying to place a single bud in the middle of the spread in a can of pepsi. To his annoyance, the can refused to stay upright and would fall over as soon as he left it. The sight touched something within her. She never believed Maan could do something like this, as she took in the perfectly placed cutlery along with the box of her pasta.

He looked so cute, almost like a little boy, engrossed in his fixation, irritated with the object of his attention - the can here, refused to oblige. This time before it could fall once more, Geet grabbed it from the other side, holding it upright. She giggled at his annoyance, "Maan..."

"Wo aur kuch mila nahi…" he confessed, embarrassed as red slashed his cheeks. She shook her head in amusement while she took out the bud leaving him holding the can. She cut off the stem a little and filled the can with some water. Placing it back, in the can, she asked him to leave it, glad to find that this time the can held upright.

Maan all this while was looking at his wife as she helped him, his heart filling with untold emotions as she helped him in his silly eccentricity. The dedication with which she ensured success made his throat cloud over.

She had put the same dedication into holding their frail relationship together while he had been stomping all over her in his fit of arrogance. He took her hand which lay beside his, his fingers entangling in hers tightly, making her look at him in question. She raised her eyebrows, to which he just mumbled a thank you and pressed a peck on her wrist.

He released her hand and started serving the lunch, turning the conversation back to the mundane telling her about his day, something he had never done before.

He waited till he saw she had completed her lunch before he threw his bomb. There was one thing which had been playing in his mind. He didn't want Geet anywhere near Sameera. He was not going to give her any chance to her to play Geet against him or to mess up their relationship. He turned to her and asked her, "By the way Geet? Tumne Sameera ke saath koi contract sign kiya hai?"

Geet whose hand had reached out to touch the flower he had brought for her, looked up sharply at her name, stopped instantly and snatched her hand back as if burnt, and nodded a no. "Thank God for small mercies!" he muttered to himself, failing to notice Geet's withdrawal.

"I will go there right now and clear all formalities personally! You needn't go there again."

Geet's heart was pinching each time he mentioned Sameera, but she controlled her pain and started packing up, "I think we should leave now, you must be eager to go meet her." She couldn't help but snipe.

"What? Ye kya keh rahi ho? Are you all right?"

"Yes! I am perfectly all right."

"Geet!!!!" He caught her hand and pulled her to face him, seeing the tears she was trying to hide. Their beautiful lunch was ruined with the specter of Sameera once more. Maybe it was time to banish her from their lives, he thought.

"'Mai' kya kar rahi hu? Kar to aap rahe hai! Mere saath aise behave kar rahe hai jaise kuch hua hi nahi hai…" she shouted, the tears finally flowing out. "Kal se aap mere saath woh sab kuch kar rahe hai…aur abhi us Sameera ke pass wapas jaa rahe hai…." She wiped her tears, trying to reign in her emotions, "Aap ne mujhe samajh ke kya rakha hai? Meri bhi feelings hai….mujhe bhi..."

"Chup! Bilkul chup! Aur ek shabd nahi" He yelled angrily, his eyes spitting fire, "TUMNE mujhe samajh kya rakha hai? You think I would try to get close to you if I was still hankering over another woman?" he questioned in disgust.

She looked into his eyes, which reflected hurt along with the anger he was trying to portray. "Have I fallen so far in your eyes that you would think so low of me?" He whispered, making his hurt evident.

Geet looked away, not able to come up with an answer, "Maine aapko dekha Maan." she whispered finally, looking back into his eyes, her own shimmering with unshed tears, "Uske saath."

"You have been confusing me since the day we come back. Aapne kaha na ke aap mujhe wapis sirf us contract ki wajah se laye ho? To fir aap ye sab kyu kar rahe ho mere saath? Kyun meri feelings ka mazaak bana rahe ho?"

"Geet!" He tried turning her to him gently by her shoulders, but she refused to meet his eyes, trying to free herself, "Geet listen to me. Meri taraf dekho." He tried again, to no avail. Losing his patience, he jerked her around, caging her in the circle of his arms.

"What exactly did you see that day Geet?" he questioned her.

A spasm of pain slashed through her face as she recollected the memory of them in each other's arms, "What do you mean? I saw you both in each other's arms!" she shot back.

"Are you sure? We were in each other's arms?"

"Aap mujhse baar baar kyu pooch rahe ho? Abhi aap meri aankhon ko jhutlana chate ho? Or are you getting some sadistic pleasure from hurting me?" she was crying by now, hitting at him to free herself.

He grabbed her hands murmuring apologetic words in her ears while she kept crying, huge sobs that made his heart shatter. He smoothed her back and arms trying to calm her down while she wept on his chest.

All the tears that she hadn't shed, which had been kept bottled up now refused to stay and escaped her. His shirt soaked up the tears while he picked her up gently and sat down resting against a tree with her in his lap, letting her cry her heart out, just supporting her emotional outburst.

Her sobs slowed down to sniffs and she felt too drained to move even when she realized where she was. Maan took out his handkerchief and offered it to her, she took it without a word, wiping her tears and blowing her nose on it. She then offered it back to Maan who took it and kept it back in his pocket, making a face. He made her drink some water, and only then did he start speaking.

"I am sorry Geet. Maine jane anjane me tumhe bahoot dukh pahuchaye hai. Abhi dekhlo, mai karna kuch chahta hu aur ho kuch aur jata hai. I just wanted to make you smile a little, and here I made you cry again." She didn't reply, just listened to him silently, watching him intently while he looked off into the distance.

"That day during the party…" he started, not knowing how to articulate his feelings verbally. "I was in shock. I never expected to meet her there" The distaste quite evident when he mentioned 'her'. "I reacted in anger as I always do, hurting you again. I somewhere knew you were not to be blamed, Sameera had always been manipulative, but in my frustration I lashed out at the nearest person and that happened to be you." He stated, pain and guilt rumbling through his voice. She turned her head away, remembering those shattering moments.

"After I cooled down, I was coming to you, to apologize, but I guess Sameera got to you first." She looked up in surprise, "I saw you crying while you came out of the washroom." He cleared, "And it wasn't hard to guess what had transpired when Sameera came out smugly after u. When you saw us, I had just gone to warn her to stay away from you and me." He muttered, and she gave him a look of disbelief.

Red stained his cheeks as he confessed further, "I just wanted to see how far she would fall. I guess my ego wanted some sort of retribution. So I let her…." Geet's eyes flashed anger at his statement, and she rudely pushed him away and got up. "You mean to say, to soothe your ego you let her touch you and…?" she muttered in disgust.

"There is no 'and' over there Geet. I swear that's all that happened." He pleaded.

"Kaise Maan lu aapki baat mai?" She whispered.

"Mere aur Sameera ke beech kuch nahi hai. Na hi kabhi ho sakta hai." He told her through clenched teeth, making her face him again. She searched his eyes for the truth, finding something there which alleviated her fears a little. "Humare beech dhoka aur nafrat ke ilawa kisi cheez ke liye koi jagah nahi hai." he continued, trying to drill the fact into her mind.

Precap:

What say Geet maan jaye ya Maan babu manaye?😉