Thank you for appreciating the first part. Here is the second installment.
Questions unanswered, ends untied
Why cant the heart let bygones be by?
"You're hurt" she said in the softest of her voice seeing him wounded.
"And you give a damn" he hit back with venom.
He didn't know where it came from but the next moment he found himself helping wrap a bandage around her bleeding arm. She filled him with tenderness he never knew existed within him. She always had. His Geet.
"Maan please listen to me baby! Please!" She made her cute puppy face.
Not again he said aloud in his mind.
"You tore my tickets to the football final!" he said angrily.
"TO THE FOOTBALL FINAL" he exaggerated furiosly.
"How dare you? do you know how difficult it was getting them in the first place?" He shouted with red eyes at a now quivering Geet. His eyes spat fire and hands on his hips-The most intimidating look he could give.
Football was his life, more than life in fact. He had worked overtime and got the tickets arranged. Not that he needed to, being the only son to Lieutenant Ranveer Singh Khurana, he did not need to work but he liked to sponsor his own expenses.
He had so badly wanted to watch the finals live but the stubborn lady-didn't like football!...and he stared at her eyes which were now full of tears seeing him so angry and his heart melted the very second. All his anger, all his frustration, all his regret of not being able to watch the match went flying out of the window and he wanted to pull out his hair for melting so easily at her 'Bambi eyes.'
"Sorry" she mumbled not meeting his gaze and he just couldn't bear those big fat tears in her eyes.
He instantly wrapped her in his arms with all his love and she sobbed, venting out her fear at seeing him this angry. She had never seen this side of him.
"You always do this to me Mishty" he whined.
"What did I do? I never….knew you could… get so angry" she said slowly between her sobs, still scared of meeting his eyes which a minute or two ago were red with rage.
" Make me angry and then make me forgive you so easily" he complained sweetly and she smiled through the tears, looking up at him.
"Will you always forgive me whatever I do?" She asked out of the blue smiling sweetly at him.
"Always" he answered smiling tenderly.
"Always"
...he had promised to forgive her and be with her, whatever mistake she made, whatever blunder she did; but time had changed everything, broken all promises, frozen all tears.
He looked into her eyes which were devoid of tears. They were as dry as the summer skies in a parched desert. For his Geet who got scared and cried out even during a horror movie, this was very strange. Then he reminded himself, this was not his Geet.
"Sir the first aid is ready, you need to dress your wounds" his officer broke their reverie.
"The lady needs it more, help her first." He pointed to Geet.
His officer bent down to help her up but Maan stopped him saying "Go check on other women. They too might need help. I'll get her."
The officer left following his senior's order.
Maan looked at her face, eyes tenderly staring at him. 'After all that had transpired, even today you are the same old possessive Maan', she thought, her lips automatically curving in a smile.
He bent down to pick her up. His hand grazed her arm and the jolt they both felt didn't go unnoticed by either. She could not melt under his touch, no she couldn't. She thought as he pulled her arm around his neck.
"I can walk" she said not looking at him, removing her hands from around his neck.
He caught hold of them just in time, tilting her chin up to face him.
"You say something, but you want something else. Your eyes ditch you" he looked at her intently.
'Then why couldn't you read them when I so wanted you to', she said aloud in her heart while He hoisted her up high in his arms and walked towards the tent.
-------------------------------
He had to hand over the women to Indian cops, he knew, but he also knew that Geet would be one of them. They will rot in Indian jail for years to come before their case would reach its trial. The mere thought tore his heart. It sent a shiver of excruciating pain down his spine. He was bound by his country's rules but his conscious; his soul forbade him from doing this to Geet.
But what was she doing in this camp on the border? The thought crossed his mind quite late but he needed to know. If she too was a nightly entertainment for them...'no' his heart cried.
What had happened to bring her to this place, the plethora of violence that she so abhorred? He needed to find out.
He made his way to the tent where she was kept along with other women. He entered startling them all. They were young ladies mostly of her age and his heart squeezed to see her in this state. Somewhere, he knew he had got answers to the question that was killing him inside.
"What do you'll do over here?" He asked in his authoritative tone.
Most of them lowered their eyes scaring him of the answer that he was about to get. She kept looking at him and for the first time saw fear in his dark eyes, Fear for her that made something in her flutter. It meant something still existed between them, a feeling still lingered deep down in his heart, he too felt what she had been fighting for years.
"We are captives for the harem" a woman stated boldly.
And Maan felt his soul leave his body that very second. What had she gone through, what misery had she been brought to? Why couldn't he be there to stand by her, to protect her dignity? Why had fate been so cruel to her? To him? To them?
He couldn't look into her eyes out of guilt but she thought it to be disgust and all her content went down the drain.' He couldn't even look at me', she thought to herself. But then why would he? She was a cheap impure body and nothing else. Manipulated by fate, maligned by her own people, thrown into this vortex by her own destiny, she had no one to blame. He on the other hand couldn't look at her because his own eyes had betrayed him. They were filled with salt water he thought had dried ages ago.
He quickly made his way out of the tent and walked away from the camp. Two of his men followed him but stopped in their tracks seeing the gesture of his hands. He wanted to be alone, all by himself to vent out all the pain that threatened to swallow his soul.
He walked until he came afar from the camp. He stood under the infinite sky, barren land extended in all directions till eye could see. Orange sun had reached the horizon, calling it a day. Pink, orange hues painted the blue sky, making him more vulnerable under nature. He opened his arms out wide and what came out was the scream of helplessness, plight of guilt. Manifestation of the gut wrenching pain tore through dusk.
His eyes were red, filled with tears but they didn't escape. Probably his pain didn't let them. Sometimes the pain, the hurt crosses those limits after which the sensation to feel it ceases, and there comes the freezing point when no more tears flow.
He thought about his vivacious, full of life Geet, her pranks, her moods, her laughter, her antics, her smile and then a hardened blank face of the girl he saw at camp flashed in front of him and his eyes started pouring. Tears copiously streamed down his cheeks like a dam busted. He cried till no more tears were left. He didn't know for how long he remained there but the engulfing darkness told him it was well into the night.
He started walking back thinking of a way he could save her the misery of a prisoner's life. She had gone through a lot but now he would make sure she lives an independent, dignified life. Just what his Geet had dreamt of. Whatever she did to him made no difference today, all he knew was He would rescue them even if it meant infringing the rules. At that point of time, the thin line between his duty and his love blurred. Now it was his duty to protect his love and he would do that.
Maan Singh Khurana would protect his love even if that meant sending her back across the border, forever.
-------------------------------
Back at the camp, his commanding officer informed him about the orders they had received about getting the prisoners back to the base. Maan's hand clenched in a fist to be betraying his senior's orders, to not abide by his country's rules but she was more important to him than anything in the world.
He knew he couldn't talk to her, not because he wasn't allowed to, He was the chief here and no one would question him but because he was scared. If he talked to her he wouldn't be able to let go of her, he wouldn't be able to part from her this time and would end up destroying everything...for him as well as for her.
He met her at the fire outside where they were being served dinner and slipped a note in her hand before anyone knew. She was at first startled but then looked at him with her big questioning eyes. He looked at her assuringly, adoring that innocent expression of hers. How sweet she looked when her eyes went big, questioning him something. How he wanted to indulge her like he had in the good old days.
They lay beneath a giant oak tree along the lake. Calm of the lake reflected the big fat moon that hung low in the sky, surrounded by twinkling stars. It was long past midnight, Maan and Geet lay there, hands intertwined, gazing at the stars; serenity of the night engulfing them in a bear hug.
"Maan. Do you know Waltz?" Geet asked out of the blue.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because I hate guys who Waltz dance you know, I am a psychopath who murders Waltz dancers and I am planning to do the same to you." She said in a single go.
"Can't you for once answer straight Miss!" He added sternly.
"Can't you for once use common sense Mr.; I want to learn Waltzing and….. let me think…"
"you are going to teach me!" She exclaimed super excited and he laughed lightly.
"Fine, I'll teach you someday" he stated coolly, cuddling her closer to him.
"No, not someday. Today, now you are teaching me." She said pulling him up to stand.
He quirked an eyebrow and gave her one of his 'What the hell' looks and she maintained that he would teach her right here, right now.
"I have been crazy enough for the day to sneak into a public park at this hour of night with you. So today's quota ends here." He added frustrated.
He had indulged her stupid idea of sneaking into the park and spending time under the star lit night, but this was the limit he thought.
"No! You are teaching me and that's final." She crossed her arms.
"Of course not. I am not dancing around in a public park at midnight. And there is no music too for that matter."He was adamant.
"Fine" she turned around pouting.
Maan knew when to argue and when to surrender for his dear life and this, undoubtedly was the time to surrender. His Mishty knew just how to get him on his knees. He turned her around and said "Let's dance Mishty."
"No. This is a public park and…….and its past midnight." She taunted looking up at the moonlit night.
He pulled her roughly into him, twirling her into his rock hard chest in the process. Their faces inches away, lips about to touch, breaths mingling. She would have melted that instant if not for his next comment.
"Waltz has nothing to do with place or time darling. It is eternal, evergreen like our love." He whispered huskily near her ear, sending jitters down her body.
She controlled herself and countered him "but there is no music"
"Oh Mishty!" He moaned, intertwining their hands and keeping them on his chest. "My heart beats for you and yours for me. Together our beats create the most wonderful music. Just feel it."
"Now may I have the pleasure of this dance?" he asked with his 'oh-so-sweet-yet-so-killer' smile.
She was left speechless. How had this arrogant, tough yet sweet man conquered her? How had she gotten so lucky all of a sudden, to be his and only his?
She nodded smiling and he pulled her by the waist while his other hand caught hers in a dancing pose. He asked her to step onto his shoes and she did so.
"Now observe the steps as I do, feel the dance, go with the flow and you will be the most beautiful Waltz dancer in the universe." His statement made her blush and the next thing she knew was that she was gliding along with him, twirling round, almost flying.
Her natural grace made her a fluid which he could mould according to his will. Then he asked her to step down and match steps with him. Initially she fumbled a couple of times which Maan definitely had no complains about as she would come tumbling into his arms. But after a little practice, she seemed to be comfortable and they danced around, her laughter echoing in the silent night, crystal blue water reflecting their immortal love but the stars weaving a different fate.
Yes, fate had played cruel with them, their lines hadn't destined to cross, and stars hadn't had mercy on them as life took a bitter turn. Everything shattered like a bubble burst. He stood there seeing her go inside the tent. She would read his letter and go away and he would again become the man he was yesterday. She would take away all the tenderness, all his solace. Yet again.
"I am supposed to hand you'll over to Indian civil officers tomorrow. You will be cross border prisoners. But I don't find a reason for you to bear the brunt of others crime. You have a chance at hand to escape the camp tonight. Post midnight, the guards will change duties outside; you will have sufficient time to make a run. A siren will go up before guards leave and that will be your time to make a move. Make sure you take your route through River Ravi. Security there will be minimal.
Go away with your fellow beings. Go to your country Geet. And never look this way."
She could not fathom his feelings. On one hand he was disgusted with her, didn't even look at her and on the other he wanted her to escape his clutches. Maybe he was doing this for old times' sake or maybe because he couldn't bear to see her face again.
She had nothing to live for. Every hope had shattered, every dream had crumbled down but she needed to rescue the other women lest they meet the prisoner's fate. She would do this, because it was the right thing, because he wanted her to do it.
-------------------------------
It was twenty past one and sleep was nowhere to come for Maan. She must have run away by now he thought. But the very thought made him restless. The thought of living without seeing her made his heart wrench. Strange as it is, human nature is weird. He was living normally until he hadn't seen her, until yesterday and now that he had, he couldn't be without taking in her sight.
He wanted to see her, one last time for he knew this would actually be the last time. After this he wouldn't be allowed to go there, neither would she come here.
He got out of his tent, praying she hadn't left and came around to see night guards vigilant outside their tent. He understood that the shifts had changed and that she must have run away. His prayers remained unanswered, yet again.
He strolled around for a while trying to calm his heart, trying to kill the Maan that had revived in the last two days when he saw a flicker of light inside their tent. A shadow appeared inside and he wasn't sure who was left behind. He walked up to the entrance and asked one of his guards to go check on the chief of the fleet. Then to divert other one's attention, he asked him to take a round around the area to keep safe from animals, if any, while mentally cursing himself for posing such a stupid reason.
As soon as, no one was around, he made his way inside the tent and what greeted him was the breathtaking sight of her back facing him. Geet was trying to hook up her kurti but in vain.
Something came over him and he walked to her as if in a trance. His cold hands grazed the skin of her back, pulling the hooks together. Geet's breath caught in her mouth and she froze at his touch that she could recognize even in her death. Maan was lost in those old yet fresh feelings which she had awoken in him. Geet too couldn't think anything else.
Rationality seemed to leave them as Maan kissed her nape ever so gently, turning her around. He tilted her chin up and she looked into his dark slumberous eyes full of desire. Her hair was swept to a side, giving him clear view of her heaving bosom. He brought his lips closer to hers and his breath mingled with hers seeking permission to claim what was rightfully his. Her eyes closed of their own accord and she could feel herself flowing on the gentle waves of sea as his lips closed over hers. Their kiss turned into molten lava as she moulded into him. Sense of time, age, rationality seem to evade; knowledge of right and wrong didn't make a difference as they lived a lifetime in that moment which was made for them.
This moment would be their life and their life would be this moment.
He left her lips to breathe in much needed air and his brain started working again.
"Why are you still here and where are others?" He asked, hiding his vulnerability in the weak moment.
She was again shattered. Just moments ago his face had professed his love and passion for her and now he seemed to cover it all up.
She answered "they ran, I made them escape half an hour ago. I explained them what to do, they should reach the banks of Ravi and cross over safely." She looked down to avoid his gaze.
"I had meant your safety. You were not supposed to stay here for heaven's sake; then what the hell are you doing here all by yourself?" He blasted, angrily advancing towards her.
"I didn't want to go with them." She gave a straight answer, now looking up at him.
"Do you know you are standing in my country right now, the last place in the world you wanted to be in." His eyes spat fire. She gulped but kept looking in his eyes.
"You should go back to your country." He said stressing on 'your'.
"Maan please listen to me. Don't judge..."
Her sentence was left incomplete "I am not judging anyone; I am only giving you a chance to save yourself." He cut her.
"Save myself from my love!" She gave an empty laugh. Her comment, less than audible.
"Listen Geet, you have done a big mistake by staying here alone." Maan noted.
He thought sending her alone would be of no use, it would cause more harm to the stubborn girl she was. She had sent away other girls and now she was all alone to traverse. It was better if he dropped her off to the river bank and see to it that she reaches safely. He peeped outside to find guards still on their rounds and pulled her along with him.
His training and expertise in setting up screen camps only made him slip out easily from the vigil of guards he had setup.
"Leave m…" He closed her mouth with his hands and started dragging her along with him. He made sure they had reached far enough so that their sound didn't reach the camp before opening her mouth.
"Why are you doing this? It's my will to live or die" and he silenced her by putting his finger on her lips
"Chup bilkul chup" " you are going back and that's final. I am seeing you off till there." He told her in no uncertain terms.
"But I am not going, I don't want to."
"I didn't ask you. I am telling you." That said, he pulled her along, treading towards the river that divided Pakistan from India.
At this time nothing mattered to him, not his job, not his reputation, not his future. All that was important was for her to reach back home safely. He was surprised at his instinct to take her himself. He was crossing his lines, he knew; but everything seemed right when done for her.
Heres the second part...
So will she be able to cross over?
Wil he send his love across forever?
There still remain questions looming, a silence so threatening
Will they be able to get over?
Do like if you like the story and please do leave your comments, they are really pleasing and encouraging!
Frosted Starlit
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
Cricket
1.1k