FF: Almost Lovers (6): Teaser Pg 48 22/6 - Page 9

Chapter Thirty Eight

Men who love

There is no sound

Just the silence

There is no warmth

The cold of loneliness

There is no light

Just the darkness

There is nothing,

Just because there is no you.

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Past:

Geet was busy sorting through her files, trying to come up with a financial plan to help boost Handa Constructions.

While the company hadn't dipped any further there was still a sense of unstability and Geet was adamant to fix it.

She had a frown on her face, even as she thought of how she would help fund the latest project that they were aiming for. I just need more funds!

A discrete cough, alerted her that someone was watching her and as she looked up she met the eyes of her husband.

As always he looked devastatingly handsome, more so everyday. His tie was unknotted and the first button of his shirt undone, making Geet hand's itch to undo more of them.

Mind out of the gutter Geet! You are like a nymphomaniac!

But the smirk on Maan's face said that he clearly knew the direction of her thoughts. "Hmmm….love the look on your eyes" He winked at her, even as he stalked towards the bed where she had all her things spread around her. "I can see you undressing me mentally with them"

Geet rolled her eyes, though internally acknowledging his comment, "Dream on"

"Why dream when it can be true" he leaned forward to press a kiss on the arch of her neck. "So much better"

"Maan!" Geet grumbled even as she enjoyed his touch. "I am busy, trying to sort through Handa Construction's finances in order to send a tender for our new project"

This time Maan looked at her seriously, "There is a solution. Say that Khurana Enterprise will be partners and assist with the funding"

"But Maan-"

"I know that you are independent Geet but what is mine is yours. What use is my money and power if I can't use it for you?" He picked her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers, "I would rather see a smile on your face than earn more money"

Her eyes were surprisingly moist as she pressed a kiss on his lips and mumbled, "Thanks"

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Present

Sometimes we cannot repair the past but we can attempt to redeem ourselves. Or at least that's what Maan convinced himself.

I might not be worthy of her but I'll try to be worthy of myself, he knew that people would be surprised that someone as confident and proud as he was would be thinking like that. However Geet had opened his eyes to the fact that he was flawed.

"Sir, how are you?" Maan asked while staring Mohinder right in the face. Here was a man who loved Geet just as much as he did and both were culpable of her problems. Him more than Mohinder but he also knew that Geet's relationship with Mohinder had been strained after she had married him.

Mohinder leaned against his cane but despite his frailty he managed to exude confidence of a man who had been used to being in charge. "What are you doing in my house?"

"I am asking for forgiveness" Maan spoke clearly, no hesitation. This admission was a long time coming but he had held himself back before. Today there wasn't much he had to lose. "Forgiveness for what I did to Geet and what it resulted in for you"

Mohinder turned away from him, "Your forgiveness is meaningless. I only wish that I hadn't pressurised Geet into marrying you, that I had told her that we would face any scandal together. I only wish that she had left you when I told her to."

"Well, one of your wishes came true, she finally left me" Maan let a bitter grimace cross his face as he spoke the words, knowing that the old man would get some solace from having his daughter far away from the man who had done everything to steal Geet away.

Mohinder twisted his lips in a poor semblance of smile, "Well, it took her long enough. She should have left you the day we found the truth about you but no, she was too stubborn. My regret is that I wasn't able to protect her, instead by inaction basically pushed her into marrying you."

"Whatever you may believe, I never wanted to hurt her" Maan looked down at his hands, the very one that had led to her pain, "I just wanted….just wanted her to be with me. I never thought that should would find out the truth or that they would have such consequences."

"Well, that makes us both weak" Mohinder closed his eyes, accepting his own guilt, "I shouldn't have payed attention to social pressures or let my health prevent me from protecting my child. In the end we both failed her, despite our weak attempts at loving her"

"Then I can only hope that you'll forgive me" Maan looked back at Mohinder, "You are the only other man who cares about Geet as much as I do, so you know that I repent every day my actions. Previously I was selfish enough to say that I don't regret anything, despite my wrongs, cause it led me to Geet but today when I have lost her, I know that having her with me shouldn't have been my aim. Making her happy should have been my aim. And with that comes the understanding that my actions have also hurt others, like yourself."

Mohinder saw the despair in Maan's eyes, "Do you really repent?"

"Yes"

"My forgiveness hinges on only one thing" Mohinder choked the words, they burnt him but still he knew that this was the best for Geet. "Make her happy. Find her and give her the life that she deserves. This time do it with honesty and no subterfuge"

Maan was stunned by Mohinder's words, "But-"

"Do I hate you? Yes I do" Mohinder continued, "But I also know that my daughter loves you. Why else would she live with you? She could have divorced you long ago. Instead she let herself break everyday by being with the very man who had nearly destroyed. It was all because she loves you"

"But she left me"

"Did she divorce you?" at Maan shaking his head, Mohinder again give a bitter smile, "And there is your answer"

And Maan was left to ponder that, realising that there was truth in Mohinder's statement.

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Past

It was their one year anniversary tomorrow and Geet was bristling with excitement.

The year had been full of surprises and happiness. She had never thought that she could find such contentment with Maan but he had surpassed all expectations.

She had only to look in his eyes to understand how much he cared about her. There wasn't a moment around him when she didn't feel love.

Yet he never pressurised her to respond similarly, never pushed her to say she loved him as well.

However Geet did love him, slowly over time it built, till she knew that there would never be anyone else for her. It was almost as if he had reshaped her to someone else.

Through the whole year she had held her feelings at bay, something niggling at the back of her mind seemed to hold back the full acceptance of her love. She couldn't verbalise this sense of forbidding, but it was almost a warning that there was more to her feelings and their relationship than what she was visualising.

But this had to stop, for he deserved the honesty of her feelings.

Today she would no longer hold back on her feelings towards him and his love. It was only appropriate that he would gain the truth on their anniversary.

So it was with a big smile on her face as she thought of the happiness that would suffuse across his face on admitting her love.

"Ma'am, you have someone here to see you" Her assistant politely interrupted her. There was an anxious look on his face but he didn't clarify any further.

A moment later Geet understood the reason for her assistance's anxiety as Rehan stepped into the room.

There were a myriad of expressions on Rehan's face, the most prominent of all was guilt. "Hi Geet"

Geet had never thought of the emotions that she would face once she would see Rehan again but it she definitely hadn't expected this. She didn't feel any anger or pain, instead there was a sense of regret; regret of the deterioration of their once strong relationship and the loss of his friendship.

"Hi Rehan" Geet spoke calmly, realising that there was no point in being rude to Rehan. After all, she was happy with her life. "What brings you here?"

Rehan flinched at the polite calmness, knowing that it was worse than her anger. Anger would have meant that she cared but calm acceptance meant that she had moved on.

"Geet I am here to apologise to you" Rehan's words were filled with remorse. "I am sorry that I misjudged you"

Geet's eyes widened with confusion, "What do you mean?"

"I know that you didn't have an affair with Maan while we were together"

Geet couldn't help but get a smug sense of satisfaction, "As much as I appreciate your apology Rehan, it really doesn't change much between us. I am happily married to Maan now"

This time there was a look of deep loathing on Rehan's face, "That's the reason why I am here. Geet, Maan is the one behind all of this. He orchestrated the whole charade."

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AUTHOR's NOTE:

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-SanjanA

beautiful update

her father was right if geet didn't love she had given him divorce long before

so it was rehan who told her about maan's reality

but how he got to know about it??