Shackles of Love#33#MG Pt 78/Pg 61 24/3/14 - Page 16

The part in italics in the middle is Maan's POV in flashback.

However, as he came out from his place by the pillar, he came face to face with his past.

"Mujhe pata tha Maan, tum zaroor aaoge." Sameera beamed, a magnificent smile illuminating her beautiful face.

Maan looked at her impatiently, eager to get away. He wanted nothing to do with her, and was not interested in wasting time listening to her blabber. He certainly had plans for her, he smirked inwardly while maintaining a disinterested look, but that could wait. Today he would finish this game she was playing once and for all.

After today, no one would ever doubt who Geet was, least of all Sameera.

But right now, all he wanted was to reach Geet. He impatiently tried to cross Sameera, his eyes searching for her in the crowd. He had plans for tonight. Big plans. And Sameera was not going to foil them!

However he should have known Sameera wouldn't let go so easily. She caught his arm and held on, not letting him escape. "Itni bhi jaldi kya hai Maan? Ye party humare hi honor me hai, how about a dance?" She offered him her hand. Irritated with her actions, he pointedly looked at the hand clasping his coat with distaste, his piercing look a direct command to leave him. Anyone else would have been cowed, but Sameera was made of tougher hide. She just returned his glare by throwing back her head and letting out a peal of laughter, showing him how undaunted she was by his anger.

When it became clear that she was not going to leave him, Maan in exasperation grabbed her hand form around his arm and jerked it away. Conversely grabbing the opportunity, Sameera clasped his hand in hers and held on reiterating her request for a dance.

Maan smirked at her bullheadedness, "You haven't changed at all I see! Still the same stubborn and obstinate woman I knew." His eyes darkened as memories crowded in his mind, taking him back years ago where they had stood in a somewhat similar position, bartering their future before she had sold her soul for money and power.

His voice was so low that even she had difficulty hearing it. However the menace underlying in it came through clearly as did the piercing gaze spitting fire, making her shudder with apprehension, "Dancing is a distant dream. I wouldn't want to share even the space you breathe in if I had anything to do with it."

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This was like an encore of that night at the party, she thought, only this time they both were holding hands and their eyes were locked together. It looked like they were so lost in each other that they forgot that there was a world surrounding them.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined Maan would do this to her.

Remember this the next time you dream of a happily-ever-after, Geet told herself viciously, staring at them, feeling the sting of betrayal, a macabre fascination keeping her eyes glued to their joined hands.

Wiping a tear that had managed to leak out from the corner of her eye in spite of her determination to not shed any, she walked up to them; her chin tilted high, "So this was your very important work'Maan! Shukkar hai Babaji ka, I know now where I stand in your life."

Maan turned around in shock to find a teary eyed Geet staring at their joined hands, her eyes defeating him, shining as they were with distrust and betrayal. Maan was already fuming at Sameera and Geet's unfair accusations only increased his ire.

 However, he realized now was not the time to fight with her. That would keep for later!

Had he been the old Maan, he would have blown up in anger at her assumptions, but the new Maan realized the importance of trust. He knew that some things once lost take time to gain back. And for that, he decided, he needed to finish the face off with Sameera. Looking at her tear-stained face, something clenched in his chest, the over bright eyes glistening with tears, letting him see the shattering of her heart she was trying to contain.

He had to make Geet believe that Sameera was nothing to him, and would never be. Only then could they go forward and sew back the tattered remnants of this precious relationship.

Time to end tonight's farce, he thought as he grabbed Geet's wrists tightly, and pulled her to him, anchoring her firmly to his side, shocking Geet as he turned her to face Sameera.

"For the last time Sameera, Geet is my wife and you are no one. I don't think after all that happened I want to even remember being acquainted with u. If you don't stop your manipulations right now, I will cancel the deal with CE right now and to hell with contracts!"

Even though she was thoroughly unnerved by his dominant statement, Sameera tried to appear unfazed, "Cancel the deal? Tum wo to nahi kar sakte Maan! Your company will have to face losses which can cripple it. Aur market me badnaami hogi wo alag!"

Maan looked her directly in the eyes, "Tumse behter aur kaun jaan sakta hai ke Maan Singh Khurrana apni self respect ke liye kuch bhi kar sakta hai!" His eyes bored into hers, driving his point home, as he reminded her that he had left an entire legacy behind so as to not dishonor his mother's memories once and he could do it again if he so wished, "Kuch bhi!" He stressed the last."Mere liye apni self respect se zyada kuch nahi!! Aaj tak ye Maan Singh Khurrana na kisi ke saamne jhuka hu aur na kabhi jhukega. Samjhi tum?"

Geet stood there bewildered, as she felt the running undercurrents between them. However she couldn't make any sense out of it. She was still stuck to the first part of his monologue where he had claimed as his wife. Did she mistake him again? Was this a chance meeting and not something Maan had preplanned?

 "Consider this my final warning. Hum dono se door raho! Usi me tumhari bhalai hai! You know better than to mess with Maan Singh Khurrana." Delivering this dictate, he angrily led Geet away, nearly frog marching her towards a silent corner, his mood and temper both gone for a toss.

"I hope you are happy now! Thank you so much for ruining everything!" He snarled as he left Geet's hands and pushed his hands through his hair, trying to get a semblance of control to counter the chaotic feelings which threatened to undo days of his attempts to lessen Geet's antagonism towards him.

Geet looked at him in contrition; it was finally occurring to her that maybe she had misjudged him. The sparks shooting from his eyes which tried their best to hide the underlying hurt made her realize, there was no maybe about it!

"Maan wo mai..." She began, her voice thickened by tears only to be stopped by his raised hand.

"Kuch kehne ki zaroorat nahi hai tumhe. I understood today that no matter what I do to undo them, the mistakes of my past will forever haunt us and persist as a barrier to any future I might contemplate." She didn't know whether he referred to Sameera as the mistake or his behavior with her in the early days of their marriage. Looking into his eyes which were now looking at some faraway spot over her shoulder, she decided it was maybe a mixture of both.

"In spite of my best efforts, it seems I have been unable to make you trust me. Tum hi bolo na mai aisa kya karu that you believe me...that I gain back what I lost." He grabbed her shoulders pulling her to him, his eyes seeking hers for answers which he knew were not there.

She tried to interrupt his diatribe but was interrupted as Adi approached them. Maan immediately released her and turned to Adi who stood hesitantly as he felt the tension between them. On inquiry, he revealed that some people were there to meet him. Maan nodded at him and with another wounded glance towards her, turned and abruptly left.

With all the happenings of the evening, it was not surprising that Geet failed to notice that Adi had called him Maan Sir, nor was she in a state to question the obvious familiarity between the two.

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The evening continued as a caricature of its start, with both of them playing hide and seek. They met and chatted with people while fastidiously trying to ignore each other being careful to not meet each other's eyes.

Knowing her stubborn husband's anger, she knew he was going to sulk and ruin the evening but her guilt stopped her from going and meeting him halfway.

By now Geet had had a lot of time to retrospect and she realized this was actually Maan's plans. The gift, his refusal to come here, Annie and Naina Di's knowing grins when she left, everyone's behavior around Maan as if he was expected to be there, it all added up. Maan had wanted to surprise her and she had ruined it single handedly.

No! She corrected herself indignantly; Sameera had played her part too. Meri jagah koi bhi hota to aisa hi sochta, hai na Babaji? She complained to her ever present companion while glaring viciously at the woman of her thoughts who even then was covetously watching her husband. Cursing her in her mind for looking at what Geet considered being hers; Geet shot daggers at her which Sameera ignored without a care.

She thought back to Maan's question, about trust and loss of it. Sadly, there was nothing to do but trust. There was no way someone can assure you of anything; there was nothing anyone can do to instill it. It just is.

But one thing was getting clear to Geet, between his anger and her mistrust, Sameera was taking advantage of the distance between them once again.

For a while she tried ignoring Sameera, after all Maan wasn't responding to her, he loved Geet didn't he? She hugged that little tidbit to herself, a smile cracking her face as she went over his possessive words and hold of the evening.

However, it turned out to be easier said than done. How long could she watch another woman making cow eyes at her husband? But the limits were crossed when Sameera made some pretense to join the group Maan was standing with. She watched as Sameera sidled beside him and leaned towards him slightly, such that their arms brushed.

"Kutti!! Kamini!! Koi sharam varam hai ke nahi! Dekha aapne Babaji? Kaise mere pati pe dore daal rahi hai! Aur ye Maan bhi na, us chudail ko mauka de rahe hai!" Geet muttered irately.

 Gulping hard, Geet prayed to her Babaji to give her courage to follow through on what she wanted to do. Sameera could try all she wanted to, but she wasn't getting Geet's husband!

Marching forward determinedly, she reached them and lifted Sameera's hand which was on Maan's arm and dropped it like it was something disgusting. She then proceeded to wipe off the area that Sameera had touched and turned to glare at Sameera while she tucking her arm into Maan's and greeted the people around who were watching the happenings with incredulous eyes. (Read this scene in a book. Always wanted to use it😆😆😆😆😉)

Sameera's face turned red with anger and she was about to turn on Geet but Maan's warning eyes stopped her in her tracks. He pulled Geet protectively into his hold and continued the conversation where it had stopped pretending as if the actions of moments ago had not transpired and the others took their cue from him.

Nevertheless gossip ran fast among the crowd and Sameera was treated to looks ranging from amusement to pity to disdain. Mortified and humiliated beyond belief, Sameera turned away and left on the pretext of a phone call.

Happy at having bested that witch and showing her place, Geet turned a dazzling smile at Maan who returned it with a fake per functionary one; his eyes telling her that she was not out of the doghouse yet. The euphoria of a few moments ago faded as she realized that Maan's support was only for public appearances and he was still furious with her.

Just then there was an announcement asking everyone to move to the dance floor. Adi tried urging his boss, sensing that something was needed to diffuse the situation but Maan refused. Not to be beaten, Adi pulled them both earning a glare from Maan for his unsolicited behavior, even though Maan had warned him from any over familiarity this evening as he didn't think tonight was the best time to reveal the truth to Geet.

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcYPJw4Rlxc[/YOUTUBE] 

Thanks Bindu for the VM😃

Tears glazed her eyes as Geet looked around and found them surrounded by couples swaying in each other's arms. Maan's stern countenance disabused any notion of salvaging the evening. Disheartened at the turn of events, she was about to turn back and return when Maan caught her hand.

Hum tere bin ab reh nahi sakte Tere bina kya wajood mera

Tujhse juda gar ho jaayenge Toh khud se hi ho jaayenge judaa

He took her hand, all the while maintaining the eyelock and kept it on his shoulder. With his other hand, he pulled her close, bringing her into his arms and started swaying to the music. Their hands clasped each other's tightly promising to never let go while their eyes spoke the millions of unmentioned things that they wanted to tell each other. The song playing overhead wove a spell around them as they danced, meaning each word spoken, their eyes locked, promising each other love and faith.

Kyunki tum hi ho Ab tum hi ho

Zindagi ab tum hi ho

Chain bhi, mera dard bhi Meri aashiqui ab tum hi ho

Their life together may not have been a bed of roses, but it had made them both value what they had now. Each small thing had added to strengthen the foundation of this relationship they both had so painstakingly built. But today a small storm had managed to rock their boat dangerously.

Tera mera rishta hai kaisa Ik pal door gawara nahi

Tere liye har roz hai jeete Tujh ko diya mera waqt sabhi

Koi lamha mera na ho tere bina Har saans pe naam tera

Maan looked at the quivering woman in his arms. Her lips stretched to offer him a tremulous smile.

He had spent the entire evening deep in thought. He couldn't deny that he had been hurt with Geet's distrust, but as time passed, he realized that by avoiding her, he was hurting not only her but himself too. Each moment away from her now felt like a million years of penance. They had already wasted so much time because of his idiocracy and now he was still letting his ego get the better of him.

There was a chance that he might end up hurt, suffer as he had done this evening when he had seen Geet's shattered eyes, but at least he was feeling something, he was alive. He had been living in limbo for a long time and comparing it now that seemed like worse than any pain Geet could ever possibly inflict on him.

Kyunki tum hi ho Ab tum hi ho

Zindagi ab tum hi ho

Chain bhi, mera dard bhi Meri aashiqui ab tum hi ho

He recalled Geet's actions of earlier, a grin wanting to break through at her actions. She had without any words made it clear to Sameera that a third person would not be tolerated between them. More than his words, it was Geet's actions that had gone to Sameera.

He had been standing with some business acquaintances, not really hearing them talk. His mind had been on Geet, thinking and regretting. And all of a sudden the reality that he didn't care what Geet had done, he wanted, no needed to be with her hit him. It was at that moment he decided that he had had enough of the stupid party and he was going to claim his wife. He was about to excuse himself from the group when he felt Sameera sidle up to him. Each sinew in him screamed out in protest of her proximity, but he couldn't leave from there now without creating a scene and giving people reason to gossip. Some of these people were old contacts and they knew his and Sameera's history. He didn't want to give fodder to wagging tongues, and so he suffered her company, nodding his head at appropriate intervals to appear as though he was listening to the talks.

He had just about had enough of Sameera who wasn't leaving any chance of trying to touch him. A careless touch on his arm to gain his attention when he was asked something, a slight brush against his jacket as she leaned forward to whisper something, small innocuous touches which were anything but if the gleam in her eyes had anything to say.

He looked away in abhorrence, wanting to tell her how disgusted he was by her unwanted advances, but before he could get a chance, he felt a small hand tuck into his arm and clutch him strongly. The fresh flowery scent told him it was none other than his wife.

He watched as his crybaby of a wife mortified and stared down Sameera, while she openly claimed him. She looked even more beautiful with her eyes shooting sparks and the cute little green horns which he envisioned on her head. He had a tough time maintaining his stern faade, as even Sameera appeared dazed at this volte face sherni avatar of Geet.

Tumhi ho... Tumhi ho...

They were lost in each other's eyes, careless of the curious eyes on them; when the break in music brought them back to reality. Geet excused herself and ran away from there trying to hide her red cheeks.

The rest of the evening continued in the same vein, with both of them mingling about, stealing glances at each other. Had anyone asked them what they were talking about, they would have received blank stares in response. They were lost in their own world, where love and doubts grew side by side.

Geet moved out of the banquet hall and moved to the gardens as she needed a respite from being the recipient of that heated gaze. Alone, away from those magnetic eyes, she reflected over what had happened.

Was this relationship really possible or was she again living in an illusionary bubble? It had taken but an instant for a small incident to blow away the relationship they had built so painstakingly. She was guilty in her actions, but she had reason to be. Maan had changed so much in this short time that she still reeled from his ever-changing behavior. She never knew which Maan she would encounter the next moment, the angry one, the playful one, the seductive one...Was it all a mirage? Somewhere, she still felt that all this was a dream from which she would wake up and find herself back in HP.

Tere liye hi jiya main Khud ko jo yun de diya hai

Teri wafa ne mujhko sambhala Saare ghamon ko dil se nikala

Tere saath mera hai naseeb juda Tujhe paake adhoora naa raha hmm..

So lost was she in her thoughts that she was startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around she found the object of her thoughts. He turned her around to face him, but unable to meet his heated gaze with her guilty one, she tried walking away, but he wouldn't let her go away. He turned her to face him, making her meet his eyes.

She tried to say something, voice out her doubts, but he stopped her not letting her do so. Taking her hand, he kept it over his heart, engulfing it with his. Their entwined hands lay on his heart, in a gesture as symbolic as can be.

Geet looked away, afraid to take the leap of faith that Maan was asking. She knew what he wanted, what he was saying, and in her heart she also knew that he would never hurt her the way he had. But a small part of her was still afraid. She walked away to clear her head. It was difficult for her to have any lucid thoughts when he was near her. His proximity, his touch, his scent all contrived to drive any thoughts right out of her mind.

But it looked like Maan wasn't going to give her any time out. He caught her hand, not letting her go and came up behind her, his lips nuzzling her neck.

Kyunki tum hi ho Ab tum hi ho

Zindagi ab tum hi ho..

Chain bhi, mera dard bhi Meri aashiqui ab tum hi ho

He kissed a path lightly from her neck to her chin, his hands trailing over the naked skin of her back bared by the low cut blouse. Geet trembled all over as she turned around, fighting with herself. When his lips hovered above hers, she shook her head in denial, escaping the warmth of his arms, going back to stare out at the panoramic beauty in front of her.

The garden lay in front of her, lit up by twinkling colorful lights, the scents of the flowers making the warm air heavy with their fragrance. However, all she saw and felt was Maan. It was his face that came in front of her eye when she closed them, his musky scent that filled her senses when she breathed in. He had become such an intricate part of her life these past weeks that living without him was well nigh impossible for her.

As she made the decision, he once again came up to her and kissed her lightly on the side of the head. The kiss was so gentle, that it barely touched her physically, but she felt it through to her soul.

She closed her eyes accepting that he was what she wanted. If that meant taking a risk then she was ready to do it.

 Because, she loved this man, her life had no meaning without him. 

Author's Note :