Hi Everyone!
I'm Naina and I'm back with another Maaneet SS.😆😆
This will have maybe 2-3 total parts, so it will be completed soon! I hope you all like this, and do let me know if you want to be added to the PM list!
Cheers!
~Naina
ps. Happy Happy Happy Diwalii! :)
Table Of Contents:
Chapters 1-3: Page 1
Chapter 4A: Page 20
Chapter 4B/5: Page 27
Chapter 6: Page 33
Chapter 7: Page 38
Chapter 8: Page 43
Chapter 9: Page 47
Chapter 10: Page 53
Chapter 11: Page 58
Waiting for You...
"Mama! Ms. Smith was saying that it's going to snow so hard that we're going
to have a...a... a BIG snowstorm!" exclaimed
Diya, tugging on Geet's apron as she filled her in on the events from school.
"Oy! You're such a stupid sometimes" laughed
Dhruv, reaching over to yank one of his sister's pigtails. "It's called a
blizzard!"
"MOOOM. He pulled my hair!" she screamed,
tears welling up in her eyes, as she started to hit her brother.
And Dhruv ran from there, trying to escape his angry sister as Diya raced
behind him, ready to take revenge.
Geet watched, a small smile playing on her face, as
she took in the sight of her two little angels, the twins, fighting and having
fun.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She couldn't even imagine how she was planning on getting an abortion when she
found out the news. She didn't want his child, she didn't want the symbol of their love entering
the world they had lived in. She had gone into the hospital on the day of the
appointment, a bundle of nerves, as she hoped and prayed that no one she knew
would see her there. And lucky for her, she didn't see anyone she knew.
But what she did see tugged at her heartstrings.
There was a mother playing with her newborn baby, completely lost in her own
world, a look of utter bliss present on her face.
And Geet knew. She knew that that's what she too wanted. That's what she wanted
to experience. She wanted a child of her own, she wanted to love someone, she
wanted to feel loved.
And immediately, she turned on her heels, and left
the hospital. She would bring up her child, bring up a symbol of their love,
in a place far away from him. A place where he would never be able to find
them.
And she never rethought her decision once. She knew it was the right one, and
although she missed him occasionally, she knew that it would be best to leave.
Once she got home, she didn't waste any time as she threw all of her clothes
into a bag, gathered all her belongings and scribbled a quick note.
Maan,
I'm done. I can't live this kind of life with you anymore. I'm leaving.
Please don't try and find me.
I love you.
Geet
And with those last words, she left that house, that family, and the past three
years of her life all behind, and moved to the USA, to a small town in New
York, where no one knew her before. And settled in. The first few months were
difficult, but after the twins were born, life wasn't as lonely, and she found
herself once more.
The person that she had lost in the years she spent
with him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Mooom! Someone's knocking on the door!"
screamed Diya, disturbing Geet out of her train of thoughts.
Wondering who it could be so late at night,
especially with the heavy snow outside, Geet made her way to the door, and opened
it slightly.
The sight before her shocked her out of her wits, as she could do nothing but
stare.
Maan. It was really him standing there, in flesh
and blood, his dark brown eyes penetrating through the depths of her soul, as a
painful look streaked across his face.
"G..Ge...Geet?" his low voice broke her thoughts as he reached out a
hand slowly brushing his fingers across her cheek, as if to check if she was
real. A sharp intake of breath on her part confirmed the reality to him.
"Mom. Aren't you going to close the door? The snow is going to enter the
house!" scolded Dhruv, as he pushed Maan inside with his tiny hands, and
attempted to close the door shut.
Mom? Geet was a mother? She really had moved on,
and had a family of her own.
Geet watched the series of emotions cross his face, from bewilderment to
sorrow, to regret. "Come..Come inside" she said softly, moving away to let Maan walk in, and he
followed wordlessly, the past few surprises still reeling in his mind.
"I..um...Do you think I could stay here for the
night? It's uh snowing really badly, and my car broke down...but only if your
husband doesn't mind. Otherwise, I'll leave right away" Maan stuttered awkwardly, glancing here and there as he
tried to avoid her eyes while at the same time attempting to capture his
surroundings.
Her heart broke. He really did think that she had
moved on. That she could move on without him.
"Maan. It's fine. We have a spare room and the
weather right now is the worst to travel in. You can stay here for now." Then, turning to her daughter, Geet said "Diya,
can you go get Pa...I mean...Unc...uh this man here a towel from the laundry
room?"
Maan's eyes shot up as he heard her fumbling for
words. He knew it, she was going to say Papa, then Uncle, but had settled for this
man, why so much hesitancy? Where was the children's father? He
thought to himself once again.
"Your husband Maan?" he questioned, looking
around the house.
"Um, well, he's...he's on a business trip right now. He'll be back soon."
she replied nervously, not daring to look him in the eyes.
Dhruv, who was still standing there, turned to his Mom and looked at her, his
eyes filled with curiousity. "Mama, what's a
husband?"
Geet wanted to bang her head against the wall. This
boy had to go and ask these questions now. Uffo.
Meanwhile, Maan's suspicions were growing stronger
and stronger. The boy didn't know what a husband was. And Geet was
married, now wasn't she?
Maan looked at Geet, one eyebrow raised, but she wouldn't meet his eyes.
Instead, she told Dhruv to go and help his sister out in the laundry room,
while she fixed up a nice tea for the uncle, sorry, the man.
Maan followed Geet into the kitchen, where she quickly set about taking the
milk out of the refrigerator, the tea powder (Go red label!) and put everything
on the stove.
"Geet." he
called out, attempting to begin a conversation. However, she didn't turn around
to face him, choosing to concentrate on the milk that was on the stove.
"Geet!" he called out again, a little louder this time. And when she
didn't turn around once again, he grabbed her by the wrist and turned her
around to face him. Her eyes grew wide in shock.
"M...Maan. What are you doing?" she asked, trying to get out of his grasp.
His face turned stony. "What do you think I'm
doing? I want answers Geet. Answers to the truth, and that too, now. I know why
you left me, but the kids?"
"Wha..What about the kids?
"Oh really Madam? So you don't know the question?" He glared at her, his grip on her arms tightening as he
pushed her further and further back into the counter top. Her face contorted in
pain, as she let out a wince.
"I...I don't know what you want to know. They're
my kids Maan. My kids with my husband" she answered, her eyes
closed and her body twisting and turning as she struggled to get out of his
grasp. "Maan, let go. Pleasee."
"Geet. Tell me the truth. I can figure out when you're lying. I was married
to you once, remember?" he questioned, not
letting go of her.
"Uncle, let go of my mom!"
Maan felt someone pulling on his leg, while another
person was hitting him with his bare hands. And he listened. Quickly letting go
of Geet, Maan looked down to find Diya and Dhruv in front of him, their hands
on their hips as they were ready to defend their mother from this evil
stranger.
"Oy Mister! What were you doing to my mom?!"
Dhruv asked, his face scrunched up in anger.
Maan and Geet quickly glanced at each other, a tiny
smile playing on their faces as they saw the childrens' overprotectiveness, and
went back into past memories, how Maan always used to make fun of Geet for her
using the word OY so much!
And Geet, not wanting to corrupt her children at such a young age, quickly
answered "It's nothing. We both were talking about something, that's it. No
need to worry."
"Sorrry uncle" both of the kids held their
ears as they pouted their lips and looked at Maan. And a smile appeared on his
face. For some reason, he became instantly attached to these little children.
Bending down on one knee, he pulled the kids in for a hug before placing a kiss
on their foreheads, before picking them both up in his hands.
"Say bye to your Mama and tell her I want my tea soon!" Maan laughed
with the kids, but not before bending over to Geet and whispering, "I'm not
done with you yet. We're going to finish that conversation. Whether you like
it, or not."
Geet watched the three turn around and leave the
kitchen quickly, all smiley and happy. This might have been what her family
would be like if she hadn't decided to leave him, that life behind. But no, he
wasn't like this back then. In fact he wasn't like this at all, not happy, not
smiling, not so open or free.
A shudder ran through her spine as she thought of the last words Maan had said
to her. Would she really have to tell him the
truth, the truth about whose kids Diya and Dhruv were? She didn't want him to
take them away. She would never be able to live without her two angels.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 2:
Two hours later, the kids had fallen asleep on the couch, as the four of
them
were watching TV. Maan on one end of the sofa, with Diya right next to
him,
Dhruv next to his sister, and Geet next to Kush. Diya was pretty much
sitting
on Maan's lap actually, her head curled into his chest, a soft smile on
her
face as she snored away in her sleep.
He looked down at the little girl in his arms, and bent down to drop a
small
kiss on her forehead.
She was a darling! Earlier
that evening, Diya had made him play with her kitchen set, cooking all
sorts of
food for him as he sat at her restaurant and tasted her little cups of
coffee
and tea and pizza. A pout on her face, her eyes wide and shining with
hope, she
asked him if he would play with her, and what could Maan do? He was fida
over
this little girl in a matter of seconds. He sure didn't have the heart
to say
no to her!
Meanwhile, Dhruv was lying on the sofa with his head in his mother's
lap, as
she softly ran her hands through her little boy's hair, lost in her own
thoughts. She had stepped out of the kitchen after making that coffee,
only to
be pleasantly surprised seeing Maan sitting on a little stool at Diya's
restaurant, and actually playing with her, a whole hearted laugh
escaping him
as he became a child once again.
He had never liked kids before. He had even told her that, multiple
times.
But apparently, he had changed.
Something had changed in the last
six years.
Dhruv shifted in her arms, breaking her out of her
thoughts. As she patted Dhruv softly on the back, trying to get him to
go back
to his sleep, she felt two eyes on her, burning holes in her with their
intense, unsettling gaze.
She glanced up slowly, only to be met by a pair of
dark brown eyes, a piercing gaze that was apparently scrutinizing her.
"I...um...I'll
take the kids to bed"
she said softly,
getting up out of the sofa as she carefully picked up Dhruv. "I'll
come back to get Diya, I hope you
don't mind her in your lap for a few minutes" she smiled
apologetically. As
she walked towards the children's room, she heard the footsteps behind
her, and
turned back to find Maan following her with Diya carefully sleeping on
his
shoulder, her arms tightly wrung around his neck.
Geet smiled and quietly thanked him before turning
back around and continuing into the bedroom.
She put Dhruv down onto his bed, covering him up with
the blanket and he snuggled into a little ball, all warm and cozy and
deep in
his sleep. Placing a soft kiss on his forehead, she turned around to get
her
daughter and put her in bed.
But what she saw surprised her once again.
Maan, the MSK, was softly patting Diya to sleep in
her all pink bed, mumbling soothing words as she tossed and turned. He
was
completely and utterly lost in his own thoughts, softly stroking the
side of
her cheek, as he stared at her extremely innocent face.
Diya Saxena. That's what she had said her name
was.
A few hours Earlier...
"Saxena?"
he had asked when she had told him her name.
"Of course
it's Saxena. What else would it be?"
she
asked cutely before shoving a teacup in his hand and asking him to drink
the
tea.
As Maan "sipped" the tea, he became lost in his own
thoughts.
Saxena? Geet had gotten married! That would be the only
reasonable
explanation for the change in last name, because before they were
married she
was Geet Handa. But where was her husband? Why was there no indication
of
another person's presence in the house? Why didn't Dhruv know what a
husband
was?
"Diya, where's
your Papa?"
Maan had asked the little
girl.
Back to the Present...
He felt her presence beside him, and he turned his
head to see her leaning over the bed, kissing her daughter good night.
Geet smiled at Maan as she asked him
"Shall we go? I'll show you your
room for
the night. You look tired."
And Maan followed her quietly, not wanting to attack
her with his questions right then and there.
She led him into the room a few doors down. "Geet, we
have to talk." he stated, the minute she opened the bedroom door, but
she
conveniently chose to ignore him.
"If you need
anything else Maan, just let me know. I'll be in the room right next
door"
she answered sweetly, not daring to look him the eyes and
quickly turned around to leave.
But he grabbed hold of her wrist, knowing exactly how
she acted when she wanted to avoid confrontations, and pulled her back
into the
room, closing the door and pushing her against it. His grip on her hands
remained tight, as he glared at her, "Geet look at me! Look at me
damnit!" he yelled, when she refused to look him in the eyes.
Geet slowly looked up, tears welled up, the fear and
nervousness apparent on her face. She bit her lip, and Maan's thoughts
immediately changed direction.
Those lips. Those bright pink lips, that he just wanted to capture with his own. Like he had done so many times in the past. He slowly took one of his hands and brushed away a stray piece of hair that was falling on her face, his soft touch lingering on her skin. Geet gasped, that magical touch once again after six whole years. His fingers slowly brushed across her lower lip, and she parted her lips instinctively, desire already overwhelming her.
And he quickly bent down, placing soft kisses along her jawline, and brushing his lips across hers.
Her eyes closed, and she fell slump in his arms, not struggling anymore. "Maan'" she moaned, her voice pleading with him to continue, to press his lips on hers.
But it wasn't to be.
Maan quickly came back to reality. The stony face once again appeared. And his eyes devoid of any and all emotion.
She realized what she was doing and quickly came back to normality, her eyes open. No. She couldn't drown in him. She couldn't succumb to her desire, that fire that was burning deep within her.
"Ma...Maan. Let me go" she pleaded with him, not at all ready to tell him what he already knew.
"Geet, until you tell me the truth, you
aren't going to be going anywhere. ANYWHERE! Do you hear me?!" he
literally
screamed. "They're my kids aren't they?
My kids! Dhruv and Diya Khurana, NOT Saxena!"
Geet lowered her eyes, as the tears streamed down her
face. "Maaan, I..yes..they are your
children. Our children." she whispered, her voice getting softer and
softer
as she grew more and more afraid.
Nothing happened.
Not a sound.
Not a peep.
And Geet was getting nervous.
His iron grip on her hands remained, but he didn't
say a word.
"Maan?" she squeaked, finally mustering up a little courage to
look at him, and she just wanted to shrink into a ball and die. His eyes
were
blazing with fury, and he was clenching his teeth, a low growl escaping.
"Why?"
The one word that finally left his mouth, the one
question that was driving him insane. He let go of her hands, looking at
her
with disgust and turned away, digging his hands into his pockets as he
walked
towards the window.
And she broke down completely. Wiping away her tears
with her hands, she explained to him, sobbing, that there was no
husband, and
that Diya and Dhruv are his children. She was pregnant with twins when
she left
six years ago.
"You didn't
answer my question Geet. Why?" he
repeated, his voice growing a little softer, a tad bit calmer.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 3:
The sun shining through her
window
caused her to flutter her eyes open. Morning
so sooon...She grumbled to herself, as
she slowly pushed the covers off of herself and started to get out of
bed, when
she felt someone grabbing her arm tighter, pulling her back.
Geet
looked over to see her son
snuggled close to her, still in deep sleep, "Mama...don't go...I
want to sleep"
She smiled, slowly pushing his hand
off of her as she walked towards the window in the room. Staring
outside, she
saw that there was a white blanket covering the ground, about a foot of
snow. It was all because of this snow, this snow
that she even had to deal with him, with Maan Singh Khurana, and tell
him the
truth, and now she would have to face him once again this morning. God,
give me
strength.
"Moom,
we don't have school today right? Because of all the snow?" a sleepy
Diya asked, rubbing her eyes.
Geet turned back, disturbed out of
her thoughts, as she looked on at her daughter laughing. "Good
morning my little sleepy head" she said, placing a kiss on her
daughter's forehead and lifting her out of bed.
"And
yes to answer your question, you do have school today. I didn't get any
phone
call this morning that you didn't so both of you have to get up and and
get
ready for another day in kindergarten" she exclaimed, a little more
enthusiastic this time as she walked over and shook Dhruv awake.
After
a few more minutes of moaning
and groaning, Geet dropped her kids off in the bathroom telling them to
take
turns brushing their teeth and taking a shower, while she got their
lunches
made.
It was 7:00 AM, and he still
wasn't awake. That was quite unusual.
So she took a detour
on her way to
the kitchen to peek into his room, her heart thudding wildly against her
chest,
as she slowly opened the door to that room. And there seemed to be no
one on
the bed. Confused she pushed the door open farther, and was shocked,
surprised,
to see the no one in the room at all. In fact, it looked like no one
had
occupied the room all night. The bed was still neatly made, the pillows
exactly
the way they were previously, the windows shut tight and the curtains
closed.
Had he left after her rant last
night? Had he actually listened to her?
She was happy
as a wide grin
appeared on her face. Phew! Now she could continue throughout her day in
peace.
One less worry on her list.
*********
About an hour and a
half later, Geet
stepped out of her bathroom, wrapped in merely a towel, as she stood in
front
of her closet trying to figure out what to wear to work.
About
twenty minutes before, she had headed outside
of her house, her two children walking slowly behind her, as they all
headed to
the bus stop. Little Diya and Dhruv all dressed up in extremely warm
clothes
(Geet made sure of that!) a winter jacket, boots, gloves, earmuffs, a
hat,
about 4 layers of clothing. Oh yeah, her kids were going to stay warm
and
healthy.
The knocking on the door caught her
attention. Knowing that it could only be Kripa that early in the
morning, the
woman she carpooled to work with, she just stepped out into the hallway,
screaming "Come on in! The door's
unlocked! I'm in the bedroom darling!"
And headed back inside, hoping to
now get some advice regarding what she should wear.
When she
felt two hands slip around her waist, she
realized it wasn't Kripa.
When she heard a person whisper her
name in her ears, brush his beard against her cheeks, she realized it
was Maan.
And she froze.
"You
know darling, you should always lock your door. Otherwise anyone can
enter. And
I want my wife and kids safe at all times. Just a little lesson you
know" he
answered, before swiftly turning her around in his arms, and his hands
tightening around her waist. His eyes came to rest on her lips, where a
drop of
water was resting, dangling actually, from her lower lip. He bent his
head
quickly, slipping out his tongue and sliding it across her bottom lip,
as she
sucked in a breath of air sharply. Now
is not the time Maan. Control yourself, he
thought to himself, pulling back quickly enough, resting his head on
hers as
she looked at him, a blank look on her face.
"Ma..Maan. I
thought I told you to leave. My kids and I are happy the way we are, alone.
And you are the last person we want in our lives. So it would be great
if you
left Maan."
"And what do you really think I'll do woman, when I
find out I have two kids who don't even know who their father is, a wife
who
refuses to acknowledge anything? Just leave the issue alone, pack my
bags, and
run along my own merry way? We need to talk. And we need to do it now.
Regardless of what you say."
Oh lord. This was exactly what
she feared. Her nightmare seemed to be coming true right in front of
her.
"Maan, I have
work. I have a job. I need to earn a living. We'll talk this out some
other
time. I promise" she answered back nervously.
And he let go of her, taking a seat
on her bed, crossing one leg over the other, as he glared at her with a
steely
look in his eyes. "You will be taking
the day of my dear wife, so we can figure out why the hell you thought
it was
acceptable to run away like that when you were pregnant, not even
telling me I
have two kids. Call your boss right now, shoot someone an email, do
whatever
you have to, but sure are taking the day off of work so we can get to
the
bottom of this."
"But..."
"No buts. No argument. Just go." he
ordered.
Unfortunately for her, just as she took a step
forward, the knot on her towel came undone, and her towel began to slip
to the
floor. Quickly, she grabbed both ends and pulled them closer to herself,
slowly
glancing up at her husband, whose eyes seemed to suddenly go from
coldness and
hostility to overwhelming desire, a fire burning within him and a smirk
played
on his lips.
"No need to
clutch the towel so tightly my dear, It's not like I haven't seen
anything
before."
She grinded her teeth together, "Don't you dare
talk to me like that
Maan. We were together 6 years ago. Go to the living room. I'll be there
in ten
minutes."
Maan raised his hands in surrender, "Whatever
you say Mrs. Khurana. I'll wait
in the living room."
"It's Mrs. Saxena!" she yelled
back, slamming the door shut behind him.
She leaned back against
the door,
and took two deep breaths, attempting to calm herself down before she
burst
from the overwhelming feelings that were wallowing around within her,
hatred,
anger, anxiety, fear, nervousness, panic, nothing good.
Oh
lord, what have I gotten myself into? she questioned herself, as
beads of sweat lined her
forehead.
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