"Ok just so we are clear, you are not on a spree to check up on all unsettled scores, are you?" Rishabh asked looking sheepish, as they marched outside the back door. Maan's brow rose in question. To which Rishabh once again cleared his voice that was suddenly giving up on him. He was nervous as hell, given the furious look on Maan's face. He thought he imagined, something burn and the smell of charring waft in the air, but then again, he was anxious over his own misdeeds from eons ago and so he was desperate for an answer.
"I know I deserve a few punches myself"
Maan looked up with an abrupt laughter that did seem genuine to Rishabh. "Of all the times that you deserved one, I only would have acted on my intention, had you signed the divorce papers" He said, patting Rishabh on the shoulder.
"We are good" He said in a placating tone and Rishabh felt the same relief wash over him, had he heard himself being scored out of some goon's hit list. He welcomed the sense of brotherhood that Maan was nurturing with him. How else could he explain Maan asking him to accompany him to pay a visit to a shadow from the past? A heinous one at that.
The men went to wait by the car that was already there, as per the instructions Maan had left with the manager. Rishabh relaxed on the bonnet, while Maan kept juggling the key chain as he paced back and forth. He saw the manager make an appearance by the doorway, when he knew their package had arrived.
Dev wasn't surprised that the men wanted to have a chat with him and neither did the alley which he was entering now. However, the smile of their faces was far from what he had imagined. This was more intimidating than a look of rage he had expected. He truly didn't know what to expect when Maan extended an arm to greet him, while Rishabh just nodded.
"I apologize Dev. Our manners had gone to the gutters the last time we met. I hope New York is treating you well" Dev took his hand, with an unsure hand, but Maan's vigor and firm handshake, shook him up literally too.
"Rishabh" Rishabh greeted a confused Dev.
"Thank you. That will be all" Maan thanked the manager who had come along with Dev and took the brown bag from him. He handed him a few hundred dollar bills with a knack that told Dev, that this was not the first time he had thanked someone with bills for favors returned. Without another word, the manager nodded politely and left the trio in the back alley. The last rays of sun were grazing the ground and light swept across the dumpsters in a hurry, as if it was running away from the sour mood that was hidden behind the vile smiles of the men gathered there.
"It's all right. I didn't expect anything better" Dev said, shaking Rishabh's hand. Maan quickly unwrapped a bottle of tequila from the brown bag and started pouring it into the plastic cups lining them up on the bonnet.
"I thought we should loosen up a little before..." He left that open-ended and handed Dev one of the glasses.
"Before
what?" Dev took the glass and stilled, his eyes dilating with the fear of the
unknown. He had no clue how this was all going to end, but it was given that there was going to be some verbal attack at best.
"Don't you think it's time you cough up some answers? I think you owe some" Maan said, abruptly losing his suaveness, gulping down his shot at one go. Rishabh did too but he was far from showing the composure Maan was carrying, even if it was only a faade that much Dev knew. He was certain about what they were digging at now, but he strongly felt, this was not their place to demand any answers.
"Well I don't know what you are talking about...and I think if you are desperate, then you should be asking your wife" Dev said and watched Rishabh crunch the glass into a ball. Maan, however, smirked leaning on the bonnet and faced Dev fully now, keeping his gaze on his empty glass.
"I think I better hear from you Dev" Maan said.
"Why?" Dev took a sip from his glass and added "Don't you have a good thing going on...to chat up with 'your wife' directly? That you think I need be to explaining" He said, punctuating enough at the words 'your wife'. Before Dev could gauge any reaction from Maan, he felt something hit him hard in the face and followed by something warm and mushy gushing into his mouth. He hissed sharply and instantly took a hand to his nose and the pain shooting up to his forehead confirmed he sure did have a broken nose.
"Whoa...Rishabh calm down" Without moving from his place he continued "We don't sneak up on cowards like that"
"What the Fu** is going on here? Who are you calling a coward?" Dev stumbled back, wincing in pain. Opening his mouth to defend himself seemed like he was moving a mountain with his mouth.
The knuckles had done a good job at what it was intended and Maan got that from the mumbling that escaped Dev's lips. At first, Maan was taken back at his rebuttal. The man did have guts, he thought. When he felt Rishabh was in control, he opened up the conversation again without a care for his bleeding that was dripping on Dev's shirt.
"Why did you do it?" Maan asked.
"Do what?" Dev muttered under his breath, balancing on the rim of a nearby dumpster, his face filling up with unexpected ire at Rishabh's blow.
"You know what I'm asking about" Maan said and watched Rishabh, smooth down the lapels of his coat.
"No...Look, I wanted to just get ahead with my life and I don't think I need to answer anyone, definitely not to you" Dev wheezed through his answer, putting some distance between them, as he pressed a handkerchief to his nose. Maan thought what he heard sounded like a truce initially however, the words that followed had been indicative of an attitude he thought he didn't need to take from a coward...a terrible one at that too.
"Ok...this is not working" Maan said and he removed his blazer, only meaning to intimidate with no intentions to hurt him physically. Throwing the blazer at Rishabh, who was still seated on the bonnet, he folded his cuffs and removed his watch and pocketed the same.
"Why did you do it?" Maan insisted on the question once again and Dev backed into the wall nearby seeing Maan take a step towards him.
"What is wrong with you? Are you a psycho? I said I wanted to get on with my life..."
If there was one thing Maan didn't understand, it was why he wasn't running or trying to get help or even call 911. He was certain that it was his cue that Dev really didn't want to involve another soul into the matter at hand and played on that advantage.
"And you want me to believe that shit? I think you know which part of deceiving her, I'm talking about" Dev's eyes shot up in alarm, while Rishabh looked confused. Dev kept his ground for a moment and then confirmed to himself mentally what Maan was hinting at. He made a move to get past Maan from the side and noticed Rishabh getting alert immediately, as he jumped to the ground. He had no intention to fight the men, but he wasn't entirely sure, they were going to give him a choice at that.
"I don't want to talk about it. If you want, ask Geet to call me with your questions" Dev said and got ready to face whatever that was to come after that. His guilt wouldn't let him raise his hand against Maan and deep inside he strongly wished Maan would hit him. Apparently he was coming to believe Maan was stronger mentally than to let his anger the better of him, but the impression was short lived.
Something snapped when he heard Dev utter his wife's name. When he got back to his senses, he had no knowledge of how he had held him by his shirt collar and pinned him to the wall. Thankfully, his hand had halted mid-air about to punch him once again on his face. Dev saw the red in Maan's eyes and at once cringed expecting another wave of pain to hit him on the face.
Maan released his hold on Dev's collar and walked away wiggling his hand, as if it could shake off the rage that was coursing inside him. He took a deep breath, contemplating on the choice of his words that he was to use next.
"Dev let me give it to you straight. Why did you marry her, when you had no intention to do so? I mean what sort of a man settles for the bride's sister when the bride finds a man of her choice?"
Rishabh listened in, abandoning the plastic glass into which he was pouring another shot. He didn't know Geet's past and the details intrigued him in a good way, raising his concern and pity for Geet by many folds.
Dev was puzzled at Maan's questioning when even Geet had never argued to the point. It threatened his insecurities that the man in front of him, was somehow was at the root of the issue unlike the others with whom he'd had to answer about his relationship with Geet. He looked away at once, as Maan folded his arms and faced him.
"Even if you married out of some family pressure" Dev was now sure that Maan knew the answers for his own questions. He saw Rishabh come stand next to Maan.
Shooting a look at Rishabh, Maan hesitated to continue, but decided otherwise in no time.
"Why didn't you consummate the marriage? I mean you didn't even try having a normal married life with her and I want you to know that she blames herself for that"
Rishabh shook with the revelation he had just heard and he didn't wait for another second even as he heard Maan say "Now why would you do that?". Rishabh held his collar straight on and Dev ducked his face thinking he was about to receive another blow.
"Is this what I think this is?" Rishabh yelled.
"Hold your horses Rishabh, I only want him to acknowledge. I thought the liquor will help him face the facts easier, but it's seemingly not enough for Dev here" Maan spoke all the while, trying to get Rishabh's hand off Dev's collar and dragged him back by his elbows.
Dev broke down and sank to the floor, speaking out aloud, without holding back to no one person in particular. Holding his forehead, he grunted with exasperation. Fisting his hand, he drove it rough against the dumpster and it hurt him bad. He mumbled to himself in repentance.
"What?" Rishabh said annoyed, unbelieving to see a man, pathetic as Dev was.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to and I didn't have a choice" He said in a cry of despair.
"I really didn't mean to get anyone involved in the complications. It was not meant to" He said. Rishabh hunkered down to lift Dev up, only to pin him up against the wall and his hand took to that punch that he had not quite delivered last time. Dev shriveled with an ache that surpassed the one that was dying down from the his previous blow.
Maan eased Rishabh as he screamed in anger "That's for all the faux flirting you did with my wife you assh@!%"
Maan realized what Rishabh had meant and he didn't quite feel up to talking to him on that topic as he strongly felt it was more for the husband and wife to discourse on. Without wasting time, the two men left Dev balled on the floor and got into the car to madly dash out of the alleyway.
"I think I need Absinthe too...God! I wonder how Naini is going to react when she hears I punched her business partner" Rishabh muttered under his breath, covering his face in his hands.
"Guess I'm in the same boat. We better shack up at the sit-out for the round of drinks. I want to stay close to home" Maan said looking back to Rishabh for a quick second.
He
wanted to stay close for more reasons than one. But he needed to wind down
before he was going to face anyone after what had gone down tonight. He was
glad at last, that good days were to come...that she could get her closure if she
desired one.
To be continued...
THANK YOU all for the lovely comments. I really want to see how your reactions are to the Dev scenes. I'm already seeing people don't like it, but the next update is the last one where he will come in and I hope we all can get some closure to that. If you notice the questions Maan raised are all valid and if I don't write this up, these will forever remain loose ends. Since we are closing down on all possible holes, lets deal with this one as well.
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