ALMOST LOVERS
Chapter Twenty Two
Near to you
A moment with you,
Heals the wounds,
Even as you cleanse me,
I feel liberated
This moment with you,
Frees me from my pain,
Easing the sorrow,
I feel the joy
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Past:
The first time she got the flowers she tried to brush it off
as a friendly gesture but once they started coming in daily she couldn't help
but feel touched.
They were perfect and immaculate in their beauty, after all
Mr Khurana would never settle for anything less. But it wasn't that beauty or
the perfection that touched Geet but the care behind it. It showed that he
wanted to make her smile and be happy, that counted more than any present.
But it worried Geet. She didn't know when but it seemed that
within the short period of time she had come to trust and rely on him. It
became second nature to go out with him for dinner when she was down and to
talk about her problems.
It seemed unfair to her that she was the one unburdening on
him, while he remained so stoic and supportive.
However what worried her most was the almost tangible
current between them. It had been present before but with time it seemed to
grow. It was an awareness of him that seemed to confuse and fluster her at
moments. Still she didn't ponder on it, putting it aside as an emotional
response to having relied on him.
She walked to his office, wanting to thank him for all that
he had done for her and to show her gratitude.
As usual he was on his table, busy working. With a grin she
coughed to make sure that he knew she was here.
"Oh hi" Maan looked up and smiled at her. As always seeing
her come to him lightened him and reassured him that there was something
between them.
"Hi boss" Geet said in her usual tongue in cheek manner
being the only one in the office who didn't show him the same amount of
subordination. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"
"Of course not," he meant it, for he was always willing for
her to talk to him.
"Well….I just wanted to say thank you for…being there for
me" She gave a soft smile at him. "You are a great friend. If there is every
anything I can do for you, please feel free to ask"
"You don't have to say thank you" he smirked at her as he
continued on, "but there is something you can do for me"
"Just name it" She said in earnest, wanting to help him any
manner.
"Help me select a present for my grandmother" He asked
sheepishly, "It's her birthday tomorrow and I have no idea what to get her."
"That is no favour at all" Geet laughed, "I'll definitely
help you. Be ready to use your money because I shop like mad!"
"And it doesn't end there" He warned in a teasing voice,
"You should come to visit my grandmother as well"
"Oh alright" Geet was surprised, "But why?"
"You two will get along very well and I want her to meet my
friend" Maan smiled at her while thinking, I
want to show you my world.
--------------------
Shopping with Geet was an experience, Maan thought with a
smile. She was so in tune with her shopping that he was sure that she forgot he
even existed. It was interesting to see her do day to day activities with such
zeal.
Yet she managed to find something for his grandmother quite
soon and definitely much faster than he would have.
They were in a jewellery store when Geet turned to Maan and
asked, "Tell me a bit about your grandmother so that I can help you find
something that she will like"
"Well….hmm…she is very conservative" Maan pondered on his
answer, trying to explain about his grandmother, "but still very open minded.
She is from a royal family but has never looked down up on anyone."
"She sounds lovely" Geet smiled as she could clearly see the
affection Maan felt for his grandmother. It touched her because he didn't seem
the affectionate time. Just goes to show
that we can never tell the depth of another person. "Are you close to her?"
"She taught me all that I know" A dark scowl past over Maan's
face before he managed to pull it back, "She ran Khurana Corporation for many
years and made sure that I could handle the reins before passing it on to me"
He smiled at Geet as he continued, "In fact, you are like her in many ways;
strong and confident"
Geet felt no small amount of pride as she heard his
compliment, "Oh that is so nice of you. I hope I can be as strong as she sounds
but now to find something for this lovely woman"
She went through so many pieces but it was an antique kundan
necklace. It was beautiful in its austere lines; pearls threaded through the
gold with a central diamond surrounded by smaller stones.
"This is the one" Geet turned to Maan with a huge smile on
her face. "Its something I can imagine a Queen wearing; sophisticated and regal"
Maan picked up the necklace and immediately knew that she
was right. He was surprised that she could pick the perfect present without
even having met his grandmother.
As he was paying for the necklace he noticed that Geet was
touching one of the earrings with a smile on her face that showed she clearly
wanted it.
But as she came to the counter to pay for the earring he
took it out of her hand.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Geet asked in confusion.
"This is your present" Maan answered simply, turning to pay
for the earring as well with his credit card. The money wasn't important for
him neither was giving her the present but the smile on her face was the reason
for him buying her the earring. I want
her to always keep smiling.
"That is ridiculous!" Geet burst out refusing to take the
earrings, "You cannot just buy me earrings!"
"Why ever not?" This time it was Maan who frowned. He didn't
understand why she couldn't take a simple present from him. "Am I not your
friend?"
"Yes but that doesn't mean you'll buy me something for no reason" She shook her head, "I
can only accept this on one condition"
"And what is that?" Maan raised his eyebrows.
"If you accept a present from me" the stubborn look on her
face told Maan that she meant business.
That is why Maan ended up standing around one of the hawker
stalls while Geet was chatting with the hawker.
"Bhai, I want one of those" She pointed to a military dog
tag. The guy eagerly took one out and Geet paid the measly price. But that wasn't
the end of it. She got the store keeper to engrave Maan's name on to the tag.
"Here you go" She smiled widely at him while handing the
present. "Now we are even"
Maan shook his head, unable to understand her reasoning. "I
get you a pair of diamond earrings and you get me a military dog tag?"
Geet rolled her eyes with a small
smirk, "Sorry rich boy but money doesn't matter. It's the sentiment that
counts. There is nothing I could have gotten you that you don't already have
but this is something you would have never known to look for. Now you have something
from me that you can always hold on to"
"But why would you ever shop
here?" He asked in confusion.
"Because every place has
something to offer" She smiled with twinkling eyes, "Don't limit yourself Maan.
There are things here that you won't get anywhere else, things you don't even
know about. Look at the chain closely"
As he looked down he saw that it
wasn't his name that was only engraved but also a message;
To Maan, from your friend Geet.
"Every time you see the chain,
you'll remember not only me but also this different experience" She explained. "And
if you want to be a business man, then remember that even the smallest of
businesses affects the economy. If you buy something from a vendor he has the
money to buy something else and the cycle continues until it reaches our
business. It's a universal web connecting us all"
Maan was an economics whiz but
the way she explained it surprised and humbled him. He dealt with billions of
dollars but she thought right down to the basics.
"Thank you, Geet" He reached out for
her hand, You are so amazing, "For…showing
me something different"
"Well….I'll know you meant it if
you actually where the chain" She smiled and then took it out of his hands to
put it around his neck.
It was only as she was putting it
on him that she realised how close they were standing; with her on her toes to
reach up to him they were face to face. His breath fell on her cheek, heating
them up and causing a subtle blush.
Unconsciously her hands brushed
his neck while moving away and she saw a darkened look in his eyes that for
some reason caused a flutter within her.
But as she was to take a step away
from him, Maan grasped her wrist.
"Time to put on my gift to you"
His voice was so deep as he looked into her eyes. He grabbed the jewellery box
from her hands and took out the earrings while maintaining the eyelock.
Geet wanted to look away and
break this intense connection but for some reason the pull of his gaze was too
magnetic to turn away from. There was a storm of emotions in his eyes that she
couldn't read and if she was honest to herself, she didn't want to read.
Her breathing was hastened as his
fingers brushed her hair away from her ears, grazing the sensitive skin. The
press of his fingers on her earlobes as he gently pushed the earrings through
the hole, caused her fingers to clench.
And then he started on the other
side, letting his fingers brush her heated cheeks this time. Her eyelashes
fluttered with the torrent of sensations his touch created yet she couldn't
look away.
He slowly pulled his hands away,
letting them touch the skin of her nape while doing so.
"Beautiful" He whispered as he
stepped back. You look beautiful. "Perfect"
And Geet finally tore her gaze
away, feeling an ache that was both familiar and alien. What is happening?
--------------------------------
Present:
Even as he stared at her while she worked, his fingers rose
to pull out the chain around his neck.
Glancing down at it, a bittersweet smile came to his lips. She
had been right on this count as well. Her present had become so precious to him
that he always wore it. He could replace his rolex watch or other valuables but
this cheap thing had become priceless to him. His present to her paled in
comparison, gaudy instead of meaningful.
He ran his fingers over the engravings. The old words were
the same but there was a new addition; their wedding date.
As he rubbed across the date, he remember the excitement in
her eyes as they went to get the date engraved.
"This way you'll never
forget" she laughed, "No excuse to forget any anniversary.
"As if I could ever forget anything about you" He whispered
as he turned back to look at her, "I only wish that you could remember the fond
memories we shared instead of the bitter ones"
=========================
Precap:
Meeting Dadima
AUTHOR's NOTE
As always I loved all the lovely comments!
Hope you guys enjoyed the blossoming love of the pair😳
PS: Military dog tags are used as ID by US military for those who are unaware.😃
PLEASE DO COMMENT and press the LIKE button!!
Nothing motivates me as much as reading your comments!
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