In a couple of hours!
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56. Mirage
Coming to work after the weekend was like coming back to life. As I walked up the path to my office, I did a quick scan around, subconsciously hoping to run into the one who had become the centre of all my attentions these days. I knew I was too early to work and even if he was there already, he wouldn’t be lurking around. The heart could hope, though, however futile it may be.
I tried to shake him off my mind but it was a wasted effort, like it had been all weekend. Even though I had company in Raya and even G during the weekend, the two days stretched on forever, and I actually found myself mentally cursing Anaya for making the weekend even longer by forcing me to stay home on Friday. I missed seeing Maan's face more than I was willing to admit to anyone, especially after having had that conversation with Anaya. During the weekend, I found myself hunting for an excuse to visit the Khurana Mansion just so I could see his face and hear him talk. I could not find any, though.
Entering my office after greeting my assistant, who was already on her desk, I went about starting my day only to be gravitationally pulled towards the glass wall. The temptation to stand by the glass wall in an attempt to catch a glimpse was exceptionally strong. I talked myself out of it. It was desperation, of course, to give in to this temptation, I told myself. Just one peek wouldn’t hurt, the heart whispered.
After a good few minutes, the heart finally overpowered the mind and I gave up. Sighing, I pushed my wheeled chair away from the table. Getting up, I slowly walked towards the end to end glass window which overlooked the main office building of Khurana Constructions. “Just one peek, Geet!” I tried to calm the turmoil in my mind. “Just one moment and whether or not he is there, you come back to your chair and concentrate on your work!”
The main building stood tall, gloriously gleaming as the sunrays bounced off its shiny surface. I hesitantly looked up at the one window I knew was the home to the centre of my musings. Disappointment flooded through me as I realised I could hardly see anything inside the building because of daylight. Slightly irked and not willing to give up just yet, I broke the promise of a single peek and craned my neck, tiptoeing in an effort to find a single spot which would satisfy my irrational desire.
What happened next, I had not forethought at all. My body froze as I sensed a presence right behind me. My instinctive response was to defend myself against the perpetrator but before I could whirl around and launch the punch my fist had formed, I heard his smooth voice, filled with curiosity.
“What are you trying to look at?”
Of all voices I could have expected, this velvet-laden, silky one was not which I thought would catch me red-handed and so the shock of having the manifestation of my thoughts right behind me made me turn around in a jiffy. Forgetting the fact that I was on my tiptoes made the situation even more mortifying for me as the sudden movement affected my balance and I began to fall backwards. Acting on his instinct in a split second, Maan stretched his arm out, wound it around my waist and pulled me towards himself to steady me. My body hit his as I hung mid-air, my hand clutching the collar of his shirt, his arm around my waist, his hand spanning wide on my back.
Finding myself in a very filmy position, I stared at his face merely inches away, his beautiful eyes gazing right back into mine and I could feel my heart thumping almost audibly against my ribcage. Could he also hear it, I could not tell anything from his face. His emotions were so well-masked but there was a depth in his eyes, a magnetic force which did not allow me to pull away instantly. His eyes spoke something, face concealed it well.
Neither of us moved for what could have been an eternity but felt like the shortest of times until a short rap on my office door jolted us both back to reality. Unfazed, Maan straightened me in one smooth movement and then stepped away to put some distance between us. I fought the emptiness I suddenly felt when the warmth of his body was replaced by the coolness of my surroundings. A glance at his face told me he was back to his work mode, all signs of any emotion were wiped off completely. I turned around and quickly walked to my desk, lightly clearing my throat and calling out for the intruder to enter.
My assistant came in with a reddened face, clearly having witnessed our little entanglement through the glass door. From where I got the strength to conceal the myriad of feelings going on inside me at the moment, I knew not. I dealt with her in my office attitude, partially keeping an eye out at Maan, who had not left the office contrary to my expectations. He stood by the glass window, facing outwards, phone in one hand and the other hand inside his pant pocket. A part of my brain wondered how he could appear so calm and composed while causing a tornado of emotions within me.
I quickly satisfied my assistant and she went out without any further lingering, leaving me and Maan. My heart was still beating wildly but there were knots of uncertainty in my stomach too now. I couldn’t decide whether I should pretend nothing happened or go ahead to where he stood and God-knows-how, ease up the tension building inside me. He had either not noticed the girl was gone or he was going through a turmoil similar to mine. Either way, he stayed in the place he was at and after a few moments of awkwardly loitering at the edge of my table, I decided to walk up to stand beside him.
I cleared my throat nervously, which made him look up.
“I’m sorry.” My voice sounded hoarse, making me clear my throat better this time.
“For what? Falling over?” He chuckled slightly, his face relaxed into a smile. “Or... are you apologising that you almost had me falling over too?”
His reaction was surprising, to say the least but his snickering reflexively extracted a smile from me too. It was a relief to see our little encounter had not pushed him into a shell.
“It was a filmy scene, though, you have you admit it.” I laughed as I agreed with him this time, although my heart missed a beat as I recalled the said scene.
“Shall we sit?” He suggestively held a hand towards the chairs. I nodded and we both took our places.
“So, how have you been?” He asked once he’d settled himself into the chair in front of my table.
“Good. You?”
“Never been better.” Along with the words came a lop-sided smile, which could very easily make one fall for him – if one wasn’t already falling hard and flat like me. “So how was the weekend with Anaya?”
“I didn’t actually spend the weekend with her.” I explained, carefully choosing my words because I had my doubts over his suspicions. “She came over on Friday because I was unwell.”
“Oh! I see.” He nodded. “Or maybe she just needed an excuse to take some time off from her routine.” He chuckled.
“Yeah, that too.” I chuckled with him.
He stayed for a few more minutes after that. I couldn’t help sneakily stealing glances at him, only to chide myself since he caught me a couple of times. I tried to cover it up and I hoped it worked because he hadn’t reacted in any way to my staring sessions. His assistant rang on my intercom to remind him of a meeting scheduled in the next few minutes so he quickly got up and, with a “see you later", went right out the door.
My eyes followed him out and then on to the walkway as he made his way towards the door. I found myself dreamily gazing at his lithe walk as he disappeared from my sight. My heart was longing to see him again just as soon as he went and I just shook my head at my own obsession. I tried immersing myself in the project I had at hand and it worked but only for a little while. My attentions were back towards the smartly dressed man, probably sitting in a conference room at the moment with his most serious face on.
A sigh escaped my lips. I rested my head against the chair and closed my eyes, reliving the very happening start of my day. It then struck me, he hadn’t once asked what I was doing in the first place, clinging to the window, except for that one time he’d made his presence known. He also hadn’t reacted to me staring at him. It reminded me of the rhetorical question Anaya had murmured to herself when I’d told her of Maan's oblivion. Was he really as unaware of everything? Maybe not, I thought to myself. Maybe he was just pretending to be unsuspecting. A smile started to form on my face even as an inexplicable excitement took over me.
I didn’t see him for the rest of the day but I wasn’t upset about it because a new kind of energy surged through my veins, just with the thought of my feelings being noticed. My heart was beginning to be hopeful that maybe, just maybe, he might have some feelings for me too. That thought kept my mood happy and my staff noticed it too but I didn’t really care to conceal it.
The next day was a new day. I woke up fresh and excited to get to work. We had a meeting of the heads as well and I was really looking forward to it. The time went by rather slowly when Maan didn’t visit me like he had the previous day. I only realised I had been looking forward to his visit when the day had already started and he didn’t come, leaving a tinge of disappointment in me. I’ll see him before lunch in the meeting, I consoled my heart.
The meeting finally came. Since there were many people there, I wasn’t really expecting him being anything other than his office persona. That was why, when our eyes met as he stood at the head of the table and I was sitting on one of the chairs along its length, the small smile he gave me just became the highlight of the day for me. I couldn’t help my own lips curving upwards in response and staying that way throughout the rest of the day.
Later when I was working in my office, the incessant ringing of my phone interrupted the instructions I was giving to an intern as I walked into my office. As I reached my desk, I read the caller ID and immediately picked my phone. Quickly spelling out the last few instructions, I dismissed the intern, who scurried away to carry out her duties. I sat on the chair and answered the call with a smile already playing across my lips.
“Aunty!” I exclaimed as I put the phone to my ear only to hear her complaining voice.
“What Aunty?! You’re so busy you’ve forgotten me!”
“Don’t say that!” I said softly. “How can I ever forget you?”
“Why haven’t you come to meet me then? It’s been so many days.” She lamented.
“I’m sorry!” I immediately set to eliminate the sadness in her voice. “I have just been busy but I promise I’ll come see you soon.”
“I'll wait for you at tea today then.” She perked up instantly.
That made me falter for a second. I had a meeting with a prospective client scheduled at the time and I was looking forward to it.
“Umm... I’ve got an important meeting today.” I said slowly, not wanting her to feel bad but then quickly added, “but I promise I’ll come tomorrow.”
She sighed sadly. “Who knows whether I'll live to see tomorrow.”
As soon as the words hit my ear, my heart was gripped in anxiety. “Don’t say that! You’re going to have a long and healthy life. We’re not going to let you go so soon!”
“How is it even going to happen when I’m getting older waiting for my children to come home and then they tell me they’ve important meetings?” Even though I caught on to the drama in her voice but I still played on, now with a smile on my lips.
“Don’t worry!” I reassured. “Your children will come see you after the meeting today. Happy now?”
I could almost see her bright smile shining through the phone. “Perfectly! I’ll wait for you.”
I chuckled silently as the call ended. Aunty was even better at being a drama queen than Anaya was. But I could let her emotionally blackmail me any day and I wouldn’t regret it.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully as I prepared for my meeting. I was really hoping to acquire this contract because it was a bigger project than all I’d done since starting with K Designs. Besides, this project would mean I’d get some more time working alongside Maan and that thought excited me.
Thinking of him made me go round and round in his thoughts, smiling to myself, toying with the paper weight in front of me until I realised what I was doing. Chiding myself, I focused on the work at hand.
The meeting went quite smoothly and by the end of it, I was positive I would get the project. The client wanted to discuss my designs and plans with his board before finalising. From the meeting, I left directly for Khurana Mansion as the meeting had taken more time than I had predicted it would.
By the time I got to my destination, I was feeling optimistic about everything: I’d be acquiring a project I had been working on, which could bring me new opportunities at the work front, I was content with where I was in my life and there was a bubble of anticipation to turning new leafs, I was happy to be going to spend some time with Aunty, and last but not least, going to Khurana Mansion meant another chance to sit and chat with Maan and the feelings that came with the thought overrode all others.
It was new for me to be this excited yet nervous to be meeting someone who I had practically known for a decade now. The feeling of newness with Maan was something which only added to the excited butterflies fluttering in my stomach as I stepped into the house.
“Geet dear!” Aunty’s warmth reached me across the hall as she noticed me entering. I quickly covered the distance and leaned in for the hug she was offering as she opened her arms wide.
“I’ve missed you!” I exclaimed only to be lightly smacked on the back while still being held in the embrace.
“Now that you’re here, you say you missed me! If I hadn’t pulled you here tonight, you would’ve gone for God-knows how many days without letting me see your face!” Being scolded by her felt like home as I smiled, pulling away and looking at her face.
“How have you been?” I noticed the bags under her eyes. She looked tired. “Have you not been keeping well?”
She sighed. “No, I’m fine. I haven’t had a peaceful sleep for the past few nights.”
I was sitting on my haunches right beside her armchair as I held her hands in mine. “Why is that?” I inquired as she pulled me to sit right beside her. “Is something bothering you?”
She smiled, putting a hand on my cheek and gazing at me for a few seconds before she spoke. “Nothing really. Just the usual old age stuff.” I was about to inquire the details but she quickly changed the topic. “Enough about me! How have you been? Are you not eating food these days? You’re getting thinner every time I see you!” I chuckled at her motherly love as she called for Nakul, the manservant, to serve us tea.
Aunty and I had a lovely time over tea. It was just the two of us and she had a lot of stuff to gossip about. Zara had gone to her parents' place for the day and should be back soon while Ranbir was out of town on some business while Maan had called to inform his mother of his late return. The disappointment I felt over the missed chance of meeting him was almost overwhelming. I had to convince myself to enjoy my time as well.
As I talked with her, I remembered what Anaya had told me about Aunty’s thoughts on Maan and me. I wondered if she still believed we were meant to be together, like she used to think so many years ago. I wanted to ask her about it but I held myself back for fear of exposing my newfound feelings for Maan. For some reason, I had a strong urge to keep my feelings a secret until I could decide what I wanted to do about them.
Nakul came in to announce dinner had been served. It was only then that I realised it was getting late and I needed to leave. Voicing my thoughts, I tried to excuse myself but then had to stay for dinner when Aunty insisted. As we ate, Zara and the kids arrived. With them, came the life of the house. There was an instant buzz to the air as Zara joined in the chatter and the kids pitched in their own share of noises to the previously quiet dining room.
“Oh, I almost forgot!” Zara said before addressing her mother in law. “I talked to them in the evening and they’ll be coming over to finalise the details this week.
“That’s good!” Replied Aunty. “I just want to be relieved of this responsibility now.”
“Don't say that!” Zara said softly, her hand patting Aunty's. “We all want him to be happy and trust me, this girl will keep him very happy.”
Although I had no clue what they were talking about but where their conversation was headed, I did not get a good feeling about it. I also noticed a fleeting look passed to me by Aunty as well as Zara. I did not know what to make of it so I stayed silent until Zara turned to me and decided to fill me in as well.
“We've found a girl for Maan.” She had said by way of explanation. “And we’re very positive it’ll work out.”
Something dropped in my stomach as I let the news sink in. Zara and Aunty were both looking at my face so I was lucky I had just lifted a glass of water to my lips. It hid the blood draining from my face at the news and gave me a moment to hide the sudden shock I felt as I schooled my features to the closest normal I could manage at the time.
I knew I was being scrutinised so I put my glass down and said in the best voice I could let out, “That’s good! We all want him to be happy.” I smiled through the lump in my throat as I felt the emotions closing in on me. Carefully taking a hold of them, I locked them away to mull over when I was alone.
Fortunately, both the ladies of the house got engaged in discussing the menu for the important day next week. I couldn’t quieten the voices inside me. He’s getting married..? Did he not feel the same way about me at all? So aunty didn’t believe in Maan and me being together any more? The thoughts just became louder and louder. Maan really was oblivious to my feelings... Another thought rose from the deep crevices of my mind, conveniently superseding all others. My feelings for him, my love for Maan is not reciprocated... one-sided love...
I sucked in a sharp breath. It was loud enough for the other occupants of the room to be alerted as both sets of eyes turned to me. I took the opportunity and decided it was best to leave now before making a fool of myself in front of everyone.
“Aunty, I’d like to take your leave now.” I saw she was about to protest so I quickly continued. “I’ve got an early start tomorrow and it’s pretty late now.”
“When you put it that way, I can’t stop you, my dear.” She smiled warmly, lovingly putting a hand on my cheek. “But I don’t want you to go alone at this time.”
Before I could protest, a voice cut in from behind me. “Who’s going where at this time?”
My stomach lurched at the sound of his voice as Maan strode in the dining room with big steps and leaned in to kiss his mother on the cheek.
“Oh, hey!” He greeted me chirpily when he noticed me. “When did you come?”
“She’s been here all evening,” Aunty replied for me, “giving me wonderful company when I was alone.”
“That’s nice!” He said, unaware of the battle I was fighting within myself. I wanted to take a flight and distance myself from everybody at the earliest yet I wanted to stay with him some more, I wanted to listen to him talk, to gaze at his face, to soak in the happy vibe he had. “I would have come sooner if I had known you were here.” I raised my eyebrows at this. “To interrupt your girl time, of course!” He smirked - the one I had always loved – and earned himself a light smack on his hand from his mother.
“Some other time then!” I chuckled weakly and stood up hurriedly. I needed to get away from here.
“Hey, hey! What’s the rush?” Maan had noticed it already. “I can take you home. Just give me a moment to freshen up and -"
“No!” I might have said it a little too quickly so I tried to do some damage control. “I’ll be fine. You must be tired. Why don’t you rest now and I’ll just get going.”
I could see that Maan was about to protest or if not him, Aunty was certainly going to. Luckily, my phone rang just at that moment, saving me from hunting for a way to escape. It was Raya and I used the call as an excuse to give Aunty a quick hug while answering the call at the same time.
Vaguely waving goodbye to Maan and Zara, I strode out of the dining room and crossed the hall towards the main door as I told Raya I was on my way back home. The call ended by the time I reached outside the main door. I stopped to take a deep breath and realised someone was coming after me, so I pretended not to notice and resumed walking with quick short steps in an effort to flee. By the sound of the footsteps, I knew who was following me. Somewhere in my mind, it dawned on me that I didn’t even have to look or even hear his voice to know it was Maan. The thought that I would recognise him anywhere just let me know how much I had already fallen for him and that scared me. I couldn’t allow myself to be driven towards him. The idea of him becoming mine had suddenly become a fantasy, a mirage.
I didn’t want to deal with him just now. At least not until I could gather myself together. But he quickened his pace and caught up with me, grabbing my wrist and effectively pulling me to a halt.
The touch almost made me jump. Whether it was because of my fast steps or because of his warm fingers wrapped around my wrist, my heart was jumping wildly in my ribcage. I feared he could hear it so I tried to move away without turning to him. It was a failed attempt. His grip tightened slightly, clearly indicating he was not going to let go. Alas, he was much stronger than me and he turned me to face him gently but firmly without releasing my wrist. He stared deep into my eyes. “What’s the matter?”
I made the mistake of looking directly into his chocolate eyes. “Huh?” I was perplexed for a few moments. The intensity of his gaze was messing with my thoughts so it took me a while to compose myself enough to respond. “Nothing. I’m just tired and I wanna go home.”
“So I’ll take you home.” His grip loosened slightly but neither of us attempted to move away. “Come with me.”
His voice had some hypnotising power. I wanted to refuse and go alone because he was the last person I wanted to talk to about what was disturbing me, yet I meekly followed him to his car. He made sure I sat in before going around the front to sit himself.
“Is something wrong?” He asked after a few minutes of silent drive.
“No.” That was all I could say.
The car fell silent again as he drove through the dark roads and I pretended to look out my window as I controlled my emotions by a very thin thread, which I knew would break soon. I was dreading it happening in front of him.
“Has something happened?” Maan asked after a while. I knew he could sense something was wrong yet I could not let it be known. I just could not tell him that the love I had just recently discovered I had for him was never to be returned because he was going to be betrothed to somebody else in a matter of days. I could feel a hollowness rising in my chest.
I shook my head, looking straight ahead. “I’m just tired.” I repeated and closed my eyes, resting my head against the headrest. I wanted to cry and it was becoming increasingly harder to control the tears clogging my throat from brimming over so I feigned sleep to avoid any further conversation with him.
The pretence continued for the rest of the ride because I knew his gaze flickered to me every few seconds even as he drove.
The smooth ride of the car and the silence of the night transformed my act into reality and lulled me to sleep. It felt like a long while later, I was brought back to consciousness by warm hands gingerly holding my head and something softer being stuffed behind my neck. My droopy lids opened to give me a view of Maan’s face only inches from mine. He was setting a cushion behind my neck. If I wasn’t already so smitten by him, this act of his would have done the job.
As soon as he realised I was awake, he retreated to his seat, effectively ending the moment and bringing me back to reality.
I heard him clear his throat. “Sorry... you fell asleep and your head was falling over so...”
“Oh!” I croaked out hoarsely and then attempted to clear my own throat as I straightened up. Noticing the surroundings, I realised we were parked under my building. The short nap had somehow helped bring my earlier emotions under control. Taking advantage of it – and blatantly ignoring the questioning look Maan was giving me – I continued to unbuckle my seat belt. Unfortunately, before I could leave the car, his hand shot out and grabbed a hold of my wrist in a strong grip. I turned to look at him.
“I am not letting you go until you tell me what the problem is.” He simply stated in a firm voice.
“I’ve already -"
“I am not buying that you’re just tired or it’s nothing, blah blah!” He cut me off right away. “Tell me what’s the matter!”
Multiple emotions swept through me at his words. Even in pain, my heart rejoiced at the thought that he cared. For a moment, I wanted to just simply say what the problem was. I wanted to lighten the burden in my heart and have him assure me that everything was going to be fine. But I couldn’t let that moment engulf me so I focused on the other emotion I felt. His ordering tone had irked me so I hit back at him.
“Why does it even matter to you?!”
Astonishment was evident on his face at my retort. “It matters because you’re my friend.” I looked away, clenching my teeth. I realised I had been expecting an entirely different answer from him, that maybe he had the same feelings for me as I did for him. What I did not expect was the way one simple word could be like a blow to me. Hearing him calling me a friend hurt.
i loved the update
another girl in maans life wonder if maan is aware of it...or is it some ploy to get maaneet together by mamakhurana but sounds interesting
dont know but i m liking to see her longing for him once even tho i know how much it must be hurting...
Hi Mariam
How are you and your family?
Appreciate the update😊
Chapter 56
wow Geet is eager to see Maan
of cos she misses him and cannot help but think about him
sadly she is unable to find a reason to visit KM
Gosh the temptation is so much to see him that she even cranes her neck and tiptoes
alas that was not needed as the man himself appeared at her office
well she was shocked
loved that moment when he held her
the world indeed stopped for Geet
as expected Maan is calm and composed while Geet was going through a tornado of emotions
Geet's thoughts are reasonable
admire Maan's efforts to lighten the atmosphere
enjoyed their convo
Geet is indeed finding it hard to control her feelings
Geet's thoughts well portrayed
is Maan really unaware of her feelings?
Geet and Maan's mom share a lovely bond
Maan's mom is so dramatic lol
at least Geet agreed to go and visit her
Geet is head over heels in love with Maan
liked that Geet also shares nice bond with the rest of the Khuranas
she is already part of the family
Omg did Zara and Maan's mom really find a girl for Maan or were they just trying to get Maan and Geet together?
as expected Geet is shattered but pretends to be happy
is Maan aware of this?
Geet's turmoil and questions is understandable
is her love one sided?
finally Maan arrived
enjoyed the banter
not surprised that he wants to drop Geet home
her refusal was justified
she just wants to get away from him
feeling for Geet
glad that Maan noticed she was not herself and confronted her
great that he insisted that he will take her home
nice seeing his concern for Geet
well she lies and says she is tired
pleased that he did not believe Geet and wanted to know what was bothering her
her question was anticipated
hmm so she expected him to say that he loves her but he says she is his friend
she is clearly upset and hurt hearing this
I feel that Maan still loves her but will not say anything as he is unaware of her feelings
and what happened in the past stops him from revealing this
continue soon
take care
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| Dragon-Heart | 290 | 8695 | ||
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