-EDITED-
Three Way Proposal
MaanEet OS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At that majestic moment, my impeccable prince bent down on the grassy ground to propose to me. A single diamond ring, an heirloom, was in his hand. He uttered those beautiful words, "will you marry me," and asked for my hand in marriage. Looking into his black eyes all that depicted significance was he and I.
My heart stopped as I stared helplessly into his dark eyes shining upon me with blessed luminosity.
I simply needed to accept his proposal, and then, I would be his forever.
Except...
My affluent boyfriend never bent down. The spotless, 10 Grand floor was too dirty to even step on. Instead he was sitting on the chair brought in by the grumpy custodian. The novel, expensive diamond ring was never his mother's unless you counted the conceited designer who viciously dictated her employees to painstakingly create her priceless treasure, soon to be bought by an opulent entrepreneur.
And those three beautiful words?
They were spoken in such a hurried, hasty manner that the cameraman pleaded him to repeat it a little slower as the millions of viewers would not comprehend. He shouted at the cameraman, complaining about his busy schedule which the thoughtless cameraman was interfering with.
"Do your job! Can't you do your job?!" He bellowed.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Dev Khuranna," he apologized.
I heaved a sigh watching the overwhelming scene. My nerves were teasing me, causing the beads of sweat which trickled down my back. But my heart never missed a beat. My heart never impeded, especially to hear his superficial proposal. In fact, it beat steadily as if detached to this "business" proposal: a marriage agreement with immense profit and zero love.
I always believed that when you meet the man of your dreams, he would be the only one that existed. When he proposed for the first time, to make you his significant one, he would be the one person you see--not the edgy, fearful cameraman or the irritated assistant standing on the side, envious since it was you being proposed to when it was she who slept with him every night he claimed to be overloaded with work.
Yet, the saddest part of it all...
His eyes were never black; they were hazel and never shining with luminosity. He was far too robotic, too apathetic for such an emotional journey.
He was never the one I looked upon. My glazed eyes hovered over Dev towards my forbidden, clandestine love whose hypnotizing eyes were jet black, always radiating with lucidity towards me...only me. Maan was my significant one, the special one. I could read his thoughts, knew his secrets, embraced his flaws, supported his ambitions, and enamored his soul, my ultimate reverence.
"I fell in love with you," I whispered praying he could hear my words. He watched me, his expression changing into something peculiar, incomprehensible.
"I know you did," he said. His teeth gritted from impatience. "Will you say yes already? My hand is hurting. You know how essential my hand is. It's a multimillion dollar hand for god's sake!"
He began to laugh haughtily. At last, distracted, I averted my gaze from Maan. I stared at him with disgust, shaking my head immediately.
"I can't. I don't love you," I spoke.
"Geet, I do not understand you at all. You just said--
"I love Maan. I've always loved him." My voice was breaking apart, piece by piece. Slowly and painfully, I was losing my confidence as I explored the horror of my own unexpected reality.
"Maan?! You love my worst enemy? That selfish, arrogant, cheating jerk?!"
Gasps were diffused into air, surrounding the ponderous atmosphere. The skittish cameraman stopped filming and finally looked at us, as did others.
"Why'd you stop filming? This is the story of the year! Record it!" The news reporter told him gesturing the cameraman to turn the camera on.
How could I forget? Maan was the business adversary of Dev. Maan was forbidden in my book because I was supposedly dating his childhood nemesis and now, business rival.
"How could you? You inconsiderate,
shameless woman! How dare you?!" He lunged at me.
If truth was shameless, then I was a shameless being.
I closed my eyes, prepared to take any violent blow that would strike me. As long as it was to declare my excruciating truth, I was ready for anything.
But I didn't feel wounded. I felt untouched. I opened my eyes to see Maan shielding me. He was slapped across his cheek, which glowered scarlet red. He looked behind to make sure I was okay. His ineffable expression did not change from before, instead it grew bitter. Maan took my hand in his and brushed past Dev who stood in astonishment.
His grip was tight, solid in its painful grasp. I winced as he held it even tighter. When we were in a clear space without the presence of a stranger, he threw me to the wall.
"Why did you do it? What were you thinking?" Maan inquired, pinning me against the red coated wall. I sank into the carpeted wall, closing my eyes to escape from his discomforting glare.
"Because I love you." I said softly. "It's okay if you do not feel the same. I was willing to face the consequences when I said no."
"He could give you future!" He clamored. My heart skipped a beat. I shook my head, opening my eyes in submission.
"What future? Money, fame?"
"Yes! Isn't that what you always wanted?" He interrogated. Maan grasped onto my arm, pushing it into the wall. I cringed from the unpleasant sensation shooting through my arm. I grew breathless as he disregarded an inch of distance between us. He was closer now.
"If I wish for anything, it would be Maan," I confessed. He held his glare for a second more before heaving a sigh. I felt his heavy breath against my neck. I swallowed from anxiety.
"Let me go, Maan. I want to be alone," I whispered. He complied eagerly, now adding a great distance between us. He did not speak anymore though I looked towards him hopefully.
It was clear, his answer to my proposal: no...probably, never. Rebuffed, I ran away as swiftly as possible. I had told him that his refusal would not move me with sorrow. I would hold my indifferent manner simply the same way, but I lied unknowingly.
My heart was hurting to such an agonizing point that even I could not differ from what was right and wrong. All I could feel was the desire to leave him before he could see my ugly state. The Geet he knew never cried, bawled in front of him like a feeble child. I was the impassive, acrimonious woman who he coped with unwillingly every hapless day of his life.
How could I have hoped he would fall in love with me as I fell for him? He could not be so weak or foolish to love an outcast.
I ran into the bus even though I was incognizant of where the bus was taking me. At this point, I did not care. I glanced at the bus driver who gave me odd looks. He must be intrigued by my pink eyes, red nose, and wet complexion.
"Thank you," I told him sarcastically before taking a seat in the back of the bus where no one seemed to bother me. As the bus began to move, I watched the rush of the speedy vehicles and fell asleep leaning against the window. I heard the bus halt for the next stop. In my head, I calculated the time to get off...the last stop...whenever...wherever it was.
The bus moved again, but then, it abruptly screeched to a pause. Surprised at the suddenness, I hit my head against the window.
"Ouch," I groaned. "This is so uncomfortable."
Awkwardly, I adjusted to the solid pillow again only to feel a warm hand on my neck pulling me to the opposite side. My head rested on a passenger's broad, muscular arm.
"There, more comfortable right?" He asked. I attempted to lift up my head but failed as he pushed my head down again. "It's me. Just relax. You've faced a tiresome day."
Maan. I smiled. This wasn't the first time he lend me his shoulder. He had done the exact same gesture before when I had been rejected for a promotion of C.E.O of the Hospitality Department for Khuranna Constructions. I remember Dev telling me he would make sure to give the Board of Directors something "extra" to assure my position as the C.E.O. Blinded by power, I had agreed to him immediately. That was the first time Maan scolded me for falling into such evil ploy, bribery. He told me his brother may be taking part in such illicit crime, but I should not be his accomplice. Maybe that is why they held such deep aversion for each other: they never saw eye to eye, they were rivals since birth.
However, nothing proved essential at that very moment as I lay so close to Maan. He was all that signified. Maan had showed me the light I had forgotten existed.
Now that I found him, the light was the very substance I could acknowledge and the darkness was the very matter I could relinquish willingly for he gave me the strength to persevere.
Just like today.
"It's nice. Lying in your arms, like this," I mumbled drowsily.
"I know. You once told me."
"But you should not be here."
"Why is that?" He questioned.
"You do not love me. You should not care." I muttered as I slowly drifted off to sleep, but instantly, I awoke when his shoulder shook from his chuckles.
"I have loved you always. You never realized," he whispered. I felt his hand run through my open hair. He pushed off the strand of hair which fell lazily onto my forehead.
"You have?" I inquired lifting up my head. His eyes were twinkling mischievously. "Why did you say nothing to me then?"
"Out of anger. You threw away your life for me. How can I live--
"He and you are the same. You have money and fame too. I threw--
"You threw away your dignity. Do not fool me, Geet. You are not as selfish as you claim to be. I have fallen in love with a selfless, altruistic beauty. I am enchanted. Even the darkest side of you cannot trick me."
I giggled. "Have I?"
"And more," he whispered soothingly in my ear before kissing my forehead. "I am in love, Geet Handa, with you."
Maan kissed my lips next, teasingly biting my bottom my lip. He requested entrance with his tongue and I playfully rebuffed. And soon, his aggressive nature awakened: his hand encircling my waist, caressing it just right so I would be too lost to distinguish. I moaned against his lips as he grinned against mine. He would not spare me until he received his wish. He brought me closer, diminishing the little distance between us.
"Marry me," he said. My mouth fell open at his proposal and he won his share of the game. The deeper he kissed me, the harder my heart beat.
I could not make the
goosebumps disappear nor did the shivers fade away. His ministrations were
causing me to gain abnormality in my ability to rationalize, but the pleasure
he gave me left me less than resistance.
In other words, he was sending me to an enthralling bliss of a forever Maan.
He slightly squeezed my waist making me gasp against my will. He laughed against my lips while his fingers rode up my spine. Although he barely touched my skin, I could feel my skin heat up from his impending touch. Maan's hand rested against the back of my neck. He lifted up my head so I could look at him.
"You haven't answered me."
I opened my heavy-lidded eyes to meet his somnolent, mesmerizing ones. I smiled gently.
"I would be a fool to say no."
"Then say yes." He cajoled.
"Yes, I will be yours." I promised.
"You are mine, Geet."
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