Originally posted by: Mrs.MSKForever
i've been waiting kal se... coz I read ur post saying u r updating soon.. how soon is this "coming soon" coming?? today or sometime in the coming week?
I will try being awake if its gonna be tonight...would be great if you could let us know which day u intend to update... even a rough idea would be great!
I don't generally know when I'm going to update. It's usually as soon as I finish typing, which is never predictable. I actually meant to update last night, but sleeping won out. I aught to be updating within half and hour, to an hour of this post, so stay up if you'd like, or sleep and read when you get up.
Originally posted by: laxmi2010
I don't generally know when I'm going to update. It's usually as soon as I finish typing, which is never predictable. I actually meant to update last night, but sleeping won out. I aught to be updating within half and hour, to an hour of this post, so stay up if you'd like, or sleep and read when you get up.
Tum Kaun Ho?
A Maaneet Fan Fic
Chapter 40
Apr. 1, 2011 12:01 pm
Maan had tried to do all he could to speed up his meeting at the bank, but was only partially successful. He had been very anxious to get back to the house quickly, so that he could surprise Geet by taking her out to lunch. He arrived a little later than he would have liked, but well before he was expected back. Maan really wanted to give Geet a surprise, something she would never suspect, so he had decided to take her to an Indian restaurant.
Maan didn't know anything about Indian restaurants in the Kenilworth area, so after swearing Dadi to secrecy, he asked her opinion on where to take Geet. Dadi had been really happy, and excitedly asked if he was planning on proposing to Geet at lunch. Maan had turned red and immediately told her that of course he wasn't planning on proposing. The way Maan practically shouted upset Dadi a lot, and she sulkily complained that she didn't think he ever intended to get married. Maan couldn't help but roll his eyes at her one track mind, however he assured her that he did intend to get married, but he wanted a little more time. He requested that she be patient while he and Geet took this time to get to know each other better. Dadi grumbled that kids these days took for ever to settle down, but eventually gave her help in choosing a restaurant.
Currently, Maan was making his way to Geet's office, barely able to contain his excitement at the thought of doing something together as a couple. If he was truthful, he was excited just by the thought of seeing Geet's face. She was so beautiful and sweet, he sometimes couldn't believe that she was actually his girlfriend. When she smiled, he felt a contentment fill his entire being. He was hoping his surprise would produce another of her precious smiles. With his anticipation high, he entered the office and immediately looked for Geet.
Not seeing her anywhere, he asked Chelsea, "Where is Geet?" imagining that she would say she had gone to his office, or the bathroom, something insignificant.
"Oh, Sir, we didn't expect you back so soon. The police phoned a while ago and asked Geet to come to the Austin Station."
"What? What are the police calling Geet for?"
Maan's aggressive question scared Chelsea a little, but she managed to squeak out an, "I don't know why they called."
Maan had a hard time wrapping his mind around this news. Here he was expecting to spend time with Geet and she wasn't here. Suddenly he narrowed his eyes and asked, "This isn't some April Fools joke, is it?"
"No sir. Geet really went to the police station. She and Nakul left about fifteen minutes ago."
Accepting that Geet really had left, Maan rushed out of the house and jumped in his car. He didn't like the idea of Geet going to the police station without him. If he hurried, he might be able to make it there the same time she did.
Apr. 1, 2011 12:31 pm
"We just want you to take a look at these photos and tell us if anyone looks familiar."
Just when Detective Brown finished, an officer opened the door and said, "Sorry to intrude, Ma'am, but there is a gentleman out here who insists on seeing Ms. Handa. He claims he's her boyfriend."
"Maan?" was Geet's startled response.
"Mr. Maan Khurana?" Detective Brown asked.
"That's the name he gave," confirmed the officer.
Geet tried to get up, but Detective Brown wouldn't let her. She wanted Geet to stay and look at the photos. The sooner she looked through the photos, the sooner it would be over. The detective said that she would go and speak to Mr. Khurana. Geet was surprised that Maan was there, because she thought he was still in his meeting, but she did as the detective said.
When Detective Brown went out into the lobby, she immediately recognized the pacing man as the very same MSK she had encountered at the beginning of this investigation. She had worked in law enforcement for a number of years, and had learned to size people up pretty well. She could tell from his behavior that he was upset and not inclined to be reasonable. She thought that he was a decent man, but he was very rich and even decent rich men were not above threatening when a loved one was involved. Considering the matter, Sharon decided that it would be best to explain everything. They had decided to keep some of the truth from Geet, so she would not be influenced while looking at the photos, but the same concern didn't apply to Maan.
"Mr. Khurana, how can I help you?"
As soon as Maan heard Detective Brown speak, he stalked right up to her, demanding, "I want to see Geet, right now!"
"Ms. Handa is looking at some photos at the moment. She should be finished soon."
"Why did you call her here today? The attack was months ago."
"Mr. Khurana, I realize that it may seem to you like we haven't been doing much to find the people who injured Ms. Handa, but we have been following up on some leads. We called Ms. Handa in today because a few days ago a homeless man found her wallet in a dumpster. We were able to identify a possible subject from one of the set of prints we found. We're hoping that Ms. Handa will be able to identify the same suspect as her attacker."
"How is her wallet only turning up now, and if you have a suspect, why aren't you arresting him?"
"The finger prints are enough to bring the individual for questioning, but not enough to make an arrest or for a search warrant. If Ms. Handa can identify the individual, we will have more to go on. As for the wallet turning up now, it's possible that the assailants hung on to it until they felt it was safe to get rid of."
Maan had calmed down quite a bit after listening to Detective Brown, but it was obvious that he was still upset at the situation. He grilled the detective fiercely, almost as if their roles were reversed. She answered what she could, but there were still some things about the case that couldn't be discussed and some questions that she had no answers to. Maan was unhappy with how slowly the investigation wad progressing, but Detective Brown assured him that is Geet made a positive identification, they would be able to get things speeded up. As they were finishing the conversation, the officer who had stayed with Geet came out and called for the detective. She quickly went back, with Maan following closely on her heals.
"What is it, Ms. Handa?" asked Detective Brown.
"I recognized one of these people. This one here. That's the man who stabbed me."
"You're sure?" confirmed the detective.
"I'm positive. I know it was dark, but I could see both their faces clearly in the street light."
"Did you recognize anyone else?"
"No. I'm sorry."
"Ms. Handa, there's no need to be sorry. This has been very helpful."
Throughout this short conversation, Maan had been observing Geet's face. He didn't like the way her face had lost it's color while she was talking. He could tell that she was remembering the events of that night. Without consciously thinking about what he was doing, he walked over to where Geet was sitting and to her hand in his. He held it tightly, rubbing lightly with his thumb to reassure her of his presence. As soon as she felt his touch she turned her head and gave him a faint smile in acknowledgement of his small caress. Detective Brown thanked Geet for her cooperation and said that they would contact her if they needed anything further. After finding out that Geet's presence was no longer needed, Maan helped her out of the chair and escorted her out of the building, never letting go of her hand.
"Maan, I need to speak with Nakul..."
"I already talked to Nakul and told him I will be bringing you home," he said brusquely.
"Geet detected the slight edge to Maan's voice, and asked, "Are you upset about something? What's wrong?"
Maan stopped right in the middle of the parking lot and looked at Geet incredulously. "What's wrong? What's Wrong?"
Maan looked away, clearly trying to compose himself before he answered Geet. "Geet, you came here without telling me!"
"But, how could I tell you? You were in a meeting. I didn't know when you would be done, and anyway, I don't see what difference it makes."
"You don't see what difference it makes! Geet, I'm not trying to be a controlling boyfriend, you can go where you want, when you want, but I think I have the right to expect you to at least inform me of your plans, especially when they change. And coming here alone, of all places. I told you before that this neighborhood is too dangerous."
"Maan, this neighborhood is not too dangerous. I used to live here, so I know my way around very well. I didn't come alone, Nakul drove me, and I don't understand why you're so worked up over a little issue like this."
"A little issue? Geet this is not a little issue. What if something happened to you. What if you needed me and I didn't know where you were. Do you realize how much the thought of something happening to you torments me? I have to know that you're safe, I have to!"
Geet was shocked by how seriously Maan was taking everything. She had never thought that he would be upset like this when she agreed to come in to look at photographs. After recovering from her assault she had to the police station a few times, and he had never made any mention of it. Yet, remembering how he had always tensed up and complained about the fact she had been living in Austin, his distress didn't seem out of character.
"I'm sorry, Maan. I didn't mean to make you anxious. I just..."
"Geet, please just promise me that you will never come here again unless I'm with you, and don't go anywhere without letting me know. Even a simple text message is fine, but please, please keep me informed."
Geet squeezed Maan's hand, and responded, "I promise, from now on, I will let you know when I'm going somewhere."
"Good!" Maan pulled Geet towards him for a brief hug, before leading her to his car.
Apr. 1, 2011 1:06 pm
"Maan, why are you driving this way? It will take us much longer to get home."
"We're not going home," replied Maan, who was consciously keeping an eye on the heavy traffic that was making it's way to downtown Chicago.
"What do you mean, we're not going home? Where are we going, then?"
"You'll see."
Maan wouldn't explain any further, though by the time they parked in the Grant Park South Garage, she had an idea. She couldn't figure out why Maan was taking her to Grant Park, but she decided to wait for him to explain things to her. It took a few minutes of walking, but eventually they neared Buckingham Fountain. Though the fountain did not have water running at this time of year, it was still a magnificent sight. Maan brought her over to a secluded bench, where they both sat. Geet waited patiently for Maan to speak.
"Geet, I don't want you to misunderstand me. I'm not trying to cause you pain, but I need to ask you a question." When Geet gave him silent encouragement, he continued. "Geet, when you were in the police station today, so had a look on your face that I have only seen once before. It was the same look on your face at the hospital when you told Detective Brown that you wanted to talk to her alone. What I wanted to ask was...I know that they didn't, but...I mean, the police told me that you weren't...but I wanted to know if they tried to..."
Geet immediately understood what Maan was trying to ask. She would have preferred to try and forget the incident, but she knew how worried he was for her. She thought that maybe it would be good to explain the whole thing to him, then maybe he would be more at peace.
"No, Maan, they didn't try to do what you're asking. No, the reason why I wanted to talk to Detective Brown alone was that I needed to tell her about Brij. I needed to tell about Brij because when one of the attackers put his hands on my shoulders, it reminded me exactly of how Brij had held me that night. I think the man was only trying to intimidate me, but I couldn't get over that horrible sensation of being trapped and violation. It was like I was back to my 18 year old self, and going through the terror all over again. I couldn't help myself, and I reacted very strongly. I lashed out and screamed my head off. We struggled a bit, and that was when I was stabbed. I don't remember much about afterwords, but I'm pretty sure that my hysterical behavior is what led to the stabbing."
Normally, Maan would have jumped right in to assure Geet that she was in no way responsible for what happened, but not this time. This time he couldn't get past her words about that creep grabbing her shoulders and being reminded of Brij. His thoughts immediately went back to the night that had barely happened five months ago. He had been drunk, but not so drunk that he couldn't remember how he had behaved with her. Maan had tried to put the incident out of his mind, and other circumstances had quickly overshadowed the reality of that night, but now it all came rushing back to haunt him.
When Maan groaned, Geet quickly asked him what was the matter, looking at him anxiously. "I can't believe it. I can't believe the first time I touched you was just the same as your vile brother and those criminals. I want to kill anyone who even thinks of harming you, and yet I did nothing but that. I said such harsh things to you, and I dare to lay my hands on you."
Maan reached out, about to touch Geet's shoulder, but pulled back at the last moment. "Maybe you think I don't remember, but I remember very well how roughly I grabbed you. I remember how awful your bruises looked, and I know it was I who put them there. How can you stand to be near me? How do you not hate me?"
Geet couldn't believe how upset Maan was, to the point where he had tears glistening in his eyes. She instantly put her hand under his chin and raised his downturned face to hers. Then she moved her hand to his cheek, cupping his face tenderly and looking at him with all the love she had in her heart.
"Maan, I could never hate you. Never! And you are wrong. That wasn't the first time you touched me."
"What are you talking about? I remember our interactions and I never touched you before that day."
Geet smiled ruefully, and said, "After you read that report on me, I was hoping that you would remember. I don't know, maybe you didn't read the whole thing, or maybe the incident with my family overshadowed the rest, but for what ever reason, you still don't remember."
"Remember what?"
Tum Kaun Ho?
A Maaneet Fan Fic
Chapter 41
Sept. 9, 2005 4:20 pm
Savitri Devi Khurana, matriarch of the Khurana household, wife of Mahant Khurana, Chicago businessman, and Dadi to three handsome grandsons, walked out onto the terrace and saw that Nakul was correct. A young lady was sitting on the steps that led to the garden, and crying very bitterly. Well, she didn't know exactly why the girl was crying, but she had an idea who was responsible.
Coming over quietly, she leaned down and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. "What's the matter, child, why are you crying?"
The girl turned her tear streaked face and whimpered, "I didn't mean to make him mad. I didn't come late on purpose, it's just that I'm still learning my way around and didn't know which bus to take."
"By him, I assume you are talking about Maan?" The girl nodded and more tears continued to roll down her cheeks.
Savitri couldn't control her actions, taking the girl into her arms and doing her best to sooth her. "Well, being his grandmother, I am well aware of how his temper can flair up. But you shouldn't take it to heart, my dear."
The girl jerked out of her arms and rubbed away her tears self-consciously. "Mrs. Khurana, I'm so sorry. I didn't know who you were."
"Oh, now, don't call me Mrs. Khurana. That feels so formal. Call me Dadi, please. What is your name?"
"Geet. Geet Handa."
"Geet. That's such a beautiful name. You know, I think our cook has just made some Gajar ka Halwa. It happens to be a favorite of Maan's dada, but I don't think he would mind if had some. Go to the kitchen and tell Mrs. Gupta that Dadi sent you. If you have trouble finding the kitchen, just ask Nakul."
"Gajar ka Halwa? My mother used to make that. Thanks, Mrs...I mean Dadi."
"It's alright. You go get something to eat, and I'll come talk to you later."
Geet walked back into the house, while Dadi watched. Then she made her way to the conservatory, where all the plants that she had spent so many hours cultivating resided. Submersed in the soothing atmosphere, she contemplated the behavior of her eldest grandson. She had noticed a change in him lately, a change that she was not in favor of. She had a suspicion about whose influence was resulting in these changes, but knew it was no good to point that out to him. He was more moody than he had been in the past, and had been behaving rude with the staff, who were more like family than employees. He had yet to act inappropriately with his grandparents, but the way he had treated this new girl was the last straw of her tolerance.
She didn't even bother to knock on his bedroom door, she just went straight in, calling out strongly, "Maan, I want to speak with you!"
Her stubborn pota turned around and said in response, "Dadi, I'm really not in the mood right now."
"Well, that's too bad, because I want to talk to you. Maan, I'm very disappointed in you. Or perhaps I should say I'm disappointed in myself. I thought that I had taught you better about how guests in this house are to be treated."
"Guests? What guests?"
"I'm talking about that little girl who I found out on the terrace crying just a few minutes ago. She's the one who you said was coming over to work on a project, right?"
"Yes, but Dadi, she's not a guest, she's just my stupid lab partner for Chemistry, who couldn't even make an appointment to meet on time.
"Maan!"
"Seriously, Dadi, how am I supposed to deal with this girl? Our first project, and she was 40 min late, and didn't even bother to call. Why did I get stuck with the pathetic freshman who needs babysitting? This whole situation sucks! This is my last year, where I need to get the best grades I can, and I'm stuck with this idiot."
"Maan, stop this at once! I can't believe what I'm hearing. You invited this girl here, so that means that she's our guest, and deserving of respect. Now, I want you to put those thoughts out of your head, and go down and apologize to her."
"Apologize? Maan Singh Khurana never apologizes."
"He does if he doesn't want his dada to hear about how disrespectful he was to a young lady, who I suspect is only just 18, and deserving of your concern, not your scorn. You know she's not from Chicago and got lost getting here. You really need to stop taking so much tension over your grades. I don't that Dada wants to here that you made As only by hurting others."
Maan glared at Dadi, not ready to let go of his anger. Dadi just looked at him calmly until he said, "Fine. I'll apologize. You sure do know which buttons to push to get your way from me."
"Of course I do. I'm your grandmother. Now, go and apologize. I sent her to the kitchen."
Maan stalked out of his room, rueing the fact that his grandfather's opinion was so important to him. Dadi had used the excuse of telling Dada when ever he did anything that she didn't like for years, and it still worked on him. Well, if he thought about it, she was a little right. He didn't have to yell quite so much at that girl. He would just say a quick sorry and then get right down to the project, but if she couldn't cut it, he was still going to complain to the professor and request a different partner.
With his customary way, he swung open the kitchen door, but unknown to Maan, someone else was just on their way out of the kitchen. They both collided and went falling onto the floor, as the suddenness of the impact made them both loose their balance. Maan felt the breath being knocked out of him, and for a long moment, all he could do was stare into a pair of large, hazel eyes. Soon, he realized that he was lying on top of a female body that belong to the same freshman he had just been cursing a few minutes previous. Getting up quickly, he also grabbed her hands and pulled her up.
Geet wasn't sure what she should after the unexpected collision. She couldn't tell from his face if Maan was still angry, or even angrier than before. She thought about apologizing for running in to him, but didn't know if that would help, or make the situation worse.
Distracted by all these thoughts, Geet was unprepared to hear Maan say, "Look, I'm sorry about yelling at you earlier. Frankly, I was in a bad mood before you even came because of a fight with my girlfriend, and I just took my anger out on you. How about we start over."
Extending his hand, he said, "Hi, I'm Maan," to which she replied by taking his hand and saying, "Hi, I'm Geet."
When they finished shaking hands, Maan glanced over to the kitchen counter and exclaimed, "Hey, I didn't know Guptie made Gajar ka Halwa. Great!"
Geet watched as Maan got himself a plate and then empty two of the four bowls that Mrs. Gupta had been planning to put in the refrigerator on the plate. "Hey, Mrs. Gupta made that for your grandfather."
"So? She can make more. Do you want some?"
"No, thanks," said Geet, who had already had a serving before Maan came.
"You know," said Maan conversationally, "I usually don't like to eat Indian food, but Gajar ka Halwa is my absolute favorite."
"Why don't you like Indian food?" asked Geet, warming up slightly to this more personable side of Maan.
"Well, I have lots of reasons, but one is I don't like how spicy the food is. Where is that ice cream....Ah ha!" Maan took out the same container of ice cream that had just been put away by Mrs. Gupta after serving some to Geet.
She watched as the young man who just moments ago had surprised her with his apology, gobble down the desert like he was a child of five. When she had first seen him in Chemistry, she had been awed by his intimidating presence, as well as nervous over the fact that her partner was a boy. Due to Daarji's influence, she had never had anything but girls for partners in school, and her recent experiences had left her even more wary of boys.
Geet had never spoken one word to him, instead using that time to observe him silently. She had discovered that he was immensely popular, but had very few friends that he actually hung out with. All the girls seemed to be crazy for him, and were disappointed that he had a girlfriend. He was incredibly smart, and always seemed to know the answer to any question asked. He was disdainful of people who he didn't think measured up. Observing him now, Geet realized that he also had a sweet tooth, and somehow that seeming contradiction made him seem more human and endearing.
Apr. 1, 2011 1:44 pm
"You know, I think I began falling for you that very first day I came to the house. It didn't hurt that Dadi and Dada treated me like a daughter every time I came over." Remembering those early days had Geet smiling, thinking about how quickly Maan and his family had become important to her.
Maan was looking at Geet like he had never seen her before. "What are you made of? How did you not kill me a long time back?"
Cupping her cheek lovingly, he continued, "I can't believe that I didn't remember you. I must be some kind of idiot."
"Maybe, but you're MY idiot." Geet leaned towards Maan and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, before moving back and giving him a grin. "I don't hold your forgetfulness against you. I figured out that you were probably trying to forget that whole horrible year, which unfortunately happened to include when you met me. We're together now, and that's what's important."
"You might not hold it against me, but I feel really stupid. How much grief could have been avoided if only I had realized then what a wonderful woman you are?"
Maan pulled Geet into his arms and hugged her like he was afraid to let her go. They stayed that way for a few minutes before Maan pulled back suddenly, asking, "What time is it?"
Looking at his watch he exclaimed, "It's almost 2. Great! There goes my plans."
"What plans?" asked Geet, since this was the first time she knew anything about him having plans.
"Well, I found out about the police thing, because I came home early from my meeting to take you out to lunch at Mt. Everest. But, their lunch hours end at 2:30, and there is no way we can make it in time now."
"Really? You were really going to take me out for Indian?" Maan nodded a bit dejectedly, but Geet just gave him another quick kiss and said, "That's so sweet! Don't worry we can go some other time. I've been there with Dadi before, you know, and if I remember right, they make good Gajar ka Halwa. That should make up for having to eat spicy, messy food that you usually don't eat."
"Are you going to keep teasing me about that for the rest of my life?"
"Of course, Mr. Khurana, of course!"
wow laxmi...both the updates were just wow...finally the ullu knows that geet was his lab partner and she was around when sameera fiasco happened n also knew dada well......
So, was I right? Did you guys like the updates? I hope so, because they are both pretty long.
Austin Police Department
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