Thank you sooooo much everyone for reading/liking/commenting! You're all so awesome that I can't stop writing & sending you updates! Here's the eagerly awaited Part 5, enjoy! 😃
Part 5:
Maan grabbed Rahul by the collar & glared at him with piercing eyes.
"What do you think you're doing, huh?"
"Maan sir, what's going on?" asked Geet, but Maan ignored her.
"Listen, Mr Khurana, I was just asking Miss Geet for a dance. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Oh, really? That's all you were doing? Why were you touching her, then?"
Adi & Pinky came running. Sasha also emerged from the bathrooms & rushed over. Adi tried to pry Maan's hands off Rahul, but he had a firm grip. By this point, all the guests had realised what was going on & the whole party went quiet. Mr Chopra also appeared.
"Mr Khurana, Mr Narain, is there a problem?" Mr Chopra asked, glancing around the venue nervously at all the other guests.
"A very big problem," said Maan, shaking with anger. He was so close to raising his fist and punching Rahul, to teach him a lesson so that he'd never lay a finger on Geet again.
Sasha tottered over, placing a hand on Maan's musuclar arm. "MK, leave it. He's not worth it."
Rahul sneered as Maan let go of him, shaking Sasha's hand off gently. He looked past Rahul at Geet, who was still clutching her pallu, looking confused. She stared at Maan with her big brown eyes, full of questions. Maan tore himself away from her deep, intense eyes & walked out of the venue. Adi ran after him, & Mr Chopra led Rahul away. Sasha went over to Geet, who had already been joined by Pinky.
"What was all that about?" she asked.
Geet didn't want to tell Sasha that Maan had intervened for her. "Oh, um... Maan sir overheard him saying something disrespectful about the company, so he lost his temper."
"That Rahul... he always creates a scene at events. He shouldn't be in the business industry at all. I'm going to get a drink."
Sasha walked away. Geet looked around, confused. Why had Maan intervened for me like that? she thought. What made him so angry? What Rahul did was wrong... but it could have been a lot worse.
"Geet, are you still shook up over what happened? Don't worry, I don't think Rahul will be making an appearance in our events any time soon."
"Pinky, I think I'm gonna leave. Tell Sasha that I wasn't feeling well or something. I'll see you on Monday."
"Will you be ok getting home?"
Geet nodded. "I'll call a taxi."
"Take care."
Geet made a swift exit out of the party and looked around outside, but Adi & Maan were nowhere to be seen. She hailed a taxi and made her way home, wanting to put the night behind her.
_________
It was a Monday morning at Khurana Constructions, and the entire office was gossiping about the party & Maan's heroic intervention for Geet. Geet was sat behind her desk, glancing at the window between her & Maan's cabin, waiting for him to come. The sooner he arrived, the sooner she could ask him about the party & the quicker they could leave it in the past.
The sound of the phone ringing distracted Geet. She picked it up.
"Hello?"
Maan was on the other end of the line, but his breath appeared to be caught in his throat at the sound of Geet's voice.
"Hello?"
His heartbeat quickened. The sound of her meldious voice was like sweet music to his ears. Before he'd lose control over himself, he quickly cut the call.
Geet slammed the phone down.
"If someone's going to call, they could at least speak! I'm already anxious and tense as it is!"
Maan realised that he needed to inform someone that he'd be late to office so that they could postpone his meetings, so who else than Adi?
However, Sasha was in Adi's cabin, using his computer for her designs as hers appeared to be faulty. The phone rang, & Adi was in another department, so she picked up.
"Hello?"
"Sasha? Why are you in Adi's cabin?"
The sound of Maan's voice made Sasha's face flush a deep red. Her pulse quickened, and she had to take deep breaths to compose herself.
"Sasha? Hello?"
"Uh... yes, MK, sorry, what did you say?"
"I asked you why you're in Adi's cabin."
"My computer isn't working, and I needed to update my designs... can I take a message?" she asked, fanning her flustered face with a piece of paper.
"Tell Geet that I'll be late to office, and she needs to postpone my meetings until I arrive."
"Sure, MK. See you later."
Maan cut the call, annoyed. He had wanted to ask Adi if Geet was suspicious about his motives regarding the party... he'd have to wait until he got to office.
Sasha recovered from her conversation with Maan and rushed down to Geet's cabin. Geet looked bored as she doodled on a piece of paper. Sasha burst in, unable to compose her excitement.
"Geet, you won't believe what just happened! MK called!"
"Oh, really?" asked Geet, trying to act indifferent. Was the call earlier from Maan... no, it couldn't have been, she thought. Why would he cut it without saying anything?
"Yeah, he called and my heartbeat went through the roof! His voice is so... so... handsome & dashing, just like himself! I'm crazy about him!"
Geet laughed. "I can tell. You rushed all the way down here to tell me that?"
"Yes, & also to say that MK passed on a message for you - he will be in office late, so you need to postpone all meetings."
"Why didn't he call me himself?"
Sasha shrugged and left the cabin, smiling gleefully to herself. Geet propped her elbow down on the desk & sighed.
It was 11am when Maan arrived in office. He went straight to his cabin, & Geet's head shot up when she saw him enter from the glass window. She quickly took the list of meetings she had postponed as a prop & went to his cabin, knocking on the door.
"Yes?" said Maan.
Geet entered, & Maan forced himself to avoid eye contact. If he took one look at Geet...
Yet he could see that she was standing in front of him, on the opposite side of his desk, holding the paper with both hands. She was wearing purple today - it set off the brown in her eyes beautifully. He quickly hid his face behind a file so that his face wouldn't give him away.
Geet frowned - how was she going to ask about the party when he seemed so busy with the file?
"Here's the meetings I've postponed," she said, placing the file down. Maan didn't react. Geet rolled her eyes.
"I need to talk to you," she said.
Maan panicked internally. "I'm busy."
"I appreciate that... but this is important."
"Is it about work?" he asked, still hiding behind the file.
"Yes. Well, it's related to it."
Maan knew there & then that she was going to quiz him about the party. He realised that if he avoided it now, she wouldn't let it go. Geet was stubborn & vivacious, & if she wanted an answer to something, she wouldn't stop until she got it.
He placed the file down & stood up, looking at her levelly. This intidimated Geet a little, & she took a small step back.
"Miss Geet Handa, I intervened at the party because you have a reputation as an employee of my company. If you won't respect your reputation, then someone has to."
"What?" asked Geet, shocked. Maan was accusing her of tainting her reputation? "Would you care to explain how I wasn't respecting my reputation, sir?"
"Allowing Rahul Narain to touch you like that. It was a corporate party, Geet! What were you thinking?"
"I didn't allow him to do anything, he just came up to me and-"
"And if I hadn't have stepped in, you wouldn't have done anything!"
"Actually, I would have, if you hadn't tried to steal the limelight with your filmy hero style act! Talking of limelight, I needed to explain the sari."
Maan felt himself tense up. He looked around, trying to avoid eye contact.
"Sir, honestly, I wasn't going to wear that, Pinky had ordered a black dress for me. I just... I don't know who put it there or why-"
"That's not important. What's done is done," he said, trying not to give it away.
"I thought you'd be angry-"
He decided to divert the attention away from the sari & back onto Rahul.
"I'm not bothered about that. I'm more concerned about what happened with Rahul."
"I've told you sir, it wasn't on my part!"
"And I'm supposed to believe you?" He felt guilt inside - he knew that Geet didn't encourage Rahul at all.
"You're a complete Dusht Dhanav! Impossible to talk to, & even more impossible to work with!"
This angered Maan. Geet talked to him like she had no respect for him whatsoever.
"Geet, leave my cabin before I lose my temper!"
"Gladly!"
Geet stormed out, slamming the door shut behind her. Maan watched her as she stormed into her own cabin; he quickly looked away but noticed that she closed her blinds. Good, he thought. I can't get distracted.
He hated the fact that he had turned it around on Geet, but he had to. He couldn't tell her the truth, the real reason why he'd stopped Rahul...
That following lunch, Geet & Pinky were in the cafe bar upstairs in the office, discussing Sasha's infatuation with Maan.
"I have no idea why she likes that dhusht danav!" retorted Geet, angrily tearing up a piece of paper that she was imagining Maan's face in.
"But he's amazingly dashing! Completely Dhak Dhak! What a hot Jatt..."
Geet snapped her fingers in front of Pinky's face.
"Pinky, focus on the subject here! I need to bring Maan sir & Sasha closer... everything I've done so far hasn't worked. I have to come up with a brilliant plan..."
Adi walked into the cafe bar & saw Pinky & Geet. Pinky put down her burger & waved at him. Geet turned, & saw that Adi was waving back at her, smiling. This led Geet to start plotting something else...
(What is our lovable Geet Handa up to now? It'll be revealed in Part 6, which will be up soon!)
