I apologise in advance because whenever I post a PM list, I always seem to miss someone out! 😆 So whoever falls victim to my mistake this time, I'm sorry! 😳 If you end up being the victim or if you want to be added, comment below or send me a PM so I know 😊
Just to clear up any confusion: it was Dev, Maan's younger brother who died in the fire when he was 12. Maan was 14 at the time, & blames himself for not saving him when he thinks he could have. Maan is not responsible for Dev's death, but he feels like he is because he thinks Dev could have been saved & so he carries the burden of guilt with him.
Happy birthday to MaaneetLuverr & ambbiha, hope you both enjoy it!
Chapter 3 - New Beginnings
A knock on the door startled Geet. She rushed up to quickly open it, thinking it was Rajji. She was surprised to see her Uncle-ji, carrying some food & hot tea in a tray for her. "I noticed you didn't come to eat breakfast, Rajji said you weren't feeling well, so I brought you something to eat."
Geet feigned a smile. "You shouldn't have done that, Uncle-ji."
"It's my duty to take care of you, Geet."
It had been a long time since someone had used the words care and her name in the same sentence. She suddenly felt overwhelmed and bit her lip, taking the tray from him. She was about to close the door when he put a hand forward.
"Wait, dear. I need to talk to you."
His sudden serious tone ignited a spark of worry in Geet. She stepped aside, letting him in.
"What is it, Uncle-ji?" she asked, fiddling with her dupatta. "I was told not to tell you, but you have a right to know. Darjee is discussing your marraige."
Geet didn't know how to respond. She knew that marraige was inevitable - Darjee & Brij Veerji had made it clear to her that one day she would leave the household. She hadn't expected it to be so soon, though. Most girls her age were still in college.
"Geet?" Uncle-ji asked worriedly, snapping Geet out of her train of thought. "Are you ok?"
She nodded in response.
"I don't want to see you married off at such a young age, but I'm compelled to agree. I can't go against Darjee's word."
"I understand, Uncle-ji. This day was bound to come anyway." Geet looked down briefly, then back up again. "Maybe... maybe I won't feel so alone, if I get married. If I had a husband, a family to look after... I might feel like I belong somewhere, with someone."
"I had made a promise to myself, that I would look after you, my memory of my brother. I haven't even managed to do that..." He trailed off, struggling to compose his tears.
"No, Uncle-ji, you have looked after me. You & Tayyi-ji brought me up, gave me food, a roof over my head. And for that, I will always be grateful."
Uncle-ji was about to say something when the sound of Darjee's booming voice rippled through the house.
In a rush, Uncle-ji ran out of Geet's room, followed by Geet herself. They preceeded to the living room, where the rest of the family was already gathered.
"Darjee, what's happened?" asked Uncle-ji. Rajji rushed over to stand beside Geet.
"The family who was coming from Canada to see Geet has backed out! How dare they!" He gripped his walking stick so tight, Geet wondered if it would break.
"Why would they do that?" asked Tayyi-ji.
"I don't know, but whoever they were, I'll ensure that they don't find another proposal in Punjab again. They'll suffer for turning down our Geet."
Rajji was the only one who had been unaware of Geet's marraige plans. She nudged her sister in surprise, who gestured for her to calm down.
Darjee's fuming anger filled the awkward silence when Tito came running. He clutched straight at Geet's arm.
"Geet di, there's someone outside the house, I've just seen!"
"Who is it?" Brij asked, running a hand along his stubble as he made his way outside. Uncle-ji assisted Darjee as they followed behind. A curious Tayyij-ji also went to see who it was.
"Geet di, come & see, he has a big car, like in the stories you read to me! Rajji di, you can come too, if you want."
Geet hesitated. "Tito, Brij Veerji has gone to see who it is, he won't want me out of the house."
"It's only a few feet away from the gates, he has a big jeep, it looks exciting! I want you to see it, come on!"
Tito grabbed her arm & tried to pull her along. Geet eventually gave up and followed him, with Rajji beside her.
The Handas gathered by the entrance to their house as they watched Brij walk up to the young man who was coming out of his jeep, with only one file in hand. He was wearing a simple black shirt with jeans. He took his sunglasses off.
Geet couldn't see his profile from afar, but she could see his muscular arms as they gripped the file in his hands. He appeared to be having a heated conversation with her brother.
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It had only been his first day in Hoshiarpur, yet it was turning out to be the visit from hell.
Maan had received the news first thing in the morning from his Munshi-ji. As the CEO of Khurana Constructions, Maan was always on the lookout for land to purchase in order to develop his vast empire. He had shown particular interest in land just outside of Hoshiarpur, so he had asked Munshi-ji to follow up on the purchase.
He had been in the outhouse, his own private seclusion from everyone else in the early hours of the morning, doing paperwork after his workout session to keep himself awake, when a phone call from Munshi-ji informed him about the land, and how he would have to travel to Punjab to follow up on the deal. A few hours drive later, & he had arrived.
Maan had reached the registry office when they informed him that the land's previous owner had been Mohinder Handa. He was given the address & so he had made his way to the Handa haveli.
Little did he know that he would encounter an angry Punjaban man, whose language choices appeared to be particularly foul.
"... idiot, you can't just pull up outside someone's house. This is Punjab you're in now, not whatever you're from. I suggest you take the road back the way you came, unless you don't want two black eyes."
Maan just gave him a cold, challenging stare which said a lot more than Brij's threat. The two men shared an tense moment, when Maan saw a crowd of people from the corner of his eye. He turned his head slowly to see two men, one of heavy build & one average. Beside the average man stood a middle aged woman who appeared to be glaring at them angrily, her hands folded tightly together.
Just behind the heavy built man was a young boy wearing a small turban, who seemed excited about something & kept turning to the two girls beside him, muttering something. The first girl was of short height, who looked curious.
The second girl however, who was of average height, had her dupatta folded over her mouth, as if she was anxious. Her light brown hair stood out in the sunlight against her heart shaped pale face, and she was wearing a simple yellow salwaar kameez.
But the thing which stood out the most were her doe like hazel eyes, which seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.
And they were staring back right into his own eyes.
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Precap: None (yet!) It's almost 1am so if I come up with one, I'll update it by the morning. If not, then consider it a surprise!
Awesome update:: Yayy glad dat dev has baked out now maan can make his entry in geets life Awww loved the maaneet eyelock Thx 4 the birthday wishes Cont soon Xx...
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