Firstly, apologies for the very delayed update! I've been busy with college & all the usual shenanigans of life but I will try my very best now to stick to my weekly update! I wanted to finish this before the end of this month but that seems unlikely now 😆 so I've self extended it to the end of March instead, let's see if I can stick to my word 😆
This will be the last fanfic I write here on India Forums, but I have started a new fanfic, Protect The Boss, on my blog - three chapters are up already & some feedback would be much appreciated 😳 I've gained a few new readers as well over my absence *waves* so all my previous works are up on my blog - http://walkingintoyourlifex.wordpress.com/ for the newbies (& everyone else, of course) to read. Enough blabbering now, enjoy the update.
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Chapter 20 - Destructive To Stay, Impossible To Leave
Geet turned around to see Madhuri stood at the door, arms folded across her chest with a stern expression on her face.
"If you leave, you will break Maan sir apart."
"I can't stay," Geet trembled as she buried her face in her hands.
Madhuri strode across the room & placed a hand on Geet's shoulder, but Geet fell into her arms & sobbed on her shoulder, her tears drenching Madhuri's clothes. She hugged a frail Geet back, stroking her hair reassuringly.
"The fire was not your fault, do not blame yourself."
"I'm a bad omen. Everywhere I go, whoever I love & they love me, I destroy them & they leave me. My parents... Meera... it's best if I go before he-he leaves me, I couldn't bear it if he left me, or if he got rid of me, but I-I feel strong enough to make the first move, to distance myself so that-"
"Geet!" Madhuri pulled back & shook Geet by the shoulders as she sobbed convulsively in a hysterical manner. "The fire was not your fault," she spoke slowly, emphasising each word carefully.
"I may not have been the cause behind the fire, but I was the reason. No soul can deny that whoever set fire to my room came after me, to harm me, to kill me! I can't watch my being, my presence, my past, my life ruin Maan. I have too many skeletons with me. Too many demons, too many unwanted demons. I am tainted."
"And you think Mr Maan is innocent? You are well aware of his past, he is no saint."
"But he doesn't deserve me. He deserves happiness. I cannot give him that. As much as I long to, it seems the Lord has made it impossible for me to give anyone happiness."
"What about Amelia? The girl dotes on you. She sees you as a mother figure."
Geet wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "Amelia will mean more to me than anyone can ever know. I'll always hold a special place for her in my heart. But she needs her father more than anyone. I believe I set the foundations for their relationship to improve."
"Geet, please, I-"
"I need to do this," she whispered, turning her back on Madhuri as she stared out of one of the smoke tainted windows into the dark, lonely night.
Madhuri backed out of the room, sighing as she looked across the stairs & down the hallway at Maan's room.
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Securing Meera's necklace around her neck, Geet picked up what was left of her tarnished belongings & opened one of the windows. The window sent a breeze in, a breeze so chilling it made Geet's hairs stand up with a shiver.
She stood there for a while, staring motionlessly, her eyes brimmed with tears as she embroiled into a battle between head & heart. Finally, she turned around to pick up her small bag of what had survived the fire & proceeded to gently throw it from the window when she was faced with a face she hadn't seen for so long, for so many years. Geet almost choked out her tears at the sight.
Meera stood there, looking the serene beauty she had always been, with her dark blue eyes, long black hair, beaming smile. It was the mischevious, grinning, impulsive Meera before she had fallen ill to the terrible plague.
"Meera," her name escaped Geet's lips in an audible whisper. Her heart burst with sorrow & delight, her tears escaped with pain & joy, a small smile formed across her face, one of belonging & disbelief.
"Listen to your heart. Out of the two of us, you were the one who always listened to your head. For once, just for once Geet Handa, listen to your heart."
Geet closed her eyes as Meera's cool fingers wiped away her tears. Her small delicate hands reached up to admire the necklace Geet wore. Meera smiled beautifully at the necklace, before looking up at Geet & touching her eyelids gently so Geet would close her eyes, & she did.
When Geet's eyes reopened to the world; Meera was gone.
She looked around the room, hopelessly wishing for her best friend to come back, knowing she wouldn't. Geet clutched at her chest as she bit her lip, preventing from wailing so miserably.
Listen to your heart.
Geet placed the letter she had written for Maan on her bed.
The breeze picked up its strength, blowing louder & colder as Geet took the small bag & strategically threw it down onto the ground below. It landed with a soft thud.
She tightened her hand around Meera's necklace; then untightened it as she hauled one leg over the window, looking back longingly at the crisp burnt out room, the memories of her moments with Maan flooding back. Forcing herself to block them out, she hauled the other leg over, sitting on the outside of the windowsill for a while before her figure disappeared, her long skirt billowing in the wind as she leapt to her escape.
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"Mr Maan."
Maan immediately turned around towards his open bedroom door to find a worried looking Madhuri, looking pale as her eyes widened.
He knew it.
He had been having a nagging, horrible, sickening feeling all day. He had tried to forget about it, but it had been unavoidable, & kept him up, not allowing him to sleep.
Storming past Madhuri, Maan paced to the other side of the house.
"Geet!" he called, as he threw her bedroom door open to find her scarce items gone with the window left fully open.
He strode across to the window in horror & disbelief when he saw a letter addressed to him in her handwriting.
He picked the letter up, glanced at her apology once, screwed it up in his fist as he leant out of the window as far as he could & let out a heart wrenching call of agony to his beloved.
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