Chapter Twenty Nine: The Rival's Not-So-Honey Trap!

"Man! I really hope our assignment is selected..." Riya was tensed, "We will get a chance to represent our college in Inter-college fashion event!"

"Yeah! It's a big thing for us. Lets hope for the best." added Juhi.

The girls waited patiently outside the staff room. Geet paced to & fro in anguish & anticipation. The selection was very important for her as well. She had been waiting for the fashion event since long.

Just then Aniee came out of the staff room. The trio looked at her expectantly. There was grave silence. Aniee took a deep breath.

"Guys, our assignment is rejected."

All were very shocked. At first they thought that Aniee was joking but then she was not. The girls grew extremely sad & dejected. Geet was even more hurt.

"We had worked so hard for this...but now what's the use..." rued Juhi.

Failure was something Aniee had never faced before. She was angry & frustrated.

  

"You know what!! It's all because of Geet!!! I had told not to use her designs!!!!!!!" she blamed her.

That was a huge blow to Geet but she didn't retort as she knew Aniee was right. Without saying a word, Geet left from there trying to evade the tears that were forming in her eyes.

She walked aimlessly on the road until she reached the hostel...She went & stood near the window. A cold breeze blew past her. The sky was cloudy hiding the sun rays with them...The day seemed to be submerged in grief...

                                    Narration By Geet

All of a sudden, my life seems to fall apart. I feel so helpless, so unwanted. When Maan is there with me, everything is perfect & when he is not, nothing is right...I had never imagined I would fall for him but that's life! Now, I have no other choice but to be happy seeing Maan & Simi together. The reality is hard & on your face!! It pains a lot...I feel like crying out loud but I know I have to be strong. I was so sure I would be selected for the fashion event which would help me divert my mind & heart from Maanji but now that's also not possible...Life feels so barren that I have lost myself in it's unbearable loneliness...

                                        End Of Narration.

Her phone buzzed. It was her father. She answered the call.

"Geet beta?? Are you alright?? Sab theek hai na??" asked Mohinder sensing something to be wrong in her voice.

"Nothing like that Papa...I am fine." she assured him.

"Beta, If anything is troubling you then tell me! I am always there for you!"

"Nahi bus woh...pressure of exams & studies...Very tiring..."  she made an excuse.

"Yes! I know studying about finance & markets is difficult but I also know my daughter can handle everything!"

Geet weakened further hearing that & she was overcome with tremendous guilt. She was even lying to her family.

"And yes! Read newspapers regularly so that you know what's currently happening in the share markets! That will help you in your exams!"  Mohinder added.

That completely broke Geet. She somehow held herself together while speaking to him after that. He inquired further about her health after which he rang off.

And then, Geet broke down. Tears gushed through her eyes incessantly...She was keeping her family, who loved her so much, in dark.

"There is nothing to be guilty about. You just concentrate on your goals & leave the rest to me. After all, you know how I handle situations, right?"  

Geet recollected Maan's words that he had told her on that rainy night. She sobbed even more...

                                             ~*~~*~

"Damn it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  Maan tossed his phone in agony, "Geet's phone is switched off!!!!!"

"But seriously Bro!!! This is just amazing!!!"

Aniee was awestruck with the inquisitive arrangements for Maan's dinner date with Geet . It depicted his intense love for her in the most passionate way possible .The venue in question was the beautiful & extremely cozy sea-facing farmhouse owned by the Khurana.

"Dad had gifted this place to Mom on their tenth wedding anniversary na?" Aniee's voice turned emotional, "I miss her bro! I wish she would have been alive today..."

Tears formed in her eyes. Maan too was affected. He hugged her, kissing her forehead. There was silence that followed.

Wiping the moisture away from her eyes, she parted from him.

"Leave everything to me Bhai! I will bring Geet here for you." said Aniee, clearing her voice.

She left soon after.

"Geet will be mine after this night." Maan lighted the candle on the table...

                                            ~*~

Simi had that evil & impish smile on her face as she darkened her red lip liner & eye shadow. She chose an extremely seductive & revealing dress to wear & her face dawned heavy sensual make-up. She was at her sexiest best.

"Tonight I will have you on the bed with me MSK!!! And then, all your wealth will soon be mine too!"  

                                          ~*~~*~

Hostel

Geet arrived at the lobby where Aniee was waiting for her.

"Why have you come over here? Is there anything else for which you have to blame me?" Geet asked hoarsely.

"Will you listen to me first & then speak???!!!!!" she countered ruefully.

Geet looked away from her. Aniee cooled down & took a deep breath.

"Look! I know I shouldn't have said that to you. I want to compensate for that. There is a small party in my farmhouse. Juhi & Riya are coming too. I want you to come with me."

"I don't want to go anywhere." Geet refused point blank.

She was to leave but Aniee stopped her.

"It's a request to you to come to the party. Please."

That startled Geet.

                                      ~*~~*~

Aniee was successful in bringing Geet along. They were in the car.

                            

 Then Aniee faked a call & pretended to talk on the phone.

 "Geet, I have some important work at home. You go to the farmhouse. Juhi & Riya have reached. I will join you all as soon as I can."

Geet nodded slowly, taking her words. Aniee got off the car & the driver drove Geet to the farmhouse.

Aniee called up Maan, "Bro, she is coming there!"

A passionate smile crept from the edges of his lips...

Maan dimmed the lights of the farmhouse & waited with extreme patience for Geet. He sat on the couch. Her thoughts were making him more desperate. His heart possessively demanded her closeness. He wanted to lock her in his arms, to hold her & feel her...He was breathing in her images that his mind played...

"What happened to the lights?"    

                                      

Maan was shocked when all the lights suddenly went off & the room turned dark.

Just then he saw a female figure stepping in through the door. The breeze blew the candles away. Even though the faint white light didn't make the figure visible enough, he was sure it had to be Geet...

                                              ~*~~*~

"Damn it!!!! It's so dark here!!" Geet exclaimed as the driver dropped her at the gate.

She cautiously walked in, not able to see anything.

"Ouch!!!" her foot hit a pebble, "Where are Juhi & Riya??!! Koi nahi hai yahan pe!! Am I here to party with the ghosts & vampires??!!!!"Geet was irritated.

                                           ~*~~*~

The female figure walked towards Maan & before he could realize, she threw herself on him. She hugged him sensually flickering her hands on his back & rubbed her bosoms seductively against his torso...For a moment, he was deluded & enticed and hugged her back...but the very next split second, he realized she was NOT Geet...

But it was too late as at that point, the lights turned on & Geet stood there at the door, extremely aghast seeing Maan & Simi hugging intimately. A reign of trauma overtook as her insides broke completely...Her heart froze as nothing could have been shattering than this. Maan jerked Simi away. His eyes were horrified when it met that of Geet's...He was shocked to his very existence seeing her pale white & lifeless form. Tears trickled down her eyes in a dead manner manner & it was unbearable for him to her that way...

Simi smirked devilishly seeing her plan work. A killing silence mingled in the aura. Geet felt her feet give away & she was just about to collapse but she somehow held herself & ran from there.

"Geet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he wanted to go behind her but Simi stopped him by his arm.

"How dare you???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he roared in anger, harshly jerking her hand away, "If I had a gun, I swear I would have shot you by now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he barked aggressively.

"MK! What is so special in her that I don't have in me!!!! She is nothing compared to me!!!! Can't you give me another chance???!!! I can satisfy you in ways that she can't & you know that!!!!! !!" Simi was obsessive.

Maan's disgust for her knew no bounds.

"If you claim to be a super model, then make it crystal clear in your stink brain that Geet is the heroine of my life!!!!! She will undoubtedly be MINE because she was, is & will always remain MINE!!!!! And you have to pay a huge price for hurting her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

His words echoed in Simi's ears as he left from there. A chill of fear ran down her spine... His voice was deadly cold...He evinced violence. Maan looked even more dangerous than a wounded ferocious lion...

                                              ~*~~*~

Geet somehow reached her hostel & broke down into tears closing the door of her room behind her. She cried uncontrollably falling on the bed. She felt neither alive nor dead. Her mind began to play all the flashbacks right from the time she had met Maan & every moment with him. Tears gushed through her eyes like never before. The pain that she felt in her entire soul made her realize the extreme to which she had crazily fallen for Maan...He  was her first love & will remain her last love forever. May be, she had expected Simi & Maan to patch up but she was too weak to see that happen. She wasn't the sacrificing type to be happy seeing them together. Geet so wished she had a heart of stone or no heart at all...   

Her head felt heavy & her eyes were red...it was destiny who betrayed her...

                                          ~*~~*~

Maan swiftly drove towards her hostel. He tried to call Geet infinite times but her phone was switched off. The window of her room was closed. It began raining very heavily. He knew she wouldn't be in a position to hear anything now. Also, he didn't want to add to her troubles by sneaking inside the hostel at such an odd hour...