Geet - Meri, Phir Bhi Parayi

Chapter V

Maan gulped. The collar of his shirt chafed his skin. Geet Ma'am ko kya sauna mein kaam karna pasand hai? He stood before his boss, fidgeting with his tie as his eyes flickered nervously between her and the papers on her desk. The few minutes he stood there stretched for an eternity, hardly helping his nerves. When the board meeting was over, he quickly stood up to follow Geet Ma'am out of the room, fearful that he might aggravate her again if he kept her waiting in any way.

"Kya Maan yaar? Apne aap ko sambhalo. Ma'am ne kaha na keh woh tujhe kha thodi jaaeygi. Bas thandi saans le aur focus kar," Maan coaxed himself out of his anxiety by observing the room around him.

Geet Ma'am's office was...white. White walls, white sofas, white pillows, white accent rug, white lamp, yahan tak ke files jo bookshelf pe the, woh bhi safed the. Kaale labels par safed ink mein likha hua file ka naam. MIndblowing. The only color in the room was the mahogany desk at which Geet Ma'am sat.

"Toh Mr. Maan Khurana, yeh rahi aapki contract. Humein umeed hai keh sab kuch Handa Industries ke taraf se aapko achcha lage. Yeh dekhiye, app pardh sakte jab tak Mr. Singhania should be here," Geet said straightening the papers with a final tap on the desk before handing them to Maan.

"Ji zuroor Ma'am, aap kehte hai toh main pardh leta hoon, magar jab aap ne pardha toh mere pardhne mein kya faida?" Maan gave Geet a nervous smile.

A pair of daggers met Maan's eyes before Geet answered, "Agar faida hai toh sirf aap ke liye, Mr. Khurana."

"Ji bilkul, aap bilkul sahi hai Ma'am," Maan shifted in his chair before dropping his eyes to the contract he held.

Silence encompassed the room as Maan willed his eyes to focus on the words before him. The task was easier in theory than in practice. Maan couldn't explain the myriad of emotions he felt being in the same room as Geet Ma'am alone. Attraction? Was he attracted to her? Of course she was beautiful, every man in the building could tell you that, you'd have to be blind not to be attracted to her. Fear? Did he fear her? Of course he feared her, the flicker in her eye was enough to turn stone into dust. And yet. And yet Maan couldn't help feel inextricably drawn to that flame.

"Abhe Maan, nayi naukri ke saath saath nayi shokh bhi mili. Masochistic shokh," Man thought to himself. "Koi din yeh shokh tumhe marvaega."

Maan gripped the papers in his hand until they warped with the sweat from his palms. The sound of Farouqi Sir's curt footfall before sweeping the glass door to Geet ma'am's office could not have been sweeter. Maan knew Farouqi Sir from his days of climbing the corporate ladder. Farouqi Sir had sharp features and gray hair, carefully slicked back with Brylcreem. He was not a tall man, but the look in his eye could make anyone forget their social security number and wonder if that red light they ran this morning was caught on tape. But Farouqi Sir was not naturally austere, his face was often adorned with a smile and a twinkle in his eye, both seemed to say, "I know more than you do" more often than not. He walked in, suited and booted, Pari in tow.

"Adaab ma'am. Khairiat hai?" said Mr. Farouqi, hi head bent in a salute.

"Haan, adaab Farouqi. Teek hoon, bas aap ka intezaar tha. Mr. Khurana ki kuch formalities karni thi. Phir hum Gurgaon wala file mein kuch review baaki hai. Aaiye, shuru karein?" Geet gestured toward the empty seat next to Maan. Pari placed a steaming cup of black coffee on Geet's desk before sitting on the sofa, neatly crossing her ankles, complete with notebook and pen at the ready.

"Aur haan, aap ki beti aur naya nawasa kaise hai?" Geet asked, her eyes glancing up at Mr. Farouqi, before settling once again on the papers before her.

Farouqi Sir leaned forward before answering, "Ji dono teek hai, bas aap ki dua hai."

"Achcha. Maine ek package bheji uss ke liye, woh mili thi?"