Is Love Enough ??

Chapter 34

"Why are you here?" Maan said sternly without turning around.

"Maan, I..." Kirti started then paused when Maan shook his head and interrupted her.

"Not you...her," he said harshly. But he still hadn't turned.

Kirti was confused. She had followed him when she had seen him thundering out of the hall a little while ago. She had been worried. She had briefly looked at his father who seemed to look none the worse. She had waited for a few seconds on the threshold of the door that led to the terrace where they stood now giving Maan some time alone to gather himself. Then she hadn't been able to stop herself from walking forward to stand close to him when she had seen his head drop and shoulders droop. But before she could have said anything Maan had started to talk. And now he said he wasn't talking about her but someone else. Who was he talking about? She turned her head and her eyes widened as she recognized the figure in the doorway. Mrs. Rupal Khanna stood there. What was she doing here? Had she followed Maan out? Or her? How had Maan known she was there? Did it matter? He had just had a bad experience talking to his father now to face his mother right after that would be disastrous. She could feel the rage in him. This wasn't a good time.

"Aunty..." she said and wanted to add that this may not be a good time when Mrs. Khanna interjected her.

"Did you notice Kirti," she said with a polite smile as she moved forward towards them, "my son knows I am here and he has yet to turn," she said and paused a few steps from them.

Of course, Kirti noticed. It was not possible not to. Before she could respond she heard Maan scoff.

"Not out of sentimentality," Maan said and turned around with a mocking expression on his face as he looked at his mother, "lest someone think otherwise, it was that darned perfume that gave her away," he announced.

Kirti made a face at him letting him know she was not happy with him, neither with his tone nor his choice of words.

"Watch how you speak Maan," she said chiding him.

"Relax Kirti, she is used to much worse," Maan responded his voice dropping to below freezing levels, "she has a strong hide, how I speak to her won't even mark a scratch forget a dent," he said his expression mocking, "the truth is no matter what I say to her, it is going to be mild in comparison to what others may have said to her, isn't that right...." he said and paused, "Mrs. Khanna," he asked with a cold smile.

Kirti was beginning to fear Maan's current mood. She knew what happened when he lost his temper. But she had never seen him grow so stiff or so cold. She knew he was trying hard to control the tempest raging inside him. Coming here, meeting her relatives, hearing all sorts of things, confrontation with Veer, argument with her, coming face to face with his parents, first his father and now his mother. Kirti was scared. Not for anything, but for his sanity. All of this brought old memories, events, emotions to the fore something he hated with everything he had. It wasn't fair to him to be bombarded with one thing after the other. It was too much. No wonder he was struggling to keep everything inside. And that was a tremendous effort on his part, not to mention extremely strenuous. She was in awe of his strength but she was also beginning to fear it. What if his strength gave up? What if he couldn't control himself anymore? What would happen then? Damn it, this was all her fault. Had she not been insistent on coming here, Maan would never have followed. She was torn with wanting to reason with him and wanting to comfort him. Take him back where they had been living without prejudices, opinions, harsh truths and bitter memories. Somewhere, she also understood the need for him to confront his feelings, his memories. He wouldn't fine peace without purging them from his system. He would end up suppressing them and that would eventually destroy him. Slowly. And Kirti for sure wasn't in favor of it.