Chapter 16

Zoya broke down and destined to the floor on her knees. Seeing this, Asad knelt down and wiped her tears from her pale cheeks and nodded his head negatively, as he was trying to say, "Don't cry!!", not with words, but his eyes were chatting a lot.

He held her from her shoulders, and let her sit on the couch kept aside. A fresh tear droplet again fell from her eyes and Asad wiped her tears again.

~~Asad Wiping Zoya's Tears

Zoya was aghast with his changed behavior towards her. The man, who doesn't want her in his house few days back and was hurting her constantly, till yet, was now wiping her tears and forced her to come out of her room.

Zoya has never expected that Asad will change to this extent, merely in few hours. Thinking, the reason of his strange and unusual behavior for her, she gulped down the fresh saliva.

Asad leaving her on the sofa took few steps to fetch some water but when he turned, he found that Zoya's was unconsciously lying on the sofa, sue to weakness. He sprinkled some water droplets on her face to take her back into the conscious and patted her cheek.

"Zoya! Zoya! Open your eyes!!", he said anxiously to make her realize that he was there for her.

Zoya blinked her eyes when he again sprinkled the water droplets and Asad take her back to her to room, scooping her up in the arms.

~~oo~~

Dilshad and Najma were having fun with Rabiya, one of the good friend and well-wisher of Dilshad, along with her daughter, Afra.

Afra was a bundle of joy with whom, Najma was enjoying her time.

"Hahah!! So you and Dilshad Khala, left Asad Bhaijaan with Zoya to spent some alone time?", Afra asked with wide opened eyes from which her orbs were popping out.

Najma nodded her hand and laughed, "And the best part was, it was Ammi's idea"

"Hahahha", listening this, Afra couldn't stopped herself from laughing when she heard that.

But the ringtone of Dilshad's cell phone forced Afra to stop laughing and she pressed her lips.

Dilshad frowned and saw the number which was flashing on her cell phone, it was from Anwar.

"Assalam waleiyum Anwar!", she greeted.

Najma shifted her eyes in the direction of her mother when she heard the name Anwar. Dilshad was looking so anxious and tensed. She palmed her face and taking few steps aside, excusing everyone and kept continuing the conversation.

Najma creased her eyes in confusion, but her confusion eliminated, when Dilshad announced, "Najma we have to leave!"

~~oo~~

"How is she now?", Asad asked the doctor while dropping her to the main door.

She smiled and said, "Well Mrs. Khan fine! It was just weakness"

Asad noticed when the doctor spilled out Zoya's name as Mrs. Khan, but God knows why he didn't correct her.

"Kitne time se khana nahi khaya unhone", doctor asked.

"Ah! I think since last night", he replied back with unawareness.

"You think?", she asked widening her eyes in astonishment.

Asad pressed his lips and said, "Ah! Actually she was alone at home so...", he stopped himself in between

"Mr. Khan! You have to take care of her. Being a doctor, I would suggest, she is weak and full of stress. Aap ko khayal rakhna chahiye unka.", she suggested in a strict tone while leaving the villa.

And all he could do was, to nod positively.

Zoya's Room

Zoya opened her eyes slowly and found herself on her bed, but her last memory was when Asad left her to fetch a glass of water. She was confused that how she came to her bed and the same time Asad entered inside, with the bowl of vegetable soup.

"How are you feeling Now?", he asked with a smile and his strange behavior she frowned and swiveled her eyes from him.

He sat on the bean bag lying nearby, and offered the soup, "Apke liye soup laya hoon. Please have it"

"Mujhe nahin chahiye", she denied to accept it while not looking at him.

"zidd karna acchi baat hai, par zidd ke liye health kharab karna buri", he taunted her which forced her to look at him.

"Why are you forcing me Mr. Khan? I'll not eat", she retorted back immediately and again shifted her glance from him.

Asad sighed and said with a grin, "Thik hai phir mujhe apko jabardasti khilana padega"

"Please go away Mr. Khan", she replied back curtly.

"I wouldn't.", he announced.

He shrugged his shoulders and whispered, "Aur wese bhi! Khana na khane se apko apke abbu to milenge nahi"

She shifted her eyes in his direction which were popping out from their sockets with astonishment.

But he continued with a smirk, "Haan agar kha lengi to...", he stopped and finished with smile, "to jarur mil jayenge"

Her eyes were filled with tears of her father's and identity's obliviousness and with the amazement of his acquaintance about this.

~~oo~~

"But Ammi! We have not decided to--", Najma was about to say when Dilshad cut her words and said, "It's urgency!"

At which Najma nodded in agreement thinking that there must be something huge.

But Rabiya said in low tone, "Dilshad! I won't force you but to leave at this hour of night...I think you shouldn't take risk"

"Yeah Ammi! Is it so urgent? What happen at least tell me?", Najma asked.

Dilshad narrated everything about the reason of Zoya's arrival at Bhopal to her current state, except her faint state and Asad's anger, as Anwar was oblivious with that and Dilshad's eyes started pouring tears.

Najma held her palms in hers and said, "Asad Bhaijaan waha hain Ammi. Don't worry!".

"And what if Bhai will take care of her? At least tonight!", Najma arched her brows and asked.

Dilshad thought for a while and Rabiya too decided to make her understand the situation, not emotionally but practically. After thinking a while, Dilshad agreed to leave in the morning.

~~oo~~

"H-How do-do you know?", she stuttered.

Asad sighed and spilled out everything that how he came to know about her reality.

"Oh! So Mr. Tehzeebdaar was interfering in my privacy?", she blamed and poured all her frustration on him.

"You are here to show the sympathy right? With singing such an emotional song, wiping my tears and now bringing this-this soup for me?", she spilled out in single breath and bitter tone.

And she continued herself curtly, "You are hopeless Mr. Khan!"

"Okay I'm. Now have this", he accepted her misconception and extended his hand to feed her the soup.

She furrowed her brows and opened her eyes, that why this person wasn't yelling at her today. Why he was taking all the allegations and her bitter sayings so easily. What has changed in a night? This was the only question echoing in her mind.

She sipped the soup and asked, "You are so stubborn at which he winked with a grin.

 And she finished the whole soup from his hands.

"Ah! Itna time waste kar liya aur soup bhi pee liya. You are mad Ms. Farooqui", he laughed and offered the glass of water.

She took it but Asad was aware of her feelings about her father as he too was dealing with this pain, but the difference was, he knew who his father was.

~~oo~~

"Excuse me! Why are you here in my room?", Zoya asked while covering herself tightly with the blanket, as Asad was there to sleep in the night.

Asad raised his hand and replied in a calm tone, "Relax! I am here on the sofa. You are safe; I'm not going to rape you"

"Nahi! I don't want you to be here. I am okay now", she objected.

And he retorted back, "Pooch nahi raha, bata raha hoon", and shrugged his head.

In the Morning

Zoya was sitting in the back yard, looking at the smiling Sun and various questions were revolving in  her mind. But the two main questions were how she is going to find her father! And how can a person like Asad, change merely in few hours!!

She was in the dilemma when a hand came to her with a glass of orange juice in it. She turned to inspect and found Asad.

She denied to accept, so Asad sarcastically said, "Zeher nahi milaya maine ...aur ye coffee ki tarah bitter aur sugarless bhi nahi hota. It's healthy"

She passed a glare to him and said, "I'm sorry!"

"For?", he asked as he was incognizant.

"For last night's behavior", she reasoned.

Asad tried to understand and smiled, "It's natural!"

"Aapko sach mein bura nahi laga?", she asked surprisingly.

He nodded positively.

She scrunched her brows, and Asad continued himself, "How and where did you get that photograph?"

Zoya sighed and narrated everything with moist eyes, about Khala's death and her left out letters and some sources to search her father.

"Ab mujhe nahin lagta ke wo haveli mere abbu se connected hai", she shrugged her shoulders and sobbed looking at him, so he lowered his eyes to avoid her tears.

He sighed and lifting his eyes practcally replied, "May be! Par us bungalow ka aapse zaroor koi talluq hai, otherwise aapki khala wo apko kyu deti"

"Par mere paas koi rasta nahi hai Mr. Khan!", she disappointedly replied.

But Asad retorted back, "Manzil to hai!"

"Agar manzil ka pata ho to rasta koi bhi ho bhatakte bhatakte mil hi jati hai", he shrugged and continued in a calm tone.

Zoya was surprised would be an understatement, she was shocked with his suddenly changed behavior and remained aghast when he chuckled, "Let's go! Milke pata lagate hai...wese bhi mujhe aise missions mein bada maza ata hai"

Zoya scrunched her brows with perplexity and asked with a smile, "Why are you wasting your time in my struggle?"

"Wasting?", he cocked his brows up and continued himself with a soft tone, "I'm not wasting my time, I'm investing it!!"

He was about to leave when Zoya confessed, "You are becoming a puzzle for me day-by-day"

"Itna koi kaise badal sakta hai", she continued herself and muttered.

She kept asking in a single breath and he too didn't interrupt her, "Pehle aap meri taraf dekhte bhi nahi the...ab dekhte to hain par meri ankho se ankhein milake baat nahi karte ...why?"

 "Breakfast ready hai! Aap aa jaiye. Ammi bhi ati hongi", he changed the topic and left her numb.

When he left the backyard she said to herself, "You are a riddle for me...jise main solve karke rahungi"

Whereas he mumbled in his mind in the corridor after leaving the backyard, "Apko is riddle ka solution, kabhi pata nahi chalne dunga. Apki life mein bahut masle hain...aur nahin bada sakta main! Aseemah ka to kabhi nahin!!"

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A/N: What say? Do Dil Mil Rahe hain Magar Chupke Chupke?   Lets see!!

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