Chapter 19

Banner Credits to Raz  

Zoya looked here and there as she has heard something from surrounding, but she found nothing, so scrunching her brows she entered inside her room and mumbled while locking the door, "Uff! Mr. Khan aj kal kuch jyada hi gane sunne lage hain"

And she shrugged her head and switched the night lamp off.

"You were right Ammi. It was lull before the storm. Poor Zoya! She was so close to her abbu and--", Najma said with disappointment and stopped in between as she was feeling sad for Zoya.

"No! I wasn't worried about Zoya's past", Dilshad whispered under her breath.

Najma quizzically questioned immediately, "Ammi! Be clear, I'm not getting why are you saying all this in riddles", and she tossed on Dilshad's side.

Dilshad sighed and clarified, "Asad itni jaldi itna nahi badal sakta, itni jaldi to mausam bhi nahi badalte"

"So you are trying to say that he is doing all this for us?", Najma asked.

"May be!!", Dilshad replied.

"Ye Bhai bhi na!! He is so unpredictable", Najma continued with pout.

Dilshad laughed and suggested, "Pray that my assumption will get wrong", and winked.

Najma smiled and yawned, "I'm feeling sleepy now please turn off the lamp"

Zoya being a strong girl, has accepted that to get disheartened is not the solution for any problem and this time, she will go head over heels in search of her Abbu and will get succeed in this mission of her.

She was arranging the breakfast table taking the OCD Ahmed Khan, into the consideration. The Khan Ladies were stun when they realized that Zoya Farooqui has prepared breakfast for them.

"Wow! Zoya ye sab aapne banaya?", Najma asked while checking the food.

Zoya nodded in affirmation with excitement at which Dilshad grinned, "Wow! But today isn't mother's day"

And made Zoya realized that she has last cooked a cup of hot chocolate for Dilshad on mother's day.

Zoya laughed and replied sincerely, "We don't need any special occasion, to express affection"

"Aww! Meri jaan", Dilshad enveloped her in a pleasant hug.

Najma too gave her tight hug and chuckled, "By the way! Khana jala to nahi hai na?"

"Shut up! Tamatar", Zoya exclaimed and smacked her arm while laughing.

The ladies were laughing, when Zoya's eyes fell on the corridor from where Asad was entering and her laughter turned into a wide smile.

The music started playing the background and her heart started singing.

She came to her senses when Najma shrugged her hand. 

"Huh!", Zoya came to her senses with a jerk.

"Where are you lost?", Najma questioned confusingly.

"Nothing!", she replied but when Najma was about to take her seat she puzzled, "Tamatar! Who is playing song here?"

"Song? Which song Zoya?", Najma asked unknowingly.

"Arey wahi Khushboo, mehek and all", Zoya tried to remember the song.

Najma frowned and irritatingly replied, "Zoya! Koi song chalu nahi hai. I don't know why everyone is behaving so strange"

And snatching her usual chair Najma get seated, whereas the confused Zoya became more confused took the seat near Najma and beside Asad's.

All were having their breakfast silently; even the chatter box Zoya Farooqui was the person who was more silent than others.

She was highly confused that how and why Asad was behaving more normal than a normal Asad. He was laughing, chuckling, helping and even supporting her. The Asad, she knew was a short-tempered and reserved person with conservatism about the cultures.

Asad has become an onion for her, which has multiple layers and piling every layer there was a new surprise and shocks were waiting for her.

Firstly, she was confused that how and why he is so ill-tempered and now she was battling with the question that how and why he was behaving like a normal person, which was not so normal for the person like Asad.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she couldn't realize that Dilshad was saying something.

Najma patted Zoya's shoulder to take her into reality and with a jumped with sudden touch.

"Huh!!", the sound came out from her vocal cord.

"You okay?", Najma confirmed.

While, Asad was hiding his face behind the newspaper shrugged his head with disbelief and continued reading it.

"The food is yum baccha!", Dilshad appreciated her.

At which Asad rolled his eyes behind the newspaper.

"Thank you Phuppie", she smiled.

Zoya was expecting few words of appreciation from Asad, as she was assuming as if he has changed and will definitely appreciate her for her efforts. But her assumptions remained assumptions and he didn't spill a word out from his mouth in this regards.

"Akdu Ahmed Khan is back!", Zoya mumbled this in her mind with a gloomy face.

She shifted her head in his direction and found him reading newspaper. 

She whispered with disbelief to Najma, "How a person can hide his face behind a boring newspaper. Newspaper na hua dulhan ka ghunghat ho gaya"

"Aham!", Asad coughed and continued himself without looking at her, "Suna maine!"

"Sunane hi kaha tha!", she commented back.

"To thoda aur dheere keh leti", he sarcastically replied.

"Whatever! You are coming back into the soul of REAL Asad Ahmed Khan", she retorted back immediately.

"Shut up you both", Dilshad scolded them and took the command.

"You both can't pass a single day without your argument", Dilshad chided as they were the kids of 7 and 5.

Najma mumbled under her breath, "Asli maza to AsYa ki ladai mein hi ata hai", and bit her laughter.

Asad and Zoya pouted and mouthed a sorry, at Dilshad's rebuke.

 "Allah Miyan what's wrong with me! I forgot the haveli photograph somewhere on the road", smacked her head and cupped her mouth.

"Now what am I going to do?", she started thinking with a calm mind.

And she realized that Asad has copied that photograph which was with him

She connected the phone call to ask where he has kept the photograph of the Badi Haveli but the phone was switched off.

"I guess it must be in his room. I'll search it by myself", she thought while entering Asad's room.

She started searching, and in this process, she searched from every drawer to shelf of the room but didn't get success. And all what left over to search was his cupboard, where few days back Asad has hid the photographs and souvenir of Aseemah. 

In the anxiety to search the photograph, she didn't realize that she was about to open Asad's cupboard whereas she knew that he has strictly prohibited her entry in his room.

But still she was about to open the cupboard but the same time, she jerked off with a sudden hold on her elbow. She shifted her eyes to the person, who was Asad who was glaring with red anger filled eyes.

She gulped down and before she could say anything, he step forward and pinned her to the cupboard.

"What the hell are you doing here?", he crushed his jaw.

"Mr. Mr. Khan I was just--", she started reasoning but his anger filled eyes forced her vocal cord to chock.

He shrieked, "I asked what you are doing here?"

But this time also before she could say anything on her behalf, he clenched his jaw, "Aapko mana kiya tha na maine mere room mein ane se", and he smacked his fist on the cupboard.

She startled with it and tears rolled down from her eyes.

"Par apko koi baat samajh hi kaha ati hai", he screamed out loud and took few steps backward.

"I'm sorry!", she whispered in tears.

"Sorry! It's so easy for you to jump your boundaries and say sorry", he crushed his teeth while emphasizing the word sorry.

And he step forward again blocking her path and clenched his jaw, "You have curiosity about everything Ms. Farooqui and I'm sure, you were here to find something not so funny"

"Everything is fun for you right?", he squealed.

The fresh tears rolled down her cheek she couldn't believe that this was the same Asad Ahmed Khan who was wiping her tears before 24 hours and now he was nagging her.

She pressed her lips and replied, "Please let me go!"

"Why? Why should I", he shouted loudly at which the Khan Ladies ran towards his room.

"Mr. Khan! I wasn't here for any fun", she said grabbing strength and wiping tears she completed herself, "I was here to find the copy of badi haveli's photo which was with you".

"You could ask about it later also", He shouted again.

She closed her eyes to let her tears flow but when Asad came to his senses, when she replied, "Yes I could. But I didn't because, I lost my copy which panicked me and forced to search in your room"

She jerked his hand off from her arms and left his path. 

But she continued herself with disgust as this it time the command was in her hands, "But you wouldn't understand! After all you can be sympathize for few days, not the whole life"

Asad realized that in the heat of moment, he unintentionally hurt Zoya, to not hurt her by letting her know about his past, especially Aseemah.

He lowered his eyes and Zoya was about to leave but stopped in her tracks. She turned her head and commented, "But it's okay Mr. Khan, you wouldn't understand my feelings, how can you. Aapne kabhi kisi apne ko nahi khoya na, aur na uske hone par bhi na honi ki feeling ko feel kiya hai. How can you understand?"

And a tear drop destined at her taunt from his eyes and the reason for the affectiveness was even unknown to him.

And saying this, Zoya ran from the spot wiping her fresh tears.

Najma whispered, "Your fear was right Ammi"

Dilshad eyed Najma to check out Zoya and she stepped forward to Asad.

"What do you want Asad?", Dilshad yelled.

Asad dropped down his body on the bed and cupped his face but didn't reply.

"I'm talking to you Asad", she shrugged his hand.

But no reply came from his side. He was silent alike a dumb and deaf.

Dilshad kneeled down and lifted his face up with her finger. She was a mother and could easily read his face, which has pain and guilt on it.

"Asad!", she whispered cupping his face.

"Ammi!", he broke down and hid himself in the warmth of his mother's arms and kept crying.

For Regular PMs, please buddy AditiFantasy or check post 2

A/N: Phew!! So using ALONE in the story worked very well!  Alone broke the records of all the horror movies. Three cheers for my Karan  

Hope you all will like the twist, Please Hit Like and drop Comment.