Chapter 25
This was very heavy night for both Assad and Zoya but somehow slumber embraces Zoya due to the intoxication of pills. But Assad Ahmed Khan was the person who was still asleep in his room, sitting on the sill of the big French wooden window in his room when reminisced those days which he spent with Aseemah.
It was like a role reversal for him, how he fell in love for Aseemah to whom he lost but then like films or stories a girl entered his house that was the mirror of Aseemah but opposite to her.
He immediately opened the door of his cupboard and took out the photo frame of Aseemah which he hid so Zoya couldn't see it and somewhere the efficiency in dilemma which was she facing of search father and now seeing and knowing about a girl who looked like her but wasn't in the World.
Assad caressed the frame and pressed his lips in thin line and when he was going to hang the frame opposite to the mirror, the original place of it. He saw someone in the mirror.
He blinked his eyes and turned, "Zoya!!"
She smiled and replied, "Aseemah!! I'm Aseemah"
"Nahi you can't be, she has--", before he could continue in shivering voice she interrupted, "She has died right?"
Assad looked in utter shock at her and was about to run towards her but she stopped him, "See! How easily you have accepted the reality and---", she smiled widely and continued, "I'm happy with that"
He was looking blank at her, "Zoya! Zoya! Main tumhe sach---", she again interrupted in soft tone, "I'm happy for you ek din tumhe sach accept karna hi tha"see kitna asaan hai na"
"Zoya please I'm sorry main tumhe kal sach batane wala tha par--", she said with moist eyes, "Bilkul bhul gaye tum mujhe buddhu!!"
Asad looked at her and realized that Aseemah was and is the only person who used to call her BUDDHU and he realized that she was Aseemah not Zoya as her orbs were grey which weren't Zoya's.
"I can't believe ke tum Aseemah ho!", he still argued knowing reality.
She bit her lower lip, "Ab mujhe Ashi bhi nahi kahte na tum?" and continued but Assad was looking her being amazed, "Do You know who I'm?"
He didn't answer but she continued, "I'm Aseemah! You used to live in your heart but now someone else is taking that place--", she continued in moist eyes with smile, "But I'm happy for you"mujhse jyada khush kaun hoga tumhari khushi main"
Assad has now realized finally that it was the voice of his heart which he could look in the mirror in white chudidaar kurti and open long hairs.
"And your heart"he --- he has to empty the space for her", she stopped in between.
"Her?", he asked.
"Heheh! Pagal ho tum sahi kehti hai wo sab sahi. Complicated ho tum sab samjhana padta hai.", she smiled and continued herself, "Accha! Usi ke lie Zoya ke liye...tumhari khushi hai usmein or meri khushi tumhari khushi mein"
Assad looked at her with tears, "Aye! I'm not doing ehsaan on anyone jo aise dekh rahe ho mujhe. Par main to humesha kehti thi bhul jao mujhe. Aur pyaar - pyaar se accha kya hai bhulne ke liye?"
"I don't love her", he stuttered.
"you do and I am happy with that. You're moving in your life and I"I have to also move", She said in moist eyes and a wide smile and started stepping backward.
Asad opened her mouth and forward his hand to stop her at which she nodded her head negatively and completed finally, "Jane do aaj mat rokna - Zoya ke liye", and she moved and moved and finally she get disappeared in the mirror.
The same time being shocked Assad threw a paper weight on the mirror but there was no one. He closed his eyes tightly and shivering lips said looking at the frame, "Tum to ek saal pehle hi chali gayi thi"I", he stuttered to continue, "I was the fool who wasn't letting you go from my memories and accept the reality..."
A lone tear fell down from his eyes and he stuck that photo frame to his heart but she wasn't no more, in his heart too. The night passed, even he didn't know how.
Late Night Somewhere in the city,
"Phir se kyu call kiya hai?", the person said on the phone call
"Because you've to come anyhow, this time!!", the other one arched the brow and laughed out loud.
Next Late Evening,
"Mr. Khan Pleaaassee mujhe pizza khana hai", Zoya was arguing with Asad in the demand of her cheese burst pizza but Asad was denying as per doctor's order.
"No I said!!", he ended it and left the stool near her.
Asad was all lost in the last night happenings, Aseemah's incarnation and her sayings were eating him from inside. He was all lost in his own thoughts but just came in Zoya's room to give her juice but she was denying to gulp it down as she wanted something tasty but unhealthy, pizza and Asad was denying and finally ordered her to not at which she obeyed,
"Thik hai", with gloomy face and pout she said disappointingly and he left for dargah.
He wanted to go dargah for the blessings of Allah to narrate about Aseemah and asking to the lord why is it happen? That incarnation. Her statements about Zoya which were reality but not for him, for him it was a question mark
"Ya allah! Mujhpe rehem kar... rehem kar... mere sare sawalo ke jawab mujhe de mere maula...", he prayed and tied a dagha near the same dhaga which he tied before meeting Zoya and bowed.
Zoya on the other side wanted pizza and she knew no one will allow her to have it so in late evening, an idea struck to her naughty mind.
"Ye hua"online cash delivery ... aur mera pizza kuch time mein anew ala hai! Yippee!!", she was about to excitedly scream but stopped when she realized that she was going to her own plan.
Few Minutes later,
Zoya was in bathroom when someone opened her window and settled down the pizza box on window sill and when she came out he was not there.
"Pizza box window sill pe rakh diya at least inform to karta...pata nahi chup ke aya hoga ya nahi... Address confirmation me bola tha wese mene...", she interrupted herself to grab the pizza box and sat on her bed intertwining her legs.
"... Thik hai laya hoga...", she opened the locks of box and continued, "Otherwise Mr. Khan ne ghar sar pe utha lena tha", and smirked.
She forwarded her hand to snatch pizza slice when she found a chit with the chilly flacks pouch and she read it.
"Asad ke kamre mein jao...tumhari photo hai", she narrated first line.
She murmured
casually, "Meri photo kaha se ayi unke room mein?"
"Aaj bhi pyaar karta hai tumhe Aseemah!!", she ended herself.
"Aseemah? Who is she? Ye naam kahi suna hai", she thought.
The name reminded the day when in the shopping mall Ayaan called her Aseemah.
"Haan! Ayaan ne --- but why my photograph should be there ...", an unknown tear droplet destined to floor when she ran from her room, leaving the box roughly in hurry.
Zoya immediately entered Asad's room when the heavy storm opened the windows, curtains and everything from the room, but she wanted to know the reality now.
"Why did that man call him Asad and me as some Aseemah? Why? Why the hell it happened", she cried but tried to control herself.
Asad was coming out from Dargah when the storm started. This was not the same storm completely in meaning but it looked. As if, it was a start of a new story but the old story is ruining it with its bitter reality.
Asad stopped there and when he saw Zoya in the dargah and the storm lost him because now the feelings were different, which he wasn't confessing.
On the other side Zoya was opening the drawer, when a photo waved in her legs, as in Asad kept it to show when he will be going to tell the narrate the truth but it unveiled in another sense.
Zoya's hairs were waving with the flow but she has the only motive to unveil the portrait and she did. When she picked it up she was aghast and the only emotion was in her eyes were tears to know the reality finally.
The heavy storm was not stopped as it was storm before the silence and it started stanch when Najma opened the door, in excitement she hugged her tightly, "Chand Mubarak!!...its looking beautiful you know ---", she stopped and said, "aap bhaijaan ke room mein? I mean unhone---", before she could complete herself Asad who has came back from Dargah and was gazing at the chand, and was waiting for Najma to take Zoya in the backyard to confess the truth became aghast when Zoya herself came and he said lowering her eyes, as he didn't want to look into her eyes which were moist still but her waving hairs were hiding them.
"Mujhe kuch batana tha aapko", he stammered with shivering lips.
"Main bhi sunna chahti hoon ...", she retorted back in shivering voice.
He looked in her eyes that were flowing tears which she wiped roughly but they couldn't stop.
"Aseemah kaun hai?", she whispered and held his hand in hers and took him inside in front of Najma and Dilshad who were amazed
"Asli toofan to ab ayega", someone hiding behind a tree outside the nearby laughed.
---***---
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