Chapter 27

"Please Zoya! Ek mauka har kisi ko milta hai, I need that, can you give me that one chance?", Asad asked.

"Why would I?", Zoya replied back.

"Ek guilt me already ji raha hoon main aur ek guilt mein nahi jeena chahta", he replied back.

"Guilt?", she asked surprisingly at which he nodded his head in affirmation.

The clouds were roaring loud as they wanted to shout and express their feelings in front of the whole universe but weren't able to, so they chose the path of lightening to express their inner darkness and finally after thundering so much even louder than a lion, the womb of the clouds burst and they gave birth to the unseasonal rain in the heavy stormy night.

Asad took the steps backward and faced his back to Zoya's face and his eyes became red, as they have lost something which has passed but still alive in his soul.

"Happy Birthday to you ... Happy Birthday to you ... Happy Birthday dear Aseemah happy birthday to you, he hummed the birthday song exactly on 12'o clock of the night.

She smiled back and said, "Thank you

"Thank you nahi...I . L.O.V.E  U, he said giving pause min the whole sentence.

"I love you too, she blushed.

"Aise nahi! You have to come to meet me on the same square at which we meet always, he demanded.

"Asad! I can't come to meet tonight. Please try and understand na, she requested sweetly.

"No I wouldn't Aseemah. We are meeting now and that's final, Asad stubbornly said.

Aseemah took a deep sigh and replied, "You aren't understanding Abbu...

"I know that your abbu isn't in Bhopal, he interrupted and continued, "that's why I'm saying you have to come

"No not at all, what if abbu isn't here Waquar chachu is here aur abbu ke strict instructions hain ke main kahin nahi ja sakti, she tried to explain.

"Don't be so darpok yaar. Pyaar kiya to darna kya, he chuckled

"Tumhare dialogues kaam nahin karenge har waqt you know abbu is against love aur aise mein tum keh rahe ho main tumhe milne aau no ways, she denied clearly.

Asad tightly shut his eyes, "dekho kal ammi sab sort kar dengi, she is coming with the shagun and all fir to ye arrange marriage ho jaegi, he ended with a teasing tone.

"I know but kal me poori raat baki hai, ek raat mein sab badal jata hai, she reasoned.

"Oh saas bahu daily soap ki heroine, milne aa rahi ho ya main aau... Because meri jaan ka birthday hai aur mujhe use milna hi hai aur use koi aqaar ya waquar mujhe nahi rok sakta, he stubbornly announced and she was left between the devil and deep blue sea.

She thought for a while and answered, "Okay! But only for ten minutes and you wouldn't be coming here

"Apka hokum sar ankhon par, he bowed and they disconnected the phone call.

The clouds roar again and he came to the reality when a droplet of tear touched his cheek and he shut his eyes close tightly to gulp down the saliva of guilt formed in his throat.

"Maine use jese tese mana to liya ane ko par--, he chocked in between and his deep brown orbs again started reminiscing that black night.

Aseemah was trying so hard to escape and run away from the house at such a late hour of night in the presence of her father's left hand and the most trustworthy man Waquar, but she has taken the huge risk so Asad shouldn't reach the home as she knew it could be more dangerous than that.

She tied knots in few dupattas and somehow managed to jump from her balcony and quietly left the campus and somehow managed to leave the house, as in the watchman was in deep slumber and she took a deep relaxed sigh.

A few steps away from the bungalow her cell phone rang, "Aseemah kitna time lagta hai tumko, jaldi aao nahi to..., Asad threatened.

"Aa rahi hu, ghar se nikalne mein kitni problem hui mujhe tumhe idea bhi hai... aur agar kisi ko pata chala ke main ghar pe nahi hoon to main to sidhe mari samjho, she spilled the whole thing out in a single breath and he immediately scolded her hardly, "Don't you dare! Jab dekho marne ki baat karti ho...no one can separate us ... not even you samjhi

And the same time she was in front of his eyes. They were on the two opposite sides of the square facing each other and a smile automatically flew on their faces seeing each other when she replied back in a low tone as she was blushing, "Samajh gayi

They both were so excited and restless to meet that they didn't even realize the presence of heavy traffic around them. She took a step forward and a four wheeler crossed her path and the injury avoided with a nano-second and he shouted on the call, "Careful

She nodded her head in affirmation although he couldn't notice her head moving but she stepped forward to cross the road and through herself in his arms but her concentration wasn't on the road and the traffic and the same time a car hit her leg, she collapsed on the road after jumping on the roof of the car and destined to the road. The blood was all over the same spot where she landed and the darkness of the red color could also witness in Asad's eyes which were puffy and filled with tears and his legs were rooted to the ground. He screamed out loud, "Aseemah!!!, and ran towards her.

He held her bleeding head and kept it on his lap and tried to pat her cheeks but she was just blinking the eyelids as she was getting unconscious and he immediately scooped her in his arms and drove with her to the hospital.

With this completion Asad Ahmed Khan who was narrating the night to Zoya Farroqui came into his senses and gulped the fresh lump formed and wiped his fresh tears. Zoya pressed her lips as she was without words first time in her entire life and after few minutes broke the silence, "Fir kya hua

The memory lane of the black night started flashing in front of Asad's eyes and in the blur image of tears his mind go back two years back.

Asad was holding her hand tightly and caressing the head as if he wanted to give the calmness to her so she can resist the pain but Aseemah wasn't up to deal with it, she was constantly blinking her eyes to let her stop from getting unconscious and was trying to utter something to him.

The ward boys along with Asad were running the stretcher on which she was lying all strained in blood when she hardly tried to utter, "I-I am--, but before she could complete herself he stopped her in tears and shush her.

"Relax! Abhi nahi... you will be fine don't worry...you trust me na!, he finished in one sentence looking at her with loads of hope of saying yes and she indicated with the eyes same.

She whispered, "Main ja- ja ja, she wasn't able to complete herself but she wanted to complete herself desperately, "Move- mo-ve- on, she completed and her breathing ended on the stretcher only.

Asad shrugged her holding her face but she didn't come to senses and doctors declared her died. But he was the only one who wasn't able to accept the truth as he didn't want to.

"You have to wake up Asee...you can't me leave like that, he said stubbornly in tears and reasoned, "After all we have promised each other to live together forever... I am not going to let you break your promise...samjhi!

And he screamed, "Sun rahi ho na... aisa mazak mujhe pasand nahi hai...utho... I said get up, seeing the condition of Asad's one of the doctor tried to console him and explain the truth of her death but he kept denying and fainted.

The doctors admitted him instantly and called the first number found in his mobile's contact list, Ayaan.

Few hours later when Ayaan came to know the truth in hospital he picked Asad as he was the only person in the universe except Dilshaad who could collect his inner strength and console him and get him home.

A lone tear fell from Assad's eyes and he threw himself on the nearby couch, "Sab mere wajah se... I am her culprit

Zoya gulped the fresh lump formed in her throat and pressed the moist eyes to not let the tears fell down.

"Now you're going because of me!... don't worry Ms. Farooqui you are my responsibility, aap yaha ruk sakti hain main farm house chala jaunga...kal sub", but she cut his words in between, "It's okay Mr. Khan aapko jaane ki zarurat nahi hai...aur main bhi nahi jaungi

He raised his eyes up to look at her with disbelief and mouthed a thank you at which she smiled a bit.

"I'm sorry Mr. Khan aaj maine aapko hurt kiya, she apologized.

"Nahi. Aap sahi hain...main galat tha, he replied.

"Ek baat baar baar kehne se sach nahi hoti, she retorted back.

He looked at her as if he didn't get her so she answered, "Mr. Khan! You called her but it doesn't mean ke aap ke wajah se sab hua ... accident to kisi ke sath bhi ho sakta hai na

"And..., before she could continue herself the pendulum wall clock attracted their attention towards it , "Ms. Farooqui! Sehri mein kuch waqt hi bacha hai ap so jaiye fir uthna bhi hai jaldi, she nodded in affirmation and left.

"Aap hi ne mujhe sikhaya Ms., nahi Zoya, ke jo jata hai wo kabhi nahi aata ... aur 2 saal jis baat ke lie mene regret kia guilt feel kia usme meri galati nahi thi... wo allah ki marzi thi, Asad thought in his mind and kept continuing his thought process, "Aaj aapse apne dil ki baat kehke bahut relieved feel kar raha hoon...jab ki ye sab to itne saalo mein maine ammi aur Ayaan se bhi nahi kahi

"Aise kyun hai Allah!! Why she is so different for me and getting important for me. Please Allah answer what do I feel for her and why, he question about his feelings for Zoya to Allah and remained without any answer who knew that time was going to answer him.

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A/N:  Please dont throw tomotoes and eggs bas 

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Love

Aditi