Chapter 9

 

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Asad and Zoya, both have planned to sort their differences out, at least to an extent for the common reason, their respective parents. They knew that they have to do it, by hook or by crook, but the million dollar question was how to do that?'

Zoya, the chatter box first time in her life was confused and on the top of that she had no words to express herself. Whereas, to express himself was not Asad's cup of tea and for him the biggest challenge was to patch-up with the puzzle named as, Zoya Farooqui, the same girl whose face was the mirror of Aseemah but according to him, whose inner soul was as opposite as chalk and cheese from Aseemah's.

The Khan family was having the breakfast; Najma was confused with the fact that only clank of knives, spoons and folks was reaching her ears, that too in the presence of the Zoya Farooqui. Dilshad was also trying to understand that what was going in between Asad and Zoya, but she couldn't find it out.

-X-

Few minutes later

Asad has rehearsed a lot in the night about the discussion to sort out the differences with Zoya, but whenever she came in front of her, he become dumb. She too tried to discuss the matter with him, but whenever she was about to discuss all this, the last evening scene started portraying in front of her eyes.

The way Asad scolded her for arriving late at home was bewildering her, it was scaring Zoya Farroqui first time in her whole life. So she decided to avoid this for few days. She thought that when Asad's mind will be silent and in peace, she will discuss all this with him.

Asad was leaving for office when his eyes again fell on Zoya, was wearing her flat pointy shoes and was about to leave outside the Khan Villa in search of her past. Asad pressed his lips and thought that this was the best chance to discuss about their differences, in the absence of both Khan Ladies.

Dilshad was observing him looking at Zoya from about last 5 minutes. She hid her grin aside and cocked her brows up as was asking, "What happen?"

"Umm! Ammi woh...Ap jake pooch lijiye unse, kahan jana hai. I will drop her.", Asad whispered indicating Zoya.

And he continued himself to cover-up while caressing the bridge of his nose, "Nahin woh...She is our responsibility after all."

Dilshad shook his head positively and was pretended to be unaware and said, "Main kyu? Tum hi jake pooch lo.", and bit her lower lip.

"Ammi...", before he could complete Dilshad interrupt in between and acted to be upset from him, "Wese bhi if you remember, kal bechari ko bahut daanta tha tumne."

Asad retorted back immediately, "Ammi woh bechari nahin hain!!"

"Whatever! Mujhe kuch nahin pata tumhe poochna hai to poocho, I will not ask in fact I can't even face her, after your whole lecture.", she mocked and finally announced making a gloomy face and crossed her hands on her chest.

Asad sighed and moved towards Zoya. She sifted her eyes from the floor to the person who was staring her and stood up from the sofa. 

She sulked in her mind, "Ab kya hua inhe, Kahin ghar se baahar na janey ka RULE to nahi bana diya inhone. Hayye ye Ruler Ahmed Khan bhi."

"Ms. Farroqui!", Asad took her back from her thoughts.

"Huh! Haan, y-yes Mr. Khan?", she stuttered with a little fear.

Asad bit his lower lip and hesitatingly asked, "Ah! I am leaving for the office. If you are going somewhere, I can drop you."

Zoya took a relieved sigh and replied when his last evening's behavior stroke her mind, "Nahin. I mean main khud har jagah aa-ja sakti hoon."

She was leaving the Khan Villa in haste while crossing her fingers so he couldn't call her from back but he did and again asked gently, "It's okay Ms. Farooqui ap mere sath chal sakti hain.", which stopped her feet automatically.

He took few steps forward while slipping his hands inside his pockets; he stated sarcastically, "Ap chal sakti hain. Wese bhi agar aapko ek din drop kar dunga, to apki azaadi nahin chali jayegi.", and shrugged his shoulders.

She licked her dry lips and nodded her head positively in agreement.

-X-

Asad jumped on the driver seat whereas Zoya took the seat in his left. Asad was locking himself behind seat belt when he realized that Zoya was not even bothering to tie the seat belt. 

"Please lock your seat belt.", ordered Asad.

Zoya creased her brows and replied back, "Umm! No problem Mr. Khan. Chalta hai sab."

At which he whispered while glaring her, "Apko chalta hoga mujhe nahin.", and his eyes became moist when the mishap of the night collided his mind when Aseemah died in an accident.

Zoya didn't notice his moist eyes and was in her own dramatized mood.

"But...I feel suffocated in seatbelt. Kyunki mujhe bandishon mein rehne ki aadat nahin.", she retorted back.


" Nahin hai to daal lijiye.", he said while pulling her seatbelt. Her aroma was hypnotizing him, his eyes met with hers and they kept staring each other blinking, not even for once and Zoya noticed his moist eyes, which confused her that why his eyes were moist.

But they came to senses when Asad's cell phone rang and he quickly locked her seat belt and came back to his seat properly, while closing his eyes tightly, he tried to soak his tears.

Zoya closed her eyes tightly; the reflection of his brown orbs was a different experience for her. She was feeling that she was on a different island with different feelings, which she has never faced before.

Asad cut the call and started driving for the spot where Zoya was going. He was amazed with the fact that if she was so alike with Aseemah but her eyes and soul were not like Aseemah's then why did he lose himself in those chocolate orbs. And on the top of that why his eyes were moist when Zoya denied locking herself in a seat belt. He took a deep sigh and grabbed all the concentration and decided to be quiet.

-X-

Zoya opened the gate of car after reaching her destination, but stopped to discuss the matter. Meanwhile Asad too thought the same and they both said in unison, "Ms. Farooqui/Mr. Khan...mujhe aapse kuch baat karni thi."

"Ah! Pehle ap keh dijiye.", Zoya replied back.

"Nahi its okay. You can say first.", he stated.

"Arey, Wese to bolte rehte hain, mujhe bolne nahin deti aap. And now I am giving you the chance to say first then why are you pretending to be so GREAT.", Zoya being Zoya retorted back.

Asad fumed with anger and clenched, "Kuch keh nahin raha hoon apse subah se, It doesn't mean kuch bhi bakwaas karengi aap."

She tilted her head in his direction and Asad surrendered because he knew that it was the waste of time to argue with Zoya Farooqui, "Ms. Farooqui. Mujhe ye kehne mein koi hesitation nahin hogi, that from the day you have entered in my house. I don't like you. And I don't want you in my house b--"

But before he could he complete she took the charge, "What do you want to say? That I have to leave Khan Villa?"

"Poori baat sun liya kijiye samne wale ki, phir muh kholiye.", he replied back.

Zoya took a deep breath and indicated him to continue.




"Main nahin chahta aap mere ghar mein rahein par Ammi chahti hain. I can't deny her, not even in my whole life. Aur main unhein iss baat ke liye guilty bhi nahi dekh sakta. That she hurt me.", he whispered under his breath.

Now Zoya was listening him quietly, she was amazed that why this man was hurting with her presence in his house. She was looking at him bewilderingly.


"Why are you HURT if I am in your house?", she asked with dilemma.

Asad realized that he expressed himself in a wrong way and tried to cover it up, "Mera matlab tha. I was never in favor to live with you under a same roof. Aur ammi ko lagta hai ke unhone wo apko ghar mein, mere decision ke against leke aayi, jo mujhe hurt kiya.", he closed his eye lids with a deep sigh.

She gulped and asked, "Now what do you want from me?"



"In any condition, we both have to live in a same house. I can't see my mother in guilt. So I want to...", he paused for a second and completed, "...to patch with you up."



"And how?", she questioned.



"Sacrifice. The only and the best key of life.", he shrugged his shoulders saying this.

"Kuch aap meri suniye, kuch main apki sunta hoon. Sacrifice has solution for every hurdle."

Zoya smiled with astonishment because she has never lived a life with SACRIFICE, because she has always believed that any problem of life can solve with CHILDISHNESS, after all a child is always right and sacrifice only invites challenges and problems.




But she took herself from the reverie to reality and offered her right hand to shake, "To chaliye ek nayi shuruaat karte hain.", and smiled.

He shook his hands with hers and his lips curved into a perfect you shaped smile when he noticed a mesmerizing smile on her face, especially her dimples.

But she thought that if she has to sacrifice something for her identity then it was not a bad deal. Zoya nodded her head in agreement and opened the door of car to jump out from it.

Asad asked when she was getting out of the car, "You too have something to say?"

She smiled, "Zarurat nahin hai ab uski.", and she turned to leave.

"I will wait for the day, jis din aap tehzeeb ko bandish samajhna band karengi. Aur tehzeeb ke asli mayeno samjhengi.", he taunted her back.

She retorted back, "Main bhi us din ka intezar karungi jab aap pabandiyon ko tehzeeb ka naam dena band karenge. Aur pabandi ka asli matlab samjhenge..", she announced sarcastically.

She crossed the road he shrugged his head with disbelief that why did he smile after seeing hers. Why does her smile, her eyes mattered him a lot.

He shuffled his hairs anxiously and drove off.

-X-

Night

Zoya was sitting on the window sill of her room, she was highly tensed that another day passed and she again failed in the process of her search. She has given the piece of paper which has something hazily written on it to the pathology lab. But, she failed to get the positive results by doing that also, because the laboratory in-charge failed to skim out the words written on it clearly.

She was staring the moon with a ray of hope that it will show a path to her as he always did, since her childhood and a tear drop fell from her eyes rolling her cheek. She closed her eyes tightly and something echoed in her mind.

"May be! Bhaijaan ne dekha ho. He is an architect aur Bhopal mein shayad hi aisi koi jagah ho jo Bhaijaan ne na dekhi ho."

"Kya karron? Should I ask him? Will he answer me? Or if like everyone he too didn't has any idea about this alien haveli?", she spilled out question after question without even taking breath and sighed, "Phew!!"

She calmed herself down and placed that photograph again in the wooden box when something struck in her pea-sized brain.

"Kuch aap meri suniye, kuch main apki sunta hoon. Sacrifice has solution for every hurdle."

She pressed her lips and snatched the photograph from the box but the pendulum clock of her room buzzed. She tilted her head above and realized that it was 11'o clock in the night.

Her face again fell down and she left with tear filled eyes.


-X-

Morning

"What? Prasad, you should have informed me about the re-schedule of the meeting.", Asad scolded his PA Prasad to not inform him.

"I did informed you sir.", Prasad replied hesitatingly from the other side of the phone call.

"Shut Up! Don't lie.", yelled Asad over the phone.

Prasad replied in low pitch, "Sir! Yesterday, when you announced break after the presentation. Tab maine aapko bataya tha."

Asad closed his eyes tightly that how can he didn't notice such an important information. He has to plan the map of the bungalow according to the client, one of the famous ministers of the state and the meeting was so urgent for him. Prasad has informed him after the presentation that Dilshad Construction had to re-schedule the meeting but he didn't notice it in the dilemma of his past and present.

Asad was very well aware with the fact that if somehow, he loose this chance then, for sure Rashid Ahmed Khan, his so-called father will not let go such an advantageous project from his hand, not for his company's profit but for the loss of Asad.

Asad didn't even bother to have breakfast, he grabbed his laptop bag and was about to leave when Zoya's voice reached his ears to stop. He stopped for a second and replied in haste, "Jaldi kahiye kya kehna hai."

"Allah Miyan what's wrong with you? Kal to aap bade keh rahe the..", she uttered in single breath and continued while mocking, "Ms. Farooqui! Kuch aap meri suniyega, kuch main aapki sununga."

"Then what happen now?", she whispered but in angry tone.

Asad tried to control himself, "See Ms. Farooqui today I've a very important meeting, so please don't waste my time aur agar kuch zaruri kaam nahin hai...to please say fast.", he said under his breath so Dilshad, who was in the kitchen could not listen them.

"It's okay! Jaiye aap apna IMP Meeting kar lijiye pehle. Wese bhi kisi aur se apko kya farq padta hai.", Zoya retorted back with disgust and he too left shrugging his head in disbelief.

With his exit Zoya mumbled in tears to herself while smiling on her destiny, "Huh! Aap kabhi samajh bhi nahin saktey ki mere liye, isse jyaada zaruri kaam aur kuch nahin ho sakta.", and a fresh drop of tear fell down from her eyes and fell on the photograph.

On the contrary, while opening the door of his car, Asad thought in his mind, "Aap kya janey, wo meeting mere liye kitni IMP hai."

         
                               
                               

                 Please Do Read the next Post For PMs


A/N:Hey Lovely People, I am again back with an update. Thank you so much guys for your appreciation and Love. Please do read the next Post sent after this Post. Please do leave your comments and Like Button.

Loads Of Love,

Aditi