Renascence : the revival of something that has been dormant.
"Ya Allah! Aapko to chhot lagi hai"
Zoya grabbed Aditya's hand in her own and examined it. The knuckles on his right hand were badly grazed and bleeding.
"Kuch nahi hua, main theek hoon" Aditya winced.
"Kya theek hai? Itna khoon bhay raha hai! Humare paas first aid kit hai office me, hum ispe patti laga dete hain"
"Nahi Zoya, dekho main bilkul theek hoon. Tum theek to ho na?" He looked at her with concern. "Chalo main tumhe ghar chhod deta hoon"
"Haan, hum theek hain. Aditya aapne humari jaan kitni baar bachayi hai, kya hum aapke liye itna bhi nahi kar sakte? Ab behas mat keejiye aur chaliye humare saath"
Zoya said this final sentence with a firmness that surprised Aditya and he saw something in her eyes which gave him hope. A spark that he not seen since she had received those divorce papers, and fate had dealt her the final blow in the trauma that had marred both of their lives.
All day she had roamed around the office as if a lifeless zombie. Devoid of any feelings or emotions. He could not stand to see her like this. He did not know why, nor did her care to explore this question right now, it only just confused him. All he knew was that his interactions with Zoya made him feel alive again.
Seeing this flicker of life in Zoya prompted him to do as she said, and he followed her back up to the office.
Zoya indicated toward the couch in his cabin for him to take a seat. She came back with the first aid box and settled down beside him.
She held out her hand.
"Lo, humein aapka haath deejiye"
Aditya place his injured hand in hers
She frowned as she looked at the damage.
"Kya zaroorat thi un gundon se ladhne ki? Dekho aapke haath ki kya haalat hai! Humari vajah se aapko phir se chhot lag gayi"
Aditya stared at her intently as she gently dabbed the wounds with antiseptic. He hissed with pain and she blew on his hand to salve the sting. Aditya's own breath caught and he was temporarily rendered speechless. He shook his head and broke himself out of his reverie. He cleared his throat and tried to distract himself.
"Accha? Kya zaroorat thi? Mujhe nahi pata tha ki Ms. Zoya Siddiqui ko business chalane ke saath saath martial arts bhi aata hai?! Mujhe pehle bataa diya hota! Tum apne aap hi nipat leti un gundo se! Mujhe apna haath bigaad na na padta" Aditya said with a smirk on his face
Zoya looked up at him and he was startled to see that she had tears in her eyes. Was she thinking about the divorce papers and that damn Yash again?!
"Zoya!" he said gently. "Kya hua? Tum sach main theek ho? Tum ro kyu rahi ho?" Aditya held her hand with concern and looked into her eyes trying to find the reason for her tears.
Zoya wiped away her tears and to his surprise, she smiled at him. A smile that filled the dark corners of his heart with a warmth that he had not felt in a long time.
"Hum bas soch rahe the ke aap kitne acche hain" Again, Aditya was speechless. This was the last thing he had expected her to say.
"Pehle, aapne humari jaan bacchayi, jab hum khud hi apne aap ko na bachaa sake. Phir aapne poore din koshish lagaa di ki hum ek zinda laash na ban jayein. Aur ab, apni khud ki hifazat ko nazar andaaz karke, aapne humein un gundon se bachaya"
Zoya clutched Aditya's hand tighter.
"Woh sab bohut hi khush naseeb hain, jiski zindagi mein aap hain. Humare sacche dil se aapka shukriya"
Aditya looked into Zoya's eyes and he found such a deep innocence that he had never seen in anyone before. He had never met someone so pure. The warmth that had spread in his heart had now started a small flame which began to flicker into life.
"Tum na, shukriya kehne ki aadat daal lo. Lagta hai ke mujhe zindagi bar tumhe museebaton se bacchana pade ga! Yaar tum aisi situations mein padti kaise ho? Jang mein ladte huye sipaayion kho bhi itna danger nahi face karna padta!"
Zoya looked stunned but then grinned and started laughing, Aditya could not help but admire her. She was so beautiful when she laughed. Bringing a smile to her face made him happier than he thought it could.
This was just the beginning of their revival...
**I hope you enjoyed it! Feedback and comments are always welcome 😊
Shiv Shakti
