Part # 27
Next morning, as Ashna wakes up, she has a beautiful memory of last night. She looks by her side knowing well that he was not there. It was 10 a.m. He cud never be sleeping at this hour. Yet a smile automatically crops up on her lips. After quite a long time, he had talked to her wid so much care. And that very gesture meant a lot to her.
"Tum jaisa insaan maine aaj tak nahi dekha Adil. Itne ziddi aur sakht ho ki achhe khase patthar ko competition de do, kabhi kabhi bahut gussa ata hai tum par...lekin phir bhi...!!" (and she doesn't end her thought anymore)
In the evening Adil comes home early as they had a party to attend. As he enters the room, he finds Ashna getting ready. In fact she was applying kohl in the eyes, when he opened the door and being startled she ruins it. She then looks at Adil and hits her forehead twice.
Ashna: Trust me!! Koi aur door kholta to aisa nahi hota. Only you get me startled.
Adil: Haan pata hai, kyunki defect to mujhme hai, hai na?
Ashna: (cutely nods her head in a yes) Achha abhi jaldi ready ho jao, mujhe w8 karna pasand nahi.
Adil just rolls his eyes, sighs at his adorably irritating wife and leaves.
After a while, Adil and Ashna reach the party, on time. Adil liked anything but being unpunctual. It was an official party, in the honour of some foreign clients and also for having a series of successful deals wid them.
Ashna: Abhi tak zyada koi nahi aya. Maine kaha tha thik se kajal laga lene do, but no tumhe to on time pohuchna hai na?
Adil: Firstly kaun aya kaun nahi, that's not my matter of concern. As the host, I shud be present on time. And secondly, jab main ghar pohucha tab bhi tum kajal laga rahi thi, mere tayyar hone tak bhi tum kajal hi laga rahi thi. Agar itne waqt me bhi tumse kuch nahi hua, then I don't suppose aur 5-10 ya 15 minutes se bhi koi fark padhta!!
Ashna: Tumhe pata hai tum bahut zyada sarcastic ho and bahut insult bhi karte ho, khas kar ke meri, huh!! Mujhe pata hai mujhsse kajal lagaya nahi jata, isliye main generally lagati bhi nahi hu. Wo to agar kuch bada function ho to hi try karti hu. Warna phika lagta hai u knw?
Adil: Aisa tumhe lagta hai, sach to ye hai ki tumhari aankhein bina kajal ke hi bahut khubsurat lagti hai, they're very...
And he suddenly stops as he looks towards her and finds her staring at him keenly. He realizes wat he was doing. He averts his gaze and is abt to leave.
Ashna: Arre, apni baat khatam nahi karoge?
Adil: Ek useless topic pe baat karna main zaruri nahi samajhta. Now if you please excuse me, I have few guests to attend.
After the party...
As Adil and Ashna get back home, Adil throws his coat on the bed and loosens the tie. Ashna was surprised at his behaviour, becoz he never did such a thing. He was too organized to be like that. However, she very well realized what made him act like this. Still, she begins ignorantly!!
Ashna: Tum thik ho? (but he doesn't answer her, so she speaks up again not noticing that his hands were now shaped up in a fist) Aise achanak party se kyun chale aye?
Adil: Tumhe bahut maza aa raha hai na? You really think this is some game!! Right?
Ashna: I donno tum kis bare me baat kar rahe ho!! (she says wid attitude, so he holds her by the elbow and makes her face him)
Adil: Don't test my patience Ashna!! Apni ye sab nautanki bandh karo.
Ashna: Nautanki? Kaisi nautanki? (she asks pretending perfect innocence)
Adil: Tum party me jaan bujh kar mujhe ignore kar rahi thi and on top of that, you were...well lets put it this way...you were enjoying compliments from just abt anyone!!
Ashna: Compliments!! Ohh, ab main samjhi. Waise meri ghalti nahi hai, they felt I was looking beautiful, gorgeous, pretty...and ermm...there was one more...
Adil: Amazing!!
Ashna: Yes, Amazing!! So they thought I was looking nice and complimented me, wats wrong? Meri kya ghalti thi?
Adil: Agar sirf compliment kar rahe hote, then it wud be fine. Lekin tumhe shayad kuch zyada hi maza aa raha tha. Don't u think so?
Ashna: Achha? Were you jealous?
Adil: The point is you were trying to make me jealous and that I don't approve!! You cud have messed up.
Ashna: I cud have messed up? Was that ur only concern? (she asks wid a knowing smile)
Adil knew she was teasing him, so he leaves her arm and tries to move away. But she wasn't ready to let go, she had stopped him by the arm. And now she continues more gently.
Ashna: Is it so difficult Adil? Or is it so wrong? Tum kisse bhaag rahe ho? Aur kyun? Tumhari aankhein saaf batati hai ki tum mujhse...
Even before Ashna cud complete, Adil thrust her against the wall. His eyes held rage and fear. Ashna cud read those eyes now!!
Adil: Don't...don't say it.
Ashna: Agar zahir karne se koi baat sach ho jati aur chhupa lene se wo jhooth ban jata, to sach aur jhooth ka definition kuch alag hota Adil.
Her look was challenging and attitude was confident, that said she cud read thru him. Adil avoided looking at her undeterred eyes and continued rather softly.
Adil: Please Ashna!! Tum samajh nahi rahi ho...
Ashna: I knw Adil, kuch aisa hai jo main samajh nahi rahi hu. Aur hamesha ki tarah tum mujhe samjhaoge, bas yehi chahti hu main. (she keeps her palm against his cheek) What's so wrong Adil? (he now closes his eyes to decide if he shud just tell her wat was wrong) Mujhe pata hai tum apni pareshani kisise nahi bantte, taaki har koi befikr rahe. Lekin tum mujhse keh sakte ho. Main biwi hu tumhari.
At this Adil opens his eyes, he was hardly conscious of the intimacy and so didn't move away. Rather he brought his hand closer to her neck and touched her cheek wid his thumb. And then came out few words that always troubled him inside.
Adil: Tum hamesha meri rahogi na?
His voice was exceptionally soft & soothing and there was a stint of desperation for her answer. His eyes still held fear but the rage was melted down. Ashna wanted to nod her head in a yes to answer him, but she cudn't. As soon as his breath touched her face, she closed her eyes. Her heart beat was accelerated. The intimacy was indeed making her nervous.
However, in a fraction of a second or so she felt, Adil brought his face closer to hers and even before Ashna cud anticipate anything he kissed her. The kiss was gentle just as his nature. He had cupped her face wid one hand while the other rested on her arm.
Initially, Ashna was too numb to react. Her one hand remained around his waist while the other on his shoulder, both unmoved. But after a few seconds, she responded to the kiss as both her hands reached his neck.
Here Adil's hand slided down her arm and rested on her back while they deepened the kiss. After a while they broke off but none moved away. Ashna still had her eyes closed while Adil kissed her jaw and proceeded towards the neck. Ashna's hold on him became tighter while her lips uttered the confession that she feared to make even to herself.
"I love you Adil."
As the words escaped her mouth, Adil drew back and looked at her face. She still had her eyes closed. Adil didn't move and kept looking at her while soon she opened her eyes. She stared back into black ones while her hand moved to touch his face. But Adil stepped back wid a jerk!! Ashna moved forward to say something but he turned away.
Ashna was utterly confused at his roughness!! And she felt dejected as he quickly walked away from the room. Teardrops rolled down her cheeks as her heart ached like never before!!
In the morning, at abt 11 a.m., Ashna woke up on the bed and the room was empty!! Adil wasn't there and for a moment she thought he wasn't back from last night. But the next moment she realized that she had dozed off on the floor back then and it was most certainly him that placed her on the bed.
In no time, Ashna dialed his number but he wasn't picking up. She called both at RGI and Sehgal office, but he was nowhere!! After trying for a while, she called up Shekhar to knw that he had left for Pune.
Shekhar: Actually he must be driving, isliye phn nahi utha raha hai. Aur tumhe batane ka mauka nahi mila hoga, becoz subah aate hi achanak usne decide kiya ki meri jagah usse Pune jana hai. You don't worry, mauka milte hi he will call back.
Ashna: Thanks Shekhar!!
After talking to Shekhar, Ashna felt too angry and hurt and she didn't knw which feeling was more. However she was sure she needed to talk to him. So she kept trying his number until he picked up.
Here Adil who was driving the car, had seen her name flashing on his mobile screen and deliberately avoided picking it up. But soon he realized she wasn't gonna stop. He had 48 missed calls in just 15 minutes. So he finally stopped the car and picked up the phn.
But none talked as the line connected. While Ashna wanted to hear him first, Adil was simply avoiding speaking.
Ashna: To tum kuch nahi kahoge?
Adil: Nahi Ashna, bahut kuch kehna hai, lekin mujhe thoda waqt chahiye. Please!!
Ashna: Hmm, kab aa rahe ho?
Adil: Shayad do din me.
Ashna: I'll be w8ing!!
And they both hang up. Ashna had thought she wud be angry wid him when he picks up the phn, but after talking to him, she is glad that she wasn't rude. His voice was trembling and she knew he wasn't alright. He said he had to talk to her and now she was w8ing to hear him out. She always knew there was something that troubled him always, some uncertainity!! She just hoped to soothe him out.
Here Adil thought abt last night. He just udnt keep his composure at the very thought of her being with someone else. He himself never realized how possessive he had grown of her. And then after he walked away, he felt lost. He was at a point from where he cudnt step back and moving ahead was not the best option either!!
At the eve of sunrise, he had got back home and found her on the floor. Dried tears were evident on her cheeks. He remembered the moment shared wid her few hours back. It might have been wrong on his part, but it was beautiful and rather blissful. She had read him right, he did love her!!
Adil scooped her up in his arms and placed her on the bed. He knelt down beside her on the floor and closed his eyes to shed a drop of tear! This was the first time, in so many years, when he thought of letting go. He didn't hold back even if that means shedding just one droplet.
Coming back to present, Adil started the car and began driving slowly. He had decided to talk to her in the morning only, but he truly needed some time to prepare his words!! She had to understand him and he had to make her understand him. He cudnt hurry and needed to relax first. So he took over Shekhar for the Pune trip.
"Maine phir se muh modh liya. Lekin kya karu? Itni himmat nahi hai mujhme!! Kash maine pehle hi usse baat kar li hoti, ye sab complication hi nahi hota. Lekin pata nahi kyun main...!!"
He again stops the car and speaks out loud after a pause.
"Aisa kaise hota hai Baba? Ek cheez ek waqt par itna sahi lagta hai to wohi cheez dusre waqt par itna ghalat kaise lagta hai? Jo aaj samajhme aa raha hai wo kal kyun nahi samajh paya? Zindagi itni jaldi kyun rang badalti hai? Hum ek sanche me dhalna shuru bhi nahi karte ki sancha hi badal jata hai."
Adil leaned back on the car seat. He looked fatigued and extremely disturbed. The chilly winter wind and nerve-wracking feeling altogether made his breathing heavier. Though he realized how essential it was for him to talk to Ashna, he also knew it will take more than he has imagined.
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Edited by Sumi_162710 - 13 years ago
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