Gosh, you girls! Finally here I am. Don't start on the death threats now. Haha!
And guys, we aren't boycotting Juliet - she changed her signature and has promised to update her stories.
"Bingo"
Much love, as always
Part 16:
"Bhaijaan? Where the hell are you?" Ayaan spoke into his phone frantically. He shook his head. "God... Just wait there. I'm on way to get him. And thanks" he said and dashed off.
**********
"Zoya baby. You better tell your husband to watch out. I am going to get him for what he did to me"
Zoya read and re-read the message from Ritesh. What the hell was he talking about? What did Asad do to him? She hadn't seen him after she went to Najma's room that morning. She didn't even know where he was now.
"Ayaan!" she thought, grabbing her phone to call him. "Hello? Zoya, I really can't speak now" he said hurriedly. "Ok, I-I-I just want to know..." she trailed off.
She shook her head; why did she care? "Please Zoya; I will see you in a bit. I have to go. Sorry" he said and disconnected. "Sh*t!" she cursed.
*********
After the altercation with Ritesh, all Asad had wanted to do was forget everything... He found his way to a bar and started drowning his sorrows.
**********
"Uhm, Shria...?" her photographer Riaz called her. "Hmmm, what is it Riaz?" she asked. "I think you need to make your way down to Merlin's..." he said uncertainly. He had been following Asad all morning on Shria's instructions, but didn't like where this was headed.
First it was the fight between Kapoor and him; now he was onto his seventh scotch. "Why, what's happened?" she asked. Riaz had her full attention now. He relayed everything to her.
Shria shook her head sadly. Tabloids aside, she loved a good love story... and he and Zoya had it. So why was this happening now?
Grabbing her coat, she made her way out of her office. "I'll be right there. Keep an eye on him" she said.
**********
"What are you...?" Asad asked confusedly as Shria took his glass from behind him. He turned to face her. "Hey, what are you doing here, Ms Naidu?" he smiled. "Doing and old friend a favour, Mr Khan. Give me your phone" she demanded, glaring at the bartender.
Couldn't the idiot tell how drunk Asad was? Why was he even still serving him? Riaz had told her he was on his tenth drink by the time she got there.
He grabbed his glass back out of Shria's hand, spilling a bit of it and turned away from her. She stood next to him. "Mr Khan. I will have you know that I have absolutely NO issues with getting your phone out of your pocket myself! Now, give it to me!" she demanded once again.
Asad ignored her.
Shria took a deep breath and reached into his pocket for the phone. "Hey! Leave me alone woman!" he shouted, half falling off the barstool. Shria ignored him, got the phone and scrolled through his contacts. She found Ayaan's name and called him.
**********
Once Ayaan got there and shoved Asad into the backseat of the car, he turned to Shria and Riaz. "I don't know how to thank you, Ms Naidu, even though you were having him followed" Ayaan said confusedly.
"It's ok. Even though Zoya doesn't acknowledge it now, we were very good friends back in the day. We just drifted apart... because our interests changed" she shrugged.
"I had no idea..." he said. She shrugged again.
Anyway, Ayaan... I've been hearing grumbles of a seemingly violent protest by Kapoor at your rally tomorrow" she said.
Ayaan looked at her incredulously. "You're not being serious?" he asked. "I am. There's also something else you need to see" she said and alerted Riaz to give her his camera.
Ayaan's eyes widened as he saw the photos Riaz had taken of Asad punching Ritesh.
"I should get him home. Thanks again, Ms Naidu" he smiled. "Anytime. Uhh? Are they ok?" she asked Ayaan. He figured who she meant. "I hope they will be" he answered.
"You know... someone called me yesterday, offering me pictures of Zoya meeting with Ritesh. I didn't take them; I want you to know that. I mean, in case they ever come out" she said.
Ayaan nodded gratefully and got into the driver's seat.
*********
"What the hell were you thinking, going after Kapoor?!" Ayaan scolded a very drunk Asad leaning against the headrest of the backseat.
"He tried to... touch MY Zoya" Asad said. Ayaan shook his head, but didn't say anything. "You don't understand..." Asad whined. "Don't understand what?" Ayaan asked.
"I was so wrong... I've been wrong about her from the beginning... things were looking up. Last night... that wasn't supposed to happen. I should be with her now... But... it's all my fault. She hates me... she's going to leave me" he said, choking on his words, because as he said them out loud, he realised how true they were.
"She won't leave, Bhaijaan... she loves you" Ayaan soothed him. "No... she hates me, and I deserve it" he whispered.
Ayaan knew it was pointless saying anything to him now, so he concentrated on getting him home and wondering what he was going to say when faced with a houseful of worried females.
**********
Zoya was pacing around the lounge, while Najma sat with a worried Dilshad. Tanveer and Razia were also there. Finally, they heard a car pull up. Zoya ran to the door and swung it open.
Her hand flew to cover her mouth when she saw Ayaan walking in with his arm around Asad. He could barely stand up.
"Mr Khan..." she whispered as Ayaan brought him in. She noticed his bloodied knuckles and the crimson stains on his white t-shirt too.
Tanveer ran up to them, but Zoya held her hand out. "I will take care of this!" she hissed as she glared at Tanveer. She slunk away to sit down again.
Forgetting everything else when she saw a hurt Asad, Zoya went to the other side of Ayaan to help him. "Let's take him to his room" she said softly.
"Ayaan, what happened?" Dilshad asked, having finally found her voice. She had been trying Asad's phone all evening with no success and had been worried sick. "Aunty, let me just put him down. I will explain..." he said helplessly.
This wasn't his Bhaijaan... He'd never been so irresponsible before, and now Ayaan was the one having to do all the explaining. Usually, in times gone by, it would be the other way round.
He was glad though, that at least Zoya seemed to be ok with helping with him.
She ran to remove the tucked in duvet, and Ayaan dropped a barely awake Asad on the bed. Zoya tucked him in and was about to turn back to Ayaan when Asad grabbed her hand. "Don't leave me, Zoya" he croaked out.
Her eyes softened at his request, but she removed her hand from his hold and faced Ayaan. They walked a little away from the bed. Asad was barely conscious.
"What happened?" she asked desperately. Ayaan shook his head and told her everything. "That f***ing Kapoor!" she whispered, turning back to face Asad. "Go... go tell Ammi. Tell her something. I'll... be here" she said.
"Zoya... I know everything that happened. You have to know, he knows he is wrong. I'm not defending him, not at all. What he did was totally wrong, but... this..." he said, gesturing towards Asad "...is the result of him believing that you're leaving him" Ayaan explained helplessly.
"You know what? For now, none of that matters" she sighed. Ayaan nodded and left her to go tell his Dilshad Aunty "something".
**********
Zoya looked at Asad sleeping peacefully, with the duvet up to his chin. He looked so... innocent and childlike. So... unlike the man who had hurt her so badly last night and this morning.
She moved to sit on the edge of the bed, and took his hand in hers.Tears welled up in her eyes when she saw the bruises and broken skin. So that's what Ritesh meant then.
"What did you do, Mr Khan?" she whispered as she ran her hand through his hair. He smiled in his sleep, making Zoya smile along with him.
Asad was just barely awake but very aware that Zoya was with him, seemingly taking care of him. He closed his eyes tightly and pretended to be unconscious again. When she left... this is what he wanted to remember.
She went to get some cotton balls and antiseptic from his bathroom and took her seat again. Swabbing the area lightly to remove the blood, she flinched herself when he hissed in pain. She found herself blowing over the area to soothe him.
When she was done wrapping his hand in some gauze, she got up. Asad couldn't bear the thought of her leaving now that her job was done, and held her wrist.
Her head whipped to him. "Mr Khan, you're awake? Are you ok? Does it hurt?" she asked, kneeling before him on the bed.
"Zoya... I would do it again. I will kill him if he comes near you..." he whispered, answering her question from earlier. Zoya sat down and scowled.
"Mr Khan, you're not in a position to go around beating up people. You know how the media keeps following you everywhere. You think you'll make it to the PM seat if you do things like this?" she scolded, unable to hold back now.
He let go of her hand. "I don't want it without you" he said in a defeated tone, closing his eyes again. "You're drunk; you don't know what you're saying. I'm going to get you some painkillers and some water" she said, getting up again.
She didn't have the energy to say anything to him. After everything they had gone through to ensure that the NC would do well in the elections and that Asad would get a chance at Prime Minister someday... to hear that he wasn't interested suddenly, made Zoya think he really wasn't in his senses.
She took one last look at him and walked out of the room. "No, Zoya... you didn't hear me right. I said...Without you, none of this matters" he said to himself.
**********
"He's ok, Ammi, I promise" Zoya reassured Dilshad in the kitchen while she got some aspirin and water for him. "But he never drinks..." she said, shaking her head.
"It all has something to do with the fight you had, doesn't it?" she asked, not unkindly.
Zoya nodded, her eyes downcast. "I'm sorry, Ammi" she whispered.
Dilshad walked up to her. "You have nothing to be sorry for, beta. I know my son... I know his temper. But being angry at each other like this, it's only going to hurt you both. Let him sleep whatever this is off and then steel yourself to talk to him. Both of you need to sit down and have a heart to heart" she advised.
"It's too late" Zoya said softly. "Zoya, don't say that" Dilshad gasped. "Ammi... I think you need to know what happened. Maybe you'll understand my point of view then" she said.
"Ok. I will go give this to him. You wait here. Clearly, we need to talk" Dilshad said, taking the tablets and water from her. "No. I mean, he wouldn't want you to see him like that Ammi. I'll be right back" Zoya said, taking everything back from her.
Dilshad shook her head in disbelief. These two mad children of hers. If Zoya was so determined that it was too late for her and Asad, why did she care that it would hurt him for his mother to see him in the state he was in.
"I was always right; even now, they're fooling no one but themselves"
**********
"So... that's what happened. It wasn't... I mean, we were going to give it a real try. I... care about him, Ammi" Zoya said, putting her chin on her hands at the table.
"I can't believe all of this. This boy just doesn't think..." Dilshad sighed. Zoya nodded. "I don't know, how we'll get past this. I can't believe he would think... And it seems it was all Ritesh's plan" Zoya said.
"You need to talk... to each other. You can tell me all you want about how you care about him... but it makes no difference if you don't communicate with each other. I know, I should be saying all of this to him right now" Dilshad said, shaking her head.
Zoya didn't want to leave him... but could she really stick around and deal with this kind of behaviour? She shook her head. She really didn't know.
Dilshad got up. "Think about what I said. I'm not forcing you to do anything. Zoya, I've come to think of you as a daughter already. I don't want to see either of my children hurt... And I don't want you to leave, but I understand if you still want to. I will support whatever decision you make" she said, leaning down to take her into a side hug, before leaving the kitchen.
Zoya was so confused... She really didn't know what she wanted or was going to do.
**********
Ayaan was working overtime trying to find out more about what Kapoor had up his sleeve at the rally tomorrow. From what he'd gathered so far, Kapoor was planning a protest against the NC at their rally tomorrow.
It could get ugly... and he couldn't afford for Asad to be in the mix of that.
He grabbed his phone. "Zoya. Go wake that husband of yours up. I need to speak to you both!" he ordered over the phone as he made his way to his car.
**********
"Mr Khan! Get up right now. Ayaan is coming over!" she said, shoving at him to wake him up. He groaned and tried pulling the duvet up to cover his eyes from the light that Zoya had switched on.
Groaning in frustration herself, Zoya walked to the other side of the bed, jumped on it and rolled Asad off the bed. He landed with a hard thud and looked up at her accusingly, while rubbing his bottom.
If she wasn't still so mad at him, she'd have giggled at the look of pure shock on his face.
She threw him his towel. "Get in the shower and freshen up. RIGHT NOW! Ayaan needs to speak to us and it sounded important" she hissed.
Asad complied easily but clutched his head as he swayed. She ran to him. "Here, let me help. See, you're not a great drinker. Don't do it again" she lectured.
He smiled as they walked into his bathroom. "Helping me in the shower?" he flirted in his drunken state. She glared at him. "Not if you paid me! Now get in!" she shouted.
He saluted her. "Yes, Ma'am!"
Zoya walked out of his room and closed the door. "This man will drive me insane one day..." she muttered and made her way to her makeshift bedroom.
**********
"Sorry, I know it's late, but I wanted to thank you for what you did earlier. And for trying to warn me last night. Things are a mess right now. I'm asking, as someone who was once your friend... Please do not report on all of this. Thanks again, Zoya" she typed out to Shria and sent the message.
Ayaan had told Zoya that Shria is the one that had called him.
"Of course not, Zoya. Anytime. I hope that you both are ok" came her reply.
*********
Asad stood under the hot shower and shut his eyes tightly. Everything he'd tried to forget was now coming back to him. There was no way he was going to be able to make this right with Zoya, and so now, he'd have to accept the fact that it was all his fault that she was leaving.
He'd told himself and everyone else lies to get her to be his... and now it was all gone up in flames. No, she deserved way better than him; and so he would have to let her go, no matter what it did to him.
**********
He walked out of the bathroom to find a fresh glass of water and more aspirin on his bedside table. He guessed Zoya must've left it there for him.
Yet another reason he didn't deserve her. After everything he had said and done to her, she still found it in her to take care of him.
He downed the pills with the water and looked at his bandaged hand. His eyes stung; tears and hurt all melded into one. Having Zoya in his life for this little while had shown him that there was some good in the world.
Showed him that he was capable of... love? Yes. She showed him that. Unknowingly, she had taught him to love.
And now... it was all gone.
***********
Slapping his face a couple of times while looking in the mirror, he took in a deep breath. "Right Asad. Time to face the firing squad" he said to himself and walked out into the living room.
Ayaan was pacing cagily and Zoya sat curled up on the couch. They both looked at him when he sauntered in. Ayaan walked up to him. "We have a problem" he stated simply. Asad looked to Zoya who looked down quickly.
"What is it?" he asked, suddenly worried. He casually took a seat next to Zoya and didn't miss her shifting uncomfortably away from him. "I'm still the same Asad" he had wanted to turn to her and scream, but just inhaled to calm himself.
Getting angry right now, was not the solution. That, and his mind was still so damn fuzzy from all the whiskey he'd drank.
"Kapoor... apparently there are rumours of a protest at the rally tomorrow" Ayaan said, taking a seat across from them. Zoya's eyes widened. Asad's face gave nothing away.
"I thought of calling it off, but it's too late now. I don't trust him, never have... and so I don't know how this will turn out. I don't want you there, Asad" Ayaan said.
"Wha-" Asad started responding but was cut off by his best friend and advisor.
"Call it a sixth sense... I have a feeling things could get ugly. He's obviously got it in for you. I don't want you there" Ayaan said, trying to stress his point.
"Then how? I mean, who...?" Asad asked. "That's easy. Zoya will be there with me. I've arranged for extra, major security. It will be fine. It's clearly not Zoya he has issues with" Ayaan said nervously.
Asad stood up. "Are you crazy, Ayaan? No way. No way in hell am I allowing that!" he bellowed. Zoya stood up then. "And why not? What do you think, that I'm in cahoots with him now?!" she asked him angrily.
Ayaan rolled his eyes. Goddamn these two.
"No... of course not... I mean... I don't want you in the middle of a dangerous situation..." he responded helplessly. Zoya was about to retort when he suddenly cut her off again.
"If it gets... violent... Zoya, I remember what you told me about your mother. You don't understand..."
Zoya sank to the couch. She hadn't thought of that. She wouldn't want to be caught in a frightening situation like that. Asad faced Ayaan. "She isn't doing this" he warned.
"No. I'll go. It will be fine. I'm not in any kind of danger. Like Ayaan said, the issue isn't with me" she said, standing up again. Asad turned to her and held her by her shoulders.
"Why do you have to be so stubborn?" he asked, but his voice was tinged with panic... with desperate fear. The intensity of his eyes almost made Zoya forget herself.
"I'm not being stubborn, Mr Khan. I'm doing my job" she stated. "Do you even realise what would happen to me if something happened to you?!" he asked desperately, looking intently into her eyes as he held her firmly by her shoulders.
Ayaan slunk away. He didn't need to be here for this.
She shook her head slowly, her eyes wide. Asad let her go and she slumped onto the couch once again.
"F***!" he cursed, taking a seat across from her. "There is nothing I can do or say that is going to undo what I said and did last night. You wanted to go back home... and I think you should. You wanted to leave after the rally, but I don't want you at that so you can go in the morning" he said, looking down as his legs shook while he spoke.
Zoya startled. She wasn't expecting this. Asad continued.
"I don't know... how to take care of you, even though I promised I would. I don't deserve you. You should go. I'll let you go... to find someone who does" he sighed the last part out dejectedly.
Zoya was crying. She was still mad at him, but did she really want to leave him? "Mr Khan, wait" she called to him.
"Zoya please. I get it. This was a bad idea from the beginning. You and me...? It just... wasn't meant to be" he said and walked off.
He walked away, his heart at the pit of his stomach as he heard Zoya sob behind him.
**********
Ayaan walked back in then, noticing that Asad had walked back to his bedroom. Zoya wiped her tears and stood up. "I'll head up the rally tomorrow. You don't have to tell him. He-he will just think I've gone home... Like we agreed" she said, before bursting into tears.
Ayaan held her as she cried. When she'd calmed down, she thanked him, told him she'd be ready tomorrow and walked away.
He dragged his hand through his hair. He didn't know how to help these two anymore. Two people that would do anything for each other, that much was clear, but neither willing or able to express their love and concern to each other.
Maybe he should lock them up in a room together and force them to sort this out? That idea might totally backfire on him though and he may end up with two corpses.
They were married a day ago for goodness' sake. She couldn't just go back to her parents; and he couldn't just let her.
He was so exhausted... he could barely think anymore. He could deal with them tomorrow. Right now, all he wanted, was to have the woman he loved in his arms.
Seeing what Asad and Zoya were going through, only made him more sure of his love for Humeira. He hoped they would never have to face something similar.
**********
Zoya couldn't sleep. She'd tried packing, but everytime she folded some item of clothing to be put into her suitcase... she burst into tears. The thought of leaving Asad, of not being with him? It physically hurt her.
She sank to the floor. Yes, he drove her mad, he hadn't trusted her, had manhandled her... But sill, somehow... she couldn't deny her feelings any longer.
Zoya had already known, even if she didn't acknowledge it. When he'd told asked her if she knew what would happen to him if something happened to her? That had jolted her heart awake.
And when he'd mentioned his fear, likening it to what happened to her mother? She couldn't believe that he had even thought of that.
There was no denying it... she was head over heels with the man she married.
As if in a trance... she made her way downstairs to his room quietly. She opened the door softly and knelt in front of the bed where he was sprawled out, obviously still under the effects of his earlier inebriation.
Zoya blinked back her tears. She just came to say goodbye, even if he didn't know she did. It would give her some sense of peace.
She leaned in towards him, taking in every bit of his face being hit by a sliver of moonlight. She reached out to touch his face, but then stopped abruptly.
She didn't want to wake him. She got up and turned to walk away, but then stopped at the door, looking at him one last time.
"I love you" she thought in her mind as she closed the door to his room and ran back to her room to cry her heart out.
The realisation of having and lost love in mere minutes was just too much to bear.
**********
A/N:
Still no forgiveness? You want to kill me? Don't do that, or no part 17 haha!
I told you guys in the beginning that this was going to be a long story...
Cricket
Financial markets and global economy
Ishaani
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