FF - A Rude Awakening COMPLETE STORY PG 145 - Page 82

Originally posted by: Romanticfreak

Both 11&12, mashallah mindboggling suvi... Yaar everytime I search for words to compliment the flow style scenes which keeps me imagine as though real... Seriously a big shout out to you Thank youuu for such fabulous updates dearie and sorry kaaanpakadke for commenting late...

Disclaimer:

This chapter might have some adult content. I understand that there are a few very young readers amongst us and I urge them to be very careful while reading.

Suvika.

Assalam Walaikum mere saathi SaAz deewano... Agli dhun haazir hain.

Chapter Thirteen

Arzoo splashed water repeatedly on her face. She had to get a grip on herself, get ready and leave for work. Only she didn't know how. She had been so optimistic all these days. Sure that her love would be enough to take away his pain. How had she been so stupid as to not to have thought about the future? About what would happen if his first wife woke up and apologized? If he forgave her and wanted to go back.. Fresh tears rolled down and mixed with the water dripping from her face. She tried to tell herself that her fear was baseless. That he loved her. Would never leave her. Was that what had happened to her mother? Had she been through the same thing? Loving her husband, unable to hold on to him yet unable to let him go? Forced to watch him move on with another woman? Was she turning into her mother? And what another woman? SHE was the other woman in his life. His second wife. Ya Allah! What kind of a sin have I committed that You are punishing me like this? She stiffened her spine. No. She wouldn't be like her mother. She was strong. She wouldn't break. She wouldn't stay to watch him move on with her. She would leave. Somewhere far. Somewhere where even the news of him and his life wouldn't reach her. She would rebuild herself. She had education, a career. She would start over. Oh yeah, you will. A part of her mocked at her thoughts. You can't eat if he doesn't eat. You can't sleep if he is not there beside you. You are ready to do cartwheels just to get a smile on his face.

With a hiccupping cry, she fell down on her knees in front of the sink. "Sahir! I'm scared Sahir!"

The bathroom door was shoved open with enough violence to rattle the hinges. It swung to the wall and hit it with a loud thud and stayed there, startling her out of her tears. She didn't have time or chance to get up. She didn't have time to blink as she was unceremoniously dragged to her feet by her husband. He looked..furious, His eyes were glistering and wet while shooting fire at her. There was a tremor to his lips while his jaw ticked indicating his struggle for control.

"You..you push. And push. And push. Until I have no choice but to talk. You make me tell you things that I've never told another living soul," he groaned as if in pain before cupping her cheeks and wiping away the tear tracks with his thumbs. "I told you I'm not Sarfaraz yet you don't trust me or my words. You get scared and share your fears with your sister but not with me." His palms slid to her neck to tilt her head up. Wide, stunned eyes met his.

Arzoo found her voice. "How did.."

Her stumbling question was ignored. "You want to know if I still have feelings for her." His eyes burned like coals of fire. "Yes. I do. Of hatred. Of revenge. I want her to wake up. And see. I want her to know that I won."

"W-won what?"

"I told her I would make Saiyyara one off the top 10 companies of this country. I would be one of the richest guys this country had ever seen." He pushed Arzoo away roughly and turned his back on her. "She laughed. She mocked. I was a loser. A stupid artist who didn't know the B of business."

The only thing registering Arzoo's dazed mind was that he was talking. Actually talking. Heart thundering in her chest, she asked, "Sh-she..Zeenat said you were a loser?" What kind of a wife would say something like that to her husband?

He remained silent for so long that she thought he had clammed up again. Until, "I was the not the guy that you see in front of you today. I was an ordinary guy. Trying to save my abbu's dying business to the best of my ability but more interested my world of colors and shayri. We were not poor by any standards. Neither were we rich. She had come to Mumbai after her ammi passed away. She stayed with Kurti apa in our house.

"Sahir beta, meri Zeenat ko tum bahut pasand ho. Woh tumhe chahne lagi hain beta."

"M-mujhe?"

Kurti apa nodded enthusiastically. "Haan. Mein uski nikah karne ki sochrahi thi par usne kaha ki tumhare alava kisi aur ke baare mein woh soch bhi nahi sakti." She laid a gentle hand on his arm. "ya kehte ho beta? Meri Zeenat tumhe pasand hain?"

Love. She loved him. Wanted to be with him. Unbridled joy enveloped him. "Ji Kurti apa. Aap..aap ammi se baat kejiye."

Kurti apa said? Not Zeenat? Arzoo wondered but didn't voice the question.

"And we got married and I was happy for a few months and I think she was too although I'm not sure. I sold my abbu's business and started Saiyyara. When I got into designing, I used her as my muse. My model. She was beautiful. Ambitious. Soon she took up modelling as her career. My business had been very raw. Too many lows followed by very few ups. I was struggling but I wasn't too worried. Then her career took off. She fell in love with the world of glamour. And when compared to that my world and my business seemed below her standards."

"Sahir aap ek artist hain. Tasveron mein rang bhariye, shayri likhiye. Yeh business aapke buss ki baat nahi hain."

"Her comments turned from gently taunting to stinging," He swallowed. Arzoo fisted her palms to stop herself from going to him. And hugging him. Instead she waited silently for him to continue. It looked like he had forgotten her presence. "Initially I thought that was her way of encouraging me, pushing me to achieve more. But they started to hurt me. Prick me. I wanted it to stop. I got my first big deal for Saiyyara and with that money I gifted her a car.

"Duniye ke sab se khoobsurat biwi ko khoobsurat tohfa," he gave her the keys with a proud smile on his face. She melted into his arms that evening.

But a week later he came out of his house to find a shiny new car. "Where did this come from?"

Zeenat grinned. "You like it? It's mine!"

"But I just gave you.."

She waved it away. "I sold it off. Sahir, it was a second hand car and an old model one at that. It's insulting for me to drive that thing. I earn now. I got a new modelling contract," her eyes glittered in triumph..and something else. "And this is a gift. A part of that contract."

"The more I tried, the more she scoffed at my attempts to succeed. I was tired, angry, frustrated. The dream of having someone to call my own was beginning to turn into a nightmare that I couldn't get out of." With a vicious tug he pulled away his tie and threw it on the bed.

"You..you didn't try talking to her? She was supposed to be in love with you!" Arzoo couldn't stop the questions tumbling out of her mouth. She saw his mouth form a cynical smile.

"Why are you doing this Zeenat? Don't you love me anymore? Is my love for you no longer enough for you?"

"Duniya paison se chalta hain Sahir. Everything is for sale. Everything has a price tag. This love that you speak of? It looks and sounds great in the world of books. But reality? Reality is money. Something that you don't have and something that I'm beginning to have."

And he had said almost the same thing to her the night he had suggested they get married, Arzoo felt her heart breaking. Ya Allah, give me the strength to hear the rest, she prayed. She was suddenly sure she would need it for what he was yet to reveal.

"If money was what she wanted, then I was determined to give her that. I worked longer hours, harder hours. My business started growing. Slowly but surely. Ammi helped me with the finances in those initial stages. I had been too raw at that time to keep a tight rein on it. I'll never forget that."

And Alvira aunty found a way to connect with her stepson. Only the stepson saw the gesture as one of rare kindness and not love. Maybe it wasn't. Arzoo didn't know. Any other man would've divorced his wife and moved on. It didn't take rocket science to realize that Sahir was not like any other man. He had been deprived since childhood. Abused by father, neglected by stepmother, staring for love and someone to call his own. He thought he had found that with Zeenat. He had wanted..he had been desperate to save that relationship.

"Then I got my first big deal. A major deal. Saiyyara made its first profit. We had announced our first fashion show. I told Zeenat that I wanted her to model the final show stopper wear."

"Sure Sahir. I would love to. But let's keep this all official. OK? My agent will contact you and you talk to him. Of course I will sign it but as Zeenat, the model. Not Zeenat, Sahir's biwi."

"Aren't both of them one and the same?" he asked puzzled.

She looked horrified. "Ya Allah! No! The fashion world doesn't even know that I'm married. Married models are a big no no and you know it. I can't afford to come across as one Sahir. My career barely started."

It was like someone taking a knife and splitting him open from neck down. The hopelessness of their relationship hit him, almost bringing him to his knees. All he could ask was, "Why do you even stay with me? Why stay married at all then?"

"Oh come on, Sahir! Don't be so bloody sentimental. Just be thankful that one of us is rich and successful. Left to you, I would've been sitting in the kitchen in a hut while you painted away the nearby fields. I doubt this one little fashion show is not going to change that."

Arzoo was thankful for the fact that she was sitting down on the bed. She was no stranger to meanness in people. She had met quite a few of them after Sarfaraz left her ammi and while she struggled to take care of her sisters and hold her family together. But the sheer callousness of this woman astounded and enraged her. What did this man do to deserve it? And there was more. She knew there was more. "What did you do then?"

His voice was hoarse, gravelly. Like he had been screaming. Maybe holding in the screams also had the same effect. "I hired her. I wanted to show her what I had accomplished. The fashion show had been arranged in a hotel but when I reached there, everyone was there except Zeenat."

"Sir, she hasn't come yet."

"The show is about to start. What do you mean she hasn't come?"

One of the models turned and winked at him. "She got busy as usual. Room number 1178 if I'm not wrong. Another client' of hers," she said, her fingers in a quoting gesture."

Suspicion and fear warring inside him, he knocked on the door of 1178. Knocked again. And again. Each one louder than the one preceding it, until finally, it was pulled open by a man with his hair mussed and a towel hastily wrapped around his waist. "What the hell! Can't you see the do not disturb sign?"

"Oh shit! I'm late for that fashion show. If it's someone from that stupid Saiyyara, tell him I'll be down in five minutes," there was no mistaking Zeenat's voice and in the next second he saw her. Her clothes bundled in her hand, bed sheet barely covering her nakedness as she made her way into the washroom.

Sahir's voice broke as he choked up. Arzoo sat there stunned, like someone had punched in her solar plexus. He saw Zeenat..he actually saw her.. she squeezed her eyes shut. Ya Khuda! She picked up the water glass with trembling fingers and silently extended it to Sahir. He snatched it and gulped it down in one go. Then in a fit of violence, he threw the glass, which crashed to the wall and smashed to pieces. No satisfied, he swiped his hand across the side table, crashing the bed lamp to the floor. His fist raised to punch the wall but halted midway as he felt her..his Arzoo against his back. Arms wrapped around his waist. Back hugging him. "Sahir..no. Enough. You've been hurt enough. Allah knows no more. Please, no more," she whispered.

He stilled. His panting breathe the only movement. Slowly his hand lowered but his fist remained tight. And even more slowly she released him. "She knew I had seen her. After the fashion show you know what she said?"

Fury, hatred, repulsion, pain. They drove him as he barged into the dressing room the moment the fashion show ended. "I want a divorce. I want you to just get out of my life Zeenat!"

Zeenat took her time in removing her make-up before looking at him in the mirror. Her derision plain for him to see. "How can you divorce me when the world doesn't even know that we're married?" She calmly started packing up her gear. "It's the bitter irony of my life Sahir. I want to be the high flying socialite, everyone's arm candy but unfortunately I'm stuck with you and your cheap life. You are an artist. You create art, work with color but life with you is no fun. Ever tasted burnt toast Sahir? Wait. Here. Taste it and see. It's bitter, isn't it? Truth is bitter Sahir, like this burnt toast. And whenever you think of this taste, think of all those winners out there. You will see the difference between you and them. You can never be one of them. Life with you is always a struggle. Always bitter."

"She drove off. And it turned out her brand new car had developed some brake malfunction and she crashed."

He stopped talking. The room became silent. Eerily silent. Not even the ticking of the clock could be heard. Arzoo was numb. She kept seeing the picture he had painted with those blunt, crude words. Locked right along with the demons of his past she didn't know when he left the room.

****

Sahir sat in the chair in the ICU, completely tuned out of the constant beep of the monitors and the patient. For the first time in seven long years, his attention was not on the person occupying the bed. He was miles away. What had made him spew out all that in front of Arzoo? He had gone back with the sole intention of reassuring her. Had absolutely no intention of digging into his past and laying it out in the open in that fashion. Yet, one look at her on her knees, face wet with tears, lips still trembling with his name and he had fallen to pieces. There was no other word for it. He had felt himself crumbling inside. The lava of his past erupted from the volcano that had been simmering in his heart all these years. What did she think about him after hearing all that? Who did she see him as? The loser who had been so blind and stupid to see that his wife was abusing him and cheating him? The moron who had been holding a grudge on a woman who had been half dead for seven years waiting for her to wake up only to tell her that he had won?

"Mr Chaudhary, there is someone here to see you," the ICU nurse said from the door. Sahir frowned as he got up. "I told her to wait in the visitors' lounge."

Her? Sahir's frown deepened as he walked into the visitors' lounge. Except for an elderly couple who were speaking in low tones, there was only one person there. "Arzoo?" Arzoo turned and tried to smile. Dressed in a pale blue salwar kameez, she looked simple. Unpretentious. Her only adornments the bracelet and the ear rings he had given her. "What are you doing here?"

She waited for him to sit beside her before opening the backpack that she had apparently brought with her. "Allah knows, you didn't even have coffee before you left this morning. I brought you something to eat. It's nothing heavy. Just some dal chawal and some lassi." She dug out a spoon and extended the casserole. He didn't make any effort to take it from her. She spooned some and took it to his mouth. "Waiting saps the energy Sahir. Eat a little. Please?"

He opened his mouth without taking his eyes away from hers. For the first time making no effort to hide what it did to him to see her there. Or maybe he couldn't hide. He had been madly in love with her. He knew she loved him. But with the past constantly sucking him into its dark hole, he had known he couldn't have her. But he hadn't been able to bear seeing her with anyone else and his heart had forced him to take her as his second wife. Knowing it wasn't right..knowing it would hurt her, he did it. Because he hadn't been able to let her go. And after all that, after all the hurt he had dealt her, here she was, telling him to live in the moment. That none of that mattered. That he had her unwavering support and love.

"How did you know which hospital?"

"I asked Alvira aunty. The day my ammi was admitted here, you were here to see Zeenat, weren't you?" He nodded. She tried to smile. "And that day I thought.."

"We were there for each other that day." She nodded after a moment, accepting the truth of that. "How did you come?"

"In Alvira aunty's car." And she started talking about Saiyyara, Linda's son and his mischief, Joe's panic as he misplaced a roll of cloth.. and with each spoonful, he relaxed just a bit more. Arzoo looked at the empty casserole and smiled in satisfaction before handing him the bottle containing the lassi. He emptied it in one go. "I'll go now. You take care of yourself, OK?" She got up to go.

"Do you want to see her?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I'll see her after she wakes up. After she realizes what she has squandered away. The treasure that she had so carelessly lost."

"What treasure?" he asked with a wry smile.

"The treasure named Sahir Azim Chaudhary. Allah hafiz." She walked out of the lounge.

****

That night Arzoo found herself once again sitting at their place, her eyes studying the now full moon. But her thoughts were miles away. After returning from the hospital, she went back to Saiyyara for a while to give the finishing touches for their latest spring designer collection. She came home and had wanted to go to the hospital again with dinner but Alvira had gone out and she hadn't been brave enough to take a cab. So here she was.

"Suno?" Startled, she turned. He swallowed at the way her entire face seemed to light up from the inside. "Why are you sitting here?"

Her eyes smiled at him. "I was just talking to my best friend."

"Can I join too?"

Wordlessly she extended her hand. He caught it in his and allowed her to pull him onto the steps. He sat beside her but after a moment's hesitation, he rested his head on her knee. And felt her fingers in his hair. Felt her adjusting her legs and pulling his head completely into her lap. With a rough groan, he stretched out his feet and closed his eyes. He was tired. So very tired.

Teri dhadkano se hai zindagi meri Khwahishein teri ab duaaein meri
Kitna anokha bandhan hai ye Teri meri jaan jo ek hui
Lotunga yahaan tere paas main haan Waada hai mera mar bhi jaaun kahin
Jo tu mera humdard hai Jo tu mera humdard hai

"Everything OK?" She asked. He nodded. "Want to eat something? Are you hungry?" He came back? He came back!

He shook his head at her softly voiced question. And felt her palm smoothing his forehead. He heard the flutter of wings a moment before Asharfi landed on his chest.

Chalo dildaar chalo chand ke paar chalo..hum hain taiyyar chalo..

Arzoo giggled and Sahir grinned without opening his eyes. "Asharfi, I'm spending some time with my wife here. So you better go and get some sleep. Khuda hafiz."

Tumhari nazar kyu khafa hogayi..hatabaksh do gar khata hogayi..

Arzoo threw back her head and laughed while Sahir turned his head into her tummy as his shoulders shook with merriment. Wiping the tears with the back of her hand, Arzoo said, "Allah knows, this Asharfi has become a real singerbaaz." Placing her hand on Sahir's chest, she picked up the bird and scowled playfully. "You've begun to compete with me for my shauhar's attention Asharfi. Go now. Allah hafiz."

Asharfi circled around the couple once before flying off into the night. Arzoo opened her mouth to suggest they go inside. That he needed a shower and some food in that order. But her words remained unsaid when she saw him. With his face almost hidden in her tummy, fast asleep. With a smile, she hugged him closer. He needed sleep more.

****

"Yes, I want you to get me the best architect. The factory in Lucknow has been levelled to the ground after that incident and I want him to do the preliminary research on it, draw up the plan like I told you about and get back to him ASAP. Ji shukriya." Sahir ended the phone call before signaling Linda to enter his cabin.

Linda gave him the file for his signatures. "I'll send the vouchers across to the client right away sir."

"Do that. Today is Friday so by Monday they can clear it. And send Mandira in please," Sahir said, naming one of the member in Joe's team of designer.

"Sir, Mandira has left."

Sahir's expression hardened. "What do you mean left?"

Linda paled. "Sir, she had some issue so Arzoo told her to take the day off."

"Ar.." He opened his mouth and snapped it shut. "OK. You may go." His scowl was still firmly in place for the rest of the evening until he reached his..their room with Arzoo tagging his heals, chattering away, a mile a minute. But the moment they were alone, he turned to her. "You gave off to Mandira today?"

"Yes," Arzoo frowned in confusion. "She said her abbu.."

"It does not matter what she said and what problem she has. You are not supposed to give that permission."

"But I was just.."

"You are my wife at home. But in Saiyyara, you are an intern. And you need to behave like an intern." He took in her face flushing with belligerent anger. "Boss me in this room. Not in my cabin. Not in Saiyyara. Is that understood?"

She glowered and sulked for a few minutes before cooling down. "I'm sorry." Even facing away from her he could see the pout on her lips as she grudgingly apologized. When he didn't turn or respond, she walked up and stood right behind him. "Allah knows, I'm talking to you. Not to the walls. I said I'm sorry. See, I'm even holding my ears." She caught her ears and stood, waiting.

Sahir turned and looked at her. "I don't make my interns hold their ears as punishment for their ornery behavior and meddling attitude."

"Then what should I do?" He remained silent. "Allah knows, you don't need to be lenient all of a sudden now. You are talking to your intern not your wife."

"One week delay in salary payment. Do it again and the salary will be withheld for the whole month." She opened her mouth but thought better of it and snapped it shut, nodding obediently. "You can stop holding your ears now." Picking up his towel, he walked off.

"Gabbar Chaudhary", she muttered.

"I heard that," he said.

"Sorry sir," although her tone said she was anything but sorry.

"APPI! JEEJU!" Both heard Myra's excited call at the same time. Arzoo's face lit up in surprised joy. Before she could go out of the room, Myra barged in. "APPI!"

Arzoo squealed and hugged her sister. "I didn't know you were going to come."

"Do I need permission or invitation?" Myra demanded.

"Neither," Sahir said. Myra grinned and left her sister to hug her jeeju. He still looked taken aback but handled it better than the previous time. Myra turned to Arzoo while clinging to Sahir's arm. "Not just me. Ammi and daadi are also here. Zara had an assignment but she'll join later. We had planned to go Jama Masjid and Alvira aunty also wanted to join us so here we are!" Myra rattled off the information in one breath.

All three of them went into the hall where both Arzoo and Sahir were treated to wishes and hugs by daadi and Nausheen. Nausheen gave a casserole to Arzoo. "I made some dhokla. Thought maybe Sahir would like some too. Have you started cooking or no?" She sighed at Arzoo's scrunched up face. "Ya Allah, what do I do with you Arzoo? It's high time you learnt something! You're married now!"

"Have a seat ammi. I'll get some chai for you all."

"I'll go and see if Alvira is ready," Nausheen went towards Alvira's room while Arzoo escaped to the kitchen.

Daadi smiled as she turned towards Sahir. "How are you doing beta? Sab khairiyat?"

"Ji."

"Nausheen keeps complaining that Arzoo didn't learn anything. Doesn't know how to take care of the house, how to be a good wife and bahu. But beta, where did she have time to learn all that? Along with the college, she had held two part time jobs. Took care and protected these two girls.." she sighed. "Give her time beta. She will slowly learn everything."

Sahir hesitated for a moment before taking daadi's hand in his. "Daadi, please don't worry about all that." He tried to smile. "I didn't marry Arzoo for her cooking skills."

Myra nudged him playfully. "Then why did you marry her jeeju?"

He looked at that innocent face and impish smile. "So that I can get you and Zara as my saalis."

Myra bounced on the sofa like a spring. "Awesome answer."

Nausheen came back saying, "Alvira is coming. Arzoo, where is Kurti apa? Haven't seen her?"

After Sahir had returned the previous night, Kurti apa saw them coming back into the house well past midnight. The way Kurti apa had looked at her..if looks could kill, Arzoo was sure she would've been turned into ashes by now. Morning she had declared that she was going to spend the day with her Zeenat and flounced off in a huff. Sahir caught Arzoo's look and shook his head before saying, "She went out."

Nausheen nodded in acceptance and soon after final round of farewells, everyone piled out of the house. Sahir waited until the door closed behind them before turning to Arzoo. He knew she wanted to talk about Kurti apa. He, on the other hand wanted to shut out the world and the door that led to his past at least for a while. Decision made, he stood in front of her and before she could blink, he bent and threw her over his shoulder with the ease of someone lifting a sack of cotton. Arzoo screeched as the world suddenly titled and all she could see was his shirt. Terrified of falling down, she grabbed his belt loops tight. "Sahir! What are you doing?"

He started walking towards their room. "Carrying you off."

"Ya Allah! Put me down. Where are you taking me?"

"Away!" And he did take her. Away.

****

Sahir floating in his pool at the end of another long day. He carefully probed, trying to gauge what he was feeling. He was feeling..happy. These last five days..He'd never been like this before. He'd never known what peace was before. Until his Arzoo came into his life and gave it to him. Was it talking to her about his past that did it? Or her confession of love? He didn't know. He just knew that the past didn't weigh on him anymore. It wasn't sucking him into that black abyss anymore.

Yeh shaam mastani madhosh kiye jaaye

Mujhe dor koi kheenche teri ore liye jaaye

He grinned without opening his eyes, "Welcome Mohtarma! Had your dinner?" Asharfi cocked its head from its place beside the pool and trotted along with him as he floated from one end to the other before turning back. "I'll teach you a new song today. Pyaar deewana hota hain mastana hota hain..har khushi se har ghum se begana hota hain.. Can you sing that?"

Deewana mastana pyaar..

Sahir grinned at the garbled words. "Are you trying to be a shayarbaaz now?"

Deewana Sahir..Deewani Arzoo

The slight creak of the door being opened and then closed alerted him to her presence. He stood up and slicked his hair back away from his face. "Suno?" Arzoo picked up the towel and extended it to him wordlessly while her eyes devoured him. "Did I ask for the towel?"

"Then what do you need?" she asked witha naughty smile playing on her lips.

He extended his hand and said, "Join me."

Even the dim flickering candle lights couldn't hide the way she paled but she hid her fear behind, "Someone might come and knock." She had always been scared of water and two times she had been in the pool. Neither experience had been pleasurable or reassuring.

He almost laughed. No one came in that house ever came to him unless they needed something from him. And he had made sure all their needs were being met. Did anyone notice their early nights and late mornings? He knew they didn't. They never did. And even if they did, no one would dare comment on it. "I saw you closing the door. Are you going to join me voluntarily or do I have to fetch you?"

She took a small step closer to the pool, desire and love warring with fear. And gaining victory. That was enough for him. He caught her hand and pulled her into his arms. With a startled squeak she fell into the pool but the hard arm around her waist firmly held her, preventing her from going under. He wanted to erase everything from her mind. Not just her fear of the water but the memory of the previous time she had forced herself into the pool. Although what he had heard that day from her had meant more to him that she would ever probably realize.

"OK?" he asked.

She slanted a look sideways and whispered, "Asharfi is watching."

It drew a small huff of laughter from him and her greedy senses absorbed it before he pulled her closer, plastering her to his wet, bare chest. "Allah hafiz Asharfi," he said loudly. Deewana Sahir..deewani Asharfi.. the parrot squawked before flying away.

Behind her, the candles flickered but neither of them noticed. Their focus was on each other as they savored the contrast between the cool of the water and the heat of their bodies, the tantalizing promise of things to come. His black wet hair glistened under the light, and glittering droplets of water clung to his lashes as if reluctant to part with him. Clothes soon formed a wet puddle beside the pool. And she stood very still, her breath quick and shallow, her eyes half closed, head tilted back, neck arched as she tried to deal with the pleasure his hands brought.

"I wanted to do this the night you came to thank me," he murmured. "I wanted to rip that blue dress off you and sink into you."

The heat in his eyes, his voice, made her shiver and sway towards him. Her mouth was as urgent as his, her hands as desperate to touch and explore. Desire worked its magic on her body, tightening some muscles, loosening others, so that she was both taut and pliable as she wrapped herself around him. With a harsh groan filled with pleasure, he shifted to brace his back against the wall of the pool. He kissed her through the whole wild experience, swallowing her cries, her gasps, words she wanted to speak but couldn't until the whole thing was nothing but a blur of sexual pleasure.

Later..a long time later, on their bed, she held him as he rested on her body. Sahir felt sleep beginning to take over him. He gathered himself and tried to move off her. She tightened her legs around him, and he grunted. "I'll smother you. Let me up."

"No, you won't," she whispered and kissed his throat. "I want to stay like this."

Contentment permeating his every cell, he settled onto her, but shifted part of his weight to the side. She smiled and kissed his cheek as they both slid into deep, dreamless sleep.

****

The nurse was startled out of her dozing as the EEG started beeping loudly. Her stunned eyes took in the reading shown by the heart and brain monitors. Her exclamation was instinctive as she saw the patient's jerky movement of a hand followed by slow blink of eyelids. She hastily made a call. "Page Dr Khurana immediately. Mrs Zeenat Chaudhary is showing clear signs of regaining consciousness."

Padne keliye dil se shukriya. Umeed hain aapko pasand aaya ho. Jawab ka intezaar rahega.

Suvika, ab kahan se shuru karoon... best I start with a round of applause. 👏👏👏

What a dhamekedaar revelation!!! And justifying so many things that have been shown 😃 You close the loops beautifully and the detailing is just awesome, like this small one here that make things all the more impactful!

Kurti apa said? Not Zeenat? Arzoo wondered but didn't voice the question.

Hats off!

Every bit of flash back explained with such convincing logic 👏

"Sahir aap ek artist hain. Tasveron mein rang bhariye, shayri likhiye. Yeh business aapke buss ki baat nahi hain."

"Duniye ke sab se khoobsurat biwi ko khoobsurat tohfa," he gave her the keys with a proud smile on his face. She melted into his arms that evening.

"Duniya paison se chalta hain Sahir. Everything is for sale. Everything has a price tag. This love that you speak of? It looks and sounds great in the world of books. But reality? Reality is money. Something that you don't have and something that I'm beginning to have."

And he had said almost the same thing to her the night he had suggested they get married, Arzoo felt her heart breaking.

And Alvira aunty found a way to connect with her stepson. Only the stepson saw the gesture as one of rare kindness and not love.

Any other man would've divorced his wife and moved on. It didn't take rocket science to realize that Sahir was not like any other man. He had been deprived since childhood. Abused by father, neglected by stepmother, staring for love and someone to call his own. He thought he had found that with Zeenat. He had wanted..he had been desperate to save that relationship.

"Sure Sahir. I would love to. But let's keep this all official. OK? My agent will contact you and you talk to him. Of course I will sign it but as Zeenat, the model. Not Zeenat, Sahir's biwi."

"I hired her. I wanted to show her what I had accomplished.

"Oh shit! I'm late for that fashion show. If it's someone from that stupid Saiyyara, tell him I'll be down in five minutes,"

"She knew I had seen her. After the fashion show you know what she said?"

I want to be the high flying socialite, everyone's arm candy but unfortunately I'm stuck with you and your cheap life. You are an artist. You create art, work with color but life with you is no fun. Ever tasted burnt toast Sahir? Wait. Here. Taste it and see. It's bitter, isn't it? Truth is bitter Sahir, like this burnt toast. And whenever you think of this taste, think of all those winners out there. You will see the difference between you and them. You can never be one of them. Life with you is always a struggle. Always bitter."

"She drove off. And it turned out her brand new car had developed some brake malfunction and she crashed."

The way you have build up the background with every small detail is just superb. Sahir's personality and the base of his beliefs, the dynamics of his relationship with Zeenat and Alvira, his love for Zeenat and his need of her love, the hatred he has for her now, Zeenat's characterization in a way that nobody can sympathize with her and Sahir's pain well justified - so good 👏👍🏼 I also love the way in which even in his wildest moods, Sahir calms down in Arzoo's presence... Also, initially Arzoo's fear about becoming like Nausheen resurfacing - very apt in the context - they have never brought this angle in the show at all when it was so important in the beginning.

It is funny that your revelation happened at the same time as it is happening on the show but the way you have got it to this point and the way you have uncovered the facts is so much better and so much more convincing 👏

****

What did she think about him after hearing all that? Who did she see him as? The loser who had been so blind and stupid to see that his wife was abusing him and cheating him? The moron who had been holding a grudge on a woman who had been half dead for seven years waiting for her to wake up only to tell her that he had won?

This self-talk is totally logical. Sahir should be thinking like this post the revelation. It is important too that he questions himself now as to whether all these years what he has been doing is really worth it...worth the pain he has been causing himself and his Arzoo now. Unless he questions himself and frees himself from his past, he will not be able to move on in the true sense or keep Arzoo happy.

And after all that, after all the hurt he had dealt her, here she was, telling him to live in the moment. That none of that mattered. That he had her unwavering support and love.

This way that Arzoo deals with him is so endearing the little caring gestures, taking his mind off the brutal past, taking care of his needs, just like a perfect humsafar 😊 People may bring in issues with self-respect, etc in such contexts, but when you have a complicated and broken man like Sahir on the one end, you cannot have an egotistical woman on the other end. She has to be strong and self respecting but she has to be understanding at all times and give her unconditional love until he is healed - because end of the day she is going to get back hundred times more of love and respect from him. There is just no question of inequality, bending or going down low here - it is all about love and only about love. To make such a relationship work, this is something Arzoo has to do. And there is nothing wrong in it.

And I love these details too...

The day my ammi was admitted here, you were here to see Zeenat, weren't you?" He nodded. She tried to smile. "And that day I thought.."

"We were there for each other that day." She nodded after a moment, accepting the truth of that.

And this...

"Do you want to see her?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I'll see her after she wakes up. After she realizes what she has squandered away. The treasure that she had so carelessly lost."

"What treasure?" he asked with a wry smile.

"The treasure named Sahir Azim Chaudhary. Allah hafiz." She walked out of the lounge.

This last one is such a beauty - he is really a treasure whose worth your Arzoo has understood and therefore holding him in true regard 👏

****

"I was just talking to my best friend."

How do you remember such small things, really!

Chalo dildaar chalo chand ke paar chalo..hum hain taiyyar chalo..

Your Asharfi is so very intelligent, always knows the right song in the right context.. love her 😆

Another wonderful scene this - wish I could see this on the show He really needs the peace.

Asharfi circled around the couple once before flying off into the night. Arzoo opened her mouth to suggest they go inside. That he needed a shower and some food in that order. But her words remained unsaid when she saw him. With his face almost hidden in her tummy, fast asleep. With a smile, she hugged him closer. He needed sleep more.

****

Simply love their couply (that's not a word!) bickering - bringing a semblance of normalcy in Sahir's life 😃 Please keep them coming 😊

"Gabbar Chaudhary", she muttered.

"I heard that," he said.

And he did fulfill his dream from the beach 😉

"Sahir! What are you doing?"

He started walking towards their room. "Carrying you off."

"Ya Allah! Put me down. Where are you taking me?"

"Away!" And he did take her. Away.

****

Phir the pool scene...now with all the spoilers I can visualize better 😳😉 (btw, what are these guys up to in the show 😆 - bare it all - not that I mind 😆)

And he never forgets to ensure her she is fine

He wanted to erase everything from her mind. Not just her fear of the water but the memory of the previous time she had forced herself into the pool. Although what he had heard that day from her had meant more to him that she would ever probably realize.

"OK?" he asked.

She slanted a look sideways and whispered, "Asharfi is watching." 🤣

And the whole scene was again so beautifully done Suvika - the final emotion, contentment - something both of them badly need 👏

Contentment permeating his every cell, he settled onto her, but shifted part of his weight to the side. She smiled and kissed his cheek as they both slid into deep, dreamless sleep.

****

In the end,

Mrs Zeenat Chaudhary is showing clear signs of regaining consciousness."

Uff phir se cliff hanger - I hate you for this 😆

This became sooo long - but I was rather overwhelmed - hope you do not mind 🤗

Originally posted by: MayurChan

Hello Suvika... 😃
Thanx alot for the P.M... 😊

You are very welcome Mayur. 😃

This was a wonderful , emotionally draining and well written part... 👏 ⭐️ ⭐️

Please believe me when I say that typing this chapter had been even more draining. I had to think like Sahir and Arzoo and Zeenat too for some scenes.

The Past which Sahir' revealed is shockingly painful even to say...i mean if Zeenath was all this then why did Kurti Aapa even suggested Sahir' to marry her...

Maybe thats what Zeenat told Kurti apa. After all, she had been a girl from a small town... and Sahir was well off in comparison.

Aarzoo was somewhat right in having that insecurity about being cornered and left like her mother...but it was like why doesn't she believe what Sahir assured her about him not being Sarfaraz...

Scars of the past don't fade so easily na Mayur. A part of her knows that Sahir is not Sarfaraz but the little girl who was abandoned by her father can't let go of that fear. And before she met Sahir she had always seen love as a weakness. that a person in love was weak..like her mother. She had been determined not to become like that. And now she can't help but make the comparison.

The whole past revealing part was written brilliantly ...

Thank you. I was stuck for a very long time. I knew what I wanted to write but didn't know how to write it. Sahir narrating the whole thing would become too long. and if I made it like a flashback then how to make Sahir tell all that to Arzoo... Finally I clubbed both ideas. Sahir talking and showing the FB in parallel. Glad it worked out and that you liked it too.

Then the light hearted moments with Myra and Asharfi...all the whole the update was dealing with every human emotion i guess...

True that. I was like a pendulum during this chapter. Because when we write, we feel all those.

Everything little thing was shown in the flashback ...like why Sahir was eating burnt toast.., Sahir's loyalty towards Alvira..,his money making freakness all of them were clearly justified...
A huge applaud for you to create and write such incidents which are actually responsible for Sahir's current state...

Thank you. Feel so relieved and good now actually that I could justify the present with the incidents of the past.

One thing i noticed that Aarzoo still has a little fear about going alone in a cab...but it can be there with anybody...

I think she will always have that little fear. Maybe a few years down the line it will fade and she would venture but..

Exceptional writing ...interesting Precap..
Continue soon...

Continue..Sunday..Inshallah! 😃

Originally posted by: allforlove

Edited by Suvika. - 10 years ago

Originally posted by: Swatsu

Wow! That was a really painful and intense flashback! Infact you have totally justified Sahirs earlier behaviour with his past revelation.

Aarzoos insecurities too make her so human and by understanding Sahirs painful past you have so beautifully brought out the strength of their future and present relationship.

Neither is perfect but they complete each other. Become each other's strengths and fight the demons together. 👍🏼

What I really enjoy reading is also the relationship of Myra and Sahir.Wish these characters were als give due importance to the story on screen.They all have seemed to have vanished into thin air!!!Not even a phone convo is being shown between Aarzoo and her family!

True.They seem to have disappeared into thin air 😕

Zeenat coming back and Aarzoo feeling the burden of being a second wife??????Is that what you have in mind???

Is that what you think I have in mind Kalpana?? 😆 You need to wait to read my thoughts.

Thank you and looking forward to your next!!!😊

You are welcome and next...hopefully on Sunday as usual. 😃

Originally posted by: Suvika.