Hi Everyone,
Thank you all for the immense love that you lovely people are showering on me and this story 🤗. I really don't have words to express my happiness and gratitude for always loving my work ❤️
Here is the next chapter. Hope this one is liked too 😳
Chapter 6
Three years later...
"Zoya, Zoya beta getup. You will get late beta.. And am sure today your boss is going to send you back home permanently. Bhala kaun aise employee ko rakhna chahta hai jo roz late hota hai". Benazeer saw her daughter lazily stretch her arms and get up. She shook her head disapprovingly. Zoya rolled her eyes and said "Roz kahan Ammi, kabhi kabhi late hoti hoon mein". Benazeer who was heading out the door turned around " Of course! 3 out of 5 working days is only kabhi kabhi". She said in the most sarcastic voice she couldn manage. Zoya held her ears "OK sorry baba. I am late most of the days, but it's still not everyday and about him kicking me out, well that's not possible. He himself said that I am the best assistant he has ever had". She finished cheekily and then picking her towel ran into the bathroom leaving a smiling Benazeer. She stood there looking at the closed door and thought about the time they had just arrived in Delhi. Everything had looked so bleak but with the help of her brother Hassan she was able to find a footing in life again and more importantly Zoya was able to start her life. If he hadn't used his contacts to get Zoya a job that early in life, only Allah knows what they would have done. No matter how many times she thanked him it would never be enough. She thanked the almighty too, to have blessed her with a brother like him. Though this life was very different from what Gaffur had wanted, but, they were happy.
As Zoya came out she saw her Ammi standing in the same spot lost in her own thoughts. Understanding what she would be thinking, keeping her towel on the bed she walked up to her Ammi and placed a hand on her shoulder bringing her back to present. Both smiled faintly at each other. "Ammi, why do you keep dwelling in the past when Allah has given us a beautiful present?" Benazeer looked at her daughter lovingly and caressing her cheek said "But this present could have been so much better if only things had not changed so drastically in our lives. Only if your Abbu was here, you could have finished that course and then there was Asa..." She looked at Zoya who already was deep in thought and the pain due to her loss so clearly visible in her eyes. Benazeer lowered her head and took small steps towards the door not able to see her in pain.
As Zoya realized that her mother was leaving due to the guilt she felt, she ran up to her and hugged her from behind. "Ammi I am OK. I promise I am. I really don't know why you keep feeling guilty for no fault of yours. Its been 3 long years Ammi, I don't even know if what I saw in his eyes still exists or not. May be he has moved on. Who in today's world pinnes over someone that could have been a part of their life?" She said trying to bring Benazeer out of her guilt. Turning around Benazeer cupped her face and placed a kiss on her forehead and said "You're doing it Zoya. I can still see the sparkle in your eyes when you're sitting alone thinking and I instantly know you're reliving those 5 precious days of your life. I know how much you want things to have been different. I'm sorry beta, I'm sorry for your loss. That one fateful evening changed our lives completely". She said with tears now rolling out of her eyes. "I know Ammi you feel bad for whatever happened but it was not your fault. It was Allah's wish and no one can stand against it. All we can do is embrace it with open arms and wait for what he has in store for us. If he took away something from us, then either it was not meant for us or he has something better in store for us. See from where we two started we have come a long way already. Aage bhi sab acha aur theek hi hoga. Ab aap chinta karni chod dijiye". Zoya said smiling wide at her Ammi.
Benazeer caressed her cheek lovingly "You talk as if I am not your Ammi but as if it's the other way round. Just one more thing. Why don't you finish your course now?" "I will Ammi, Insha Allah this year I will get myself enrolled into one of their distance learning programs. My boss has been wanting me to do so too. He says I will outshine myself once I complete it". "Insha Allah! Oh! Zoya... Look at the time. You are so late. Now hurry up and get ready. We can continue with our conversation once you return from work". Zoya kissed her mother on her cheek making the loudest sound possible and rushed towards her cupboard to pick her clothes. By the time Zoya got dressed Benazeer had her breakfast ready. Zoya picked up her lunch bag and almost ran out the door wishing her Ammi Allah Hafiz.
As Zoya entered her office building she was met with none other than her boss. His body language giving away his disapproval for her late arrival. She smiled her dazzling smile at him knowing well he would forgive her again. On one a many occasions he had mentioned it to her that her smile was exactly like his mother's and so he could never stay angry at her if she smiled like that. And since the first time he had mentioned it, Zoya would always smile at him whenever she came late, other than that there was no reason for him to be unhappy with her. She knew she was a hardworking individual and she never backed off from the challenges that were thrown her way. Since she had got the job due to a strong referral, her performance was always under scrutiny by all in the senior management and the cherry on the cake was her incomplete degree, something that was a must for the post she got, Business Development Manager.
Smiling wide she greeted her boss "Good morning Mr. Kapoor". Without replying he turned around and walked straight to his cabin. That was a clear indication for her to follow and she knew today she would get reprimanded for being late all the time. Quickly looking up she prayed " Allah Miyan bacha lena". As she walked into the cabin she was greeted by the stern expression of her boss. Realizing that the situation was serious today, she stood quietly with her head bowed a little as she knew sje was at fault.
"You're late Ms. Farooqui, Again". He said looking at her in the most reprimanding tone he had ever used for her. Zoya's head shot up and she immediately felt hurt at his tone. She tried saying something but as soon as she opened her mouth she saw Mr. Kapoor's hand raise indicating her to keep quiet. " Until when are you going to be so careless Zoya? How many times have I told you to please be on time but it seems as if you don't understand what I am saying. How many more warnings do you need? And how on earth do you expect me to explain all this to the other employees. You know it Zoya that in any organization a late commer is seen as a person who doesn't take their job and their responsibilities seriously and you already have a big task ahead of you. You already know you have to prove to everyone that you being hired without a digree was not a mistake. Then why are you increasing your troubles?"
Zoya knew she had stretched this a bit too far and knew she was at fault. Like a small child she held her ears and said "I'm sorry Sir, I know whatever you're saying is correct. I have taken all this too lightly but not anymore, I promise never to make this mistake again". Mr. Kapoor looked at her not giving away what he was thinking. Zoya could feel the intensity with which her boss was scrutinizing her, trying to make sure that what she was saying she meant it. Finally blinking his eyes he said " Look Zoya, you are like my own child, Hassan is like my brother and you are his niece so for me you are family this is the only reason I am worried about you and keep pushing you to do better and better. I really feel hurt when anyone says anything against you". Zoya walked up to him and holding his hand said "I know uncle and am sorry for whatever has happened until now. I promise I won't repeat the mistakes that I have made in the past and I won't put you in a situation where you will need to pull me again". Listening to her Mr. Kapoor smiled at her lovingly and then turned around walking into his ensuite bathroom.
Zoya too had just turned around to leave when the phone on the desk rang. She looked at it over her shoulder and kept walking toward the cabin door. Just as she was about to open the door she heard Mr. Kapoor call out " Zoya you still in the room?" "Yes Sir!" "Please could you pick that phone. It's a call I was expecting. Thell them I will be there in a minute and please put the call on hold for me". "OK Sir".
" Good morning! This is Mr. Kapoor's assistant. How can I help you?" All Zoya heard on the other end was complete silence. She waited patiently for about half a minute and repeated "Good morning this is Mr. Kapoor's office, how may I help you?" She heard a little fumbling on the other end of the line and then someone cleared their throat "Umm! Yea yea good morning to you too. Aaa... I was calling to... aaa... with regards to... aaa... No, No wait" Zoya heard the man clear his throat again and then he said "I'm calling to speak with Mr. Kapoor. Is he not in yet?" Zoya found the whole situation hilarious and it took a lot in her to stop from laughing out loud. She hit herself lightly on her head to get a grip on herself and then said "Oh no nothing like that. He's just stepped out for a bit and had instructed me to take this call. He will be back in a minute, till then may I put you on hold Mr... Mr... Oops! Sorry I didn't get your name" "Khan, my name is Khan". As soon as Zoya heard these words her heart fluttered and she felt knots forming in the pit of her stomach. She saw a ray of hope and was just about to repeat those words when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw her boss standing there looking at her expectantly.
She understood only when he raised his hand for her to place the phone in his hand. "Oh! Sorry!" She said and quickly placed the phone in his hand. She wanted to know who the caller was and what his full name was. Hoping to hear Mr. Kapoor take his name, she stood around for a bit but then saw the confused look on her boss's face. She smiled at him sheepishly and then took baby steps towards the door waiting for Mr. Kapoor to call the man by his name but that did not happen. Zoya turned around one time to see the phone as if it would tell her the name of this caller. She saw Mr Kapoor giving her an incredulous look and she quickly exit his room feeling embarrassed.
Once at her desk Zoya placed her hand to her chest and felt her heart beat. She realized that the way her heart was beating was the same as when she had met Asad. She closed her eyes and smiled at images of him that her mind painted. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach flutter and she tried gulping down the lump that was fast forming in her throat. She remembered her mother's words from morning and felt the lump growing. She opened her eyes and felt them tearing up as she whispered to herself "Yes Ammi. I still love him... but I cannot have him... Yes, I still feel the loss, but it's something I have learnt to live with. I can never fall in love again Ammi, never". She took a deep breath to calm her heart and blinked her eyes several times to rid them of the tears that had formed. Opening her laptop she clicked on the folder she had named it 'MY LIFE A-Z'. One by one she scrolled through the few pictures she had of him. A few were from the seminar and a few she had got hold of from the different articles that had been published on the success his company had achieved due to him. Very lovingly she caressed one of her favorite pictures which had his dimples so well highlighted.
Zoya heard the door to her boss's room open and close. She quickly closed the window and looked up and saw him approach her desk. " Zoya we have to get ready". She heard him say with so much enthusiasm it made her giggle. "Where are we going Mr. Kapoor?" "To meet up with an old friend I had bumped into a few days ago". Not understanding why she was required at a meeting like that she asked " But what am I going to do there?" "Oh ho Zoya. You will need to be there when we discuss details of the project". Seeing the same confusion on her face he continued "I met an old friend recently. We had lost touch over the years but when we bumped into each other a few days back, we decided to stay in touch and have finally decided to start a project together. Now hurry up we need to leave". Her heart still fluttering Zoya picked her bag up, ready to go.
P.S. Leave me loads of love behind guys. I want to feel loved and pampered.
P.S.S. Next update I will start writing after I get 80+ likes
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