Hey lovely People,
Here's the next chapter. OK! Before that, I have experimented 😎 and seen that I have a good amount of readers here 😃, if I blackmail you all I get the desired likes, if I don't then some of you don't bother to hit like or comment 😒. Come on, be a lil more sensitive and leave me loads n loads of love, I will keep writing for you all 🤗. N haan! I wouldn't bite if you hit like... You can ask anyone on the forum, I DON'T BITE 😆
Chalo not holding you guys back anymore, happy reading 🤗. Remember, I love you all so much ❤️
Oh! One more thing, the few poetic lines, they are credited to my sweetum Sis Saima, she's written a full poem n sent to me which I will use in this story. Thank you Sis for letting me use it 🤗 I love you ❤️
Enjoy people. I hope this update will be liked too 😃
Chapter 7
As she settled in the car, Zoya couldn't stop thinking about the caller. His voice still ringing in her head in a loop "Khan, Mr.Khan". Involuntarily her mind took her back in time to those beautiful memories she had of him and the first day of the seminar. She smiled remembering how Asad had introduced himself and then the little interaction they had had and how he had literally scowled at her and then her small apology. Thinking of the same instance her heart felt a dull pain and as if someone was sitting inside her head saying out loud she started to write down what her mind was saying...
'An emotion so deep an emotion so real, how can I ever let go
A desire so strange a power so rare, how can I part with you so near
A longing embedded, a longing that hurts
The sun rises and a new dawn breaks but where is the light that will show me the way
The years that have been lost will never be found, the love that once flourished will never return...'
Just as she was about to ponder further on those lines she felt a little jerk and then Mr. Kapoor said "What are you thinking Zoya? You're looking so lost". "Nothing Mr. Kapoor just... something from my past". He looked at her sympathetically and caressing her head said "Don't think about what has happened Zoya, you can only learn from it. Look forward to what life has in store for you. Now come on, smile, we're here". Zoya looked out the window and quickly put her little note pad away. Taking a deep breath she stepped out the car and still in her thoughts she said to herself "Only if you knew what or rather who I was thinking about Sir. No matter what, I can never forget the only man I ever fell in love with'. As they both walked into the restaurant Mr. Kapoor asked the hostess for directions to the table that had been booked in the name of his friend Mr. Khan.
Still preoccupied with her thoughts, Zoya had been walking absentmindedly behind her boss not realizing they were almost at the table. As he stopped to greet his friend, Zoya bumped into him. She looked up to find her boss almost glaring at her. She mumbled an apology to him and then looked the other way into a pair of eyes she could recognize amongst a million other pairs. As time stood still she could feel the air around her grow heavy, bearing down on her shoulders making it difficult for her to breathe. All she could do was stand and look back into his eyes, the eyes she had been gazing into for the last 3 years, the eyes that had haunted her almost every night, the eyes that once had held love for her but now all she saw in them were a thousand questions, the eyes of her Asad.
If Zoya was in shock seeing Asad, then it was no different for him. As soon as the doors had opened and he'd seen the two people enter the restaurant, time had stood still for him. A mere whisper of her name had caused Rashid to look at Asad and then follow his eyes. Asad stood up even before Mr. Kapoor and his assistant had reached their table. His heart beat had increased and with baited breath he waited for her to look up. With every step that she took closer to him, he could feel his heart beat increasing and the air that he had sucked in refused to leave his body. As she looked up he saw a wave of shock go through her eyes. In that fraction of a second he saw a myriad of emotions flash across her face. Where he first saw recognition it changed to happiness then shock and then suddenly he saw it settle on to sadness. With that she lowered her eyes not able to hold onto his gaze. He stood there waiting for someone to initiate a conversation and that is what Mr. Kapoor did.
Extending his hand Mr.Kapoor greeted Rashid first "Hello Rashid. I am so happy to be meeting you again and the best part is we will be working together hopefully" he looked at Asad and shook his hand too "And hello to you too Asad. How are you beta? It was a pleasure speaking with you this morning". As soon as Zoya heard that she looked at Asad and saw him looking back at her, the emotion in his eyes confirming that he too now realized that it was her on the phone in the morning. As they all settled, the hostess approached their table with the menu cards. She left them to decide there respective orders and came back later to take down what they all wanted to order and promptly left to bring the food.
Unlike what Zoya had expected, the meeting was more of a bonding session between her boss and Asad's father. The two friends revisited the past and enjoyed reminiscing the days they had spent together at college. From an outsiders viewpoint the whole conversation was very entertaining as they talked at length about the fun times they had shared at college, discussing and having a good laugh about various professor or another students. What they did not notice was the complete silence between the other two occupants of the table.
Asad and Zoya sat opposite each other but all that was there between them was silence. Where Asad couldn't remove his eyes from her, Zoya didn't have the courage to look at him. The way his eyes had looked at her, with a million questions, she just couldn't muster the courage to look back at him. She knew exactly what he would ask her, she even had the answers to his questions but she didn't want to share her past with anyone. She knew he was constantly looking at her and that was making her uncomfortable with every passing second. Finally not able to take it anymore she looked at him and then is when she was taken aback by the intensity in his eyes.
As their eyes locked, Zoya saw the change in them. Where, in those eyes, all those years ago she had seen admiration and love for herself, today all his eyes held were pain, confusion and a lot of questions. As much as she wanted to look away, this time she couldn't. She looked back in them trying to read all she could. Asad on the other hand had kept his eyes on her waiting for that moment when she would look back in his eyes. The way she was avoiding looking in his eyes he knew she was trying to hide her emotions from him. He noticed how she was just playing with the food that had been served. But as soon as their eyes met Asad saw what he had been looking for. He saw the same flicker of emotions that he had all those years ago. This fraction of a second revelation by her eyes gave him the boost he needed. Sighing in relief he closed his eyes for a few moments and with a small smile on his lips he thanked his Allah to have finally answered his prayers, to have finally brought His Zoya to him.
As that thought crossed his mind his eyes flew open and immediately settled on her hands looking for any ring on her finger telling him that he was late. But her empty fingers were a sight that relieved him of this worry too. He looked up and saw her looking at him in confusion. With a faint smile playing on his lips he shook his head in the negative and said "Nothing". He looked at her looking right back at him and tried to initiate a conversation. "So! How are you?" "Very well". Is all she said". He saw her fidgeting with her fingers now. He couldn't understand the reason behind this nervousness. "Zoya, is... Is everything alright?" "Yes! Why do you ask that?" "Because you're looking... Umm... nervous... Which is so not like the Zoya I knew". Hearing that she thought to herself 'Hell yeah I am nervous... And its all because of you Asad. How do you expect me to not be nervous when you are sitting there looking at me with such intensity. How am I supposed to look normal when the only man I every loved suddenly comes and stands in front of me? How Am I supposed to look normal when all I want to do is jump up in happiness and hug you tight the way you had hugged me... But, no matter what my heart desires, I can't do any of it'
Asad could see that there was something that she was having a debate about in her head and the way her expressions changed constantly made him smile wide. Not bothering about the presence of his father and Mr. Kapoor Asad leaned in on the table and placed his hand over her fidgety ones "Relax Zoya, stop thinking whatever you are. See we have met after so many years, don't you have anything to talk about anything that you want to share or tell me?" As soon as she felt the first contact with him, Zoya's body broke into a shiver and she could feel her heart beating wildly against her ribcage, ready to break it. She looked up to find him looking at her expectantly. Out of the nervousness that she was experiencing Zoya shook her head in the negative and instantly saw his eyebrows furrow. "No. No.I mean yes yes. I have. I mean yes we have met after a long time and am sure there is a lot that we can talk about but right at this moment I really am too nervous and confused about what just happened, I mean how we have met, and I really don't know what to talk about". She finished feeling more stupid than she had ever in all her life. She closed her eyes out of frustration to be acting so stupid suddenly. She kicked herself mentally for blabbering on like that and making a fool of herself.
Asad was happy that even though it was a risk he had taken when he had placed his hand over hers, she had still not withdrawn her hand. He squeezed her hand gently making her look at him. What Zoya saw made her stomach flip several times. She looked up into a pair of eyes that held only love for her. Feeling conscious, she withdrew her hand, instantly feeling the void of the warmth she'd felt. Asad too felt dejected and all he wanted to do was to take here away, somewhere they would be alone and maybe then she would speak to him the way they had all those years ago. Zoya saw how his eyes had suddenly become sad and she quickly placed her hand over his "Maybe I am in shock to have suddenly come face to face with someone from my past Asad! Maybe that is the reason I am behaving the way I am. Please don't take any offence, I just need some time to collect my thoughts that seem to be all over the place. Its nothing to do with you". She said trying to lighten his mood.
Asad nodded his head and smiling apologetically at her he softly said " I'm not upset with you Zoya, its just that you seem to have changed a lot in these years. I don't find the same confidence in your eyes as I had during those 5 days ". Zoya felt a little flutter in her heart at the knowledge that he still remembered the number of days they had spent together. "Yes things have definitely changed and time does change you Asad, my life has been a rollercoaster ride for the past 3 years. Only recently I have been able to put it back together and there is no way I am letting it slip through my hands again. My Ammi and I have seen a lot, gone through a lot in these years. With a lot of hard work I have been able to bring some semblance into our lives. I cannot let anything jeopardize the little happiness that I have been able to bring back into our lives".
The last few lines that she had just spoken took him by surprise. He knew that there was a sad past that she had had to endure all on her own, but this would be the impact on her personality was something he had not prepared himself for. He saw the distant look in her eyes as she settled back in her chair. He couldn't believe that what she had been through could have impacted her this way. A heavy feeling taking over his whole being Asad too slowly leaned back into his chair his eyes fixed on her. He could see how she was struggling to keep her emotions in check and how she was batting her eyes to stop her tears from spilling out her eyes. He too felt his eyes pricking with tears and he looked away trying to control them. All he wanted to do right this moment was to scream his frustration out. But he knew that was something he couldn't do. He looked back at her and found her looking at him with the same sorrow in her eyes as he knew was in his. The rest of the lunch passed in a daze as they both didn't register what was happening around them. Both mourning their loss again.
P.S. Leave me loads of love behind guys. I want to feel loved and pampered.
P.S.S. Next update... Ummm... When I have it ready..lol 😆...
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