HELLO! Two updates in a row! Wooot! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter so I hope you guys like it. I was going to write out the performances but it didn't translate well from my mind onto the keyboard, so I've added links...I hope you guys like it! And And And, anything in blue is a translation of all the hindi used. I find it really hard to translate from Hindi to English for some reason, some of the things flow so nicely and make so much sense in Hindi but they don't flow in English so sorry! On to the very long chapter! Let me know what you think guys :)
Chapter 18
"You guys that was amazing!" Anjali squealed as Ayaan, Najma and Nikhat finished their performance to Jogi Mahi.
"It was!" Zoya squealed pulling Nikhat and Najma into a hug.
"Thank you!" Najma squealed.
"Tamatar toh tamatar sai bhi jyada laal hogayi." Arnav teased.
"Bhai!" Najma pouted sticking her tongue out.
"Aapne bahut budiya dance kiya!" Arnav & Akash's cousin NK said to Najma. [You danced very old!]
"Ji?" Najma asked her eyes wide. [What?]
"Great. Your performance was great."
"Oh, badiya not budiya! Thank you..." Najma said.
"Nand Kishore. But you can call me NK!" He said.
"Ya Nanhe!" Khushi and Zoya piped, having already met him a few minutes before.
"Oh! So you are NK, Akash's cousin from Sydney?"
"Ji, aur aap?"
"Najma." She introduced herself.
"Nice to meet you." NK smiled smitten with her already. "Aap mujhe nachna likhaingi?" [Will you teach me how to write dance.]
"Sikhaingi, not likhaingi." Najma giggled at his antics. [Teach, not write!]
"Oh sorry. Meri hindi thodi besharam hai." NK said holding his ear. [Sorry, my hindi is a bit shameless]
"Besharam nahi bakwaas." Najma laughed. [Not shameless, just bad]
Zoya and Khushi gave each other an inconspicuous look and smiled while looking at Najma and NK.
"Stop talking so loud you guys! You're up next!" Anjali said looking at Asad, Zoya, Khushi and Arnav. "Ayaan is going to work with the lighting. Good Luck!" She squealed pushing Arnav and Khushi on stage.
Khushi's eyes grew wide as she took in the crowd, it was a bit hard to see with all the lights shining on her face.
"Remember, it's just you and me." Arnav whispered as the lights dimmed and the first chords of Teri Meri started.
Arnav took a deep breath and grabbed Khushi's hand as the song started, they both leaned away from each other looking in different directions and then looked back at each other as Arnav spun Khushi towards him.
Khushi was mesmerized by the look in his eyes as they swayed together. It was easy to forget the world around them as they got caught up in each other.
[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be_CBYFni5A[/YOUTUBE]
(Watch until 2:00, and then the AsYa Dance starts)
The lights dimmed around Arnav and Khushi as the first chords of Teri Meri broke out again as the lights came back on revealing Asad and Zoya.
[
CLICK ME! ]
(nothing AsYa related is on youtube anymore :( )
"Zoya, I have to talk to you." Asad said yet again as he spun Zoya around.
"Not now Asad!" Zoya said indecorously as they swayed from side to side. Zoya's breath caught as he caressed her face, he wasn't supposed to do that. But it fit. The audience watched mesmerized yet again at the chemistry between this couple as well.
The audience broke into applause as the two spotlights came back on highlighting the two couples.
"HOLY HELLL!" Aman yelled when the two couples stepped backstage. "That was so hot!"
"Omg!" Anjali squealed. "Okay, this is it guys! Ayaan-Humeira, Asad-Zoya, Arnav-Khushi and Aman & Me! Lets do this song justice!" She yelled as everyone broke into a cheer. "Najma, Nikhat you know who to send out when right?" Anjali confirmed as the girls nodded.
"LETS DO THIS!" Aman yelled.
[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP6irFIYHyw[/YOUTUBE]
(I absolutely adore this sequence, imagine whoever as whoever you want!)
And then came the most gripping and exciting performace of the night, and it lit up the whole party. The kids were amazing and people couldn't stop telling Dilshad, Rashid and Aarti this. As much fun as the audience had, the people on stage had double the fun. There hard work payed off wonderfully.
"WE DID IT!" Arnav screamed as they stepped off stage.
" I almost fell!" Ayaan admitted.
"Aap toh girte hi rahte hai..." Humeira said teasingly. [You fall a lot...]
"Sirf aapke liye Humeira begum." He winked. [Only for you Miss Humeira].
"That was f**king awesome!" Anjali yelled as everyone stopped jumping and turned around to stare at her in shock. "What? I can swear too, when it is needed." She smirked as everyone broke out into laughter.
"IT'S TIME TO PARTY!" Ayaan and Aman squealed heading towards the bar as Nani and Badi Bi came up to them.
"Aap sab nai toh kamal hi kardiya!" Nani laughed.
"Lekin Nani, aapko bhi naachna chahiye tha!" Anjali said as Nani giggled. Zoya and Khushi exchanged looks laughing, they had to see Nani dance!
"HAPPY 25TH ANNIVERSARY!" Asad and Arnav yelled as Dilshad and Rashid walked towards them pulling them into a hug.
"Congratulations!" Zoya and Khushi squealed.
"Khala! Uncle! How were the performances?" Anjali asked jumping up and down.
"Out of this world!" Dilshad smiled. "I didn't know my kids were that talented!"
"Bahut zyada achaa tha! Especially the last one!" Rashid exclaimed.
"Dad, Mom, Ms. Khushi, Ms. Zoya, Ms. Humeira , Mamu 1, 2 and 3! That was awesome!" Aarav yelled running towards them.
"Ya! Awe-omme!" Riya squealed in Aarti's arms.
"I am thirsty." Khushi said.
"Lets go find you something to drink." Arnav said grabbing her hand and leading her to the bar.
"Asad Bhaijaan! Pammi Aunty! 3 o' clock!" Ayaan yelled as they both ran away leaving Zoya with Najma and Nikhat.
"Wait, which one is Pammi Aunty?" Zoya laughed.
"The one in the really heavy purple suit." Najma whispered as Zoya looked behind her.
"Ya Allah!" Zoya gasped. The woman was decked to the nines. Zoya wondered how her neck didn't bend forward with the amount of jewellery she was wearing. If the jewellery alone wasn't heavy enough, her suit was embellished with gems all over it. She looked like a walking gem shop, with horrible make-up.
"I swear she has some weird twisted crush on Asad Bhaijaan. And her friend on Arnav Bhai." Nikhat laughed pointing out the equally loud woman beside her in magenta.
"Where did Asad run to?" Zoya asked looking around and seeing him near the bar looking uncomfortable as a girl in a backless blouse stood in front of him. His eyes were looking past her trying to find a way to get out of the situation. Zoya watched as he yelled out to Ayaan and ran the hell out of there.
"I don't know. Let me introduce you to our friends!" Najma said dragging Zoya towards a group of girls. As Najma and Nikhat introduced Zoya to their plethora of friends, she couldn't help but notice that the same girl seemed to be following Asad around and he seemed to be running away from her.
Zoya's POV
"This is our friend Richa and this is Tanveer." Najma said pointing to the girl in the lengha...well more like a bra and skirt. The s**t that had been following Asad around, of course, she'd be Tanveer. I've never had such an extreme disliking for someone I didn't know before.
"Guys, meet Zoya, Asad Bhaijaan's girlfriend." Nikhat smiled.
I watched as Tanveer's bitchy smirk turned into a grimace as she looked at me up and down. I could almost feel her eyes burning through my skin. So this was her. No wonder Asad didn't seem to like her.
"Hi." I smiled at Richa, I am sure it turned into a grimace as I looked at Tanveer.
"Your performance was amazing! The last one and the Teri Meri! You and Asad look so cute together!" Richa said.
"Thank you!" Zoya smiled genuinely as all the other girls nodded with the exception of Tanveer who was still looking me up and down. I looked down as I felt my phone vibrate in my hand.
"Hey! Where are you?" I asked as soon as I saw Asad's name flash across the screen.
"Hiding from people. Come to the end of the lawn, behind the stage. I need to talk to you." He replied sounding nervous.
"Okay." I laughed hanging up.
"You are Asad's girlfriend?" Tanveer asked her eyes wide turning to me while Najma and Nikhat talked to Richa.
"Yes..." I said confused, I was sure Nikhat had already said that.
"So you are the flavor of the month..." She smirked.
"Excuse me?"
"You are just going to be a name on the long list of girls he dates. Before he comes back to me of course. He'll tire of you soon enough, and when you don't give him what he needs, he'll move on to the next one." She smirked pulling her already s**tty blouse down more.
"It's not healthy to live in a state of denial Manveer, was it? And to believe everything you hear." I smirked back, I knew Asad wasn't too fond of her, and the list that she talked about was non existent.
"Oh, you are the one living in denial. You really think a guy like him would be interested in a girl like you?" She smirked. It's almost as if she knew she hit a nerve with that comment. It was something that always plagued me, why was he interested in me. "Guys like Asad don't fall for girls like you. They need a girl like me...a girl that will put out."
"Excuse me?" I said flabbergasted at the audacity of this girl.
"You heard me right. You look like the prudish type..." She smirked.
"Okay there. I don't know who you are and who you think you are! But you need to step off your non-existent high horse and shut up. It's called being classy, I am sorry if you think not parading around in a bra and skirt is prudish. I don't know why you and your s**tty ass seem to think that you know more about my relationship and my boyfriend than I do. I don't even remember asking you for your opinion. So shut that trashy mouth of yours and get the f**k out. Oh and stop spreading rumors, I think we both know who has a long list of conquests here, and it isn't Asad. And I'd love to stay and chat but I really don't want to hear how your legs are a revolving door and I have a boyfriend that I am going to spend time with." I had no idea where it came from but it felt good, I took a glass of 'whatever it was- and dumped it over her head. Her mouth was wide open as I spun around making sure to whack her in the face with my hair and stormed off.
Zoya: 1 000 000 000
s**t: 0
Khushi's POV
"Oh shit!" Arnav said as we stood watching Zoya tell a girl off. "I can't believe Asad missed that."
"I got it on tape!" Ayaan screamed from beside him. "That was epic. I am going to go show Najma."
"I've always wanted someone to do that." Arnav said laughing.
"That must be Tanveer..." I concluded. "I don't think Zoya's ever been that...aggressive towards anyone before. That's more like something I would do." Khushi laughed.
"Maybe I should find a girl that is after me. You are pretty hot when you're angry." Arnav whispered in my ear.
"Shut up!" I laughed hitting his arm.
"You could always make me." He said putting his arms around my waist and pulling me to him.
"Really?" I asked.
"Hmmm, I am pretty sure you would succeed." He said his eyes flickering from my lips to my eyes.
"Maybe I should try." I whispered pecking his lips gently but he wasn't having that. He pulled me even closer and molded his lips to mine. His tongue traced my bottom lip causing me to let out a moan; he took advantage of the situation and tangled his tongue with mine.
"Arnav Malik, yeh kya badtameezi hai?" called a stern voice from behind me as Arnav broke apart, his eyes cold as he gazed behind me.
"Dadi." He said coldly as his hands left my waist and he turned me around, pulling me into his side.
Zoya's POV
As much as I hated to admit it, Tanveer's words seemed to ring through my mind over and over again.
He'll tire of you soon enough, and when you don't give him what he needs, he'll move on to the next one... You really think a guy like him would be interested in a girl like you?
That's what she always thought, why would a guy like him be interested in a girl like me? Maybe Tanveer was right...maybe he'll tire of me soon.
Shut up Zoya! Inner Khushi rang through my mind. He is interested in you. A lot. More than a lot. And what about this morning?
That's it...what if its sex he's after...he didn't even mention anything about this morning.
Hey Devi Maiyaa! ZOYA! Do you really think Asad is like that?
No but...
Zoya, he didn't mention it because you didn't either. It's a normal part of a relationship, you got caught up in the moment. He isn't acting awkward or anything right.
He is...he keeps saying he wants to talk to me. But what does he want to talk about. Allah Miyah! What if he wants to break up with me? Maybe that's why he isn't talking about me leaving.
ZOYA! HE IS IN LOVE WITH YOU!
He isn't, he would have said something if he was Khushi!
"What are you doing?" Asad's voice brought me out of my thoughts.
"Huh?" I asked confused. Ya Allah, what if he called me here to break up with me?
"You've been making weird faces for the past five minutes, like you are having a conversation with someone. You seem to do that a lot." See, he thinks I am weird.
"Yeah, with Khushi." I said without thinking, the thought of what he might say plaguing me.
"Khushi? But she isn't..."
"She's in my head." I murmured.
"Zoya are you okay?" He said putting his hand on my forehead.
"I am fine." I said trying to smile.
"Lets go get you something to drink." Asad said putting his arm around me. I nodded leaning against him, might as well enjoy it while it lasted.
He sat me down near the bar next to Ayaan and NK and went to get a coke for me.
"So what's up Bhabz?" Ayaan hiccupped.
"ARE YOU DRINKING?" I said looking between NK and Ayaan who both nodded. "Can I have a rum and coke, more rum and less coke, please?" I said turning to the bartender who nodded.
"Zoya...are you sure you should be?" NK asked making the signature drinking pose with his thumb on his mouth.
"YES! I can handle my liquor." Right, it's just one drink...not like it's going to make a difference. I smiled chugging down the drink as soon as the bartender handed it to me as Ayaan and NK watched wide-eyed. "GUYS! Lets do shots!" I squealed already feeling a little buzz.
NK and Ayaan both shook their head.
"What's wrong with you? Shots make everything better!"
"Zoya...I really don't think you should be drinking." Ayaan said.
"What are you? My mother? Haha, wait...you'd be dead then." I laughed. "I miss my mother." I wailed. "Another rum and coke, Mr. Bartender! With the Bacardi 151!" I said as he got mixing. [Bacardi 151 is one of the strongest rums out there, it gets you really drunk. It even comes with an anti-flammable cap, there is that much alcohol in it!]
"Zoya maybe you should..." NK started.
"Ah shut up!" I said waving my hands around as the bartender handed me my drink. "Yummm!" I smiled as I gulped it down feeling a burn in my throat. Since I didn't really drink much, it burned my throat causing me to cough.
"Zoya!" Asad said walking up to me as I coughed. "What happened?"
"Asaddd." I smiled squeezing his cheek.
He looked at NK and Ayaan questioningly. NK put his hand up to his mouth again signaling that I was drunk.
"HEY! I am not drunk!" I giggled. "I am not! Right Asad? You are so pretty." I giggled noticing how shiny his eyes looked. "I AM GOING TO GO DANCE!" I said running towards the dance floor.
Arnav's POV
"Dadi." I said coldly pulling Khushi closer to me.
"Arnav Malik, tumhari maa nai tumko itna bhi nahi sikhaya ki logo kai saamne aisa bhartav nahi karte." Her voice screeched, I hated it. Here she goes again with her judgemental attitude and putting people down. [Arnav Malik. Hasn't your mom taught you how to act in front of company?]
"Arnav Singh Raizada. Mera naam Arnav Singh Raizada hai, meine kabhi apne aap ko ek Malik nahi maana." I said looking into her cold eyes. [My name is Arnav Singh Raizada, I was never a Malik].
She looked like she always did, the epitome of coldness. Her white hair slicked back, a disapproving look on her face, her judgemental eyes always judging and her lips pulled in a grimace.
"Tumhare naa maane sai sach badal nahi jaata Arnav. Waise joh harkat tum kar rahe ho uske hisaab sai toh tum..." She said glaring at Khushi. "Tumhe itni toh samajh hai par fir bhi tum iss tarah ek ladki ke saath sabke saamne." [The truth doesn't change if you don't believe in it. Anyways, its not like you are acting like a Malik should, you know what is proper, and yet you are standing here with this girl.]
"Dadi, mein kuch galat nahi kar raha. Yeh meri girlfriend hai. Aur-" [I wasn't doing anything wrong, she's my girlfriend. And-]
"Iss baat sai humhe koi farak nahi padta, agar yeh tumhari patni bhi hoti tab bhi hum yahi kehte. Aur waise bhi joh ladki aise sabke saamne apni izaat ka khyaal nahi karti, woh ladki Malik Khandan ki bahu banne kai layak bhi nahi hai. Aisi ladkiya kisi kai ghar ki bahu banne ke layak nahi hoti." She said as I felt Khushi tense next to me. I looked to my side to see her eyes were wide and teary. [It wouldn't even matter if she was your wife. And a girl who openly engages in acts like this in public isn't worthy of being a daughter-in-law of the Malik Family. Or any family for that matter.]
"Dadi, yeh Malik khandaan ki bahu nahi banegi. Ek Raizada banne gi. Aur aapko Khushi kai baare mein aise baat karne-" [She won't ever be a Malik, but a Raizada. And you don't have the right to talk about Khushi-]
"Arnav. Tum bhi apne pita ki galti dohra rahe ho. Humhe toh sunna hai ki yeh bahar ki ladki hai. Apne sanskaro kai hisaab sai toh saaf zayar hai. Aisi harkat ek ache khandaan ki ladki toh kabhi nahi karegi." She seethed hers eyes on Khushi. [You are making the same mistakes as your father. I've heard that she is not from here, which is evident by her lack of respect for her surroundings. Girls with good upbringing don't act like this.]
"Stop." I glared while tightening my hold on Khushi. "Mein Khushi kai khilaaf ek aur shabd nahi sunonga. Aap joh samajhna chahti hai woh samjhiye, lekin mujhe pata hai ki woh kaisi hai. Aur mujhe aapki rai ki koi zaroorat nahi hai." [Not another word against Khushi. You can think whatever you want, but I know who she. And I didn't ask for your opinion].
"Arnav!" She shouted. "Tum bhool rahe ho ki hum tumhari dadi hai. Hum tumhare bhale kai baare mein soch rahe hai. Tumhare pita nai joh galti ki Aarti sai shaadi karke woh mein tumhe nahi karne doongi. Ek aisi ladki-" [You are forgetting that I am your grandmouther. I am saying this for your sake, your father made a mistake by marrying Aarti...and you're making the same one].
"Not a word against maa." I warned. It was no secret that she hated my mom, but I would not tolerate a word against her.
"Kyun? Tumhari maa ki wajah sai mera beta aaj mere paas nahi hai. Woh ek kamjor aurat aur ek buri patni thi...isliye toh...aur usne tumhe bilkul apne jaisa bana dia hai." The nerve of this woman. [Why? Your mother is the reason that I don't have my son today. She is a weak woman and a bad wife, that's why...and she's made you just like her.]
"Shut up!" I yelled, screw the formalities. "Mrs. Malik aap ko bahut badi galat faimi hui hai, aapka beta ek kamjor aadmi aur ek bura pati tha...apni khudki family ko chod kar woh ek doosri aurat kai saath...aur phir jab woh yeh sab saiha nahi pai toh unhone apni khud ki jaan leli." [You have a huge misconception, it was your son that was a weak man and a bad husband, he left his own family for another woman...and then when he couldn't deal with his mistakes he committed suicide.]
"Arnav! Woh tumhare pita the. Aapni maa ki kamiyo par parda daalne ki koshish mat karo." [That's your father you are talking about! Stop trying to hide your mother's faults.]
"DON'T! '" I started to say when I felt Khushi squeeze my hand. I looked to her and she shook her head sadly. I took a deep breath trying to calm myself down.
"Namaste Dadi Ji. Waise toh mujhe sikhaya gaya hai ki apne bado ko jawab nahi dena chahiye lekin aap mujhe majboor kar rahi hai. Aapko kya lagta hai? Ki ek kamjor aurat itna bada empire khara kar pati? Ek kamjor aurat aapne bacho ki itni achi tarah parvarish kar sakti? Aarti Aunty is the strongest woman I know, so aap please unke baare mai aise baat nahi kare to acha hai. Aur jaha tak meri baat hai, just because mein India mein badi nahi hui iska yeh matlab nahi hai ki mujh mai sanskar nahi hai. Aur haan Arnav bilkul Aarti aunty kai jaise hai, strong, loving and protective. Aap in dono ko galat judge kar rahi hai." Khushi spoke loud and clear. Khushi had managed to shut Dadi up completely despite being unaware of what had actually happened.
[Hello Dadi Ji. Even though I've been taught to not talk back to my elders you've left me no choice. Do you really think a weak women would have been able to establish such a huge empire? Would a weak woman be able to raise such wonderful children? She is the strongest woman I know, so it'd be better if you don't say that about her. And where I am concerned, just because I wasn't raised in a traditional Indian home doesn't mean that I am not aware of our culture and tradition. And yes, Arnav is exactly like Aarti, he is strong, loving and protective. You are just a poor judge of character.]
"Badtameez ladki! Tumhari itni himaat ki tum..." [Insolent girl! How dare you-]
"Badtameez nahi Dadi ji, mein toh sirf aapko sach sunana chahti thi. Now Dadi ji, if you'd excuse us..." Khushi said smiling at Dadi and pulling me away. She walked towards the rest of the family with me behind her. [Not insolent, I was just trying to tell you the truth...]
What the hell just happened? Did she just-
Khushi's POV
That woman made me seethe in anger, the audacity. She came to their house and insulted them.
I don't know what the whole story behind them is, but I knew that Arnav's dad had cheated on his mother. I wasn't aware that he had committed suicide though. He was the weak man, yet she waltzed in here like she owned the place and started insulting Aarti aunty.
Half way on our way towards the family Arnav had let go of my hand saying he needed some time alone. So I sat beside Anjali when Aarti aunty came up to me and pulled me aside.
"I heard what you said to my mother-in-law." She said.
"I am so sorry." I said suddenly wondering if I had done something wrong. I felt like Arnav was going to break something if I hadn't stepped in right then.
"Don't be." She smiled. "I am sorry that you had to talk to her." She laughed.
"She's something..." I laughed.
"Don't take what she says to heart. She is like that. She meets people and judges them, without knowing anything. I am sorry that she called you-"
"A wh**e in not so many words?" I piped in.
"Yeah. She had the exact same opinion of me."
"What?" I asked surprised.
"She is a conflicted old woman. I wasn't brought up here, I moved to England at a young age for boarding school. Mom was strictly against it but Dad insisted that I receive the same education as my brother. I met Arnav's father while he was there for university. And we got married. She wasn't happy with it. And I admit I wasn't the best bahu out there. I had let myself go over the years, I wasn't in touch with my roots. That's why I judged you so harshly at first. Anyways, she hated me. And after a while I realized that Arnav's dad wasn't it, I had Anjali and Arnav to worry about then so I kept mute. He cheated on me, repeatedly. And I think the fact that I didn't say anything bothered him and he ended up committing suicide. She always blamed me for it. Apparently I am a wh**e but a bad one at that, because he had to look elsewhere. I broke off all ties with her and moved back here with my family. She likes to randomly drop buy and harass my kids, she thinks I am not doing a good job of raising them...she's nice enough to Anjali. But Arnav and her don't get along...Arnav never forgave his father for what he did. He thinks he has but...I remember he once told me, at seven, that he'd marry one girl and always be faithful to her." She laughed.
"I am sorry." I said sadly.
"Don't be. Life is not always fair to us. It doesn't mean that we should be angry with it."
"How did you-"
"Trust men again?" She smiled sadly as I nodded.
"Just because one of them was like that doesn't mean they all are, right?" She smiled knowingly as if she knew what my problem was.
"What if you meet a lot of them and they're all like that?" I whispered gazing out onto the dance floor.
"Look at them." She said pointing to Dilshad Aunty and Rashid Uncle. "They've been together for 25 years, and that's not to say they haven't had hardships in their lives. But they make you believe that love exists." I watched as they swayed in the middle of the dance floor smiling, unaware of the world around them. "You know Dilshad's father cheated on her mother. But she didn't let that affect her life, she wasn't afraid of love because of what she had seen. She chose the right man for her and she held on. She believed in love and look where she is now."
"How do you know that-"
"I can see it in your eyes. You are in love with my son but you are afraid. Stop being afraid. He won't let you fall." She smiled walking away leaving me to think.
WOW! A lot of things happened there. Let me know what you think you lovely people! :D
Precap:
-What does a drunk Zoya do?
-A confession...maybe even 1 and 1/2 confessions...maybe though ;)
AND if you didn't get a PM from me and want one, please hit that BUDDY button, I send out PMs to everyone on my list :)
Edited by astonm - 12 years ago
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