llAsYa OSll Barsaat Ke Din Aaye *UPDATED* Page 8 - Page 5

Zoya walked along the pathway behind the Siddique household lost in thought. Three months. Three months since she'd seen his face or heard his voice. Tears threatened again as she thought of their broken relationship all over again and how circumstances kept taking them away from each other. She'd found her father after all the searching. She'd found him but at a cost. The cost of her love. A choice she didn't want to make, one she couldn't make, but he'd made it for her, fulfilled her last wish and let her go so she could know the man she'd searched for all her life.

Both families were as they'd always been, estranged. Keeping her relationship and being with her father wasn't possible so she'd not had any contact with Mr. Khan since the day she found out. The separation was crippling, pain she never thought she would experience again and her less than happy welcome into this new home was helping nothing either. Sure they all spoke to her, Asad's sisters more than any and her dost Mr. Rashid Ahmed Khan but everyone else avoided her like a plague. Ayaan had been helping her. He was the one to find out the truth, sharing it at a cost to him too. Humaira. She had a sister. A sister who didn't yet accept her but a sister nevertheless.

As Zoya walked lost in her thoughts, the thunder cracked and lightening lit the sky as she walked to what had become her hidden place. Her place to escape. A place where her memories flowed free. A small alcove she discovered near to the Siddique's household hidden behind a brush of trees.

There'd been a function there today, a wedding. Nikhat had gotten married today to Farhan and her thoughts wandered to Najma who had also suffered a broken relationship thanks to Tanveer. She remembered the day clearly, she'd finally gotten the proof that exposed Imran as the real father of Tanveer's baby, telling everyone and putting a stop to the nikah. Tanveer also present in disguise exposed her own secret that Gaffur Ahmed Siddiqui was Zoya's father. The look on everyone's faces was shocked to say the least. Mr. Khan had tensed up but he insisted she make the move to know her father. Today had been one of her bad days. She couldn't enjoy or even pretend to because of him. She sat on a rock in her in her red long net sleeved anarkali salwar kameez. Her head drooped as the rain drops started. The rain had been a non-stop presence that poached her grief in the past few weeks. The tears followed as the memories washed over her of the months spent with Mr. Khan and her Phupie and Tamatar. Her family. The hopes and dreams they'd weaved around each other was now broken and the pieces scattered so far apart that it seemed like they'd never make their way back to each other.

Zoya started to cry in earnest the rain soaking into her clothes but she couldn't feel the cold. These days she couldn't feel anything but emptiness inside her. "Zoya." At first she thought it was a trick of the wind, her mind playing tricks on her but she looked up through tear-stained lashes and saw him standing there in a white shirt and black trousers. She blinked rapidly to dispel the water from her eyes sure it was a hoax of her imagination but then he called out again coming closer. "Zoya." It wasn't a trick it was real. He was actually here at her father's house where the people who'd ruined his family's lived mere feet away.

He walked slowly, cautiously towards her but hesitated and stopped a few feet away. All Zoya could hear was her heart beating in overdrive in her chest and the sound of the rain pelting down and soaking them both to the bone. The tears intensified but got lost with the raindrops sluicing down her face.

**Barsaat Ke Din Aaye** in the BG

Zoya closed the few steps separating them. They faced each other pain reflected in both their faces as he reached out and touched her face in a gesture of wiping her tears but the rain just took the place of the water he brushed away. She knew he was trying to brush away some of the hurt but for her it didn't feel like that was possible. She didn't care anymore in that moment, she'd been away from him for much longer than she could possibly bear and she launched herself into his arms, her arms going around him from under his arms, cupping him close to her as if he held the key to her next breath and these days it was impossible not to think so. She held tight as the tears racked her chest her face pressed into the material of his wet shirt and she felt the hesitancy of his arms surrounding her.

"You came. You're really here." She breathed into his chest, her words almost getting swallowed up in the pound of thunder and flash of lightening streaking the grey clouded sky. He held her tighter in response but then as abruptly as she relished the opportunity of being in his arms after three long months the music drifting from the wedding party hit her ears carried over by the howling wind. She pulled back suddenly; face crumpling with distraught as she realized what would happen if someone saw him here.

**

Barsaat ke din aaye, mulaaqaat ke din aaye

Betaabiyon ke sharaare bichhe hain

Yeh saawan ki rimjhim jhadi hai

Kadam bekhudi mein bahekne lage hain

Yeh madhoshiyon ki ghadi hai

**

She shook her head turning away from him but stopped abruptly as she turned her head looking over her shoulder, she saw her red duppatta standing starkly against his palm where he'd held her back. He yanked on her dupatta pulling her forward and enveloping her in a passionate hug of loss, longing and love.

**

Barsaat ke din aaye, mulaaqaat ke din aaye

Hum soch mein the jinke, us raat ke din aaye

Barsaat ke din aaye, barsaat ke din aaye

**

He pulled back swiping both thumbs under her eyes and kissing her forehead. "I-" he started and choked up as he fought to get something out. She looked at him, saw the distress and utter agony etched onto his face as he fought himself to speak the words, "I can't . . . Zoya . . . it . . . hurts." His voice cracked on the last word and Zoya felt her heart splinter. Over the howling of the winds whipping her hair around her, the heavy rain beating down, all she could hear were those words.

She turned away her heart in her throat. Leaning away, her tears overflowing, she felt him behind her, his presence palpable even without a single touch she could feel his presence warming her. His hand pressed into her shoulder and she could feel no cold. With his presence she felt all the love in her heart threatening to spill over and the emptiness that she nursed for three long months seemed like a distant dream.

**

Jalte rahe hum khayaalon ki lau se

Sahi humne barson judaai

Chham chham barasti suhaani ghata ne

Ajab si agan hai lagaayi

Barsaat ke din aaye, mulaaqaat ke din aaye

Hum soch mein the jinke, us raat ke din aaye

Barsaat ke din aaye, barsaat ke din aaye

**

Zoya placed her hand over his on her shoulder and entwined their fingers together. This was a reprieve after a long drought of loneliness and they were reunited after all this time. She didn't care if this would hurt both of them even worst later. In the here and now they were together and that was all that made sense. He spun her around as she slipped deftly out of his arms and she ran into the pouring rain letting the water wash away the pain of their long separation and renew their reunion. Mr. Khan ran after her grabbing her dupatta and slowly reeling her in until she crashed against his chest and their foreheads rested on each other, eyes closed she could almost feel his heart beating against hers and his heavy breath fanning over her drenched face.

**

Na tum hosh mein ho, na hum hosh mein hai

Bahek jaaye na tum sambhaalo hamein

Guzaarish yehi hai tamannaaon ki

Sanam baazuon mein uthaa lo hamein

Jazbaat ke din aaye, mulaaqaat ke din aaye

Hum soch mein the jinke, us raat ke din aaye

Barsaat ke din aaye, barsaat ke din aaye

**

Her hand drifted up to his face, touching his cheek with a soft caress as his eyes slid close at the first touch of her fingertips on his skin. His right hand rose and tangled into her wet clinging hair pulling her close as she continued to explore his face with her fingers as if trying to memorize his every feature for when they would part again.

Zoya could feel a fire burning in her veins that she'd never felt before. Where she'd been barren and numb before she now felt warm and filled with love. A love that would never go away because she knew beyond reason and beyond the obstacles that kept tearing them apart that they were each other's destinies and he was the only man she would ever love. Asad's face drew in closer his hand tightening in her hair as his breath ghosted over her parted lips.

**

Deewaani deewaani, jawaani mastaani

Garm saanson mein toofaan hai

Deewaana deewaana, sama hai deewaana

Zara si chaahat ki beimaan hai

**

Ever so slightly their lips brushed as they shared an intimacy that they'd never expressed before. Zoya gasped at the connection and broke away turning away from him as his hands encircled her waist and drew her back into his embrace. His hands drew a path across the strip of flesh revealed at her shoulders and her hair was flicked away from her neck as Mr. Khan rested his cheek against her wet skin, his breath wafting over her neck raising goosebumps. Her hand reached up and encircled around his neck, his lips parted over her skin pressing a soft kiss to the dip between her shoulder and neck.

**

Dhuaan sa uthe hai kahin jism se

Kaho baadalon se baraste rahe

Saha jaaye ay eh judaai ka gham

Bhala kab talak hum taraste rahe

Baaraat ke din aaye, mulaaqaat ke din aaye

Hum soch mein the jinke, us raat ke din aaye

Barsaat ke din aaye

**

The intimacy was one she'd shared with no one and had dreamed she'd only shared with Mr. Khan when they were married, drifted away because whether they were married in the real sense or on paper, they were married in their hearts. Their hearts were irrevocably connected and always would be. As he turned in his arms, his hand wrapped around her waist and drifted slowly up her back and untied her dori, her dupatta fell to the ground forgotten as Mr. Khan sealed his lips with hers an intimacy that would lead to a union that would change both of them and break both of them when it was over but their love and passion swept them away and joined them even closer in their hearts even though the physical distance would persist.

Drop a comment if you liked it. It sounded better in my imagination 😆

PS- Zoya's Dress