Anyway, this is one of my older Arhi works that I converted into AsYa while I was suffering from a severe case of writer's block 😆 It's about AsYa's daughter, Zoha getting married and how the family has a hard time saying goodbye to her... The rest you'll find by reading this SS 😉
Happy Reading! 😛
CHAPTER 1
"Ammi, I already know that you'll like Hassaan right away." Zoha cheerfully informed her mother as she poured the batter of chocolate brownies into a baking try.
"Well, he does sound like a nice boy from what you've told me. But Asad..." Zoya trailed off uncertainly.
"Don't worry Ammi! I'll convince Abbu. You know he can never say no to me." Her 23-year-old daughter replied cheekily.
"He sure can't. But you know how upset he gets every time I try talking about your marriage in front of him." Zoya said a little worriedly.
"Ammi, when those discussions happened I wasn't interested in any guy. I just said I wanted to get married because Abbu said I couldn't."
"Really?! You love picking arguments, don't you? Oh you are so like Asad!" Zoya laughed lightly.
"Zoe and like Abbu? That's the biggest insult to Abbu I've ever heard from you, Ammi!" Ahsan chuckled as he entered the kitchen, easily catching the spoon Zoha chucked at him and said mockingly, his eyes twinkling, "Watch where you throw this, kid! Someone could get seriously hurt!"
Zoha huffed in annoyance making Ahsan laugh, before saying, "Bhaiya, pulling my leg is like your favorite past time, no? You'll see, one fine day I'll get married and then you'll realize how much you miss me and how truly precious I am."
"Forget it! Its never gonna happen, kid." Ahsan smiled brightly as he leaned casually against a counter, beside them. "I'll just thank my lucky stars that I'll finally get a bit of peace in my life."
"Ahsan, don't tease your little sister." Zoya smiled as she admonished her son in a soft voice.
"I'm not teasing her. I'm just telling her the truth. Did you make these brownies, Ammi?" He asked, eyeing them on the counter.
"No, Zoha did."
"Got to try them then, don't I?" He gave a half grin as he helped himself to a huge piece and the next minute he was coughing, "Arghh these are so dry! I almost choked on them. Are you trying to kill people with these?"
"What?" Zoha asked worriedly as she tried a little piece of brownie herself and then turned to look at her brother with murderous eyes.
"You liar! They are perfectly fine... And since they didn't succeed in killing you, I believe I should complete the job?" She waved a saucepan threateningly near his head.
"Are you threatening the great AAK?" Ahsan cocked his eyebrow playfully.
"Guess I am, but not the great AAK, the junior one. Though I'm surprised myself that I've the audacity to do so."
Ahsan chuckled heartily at this and then said he had some work to do. But before leaving he playfully ruffed his sister's hair, saying, "Those brownies were the best I ever had. Good job kid. You're quite getting the hang of this baking stuff."
Zoha grinned victoriously at this and Zoya smiled while shaking her head, used to this routine.
"Zoha, you still haven't talked to him about you thinking of getting married, have you?"
"No, but I will soon. Bhaiya already knows about Hassaan." She replied nonchalantly.
"But still be careful. I've a feeling he won't like the thought of you getting married any more than Asad." Zoya cautioned.
"Oh chill Ammi! Bhaiya's cool. He'll understand." Zoha laughed but somehow Zoya wasn't so sure.
***
"Bhaiya, please!" Zoha begged her older brother Ahsan later that evening as she plopped on the bed beside him while he sat typing something furiously on his laptop. He looked too serious, not his usual playful self.
"You know Abbu will be difficult to convince as it is." Zoha continued, "The least you can do is be on my side."
Ahsan's face showed no emotions as he kept his eyes glued to the screen and said in clipped tones, "Zoe, I'm busy right now."
"Bhaiya!" she whined. "Whatever it is, it can't be more important than what I'm saying!"
She was right. It was nowhere as important but Ahsan just couldn't grasp the idea of her thinking of getting married. Hence he was trying to delay this conversation with her but he knew she was her father's daughter and like Asad, if she set her heart to something, she would do it.
"Besides you've met Hassaan and you said yourself he is a nice guy." Zoha continued apparently not bothered by Ahsan's lack of response.
"I didn't say it for you to start considering him as your husband." He retorted stiffly.
"Bhaiya, you know I've loved Hassaan for some time now and still you're acting like all this came as a surprise."
"Well it did! I thought he was just a really good friend of yours." He lied.
"Who are you kidding, Bhaiya? You didn't think that! Though I'm pretty sure you hoped." She replied mischievously knowing she was right.
"Abbu will never agree! You know how serious he gets whenever anyone mentions your wedding..." Ahsan began a little smugly, apparently liking the thought.
"Yeah, yeah I know... That's why I want you and Ammi to be on my side. She's already in." Zoha informed him happily.
"What?! Ammi agreed to you getting married? How? When? Why?" Ahsan asked flabbergasted.
"Oh, I managed to convince her." She shrugged as if was no big deal. "Ammi always thinks logically, you know. Ok, so are you on my side now? Will you help me persuade Abbu? Please?" She asked him sweetly.
"No!" Came the abrupt reply, bordering on rudeness.
"But Bhaiya, look at the benefits! I won't be jumping on your head 24/7 and you won't have to tolerate your annoying little sister anymore. You'll get to live in peace." She grinned at him.
Ahsan suddenly slammed the laptop shut and turned towards her, his eyes flashing. "Has it ever occurred to you Zoe that maybe I don't want to live in peace? Maybe I've gotten used to your annoying presence and don't want you to go!" He snapped before opening his laptop again and stabbing the keyboard furiously, not meeting her eyes.
Tears welled up in Zoha's eyes as her brother's words sank in. She was so used to his teasing about how she was so loud and annoying and how he enjoyed his solitude when she's not around that she forgot that he wouldn't want her to leave either. Her Ammi was right. He loved her too much to get her go, even if he never showed it to her face.
Zoha's sudden quietness made Ahsan uneasy. He knew he shouldn't have snapped at her but the thought of her getting married was hard to digest. He thought of her too small to get married though he knew this was bound to happen one of these days. All Zoha had been talking about lately was somehow related to Hassaan.
He pinched the bridge of his nose to gain control over himself before turning to Zoha. "Look I'm sorry kid. Don't worry. I'll talk to Abbu about you and Hassaan if that's what you really want."
"Really?!" Zoha asked in a small voice as a tear fell from her eye. She could handle the entire world's anger but never her brother's
"Really!" He replied smiling down at her and the next moment his vision was obscured as Zoha launched herself at him, hugging him tightly and muttering, "Have I ever told you, you're the best brother in the world?"
"No you haven't but I already kinda figured that on my own. Besides, you don't have much choice. I'm the only brother you have." He replied ruffling her hair affectionately.
"Yes that's probably why." Zoha grinned; already back to her former self. "But remember; now I'll be on your team when you need me." She smiled mischievously.
"Why would I need you?" He asked confused.
"When you have to convince Ammi and Abbu about Mahera!" She grinned at him.
"Oh you little minx," Before Ahsan could get up to chase her out of his room, she had already ran away, leaving Ahsan to smile sadly by himself.
***
"No way! You're too young to get married! Forget it." Asad bellowed angrily as he paced the room.
"Abbu I'm not that young! I'm turning 24 in two months. And for your information, most of my friends have already gotten engaged or married." Zoha retorted. She never talked to her Abbu in such a manner but she knew he would be a tough nut to crack so she had to.
"I don't care what your friends think they're up to but you're not getting married right now and that's final, damn it!" Asad thundered. It had been years since he had gotten this angry.
"Abbu, you're not being fair." Ahsan interjected in his quiet, composed voice.
"I'm not being fair? Are you even listening to yourself? You want your kid sister to get married so early?" Asad turned his burning glare at him.
"No, I don't! But we can't be selfish, can we? We have to think about Zoe. It's her life we're talking about!" He replied calmly, infuriating Asad even more.
"I'm thinking about Zoha!" Asad almost yelled.
"No, you're not Abbu." Ahsan said in a measured voice. "You're thinking about yourself. You don't want Zoe to leave. You don't want to let her go.
"Of course I don't want her to leave. She's too small." Asad replied, stubbornly.
"Asad, she'll always be your little Princess! You'll never think of her as a grown up because she's the baby of this family and you've always treated her like one. But you have to know this; she has to get married one day." Zoya said in a firm voice.
"Well, she can in 5, 6 years!" Asad replied gruffly.
"Abbu I want to get married now, not in 5, 6 years!" Zoha huffed annoyed, but then continued in a softer voice, "Abbu, I'm just asking you to meet Hassaan once and then you can decide whatever you want. I'm sure whatever you'll decide will be the best for me." She said, letting him know that she won't go against him and will always stand by his decision.
"Yes Asad, I too, believe we should give Hassaan a chance, meet his family and then decide." Zoya said firmly while Ahsan nodded.
"I don't want to meet them!! How hard is that to understand?" Asad bellowed and Zoha cringed into her brother as tears flooded her eyes.
"Abbu, you're upsetting Zoe now." Ahsan warned. "Don't you want to see her happy? Look at it this way, what would've happened if Ammi didn't get married to you simply because her family didn't want her to leave? We wouldn't even be here." He reasoned.
Asad knew Ahsan was right but he would be darned if he gave in so he just gave Ahsan a glare before stomping out of the room without glancing at Zoha, knowing her tears would break his resolve in a second.
Zoya gave Zoha an assuring squeeze and smiled, "I'll talk to him. He'll take some time but he'll come around."
Zoha gave a small smile through her tears, knowing her mother was right. They needed to give Abbu some time.
***
So how was it? Want me to continue? Let me know through your likes and comments 😃
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