Two-Shot: Acceptance Permanent (AsYa)
Disclaimer: All the characters of my fanfic belong to the show Qubool Hai. This story however is my creation. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 1- Unbreak My Heart
A week. It had been a week since, Asad, had uttered those hateful words and allegations. A week since she had stayed out of his hair! A week since she had spoken to him, directly. As unbelievable as it sounded, it was reality! Zoya Farooqui hadn't spoken, teased, taunted or made a single effort to grab his attention!
Zoya sat on the cold marbled bench right at the centre of the park as she pulled out her i-pad and started with her search. She was a woman on mission when she had decided to come to India; however for sometime now she had switched her priorities. Well, she would never regret what she did, but she was running out of time now! Her Visa problem was still there, but since she had applied for her PIO (Person of Indian Origin) card, she was positive that it would work, she would be able to extend her stay & won't have to leave without finishing her task, so for now she was going to shove that matter under the carpet.
However, even if she was lucky enough to get through her Visa issue, there was still more to be concerned about! The latest problem now was to find a suitable flat she could rent, if she could get her stay extended. Zoya felt a bitter taste in her mouth as she thought of it! She would miss Phoopi & Najma- their pampering, affections, care & love, she had gotten so used to! They had felt like a family-her family! A family she had only dreamt of having. May be they'll miss her too, thought Zoya! Atleast- The both of them. Mr.Khan however would definitely NOT! He, infact would be over the moon & fortunately(for him & unfortunately, for her) would simply delete her file out of his memory, like a person named Zoya Farooqui never existed in his life, she was sure! His actions told her enough to prove how much her mere existence disgusted him. A sob escaped her lips as she recalled all those times when he had given his opinion of her...She had clearly memorized every word of his, every s-y-l-l-a-b-l-e...Was it true? Was she really that 'misfit' for him, for any family or man. Unconsciously, her fingers stroked the burnt skin on her opposite arms. She had always known she was imperfect; however, her Jiju & Aapi had never made her feel any less loved because of that! And that was the reason, despite of her short-comings & imperfections, Zoya had developed a very high self-esteem! She had always liked herself for who she was & that was the reason she hadn't let anyone in her life make her feel inferior to them ever! And here, Asad, since the day he had entered her life had only ridiculed her- starting from her dressing sense to her character. He had left no stone unturned. And the worst part of all this was, she had started believing him! He was really bad for her self-esteem, she concluded.
Yet! She- Zoya Farooqui, had fallen for him. Despite of knowing him to be 'a cold hearted, judgemental, emotionally challenged, & the male chauvinistic pig, that he was she had still let Asad Ahmed Khan steal her heart. She had still given him that power to hurt her, destroy her -Only him! Why Allah Miyan?
Her phone vibrated & she picked it without caring to check the callers identity.
She regretted immediately! It was Him!
"Miss Farooqui where the hell are you? Do you realize what time it is? Atleast, try remembering that you are NOT in New-York any more, its Bhopal for goodness sake & you are a guest here & our responsibility! Ammi is still sick & your absence would worry her unnecessarily. You could have the curtsy to inform us..I mean Ammi.. " She held the phone at an arms distance as she heard him rant. He was louder enough for her to hear even without phone allah miyan.
"Phoopi knows about my whereabouts Mr.Khan. I spoke to her already!." She told him & cut the call. She had no intensions of talking to him. Not tonight. Not in this life atleast.
The bitterness between them had over-ridden any softer feelings that ever existed! And she was going to make sure that it stayed that way! It still hurt, however at the least, she had her self-respect & dignity intact!
***
Asad fumbled for words when he heard her reply. Thankfully, she had cut the call, saving him from giving any explanations for his folly!
He leaned back on the couch as he sipped his coffee-black & bitter! Just like him. And that wasn't going to change for anyone-Not even for her, he had resolved!
He had lived entire life of his abiding by certain rules, principles & guidelines that he had set for himself, & they had helped him get through all these years. A girl couldn't just come & change that over-night! Asad was a man of Principles & he would practice what he preached!
But then why did he faltered ever now & then? Why did he lose his head over her at times? Why her indifference & detachment bothered him, hurt him, killed him like a slow poison? Why had his eyes searched for her every night at dinner and every-morning on the break-fast table? Why did dinner & break-fast seem so gloomy everyday now without her irritating comments or shayris on him? Why was he constantly looking-out to get a single glimpse of her?
Was it because he hadn't really heard her bubbly laughter over a week?
Yes! He hadn't heard it since that eventful day when he had accused her because of those kebabs. She had since that day, remained cooped up in her room all the time or either out on some errand only available for break-fast or dinners at times! For two days now however, she had her breakfast before he woke up & then she was off to god knows where. Even in the evenings, it was the same & by the time he got home she was in her bed. It was as if she didn't live here anymore! There were no cans, wrappers or half eaten pizzas lying across the living room anymore. There weren't even those stupid shayris or her other shenanigans. The only proof that she lived here was that his fridge was stocked with frozen pizza boxes every day. It was the only thing that told him she was still here.
He recalled the day that had brought this on. She had tried to justify herself initially, however after sometime, she had stopped while he carried on with his accusations. Truth was he wasn't really angry at her, he was angry at himself. The same morning he had dreamt of her, again. Finally, satisfied with insulting her for the nth time, since he had remembered that night on highway no.13 & his confessions, he had angrily stormed off to his bedroom. Tannu- had of course followed him & helped him calm down. He had of-course apologized & thanked Zoya for his folly later, but apparently it hadn't really made any difference, he realized. He had hurt her beyond repair somehow, this time. He couldn't put his finger on, but he had seen a sudden change in Zoya's behaviour since Tanveer's entry. He sighed. He knew he was partly responsible for that.
On purpose, he had started avoiding Zoya for sometime now. Infact, from a few days now, instead of confiding in her, he had started confiding in Tannu, since he was trying to keep away from Ms Farooqui & to be fair enough Tannu was a great listener. If not for her, he wouldn't have been able to control himself! He was glad she was here. She had supported him so much, and she was such a perfect lady! Perfect in every sense! Just the type he wanted a wife to be!
***
3 days later..
Asad walked in early afternoon, just in time to come face to face with Zoya. He felt his heart race at the mere sight of hers. She was looking beautiful today in that red kurta, he thought, but that wasn't what rattled him this time, instead he saw her red puffy eyes boring into his own that made something inside him break. He was about to ask her about the reason when she looked away & her eyes went blank! Just as he was contemplating about what had made her cry he heard his mother.
"Asad how are you so early today?" He looked up & that's when he found his Ammi and the other two ladies of the house assembled near to Zoya and her suitcases? What was happening here?
Dilshad might have read his unspoken words & so she answered.
"Zoya is leaving Asad. Wish her a proper good bye atleast?"
Asad almost felt his heart stop in that moment. She was leaving? F..forever? Just like that? She din't even care to tell him? He felt like someone had just pulled out the earth from beneath his feet.
3 months later..
"Asad...Asad!...Where did this boy go?" Dilshad called out for the umpteenth time as she scanned the whole house. It was way past the break-fast hour & he still hadn't come down, so she had gone to check on him. It had become a routine for her now. Asad was forever drowned in his work. When she had complained, he had justified himself saying he was busy with his new project. However, if he thought she was going to buy that lame excuse of his, he had another thing coming. She wasn't the one to be fooled that easily. She knew it was because of Zoya.
She could see him suffering every single day & had felt helpless, cause she couldn't right it for him. Well, she had tried to confront him, but he had plainly rejected all her theories. Dilshad had wanted to talk to Zoya about the issue, & she had almost told her during one of their meetings at the hearing of Rashid's case when they were alone, however at the last moment, she had chickened out! It was not fair to Zoya, neither Asad! She knew their equation, since she had seen them avoid each other even during those few minutes they were in the same court-room! The lingering tension between them was so strong, that the after effects could be felt in their behaviours for hours & days. It was their battle- the battle between their own head & hearts & they had to fight it themselves!
"Asad?..." She had finally found him in his study, asleep on his studychair. His book rested on his chest, with an arm securing it, while the other one dangled from the chair. There was a frown on his face that clearly indicated his discomfort in that position. Dilshad, carefully held his arm and placed it on the armrest. She moved on to pull the book out of his hand. In the process something slid out of it. When dilshad bend to retrieve it, she saw what it really was...Wasn't it Zoya's earring? Dilshad sighed, placing the book and earring on the table, as she decided to let him rest for a while. He had some explanations to do later.
***
"Prasad...make sure they don't escape easily. I want them behind the bars at all cost! And I want it to be non-bailable this time. Am I clear?" Asad shouted his orders as he maneuvered his car towards the court. He knew he was way over the average speed limit, but he would deal with the consequences later. Now was no time to abide by the rules! He had to reach before the final verdict! This was the final hearing & he had to save that man! His mother had been right all along he realized. Rashid Ahmed Khan was innocent & falsely framed after-all! He changed the gear once agin as he rushed past another green signal. He was just a lane away from the court he realized when his phone vibrated. Seeing the number on the screen he pressed the Bluetooth button immediately.
"Hello!"
"Jammy..."
"Tannu?" Her voice alerted Asad."
"Jammy...Jammy Woh Zo..Zoya k..ko..."
"Kya? KYA HUA ZOYA KO?" Asad almost lost his balance & panicked when he heard her mention Zoya. He pulled the brakes just in time avoiding collision with another SUV.
"Asad they...they took her...a..and said if you don't bring that doll...they'll k...kill her..." Tannu bawled on the other side as he felt a chill running down his spine at that thought.
***
ZOYA...!
ZOYAAA...!
Asad ran through those ruins as he searched for her. He felt breathless from all the running he had done! He hoped Tannu had gotten the address right! He cursed under his breath. How could Tannu be so careless, even after his warning her in the morning itself? She knew about the lingering dangers on all the members of family since the doll factory case had re-opened, and still she had gone to that godforsaken area for her dress material hunting without being chaperoned. And to top it she had convinced the trouble magnet-Ms Zoya Farooqui to tag along.
They could have atleast taken his car & driver along with them. But, no! They wanted adventures. And see how adventurous it had turned out? It was Zoya's life at stake & he was not compromising it for anyone whatsoever! He had assured Tannu of the same & asked her to go back to the home when she had insisted accompanying him! He already had Zoya's life at risk, he didn't want to risk anyone else's. And like always Tannu had agreed without any resistance. So unlike his Ms.Farooqui. He was sure if she were in Tannu's place, she would have eaten his head & accompanied him anyway! And to be fair enough, he wouldn't have minded much. Truth was even after him taunting her to be a liability; he knew she was very resourceful & courageous even in desperate situations, where he lacked behind. She had proved that to him too many times now! Agreed, she had her follies & imperfections, but he was realizing how perfect her imperfections made her!
Since, the day she had left, he had missed all those things about her that he thought he hated! He also found himself constantly comparing Tannu to Zoya. Initially, he did that with intensions to convince himself, he had made the right decision & how perfect Tannu was for the family. He had, however, seen the difference in their family's equation regarding both the ladies! He saw his Ammi & Najma happy with Tannu's presence, but they felt happiest with Zoya! Ammi's & Najma's connections & bonding with Zoya was altogether a different story.
The Khan Mansion had gone back to being quiet & everything had returned back to the same routine before Zoya's entry. But now that quiet, the silence didn't feel peaceful to him, it felt lonelier-incomplete! At times, even with Tannu doing things the exact right way, he had wished her to act like Zoya! Tannu had always been excellent in adapting to others needs, while Zoya had a brain of her own! She had ofcourse accepted his OCD's & he had seen her respect his mannerisms, but at the same time she also fought it out with him when she felt him at folly. He missed her honest opinions, her courage to hold her ground against him, her telling him off when no one dared to, her silly shayaris to distract everyone, her effervescent nature, her sassiness, her weirdness, her straightforward attitude, her need to make everyone happy around her & fix everything. He missed their debates, their arguments, their cease fire moments with coffee dates, their eye locks & so much more! With time he had come to a different conclusion- one that filled his heart with pride & love for her but pained him all the same & he found himself living in a constant state of guilt!
He knew he had been a complete mess since the last one & a half month. His Ammi had noticed that too, but he had denied her any access to his inner turmoil, even after she had caught him red-handed with that earring. He felt he deserved it after all the hurt he had caused her & whenever he saw her now, those feelings multiplied.
The place was deserted & located in an area far away from any civilization. Asad finally reached the terrace. He had checked the other floors, but there was no trace of any human. His desperation increasing with every single step he took. He ran around searching for her like a possed man. She wasn't here. He had been duped! Just as he thought so, he heard a noise. That caught his attention. He closed his eyes for seconds concentrating on the voice and trying to gauge the source & direction. He followed his instincts and went to look behind the water tank. There!
(Unbreak My Heart ' by Toni Braxton)
Don't leave me in all this pain
Don't leave me out in the rain
Come back and bring back my smile
Come and take these tears away
I need your arms to hold me now
The nights are so unkind
Bring back those nights when I held you beside me
Un-break my heart
Say you'll love me again
Undo this hurt you caused
When you walked out the door
And walked outta my life
Un-cry these tears
I cried so many nights
Un-break my heart
My heart
Take back that sad word good-bye
Bring back the joy to my life
Don't leave me here with these tears
Come and kiss this pain away
I can't forget the day you left
Time is so unkind
And life is so cruel without you here beside me
Don't leave me in all this pain
Don't leave me out in the rain
Bring back the nights when I held you beside me
Un-break my heart
Come back and say you love me
Un-break my heart
Sweet darlin'
Without you I just can't go on
Can't go on...
****************************
P.S- I haven't been hable to edit the chap..so please bear with the typos...Do comment...Happy reading:-)
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