SS Forgotten Love: Part 10
***Khan House***
It was almost time for the engagement. Everyone was working hard to make sure the evening went as smoothly as planned even though none of them were happy about it.
"Yeh lay jiye. " Najma said, passing around drinks for all the guests who had already arrived. If it was in her hands, she wouldn't have even come out of her room; her bhaijaan convinced her that he would make everything right, and she trusted him with her life.
"Najma! Jao Zoya ko dekhe aeo. Pata nahi woh laardki thayar be hone laagi ki nahi. " Dilshaad said, unusually excited. Najma was confused; was her very mother actually
eager to get Zoya and Farhan married? Assuring herself it was nothing of the sort, Najma went upstairs to check if Zoya was ready. Najma had to switch rooms with her for a while so she could get ready without any disturbance downstairs.
The sight she saw when she reached up the stairs broke her delicate heart. There he was, her Asad Bhaijaan, standing outside of the room, watching his Zoya putting on her jewelry and makeup through a small crack in the doorway. His hand reached out. She was so close yet so far away.
Before Najma could stop them, tears made their way down her face. She knew how much her brother was hurting, but she could only imagine the pain he went through.
Najma put her hand of her brother's shoulder and Asad put his hand on top of hers. Asad couldn't believe that a day like this actually came in his life"a day where the love of his life would actually happily want to be with some other man.
By now he was sure that Zoya had a soft corner for him, and this ignited a small spark of hope in him. Just in a few moments time, Zoya could possibly be his again.
Meanwhile Zoya kept glancing at Asad's reflection in her mirror, when she was sure that he wasn't looking.
Ab bas kuch pal ka phaasla hai aur phir meri zindagi ki ek naayi shuruwat hogi Zoya thought.
Asad was just about to leave and Zoya quickly stood up and opened the door all the way.
"Mr. Khan? Najma? Aap dono bahar kya kar rahe hai? Please unther aaye na. "
Zoya using 'Mr. Khan' went unnoticed by Najma, but not by Asad. The siblings walked into the room.
"Mr. Khan? Aaj aapne mujhe Mr. Khan kyu bulaya?" Asad challenged her with a gleam in his eyes.
Zoya seemed dumbfounded for a second but then quickly replied. "Oh yeh isliay kyu ki thodi there pehle Aapi mujhe kuch yaad dilane ki koshish ker rahi the. You know, just whatever happened before my accident. " She said like it was nothing much. "So it was just in my mouth and slippe out by accident. "
"Waise aap dono kamre keh bahar kya kar rahe they? " Zoya understood what Asad was trying to do, and she would definitely not let him off the hook that easily.
Najma caught on to what was going on between the two. "Woh kya hai na ki Ammi ne mujhe aapki mathad karne ki liye bejha tha. Aur Bhaijaan...woh...umm" she couldn't think of a lie to cover up her brother. How could she tell Zoya that he was longing to be with her?
"Woh...mein...actually" Asad stuttered. He was at a loss for words, while Zoya smirked.
Two can play at that game Mr. Asad Ahmed Khan "Haan main aap se poochne aaya tha ki aap ko kisi cheez ki zaroorat nahi hai na?" He replied back, avoiding eye contact with Zoya.
"Nahi mujhe kuch nahi chehey. " Asad turned to walk out the door. He had just stepped out when Zoya yelled, "Wait! Asad! Wait! Actually ek cheez hai, " she said all seriously. "Haan toh boliye na. What can I get you?"
"Yeh cheez aaise kaas cheez hai na ki aap kisi ko be nahi and I mean kisi ko nahi bata sak they hai," she added emphasis on the last part of the sentence.
Asad and Najma looked at each other in confusion. "Haan theek hai...per aap ko cheye kya? " Asad slowly asked.
Asad saw her coming close to him. He closed his eyes as she whispered in his ear, "Mujhe
pizza kaana hai. "
Asad looked as Zoya in disbelief.
"Kya? " he yelled a bit too loud. Najma, who was taking out some makeup that Zoya could use, was startled and looked at her older brother.
"Bhaijaan? Kya hua? Aap itne joor se kyu cheleye?"
Zoya pouted, " Dekho na Tamatar, mera maan pizza kaane ka kar raha hai aur tumare Bhaijaan meri itne se be khwaish poori nahi kar saak they. "
Najma tried to hid her giggle as she watched them arguing back and forth, about the pizza.
Yeh Zoya be nah! Kitne baare drama queen hai. Pata nahi Bhaijaan inko kaise tolerate kar they hain. Ya Allah, please Asad Bhaijaan aur Zoya ko aalag muth hone dena. Aaj uhger aap ko bas do hi logo ko milana hai toh woh yeh dono ho.As usual, none of them wanted to back down.
"Aap jaante hai ki pizza main kitne calories hai? Aap apne saagai keh din moti bana jaati hai kya? "
"Allah Miya What's wrong with you Mr. Asad Ahmed Khan? Aapne mujhe moti kaha? I'll have you know that I've been eating pizza my whole life. Aur dekho," she said as she twirled around, "Main kitne pathli hoon," she stuck her tongue out at Asad.
Outside the room stood Zeenat and Dilshaad, longingly looking at the two bickering.
"Hai! Kitne cute laag rahe hai dono!" Zeenat squealed. At first she had been unhappy with Asad and Zoya's decision to get married, but now she could see that they truly belonged together.
"They're perfect for each other. Pata nahi kyu kismet neh inne ke saath yeh sab kerna tha. "
Meanwhile, Asad pinched the bridge of his nose and turned to walk out of the room. Behind him, Zoya shouted, "Haan haan! Jaye Jahanpana. Maine bola tha na ki mujse, Zoya Farooqui, say muth muh laag na. Ab jaye! " Zeenat, Dilshaad, and Najma bursted into laughter. Zoya had been back after a long time.
Asad smiled while walking downstairs to his room. After so many days he got the chance to argue with Zoya and this reminded him of the old days.
Zeenat and Dilshaad walked in the room and the two helped Najma get Zoya ready.
***An Hour Later***
Everything and everyobe was ready. Only a few minutes were left to conduct the engagement ceremony. Najma stood next to her brother. They both saw Farhan and Zoya whispering to each other in the back of the room.
Farhan walked away and Asad found this the perfect time to tell Zoya everything. He went up to her but suddenly the lights went out.
"Arey? Yeh light ko kya hua. " Zeenat exclaimed.
Asad used the light on his phone and made his way to the fuse box, when he heard Zoya's voice.
"Maine kabhi be aapne sapne main nahi socha tha ki main itne different aatmi say mohabaat karne laago gi. " There she was, standing in the center of the room, in the spotlight. Besides the light that was following Zoya, the room was completely dark.
Ya Allah! Yeh kya ho raha hai? Miss. Farooqui yeh kya...what is she going to do? Are they seriously going to get engaged? Asad thought as beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Another spotlight appeared where Farhan was standing.
"Aur maine kabhi be nahi socha tha ki mujhe essi laardki ke saath pyaar ho jaaye ga joh bilkul meri thera hai. "
All the guests were murmuring something; everyone was confused as to what was going on.
Farhan and Zoya looked at each and smiled. Farhan took two box shaped items out of his pocket and gave one to Zoya.
The lights were turned back on. Coincidently, Asad was standing next to Najma and the two shared a surprised expression.
Zoya stood in front of Asad, but faced Farhan, while Farhan stood in front of Najma, but faced Zoya.
They both opened the box simultaneously and there were two rings, obviously meant for the ceremony. Asad was about to look away, but the ring that Zoya held caught his eye.
That was his ring in the box. The one Zoya took to get polished.
"Yeh...aap..." Asad broke off, when he saw what Farhan was doing. He stood in front of Najma, and held her hands in his.
"Najma, mujhe pata hai ke maine tumhe bahaut dukhi kar ke rakha hai, in these last few days. Jo be maine kiya hai, I can explain. please mujhe maaf kar do? " Najma went into a state of shock, not knowing what to think. She couldn't understand what was happening and how to react to what Farhan had just said.
"Maaf kerdo usse Tamatar. Woh saach ke raha hai. " Zoya added in. She explained everything that had happened.
***Flashback***
"I feel attracted towards him. Maine pehle isse ek stupid sa... crush samjhe ke... ignore karne ki koshish ki the lekin ab...I can't control it anymore Farhan. I don't know what to do anymore. " Zoya kept pausing to take a deep breath. She tried to stop crying but the tears had a mind of their own now. Farhan hugged her tightly and opened his mouth to tell her everything Zeenat and Dilshaad told him to say. Nahi Farhan tum itna badhara risk nahi le saak they. Agar Zoya ko kuch hogaya toh? Tum usse sab kuch yaad nahi dilwa saak they. It's better to keep quiet. I'm sorry Phoopi and Aapi, I can't tell her everything. "It's ok Zoya. Tell me everything from the beginning, when you started developing feelings for him. " He sat up straight, held her hand, and nodded for her to start.
Zoya told him everything that had happened the past few days. Farhan listened intently and was lost in his thoughts.Yeh main kya karne jaara tha? Selfish toh main tab kehlao gah jab main Zoya ko Asad aur uske baar main nahi baatao gah. It would be no less than a crime to keep them apart.Farhan looked at his friend, who was hopelessly crying. He put a hand on her shoulder."Zoya...yeh jo ho raha hai...Before your accident, you and Asad were about to engaged."She looked at him with disbelief. She didn't know how to react to that news. Farhan went on telling her about her airport engagement and all the hardships they had to go through because of Tanveer.He was glad that Zeenat and Dilshaad had told him all about what Zoya had been through the past year. It increased the amount of respect he had for his friend, and made it easier to tell her about Asad."Ya Allah! Isslie Asad ke chere per humesha derd tha. Especially jab hum dono saath me they. Lekin ab kya hoga Farhan? Humare saagai toh do din ke liye." Zoya immediately stopped crying and transformed back into the joyful Zoya that had always been there. It was as if the news of her always belonging to Asad put a new life into her."Woh hi toh ek problem hai. Just don't worry, main hoon na? Mere pas ek plan hai. But for that, you have to act like you don't know anything and continue acting like you still want to get engaged to me.""Woh sab to theek hai lekin Najma ka kya Farhan? Uska dil toor diya tumne. How are you going to make it up to her?"Farhan looked surprised at what Zoya had said. He had just been thinking about her. "Tumhe mere aur Najma ki bare main kaise jaanti ho?"Zoya smiled sadly. "I could tell something was wrong when she kept avoiding me and her face lit up when she was just near you. Anyways bolo na? Us bechari ka kya karo gey?""Sab mere plan ka hissa hai. If everything goes right, tumari saagai Asad ke saath hogi aur meri Najma ke saath. I just hope she forgives me."Zoya put her hand on his shoulder to assure him that she was with him.Farhan stood up to leave. "Now you just forget about everything Zoya. Ignore and try to forget everything that happened in the past few days. Ab chahe kuch be ho, humare saagai kaal perso ko ho kar rahe ge. " he said as he got up. Zoya stood up and hugged him once more. "Thank you Farhan. Tumare bina main saarie raat confused ho ke he bethat hi. Tumne mere saare problems solve kar theay. And don't forget, kaal soobeh hi humhe aapnie engagement rings magane jaana hai. "***End of Flashback***
"Jab hum rings magane gaye the, tub mujhe yaad aaya keh Mr. Khan ki ring toh mere hi paas the. Aur maine aapne ring Aapi say ley le the. Bas Farhan aur Najma keh liye rings chahe they, " Zoya explained.
Dilshaad and Zeenat added in how they found out everything that morning, when Farhan felt bad for avoiding their answers. He told them everything that had happened and the two happily prepared for the engagement.
Farhan kneeled down in front of Najma and opened the box, in which the ring was in.
"I truly love you Najma. Will you please forgive me and forever be mine? " he said while holding an unsure Najma's hand.
Meanwhile, Zoya did exactly what Farhan had done. She kneeled down in front of Asad and looked up at him.
Asad helped Zoya get up.
"Yeh aap kya kar rahe hai? "
"Wahe jo mujhe karna chahe. Pata hai Mr. Khan? Mujhe hamesha say laag tha tha ki jo be laardki aap se mohabaat keri gi, usse bechari ko propose karne pare ga. Aur dekho? Aaj main woh bechari ban gaye." There was a few chuckles from the guests surrounding them.
Asad and Zoya got lost in their eye lock and everyone admired how much they complimented each other.
They were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Everyone looked toward the way the sound came from.
"Agar aap ko koy itraaz nah ho, toh aap jaldi say haan bol saak they hai kya? " Farhan said sarcastically. "Ahh! My knee is hurting! " he added in with exaggerated pain.
Najma tried hard not to laugh, but it escaped anyways.
To answer Farhan's question, she looked at her brother. He nodded and closed his eyes, showing that she should go ahead and accept.
"Haan. Main tumse nikah kerne ke liye the yaar hoon. And I forgive you as well, " Najma said with a big smile.
Farhan slipped the ring he had onto Najma's finger. Zoya gave Najma a ring. She put in on Farhan's finger. During this time Najma couldn't stop smiling. She couldn't believe what was happening.
"I love you Najma. "
"I love you too Farhan. "
The two hugged each other, concluding their engagement ceremony.
Meanwhile, Asad took Zoya's ring from his mom and kneeled down.
"Aap ko pata nahi hai ki main is din ka kab say intezar kar raha tha, " he held out the ring, just as Farhan had done. "Miss. Zoya Farooqui, will you marry me? "
"Yes, I will. " Zoya quickly replied. She completed the ceremony by placing Asad's ring on his finger.
"Kya Zoya ko sab yaad aagaya? " Najma asked Farhan, who had his arm around her.
"Nahi sab toh nahi. Kuch minor details hai jo isse yaad nahi hai, but she knows that she loves Asad and that's more than enough. "
"Lekin ab humhe be pata chala ki Farhan itna baythab kyu tha is din ke liye. " Dilshaad said in a teasing tone.
"Kya karoon Ammi-to-be? I couldn't wait to make this beautiful girl all mine. " Farhan said with a wide grin.
He was about to say something else but stopped when he saw Asad glaring at him.
"Yeh kya baat hooey? Ab main aap ki behen say nikah karne wala hoon. Atleast now stop glaring and accept me. " He said instead, with a innocent face.
Asad walked up to him with an angry look. "Welcome to the family. " he said, while hugging Farhan. "And thank you for all you've done for me and Zoya. "
"Agar aap dono ka ye dostana katham ho gaya, toh main be Mr. Khan say kuch kenah chahun gi.
Asad and Farhan awkwardly broke the hug.
Zoya put her arms around Asad, while he spoke.
"Please mujhe maaf kardo Zoya. I'll always trust you from now onwards. Only I know what I had to go through because I didn't trust you. "
"Agar maine kuch seekha hai humare rishte ki bara main, jab Farhan ne mujhe sab baatya tha, woh yaahe tha ki humare rishte main wishwas hi nahi tha. Ab mujhe poora yakin hai ki hum dono ko koy be aalag nahi kar saak tha. Of course I forgive you. " Zoya replied. "For a while, my mind thought that I loved Farhan but my heart always knew who it belonged to. I love you Asad. "
"I love you too Zoya. "
The two hugged each other, forever lost in each others arms.
A/N Whew! And that was the end! It took forever with 2,938 words! It's definitely my longest update yet and I really hope you guys liked it! I want to thank each and every one of you personally for encouraging me to keep writing and tolerating me when I wouldn't update for a looong time. There were time when I was just frustrated and decided I shouldn't keep writing but all of your comments kept encouraging me! I love you guys and really appreciate you taking time to read something that I wrote. A big thank you goes out to all of you guys. This was the first thing I've ever written in my free time and I'm really glad so many people liked it! It encourages to write something else just for you guys. I'm so glad it got so many good responses and comments! While I wrote parts of the story, I made a lot of friends and got to know a lot a people personally. This is the end of one story but I assure you I'll be back with more (whether you like it or not 😛 ) As always I'm sorry for any and every mistake(s). If any of you guys have any suggestions for what you want me to write about next please do pm me! once again THANK YOU GUYS! 😳 🤗
Edited by Love-AsYa-4ever - 11 years ago
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
Mangal Lakshmi
4