Hi guys! I'm back with the anticipated last chapter! Well, there is gonna be an epilogue after this but that has some of my speech involved as well, so this is the very final chapter of this story and lemme tell, this update is HUMONGOUS, u'll see when u read it urself. So ur gonna find out if its gonna end sad, or happy in this chapter and don't u dare even think abt skipping to the last part, if I find out u did, I'll come to ur house at the strike of midnight and stuff rotten eggs and tomatoes with a note saying, "Serves u right!",so beware! I'm just gonna cut to the chase now. Here goes the last and final chapter of this SS, chapter 6:
The Final Game of Destiny
"Umm...hi, are you Zoya?" Zoya stared at the woman standing in front of her. She was a pretty lady, with long silky hair and a royal facial structure. She looked vaguely familiar to Zoya, Zoya was pretty sure she'd seen her before. Zoya slowly nodded and asked, "Aren't you the person who was hugging Mr. Kh...Asad in the hospital?" Zoya bit her lip, as she realized that she'd been a little too blatant. Sakina looked a little surprised at the fact that she'd seen her, she hesitantly nodded and said, "Yes, you saw me there?" Zoya replied, "Yes, I did. How about, you come in? You've been standing at the door for quite a while now." Sakina nodded and stepped into the house. Zoya walked over to the sofa, signalling Sakina to follow. Both of them sat down, Sakina started to say, "I'm Asad's childhood friend. Actually, I think you might have got me wrong, when you saw me and Asad in the hospital, we just saw each other after several years, so..umm...that's why. Before Sakina could say anything more, Zoya immediately spoke up, "I know what you've come here for. If its anything about me and Mr. Khan, please don't even try." Sakina sighed, "You're probably guessing that Asad sent me here, as a matter of fact, he did not. He'd come over to my house yesterday, after he'd come here. He'd dropped a piece of paper on the sofa, by accident and it had your address on it. I just wanted to let you know, Asad is leaving, today evening." "Let him.", came Zoya's reply. "You're not gonna do anything?", asked Sakina. "Why should I?!", Zoya snapped at her. Sakina stared at the floor for a few seconds before speaking up, "Asad told me what happened between the both of you. I know what Asad did you wasn't fair, but I also know this, he loves you more than anyone on this word, probably more than his ammi and sister, as well." Zoya's eyes welled with tears and she screamed, "No! He doesn't love me! And what he did to me, can't be described by using the term, 'fairness'. He literally killed me! I trusted him and he gave me nothing in return, but heart break and pain! How can you say that he loves me?!" "But he's asking you for one last chance, to correct himself and you're just not willing to give him one.", she replied, calmly. "I don't need to give him and I will not give him a chance!", Zoya yelled, losing her cool. Sakina asked her, "Will you ever be able to move on, if you let go of Asad?" Zoya stared at her, knowing she'd been cornered. Sakina was right, she'd never be able to move on. Recognizing that vulnerable look in Zoya's eyes, Sakina continued, boldly, "I know that you love Asad, but you're just not accepting it." Zoya's tears, finally spilled, unable to control her emotions any longer. "I hate him.", she replied in a whisper. Sakina said, "You can spend your whole life, trying to convince yourself that you hate him, but at the end, you're the one who's punishing yourself." Zoya finally screamed out, "Fine! Yes, I do love him! I always will, but I can't go back to him, I just can't!" "Because he insulted you, in front of a hundred people, right? If I were you, I don't think I would have acted any better, but still, I'm begging you, give Asad just one chance to correct himself." Sakina found her own voice cracking, as her eyes brimmed with tears. She might not have been able to live her dream, but she had to help her best friend live his own. She couldn't lose. Zoya stared at her, at first, she'd thought that there might have been some sort of past, between Sakina and Asad, but seeing Sakina's concern for Asad's life, she could clearly tell that she was a well wisher. Zoya looked away and slowly said, "He hurt me, where it hurts the most. He insulted me, due to my past. He drained every thing that I had with just a matter of minutes. All for a father, I never knew." She found herself slipping back in time, as her mind clogged with the bitter memories of that fateful night.
:~:~:~:~:~:
"Fine! I agree! I was the one who tried to kill Zoya! I was the one who cut the chandelier! Happy?!" She glared at Purvi with seething eyes, she'd gotten her into all this mess. If it hadn't been for her, no one would have ver known that she wa the one who'd tried to kill Zoya, but no. The damned woman, had to be coming up stairs, just as he was cutting that rope and top it, Asad had to be there to save Zoya every single time, she was in danger. Asad gritted his teeth and hissed, "I'm ashamed I ever trusted you, I never in my life thought that you could stoop so low. What did Zoya ever do to you?! Why the hell did you want to kill her?!" "Because she was the only obstacle in my life, between me and you." Asad stared at her, shocked beyond his wits. He spluttered in disgust and screamed, "What?!" Tanveer yelled, "Haan! I did all this, because I wanted to get married to you! Because I did not want my child to be called an illegitimate! And this Zoya!", she glanced it Zoya distastefully. Zoya was standing rooted to the spot, paralyzed with fear, she wasn't able to digest the fact, that someone had been on a hunt fot her life for several months and she hadn't even known. She shivered, frightened by the very site of the shattered chandelier, lying on the floor, with razor sharp pieces of glass, scattered across the floor. Her eyes were brimming with tears, she didn't want to think about the consequences, if Asad hadn't pulled her out of the way of the falling chandelier. Asad could feel blood rush past his veins, as he looked at Zoya's petrified expression. Why hadn't he seen the true face of Tanveer, before? Asad walked up to Zoya and pulled her close, to his chest. Zoya gripped on to the thick material of his sherwani, finding solace in his mild embrace. Tanveer gritted her teeth in fury, as she watched the scene play out in front of her eyes. She shot them a glare of pure hatred and whispered in a menacing, evil tone, "You might be able to get rid of me, now. But, I'll turn both your lives into a sob story in a matter of minutes." Asad looked at her, challengingly. He wasn't able to figure out how this woman was able to rant on about her evilness, even when her game was up. Tanveer turned towards Zoya and walked up to her. Asad's hold on Zoya tightened, as she tried to hide herself to the best in his arms, as Tanveer neared her. She stopped, when she was just a foot, or so away from Zoya. She whispered into her face, "You think your father is dead, right?" Zoya's eyebrows scrucnhed up in confusion, being asked that question. Tanveer continued, "Well, he is perfectly alive, you are just not able to recognize him." Zoya's whole body stiffened, as Tanveer's words replayed in her mind. Her dad was alive? "Wh...who is he?", she asked in a meek whisper. Tanveer looked at Zoya, smugly. "Now, here comes the best part. You wanna know who your dad is, right." Zoya nodded her head, slightly. Tanveer smirked and asked, "How would you react, if I told you, your dad was Gaffur Ahmed Siddiqui?" Zoya's body went stiff, panic rised through every little cell, in her body. She turned around to look at Asad, as he felt his arms withdraw away from her. The whole hall went silent, as they heard Tanveer's declaration. Tanveer announced out, this time loud enough for every one present in the hall to hear, "Gaffur Ahmed Siddiqui's illegitimate daughter! Zoya Ahmed Siddiqui!" Gasps and whispers spread through, as Tanveer's voice echoed throughout throughout the enormous hall. Zoya felt her knees wobble, she was the illegitimate daughter of the man who'd ruined her would be husband's life? She turned to look at Asad and got the shock of her life, as she stared at his hateful eyes, glaring at her in disgust. The silence was broken, as the police stepped in, to drag Tanveer away. Tanveer shouted out, victoriously, "Let me see, how any of you can live in peace, after knowing this!" She didn't struggle, when the police handcuffed her. She laughed evilly walked out with the police, in her own free will. Zoya stared at Asad, who was now looking at her with nothing, but pure hate. She slowly whispered, "Mr. Khan..."
:~:~:~:~:~:
She didn't want to remember anything that had happened after that. That one part of the painful memory, was enough to tear her soul a million times. Noticing Zoya's lost expression, she called out, "Zoya." "Huh?", Zoya looked around confusedly. She wasn't sure of her surroundings, she looked around and found herself in the same flat which she'd been living in for well over five months, now. She looked back at Sakina, who was staring at her, with a little confusion displayed on her face. Sakina finally spoke up, choosing to break the silence, "Remembering the past, only brings back pain, thinking about how you're going to spend the rest of your life, is a much better option." Zoya stared at Sakina, partially shocked, yet surprised. Was she really that readable? She looked away, not knowing what else she could try and say, to convince herself that she didn't want to look back at Asad. Zoya slowly got up and said, "Look, you are just wasting your own time. If this is what my fate is, I'll accept it, I'm not gonna try and reverse it. Trying to make things right will only be more painful." "How do you know that?!", screamed Sakina, springing up from the sofa. After all that Asad had done for her, she wanted do repay him by giving back his life, Zoya. She clenched her fists and marched up to Zoya, she hissed into her face, "You think that, if you let go of Asad, that'll be enough punishment for him, right? Well, that's true. But, you are the one who suffers more. Asad has people to call as family, back at home. But you. Your appi and jiju are in New York and you chose to ignore their existence, as well and now, you're living away from every one, you called as your family, earlier." Zoya's lips quivered, as her tears spilled over her cheeks. Sakina was right. She was the one who chose to live away from her only family, she was the one who was still being adamant about not turning back. Sakina saw her face, sober up. She'd hit a weak spot, she knew that for sure, but she had to do so, if she wanted to get anywhere with mending Asad's shattered life. Sakina continued, "And if you really think that you don't want to live with Asad, even if you love him, then things he did to you in the past, wouldn't matter, would it? You don't want to live with him, anyway." Zoya stared at the floor, unable to face her. "I can't bear anymore insults, then I already have.", she slowly whispered. Sakina was expecting this. She asked, "Is this what you're scared about, or is there something else." There was something more than just that, which was bothering Zoya. Zoya bit her lower lip hard, in a futile attempt to keep her emotions in her control. She hesitantly nodded. "You gave to tell me, first if you want me to help you." Zoya slowly asked, "Even if I did give him another chance, how will things be the same again? The man who ruined his life, is my father. He will never be able to look at me the same way, as earlier, even if I was willing to give him another chance." Sakina chuckled sarcastically, "You're saying this, even after knowing that he's been on the look out for you, ever since you left. You're saying he won't be able to look at you the same way, but if that was true, he wouldn't even habe bothered trying to convince you, to go back with him." Zoya found her resolve weakening, Asad not accepting her, was her biggest fear, but she hadn't thought about the same, from his perspective. There was no need for him to look back at her, if he didn't want to be with her. "This was one of the biggest things, which stopped you from giving Asad another chance, right?" Zoya nodded. "But what you don't realize, is that his sole existence depends upon you. He did a blunder and lived more than half ayear repenting for his sin. In the process, he learnt what it was to be separated from the people who are closest to his heart and now, he's begging you to give him back what he had, his love, you. If you decide to let go of him, today, you'll never be able to get him back and you know that." Zoya thought about it, for a couple of minutes, after a long silence, she finally spoke up, with a small smile adorning her face after a long time, "Where is he staying?" Sakina's stoical expression broke into a huge grin, she yelled out, "Does that mean you're gonna give him another chance?!" Zoya nodded again, her smile growing a little. Somewhere deep down, se felt a little jealous, because there was no one who would be as concerned as Sakina was for Asad, for her. Sakina pounced at Zoya and hugged her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!", she shrieked in sheer joy. Zoya slowly hugged her back, she wasn't all that comfortable with hugging people she'd known for a mere half hour. They pulled apart after a while, both of them, smiling. "Thank you.", said Zoya. "For what", asked Sakina, genuinely confused. "For giving me a reason to smile." Sakina smiled, herself, at Zoya's statement. She said, "He's staying in the Blue Diamond hotel, room number 112." Zoya smiled at her, an unknown warmth enveloping her body after months of nothing but cold and darkness. "See you soon.", she said as she headed towards the door. She stopped as she heard Zoya call out, "Thank you for coming here, I'll never forget your help." Sakina smiled and said, "Your welcome. Oh, another thing I forgot to tell you, after you talk to Asad, ask him to show you his phone wallpaper, you'll be surprised." Zoya was a little confused, but she added all the same. Sakina smiled and walked out. After she'd left, Zoya flopped down on the sofa, "Maybe, my life isn't completely screwed.
:~:~:~:~:~:
Zoya stepped into the lift and hit the 12th floor button. As the lift travelled upwards, she felt her heart beat against her chest rapidly. She didn't know what to say to Asad, when he opened the door, but she didn't want to let go of him, either. True enough, she still hadn't forgiven him, neither did she trust him completely, but she wanted to give him another chance, to prove that he was not the beast he'd shown himself to be. The look in his eyes when he'd begged her to give him another chance to correct himself, couldn't have been a facade. All their times together, played in her mind. What she'd seen for her, when he'd found her in the airport, was more than just concern, it was love. Love might have been one of the most alien feelings to both Asad and Zoya, when they fell for each other, but now she understood why people always said that love hurts. She learnt that you'd actually have to experience the situation which people state about, to actually find any sense in it. She'd always believed that love was probably the best thing that could happen to any human being, but she'd been contradicted and been proven wrong. Zoya spoke out loudly, being the only one present in the elevator, "Does he really care about me?" The answer was an obvious yes, but still, she felt insecure, it would have been natural for anyone in her place. She forced herself, not to think about anything that had happened when she found out, who her father truly was. She knew that, that one memory, could mess everything up. She entwined her fingers and sent a silent prayer to God, hoping that every thing would go well. She opened her eyes, as she heard the beep of the elevator, indicating that she was in the twelfth floor. She stepped out and took a deep breath in, willing herself not to turn around and rush back to the elevator. She looked around, it was a long corridor with decorative plants arranged on either sides of the room doors. She gulped and turned towards the right, she found a sign saying, "Room no. 110 to 115." She treaded towards Asad's room, cautiously. She stopped in front of his door and stared at it. She had a good mind to run of Delhi, right there and then. It was taking her all her courage, to just knock on the door, but at the end, she did. She slowly, brought her hand up and knocked. She heard Asad call, out, "Who is it?" She bit her lip and kept mum, hearing his voice made her all the more nervous. After a few seconds, she heard him call out the same question, but she decided to stay quiet and wait for him to open the door, himself. She finally heard the door lock unlatch, her muscles tightened, as she gripped on to her hand bag for dear life. The door opened and there he stood, a deep shade of red colouring his eyes. She bit her lip, as she saw his eyes widen in shock. Her own eyes glistened with unshed tears, as she saw a few tears spill over his cheeks. She slowly whispered, "Mr. Khan..."
:~:~:~:~:~:
Ileana knocked on Zoya's, but she got no response. She waited for a few more seconds before knocking again, she guesses she must have gone out somewhere. She got her phone out of her pocket and dialled Zoya's number, up. She was a little surprised to find her phone, ringing form inside the house. She knocked on the door, again and called out, "Zaaf...Zoya are you there? I need to talk to you about something, important." She knew very well that Zoya had been fired and she was completely broken with every thing that had happened to her. After that, she'd tried to convince her boss to let Zoya work there, but he'd stayed adamant in his verdict. She knew that Asad must have probably visited her again and she obviously would have rejected him again and broken down, after that. She lurked around the corridor for a few more minutes, thinking that she might be in the washroom. She knocked again, after a while and by still getting no response, she figured that she must have probably gone out, leaving her phone at home. She sighed and walked out of the corridor. She mumbled to herself, "Stupid girl. Never know what she's up to."
:~:~:~:~:~:
Sakina sighed and sat down on the sofa. She felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. True enough, she felt pretty broken, that she had not been able to live the life that she'd dreamt of, but she wanted to let Asad live his own dream. She still hadn't apologized to Asad personally, she thought about calling Asad, but decided to do so, the next day, knowing that, he was probably going through a life deciding moment. She leaned back on the sofa, even if she was unhappy about the fact that her own life was pretty messed up, she felt a stange happiness grabbing at her heart. She'd always wanted to do something in return, for Asad, for everything he'd done for her and she'd finally succeeded. When Asad ahd first mentioned Zoya, she'd decided that she hated Zoya, but after meeting her, something made her change her conclusion. True enough, Zoya had screamed like a banshee, at her,when she'd spoke about her giving Asad another chance, but she understood that her anger was completely legitimate. She'd been extremely hurt and angry with what people who she trusted, had done to her. When Sakina, had decided to visit Zoya, at first, it was only to repay Asad, but after hearing out Zoya, she felt her heart reach out for her. Her life had been made a battle field, she actually felt thankful for the fact that she hadn't been punished as severely as Zoya and Asad, had been. She silently prayed, that ever which was going on between Asad and Zoya, was going well.
:~:~:~:~:~:
Asad was startled to see her standing in front of him, clutching her hand bag close to her chest, looking pretty disheveled herself. Her bitter words from the day before, flooded back into his mind, He just stared at Zoya, waiting for her to say what she wanted to. He didn't know why she'd come there and how she knew that he was staying there, but he was curious, all the same. But he got what he least expected. Zoya pushed him into the room, along with herself and shut the door. Before he could make sense of the situation, she flung herself into his arms and hugged him, breaking into sobs, immediately. To say that Asad was shocked, would be an understatement. Wasn't she the one who didn't want to make amends to their relationship? After a lot of hesitance, he wrapped his arms around her waist, as one of her hands gripped on to his blazer lapel, tighter while the other one automatically snaked around his neck. She buried her face deeper into his chest and cried. Asad stroked her back, trying to calm her down. He wasn't able to understand why she was doing so, his immediate thought, was that someone might have hurt her, he pulled her away and caressed her face, he asked her rushed, "Did someone hurt you? You're ok, right? Who did it? I'll-" "No one hurt me.", came Zoya's reply. Asad's eyebrows scrunched up, as he watched more tears slide down her cheeks. Zoya was shocked, realizing that Asad's care and concern for her, hadn't decreased, even by a single ounce. Asad pondered over what was bothering her, his hands were still caressing her cheeks, he immediately withdrew his hands, as he realized he'd been too reflexive. Zoya was a little disheartened by the fact, that he'd pulled himself away, but she couldn't blame him, knowing that this was also, because he was concerned about her. She stepped forward, a little more, she crashed against his chest and whispered in between her sobs, "I'm sorry." Asad was pretty boggled with her declaration. "For what?", he asked. "For not giving you another chance.", said Zoya as she tightened her grip around him. Asad jaw dropped, slightly, as the meaning, of whats she was trying to convey, sank into him. A small smile started playing up, on his lips as his heart pounded in joy, he started asking, "So...does that mean...you-" Zoya pulled away and cupped his face, she slowly whispered, "I love you." Asad gulped down, the huge lump in his throat, as he tried to contain himself. Asad stuttered, "Y..you what?!" "I'm not saying it again.", she smilingly replied. Asad pulled her back into his chest and sobbed into her shoulder, as Zoya stroked his head, comfortingly, she soothingly whispered, "I'm here. I'm not gonna leave you. Not today, not ever." Asad pulled himself away and caressed her cheeks, as his thumbs automatically stretched out to wipe her tear stains, of her cheeks. He asked her, disbelievingly, "Are you real, or am I just dreaming, again?" One of his hands slid down to her arm and gripped on to it tightly, as if to make sure, that she didn't disappear, like she had, last time. Zoya clearly understood, that he was doing that, to affirm that she was actually there, infront of him and it wasn't just a hallucination. She smiled reassuringly and nodded her head. Asad smiled back at her, as tears slid down his cheeks, he asked her, "You're not gonna leave me, right?" She stretched her hands out, to wipe away his tears, she replied, "Never." Asad smiled at her and asked, quite stupidly, "So, are you gonna come back with me to Bhopal?" Zoya's eyes narrowed in frustration, she snapped at him, "No, I'm going back to the U.S!" "What?!", yelled Asad. Zoya glared at him and that was when a tiny spark of realization, hit Asad. He sheepsihly asked, "You were just joking, right?". Zoya replied sarcastically, "A standing ovation for Mr. Sherlock Ahmed Khan. Asad rolled his eyes, at her immaturity, but he was overwhelmed with joy. The spark in her eyes, which he hadn't seen when he'd found her, was there today. He wrapped an arm around her small waist and pulled her close, he reated his forehead against hers and whispered, "I love you." Zoya looked away and smiled, a little shy. She replied, "I know that. "That's not what you say. Say what you're supposed to." Zoya hid her head in his chest and whispered, "I love you too."
:~:~:~:~:~:
"Ammi, why isn't bhaijaan picking up phone? Do you think he's alright?", asked a concerned Najma. Dilshaad smiled and replied, "He must be busy in a meeting, its nothing to worry about." Najma smiled, half heartedly and nodded, she still wasn't completely convinced, considering the fact that they'd called him around ten times and still gained no response. She decided to shrug the matter off her shoulders. After a while, Dilshaad's phone rang, she glanced at the caller ID and smiled. "Asad.", she murmured. Just as soon as she said hello, she heard Asad's ecstatic voice ring into her ears, "Ammi, I'll be back at home at around ten in the night. The deal has been signed, I just have a few more things to do and I'll be heading back to Bhopal. When I come back, be prepared, I'm tagging along a surprise for you." Dilshaad was confused, this was the first time, Asad had ever sounded ao excited about anything and secondly, after Zoya had left, he'd refused to as much as smile, but now he sounded like he'd just found Zoya again. Little did she know, that he actually had found Zoya. "What surprise?", she asked, curiously. "You'll have to wait till I get home, to find out about that.", he replied. "Ok. Me and Najma will be waiting.", said Dilshaad. Just as curious, as she was about that surprise, she didn't want to spoil it for Asad, for the first time in his life, he'd shown excitement about something. What was even more surprising, was that he was excited due to a surprise. "Alright then, khuda hafiz, ammi.", said Asad. Dilshaad replied, "Allah hafiz." Just before Asad cut the call, she heard a familiar voice, ring from the phone, "Mr. Khan?". Dilshaad took the phone away from her ear and stared at the screen, as though an alien had jumped out of it. She placed the phone back on her ear and said, "Asad. Are you-" She realized that he'd already cut the call. If she'd heard it right, she could have been sure that she'd heard Zoya's voice. She couldn't be sure that it was Zoya, it could have been some one in the office, calling out to Asad and may be had a faintly similar voice to Zoya. She pondered over the matter for a few minutes, and decided to dismiss it, she asked herself, "Why would Zoya be in Delhi?"
:~:~:~:~:~:
"Mr. Khan, I'm gonna go meet Ileana, I need to talk to her. Asad nodded and said, "I'll drop you." Zoya replied, "Ok. Oh and there's another thing I forgot to tell you." Asad relpied, "Yeah, tell me." Zoya said, "Sakina was the one who convinced me to give you another chance. You should thank her." Asad was pretty surprised and boggled, considering the fact that she'd tried to convince him that Zoya wasn't worthy of him. "Sakina convinced you?", asked Asad. He knew someone was must have obviously spoken to her about it and she must have finally agreed, but he couldn't believe that it was Sakina, knowing that he didn't even give her, Zoya's address. Figuring that Asad was probably confused as to how Sakina got her address, she said, "Apparently, you'd dropped a piece of paper which had my address on it. "Oh.", his doubt had been cleared but he still couldn't understand why Sakina had done so. He was broken out of his contemplation, as Zoya called out to him, "Mr. Khan, shall we go now?"
:~:~:~:~:~:
"And, because his friend told you to forgive him, you did?!", screamed an infuriated Ileana. Zoya hastily quietened her down, "Shh, he's gonna here you." "I don't care if that idiot hear's me!", yelled Ileana. Asad had been waiting in Ileana's living room, for quite a while, hearing the constant yelling and swearing of Ileana, from her room. He hadn't been able to hear them clearly, but he had afeeling that all that swearing had something, or the other to do with him. He sighed and got up, to go check on them, but then he stopped in his tracks as he heard Ileana bellow, "Do you even get what you're doing?! You're going back to the man, who got you on your weakest spot, your parents. How the heck, do you know that he won't do the same mistake again?!" Blood rushed up Asad's veins, as he heard Ileana say that, he didn't resent her, he resented himself, what she had said was the truth. What if he did hurt Zoya again? What if he turned out to be like his father? That was his biggest fear. He heard Zoya hush her, saying something softly enough, to stop him from hearing. Tears of anger and sorrow formed in his eyes, as he clenched his fists to stop himself from breaking down. He headed towards the door and walked out. He shut the door behing him and spoke out into thin air, "Maybe, she'd be better off without me."
:~:~:~:~:~:
Zoya unlatched the door and peered out, hearing the front door close. She looked around the living room and found it empty. "Mr. Khan?", she called out. She realized that he must have probably walked out, hearing what Ileana said. She ran towards the door and opened it. She found Asad walking down the corridor, looking lost. She rushed up to him and caught him by his arms. "Where do you think you're going?", she demanded. "Your friend is right. What if I hurt you again?" His already wet eyes, shimmered in the evening sunlight, as the rays peeked through the windows, due to his further moistening eyes. "No, you won't!" Zoya snapped at him." "How do you know that?", asked Asad. "I just do!", cried an exasperated Zoya. Asad didn't reply, Zoya turned around and glared at Ileana, accusingly, who was now side glancing at them, mostly staring at the floor, out of guilt. She turned back to Asad and said, "Humans make mistakes, that doesn't mean they'll do the same mistake over and over again." Asad replied, "But I did make the same mistake over and over again, I insulted you time and again and you kept forgiving me." Zoya's eyes filled with tears as she argued back, "But that's not the same, they were on a smaller scale, how is it possible for anyone to not even commit a small mistake, now and then?" "Slapping you, for no fault of yours, wasn't a small mistake.", replied Asad. Zoya squeezed her eyes sut and took a deep breath in, she opened them again and spoke, "But that was a long time ago, we can start afresh." A glint of hope shone in Asad's eyes, as he heard Zoya's reasuring words. Ileana, who'd been quietly standing in a distance, decided to speak up, "Umm...yeah, Zoya is right. I just said all that stuff, out of frustration, I didn't really mean it. Its just that Zoya is a really close friend of mine and I don't want her to get hurt and when she told me that she'd decided to forgive you, after all that you'd told me about what had happened between the two of you, in the past, I was just a little more than concerned, that's all. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean any of that, I would hate it, if I was the reason you both have a rift again." Zoya smiled and nodded at her, approvingly. Ileana manged a small smile, back at her, still feeling guilty that she'd made Asad feel that way. Zoya turned back around and caught Asad's hand and entwined her fingers with his. She whispered softly, into his face, "I'm yours forever." Ileana hesitantly walked towards Zoya, Zoya turned towards her and smiled. Before she could say anything, Ileana pounced on her and hugged her tight. Zoya hugged her back, even if she didn't understand why she'd been so impulsive. Zoya pulled away, when she thought she heard Ileana crying. She found her eyes slightly red, tears flowing down her pale cheeks. Zoya softly caressed her face and asked her, "Is every thing ok? Why are you crying?" Ileana stifled a sob and asked, "So this probably our last time, together. Right?" A lump formed in Zoya's throat, as realization dawned upon her, she would be leaving Ileana behind, when she left for Bhopal. "No! Of course not! We can still visit each other frequently.", snapped Zoya, doubting her own suggestion. Ileana chuckled through her sobs and said, "You silly girl, you'll be in Bhopal and I'll be here, in Delhi. You're not gonna be at the end of the road, you know." "Yeah, but still...", Zoya's voice trailed off, as she tried to think of some sensible explanation to console herself and Ileana. "But still, we can talk over the phone. Its not like we're gonna forget each other, is it?", Zoya replied. Ileana smiled and replied, "No, of course, not. Now you should be going." "But-", Ileana cut her off, "You've had more than enough drama, for a day. Now, before we both start sobbing our heads off, I suggest you go, right now, I don't like crying in front of people. You know that." Zoya smiled slightly and nodded her head. She said, "Bye." Before she knew it, Ileana had slammed her into another bone crushing hug. Zoya hugged her back and cried into her shoulder. They pulled away after a few seconds amd smiled at each other, sadly, a few tears sliding down both their faces. Ileana broke the silence and said, "Bye then. You should be going." Zoya smiled and turned towards Asad. Asad had been standing a few feet away from both of them, the whole while, watching the scene play out in front of him. He didn't intervene, knowing how women were with all these emotional stuff. But even then, what he'd seen, warmed his heart. He was surprised to see that there were people who cared for Zoya, to such an extent. He felt a little jealous, but he knew that they'd known each other for longer than he'd known Zoya. He smiled at Zoya, reassuring as she looked at him with teary eyes. Ileana called out to him, "Mr. Khan?" Asad turned his head towards her, her voice cracked as she spoke, "Take care of Zoya, for me." He smiled and nodded at her. She watched them walk away, down the corridor, knowing that she won't be seeing Zoya, anytime soon, again.
:~:~:~:~:~:
Asad had been noticing that Zoya had been sitting in the same spot, for a quite a while, looking upset. He walked over to her and knelt down in front of her, he held her hand and asked, "You're upset about leaving Ileana behind, aren't you?" Zoya nodded her head, slightly. "But aren't you the one who was consoling her, when she was talking to you about the same?", asked Asad. Zoya replied, "Yes, I did, but that was just, because I didn't want her to cry, as she said earlier, she hates crying in front of anyone, even me." Asad squeezed her hands, tighter and said, "When we meet people, in life and we become close to them, you should also prepared to let go of them. There'll always be a day when we have to let go of the ones we love, but that doesn't mean they will mean any less, to us. Anyway, Ileana is just in Delhi, she's not all the way in New York. You can come here, quite often." "I can?!", Zoya asked excitedly. Asad nodded, smiling at her innocent face which was being adorned with her beautiful smile, adding her killer dimple to it. She was about to throw herself into his arm, when they heard a knock on the door. Asad muttered irritatedly, under his breath, "Perfect timing." Zoya smiled, hearing that. Asad got up on his feet and walked towards the room door. He opened it and found Sakina standing there, looking quite guilty. She smiled at him, when he opened the door, Asad didn't know if he should smile back, or not, knowing that she'd instigated, but also helped him. "Hi.", Zoya called out, seeing her standing at the door. Sakina smiled back, as Zoya walked towards her. They passed a knowing look to each other, which Asad recognized. He finally managed a smile and said, "Hi. Come in." Sakina stepped inside the room. Asad stared at her, waiting for her to start the conversation. She stammered a little, as she tried to think of the right words to voice in, "Uhh...I...I'm sorry, Asad." Zoya's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, as she heard Sakina's apology, failing to understand the reason behind it. "That's ok.", Asad replied, feeling grateful that she'd helped him out. Zoya understood that there must have been some kind of a tiff, between the two of them and decided not to inquire about it. "So...umm, yeah. I just came here to apologize, for what I said earlier." Asad nodded, but kept silent. Both of them stared at the floor, trying to think of something to say. After a little while, Zoya nudged Asad by her elbow and mouthed to him, "Say thank you." Asad turned his towards her and cleared hsi throat, to catch her attention, Sakina looked up at him, he looked away and said, "And...umm...thank you." Sakina turned towards Zoya, who smiled at her, she realized that Zoya must have probably told Asad about her visiting Zoya's house. She turned her head back to Asad and smiled, "You're welcome. I just came here to apologize to you personally, I should be leaving now and good luck for your future." She said the last few words, turning towards Zoya, indirectly meaning, Asad and Zoya's future together. This time, both of them smiled at her, Asad added, "Visit Bhopal, when you've got some time, I gave you the address, right?" Sakina smiled and nodded, "I will. Ok, bye then." "Bye.", both of them wished together as she walked out. Asad heaved a sigh, as she left, a little saddened at the fact that he'd only spoken to her, fo a little while, after meeting her, after such a long time. Zoya smiled at him, reassuringly and he smiled back at her. Just then, she remembered something. She asked him, "Mr. Khan, can I see your phone wallpaper?" Asad was confused as to why she was asking that, all of a sudden. He was just about to pull his phone out of his blazer pocket, when he remembered what his wallpaper actually was. He stuttered, "Umm..n...no, maybe later." Zoya was getting all the more curious, what was he trying to hide from her. "Why?", she asked. "Because you just can't!", he snapped at her. Zoya raised an eyebrow, as she watched him a back off, a few steps, holding the pocket where his phone was, protectively. He asked her, "Anyway, why do you wanna look at my phone wallpaper? Its not anything interesting." "Oh, is it? Then why are you hiding it?", she asked him, taking small, careful steps towards his retreating form. Knowing that this would probably set him off, she added, "Oh, its your secret girl friend's photo, right?" Asad choked as he heard that. "What?! Are you mad?!", he yelled, exasperatedly. "No, I'm not mad, I just want you to show me your phone wallpaper." Asad finally gave in and reluctantly handed his phone over to Zoya, who grabbed it excitedly. She frowned as she looked at the screen, she scratched her nose and said, "I need you to enter your password." She held the phone out, for him to take it, but he just crossed his arms and replied, "Its Zoya." "Huh?", Zoya stared at him confusedly. Asad smiled and said, "The password is your name." "Oh.", Zoya smiled back at him, sheepishly. She entered the password and waited for the home screen to come up. A slight shade of red, crept up her cheeks, as she saw the picture on the screen. She looked up at Asad, shyly, who was now smirking at her. Asad asked her, "So, this is what you wanted to see, right?" She nodded her head, her smile widening. It was a picture of both of them, taken together, during their Sangeet dance. Asad snaked and arm aroun her waist and pulled her close with one effortless tug. Zoya looked up at him, tears filling her eyes. Asad whispered, "You have no idea of how much I missed you."
:~:~:~:~:~:
Asad and Zoya walked towards the airport entrance hand in hand. They both looked at each other and smiled. After everything that had happened, at the end, God had united them. They'd been through thick and thin, good and bad, happiness and pain, but the only thing that mattered was, they were together. They walked through the entrance of the airport, still holding both their hands tightly together. The formalities went by quickly, considering the fact that they were only boarding a domestic flight. They stopped in front of their respective seats and glanced at each other, again. They sat down and smiled at each other, for the umpteenth time. Zoya gazed at each other for several minutes, not even noticing when the pilot announced that they were taking off and asked them to put their seat belts on. The much in love duo, were broken out of their reverie, as an air hostess called out to them, "Excuse me, please put the seat belts on, we will be taking off, shortly." They nodded their heads and proceeded to wear their seat belts. As the flight took off, they looked at each other again, it was a flight to a never ending journey, of two united hearts.
:~:~:~:~:~:
Epilogue coming soon...
__x__
That was 7480 words! The longest update I've wrote for any story, of mine! So now u guys know what exactly happened between Asya and see, Sakina was not a baddie. I'm pretty sure there are a lot of typos, so I'll go through it again and edit the post. Fingers crossed, u guys liked this chapter, coz I took a total of around 10 hours type this up. And for those of u who don't know, I created an index for all my writings and edits, I also started a 3 shot recently, which I've updated the first chapter for. Here's the link to my index, in which u'll also find the ts:
Now, coming back to this SS, there is still a 2800-4000 words epilogue coming up, but if u guys don't comment for this chapter, I'm gonna be pretty upset and I'm not gonna be motivated to type up an epilogue, so plz comment. I would love longer comments this time, considering it was the last update. I'm gonna be participating in the os contest, for which I'll type up the story tomorrow and Wednesday, I'll be updating my TS and on Thursday, I'll update my FF, so the epilogue will probably come on Saturday or Sunday, that is if u guys comment. I'm gonna keep my speeches for the epilogue, so u guys have escaped from my long boring thank u speech, this time, but I'll be back! Plz comment! Till then, adios!
Ramya😊
Please send me buddy request for a PM, for the epilogue. 😊
Edited by stereohearts200 - 12 years ago
Hindi TV Shows
125