__________________________________________________________________________
Asad was buttoning his shirt when he heard his phone beep.
Message from Zoya Farooqui: "Need to talk. Come to my room ASAP. Urgent"
What could be so important that she needs to talk to him asap this early in the morning?
"Unless, it was about Tanveer," thought Asad and sighed, "Why can't she give it a rest? He had asked her numerous times to forget about Tanveer and just leave her alone. It is their wedding tomorrow and any normal girl would be busy thinking about that but then again, Zoya was not 'normal'."
Asad crossed the distance between their rooms with only a few long strides and knocked on Zoya's door.
"Miss Farooqui"
"Come in"
He opened the door, walked in and was surprised to see Zoya sitting in bed with her suitcases packed.
Zoya was not smiling. Her eyes were red rimmed.
"Miss Farooqui are you alright?"
"Zoya'my name is Zoya. Stop calling me Miss. Farooqui because this pseudo respect that you show me is beginning to irritate me now. In reality you have NO respect for me. You do not trust me or anything I say or do. "
"Okay, Zoya calm down. We can work this out. Kaal hamari nikah hain"
"No we cannot. I cannot start a relationship where my spouse has no trust in me. It will be a baseless relationship where you will question every decision I make and judge me constantly. I cannot live through that," Zoya was almost screaming now.
"Zoya ..shhh. Zoya please calm down. Ammi, Najma..they will hear us."
"Let them. I want the world to know that the man I am engaged to has no faith in me, doesn't trust me aur issi liye Yeh Nikah Mujhey Qubool Nahin Hain."
"Zoya."
Zoya tried to storm pass Asad but he grabbed her right hand.
"Aaahhh.." Zoya cried in pain.
"What happened?" asked Asad and turned Zoya's hand to check her palm. He noticed the angry wound in the center of her palm. It was his name but it looked swollen and painful. "How did this happen?" he repeated his question, this time very seriously. "Kaise hua yeh?"
"You won't believe me if I tell you. So why bother? Let me go NOW."
"Zoya will you please calm down and listen to me."
"Nahi nahi nahi never. You never listen to me when I tell you something and this time I will be just like you."
"Ufff you are impossible! You leave me no choice but to .to let's go I will show you." Asad oped her bedroom door and half dragged Zoya to the kitchen.
Dilshad, Najma and Tanveer were all standing in the kitchen. The first two had a worried look on their fact while the latter had her usual evil demeanor. They all had heard the conversation between Asad and Zoya.
"Ammi, Najma, Tannu - Zoya thinks I am emotionally challenged and I am unable to communicate. She thinks I do not trust her, I do not believe her and a relationship cannot last if a spouse does not trust the other. Zoya wants to cancel the wedding and I think she is absolutely right."
Zoya's head was spinning. Oh my God, her plan was falling apart. She thought by pretending to leave the house she could have everybody react to it. She knew Phuppi and Najma would have tried to stop her and Asad too but Tanveer would have encouraged her to leave. This could have opened Asad eyes somewhat. And Tanveer's insistence to continue with the wedding, with her as the bride, to save Dilshad's face to the Siddiques and Shireen, would have made it obvious to Asad that Zoya was right. Zoya had already planted the fingerprint in Asad's laptop bag and was planning to text him later to check it out too. She was planning to make a last minute entry before the wedding and take his man back from the grips of the wicked witch but now it wasn't happening as planned. Zoya went over the plan all night last night, over and over again and knew it would work but now it didn't seem so. This Adku Ahmed Khan was actually agreeing with her. The only "freaking" time that she wanted him to disagree he is agreeing.
"But Ammi, Zoya never thought of what will happen to you. You had challenged Shireen Ahmed Khan and now you will lose. Itni logoke saamne apney challenge accept ki aur aab aap haar jayenge ! Mein aisa honay nahi doonga. I cannot let that happen. I will get married tomorrow by hook or by crook. Tanveer, nikah karogi mujhse?"
Things were moving too fast. Everything was spiraling out of control.
"Haaa" Tanveer answered without skipping a beat. Too eagerly.
"Nooo" Dishad screamed. Totally disagreeing.
"Kya?" Najma asked. Confused.
Thud. Zoya fell on the floor. Unconscious.
It took them a few minutes to bring Zoya back to consciousness and an extra few minutes for her to get her bearings back.
They were in the living room. Zoya turned towards Asad who was standing over her with an indifferent well a rather...irritated look.
Tanveer was right. He really doesn't care about me. All these time he was indeed trying to break up with me thus he agreed so readily when I tried to "fake" break this wedding. Allah Miyan aab kya hoga?
"Miss Farooqui, you alright?"
"Yes. I am better. Can I leave now?"
"Of course not. I need two things from you. First the engagement ring and secondly a blessing if Tanveer agrees to marry me."
"Allah Miyan...what's wrong with your Mr. Khan? Here take it...take it..aarrrghhh. This stupid ring. Aapke dil ki tarah yeh ring bhi bohot chhota hain. Nikalta hi nahi!"
"Najma, go get some lotion or oil. Mr. Farooqui needs help. Since she is so eager to break off this wedding I think we should help her achieve it faster."
"Ufff.kya laga rakhahein tum dono ne. Everybody calm down. Nikah is NOT cancelled."
"Exactly Ammi, nikah is not cancelled. Everything will be the same only a different bride. Someone who is not crazy."
"Crazy? Me crazy? Log pyaar mein andha hota hain Mr. Khan. Lekin aap to dosti mein andha or behra dono hi ho gaye. Aapko to kuch dikhai nahi deta .ar kuch sunai bhi nahi deta. If I am crazy than you are crazier for not believing in me. Kar lijiye apni pyaari Tannu se shaadi. You have my blessing," Zoya ranted and finally popped the ring off of her finger. "Take it and marry your sweetheart. Mera saara plan spoil kar diya. Stupid man."
"Thank you Zoya."
Asad slowly walked to Tanveer who was appearing more and more giddy by the minute. Her destiny was about to change and who knew it would happen so easily.
"Tanveer, let me ask you formally, 'Will you marry me?'" Asad asked.
Zoya heard her heart break into pieces. She wanted to pounce on the man's back and hit his head with a hammar.
"Ji Jammy. Hum aapse zaroor nikah karengey."
Dilshad and Najma gasped audibly.
"Great. But there is a little problem. If marrying someone who does not trust you is a problem than to marry someone who constantly lied to you and continues to do so for her own gain is an even bigger problem? You see, trust can be gained but life changing lies cannot be overlooked. Tannu..iss baaren mein aap ka kya khayal hain?"
"Jammi what are you talking about?"
"Well let's see. Where should I start? I have so many choices: The fake story about your factory burning down, a husband who does not exist, your fear of doctors, your attacks on yourself, the story about your eyes so many lies so much deceit. May I ask why you said so many lies? Apni dost par bharosa nahi tha? If you had problems, I could have helped you, why did you have to lie and cause me and my family so much pain."
Zoya, Dilshad and Najma stood in a line with their jaws dropped to the ground. While Dilshad and Najma were reeling from this confrontation, Zoya was doing mental somersaults in happiness. "My hero my Mr. Khan is AWESOME! Kya sixer mara inhonay...woh bhi last over pe!"
"I want you Jammi, I want your money, your name, your status. I need your shadow over my unborn child so that he is not labeled a bas***d. I need everything that you have. EVERYTHING. "
"Is that why YOU wanted him on OUR wedding night so you could trick him into believing it was his kid you are carrying?"
"Yes. Finally Zoya Farooqui starts thinking. Hahahaha. Stupid girl. I didn't think you would give up so easily after all those lambichauri dialogues that you gave me."
"I didn't give up."
"Yes you did," exclaimed Asad, Dilshad and Najma in chorus.
"NO I didn't! I had a plan and I thought about it all night believe me Mr. Khan.."
"Zoya. We will talk about it later. Asad, I don't even want to talk to this girl anymore. I loved our Tanveer so much but now even her presence in this house is making me sick. Please ask her to leave immediately."
"I can find my own way out. Dhhakka dekar nikalneyki koi zaroorat nahin. "
"I wasn't going to kick you out. In fact I was going to offer o drop you off at a bus depot but since you are so independent, I am sure you can manage. I will always be a friend to the Tannu I knew as a child, if she ever decides to come back. But not the Tannu you have become. Please leave us alone. I am doing you a favor by not calling the police. Please leave before I change my mind"
One by one they all left the living room and Tannu too eventually packed her suitcase and left the Khan Villa.
Zoya silently peeked through her door and saw Dilshad and Najma back in the kitchen.
"Phuppi, are you angry at me?"
"Hummm..."
"Sorry Phuppi, I know I should have included you in my plan to expose Tanveer but I wanted your reactions to be genuine."
"I am a very good actress. You could have told me and I still would have acted perfectly. After all I fooled you and Asad into getting engaged by feigning illness and you two totally fell for it."
"What? You were acting? Does Mr. Khan know? Don't tell him. He will be so mad he will cancel the wedding. "
"Hello Zoya...remember you cancelled the wedding already. "
"No Phuppi. It was not a real cancellation. Really. I want to get married to Mr. Khan. Honestly, I have wanted to REALLY marry him since we started the wedding drama. I just wasn't able to tell him that. Besides why should I be the one to tell him. He is the guy, he should tell me first if he wants to marry me."
"Hahahahaha. Zoya tum itni bholi ho aur Asad itna budhdhu hain. BTW Asad knows that I was acting. Despite that he wanted to marry you and told me so himself. I have been bugging him to profess his love to you for days now but he hasn't been able to so. Now, go talk to him because he thinks you don't want to marry him. Jao jaake manao use."
Zoya couldn't believe her ears. "Mr. Khan loves me? Mr. Akdu Ahmed Emotionally Challenged Ideachor Khan loves me," she thought.
"Thank you Phuppi. Mein abhi jaati hoon." Zoya hugged Dilshad and ran to Asad's room.
"Knock, knock. May I come in?"
"No"
"Okay. I will come in anyways." Zoya entered Asad's room and found him standing by the large window near the lamp.
"I need my ring back"
"No"
"Yes"
"No"
"Yes, yes, yes. First of all I don't know why you are angry at me. I had my own plans to expose Tanveer and you totally washed it out but bringing your own drama. Do you know I was up all night planning it. You stole my thunder!"
"Liar"
"Liar? What did I lie about?"
"About staying up all night and planning it. You were asleep by 2."
"How do you know that? Where you in my room? What were you doing in my room at 2?"
"Ufff..shhh. I wasn't in your room. I got up to get some water and heard you talking. I knocked your door but you did not reply. So I peeked in to see who you were talking to and realized you were talking in your sleep. You cannot keep quiet even when you are sleeping! You went through your entire plan for today and I heard everything. You are probably the worst secret keeper in the entire world and I was right to not tell you that I had my suspicions about Tanveer and had a PI trailing her background as well as her current endeavors. I did trust you Zoya but I was waiting for the right time to reveal everything. I wanted to tell you everything tomorrow night. All about Tanveer and..and..and..how I feel about you. But now that you have cancelled the wedding you."
"What DO you feel for me Mr. Khan?"
"I..woh actually hum "
" Yeah..hum dono bohot alag hain .ab iske agey kuch boliye. Iss ghar ke wall ko bhi pata ho gaya hai hum dono bohot alag hain. Aab yeh saarey wall and me kuch aur hi soon na chahte hain. Kindly please proceed "
Asad smiled. "Even in a situation as tense as this, Zoya can be funny. I love her so much." He took as step closer to Zoya.
Mr. Khan is finally smiling. Allah Miyan he looks so good.
He took both her hands in his and then placed them on his shoulder. He removed his own hands and lightly placed them around Zoya's waist. He leaned forward so his forehead was touching hers: "Zoya Farooqui, I saw you at the Dargah many months ago and immediately felt a connection with you. I knew you were meant for me but I was lying to myself and tried to convince myself that you are a misfit. But the harder I tried to push you the closer we became until I realized I was in love with you. "
He broke apart and looked down as Zoya. She was crying. Asad wiped her tears and kissed her eyes. Zoya took this opportunity to put her arms around his neck and hold him tight.
"I love you too Asad. I really really really love you. You understand me in ways no one can. You can handle me in situations when everyone fails. I love you with all my heart and I promise to love you for the rest of my life. Now can I have my ring back?"
"Hahahaha. Of course you can Zoya as long as you let me put it on you."
For the third time in less than a month these two lovebirds were engaged. If it is meant to be...it will happen.
Kumkum Bhagya
Anupamaa
Current Affairs
Bigg Boss 19
