AsYa OS: What If I Told You...

The wind blew through the leaves in the garden. The night was cold, unusual for Bhopal. But it seemed to mirror the way the residents of the Khan Villa were feeling. Well, all but one.

Asad sat on the bench, their bench, thinking back to all the things that had happened to him in the last 6 months. How Zoya came waltzing into his life. How she taught him to love. How she taught him to live life. How she cared for him. How she risked her life for others and her reputation for his happiness. How he hurt her. How she forgave him.

Tears formed in his eyes again, as he cursed his fate. He was so close to getting her back. So close to thinking that he was truly going to get a second chance. A chance to make it up to her. A chance to show her just what she meant to him, how much he loves her. But alas, Allah seemed to have a different plan for him.

The sound of someone's footsteps brought him out of his thoughts. Asad blinked and looked down, trying to hide his tears, assuming it was his Ammi or Najma.

His eyes widened when he saw steaming cup of coffee in front of him, and he slowly turned his gaze to see who was holding it. His eyes met with a pair of almond, kohl lined orbs, and he smiled sadly, despite himself. Zoya... He looked down again, and gently took the cup from her hand, but kept quiet. What could he possibly say?

Zoya took a seat next to him on the bench. "Mr. Khan..." she began. He looked at her, curious as to what she would say to him.

Zoya paused. She thought back to their numerous encounters. Their accidental run ins. Their first proper meeting in his room. How he was there for her as her pillar of strength, her knight in shining armor. How she wished she could lean on him one more time. But the sad reality was that, despite his innocence, he still didn't trust her. And for that very reason, she dare not share anything with him until she had concrete proof of Tanveer's lies.

Her eyes moistened, as she thought about the helplessness of her situation, and his. She closed her eyes, trying to relive their once happy moments. The few blissfully happy moments they had before their nikaah.

"Mr. Khan...," began Zoya again. "Mein jaanti hoon aap mera yakeen nahin karenge. Lekin agar meine aapse ek baat kahi, to kiya aap meri baat manenge?" she asked hopefully.

Asad looked at her, his eyes full of curiosity. His mind raced, wondering what it was she could possibly want to ask him. He noticed her hesitation, the fear and hope in her eyes. His heart constricted, knowing he was the cause for the pain in those eyes, for the fear in them.

Not getting a response from him, yet again, Zoya continued.

"Mr. Khan, uss raat, hamare nikaah ke roz," she paused as she noticed him close his eyes at her mention of their nikaah, "kuch nahin hua tha."

Asad opened his eyes, she looked here and there, and then finally turned to look at Zoya, confusion clear in his big brown eyes.

"Kuch nahin hua tha, Mr. Khan. Aapne, aapne kuch nahin kiya." Zoya's voice cracked as she tried her hardest to make the love of her life believe her. Just once. "Aapke aur Tanveer ke beech kuch nahin hua. Aap mujhe dhokha chaha kar bhi nahin de sakh the hain. Please, Mr. Khan, mera yakeen kije. Aapne kuch nahin kiya." Tears were streaming down her face, as she looked into his confused eyes, with her own pleading ones.

Asad kept looking at her, incredulous. He saw the hope, the angst, the desperation in her eyes. She wanted him to believe her to strongly. More strongly than he'd ever seen her want anything before. Was it true? Was he really innocent? Was he really able to avoid becoming his father? A slew of similar thoughts coursed through his mind, as he tried to digest her statements, her pleas for him to believe her.

Why would she be so desperate to make him believe her, if it was true? If he had really hurt her, betrayed her, and broken her trust in him, why would she want him to believe her, when she said that he was not the culprit?

Zoya waited. She waited for what seemed like an eternity for his answer. She could see the play of emotions in his eyes. From surprise, to confusion, to wonder and to... dare she say it, acceptance?

Asad's eyes softened, his tears threatening to spill out. He put his free hand on hers, and looked down at their hands. Zoya followed his gaze, confused, yet anxious. He set the cup of coffee down next to him, and used the same hand to gently wipe her tears.

"Zoya..."

She smiled a little, and nodded through her tears. Asad returned her smile, with the faintest of smiles and let his tears flow freely. He took her hand in both of his, and kissed it. He looked back up at her, and saw her beaming at him, despite her tears. He proceeded to wipe the rest of them, and shook his head lightly, motioning her to stop crying.

She responded by throwing herself on to his hard chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and rested his chin on the top of head. They both cried silently. They cried for their wasted time, for their love for each other, for their trust in each other, and for the happiness that was coursing through every nerve of their bodies.

Zoya blinked.

It was all a dream. A beautiful, but imaginary day dream. She looked down, her eyes moistening, as she realized this was her reality. She would never be able to get Mr. Khan to see the truth, because he would never doubt Tanveer.

She looked up at him one more time, and he looked back at her. They shared another eye lock, after what seemed like ages. But this one was different. It still held the same intensity it always did, but there was something else there. Pain. An indescribable pain that they both shared, for different reasons. But there was one thing that united them in their pain. The knowledge, that after a week, Zoya would lose all rights to her Mr. Khan. That her love was in vain. That despite her best efforts, she wasn't able to make him see the man he truly is. The knowledge, that after one week, Asad would enter into a union that was built on nothing more than a mistake, and an innocent child's well being. That despite his qualms about falling in love, he was not able to stop himself, and ended up committing the very crime he had always feared.

Unable to take the silence and pain anymore, Zoya slowly stood up, feeling Asad's gaze lingering on her as she did. She walked around to the other side of the bench, and turned back to see his back.

"Mein New York wapas ja rahi hoon, Mr. Khan. Aur iss baar, mein hargis nahin rukoongi," she finished sadly. And with that she walked away.

Asad's eyes moistened, for real this time, as he heard the words he'd himself told her the night before. They stung him more coming from her. But he couldn't stop her this time. As much as a life with out her in it was a life of a breathing corpse for him, he sat there, mum. Taking in the horrifying reality of his life. And what it held for him in the future.

A/N:

I apologize again if this made you sad. Just something that was germinating. And I won't be continuing it either, sorry guys! Please comment and like, if you're not too angry at me. 😆