AsYa TS - The child in you/COMPLETED PAGE 4 - Page 2

"Mr Khan uthiyeee" Zoya sat on the other end of the bed next to Asad, pulling the covers off Asad's face trying to wake him up. Asad winced at being disturbed but continued sleeping making Zoya frown at her failing attempts. She caressed his head softly, trying to coax him to get up whispering into his ears. But her soft caresses only calmed him more, soothing him to sleep. Zoya's frown deepened further. Normally she was the one who slept till late and Asad would be the one following a strict routine, waking her up, getting her breakfast in bed as per her wishes. Zoya smiled at that and looked at Asad who was sleeping with his mouth left open. She giggled and pecked him on his lips. He smiled in response and continued sleeping, making Zoya chuckle at her adorable husband. He was always taking care of everyone, being the responsible head of the family. From the age of 10 his shoulders had been hunched down by so many duties, he had never got the chance to live his own life. The burden on him had clustered his feelings in a box and never let them free. This was her one chance to make him live, make him laugh, make him happy in the real sense and let the child in him free, which had never really gotten to be his age.

A naughty smile took over her face and her fingers dived into the duvet tickling her Mr Khan awake. Asad squirmed and gasped for breath, and burst out laughing at the assault by his wife.

"Zoya stop, kya kar rahi ho?"

"Aapko jaga rahi hun, because you don't understand any other way"

"This is no way to wake me up STOP"

"Acha? Toh aur kaise jagate hai sleepy heads ko"

"You're the biggest sleepy head I know Zoya, lekin mai toh aapko kitne pyar se jagata hun."

Zoya stopped tickling him,"Kaise?" giving him a naughty smirk.

Asad grinned and pulled at her, making her fall on the bed and pushed her below him.

"Mr Khan kya kar rahe hai?"

"Bata raha hun aapko ki sleepy heads ko kaise jagate hai," he whispered huskily and pressed his lips against her. Zoya smiled against his lips but responded passionately, pulling him closer.

"Zoya kaha le ja rahi ho, its just 7 in the morning, and today's a holiday."

"Oh God Mr Khan, jawani mai hi buddhe ho gaye aap, aaj holiday nahi hai aaj Christmas hai."

"Sadly aap abhi tak bachi hi hai, Christmas is a holiday Zoya."

"Yes but not a holiday meant to be spent in bed sleeping like a lazy ass."

"Did you just call me a lazy ass Mrs Khan? I can prove otherwise you know."

Zoya blushed at his jibe and hit him on his chest pulling him by his hand to the living room.

Asad saw a huge Christmas tree lying at corner of the room near the entrance, a lot of decoration lying around it in packets.

"Ye kya hai?"

"Seriously Asad, ab ye bhi samjhana padega?"

"Asad, THIS is a CHRISTMAS TREE, WE have to DECORATE IT, ok baby?" she tucked at his chin and spoke loudly spelling everything in detail as if he were a kid.

Asad rolled his eyes at her and sighed," Zoya mujhe ye sab karna nahi aata, I've never really done it and anyway I think you know better, why don't you do it."

"Mr Khan there is always a first for everything and let this Christmas be the first you're going to learn how to celebrate it, all in Zoya style. Aur waise bhi it's the first after our nikaah, kya aap mere saath ye tree decorate nahi kar sakte."

Asad saw Zoya pouting and signed in agreement, he had promised to make her Christmas memorable for her and make it possible for her to live her childhood memories, if that meant being the child like the child in her he would do that too.

Zoya smiled in glee and jumped on him in excitement," Thank you Mr Khan, I love you," she got down and kissed him hard on his cheeks making him chuckle at her madness.

The next few hours were spent decorating the Christmas tree, rather decorating each other. Amidst a lot of noise, a lot of falling, hitting each other and the usual Asad Zoya's routine bickering.

Zoya was tired of jumping around so she had taken a break and was sitting lazily on the floor staring at her husband who was decorating the tree with deep concentration and precision. With a soft smile on his face he was enjoying his first Christmas ever. She saw the streamers circled around his neck and the glitter from them over his face and chuckled at him.

Asad saw his wife laughing and smiled. Zoya knew the real art of living. She had gone through so much in her life herself but had never let it affect herself. Her will power, her courage and her smile was a reply to every challenge life had put forth her. He knew she was trying to make him live a life he had missed out on and that feeling had left him overwhelmed and emotional. No one had ever thought for him the way she did, understood him the way she managed to. He had let her believe he was a novice, knew nothing and let her mother him and teach him every little thing about decorating the tree or celebrating Christmas. Asad hadn't ever got the chance to be a child, and enjoy celebrating any festival when he was a kid. This experience had evoked so many emotions in him that were totally alien to him. But those feelings had left him thrilled, he had enjoyed being a child today, set himself free.

Asad raised his eyebrows in confusion seeing her smile. Zoya walked over to him and standing on her toes ruffled his hair. Asad frowned and tried to push her away but Zoya just shook her head and ruffled his hair, cleaning the glitter off it.

"Here you go Mr OCD." Zoya smirked at Asad who was staring at her sheepishly.

She removed the streamers from around his neck and cleaned off the glitter from his T shirt, then moved towards his face wiping his face tenderly too. Asad smiled at his wife who was caring and loving him like his own mother. He moved closer and caressed her cheek lovingly and placed a kiss on her cheek making her smile.

While she was adoring him dotingly, Asad held out a star to her.

"Don't you want to place the star on the top?"

"You didn't do it"

"Uh huh, this is special, will be done by my Mrs Special isn't it?"

"WOW so cheesy Mr Khan, and so unlike you."

Asad just rolled his eyes for the millionth time on her millionth overreaction and drama. Zoya took the star and jumped to place it on the top, but she failed to do so since she couldn't reach it. She frowned in anger after another attempt and folding her arms on her chest huffed away.

A few seconds later she felt Asad's arms creeping from around her thighs lifting her in the air, towards the top of the Christmas tree. She looked down in surprise and he motioned her towards the tree.

Zoya smiled in glee and placed the star on the top. Asad placed her down carefully and moved away only to be pulled back by his Zoya. She snaked her arms around his neck and pulled him towards her hugging him.

"Thank you Mr Khan."

"Thank you!"

"Zoya tum tayyar ho jao, we need to leave in half an hour."

"Kaha jaana hai Mr Khan?"

"Woh sab aapko pata chal jayega, you just get ready."

A while later they were driving towards somewhere. Where she didn't know and Asad wasn't ready to tell. So she had just left thinking about it and was enjoying the drive with him. They hadn't done this in so long.

She observed that they had moved out from the city towards the outskirts. The cool breeze and the moving car had put her to sleep. Asad glanced at his sleeping wife and smiled at how adorable she looked sleeping like that with her head dangling on one side and her hair sprawled all over her face. He tried tucking them behind her ear with one hand as he drove from the other.

"Zoya, wake up sweets, we've reached." Asad whispered to her, trying to wake her up.

Zoya stirred and her eyes fluttered open slowly. She winced at the sharp sunlight and closed her eyes again. Asad kept a palm on the side of her face covering her from the sunlight and shook her to wake her up again.

"Get up Mrs Khan!"

Zoya opened her eyes slowly and saw his hands covering her eyes, protecting her from the sunlight and smiled at his concern. Yawning cutely she woke up and looked around. She saw it was a huge area, green pastures till as far as she could see, and a huge colony of buildings. She read the board which said Home for angels'

Asad looked at her observing her surroundings and thought of clearing her doubt.

"Zoya this is an orphanage, me and Ammi and basically Dilshad constructions have been supporting it for years. Chahe humare paas kam paise rahe ho par har festival ke din Ammi used to make us do some sort of charity small or big. Woh humesha kehti thi that whether we have very little to be happy about we should always share it so the happiness just doesn't stay with us, it multiplies."

"When I earned enough for my family I made it a point to support people who don't have enough. Waise toh meri company ke through yaha bahut donations hote hai, but on some occasions mai aur Ammi yaha aate hai, to spend time with these kids. Today I wanted you to be a part of this, with me Zoya and I know how much it will mean to you. After all for you it's always been about others before yourself."

Zoya looked at Asad a little misty eyed. She couldn't explain how extraordinary this Christmas had become for her. To share her happiness with these kids would be special, but what overwhelmed her was Asad's gesture of getting her here along with him.

They both got down and Asad went towards the trunk of the car, Zoya followed him to see the trunk full of packed gifts and food. She helped him get the packages out. Asad called out to a few helpers who started to take the goodies inside.

Asad held out his hands towards Zoya, which she instantly held excitedly. Clasping his hands tightly she walked with him inside the orphanage.

One room to the other Asad and Zoya went to each child and handed them a gift and the box of snacks Asad had gotten prepared. Zoya couldn't even express the emotions she saw in the eyes of those kids. Asad didn't make them feel like he was giving them something like they didn't have. To each kid that he went he not only gifted them, but even asked for a gift in return. Some kissed him on his cheeks, and some gave them whatever little they had, a pen, a pencil or just a flower they had probably picked up from the garden.

Zoya smiled seeing her husband having a fun time with a little girl, probably 4/5. With her on his lap he was listening to her so intently as if she was telling him a huge secret of how to crack a company deal and he couldn't afford not to hear her out. She went and sat next to them, making the girl stop in her rant.

"What happened Zia? Asad uncle is waiting to hear about what happened to the kitten then? " Asad prodded her.

"Maybe she's shy around me." Zoya said smiling at Zia who was blushing hiding her face in Asad's arm around her. Zoya began to get up when Asad made her sit next to him again.

"Ziya you know I told you about a little typhoon in my life? This is her!"

Zoya gasped in shock at Asad's words. Had he introduced her to these kids as a typhoon? How rude was he? Akdu Ahmed Khan would never change she frowned, sulking to herself.

Zia giggled loudly,"Oh so she is your angel,"

"Yes sweetheart, the one that shook my life upside down."

Zoya was just frowning at Asad, when she felt Zia patting on her knees standing next to her. She smiled at her and picked her up in her arms. Zia poked at Zoya's dimple and bend down to kiss her cheek.

"Thank you aunty!"

"Hey! Not aunty, call me Zoya, and thank you for what angel?"

"For making our Grumpy uncle smile."

Zoya giggled and looked at her amused.

"He hardly ever smiled when he came here, we were always so scared of him Zoya, but then we tickled him sometimes and he would laugh, he looks so nice smiling, he has dimples like you Zoya," Ziya spoke animatedly as if explaining how they had managed to crack a smile and laugh from her Akdu. Zoya laughed with Ziya while they poked fun at him who was sulking on being left alone.

"But then sometime later, we never had to do that for him, he used to smile all by himself. One day we asked him how he did it all by himself when we hadn't even tickled him, and he told us that a typhoon had come into his life tickling him to no end. And now he couldn't stop smiling. So thank you Zoya." Zia hugged Zoya circling her chubby arms around Zoya's neck.

Zoya hugged her back lovingly, kissing her head gently. Asad smiled at the pair and Zoya looked back at him, her eyes twinkling with love for him.

Both of them spent the time with the kids laughing and talking. Zoya had gone between them and played so many games. Zoya was playing snatching the partner with the kids when she pulled Asad inside the game, explaining to him how since the game was named catching the partner, she couldn't play without him.

After a while both of them planned to move out and head towards home. The kids looked sleepy and tired. And it was getting late and Ammi would be waiting for them over dinner. They both greeted the kids and the caretakers before leaving.

It had become dark and cold now, Zoya moved towards Asad when they were walking towards their car. Asad saw her trembling slightly and pulled her closer, allowing her to snuggle up to him when they walked in silence towards the car.

**

Asad and Zoya reached home to find it enveloped with darkness.

"Asad ye kya hua, Ammi ghar par nahi hai kya?"

"Zoya I think light chali gayi hai, let's go and check."

Asad unlocked the door gently, while Zoya scooted closer to him suddenly wary of how eerie and silent her surroundings were. She heard the door click and held Asad's arm to follow him inside when sharp lights blinded her and she heard loud squeals of "Merry Christmas"

She opened her eyes to see her Aapi and Jiju standing next to Dilshad. Her eyes popped out of her sockets in surprise. She looked at them and then around the house which was tastefully decorated like how it used to be when she was a kid. All those beautiful childhood memories with her Aapi and Jiju came back to her and with them here today her family was complete. Her eyes moistened and she ran to hug her Aapi and Jiju.

Zeenat kissed her forehead, now crying herself, "Meri bachi! Bilkul bhool gayi na apni aapi ko?"

"Aapko kaise bhool sakti hun Aapi, pata nahi hai aapko ki mai aapko kitna miss karti hun. Especially since Christmas was around the corner. Pata hai aapko, har roz raat ko sapno mai aapse milne New York pahunch gayi thi. But I never thought aap yaha khud hi aa jayengi."

"Aate kaise nahi Zoe, tere Mr Khan ko tera sapna jo poora karna tha." Anwar piped in teasing them.

"Matlab?"

"He called us a few days back telling us how much you were missing us, and invited us over for Christmas and New years. Humne usse daant diya pehle, ki ye humara bhi ghar hai, you don't need to invite us. We would have gate crashed anyway."

"Anwar!" Zeenat exclaimed sternly.

They spent the next few hours eating on all the yummy food Dilshad had prepared for everyone. They sat next to the Christmas tree the couple had decorated and opened all the gifts they had exchanged from each other.

A while later Zeenat was cutting the plum cake she had prepared in New York and gotten for them, and began serving them to everyone.

"Arey Zoya Asad kaha hai, ye cake usse bhi de do."

Zoya looked around and realised Asad had been missing from a while. She took the dessert and moved towards the room. She entered the room to see Asad standing near the window, staring at the beautiful night sky and enjoying the cool breeze. She walked in softly and snaked her arms around his waist from behind him, leaning her head on his back.

Asad smiled and held her hands that were holding him around his chest. Zoya moved from behind him and stood next to him. Asad stared at her, his beautiful wife who was glowing under the moonlight.

"Merry Christmas Zoya," Asad whispered to her, moving closer.

"Merry Christmas to you too Asad," Zoya whispered against his lips, and kissed him eagerly.

Both pulled each other closer, kissing each other like there wouldn't be a tomorrow. They were overwhelmed, emotional and high on the happiness of having each other in their life. Never had life given either a chance to unleash their desires to anyone. Situations and hardships in life had only tested them, but had never given them the option to choose what they would wish for . But ever since their lives had entwined, they looked out for the other before themselves.

A Thank you' would make their relationship and these gestures look small in front of the feelings they had for each other. Words weren't enough to express them at this point, their actions had done enough. Asad had made it possible for Zoya to relive her childhood memories, reunited her with her family, made her a part of his happiness by taking her to the orphanage, allowed her to be the child that had never died in her.

Zoya had showered him with so much love, she had freed him from the chains he had build around himself, made him learn how to live life like it was the last day to live. She had taught him to be the child he had never been.

This was indeed the best Christmas of their life. And it was only the first of many more to come...