Hi everyone,
Finally here is an update from me. i know it has taken more than a month for me to update this.. sorry for the long delay and keeping some of you waiting.😭
Heart felt thanks to everyone who commented and liked the last chapter.
This chapter didn't come out as i wanted.. Hope it's not all crap.😳
CHAPTER : 16
The next morning Zoya woke up at the crack of dawn and got ready. She took her small backpack bag and walked to Khan Villa at 6.30.Dilshad had insisted everyone including Zoya to have breakfast at home before leaving.
When Zoya entered the house, Dilshad was in the kitchen preparing breakfast and Zoya started helping her. Najma came down few minutes later along with Naina. Dilshad was just wondering if Asad was up and whether she should call him for breakfast with them or not, when suddenly he opened his door and walked out.
"Tamatar, aren't you all still not ready? When are we leaving?" Asad came and stood beside Najma and Naina who had just sat down at the table for breakfast.
"We are ready Bhaijaan... Ammi wants us to have breakfast and leave."
"One minute... what did you just say Bhaijaan? When are we' leaving?... are you coming with us?" Najma asked surprised and in her excitement jumped up from the chair she was sitting by pushing it backwards and hitting Asad's leg in the process. Hearing what Najma said, Dilshad and Zoya who were standing near the kitchen counter also turned towards them and stared at Asad with surprise.
"Ouch Tamatar... be careful." Asad winced in pain.
"Sorry Bhaijaan... did it hurt you?... but are you really coming with us?... do come Bhaijaan... it wouldn't be fun without you." Najma's excitement could not be dithered and she was more concerned about knowing whether he was coming with them or not than any pain she might have just caused him.
Zoya and Dilshad looked at each other and smiled seeing the way Najma was pestering Asad, but they also waited with bated breaths to see what Asad's answer would be.
"I cannot really let you all go so far alone right!... so I have decided to come with you all." Asad answered.
Najma squealed with delight and hugged him.
"Thank you Bhaijaan... I am so happy... it's been ages since we all went anywhere together like this."
Asad hugged Najma back and kissed her hair lovingly. Dilshad felt a little teary eyed seeing Asad in a good mood after previous night and seeing her two children's banter and she turned away so that no one noticed it.
Zoya stared at Asad and Najma with a small smile on her face and then she looked at Naina who was sitting quietly all that time. But she could see a smile on Naina's face as well and knew how happy Naina would be feeling because her Abbu had ultimately agreed to come with them. Zoya's gaze then shifted back to Asad to see that he was looking at her from above Najma's head, while still hugging Najma and when their eyes met Zoya smiled at him reassuringly and they both remembered the conversation they had on previous night.
Asad could not believe that he had broken down in front of Zoya and had poured his heart out. It felt like a dream now but he knew that it was reality and he was glad he had shared everything with her. He had not liked her when he first met her and had always mistrusted her, but over the months he had learnt that she was a genuinely nice person and last night he had come to know that she was even more mature, compassionate and understanding than he could ever imagine and her heartfelt concern and advice had calmed him and he was glad he had shared his life's darkest secret with her.
They all then sat and had breakfast quickly. Everyone's mood had suddenly become elevated after Asad announced that he was coming with them.
"Asad, call the driver and tell him not to come since you will be driving us now." Dilshad told Asad happily as they were finishing breakfast.
Dilshad had made some sandwiches and things for them to take and she packed them into a basket. Rest of the things, they had already packed during the night so once Dilshad was done with packing the food they were ready to go.
Carrying the food basket, Zoya was the last one to come out of the house. And when she reached the car, Najma, Dilshad and naina had already settled at the backseat, leaving Zoya to sit with Asad in the front. Asad who had come after locking the door of the house after Zoya came out, saw this and an unknown feeling of satisfaction and happiness surged through him. He did not why such a simple thing as Zoya sitting with him at the front seat made him feel happy and satisfied and he did not understand why his eyes kept on seeking her this morning.
And as he put on his seat belt he could not help in gazing at her once again in the pretext of checking whether she had put on her seat belt or not. Zoya was wearing a blue Jeans and a white kurti top that day. Asad had never seen her in Jeans till then and although he did not favour girls wearing Jeans, he could not help in admitting that Zoya looked smart and pretty in Jeans and kurti. And strangely he did not even mind it that she was wearing them and going with them.
Few minutes into the drive, Najma said that she wanted to play Antakshari and she decided that it would be team in the front seats versus team in the backseat. Asad resisted saying he had to concentrate on driving and so he would not be able to sing.
"Asad don't be a spoilsport... you can sing while driving also... relax and enjoy with us at least this once." Dilshad chided him from the backseat.
"Ok Ammi." He sighed and Zoya smiled.
They started singing and to Zoya's surprise Dilshad knew so many songs and sang so well. Najma of course knew songs but she could not sing well to tune; nevertheless she sang with full enthusiasm in her sweet chirpy voice. Zoya herself was a not a very good singer but just like Najma she enjoyed singing. Asad had not sung anything till then as whenever their turn came Zoya immediately started with a song. And then it was their turn to sing a song starting with J and Zoya could not remember anything.
"Mr. Khan please help" Zoya whined.
Asad smiled and finally started to sing and as his voice filled the car everyone became silent, mesmerized by his voice. Zoya who had never heard him sing till now got totally lost in his voice which she felt was so good.
"Bhaijaan sings so well isn't it Zoya." The silence that ensued after he finished was broken by Najma.
"Yea very well..." Zoya said softly and looked at Asad from the corner of her eyes. She could not believe that he was avoiding singing all this time when he knew how to sing so well and had such an amazing voice. And Zoya realized that he had so many facets that he hid behind his serious demeanor.
"And guess what Zoya... he knows how to play guitar as well... Bhaijaan, I think one of these days you should play guitar at home and sing for us... it's been ages since you did that as well."
And then after an hour of laughing and playing Antakshari, they finally stopped feeling tired. And then another half an later, when there was no sound from the backseat and Asad looked back to see that Najma , Dilshad and Naina had dozed off. Seeing them Asad chuckled. Zoya who was sitting and looking at the view outside heard him and turned towards him.
"What happened?" she asked Asad with a smile.
"Look at them at the back. They have all slept. Najma always does this... whenever we go somewhere she would always say that we would enjoy a lot during the drive and then she would sleep almost the whole duration of the trip... Today she was actually awake much longer than usual." He smiled fondly remembering their past trips and his sister's weird cuteness.
"Umm Mr. Khan, did you all do this type of thing often?... I mean go on trips together as a family etc."
"Not very often... but we used to do it. When we were small, of course it was Ammi alone looking after us and so she was not in a position to do these kinds of things for us... but after I started working we used to do it... I remember that our first trip together was to Delhi. It was a gift I gave to Najma soon after I started working, because she was in school then and had never been to Delhi and she used to always wish seeing places like India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan... but then again for the past five years we had hardly gone anywhere..." his voice trailed off and Zoya understood why they have not been to anywhere during past five years. The family had been suffering silently, and Asad had been living a life of turmoil, fighting with the demons of his past, unable to give any attention to his family life.
"And I guess it's entirely my fault that we had not been able to enjoy as a family." Asad whispered after a while and Zoya's heart went out to him once again.
"No Mr.Khan... it's not entirely your fault... don't blame yourself... and there's still time to do all that you have missed out on doing as a family... there's still time for you to even bond with Naina... let yesterday be where it was...live for today and tomorrow is there yet to come." She reached out and squeezed Asad's forearm reassuringly. Asad looked back at her in wonder and smiled. He could not believe how wise she was and how she managed to calm him just with simple words.
The water park was actually at the outskirts of Indore and it usually took around 3 hours to reach there and two hours had passed. Asad was driving on the Bhopal - Indore highway and then suddenly he slowed the car and stopped it at a side.
"Umm Zoya, would you like to drive for a while?" Asad asked Zoya after stopping the car.
"What happened Mr.Khan, are you tired? Feeling sleepy?" Zoya asked suddenly worried.
"No nothing like that.. I...I just thought that it's a good chance for you to practice your driving."
"On the highway? Do you think that's a good idea?" Zoya asked surprised.
"I trust you that you would be careful Zoya." Asad replied softly and something touched deep inside Zoya. She did not know whether it was due to Asad saying he trusted her driving or whether it was hearing her name from his lips. He had started calling her by her first name since previous night and somehow she felt good every time she heard him say her name.
"Thanks." Zoya whispered and got down from the car. They exchanged the seats and Zoya started driving. She was initially a bit nervous to drive on the highway at high speed, but soon she got the hang of it and drove well. A small smile of satisfaction appeared on her face and Asad saw it and smiled himself. He did not know why he felt so happy knowing he had brought that smile on her face by letting her drive.
Najma woke up after a while, rubbed her eyes and stood straight and then stared at Zoya in the driver's seat surprisingly.
"What happened? Zoya you are driving... Bhaijaan are you not feeling well?"
"Najma your Bhaijaan is completely fine... don't worry he just let me drive so that I can practice my driving."
"Yea Najma I am completely fine." Asad reassured her.
"You are fine and you let Zoya drive?..." Najma said with evident disbelief. And hearing their conversation Dilshad too woke up.
"Zoya you are driving?" Dilshad asked equally surprised.
"Yes Ammi... it seems Bhaijaan gave the car to Zoya to drive so that she can practice her driving... can you believe this?" Najma said and they both smiled. They knew how particular Asad was about his car and on top of that they also knew that he never liked Zoya and never trusted her. So they could not believe that he had given Zoya his car to drive.
And that was the second out of character thing he did that day that surprised them. First was in the morning when he announced that he would be coming with them. It was very unlike Asad to change his mind so easily after he had decided on something and he had initially told them that he wouldn't be coming with them. And now he had let Zoya of all the people drive his precious car just so that Zoya could practice her driving. Dilshad wondered if he was changing a little and if so what had made him change.
They reached the park at around 10 am to see that it was already quite crowded. Asad never liked such crowded places and suddenly wished he had not come but then he made up his mind to try and enjoy the day if it would make his family happy.
They thought of having something to eat first as they were feeling thirsty and a bit hungry after the drive. But Naina wanted to go to the water immediately and she started tugging on Najma's hand and pointing towards the pool area.
"We should at least change your clothes first Sweety." Najma chided Naina. She took her to the changing room, changed Naina's clothes and made her wear a swim suit. Naina looked so pretty and cute in the pink swimsuit with a frill at the waist. She had recently started taking swimming lessons at her school and they told her to get a swimsuit. Asad was not happy initially at the prospect of Naina wearing a swim suit at school and he talked against it, but Zoya was there at their house on that day and Zoya and Najma had talked to him saying Naina was just a child and it was alright even if she wore a swimsuit. And finally to their surprise he relented and they had all gone together and bought that swimsuit for Naina.
"Why don't you all have something and come? I will take Naina to the pool." Asad said and held Naina's hand and Naina looked up at him adoringly. Zoya saw the look on Naina's face and looked at Asad with happiness. Even Dilshad smiled happily seeing Naina happy and Asad making an effort to be with her.
And by the time they had some snacks and a drink and came to the Play Pool area exclusively made for children, Naina was happily splashing the water smiling broadly and Asad was squatting beside her on the edge of the pool. The children's pool was also quite large and it had umbrellas with water raining from them, a large bucket that poured water at intervals and small slides.
And as Dilshad, Zoya and Najma approached the area, they saw Naina pull Asad's hand and point towards the slides and say something. They understood that Naina was asking Asad if she could go to the slides. Dilshad suddenly stopped walking and held Najma and Zoya's hand and whispered to them to wait and see what Asad's response would be. They knew Asad would not want to get inside the pool but at the same time would not allow Naina to go to the slides alone as well. They then saw Asad saying something to Naina and Naina's face fell immediately and they knew that he had refused her. But to their surprise, in the next instant Asad got up and said something to Naina again and walked away.
The three of them then came to Naina.
"Where did your Abbu go Naina?" Dilshad asked.
"To change his clothes... He said he will take me to the slides." Naina said proudly and Dilshad , Zoya and Najma exchanged a smile. They could not believe that Asad had agreed to go into the pool with Naina. And after a while Asad came back after changing into a short and a short sleeved tee-shirt and went into the Pool with Naina and took her to the slides at the middle of the pool. He helped Naina climb on to the deck at the top of the slide and then came and stood below the slide. And Naina slid down the slide straight into Asad and he laughed and picked her up and took her back to the platform. And each time Naina came down the slide she came and hit at Asad and she would happily wind her arms around him and he would lift her and take her back.
And seeing Naina enjoying with Asad, Dilshad, Najma and Zoya smiled contentedly. For them the day could not have been better.
"Zoya come we should go and enjoy ourselves now... shall we go and do some sliding ourselves?.. Ammi are you coming with us or you will sit here?" Najma asked excitedly.
"You both go and enjoy... I cannot anyway do all those things... so I will sit here." Saying that Dilshad sat at the edge of the pool to watch her son and granddaughter interacting with each other and enjoying together and she smiled blissfully.
Najma and Zoya first went on some dry rides. What they enjoyed most was the pirate ship and they shouted on top of the voice when it moved to and fro. Next they went to the slides and spent almost an hour sliding down the slides. By the time they came back to the pool area both were dripping wet and tired but they had enjoyed so much.
"Bhaijaan you should have come with us... we had so much fun... maybe we can still go one more time with you... Let's go Bhaijaan."
"No thanks Tamatar... That's not my cup of tea... I d rather stay here." Asad replied seriously and knowing him they did not push him to come. They knew that he would not enjoy going on those rides, especially when it was so crowded at the adult rides. And so they spent another hour at the pool playing with Naina and Zoya was happy that Naina had enjoyed so much that day.
Dilshad then reminded them that lunch time had passed and they all went and changed into dry clothes. Dilshad had made many things including sandwiches and kebabs and so they decided to have them for lunch as well instead of going to a restaurant.
And they found a quiet grassy corner at the adjacent park and spread two picnic mats there and arranged the food items on it. They then sat crossed legged on the mat and enjoyed the delicious homemade food prepared by Dilshad.
After lunch, they all continued to sit together on the mat talking and at times laughing at something Najma or Zoya said. But it was Najma who mostly talked as Zoya had suddenly become unusually quiet. She had enjoyed a lot that day and she loved being with Dilshad and her family but somehow at that moment, sitting with them after a fulfilling day, talking and reminiscing about each one's life made her miss a family of her own. Even growing up she had never had a chance to enjoy anything like this as a family because it was just her Ammi and herself. And then later she had lived with her Abbu but her step mom never took her to any of the family outings.
"Zoya what happened? Where are you lost?" She heard Najma's voice and came out of her thoughts.
"Umm nothing happened... I guess I am just feeling a bit sleepy after lunch." Zoya bluffed.
After a while Naina wanted to go to the restroom and Dilshad got up to accompany her. And at that moment Najma also stood up saying even she wanted to go to the restroom, and the three of them left leaving Asad and Zoya alone.
"So Mr. Khan, are you happy that you came with us today?" Zoya asked him after they left.
"Yea I am glad I came Ms. Farouqui." Asad replied seriously and Zoya looked at him sharply with surprise and Asad turned towards her and watched the look on her face.
"Why are you staring at me?" Asad then asked her with a hint of a smile on his face.
"Umm nothing.. I am just surprised." Zoya whispered bewildered.
"Why surprised?" Asad asked feigning ignorance.
"Because you have become so formal again."
"Formal? In which way?" Asad tried to still act ignorant of what she meant.
"Umm.. Actually... actually you have been addressing me as Zoya since last night. But just now you again addressed me as Ms. Farouqi." Zoya blurted and Asad smiled sheepishly.
"Actually Zoya I did that on purpose... I have started calling you Zoya and last night I have shared so much about my life with you, but you still keep on addressing me so formally as Mr. Khan... so if you are formal with me I should be formal with you as well right?"
"Oh I see... So do you mean to say I should start calling you Asad?" Zoya asked softly and gazed at him questioningly.
"I would be happy if you did Zoya." Asad whispered and gazed back at her with a soft smile and their eyes held and they stared at each other. Once again an unknown feeling had engulfed both of them and they wondered what it was and they searched each other's eyes looking for an answer. Previous night they had surely shared a lot with each other, and they had come to understand each other better and felt comfortable around each other; but other than that they knew that there was something else drawing them towards each other. After few seconds they realized that they were still gazing at each other and they suddenly came out of their trance and looked away self-consciously.
"Umm Zoya... I have been thinking about what you told me last night." The slightly awkward silence that ensued between them was broken by Asad's words.
"And...?" Zoya looked back at him once again.
"And I think I will follow your advice... now even I feel that it's best to find out the truth."
"That's really nice Mr. Khan... I'm sure you won't regret it in the long run."
"I'm sure too... thanks Zoya... if not for you, I would never have mustered the courage to do this... and now I need another advice from you... how am I going to do it?"
"Simple Mr. Khan... you need to do a DNA test."
"That even I know Zoya... and you are again calling me Mr. Khan."
"Oops sorry... I will try to call you Asad... but I think Mr. Khan suits you better." Zoya joked. But the truth was she felt awkward to call him by his first name. He had started calling her Zoya but he did it first during an emotional moment on previous night. And Zoya knew that it had become easy for him to address her as Zoya since that moment. But for her, even the situation was different right now and in addition to that, she did not know why but she was feeling very shy and awkward as if calling him Asad was something very intimate, even though they had left all the formalities behind and had become sort of friends and friends address each other by their first name.
"So Zoya what I actually meant was how would I do a DNA test? It involves testing Naina as well right? So how would I take her to a hospital and do it without my Ammi knowing about it?... I don't want Ammi to know about it Zoya... she would be devastated... may be even she deserves to know the truth... but right now I don't want her to know anything." Asad said worriedly.
"You are right Mr. Khan... she would be totally devastated and she should not learn the truth about Naina's paternity so suddenly that way... you should first do the DNA and then if you want to tell her you should find a right time in future and tell her... so I guess we have to find a way to do it without Phuppi knowing about it... and that's difficult... but don't worry, we will find a way... after all Zoya Farouqui is here at your service." Zoya laughed jokingly and Asad chuckled.
And he was once again amazed by the girl sitting beside him. He appreciated the way she tried to diffuse tension at anytime either with a joke or by her sensitive wise words. He had started to discover so many layers in her. She often appeared to be a fun loving, jovial young woman and behaved as if she did not have a care in the world; but now he had come to know that she was much more than that. She was sensitive, caring, and wise and always ready to help others and he liked all these things about her. And from what she told him previous night, he knew that even she had gone through a lot in life as well and had suffered just like him. But still she loved life and embraced it whole heartedly. He wondered if perhaps it was time he learnt something from her and started living himself.
"Umm Zoya... what were you thinking at that time when you were lost in thoughts?" Asad suddenly asked her. He knew that something had bothered her that time and he had seen a look of sadness on her face. May be his Ammi and Najma did not notice it but he did. And it was very unlike Zoya to be sad so he wondered what had made her feel so sad that she had become so quiet and lost while sitting with them.
"It's nothing Mr. Khan... I just got carried away with something." Zoya evaded answering him.
"Hmm... so you don't want to share it with me?... it's Ok... I guess you don't consider me close enough to share your feelings." Asad was joking but he actually sounded a little hurt.
"No Mr. Khan...I mean Asad... it's not that I don't want to share my feelings with you... it was just a weak moment when I got carried away with my emotions... but now I am OK and it wasn't actually something very important." Zoya whispered the last bit and Asad stared at her quizzically.
"Alright... I will tell you then." Zoya sighed seeing the look he gave.
"It was just that being with you all in a family outing like this made me feel a bit emotional at that moment... Because I never had the chance to do anything like this with a family of my own... but it's OK... I have always accepted that some things are not meant to be."
Hearing what she said Asad felt an immense sadness engulf him and at the same time it made him realize the extent of Zoya's childhood suffering even more. And he wanted to know more about her early life and how she made it this far, but he knew that it wasn't the right time to ask her.
"I understand Zoya.. I understand what it means not to have a proper family...but don't feel sad, maybe there are better things ahead for you... And my family is always there for you... always consider us as your family." Asad said softly and reached out and squeezed her hand which was lying on the mat, and Zoya looked at him surprised.
"Thanks Asad." Zoya whispered emotionally and when Asad finally heard her say his name it touched him somewhere deep inside and at that moment he felt as if his name was just meant to be for Zoya to whisper like that.
And then at that moment they saw Dilshad, Najma and Naina walking towards them and Asad let go of Zoya's hand quickly.
"Ammi I think we should leave now as it is already 3 pm." When they came near Asad addressed his Ammi.
"You are right Asad... the evening traffic will also be more... so we should leave early." Dilshad agreed.
"By the way are you letting Zoya drive this time also?" Dilshad asked and smiled and Asad and Zoya both felt embarrassed as if they had been caught doing something they should not and Dilshad was teasing them about that.
"Umm... Ammi... if... if Zoya wants I can give." Asad stammered.
"No it's OK... this time you should drive Mr. Khan... as Phuppi just said traffic also will be a lot heavy this time." Zoya said quickly and looked at him from the corner of her eyes to see that he still looked embarrassed and flustered. And at that moment Zoya found him so endearing that she could not help in smiling broadly. And to her surprise Asad looked back at her and seeing her smiling he smiled back at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. And to their luck no one noticed the smile they shared but even if someone did they would not have noticed it because that moment they were just lost in each other.
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