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~Usse ab laut ana chahiye tha~
Part 1
Asad and Zoya were sitting at the beach with their legs straight towards the water. Zoya circled Asad's left arm with both her hands and rested her head on his left shoulder while Asad cupped the back of her hand with his right one and tilted his head to rest it upon Zoya's as they enjoyed the quietness of the place and battle of the waves.
The waves moved furiously whereas Asad and Zoya were at absolute peace. They were equally satisfied and happy with their lives.
Their wedding was scheduled on the day after tomorrow and instead of helping their families with the preperations, they chose to spend some quality time with one another as this was the golden time of their lives which they would adore in the rest of their lives.
"Mr. Khan! You know when I met you for the first time at the airport, I had no idea that we both will end up like this." Zoya still watched the furiousness of the waves as she spoke. The waves reminded her of her first few meetings with Asad. They had also fought like this over nothing in particular.
"Same here, Ms. Farooqi! I don't know why I never asked you before but anyway I'll ask now, why you looked very upset and irritated that day at the airport?" Soon as Asad questioned Zoya, She cursed herself mentally for starting the topic at the first place.
Zoya's body tensed up as she remembered that she had promised herself to never recall whatever happened on her last day in NewYork and she would keep her promise.
"Ummm.. really? I looked upset? Uh, I..I can't remember the reason though as it was 2 years back Mr. Khan. Maybe I was tired due to traveling for so long." Zoya stammered as she tried her best to answer Asad. She really wished that he would buy her lie which, fortunately for Zoya, he did.
TRINGG!! TRINGG!! (Asad's phone rang)
'MAA' flashed on his phone screen which he has saved for Zoya's mother.
He recieved the call without any delay. "Asalaam O Allaikum Maa!" Asad greeted his soon to be mother in law on the phone. "Wa Allaikum Asalaam beta! How are you?" Zeenat asked.
"I am good! How are you?" Asad replied back. "Alhumdulillah beta! Is Zoya with you?" She asked.
"Yess! Here, talk to her." Asad spoke in the phone before handing it over to Zoya.
"Asalaam O Allaikum ammi?" Zoya greeted her mother. "Wa Allaikum Asalaam, Zoya what's up with your phone beta? You were not recieving my calls so I called up Dilshad to ask if you are there but you were not so Dilshad suggested me to call on Asad's phone as he was also not at home which I did and guess what, Dilshad was right!"
Zoya smiled at the last sentence of her mother as she spoke "Ammi! My phone is in the car. By the way why were you calling me?"
"Beta! Your cousins are asking for you, They want you to come home." Zoya's mother told.
"Oh..Ok! I am coming. Allah Hafiz!"
"Allah Hafiz!" Zeenat replied.
Zoya didconnected the call as she stood up. "Mr. Khan I need to go home. My cousins are waiting for me." Zoya heaved a sigh of relief as she saw Asad nodding his head in response. She thanked her mother a ton for helping her in escaping this situation as she didn't want to talk about anything related to NewYork with anyone and in this matter Asad was no exception.
They walked to Asad's car quietly. Soon as they were seated comfortably, Asad started his car and dropped Zoya at her home before heading towards his own.
The Wedding Day~
Both the houses were filled with huge number of guests. Everyone was engrossed in the preperations. Members of both the families were trying their best to make sure that everything goes perfect. In both the houses, the atmosphere was filled with heartfelt excitement.
The decided venue was Zoya's house which was no less than any Mansion.
Farhan stood at the main door of Asad's house as he scanned the hall in search of his favourite family member, his khala 'Dilshad'. A smile formed on his lips as his eyes found her standing at a corner. She was busy in guiding something to a worker when Farhan went and hugged her from behind. "Asalaam O Allaikum Khala!" He greeted her cheerfully.
Dilshad placed her hands on his arms around her neck as a smile played on her lips.
Farhan was her sister's son who had gone to NewYork 4 years back for studying and then has started doing a job there. He has returned to India after whole 4 years today only because Asad was his best friend from the chilhood and he couldn't afford to miss his wedding.
She immediately turned around and pouted as she refused to look at him. "Aa gayi hamari yaad tumhe?" She asked while folding her arms across her chest. Farhan chuckled at her in response as he said. "Aapko pata nahi hai maine yaha aanay ke liye kya kuch nhi kiya per vo mera kharoos boss hai na-" he stopped speaking as Dilshad raised her hand in front of his face and said " Rehne do, rehne do! Tumhari ammi ne sab bataya hai."
"To phir itna gussa kyun?" He asked.
"Kyun ke wajah koi bhi ho, Tum Asad ki shaadi mein itni late kesay aa saktay ho?" She said as she pulled his ear playfully. Farhan hissed as she did.
She chuckled and hugged him lovingly. "How are you?" She asked.
Farhan smiled as he hugged her back. "Alhumdulillah! How are you?"
"Alhumdulillah! Jao Asad se bhi mil lo. Vo bohot naraz hua tha jab tumhari Ammi ne bataya ke tum nahi aa rahay ho." Dilshad said.
Farhan entered Asad's room when Asad was standing in front of the mirror and was trying to adjust the collar of his sherwani.
His sherwani was of bure black color with a little blue added in some parts of it. He was looking dangerously handsome as always.
Asad's mouth fell open as he saw the person who just entered his room. He was surprised and glad, both at the same time, to see his best friend + cousin after such a long time.
"Hey buddy!" He hi-fived Farhan before hugging him.
"Kesa hai?" Farhan asked as he hugged him back.
"Today I am going to marry the love of my life, still you're asking me this ?" Asad replied playfully as he grinned.
"Haha.. you lucky man." Farhan released himself from the hug and smacked Asad on his arm as he spoke.
"How did you convince your boss? Khala told me that he was not granting you a leave." Asad asked.
"Oh, you know me dude. I can do anything in the world." Farhan said as he touched his shirt collar haughtily while Asad simply rolled his eyes at him.
"Ok now jokes apart, Asad! I am very upset with you." Farhan pouted as he complained.
"What? Shouldn't it be the other way round? As you've came to meet me after so long. I should be the one upset here, not you." Asad frowned at Farhan.
"Not that dude! I am talking about my bhabi. Ummm soon to be bhabi. I have not seen her even once until now, isn't it unfair to your best friend? Infact I should have been the first one to see her." He again pouted.
"Farhaan, you're such a darma queen. Come! I'll show you her picture." He shook his head at Farhan's antics and motioned him to follow as Asad led him to his side table where his mobile phone was placed.
"Bt the way, What's my bhabi's name?" Farhan asked excitedly while Asad was searching Zoya's picture in his phone gallery.
"Zoya!" Asad spoke with his eyes still on his phone screen.
For a second, Farhan froze on his spot as he heard the name.
The name which he was hearing for the first time after that day. The day that he couldn't forget ever, Never ever!
'Could she be the same Zoya?' His eyebrows furrowed as he thought.
"Here! This is my Zoya." Asad forwarded his phone in front of Farhan which displayed a beautiful recent picture of Zoya.
Farhan immediately held the phone and focused on each and every feature of the girl in the picture.
'Yes! She is the same Zoya.' He thought as a layer of happiness crossed his face. How can he not recognize his first ever love? Who once used to be his best friend, in NewYork.
Zoya was one of the toppers of his class, the most pretty girl in the college. He has fallen in love with her beauty the moment he saw her for the first time. After some time she had become his best friend. She was a really nice girl but after what happened on the day after their farewell party in the college, changed his love for her in pure hatred. Back then he had promised himself that, one day, he would definitely take his revenge from her and now after 2 whole years, he got the chance to fulfill his promise. He has waited for this one chance from the day she left him. 'What could be better than this?' He smirked. 'I will destroy you Miss Zoya Farooqi! You just wait and watch.'
Today, he was very happy!
Firstly, he met his best friend after a gap of 4 years.
Secondly, he found Zoya, Zoya Farooqi.
He was incalculably happy for being able to take his revenge from Zoya but he also felt sorry for Asad as today he was going to use Asad for his advantage. 'I am sorry Asad!' He apologized Asad in his heart and spoke as he moved his gaze from Zoya's picture to Asad's face who was waiting for his response on seeing Zoya.
"You can't marry her." He stated blankly to which Asad frowned at him. Asad was shocked at the sudden unexpected statement of Farhan but after a few seconds a smile formed on his lips replacing the shock.
"Farhan! No jokes today please. It's my wedding day dude." Asad smacked his arm as he said.
"It's not a joke Asad! I am damn serious." Farhan replied with a blank face. He knew he has to act perfectly in order to convince Asad that he was not lying or joking.
Asad once again frowned. He could feel the tension building in the atmosphere as Farhan's face didn't show any hint of non seriousness. "What do you mean by I can't marry her?" He asked.
"Asad please sit. I will tell you everything." Farhan said in the most polite voice, he had.
"What everything Farhan? You don't even know her. How could you-" Asad said as he refused to sit down.
"I know Zoya Farooqi very well Asad." Farhan interrupted him.
Asad looked at his face disbelievingly. 'How does he knows Zoya's full name? Is he really serious?' Asad thought and sat down quietly as now he knew that Farhan was not joking. Farhan knew Zoya's full name which Asad has't told him.
As both sat on Asad's bed, Farhan started telling him what happened 2 years back, in NewYork...
FlashBack~ (2 years back)
10 am, at Farhan's apartment in NewYork.
"Zoya! Listen to me please." Farhan pleaded as he followed Zoya out of his room.
"No Farhan! You listen to me. I can't believe you turned out to be like this. I thought you were my best friend but no! I was wrong, Absolutely wrong!" Zoya stopped and turned towards Farhan as she spoke in her broken voice.
"Don't say that Zoya. I am your friend." Farhan said.
"Friend? Really now Farhan? Yeah right!" Zoya laughed sarcastically.
"If you were really my friend then you wouldn't have mixed wine in my juice at the farewell party and after that take advantage of my drunken state last night. I was not in my senses but tum toh thay. Why did you do this to me?" Zoya shouted on top of her lungs as she held Farhan from his shirt's collar, urging him to speak up.
"Zoya...I..I.I love you!" Farhan confessed his feelings first time in front of her. Zoya's grip loosed on his shirt and she stepped back. She fisted her palms tightly in order to control her tears to flow in front of him. Tears swam in her eyes as the pain given to her by her so called "Best friend" was too much.
"Love...huh? Do you even know the meaning of that word Farhan? True lovers never force their love. Do you have any idea what consequences this stupidity of yours could have? No! How would you? You are a stupid person Farhan and I loathe you, I loathe you!" Zoya spoke loudly and exited his apartment.
Farhan skeptically stared at the closed door of his apartment. "What was all that? She regrets last night? No! She doesn't! I know she also loves me. She is angry now just because it all happened without her agreement. That's it! I'll talk to her when her anger would calm down. I know she'll apologize for her words, I just know!" Farhan talked to himself.
Same day, 8 pm.
Farhan went to Mr. John's house where Zoya lived as a paying guest. He rang the bell and Mr. John himself came to open the door.
"Hey Mr. John! Is Zoya at home right now?" Farhan asked.
"No son! She has gone back to India. She had her tickets of today's evening flight booked from the past few days as her studies got over. Didn't she inform you?" Mr. John replied.
Farhan frowned as he heard him. 'She went back? Why didn't she tell me?' He thought.
"Ok!" Farhan turned without answering Mr. Jhon's question. Mr. John just shrugged before walking back in his home.
'How can she leave me just like that? I just confessed my love to her in the moring and she left the country in the evening simply? How dare she do this to me? She was my first love damn it! I will never forget this rejection Zoya! I will take my revenge from you one day and that's my promise to myself.' Farhan decided as his temper rised, rised and rised with each passing moment.
FlashBack Ends~
Farhan narrated the whole past to Asad but he tossed many truths. He didn't tell him that Zoya was not in her right senses that night. He didn't tell him that she regretted all of it the very moment she gained her senses back and he also didn't mention that she never tried to contact him after that.
All he told Asad was 'Zoya was her girl friend in college and on the last day of their college she slept with him (with her own choice) and then bid him goodbye as she had to go back to her hometown 'India'.
Asad's temper kept on rising with his each word. His heart refused to believe even a word that Farhan spoke but his brain forced him to believe as he had no answer to 'Why would Farhan lie to him?'
"Can you prove it?" He asked angrily.
"Ummm... Yes! Ofcourse I can." Farhan looked at him and thought for a minute before speaking out. He mentally patted his own back for being such a genius to save some pictures of Zoya with himself in his new iphone before coming to India.
His quickly fished out his phone from his pocket and searched for a close picture of himself and Zoya so that Asad could believe how close they were back then.
He opened a picture in which Zoya had her arms cirled around his waist and he also had his arms around her waist as they smiled at the camera.
Soon as Asad saw that picture, their closeness infuriated him to no end. He abruptly stood up and walked out of the room without sparing a single glance to Farhan.
Farhan frowned as he stared at Asad's retreating back. He was not able to deduce by Asad's behavior whether he was successful in convincing by the story or not?
Dilshad came in the room and asked him to go, sit in the car as Asad was waiting outside for everyone. He scowled as he heard Dilshad, he felt like beating up Asad for not calling off the marriage even after knowing about Zoya's past.
"Zoya! Baraat aa gayi hai!" One of Zoya's cousin announced in the room where Zoya was getting ready.
As Zoya heard the news, her heart beat increased incalculably. She was feeling very much nervous and concious about her looks as she knew that when she will walk into the hall, everyone's gaze would be glued only to the bride, specially Asad's.
She blushed a little but after a few seconds,her eyebows again creased as she thought 'How will I walk under everyone's gaze?'
After half an hour~
Zoya got the biggest shock of her life as she looked up while descending the stairs of the hall. She stopped midway on the stairs when she saw Farhan Standing with Dilshad, behind Asad. She noticed how he had a frustrated look on his face as he stared at her with rage visible in his eyes.
She stared at him disbelievingly. 'Farhan?' She whispered his name in her mouth as she found it difficult to believe on her own eyes.
She was seeing him after 2 whole years, and that too onn her wedding day! 'What is he doing here? Does he know Asad? Does he know that I am Asad's soon to be wife? No! He doesn't. If he had seen my picture before then he would have definitely told Asad everything and Asad would have not been sitting here then.' Zoya thought and thanked God when she concluded that Farhan has not seen her yet. She pulled her veil a little more low in order to cover her face a little more as she doesn't wanted Farhan to create any drama here which would ruin her wedding along with her future.
Her cousins, who were beside her, nudged her to move and she complied as she cotinued descending the stairs. She went and sat on her seat which was placed opposite Asad's. She glanced up at Asad soon as she sat down.
Asad was not at all looking at her. He seemed pained and confused at the same time. She could tell that he was present there physically but not mentally.
'What is it, bothering him?' She herself felt disturbed seeing him like that. 'I will ask him once the nikah is over.' She made up her mind.
"Zoya Farooqi! Kya apko ko Rashid Ahmed Khan ke bete Asad Ahmed Khan ke saath nikah qubool hai?" The Imam asked Zoya.
A slight smile came over on Zoya's lips as she answered the Imam "Qubool hai!"
"Zoya Farooqi! Kya apko ko Rashid Ahmed Khan ke bete Asad Ahmed Khan ke saath nikah qubool hai?" The Imam asked again.
"Qubool hai!" Zoya replied 2nd time.
"Zoya Farooqi! Kya apko ko Rashid Ahmed Khan ke bete Asad Ahmed Khan ke saath nikah qubool hai?" The Imam asked 3rd time.
"Qubool hai!" Zoya answered for the last time.
Now the Imam turned towars Asad.
"Asad Ahmed Khan! Kya apko Anwar Farooqi ki beti Zoya Farooqi ke sath nikah qubool hai?" He asked Asad.
"Qubool .. Nahi hai!" Came a firm reply from Asad.
Zoya's head shot up as the words came out of Asad's mouth. She confusedly looked over at him as she thought 'Did I hear him right?'
Suddenly people started chattering and a few gasps were heard which confirmed Zoya's confusion.
She frozed at her place and stared skeptically at Asad who stood up and exited the hall without even looking at her once.
A lone tear made its way down her cheek as the truth sank in. "Asad, her first love, has ditched her, betrayed her, LEFT her!'
Two Months Later~
Zoya stood aimlessly near the glass window in her room which clearly showed the heavy rain falling unconditionally from the skies. She was unable to differentiate between the white clouds floating freely in the sky and her swollen brown orbs. Actually there was nothing different between these two as in the past two months, her eyes have also flowed ample tears the same way as today, the clouds were flowing rain drops.
She hasn't met Asad since he refused to marry her. He himself never bothered to give her any explanation of the decision he took for both of them and she also never asked him. She didn't need to ask him anything as her every confusion, every question was answered on the same day, by Farhan.
Farhan had called her on the same day but late at night. He spoke as soon as Zoya recieved the call "So, how's my Zoya baby feeling? Come on dear, you can share your feelings with your best friend." He laughed evilly whereas Zoya sulked at his each word but didn't speak. "Now, finally my soul is at peace as I have taken my revenge from you. I made Asad leave you just like you left me. Now you know how it feels when your first love ditches you. Believe it or not, Asad came at your house just because he wanted to insult you in front of everyone as I have told him how you used to sleep with me in-" Zoya disconnected the call before he could complete. She didn't have the courage to listen to his shitty mouth anymore.
After that phone call, it was much more difficult for her to believe that Asad, who used to say 'I love you' to her many times in a day, who used to respect her, who used to trust her blindly, believed whatever Farhan told him?
He could've just once asked her for an explanation as he had full right to ask her anything he wants but he didn't. She would've told him every single detail of whatever happened in the past.
Zoya sat on the bean bag in her room, in a half-laying position. Tears flowed uncontrollably from her eyes as her past played in her mind like a dreadful movie which she would never want to watch again.
As a few minutes passed, she sat up on the bean bag and lifted her arms to pick up her diary from the table at her left side.
Her diary has played the role of a best listener for her in the last two months. Whenever she felt like sharing her feelings with someone, she would pen them down in her diary in form of poetries as she believed that writing poetry is the best way to express your feelings. She loved sharing her feelings with her diary because diaries are the only whom never questions your words, they just absorb whatever is being written in them and also because she feels much light hearted after writing, how she feels, in the diary.
Zoya opened her black diary and started writing;
"Rukhsat hua toh aankh mila ker nahi gaya!
Vo kyun gaya? Yeh bhi bata ker nahi gaya!
Yun lag raha hai jaise abhi laut aye ga...
Jaatay huay vo chiraag bhuja ker nahi gaya!
Lautay ga kab.. ?
Kabhi vo bata ker nahi gaya!
Rehne dia na us ne kisi kaam ka mujhe,
Aur khaaq mein bhi mujh ko mila ker nahi gaya.. !"
******
PART 2
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
46