Hi All,
Here is chapter 2... hope this chapter clears a lot of things regarding Asya... and once again i assure you that there won't be a ZoYaan in the real sense.. so just relax and enjoy the story.😃
CHAPTER 2:
"Don't touch me... don't ever touch me... don't touch me." Zoya kept on repeating like a mantra, while her whole body shook and her lips trembled.
And then Ayaan saw her falling backwards on the bed and he knew that she had fainted. He reached out and held her just before her head hit the headboard.
"Zoya!" he called her name repeatedly and patted her cheeks but she did not respond. He did not know what else to do and then he remembered things that people did in movies when someone fainted. He rushed to his bathroom and brought a glass of water and sprinkled it on her face. Then he elevated her legs by putting a pillow underneath and rubbed her feet. And then he sprinkled some more water on her face and to his relief Zoya blinked twice and then slowly opened her eyes. She stared at him blankly for a while and then she suddenly got up, sat straight in bed and moved away from Ayaan again as if he repelled her and Ayaan was shocked once again.
"Zoya please tell me what has happened to you?" Ayaan asked but Zoya turned her head away from him and did not answer and silence ensued between them.
"Alright, I won't come near you Zoya. You just try to sleep." Ayaan finally said dejectedly. He was frustrated, worried and even a little bit angry with Zoya but he was wise enough to realize that it was best to leave Zoya alone right then.
Ayaan went and lay on his couch. He turned his back towards Zoya and pretended to be asleep.
Zoya sat huddled in a corner of the bed hugging her knees tightly; she was still shaking a little. She remembered everything that happened that day. She remembered herself saying Qubool Hai to Ayaan and coming to Ayaan's house and to this room. She was married to Ayaan, but then why had she behaved that way with Ayaan just now. She knew that what she did was not right, but she could not help it. Something had happened to her just before she said Qubool Hai to Ayaan, and she was not herself.
And then when Ayaan had tried to touch her, something else had happened to her. Something had snapped inside her, and all she knew was she could not allow him to touch her. She felt it was all wrong and an inner voice urged her not to allow it no matter what. And when Ayaan tried to be more close to her she became agitated and frightened and she had pushed him away wildly. She did not understand her own actions and she was even confused but she knew for sure that if Ayaan tried to touch her again she would behave the same way.
The night was a long one for both Zoya and Ayaan. Neither of them slept well. Zoya did not even change her bridal dress, and it was sometime in the early hours of the morning when Zoya finally dozed off sitting curled up in the same position, her head just resting on the headboard.
The next morning they woke up when Shirin called them for breakfast. Ayaan let Zoya use the Bathroom first and when they both were ready they came down for breakfast. Ayaan had wanted to first talk to Zoya but she avoided even meeting his eyes and stood in front of the window staring out while he got ready.
And then at the breakfast table Shirin fussed over them and urged Zoya to eat when she noticed that Zoya was not eating properly. Zoya knew that Shirin meant well but still it irritated her when Shirin fussed over her and her face clearly showed what she was feeling. Shirin did not notice it but Ayaan did.
Ayaan tried to remain calm and not think of Zoya's strange behavior since last night, and he started reading the newspaper. After a while, lack of sleep made him heavy headed and he felt himself dozing off when he suddenly heard his Ammi's voice again.
"Ayaan, beta I know that you must not have slept at all last night. But don't sleep at the breakfast table," Shirin teased him and this time even Ayaan got irritated with her. If only she knew what happened last night and why he could not sleep and how his dreams got shattered last night. And he hated his Ammi for putting salt on his wound this way.
Khan Mansion, Beverly Hills:
It was six o'clock in the morning and Asad was fast asleep on his bed when suddenly he started shaking and trembling and murmuring something in his sleep. Sweat broke out all over his body; it was obvious that he was having a disturbing dream.
"Zoya." He cried out brokenly and woke up from his sleep. He was still shaking and there was fear in his eyes. He then reached out his hands and touched his bed first and then his bedside table and the things kept there; he had to reassure himself that he was in his own bed in his own room and nowhere else.
"It was a dream... just a dream like always." He murmured to himself and tried to calm himself.
It wasn't the first time he had dreamt of Zoya. Most of his sleepless nights were actually due to dreams of her. He would wake up after a dream and then he would be thinking about her and would not fall asleep.
But this morning's dream was different; it was more like a nightmare than a dream and that was what made him frightened. The initial part of the dream was nice and sweet as usual. He had dreamt that he and Zoya had gone on a vacation somewhere and he was riding a bike with Zoya on the back on a long road. Zoya was hugging him from the back and he was enjoying the sensation of her body against his. And then after a while Zoya let go of him, sat straight with her head thrown back and her arms held out wide.
"Asad look I am flying." She shouted and exhaled the fragrance of the air and enjoyed the feel of the ice cold wind touching her face as they zoomed away.
"Zoe, be careful... hold onto me... otherwise you might fall." Asad chuckled and replied. He loved the way she behaved liked a kid at times. No sooner than Asad said that she leaned close to him and hugged him once again and they drove on. But what the long road led them was a jungle and when Asad tried to turn back the way they came, what he saw was that the road had disappeared and they were completely surrounded by jungle. There was no way one could ride a bike through the dense bushes and trees and they had to abandon the bike. They started walking ahead when suddenly Zoya clutched Asad's hand fearfully. She stared at something and Asad followed her gaze to see that she was staring at a large snake hanging from a tree, and then they noticed several other snakes hanging from almost every tree around. Asad hugged Zoya close to him and they walked slowly and softly so as not to disturb the snakes. They walked for about fifteen minutes and then reached a clearing. And just when they sighed with relief, they felt several arrows swoosh past them and they knew that they were being attacked. Asad held Zoya's hand and they ran for life. And then suddenly as if out of nowhere, Asad felt something trap his feet and he tumbled down along with Zoya. He then looked at his feet to see that it had gotten entrapped by a hidden trap laid there. While Asad was frantically trying to remove it Zoya saw some people approach them stealthily through the bushes nearby and Zoya screamed and alerted Asad. Just that moment they came running to where Asad and Zoya sat. Asad and Zoya saw that they were Tribal Africans. They came and dragged Zoya away and two of them held her forcefully. Asad saw the fear on Zoya's face and he desperately tried to escape from the trap. But while he was trying some of them came and tied his hands behind his back and he became completely immobile. And then to Asad's horror, they dragged Zoya away, while she kept on sobbing and screaming his name. And he was helpless to do anything to save her and he cried out her name in anguish. And that was when he woke up.
Almost an hour had passed since Asad woke up but he just sat on his bed still thinking of the dream he had and thinking of Zoya. He felt restless and his heart was beating fast. Did that dream has any significance? Was Zoya in some kind of trouble and in need of him? He somehow felt that what he dreamt was not just a nightmare without any meaning. He felt that Zoya was having some problem, and he wondered where she was and how she was.
But this wasn't the first time he had wondered that. Ever since he regained consciousness at Paris he had been wondering about it. In fact it was the first thought that occurred to him when he became aware of his surroundings. He had felt the presence of his Ammi and Abbu near him but he had not felt Zoya's presence. And he wondered where she was. May be she had gone to the apartment to rest, that was his initial thought. But when she failed to come to him the whole day, he became restless wondering if she was badly injured and perhaps unconscious herself. But his heart told him that she was alright, after all he had tried his level best to protect her.
And over the next few days he waited impatiently for any news about Zoya. He had even thought of asking his Ammi and Abbu whether they knew where Zoya was and how she was but he could not bring himself to ask them. He hadn't told them anything regarding Zoya so how was he going to break the news to them this way? He knew that it would hurt them a lot if they suddenly learnt about Zoya's presence in his life that way so he couldn't ask them.
But as days passed by his worry and fear over Zoya grew. The heavy medications he was taking made him drowsy and he used to sleep most of the time, but whenever he was awake he would wonder about her. And then it was about a week after he came out of coma that he got an idea. The Head nurse in charge of his floor was a lady of his mom's age, very friendly and she even addressed him as son and he knew that she would not gossip and would keep a patient's secret. When she came to visit him that day, to his luck his Ammi had just gone out to eat something and his Abbu had gone to the hotel to sleep after spending the night with him, and he took the chance with both hands.
"Sister I would like to ask you something. But please keep this a secret. Don't tell my Mom and Dad." He held the Sister's hand and whispered.
"Sure son. What is it that you want to ask" sister touched his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
"There was a young woman with me when I had this accident. Her name is Zoya. Was she brought here as well? I want to know how she is and whether she is here or not. Please find this out for me."
The Sister told him that she did not know about Zoya as she knew only about patients who get admitted to the rooms in her floor, but she promised Asad that she would ask around and find out. And true to her word she came back less than fifteen minutes later and told him that Zoya was indeed brought to that hospital. But she did not suffer from any major injury, and the staff where she was admitted told her that Zoya's father had come from America and got her discharged, and they felt that he was planning to take her back to America that very same day.
Knowing Zoya was safe and not badly injured he sighed with relief, but then he felt sad knowing she was not there. He could very well understand that her Abbu must have forced her to go away with him, but then didn't she know that he was in coma and why hadn't she tried to be there for him? May be she did, he was sure that she wouldn't leave him and go away just like that.
The Sister who was still standing beside him saw the changing emotions on his face.
"Was she someone close to you son?... Someone special?"
"Yea. Very special Sister." he nodded and whispered.
"And you are feeling sad because she is not here right?" he nodded in answer.
"Don't be... if she is very special she will come back to you. Don't think about it too much. You just try to get well soon."
He took the sister's advice to heart and tried not to think about Zoya during those days. But still he missed her terribly and he longed to hear her voice and feel her touch.
And then he was brought back to America, and days started to pass but still he hadn't heard anything from Zoya. And he wondered why she hadn't tried to contact him even once. He knew that because of the accident, her father must have come to know about him and Zoya and he wondered if he was somehow forcefully keeping her away from him. But he knew how independent and courageous Zoya was and he knew that she would somehow find a way to contact him even if her Abbu had literally kept her a prisoner. So why hadn't she done?
And then two months after he returned back to America he finally asked his PA to find out some information about Zoya. He had become too restless and worried about her once again. And a week later his PA returned back and informed to him that Zoya was alright and living at her home in Brentwood. He had to hire a detective there to find out about Zoya and the detective had once followed her to a restaurant as well where she had dinner with a man and she appeared to be happy and well.
Knowing Zoya was well, Asad was happy but once again other thoughts clouded his mind. If she was well and going to restaurants to dinner as well why hadn't she contacted him? Why hadn't she tried to come and visit him even once? Could it be that she had moved on with another man? He hated himself for even thinking such a thing but he couldn't help himself.
And then for the past one month, his thoughts regarding Zoya were very confusing and conflicting to even himself. He missed her like never before and longed to meet her and be with her. But at times he felt that it was best they never meet again and their relationship was severed this way. What would he offer her even if she came back to him? He was a blind man almost paralyzed, and he was not sure he would ever recover again, and he felt there was no future for them and he would feel happy thinking Zoya was away from him and not there to see him struggle with his life daily.
But then there came times when he would miss her so badly that he cried silently for her and wished her to come back to him. And during those times he would even think of working extra hard to get well soon so that he could be with Zoya and during those days he would push himself relentlessly so much so that during his physiotherapy sessions even his therapist became surprised at the way he worked.
And then there came days when he would dwell in self pity and think that he would never get better and Zoya did not deserve him.
Brentwood, a week later...
It had been a week since Ayaan and Zoya got married and to Ayaan's dismay things did not improve between them. Zoya continued to give him a cold shoulder whenever they were alone, and previous night, Zoya had again behaved the same way with him as she did on the first night. He hadn't even tried to be close to her or touch her after that first night, and that night when he entered his room Zoya was already asleep. But when he came out of the bathroom after changing he saw that the duvet had slipped from Zoya's body and she was shivering due to cold.
He came nearer and pulled the duvet and covered her with it up to her chin and while doing it he accidently touched her face. And she woke up and quickly sat up and seeing him close to her she again started backing away from him and stared at him angrily.
"Zoya, I didn't touch you purposefully.. I was just trying to tuck you in because you were feeling cold." Ayaan said equally angrily and walked away to lie on his couch.
And Zoya spent another sleepless night wondering what had happened to her and why she felt so much rage and hate towards Ayaan whenever he came close to her, when she herself had agreed to marry him willingly. Even to her, her behavior was extremely strange and confusing. And then she started wondering whether this strange behavior had anything to do with her recent past, a past about which she had forgotten completely.
She remembered waking up in a hospital bed at Paris. The doctors and the nurses told her that she had met with an accident but she was really lucky because she did not suffer any serious injury. But she could not remember anything about the accident and how it happened. All she remembered was joining a fashion designing course at Paris and coming to Paris and then the next thing she knew was she had woken up in that hospital bed.
When her Abbu came the next day, she told him about it and asked him if he knew anything about her accident and how long she had been in Paris. He told her that she had been in Paris since two months but he did not know how she met with that accident.
She questioned the doctors when they came to check her next time. She asked them why she could not remember anything about her life during the previous two months. They asked her some more questions and examined her some more and told that she had recent memory loss, a condition called as Retrograde Amnesia. They said it could be that she had suffered a minor concussion of brain or it could just be due to the mental shock she suffered at the time of accident. And they said only time would tell whether she would gain that part of her memory or not.
Her Abbu brought her home the very next day and she remembered the conversation he had with her while they were waiting at Paris Airport.
"Zoya I think it's best if you don't tell your Ammi anything regarding your memory loss. She would get unnecessarily worried... so keep it to yourself and don't tell anyone." Zoya was a little shocked to see her Abbu so concerned about her Ammi's feelings but then she believed that he was genuinely concerned about her that time and she had agreed not to tell anything to anyone and to pretend that she was completely fine. But what Zoya did not know was that her Abbu had another hidden agenda and that was the real reason why he asked her to keep her memory loss a secret.
And next morning, to Ayaan's great dismay Zoya declared that she wanted to go to her own home. She said she was going to stay there till she could sort out her feelings and what she wanted to do with their marriage.
During her sleepless night, she had finally come to the conclusion that it was the best thing to do right now and she was determined. She was now very much sure that there was something in her forgotten past that was affecting her right now and she wanted to stay alone at her own home till she somehow figured it out or till her memory returned. She clearly knew that she could not be with Ayaan right now.
Sneak peak into next chapter: and now to all those who are heartbroken, here is an AsYalicious peak in to next chapter.
Asad came back to the poolside and lay down on the lounge chair next to the one on which the girl was resting. He knew that she was eyeing him through her shades and he wore his own and did the same. He wasn't a person who openly admired women but he could not help in admiring this girl. She was petite but the mid thigh length shorts she was wearing revealed well shaped, toned legs that appeared much longer than they actually were; and he was fascinated.
His gaze then shifted upwards to her face. He saw that she had beautiful straight raven hair that was cut in layers and the short layers in front framed her angular face making it softer. Since her eyes were covered with shades he could not see them but he somehow knew that they would be beautiful. His gaze then shifted to her pert little nose which he was sure would turn up cutely when she scrutinized something or when she was irritated with something. Next his gaze shifted to her lips. They were firm and large but he was sure they would feel soft as a petal if he touched them. And he found them the sexiest feature of her, and a sudden unfamiliar desire coursed through him and he longed to touch them with his own...
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