CHAPTER-2
Standing in front of the window of his hotel-room, Asad gazed down at the city which glowed like a newly-wed bride even at 2 a.m. of morning. The clear jet-black sky of night made the moments in rain from two days ago seem like a dream to him. But the thumping heart inside the hard cage of his bones, assured him that all that was nothing but reality, a beautiful one which happened only to get crushed again mercilessly. While his eyes were fixed on the church, the simple yet elegant structure which was the only witness of those few moments of bliss, his mind was wandering through the events of that day.
If the first time when she left, had left him broken beyond measure, there was no describing what he was feeling the moment when she left him again, alone. He broke out into a mad rush the moment he realized she was gone. He searched for her in every nook and corner of the church and its surrounding but to no avail. Defeated and heart-broken, he came back to his room after long, tedious hours of search. For the next two days he frantically searched for her in the whole city but it looked like just the way she appeared out of nowhere, she disappeared also in a blink of an eye. With each passing moment he was dying a little more than he already had. While his blood-shot red eyes poured heavily, his broken heart shed blood at her absence. The excoriating pain in his heart hurt him to continue living and he knew the only person who could soothe his every pain was Zoya and ironically enough, she was the one who was causing him this misery in the first place. His soul begged to the sky to bring her back to him when his mind was completely numb with the turn of events, caught in a whirlwind of emotions. He wanted to pull his hair and scream in frustration but his lips refused to utter nothing except her name. Questions were wildly running through his mind but all he wanted to ask was why she was doing this to herself, more than anyone as he had seen her eyes reflect his pain in those moments. Those few moments were enough for him to look through her eyes and see her badly broken self and he wanted nothing more than to find and protect her forever in his arms, taking away all her pain.
His reverie was broken by the ringing of his phone. He picked it up to find Mr. James, the person with whose company he was going to sign a deal, on the other end. He called him to his office tomorrow to discuss some things regarding the project. After rejecting the call, a sigh escaped his lips. This was a success for his company to bag the deal and he himself had to come here to sign the deal. If it was before, he could never agree to come here leaving his ammi and tamatar behind, no matter how big the project was. But now things were different. He knew there were Ayaan and Humaira who could perfectly take care of the house in his absence. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips at the thought of his family. He glanced one last time at the church which always gave him a strange and quiet assurance that he would find her, no matter what. His heart felt as if it was telling him that tomorrow was going to be a memorable day in his life but in a good way or bad, only time could tell.
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Asad walked towards Mr. James cabin as the receptionist told him to wait there because he was running late. He was passin a room when a sudden flash of bright light blinded him momentarily. He looked at his right, towards the direction of this attack to find it coming from inside the room. He guessed that the sunlight must have caused it by reflecting on something but his legs proceeded automatically towards it, as if having a mind of their own. He raised his hand to shield his eyes from the light and the moment he entered the room, a sudden gush of wind came in through the open window and scattered all the papers that were piled on the table, in the whole room. This made the girl whose back was facing him and from whose hand the light was reflecting, to turn around and the moment their eyes met, both sucked in a breath. Asad and Zoya again stood face to face but this time none made any attempt for some movement or action, fearing the delicate moment will be broken again. Their eyes were searching each other's for unsaid emotions and unasked questions, hidden beneath the deep layer of pain. They were still under the shock of this second unexpected meeting when Mr. James's voice broke their moment.
- I am really very sorry for the delay Mr. Khan. The traffic here really gets horrible sometimes you know. Oh! You have met Zoya already. That's great. She is the head of our technical department and one of our most trusted employees. In fact she had a lot of contribution in the presentation we showed. I wanted you both to meet but unfortunately she couldn't be present in the meeting and also you guys were never present here at the same time. But I am glad you both finally met.' Mr. James babbled in a breath with a smile on his face, without noticing the condition of those two about whom he was talking so much. While Zoya tried to avoid looking at Asad by looking at everywhere but him, his intense gaze never left her face which in turn, made her more nervous and anxious than she already was.
- Mr. Khan you please discuss with Zoya for sometime if you have any quires regarding the presentation. I will join you and start the meeting after sometime. This call is really important. Please excuse me.' Mr. James exited the room to answer his ringing cell after Asad nodded in understanding, though not tearing his gaze from her face even for a moment. As soon as Mr. James left the room, Zoya proceeded to exit the room too, unable to bear the thick air of emotions which started to choke her. But before she could fulfill her intention, she felt a hand caught hold of her wrist and the next thing she could feel was a tug at her hand and her landing on a rock-solid chest with which she was too familiar with.
- I guess you forgot that we need to discuss something.' She looked up at his words to find Asad's dark orbs peering down at her with such intensity that it sent a shiver run down her spine. Her breathing was erratic and before her emotions could overpower her, she pushed him a little and came out of his hold, creating a safe distance between them. She turned her back towards him, lest he saw the pain and love swimming the brown pool of her orbs.
- Why Zoya? Why did you left us? Why did you left me?' Asad managed to let out in a broken, painful whisper. Though Zoya couldn't see his eyes but the immense pain behind those questions confirmed her how much this man loved her and this crumbled the broken pieces of heart more painfully.
- I don't know what you are talking about.' Zoya somehow controlled her shaky voice and said without turning back.
- Really Zoya? You really don't know what I am talking about? I know you are angry with me and I am really sorry for hurting you so many times. I know you have every right to stay angry on me but please don't punish me like that. I have died a thousand deaths everyday without you in these two years. Please don't kill me again. I know I have always said all those rituals fake but did you also thought the same? Didn't you thought about me for even once before making this decision? Did you found me enough reliable to confide your problems, the things that were bothering you? Wasn't I enough worthy for you to believe that I would have stayed beside you to fight you every fear, every insecurity, every pain?' Asad voice was merely a whisper at the end as the emotions clogged his throat.
Zoya who had her eyes closed tightly to prevent those stubborn tears, snapped them open at his words. The fact that even after all that happened, he still thought about what she might have gone through in those moments, warmed and shattered her hart at the same time. She clutched both the sides of her dress so tightly that her knuckles were almost white. She knew that few more minutes around him here and the walls which she had made with so much effort, around herself will come tumbling down. So wiping all the wetness from her face and taking a deep breath to calm herself down a little, she turned around to face him. She knew that she had to do it for him and his good. Gathering the last few crumbs of confidence which was still left in her, she looked in his eyes and said what was probably the biggest lie of her life.
-I don't know what you are talking about Mr. Khan. The Zoya you are talking about must be someone else but definitely not me. The only relation we have is professional and it would be good for both of us if keep it that way' and with those last words Zoya exited the room leaving a highly confused and frustrated than ever Asad behind.
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Zoya closed the door of the women's washroom door and slide down it while whole body wrecked with sobs and eyes continued to flow. She closed her mouth with both her palms to muffle the screams which bubbled her throat. Her head had started to throb badly. The doctor had told her that any kind of mental stress can be dangerous to her condition but since the time Asad had come back, her lifeless life had again become a roller-costar ride of different emotions and it had already started to show its affect on her health. She clutched her engagement ring, her only memento of him, which dangled around her wrist as the charm of a simple thin platinum chain bracelet and cried more bitterly. She knew he was hurt and he didn't deserved it but she was helpless, helpless in the hands of destiny.
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PRECAP: And before she could protest anymore, she found him pulling her towards himself. To balance herself, her right hand coiled around his neck while he securely held her from her waist. Their eyes got locked and his soothing cologne engulfed her senses.
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Hey guys. Please don't faint seeing so frequent updates.😆 Actually this one is already completely written and saved in my laptop. So all I have to do is post. Let me know what you feel about this chapter. Leave your likes and comments behind please😃
Ps. There is problem with my net pack and it is draining all the data too quickly. I already have to recharge thrice in a month. So the replies are little delayed. But trust me, I read each and every comment and they mean a lot to me. They are the thing which keep me going. So please keep them coming. I will reply to every comment soon. Sorry and thank you 🤗
Edited by asya7 - 9 years ago
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