#2 - AsYa FF: Mohabbatein - Part 28 - Page 130 - 31/01/18! A/N Pg 132! - Page 52

10 Minutes Later:

Ayaan and Zoya were walking silently and strangely enough for them, awkwardly through the Haveli neighbourhood, trying to talk, trying to put words between themselves and end the questions, complaints and regrets between them with those words.

Ayaan & Zoya (Simultaneously) - I...I'm - (but then they both stopped and chuckled)

Zoya - (tucked her hair behind her ear nervously) Sorry, you go ahead...

Ayaan - (smiled) You look beautiful Pari (ruffling her hair. Normally, she would yell, scream and hit him in annoyance but today she was much too delighted of being able to talk to her brother again, of hoping that once and for all everything would be okay with them and they could put the past behind them and go back to how they used to be.)

Zoya - (smiled, nervously. She was happy they were talking and she was always happy to be called Pari by her brothers lovingly but it wasn't the norm with Ayaan. For them to truly go back to normal and the way they used to be, he should be calling her 'Churail' and truth be told that's all she wanted to hear) Pari? Are you sure you're my brother Ayaan and not Aahil, Arsalan or Asif?

Ayaan - Trust me sis, they don't have what it takes to be this handsome.

Zoya - (rolled her eyes) never mind, what was I thinking none of them could possibly have an Ego the size of yours..

Ayaan - and no one could be in as much denial of the truth as you. (He pushed her aside and Zoya laughed wrapping her arms around him and resting her head lovingly on his chest)

Zoya - I missed you.

Ayaan - (kissed her forehead) I missed you too Zoya (hugged her tighter) and I'm sorry. Sorry about how I reacted, sorry about what happened and sorry for not being there for you, then and now. I just, I just needed time to process things. To come to terms with them on my own you know...

Zoya - (shook her head, moving back and wiping her tears away. Tears of happiness and relief. A task which Ayaan then took over) no I'm sorry, I should never have hid any of it from you, but their your family and I-

Ayaan - (shook his head, his eyes stern, his face fierce) No. Listen to me Pari and listen to me clearly, I want you to understand something once and for all, and I want you to fix it in your little pea sized brain. You are my family. More than anyone, before anyone, above anyone else, you're what matters most to me (smiled) you're my baby sister and I love you and it's my job to protect you and fight for you. It's what I was meant to do, what I love to do and what I want to do but I can't do that until and unless you let me. So just promise me one thing. Don't EVER hide what's troubling my sisters beautiful heart from me again and don't fear what telling me will do, because if you're afraid that I'll rip someone to pieces, then sweetheart that's what supposed to happen (Zoya hit him playfully and he chuckled) but seriously Zoya(threw an arm around her) we're your brothers, we'd give our lives for you.

Zoya - (whispered, remembering Faizan) that's what I'm afraid of (Ayaan understanding what she was afraid of and what troubled her, sighed and hugged her again)

Ayaan - Come here you silly girl. (Kissed her head again) Nothing like that is ever going to happen again, you hear me. You are NOT going to lose us. You just need to trust us, and not hide anything from us, k. (Zoya nodded slowly, her heart sinking with guilt already remembering one Sameer Anand she hadn't left far behind and feared what a secret like that would do to her bond with her brothers. But truth be told, Faizan's death was still a fresh sight before her eyes even after all these years and she just had the most sickening feeling that just like last time Sameer Anand would be the cause of her losing yet another loved one (and boy was she right)

Ayaan - Now I have to get back, you be good okay (kissing her cheek, before walking away) and try not to torture my best friend too much.

Zoya - (rolled her eyes) No promises (Ayaan chuckled, before turning around and walking off to his Haveli as Zoya did to hers, remembering suddenly what Mehnaz had told her about Asad and the forbidden Haveli Ayaan was walking off to (the haveli her soon to be bhabi belonged to) and she couldn't help but let curiosity get the best of her. She just had to know the secret behind this enmity and hate between the families once and for all, and know what her brother was getting into (subconsciously, already believing Asad to be right in this issue without knowing what it was) so she jumped merrily toward's the guard, trying to act unsuspicious)

Zoya - (waved merrily at the poor unsuspecting old man who seemed a bit taken off, but she was still Zoya, one bright smile and she had won him over, just like she usually did) Asalamualaikum.

Guard - Walaikumasalam...

Zoya Main woh..(suddenly feeling incredibly stupid and at a loss for words, okay so maybe this wasn't her brightest idea (they usually aren't) and she didn't think this all the way through (usually didn't)) Woh...(tucked her hair nervously behind her ear again) woh...

Guard - (helping her out) Asad bete ke saath Kasauli se ayee ho, Maryam beti ki shaadi ke liye (Zoya stared into his kind, understanding and smiling face, a little surprised and stunned)

Zoya - Yes, Ji, par aap (laughed nervously) par main woh aap woh..(chuckled stupidly again, pointing to the Nawabs Haveli) uss Haveli mein joh...woh..(again, not knowing what to say)

Uncle - (nodded in complete understanding) Aap jaana chahti ho ke kal aapko Nawab Suleman ki poti ki sagai mein jaane ki ijazat kyun nahin milegi Asad bete se?

Zoya - (huffed, putting her hands on her hips) Mujhe unse ijazat lene ki KOI zaroorat nahin hai! Main wahan jaa sakti hoon, aur JAONGI. Main toh bas yeh jaana chahti thi ke (sighed, biting her lip stubbornly) ke woh mujhe wahan jaane se mana kyun kareinge? In fact woh kissi ko bhi kyun mana kareinge? Unhe uss family se kya masla hai...

Guard - (sighed) Beta, yeh batane ki naa toh meri jagah hai na mujhe ijazat. Yeh toh tumhe Asad bete se hi poochna hoga, main toh bas yeh jaanta hoon ke yeh Haveli (pointing to Asad's) Asad bete ne sirf aur sirf iss (pointing to the Nawab's Haveli) Haveli ki zidd mein banayee hai apni Maan ke liye (Zoya's eyes widened in surprise once the meaning of his words sank in. She turned her head towards the magnificent Haveli which stood behind her.)

Zoya - Matlab? Yeh Haveli Mr. Khan ne banayee hai?

Guard - (nodded) saalon London mein Taxi chala ke, mehnat se kamaya hai woh ek ek paisa jisse ussne yeh Haveli banayee, sirf aur sirf apni maan ke liye, aur har uss ansoon ke liye joh (looking towards the Nawab Haveli) uski aankhon se bahe the (Zoya stood still stunned, unable to understand what the Guard had said, what he meant and what he didn't say but meant all the same because she was still too awed by the beauty of Asad's Haveli and tried to come to terms with this new discovery she made of Asad. She knew he was hard working. Probably the most hard working person she had ever met but there was something that struck her heart painfully as she thought of an 18 year old boy working that hard to fulfill responsibilities that one person couldn't possibly bear the weight off, and yet the haveli that stood before her told her a different story. Even more curious, even more awed and even more drawn to Asad the beautiful brooding mystery haunting her dreams, she turned around to ask the guard more about Asad but the kind old man was already gone.)

xxx

Back at Asad's Haveli - 30 mins later:

Asad was walking around the Haveli, irritated and frowning as usual. Too busy, on his phone as usual. Reading a rather odd and peculiar message from Ayaan, reading:

"Need a favour. No matter what you do, do not let Zoya come to the engagement tomorrow I'll see you in Kasauli and will explain then."

Asad continued to stare at his phone not understanding the message at all, about to ask Ayaan to explain why he didn't want Zoya to attend her own "brothers" engagement. In Asad's case there was no hope and no choice, but he knew the pain of not being able to attend his sister's engagement well enough to not wish that upon ANYBODY ELSE. ESPECIALLY not Zoya. Speaking of whom, she came running blindly, looking behind herself and collided straight into him, before turning halfway around after passing him to offer him an apology. It felt surreal. A total dejavu to Anwar and Zeenat's wedding when she had done the same. As she turned around to apologize to whoever it was she had bumped into, she saw him standing there and immediately changed her mind. Turning back around and flicking her hair proudly, she huffed arrogantly and ran off, leaving Asad chuckling at her childlike behaviour. She was something else, and really what had changed between them from that wedding and now? They were as clueless to the fact that they were falling in love back then as they were now.

Asad continued to watch mesmerized as Zoya ran off with her girl gang towards the staircase where some ladies were bringing down Maryam. He listened, enchanted, to her twinkling laughter as she joked around with her new found friends. He didn't even realize when, but somehow he found himself slowly fading into the distance and the crowd of people gathered around to catch a glimpse of the 'bride to be'. He found himself staring at Zoya's beautiful face instead, twinkling eye's and enchanting laughter, whilst constantly hiding behind one of the pillars in the veranda of the Haveli. Zoya continued sitting with Maryam and her friends and laughing constantly as Maryam had her henna applied. Asad felt himself strangely proud and in awe of Zoya, curious as to how she did it. 24 hours and already, she had made his family fall head over heels for her. Hell, they liked her more and laughed with her more than they did him in the last 24 years. He continued to watch even more mesmerized as the music cranked up, and Zoya got into her element. Her face had a total different glow about it whenever she was doing what she loved more, her own kind of prayer, dancing. As soon as the music cranked up, Zoya shrieked excitedly, bringing a bright smile unto Asad's face seeing her childlike excitement over the chance to dance. As she began dancing in the most adorable and yet torturously sexy way, as only she could (in Asad's eyes) Asad saw Maryam sitting by herself and he finally saw it as a chance to talk to Maryam and check in on his cousin to make sure everything was okay. So, whilst constantly keeping his eyes glued to the pretty girl in white dancing her way into his heart, he made his way over to Maryam.

Reaching near her, he became his usual awkward and emotionally challenged self, and hoped she'd just spot him and call out to him instead of him having to catch her attention deliberately. But instead, he frowned when he saw her continue to stare off into nothingness like a ghost, like she had no idea about her own existence or of that of anybody else's around her. So, clearing his throat awkwardly he took a hesitant seat next to her, right at the edge of the deewan she was sat on.

Asad - (still hearing no response from her, he finally turned towards her and smiled a simple yet heartwarmingly sweet Asad like smile at her) not a fan of loud noises and big crowds? I thought it was just me. (But Maryam was still silent, staring out ahead as the girls hired to do her henna focused on their task, whilst constantly giving Asad dreamy eyes, which Asad may not have noticed but Zoya sure did, as she tried to discreetly but surely keep her eyes on him. She felt her heart swell with pride and some other emotion she didn't quite know of as she saw Asad's worried and classically protective look on as he peered at Maryam's face inquiringly. She smiled to herself as she watched him, Always the protector. Then she got scared realizing what she was thinking and what she was feeling so she shook her head, eyes wide and played with her hair nervously whilst dancing as she tried to get the beautiful boy in a white shalwar kurta out of her head.)

Asad - Maryam sab theek toh haina (seeing her empty eyes) Tum iss shaadi se khush ho? (If it wasn't for Mehnaz and their girl gang at the moment and whosoever it was that came and grabbed him, pulling him up to come join their sangeet games he would've seen it. The look in her eyes, the tears in her eyes, the begging for help, but more than anything the first reaction he alone was able to extract from her in days or more precisely since her marriage had been set. Her mouth was left hanging and the words died on her tongue as he was pulled along by the big group of friends who were planning one of many sangeet games, and as she watched him walk away, her eyes flowed over with tears until many of them spilled over)

10 Minutes Later -

Asad and Zoya were sat across from one another by the bonfire along with Mehnaz and Shehnaz and many of their friends as they took turns singing and dancing in pairs, based on who the two ends of the bottle they were spinning landed on. Basically, it was spin the bottle with a twist. Asad and Zoya both, couldn't keep their eyes off from one another, through the flames of fire (the only source of light) in the Haveli and here they were. They stole quick and flirtatious, longing glances at one another at every chance they got when they believed the other wasn't looking, even though that didn't always end well for them and they both got caught at one point or another. It was during one such flirtatious eye lock when they both got caught staring dreamily at one another did they hear the hooting and cheering which surprised them, as to what had happened. They both looked up, with raging heartbeats and irregular breaths, red in the face and were scared to see everyone staring at them with delighted and eager eyes, and suddenly their hearts sank to their stomach having no idea what was going on. Zoya quickly looked towards Mehnaaz for help but that didn't help because Mehnaz just waggled her eyebrows and coaxed her on.

Mehnaz - Your turn.

Zoya - Oh, no no no no no no.

Mehnaz - Oh, yes yes yes yes yes. Come on, Go Go Go. (pushing her up)

Zoya - (seeing Asad's pale white and denying face, screaming the same thing as some guys tried to force him to get up which she was verbally screaming) no no no no no.

Asad - No, no there is no way I'm dancing, no way.

Zoya - No, No I'm not dancing with him.

Well, it seemed like the village folks were more persistent than what Zoya and he both gave them credit for because they both turned out to be wrong and denied their pleas, as 3 minutes later, they were both, across from one another, well prepared to perform a duet, their part in this musical night of joy and celebration.

xxx

Continued in next post...

Nawab's Haveli:

Shireen and Razia were walking around amidst the tsunami of people that swarmed their veranda in attendance of Anaya and Aahil's engagement which was all set to start in a few minutes. Even though majority of the preparations had been done to an almost fault, they still couldn't help but drive themselves insane with worrying that they had left something incomplete, something that could end up embarrassing themselves in front of the Farooqui's because due to their narrow mindset they believed themselves to be in a smaller, lower and embarrassing position in comparison to the Farooqui's all because they were the "girls" side.

Razia - Shireen, arre Shireen jaldi karo, jaldi jaake khaana dekho ke lag gaya ya nahin, aur dekho Aanaya tayaar hui ke nahin aur, Ya Allah yeh ladkiyan kahan hain, aur yeh ladke, arre jaake dekho ke tumhara woh sahabzaada utha hai ya ab tak so raha ha aur A-

Naina - Ammi, (laughed) I think filhal sabse zyaada important yeh hai ke aap jaake SAANS lena seekh lein (but one look from Razia cut her "joke" short and had her running off scared)

Naina - Okay, apparently you're fine (she ran off scared, totally missing the evil smirk on Haseena's face as she sat all haughtily on one of the Sofa's looking down upon everything and everyone)

Shireen - Arre, Bhabi sab theek toh lag raha hhaina? Mujhe aisa kyun lag raha hai ke kuch theek nahin hai, ke sab garbar hone waala hai ke, ke -

Razia - (rolled her eyes, adjusting her dupatta) Arre Shireen, sab theek kaise hoga yeh sab toh bas (staring around with the same proud and arrogant look, not looking appeased at all even though everything was beyond perfect)

Maya - yeh sab toh bas hamari Anaya beti ke aane ke intezaaar mein aise lag raha hai, dekhna kaise uske aate saal sab chamak uthe ga (smiled an encouraging smile at Shireen as she hugged her sideways, eyeing Razia annoyedly and Shireen laughed attempting to keep her tears at bay, which she failed miserably at and Maya wiped them for her shaking her head) par sab theek nahin hoga agar aap aise hi yahan khare hoke pareshaan hoti rahingi aur tayaar nahin hongi. Come on time to get ready, Kajol (calling out to her idhar ao phupi ko tyaar hone upar le jao..

Shireen - Nahin Maya Bhabi aap-

Maya - Shireen, no JUST breathe, sab theek hai aur sab theek hoga ab bas hamari Anaya beti ka aana baaki reh gaya hai and then this show can finally hit the road! (And boy was it about to)

xxx

Police Station:

Asad - (his anger threading dangerously on the point of no return) Dekhiye, aap meri baat toh samjhein-

Officer - (incompetently and uninterestedly speaking to him whilst engrossed in a cricket match at the same time) Dekh aur samajh to tum nahin rahe ho shehri baabu. Main inspector hoon, iss liye maine inspector ki wardi pehni hai, yeh dulhan hai iss liye iss ne dulhan ki wardi pehni hai, yeh main kaise maan loon ke tum iss ko bhaga ke nahin laye?

Asad - Dekhiye aap meri baat samajh nahin rahe hain, dulhan ke bhaagne se hamara koi taluq nahin hai..

Zoya - (speaking up fast and without thinking, adding fuel to the fire in Asad's mind without even realizing it) lekin uske bhaagne ki ek wajah thi...

Asad - Jo humme NAHIN patah (staring at her through stern eyes, his eyes spitting fire at her and coercing her into shutting up but Zoya was Zoya clueless as always)

Zoya - Nahin mujhe pata hai ke wajah kya hai Mr. Khan...

Asad - Dekhiye aap khamosh rahiye, aur mujhe baat karne dejiye

Zoya - Allah Miyan! what's wrong with you Mr. Khan main bol rahee hoon na ke mujhe pata hai wajah kya thi phir aap (shook her head, getting equally angry now) uss ladki ke saath zabardasti ki jaa rahee thee, uske khud ke maan baap usse force kar rahe the..

Asad - (his blind hatred for his family, not wanting him to listen or care or find out he gave a damn about them) mujhe kuch nahin sunna hai, woh jo bhi kar rahe the woh unka maamla hai hamara nahin (fortunately or unfortunately their little lovers spat was cut short with a sudden ringing of the police stations phone and as soon as the lazy inspector muttered an equally lazy and slurred hello, he rushed to his feet attentively and tried to act all calm and nonchalant while side eyeing Asad and Zoya constantly, while the two clueless love birds stood with their arms folded, backs to each other angrily)

Inspector - Ji, acha theek hai sir

Asad - Dekhiye kuch ghunde hamare peeche parein hain aur iss ilake se nikalne kke liye humme aapki madad ki zaroorat hai.

Inspector - (wanting to laugh in his face, acting like an arrogant fool) protection, abhi dete hain (Asad stared into his arrogant scum of a face as he smirked and only Asad knew how he managed to refrain from punching his face in, in that instant, he had just about managed to finish rolling his eyes when the inspector eyed another one of his junior officers and within seconds Asad and Zoya found themselves being grabbed and Asad's eyes immediately flew to where the man was grabbing Zoya and the fire in his eyes only intensified, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides almost sidetracking him from the fact that the two of them were being forcefully pushed into a jail cell, ALMOST, as soon as Zoya started screaming angrily, dragging her feet refusing to co-operate, he flashed back to reality and immediately he tried to fight them off too, but it was too little too late and he found himself being pushed in after Zoya and the jail cell being slammed shut in his face).

Zoya - (her mouth hanging open in shock, at the audacity and absurdity of the people of this country) UNBELIEVABLE!

Asad - Aap hamari baat kyun nahin maan rahe hain, aap unhe help kar rahe hain?

Officer - (getting angry someone was daring to question his authority and power) aye, bauhat bhurak raha hai tu, chal jaa baith

Zoya - Dekhiye, aap aisa nahin kar sakte, yeh (losing her mind with anger and annoyance) ILLEGAL HAI, aap samajh kyun nahin rahein hain, hamara koi kasoor nahin hai!

Officer - Eh! Yeh legal wegal kuch nahin hai, jo kuch hai hum hi hain yahan ke faisle bahar ki court mein nahin jaate, yahan ki panchait karti hai, aur tum dono ka faisla bhi yahan ki punchait karegi (Saying so, he smirked happily seeing the colour drain from their faces and the internal panic settle in as their hearts sank with fear, but that panic only lasted about 3 seconds and as usual that panic transformed into anger, at least for Asad)

Asad - Kuch log jahan bhi jaate hain, problems unka peecha karte hai, par aap! Aap dunya mein sabse bari problem khud hain!

Zoya - Mr. Khan aap kya chahte hain ke Maryam ke saath jo kuch bhi ho raha tha woh sab jaane ke baad bhi main khamosh rehti

Asad - Maryam ke saath KYA ho raha tha? Uska Nikkah ho raha tha! Lekin patah nahin aapko apne nikkah se itni problem kyun hai. Pehle apne nikkah se bhaag gayeen aaj kissi aur ko bhaga diya, aapko pata nahin ke insaan ki zimedari sirf khud tak nahin hoti apne maan baap, family, society sab ki taraf hotin hain, (wanting to know the answer more to satisfy a voice of worry and reason in his own heart more than anything. In times of crisis, our own fears do tend to surface after all) aapko problem kya hai institution of marriage se?

Zoya - Mr. Khan, kamaz kam iss baar toh meri koi ghalati nahin thi, aapko patah hai Maryam ke maan baap uske saath zabardasti kar rahe the...

Asad - (pinching his forehead) Maan baap jaan booj ke apne bachon pe zulm nahin karte! Aur agar aisa tha bhi toh aapko mujhe batana chahiye tha, main unse baat karta, par agar masla baat cheet se hatam ho jata toh aapko tasali nahin hoti, kahan jaata aapka sense of adventure...

Zoya - (her eyes quickly filling with tears. Tears of humiliation, anger, frustration and desperation. Desperation for NEEDING him to hear her, believe her, UNDERSTAND her for some unknown reason) Dekhiye Mr. Khan aap traditional hain, yeh achi baat hai, par tradition ko follow karne se pehle yeh toh dekhiye ke kahin uski aar mein kissi pe zulm toh nahin ho raha lekin aap tradition aur culture ke naam pe hone waali HAR baat se agree karte hain bina soche samjhe, aap apni common sense kyun nahin use karte?

Asad - (FURIOUS! How dare she have the AUDACITY to say something like that to him) Aap hain na common sense use karne ke liye, ab dekhiye, aapki common sense humme kahan le ayee hai. Ms. Farooqui, ek family kya hoti hai, family ki ehmiat aur responsibilities kya hotin hain yeh aap kabhi nahin jaan payengi kyunki yeh maan baap sikhate hain, par lagta hai aapke maan baap ke paas aapko yeh sab sikhane ka waqt nahin tha, kahin aur masroof the woh, (and as the first tear fell from her eyes, Asad wished he held back his words or he could've burnt his tongue off before he uttered those words, but it was wishful thinking on his part, too little too late. That's why its said to stay silent when angry because no good can come of it, but his regrets took a back seat when he heard loud voices and a ruckus in the main station, nearing them and he didn't even realize when or why it had subconsciously become his priority and first line of defence, to get Zoya hidden safe and sound behind him, to ensure she was safe from harms way even if he had to die in the process of protecting her, and although hurt and humiliated, she was still touched by the fact that even in all his anger and annoyance at her, he still cared enough to put her safety before his own, even though she was the one to jeopardize his life and safety so stupidly) (He saw the irritating officer from before approaching him with a small crowd of people, evidently the punchait, carrying large weapons of all different kinds and he felt Zoya's small fists clenching fistfuls of his kurta from behind as she fully hid herself from view from behind him but it was pointless because the head of the punchait the sirpunch saw her anyways and he frowned)

Sirpunch - Yeh kaun hain? Yeh toh dulhan nahin hai?

Zoya - (too soon for wishful thinking, but Zoya was Zoya and she was a little too optimistic as well as fast at jumping to conclusions) Yehi baat toh hum kabse inhe samjhane ki koshish kar rahe hain, ke main Dulhan nahin hoon...

Sirpunch - (took one long hard look at her, and then at Asad and he let his ego rule his mind as did everyone else in this village) Yeh dulhan ho ya na ho, par dulhane ke bhagne se zaroor inhi ka taluk hai iss liye agar woh nahin milti toh yeh dono bhi kissi ko nahin milne chahiye...(and once again, Zoya and Asad's faces paled, but in that second they both realized one thing which scared them both more to death than the actual threat of being killed did, the fact that they both worried about the safety and well being of the other, more than they did their own and once again Asad felt his heart constrict with fear as he felt Zoya cling to him fearfully whilst the officer unlocked their cage and grabbed both him and Zoya and once again Asad's eyes flew protectively towards Zoya and this time before the officer could touch her he grabbed one of her hands and put the other one on his bicep and stood in between the officer and Zoya glaring at the officer, daring him to try to lay a finger on Zoya and the officer saw it, it was there in Asad's eyes he would lay him down all over the cells floor if he dared to touch Zoya and so the officer lowered his eyes and grabbed his arm, dragging him and thus Zoya along with him whilst handcuffing their hands together and they both walked quietly behind the deranged officer and amongst the punchait, worrying once for themselves and twice for the other all the way into a quiet, isolated and dark room at the back of the jail where the officer pushed them into and locked the door shut whilst running off with the punchait on a man hunt for Maryam and once inside, Zoya let go of Asad and instead in desperation and fear began pounding on the door in desperation and crying too, whilst Asad just leaned his head against the door taking a moment to breathe and use his mind, something Zoya was in no mood to do it seemed)

Zoya - DEKHIYE AAP AISE NAHIN KAR SAKTE!! YEH ILLEGAL HAI AAP!! Mr. Khan woh log aisa kaise kar sakte hain (looking at him standing there and not doing anything and he further frustrated her at his lack of reaction and response) iss country mein rules naam ki koi cheez nahin hai kya! Kuch bhi matlab (shook her head) par aap dekhna main chup nahin baithoon gi main! Main case kardoongi unpe, blog pe likhoongi, media mein jaongi main MAIN-

Asad - (exhausted, tired, just wanting to wake up from this nightmare he was sure he was having because there was NO way any of this could be real. NO way God could punish him in such a cruel manner. He turned around and leaned against the doors that had locked them in and pinched his forehead again, fearful of a migraine coming on because that was the LAST thing both of them needed at this point) Yeh sab karne ke liye naa ap ek bauhat important cheez bhool rahin hain (shot her an irritated look) yeh sab karne ke liye naa aapko yahan se zinda nikalna parega. Toh thori der zubaan band rakhiye aur dimaagh chalaiye, (looking all around the dark room, hoping he could find a way out) yahan se bahar nikalne ka tareeqa dhoondiye (and just as opposite as they were themselves, they began looking in equally opposite directions, one of them left and one of them right and forgetting that they were handcuffed they tried going their opposite ways but just as fate would have it, they ended up colliding right back into each other, well almost into each other, but she stopped just short of crashing into his arms. Ignoring the pang of disappointment he tried once again to go his way as did she and when they finally realized that was impossible and futile Asad raised his hands and grabbed Zoya's hand pointing to one corner he suggested they ought to start searching for a way out from. So they both began looking around and whilst Asad tried his luck with weapons Zoya tried the wall and soon enough she found something.

Zoya - Rukiye Mr. Khan yahan kuch hai (grabbing the weapon in his hand he immediately came rushing over and tried to find his way to the wall so that he could find them a way out but he couldn't find a way due to the way their hands were handcuffed together at least a respectable way because any way he could try lead to them being in a compromising position and would need him to put Zoya in a less respectful position and that was the last thing he wished but seeing as though he may not have any choice he finally surrendered and tried to delude himself into believing he could control his emotions and it would only be him trying to get them out and nothing more)

Asad - Ek minute (he grabbed her hand and swirling it over his head he twirled her before himself, leaning him against the wall before himself leaning in exceptionally close to Zoya, all up in her personal space and Zoya tried her best to push herself even back in the wall and failed miserably. She also failed miserably when she tried to avoid getting hypnotized by his penetrating gaze and their intermingling breaths as did he but they were both failing but their breath taking eye lock and raging heartbeats took a back seat when they heard voices in the distance so Asad focused on the window again)

Asad - Lagta hai pehle window thi, phir seal kar di gayee, isse torna parega (so he grabbed the weapon again and Zoya once again pressed further into the wall)

Zoya - (tearful eyed again) woh humme maar deinge na.

Asad - (stopped for a second. He heard what he was fearing in his heart all along and he couldn't bring himself to look in her eyes, one because he couldn't bring himself to see the tears in them and second because he couldn't look her in the eye and lie) Fikar mat kariye, kissi na kissi ko jald pata chal jayega ke hum missing hain aur woh hummee dhoondne aa jayenge

Zoya - Unhe yeh toh pata chal jayega ke hum missing hain, yeh kaise pata chalega ke hum yahan hain (trying not to cry, and was struggling to put a brave front before Asad because she really didn't want to fall apart, it was the last thing Asad needed and it was the last thing she wanted anyone, let alone HIM to see) woh humme maar deinge na (As relevant as her concerns were, he tried not to pay much attention to her fears and nor could he pay attention to them for both their well being because the voices in the distance only got louder and louder. Thankfully, when he popped open the window it broke open with a few hard hits and quickly and desperately Asad first helped Zoya out and then he himself jumped out the low window too and they both made a run for it. As quickly and as fast as they could, they made a run for it without looking back, and not that far away two of their closest loved ones too were taking as wobbly and fearful, but much slower steps to an unknown and new destiny with no scope of looking back either. Aahil and Anaya accompanied by their loved ones, Aahil by his brothers Arsalan, Ayaan and Asif and Anaya by her sisters Naina, Kajol and Humeira made their way to the stage from two opposite ends of the hall, with their eyes cast downwards, their hearts beating a mile per minute. Anaya's with fear, happiness and Aahil's with fear, worry and regret. Anaya's family watching with baited breaths for their daughter's fate to change which it was but unfortunately not for the better (for a short while) like they hoped it would but thanks to the devil in the room by the name of Haseena, it was for the worst.

xxx

Nawab's haveli - Engagement:

Anaya tried to sneak a peek at Aahil once they were sat on the stage, even as her heartbeats spiralled out of control and she felt a pang of disappointment and fear hit her again as she found him ONCE AGAIN not looking at her, or trying to sneak a glance at her like every guy in her mind should be doing so in that moment and suddenly she found her confidence in their relationship wavering again. They both sat there paralyzed with fear at what the next few moments would bring for both of them.

Suleman - (looked towards Shazia) Shuru kareiin Shazia Behn (Shazia smiled proudly and happily and Suleman nodded) Asalamualakum behno aur bhaiyo, aur bauhat shukriya aap sabka ke aap yahan hamari khushiyon mein shaamil hone aye. Humme bauhat khuushi hai ke aapne yahan aake hamari khushiyon mein chaar chaand laga diye. Hum umeed rakhte hain ke aaj hamari beti Anaya ki zindagi ke itne eham mauke pe aap usse apni duaon mein yaad rakhte hue apna pyaar deinge aur aaj jaise hum apne aur Tahir bhai ke beech rishtedaari aur mazboot karte hain, unke beti ke badle (looking at Sapna) apni beti unhe de rahe hain, hum umeed rakhte hain ke aap bhi humara rishta aur apne dilon mein hamare liye paar aur khushiyon ki duaen aur mazboot kareinge, aur ab finally woh mauka jiske liye hum jaante hain ke kamaz kam hamari beti Anaya toh aur intezaar nahin kar sakti (everyone in the room laughed whilst Anaya blushed prettily not believing her grandfather had just said that and her parents smiled at her through watery eyes. However, for Aahil the laughter finally served as a clue to snap out of it and back to reality. Not back in his hospital with Doctor Anaya but back here in this house, in his impeding engagement)

Suleman - So without further ado, rings anyone? (Everyone smiled in anticipation as Naina and Ayaan brought forth the rings, Ayaan not letting any chance to flirt with the girl across from him, and spite Azlan so he winked at Naina just as they held out the rings to the bride and groom who both felt like they were going to be SICK thanks to the fluttering in their stomach as they held the rings with shaky hands and turned towards one another. Anaya was about to slip the ring unto Aahil's finger as he sat there stupidly and paralyzed with fear suddenly with alarm bells going off in his mind and panic settling in realizing how much of a mistake he was about to make. But, fortunately or unfortunately the minute Anaya raised her hesitant eyes for some reconfirmation Haseena bi did for him, what he was just about to do himself even if she didn't do it as kind and as gently as he would've. Everyone gasped in shock, whilst Anaya's siblings jumped towards her suddenly angry and aghast as Haseena Bi angrily brushed off Anaya's hesitant and shaky hands as she raised it to slip the ring unto Aahils finger.

Ghafoor - Haseena Bi! Yeh kya batameezi hai! Aapka dimaagh toh nahin phir gaya!

Haseena Bi - (laughed) Dimaagh hi toh phir gaya tha mera jab maine iss ghar se rishta Jorah! Iss liye ab main yeh rishta torti hoon (Again, everyone in the village, big fans of drama and gossip gasped whilst the women of the Haveli grabbed their chests feeling like their hearts would just close with shock any second)

Ghafoor - Haseena Bi, humme aapse yeh umeed nahin thi, aise kaise bhari mehfil mein aap hamari izzat uchal rahee hain?

Maya - Aise kaise rishta tor saktin hain aap, aapne jo maanga humne aapko diya aapki maang se bar ke diya phir aap-

Haseena - (nodded hatefully) haan, maine jo maanga aapne diya! Aapne mujhe ITNA bara dhoka diya! Chote logon se rishta jorte toh chota dhoka mila par ab jab bare logon se rishta jora hai toh dhoka bi bara hoga na..

Azlan - What the hell are you talking about? What dhoka? (Maya grabbed his arm and held him back afraid that he was going to rip one into Haseena Bi)

Razia - Kya baat kar rahee ho tum Haseena, kaunsa dhoka diya hai humne aapko?

Haseena - Batati hoon (shook her head) balke dekhati hoon. Jaanti thi bina dekhe toh aap bharosa nahin karte iss liye bharosa main apnse saath layee hoon...FEROZ! (Everyone looked to the entrance, and cleared the path to see who Haseena was calling in, who she was expecting, but as the person came forth, Azlan's face paled and he felt sick. This was so not good. His heart sank and he felt the world around him spin. This was so not good. Everyone began muttering and gossiping about the injured man who wobbled his way in)

Haseena - Yeh hain Inspector Feroz Ansari (putting her arm around the man who came and stood by her) MERA BHAI FEROZ ANSARI! Aap log isse nahin jaante, par (tried to hide her smirk) par Azlan jaanta hai kyunki iski iss haalat ka zimedaar Azlan hai (and immediately all eyes were on him, confused and accused and shocked eyes and the dizziness became even worse) par iski yeh halat karne mein woh akela nahin tha, iska kissi ne saath diya tha, jaante hain kisne saath diya tha? (The room was dead silent so she turned towards Azlan) Azlan BETA tum bataoge ya main bataoon?

Ghafoor - (glared at Azlan and Azlan stared at the ground, avoiding his eyes like the plague just like he was avoiding everyone else's gaze especially his sisters because he was her gunegaar) Kisne saath diya tha Haseena Bi?

Haseena - (screamed) ASAD AHMED KHAN NE! ISKE BHAI NE!!! (The Haveli family stood shocked, how did she find out) Aur agar aapko yakeen nahin tha (laughed) jo ke mujhe yakeen hai ke aapko nahin ayega toh main saboot bhi layeen hoon, khud dekhlijiye (she pulled out a thick wad of photographs from her purse and shoved them at Rashid who grabbed them and then froze unable to move but Ghafoor, now glaring at him grabbed the pictures from him and looked at them once, his eyes filling with as much fire as Asad's were glaring back at him through the picture although Asad looked possessed by an altogether different kind of anger in that picture. He looked almost mad in the picture and everyone standing in the room shivered with fear seeing the rage in his eyes as the pictures were passed through)

Haseena - Keh dijiiye, ke yeh sab jhoot hai. Ke yeh tasveerein jhooti hain ke Asad Ahmed Khan tumhara beta nahin hai ke aapki koi doosri biwi nahin, koi doosra ghar nahin! KEH DO! RAZIA maine tum logon ko mauke pe mauka diya mujhse sach bolne ka par tum logon ne baar baar mujhe jhoot bola. Baar baar. AB BATAO, AAP SAB BATAYEE (looking to the villagers) batayee ke main yeh rishta kyun na toron! Main apne bete ki shaadi aise ghar mein kaise kar doon? Jiss baap ke do do ghar hon do do biwiyan hon aise baap ke beti mere bete ka ghar kya basaye gi? BATAYEE ke main sahee hoon ya nahin? (No one dared to speak, no one could ever dare to speak out against the Nawab of this village) CHALO AAHIL!! C-

Ghafoor - Ek minute, ek minute Haseena Bi (putting up a hand to delay Haseena Bi not wanting her to do anything hasty) itni jald baazi ki kya zaoorat hai? Hum itmenan se baithke baat kar sakte hain iss-

Haseena - Bas Bas Ghafoor Sahab ab itmenan se baithke baat karne ka wakt hatam ho chuka hai...ab-

Ghafoor - Haseena Bi, aapko zaroor koi ghalat fehmi hui hai. Theek hai, mana ke humne yeh sab chupa ke. Aapse ghalati ki aur humme aapse sach nahin chupana chahiye tha par uske liye hum aapse maafi maangte hain, hum sharminda hain issi liye ab tak khare chup chaap aapki baatein sun rahe hain warna khuda ki kasam kissi ki himmat nahin hai humse aise baat karni ki...Haan yeh sach hai ke Rashid ki ek aur shaadi thi aur uss mein se do bache aur the par woh bauhat BAUHAT pehle ki baat hai aur Rashid kabse unn logon se rishta tor chuka hai, ab Rashid ka unn logon se KOI rishta nahin hai, haina Rashid? (As surprised and intrigued everyone was seeing this drama unfold, and as ashamed and guilty Azlan was he looked up with hope and hesitant eyes as did Anaya waiting to hear their father's response because this evening had just presented its saving grace and it wouldn't be so horrible if Rashid stood today and accepted Aisha and Asad as his, but if he didn't then there was no salvaging this and it was a dreadful and horrible evening one they all wished they could go back in time to erase. Unfortunately for them, it was to be the latter)

Rashid - (seeing the accusation and tears in Shireen's eyes) Haan, yeh sach hai. Ke mera Dilshad Khan, aur usske bachon (her voice shook) Aisha Khan aur Asad Khan se KOI rishta nahin hai. Mere liye unka KOI wujood nahin hai.

Ghafoor - Dekha, Dekha aapne Haseena Bi, issi liye toh humne aapse kuch kaha nahin, itni purani baat ko duhra ke kya faida jab uska koi matlab nahin hai aur Anaya aur Azlan ke aaj pe iss baat ka koi asar nahin hai.

Haseena - Acha. Agar aisi baat hai, toh phir Azlan ab tak apne BHAI se chup chup ke kyun milta hai (seeing their lack of response and complete silence she laughed again) pooch lijiye usse agar aapko yakeen nahin aata (they all slowly looked to Azlan but hearing his silence they already knew what Haseena was saying was true because Azlan was not one to stand silent and let others throw accusations at him like that)

Razia - Haseena, Haseena main bol rahee hoon ke yeh sab Dilshad ka kiya dhara hai tum uss jaado garni ko janti nahin ho (Ayaan stared at her and the entire Haveli family in utter disgust and disbelief as she said that and none of them spoke in Dilshad's defense and honour) ussi ne Asad ko kehke yeh chaal chali hogi, Azlan ke khilaaf hamare khandaan ke khilaaf yeh chaal chali hogi warna Azlan toh bacha hai usko kya-

Haseena - (laughed) BACHA! AAPKO mere bhai ki haalat dekh ke lagta hai ke yeh kissi bache ka kiya dhara hai??? BAS MAIN AUR KUCH SUNA NAHIN CHAHTI maine keh diya so keh diya, main yeh rishta TORTI HOON. Aahil! CHALO!! Main bahar gaari mein intezaar kar rahee hoon (seeing the humiliation and lowered heads of the Nawab family she felt happy as only she being the nasty person she was could feel and feeling haughty and proud she walked out and Aahil, in shock, stupefied walked out behind her still unable to process what was going on. Fate was giving him a second chance and he didn't even have to be a completely horrible person to achieve that. Ayaan scoffed, unable to believe how disgusting the Haveli people could actually believe to ridicule Asad and his family like they did here today and with a raging head and muttering an angry "unbelievable" he stormed out of there and shortly but slowly the rest of his family followed short at a loss of words, unable to understand what had just happened. Azlan was still standing there with his eyes lowered unable to see his sisters state, see her sitting there with blank eyes, a void and pale face as Naina and Kajol upon Maya's urging helped her inside to her bedroom and Ghafoor and Razia stood enraged whilst the rest of the parents just stood disappointed, confused and of course angry especially angry at Azlan and slowly they too walked out, at a loss for words and not knowing what to say to him in such a situation)

xxx

Continued in next post...

Meanwhile - Somewhere amidst the Jungle:

After hours of being on the run, just narrowly missing the punchait and police every now and then as they circled the outskirts of the jungle Asad and Zoya were running and hiding desperately in, Asad hesitantly peeked above the bushes he and Zoya were hiding behind until the coast was clear from the deranged cops and punchait. Finally, seeing that no one was around, Asad calmly and very quietly grabbed Zoya's hand and helped her up, still subconsciously shielding her behind himself lest there be any surprise attacks, and he began making his way through the jungle but 5 minutes into the walk Zoya was already heaving and gasping breathlessly and dead tired.

Zoya - Mr. Khan! Rukiye Mr. Khan yeh mat bhuliye ke main bhi aapke saath chal rahee hoon, thora dheere chaliye..

Asad - Aap hi har waqt kehti haina ke aap bauhat strong hain, toh dekhaiye apni strength..chaliye mere saath

Zoya - Haan par hum subah se chal rahe hain, I'm tired...

Asad - (still not letting go of her hand because it just felt so natural, so comfortable and like how it was meant to be that sometimes he didn't even realize that he was holding her hand) Humme rukna nahin chahiye, I'm sure unhone saare exits cover karke rakheinge honge I'm sure there's another way out yahan hi (and then it was as if there it was a miracle, in the form of a dhaba/motel and he suddenly felt the air return to his chest, finally there was somewhere he could hide but more importantly he could hide Zoya from this evil world and animals like the punchait and the police. He was so desperate to believe they were going to be okay that he didn't even stop for once to realize how easy this was, almost too easy and if he found this dhaba so easily, what was stopping the enemy from finding it too.) woh dekhiye (pointed to the dhaba) mujhe lagta hai humme aaj yahan hi ruk jaana chahiye, I think we'll be safer inside, Kal subah tak?

Zoya - (her eyes widened and her mouth fell open) SUBAH! KAL SUBAH KYUN! WAHAN PHONE HOGA na kissi ka phone use kijiye, gaari mangwayee aur ghar chalte hain...

Asad - (raised an eyebrow at her, sarcastically questioning her IQ) gaari ko aane mein ghanton lag jayeinge filhaal hum kaise ghar jayeinge paidal? Shaam hone waali hai (looking to the quickly darkening sky) mujhe lagta hai humme bahar nahin rukna chahiye, we'll be safer inside, chaliye (he began walking, but Zoya being the stubborn person that she was just stayed put and huffed annoyedly and stubbornly, not liking to be told what to do, especially when it was what she didn't want to do or what she wasn't comfortable doing, but she forgot she had no choice, Asad wasn't giving her no choice, A) because he was used to and he liked getting his way B) she was quite literally at his mercy because they were handcuffed together and when the cuffs tagged at his wrist as he began walking towards the Dhaba he realized she wasn't coming behind him so he turned around and seeing that defiant look in her eyes, the look he both hated but at some level adored, he rolled his eyes and tugged rather harshly at the wrists) CHALIYE (and so Zoya had no choice but to follow him to the dhaba, rather stumbling and falling more than walking behind him, following him all the way to the "front desk" of the dhaba) Asad was about to ring the bell on the front desk when he saw no one attending to the desk but then he suddenly realized their "situation" so he quickly used Zoya's lehngas dupatta to cover their handcuffed hands lest the dhaba owner see and begin to ask questions they didn't have the answers to, knowing how nosy these villagers could be and then finally, taking a deep breath he acting rather odd and extra calm and nonchalant rang the bell calmly twice and then decided to wait for someone to show up. But, he forgot he was accompanied by Ms. Impatient Farooqui and she gave the dhaba owner all of 3 seconds before she began furiously and constantly ringing the bell non-stop after very rudely shoving Asad aside, and he just stood behind her side eyeing her in annoyance and letting her do her thing, giving her the "are you done?" Look. Finally, it seemed that's what it was going to take, for Zoya to step up and do her thing (which is what it usually took) for the dhaba owner to come rushing to the front desk)

Dhaba Owner - Ji kahiye janaab kya madad kar sakta hoon main aapki?

Asad - ek kamra milega?

Zoya - (gasped in shock, unable to believe ASAD was saying something so inconsiderate, shameful and well ABSURD and very un-Asad like) EK KAMRA?

Asad - (even someone as clueless and "prudish" as Asad couldn't help but want to laugh at the double meaning or sexual innuendo hidden behind the look he gave Zoya as he looked towards her, and then himself and then he looked "down", well to be honest, he was referring to the handcuffs but other people could take it as something else. Zoya however, was very much non-prudish and so whilst wanting to laugh at the dirty joke, which is where her dirty mind went she too held her laugh back and instead smiled at the dhaba owner sheepishly) milega?

Dhaba Owner - Haan, Haan milega na milega kyun nahin? Aap kahein toh aapke liye ek honeymoon special room khulwa doon (eyeing bth of them who looked like a prince and princess right out of a Disney film) shaadi ke jore ke liye ek dum sahee-

Asad - (closed his eyes, in extreme pain, not wanting to hear this, but Zoya just opened her mouth in a silent O stupidly and just stood there) CHABI

Dhaba Owner - Haan, Haan, bas zara yahan (turning his log towards Asad and Zoya) apna kuch naam, pata kuch likh dijiye...

Zoya - Haan, Haan main (and then, again forgetting her hand was handcuffed to Asad she raised her hand to write their names down, but realizing just in time she hid her hand before the Dhaba Owner could see the handcuffs and create a ruckus that could attract the attention of others, especially the enemies) Haan yeh likheinge (Asad nodded and began writing whilst the Dhaba Owner smiled at them oddly ,staring at their hands "held" under Zoyas dupatta, little did he know)

Dhaba Owner - Wah bhai, aapke beech mein kitna pyaar hai, ek minute ke liye bhi ek doosre ka haath nahin chor rahe, acha hai bhai acha hai, bhai hamare zamane mein (Asad rolled his eyes, oh dear god here we go again, what was up with this old generation constantly criticizing our generation and praising their own and GOD what was peoples need to make such unnecessary small talk, was he the only one who appreciated the art of a good silence (yes))

Asad - CHABI!! (The owner nodded sacredly and immediately handed Asad the key whilst Zoya opened her mouth staring between the two of them)

Zoya - DEKHIYE- (But Asad knew, Zoya's need to be a loud mouth, began dragging her away again lest she say something stupid and give them away which he was sure she would, he began dragging her away whilst Zoya gasped annoyedly)

Zoya- Mr. Khan! Kabse woh boli jaa raha hai honeymoon special room, special deluxe room, shaadi shuda couples ke liye, honeymoon couples ke liye, kuch bol kyun nahin rahee hain aap usse kuch bhi samjhega woh hamare baare mein aur aap- (but Asad, choosing to drown out all the necessary noise, he had become mastered at, he focused on unlocking the door, and that's' when Zoya realized, they had reached their bedroom door and were no longer standing at the front desk but instead at the door to THEIR bedroom, the bedroom SHE had to share with HIM, the bedroom she was going to be locked in with him all alone, for god only knows how long, and just as soon as that realization sank in, both their hearts began beating as if trying to beat out of their chests and their breathing began going ragged, and they immediately began regretting what they were about to do. Were they just about to commit the biggest mistake of their lives (yes, but what a beautiful mistake it would turn out to be). Zoya, although she trusted Asad blindly, with her life, all of a sudden, with all that she had been through in life, being locked up in a room alone with a man, had her guards up and her fear overtaking her heart in full force, she was suddenly on the defence and paranoiad about everything, especially as they both went red in the face seeing the single queen sized bed in the middle of the room, decorated with roses, they both had a mantra constantly on loop in their minds "don't look at her/him" and desperately avoiding eye contact or body contact of any shape or form with Zoya despite being handcuffed to her Asad turned towards the dressing mirror whilst Zoya still stood frozen. Strangely enough, Asad found just what he was looking for, guess God decided to have some mercy on the poor guy after all the ways he had punished him in today, a random hammer was laying in the centre of the dressing table and he grabbed it, and feeling the tug on her wrist again, Zoya finally looked up at him)

Zoya - Yeh kya kar rahe hain aap Mr. Khan (as he turned around to ask her to step closer to him, but seeing the fear in her eyes, and seeing her step away from him in fear he just rolled his eyes and grabbed the hammer, and this time Zoya gasped in even more fear) Isse kya karne waalein hain aap Mr. Khan? (Slightly annoyed at seeing the fear in her eyes, and hurt by the realization that she wasn't trusting him (even though he couldn't blame a girl for being too careful) he decided to offer her an explanation, lest she drive herself crazy with worry and fear)

Asad - Handcuffs torne pareinge, hum raat mein (staring at the bed, but Zoya went red in the face and desperately avoided looking at him or the bed) aise nahin reh sakte (and then he looked up at her for just a second, and bringing out the 10% kindness buried somewhere deep in his heart he decided to kid around, to lighten the mood and lessen her paranoia) that is of course (in a teasing tone) unless you don't want me to (but all it did, was worsen the situation because Zoya froze in shock and began staring at him as if he were some sort of alien, ASAD JOKING WITH HER, so whilst he tried his best to break the handcuffs she instead focused on staring at him wondering which alien had possessed him but 5 minutes into randomly hitting the centre of the handcuffs and seeing no result, he realized how useless it was and groaning in frustration, feeling helpless not knowing what to do he tossed the hammer at the wall and held his forehead. What in the world were they going to do now? Zoya, although wanting to help him and give him hope that everything would be okay felt her own hope wavering and of course she was afraid that anything she would say to ease his worry and frustration would trigger him and cause him to lash out at her and that was the last thing they needed right now. The two of them fighting. But after sitting for a long time in complete and utter silence Zoya knew that this wasn't helping the situation either. Besides, the room was suffocating and looking at what was clearly a beautiful evening outside, with perfect stars, just the right amount of wind and light soulful music in the background it was a crime to be indoors.

Zoya - (Speaking as calmly and tenderly as possible, lest she triggered him because lets, be real anything could trigger Asad on a good day and where Zoya was concerned, just her sight set him ablaze) Mr. Khan, dekhiye..aap pareshan mat hoyee...sab theek ho jayega, Aise pareshan hone se aur ghussa hone se kuch theek nahin hoga, let, let's just go outside okay..the fresh air, it'll help...(Asad didn't respond for a good few minutes, and when he did finally look at her she saw a thousand and one accusations in his eyes and it seemed like he had a lot to say but he was trying not to because he didn't want to hurt her. So, he let himself get dazzled by Zoya's beautiful and encouraging smile and when she held out her hand to him, he took it, and ignoring the spark between them once again, he pulled himself up and walked out behind her to the front veranda of the motel they were staying at. Surely enough, it really was the perfect night. Perfect with just the right amount of stars, the perfect light and magical breeze and the most perfect and appropriate song playing somewhere in the near distance. As appropriate as the song and lyrics were, it did put them in an awkward pickle and his mind and heart in a raging tsunami of emotions and thoughts suddenly, the annoyance of the hammer triggering the reality he was trying to suppress that instead of lying in his own bed comfortably or hugging his little Pari he was stuck in this garbage motel with and thanks to Zoya running for his life and right now he couldn't even trust if he would be alive to see tomorrows sun rise. With all those thoughts going on in his mind he once again forgot that he was handcuffed to Zoya and so he bounded down the two short steps of the motel suddenly and unintentionally ended up cutting Zoya's wrist when she had to by fault stumble down and fall right next to him on the steps, wincing. Asad felt bad, but with his rising temperature, there was no way he was going to admit that, so he just shifted awkwardly and watched her out of the corner of his eyes, ignoring the pain in his own heart, imagining the pain she was going through as he saw her hesitantly pull back her dupatta from her hand, and saw the bright streak of red in contrast to her perfect pale skin. Zoya looked up at him accusingly and pained and as she adjusted the dupatta around herself, he again watched her from the corner of his eyes, awkwardly, breathing heavily, trying not to look at her because he was respecting her privacy but also for the goodness of his own heart too)

Lag ja gale ki phir Ye hasin raat ho na ho Shayad phir is janam mein Mulakat ho na ho Lag jaa gale se

Feeling a migraine coming along he raised his hand to massage his forehead but she winced again and he clenched his fists apologetically, wanting to apologize but again his ego got in the way, and as Zoya closed her eyes in pain, Asad looked the other way...

Hum ko mili hai aaj Ye ghadiya naseeb se Je bhar ke dekh leejiye Hamako kareeb se

Unable to stop himself, Asad raised his hesitant eyes towards her beautiful face, which looked even more perfect in the moonlight but the second Zoya too looked at him with her equally hesitant but longing eyes, she scared him off, and his anger resurfaced so he looked away, believing that breaking an eye lock with her was punishment for her of some sorts, even though he didn't know why he believed or HOPED that would be so, but little did he know, that he was right, and it was more painful of a punishment than she cared to admit. She stared at him broken heartedly and sadly, desperately wanting him to talk to her to look at her, look at her the way he looked at her last night, even though she didn't know why. She also didn't know why she imagined him, smile that beautiful smile at her and stare at her with that gaze that was fast becoming her undoing, and imagined him delicately grab her fingertips and begin twirling her romantically under the starlit sky...

Phir apke naseeb mein Ye raat ho na ho Phir is janaam mein Mulakat ho na ho Lag ja gale ki phir Ye hasin raat ho na ho

He felt Zoya moving beside him, and he again watched her out of the corner of his eyes, watched her fix her dupatta on her shoulder to cover her rather largely exposed back and he moved his hand over so that she could do so easier. Respecting her privacy and comfort. Besides, the less skin he saw the better it was for him. Once she was finished he once again unable to hold himself back, looked towards her and she too looked back, hoping to see that look from last night replace the cold indifferent look she saw in his eyes tonight, the one she couldn't bare to see, but he was still in a mood to punish her and so he looked away immediately, breaking her heart just a little more...but then unable to hold himself back, he hesitated for a few seconds before raising a shaky hand to fix the dupatta for her, because her efforts didn't make much of a difference after all, and for her sanity and his own, he very delicately and carefully adjusted her dupatta so that her back was covered and once Zoya realized what he was doing, once she got over her hitched breath, fearful heart and shock she mechanically and robotically took over, fixing the dupatta for him, and she now got angry at herself and at him when she saw him look away again...

Pas aiye ki ham nahin Ayenge baar baar Bahen gale mein daal ke Ham ro le zaar-zaar

But then he just gave up, stopped being stubborn and quit lying to himself. He realized he couldn't keep his eyes off of her and off her beauty on this magical night no matter how much he tried so he gave up and stared with slightly hooded, slightly darkened and slightly dreamy eyes at the side of her beautiful face and appreciated how perfectly the moon framed her face. This time though, Zoya didn't look back at him and it was probably better for both of them that she didn't. It let him lay eyes on her, without any interruptions and it let her stop worrying and focusing on his rather harsh and dismissive behaviour tonight, and let her mind wander to one of the most beautiful nights of her life. Last night, when she danced with him, in the confines and safety of his arms and he let her drift, let her dream, and let her believe that for once everything would be okay in her life.

Ankhoon se phir ye Pyaar ki barsaat ho na ho Shayad phir is janam mein Mulakat ho na ho

Whilst he stared at her, She imagined them swaying, in each others arm staring into each others eyes and daring to believe, whilst dancing intimately close together under the beautiful moonlit sky...

Lag ja gale ki phir Ye hasin raat ho na ho Shayad phir is janam mein Mulakat ho na ho Lag jaa gale se

But then, as it did always, reality caught up and all Asad remembered was Zoya saying "qubool nahin hai" and running away from the "Nikkah" landing both of them in this mess and his anger resurfaced all over again. Before Zoya could finish dreaming of Asad leaning in to do, what she hoped for him to do, she was very rudely shook from her little daydream by the tug on her wrist as Asad suddenly stood up, with his back towards her and with her eyes closed she didn't see him stand up. But she felt her heart sink further when she realized Asad was standing with her back to him and couldn't even stand to look at her)

Asad. I'm tired. I think we should go to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow (sighed, avoiding to bring the topic up, not wanting to but at last he didn't have a choice) You can take the bed. I'll, I'll sleep on the floor (and without waiting for a response, he began walking inside, expecting to Zoya who had no choice but to follow him silently)

xxx

Continued in next post

Part 22 Continued...

xxx

1 Hour Later:

They may have been too tired to think an longer and may not want anything more in life than to get some shut eye but sleep was still far far fway from both of them. No matter how hard they tried they just couldn't get themselves to fall asleep or maybe they just weren't trying hard enough. No matter how hard they tried they just couldn't stop themselves from thinking. Thinking about each other, dreaming about each other and all that had transpired between them. Not just from the beginning, but especially in these last few days in this unplanned village trip. Mostly though they just couldn't get their dance from last night out of their minds. No matter how hard they tried they just couldn't get those touches, those looks and those feels out of their minds. That and of course the danger that loomed over their heads. Fearing what tomorrow would bring. the very real fear of if they would be able to see tomorrows sun rise or not. But Asad also knew that no good could come of anything if they were both too exhausted to save themselves or make a run for it, they'd be more dangerous to themselves than anyone else could be to them. He tried to turn over on his side once again forgetting that he was handcuffed to Zoya who was trying to sleep on the bed above him, and the inevitable happened, just as fate would have it Zoya came crashing into his arms once again, well to be precise, she came falling right into his arms from the bed above and both their startled eyes slowly meshed together as Asad's fingers interlaced between her locks which tickled his face whilst Zoya tried to cushion the blow by gripping unto Asad's shoulders tightly. They had just started losing themselves in each others eyes, drowning, dreaming, hoping for those deepest darkest desires which had to do everything with each other and each other only when Zoya heard something outside their bedroom door or at least she thought she heard something., she immediately sat up alarmed and seeing the panic and fear settle into her face so did Asad, worriedly.

Asad - what-

Zoya - Mr. Khan (Asad signalled to her, to keep her voice low and so she began whispering) Mr. Khan, wahan, wahan koi tha. maine wahan kissi ko dekha (Asad nodded, and told her to be cautious as he rushed to his feet, helping Zoya up with himself as he began slowly maneuvering them to the door, all the while keeping his eyes and ears open for any warning signs. He pressed his ear to the door to see if he could hear anyone outside but believing the coast to be clear he slowly made it for the doorknob but Zoya clutched his forearm frightened, having the worst feeling that something was terribly wrong, which she wasn't wrong about but Asad nodded slowly attempting to pacify her and rest assure the fear in her eyes that everything would be okay but that feeling still didn't go away, Asad opened the door none the less. He peered out of his room slyly and cautiously constantly hiding himself from view but making sure he had a good sight of everyone and everything outside. Upon seeing and hearing no one he opened the door further and was just about to step out, Zoya too was just about to dare to step out from behind him, when she screamed loudly instead, startling Asad too. Her eyes were closed and she was just standing there screaming continuously, as both Asad and the one eyed man (one working eye) stared between themselves and her, until she finally got over her freight and stopped screaming. She scaredly and with heavy breathing opened her eyes, feeling Asad right by her and realizing they were both okay, even with the guy still standing at the door step. She opened her still scared eyes and looked between him and the man who just smiled amusedly at her.

Man - Maaf kijiye maine aapko pareshan kya, shayad meri ahat sunke aap log uth gaye...main bas (stared out at the tables in the courtyard of the motel) Main bas thora petki bhook halke karni ki koshish kar raha tha...(He saw both Asad and Zoya's eyes lighten up as they saw the food spread at the tables. He could see the almost maddening and savage thirst and hunger, desperation and want in their eyes and so he looked back towards them.)

Man - Lagta hai aapko kaafi bhook lagi hai. Agar aap chahein toh aap mera khaana mil bbaant ke khaa sakte ho

Asad - (smiled, nodded gratefully) Shukria par-

Man - Par kya? (Laughed) yakeen kijiye main sirf insaniyat ke naate ek acha kaam karna chahta hoon, apko zeher khilane ki koshsish hargiz nahin kar raha. Par agar aapko nahin chahiye toh - (but even Asad with all his eating disorders couldn't tolerate the hunger so it made him wonder how Zoya was tolerating the hunger and thirst and so in his desperation, he made one of the poorest calls of his life, one he would regret for the rest of his life)

Asad - Nahin, Nahin hum (sighed) bauhat shukriya aapka hum khaayenge (The smiled at him and giving them a rather creepy smile which Asad was too desperate to not see he walked away but Zoya could see right through it)

Zoya - Mr. Khan, mujhe nahin lagta humme iss aadmi pe bharosa karna chahiye (Asad turned towards her and again, all his anger at her for landing them in this pickle resurfaced)

Asad - Hamare paas aur koi choice nahin hai agar humne kuch khaya nahin toh kal ghar tak jaane ki himmat nahin hoyegi humme(still seeing the hesitance and resistant in Zoya's eyes he sighed and tried his best to fake a reassuring smile) I'll keep an eye on him (nodded onwards the food) chaliye (and again without giving her a choice, he began walking away and once again Zoya had no choice butt o follow him and leave her fate in his hands, she followed him out and sat next to him under the starlit sky once again, enjoying the cool breeze, as Asad began breaking morsels of food whilst Zoya just picked at the hem of her kurta, which Asad noticed, she was foolish to believe he wouldn't. He noticed everything about her. Looking over at her, wondering for just a second why she wasn't eating he was just about to ask her when his eyes fell on their handcuffed hands and he realized her right hand was handcuffed to his which was why she wasn't eating. He looked away stubbornly at once, willing himself not to care, forcing himself to believe he didn't, but no matter how hard he tried, he failed over and over again, to the point where he felt like he had no control over his own muscle actions when his hand began breaking small morsels of food, FOR HER. He tried to lie to himself again, tried to tell himself he was only feeding her so that she wouldn't be a hindrance to their safety tomorrow but he himself knew that was nothing more than a lie. So he brought a morsel to her mouth first, and as she ate the morsel, beyond surprised and touched at his gestures, his kindness that even when he was so angry he still cared. Finally, when the food entered into her stomach, and she felt alive, she was able to speak again, be herself again and that meant nonstop, nonsense chatter)

Asad - Jaldi khayee isse pehle ke sarpunch yahan pauhanch jaye

Zoya - Pata nahin Mr. Punch hamare peeche aise kyun parein hain? Humne unka kyya bighara hai humne toh Maryam ko bhagaya haina, toh phir woh kyun (she shook her head as Asad stared at her in confusion over her sanity again, Mr. Punch really. He fed her another morsel hoping it would do the impossible of shutting her up but that was just wishful thinking on his part) waise, aapko maana toh parega Mr. Khaan, food or no food hum ek saath ek bauhat achi aur decent si fight lar sakte hain (shook her head) maine toh aapko pehle kaha tha, mujhe karate aata hai, martial arts ki maine bauhat saalon tak training li hai, woh alag baat hai ke movies dekh dekh kee, driving kaisi sieekhe hai maine? Video games khel khel ke..DAR TOH LAGTA hi nahin hai mujhe Mr. Khan (Only Zoya could manage to talk such nonsense when her life was on the line. Although he would forever be curious as to how she could spew such nonsense at a time like that, he would forever whatever worry about her sanity, and he would forever roll his eyes at her craziness and her absurd talks as he was doing now Asad , almost ALMOST smiled at her innocence. As much as he wished she would SHUT UP for once and wondered how it was possible for anyone to talk so much, he kinda also wished she would never stop talking because there so much innocence and hope hidden in her constant jabber it made him feel alive. The resistance to feel that way, alive and hopeful is what had him stubbornly deny that he cared, or that he fell for her, one syllable, one word at a time. But when Asad realized that care for her himself, when he realized his own failure at trying to stay away, trying to hate her, trying to stay angry at her, trying not to be affected at her the anger at Zoya only intensified. Intensified into a madness, blind rage. When Zoya offered him the only bottle of water he shook his head, clenching his jaw and fist tightly, looking away from her, afraid of what he might end up saying, what he might end up doing in his anger. Zoya on the other hand, still living in the bubble of joy she felt at seeing his care for her, being touched at the sight of it, she either was too innocent, too optimistic and good hearted to see it or she just didn't want to see the anger in his eyes on the verge of explosion. He however, had no choice but to break the silent treatment when he saw Zoya toss away the water bottle, the now empty water bottle the water he had shook his head at when she first offered it to him. He looked at her, with a rather irritated expression)

Asad - Mera matlab tha, mujhe abhi nahin baad mein nahin chahiye tha..

Zoya - (stared at him in disbelief, how the hell could he possibly expect her to know that?) Toh aapko kehna chahiye tha naa Mr. Khan, aapki yehi problem hai aap hamesha yehi karte ho...

Asad - (and there it was, that explosive rage which had thus far only threatened to unleash itself) Kaun kya karta hai uske baare mein na hi baat karein toh behtar hai. Mujhe baar baar yaad mat dilaiye ke main iss mushkil mein aapki wajah se phasa hoon.

Mujhe yaad mat dalaiyee ke iss baar aapne Kya kia hai (and as he heard no response from her, which was shocking and a sign of danger where Zoya was concerned he looked towards her and saw tears. In her eyes, tears which further enraged him because they were always his undoing and he hated that, he hated the control she had on him) Ab please emotional hoke rona mat shuru kardijiye .(Zoya just shook her head, it wasn't even worth it, he would never change, besides she had bigger problems than crying over Mr khan yelling at her ONCE again, because at that rate she'd have no tears left to cry over the bigger things ,things that mattered, things like Maryam and what might be happening to her, or what had happened to her and what was about to happen to her if she didn't intervene on time)

Zoya - Kiss kisam ki jagah hai yeh, ab tak iss country mein yeh sab ho raha hai (not realizing she was adding fuel to the fire and feeding an already enraged lion) kaise zabardasti kar rahe the Maryam ke saath, THANK GOD woh bhaag gayee (she shook her head and without realizing again, put her foot in her mouth) Mr. Khan aapko nahin lagta humme Maryam ko dhoondna chahiye

Asad - (rolled his eyes, trying and failing miserably to control his anger) Ek baar hum yahan se zinda nikal jayen, phir aap usse dhoondiyega, jisko dil kare dhoondiyega, par please Mujhe involve mat kijiyega...

Zoya - (desperately wanting him to hear her, believe her, trust her that she wouldn't do something so careless for some stupid adventure that would put both of them, especially him, in so much danger) Mr Khan agar aapko pata hota na ke woh kyun bhaagi toh aap aise react naa karte, aap meri baat hi nahi sun rahe kamaz kam suniye toh sahee ke maine Maryam ko kyun bhagaya

Asad -(letting his rage, mostly his rage for not being able to do anything to stop his forever growing feelings for Zoya, for falling for her, get the better of him - Screamed) Mujhe kuch nahin sunna hai. Aapki stupidity ki wajah se kitni lives musibat mein hai, meri aapki, Maryam ki

Zoya -Mr. Khan, hamari aur maryam ki zindagi ki fikar mujhe bhi horaee hai par uske saath jo kuch bhi ho raha tha woh sabb jaane ke baad main kaise khamosh kaise rehti. Uske khudke parent's usse force kar rahe the-

Asad - Toh aapko kya lagta hai aapne usse bacha liy? Aapne uske saath saath hamari bhi zindagi khatre mein daali hai, (screaming into her face, and her eyes just began filling with more and more tears, tears of anger and desperation and humiliation) Aapko lagta hai aap bauhat smart hain, par sachh toh yeh hai ke dunya ki sabse bewakoof ladki hain aap, SIRF MAIN HI JAANTA HOON KE MAIN AAPKO BARDAASHT KAISE KARTA HOON! Kaash Jeeju aapki behen ko naa jaante aur hum kabhi naa mille hote, (in that moment, in that moment of failing weak and stop himself from failing in love with her he uttered the words he would regret most in his life for all of time) KHUDA JANE OH DIN KAB AYEGA JAB AAP MERI ZINDAGI SE RUKHSAT HONGI (and as soon as the words left his tongue and he saw the look of heartbreak on her face, he regretted them immediately, and wished he could take them back, but he couldn't so unable to look her in the eye he looked away and turned his back on her, knowing that those tears would break his heart more than his words broke hers. With his back to her, he didn't see her tears, nor did he see her sway on her feet and hold her head dizzily but he did see the sign of danger and warning in the distance, the shadows lurking in the distance, which Zoya didn't because the only thing she could see before her eyes was the sight of her finding Maryam in her room, right before the Nikah attempting to set herself on fire, and she needed to constantly imagine that sight so that she didn't fall weak, didn't regret her actions for a second and remember that she did the right thing no matter what anyone else said, did or believed. Although, the sound of slight panic in his voice and the words he said next did slightly waiver that belief)

Asad - Aapne, bilkul sahee kaha tha, humme iss aadmi pe bharosa nahin karrna chahiye tha, Come on .(and Zoya just faintly registered him grabbing her hand and making a slight run for it back to their motel room, but the second he threw open that door, both their hearts nearly stopped beating and their faces paled in shock. Internal panic settling in big time. In that second they both saw their life flash before their eyes when they saw the countless guns, knives and other weapons cut blunt at their throats and the monstrous, victorious, merciless and scum faces of Asad's relatives and the villages punchait. Zoya swayed on her feet again and not all of it had to do with the weapons in her face)

Man who gave them food earlier - Lagta hai paani sirf ladki ne peeya hai, shehri baabu ne nahin.

Dulha - Koi nahin, (smirked evilly) mere paas isko behosh karne ka bhi tareeqa hai, waise bhi issne meri dulhan ko mujhse cheen ke bilkul bhi acha nahin kia aur usske liya (his face contorted with rage) isko bauhat bhari saza milegi. Bauhat dard, bauat takleef aur bauhat sara pachtawa milega (and without warning, he charged at Asad and neither Asad nor Zoya saw him coming. Asad screamed and winced in agony as the groom drove a knife into Asad's shoulder and his kurta drained red. Zoya was hysterical with screams and tears as she tried desperately to fight the dizziness and drowsiness as she felt Asad slump backwards into her)

Punchait - Shh, Shh, shor nahin chahiye...log uth jayenge kissi ko inke anjaam ka pata nahin chalna chahiye, warna police case ho sakta hai...

Groom - toh hone dejiye!! Inn shehri logon ne hamare mamle mein dhhakal diya hai, iski keemat inhe apni jaan dekar jhukana parega (Zoya still felt her heart closing in, seeing SO much blood on Asad, on hwr hand as she tried to stop the bleeding and as they both tried to fight the drowsiness and stay awake, fight back, fight for their lives. Although she didn't want to in that moment seeing Asad so hurt, bleeding and in so much pain, she did regret helping Maryam and she knew she would never be able to forgive herself if something happened to him because of HER mistake. She couldn't dare to imagine losing him or a life without him she couldn't understand when and how imagining losing him or a life without him could end up PAINING HER SO MUCH, but it did, and she couldn't dare to imagine. He had to be okay, he just HAD to. Asad too fought to stay awake, more for her than him, there WAS NO WAY he would let anything happen to Zoya, even if he had to give up his life fighting her, but at the same time he couldn't help but imagine what would happen to his Ammi and Aysh after him, Asad and Zoya began struggling against the low lives as they began pulling them apart and Zoya began screaming hysterically as the men grabbed her, screaming and kicking and screaming "Asad", Asad felt his heart beat violently, hearing her scream for him in her darkest times, through droopy eyes he realized they had unlocked their handcuffs and Zoya and he were no longer linked and somehow that made him and her feel more cold, more afraid, more unsafe and more alone than ever, he then looked at the cold, brutal and inhumane face of his uncle)

Asad - AAP AISA KAISE KAR SAKTE HAIN!! Aap meri aami ke bhai hain!!! Unhone aapke liye kya kya nahin kiya!! Maine unke kehne pe aapke liye kya kya nahin kiya!! Unhne mujhe yahan bheja aapki khushiyon mein shaamil hone ke liye aur aap

Dilawar - to tumne kiya kya yahan aake. Ussne tumhe yahan hamari khushiyon mein shaamil hone bhej tha ya unpe daaka daalne...

Zoya - (Feeling the drowsiness take over, but she knew what she had to do before the darkness engulfed her, what was right and what she should've done long ago. Set him free. He shouldn't have to pay for HER mistakes. There were far too many people who needed him. Phupi, Ayesha, Jeeju and she wouldn't let them mourn him, she couldn't let them lose him or lose him herself, her, nno -one would care if they lost her, but people loved and needed him)

Zoya - Dekhiye, yeh, yeh sab meri ghalati naahin hai, please please Mr. Khan ko jaane dijiye, jo kiya woh maine kiya toh aapko jo saza deni hai mujhe dejiye (Asad completely froze. In all his life, it was the one moment, where he stilled and didn't know how to react at all. He was at a loss for words, a reaction or emotions. What could he possibly say to this, to a girl like her, as selfless and as giving as her, that she could do something so graceful and big hearted. He was just at a standstill, and all the pain in the world had suddenly erased with her one act of kindness...he just stared at her, at a complete loss)

Groom - (stared at Zoya sleazily) mujhe bhi yeh faisla sahee lagta hai

Asad - (still staring at Zoya, unable to meet her eyes, to see the fear in them, the tears in them, the kindness of her HUGE heart he didn't realize when and how the words began tumbling from his mouth in a shaky unsteady voice, as unsteady as his beating heart as he stared with his widened shocked eyes into her big fearful and tear filled ones) Zoya, Zoya what're you...

Zoya - Mr. Khan please...(her eyes closing again)...please jaiyee...Phupi...Ayesha Aapi...jeeju, they need you. Please, please chale jayee...mere ghalati ki saza aapko nahin milni chahiye...(and as he felt the grip of the scums tighten on him his heart began pounding in fear and desperation as they began pushing him out the door)

Asad - (screaming like a wounded lion) zoya, no! Zoya!!!! Zoya!!!!!!!!!!! (But the scums pushed him out the door and slammed it behind his back as he kicked and punched, and fought to struggle besides the piercing and unbearable pain in his shoulder). ZOYA!!!!! MAAMO AAP USKE SAATH AISA KAISE KAR SAKTE HAIN!!! USKI KYA GHALATI HAI (screaming at the top of his lungs) Maryam...Maryam apni khudki jaan lena chahti thi, issne usse bachaya hai!!

Dilawar - Kya haaq bachaya hai!!! Mar jaane dete usse (Asad stared at him in shock, not able to believe he was related to this man in anyway, or that this was a father speaking such words about his own daughter) kamaz kaam bhaag ke jo ussne apne khandaan waalon ka naaq kataya hai woh toh naa hota...(Asad stared at him, still unable to believe such monsters could even exist, or that he was actually saying such words) Uss ladke ne, jisse maryam ki shaadi ho rahee thee ussne maryam ki izzat par...

Asad - (he felt the world spin around him, too much was happening way too fast and he just couldn't process it anymore, the darkness that threatened to engulf him was far too promising and he almost wanted to give in. He couldn't deal with any off it anymore, he just wanted to wake up from this nightmare, he had no strength to fight it, not on an empty stomach, exhaustion and so much pain) uss ladke ne Maryam ki izzat

Dilawar - Ab hogaya tha...jo hogaya tha usse main mita toh nahin sakta tha par kamaz kum unki shaadi karwake yeh gahalati toh mitayee jaa saktee thee (But Asad was too numb from shock of what he had just heard to hear anything else. Guilt began eating away at him, it was suffocating him and more painful than the stab wound on his shoulder that would probably make him bleed out. All he could see and hear was Zoya's verbal pleas and her pleading eyes begging him to hear her out understand WHY it is she did what she did, And the guilt and regret was unbearable, paralyzing and excruciating)

Dilawar - Phir bhi, tum meri behen ke ladke ho, tumne hamare liye kaafi kuch kiya hai, hamari haveli banayee hai tumne apni mehnat ke paison se iss liye main tumhari jaan baksh ta hoon, tum jaa saakte ho (and he signalled his men to let go of him, they shoved him away as soon as he shoved away from them as well) tum jaa sakte ho (Asad stared at him, more hatefully and loathingly than he had ever stared at anyone else. He still couldn't believe such people could exist or that he could be related to such people. He wished to just wrap his hands aroound him and strangle him to death right there and then for what he had done to both of them) lekin akele (but when he heard that scream, that scream that stopped his heart for nearly a second The one sound that would haunt him more than anything for the rest of time. His worst nightmare, the worst moment of his life, a scream that made his legs nearly give way, he stopped breathing, his mind went blank for a second before he felt his life begin slipping between her fingers and panic settled in, panic and a rush like he had never known before, a maddening rage, a maddening quest, thirst, a thirst to reach her, be with her, save her, let her save him, hold her, a need to see her so overwhelming he didn't stop, didn't look back, didn't think, he just ran, ran like a man on a mission, a man possessed. Screaming,"Zoya" at the top of his lungs. His face pale, his eyes desperate and filled with tears he really was on the verge of tears. He broke through anyone who tried to stop him or stand in his way, he broke through the door and was devastated to see it empty, his heart sank to his stomach when he saw the door at the other end of the room thrown open too, he ran to the door with an energy he didn't know he had, because his legs, his entire being felt lifeless, the only one to fill life into him was Zoya, the sight of her, but when he laid eyes on her, once he burst through the other end of the room, through the other door and finally spotted her, he didn't feel life course through his veins again, instead he felt the last shreds of life escape him, as he saw Zoya finally manage to reach the edge of the cliff at the backside of the motel and through her dizziness and wobbly legs, she jumped off just as her name, the most peaceful prayer the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, ripped through his vocal chords, and the men who were chasing her, who she had finally managed to escape from, with nothing but a few small cuts, bruises and injuries and a few cuts and rips in her clothes, smirked evilly between him and the cliff, as they saw him hesitate and wait stunned for all of 3 seconds before charging at a different speed altogether, blindly towards the cliff and without seeing or thinking about anything else, without hesitating, without stopping, without thinking about anything but Zoya and a maddening need to save her, foo his own sanity, he too jumped off that cliff and the scums who were at the root of it, ran away like a bunch of cowards lest they be found at the scene and blamed for a crime, they were truly responsible for in every way.)

xxx

xo - DailyDaisy!