A/N: I changed location of the story from Dhanaulti to Palampur. It doesn't affect the story as such but there is a reason for the change. Dehradun changes to Kangra, Uttranchal to Himachal.
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She nodded in denial. She didn't need more daal. So, he proceeded to help himself. Zoya felt she was seeing everything in slow motion. Daal moved from white of ladle and landed on white of rice and a smallish yellow lake was formed on rice mountain. Spoon in his hand moved rhythmically and boundaries of the yellow lake were broken turning white of rice into yellow. Hair were standing on his forearms and tiniest of goose-bumps could be seen. And, he kept eating; food covered distance from plate to mouth.
"Ramu, pani laao." He had taken a single sip from his full glass and called for Ramu.
Zoya shook her head and looked at her plate. He hadn't looked at her yet. Zoya slightly pinched her leg under the table and tiny amount of pain that she felt made that she was real. But, had she imagined him saying that he loved her? Now he was looking at her and giving a polite smile. Ramu was back with water jug and as Asad's glass was full, filled Zoya's glass. Zoya told him that she was done so he took her plate away. Asad was also done and was getting up from his place.
"Wait...," Zoya said.
He looked at her expectantly. Was he joking? He didn't seem to have such a personality but definitely it was not her imagination and now he was quiet. Was he playing a prank?
"Earlier...," Zoya's voice was feeble, "What you said...," her left hand was pulling hem of her kurta,
"Mazaak kar rahe the?"
He didn't answer immediately and just looked at her. After few seconds, grin broke on her face.
"Of course. You have got a perfect poker face to pull such a prank." Relief was coursing through her veins.
"I wasn't. Joking." He was pulling a poker face now.
She was confused, not sure on how to react. Under other circumstances, she would have been delighted if object of her affection has proclaimed his love for her, but now...what do people say in such a situation...what do they say? "Haan...I don't know what to say.' They say." She thought but she ended up asking, "Can you give me name of your batchmates? I am trying to remember." She was sincerely trying and he smiled.
"Hey Zoya, don't stress. It just came out of my mouth." He shook his head and downplayed his words. "You should go to sleep if you want to see sunrise in the morning. You will get beautiful view from your room." With that he left the dining room.
"Hang on. You just can't say someone you loved them and then behave as if it was nothing." Zoya was behind him and pulled him by his arm to face her.
Ramu was back in kitchen.
"And, you said that you loved me. Past tense. So, now you don't love me." She was speaking whatever was coming to her mind. A tiny part of her heart which liked Asad was singing love tunes and rest of the heart was working hard to suppress it.
The question was asked so innocently that Asad felt such a surge of affection that he had not felt before and it spread from his heart to his lips, curving them in a smile that had a hint of indulgence.
"Are you married?" She didn't wait for him to answer. She had a horrified look on her face now what if he was.
That was an easy question to answer. "No."
"Are you still carrying a torch for me?" She couldn't hide wonder from her voice.
To her great surprise, he chuckled. "Don't give yourself too much importance." He was in the reception area, looking for the book he had left behind.
"You just can't go on saying such things and then say it is nothing." She looked vulnerable and he felt discomfort in his chest. He took a deep breath and tightened hold on the book in his hand.
"Well, Zoya. Maybe, I should not have sprung it on you like that. It was impulsive. I saw you after so many years and you know what people say that if you don't say, you will never know. It was done in spur of the moment. It was just adolescent crush. We were so young. "
Wow, he was making sense. Zoya thought.
"And, I still can't remember you. When and where did we meet?" She felt whiny now.
"Do you remember Jagan, Mohan, Shruti? Your seniors? Kiran from Civil? Faiza from Electrical? Anil from Mechanical?"
"I remember Anil. Woh to US chala gaya naa. And, he did masters in computers." She first focused on his branch.
"What a waste of his undergraduate degree!"
"I know." Zoya nodded in agreement.
"Aur Faiza aapa ko to bahot achhe se jaanti hoon." Her voice carried affection. "Her younger sister Najma is my best friend. Unke through hi mili thi. She was an arts student so initially we didn't have much in common but then we had hit off. Faiza aapa is in Scotland for a project."
"Good to know." They were both in a place that was neither past nor present; a place somewhere in between which one often longs for.
"Shruti used to sing very well. I remember she sang in the freshers' party. I don't know where she is." She said looking up to him.
Something clicked. "Did we meet at freshers'party?"
"You were Miss Fresher from computer engineering." He didn't give a direct answer.
"Yh...thanks to that horrible performance! What a taste we used to have!" She was visibly cringing at the memory. "And, you fell in love with me watching that performance!" Her tone indicated that she didn't admire his taste.
"Sahi main khud ko bahot importance deti ho. Tab bhi deti thi aur ab bhi koi fark nahi pada." He mock-scolded.
"Zoya, let it go. It doesn't matter now. You had many admirers, right? You didn't fret over everyone, did you? "
She obediently nodded her head in agreement.
"Right. So, relax. Enjoy your holidays and the trek. Have a nice life!" He sincerely smiled and left for his room which was few feet away leaving Zoya standing near reception desk still in a whirl of emotions. He locked his door. He hadn't switched on the lights yet so it was dark. He stood in the darkness for few moments and then took a deep breath, switched on lights and started packing his bag.
"Memsahib, aap abhi bhi yahan pe hain? Kuchh chahiye kya?" Ramu was here to close main door.
"Nahi kuchh nahi." Zoya wanted to bang on Asad's door but she felt awkward in presence of Ramu and hence hurried for her room, deciding that she would catch Asad again in the morning.
Once inside her room, she cursed the Himalayan heaven for not having internet so that she could go online to check Facebook for all the names they had talked about and find out everything and anything about Asad Ahmed Khan. Because she had no such option, she tossed and turned in her bed and ended up going through her entire college life in search of the illusive Asad Ahmed Khan. She fell asleep late and hence missed sunrise. When she reached for breakfast after getting ready in hurry, she found herself alone. On inquiring Ramu, she found that Asad had left early in the morning. His stay was only till yesterday and he had moved on to next stop in his visit. Ramu did not have his number. He knew where he was going to, but Zoya could not have just chased him there. She was angry at Asad and at herself for feeling so agitated for a man whom she had met just yesterday and yh...some million and half years ago. In the same mood, she went out for a walk and thick mist didn't help much. It obscured scenic views that Palampur was famous for and reminded her of the mysterious fog in her own mind; fog out of which Asad had appeared and in a blink disappeared. She screamed holding a tree branch and startled birds around. Sound of their flapping winds made her realise, how childishly she was behaving! Maybe, it was what he said. He just wanted to voice out an adolescent crush, maybe for his own mental peace. She also needed to behave like a mature adult, accept it graciously and then let it go. School/College crushes were such a common thing. Why attach so much value to it! "Remember Zoya, he said that he loved you. Loved as in the past tense. Please...Aisa bhi nahi ke he still loves you. Let it go." She talked with herself. She calmed down and decided to write off this as a strange but memorable trip experience. In the evening, when she reached the guest house, a large family had arrived and she was pulled in merriment of their trip by the family matriarch. Zoya saw two kids playing with the book that Asad had forgotten. She got it from kids and instead of giving it to Ramu who could have given it back to him whenever Asad was here next, she kept it with herself.
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It was a usual in day in Kangra collector office. Asad was busy with files when his phone rang. Seeing name of city commissioner flashing, he picked up on second ring. Other side talked and he listened. "What about medevac? Does Shimla need to be prepared? " After few more minutes, he ended the call with ,"Yes, sir. Got it. I will be on my way."
He impulsively moved towards his laptop, but then tightly shut his eyes and murmured a prayer. He dialled superintendent of Dharamshala Zonal hospital simultaneously ringing bell to call peon. Superintendent was yet to pick call but peon had arrived to his office. "Call everyone. Emergency meeting karni hain. Haan...Mishra ko pehle bhejo." Long time servant of the government, peon understood the urgency immediately and got into action. "Dr. Mathur, Asad Ahmed Khan speaking..."
There had been a sudden weather change which has resulted in snow storm higher up in mountains. Details had not emerged yet but at least three trekking groups were supposed to be trapped in. Authorities were not sure about if there were more trekking groups affected as there was no official record. They were checking with all major trek operators in the area. Asad was given orders to immediately leave for Dharamshala with a team and set up a coordination hub. Dharamshala was the nearest major town with good medical facilities. 10 more minutes and team was on its way to the town.
Best of the mountaineers were called from Manali to help with rescue operations. An old timer officer had decided to pick paper maps from his office as he did not trust internet network in mountainous terrain and now that map was spread on a seat of their vehicle. Soon it was filled with red marks and lines as various trek operators were giving details of routes their groups had taken. One of the path marked the route that Zoya was supposed to take. Hers was not among the three groups that were known to be affected but at the same time trek operator was not able to establish contact with the group manager not an uncommon situation with phones when weather was not good. Not a good news for Asad's anxious heart whom he had viciously suppressed in line of duty. Zoya had been first in his thoughts when he heard the news but precious minutes he could have spent searching for her trip details could have cost many more lives.
His phone was constantly ringing. Reporters, higher officers, his juniors, doctors, trek operators, even families of those who were in the affected area had got hold of his phone number from government website and were calling him. Every major government officer in the area was in same boat. Makeshift hub was ready as per Asad's instruction but information was still being conveyed haphazardly. He was tightly controlling the panic that he was feeling for Zoya.
Within an hour they were on outskirts of Dharamshala. Road was jammed and driver was honking loudly. Asad could already see news channel vans and he cursed. His phone rang umpteenth time and he answered with a bark, "Asad Ahmed Khan, Collector speaking..."
"I want to know about my sister-in-law, Zoya Farooqui." An authoritative voice spoke.
"Who is this?" Asad paid extra attention.
"Anwar Ali Baig, Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs." He liked to throw his wait when needed.
Asad told him that he had received no information regarding Miss Zoya Farooqui but her group had lost contact. He assured that there had been no news of any casualties yet. He gave him number of the hub to get up to date information.
"Wait...you are Asad Ahmed Khan, District Collector."
"Yes."
"Are you the one whom Zoya met in Palampur before her trek?"
"Yes."
"Find her. Her sister is distraught. We are leaving from Delhi. We will be in Dharamshala by evening." The voice on the other side had got softer.
"I will do my best, sir." He added as an afterthought. "I will give you a call on this number as soon as I hear any news of her."
"Shukriya," and the line went quiet. Asad's mind was also suddenly quiet. All whirling thoughts and bits and pieces of information relegated to background to concentrate on one shivering, wet girl who had dashed in the building from pouring rain and asked him way to the library and then babbled about a sudden pop quiz and how she was supposed to be prepared when she hadn't even bought her textbooks yet and who in their right mind kept pop quiz in second week of college. What a torture house she had landed in! He had just stared at that mini tornado. When she had realised, she had stared back, blinking few times to shake rain drops clinging to her eyelashes. Someone had called her name, Zoya, and she had left breaking the spell. After that his eyes had often searched for the face among campus crowds. A face started haunting Asad Ahmed Khan's dreams. He just knew her first name and could deduce that she was a first year student, but nothing else. In the freshers' party which he attended with a hope to see her again, he had come to know her full name and what she was studying. She had danced on a song he had no idea about and was announced Miss Fresher. He could see that she had made a large group of friends in a short time and she was already popular getting her share of male attention. He was just one among them whom she didn't know nor cared. He did make attempts to get to know her. He hung around library around the same time they had first met, but she was not much of a library person. Computer engineering building was on the other end of the campus so he had avoided it as he had no valid excuse. He did volunteer in mechanics lab which all first year students were supposed to attend irrespective of their branch. He remembered helping her set up few experiments. They had exchanged smiles and thank you/welcomes, but nothing else happened. Oblivious to him, he was popular among female populace of first year students. One day Zoya Farooqui herself had marched to him and told him that her friend liked him and wanted to go out with him. He was flabbergasted and just stared at the girl smiling from behind lathe machine. He had mumbled something incoherent and left the lab. He had been very disappointed that day and kept away from the lab since then. Final year was getting gruelling and as the year progressed, he got busier and busier. He was frustrated with himself that he was not able to gather courage to approach Zoya like she had done for her friend. But, well, doing it for a friend was a different matter and walking yourself and declaring your feelings was an altogether different matter. Months had passed. He had passed out wining gold medal and left the college for wide and wild world with regret that he never told Zoya what he felt.
"Sir, hum pahonch gaye." Officers in the car had noticed him going quiet after the phone call but none probed. He sprung back into action.
First batch of trekkers arrived after few hours. No grave injuries, mostly cases of hypothermia and cases of shock. Evening had fallen fast and few trek groups were yet to be contacted. Anwar had called several times and was disappointed every time as there was no news. Search & Rescue team from army had also joined in the operation. In the early hours of morning, when his fatigued body had forced him to shut eye, he was shaken awake by an assistant officer. A large group of survivors was on the way. In the blur of the action that followed, he just got a glimpse of an unconscious Zoya Farooqui lying on a stretcher as she was taken inside the hospital. It was good news that people were going to need close medical attention but there were no casualties. All the bleary eyed officers and hospital staff got new strength when they realised this. Asad had diligently woken up Anwar in his hotel room as soon as he saw Zoya. Anwar and Zeenat had arrived just after midnight and Asad had persuaded them to go to a hotel instead of spending night in a hospital where piling crowd of relatives was just adding to chaos.
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He was sipping his nth cup of coffee and resting his head against drab hospital walls. Worst was over. Every trekker could be tracked. Luckily, everyone survived. Few were gravely injured and they were sent to Shimla via helicopters. He and his fellow officers had spent hours giving information to media, ministers, and frantic relatives. Slanting sun rays pouring from an open window were highlighting dark under his eyes. He didn't know about them and relished the warmth. It had been a cold night. He hadn't gone and seen Zoya yet. But he knew that she had a fracture in her left wrist and sprain in an ankle, bruises all over but nothing that cannot be mended. Anwar had called him and thanked him. He and her sister were with her.
When he had seen her after many years, ghosts of past and weight of regret was upon him. He was again that 21 year old Asad who wanted a closure and he had ended up saying her that he had loved her. He was not sure if young Asad got closure or not but adult Asad started feeling what had been dormant for so long. This Asad also faced what then Asad had not. If he got around saying what he had felt then, now he had to face that those feelings may never be reciprocated. Zoya hadn't even asked for him though Anwar had told him on phone that he had told her about him being there. He sat there sipping his drink, bitter of coffee mingling with sweet of sugar.
A shadow fell on him and he looked up to see a bespectacled man smiling at him. He stretched his hand towards him, "Anwar Ali Baig."
"Pleased to meet you." Asad got up from his chair and shook his hand.
"Sit...sit. What a day and what a night!" Anwar sat next to him.
They had conversed over phone and not met yet.
"I just wanted to say thank you. Despite all the chaos that surrounded you, you kept us informed about Zoya."
"It's my duty."
"Naah...this was above your duty. Zoya has a good friend." Anwar smiled. Asad just shrugged.
Asad signalled an attendant to get another cup of coffee for Anwar.
"So how come a mechanical engineer chose IAS as his profession?" Anwar sensed that the man had a need to talk.
One more shrug."Very much cliche case. After graduating, I worked in private sector for two years. I wanted more meaning out of my life. I have a mamujaan who is an IAS officer and he suggested just like that if I wanted to become an IAS officer. He never thought that I would really take up on his suggestion. And, now I am here."
"Which batch?"
Asad answered.
"You know Chandramouli Ghosh? Same batch."
"Yes. Batch topper. I was second."
Anwar was surprised and then he gave him a scrutinising look.
"Hmm...Ghosh is in a big position in Delhi. What are you doing in such a place? I mean what you are doing is important, very important. You just helped save so many lives, but with your capabilities you can do much more."
Asad kept quiet.
"Aah...you are the honest, courageous one who speaks his mind, raises voice and gets thrown in middle-of-nowhere."
Asad took it as a compliment and smiled with a sparkle in his eyes.
Anwar liked him and patted his shoulder. "Zoya was asking for you when we told her about you. She is still sleeping thanks to medicines given to her. Can I ask you one more favour? A big one?"
"Yes."
"I need to step out for an hour or two. You see wifey is pregnant, still in first trimester. Last evening I could not say anything to her, because if I was in her position, that is pregnant, " Anwar winked and Asad looked away going red, "I would have done the same. But now she needs some rest and I want to take her back to hotel. If you can stay in Zoya's room, it will be a big help. I don't want her to wake up alone."
Asad was hesitant. "Hospital staff is still very busy. Now it is their time of action, otherwise I would have asked one of the nurses."
"That's okay. I will stay with her."
"Thank you very much for everything." Anwar held his hand in both of his hands to show his gratitude.
Anwar and Zeenat left Asad sitting next to sleeping Zoya's bed.
People always look vulnerable when on hospital bed and here it was Asad's sweetheart. Well, who was he kidding? Actually only himself as no one else knew about Zoya's place in his life, not even his beloved Ammi. She was his sweetheart. Over the years, memory had faded. Her name, her thoughts occasionally popped in his head, but ardour had dimmed and yet he had said no to every girl that his mother had asked him to meet. He always hesitated. He was too rational a person to put blame on a distant memory of a rainy evening; so he put his intelligent brain to use by finding faults in every girl. His mother was tired. What had Zoya asked? Was he still carrying torch for her? Maybe, he was. Wow...this was so melodramatic! He scrunched his nose at the thought. He put his hands behind his head and stretched his tired body and tried to find a comfortable position on the chair. If not a torch, but a flame that he had kept alive all these years. And, the chance encounter had fuelled the fire. And, he had to go and blurt out the truth. But at that time, it had felt so right. He was a mature adult who wanted to put his past behind and he just wanted a closure. He hadn't realised then that instead of a closure he had ended up opening a locked gate. Zoya Farooqui still mattered to him. He smiled at the thought stealing a glance at her sleeping form.
But there was a question of who mattered? Zoya sleeping before him with one hand in cast or the Zoya in his memory? He never knew real Zoya. What did he know about her? Name, profession, city she lived in, her relatives and their professions, how much she was loved by her sister and brother-in-law. Also, that she had an adventurous spirit, she could make friends with strangers in a minute and she was still clumsy. Enough? Enough to love a person? Or, should he go by what poets say about seeing world in a grain of sand? He got up from his chair and paced in the room, feeling very agitated. He avoided looking at Zoya but pretended to look at monitors connected to her body, noon sun rays putting shine in her hair and pale of her skin against white hospital sheets. Or, he should just stop questioning himself, accept that he loved her without any rhyme or reason and give in to sleep that wanted to take over his tired body and he did just that.
Zoya found him dozing on a chair opposite him. She had again pinched herself to make sure that she was not dreaming, because a certain someone in white chikankari kurta-pajama had often came in her dreams. She was so taken by the fact that he had just declared that he had loved her. Yes, it was in past tense, but who knows what present the present would bring. She had made up her mind while communing with stars up in the mountains that she was going to find him in Kangra and finish the conversation that he had left unfinished. But she didn't have to go far. Fate brought him to her. The romantic girl in her just loved all coincidences, while the woman in her who surprisingly was shy just wanted to be in this moment and remember each feature of his face for eternity.
He was woken up by his cell phone. It was his superior asking for status update. He had dozed off just for 30 minutes so he updated him of what he knew, but he needed to get the latest status himself.
"How are you feeling, Zoya? Your Aapi and Jeeju have gone back to hotel as your Aapi needed rest and they asked me to stay with you. Would be alright being on her own for few minutes? I need to go and check on latest of the situation."
Zoya nodded in affirmation. "You will be back, right?" Her voice stopped him at the door. He turned around and nodded yes.
True to his word, he came back in 15 minutes. Zoya was sitting up and enjoying view from the open window.
"Was it a good trek except the last day?"
"Yes. I hope my camera is in working condition otherwise I will lose all pictures. Weather changed so suddenly. The rain turned into hail storm and then there was a land slide. I and two others were trapped by a boulder. For a moment, I thought that's it. Life ends here and then I remembered 127 hours. Well, my hand was not trapped and I had Swiss army knife in my backpack and not the cheap Chinese version that Aaron Ralston had."
"Zoya, don't make fun of such things." Asad didn't like how flippant she sounded.
"I am not making fun. It is important to keep a positive perspective and not take burden of the world on your shoulder when a 100 ton boulder is doing that job for you." Zoya countered him.
"Touche." Asad saw her point.
"Also, I didn't know that you were searching for me." She said in a soft voice.
"I was not. I was just responsible for coordinating all efforts." He had to correct her and his ears were going red.
"Details...details." Zoya shook her head.
Asad was about to argue when Zoya said, "But I am glad that it was you and not someone else. I really do."
"Say it, Asad. Tell her. This is the opening." The flame that was roaring fire now screamed. "Your
Aapi & Jeeju should be on their way, I think." He walked towards the door and came back as if expecting them to be on the other side of the door.
"We never finished our conversation. You never answered my question." Zoya was quick to come to the point.
"Do you still love me?"
"I do." This time he accepted.
"All these years?" Zoya was awestruck.
"No, I don't think so." He had pondered a lot on this today.
"Huh?"
"My younger self did love you based on what he knew then about love. There was a flame that I carried within myself for years. It did not consume me but it did not die either."
"Like Amar Jawan flame at India Gate?" Zoya wondered.
"Shut up, Zoya. And, don't interrupt me." He growled. He made sure that Zoya shut her mouth before starting again. She did look sheepish.
"Like in this very moment, on one hand, I want to lecture you making fun of those soldiers in whose name the eternal flame burns and on the other hand I have a feeling that you did not mean any offence when you said it. Nor you did you mean to make fun of what I felt for you." Zoya felt horrified if he thought so and furiously nodded her head to deny. "You speak without filter on your mouth. It has gone better over years but in such moments it shows up. Maybe, you are nervous and are babbling just like you had babbled years ago. And, this mix of innocence that sometimes borders on irreverence unbeknownst to you, your nervousness, your absurd comparison - earlier it was 127 hours, your positivity, I am finding it endearing. Now. Not because of some past crush, attraction, love, whatever. Now, for who you are at this very moment. If this can be called love, I have fallen in love with you again." He said in one breath looking at a point above her head with hands tucked tightly in his pockets.
He looked at her when he was done and found her staring at him. He stared back and relived feelings that he had felt years ago on a rainy evening. As usual, he was first to look away. He hastily added, "Hey, you don't need to say anything. Okay? Nor you have to love me back. This is just from my side. You don't worry." He had seen something in her eyes but he did not know her well enough to read them.
And, then she stretched her good arm. Asad looked from her arm to her face. Her eyes beaconed him to come closer. He came close and placed his hand in hers. Pliant in her gentle hands, he sat down opposite her on her bed and accepted her head leaning on his shoulder and her arm going around him. "I am sorry for being clueless then. I used to be so full of myself." Cautious expression on his face turned into a smile and he gave in to the warmth of her hug. "I think I needed to grow up to understand the depth of your feelings."
"And, I think I needed to grow up to gather courage to say what was in my mind." And, he nestled closer to her.
After few moments, they moved apart but his hand still stayed in hers applying gentle pressure.
"Socho Asad, agar main Fanny jaisi nikalti."
"Who is Fanny?"
"Finding Fannywali Fanny. Haven't you seen the movie?"
Asad denied feeling confused.
"You watch movies, don't you?"
"Yes. A few."
Zoya took her hand away from his hand and drummed her fingers on her chin and then she said, "Asad Ahmed Khan, I live in Mumbai. You are based in Kangda. I don't know much about you nor you do about me and so we have to do so many things. Like watching the movie Finding Fanny. As many years have already passed to find each other and as I have just escaped a life threatening situation so I think we should start as soon as possible. Now. This very moment. What say?"
He rolled his eyes and then gave a happy punch to her nose and said, "Yes."
"Yesss." Zoya was grinning wide.
They heard footsteps in the corridor. "I think your sister and brother-in-law are back." He moved away from her.
"Hi Jeeju. Aapi, aapko rest karna chahiye tha. Phir se vapis aa gayi."
"How are you saalisahiba? Thank you Asad for staying with her."
"I am feeling much better. Thank you. And, I want to share some news. I and Asad are dating."
Asad closed his eyes and his hand covered them. Zeenat and Anwar looked from Zoya to Asad and back.
Anwar was first to speak, "Waah...miyan, tum to bade tez nikle."
"Jee...woh actually..."
"Koi tej nahi. Woh jo glaciar jo main dekh ke aa rahi hoon naa, won inse tez hoga."
"Zoya...," Asad said in a low voice.
"Ahmm...so...yh...what I was saying...Aapi, aapne medicines li?" Zoya changed direction and then when Anwar was looking at Zeenat, mouthed a quick sorry to Asad.
So, life gave them another chance and they decided to give that chance a chance. What was love? How much they loved each other? Who loved more? Who said more? All these questions, they decided to figure out on the way. As they say, it was journey that mattered.
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I changed location from Dhanautli to Palampur because I realised that there are no week long treks originating in this area. And this happened despite I pouring hours over maps and travel guides of the Himalayas
Sorry for the confusion. I am going back to first part and updating all geographic references.
Inspiration of this story is in this scene:
[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N0wcIKDHU8[/YOUTUBE]
Just like the movie, I wanted Asad and Zoya to have their chance encounter in a railway waiting room. But, when I started researching railway stations, learned that there aren't many railway lines in the Himalayas and rail line ends in lower valleys and all are major railway junctions leaving no room for a quiet, romantic chance encounter. So, the story shifted to a forest guest house.
Palampur also doesn't have a forest guest house. 😉 My imagination.
I think I rambled a lot and the part is super long and I was too lazy to edit.
I loved writing banter between Asad and Zoya in the first half and this Asad reminded me of Asad in Heartbeat Warfare not because they are back in hospital and Zoya is again sleeping giving Asad lots of time to stew in his thoughts 😆, but because this Asad has lot of kashmkash going on in his mind.
Hope that you enjoy!
Edited by Noe123 - 8 years ago
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