Hi guys! Here's the next part. Sorry for the late update on this story, I was mostly busy and barely had time to write.
Btw, I just realised that I LOVE reading angst. But I suck at writing it! So here's the next chapter with just a sprinkle of what could barely qualify as angst :P
A/N: As you might've noticed, this story will be focusing more on Asad's perspective. Don't worry, Zoya's perspectives are there as well, but there are more of Asad's.
P.S: Portions in italics are thoughts/emphasis and bold italics are memories/dreams.
Part 2
Worlds came crashing down, tears threatened to spill and a scream lodged in his throat. She's getting engaged. Does she want to? Does she have feelings for the guy? Are they already together of sorts?!
"Wow Zeenat! That's something we didn't expect at all! Congratulations Zoya!" Dilshad cheered, despite noticing the defeated look on her son's face. Zoya smiled half-heartedly at Dilshad. If only they knew what was really going on.
Asad felt like punching all the walls surrounding him. He was too late. All this time he kept ignoring his feelings, hoping they would go away but they only got stronger. And now, when he thought he finally had the chance to make everything right, he'd already lost her to someone else.
Dilshad looked at her son in sadness and worry. She knew Asad had wanted a chance to make everything right. But...
"C-congratulations. Miss Farooqui." He managed to squeak out. She smiled at him, and their eyes locked. Asad's breath caught, it had been so long since he'd gazed into those captivating pools of chocolate. Her lips were curved into a gorgeous smile, but he didn't fail to notice that it didn't reach her eyes. They didn't brighten up like they used to when she was here. Something was off. He nodded his head ever so slightly, silently asking her if something was wrong. She shook her head and looked away, making Asad long for more than just an eye lock. If only I had confessed, it would've been me she was getting engaged to.
What they didn't notice was, that another pair of eyes was watching their whole exchange with relief. No, it wasn't Dilshad, it was none other than Azhar himself.
* * *
The family settled in their rooms after a scrumptious lunch cooked insistently by Dilshad. All of them ate till their stomachs were full and packed. The house was quiet and drowsy in the summer heat. Everyone was either sleeping or lounging in their rooms, resting before Najma's engagement in the evening.
Asad was too exhausted to work so he simply laid down on his bed, only in his trousers, trying to wave off the heat. The AC whirred blankly, sending whooshes of cool air throughout the room. Asad sighed and placed his palms on his eyes, thinking about the one person he never stopped thinking of.
"Engaged!" The word rang through him like a tuning fork. You might still have a chance though, his heart chimed in. It's not like they ARE engaged. He furrowed his brows at the thought, partially agreeing. But the fact that he no longer felt the right he had on her broke him. Before she left, although he had never admitted it, he felt as if she was somehow meant to be here. With him, his family. She was closer to him than Tanveer, that wh*re.
His hands curled into fists at the thought of her. She had tried to pass off her own pregnancy as his child. Hell, they were about to get married! Everything had been prepared for their marriage, even Asad himself had a misconception about the child when he had woken up beside her in his bed, shirtless. He felt disgusted. With himself.
His heart had shattered into a million pieces when a few days later Zoya had called to congratulate him, but instead had passed on her greetings to his mother and cut the call before he could speak to her. She had been doing this for one year after she left, every single time and it just hurt more. Every night he prayed, his prayers would include the words, "I'm sorry, Zoya."
He wished, with all his heart that she would just allow him to apologise. Once, just once. If he could just tell her how much he regretted letting her go like that. That every day without her was a curse for him.
Tears formed in his closed eyes as the irony of the situation sank into him. He wanted her back, and he got her. But she was already someone else's.
* * *
Zoya stared at her iPad absentmindedly. Seeing Asad Ahmed- well, Akdu Ahmed Khan again was getting to her. She hadn't forgiven him, no. But the way looked at her made her want to smack him across the face and kiss him senseless at the same time! God, he drove her crazy.
She wanted to shake him by his shoulders and yell at him, "Why did you let me go?!"
She still remembered, that day when she felt her world crumbling. A wedding card had landed on their doorstep, Zeenat was happy to announce the said "good news" to everyone in the house.
"Asad Ahmed Khan marries Tanveer Abbas Qureshi" The words burned into her mind the moment she saw them. She felt something break inside her. There was no way she was forgiving him after that.
* * *
A knock on the door shook Asad out of his reverie. Grumbling softly, he quickly slid on a t-shirt, rubbed his eyes and opened the door. He was slightly taken aback by whom was at the door.
"Hi." Said Azhar. "We haven't really introduced ourselves. I'm Azhar Mirza." He said politely and extended a hand for Asad to shake.
Asad hesitated for a moment, confused at the behaviour of Zoya's 'to-be husband'. Then quickly gripped Azhar's waiting hand. "Asad Ahmed Khan."
"So, Asad," Azhar paused, thinking about the time Zoya called this guy 'Mr Khan'. Maybe he didn't like being called by his first name. "Can I call you that?"
Asad nodded. He thought of the name 'Mr Khan' as Zoya's remembrance. Even though it seemed formal to others, whenever he heard the term, he would get reminded of her. Of how he had kept her so far away from himself, she didn't even call him by his name. Ever since he realised this, he started asking people to call him by his first name, even his colleagues. This new act of his had surprised his mother 2 years ago, but her understanding only grew later.
"I've been meaning to talk to you about something." He paused, looking at Asad.
"Yes?"
"Look, I mean no offence, but I kinda saw the way you and Zoe look at each other." Azhar said carefully. Asad's eyes met his as soon as he heard 'Zoe'.
Asad's anger was bubbling. He didn't even know why. Maybe it was because this 'Azhoo' guy was probably here to stake his claim on Zoya. His Zoya. What he was fearing the past two years, had already happened. She was to be betrothed to someone else. Azhar was doing what Asad had been craving to do since two damn years. He was claiming Zoya.
Azhar saw the rage building up in Asad's eyes and quickly said, "Look man before you make any conclusions, let me just say that I'm not being... possessive or anything."
Wait, what?
"I can see how you look at her, and believe me, I would do anything to see Zoe happy. The situation is not what you think. Yes, Zee Api has decided to get us engaged, but neither of us really want it." Azhar explained to a dumbstruck Asad. "This is what happened..."
"Allah Miya what's wrong with Aapi?! She's fixed YOUR marriage with ME!"
"WHAT?!" Yelled Azhar. "B-but I can't, you know I-"
"Want to go to Le Cordon Bleu yes I know! We have to think of something... I can't marry you! You're my best friend! My brother from another mother! What do we do?!"
"Well, I mean. At least I have a reason I don't want to marry you. I can use it to convince Zee Khala. But what about-"
"Azhar I, I can't marry anyone right now. I don't care if its you. I would've refused if it was any other man." Zoya said sadly, staring out her bay window.
"Zoya...did something happen in India? Whatever happened, you know you can trust me."
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"What I can't believe is that you've been much more... different since you came back. And it's been two years. Two whole years, Zoya." Azhar sighed into his phone. Something had been up, it had definitely changed the Zoya he knew.
"I...loved someone."
"She later told me she loved you, Asad. But she doesn't say why she wouldn't come back here." Azhar shrugged helplessly and said. Asad's heart swelled as he heard the first sentence, she loved me, but sank as soon as he heard the next.
"S-she said she would never come back here?" Asad asked weakly. He hated himself for hurting her so much that she never wanted to come back. She loved me and I let her go.
"Yeah. But, then she heard of your sister's engagement happening 3 months ago and somehow happily agreed to come here for the rest of the rituals. I guess she really loves her huh." Azhar smiled.
"Yeah." Asad smiled at the door opposite his room. "Wait so..."
"We actually planned this entire thing where she cries and does some drama about wanting to stay here in India, with your family and explaining why she can't go with me to France. We had to put up that little act earlier just to pacify Api." Azhar sheepishly said. "So we had everything planned but, then she saw..." Azhar trailed off, recalling Zoya's state when another wedding card had landed at their doorstep.
"W-what?" Asad queried worriedly.
"Your wedding card, you were getting married to some girl named Tanveer." He looked at Asad's face and said. Asad was pinching the bridge of his nose. His throat burned. He couldn't imagine the pain on her beautiful face. "She locked herself in her room for a week after that. It was so unlike her, even I got scared for her. But then out of nowhere, she said that she'll still come. And that all she had to do was ignore you. She kept mumbling to herself on the plane, 'ignore him', till I told her not to sweat it and get some sleep!"
Asad heart broke for her. He could picture her crying in her room and didn't want anything more than to hold her, soothe her. "C-can you do something for me?" Asad asked, knowing that Zoya wouldn't want to easily forgive and forget.
"Yeah, sure!" Azhar shrugged.
"Can you just let her know that... there's nothing in my life, that I regret more than letting her go." Tears formed in Asad's eyes and he away from Azhar to stare at his closet.
"Hmm. Listen, Asad. Whatever happened between the two of you, I'm no one to say anything about it. But please, do talk to her about it. I know that your marriage to that Tanveer girl was cancelled for some reason. And I know that you love her. Do anything you feel you need to, just bring the old Zoe back." Azhar pleaded. Asad smiled sadly.
The old Zoya. The shayri reciting one, the pizza eating one, the fearlessly fighting one.
"I will." Asad stated.
* * *
The Sangeet was at full swing. The house was studded with twinkling golden lights and sky-blue coloured drapes flowed from corner to corner. Everyone was having a good time. The hors d'oeuvres we're being rotated all around the house as people ate, danced and chatted. Meanwhile, Asad's eyes were fixated on the angel of his life. She was looking mesmerizing in a baby blue anarkali dress, her lips were a sinful shade of carmine, and her hair rested on her shoulders in loose curls.
The only thing that bothered him was, how was he supposed to confess to her? His irritation only reached new heights when he saw one of his friends, Faiz, openly laughing with her. Her tinkling laugh floated into his ears and sent him into ecstasy. It was this laughter that he longed to hear, but he himself had snatched it from her. Instinctively he walked towards them, not caring about how it might look.
"Hello Faiz, Miss Farooqui." He acknowledged both of them curtly.
"Hey bud! Long time no see! How are you nowadays?" Faiz asked enthusiastically.
"Just fine." Asad answered, but his eyes were glued to Zoya, who was awkwardly looking at the drapes around her to distract herself. There was a long, awkward, pause before Faiz couldn't handle the silence and walked away after politely excusing himself. Asad smirked inwardly, finally, I'll be able to talk to her. "So, Miss Farooqui, congratulations on your wedding getting fixed."
Zoya's eyes shot up to meet his. "Uh, thanks." She quickly said and started walking away. But Asad caught her arm and gently guided a gobsmacked Zoya to a more secluded place.
"M-Mr Khan? What..." But before she could complete her sentence, she felt her back hit against a pillar and realised their proximity. Her eyes popped.
"I just want to talk to you, Zoya." Asad admitted simply. He wasn't holding her anymore, just standing really close, Zoya had no option but to lean with her back against the pillar. "I'm... I'm sorry."
Zoya couldn't think coherently. Her heartbeats, as usual, were erratic when she was near him. No no no, this isn't supposed to happen! I'm here to attend Najma's wedding, that's it! "Um, for w-what?" She asked softly, not daring to look into his eyes as she knew they would be her undoing.
"For everything."
Zoya held back a sob. "Mr Khan I...really don't want to talk about this." She said weakly and tried slipping away from him but he just held her arms and pinned her against the pillar. "Mr Khan what are you-"
"Sshh!" He shushed her and held his forefinger on her lips. He couldn't help but groan inwardly at the way they felt against his fingers. If her lips felt like this just on his fingers, imagine how they would feel against my lips. He could almost hear her breathing heavily, he could feel her breath shivering over his finger. "Just, hear me out for today. Please."
"Mr Khan there's nothing left to hear for me. The past can't be fixed, I'm here for Najma's wedding, that's all. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to help Phoopi with the guests." Zoya said coldly and once again tried slipping away from him. The cold note in her voice had cut through him like a knife. He had to stop her somehow. His body moved of it's own accord and he held on to her wrist.
He saw and felt it all in slow motion. Her trying to loosen his hold on her, him grabbing her waist and pinning her to the pillar, her eyes popping in shock, and him crushing her lips between his.
HAH. See y'all in the next update (and comments ofc) ;) Btw, this is a three-shot!
Edited by Captain_Crash - 3 years ago
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