Hola dear folks... Here comes another Asya TS from my end. I had basically written it for another one of my favourite couple but have adapted it to suit Asya... Hope you all enjoy it 😃
It's not at all related to the current plot of the show 😛 Thanks a ton Reyu for pushing me to post this 😳
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Jo Barse Sapne Boond Boond
Part 1
"Asad, when are you coming home?" Zoya queried into the phone again asking him the same question sixth time in an hour now. Momentarily shutting his eyes, he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed as he patiently replied,"Zoya, I have a meeting in an hour. Three hours... I promise it won't take longer" he assured in a soothing voice filled with adoration and a hint of regret for not being there beside her at a time like this. "Three Hours! Allah Miyan, what's wrong with you Mr. Khan?" she almost shrieked in protest, hitting his alarm buttons and he hurried to utter comforting words to calm her.
Lately, his wife's hormones seemed to be all over the place. One moment she was laughing, the other she was crying... one moment she was yelling at him the other she was showering him with her undying love. Her actions would range from being juvenile and fun-loving in a moment to being depressed and melancholic the other. Her reactions to her environment were always extreme. No he wasn't complaining but he was getting worried for her well-being. "You know I feel the baby is eager to meet us now" she said after a momentary silence, as she stood in front of the mirror and gently caressed her full blown pregnant nine-month belly. "Let him know that his Ammi and Abbu are no less excited" he said softly, smiling and sending a small prayer upward wishing for the well-being of his wife and to-be-child. "I'll convey it to HER" she said stressing on the 'her' and he chuckled at her tone, "We'll see that" he asserted challengingly in a bid to keep her wandering mind off of any unfounded worries. She frowned at his confident tone... it was as if it wasn't she who was carrying the baby but him! She was about to give him a fitting reply but then one look back at the mirror and she felt nervous again. "I'm scared" she whispered. Asad pursed his lips tight knowing how terrified she has been of the approaching labour. "What! Scared and that too Miss Musibat? Are you sure?" he tried to lighten her mood but truth be told, he was a nervous wreck himself. Damn the corporators, who insisted to get this meeting done today, he cursed them under his breath even as he waited dor Zoya to snap back at him. But when he heard no retort, he spoke softly in an assuring voice, "It's all going to be fine Zoya. Remember what Ammi said? It'll be over before you know. It's going to be fine... You are going to be fine. Our baby is going to be fine. And I'll there besides holding your hand throughout, I promise!" His encouraging words managed to get a smile back on her lips. And then he tried to cheer her, "In the meantime, to keep yourself distracted why don't you go back to drool over Dhoni or Salman or if you may prefer, my six-packs... after all the night before you yourself admitted to the fact that you find them most enticing" He teased. "Asad!" she blushed hard remembering what followed her admiration and he sniggered before once again assuring her that he'll try to be home as soon as possible.
Zoya placed the phone back on the table. She smiled as her eyes fell on her and Asad's picture taken right after their Nikah and then patted her belly gently as if to assure the baby of her love and care. Yes! She was paranoid of her impending labour, thanks to her unfiltered reading on the topic from the internet but nevertheless couldn't wait to hold their baby in her arms. Their baby was their miracle, the symbol of their love... a tiny being that was coming to complete them and their relationship.
It had been four years since their marriage and they were preparing to welcome their first kid yet it all seemed like yesterday to her. In Asad, she got everything that a girl could ask for in a husband and more. No, their's had not been a love marriage... at least not as far as she was concerned. It had been a match set up by the families. Their courtship period had been merely 2 months and they had not once dated before their wedding. It was only after she came to Bhopal, after their marriage did they gradually open up and explore more of each other's personalities. In their journey together, they had started from being friends to companions to partners to lovers and now were going to be parents. A sense of pride filled her as she caressed her belly lovingly again before she went to her almirah and brought out her most treasured photo albums that had captured various moments of their togetherness.
Orey manva tu to
bavra hai
Tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai
Tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai bavre
Kyun dikhaye sapne tu sote jaagte
Jo barse sapne
boond boond
Nainon ko moond moond
(Nainon ko moond moond)
Jo barse sapne boond boond
Nainon ko moond moond
Kaise main chaloon, dekh na sakoon
Anjaane raastein
(chorous)
Gunjasa hai koi iktara iktara, gunjasa hai koi iktara
Gunjasa hai koi iktara iktara, gunjasa hai koi iktara
Dheeme bole koi iktara iktara, dheeme bole koi iktara
Gunjasa hai koi iktara iktara, gunjasa hai koi iktara
Settling back in the bed, with the memoirs scattered around her... she checked time and sighed, time certainly seemed to crawl when he was away. Picking up the one ornately designed album, she softly brushed her hand over the names engraved in gold on the cover, Memoirs - Asad Ahmed Khan Weds Zoya Farooqui. What better way for her to get herself distracted than to relive the memories most precious to her. She looked at Asad's picture and kissed it gently, going down the memory lane, a soft smile adorning her lips as she remembered how he had come to whisk her away.
"Urghh! Allah Miyan What's wrong with you? Not again please!!" Zoya groaned and slumped on the bed holding her head in her hands. "Kuch toh gadbad hai Baaji... main poochti hoon, kya Bhopal ki saari ladkiyan mar gayi hain ki in janab ko Indore tak aana pada, ladki dekhne!" Najma wondered aloud. "Najma Baaji, bilkul sahi keh rahe ho aap! Daal main kuch toh kaala hai. Zaroor koi gunda mawali types hoga, jinhe Bhopal ki saari ladkiyon ne reject kar diya hoga" Nuzhat added standing in front of Zoya with her hands on her hips as Zoya looked on from Najma to Nuzhat shocked, even as Humeira clasped her mouth shut in horror of the probabilities. "Baaji ab kya karenge?" exclaimed a worried Humeira as she began pacing back and forth in front of the gang while Najma put a comforting arm around Zoya's shoulder. "Karna kya hai? usse bhi bhaga denge" Nuzhat snorted. "Exactly! Main thode hi aise kisi se bhi Nikah kar loongi" Zoya asserted. "And not to forget that would make a perfect score of 10" giggled Najma as Humeira came back to sit beside them, a little relaxed now. Zoya chuckled and beamed at her little gang of girls, smiling evilly "Hmphh!! Bechara... aane do... aisi halat karenge ki agli baar Indore ki taraf kabhi mud ke bhi nahi dekhega" said that she extended her hand and one by one everyone placed their hand on hers forming a pact while all of them had evil grins plastered on their faces.
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Farooqui House, home to one of the most influential and renowned families of Indore buzzed with activity as the family awaited the arrival of their special quests - a probable suitor for their Zoya and the excitement was palpable. Gafoor Farooqui, the patriarch of the house along with his eldest son Imran had gone to receive the guests while Gafoor's younger brother Rashid paced anxiously in the front yard waiting for them. Inside the house the ladies fretted over the minutest of the things. "Tauba kitni taiyaariyan baaki hain... Arre yeh phool bhi theek se nahi lagaye" Razia grumbled as she started arranging the flowers in the vase herself. "Ammi, woh log itni door se aa rahe hain... toh unhe bhook lagi hogi na, main un logon ke liye thode pakode bana leti hoon" offered Nikhat, Imran's wife. "Haan theek hai" Razia consented smiling at her daughter-in-law.
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"Kya khabar laye ho" Zoya asked haughtily lazing around in Gafoor's chair in the backyard of the house when she saw Nuzhat walking in. "zor shor se swagat ki taiyaariyan ho rahi hai Baaji" she said in a hushed whisper as if sharing a great national secret. "Baaji... main toh kehti hoon unke aate hi na, unke peeche pagal kutte chod dete hain" Najma suggested quite pleased with her idea."Baaji, mast idea hai" Nuzhat asserted in excitement and just then, "Khabardaar!" a voice thundered from behind alerting the gang. Najma and Nuzhat gulped hard, sharing worried glance when they saw Shireen, their mother standing on the door holding a rolling-pin in her hand, threateningly. "Humne aap dono ki taange tod deni hai" Shireen glared at her daughters and then passed a warning glare at all of them, "Kaan khol ke sun lijiye aap sab, agar is baar koi bhi shararat ki na toh hum aap sab ko pankhe se ulta taang denge" She looked at each of them to ensure that her threat that hit the targets and then ledt from there. Zoya, Nuzhat and Najma looked at each other in disappointment and dismay. But then Nuzhat's eyes gleamed with mischief as she spoke, "Koi baat nahi Baaji... pagal kutto wala idea chala gaya toh kya aur bhi toh tareeke hain na usse bhagane ke" She raised her brows while the girls grinned back before Humeira came running and panted as she broke the news, "Baaji woh mehmaan aa gaye". Despite having her gang with her, Zoya grimaced. Najma pursed her lips for a moment in determination and then announced, "Ok gals... mission Zoya Baaji ke dulhe Miyan No. 10 bhagao aaj se shuru". The young Farooqui gang looked at the door leading to the living room area with an indomitable look while Zoya muttered, "Whoever you are mister, you are so going to regret coming here"
Zoya was Gafoor and Razia's daughter and was her father's muse. While Imran and Humeira were her siblings, Najma and Nuzhat were Rashid and Shireen's kids and her cousins. Based in Indore, Farooqui's had always stayed together. Gafoor and Rashid had been inseparable and so had been their kids. Their family was not the one who withheld their daughters in the confines of the house and so the girls were exposed to equal opportunities. While Imran always played the role of strict eldest brother keeping an eye on all the youngsters, it was Zoya who spread liveliness in the house. She was the head of their all girls' gang and was always upto some mischief or the other. But Gafoor's obdurate backing to all her waywardness, paved an easy escape route for her all the time... not to mention she had her chachu, Rashid Farooqui wrapped around her little finger in case she needed to be bailed out of any tricky situation. And it had been like this for her, ever since she remembered. So when first time the talks of her marriage surfaced, she had been alarmed, scared to leave her territory and since then had succeeded in shooing away 9 potential suitors from their home with the help of her gang. Whenever it happened, everyone would worry that Gafoor would lose his patience with her but much to everyone's surprise, Gafoor would simply shrug his shoulders and laugh it off saying, "Bachchi hai... hum iske liye isse bhi achcha ladka dhund ke layenge"
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The evening went by as Zoya sulked and cursed the guests even as her girls kept her company while she stayed holed up in her room. Faint sounds of laughter, incoherent conversations and distant clutter of utensils as her family played hosts floated towards her room and she hated it completely. She didn't know who the guy was, neither was she interested to know but by the time night drew closer, Zoya was determined that she would have to make him flee at the earliest, preferably by the night itself.
"Jo bhi karna hai, aaj raat ko hi karna hoga" Zoya told the gang who stood in cluster around her in a conspiratorial whisper. "Baaji, main ready hoon" whispered Nuzhat back. "Baaji, main ek suggestion doon" Humeira ventured unsure. Zoya squinted her eyes at her sister knowing exactly well what was coming from her, after all wasn't Humeira the most humble, polite and obedient Farooqui kid... and not to mention an absolute Ammi's pet! "Kaho" she said. "Woh... Ammi keh rahi thi... ki woh... log... bohut a..ache hai aur..." she pursed her lips and trailed back as her sisters glared down at her. "Baaji aapka dimag toh theek hai na" Nuzhat asked. "Aur nahi toh kya? You know, those guys are from Bhopal... agar Nikah ho gaya toh Zoya Baaji ko bhi Bhopal jaana padega" Najma added. "Aur main kahin nahi jaane wali... haan agar tumhe interest hai, toh Ammi se keh deti hoon meri jagah tumhari baat karde" Zoya said annoyed and Humeira sunk back making a baby face. "Haan... toh main kya keh rahi thi..." Zoya said turning towards Nuzhat and Najma but before she could continue Razia walked into the room and eyed the devils of her house. Rolling her eyes, she asked them to leave but not before warning them to behave themselves while she had a word with her daughter. Humeira, Najma and Nuzhat left reluctantly.
Affectionately smiling at Zoya, she ran a hand over her head, sitting down in front of her. Zoya pouted and turned away from her. Razia chuckled at the childishness of her daughter before she turned Zoya to face her and spoke softly, "Dekho Zoya, ek baar mil ne main kya harz hai? Nahi pasand aaye toh na keh dena." Razia comforted her. "Jab mujhe Nikaah hi nahi karni, toh kyun miloon?" she retorted back. Razia sighed and this time continued in a stern voice, "Dekho Zoya, that's enough now! You better prepare yourself... kyunki tumhare Abbu ne kaha hai ki tum kal subah us ladke se milogi. Unki Ammi bhi saath hai... main nahi chahti ki tum koi bhi shararat karo jisse tumhare Abbu ko sharminda hona pade. Samajh gayi tum?" Razia firmly made her point and left the room and Zoya fell back onto her bed burying her face in the pillows.
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It was an hour past midnight. The house was pitch dark and everyone was fast asleep except the plotters who were waiting for the right moment to put their plan into action. "Subah mil le na..." Zoya scoffed as she remembered her mother's warnings. "Subah tak woh yahan rahenge toh main unse milungi na" Zoya ascertained and a smiled in conviction before she looked at the clock again. It was 10 minutes past 1. "Nuzhat, theek se... All the best" Zoya nudged Nuzhat with a slight push and encouraged them as Nuzhat and Najma wrapped themselves in a white bed sheet covering them from head to toe and held a torch light below their chins to give them a spooky ghostly appearance. "Dhyan se jaana" Humeira said, slightly scared as she looked uncomfortably from here to there. "Humeira, hum apne hi ghar pe hain... jung ladne nahi ja rahe" Najma rolled her eyes while Humeira held Zoya's arm firmly. To add the extra effects, Zoya placed a stepping stool just outside the window of the guest room that opened in the corridor and placed a table fan on it.
Najma and Nuzhat entered the room, all prepared to scare the guy who had come to meet their Zoya Baaji... the guy who had come to take their Baaji away from them! They moved towards the bed silently and gave each other a thumbs up spotting a sleeping figure on the bed. This was fun, thought Nuzhat as she clasped her hand tightly over her mouth to prevent the sound as she giggled only to earn a gentle smack from Najma. How many times, they had tried this trick and it has always worked. How people could be so dumb, Nuzhat thought but then the grogginess and catching them off guard played the major part in the success of their plan, she knew that. So carefully walking up to the bed, they switched on the torch lights that highlighted their facial expressions spookily and then slipped the cover off of the man's face. As Nuzhat pulled the covers down, Najma began to call out to him in an eerie voice but stopped short when she realized that there was no one under the covers. Nuzhat and Najma looked at each other in confusion and pulled the covers off completely only to see pillows lined up to make a false impression of a sleeping form. They looked at each other perplexed and just then someone tapped on Nuzhat's shoulder causing her to gasp. Nuzhat held Najma's hand and whispered, "Baaji, peeche koi hai" Najma frowned, "Arre yahan aage (pointing at the bed) koi nahi hai, tumhe peeche ki fikar hai" and the next moment, a hand was on Najma's shoulder too, making her eyes go wide in terror. They looked at each other in horror as they realized they were in trouble and then a voice cut through the silence, "Main jaanta tha, ki aap log aisi harkat zaroor karenge" said that the bearer of the voice, firmly pressed his hand on both Najma's and Nuzhat's shoulder making Nuzhat jump in horror while Najma shrieked, "Aaahhh" and the next moment, a palm clapsed her mouth shut quickly warning her to stay quiet. Scared, they cautiously turned to around to face whosoever was behind them and then slightly tilted their torches to see the face of the man who had managed to terrorize the devils of the Farooqui House. Najma's eyes widened, "Jahapanah Aap!" she exclaimed.
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"Itni der ho gayi... yeh dono itni der tak kya kar rahe hain?" Zoya wondered aloud pushing her hair back as she stood at a distance restlessly shifting her weight from one foot to another. "Baaji, koi gadbad toh nahi hogi na?" Humeira asked fidgeting with her dupata. "Allah Miyan! What's wrong with you Humeira. Waise toh Ammi ki har baat yaad rehti hai tumhe. Aur Ammi jo humesha kehti hai ki acha sochne se acha hota hai, yeh yaad nahi? Dua karo ki sab theek ho... Please help us Allah Miyan!" Zoya prayed.
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"Asad! Asad Ahmed Khan!" the man corrected, holding an urge to laugh at their terrified faces as he tried to keep his face straight. "Haan toh as I was telling you, I knew you were going to do this. I was waiting for you both infact" he said smugly. "Wait... waiting for us? Kyun?" Nuzhat stammered. "Haan... ab koi mere kamre main aaye, toh wouldn't it be rude if I keep sleeping?" Asad asked while Najma gave him a dubious look. "Waise, I think it's so mean of us to not include your family in our fun... nahi?" he asked in a serious voice while Najma and Nuzhat looked at each other alarmed. "Wait let me call them" Asad ventured, turning towards door, hiding his smile. "Noo!" Nuzhat lurched forward while Najma took followed her sister blocking Asad's way. "Please... kisi ko mat bulana" she requested terrified now. "Haan please... warna humari Ammi humme pankhe se ulta taang ne se pehle ek baar bhi nahi sochengi" Najma begged. Asad smirked and took pity on them, "Theek hai... Lekin tum dono waise yahan karne kya aaye the?" he probed feigning ignorance. Najma bit her lip while Nuzhat raced her mind up to come with an alibi, "Haan... woh... aap... haan aapse milne aaye the" she said goofily. "Haan milne aaye the" Najma echoed. "Milne aaye the?" Asad passed a dubious glance at them and then countered, "Milne aaye the ya dara ke bhagane aaye the?" he pointed at their attire. "Err... woh... haan... hum, hum toh mazak kar rahe the" Najma chimed smiling widely "Mazak?" Asad raised an eyebrow to confront them and finally Najma and Nuzhat slumped their shoulders in defeat. "Fine, hum aapko bhagane aaye the" Nuzhat accepted and looked at him in defiance. "Kyun?" he asked. "Toh aur kya karte? Aap humari Baaji ko apne saath le jaane aaye hain!" Najma answered and turned to look away.
Not able to hide his amusement any longer, Asad chuckled and shook his head at them, "trust me kiddos... try as much as you wish... I'm going to take your Baaji away. And don't forget I know all your tricks! So beware! Warna agar aapki Ammi ne aap dono ko pankhe se latka diya toh mujhe blame mat karna" said that Asad opened the door of the room for them and signaled for them to leave while Najma and Nuzhat gaped at him. "You are blackmailing us?" Nuzhat spat. Asad shrugged and yawned, "Good Night kids. Now LEAVE!" he affirmed and the sisters walked out of the room dejected while Asad laughed before he lay down on to his bed thinking about what had happened. He knew he was not their first target, there were others who had fallen victims to their monkey business before. And truth be told he was only pleased and grateful for what they had been doing to scare off the guys, who had come to seek Zoya's hand in marriage. His thoughts went back to the time when he had come to the Farroqui House for the first time with his friend Ayaan.
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Ayaan was a New York based businessman whose family was settled in Bhopal. His family wanted to get him married to a suitable girl and it was then that someone had suggested Zoya's name. Ayaan was extremely apprehensive about getting married to a small town girl. He already had his biased judgment clouding his thoughts when he agreed to meet Zoya for the sake of his family. However, he had cajoled Asad to accompany him here and though Asad tried everything he could to bail himself out of this situation, he ultimately found himself tagging along with Ayaan to Indore. That is how Asad had come to Farooqui House for the first time and met Zoya. Though he would hate to admit it, he did sense his heart flutter at the sight of her. Dressed in royal blue anarkali, wearing delicate jewelry and minimalistic make-up, when she moved to sit in front of Ayaan, he remembered how effortlessly she had managed to tug on the strings of his heart without evening uttering a single word. Beautiful was too under-rated to describe the girl. He couldn't help but smile when she had put on that fake smile to hide her apparent irritation. However, owing to the circumstances then, he pushed his thoughts back, not allowing himself to think much about it.
What unfolded in the next couple of days was unbelievably hilarious, bizarre and entertaining to say the least. Since even then they were travelling from Bhopal, they were staying over with the Farooqui's. The day they arrived, he was tired and after an elaborate dinner fell asleep soon after he lay on the bed in the guest room allotted to him. However, barely a couple of hours later, his sleep was rudely disrupted with the loud banging on his door. At first he was baffled to see a petrified Ayaan standing at his door. He was sweating profusely when he narrated Asad about the haunting in his room. Asad laughed out aloud attributing it to a nightmare of Ayaan's. That was just the beginning of Ayaan's ordeal though. Nuzhat had played another of her cards when she ushered Ayaan with her alone on the pretext of showing him around. When they returned, Ayaan was drenched and shivering. Apparently, Nuzhat had told him that there was no water in the house and if needed to take bath he could bathe in the pond that they came across. The arrogant man had stepped into chilling waters of the pond and had returned home drenched. If that was not all, it was only later that they found out that the pond was not meant for humans but for bathing cattles from a nearby shed. Aghast, Ayaan ran into the bathroom, and had spent two hours to clean himself and ward off the stinking smell of the cattle off of him. Asad couldn't help but laugh when he remembered how Najma had coaxed him to sleep on the terrace where the entire night, mosquitoes had feasted on his blood giving the poor guy rashes all over his body.
The final bomb was dropped by Zoya herself. When Zoya and Ayaan were left alone to have a dialogue, Zoya's behavior had scared poor Ayaan off. Throwing away her negligible table manners out of the window, Zoya was at her messy best when she started sipping her tea so noisily that poor Ayaan couldn't help but gape at her forgetting he was himself holding a tea mug in hand. While she grinned like a fool staring at Ayaan, he had no clue what he was supposed to say or ask. "What subjects have you studied?" he finally managed to ask her the most basic question. "Huh?? Subject??" she asked feigning confusion. Ayaan pressed his lips tight before speaking again, "Haan kaunsi subject padi hai aapne?" he asked in Hindi this time. Zoya grinned ear to ear, "Oh Subjects! Haan... school main padi thi na... science, maths, hishtory, geeography aur Englis bhi" she stated pompously. Ayaan gulped, "School! Ji kahan tak padai ki hai aapne?" Zoya fluttered her eyes at him, "woh kya hai na ji... mujhe padhai karna pasand nahi tha. Lekin aap bilkul fikar mat karna. Maine itna padi hoon ki apni phamily ko chithi toh likh hi loongi" she said proudly. "Ji?" he asked her perplexed. "Haan ji... New Yark jaake yahan sabko letter shatter toh likhungi na sabko batane ko ki, I doing phine." Ayaan gulped hard at her reply. "Aapke friends honge na, yahan?" He tried to converse so as not to appear rude even though his feet itched to break into a run. "Haan. Main New Yark jaake unke saath mating bohut miss karungi" she replied feigning remorse and Ayaan spat out his tea, "WHAT!" he almost yelled. "Allah Miyan! Wha... err mera matlab aap theek toh hai na" she caught herself in time before chanting her usual line and goofing up in time. "Kya kahan aapne?" Ayaan asked agast. "Haan... milna julna toh roz ho nahi payega na" she added this with a sigh while she tried hard to control her laugh. "Oh... you mean you'll miss meeting them?" he said as he sighed in relief. "Haan haan... wohi... Ammi kehti hai ki Nikah ke baad shauhar se zyada aur koi mayine nahi rakhta... main waada karti hoon aapse ki mere liye bhi aap hi sabse zyada impotent ho" she said eyeing him as if she was head over heels for him. "Impotent!" he exclaimed incredulously while she looked at him with confusion, "Haan sabse zyada zaroori... tch tch tch... New Yark main reh ke itni angrezi bhi nahi seekhi" she said and shook her head in disappointment. But that was it for Ayaan. He excused himself and left her alone while she did her little happy dance to celebrate the success of her plan.
Ayaan came straight to Asad's room eager to run away from the place as fast as his legs could carry. When Asad coaxed him, he narrated the whole episode to Asad who was perplexed nonetheless. He asked Ayaan to pack his bags while he proceeded to do the same. Meanwhile, he had to make an urgent call and since the reception was weak in his room, he stepped out to make the call. Once he was done, he turned back to his room and it was then that a musical laughter caught his attention. Curious, when he stepped towards the backyard, he saw Zoya, Humeira, Najma and Nuzhat sitting there and having a gala time at Ayaan's expense. It didn't take him long to discover that it was all her plan. As he fitted the puzzle, he couldn't help himself but laugh and wonder how Ayaan could be so stupid to fall for such dim-witted childish tricks. From the corner, he watched her animatedly talking to her sisters and mimicking Ayaan's expressions, before she fell into another bout of laughter. Wasn't she cute? He knew he should be angry but strangely he was not. Her mirth was contagious.
But then, morally binding he rushed to Ayaan to explain things to him, but Ayaan refused to listen to Asad. Sighing, Asad left the house but could not forget the adorable looks and innocent tricks that made him smile everytime he thought about her. When his Mom, Dilshad Ahmed Khan, noticed it, he first tried to shrug it off but then succumbed to his Ammi's insistent persuasion. Understanding the matter, Dilshad quickly got things arranged and spoke to Farooqui's proposing for Asad's marriage with Zoya. And so here he was... with his Ammi back at Farooqui house determined to make the girl, who had managed to capture his heart effortlessly, his! He shut his eyes, blocking out everything else but her beautiful face from his thoughts.
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"What do you mean he knew?" Zoya snapped her head in Najma and Nuzhat's direction who cowered at her dominating stance. They knew their Zoya Baaji, she had no patience or tolerance towards failed plans! And this was anyways a grave situation which she was desperate to escape from."Baaji, he's smart" said Najma with a wistful look in her eyes only to earn a smack for her Baaji in return."Smart my foot! Mujhe lagta hai meri saari training tum logon pe waste ja rahi hai... ek aadmi ko bhaga nahi paaye" she glowered at them. "Baaji... humari baat toh suno" Nuzhat pleaded. But Zoya turned away, "Nahi Sun ni... tum logon ki wajah se ab kal subah mujhe us nikamme Bhopali se milna padega" she rued. "But Baaji aap us se already mil chuke ho" Najma said. Zoya turned to them,"Matlab?" she asked eyeing them uncertainly. "Baaji! Woh... wohi hai... Jinhe aapne Jahanpanah ka khitab diya tha" Najma said with an excited smile. Zoya frowned, "Who Jahanpanah?" she asked in confusion. And Najma and Nuzhat filled her in on the details about Asad. Zoya shut her eyes and flopped on the bed again wondering what did she ever do to land into this situation. As Najma and Nuzhat further filled her in on what happened in the room, Zoya remembered the first time she had met him.
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Ayaan, the NRI guy who had come to see her was accompanied by this friend of his. At first instance, Zoya had thought Asad was the proposed guy but then it turned out to be Ayaan. And undeniably she was a bit disappointed to know that as undoubtedly Asad was much more handsome, gorgeous and intelligent than that dim-witted friend of his. No... not that she was considering to give him a chance, it's just that it would have been more flattering if the guy would have been Asad. Yes, his high-handed attitude irked her to no extent. She had nick-named him Jahanpanah while she spoke about him to her gang. But from the little they talked, Zoya was quick to realize that Asad was witty and smart. And when they were leaving, didn't she see Asad eyeing her with a smirk while his eyes had the look which gleamed with familiarity and wisdom. It was as if he knew... he knew what they had done with Ayaan. Zoya remembered looking away in embarrassment when he wished her luck for her future. But never in her dreams had she ever thought that he would come back for her. And it was precisely at this moment she knew that she was trapped! The predator had turned into a prey! Grunting, she once again fell back on her bed and shut her eyes making futile attempts to sleep.
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The sun was much above the horizon when Asad woke up. Freshening up, he walked out of the room and looked around to catch a glimpse of Zoya. But instead was met by Razia who guided him into the dining room. His Ammi was already seated on the table and they had a general conversation over the breakfast. All this while, Zoya was missing and Asad's eyes searched for her. Gafoor smiled and excused himself as he went towards Zoya's room.
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"Mujhe nahi aana neeche" Zoya stomped her foot on the ground as Nikhat and Razia tried to coax her to meet the guests. "Arre ek baar mil toh le. Milne main harz kya hai?" Razia pleaded but Zoya slumped backward in her bed, and hugging her pillow tight, she vigorously shook her head in denial. "Achcha baba... kam se kam breakfast toh kar lo. maine tumhare favourite Kheer banai hai" Nikhat tried. But Zoya shook her head again. Adjusting her dupata on her head, Razia sighed, "Dekho Zoya..." she started but was cut off when Gafoor's voice came in, "Aap log kyun aise pareshaan kar rahe ho meri beti ko... kya hua Zoya?" he asked in an affectionate ly. "Abbu mujhe kisi se nahi milna" Zoya whimpered almost in tears by now. Taking long strides, Gafoor came to sit in front of Zoya, "Arre toh is main rone wali kaunsi baat hai?" he asked running a hand over her head. "Phir aap mujhse nahi kahenge na ki main un se miloon?" Zoya asked cutely. Gafoor smiled at her and said, "Bete, aaj tak kabhi aisa hua hai ki humne aapki koi baat na maani ho?" he asked and waited for Zoya to respond. Zoya shook her head for a no and he continued, "Toh phir? Lekin aap khud hi bataiye, humari Zoya, kuch bahar ke logon ke wajah se apne kamre main darr ke chup ke baithi hue achchi lagti hai?" he tried to prompt her. "Main nahi darti kisi se" Zoya said at once. "Toh aap neeche aane se mana kyun kar rahi hai? arre nahi karna Nikah toh na sahi... mehmaan hai, do din ke liye aaye hain, chale jayenge" he reasoned as casually as he could. Zoya smiled instantly and agreed to come downstairs. Razia, Nikhat and Gafoor smiled as Zoya got up to get ready.
It was not like Gafoor was not aware of the dealings of his children. He was... and as far as Zoya was concerned he knew her like the back of his hand. He knew how to pursue her... he knew how to get around her... and so he knew exactly what qualities he was seeking in the guy he would give his Zoya to in marriage. All the guys who were driven out by the kids, no one held Gafoor's eyes for even a second. He knew Zoya was a full of life, lively girl and the thought that someone would want to change that about her was unacceptable to him. But when Asad's Ammi called him, he was initially surprised and then reluctant. He didn't know if it would be the right decision but then he had met Asad and didn't Asad know about Zoya's juvenile manners... he did... ofcourse he did, he had seen it... and that only meant one thing that here was a guy who would cherish the innocence and dynamic nature of his daughter just like he did. Oh how could he not give Asad a chance? And so he had consented for them to come over. The more he spoke to Asad, the more he realized how mature and responsible man Asad was. And if that was not all, he didn't miss the spark in his searching eyes whenever they spoke about Zoya. And he was sure, Asad was the right choice for Zoya and intuitively knew this was going to work.
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Around 15 minutes later, Zoya was sitting amidst her family on the dining table. As Nikhat served her, Dilshad tried to make a brief conversation with her and Zoya courteously replied. Dilshad was certainly impressed with her humility. Zoya kept nibbling on her food, too conscious of the pair of eyes that refused to budge away from her. "Yeh kahin aur nahi dekh sakte kya" she muttered under her breath only to receive a nudge from Nikhat who was sitting beside her. Unnerved, Zoya continued to avoid him through the breakfast and politely excused herself once she was done.
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The morning and afternoon rolled on and Asad was desperate to have a word with her but everytime he tried he found himself stuck with one or the other members of the household. Dilshad too was having a lovely time at Farooqui's. It was late in the afternoon when Gafoor left for a catnap and asked him to rest for a while as well, leaving him alone for the first time since he had come here. He was hoping to get his chance when he saw Nuzhat walking down the corridor and called her. Nuzhat stopped in her tracks and turned to give him a skeptical look. Asad smiled at the 16 year old and came straight to the point, "Zoya kahan hai?" Nuzhat narrowed her eyes at him, "Aapse matlab? Asad raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh! Main toh bhool hi gaya tha ki aap sab team Zoya ko belong karte ho. No problem... no problem at al! Main soch raha tha ki jaake Rashid Chacha ko bata doon ke kal raat mere kamre main koi ghus aaya tha" he threatened. Nuzhat's jaws dropped, "Aap gussa kyun ho rahe ho? Main bata rahi hoon na... (Nuzhat said flashing a smile while Asad crossed his arms and started tapping his foot impatiently) Zoya Baaji, Dargah gayi hain." said that, Nuzhat ran away from there and Asad smiled as he ran a hand through his hair.
~To be Continued 😳~
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My Previous Work on Asya:
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