Chapter 1
21 years ago: Dehradun
"Zo! Are you insane?"
Thirteen year old Zoya Siddiqui was oblivious to everything and everyone around her.
She twirled around, her arms stretched wide in a welcoming embrace. Closing her eyes gently she turned her face towards the sky and her lips parted ever so slightly to form a beautiful smile as snowflakes fluttered high above her and slipped through her bare fingertips brushing them lightly.
"Zoya we are freezing yaar, let's go!" he shouted but Zoya was entrapped in a serene trance and showed no sign of breaking out of it until she felt a gentle tug.
She glared at the intruder - her best friend Aditya.
"And you are welcome!" he snapped at her, a tad bit irritated with her childish antics.
"Well I didn't thank you Mr. Hooda," Zoya sulked and added, "I was having a moment and you ruined it!"
"By a moment you mean freezing into an ice popsicle? Hardly," he replied sarcastically pulling her with him.
"C'mon Adi! It's the first snowfall of the season! Look at everything around you. Nature is calling out to us, you need to feel it to believe it!"
"Yeah right!" Adi scoffed. "By the time I try to decipher what it is that nature wants to say, I will be buried in ten feet snow and I have no interest to find out how it feels to be a male version of Snow White. So thanks but no thanks!"
Zoya wrenched her hand free making Adi stop in his tracks.
"Try it na Adi? For once? For me? C'mon," Zoya pleaded Adi and before he could protest she cupped his hand in hers and lifted it upwards just the way she had, a moment ago.
"There can you feel it? Hear it?" she asked, her tone laced with childlike excitement.
"I hear a lot of things Zoya - a car honking, crows cawing, dogs barking and footsteps rushing towards a shelter which is what we should be doing as well," he sighed, rolling his eyes in exasperation as her face fell. "Take your pick. Which one would it be?"
"A beautiful whisper," she replied smiling at him, her face lit up with a hope that someday her best friend would feel this magic too. A magic that would set him free of the burden he was shouldering all along and see the world for what it is a beautiful hope for a better tomorrow.
"Zo next you will ask me to look for a rainbow in the rain," he mocked her turning to go.
"It's not hard to find if you try to look for it," Zoya replied in a soft voice to his retreating back.
Present Day: Chatrapati Shivaji Airport, Mumbai
Pooja Mathur's morning had certainly not started on an eventful note. She had barely caught three hours of sleep and now she realized her sacrifice had been in vain. She was an air hostess with Jet Airways and she had arrived at 4:30am in the morning as she was on airport standby for the domestic flight but now she was assigned to the international sector.
She cursed as she dropped her phone for the fifth time in a row that day while fumbling for her keys.
"Everything OK Pooja?"
"Need to rush Rhea. I was on standby but change of plans," Pooja replied adjusting her handbag.
"Aarti has taken ill and I need to fill in for her in Mumbai-London sector," she added dashing for the exit.
"Your lucky day then," Rhea replied with a sly smile stopping Pooja in her tracks.
"What do you mean?"
"You will be flying with Aditya Hooda. You didn't see his name on the roster?" Rhea asked her while Pooja still didn't look convinced.
"No he wouldn't... Not today... Is he?"
"I don't know," Rhea shrugged. "That's what the roster says."
Pooja drove back home pondering over Rhea's words. Adi had barely had a day's break since his last international flight and he was already up for another one? And today of all days? When he should be spending some quality time with his family? She knew it had not been easy for him but she wished he would make an attempt.
Pooja barely glanced at her mother as she walked past her straight into her room and started packing without a word.
"Is everything OK?" Sakshi Mathur asked her daughter who was zooming in and out in a frenzy, throwing things into her duffel bag.
"And why is everyone asking me that question?" she snapped looking up and added, "Why don't you check on Adi mumma?"
Sakshi sighed. Of course it had to be Adi.
Sakshi, Anjana and Roshnaq had been good friends for a long while and needless to say, this bond had passed on to their children as well. Pooja, Adi and Zoya were thick as thieves and grew up to be best buddies. Everything was perfect or so they thought. Tragedy struck their families when it was discovered that Harshvardhan Hooda, Adi's father had been cheating on his wife and unable to bear the trauma, Anjana had resorted to the extreme measure of claiming her life. Without even sparing a thought for their children Harsh had deserted them, leaving their two sons, Adi who had then been ten years old and Arjun, a mere toddler of four in the care of Anjana's mother. Life had meted out a very harsh lesson to a young Adi, snatching away his innocence and burdening him with a responsibility that his frail shoulders could barely carry. Adi was never the same again. He had seen his mother suffer the pain of betrayal and humiliation. He had seen life ebbing slowly out of her existence, leaving behind an empty shell. But he did not have the luxury to grieve for his own mother for he had to be strong for Arjun. Sakshi and Roshnaq took it upon themselves to care for Anjana's children but try as they might, they could not reach out to Adi. Something inside him was broken and they were simply at a loss on how to fix it.
But it was Zoya.
Only Zoya held the key to unlock the doors of his heart and make him smile again. Though nothing could ever bring the old Adi back, she could infuse a glimmer of hope in him that helped him put the broken pieces of his life back together and move on. The scars would always show but it healed him.
When Sakshi found out that Adi meant more than just a friend to her daughter, she knew Pooja was in for an inevitable heartbreak. Aditya was taken long before Pooja even realized her feelings for her best friend.
Years passed and the sands of time played a twisted game yet again when Zoya walked out of Adi's life, breaking his heart in the worst manner possible. Even Roshnaq and Waseem could not come to terms with Zoya's choice and Adi? He was pushed into the abyss from which Zoya had once pulled him out but this time around there was no one he could hold onto. Pooja as always stood by Adi but nothing anyone could say or do anything would set this right.
"We all want what's best for Adi Pooja. But you need to realise that it's his choice. We cannot make it for him," Sakshi replied with a tinge of sadness.
15 years ago: Dehradun Railway Station
"Appi I hate you," Noor cribbed yawning as she stood beside her sister who was literally bouncing on her toes, scanning every face in the crowd eagerly. Dressed in a pristine white salwar kameez, with her hairs let loose that fell in ringlets to her waist encasing a face adorned by delicate features, she was a sight to behold.
"And Adi bhaiyya's train will be arriving in fifteen mins. Just because you are jumping around like a fool, he won't appear out of thin air," she said sarcastically that earned her a smack on the shoulder.
"I know you wore that stupid dress because that's his favorite color," Noor added sticking her tongue out and rubbed her shoulder ruefully.
"Shut up Noor," Zoya hissed trying to throw daggers her way but failing miserably in the process as she blushed scarlet.
"Appi I would not get up this early even for Hrithik Roshan," she reminded her for what felt like the hundredth time that morning, annoyed at the fact that her sister had woken her up at 5am in the morning when she had been dreaming about her favorite idol.
"And I am sure if Zoya managed to pull you out of bed, it had to be courtesy your Hrithik Roshan!"
"Hi di," Noor greeted Pooja stifling yet another yawn.
"I am surprised you let appi beat you this time," Noor added implying to the fact that Zoya had made it first to the station to greet Adi.
"She did a long time ago", she replied in a melancholic tone but hastily changed the topic.
"Anyways what is it this time? A postcard or a life size poster?"
"First day, first show," Noor replied with a dreamy look on her face as Zoya rolled her eyes in exasperation and Pooja looked confused.
"His new movie, whatever it is called," Zoya explained to Pooja.
"Appi you honestly need to brush up your general knowledge ya."
"Yeah right and we all know what are the boundaries restricted to yours," Zoya remarked dryly.
"Will you two ever give it a rest?" Pooja intervened sensing a storm brewing up between the Siddiqui sisters. She knew Noor found Zoya's blatant lack of interest in Bollywood plain insulting whereas Zoya reprimanded Noor all the time for having little interest in everything that was not Bollywood.
"Whatever," Noor said her eyelids drooping a little as she swayed on the spot.
"Noor what are you doing?" Zoya said steadying her. "It's 6 already!"
"And normal people will be tucked in their beds enjoying a peaceful sleep," Noor retorted.
"Fine, have it your way," Zoya muttered turning her attention back to the announcement of arrival. Noor was dozing away happily when she was awakened rudely by the sound of books crashing nearby.
A scrawny, geeky, spectacled teenager tried to gather his belongings as Noor Siddiqui threw him a dirty look. Zoya and Pooja rushed forward to help him.
"Arjun are you OK?"
"Am... am fine Zoya di," he replied casting a nervous glance at Noor who looked like she would bring down the inferno on him.
"Ummm... hi..." he said in a timid voice, raising his hand in a weak gesture but ended up dropping his books all over again as Noor stormed away cursing him and her sister.
"Ignore her," Zoya said in a soothing voice. "You know how she is," she tried placating Arjun who looked miserable.
"Umm di I will just go... ummm... you know... just see if Noor is OK," and with that he hurried after her, his brother's imminent arrival all forgotten as Pooja laughed heartily.
"Poor guy! He can't make it within three feet of Noor without tripping over something or the other. You know I think they will make a cute pair."
Zoya scoffed.
"Arjun and Noor? Are you kidding me? Arjun deserves better than a screaming banshee," Zoya replied shaking her head.
"Hey he's here! Adi!" Pooja exclaimed loudly making Zoya jump.
In all the commotion that followed they had not realized the train had arrived.
Zoya turned her attention to where Pooja was pointing and there he was, dressed in a white T-shirt thrown casually over a pair of dark denims, walking towards them. He waved at them as he approached them and Zoya waited with bated breath. She had been trying to keep it all together for the last couple of days but now that he was finally here, all her bottled up emotions surfaced and along with it crept a new fear. Would Adi remember her? Even as she asked herself this silly question, she berated herself for it. It had only been two years. Of course he would but would things ever be the same between them? He had promised her that she would always be his best friend forever but what if he had made new friends? And what if she would never be enough? No, she knew him better than anyone and no one would ever know her the way he did. But what if that had changed? What if Adi had changed? Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears as Pooja rushed forward and hugged him but Zoya stood rooted to the spot. As her wayward heart waged a battle with her mind, she got her answer. Adi stared straight ahead even as Pooja tried to engage him in a conversation and looked into her eyes. What she saw in them was a reflection of her own emotions.
As he broke apart from Pooja, he walked towards Zoya unable to take his eyes off her. Her eyes sparkled as she took him in and her lips stretched ever so slightly to form a smile.
"Hi Adi!"
Present Day: Little Homes Orphanage, Mumbai
Cheers and wishes erupted from every corner of the hall as candles were blown and a glorious three tiered doll cake was cut.
A chorus of Happy birthday Aliya' played out as the happy couple posed with a beautiful child of four years, dressed as a fairy princess. Children crowded towards the table as the husband motioned them to come forward to take a selfie with birthday girl along with the cake before it was taken inside to be cut and distributed amongst the children and staff of the orphanage.
"That was very thoughtful of you Mr. Hooda!"
"Good evening Mrs. Sethi," Arjun greeted the director of Little Homes orphanage.
"Many parents prefer to celebrate their child's birthday in a lavish hotel or a resort but yet you chose to share this happy occasion with these children who seldom get a reason to celebrate. You are setting an example to many people out there," she said glancing at little Aliya who was engrossed in her own little world with her playmates.
"This orphanage holds a special place in our lives Mrs. Sethi. We are grateful you let us celebrate this occasion every year with the children," Arjun said to Mrs. Sethi as his wife walked over to them.
"You look beautiful as ever, Mrs. Hooda," Mrs. Sethi said as Arjun draped an arm around his wife looking lovingly at her.
She added, "I must say pregnancy suits you. When is the baby due?"
"Four months from now," Noor replied beaming.
"And our Aliya will soon have a little brother," Mrs. Sethi said smiling at them.
"Or a sister," Arjun replied emphasizing on the last word as Noor frowned.
"That's still up for debate," Noor said with a stern look on her face as she traced her hand on her swollen belly.
"By the way, your brother did not make it Mr. Hooda? I never see him around at this time of the year and I can't remember the last time I saw him. Was it four years ago or five? Not since..." Mrs. Sethi stopped realizing what she was about say as she saw Arjun and Noor exchange tense looks.
"I am sorry Mr. Hooda. That was very inappropriate of me," she mumbled a hasty apology as Arjun assured her it was alright.
As Mrs. Sethi walked away to help with distributing the snacks to the children, Noor rounded on her husband.
"No Arjun, it's not alright," she said harshly and before Arjun could say something, she walked away from there to help the staff.
Arjun sighed. It was going to be a long day.
Once all the children were fed, it was time to distribute the gifts they had brought for them. In the midst of all the chaos, Noor realized that Aliya was not around and she panicked. She looked around in the hall and in the kitchen but she was nowhere to be found. One of the staff pointed her towards the play area and sure enough, there she was sitting all alone by herself on a swing. Noor heaved a sigh of relief and walked towards her.
"There you are! I was so worried sweetheart," she exclaimed hugging her tightly when she felt something wet fall onto her shoulder.
She extricated herself only to see Aliya crying and her heart constricted at the heartbreaking sight.
"What happened baby?" she asked her wiping her tears and gently caressed her face.
Aliya was a beautiful child with a round chubby face, soft curly hairs, sparkling chocolate brown eyes and a tiny mouth which when stretched to form a smile took anybody's breath away. Unlike other children her age who threw tantrums on the word go, her Aliya was very well behaved and even as a child, Aliya was compassionate and kind towards others. It was a herculean task for anyone to not be smitten by her, let alone not love her. And to see her in such a sad state would compel anyone to want to steal every bit of happiness there was in the world for her.
"Cake is not there. It got over," she said sniffing.
"Hmmm. What had I promised you?"
"That you will save one piece for me," Aliya replied, her voice choked.
"And have I ever broken a promise?"
She thought hard for a moment before shaking her head.
Noor pulled out a box from her handbag and held it open for Aliya as a wide grin split across the little girl's face and she squealed in delight, throwing her arms around Noor.
"I love you chachi, you are the best!"
"Have you thanked your friends for all the lovely presents they gave you?" she asked her placing the box back where it belonged.
Aliya looked at her sheepishly and shook her head once again.
"So why don't you go inside quickly, thank everybody and say a bye and then your chachu will take us back home?"
Aliya nodded as Noor helped her get off the swing and she ran inside, her fairy wings fluttering in the breeze. Noor saw her disappear into the crowd and wiped a lone tear that had escaped her kohl rimmed eyes. She had been trying hard all evening to maintain her composure but now she could not hold back any longer. More tears made their way down her rosy cheeks but she made no attempt to stem the flow.
"Noor?"
"Till when are we going to keep up this charade Arjun?" she demanded.
"Of pretending to be this perfect happy family? Will we ever talk about what happened four years ago?"
Arjun tried to pacify her but Noor was beyond consoling.
"I agree appi made a choice that none of us were happy about. None of us could even bring ourselves to forgive her for what she did to Adi bhaiyya, not even ammi," Noor protested.
"But why... why Aliya?"
"I don't care... I don't care if Adi bhaiyya holds a grudge against appi for the rest of his life. I don't care if we have to pretend that appi never existed in our lives. Our home, which appi had once cherished more than anything in the world has no trace that she lived there. All these years we have been living a lie and I have made peace with it. If Adi bhaiyya wants us to part with all memories we have of her, I will do that as well!"
"Noor you know bhai would never ask that," he said in a gentle voice.
"Really?" she taunted him. "Then why does he punish Aliya for what appi has done? What is that child's fault? His own daughter! That kid has never known her mother and going by the way things are right now, she never will either! And to top it off, she is even denied a father's affection? Allah knows, I love her more than our unborn child and I will never have any regrets about it," she said in a broken voice as Arjun looked helplessly at her.
"But will that ever be enough?"
Noor broke down in Arjun's arms.
"It's not fair Arjun! It's not fair that one has to pay for the mistakes of another!"
Edited by BeyondHorizon - 5 years ago
