Chapter 7

Vintage Flow

@Vintage_flow

CHAPTER 7

Koi bole dariya hai…koi maane sehra hai

“What?” Zoya exclaimed at the breakfast table driving Asad’s eyes on her. She had been saying that for the last five minutes taking small intervals in between.

“What even…how…when?... Aapi I… I can’t” her speech deteriorated more and more as she tried to speak up to get some words in at what seemed like an argument her Aapi was winning. His ears perked. Something wasn’t right. Zoya looked…restless.

He put his coffee down as he observed her more openly now. She then suddenly disconnected the receiver and held her head in her hands a second later.

Asad was really starting to panic now, one of his biggest fears reverberating in his mind.

Did she tell you to come back? Don’t…leave…

“Are you okay, Ms. Faaroqui?”

“Allah Miyan, what’s wrong with you? Do I look okay?”

 He gulped.

“What is it?” he questioned patiently.

Nothing. He tried again.

"Ms. Faaroqui?"

“Aapi has foghj me grfd” her words came out all muffled as she tried not to break down.

“Jee?”

“Aapi has found me a groom, Mr. Khan” she finally yelled in his face looking up, tears streaming down her face in full force “and I can’t talk her out of it this time” she finished in a whisper.

Did his heart stop first or his breath, he didn’t know. His past experience told him that Zoya and Nikaah in one sentence spelled disaster, but this time destruction will be all his…loss will be all his.

As the seconds ticked by, he tried to find his voice in midst of her sniffles…his eyes stinging of their own accord.

It was serious, his gut said. He had never seen Zoya look so defeated before.

He didn’t know what took over him, but he found himself reaching for her hand as her body shook with muted sobs.

She didn't say it, but he knew, she was still very emotionally vulnerable. She had come out fully strapped with her bag and ipad the other day ready to go about her daily routine. Only she had forgotten that she didn't need to look for him anymore. The look on her face as she realised still haunted his senses. 

“I promised her” her tortured voice brought him back. When she looked up at him, she must have found something encouraging as she continued “When I had expressed my wish to stay in India, Aapi had let me stay on one condition. I know she will never force me again, but I promised her, promised her I wouldn’t say no.” She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand carrying on. “It’s just that I've let her down once and she keeps blaming herself for it. What happened with Akr…it wasn’t her fault. I never want her to feel like she didn’t do, what she felt was best for me. I always want her to know I trust her.”

Just as Zoya realized how easy it was to open her heart to him, Asad listened quietly trying to make sense of her words and emotions.

He knew a girl like her was capable of loving strangers. She had so much compassion inside her even for a man like him…a man who had been nothing but rude and crude to her.

Maybe her promise came from a place of love just like her sister, but it wasn't right. He understood she felt obligated maybe even indebted, even though she wouldn’t admit it­– perhaps not even to herself.

His next decision was made in a split second.

Asad knew more than anything who he was going to do this for. He had always shied away from thinking about that day…that one day she will be out of reach from his fingertips, with her hand in someone else’s.

He unknowingly winced.

He knew he shouldn't stand in her way for the broken man inside him had nothing happy to offer to her, but he just couldn't watch her belong to anyone but him.

He just couldn’t!

“I'll talk to Ammi; we'll figure something out” he squeezed her hand in resolution with determined eyes.

If you don’t want it, it won’t happen.

But Zoya just looked at him with helpless eyes, as she whispered.

“Phuphi suggested it”

A coffee mug tipped.

He couldn’t believe this! Ammi knew? And way worse than that, she suggested it?

How were they supposed to talk her Aapi out of this? He knew Zoya’s Aapi and Ammi were close. He had often heard them chitchatting, sometimes for hours on end. And if his Ammi was behind this, it had got to be serious business.

Wait, what if she actually convinces her…no no Zoya would never…but she does love Ammi a lot…maybe she will say yes…NO!

With a resolute mind and clenched fists, he marched over to his Ammi’s room.

Zoya gaze moved from his disappearing figure towards the glass table in wonder.

Forget about the groom from hell…Mr. OCD Ahmed Khan hadn’t thrown a fit over the spilled coffee for once…the man didn’t even flinch!

xx

“If you came to talk about, what Zoya came to talk about a few minutes ago then let me tell you, there’s nothing to talk about” she said as her son opened the door to her room.

Dilshad had an idea or two about his reaction after the news broke, so she had purposely disappeared for the rest of the day.

She wasn’t even surprised when Zoya ambushed her as soon as she stepped in, with Asad close in tow.

She watched him now as he impatiently shifted his weight from one foot to another, hands in his pocket.

“Ammi, I don’t think we should interfere in their family matters”

Dilshad eyebrows shot up as she hid a smirk.

“I’m not Asad, Zoya thinks of us as family and she doesn’t think I am interfering. In fact, ab to yeh zaruri hai ki tum bhi ladke se mil lo.”

Now what fresh hell was this? And how long have they been planning this? And when did Zoya meet the loser?

“Does she know him?” he didn’t realise he had said that out loud until Dilshad answered.

“Jee haan, jaanti hai, pehchanti hai aur mujhe yakeen hai ki pasand bhi karti hai. Tabhi toh usne haan kehdi” she chattered on cheerily not realizing the electric reaction beside her. Or maybe she did. Good!

Asad felt the hot coffee spilling over again, just this time he was the table. His heart splintered and fell at his feet.

Haan Kehdi?

“Asad” she said laughingly looking at his crestfallen face “acha ladka hai trust me”

Huh!

It was when his Ammi started walking towards him, his mind kicked back into the horror movie his reality was becoming.

No, No, No, No, No…there is absolutely no need for any more information.

There was no way he would be able to restrain himself from “accidentally” going out and breaking the sucker’s face. He didn’t need to know who he was and where he lived.

And what the hell was wrong with Ms. Faaroqui? Vaise ton bahut zubaan chalti hai. Why was she not saying anything…was what Ammi said true…did she really want this? She was only doing this for her Aapi right? ... right?

As he turned to leave the room before his mind became a pile of miserable and agitated confetti, Dilshad grabbed his hand and shoved him towards the dressing table.

“What” he questioned as she pointed at his reflection in the mirror, his voice detached.

“Arre dulhe se milo bhai, dulhe se milwa rahi hu”

Huh!

His Ammi watched realisation dawning as the indifferent mask slowly slipped away.

“Maine kaha tha na acha ladka hai” she smiled.

xx

Low key needed an apology from Aapi. The forced nikaah was not cool!