Chapter 10

"mona zara pass me the bowl." ayaan said with a smile looking at the bowl of fresh fruits on other side of table.
he waited for her to pass the container to him but she dint move even a finger yet.
"mona?" ayaan called out her name in concern.
zoya kept looking down at her food too lost to hear him calling her out. ayaan finally sighed as he got up from his place to shook her body.
"Good morning bhabhi!" ayaan purposely called her bhabhi as she liked to be calling herself that. it reminds her about asad and their deep bond and hence ceases all the unwanted thoughts from her mind.
Normally, it works as a charm on zoya, if she had a fight with asad but today, today she was in no mood to calm down.
It's been two days, two days since they had a fight. asad is still behaving mean to her and worst part she don't the reason behind his cold behaviour towards her.
Last evening when she went in his room, she found all her pitchers scattered her and there on floor. What he has been doing with them? Only god knows!
She tried to behave as normal as possible despite of him being so cold shoulder to her. But it looked as if he is determined to make her cry, determined to get angry on her. A not so asad type's act obviously scared her.
She took his favourite black and bitter coffee to him, when she spots him on bench in backyard. It's his favourite place, where you can find him when something bothers him. She thought he needed some time to disclose his problem to her. It was rare but yes, sometimes he faces difficulty in sharing things, even if it's zoya or ammi asking him.
But the moment he saw her walking with a coffee in her hand; he simply walked off the backyard, straight to his room.
"What is bothering you, asad?" zoya sighed sadly as she watches him shutting the curtains of his room that night.



"zoya?" ayaan again shook her arms, this time adding with a little more force.
"Uh..ah.. What?" zoya broke herself from the thoughts and tried to balance her composure.
She saw ayaan and dilshad standing beside her with a serious worry look.
"mona...what it is?" ayaan simply asked her while touching her shoulder lightly.
dilshad too nodded her head in slight yes as if asking to answer ayaan.
"ku...kuch nai."zoya sad weakly, she turned her head towards the door on her right exact opposite to the dining table in a hope to have a one glance of him.
"bhaijaan, subah he chale gaye zoya." ayaan answered scrunching his eye brow a little .
"Are you alright" he asked again, really worried with zoya's silence. She is never been a quite sitting person, and today she is just not being herself.
Dilshad could feel the thick tension between zoya and asad. She did notice her reaction on asad's name. She really wanted her children to be happy and if something is bothering them, she is ever ready to solve the issue, keeping in mind to not push over them and not trespass their personal territory. She thought to ask her later may be she would spill out her problems to her when they are just two in the room.
"bhabhi..." ayaan again tried to gain her attention as her eyelids have stopped movement and were simply staring at asad's room.
It's like the inner pain in zoya resurfaced in her eyes and so she decided to plea herself from everyone, not really wanted to cry in front of everyone and make anyone worry about her.
"Excuse-me!" she said softly. She got up from her seat and angled her body to one side as she slipped between dilshad and the chair next to her silently.
Dilshad and ayaan eyes didn't left her even for a second, until she completely disappeared in her room.
Ayaan looked at dilshad wearily ; "ammi..-" dilshad looked at her son and nodded her head in yes with a smile. This little gesture soothed ayaan and he quickly engulfed himself in his mother embraced. Dilshad smiled at her son lovingly while her eyes sparkled with drops glaring at zoya's room. She patted her son's shoulder before sighing sadly.



"... haan theek hai. Nikah ki tareek nikhat ke sath he hogi." Rashid confirmed on phone. He quickly took pen and paper from the drawer and penned down a list of details provide by other receiver.
He tab the disconnect button and took the paper in his hand, calling up to his secretary he handed over the details to her while instructing her on how to carry work further.
"Sir is your son getting married too." Secretary asked happily. She is working in this company for years now and so she knew about his complete family. And its khan's policy to keep their staff as their family and so she felt no hesitation in asking to him.
"haan..." Rashid simply said without adding any further details. His rude and unresponsive gestured arrowed the lady and she quietly walked out of his cabin with the paper and an invite card.
Rashid turned to his table and got his wallet out , he touched the pic of his mother with pain as he asked for her forgiveness for letting his children face so much pain.
The phone buzzed again and Rashid quickly received the call.
"salaam Rashid miya." Abdul said with a smirk.
"salaam" Rashid chuckled.
"is everything ready? " abdul asked with an wry smile.
"yes it is." Rashid simply nods his head in yes.
"To kal hum ghar aa rahe hai, ap apni family ko kaise convince karte hai, ye apki problem." Abdul said with a cunning tone. Rashid felt to literally kick his ass there itself for being such a pain in everyone's f**king life's. As it is he was in pressure and on top of it abdul left no space in building pressure on him.
"haan..main janta hu." Rashid said with a flat tone. Not really wanting to stretch this discussion further.
As Rashid was about to keep his phone, asad enters in his cabin with some files.
"Main apse bad me bat krta hu." Rashid wanted to hang up the phone on him and eureka! He got one good excuse. asad aya hai.' He added looking at asad with a smile.
"haan theek hai..' abdul replied. "use bhi apne hone wale sasur ka salaam kehna.' He again smirked and this time too Rashid felt like going in to the phone to snatch his every smile form his face. Irritatting! Was the only word he could describe for abdul.
Rashid kept his cell back on table as he nodded his head in positive to let asad come in. asad walked in with a file and stood near Rashid , he opened some page and was about to ask some clause in the agreement pointing his finger on the page up lifted. When rashid interrupted him in between.
"ise chor do... thodi der Rashid took the file from asad's hold and kept beside his phone on table.
Asad folded his hand behind, locking right wrist on left . A significant gesture indicating calming his emotions. May be he was tensing unnecessary but he was not the one to be blamed. The situations were just going against him these days.
"main kal tumhare nikah ki announcement karunga." Rashid declared more than asking or saying.
Asad soon gripped his hold on wrist a tighter as he heard what his father just said to him.
"But ...It's too early." Asad begged Rashid as he wished to postpone this as far as possible. He knew one day he has to come but not so soon though.
"It's not early asad... you are getting married in next week" he simply chanted; not looking at asad in his eyes.
Asad face holds an expression of shock and tears as he felt a lump forming in his throat.
"nikhat ke sath sath...tumhara bhi nikah hoga.' Rashid said locking his eyes on random files.
"but -" asad tried to object but was silent by rashid's words " asad ...faisla ho chukka hai. Ab peeche hat ke matlab nai." He simply glared him reminding him his promise.
Asad sighed in defeat as his heart weight more because of pain and tears in them. With a defeat masked on his face, he silently walked with red eyes and actually dragging his body towards exit.
"abu...zoya ke abu se baat hui.." asad stopped and turned his head to Rashid for answer.
"nai... or zarurat nai hai. Sabke sath use bhi bata dunga." Rashid took a random file in his hand and turned few pages absent mindedly; " main use janta hu, wo samajh jayega.';Rashid steal his eyes away from file , looking at space for a minute.
Asad sighed knowing that his abu is taking gaffur khalu as take it for granted, and this will surely not prove good. But debating Rashid was waste. So he quietly walked out of door with a loud sad sigh.



Zoya is laying on bed on her stomach, scanning through some random apps on her I-Pad. She was physically in the room but mentally, her mind roamed around the events that took place past days.
A knock on the door, got her out from her thoughts. "may I come in?" haider called her from the door.
Zoya quickly straightened herself and sat properly while she smiled and answered him; "yeah , ofcourse bhai. Please come." Zoya shifted a little and patted the empty space besides her for him to sit.
"why so formal?" she asked looking at haider who had his hand on back.
"disturb you?" he asked again.
"no, no...definitely not. Please bhai stop being so formal to me, it- it feels weird" zoya made her faces as she smiled heartedly looking at him.
"hey whats there you hiding behind?" zoya tried to peep behind him but he turned his hand away.
"bhai..." zoya shriek , jumping on her feet to dodge the mild restrained given by haider.
"ok , fine...baba.." he said as he moved his hand to front.
Zoya kept a hand over her mouth in surprise as she saw tab in his hand and video call is activated.
"jeeju!!" zoya squealed snatching Tab from haider's hand she ran towards the table behind. Locking the fold firmly on the table for support she sat on her knees eagerly waiting to start chatting with her anwar jeeju.
"jeeju... lijiye baat kariye apni Sali sahiba se." haider teased zoya with a fake drama.
Zoya showed tongue to asad before concentrating on anwar.
"jeeju... koi yaha bahot jal raha hai." Zoya teased haider with a funny face.
"haan zoya, main dekh raha hu. Infact jalne ki mehak yaha taka a rahi hai" anwar sighed as moving hand below his nose.
Haider huffed in annoyance as zoya and anwar gave a hi-fi through video chat.
"to bache, kaise chal rahi hai tayari?" anwar asked zoya with a sweet smile.
"kisse puch rahe ho jeeju , zoya ko asad ke alawa koi cheese nazar aa jaye, to qayamat nai hogi india me!" haider kept a hand over his mouth and gave a girlish gesture in aww!
Zoya immediately felt her cheeks burning with red , embarrassment. She looked here and there for an escape, when found none; she kept a hand below her chin tilting her head to sideways.
aise baat nai hai jeeju!" zoya tried justifying to anwar" you know right?" she winked at him for support. Anwar immediately caught her signal and nodded his head in agreement.
Haider sighed as he suddenly started missing zeenat api, who always stood by his side in pulling Zoya's legs.
"Not fair!" haider chided walking towards the door. " let api come, then we will see who wins this time!" haider whinned like a 5 year old before making his way out of the room. Haider knew that zoya is really close to anwar and so she might need some privacy to talk with him and discuss her issues. As he too had noticed, the sudden change in her behaviour. He wanted his naughty and alive zoya back to him. And so he had already spoke with anwar to help him.
"to sab theek chal raha hai?" anwar asked zoya with a raised eyebrow.
"hmm.."zoya quietly nodded her head as he knew about whom he was asking.
"jeeju..-" zoya tried to speak when anwar interrupted.
"zoya ek minute there is someone on other call, might be Important. Wait for a minute." Anwar requested as he put the call on hold and tab the other button to receive line 2 calls.
Zoya played and fought herself to decide whether to speak about asad with anwar or not. She never hides anything from him, but she also did not wish to complaint about asad to anyone.
"he won't like it!" she sighed brushing her fingers on her hair in nervousness.
"hey pretty girl-" zoya heard anwar calling on other side.
"jeeju... "zoya smiled at him , trying best to give him warm smile.
"tune bataya kyu nai, ke kal tumhare shadi ki announcement hone wali hai, I would have come you know!" anwar pouted and looked at zoya , who probably did not herself knew about which announcement he is talking about.
"announcement?" zoya asked him to confirm.
haan..tumhe nai pata? Mujhe abhi call aya tha office se. humare channel ko coverage ke liye byulaya hai waha" anwar said as he referred to new channel owned by him.
"news walo ko bhi?" zoya was now utterly confused.
"haan...tumhe sach me nai pata?"anwar mocked her with a chuckle.
"suna hai, sare media wale honge waha. Wah! Zoya badi dhoom me nikah ho raha hai tumhara" anwar teased her while shuffling through something in mobile. Zoya could not handle more of teasing and started to blush really hard on hearing anwar's talk.
"jeeju... "zoya said softly.
"beta, ab sari baten waha ake hogi.." anwar said with a smile.
" jeeju...you are coming here" zoya's eye widened in surprise.
"what do you mean by that. Of course we are coming! How would we not? Are bhai ek he to jaan hai humari.. main or tumhari api kal honge tumhare sath jab tumhari shadi ki announcement hogi" anwar said with a warm smile and a dew fell from her eyes.
"meri shadi..." zoya said with so much of hope and dreams.
"haan..tumhari shadi" anwar nodded with a yes giving her a warm beam.
With that the call got cut abruptly , leaving zoya into day dreaming.
"shayad isiliye wo itna ajeeb behave kar rahe the, mujhe surprise dena chahte the asad" zoya pated her forehead with a giggle.
"bade cute wale dhokebaaz hai , asad bhi" zoya shy thinking about him and tomorrow.
"ya allah shukriya!" zoya said raising her hand in air in to submissive the almighty and thanked him for fulfilling the only dreams she has seen since ages.
"asad!" she embraced the photo frame of her and him on the table as she laid down on bed , slowly dreaming of future with him.
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