Chapter 9

Aditi

@desidillse

The sun rays fell on the swollen beautiful moon; Zoya has caressed her eyes with back of the fist, rolling them clockwise and anti-clockwise. Opening eyes carefully, after a long dark, she collected herself from the floor and walking with trembling steps she entered to the washroom. She opened the tap of the basin and cupped the water in her palms,suddenly or instantly her eyes fell on the mirror and the collected water all of sudden slipped.

Her face was all swollen, tear lines were on the pale yellow cheeks and red puffy eyes were showing the savage condition of her life. Her dry lips were trembling with anxiety and intense of mercilessness on her life by people; or by god. She looks at the skies and tears started rolling from her eyes and then kissing her chin and neck.

She was feeling too helpless towards herself, as she didn’t want to herself.But deciding to go with the flow she washed her face and wiping it from the towel opened the knob to come out and realized that her so called husband wasn't present in the room and the door was unlock.

In fact, Dilshad was waiting for her and said, “Zoya! This is your bag, kal bahar hi reh gaya tha, so jaldi se taiyaar ho jao”, and caressed her face which was adoring with a fake smile, as Zoya could hurt anyone but not Dilshad, she had that relationship with her.

“Jee Aunty”, she obeyed.

Dilshad smiled lightly, “I know tumhara aur Asad ka nikaah kin halaton mein hua, and this is why I wouldn’t force you to obey the relationship of this nikaah, par I request, koshish zarur karna”

Zoya’s lips shrunk and she started looking down on the floor as she wanted to hide her tears with her mother-like aunty.

Dilshad fisted her chin, “Sit, and look at me”

They both sat on the bed and Dilshad kept her hand on the trembling fist of Zoya’s, “Mujhe pata hai tumhare liye is shadi ko itni jaldi accept karna bahut easy nahi hai, it is challenging par jaise Raziya bee aur maine tumhe hamesha sikhaaya, ke naummedi gunah hai…to…”, before she could complete Zoya interrupted in between, “I will try”, at which Dilshad smiled saying, “Taiyar ho jaana”, at which she nodded with Dilshad’s exit.

“Naumeedi gunah to hai, par is zindgi ne ummed kaha dimujhe…. Nahi zindgi shuru karu to uske sath jo bachpan ka dost to tha magar itna beraham….ke sab jante hue mujhe akela chod gaya”, Zoya thought and tear droplet fell from her eyes and she shut them.

“I will try, but never ever forgive his betrayal”, she gulped down the fresh lump and wiped her tears.

After an hour, Dilshad invited the hesitant, hurt and full of hatred Zoya,“Arey! Zoya aao breakfast karo humare sath”

Zoya who has promised Dilshad that she will try to come out from her past and unwanted present sat on the chair. Dilshad served her some poha with onion, her favorite breakfast and toast with overloaded butter,“Your favorite, not so health conscious”, and winked at which Zoya smiled a little.

She had few spoonful poha and realized that nobody was interested in talking her so she tried, “Hi Najma!”, who sheepishly replied,“Hello!”

“Kaisi ho?”, Zoya tried to carry on as in she was not at all wanted to be in talking terms with Asad.

Najma twisted her lips and left her breakfast in between,“Ammi! Aaj mujhe Dr. Imraan ko surgery mein assist karna hai and…and”, she trying to be in search of reason to not talk Zoya, left the chair, “So I am leaving bye”

“Breakfast to kar lo”, Dilshad tried to stop her at which she said, “I am getting late…accha okay”, saying this she immediately gulped down the glass full of orange juice in a single breath.

“Now I am going”, she said as if announcing.

“Tamatar!”, Asad tried to stop her but she didn’t and drove off her scooter.

She left and Dilshad understood why she ignored Zoya but she didn't utter a word. Zoya was confused about her hurry but she was sure that surgery was merely an excuse to not being in talking terms with her, but why that was a question mark to her.

Dilshad tried to cover it up, “Ye ladki bhi na, humesha jaldi mein rehti hai”, and with a smile continued, “Tum breakfast karo mein dawai kha ke aati hoon”

“Dawai aapko kya hua?”, Zoya concerned at which Dilshad giggled, “Jyada kuch nahi thoda Blood pressure ka problem rehta hai that is it”

“Abhi bhi”, Zoya forgot herself at this point and started cursing Asad as she used to do earlier, “Asad tum acche doctor ko kyu nahi dikhate aunty ko, in fact sab se jyada tension tum hi unhe dete ho….kabhi exams ki kabhi office ki and so on main abhi bhi keh rahi hue k biwi le aao wo at-least aunty ka to khayal rakh…”, she didn’t realize how much and what she has said but when she did she shut her mouth and left the spot, Dilshad tried to stop her but she didn’t. 

When she was not there, Dilshad asked, “Use sach kyu nahi batate tum?”

“Kyuki---I want her back as she was before her first marriage”, he replied with moist eyes and Dilshad, “To uske liye use sach batana padega Asad”

“Nahi ammi main use uske abbu se nafrat nahi karne de sakta”, he replied and snatching his laptop bad left the home in hurry and Dilshad sit with a thud on the chair.

Zoya was humming the song, treating her Bella, the female puppy very carefully after her regular injection and was passing the hospital corridor when Bella jumped from her hands and ran hardly, Zoya followed her but didn't find.

“Oh my god! Kitna pareshan karti hai ye bhi”,Zoya murmured and searched for her everywhere.

She looked here and there, under the benches and chairs, questioning people about her but she didn’t succeed. After a search of a whole 12 to 15 minutes she heard a puppy sound, which was familiar to her nearby.

She found her in someone’s arms, so she shrugged the person gasping and screamed, “Bella!”, and without looking over him she snatched Bella from his arms and asked, “Who are you?”, and finally she had a look over his face.

Asad Ahmed Khan, who was standing, folding disarms on his chest, “Maine gift ki thi Bella tujhe, islie main Bella ka pehla pehla pyaar….ab bolo”

“Ha-Ha-Ha, very funny”, she mocked rubbing Bella's back.

“Haina! I Am.”, he too copied her at which she twisted her lips and asked curtly, “Yahan kya kar rahe ho?”

“Ammi ka BP badh gaya tha, so doctor ko dikhane laya tha”, he replied very casually.

She became very possessive about Dilshad,exactly as she used to be since childhood, “And where is she?”

“Najma is there with her”, he answered.

She counter-questioned him, “And what about you”, she pierced her eyes in his eyes as she will eat him up when he answered back, “Najma hai tha future doctor”, saying this he rolled his eyes.

“Tumhe bilkul khayal nahi hai na unka”, she asked as she was the only caring person at whom he mocked, “No”, he lamely lied and continued, “Obviously hai”

“Ha-ha. Doesn’t seem like that. Humesha tension dete ho unhe tum, pareshan karo tum, aur fir doctor ko bhi tum nahi dikhate, ab najma choti hai, kal ko shadi ho jaegi, who will take care of Aunty? I don't think you will”, she cursed him in single breath, everyone was staring at her and Asad who has banged his head but she kept continuing, “Ek kaam karo tum na shadi karlo… achi si ladki dekh ke at least wo to khayal rakhegi unka”, and she took a deep breath when he snatched her towards his chest. Dilshad and Najma too were outside, and were there with open mouth.

Asad curtly snatched her, Bella jumped from Zoya’s arm with threat and kissed Najma’s feet, so she grabbed her in her arms.

Zoya was feeling his breathing, she was this close to him, he darted eyes in hers, “Tum karlo shadi”, and giggled.

Zoya eyes were little shining as she thought it was real but he left her, “Nahi tumhe hi to sabse jyada khayal hai meri ma, totu hi shadi karle”, and kept chuckling.

Zoya bit her lower lip, took a deep breath with crimson red cheeks, collect Bella and tiptoed thinking, “I hope aisa hojata”, and smiled but a second thought came to her mind, “But tumhe to har waqt mazak mazak…aisa ho thodi na sakta hai…par kaash…”, she thought and closed her eyes.

Zoya opened her eyes which were not shining at all they were full of tears, “kaash! Kaash… hi to na socha hota maine”, she again closed her eyes tightly and tears rolled down from them.

Asad who was looking outside the window and running cars and bikes, “Kaash…us din maine us sach ko mazak na banaya hota… after all I want edit in the real”

“Bas ek kaash mein hi to life nikal jati hai…”, he bit his lower lip with a lame smile.

Asad sat down on the chair and decided, “Par main humari zindgi mein is kaash ki koi jagah nahi rehne dena chahta.”, and pressed his lips with each other.

“Sab kuch waise hi hoga jaise tum Haider se nikaah ke pehle humari life mein sochti thi, chahti thi…and I am not saying it, I mean it to promise it, to you”, Asad smiled and whispered, “I love you, I love you Zoya and I will make you feel it. That’s my promise to you”

In the night, Zoya was collecting her stuff as she didn’t want to share the same room with the guy who was used to be her so called best friend, to whom she loved, who claimed to love her but ran away when she was forcefully pushing to the ditch of the darkness.

The same time Asad entered the room and asked, “Where are you going?”

“Guest room”, she replied curtly.

He hummed in, “Hmmm!”, and continued himself, “Fine. And when ammi will ask tell her the reason as well”

“Wo janti hain”, she retorted back.

“Very good. Phir to jaldi bimar ho jaengi aur tumhare abbuko main phone karke bata deta hoon, cancer mein aram hoga”, he very casually said dialing the number at which she snatched the phone from his hand, “Tum abbu ko kuch nahi bataoge, he will hurt”

“To meri ammi hurt nahi hogi”, he asked arching his brow at which she nodded her head and he continued, “Meri shadi karne ke baad meri biwi at least meri ammi ka khayal to rakhegi hi ….kisi ne kaha tha mujhse”, he almost taunted her and her words backfired on her only.

At which she threw the cushion on the floor and clenched her jaw, “I can’t share same room with you”

“Gate to khula hai… kya hai na main kisi ko force nahi karta”, he showed the gate to her at which she sarcastically smiled.

She remained in the room biting her lower lip after deciding for few minutes and warned, “Don’t you dare interfere in my space”

“Shauq nahi hai mujhe bhi”, he replied back at which she sarcastically questioned, “to fir mujhse shadi kyu ki?”

“phir ye nikaah kyu kiya”, Zoya bombarded him with the question.

“I don’t think so ke ye tumhe batana zaruri hai”, he hid his answer from her.

She sarcastically replied, “mujhse hi nikah ka reason nahi bata sakte mujhe”, and stopped him from going outside.

But he threw her hand away from the door saying, “Tumne kyuki shadi, tum hi bata do”

“Majboori thi meri, I married you for- for Haider”, she spilled out in one second.

At which he massaged his temples and looked into her eyes,“Haider se- haider se tumne pyaar ki hhahah”, he laughed and continued while saying, “Sach mein tumne Haider se pyaar kia”, and finally left her with a question that was she really in love with Haider, she was numb and rooted. 

Hey Zoya! Meri pyaari legally married wife….I love you…but I hate him…because I love her more than anything else in this whole world!!

 ----


A/N: I hope you have been liking the story, if yes then like and comment and if still having some confusions then freely comment about that.

Aditi