UPDATE Ch12 pg 31: My take on beintehaa mohobbat - - Page 17

Zain found that he had dozed off on the couch...he quickly got up and looked at his watch, it was way past midnight. The house was quiet and seemed like everyone was asleep...he needed to leave but how would they lock behind him...he proceeded to Aliya's room to let her know. He didn't want to go to Sam's bedroom, would be inappropriate at this time of night.

He peeked in and saw Aliya asleep...he walked in as quietly as he could and sat down by the side of the bed next to her. She didn't have the covers over her face like she used to... Didn't she sleep like that anymore? What else had changed about her? He kept looking at her with an adoring but sad gaze as the city lights dimly lit the room through the window, and also Aliya's face. She had cried herself to sleep it seemed, he could see her nose was red. He gently touched her cheeks with his finger and ever so slightly traced a pattern...he loved her so much. She seemed stressed, it showed on her face even as she was asleep, she had her eyes tightly shut...Zain picked up on every little things about her only didn't make it obvious like Aliya. He could tell she hadn't moved on in her heart, was battling with herself to be living with Rehan...but the damage was done. She was Rehan Khan's wife, she made that choice...hadn't listened to her heart...and now it was going to be a bigger battle to bring her back. He took her dupatta in his hands, Ah! That smell... it was so Aliya...he closed his eyes for a good minute and hurriedly got up when he heard Aliya tossing. She held onto his hand as he was correcting himself. Zain said "Wo main...jaa raha tha...please lock the door. Sam upar hai and tumhara room yahin tha...to maine socha...tumse hi keh doon". Aliya got out of bed, walked out after him while closing the guestroom door behind her.

Zain fidgeting with his keys... turned around, barely looking at her...head still down "ok phir miltein hain...khuda hafiz..." Aliya found herself alone with Zain...just the two of them... she walked towards him as he was leaving and hugged him...stunning Zain. She hadn't held onto her Zain in months... it felt so right...this was right...She could hear his heart was pounding as she held on tighter... Zain held back as his eyes welled up...should he hug her back? Well she was Rehan's wife... how he hated the sound of that...even saying that in one breath...but one couldn't ignore the cold facts. And yet, Aliya was reaching out to him today, not Rehan... and Zain would always be there for her. She could count on him; she should know this fact as well, he thought.

And so he did in one huge embrace. Zain hugged her back... an embrace so large, a moment so close...so personal, that all the agony, the pain was forgotten. As Aliya started to sob...Zain moved his hand up from her shoulders to the back of her head and held on tighter... holding her in a place where she could stay forever. He cried with her saying "Ro mat Aliya...hounsla rakho...main hamesha tumhare saath hun...I will always look out for you...hamesha" as she cried harder...He led her back into the room, sat her down on the couch and got her a glass of water. She was pink with all the crying and he teased " pehle apni shakal thik karo...kitna darawni shakal hain...hamesha bigdi hui...aisa lagta hain isse dekhkar hi Rehan ne tumhe London mein mujhe pareshan karne ke liye bhej diya"...Aliya could burst out crying one more time and Zain smiled at her and said..."mazaaq kar raha tha princess, ab itna to chalta hai nai?". Aliya asked him "phir tumne mujhse koi baat kyon nahin ki?" Zain replied " baat to kee..."...

"kahaan ...jabse main aayi hun...tum to aise behave kar rahe the jaise tum mujhe abhi mile ho aur main tumhari koi dost wost hun..."...

"Samajh nahin paya Aliya, main tumhare kareeb ab bhi hun ke nahin...aur chot nahin kha sakta tha..ab himmat nahin...iss baar jo gira...sambhal nahin paaonga"...

Aliya held Zain's face in both her hands and said..."kareeb ho Zain. Bahot bahot kareeb, sabse zyaada kareeb...Allah ke baad sirf tum ho Zain...sirf tum" as they closed their eyes together taking in each other... Zain was overwhelmed and held onto to Aliya for some more time before he stood up and said he had to leave for the night, she should call him now that he was in London for anything, come to check the office out after all she was MKB...and also he would take some time off to show the kids around. Whatever she wanted to do, Zain would make that his priority.

Aliya didn't want Zain to go...she held his hand and looked at him with eyes pleading him not to leave her and shook her head saying "no don't go...not yet" . Zain looked up the stairs to see if Sam was waking up...she held onto his arm again protesting...one night they were together after forever. Zain gently consoled her saying "Aliyaaa, kya ho gaya hain tumhe...ab tak itni himmat dikhayi hain tumne..to phir aaj... ab... kya ho gaya...aisa na ro..please! I'm feeling awful...main bardasth nahin kar sakta..." And he held her against his chest again and gently stroked her head saying "please ...chup ho jao...it'll be ok...we'll figure this out..."...Aliya looked at him and said..."Tum sirf mujhse pyar karte ho na...only me..." as Zain smiled at her endearingly ...if one could call that innocence or plain dumb and said "tumhe kya lagta hain ...?"