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What was it about love ...makes you delirious with joy and then mercilessly tosses you into a dark abyss of agony. The shameless charades they were playing with each other...Zain and Aliya~ as their hearts cried out in desperate pain...it hurts in your core...in your gut...those missed chances...horrible mistakes that don't go away and an entire lifetime ahead of you- to know you belong together and yet wonder if you'll always be this far apart...
Aliya was in the arrivals lounge in London with the children; she looked hassled and all over the place... And suddenly her eyes met a tall, good looking man...a certain somebody called Zain Abdullah...Her eyes lit up like a million lanterns in the sky...Zain with his characteristic chin up was staring at her from afar, his smile... it came through in his eyes ...though he tried hard to appear calm and businesslike. Strange ways... god has...and this time... very favorable...Zain had a good feeling about this. He was so far being a gentleman and only letting Samia use the "big office car" ... "all the luggage and the kids would make it in one vehicle". And what had god done for him instead? Given him the best birthday present ever...he was looking at Aliya...the queen of his heart...right in front of him ... If all gods gifts of being good were this sweet, Zain could be a gentleman to every strange looking woman that passed by on the streets of London...and Mumbai together ...
It was almost half way to the airport when he realized "the kids" Sam was talking about were Rehan and Rida's children...Zara and Kabir. "They are visiting London with their step-mum, Aliya as Rehan can't come...his boss is an ass who won't let him". They were here to meet their dying grandfather; who was also Sam's father. Zain confirmed it was the same Aliya, the one Sam was talking about ...and couldn't hold back his absolute...utter...delight...since. With a wicked smile he'd said to her "Yo...you calling me an ass...let me just drop you right here...figure out your rides darling!" Sam was confused and then understood "Zain was Rehan's boss...they worked together...the whole time" after a good two minutes. Laughed out loud "small world Zain..." she exclaimed..."Rehan's now married to Aliya ...the same one... your Aliya? Ah..." and she let out a sigh...
Sam had adored Rida as a child, the few times they'd met. When Rida had died they came to know a good half year later but were never able to make contact with the kids. Now that she had the opportunity she owed it to Rida to show them a good time, show them around London... As it turned out, Rida's father had married again to be able to continue to live in London, both women unaware of the others presence. By the time Sam's mother found out that she had been duped, Samir, her son was already 4 years old and Samia was a baby. She walked out shattered and broken, and her father never bothered to bring them back. Sam's mum had reached out to Rida's family on her own; Rida and Sam had come to be fond of each other on their trips to India...though she was much older than Sam, a good 10 years... In the last few years since Mr. Salim Khan, as Sam referred to her father...had fallen ill, he desperately tried to make amends, give them the large estates and wealth he'd earned and strangely now "act like a father".
As the children looked on, Zain walked over to Aliya with Samia by his side as she said .. "don't need this silly card reading out names anymore; you sure know how Aliya looks like". Aliya was overcome with happiness as she looked at Zain surprised ...and then her eyes moved along to "that girl"...she recognized Sam from the video conference... didn't like it. Wasn't Rehan going to send Rida's family over to pick them up? What was Zain doing here? With her? ..." Zain...tum...yahaan?" Zain tried to act restrained, in control and formal...even as his eyes gave him away. He introduced Aliya and Sam , who in turn introduced herself to the children as their "khaala" though it sounded "hideous" so could they please be a "jaan and call her aunty instead" .
Aliya was still perplexed... as they loaded the car with the entire luggage. Sam was her usual self, and chattered away as the children and Zain listened to her. She was giving him directions as they all settled down in the car to the nearest place for "something to eat ...the kids must be tired and hungry"...As she sat up fron in the passenger seat next to Zain... He cribbed that he hadn't signed up for all this...the plan was "to drop her and the kids off to her home and go along his business for the rest of the day..." ...He put on an act and argued that he had things to attend to and Sam couldn't change plans without giving him a heads up. "Fine..I'll go just for you" he said...his eyes ...at every moment noticing Aliya's expressions as she looked at him in the rear view. Though he had come to be very fond of Sam ...this proximity was much more so for Aliya to witness and come to the fore...
Aliya and Zain hadn't said a word to each other since their first hello at the airport, and as they got onto the highway ...Zain asked Aliya... if she'd like to make a call home to let her family know they've arrived... Aliya was hurt by the cold and distant Zain...
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