FF: Zara ki kashmakash- chapter 8 last part updated 12/6 - Page 2

Nice, really nice. This is something even i want to see in the show too.
Kabeer really needs to be jelous in emotional manner too not only professional insecurities.
He thinks zara will never leave thats why he keeps taunting her.

This is coming out to be a good one, thanks
You have really changed my mood ananhit.
:D (y)

Looking forward for upcoming

lol I've gone from loving kabir and Zara to wanting to see Zara leave him FOREVER. How can you be with a person like him? Honestly he has no respect. Thanks for this story...wish this happens

Chapter 4 The approval

They were both quiet on their way back home, each one deep in his own thoughts. Zara was replaying what had transpired at the meeting and how things took a turn and how she got herself into being a part of Naeems project, she knew it was the kind of challenge she was looking for and it was her dream too, to work towards empowering the women of her community but she also wanted to do this with her husbands support, because she knew if kabeer was against it then she would be fighting a losing battle, she somehow had to make him see her point of view and make him agree, easier said than done she thought. She tried to read his face from the corner of her eye, his jawline was rigid and he was staring straight ahead. A hundred thoughts were racing through his mind, it was his turn to rewind to the meeting, Naeem had some good ideas, about educating the youth, but women, no, he still felt that they did not need the higher education, they should take care of the home, and Zara, she had jumped at the opportunity, how could she be so impulsive, how could she sign up for something without his approval, this issue had gotten out of his hand and he knew how stubborn his wife could be if he decided to stop her from working on it. He was in a fix, he did not want her to go ahead with the project neither did he want to stop her from doing something that made her happy. But was that the real problem, somewhere down the line he realized that it was no longer about Zara's principles and aspirations but more about who would be helping her fulfill those aspirations, and that did not go down well with him, the fact that she would be working for eight hours every day with Naeem was something that made him slightly uncomfortable. It's not like he doubted Zara but it was Naeem and his admiration for zara that gnawed at him. "what are you thinking?" Once again, both asked the same question at the same time and that broke the ice. Zara smiled at Kabeer relieved that his mood seemed better. " kabeer, I know I should have asked you before taking up the assignment for women's education, but I was so excited about every word Naeemji was saying that in my enthusiasm, I did not realise I am a part of a family and I should have checked with them before making any commitment. Her genuine regret made Kabeer love her a little more, how could one be so sincere was beyond him. "that's ok Zara, I know you have been wanting to do something for the women of our community and this was an opportunity you did not want to pass, but please remember that your family comes first, at no point do I want you to forget your responsibilities towards your family." "Yes, Of course" she said surprised, what, no resistance, no angry outbursts, was this really Kabeer, too scared to say anything else and before he would reconsider his decision, she quickly went up to him and planted a huge kiss on his cheek, "what was that for?" He asked, "usually even if I beg for a glance from you, you make me wait, but today, a kiss, really?"he noted, "that's because for the first time you have really shown me that you care about my wishes!" she said!
Tomorrow would be a new beginning for Zara, she couldn't wait to get to work, she had so many ideas, she could see the future for the girls of her community was bright and clear! She started blurting them out one by one to Kabeer, " you know we could teach them so many things... we could... together we will...   " and she went on and on, Kabeer smiled at himself, happy to see her excitement and enthusiasm but at the same time wondering if he had taken the right decision.

Chapter 5 - Work

Zara was ready early the next morning. "Ammi, breakfast is served and I have already prepared lunch for all of you, I will be home by 5.30, please serve yourselves and eat it. Just then, kabeer came down freshly showered, "arre wah, breakfast is ready? And my favorite that too, aloo Parantha, looks delicious", they ate quickly and headed towards the sharia board. They were surprised to see that Naeem was already at his desk, discussing with some vendors, and his table was scattered with invoices and plans.
"I didn't realise you were already here"? observed Kabeer, "oh I like to start early, I'm usually in my office by 6 and leave by 4, I like to work when it's quiet, I have gone through the tenders for the additional building construction and zeroed in on Noor builders, their quote is the best and they can start immideately , they are willing to give us a discount as well" Zara started going through the papers and Kabeer excused himself, saying he had other board matters to look into. Time flew by, and it was already evening. All throughout, Zara did not notice the subtle glances that Naeem gave her, he was amazed at her dedication and knowledge and her decision making abilities, what a perfect combination of beauty and brains, thought to himself. They decided to add another wing to the existing school building where the women's classrooms would be located and occupational classes like tailoring, woodworking, painting, cooking and embroidery would be added. Quotes were considered and finalized for equipments and furniture, the builders had given a time frame of 3-6 months for the new wing to be ready.
It was time to leave, kabeer wandered into the room where Zara and Naeem were working, their heads together, deeply studying some papers, they were looking at some pictures of uniforms for the students, their proximity irritated Kabeer, "Zara, it's time to leave, remember you have to cook dinner", Kabeer interrupted them, "it's been awhile since I have eaten a home cooked dinner, I wish I had a home to go to and not the hotel room where I am still living" mused Naeem,
"why don't you join us for dinner?" zara offered. Kabeer was surprised, another decision without my consent or approval, Zara was getting bold. Yes, Naeemji, why don't you join us, Zara is the best cook in town, come on now".
Naeem was tempted and readily accepted, all through the ride Kabeer and Naeem discussed various issues concerning the board with zara chipping in her views when asked. When they reached home, Zara quickly entered the kitchen excusing herself and got busy with preparing dinner, she had the food ready in no time, with a little bit of help from Alina, some Biryani, raita, rotis with aloo and paneer and kheer, she laid the table quickly and went in to the sitting room and announced, "dinner is served". Naeem couldn't stop praising Zara's culinary skills,"kabeer miyan, you are one lucky man, is there anything your wife is not good at doing! The food is finger licking good! I am so stuffed!"
And so the days went by. Naeem, in the mean while had become quite an asset to the board, not only was he intelligent and knew his job well, but he had a very lovable personality, everyone respected his views and turned to him for guidance, his calm demeanor and sensible and rational views slowly started to change the outlook of the older members who were now willing to apply his modern views. Zara was very happy with this change in attitude of the members, something she had been trying to bring about in a long time but Kabeer on the other hand was not in favor of changing laws that the elders had made with a purpose in mind, he thought they were being too hasty in bringing about change. Another important happening which went unnoticed by Zara but was obvious to everyone else was Naeems interest in Zara, he was falling in love with Zara, so much that it had made his life turn topsy-turvy. Settling down was never his priority but after meeting Zara, he had started harboring feelings for her, he knew it was wrong, that she was married but Love is blind and in his case was dumb too, he was aware his love would stay unrequited as Zara had eyes only for her husband, who on the other hand was becoming quite intolerant towards Zara's passion for her work. Arguments at home had escalated between the two, with Kabeer always blaming everything on Zara, whether it was her fault or not. And then there came a time which Zara had never expected, it was Kabeers birthday and they had decided that they would go out to dinner in the evening and spend some quality time together, Zara told him she was in the process of finalising some text books and had to go meet with the publishers in Allahabad and would meet him back in the sharia board office, she also told him that Naeem would be there with her in the meeting as he had to approve the expenses, the meeting was in Allahabad which was about 4 hours away and they had planned to leave by 6 in the morning, the meeting was at 11, and they would be back by 6 in the evening, besides the two, another two board members, Mehrunisa and Javedji would also accompany them. Kabeer who was not too happy with the set up, agreed hesitantly. Zara could sense his hesitation and was trying to wriggle her way out of the meeting but she knew that it was pertinent that she attend as it was the final draft of the syllabus that they had to approve and since she had worked this hard on preparing it she thought if would not be right to not sit in on the last meeting, so she accepted. Not in her wildest dreams had Zara expected what was to come her way!

This story is shaping up so well! I am absolutely adoring the plot. The way you have penned the characters are true to their nature which only adds to the spice of it all!

Chapter6: the misunderstanding

Zara woke up early, by 4.30, she hugged Kabeer and whispered softly into his ears, "Happy Birthday darling", she nuzzled his ears and tried to get up, he pulled her back, she landed on his chest, he kissed her on her lips and mumbled, "you are not getting away that easy, my dear, Where is my present?", " I just gave it to you" Zara teased him, "are you kidding me, just one kiss? No way, Mrs Zara Kabeer Ahmed, I need a good dose of loving on my birthday." So saying, he crushed her in his embrace, Zara tried to wriggle out of his grasp, "we will be late Kabeer, I have to leave for Allahabad by 6, let's continue in the evening", "No way, You are not going anywhere", Zara knew when Kabeer was in his element and she couldn't resist him either, she started caressing his beard and nuzzled his neck, Kabeer was on fire, as expected they ended up being late to work and Naeem was surprised, knowing that they had to leave early, Zara showed up late, Zara's flushed and happy face narrated it's own story and her excuse of the alarm not going off on time sounded too lame. They eventually left at 7.00, an hour behind schedule.
After a very successful meeting with the publishers, they decided to have a quick lunch and then head home, Kabeer had called twice to check on her as he had just heard on the news that there had been an incident in Allahabad, there were some political rallies that could turn violent as both parties were agitated about some issues with the upcoming elections, as such the police was out in full force ensuring safety of the citizens. People were asked to stay home as the police suspected that there may be stray incidents of violence, as they approached the highway they could see a huge group of people chant slogans against the ruling party, from nowhere came another group of people and started a fight with the group chanting, people were pelting stones at each other and fighting with sticks, their driver panicked and fled the car, Naeem took over and asked them not to be afraid, he tried to find a way out of the traffic, but the situation was beyond control, there was no other option but to abandon their car and try to escape by foot, the crowd was beating each other up and had gone absolutely berserk, breaking windows with sticks and pulling out people from their cars and burning the vehicles, the roads were jammed as everyone was trying to find a way out. In her rush to escape, Zara dropped her phone, Naeem held her hand and they both ran out of the crowd into a bylane. In all the commotion they also lost track of Mehrunissa and Javed, just as she turned she saw that the police had whisked them away in a police car, atleast they will be safe she thought to herself. As they almost ran to safety in a building near by, Zara got hit by a stone and started to bleed from her forehead, Naeem tried to control the blood flow by tying his kerchief around her head, his proximity made her very uncomfortable, she pushed him away and said she would manage, she reached for her phone, but couldn't find it, afraid that Kabeer may be trying to reach her, she borrowed Naeems phone and called him, "where are you Zara? I've been going crazy trying to reach you, it's all over the news, the riots and the destruction" " I'm fine, Kabeer, we were leaving and had almost reached the highway when all hell broke loose, in the commotion I lost my phone too, we are stuck here Kabeer and looks like will have to stay back, we will gauge the situation tomorrow and then leave, don't worry about me, we will be safe." She consoled him. But Kabeer was upset, he knew Naeem was a decent guy but he was still jealous that Zara was with him and they would have to stay back. Naeem realized that Zara was uncomfortable about their predicament but tried to make light of it by saying, "finally I have you all to myself without your husband glaring over me all day, if only looks could burn, I would have turned to ash by now".
"No, you wouldn't!" Zara chided
"Like you haven't noticed, Zara, you are a very beautiful lady and what makes you even more attractive is your kind personality. Anyone could easily fall in love with you, what I don't get is why do you put up with someone like Kabeer?"
"He is my husband and I love him with all my heart Naeemji"
Naeem became serious and all the love that had built up inside him came rushing out, he couldn't hold back anymore and blurted out
" But a lady like you should be treated with much more love and respect than how Kabeer treats you, Zara I have been observing you all these months and have finally mustered up enough courage to tell you that I have fallen in love with you, I admire you and your ethics, I really want to know if you are happy in your relationship with Kabeer, if not then nothing would give me more pleasure than to have you as my wife."
Zara was stunned by this confession, she had not seen this coming although she had caught him once or twice staring at her. Their equation had changed suddenly, she was at a loss of words.
She looked away and took a deep breath in, quickly gaining her composure she said in a quiet voice,
"that's your perspective Naeemji, you have only seen one side of Kabeer, you do not know the Kabeer that I know, the one who loves me to the moon and back, it's just that he does not know how to show his love and his views on many topics are very different than mine and that is what he cannot come to terms with, it's just that he was brought up in a different school of thought and I do not agree to his views of how women should be treated in our society, it's just a matter of time before he realizes what I am trying to show him, love conquers all Naeemji, and this too shall pass, change can never be brought about in a day, it will definitely take some time to undo so many years of false values that have been nurtured in Kabeer, it is not easy to change ones perception of things overnight, it has to come from within and I am sure that day will come soon, the day Kabeer will realize that women too can make relevant and important decisions for the community, that they too have a say in how children have to be raised, that they are equal to men in all aspects of life, and, I, am willing to wait for that day because I believe in kabeer and in my love for him and I know that day is not far away.
As for what you have just confessed, I am sorry Naeemji, but that can never happen, Zara has loved only one man and that man is Kabeer, I can wait for the rest of my life for him but I can never love someone else. Please do not bring this topic up ever again and I hope you can put this behind you and move on and we can continue working like before for our noble cause", she ended sadly.
Naeem was shattered, in his heart he knew it wouldn't happen but even if there was 0.1% chance that Zara could be his, he had to try now or forever hold his peace, now he knew for sure with whom Zara's heart belonged and he vowed to himself that he would make sure that Kabeer realized his mistake and treated Zara with the love and respect she deserved!

chapter 7 : remorse

Kabeer was worried sick after watching the news, after the lovely start this morning, all he wanted to do was forget about all the differences and spend his day with Zara, he was really looking forward to the evening and had already checked his phone several times for Zara's messages. He was relieved that she was safe when she finally called him, but was not too happy about the situation. It bothered him that she would be with Naeem for the rest of the evening and maybe even till the next morning. He was also sad that they couldn't celebrate his special day together. Why did it have to be today of all days that she had to schedule the meeting, his frustration at not having Zara by his side pampering him on his birthday was nagging him, and kabeers concern for Zara was soon turning into anger. He called back on Naeems number, Naeem assured Kabeer, that things were looking better and the curfew may be lifted by 10, and however late it would be they would drive back the same night. Kabeers patience was running out with every passing second, if only Zara would listen to him and be like any other wife taking care of her family, it wouldn't have to come to this, if only she would have made him her priority it wouldn't have to come to this, what would everyone say when they found out that she was stranded with another man in another city, that maulvi Kabeer Ahmed's wife had to spend the night with a na-mehram. He had to put a stop to this.
Things started to settle down in Allahabad and the curfew was lifted by 7 instead of 10, "Naeemji, lets head home now, they had contacted Mehrunissa and Javed and got to know that they were safe at the police station and would be taking the bus to Lucknow, Naeem and Zara headed back in a taxi to Lucknow, Zara dosed off to sleep, she was hoping there would not be any more road blocks and she would reach home and get to spend atleast an hour with Kabeer on his birthday. It was exactly 11 when Naeem dropped her outside their door, she quickly bid him good bye and rushed in, she did not notice the pair of eyes watching her from their bedroom window. Kabeer quickly pulled back the curtain. In all the confusion, Zara still had the presence of mind to get a small cake and a gift for Kabeer. As she walked through the living room, she could see that no one was around, she went into the study, he wasn't there either, she was so sure he would wait up for her, she had called him an hour back to update him about where they had reached so she was surprised that he wasn't around, disappointed, she walked up to her room, she saw a sleeping figure on the bed, she went up to him, it looked like he was fast asleep, she lovingly wove her hands in his hair and fleetingly touched her lips to his not wanting to wake him up and whispered, "Happy birthday Kabeer, I'm so sorry it had to turn out this way. I missed you and I love you!" She put the cake and gift on the bedside table and went into the bathroom to change, she slipped into her side of the bed, kabeer was sleeping with his back to her, she circled her arms around him, hugging him from the back and kissed the back of his head and went to sleep.
When she woke up the next morning, his side of the bed was empty, a note was left on the cake, "thanks for remembering! It was the best birthday ever!"
She knew he was mad, but did not know how to pacify him, she heard the shower running, quickly undressing she got into the shower with him, kabeer jumped, surprised and slipped and was almost about to fall when Zara held on to him, breaking the fall. "what are you doing here?" He fumed, she circled his middle and kissed him on his chest and blushed "celebrating". All his anger was washed away by the sight of her, he crushed her in his embrace and whispered, "this will have to stop Zara, I cannot take this any more, I love you and I want you to stay as my wife, if you take up such responsibilities, it is bound to affect our relationship and I cannot deal with this anymore." She knew it was an earnest request but a request which arose from his thinking, a request which arose from his unwillingness to accept that men and women were equal and a request which was unfair. She pushed him away, "you know what hurts me is that you don't even want to compromise, you just want me to give in to your POV, you won't even try, change your outlook Kabeer, don't be so judgmental, just treat me like another board member and not as your wife and it won't be that difficult. I'm sure if a man would have suggested the same ideas as me, you would have considered them, but because it is coming from me, a woman, it is so hard for you to accept it. If you love me like the way you say you do then give me one chance Kabeer, and I'll prove to you that a woman can handle both the house and work, what if you were stuck in Allahabad instead of me, with another woman who was your colleague, would you have let me make a big hue and cry about it, be practical, where there is trust, there is everything, without trust there is nothing. Now come on we have to cut your cake" she pulled him out of the shower.

They cut the cake together and fed each other, Kabeer was happy to have her back but at the same time still not convinced with her arguments. He opened his gift, it was a little plaque which read "without his love I can do nothing, with his love there is nothing I cannot do" he looked up at her, and saw the trust and love that she had for him, shimmering in her eyes, something clicked inside him, he looked away, a little ashamed at himself, at his selfishness, at his hypocrisy, wondering why it was so difficult to see his wife do what he aspired to do, to see her reach the heights that he aspired to reach, was it really only a woman's job to stay at home and look after the kids, and what was it that made a
Man more intelligent than a woman, his entire day was spent in introspection. He was in a daze, Zara's face kept flashing in his mind, her animated talks, her innocent gestures when she spoke her heart out, brought a smile to his face, he turned into his office and did not notice the figure coming out and bumped straight into him, "Kya Kabeer Miyan, Kis ke khayalon me ho?" Naeem joked.
Kabeer smiled, for the first time his smile seemed genuine, he blushed and Naeem knew who he was thinking about. "Sorry Naeem, can me start over, I'm Kabeer Ahmed, deputy Kazi of Lucknow and I would like to welcome you to our sharia board, I know you are full of some great ideas and I can't wait to hear all about it!"
"Looks like you had a good night", Naeem said, "not night but the best morning ever" he replied, enlightened, suddenly he was seeing everything differently, he pulled out the folder on the new building and headed to Naeems office, I would like to discuss this project and make sure that no stone is left unturned to make this women's wing happen!
"Kabeer, we need to talk" said Naeem a bit ashamed at his one sided feelings for Zara, he had to come clean, his conscience would not let him have it any other way.



Hope you have enjoyed reading, although in the current track I don't see Kabeer ever getting enlightened, The CVs have successfully massacred his character! But I want him redeemed!

Last chapter coming soon!

Amazing :)

Eagerly waiting for the last one

Originally posted by: Puruuu

Amazing :)

Eagerly waiting for the last one

Working on it !

Chapter 8 - A new beginning

Kabeer and Naeem met in the evening for a cup of coffee, Naeem did not know where to begin,"Kabeer, I'm sure by now you are quite aware that you are a very lucky man, Zara is a very special person, please give her the respect she deserves, not everyone is blessed enough to get a soul mate like her, don't blow this gift that God has given you, I have to confess that I have fallen in love with your wife and if I had any doubt that she is unhappy with you, I would have whisked her away from right under your nose, but despite the way you treat her at times, she loves you with all her heart, she sees and wants no one else but you. please don't blow your good fortune away, take care of her, she is precious. Now that the school is ready and you have changed your outlook on many things, I have decided to head back to the US." Kabeer realised what had happened but answered, "Naeem, I know I've been a jerk, but I also know that I am one lucky man and now that the realization has come, mark my words, I will make Zara the happiest woman on this planet, this I promise myself and you. You are a good man Naeem, I'm sorry I misjudged you and your intentions, Allah Hafiz".
Everyone was amazed by the change in Kabeer, there was an aura surrounding him which was new, he was more approachable, more kind in his words, willing to listen. Everyone noticed this amazing transformation, the anger was gone, there was a calm in him which was felt by all and everyone knew who was responsible for it. Zara noticed this rebirth of her husband, gone were the accusations and insinuations. Could she finally hope that the only fights that she needed to worry about, were the ones she would have to wage for the betterment of the women of her community, had Kabeer really changed, or was this a ploy to get her to change? He was confusing her, she knew he would come around some day, but did not expect it to happen for some more time. Well, she loved what she saw, everyday he was turning a new leaf, he also did not complain today, when she said she may plan on continuing her studies to hone her skills. She was loving this side of Kabeer, he had even started giving her a helping hand in the kitchen, so she could get to bed early and they could spend more time with each other.
The women's section of the education center was shaping up really well, the buildings were almost ready and they were enrolling students, Kabeer was helping in the admissions and enrollment, all the places of worship were asked to advertise the opening of the women's wing and encourage the women to join the courses available, although many showed interest, the families were not willing to let the women out, by the time the school was ready, they had just 9 women enrolled, Zara was dejected, as she lay in Kabeers arms that night, he could sense her restlessness, she whispered softly, "Kabeer, I have tried my best but why are people so afraid of change? We are offering them so many incentives, but why are they passing this opportunity by? I know we can't change things overnight, but just 9 people? Really? What is stopping them? Why don't they see? This is for their own good. When will they realise that the only way they can come out of poverty and distress is if they educate their women? When Kabeer? when?"
He was sad to see her this way, sad to see her broken, the Kabeer that she married would have been happy at this outcome, but the Kabeer that she had changed him into, was really heartbroken at seeing her disappointment, he pulled her close and kissed her forehead, "Rome was not built in a day darling, change takes time, haven't you already learnt that lesson from me, it took you so many months to change the way I see things, how do you expect a huge section of the community to change so quickly, how can you give up so easily, you have 9 girls enrolled, that's a start." And then he told her what she had always wanted to hear but never thought that day would come, "you are one of the smartest and strongest woman I have ever met, I am so proud to say to the world that I am married to the 'Zara'. until now I just saw women as a shadow of their husband and not as someone who walks side by side along with each other. You have shown me the way Zara and I am not ashamed to shout out loud that I am the luckiest man in the world, tomorrow my love, is a new day and a new beginning!"

Thanks for reading and liking and your comments! Hail Zara!!