AdiYa: Phoenix

Chapter 4

Aditya for a few minutes couldn't believe his eyes. She was there. Of all places, he found her in the coffee shop. In Destiny. Zoya couldn't believe who she was standing in front of. After all her efforts, life had brought her back in front of the same person who she had been running from. Yes, it was Aditya that Zoya had escaped from. She had always stood proudly in front of him, convinced that she was right, and he was wrong. That her Yash was loyal and faithful. But finding out about her having been in another dimension than the truth altogether had shaken her to the core. The thought of facing Aditya in the morning had been unimaginable. How could she stand to face the man whose life had been destroyed by her husband? Whatever choices Pooja made, Zoya couldn't account for them. But Yash? He was her husband. Everything that he had, he owned, he did, she was an equal partner, at least from her point of view. So, in a way, she was an equal partner along with Yash to have destroyed Adi's life.

And how did it matter anyway now? He was right, she was wrong, and she let him know. She knew that he too, somewhere in his heart needed a proof, either of Pooja's innocence or of her guilt. That concluding factor was all that was missing for him to get closure. That missing link kept him hanging between the pages of his life. Unable to come back to the last chapter, or to move on to the next. So, when she found out, she left him the closure and a note accepting her defeat. He wanted her to believe the fact that he husband was unfaithful, and so she did. "Aap sahi the that was all that was left to say, so she did. Which is why, now, standing in front of him knocked all thought out of her, making her stand rooted to the spot. Aditya however, had no such trouble. On the contrary, after the initial shock wore off, he jumped up from the chair he was sitting on and crossed the room in 4 long strides. He gripped Zoya firmly by the shoulders and pulled her into his chest, resting his chin on top of her head, letting out all the tension and worry he had harboured over the past several days. Seeing her alive, in front of him made him so relieved, and he felt like he could breathe freely again. He pulled back, and gave Zoya a look from head to toe, making sure that she was fine, and unharmed. It was stupid, he knew, for she was standing right there, but he couldn't stop himself.

Once fully satisfied, the feeling of relief passed, making way for anger to come up to the surface. He gripped her tight again, feeling a little satisfied at her little gasp of pain. She should feel it. It was nothing compared to what he had felt over the days. He won't even wish that desperation, that uneasiness on his worst enemy (read: Yash, not that he could feel anything anymore, but still).

Aditya: Kahan chali gayi thi tum? Huh? Bina kuch kahe, bina kuch bataye, ek din raat ko ghar se nikalti ho aur gayab ho jaati ho. Aur peeche kya chod ke jaati ho? Ek note!?

Zoya: Adi-

Aditya: Shut up! Chup! Ek dum chup! Tumhaara phone band hai, koi ataa pata nahi. Na Zosh aa rahi ho, na kisi ko contact kar rahi ho? Mumbai ke baare mein bhi vaise kitna jaanti ho tum? Tumhe pata bhi hai kya ho sakta tha? Main jaanta hun tumhe Yash-Pooja ke baare mein sab pata chal gaya. Lekin ye to maine tumhe pehle hi kaha tha. Tumhaari hi akkal pe patthar pade huye the. Nahi, matlab mujhe nahi samajh aa raha. Bewafa vo tha, dhoka usne diya, galati usne ki, kisi ko tarapna chahiye to usko. TUM kyu apne aap ko faaltu mein saza de rahi ho? Bina bataaye akele Mumbai jaise sheher mein. Kuch ho jaata tumhe to?

Zoya: to hum bahut khush hote.

Aditya: ZOYA!!! Dobaara aisi baat apne muh se mat nikaalna. Bas bahut ho gya. Tum mere saath vapas chal rahi ho.

Zoya: hum kahin nahi jaa rahe hain. aur behtar hoga ke aap bhi vapas chale jaayein. Goodbye Aditya.

Aditya: Zoya, main pooch nahi raha hun, bata raha hun.

Zoya: hum bhi aapko bata rahe hain. hum vapas nahi jaayeinge. Koi vajah nahi hai humaare paas vapas jaane ki. Humaare ammi-abbu ko to humne pehle hi khud se juda kar diya tha. Yash ke parivaar vale humse nafrat karte hain, aur ZoSh Yash ka sapna thi. Vo Yash, jinse ab humaara koi naata nahi hai. Aur agar Yash se naata nahi hai, to ZoSh mein vapas kyu aayenge hum. Hum yahin theek hain. aapko vapas jaana chahiye.

Saying this, Zoya quickly walked out of Destiny. Aditya, not the one to give up so easily, followed her, first out of Destiny, and then to where she had set base, her place', which was a small lodge. He made sure to leave a gap between them both to stay out of sight of Zoya. This was why I was unable to track her down, Aditya thought. The place was so tiny and hidden between the lanes that it was highly unlikely that many people would know about its existence. How she had managed to find it was beyond his imagination.

Knocking on her door, he waited impatiently outside, shifting from one foot to another. As soon as Zoya opened the door, he pushed past her and walked in, making himself comfortable on the small bed. Zoya stared at him with stony eyes, waiting for an explanation.

Aditya: hum vahan pe baat kar rahe the. Jab baat karte hain to sirf bolte nahi, sunte bhi hain. tumne jo bolna tha vo tumne bol diya. Ab meri sunogi. Tum vapas aa rahi ho. Yahan pe nahi rahogi. And iss par koi behes nahi sununga main. Tumhaare ammi-abbu ke saath tumhara kya relationship hai kya nahi vo main nahi jaanta. Lekin jahan tak sawaal raha tumhaare sasural ka, to technically, nikalna un logon ko chahiye, tumhe nahi. Yash ki saari property, saare ghar, saare assets sab tumhaare hain. tumhaari Mother-in-law ya Mahi ke nahi. And ZoSh meri company hai, Yash ki nahi, aur tum ZoSh ke liye kaam karti ho. YaSh ka sapna nahi hai vo, Yash mar chuka hai. Uss company mein investment mera hai. Aur mera paisa mujhe vapas karne ka vaada Yash ne nahi, tumne kiya tha Zoya Arora-

Zoya: SIDDIQUI!

Aditya: Kya?

Zoya: Siddiqui. Zoya Siddiqui. Arora nahi. Zoya Siddiqui.

She had repeated this to herself many-a-times after the night of the truth revelation. But saying it out loud to someone was like a nail in the coffin. It was somehow making it more final. Stamping over herself the maiden name she carried once upon a time, and realising the loss of her marital name, she felt as if a part of herself had been stolen from her, never to be returned again. And it was as if a dam wall broke through, she unleashed the flood of tears that she carried within herself. She sunk to the ground, falling down to her knees, as sobs burst through her lips. Her head bowed even lower towards the ground at a fast speed, when strong firm arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders, pulling her back up and keeping her from banging her head against the hard floorboards. She looked up through her blurry and teared eyes, at Aditya who now sat on his knees right beside her, straight into his eyes which were filled with concern. She let out cries of pain, looking up into his eyes, before throwing her head against his chest, hands covering her face as her tears wet her hands. Aditya pulled her tighter against him, into his arms as if trying to keep the hurt from getting to her. He rested his cheek on top of her head, as sobs wrecked through her, letting out the hurt, the pain of betrayal from the one she had loved the most. She cried for what felt like years, before finally calming down a little, her sobs reducing to a few every minute, but the stream of tears still steadily flowing through her eyes. Aditya leaned backwards to rest his back against the side of the bed, pulling Zoya with himself to a more comfortable position. He pulled her back onto his chest, his right arm going around her mid-back pulling her against him and his left arm caressing her hair, while his head rested on top of hers. Sitting there on the floor of a small lodge, in Aditya Hooda's tight hold, protective posture and comforting silence, she let out the agony that her soul had been feeling, for what seems now like a very long time.