Zaroorat

Chapter 9

'So you're doing this by choice?!'

He began trembling like he had a fever and hid his face in his hands.

His anger turned to despair as he fell on his knees. She lunged towards him and fell on her knees too, tears glistening in her eyes.

'Please Zoya why are doing this to me? To us? I won't be able to live without you! If you had fallen in love with someone else at least I would have had peace of mind that my Zoya would find happiness again, but an arranged marriage?'

She tried to reach for him but before she could, he composed himself and looked up at her,

'I told you I would fight for you. This is me fighting. You can't marry someone you don't love Zoya. Yeh bohat bada jurm hai jo tum kar rahi ho. Apne saath aur mere saath bhi. Mai aisa nahin hone dunga.'

Zoya couldn't take it anymore and grabbed his arms to stop him shaking.

He looked up at her, a broken man.

'Help me understand Zoya, why are you doing this? How do I let you go and be with someone I know you don't love and who will never love you as much as I do. Please help me understand.'

Another tear escaped his eye and Zoya bent forward to wipe it. Her heart ached to watch him cry and after all the pain she had put him through already, she couldn't subject him to anymore.

'Aditya, please shaant ho jaiye. Aisa kuch nahin hai jaisa aap soch rahe hain. Please shaat hoke humari baat suniye.'

He looked at her, hoping she would say something to prove him wrong.

'Please first get up off the ground.'

He leant on her as she led him to the sofa and seated him, sitting opposite him but holding one of his hands in hers.

'Aditya you are mistaken. Please let me explain.'

He gripped her hand tight and nodded,

'Yes, Abbu does want Arshad and I to get married but I don't want that. I told him very clearly that I'm not ready to marry anyone but he refused to listen.'

Aditya frowned at her statement. 'So her father is trying to force her. That man is unbelievable. What kind of father does this?' He thought but he didn't interrupt Zoya.

'So today, soon after you left, Arshad called me and asked to meet. I told him I was very busy so he came to meet me at the office and I was honest with him. I told him we could never work out and after a little convincing, he finally agreed and left.'

She raised her right hand to Adi's cheek and stroked it.

'I'm not going anywhere Aditya. I'm not marrying Arshad.'

He sighed in relief. It was like his heart had started beating again. He gripped her hand that was on his cheek and and nodded, showing her that he believed her and how relieved he was to hear her words.

She moved her hand from his cheek and brought it back down.

'I stand by what I said. This isn't about Abbu, Arshad or you. I'm doing this for myself. For the first time in my life I feel like an independent woman with my own thoughts, opinions and passions and none of those are connected to any man at the moment. I am not ready to be married at all which means I am certainly not ready to have an arranged marriage. What made you think I said yes to him?'