Their eyes met in the rear view mirror making him clutch the steering wheel tightly, it was a crisp morning when they reached their destination, the Dargah. The mere presence of each other was suffocating for both, but when daadi tripped on something while entering the holy shrine along with swarms of devotees both rushed to her side and accidentally brushed each other's hands. Memory of their last conversation flashed in front of both of them,
Flashback
"humein aur kuch nahin sunna hai aapko yahan se jaana hi hoga Aditya , ab main daadi ko aur dhoke mein nahin rakh sakti."
He just stood their silently without uttering a word just staring at the vastness of the evening sky as dusk flooded through the terrace. Of course he had nothing to say, every time she would ask him to walk out of her world what choice had he than to oblige after all this was a small prize for abandoning someone who saved your life, lifeless and cold in blood in a foreign land.
"What if she asks about me?"
His voice was an octave lower, she closed her eyes surprised at him being convinced so easily, was it so easy for him to leave? Tears started flooding as the realization struck her that somewhere him being okay with all this was hurting her.
"Then I will tell her the truth Aditya Hooda, that you are not her Bilal in fact you are the cause for her grandson not being with by her side."
Anger was her refuge and hurting him her only weapon and also her defence mechanism.
"As it is Bilal's extended family will be here soon, I don't think they will take this positively it's better to end all this."
She continued and when her gaze landed on his sharp features accentuated by the yellow evening light, there was no rage in his eyes only hurt and distant pain.
He clenched his jaws looking at her red swollen eyes, every time his eyes landed on her delicate features a storm raged inside him knowing that he was the cause of all her misery and how he wanted to use all his strength to wipe the pain away from her life. But at that moment he realised that his silence and absence from her life was perhaps the best way forward for redemption.
Flashback ends
All three of them prayed in front of the holy shrine, each bearing out their souls to that one master, the grandmother wanted nothing else but happiness for her children while Zoya asked for unknown to each other asked for the same thing that was sukoon from all the storms that had been wreaking havoc in their lives ever since that fatal night three years back when Bilal's body drowned in his own blood and a numb Aditya ended up saving only the photograph that fell from his breast pocket. In the other part of the world the same young woman in the photograph felt a sudden uneasiness as the morning chill of Mussoorie hit her delicate frame and a part of her felt her husband's presence near the fir tree where they grew up playing hide and seek long before they were life partners.
"Zoya dekh toh aaj kurta mein kitna achha dikh raha hai yeh, waise tu jaldi aaja na thik hai ab ke baar jyada din duur matt jaana apne daadi se."
Daadi leaned her head on Aditya's chest as they sat on the stairs making daadi rest for sometime, Aditya had obediently informed daadi that he had to leave for London for sometime and daadi too had wished to go back to Mussoorie for sometime with Bilal's uncle. When Zoya wanted to go with her she had asked Zoya to wait for Bilal,
"You two concentrate on your married life no need to be concerned about this old woman all the time,"
She said making both of them break into a smile.
"Bilal dekh kitni pyaari lagti hai humari shehzadi muskurate hue yeh toh muskurana hi bhul gayi hai aaj kal."
'aap fikar matt kijiye daadi iski muskurahat ab se laut aayegi.'
Aditya side hugged daadi while his eyes were fixed on Zoya who looked away.
It was then daadi instructed them to wait for her for some time as she wanted to meet some people of her age who had come to visit the place. Aditya was about to hold her arms when she said,
"hatt nalayak ek toh meri hoor ki hassi chhin ke legaya upar se mujhe itni buddhi bana diya ke khudh na chal sakoon. Mana le apne biwi ko tab tak main aarahi hoon."
They watched the old lady walk away with the help of her stick, her zeal for life was unmatched.
'Aditya I'm so sorry, listen daadi did not mean it that way you know na she doesn't know anything.'
Zoya ranted continuously for the idea of hurting Aditya time and again was unknowingly taking a toll on her. She abruptly stopped when she saw him burst out into a fit of laughter that he had repressed till now.
'Sach hi toh kehti hai daadi tum hasna bhul gayi ho aur main nikamma ban gaya hoon.'
She lightly slapped his arm while both broke into a smile as the wind blew hard they both looked towards the sea where the birds flew along the waves.
"I'm sorry Zoya, you have no idea how sorry I am for whatever has happened to us."
It was abrupt on his part and when she looked at him he was still staring at the vast sea and those birds heading towards their home.
'You have suffered enough Aditya, at this point you apologizing only makes me guilty, whatever happened is all in the past, nothing can be done about it but the way you came to help us I don't have words to thank you Aditya and I mean it'.
They sat in silence for sometime unless he spoke again,
"Those nights after Bilal was shot I could hardly get any sleep and I know it must have been worse for you. But you know what there was something that kept me going...that somehow made me believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel."
He stood close to her making both of them remember the starry night before she left town only to come back a different person. Deep inside Zoya knew that Aditya deserved to hear the truth but she kept quiet for letting the storm pass by was perhaps for the best. Aditya suddenly slipped something between her palms, she was startled to see her photograph staring back at her.
"This...this kept me going. I don't think I ever had the right to keep it with me it belonged to him so I am returning it to you. Goodbye Zoya."
To be continued...
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Miles apart: Adiya story
Fanfiction"What you seek is seeking you." Rumi He was the reason she lost everything. How was it possible for them to meet.
