Quay 32, along the waterfront was sparkling with lights, which were reflected in the Pacific ocean bordering the bay. Zubiya had never come to this part of the city and was quite enthralled with the romantic setting. Though she had not really wanted to spend Asfand's last evening being distracted by anything else other than him, she had given in to his cajoling because he seemed so keen on it. His voice on the phone had seemed so disappointed when she had gently vetoed going out that she had given in. How nice it felt to be cajoled. Even a serious and sober girl like her could not resist when she was treated like a precious treasure by someone.
They had planned to meet at this restaurant called "Jazz by the Bay" and she went in wondering if she had arrived too early, because she couldn't find him. The maitre'd ushered her in and when she asked for him pointed out a table in the far right corner right next to the water of the bay. She turned to look and there he was, sitting by the table looking out a bit pensively into the distant ocean. As she walked towards him, for the millionth time she thought no man had the right to look this good all the time. He was wearing an indigo blue turtle neck soft sweater with a black jacket and a strand of his hair fell very boyishly on his forehead. He stood up as she approached the table and an easy smile curved his lips as he looked at the girl he had been thinking about non-stop the entire day since he left her apartment. The simple long shift in red lace covered her from the neck down to her ankles, but the severity of the style was broken by the lace covering her shoulders and back showing tantalizing glimpses of the skin underneath. Her hair curled down one shoulder tidily. She looked so pretty and untouched that he immediately wanted to do something that would tell the world that she belonged only to him. There was something in his stare that made her feel hot and bothered and a little shy.
Asfand patted the sofa next to him and smiled knowingly when she tried to find a place on the circular sofa where she could place some safe distance between her and him.
A: "You know we could book you another table if you still want to put some more distance between us........( Zubiya nervously smiled)... You could sit there and I could sit here maybe ten feet away, if that makes you feel ......safe?
Asfand slid across the space to sit closer to her and said, "By the way, tumhe darr kis se lagta hai? Mujh se? ya khud se? "
Zubiya looked at him seriously and said,"dono se. par shayad ziyadah, apne se"
He laughed at her honest reply. And leaning on his arm on the table looked at her for a long time, running his eyes over her shoulders, the hint of skin under the red lace, which demanded to be peeled back, her bosom, covered under the shift severely and laughed when she scolded him in annoyance at the path his eyes were taking and snapped her fingers to bring his gaze back to her face.
A: " I just wanted to take a mental image, because its going to be ages when I see you again. "
Tomorrow hung heavy between them, a few hours and he would be gone. The thought she had been trying to deny, rose up like bile up her throat, threatening to overwhelm her. She wondered how she would cope after he had left. It was not as if they had spent a long time together, but even these few hours they had spent in the knowledge and acceptance of the fact that they loved each other, had changed them and the way they saw the future. The Zubiya she was and the Asfandyar he had been, in the beginning of the week, when they had faced each other across a gaggle of doctors in a lift, had both changed irretrievably over the course of the time they had spent with each other in the past five days.
Zubiya immediately slid over the sofa till she was sitting close to him and smiled through slightly tearful eyes, determined to make this evening special for him and for herself. Asfand reached forward to take her hand and held it in his own hands
A: " Zubiya, you do realise I am going to shamelessly use my departure tomorrow, to get what I want this entire evening. And night." He challenged her wryly.
Z: " If anything can change the fact that you will leave tomorrow, you don't need to emotionally blackmail me, I would do it."
A: "Promises, promises! Remember them!" they both laughed.
For Zubiya, this was truly a magical evening, capping years of denial, of heart broken love. Never could she have imagined that her life would come a full circle and give her another chance at happiness with the man she desired so much that there was no space for anyone to come into her life anymore. Life had snatched away most of the relationships she had; she had cried and ranted against the unfairness of it all many times over the past years, but she didn't know that when all these doors in her life were closed, there would open one door to him, which would bring so much love in her life that everything else would seem but a shadow in the light of that love.
She wanted to catch each of these moments that she was with him and so she grew extra quiet, not wanting to miss a nano-second. Her head slightly tilted, hand on her cheek, she listened to him talk about his dreams and ambitions about the hospital and saw his eyes sparkle; she listened to him talk about his parents and saw his eyes grow soft. The way she felt about him, the intensity with which she loved him almost frightened her and she wondered if he would ever feel the same way. She thought that it was difficult to put her feelings into words, because it might just frighten him away.
Asfand on the other hand couldn't remember when he had felt so alive. The many months he had wrestled with a deep rooted hurt and anger, blaming her seemed to have vanished just like the dew drops evaporate in the first light of the sun. He just felt glad, happy to be before her, as if she was the source from which his life derived all meaning. He still felt insecure at times, especially when he found anyone glance at her for a tad moment more than needed; and he felt insecure when she was grave and quiet, then he wondered if she was happy; but when he looked into her eyes, he knew, that she cared for him deeply, even though she never really said much about her feelings.
Stepping out after the dinner, they walked to the grassy slopes next to Golden Gate bridge the iconic red bridge of the San Francisco Bay, which stretched for almost a mile across hanging between hills on either shore. The bridge was now outlined in the light bulbs strung along its edges and framed in the moonlight. Asfand remembered that he had read that tonight was the night of the supermoon and they admired the extraordinarily huge copper-gold moon hanging in the velvety night. There were other people who had come to watch the super moon as well. They rested against the grassy slope, covered in their warm coats watched the moon travel up in the night, bathed in the rosy but cold moonlight. The waves were crashing against the rocks down below. The distant rhythmic roar of the waves as they crashed again and again was like a drum beat to which the moon marched up the sky. It was a night of unbearable beauty and a night made for eternal promises.
Asfand took out the small Cartier box he had been meaning to take out since the evening and reached out for Zubi's left hand. She had temporarily forgotten about his departure the next day, while watching the beauty of the moon with him. Her eyes widened as he snapped the grey velvet box open and took out the infinity ring, made of three delicate burnished bands of white gold, rose gold and pale yellow gold, intertwined delicately and magically to form an infinity loop. A series of brilliant small diamonds followed the curve of the rose gold band. It was a ring of singular beauty. His eyes questioned her and she looked into his eyes for a long second and then nodded yes. He slipped the ring over her ring finger, where it fit snugly as if it had been waiting for this new home for a lifetime.
A: "Thank you for accepting me into your life Zubi. Just like this ring which is in the symbol of infinity, I am going to love you for infinity. Just like you cannot make out how these bands are intertwined, I want to spend my life with you intertwined in such a manner that nothing can separate us. Just like the infinity symbol has no beginning and no end, we will be together in such a way that our lives has meaning only together. "
Zubiya felt incredibly moved and could only stare with him with so much love, he caught his breath. She snuggled into his side. And then remembered that she had got him a gift too. She brought out a flat package and passed it to him and watched his surprise as she said this is for you. He was a little hesitant and she enjoyed his startled expression as he unwrapped and found the Pixelbook 2017. A series of emotions chased across his face and at the end he just laughed and accepted the gift with a kiss on her forehead.
A: "I love this. But you didn't have to get me something."
Z: "I loved deciding what you would like and treasure. And truthfully, there isn't anyone whom I can gift something to, except you. I know you are an Apple fanboy but maybe its time to change." ( she teased him)
A: " Hmm.. I should have expected only you NOT to toe the Apple line in the middle of Apple land... but Ok if there is a time of change in my life, this is it, because you want me to."
As the night deepened, Zubiya was already feeling heavy hearted over his impending departure, she became serious and quiet. Asfand who was learning to attune all his senses to her responses, understood why she was no longer wanting to smile or talk as much. He himself felt heavy- hearted and hated to think of being separated just when he had started loving her and feeling loved by her. He tried to make her laugh by telling her about her friend Dr Haroon who was now Gaiti's husband, but the normally controlled Zubi could not stop her tears from welling over. She turned her face away and got up wanting to break the bittersweet moment before she broke down.
They were both quiet in the cab. His flight was early in the morning and he had to get back to pack. They reached her home and she turned to him with tears in her eyes
Z: "How am I going to cope from tomorrow? I didn't know it is going to hurt so much. I cant go on normally."
A: " This will pass too. We will call each other up everyday. And before you know it will be February and you will be home" He tried to reason with her. She nodded, and resolved to send him off on a good note.
Z: " Yes, you already know what time you can call me. If you miss calling two days, you might have me landing up at your doorstep."
A: " Is that so, just so I can plan when I want you there. But seriously, I am looking forward to a really great Pediatric Surgeon on my staff and so don't get distracted by your fiancé all the time." He pretended to bully her and then seriously looked into her eyes. " Who am I kidding? Please think about me all the time. Don't think about anything else, anyone else. If I know I am in your thoughts, it might just let me get through these incredibly hard months "
Finally the time to part had arrived and with a brave smile but eyes swimming in tears, she watched the cab take him away from her life. She went home and wept till dawn when his flight would have taken off.
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That, my friends, brings an end to Asfand's visit but the Asfi- Zubi story continues. Long distance love and engagements are really hard and it will not be easy for these two as well. Join me as we follow our lovers try to work out a relationship across oceans and continents. I will update very soon. Please give your feedback generously. It is just your love which makes me want to share my writing. Thanks so much