Chapter 26 - GAME TIME
Just sometimes, love does that to you, it plays hide and seeks with your emotions, between the mind and the heart, sometimes it takes you on a rollercoaster of high's and low's of feelings, and sometimes, as strongly as it exists, it silently does indulge in a little game in between the hearts that are bonded by the string of its existense,and like every game, some moves or rather all of them are like weapons, that lead to injury, but in the end, its all about who lives to fight and play another day.
.......
Saturday - 7 PM - Barkat
Asad watched Khushi feed their mother soup,as she said - " ammi, you are going to finish this, no matter what, i hear from Rukssar that you havent been eating properly at all..."
Ruksaar smiled as she said - " well she does, on and off..."
Khushi retorted - " and thats the worst ammi, hope you know that, anyway now that im here, ill take care of that..."
Dilshaad smiled at her daughter - " oh, im fine, absolutely fine, ok and after i finish eating, you and me have a lot to talk..."
Khushi smiled - "ofcourse ammi,im here with you..."
Asad had been watching within hands folded from the door to his mother's room,and he couldn't help but smile at the two woman that were a part of his world, ofcourseif Zoya was here, it would be like his whole world in one frame, but since she wasn't, he would have to wait for that moment for some more time, but right now he wanted to talk to Khushi, so he said - " Khushi, why dont you freshen up, you'v been by ammi's side ever since you arrived, cmon you need to rest too, its been a long day for you..."
Dilshaad nodded - "oh yes, please Khushi..."
Khushi smiled - "yes, bhaijaan, i could use a nice long shower...ammi, ill be back soon...", and she kissed her mother on the head and walked out.
Asad closed the door to their mothers room,as he said to Khushi - " ok , so you need to freshen up quickly, and i know you are tired, but Zoya insists that you meet her at the Cafe around the corner in 40 minutes, she messaged me its really important.."
Khushi looked at him confused - " really? what is it?? aren't you coming??"
Asad - " as much as i want to, but i can't because firstly she clearly mentioned that she wanted to see just you, some best friend code talks i guess, and secondly, i won't leave ammi,alone, one of us have to be here..."
Khushi - " yeah, you are right, fine ill just freshen up quick..."
Asad brushed his sisters hair with love and he kissed her on the head as he said - " khushi, im so happy you are home, and maybe tomorrow you can tell me about why you broke up with Arhaan, you should have told me, you know i didn't know, and i told ammi,about it..."
Khushi looked at him shocked - " what???? oh bhaijaan, now i know what she meant with, you and i , have a lot to talk about Khushi, anyway ill explain tomorrow, i promise..."
Asad nodded - " ok, now go, be quick...and please tell me if Zoya talks ill of me...", he winked with a naughty smirk.
Khushi grinned - " oh, so now you want me to be your secret agent or what??"
Asad nodded and he grinned back - " you could say that..."
Khushi hugged her brother as she said - " i love what she's done to you, Zoya, you are the different person ammi, always believed you could be, and look at the cherry on the cake, you learnt to joke too..."
Asad nodded as he hugged his sister - " oh yes, that i have to agree with, its all in the name of love after all..."
Khushi nodded - " yes, all in the name of love...", and then she quickly made her way to her room.
...............
Ruksaar handed over the magazine to Dilshaad Khala that shed wanted to read, but she knew this was the right time, to talk both Asad and Khushi weren't around,and so she said - " oh khala, leave the magazine, theres something you need to know..."
Dilshaad shut the magazine as she asked confused - " what is it?"
Ruksaar smiled - " ok, so when you were in the hospital last night, Asad bhaijaan brought someone to see you, as in a girl, she came late at night, saw you from afar, and then left, bhaijaan thought i was sleeping, but i got a glimpse of her from the side, and i think iv seen her in Khushi's pictures..."
Dilshaad smiled - " whattttt??? are you sure?? Asad??"
Ruksaar grinned - " yes khala, im sure, id bet you for it,im so sure hes met someone..."
Dilshaad grinned - " sure, i am, if this girl came to see me, then i bet its serious..."
Ruksaar nodded - " exactly...so what are you going to do..."
Dilshaad smiled as she picked up the book - " as much as i want to spy, but il wait for my kids to talk to me, in th meanwhile i can just bask in the happiness that my children have met their someone special, its a thing we aren't all blessed with in our lives Ruksaar..."
Ruksaar smiled - " i know what you mean, anyway why dont you rest while i prepare dinner...ok?"
Dilshaad smiled - " ok..."
She watched her leave, and she resumed her attention to the magazine, and she grinned to herself, it looked like her kids had finally come face to face with the game of Love.
...................
Khushi got out of her shower, and put on her tracksuit, and she quickly dried her hair, and just left it like that, there was no time to dress further, and she picked up her phone, and quickly made her way down the stairs, and right then she saw Zoya's message that read - " im waiting for you outside...a little away from your gate.."
Khushi looked for her brother, but she couldn't find him, maybe he had gone to freshen himself up,and so she walked out,and then she got out the gate and she spotted Zoya and she got in next to her as she said - " Zoya, just so you know, im exhausted, but only for you..."
Zoya grinned - " well, you do look tired, but you know id be a dead meat if i didn't get you out..."
Khushi looked at her confused, as she drove - " what do you mean? dead meat??"
Zoya rolled her eyes - " god seriously how can you be so clueless sometimes, bhai ofcourse, he isn't a very patient man anyway, and when it comes to you, looks like he isn't even a tad bit patient he used to be...."
Khushi - " oh, i was with ammi,and bhaijaan all the time, i couldn't call or message..."
Zoya nodded - " exactly, and he was so restless, imagine the wrath the Raizada clan had to go through, so i thought it would be the best if i got the two of you to meet..."
Khushi - " watt??are you crazy?? im so not meeting him right now..."
Zoya - "why?? whats the problem??"
Khushi - " well, we do have a lot to talk about, but i have no idea what to say..."
Zoya held her hand as she said - " look for what you guys have been through, i understand, but you guys have to start somewhere..."
Khushi nodded - " yeah, i know, but look at me, im such a mess, and im in my tracksuit Zoya..."
Zoya winked - "oh and just so you know, you look good...all fresh and relaxed..."
Khushi - " yeah right when im feeling anything but that..."
Zoya winked - " i always believed looks can be deceptive..."
Khushi - " very funny...btw where are you taking me..."
Zoya - "well we are almost there, bhai wants to take you for a small drive..."
Khushi - " ok, and what are you going to do...??you could have been with bhai but since you are supposed to be with me..."
Zoya - "exactly, so i will just use this time for myself,am getting into this cafe, and am going to eat what i want, and then i have some thinking to do..."
Khushi - " thinking?? what?? all ok?? bhaijaan??"
Zoya nodded - " yeah all ok, dont worry, i'll fill you in on the way back...ask bhai to drop you back here itself ok?", finished Zoya as she pulled into the Cafe's parking lot.
Khushi nodded - " are you sure??"
Zoya - " cmon , khushi for once, stop worrying and go, just go....look hes waiting..."
Khushi spotted his car on the other end, and she walked out and made her way to his car, god there was so much to talk about, so much to say, and she really didn't know where could she begin.
........
Arnav tapped his fingers on the wheel impatiently, as he waited, he was really glad Zoya had come up with a plan to get Khushi to meet her, because she hadn't called or messaged all day, he had reminded himself that she would have been with her mother and brother all day, afterall, she did come for her, but none of that was helping him.He had never felt so restless in all his life, Khushi was here, in India, but still out of his reach, and it frustrated the hell out of him.
Right then he a knock on the window of the frontdoor window,and he spotted Khushi, he gave her a small smile and unlocked his door, and she got in instantly, and sat next to him for a minute all he could do was look, she was dressed simply, in a tracksuit, her hair were messy and slightly wet, it seemed like she had just steeped out of a shower,and she looked so simple and mesmerizing at the same time?? Was it possible to fall in love all over again?? But he did, in that one simple moment as she gave him a small smile, and she said nervously - " im sorry,i couldn't call or message, i was with bhaijaan and ammi,all day..."
She was nervous, that was a good sign because so was he, and he immediately said, as he started to drive - " you dont have to explain Khushi, i understand, and i hope you understand, that i wasn't very patient, because all i want is to talk to you, i hope you aren't mad at me for this..."
Khushi took a deep breath as she said - " no, im not mad..."
Arnav gave her a small smile - " good, so are you hungry??"
Khushi - " yes, very much..."
Arnav smiled - " so theres this nice, roll place nearby, we could eat in the car and that would give us some time to talk..."
Khushi nodded - " yes, alright...."
Arnav watched her turn on the radio, and she looked out the window,and he drove, and he tried to understand her silence, she probably had a lot on her mind, just like him,but he knew it was time they got past this silence.
.............
Twenty Minutes Later
Khushi took a bite or her roll, and she watched Arnav eat his, and she continued to steal a glance at him out of a corner of her eye, there was so much she wanted to say, but she had no idea how to start, and thats why she had been silent all this while,and she figured that was what was on his mind too, since he had been silent too, but they had to start somewhere so she finally said - "Arnav..." at the same time as he said "Khushi..."
And with that, moment they both looked at each other, and he finally burst into giggles,and she couldn't help but smile as she said - " go ahead, you talk first..."
Arnav gave her a small smile as he said - " im just so happy that you are here, in front of me right now, theres so much i want to say, so much we need to talk, but, iv been thinking..."
Khushi - " where to start??"
Arnav nodded - " exactly...."
Khushi - " i know, me too...."
Arnav - " so when Zoya told me last night, that you were in the flight ,i swear, i couldn't sleep all night, in my excitement to see you..."
Their eyes locked,and her insides flipped as usual,and she instructed herself too calm down as she said - " it just happened so suddenly, i was on the phone with bhaijaan,when i heard him get all worried for ammi,the next thing i knew was that he was taking her to the hospital, and then, i knew i had to leave and come, you know for months now, ammi, has asked me to come home, but i didn't, and if anything would have happened,how would i ever forgive myself....but thank god she's fine..."
Arnav acted on impulse as he held her hand, and she didn't pull away as he said - " and i know, im the reason, you didn't want to come back and im sorry Khushi for what all has happened, in between us, i really am, very sorry..."
Khushi pressed his hand gently as she said - " i know, you are...and on that note when i think about it, looks like we both have done things to hurt each other in the past, well to be fair, i did lie to you...in the first place, it did begin with my mistake..."
Arnav took a deep breathe as he finally said - " well to be honest, iv been thinking, in the sense iv been thinking a lot about you and me, us, and now when i look back im glad you did do what you did, in the first place..."
Khushi - " what do you mean??"
Arnav - " i mean, that im glad you lied about being Khushi Gupta, in the first place, we did get to know each other in the process, and as annoyed as i was at that time, i wouldn't exchange what happened for anything, because i did fall in love with you, and when i realised that, nothing else mattered..."
Khushi had no idea what to say to that, but she had to say something and so she said , looking out the window- " you know, arnav , so much has happened, i mean, so much time had passed, when you left, there were times i used to question that why did this ever happen to me in the first place, why did we have to be torn apart in the first place and then with time i thought i had moved on, but who was i kidding, i hadn't got you out of my system, and all you had to do was turn up in front of me once, and everything i had built for my defence came crashing down...im tired, because i cant run away from what i feel anymore,and i dont want to run away from you too,its not helping me even though i thought it would but i also need some time to think about this...."
Arnav heard everything she said, and it made sense, time, it was what they both needed and so he said - " i know, Khushi, and take your time, ok? i dont want to push you at all, all i want for us to start afresh, and if we both make an effort, i do think we will be able to get past, the past..."
Khushi smiled, she was happy he understood what she wanted - " maybe you are right, Arnav, i mean we can try..."
Arnav smiled as he clutched her hand - " exactly, the least we can do is try, lets see where it takes us..."
Khushi nodded - " yeah, im ok with that...."
Arnav nodded - " good, and you are here right until your mother gets better right?? i mean you aren't going to leave soon??, he asked feeling uneasy at that thought of her leaving.
Khushi smiled, so Zoya hadn't told him yet that she wasn't going anywhere as of now, and so she said - " well, i did quit my job, so I'm here for good, as of now...."
Arnav felt his insides jump up in happiness - " you what???"
Khushi smiled - " yeah, so i have to reapply for a fresh work visa anyway, and then ammi,wasnt well, she wants me around so i just thought, it would good to be here for a while..."
Arnav felt like an idiot, he couldn't stop grinning - " yes, thats great Khushi...."
And right then Khushi's phone beeped, and she checked it to be a message from Arhaan on her messenger which read - " Khushi, im back, i came to see you, why is your door locked? where are you??"
Arnav asked as he saw concern arise on her face - " who is it??"
Khushi - " its Arhaan , hes back from germany, but he did say, he wouldn't be back until later, and i just left...hes at my door, look i need to make a call, do you mind??"
Arnav groaned, Arhaan dammit, trust him to prop up at the wrong time always, what did he want now? but he couldn't just say that, so he nodded, as he said - " yeah, no issues...",and he returned to finish eating his roll,as he watched Khushi call him.
Khushi heard him pick up in an instant as she said - " arhaan, I'm so sorry, I'm in India, ammi, wasn't well, so i just came suddenly..."
"what??you are in India??" - came his worried reply.
Khushi - " yeah, Arhaan,and ill be here for a while, have some issue with the work visa too, i quit my job...."
She heard his worried reply - " what?? you quit your job?? are you saying you left for good????"
Khushi sighed, and she watched Arnav look out the window out of the corner of her eye, she knew he was getting very uncomfortable, but she continued as she said - " yes arhaan, for now....", she watched Arnav settle the bill,and he had turned his attention to her, and his gaze on her was making her really conscious.
"are you saying that im never going to see you again , Khushi??", asked Arhaan , and his voice disturbed Khushi.
Khushi took a deep breathe as she said - " i thought, you didn't want to see me Arhaan..."
"Thats for me to deceide Khushi, dont just assume things, please...", he stated.
Khushi - " look, I'm sorry, but i had to come, for ammi,.."
She heard him sigh as he asked - " hows she now??"
Khushi - " much better...look can i call you later??"
"yeah, ok, do that....", and he hung up.
Khushi closed her eyes as she put her phone aside as she said - " god,arnav, iv hurt him so much...and i hate myself..."
Arnav knew she was feeling guilty and he said - " its ok, give him time..."
Khushi nodded and she stated - " and i have to explain to both ammi,and bhaijaan tomorrow, about why i broke up with him..."
Arnav asked shocked - " whatttttt????"
Khushi - " exactly, i have no clue why did bhaijaan tell ammi, in the first place, and he's worried too, he likes Arhaan..."
Arnav flinched at that, as his insides burned - " and he obviously hates me..."
Khushi looked at him, and she had no idea what could she say to make it better, so she said - " ill handle it, i mean ill figure out what to say..."
Arnav nodded, she looked exhausted and tired, of course from both the journey and the turn of events, and right then his phone rang, it was Zoya and he put it on the speaker as he heard his sisters voice - " oh if you guys are done, come already, i have finished eating and im done with listening to my favorite playlist too..."
Khushi - " yeah, we are coming, will be ther in ten minutes...."
Arnav - " yes Zoya...", and he hung up.
She watched him start to drive,and she said - " I'm sorry, but I'm tired...."
Arnav gave her a small smile - " i understand khushi....", and he watched her look out the window again.
For now, he was happy that they had come to some common ground atlas, it was good news for sure.He just had to take it slow and easy.
He pulled into the cafe's parking lot ten minutes later, and he saw Zoya waiting in her car, and he watched as Khushi was about to leave, and he held her hand just in time, as he asked - " when will i see you next, Khushi??"
Khushi gave him a smile as she said - " soon...ill figure something out..."
Arnav kissed her hand ,and he felt her shiver and that felt good and he whispered - " goodnight Khushi..."
Khushi smiled as she said - " goodnight Arnav..."
...........
Zoya pulled in a little aside of Khushi's maingate and she said - " there you are, now cmon go in, i wouldn't want Asad to get angry at me for keeping you out longer..."
Khushi - "yeah right as if bhaijaan could ever get mad at you, impossible,anyway whats up??"
Zoya - " khushi what do you mean??"
Khushi - " i know you well ok, you been worried about something tell me what is it??"
Zoya sighed as she said - " ok, yes there is something..."
Khushi - " what about??"
Zoya - " so theres this guy rahul, as in his family and him are coming to see me tomorrow at Noon, as in for as a prospective bride, and i have no idea how am i going to tell Asad that..."
Khushi asked shocked - "whatttttttttttt????????? no wayyyyyy, bhaijaan will kill this guy if he ever lays his eyes on you...does he know nothing at all??"
Zoya shrugged - " no he has a hint i mean, i did tell him about when initially the topic came up, and then we decided that Asad would dig up something on this guy and we would get that info leaked to bhai..."
Khushi - " woww, bhaijaan is wicked..."
Zoya - "very funny isn't the time to joke, Khushi, anyway but we couldn't follow that up, because i convinced bhai and got out of it, until di turned up to him yesterday and convinced him to talk to me, and then all the emotional blackmail etc etc, you know the issue is this guy Rahul is Shyam jiju's family friend...so its tricky for bhai...you know he really respects jiju...and it happened so suddenly last night, i wanted to tell Asad but then ammi,wasnt well and i just couldn't i didn't want to worry him further"
Khushi nodded - " i understand, anyway, but he has to know ok? why dont you come in with me now and talk to him???cmon dont you want to see him??"
Zoya - "ofcourse i want to but i cant Khushi, are u crazy??"
Khushi winked - " well we do have a backdoor at Barkat too,cmon ill help you sneak in with me, and ill help you out...and you need to tell him this anyway"
Zoya - "but bhai, he will be home and hell wonder where i was..."
Khushi - "dont worry,just say, we went back to the cafe for tea or something, he left before us anyway, he wouldn't know...cmon now...im so excited you'll be coming home after so so long..."
Zoya really wanted to tell Khushi the truth that she had already been there, and that her bhaijaan and her had also gotten married secretly, but she knew she couldn't yet, so she just kept quiet and followed Khushi.
.....
Asad got out his washroom,and he lied down in bed, he was tired, and he felt his eyes get heavy from sleep, he hadn't slept well in the hospital as well.Khushi hadn't returned yet, and he knew Zoya was with her, as much as he wanted to speak to Zoya, he knew he had to give the two best friends some privacy,and thats why he hadn't called or messaged. It was right then his phone beeped and he opened - It was Khushi, why was she messaging him, he opened it nonetheless - Bhaijaan open your damm door, i dont want to knock and wake up ammi, or ruksaar.
Asad quickly walked to the door and opened it in a jiffy, and there was pin drop silence outside, and right then he saw Khushi come in front of him as she whispered - " thank me later, ok..."
Asad whispered back - " for what?? and why are we whispering...??"
And before he knew it, he saw Khushi push Zoya into him,as she shut the door of his room from outside, and he blinked a couple of times, to register, it really was Zoya in front of him ,and he saw Zoya go back to the door as she said - " khushi, are you insane..."
Asad smiled, he couldn't believe his baby sister had helped Zoya sneak into their home, into his room at this time of the night, he checked the watch on his wall, it was 1030 PM.He walked towards Zoya in a few strides, and shoved her back into the wall,and put his hand on her mouth as he said - " are you insane?? my sister comes up with the perfect plan,and you want to ruin it..."
Zoya looked into his eyes, and as usual she felt everything else come to s standstill, how did this guy manage to give her goosbumps like this all the freaking time.She felt him hold her by the waist,as he pulled her closer,and his hand was off her mouth,as he brushed her hair aside, and buried his face in the crook of her neck,and kissed her softly there as he whispered in her ears - " god, iv missed you...its crazy you know sometimes i think i miss you even when you are with me, is that possible??"
Zoya hugged him, as she shivered,as she felt him place soft kisses on her shoulder blade,and she said - " asad, i wanted to talk to you..."
Asad kissed her on the both her eyes as he said - " go ahead, talk im listening..."
Zoya - " how am i going to talk if you look at me like that and do th things that you are doing?"
Asad asked innocently as he shrugged the sleeve of her dress aside,down her shoulders,and started to place kissees everywhere - " what am i doing??"
Zoya felt herself being cast under his spell,and as much as she didn't want him to stop, she had to talk to him, and so she finally cupped his face as she said - " look at me, im serious, we need to talk..."
Asad finally let go as he said taking her by the hand and he made her sit on his bed next to him as he said - " ok , im sorry, i was distracted, tell me what is it??"
Zoya mentally fought for words, she didn't know how was she going to tell him that in the next 14 hours she would be sitting across of Rahul,and right then she saw him run his temple and she asked - " Asad are you ok??"
Asad gave her a small smile as he said - " yes, im fine, i was about to sleep, i mean im tired thats all..."
Zoya looked at him - " you didn't sleep well in the hospital ofcourse, last night..."
Asad held her hand- "yeah...anyway...you tell me, what is it you wanted to say??"
Zoya changed her decision, she would tell him later maybe in the morning,because if she did tel him now he wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully, and he needed that right now more than anything and so she said - " Asad, shut up, we will talk later, you need to sleep ok, cmon lie down...and get some sleep"
Asad felt her push him into his bed,and before he knew it, she had covered him with the blanket,and turned on the ac, and then switched off the lights and only the bedside lamp was on, and he held her by the hand,as he pulled her next to him,as she lay on his bed, and he turned halfway towards her,as he cupped her face slowly and rubbed her cheek tenderly - "all i want is you to be here with me forever...Zoya..."
Zoya smiled,and she rubbed his cheek tenderly - " i know, id like that you know, but, right now you need to sleep...",and she was up in an instant, and she had pushed him back to lie down,and she sat next to him as she said - " and i need to go now, bhai will wonder where I am..."
And right then she felt her phone vibrate in her clutch and she said - " great, im sure its bhai calling.."
Asad groaned - " he really is my enemy , your brother, his timing is always so freaking wrong..."
Zoya smiled - " very funny, atlas i got to see you even if it was for a few minutes...i really needed to see you tonight, thanks to Khushi..."
Asad smiled - " yes, i will thank her..."
Zoya bent forward, and kissed him softly on his lips, and she was about to break away soon, when he caught her by the hair, and pulled her closer, as he turned the kiss into a deep passionate one, and she finally let go a few heated minutes later as she whispered - " goodnight, now can i go??"
Asad nodded, and he was about to get up and she said - " relax, ill just message Khushi..."
Asad watched her as she quickly took out her phone and she said - " oh i was right bhai called twice, and khushi also messaged a minute before she is outside, im leaving ok now, see you later..."
Asad walked her to the door as she said - " you wont ever listen to me?? i asked you to sleep..."
Asad - "and i will, i promise...", he opened the door, and he saw Khushi in front and she held Zoya's hand, as she said - "cmon, lets go...bhaijaan dont worry, she's have her sneak out safely..."
Asad grinned - " i know....", and he watched Zoya smile at him as she finally waved at him and left with Khushi.
he closed the door, and went back to his bed, and lied down, usually he wouldn't sleep until he knew Zoya was safe in her home, but today he was tired and very exhausted, and so in the next few seconds, as he thought of Zoya, a deep slumber took over.
............
Khushi watched Zoya get into her car and she asked - " did you tell him??"
Zoya - " oh he was exhausted and tired, he hadn't slept well, i couldn't,ill tell him in the morning..."
Khushi smiled - " yeah ok, do that, dont worry, ill handle him here, hell will surely break loose, but ill handle him..."
Zoya nodded - " i know, you will, anyway, ill leave now..."
Khushi smiled - " message me once you are home ok?"
Zoya - " i will..."
..............
30 Minutes Later
Khushi got out he washroom,as she changed into her night suit,and she lied down in bed, and it was only then did she let his thoughts flood back into her mind.Maybe, there really was hope here, for the two of them, maybe they really could start afresh,she knew he loved her , it was in his eyes, on his face, and he knew she loved him, because she was sure it was in her eyes too.Could they really forgive and forget and move past it all??
She took out her phone and he wondered if he was asleep, and she finally messaged him on whtsapp -
"hey Arnav, its me Khushi...are you awake?"
She got a instant reply -
"ofcourse i have your number Khushi, Zoya gave it to me in the evening itself,and im awake..."
She quickly wrote - " im sorry i kept Zoya a little late, she would be reaching any minute..."
She got a quick message -
"yeah, she's back,just met her...whats up??"
Khushi typed - " nothing much, just about to sleep,im tired...whats up with you?"
.....
Arnav smiled as he typed - " nothing much, thinking about you..."
He got a quick reply - " about me??"
He typed - " I do have you on my mind all the time Khushi, even though you think i dont..."
He got a quick reply - " Arnav, do you really think we can get past it all and start afresh?? is it possible??"
He wrote - " I believe we can, don't you think so??"
"I want to beleive, but as of now, i dont know...Arnav..."
He took a deep breathe as he wrote - " Relax khushi,like i said all we need is time, im counting on it..."
"ok, anyways i guess ill sleep now...btw why didn't you say anything about this guy coming to see Zoya" came her reply.
he quickly wrote - " well, i just assumed you knew Khushi, i know she isn't very interested, and i wont force her into anything...but all we want is for her to atlas meet this guy.."
he got a quick reply - " I know, you wont force her into anything, you are a good brother Arnav..."
He smiled as he wrote - " you think so??"
"I dont just think so, i know that you are Arnav, goodnight...."
he quickly wrote - " goodnight Khushi, ill be a little busy tomorrow, but ill message you as im free..."
"ok yes i understand, do that..."came her reply.
He smiled as he kept his phone aside, he knew he had been right, all they needed was time, and he was sure very soon things would be more than normal.He closed his eyes ,and he let sleep take over.
.........
Sunday
11.45 AM - Shantivan
Zoya finally applied her lipstick,and she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she was happy, she had convinced her sister that was not going to wear what she had wanted, a red saree, and the threat that if she made her wear it, she wouldn't come out of her room,had worked.She had picked out this simple yet elegant black suit, that she had picked out for herself not a while ago,and she left her hair open,although when she had first bought this she had thought that she was going to made a loose braided side bun,to go with the look, but that was all for Asad.Today, as she met some other guy, she didn't want to dress to impress,and so she had kept it simple.She looked at her phone a zillionth time, she couldn't beleive, that Asad and her had been missing each others call since morning, and even Khushi had missed her calls, maybe she was sleeping in late after all the travel,she could believe the craziness that had come ver the Raizada Clan, since morning , the kitchen had been put to overuse, under the able guidance of her nani, mami and di, and everyone was so freaking excited as if it was her wedding day already.She just had fifteen minutes until they arrived, they were on their way already, her di had sent the message from HP.She closed the door to her room, and quickly called Asad again, hoping he would pick up, she could not possibly not tell him, and she cursed herself for not telling him last night.
She heard a few rings go by, and it was right then he picked up as he said - " Zoya, im so sorry, we been missing each others call since morning, actually i had called a doctor to check on ammi, she's absolutely fine now, was just seeing the doctor out,im free now, you tell me whats up??"
Zoya took a deep breathe as she said - " Asad, I'm happy that ammi,is fine now, ok remember that i told you that we had to talk last night??"
Asad - " yeah, i remember, what is it??"
Zoya took a deep breathe as she said, letting it all out - " ok, so in now the next ten minutes, ill be seeing Rahul and his family, i mean they will be home..."
"Whatttttttttttttt????? Whattt did you just say??" - came his shocked question.
Zoya explained quickly - " ok im so sorry i didn't tell you earlier, friday evening somehow di convinced bhai to talk to me, and all the emotional blackmail began, i couldn't say anything, i wanted to tell you then itself, but i couldn't because ammi,wasnt well, and you were so worried already, and last night also i wanted to tell you, but i knew you wouldn't get any sleep if i told you and you were looking so exhausted, look im sorry ok??"
...........
Asad stood stunned, as he heard what she had to say, and he was standing in front of his mirror in the room,so he could easily watch the play of expressions on his face due to the reflection in the mirror and he said in disbelief - " sorry?? you are sorry?? Zoya, what did i say to you?? i will not have any man lay his eyes on you with even a fraction of a thought that you could be his...and you are telling me now, when in the next few minutes you will be doing the exact same thing..."
Zoya replied in a hurry - " look, im sorry i really am, the situations were such, you know that, or else i would have..."
Asad felt his anger rise, but he kept a check on his voice as he said - " fine, do something now, don't get out of your room, sneak out the back door, come see me, ill leave now..."
he heard Zoya's urgent voice - " what?? are you even listening to yourself Asad?? I cant do this to my family, the humiliation bhai and jiju would have to face...look relax trust me, ill deal with this matter... ill talk to this guy ok? and ill ask him to say no, outright, ill figure something out, just trust me??"
Asad felt his anger rise as he spat - " or maybe, you are really loving this way of torturing me Zoya...maybe you are doing all of this on purpose..."
.....
"whatttt???? I cant believe you just said that Asad...you know i would never...look you need to understand me right now", said Zoya in a desperate attempt to make him see her point.
"and im unable to understand, any of this Zoya, i will not have you meet this guy, thats final...", he stated in anger.
Zoya was getting really worked up as she said - " Asad, theres nothing i can do right now, ok? just trust me , ill handle it..."
"and what if that guy actually ends up liking you, and says yes, and your family emotionally blackmails you again, what are you going to do?? send me an invitation card to your freaking wedding???????then let me remind you, you already are married..", he spat in anger and frustration.
Zoya - " yes, Asad, i know that i am...but you are being really unreasonable right now....how many times do you want me to say that i will handle it..."
"look, i know your family, this can lead to that, thats why i want to stop it in the first place, look listen to me, just sneak out, don't meet this guy, please Zoya..."
Zoya heard a knock on her door, and she quickly opened it as she put her phone behind her back , it was di, and she said - " oh Zoya, come, they are already here, they came ten minutes early, looks like Rahul couldn't wait to see you, and Zoya i have a feeling you might just find yourself being smitten, he is freaking handsome, i didn't remember him being that goodlooking, but anyway, come, lets go...."
Zoya nodded - " yes di, ill just come, give me two minutes, i want to use the washroom, you go, ill come soon..."
Anjali nodded - " ok fine, make it fast..."
Zoya immediately shut the door, and she took the phone as she said, knowing Asad would be fuming even more, as he had listened to every word her sister had said , and she spoke - " look Asad, right now, i need to go, i will call you later...once this is over..."
"yeah damm over, fine, go have it your way, do whatever the hell you freaking want Zoya...", he yelled,and hung up.
Zoya took a deep breathe, as she composed herself, she had no idea what rage had come over Asad, but she knew he would cool down, and right now she had to go down, and face this mess, once and for all.
..................
Asad threw his phone aside in anger, and frustration,he couldn't believe Zoya hadn't told him about this until now, he could have found out something , anything, and now he could do nothing, but sit in his house, while his wife was meeting another man.
He closed his eyes, various thoughts filled in his mind, how would this guy react when he laid his eyes on his Zoya, for his Zoya was gorgeous,one of a kind, what would he feel? what if he actually did end up being smitten by her, of course he would be, he already is interested in Zoya for sure,thats why his family even arrived earlier.
God why was this so difficult?? Why couldn't he just proclaim to the world that Zoya was his, his legally wedded wife, and that she belonged by his side.
Because of the past, ofcourse, her family,and his promise to her - his mind answered.
Dammit, he felt like breaking every damm thing in his room, because he knew her family,even if Zoya got herself out of this right now,he could very well forsee, that her family wouldn't stop now, they would make her meet prospective grooms,until she finally was married.
Well, married, she already was, to him.They didn't just know that.
Damm it, there had to be a freaking way out of this for sure.
......
30 Minutes later
And that is when it clicked him, the only way to get out of this situation permanently was to let his family know the truth, that Zoya was his wife.Yes, that was the only way out. He did know he had thought of this on an impulse, but he was done sitting back and taking it easy in this case, for Zoya he had kept silent until now, but he knew, she was probably in a mess as well,there was only one to get them both out of this misery and that was to finally bring the truth to light.
He knew Zoya would be angry at his impulsiveness, but it was the only way out,because if he had learnt anything with time and experience was that Life was anything but a spectator sport,because if waiting and watching was all that he was going to do, then he would watch his life go by without him.And in this case, he would be dammed if he let any other man even dream even for a second about his wife.
He quickly drank a glass of water, sure of his decision,he took out his legal wedding papers from his safe and he made his way out of his room , down the stairs and he picked up his car keys and quickly got in behind the wheel and made his way To Shantivan.
...........
Khushi got out of her room,and she couldn't believe she had slept in so late.She really did feel good though, the happiness something as simple as a good sleep could bring.And she made her way down to her ammi's room and on the way she saw that her bhaijaan wasn't in his room,maybe he was with ammi,she thought.
She walked towards her ammi's room and entered it, and saw Ruksaar and ammi, watching TV and she hugged her mother briefly as she asked - " why didn't any of you wake me up??"
Dilshaad smiled,as she saw her daughter prop herself on the bed next to her and she said - " well, of course we wanted you to rest well,anyway Ruksaar bring khushi her breakfast here only..."
Ruksaar smiled - " yes khala...."
Khushi asked - " wheres bhaijaan??"
Dilshaad - " well the last i saw him was when he led the doctor out, and then i saw him go to his room..."
Khushi asked alarmed - " the doctor??? are you ok??"
Dilshaad - " yes, i am , thats what Asad had called the doctor to check, I'm absolutely fine now Khushi..."
Khushi hugged her mother, and she wondered where her brother was, she was sure, he would know of that guy Rahul by now, god she had been so stupid, she should have set an alarm to get up early, and now she had no idea where he was, and she had to find him, hed be fuming in anger for sure.
She quickly excused herself,and walked out to the main gate, and checked the porch, his car was missing, and she wondered maybe he had gone out for a drive to calm himself down.She called him, but he didn't pick up, which was very weird and she felt herself say out loud - " bhaijaan where are you??"
......
An Hour Later
Zoya took a deep breathe as she finally watched everyone leave, and she saw Rahul turn to her as he said - " ill pick you up at 8 then??"
Zoya gave him a small smile as she nodded - " yes, sure..."
So his family was really nice, both uncle and aunty and even his sister, and the first thirty minutes had flown as her fam-dom was busy with their hospitality, and then just when Rahul had mentioned that he had wanted to talk to Zoya alone, they had been taken by her sister to her brother's poolside, and they had spoken generally for a few minutes, and she could clearly see that he was interested, really interested, just as she was about to tell him to say no, and explain him that she liked someone else, but couldn't tell her family yet, they were interupted by her sister yet again.
Rahul had sensed that she had wanted to talk something important, so he suggested that he would take her out to dinner, where they could be alone for a while.She had agreed, only because she knew they needed privacy to talk what she wanted to say.
Anjali and Arnav greeted everyone as they left and she said - " its a pity they had to leave so eary, nice people no Chotte? and Rahul what do you think of him, hes nice na??"
Shyam smiled as he put his hand on his wife shoulder - " oh cmon, you do know they are here for a wedding affair, the last function ends this evening, im just happy they could squeeze in time on such short notice,and see the good thing Rahul is taking Zoya out tonight..."
Anjali winked at her sister - " and since you agreed Zoya, I'm sure you did like him didn't you?? im sure he likes you..."
Payal grinned - " you bet, he couldn't take his eyes off her..."
Akash smiled - " yes, but its better if they get to know each other , you know..."
Arnav finally spoke as his family walked back into the house - " yes, its better, and the final decision lies with Zoya ofcourse...", and he touched her sisters shoulder for some reason she seemed disturbed, very disturbed and he asked - " you ok?? Zoya??"
Zoya gave him a fake smile as she said - " yeah, I'm ok bhai...", when all she wanted was to bury herself in the ground.
Mami grinned - " oh cmon , she's nervous and excited, it happens...."
Arnav smiled at his mami and nani, as he saw them all get together on the round sofa, all set to disect and analyse,every minute spent with the Khurana's.Gosh they were insane, and crazy, but he did love his family to bits.He joined everyone,as he watched his jiju ask Zoya of what she thought of Rahul.
...........
Asad watched the car leave the gates of Shantivan,and he finally steered his wheel to their main gate, it had been ages, a long long time, since he would be entering these gates.
He had wanted to barge in straight on as he had reached ten minutes earlier, but he had stopped,because he decided it would be better if this guy and his family left first.He didn't want to have a face off with Raizada's in front of anyone else, because he knew for sure, the situation was going to get ugly.
He finally got his car to the gates, and the guard came to ask - " who is it??"
Asad said curtly - " im here to see Arnav Singh raizada..."
Guard - " ok, ill just call in, may i know your name??"
Asad took a deep breath as he said - " Asad Ahemed Khan.."
.........
Fate grinned - " oh man, seriosuly, i didn't actually think he'd go there for real, oh the scene, mind you, I'm over the edge of my seat..."
Destiny smiled - " you see, love does that to you, makes you do crazy things, and he's loves Zoya insanely, but you do see, its the only permanent solution, we all know he would go through fire for her, and this isn't that bad..."
Fate smirked - " oh cmon, its as good as fire...hes going to create one helluva scene..."
Love smiled - "One helluva scene for sure...."
Hate smirked as he said - " one helluva scene indeed..."
fate watched Hate smile and he asked suspicious - " what are you going to do?? you have something planned up your sleeve...dont you??"
Hate grinned as he said - " nothing much, one helluva scene is about to unfold, why dont we all just wait and watch..."
Love looked at him suspicious, but she nodded - " cmon , lets all see where this goes..."
................