Precap
Zoya! Zoya! Please don't cry, please don't panic. 'Main hoon na, kuch nahin hone dunga.'
Part 2
He quickly pleated the sari as best he could and tucked it into the petticoat. It was a makeshift solution and there was no way she would be able to make it to the car without embarrassing herself so Adi did the only thing he could think of. In a swift motion he put one arm around her shoulders and one under her knees and lifted her off the ground.
'Adi!! She exclaimed. What are you doing? Put me down! What will people say?'
He looked at her a little annoyed,
'Zoya what do you think people will say if your sari becomes undone again as you walk to the car. Trust me, I know what I'm doing.'
She had no choice but to do as he said. He quickly walked out of the cinema hall and to reduce the embarrassment of the situation he started shouting,
'Please get out of the way everyone, she has injured her ankle, I need to take her to the doctor. Please out of the way!'
Despite being as distressed as she was, Zoya was grateful for the solution Aditya had devised. By making it look like she was injured, he avoided the obvious glares and looks they would have received if he had just walked out carrying her in his arms.
He quickly reached the car, put her in the passenger seat, jumped in the driver's seat and began driving. Neither of them spoke throughout the whole journey and when they arrived at her house, he ran around to her side of the car to lift her out. Just as he was reaching for her, she lifted her hand to stop him.
'Aditya, it's fine I'll go by myself now. I don't need you'.
The comment was meant to hurt him and it did its job. Zoya was angry and embarrassed and she didn't know what else to do.
'Zoya please listen to me, this sari will not hold till you get upstairs. Please just let me take you up and then you can do or say whatever you want'.
He followed up hesitantly, 'I'll leave immediately after if you want me to'
As mad as Zoya was, she knew he was being practical and so allowed him to lift her and take her home.
It was quite late and so no one in the building was awake which meant they managed to escape all the accusatory looks and questions.
Zoya unlocked the door and Aditya took her upstairs to her room and placed her on her bed. With his job done, he didn't know what else to do so he just stood there, staring at her, allowing her to make the next move.
'Aditya, I need you to leave.' She was looking directly into his eyes and scrunching her sari together trying to keep her emotions in check.
'Zoya please please let me explain. Please don't tell me to leave please before i explain'
They were both almost in tears but unable to fully express what they were feeling. Before Aditya could say anything further, Zoya continued,
'Aditya I...we...we shouldn't have done that Aditya. Why Aditya?'
She looked up at him pleadingly. To most people, her words wouldn't make sense but Aditya knew what she was asking him from her anguished voice.
She wanted to understand why he had kissed her so suddenly and she wanted to know why she had allowed it, why she had encouraged him. She needed answers from him and herself but she didn't have any.
And then Aditya had a fright. What if she thought he was taking advantage of her. What if she thought it was all just physical. What if...
The thought horrified him and he immediately dropped to his knees near Zoya and began to sob.
'Zoya please, you have to understand. Zoya I wasn't trying to take advantage of you please, you have to believe me.'
He went to touch her hand, but before he could she pulled it away.
'Aditya, I thought we were friends. I thought I was always safe with you. You would protect me. And now...' she buried her face in her hands as she started crying.
'No Zoya please please, it isn't like that,' Aditya pleaded. 'You are safe with me and I will always protect you please please listen to me, look at me.' Tumhe meri kasam.
He reached up and pulled her hands away from her face.
'Please listen to me Zoya. Just give me one chance to explain and then I'll leave. I'll walk out of your house and never come back'. His voice hitched as he continued.
'I'll never come back into your life if you want but please give me one chance to explain myself'.
She slowly calmed herself, prepared to listen to her best friend. She needed answers and she needed to understand. She wasn't sure where their relationship would go after this, but she needed to hear him out. He slowly got up off his knees and sat next to her on the bed.
'Zoya, when I first met you, I wanted to hate you. I wanted to cause you pain. The same pain I was feeling after Pooja's betrayal. I was dying on the inside and so I couldn't see you continue to live. But you changed that. You changed me even without realising. Every moment I spent with you, I realised how wrong I was. You were already in pain, you were also dying because of Yash's betrayal and if I caused you more pain I would be even worse than those two.
You taught me to let go. To be happy, to live again, to love again.
When I didn't see you around me I would get agitated. At first I lied to myself and convinced myself that you were only a source of entertainment in my boring and depressing life. But in time I realised you were my life'.
Zoya's eyes widened with each word Aditya said. Her breathing became more rapid and she began to shiver but Aditya was not done.
As he sat next to her, he reached for her hand and she didn't pull it away. He clasped it tight and intertwined their fingers before he carried on.
'Over the months we spent together, we became friends. You call me your best friend. I thought you were mine too but I was wrong. You're not my best friend'.
At this Zoya tried to pull her hand from Aditya's grasp but he only held on tighter.
'When I was in Paris, I thought about you all the time, everyday. You appeared in my dreams, I hallucinated about you when I was awake. I would constantly wonder what you were doing and whether you would be ok. When I saw you accept that award, I was so proud to watch you succeed. I could tell you didn't need me. You were independent. You were incredible Zoya. You are incredible'.
Her eyes glistened and she squeezed his hand. He responded by pulling her closer and raising their joint hands to his lips before bringing them back down again.
Zoya had felt so many emotions in the last few minutes, she didn't know what to do. So she just allowed Aditya to speak.
'After I saw you accept that award, I knew you didn't need me but I needed you. I missed you so much. That's why I came running back to India, Zoya. Not because of that report about my parents being missing but because of you. I missed you and I needed to see you so I came running back'.
'Aditya...' Zoya managed to speak his name while letting out a sob. He took this as a cue to move closer so now there were only a few inches between them.
'But even when I returned I was stubborn and so confused. My heart was telling me something but my head refused to listen. I kept thinking you were my best friend but that isn't true. After you got stuck in the car that night, when I heard you were missing, I stopped breathing. I went out to look for you like a madman because I had to find you and when I did and you fell unconscious, I thought I would die. I thought I would die Zoya'.
He lowered his face toward their joint hands and began to cry into them. Zoya moved closer and used her free left hand to cup his cheek to calm him down.
'Aditya, I'm fine Aditya. Look at me I'm fine.' She used her hand to lift his head. 'I'm fine look, Aditya you saved my life. Look'.
He looked straight at her and responded. 'No, I didn't save your life, I saved my life'.
Zoya was speechless once again so Aditya continued. He turned the back of her hand towards him and kissed it and then used his right hand to cup her cheek.
'Zoya after that I knew. You aren't my best friend Zoya, you've never been my best friend. I always used that as an excuse. The truth is Miss Zoya Siddiqui, I love you. You are my life. You are my everything. I love you'.
Zoya froze at this. When he began speaking, she had no idea that this is where it would go or this is what he would say. Her best friend loved her. But she had given up on love. After Yash she never thought she could love again so Aditya's confession made her stomach turn making her feel sick.
Aditya caressed her cheek and said, 'today when I kissed you, that wasn't lust Zoya. I wasn't trying to take advantage of you. You know that right. Please tell me you know I would never do that. I am so in love with you. When we were there together, and you were so close to me, I couldn't think of anything else but you. When you pulled my arms around you even tighter, I couldn't stop myself Zoya. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I would never do that. Please tell me you believe me.'
Aditya's hand was still caressing zoya's cheek and she leant into it and closed her eyes, looking for the comfort only Aditya could provide. Suddenly, as if she had been electrocuted, she moved out of his grasp and leant back, away from him.
'Aditya I...I thought you were my best friend. Why didn't you say anything? Why are you only telling me this now? You've been lying to me Aditya, how do I trust you now'
'No Zoya please, I didn't mean to lie. I only realised a few days ago. In the beginning I refused to trust my feelings. I was scared. What if I'm mistaking my feelings of friendship with love? Like I did with Pooja. I thought about it a lot Zoya. So many sleepless nights. I ran from you, I got angry with you, I tried to separate myself from you but each time I had to come running back to you Zoya. I'm certain Zoya. I love you. Please give me a chance. Please give our love a chance...'
Zoya leant back even further, as if his proximity was burning her like flames from a fire.
'Who said I love you Aditya? Did I say i did?'
'No, but I know. I know the way you look at me. I know you love me'
'You're arrogant Aditya and you're wrong. I don't love you. To me you are my best friend. Someone I could share my struggles with, someone who would be there for me through thick and thin.'
Zoya started to get more agitated and forgot the state of her sari and so got up and make her way away from the bed towards the dresser. The sari following her in a pool around her feet, the pallu still barely on her left shoulder.
Aditya followed her. He needed to get her to forgive him if nothing else, even if she couldn't love him, he had to have forgiveness.
'Zoya please, ok, I won't force you. Please just listen to me. I'm sorry please.' He moved towards her with his hands out, almost as if he wanted to embrace her. But she put her had out to stop him.
'Aditya, go home. Please leave. I need some time to think. I need time to get over this.'
This was a new Zoya. Self assured. Aware of what she wanted and Aditya respected her enough to listen to her. She said no. She said she needed time and time is what he would give her so very reluctantly he started taking steps backwards so he could look at her one last time, before he turned around and walked out.
Hi all! I hope you're enjoying the story! I'm still working on the next few parts so they might take a few more days but they'll come soon so don't worry! In the meantime I'd appreciate your comments about how you think the story is going!
Thanks
Meera