Asad's Birthday Short Story Chapter 2

Never Letting Go

Asad's Birthday

Chapter 2 :
A new beginning

Asad was lost in an addictive and evocative trance the second he walked out of the pristine and unstirred confines of his bedroom entering the warm and welcoming kitchen-cum-dining room, to finally lay his eyes on Zoya, his Zoya and soon-to-be Mrs Zoya Asad Ahmed Khan.

Zoya made his house a home. She adorned his home with laughter and joy and inundated every corner with her love.

He sighed privately: Miss Farooqui  uff …. no, Miss Telpur ki Shehzaadi, he chuckled inaudibly as he summoned up the picture of an innocent childhood photo of Zoya in his mind. She looked like a devil in disguise even back then albeit a devilishly cute one. Musibat, he thought, a khubsoorat musibat that he wanted to protect and love fervently for the rest of his life. He would continue to love her even if he ceased to exist, in death and beyond, forever immortalised and he knew she too, would comply. He could not tolerate to spend a second away from her, the mere thought pained his heart recalling the long month of separation that had passed.

No, he deliberated, he will not dwell on that past and Zoya had reassured him too that she wasn’t going to let the black shadows of yesterday encroach on their future. He concurred.

**************** Asad’s Flashback ****************

Zoya took a few tender steps towards him closing in on the distance between them, slowly and tenderly lifting her petite hands towards his face - to cover his weary eyes which were brimming with guilt and remorse for every bad deed and the insults he inflicted on her, for not trusting her. But he lowered his gaze in shame. She cautiously place one hand on his chin, as though he were made of glass, as though he would break by her slightest touch.

If only she knew how much he loved her touch, it made him feel complete, it burned his skin and it gave him solace all the same.

She proceeded to lift his chin up, motioning him to look deep into her enamoured eyes. Her eyes spoke volumes, of her pain and her love, her love for him. Her one tender look was all he needed to comfort him. He felt at home when he stared into her intoxicating brown eyes. He knew he resided there; her eyes were windows not just to her soul but a direct link to her heart. Her eyes spoke to him in a language only he understood, exclusively for him, of all she had in her heart to offer him, of all that that she would do for him and so much more. He felt bare, his soul exposed lost in her gaze. He gulped, he couldn’t move from the spot he was now glued to and to be honest he didn’t want to be any place else.

 “Please,” Zoya pleaded “you don’t have to punish yourself, you didn’t know. You were only fulfilling

 your duty.”  Scanning his eyes, she took one more step towards him, very gently, testing the waters out because this level of proximity was new territory for her. He could sense her nervousness, feel her shallow breathing; feel the racing of her heart against his chest and he melted into her touch, felt the softness of her body against his hard and rugged build, and his guilt, his remorse too thawed under the weight of her love. She didn’t leave his eyes not even for one moment; she needed to feel he approved of her gesture. He surely did, she was sure of it because he didn’t attempt to run from there. His eyes reassured her. Their breathing became rapid, synchronised and became one.

She lifted the palms of both her hands and rested the flat of her palms over his eyes, covering his penetrating gaze, the intensity of which she could not bear because it made her feel as though she were exposed, it burned her skin.

A playful smile traced the contour of his lips, sensing how nervous she was, her palms concealed her from his view, and they were a barrier that protected her from his tender, uninhibited and invading gaze. She remained resilient nonetheless, not removing her palms from his eyes and she said “Aap jaante hai Mr Khan ….  that the simple things in life are always the most complicated. Beautifully complicated.” she smiled. “I know you’re hurting more than I can contemplate, more than you let on but I want you to take a moment to think. You keep telling me that you’re sorry but how many more times will you be apologising Mr Khan? Tell me Mr Khan, think about it, think about all the wrongs you’ve done? Do you think you’re the only one who is the cause of this problem? No Mr Khan, if you’re wrong, then so am I. And with that I need to apologise too, and I’m sorry that I didn’t find it in me to confide in you. And you’ve said sorry, the once was enough and that is all I needed to hear. But now everything is fine” she said sniffling, “…. ..  so ….  I want you to imagine a table.”

“A table, Miss Farooqui?” Asad interrupted. “Ye table beech mein kahan se aa gaya,” he said astonishingly. He knew she was weird but seriously where did a table fit in her ‘up-till now’ beautiful revelation of her heart.

“Oh-ho Mr Interruption Rok-tok Khan” squealed Zoya, “Sahee waqt ki koi bhi knowledge nahin hai aap ko. Kab bolna, kab nahin bolna hai. Shhhhhh. Silence. Bilkul chup. Mood ko ruin kar-ne mein aap toh very mahaan hai, in fact you have several trophies to prove that too. Poori baat toh suniye. Now please don’t interrupt me until I have finished and that is an order” said Zoya authoritatively.

“Woh sab toh  teek hai, but at least, move your hands away from my eyes. Meri ankhon ka kya kasoor? Let me see you. Ya phir aap mujh se sharma rahi ho” he retorted mischievously.

Zoya bit her bottom lip, she knew he had said the truth but she wasn’t going to let him win this one. “Nahin,” she muttered trembling. She reaffirmed her resolved and said: “Nahin Mr Khan, I won’t remove my hands, you have to trust me on this one Mr Khan,” she gulped. Her breathing was shallower than before, her chest was heaving against his chest, he could feel her heart pulsating and welding with the pulsing of his heart. His resolve weakened at the sensation of her form against his, it felt like sparks against his skin.

“As I was saying” she cleared her throat, “We’re in this together, we need to put that behind us and devote ourselves to what we have, what we created, together, for our future.”

“Haan aur that table, Mr Khan, imagine a table. I want you to throw everything on that table, all the good times, all the bad times, everything. You see, it’s simple Mr Khan, we will experience many ups and downs but we need to learn how to keep and cherish all the good things, keep them to adorn our table as ornaments that remind us that we have come a long way from where we started, that testify our love. And all the bad things that are on that table, they strengthened us so we acknowledge them, we learn from them and then we leave them behind. We sweep them away and throw them into the bin, because these bad things can never adorn that table in the same way, they can never shower or sanctify our love. And you don’t like clutter - so why clutter the table with those bad things. We need all the space on that table for all the good things that have yet to come,” she smiled.

“There will always be two sides to everything in life. There is a left and there is a right. For every up, there is a down, and for every down, there is an up. Every whole has two halves, and we are whole, we are one. I didn’t get to this ‘one’, this ‘whole’ all alone Mr Khan ……” She caught her breath and removed her hands from his eyes and absently, she lowered her hands to let her fingers trail down his chiselled tear-stained cheek to his lips, outlining the shape of his mouth with the tip of her right hand index finger, as if she were charting a course. He froze. She caressed his lips with her index finger. He felt his heart turn over and dance in his chest, letting out a sigh in response to her touch.

She moved her hands from his lips down his sides towards his right hand, entangling her fingers around his, two pieces of one puzzle - and lifting the moulded union of their hands bringing them close to her rapidly beating heart. “You’re the half that made this whole” she whispered against his lip, as though she were in prayer, not leaving his eyes in that moment. In that moment, he felt complete, as though his prayer was answered. Her cheeks were crimson red expressing her nervousness; she had never been this bold prior to this. She didn’t know what overcame her. She lowered her gaze in an attempt to hide away how embarrassed she felt, to hide from his intoxicating gaze, which was asking for more. Lost in the ambience she stirred to get away but, he held onto her hands pulling her closer to him and lowered his head, to reciprocate the prayer she planted on his lips with her statement. She froze at the feel of his lips which skimmed against her lips.

But before he could complete his prayer on her lips, the home phone rang bringing the two lovers out of their trance. They pulled away from each other, reluctantly. They looked around to ensure that they were not caught.

Dilshaad tended the call. Once the call ended, she turned to retire to her room but then turned her attention to the two lovers, frozen, in the patio. It was late so she walked over to see if everything was okay.

“Kya hua? Why are you two standing here … like this, like you’ve been caught?” said Dilshaad with a hint of delight seeing the two immersed in each other through stolen glances.

“Woh ….. actually. Ammi Miss Farooqui ko neend nahin aa rahi ti, to maine socha I would comfort her with a coffee.” Asad said hoping she would buy that story.

“Par beta I don’t see any coffee here” Dilshaad giggled, “Mujhe sab pataa hai, coffee ke bahaane you come to secretly meet your Miss Farooqui, because you’re impatient. It won’t be long before she’ll be your Mrs Zoya Asad Ahmed Khan” she winked at him. He smiled at his mother’s spirited nature but she spoke the truth.

Zoya giggled. “Well isse baat pe ek sher arz hai.”

“Irrshaad, irrshaad,” Dilshaad gestured with her hands.

“Jab chori pakri jaaye toh maang lo maafi

Jab kaam atak jaaye then use coffee ka excuse

Jahaapanah tori si toh sharaam karlo mat karo refuse (Zoya winks at Asad)

Yahaan thandi par rahi aap ki imaginary coffee!!!!

Shukhriyan, Shukhriyan.” (Apologies folks, my shayaari proves to be more ghatiyaa than Zoya’s.)

“Aur waise bhi, mere Mr Khan smart businessman to hai hi but iss baat ka mujhe aaj yakeen ho gaya. Poocho kyun?” Zoya giggled.

“Woh kyun Zoya?” asked Dilshaad suppressing her laughter.

“It’s simple Ammi, you see he has made the smartest decision ever” she moved her eyebrows up and down rapidly and repeatedly “….to commit to me, now isn’t that his most intelligent decision!”

“Of course Miss Anokhi-Sher-Pur ki Begum” Asad giggled at her weirdness.

**************** End of Flashback, Back to present moment ****************

These nicknames did her no justice. Well fair enough they both had their fair share of nicknames for each other, and that too a treasure-box full of them and he was sure that both of them will add to these as the years passed on. He chuckled at the thought of growing old with her. He felt his heart racing, soaring in his chest

But all is fair in love and war; and these nicknames just like their arguments were a manifestation of their love and concern for each other, which grew stronger with each successive argument and each passing day.

Zoya deserved a title more significant than any of those nicknames, he smiled to himself – overwhelm - by the love he felt overtaking his entirety. She is Mrs Zoya Asad Ahmed Khan, he said with vigour and honour, consolidating his mind, heart, body and soul, which were functioning as one united entity now and in all honesty it sounded perfect. Iss seene mein kambakht dil bhi hain. And you’re the only one who resides in this heart of mine, in my every breath, in my every heartbeat. 

The name Mrs Zoya Asad Ahmed Khan echoed in his body, disturbing every molecule within his ascetic core. Unlike the unstirred and pristine nature of his bedroom and his surroundings, his ascetic core no longer withstood the beautiful storm that Zoya was and is; but it gave way to be spoiled by her. She wreaked havoc on his heart. She stirred the very fibres that strung together to hold his austere core together. She broke the shackles that once guarded the walls of his hesitant and caged heart. She wounded his heart, his mind, his soul and his body marking him in all her hues, her love and she was the sole comforter who had the authority, the capacity and the power to heal his heart, mind, body and soul.

He traced the Z imprint on his hand relishing the memory that was the beginning of the transformation of his ascetic core to the present day Mr Zoya’s Jahaapanah Khan.

Arz bhi tumhee ho, mera marz bhi tumhee ho. Although it was all new territory for him, he was happy he was given the opportunity to explore this side of him with her, to share this with only her. He had changed and it didn’t stop there, it was an awkward and evolving process for both of them albeit a beautiful process that made an imprint on both their hearts and lives.

Yes; he thought deeply. Today is the day. Today he would - by hook or by crook - get her to concur with him, he had been up all night, he had a plan, a surprise and he needed her to concur and make him complete. Today - they will complete each other in all the ways besotted and timeless lovers did, have and will, perpetually. He promised himself.

Zoya looked at Asad puzzled trying to decipher what he was thinking. It had been the longest two minutes in the history of ‘mitwa moments’ that he stood there adoring her unapologetically. His burning gaze left no part of her untouched which affected Zoya in ways she had not experienced prior to this. In essence she was crimson red burning under his brazen gaze. He was in some drunken stupor in her humble opinion and she had to get him out of that trance as quickly and as swiftly as possible. One: because she was still in the process of acclimatising and warming up to this new level of intimacy between them and romantic Asad. And number two: her plans for today were not going to transpire themselves.

She waved her hands frantically in front of Asad’s face attempting to bring him back to earth from which ever realm he was lost in.

 “Kahaan ko gayye aap Mr Khan?”  She looked in the direction he was staring. Her - obviously. Was there something on her face? She twirled around to inspect herself from head to toe. She was absolutely sure she had her normal clothes on and they were definitely not the ones she has made plans to wear much later on.

“I’m talking to you Mr Khan, main aap se baat kar rahi hoon.” Zoya protested.

“Earth to Jahaapanah-six-packs, do you copy?” Zoya said mockingly, snapping her fingers before his piercingly brown intense eyes.

“Woh ….. actually ….” he said coyly as he snapped out of his stupor .  “Jee …. Affirmative, I’m not deaf; of course I can hear you!”

He felt happy that he saw her face first thing that morning and fair enough he had not celebrated his birthday since his Abu abandoned them; the pain of which lingered in the shadows even today but after so many years he felt relieved and he felt blessed on this day because she was here. He believed with full conviction that he was put on this Earth only for her and for the first time in years he wanted to rejoice and celebrate his birthday, he wanted to belong to her and he wanted a wish to be fulfilled on his birthday; a wish which only she could fulfil.

But not now, she would have to wait a few more hours for what he had in store for her, he smiled.

Asad wanted to avoid all interrogative questions from Zoya, he certainly didn’t want to give away any of his thoughts, just not yet and so he quickly resumed back to his authoritative-lion form.

“Aur ye …. Ye sab kya hai? Ye kya ho raha hai Miss Farooqui?” teased Asad, feigning anger towards Zoya because he loved it when she got all worked up over him. She always looked enticing, inviting and remarkably hot when she got angry and intense. This was usually followed with her pulling a number of weird faces at him. Asad found this quality of hers so appealing. Yes she was weird but one-of-kind weird, just for him.  It was this feisty nature that pulled him closer to her. She was a magnet, she was his Chaand that orbited around him, that pulled him closer through her magnetic pull, just like the moon pulled on the Earth through its gravitational force, causing the surge of tides in the oceans, and she too created the rising and falling of tides in his heart. And she was like no other. She was his lioness.

“What? Abb maine kya kiya Mr Khan?” Zoya questioned him innocently fluttering her eyelashes at him.

With that gesture, Asad could not prolong his fake anger, furthermore he was completely dazed by her endearing eyes and the unexpected and delectable table setup that she had prepared, just the way he liked it yielded a homely sensation, which rendered him to feel complete. He tried ever so hard to conceal the smile which traced the contour of his lips. His mouth was watering to try everything that Zoya had lovingly made and he knew perfectly well that she made it all just for him. He had a sneaky suspicion that she was definitely up to something. She had that menacing smile tracing the contours of her luscious lips.

“Haan … yaad aaya” Zoya said sarcastically. “I lost your invitation for breakfast in the post” Zoya pouted. “Do I have to give you an invitation to sit down too … for breakfast Zill-e-Elaahi?” said Zoya teasingly to Asad.

Zoya walked over to Asad and interlaced her fingers with his and guided him to his seat. She motioned him to sit down.

“Please sit down Mr Khan, after all this is your seat, aap iss seat ke ‘chairman’ jo hai aur mere dil ke bhi” said Zoya conveying her message looking into his dazed eyes. She cherished having him around.

At least Zoya wasn’t as messy as he was in the kitchen department he thought silently taking in the clean and immaculate surroundings once he sat down, however his chair was pulled back and positioned at a distance away from the table so that Zoya could circumnavigate herself around him, her Chaand. He didn’t register this in his mind because he was in deep thought: not even a speckle of dust in sight and no disaster of a mess like the time he made her pizza a fortnight ago. Maybe his OCD for cleanliness brushed off on her, he sniggered.

“So what’s so special about today…..  Zoya?” whispered Asad placing a great deal of emphasis on her name. He looked towards Zoya who had positioned herself adjacent to him. “Aloo parathas, coffee with sugar and milk; and cinnamon and maple syrup pancakes with smileys …. For breakfast? For me?” he pursed his lips, questioning her exploring her eyes demanding an answer.

“Don’t flatter yourself” chided Zoya. (This is just the beginning. Aap ko wait karna parenga Mr Bodybuilder, just a few more hours and you’ll be the happiest man in the world, I promise, thought Zoya.)

“Oh really Miss Farooqui? You don’t usually make such a grand breakfast every morning ….  toh aaj kis khushi mein …. ye sab  …. and why? Kya raat ko Martha Stewart aap ke dreams mein aa yi thi” retorted Asad.

Zoya moved in closer to Asad ignoring his comments and reached for his cutlery. She began to cut his food up for him and into bite size pieces. She positioned the fork near his mouth. Motioning him to open his mouth and proceeded to feed him affectionately. Asad was compelled and moved by Zoya’s action. He complied.

She took the plate of her cooked delicacies into her hands and began orbiting around his seated form, continuing to serve him a few morsels of food on each orbit around him. “You want to know why? All of this?” she pointed at the arrangement. As she continued so revolve around her Chaand, she embarked on explaining her reasons for why she was pampering him:

“Woh iss liye, Mr Khan …. because the last time I made aloo parathas, I didn’t serve you.”

“…….. because mujhe booraa lagaa that I did that, and I’m sorry.”

“…… because you could’ve died after consuming the Thai peanut chicken satay I made and I never intended for that to happen, ….. it scared me.”

“Woh iss liye because you pampered me with gifts when you didn’t have to.”

“………..because Mangalpur mein - when we were handcuffed - you put your ego aside and fed me the first morsel of food .”

“Woh iss liye because aap ne mere liye pizza banaya tha, with a lot of love and dedication and I know how difficult that was for you.”

“……… because you played a song for me, you sung and danced for me. And I never thought in a million years that you would emulate Salman Khan … just for me.”

“ …….. because you held my hands tenderly, with devotion .....  under the heavenly shower of stars that you designed especially for me, because it was raining outside. For me that was no less than the real deal, in fact it was better. Our lips shared a prayer in synchrony. We made wishes ………. Together.”

“Woh iss liye because aap ne apne ye liye …. kuch bhi nahin maanga but expended all of your wishes on me.”

“…….. because aap ne mere liye …. Chaand Raat ko …. in your own style ….. gifted me the moon. I will cherish my Chand for the rest of my life Mr Khan,” Zoya kissed the ring Asad placed on her ring finger.

“Woh iss liye because you kept your promise and fulfilled the wishes of a 16 year old Zoya. And to be honest you didn’t have to do any of that. I was and I am already yours and yours only and I will continue to be yours till my last breath and even beyond that too, in my afterlife and in heaven, forever.”

“... because you saved me a number of times and I never got to truly thank you.”

“... because I love Jahaapanah-six-packs.”

“…because you love me so madly and profoundly …  that it hurts me sometimes just thinking about all the things I’ve put you through.”

“Woh iss liye because you have always maintained your limits and you’ve been a thorough gentlemen with me.”

“Woh iss liye … for almost crushing me with your 4-by-4 the first time I met you.”

“……. because I love all the moments we’ve shared together since then… for all the fights and arguments and all the banter and I wouldn’t want to change it in any way. We have come a long way from where we started.”

“... because you are my strength and you give me a reason to be, a reason to fight, a reason to laugh, to smile, to sacrifice, to love.”

“……… you have gifted me the most beautiful gift I have ever been presented with in life up till now ……You, I belong to you forever, I have never belonged to anyone before this” she said not breaking eye contact with him, lingering in the moment as she tenderly and affectionately orbited over to the other side of Asad, her concluding orbit around him. She served him the final bite of the sickeningly yet enticingly sweet cinnamon and maple syrup pancakes and whispered: 

“…… because ….. you are you, my Akdu, my Mr Latooo Ahmed Khan. I love you the way you are” she said has she leaned forward into his seated form, one hand rested on the chair to steady her footing and the other hand she reached out to him, to close his mouth that was abysmal, wide open lost in her words, with that gesture she said, “Lat-too, my Latoo Khan.” She giggled at his what-just-happened state only to be captivated by his compelling gaze. They stared into each other’s eyes for what seemed like eternity, oblivious to their surroundings.

****************************************

Dilshaad and Najma witnessed the entire incident and were as surprised as Mr Khan was. They stood at the footing of the stairs, stupefied and awestruck by Zoya’s antics, but satisfied that they had someone like Zoya for their sombre son and brother, respectively. They were aware of Zoya’s birthday surprise but they didn’t know she had this arrangement too.

“Bhaijaan? Zoya?” Najma interrupted “ye kya ho raha hai?” she said suppressing her joy for the two.

“Woh ….. actually,” uttered Zoya much to Asad’s amazement.

“Ye ….. mera line tha, mera copyright hai Miss Farooqui,” Asad responded clearing his throat.

Zoya decided she needed to get out of there as soon as possible so she excused herself. “Mr Khan, you’re getting late ….. office ke liye. Office ka kam won’t happen itself and you have a meeting …. with Mehta Group & Sons …. woh project ke silsile mein,” she needed him to be away to execute the rest of the plans.

“Kyun, aaj toh you’re taking a sudden interest in my work? Kyun?” he quizzed her.

“Kyun ka kya matlab hai? Zoya said folding her arms.

“Looks like you’re interested in becoming my personal assistant,” he said with a playful smile gracing his lips. He bit his bottom lip “In fact why don’t you join me today …. at the office. It’ll be a welcome change for both of us.”

He took her by her hands and walked her towards the door. She was reluctant but he wasn’t going to listen to her excuses, not today.

She pulled back “I have a lot of stuff to do Mr Khan ….woh ..”

Asad interrupted her train of speech. “No Miss Farooqui, wait here, I’ll go and get your bag and mobile and you’re going to tend to my office work with me. I think it’s time you got a proper tour of my office and what I do, after all everything I have is also yours,” he looked at her with authoritative eye. She had no choice but to comply with him.

“If that is what makes you happy,” responded Zoya with a smile.

She didn’t want to disappoint him, so she decided that she’d manage somehow and she’ll execute her plans from the office. How difficult could that be? After all she was Miss Zoya Farooqui and she can accomplish just about anything. “Anything” she uttered lost in her thoughts.

“Jee?” Asad said bemusedly.

“Nothing, ….woh  you have some maple syrup on your lips” Zoya said as she placed her right hand index finger on his lips to clear away the syrup, her gaze fixated on his lips, contemplating over the feel of his lips against hers a few nights ago, the incomplete kiss; sighing she pulled away reluctantly. He shifted his gaze towards her, trailing his right hand index finger over his lips, repeating her actions, where a few seconds ago her fingers sparked a blaze on his lips.

“Ahem …. We’re getting late,” he disrupted the trance she was enveloped in, “shall we?” Asad motioned towards the door after retrieving her bag and mobile.

“Anything for you, Mr Khan,” Zoya replied nervously.

*****************************************

She had to meet up with the rest to start on her birthday surprise. She turned around to give a defeated goodbye to her Ammi and Najma, her wave was as defeated as her face was. She signalled to them that she would call them. They nodded in approval. They already knew what they had to do and she knew that they were perfect for that task which made her feel at ease for that part of the surprise.

They left for the office.

End of chapter 2.

© Fatima B Lunat 2013

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