Part 1
The night was dark and stormy, thunder and lightning cascaded across the pitiful grey skies as a forewarning to a night of reliving forgotten melodies. The relentless rain of the boisterous monsoon pounded on the roof, the pitter-patter hummed a lingering memory of a forgotten melody of two intoxicated individuals, a memory that Zoya wanted to forget altogether.
There was a blackout in her area, and the candle lights, the only light source due to the blackout - danced across the walls of her tiny but stylish ground-floor villa merrily. She now lived alone in Bhopal, she lied to Dilshaad Phoopi that she was going back to New York because her visa had expired and she told her Aapi and Jeeju that she was staying with her friend Nargis from New York, at Nargis's family home in Bhopal.
Aapi and Jeeju bought her white lie too easily only because they personally knew Nargis and her family from New York were touring India at the time. What they didn't know was that their beloved Zoya was living alone at Nargis's family villa. Zoya needed space and time to clear her mind and pacify her heart and she spent most of her days writing, it soothed her mind, heart and soul.
Zoya could not believe it had been three months since her last visit to her laptop, her one true and trusted friend she carried everywhere. It was either that or her iPad tablet but it had been 3 months now that she forgot the whereabouts of her iPad tablet. The last time she recalled seeing it was on the woeful morning she saw him in her arms after the bus accident. The morning that followed from the beautiful night before, the morning on which he left her to make her own way back home for stopping him from reaching court.
That morning was a harrowing experience for Zoya as it dawned on her that she had more than an inkling of attraction for him. But the sight of him running past her as though he did not even see her, as if she didn't even exist, as if the night before never happened and then hugging a strange salwaar-cladded woman was far too much for Zoya to bear and so she walked away from it all because she could not face him for not acknowledging that she too was there and she too was hurt.
Was he blind that he simply brushed passed her? Zoya didn't know what hurt more, the accident or him ignoring her existence.
Well it didn't matter anymore because Zoya never saw him or the iPad again because she chose to walk away. She chose to walk away because he would never have accepted her, a misfit that had no place in his house or his life. His voice reverberated in her head even today; his words stung Zoya even today, "Aap mere liye, mere ghar ke liye bilkul misfit hai."
Zoya sighed heavily as she decided to concentrate on some late night writing because sleep was not anywhere near her tired eyes tonight. She needed to pour her hurt into some writing and she decided just that. She smiled looking at her laptop on which she spent many lonely nights writing the stories that made her life beautiful albeit those memories were short-lived.
She knew it was time to get back into bed again because it was getting late and it wasn't good for her health at this moment to stay up late at night, she looked down at her tummy tracing a hand over the small bump which was now beginning to take shape, but as the storm raged on outside, she only worried about the battery life on her laptop which was down to its last quota and considering the blackout she wouldn't be able to recharge it till the power was back on.
So much had happened in those three months that Zoya left the Khan villa and him and was absent from writing on her laptop on which she use to add small stories of her stay in Bhopal, but now, she had her story. It had been slowly coming to a full boil in her mind, her lonely nights and days, made it difficult for her to forget him, everything reminded her of him and tonight was the night to let it all out. There was no one here except her shadow, and the rain that poured outside and trickled against the glass window pane overlooking Bhopal city. In the dark of the night the tall grey buildings and dark green trees blurred into one huge union of grey as the rain danced across the terrain. The dreary colours split and spread into each other like the drizzling rain and with that thought ... it was time to write again.
She walked to the dining area with the laptop in her hand, its screen light and the numerous candles which were almost down to their last nib-of wax lit her path as she walked to the dining room table. She took her seat and decided it was time to get to work. She was excited and relieved all the same to get this story out of her head. She had tried for the past three months to take notes every chance she could, but with finding an apartment and requesting Nargis to rent the villa and the impending new arrival that now began to make its mark on her petite frame made it almost impossible to take any notes. Now, it was time.
Zoya sat at the dining table, listening to the storm rage on. It seemed to be getting worse as flashes of lightning flickered against the walls of her quiet villa. She suddenly had a rise of a chill caressing her spine and so she insisted to herself that a nice warm cup of hot chocolate would fix her nervousness and make this event, her writing that is ... a special event, well it wasn't that special but even so she hoped for it to be glorious. She got up from the dining table and filled a pot on the stove. Thank goodness for gas burners she thought to herself putting the final touches to her hot chocolate.
She once again sat down tenderly at the medium sized dining table with a warm hot chocolate in hand, ready to get her story out. Excitement ran through her veins as she felt the hot chocolate goodness warm her tummy. Then she froze. She couldn't believe it was happening.
"No, no no! Not now! No ... stop! This isn't fair!" Zoya squealed to the inanimate laptop before her as she watched the 'low battery' signal blink mischievously and in a panic-stricken frenzy she scrambled her petite fingers on the keys hoping that somehow the battery revived itself. Zoya needed to get her story out of her head because it was her chance at clarity and pen and paper was not an option ... she needed her laptop. As her candle on the table burned down to its last nib of wax the power on her laptop faded too and her laptop screen went black with the only sentence she managed to type ... "On a dark and stormy night two had lost their way but found each other ..."
"Well looks like pen and paper it is then," Zoya sighed as she pulled a pink book and pen from across the table to herself and began to write, she pressed the pages down firmly thinking how her life turned into a nightmare. He was so arrogant and so handsome, why did she ever fall in love with him? She sighed wishing she could turn back time and change everything. But life was one of those things where the thing you least expected happens and the truth was ... that one night was a reality that was going to plague her peace for the rest of her life as she looked down once more at the small bump on her tummy. She was too scared to even visit him for fear he would reject that too.
Zoya glanced at the quiet night around her, the only sounds came from the pounding of the rain against the glass windows and the rooftop, wind rustling through the trees, the thunder and lightning that hurled intermittently and the crickets that sung outside. The so-called silence of the stormy night was cut short by the crashing sound of a car engine croaking its last knock and the screeching of tyres just within the perimeter of her villa.
In an instant Zoya was more than alert, one because she was alone and glancing at the big old clock which was just about visible in the soft and muted candle light ... it was now 11.15pm. Zoya in her normal habit jumped to the conclusion that this had horror story written all over it, just like in the books she use to read in high school where a young cheerleader, alone in an isolated villa was murdered by some psycho. Zoya shrugged herself out of her thoughts and reassured herself that she was no-where near danger tonight and that she was no cheerleader looking down at her small tummy bump and that this was no horror book but the noise outside was probably the neighbours returning from holiday or possibly Nargis.
Nonetheless, Zoya's heart was beating fast as she got up from her seat to waltz delicately down the hallway to the glass window at the front door to see who was out there and stranded at this time, her curiosity got the better of her. Maybe Nargis and her family were back from touring.
The darkness started to shroud the living room and hallway as the candle lights were dimming; she pulled the curtains slowly with tentative hands to peek outside to see who it was at this time. In the vast darkness under the glow of the moonlight all Zoya could see was the silhouette of a tall man against the bonnet of his smoke-billowing 4-by-4 jeep. He was of a decent height, with what looked like dark short hair. She could see the contours of his muscles of his arms through his rain-soaked white crisp formal shirt as they tensed while trying to fix his 4-by-4. The gleaming headlights of his 4-by-4 stretched along the pathway that led to the door of the villa, the light from his headlights obscuring her vision.
Zoya did not know what compelled her to but she slowly walked to the front door and opened the door ever so slightly, the door creaking as it opened and the stranger on hearing the villa door open turned to the sound as it was the only sign he had heard her.
On further analysis Zoya saw that his clothes consisted of black suit trousers, a matching black waistcoat and jacket which was flung across the pathway and a crisp white shirt and a tie that now hung casually from his neck and he had on a pair of formal black shoes and a silver watch with black in its design. This man looked all too familiar yet his face was not visible. He seemed familiar, yet she couldn't place how or when his path crossed hers but it was a hollow spot in her memory and a feeling of deja-vu in her gut that told her she knew him from before.
The stranger stopped all that he was doing and darted his attention to Zoya standing at the footing of pebble stairs that lined the entrance of the porch. He was facing her now. She was still as a statue frozen on the stairs. Her knuckles white from gripping the banister to the stairwell tightly. He squinted with dedication in the rain blinking his eyes several times as his eyes glowed in the darkness recognising her face. Her words came echoing back to him " ... main kisi ka bhi katal kar sakti hoon apne dimples se ... main bhi aap ko bahut pasand karti hoon ... " her voice reverberated in his mind as he began taking slow steps towards her, shocked for he never thought he would see her again.
Zoya stood frozen at the footing of the pebble stairs as the stranger advanced towards her slowly, the rain beating down on his form as his footsteps made a crunching sound on the loose pebbles that lined the pathway. She could make out the brown colour of his distressed eyes and his fists were clenched at his sides; he seemed to be holding back. Why? He took a step towards her, as she walked down one pebble stair to get a clearer view of his face.
Her voice echoed once more in his mind, "Mr Khan aap ke dil mein seena nahi pathaar hai" as he smiled ruefully until he stopped on the pebble stair just below her, the lightning flashing repentantly as the two now came face to face 3 months later.
Looking down at him in disbelief Zoya could now see his features clearly under the flashing glow of the lightning. His eyes were magnificent as ever and she felt like she was drowning once more as she looked into his dark apologetic and questioning orbs. Her gaze travelled the lengths of his face looking over each curve of his defined face which jeered at her heart, she was still hurt. His voice once more echoed in her head "... Miss Farooqui dil mein seena nahin hota, seene mein dil hota hai ... aur ek baat kahoon ... aap bhi mujhe bahut achhi lagti hain ... seriously Miss Farooqi ... kyun mere khwaabon pe aap ke saaye hai kyun meri tanhaiyon mein kalaa dalti hai aap ... aap ke bina mera waqt kaatne ko dor ta hai ... you make me feel things I ... mujhe ... woh actually ... mujhe aap se kuch chaahye ..."
His eyes searched her tearful doe eyes as Zoya backed up against the bannister near the entrance of the villa gasping for air on acknowledging he was there, he was really there. He stepped up the last pebble stair once more as her voice from that night too echoed in his head "... what do you want Mr Khan?" Zoya's voice giggled in his head.
Zoya was now cornered, her mind racing as she felt trapped, her eyes searched his face as the lightning struck once more and from the glow it parted she saw his features clearly, drenched in rain he look incredibly hot and flawless, there was a light stubble dotted across his jaw, the questioning deep brown eyes set under the dark furrow of eyebrows which made her feel mesmerised but trapped once more. His voice echoed from that night once more against the pelting of the rain "... I want you Miss Farooqui ... kiss me ..."
The hollow feeling from the past came back to her in that moment as she let out a gasp "Asad."
Asad stared down at Zoya as they came face to face, his smile apologetic and his eyes willed for her to answer him and ease his pining. He had no clue where she disappeared to 3 months ago. He knew she would remember him because nothing can be buried forever and somewhere in his heart he wanted to believe that she felt the same way as he did for her and that night 3 months ago meant something even if she didn't care to say. He was part of her even if it didn't appear so back then, there was something there between them all those months ago and turned to something more than either anticipated that rainy night. How could she have ever forgotten?
This man standing in front of her was the one she fell in love with, the one she was running from.
Asad reached his rain drenched right hand up to touch her face to make sure she was real, that she wasn't just a figment of his imagination. A shudder ran through her as his warm hand settled against her pale and cold cheek. He let out a small gasp, " Zoya " as the reality hit him hard she was actually there. Asad closed his eyes and smiled looking at the heavens for finally finding her.
The rain lashed down unrestrained and the dark sky rumbled once more with the thunder and lightning that followed blanched the terrain white as they both entered a flashback of the one rainy night and a forgotten melody.
© Fatima B Lunat 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Fatima B Lunat.
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