Zaroorat - An AdiYa OS
"Arshad! Arshad!"
Zoya screamed out his name. She was frantic. She had just seen him be dragged away by a group of men whilst he had been trying to protect her and she knew that he was in mortal danger.
"Zoya!"
She turned to see Aditya running towards her looking disheveled but unhurt. She felt a huge wave of relief wash over her. She ran to embrace him like her life depended on it.
"Allah ka lakh lakh shukar hai ke aap theek hain!"
(Thank God you are ok!)
Only she knew how she felt, thinking that Aditya might be hurt. She had died a thousand deaths in the short time that she did not know if he was safe. But her sense of relief was short-lived when she suddenly remembered that Arshad's life was in danger.
"Aditya aapne Arshad ko dekha hai? Pata nahi woh kis haal main honge. Humein unki bohut fikr ho rahi hai! Please humari maddat kijiye unhe dundhne mein"
(Aditya have you seen Arshad? Who knows what state he is in. I am really worried about him! Please help me in finding him)
And with that, she turned and ran off to where she had last seen Arshad. Now that she knew Aditya was safe she could focus on finding her Abbu's friend. Afterall, he had been nothing but courteous to her over the last few days and he had just saved her life, the least she could do was ensure that he was not harmed in any way. She would never be able to live with herself if she was the reason for someone getting hurt.
As she sprinted away she noticed that Aditya was not by her side. She stopped and looked back to see him rooted to the spot. The look on his face baffled her. He looked like he had just been told the worst news in the world and looked completely lost. Was he that worried about Arshad? Zoya didn't know that they had become so close!
"Aditya! Please! Arshad ko dhundna bohut hi zaroori hai humare liye!" she pleaded with him.
(It is very important to me that we find Arshad!)
He broke out of his reverie and ran behind her to help. But she couldn't help but notice the hurt in his eyes. She realised this was not the time to dwell on it but made up her mind to talk to him about it the first chance she got.
Luckily they found Arshad in an alley, a short distance away. He had been roughed up by the goons, but he was not seriously hurt. They took him to the hospital to get treated.
"Aditya, please aap ghar jaein aur sab ko bata dijiye ke hum theek hain. Hum yahan Arshad ke paas rukh jaate hain"
(Aditya, please go home and let everyone know that we are ok. I will stay here with Arshad)
Arshad had been hurt because of her and she felt it was her responsibility that she ensure he is ok. Afterall, how could she compromise on her usools (principles) - it was completely unthinkable for her to leave him in this state.
Aditya gave her a sorrowful look and turned to leave without saying a word.
"Aditya, kya baat hai? Aap theek to hain? Aapko bhi chhot lagi hai kya?" she stood up suddenly alarmed and stepped forward to examine him.
(Aditya, what's wrong? Are you ok? You didn't get hurt did you?)
Aditya stepped back and gave her a strained smile.
"Mujhe kya hoga? Bas tum theek ho, to phir main bhi theek hoon. Tum khush, main bhi khush"
(What could be wrong with me? If you are ok, then I am ok. If you're happy, I'm happy)
He turned and walked away before she could say another word.
She frowned watching his back retreat, his shoulders slumped and looking dejected. What the hell was that about? Why was he acting so strange? She hoped he hadn't been hit in the head or something. She would definitely have to investigate further. Sometimes this man was beyond her understanding, she thought fondly to herself with a small smile, but whatever it was that was bothering him, she was sure they would get through it together. Afterall, he was the one person in the world that she trusted more than herself. The connection they had was not something that could be put into words, it was something she had never shared with anyone else in her life, and she cherished it more than she could have ever imagined.
Over the next week and a half, she had put up with the formalities of having to meet with Arshad at her Abbu's insistence, but she made sure that it was crystal clear to him that she was in no way interested in the marriage alliance. Arshad had tried his level best to try and woo her but he eventually realised that Zoya was not the type of girl to be won over with superficial romantic gestures. He accepted her reasons for why she couldn't marry him and bowed out gracefully. Thankfully her Abbu didn't create too much drama about it either.
Zoya could finally breathe a sigh of relief. She was glad that she had managed to make it out of this Arshad drama without hurting her Abbu or offending Arshad and his family. The only thing that she could not stop worrying about was the way that Aditya had been behaving ever since the riots. Between trying to manage her Abbu and Arshad, and a sudden influx of clients since the Hooda's 35th wedding anniversary, Zoya barely had the time to breathe let alone find time to sit down with Aditya and get to the bottom of his recent change in behaviour. She had tried to call him on multiple occasions but he either did not answer her call, or would pick up, and then hurriedly give her some excuse of being busy and hang up. She was now getting irritated with him and decided to take matters into her own hands. How dare he avoid her! Did he not know how much he meant to her? That knowing he was upset about something, tore her up inside? Was he thinking of leaving again? She may not remember most of her drunken night, but she could never forget the kasam (oath) that he gave. That he would never leave her. That had meant the world to her - did it not mean the same to him? The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. So Zoya set out for the Hooda mansion, determined to make Aditya Hooda face her and explain himself.
When she reached the Hooda house, Marcus answered the door.
"Marcus, Uncle aur Aunty ghar par hain?" she asked in a hushed tone.
(Are Mr and Mrs Hooda home?)
"Nahin madam, Saab aur Memsaab kissi dost ke ghar par gaye hain aur dair ko laut ke aayenge, behtar hoga agar aap kal unko aake milein"
(No Maam, they have gone to a friends house and will be home late. It would be better if you came back tomorrow to see them)
"Arrey Marcus bhaiya, kya acchi khabar di hai aapne!" Zoya grinned at him. Thank Allah! She thought to herself, now she could talk to Aditya in peace without any interruptions!
(Marcus my bro, you have given me such great news!)
Marcus gave her a confused look.
"Humein waise aapke Aditya sir se milna hai. Kahan hai woh?"
(I am actually here to see your Aditya sir. Where is he?)
"Adi sir toh terrace par hain, lekin unhone kaha hai ke koi unhe disturb mat karein"
(Adi sir is on the terrace, but he had said that no one should disturb him)
"Aapke Adi sir ki toh aisi ki taisi! Hum bhi dekhte hain ke woh humse kaise nahin milte!" she fumed through gritted teeth as she pushed past Marcus and made her way up to the terrace, leaving him spluttering about being under strict instructions to not let anyone up there.
(I will deal with your Adi sir! Let's see how he avoids meeting with me!)
Upon arriving on the terrace she saw Aditya with his back towards her looking out over the edge. Seeing him brought up all the pent-up frustration and anger she had been feeling over the past week.
"Janab Aditya Hooda!"
Aditya whipped around startled and stared back at her. His eyes widened at the sight of her as he took in her expression of rage.
"Zoya! Tum yahan kya kar rahi ho?"
(Zoya! What are you doing here?)
"Chup! Ek dum chup! Aap jaisa nihayati badimaag, bewakoof, behaya, kamzarf, aur ahmak insaan humne aaj tak nahin dekha!" she yelled at him with flared nostrils and narrowed eyes, wondering if she should have thrown in a few more insults.
(Shut up! Not a word! Never have I seen such an immensely brainless, idiotic, shameless, ungenerous, and stupid person in my entire life!)
Aditya's mouth opened in shock.
"Z...Zoya tum ye kya bol..."
(Z...Zoya what are you sayi...)
"Humne kaha na chup? Hum bolenge aur aap sunenge! Kya hai aapka huh? Kya chal kya raha aapke dimaag mein? Humein bhi kuch samajh mein aaye. Kyunki hum to soch soch ke pagal ho rahe hain!"
(Didn't I tell you to shut up? I will do the talking and you will listen. What is with you huh? What is going on in that brain of yours? I would love to know! Because I am going insane trying to figure it out!)
Aditya stared back at her with a silent look of consternation upon his face.
"Humne aapse kuch poocha hai! Jawab dijiye!"
(I am asking you a question! Answer me!)
"Lekin Zoya, tumhi ne to kaha ki tum bolo gi aur main chup chaap suno ga" Aditya stammered, still looking shell-shocked at her sudden appearance and the tirade that she was raining down upon him.
(But Zoya, you're the one who said that you would do the talking and I had to shut up and listen)
"Accha! To hum hi sub kuch bolein? Theek hai, toh suniye! Kahan the aap in pichle dino mein? Aapko paata hai humne aapse baat karne ke liye kitni koshish ki? Jabse woh dange hue, humko yeh lag raha ta ki aap ke saath kuch hua hai. Lekin naa hi aapne humare saath koi baath share karne ki zaroorat samjhi, aur naa hi aapne humare phone utaane ki fursat li. Chalo theek hai, aapne humko, aapki best friend ko, nahin bataana ta ki aapko kya hua hai, lekin humara kya? Kya aap ka koi farz nahin hai ki aap bhi humara saath de? Jab humein aapki sab se zyaada zaroorat thi, iss Arshad wale mamle mein, aap tho gayab hi ho gaye!"
(Ohhh! So I have to do all the talking, do I? Fine, then listen! Where have you been these past few days? Do you even know how many times I have tried to talk to you? Ever since those riots, I knew there was something going on with you. But not only did you not deem it necessary to share your feelings with me, you could not even be bothered to take the time to answer my calls. Ok fine, you didn't want to tell me, your best friend, what was going on with you, but what about me? Don't you have a responsibility, as a friend, to be by my side? When I needed you the most, during this whole Arshad situation, you disappeared!)
Aditya looked down at his feet.
"Aditya humari taraf dekhiye aur ab humare sawalon ka jawab dijiye"
(Aditya look at me and now answer my questions)
Aditya slowly raised his eyes to look into her blazing ones. She saw the hurt and desperation in his them and her eyes softened.
"Zoya mein nahin chahata tha ki mein tumhari decision mein koi influence karoon. Mein bas yehi chahata hoon ki tum yeh decision khud lo, kyunki jo bhi tum faisla lo, agar tum khush ho tho phir mein bhi khush ho sakta hoon" he mumbled.
(Zoya I didn't want to influence your decision in any way. I just wanted you to make this decision on your own, because whatever you decide, if you are happy, then I can be happy too)
"Konsi decision ke baare mein baat kar rahein hai aap?" she questioned exasperatedly.
(What decision are you talking about?)
"Ki tum Arshad se shaadi karogi ke nahin"
(Whether you will marry Arshad or not)
Zoya took a deep breath and closed her eyes in exasperation. She could not believe how dense Aditya was being right now! She opened her eyes and looked back at him with a frown on her face.
"Aditya aap itne ahmak kaise ho sakte hain? Humne aapse pehle hi keh diya ta ki hum Arshad se shaadi nahin karna chahte"
(Aditya how can you be so stupid! I've already told you that I don't want to marry Arshad)
"Phir tumne uss do hafton ke liye 'haan' kyun kaha?" he questioned.
(Then why did you say yes to the two weeks?)
"Woh toh sirf Abbu aur Arshad ki family ka maan rakne ke liye kaha tha. Iska matlab yeh to nahin hain ki do hafton mein humara mann badal jayega. Kya aap humein itna bhi nahin jaante? Chalo woh chodhiye, pehle aap humein yeh batayein, ki aapko kyun laga ki aapko humein avoid karna chahiye? Iss sab ka kya matlab hai huh?" she demanded.
(That was just out of respect for my father and Arshad's family. That doesn't mean that my feelings would change within two weeks. Do you not even know that much about me? Ok, forget about all of that, first tell me why you thought it was necessary to avoid me. What is all of that about huh?)
"Mujhe laga ki shayad tumhe Arshad pasand aagaya ho aur uske jaisa layak insaan shayad tumhare liye sahi hoga..." he trailed off as he saw the rage once again light up in Zoya's eyes. He had never seen her this angry before.
(I thought maybe you had started to like Arshad, and that such a great guy like him might be the right person for you...)
"Wah, Aditya Hooda, Wah!" she yelled as angry tears spilled down her face.
"Humari poori zindagi kissi na kissi mard ne yeh decide karliya tha ki humare liye sahi kya hai. Pehle Abbu, phir Yash, phir Abbu aur Arshad, aur ab aap! Humein aapse yeh umeed nahin thi! Aap sabko ko lagta hai ki hum mein himmat nahin hain apni khud ki zindagi ka raasta chunn ne ka. Kabhi nahin socha ki hum kya chahte hain! Kabhi yeh zaroori nahi samjha ke humse bhi koi poochle ki hum kya sochte hain! Aap sab to bas wohi karte hain jo aapko theek lagey" she cried, her voice shaking with anger and sadness.
(Wow, Aditya Hooda, wow! My whole life, one man or the other, has taken it upon themselves to decide what is best for me. First my father, then Yash, then my father and Arshad, and now you! I did not expect this from you of all people! You all think that I don't have the strength within me to decide the path of my own life! Not once did you ever think about what I want? Never thought it necessary to ask what I think. You all just do whatever you think is right)
Aditya stepped forward wanting to comfort her, but she grabbed onto his collar with both hands to stop him.
"Humein lagta tha ki iss duniya mein koi nahin hai jo aapse zyada humko jaanta ho, humein samajh tha ho. Aur jabse aap wapas aaye ho aur aapne humari kasam khayi thi ki aap humein kabhi chhod kar nahin jayenge, humne apne dil mein kahin na kahin soch liya tha ke shayad aap bhi humare saath poori zindagi bitana chahte hain. Jo khoobsurat pal hum dono ke bheech guzarey hain aur aap ki baaton se, humko laga ki humari bhi aapke liye utni hi ahmiat ha, jitni aapki humare liye hai. Lekin shayad hum hi bewakoof the, aur jo hum mehsoos kar rahe the bas ek tarafa hi tha" she sobbed, her heart breaking
(I used to think that there is no one in this world that knows me better than you, understands me like you do. Ever since you came back and took an oath that you would never leave me, somewhere in my heart I had thought that maybe you too want to spend the rest of our lives together. From those beautiful moments that have happened between us and from the way you have been talking, I thought that I meant just as much to you, as you do to me. But maybe I was the idiot, and what I was feeling was just one-sided)
Aditya could not stand to see her so upset but he felt like his heart was swelling like a balloon. Tears filled his eyes and he could not believe his ears! Did Zoya just say that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him? He raised his hands to cradle her tear-streaked face.
"Zoya tumhe nahin pata ki mera kya haal hua hai jabse woh lambu humari zindagi mein tapak pada! Meri har dafa jaan jaati thi jab bhi main tumko uske saath dekhta tha. Lekin maine aapne pyaar par bharosa nahin kiya, maine socha ke shayad mein tumhare pyaar ke kaabil hi nahin hoon. Aur maine soch liya tha ki main at least tumhara best friend bann ke jee lunga, chahe mujhe tumhe uss lambu ke saath hi dekhna padta. Aur tum bhi to har baar mujhe best friend ya azeez dost keh kar bulati thi!"
(Zoya you have no idea the state I have been in ever since that giant barged into our life! I died inside every time I saw you with him. But I didn't have faith in my love and thought that maybe I was not worthy of your love. So I decided that at the very least I could live my life as your best friend, even if it meant seeing you with that overgrown giant. Also, you did keep calling me your best friend or azeez dost' over and over!)
Zoya could feel her anger melting as she looked into his eyes. They were the windows into his pure and genuine soul. How could he ever think that he was not worthy of her!
"Aap hi ne to kaha tha ki pyaar mein dosti zaroori hai! Toh phir aapne meri feelings ko kaise nahin samjha?" she demanded, tugging on his collar and pulling his face closer to hers.
(You're the one who said that friendship is necessary in love. So then how did you not understand my feelings?)
"Zoya...agar koi bhi ladki kisse ladke ko itni baar best friend ya azeez dost keh kar bulayegi, woh bechare ladke ko friendzone se nilkalne ki koi umeed nahin rehti!"
(Zoya...if any girl was to call a guy her best friend or azeez dost' that many times, that poor guy would have no hopes of ever getting out of the friendzone!)
He flashed her his signature naughty grin but then turned serious again.
"Please mujhe maaf kar do. Mein kabhi nahin chahta ta ki mein tumhare liye decide karoon ki tum zindagi mein kya chahti ho. Bas mujhe thodi si insecurity hogi thi aur mein darr gaya tha ki mera pyaar tumhare liye kaafi nahin hoga"
(Please forgive me. I never want to be the one that decides for you what you want out of life. It's just that I got a little be insecure and little scared that my love would not be enough for you)
Zoya felt a wave of love and adoration for the man, whose collar she was still grasping, wash over her.
She finally let go of his shirt but proceeded to link her hands behind his neck, and he reciprocated by encircling her waist with his arms.
"Hum dono mein kahin na kahin kamiyan hai humare atheeth ki wajah se, lekin humare aane wale kal mein, agar hum saath hain, woh bhi mitth jayenge. Aditya hum aaps..."
(Both of us have some shortcomings within us because of our past, but in our upcoming future, if we are together they will be fulfilled. Aditya, I lov...)
"Wait!" Aditya exclaimed.
"Kya hua?" Zoya asked, startled by his sudden outburst.
(What happened?)
"Pyaar pehle mujhe hua tha...toh pehle main kahunga!" he frowned.
(I fell in love first...so I will say it first!)
"Kya?! Aditya aap bhi na! Aap ko kaise pata ki humein pyaar pehle nahin hua?" Zoya rolled her eyes at him.
(What?! Seriously Aditya! How do you know that I wasn't the first to fall in love?)
"Bas mujhe pata hai" he said with a self-assured grin.
(I just know)
"Theek hai, lekin pyaar toh hum zyada karte hain, toh pehle hum kahenge" she hit back with a smirk.
(Fine, but my love is more, therefore I will say it first)
"Impossible! Mera pyaar tumhare liya bepannaah hai...to phir tumhara zyada kaise hua?"
(Impossible! My love for you is boundless...so then how is your love more?)
"Uff Janab Aditya Hooda, aap nahin sudharenge...chalo saath mein kehte hain"
(Jeez Janab Aditay Hooda, you can't be helped...ok let's say it together)
"Ok my Ghalib, Ms. Zoya Siddiqui" he smiled tilting his head and giving her a peck on the end of her nose.
They looked into each other's eyes.
"1...2...3...I love you!
"Mere dil ko, tere dil ki Zaroorat hai"
Writer: WanderLust
