Nikkah

27

As Zoya's eyes fluttered open, the car came to a stop in front of a sprawling estate, dominated by a towering mansion similar to a palace from its antiquity. Its immense size and architectural grandeur resembled the luxurious constructions of bygone emperors, who spared no expense in creating lavish residences to accommodate their families. The mansion's magnificence was undeniable, with its commanding presence and exquisite beauty.

After Aryaan stepped out, she woke up completely. She realised she wasn't in her bed but in a car. She looked at the driver, who was in white clothes and a black cap. She was a bit scared he might be a kidnapper as her hand grabbed the knob, and at last, when he seemed not to care, she got out of the car, still worried that he might follow her, until she collided with Aryaan. For a long moment, she stared at him with dumbfoundedness, mumbling to herself,

"Is this a dream? It must be because I missed my flight. Go away, just leave," she muttered quietly to herself, hoping he would vanish if she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, he was still there. She sighed wearily, and then he pinched her hand, making her yelp softly in pain.

"You're not dreaming. You're back home," he said.

She became shocked at the thought of how she ended up returning to Delhi after missing her flight.

"Come with me," he said, but she was soon to put aside her emotions, and instead, she crossed her arms stubbornly.

"I want to go back to Agra. There's nothing for me here."

"But I'm here. I've been waiting for you."

She turned around, hiding the tears that were in her eyes—of happiness to see him again and of sadness because there was someone else in his life now.

"I'm not going with you. Our relationship lacks trust. You never tried to contact me for eight months, and now suddenly you want me back. What do you want?"

"I did try to contact you. You asked for space, remember? You said you needed time to think. I respected that. I suffered, only for your happiness."

"When did you contact me? When did I ask for space?" She turned back.

He furrowed his brows slightly and reminded her about the text message.

"I don't remember getting a message from you."

"You must have forgotten. Just wait," He reached into his pocket for his phone. After retrieving it, he opened his messages and showed her the chat, which was at the top because he had pinned it.

She read the message and couldn't deny it came from her phone.

"This was the day after you left. I said I trusted you. I still do. Do you remember now?"

The first person that she could think of was her aunt who could have texted him without her knowledge. She started to doubt if she even called him when they asked her to at the hospital, or if she also lied.

"Give me the phone," she requested, and he gave it to her without any questions. She first glanced at him to check if he was scared that she would go through his call log, but after she saw he was okay with it, she proceeded to search, and indeed, she didn't reach out to him, but there were so many calls from Zarah.

That made her heart ache again as she returned the phone while running her hands tiredly through her hair.

"Where is Zarah?"

"She's inside,"

"And you expect me to follow you? Seriously? With her in there?" she asked, becoming annoyed.

"Why not? She's just here for work. She'll leave once she's done."

"Wait, hold on." She shook her head, not understanding why she would leave if they're together. "Leave to?"

"Go back home. Her own home," he clarified while she smiled happily.

On the other hand, Zarah clenched the curtain in anger when she saw them together. Though she couldn't hear their conversation because she was far away, Zoya's smile confirmed that she had forgiven him.

She pressed her lips together tightly and balled her fists. "I'll be watching to see how long you stay, because the more you try to get closer to him, the more obstacles I'll put in your way. Wait and see. I'll ensure you become a forgotten memory in his life," she screeched in rage.

••••

Aryaan and Zoya held hands as they entered the house. She admired the beautiful home, amazed at how much had changed in his life since she left. She was glad he was doing well in his job and happy that he would quit being a therapist because she believed it would stop women like Zarah from pretending to need therapy just so that they would get close to him.

While she was thinking of her, she appeared from the kitchen with a bowl of yogurt. She exchanged a tensed look with Zoya in fear that she might reveal what they actually discussed in Agra.

Aryaan told her that he had convinced her to live with him, and she gave a fake smile, glancing at her again.

"That's nice."

"Is it really?" Zoya asked while approaching her.

"Of course," she responded with a small chortle, and Zoya hugged her.

"So you lied about Aryaan only wanting the child?" She whispered in her ear.

"I knew you'd bring that up. That's why I brought this yoghurt to prove his love for me. It's salty instead of sweet. But let's see what his compliment will be because he doesn't want to hurt my feelings," she whispered back, then cleared her throat and turned to Aryaan after she had drawn away.

"I made this yoghurt for you with lots of love. I wanted to celebrate your success with a special gift. It's my first time making yoghurt, so I hope you like it," she said, offering him a spoonful.

Zoya watched silently.

He tasted the yoghurt, and its saltiness made him grimace and feel queasy.

"How is it?" she asked, still smiling.

"Delicious. Very delicious," he lied, and he walked away to spit it out. He didn't want to discourage her because she said it was her first time making it, so he said it was okay, but it was the worst thing he had ever tasted.

"I told you." Her eyes returned to Zoya, who was quick to respond.

"Forget Aryaan. Anyone in his position would say the same thing because you said it was your first try. Even I, your enemy, would give a fake compliment out of pity, but that doesn't mean there's love involved."

She got mad and then dared her to make the same salty yoghurt and give it to him to see if he'd tell the truth.

"Sadly, I don't have time for that," she said before walking away towards the stairway because she saw Aryaan walking there in hurry.