Fasaana | फसाना | فسانا
:a tale; a romance; a fiction
Zoya had spent her entire life adhering to societal and parental rules, feeling trapped like a bird in a cage. But what happens when she decides to shatter those restrictions and soar freely?
Al...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Love you to the Moon and to Saturn.
*******
The last two months had been absolutely magical for Zoya. Shahveer didn’t let go any chance to show how much she and Sehrish meant to him. This was the first time someone was showing her love and care so openly, and she still wasn't used to it. Sometimes she also feared if all this happiness would end abruptly, but at the same time she trusted Shahveer for never abandoning them.
The only thing that kept her a little stressed was Kian. He had not contacted her ever since he confessed having feelings for her. She tried to call and text him, but he did not respond to any of them. After getting ignored for a week straight, she was ready to go to his home but Aarti stopped her. She made Zoya understand that she should give him some time and space to accept the situation. It had been more than nine weeks since that talk.
It was Valentine's Day today. And Shahveer just got out of the bathroom after trimming his beard and showering. A plain black suit with a white shirt was sitting on his bed that he had ironed in the morning. He got dressed quickly and set his hair in a messy way. He was keeping the look casual with no tie and the top two buttons of his shirt were open. Wearing his watch and shoes, he checked his look one last time and gave a nod of approval.
He picked up his car and home keys and the bouquet of pink carnations that he had ordered especially for his girl.
Locking his apartment, he went over to Zoya’s home and rang the bell. Malti opened the door and smiled at him, urging him to come inside.
"Have a seat, she's getting ready." Malti told her. He nodded and made some small talk with her while waiting.
Finally, ten minutes later, her date made an appearance. Shahveer looked at her and mentally sighed at the gorgeous beauty in front of him. He walked closer to her, before kneeling down and handing her the bouquet. "You look so pretty, my princess."
Sehrish giggled shyly. "Thank you." She was wearing a white frock with stockings to keep her warm.
"Are you ready for our date?" He asked, to which she nodded enthusiastically. Ever since Zoya had explained to her that he would be taking her out for a fun meal, she was so looking forward to it.
Zoya came in the room as well with a long white jacket that she made Sehrish wear. "Have fun, but not too much. And no ice creams." She strictly instructed both of them.
"Mama," Shahveer said, "you don't get to say anything about our date."
Lately, he had started calling Zoya mama when Sehrish was included in their conversation. It just came naturally to him, and she had absolutely loved this new development. It made her feel like they were a family.
Ten minutes later, Sehrish was buckled up in the backseat of the car which Shahveer was driving. A single carnation flower was in her hand that she had picked up before leaving the bouquet at home. He had made a playlist of all her favorite songs (which mostly included disney movie songs). He played it and they vibed to it together all the way to the restaurant.
When they reached the restaurant, he helped her unbuckle the seatbelt and get out of the car. Giving the keys to the valet, he escorted her inside by holding her hand.
"Hi, I have made a reservation under Shahveer Khan." He spoke to the man standing at the entrance.
He checked in his computer and nodded. "Yes, sir. Table for two. Please follow me."
At the table, Shahveer asked for a high chair for Sehrish and made her sit down comfortably. Then he sat opposite to her. A waitress came to hand out their menus and smiled adorably at the duo.
Sehrish held the menu card in her hand and looked at the contents. She had just learnt the alphabet till now, and couldn't read words. But she still was scanning the name of the dishes very seriously.
"I will let you guys decide." The waitress said before giving them some privacy.
Shahveer looked through the dishes. "So what would you like, princess?"
"Pizza." She replied immediately.
He smiled and checked if they had pizza. They did. He read the options available and she chose the margherita one since it didn't have any vegetables. He called the waitress back.
"Yes, sir." She brought out her pen and notepad.
"Would you like to order?" He asked Sehrish.
"Mar-margita pizza." She said in her baby voice, "with lots of cheese."
Shahveer smiled at her cuteness, and so did the waitress.
"Anything else?" She asked.
"Yes. One chicken lasagna, and one hot chocolate." He added.
When the food arrived, Sehrish immediately dug in.
Shahveer on the other hand pulled out his phone and clicked a picture of her. Her mouth was stuffed, in her hand she was holding a slice of pizza and her single pink flower was sitting near her plate. He sent it to Zoya with the caption '#bestdateever'.
"Would you like to try some lasagna?" He asked her, to which she bobbed her head.
They shared their food. She wasn't able to finish her hot chocolate, so he ended up finishing that. Then he asked if she would like some dessert as well. And who says no for dessert? Definitely not Sehrish.
They ordered a raspberry cheesecake which she loved. While she was polishing off her sweet dish, Shahveer asked for the bill.
"This was literally the cutest father-daughter date I've ever seen." The waitress commented.
He smiled and looked at Sehrish. He loved the fact that she was becoming his daughter now.
On the way back home, he bought her balloons and tons of chocolates. He knew Zoya would scold him on that, but he didn’t care. As long as it made Sehrish happy.
Upon dropping her back home, he immediately came back to his place and changed into his pajamas. He ended one date successfully, but now he had another date to prepare for. A date for Zoya.
He pulled up chairs in front of his couch and covered it with white sheets to make a sort of fort with it. He put a mattress on the floor and covered it with another white sheet. Then came in some pillows, cushions and a blanket. He hung some fairy light around.
The last step was food. So he went to the kitchen and started work. It took him more than half an hour to finish his charcuterie board. It consisted of crackers, cheese, salami, garlic bread, nuts, and olivers and some slices of carrots and cucumbers. In the middle, he kept a cheesy-spicy dip. Along with that, he also made a board for dessert. It had marshmallows, strawberries, banana slices and oreos with chocolate sauce.
He kept the boards on the right corner inside the fort. Along with it, he put a vase of red roses.
Finally he ordered two large pizzas because he knew, as fancy as the charcuterie board looked, it would not be enough to suffice them.
All this preparation had taken him time and it was 7 in the evening already. He quickly went to freshen up and change into a pair of pjs and hoodie that would keep him comfortable as well as warm.
Before he left to pick up Zoya from next door, he switched on the fairy lights and made sure everything looked pretty.
Zoya had once casually told him that she had never been on a date, so he knew this was going to be her first time.
And he would not have it anything less than perfect.
