It is not very often that you come across a story that changes you forever. For me, the story of Asfandyar Ali Khan and Zubia Khalil will be something I will cherish and love until I die. A story that gave me hope, that transported me to a whole oth...
It was a particularly cold winter evening and Zubia and Asfandyar were curled up on the couch. She was reading a book while he worked on his laptop. Her head was lightly resting on his shoulder and she loved the feel of his warm body next to hers, even though the way she was sitting made it kind of difficult for him to type. Not that he complained. He never did.
Just then the front door swung open and Asfandyar's parents walked inside. They had gone for dinner with some old friends of Baba's. Asfi and Zubiya had also been invited but both had declined for they much preferred a night in with just each other's company.
Zubia sat up straighter and moved just slightly further away from Asfandyar. She didn't want to seem indecent in front of her in-laws, even though she had come to love them like her own parents and they too had never once made her feel like an outsider.
"Asfand, mujhe kisi zaroori kaam se Islamabad jaana hai. Tum mere saat chalna" said Baba after taking off his coat. Asfandyar looked up from his laptop with a questioning look.
"Khairyat hai Baba?" He inquired. It had been a while since he had been anywhere outside of Neelum and he didn't particularly feel like it either. This place felt more like home now than Islamabad or Karachi ever would again. Or maybe because when the word 'home' came to his mind he could picture the beautiful doe-eyed girl seated next to him. Zubia Khalil had completely taken over his entire existence. For the second time in his life he felt like a completely different person.
"Haan haan sub khairyat hai. Bus aik case ke silsilay mein jaana hai. Mujhe acha lage ga agar tum mere saath hoge. Humare wahan wale ghar ke bhi kuch issues resolve karne hain." He replied. Asfandyar knew better than to question any further. "Jee Baba, jaisi aapki marzi. Main chala jaonga aapke saath." Usman nodded at him with a smile. He then turned his attention to Lubna. "Dinner par toh green tea pi li lekin asal chai ka maza aur hai. Aap bana de please" He requested his wife as he turned on the TV to a news channel.
Lubna was about to get up but Zubia immediately sprang up from the couch and stopped her. "Mama aap baithen main bana deti hun chai."
Lubna tried to argue but Zubia wouldn't hear any of it. She loved taking care of Asfandyar's parents almost as much as she loved taking care of Asfandyar. It was sort of her thank you to them for bringing this man into the world and for choosing her to be his wife. Asfandyar smiled as he continued to type. Watching Zubia care for his parents warmed his heart more than she knew.
"Aap piyenge chai?" She asked him. "Agar aap bana rahi hain toh peeni toh paregi" He said in a mischievous tone. She laughed and trailed off into the kitchen.
***
The next day Asfandyar and his father left for Islamabad. Zubia knew it was silly of her to feel this sad and anxious for they were only going for 3 days but the thought of being away from him, after having the luxury of spending most of her free time right by his side, scared her. Little did she know right at this moment Asfandyar was feeling the exact same thing.
The day wasn't so bad as Zubia was busy at the hospital and had her friends there to spend time with. However when she came back home her spirits were getting lower.
Mama was sitting in the living room waiting for her drama to start. Zubia joined her and they both spent the next hour hooked to the TV screen. After dinner and a cup of tea Lubna wished Zubia good night and went to bed. She usually got very tired by this time and Zubia was glad she couldn't see what was going on inside of her daughter-in-law because she hated to make her worry, especially since her blood pressure had been spiralling.
Zubia walked into her and Asfi's room and glanced around at the emptiness before going through all the daily bedtime rituals. She first changed into a loose shalwar kameez but then on second thought decided to wear one of Asfandyar's T-shirts instead. It smelled like him and that calmed her immensely. She climbed into bed and buried herself in the warmth of the comforter before grabbing her phone and calling Asfandyar. He answered on the fourth ring but seemed extremely distracted.
She could also hear a lot of people talking in the background. He couldn't even hear her properly. Then his firm voice came through loudly saying, "Zubia hum aik dinner par aye hue hain yahan bohat shor hai main tumse baad mein baat karunga. Tum so jao tumhari morning shift hai kal." Before she could respond the call disconnected. She sighed and placed her phone on the bedside table. Closing her eyes, she waited for sleep to take over.
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However, a few hours later she was woken up by something that she thought she was done with forever. A nightmare. After so long. She could feel her hands shake as she wiped the beads of sweat that had appeared on her forehead. Her heart was hammering in her chest. A mix of pictures was flashing through her mind. All her demons had made an appearance in her dreams that night and she looked utterly shaken up. So this is what it's going to be like now, she thought. Kya main ub aik raat bhi un ke baghair sukoon se nahi guzaar sakti? Ya Allah. A tear rolled down her cheek.
***
Back in Islamabad, it was very late into the night and Asfandyar was finally about to sleep. That business dinner had taken way longer than expected and he just wanted to go back home. Being this tired is a good thing, he thought to himself. It prevented him from thinking about sleeping alone. He had told her he would talk to her later but she was probably fast asleep now.
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Taking off his glasses, he closed his eyes but a few minutes of restlessness he was sitting up and putting them back on. He just had this strange feeling in the pit of his stomach; as if something was wrong. He frowned into the darkness, brows knitted, debating with himself. He decided to call anyway. Zubia answered on the second ring.
