Enduring Ally

Chapter 13: Love in Denial

"Actually, I was thinking more about Aditya Hooda these days. After that incident, he gave me the space, I required. But, after that only, I started to think more about him", she said.

"After you left, I took off from work, just like you said and gave a thought about what to do? But I couldn't come to any conclusion. So, I thought, let me avoid him as much as possible. But 4th day, he caught me and asked why am I doing this hide and seek? As I didn't see any other way out, I told him what happened? He was shocked after I told him. Then I decide to resign my job, I went back to his cabin with my resignation letter, but he was nowhere to be seen. So, I left my resignation on his desk and left with my things", she said.

"What? Are you mad? You resigned your job?" Riyaz panicked. "Wait, let me finish, you idiot!!!" she said. "He came to my house that evening and said he'll assign me to Prem sir and will not come in my life again. When I get back to office, he did what he said, he assigned me to Prem sir and that's the moment I felt something in my heart. Some agony and emptiness, I felt like there has been some hole in my heart", she added.

And she continued, "I couldn't concentrate on my work for a long time or engage with you guys, all the time he was occupied in my mind. I really felt like I'm missing something or someone in my life. But, I know, I needed this space from him, somehow I managed and forced myself to concentrate on the work. Same time I couldn't stop myself from thinking about him".

Riyaz didn't say anything so she continued, "Today, after 44 days I saw him in office, we both talked for a few minutes and he said he thought I'm getting married to you because I broke down in arms and said I sabotaged my relation with you on that day. When I cleared his doubts, he smiled and that smile lifted something off from my chest. After he left me, I felt so happy that something between us was cleared and I was sitting and thinking about him. Even now in Sherwani shop, I was thinking, how would Aditya look in Sherwani? I'm totally gone mad, right! Why would I imagine about him in sherwani? What the hell is happening to me?" she poured everything out from chest.

"Tut... tut... tut..." he teasingly sympathised for her pathetic state. She gave him a fierce look; if look could kill he would have been dropped dead. He taken back and said, "I know what's happening to you but as far as I know you won't accept to it". "You know... what it is... then tell me... already... about accepting or not will see later", she asked him.

"You have fallen in love with Mr. Aditya Hooda madly", he said with a smirk. She gave a petrified look and opened her mouth to say something but stopped. After few more minutes, "No, I'm not in love with Aditya, you know I can't love him, in fact, I can't love anyone after... you know... what happened... to me", she denied.

"See... Zoya... I told you, that you won't accept it. But trust me this is what love is. You need to let go of the past Zoya, you can't live in your past for your entire life. You need to move on and may be Aditya is you true love", he said holding her hand. Tears started rolling down her cheeks; she looked around and wiped it. "No... It's not... I'm not in love with Aditya... I can't love him..." she started to break down.

To pacify her, he had to say what she needs to hear, "Okay... I get it... You don't love him... Shhhh... Don't cry Zoya... you know what happens to you when you cry and break down... So please calm down..."

But she was repeatedly saying, "I'm not in love with Aditya... I'm not in love with Aditya..." Riyaz helped her to come back to normal, then paid the bill and left. He dropped her at home and asks her to take the medication. "Please don't think about anything, Zoya. Sleep well and I'll meet you tomorrow, Khuda Afeez!" and he left.

                                 ***

Wedding preparation and purchases kept Zoya and Riyaz busy and it is wedding week. They didn't talk about Aditya after that night. Riyaz and Zara kept it that way and made sure, they don't talk to her about Aditya again.