A Shadow Of A Man

Part Six~ Genie In A Bottle

Aditya slid the photo across the desk "This is my wife" he looked up into Zoya's eyes "Beautiful isn't she"?

Her whole body immediately felt cold, the resemblance was uncanny "She, she looks exactly like" she couldn't finish her sentence "And her name was Zoya too"?

"Yes" he went to reach for the photo but she picked it up "A doppelganger maybe" he coughed "It's my fault she's dead"

"What"?

"That night, we argued, she left to stay at a hotel room, said she would travel to work from there, turns out she never even got there, she was pregnant, I wasn't ready for a kid, blamed it on her, said she had tricked me, I even said she was with me for money" he leant back "She was a feisty one, would have hit me if I crossed the line but she didn't even move, didn't speak a word, just left, she would have been an amazing mother, I wasn't ready to be a father" he looked to the side "You never think the last words you'll say to someone will be the words that they think of when they die"

Zoya bit into her lip and quickly wiped away a tear, she couldn't help but think of how coincidental it was that she was an exact replica of his dead wife, a part of her even wanted to believe he was being honest, maybe even believe that she was indeed his wife. But it wasn't possible, for instance she was born atleast a few years after Zoya would have been, Aditya was in his fourties and she in her thirties. But maybe this was a second chance for him, to say everything he had wanted to say. "Pretend I am her"

"I don't have to pretend" he muttered

"What would you say to her now, if you had the chance"?

Aditya huffed then crossed his arms "For all the times you asked me to profess my love and I said no, for all the times I hurt you and you forgave me" he paused "This is stupid, it" he stood up and massaged his forehead

Zoya stood up and walked so she was infront of him "It's not stupid" her voice was quieter now, confusing him with two different Zoya's wouldn't be helpful "What do you want to say, to me"?

His eyes ran over her body in admiration "You're always dressing in such a way and then you expect me to keep my hands off of you, it's cruel" he looked down at her hands and lifted one into his, he had missed how it felt to have her hand in his, it was the little things. "I think the greatest thing about you was that you taught me that it's better to hurt than to feel nothing at all, hurting for you was a pleasure i'm glad I had"

Looking up at him she gulped "Mr Hooda, I"

"Shh" he leant down and rested his forehead against hers "Just, stand with me"

"Wakey wakey" a guard slapped his hands together, waking Aditya from the most peaceful dream he had, had in years.

Sitting up he yawned "What"?

"It's therapy time, you have five minutes then she'll be here"

[~~~]

Zoya paused in her steps and strained her ears, was he singing? All she could hear was a throaty voice singing along in a harmonious tune "I feel like I've been locked up tight for a century of lonely nights, waiting for someone to release me you're licking your lips and blowing kisses my way but that don't mean I'm gonna give it away, baby, baby, baby" as she turned the corner she finally got to hear him sing louder "Ooh, my body's sayin' let's go, oh, but my heart is sayin' no if you wanna be with me baby there's a price to pay" he looked directly at her "I'm a genie in a bottle you gotta rub me the right way"

"Good morning" Zoya stepped inside and sat down

"Good morning indeed" he looked at her dressed in a bright blue shirt, golden earrings and grey trousers "The blue really does suit you" his words came out more like an appreciative growl