Bepannaah: Against All Odds || COMPLETED

10. The Truth

Aditya knew what anxiety was, in a way better than others did. He had been anxious everyday when he saw his mother weep for his father's presence, or when he waited for Pooja to say yes to his proposal. He had been anxious every moment he saw Sakshi and Anjana fight, because he couldn't loose any of his mothers. He knew anxiety well, or so he thought because today as he stood frozen, looking at Zoya who was pale, his heart beat like crazy to know how much she found out, and how was she going to react.

His entire body had broken into cold sweat, even with the air conditioner on, and he didn't realise when his hands had started to shake, his eyes though remained constant on Zoya's face.

Zoya, on the other hand was more alert than him, watching every bit of the expression change on his face. She stood still, but her eyes danced all over his face, stalking every flick of the muscles, every bat of the eyelashes and every uncertainty etched all over his handsome face. When she finally walked over to him, he was taken up by surprise because this was not what he had expected her to ask.

"You haven't been home in five days?", Zoya's voice was always soft, but today it was softer than usual.

Aditya immediately escaped his eyes at the question, and unconsciously his shoulders relaxed. The burden of his mother's crimes that he was carrying on his shoulder seemed a little more bearable at the moment.

"Aditya? Was that why I find you in office every night?", she asked again, and this time he raised his eyes to look at her.

"I am sorry about using the office that way-", he was about to apologise when Zoya cut him off, furious with her hands on her hip.

"Zanab Aditya Hooda, ek baar aur apne humse sorry kha na, hum sach me aapko thappad laga denge", she raised a finger at him, pouting in anger.

She was tired of his sorrys, even when he had nothing to be sorry about. She was tired of his eyes that refused to stare at her like before, she was tired of the criminal he was treating himself to be and she was definitely tired of not being there for him, when he needed her. So, it was all going to change, now, in that very moment.

"I don't care about what your stupid mind thinks, but you are at the least my best friend, and also more but you don't want to hear that. So anyway you are my best friend, and no matter your resignation, Zosh is as much yours as it's mine. So stop apologising for that. Now, you can't stay in here forever either. So why don't you - ", Zoya was about to suggest something when Aditya cut her off this time.

"I have found a place, I will move in there today. Don't fret over that", he smiled at her, and she stopped, loving every bit of the smile on his face.

"Let's go prep for the wedding?", he offered and she nodded, leaving the room behind him, watching the expression of relief on his face, relief that she didn't know yet and the relief she didn't want to snatch away from him.

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"What was I supposed to think anyway?", Arjun stared at Zoya who was sitting on the couch of her office, her head in her hands and tears rolling down her face.

"You were supposed to let me know, let me know that he was breaking apart inside and that was not just because of me, you were supposed to let me know that he had left the house he called his home and he had no one by his side...", Zoya snapped, her voice choking as she blasted on Arjun, who was shaking his head at her.

"Yeah sure, and then I was supposed to watch him die physically too if you chose your dead husband over him", Arjun retorted back, almost too bitter and that stunned Zoya. Arjun had always been the calmer one, the soft spoken one and Zoya had always seen a younger brother in him. Watching him being so hard towards her hurt her, and Arjun knew that because it hurt him too, but if had a choice between his Bhai and anyone else in the world, it was always going to be Aditya.