Around a week later

"Aditya...Adii....Adii" called out Zoya while drying her hair.
Aditya opened his eyes and tossed around the bed and said "Uhuhhh .. kya hua Zoya. Kyun cheekh rhi ho."
Zoya scowled, went near the bed and said "Janab , 8:30 baj rhe hai subah ke. Aapka kab uthne ka irada hai? Ek  saal pehle tak toh aap badi jaldi uth jaate the. Ab kya hua ?"
Aditya said in a sloppy voice ",Ek saal pehle tak tum bhi kahan itna cheekhti thi. Chup karke aa jaao na mere saath bed mein. Sunady hai aaj yaar," and pulled her hand making her sit on the bed.
Zoya found it hard to keep a straight face looking at her husband's childish antics. She brushed his hair and kissed his cheek and said , "Adi. Please uth jaiye na. Aaj baba aur Mri aa rhe hai na. Humein jana hoga unhe pick up karne . Aap bhi unke liye kuch special banana chahte the na. Uske liye uthna toh padega."

Aditya turned to face her and gave her a huge smile and said , "Mere dimag se toh nikal hi gya tha. Main abhi uth ta hoon. Mri ke liye pancakes aur waffles bhi toh banane hai. Mere haath ka breakfast khane ke liye taras gyi hogi voh."

Zoya kissed his forehead and said "Good boy."
She went near the mirror and brushed her hair and started tying the strings of her blouse when Aditya came and hugged her from behind and she gasped. He wrapped his hands around her waist and placed his head on the crook of her neck and said "Itna sundar dikhna gunaah hai Zoya. Roz roz ek aadmi ko aise maarne ki saza pata hai kya hoti hai?"
Zoya giggled and asksd in whisper "Kya hoti hai?"
Aditya kissed her nape and bit her ear while tightening the grip on her waist making her let out a small moan.
She turned around and gave a small peck on his lips and said "Aapka jo yeh romantic sa mood ban rha hai na , usko zara sambhaliye aur jaiye thoda kaam kijiye."

He shook his head like a baby and Zoya laughed while giving him a push.
He went towards the bathroom and said "Acha , Zoya."
"Huh?" said she.
"I love you."
Zoya smiled and said "I love me too."
Aditya rolled his eyes and went inside.

Zoya got ready and went to the kitchen to make Harsh's and Mri's favourite dessert , blueberry cheesecake.
Aditya came down after a few minutes and started making preparations for the breakfast. He was whistling as he was cooking and Zoya was humming softly.
As they worked, Zoya said "Are , Adi, hum toh bhool hi gye the."
Without stopping his whistling, he nodded his head signaling her to continue.

"Aaj shaam , Sahir ke ghar jaana hai hum dono ko.".
Aditya stopped whistling and asked "Kyun ? Kya hua?"
Zoya said "Unki engagement hai aaj."
Aditya gave her a surprised look and said "Engagement? Arranged hai?"
Zoya said "Nhi, nhi. Voh unki kaafi time se ek girlfriend thi  , usi ke saath hai."
Aditya looked down at his feet and said "Oh! Uski el girlfriend thi. I wish I had known that before, toh yeh sab...."
Zoya left her dish and came to him and said "Shhhss Aditya. That's in the past now. We have moved on from that now."
Aditya took her hand and kissed it and said "I am still very sorry about it Zoya. And thank you for being so supportive about this and not saying a word about the pain that you had to go through. I honestly don't know what I would have done without you".

Zoya caressed his face and said "Bas kijiye Aditya. Jo hua so hua. Humein aage badh jana chaiye. It's okay. We cant change the past. Ab chaliye yeh aansoon ponch li jiye aur apne pancakes pe dhyaan di jiye. Mri aapse itna bhi pyaar nhi karti ki jale hue pancakes kha le."
Aditya let out a small laugh. Zoya got her dessert out of the oven and waited for it cool down before putting it in the fridge.

She wiped her hands, took her bag and was about to go out when Aditya stopped her and said "Zoya , mask aur sanitizer toh le jaao. Pata hai na bahar kaisa scene hai."

Zoya clapped her forehead and said thank you and left.
Aditya cleared up the kitchen , and  the phone rang.
He picked up and said "Hello."
There wasn't any voice on the other side.
He again said "Hello. Who's there?"
A deep voice replied "Aditya. Is that you ?"
Aditya's body froze and he said in a cold voice "You? After all these months."
The deep voice replied "Adity..."

Aditya said "Main yeh pehli aur aakhri baar bol rha hoom Yash , do not call here ever again. Bohot der baad humari life normal hui hai , yahan aake isko bigadne ki koshish bhi mat karna."

With that he kept the phone down and sat down breathing heavily.
Yash Arora was back after all these months. Aditya's hatred for his brother in law rushed back. He took multiple deep breaths to calm himself down. He couldn't be this angry today, not in front of Mrinalini. He wished Zoya was there with him at that moment. He needed a hug from her.

After around thirty minutes, the bell rang. Aditya made sure his face had a huge smile before he went to open the door. Mri leapt into his arms as soon as she saw him. He hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead. Zoya came behind her , helping Harsh with the bags.
Aditya gave a warm hug to his father and took the luggage from Zoya's hand.

Aditya said "I missed you both so much."
Harsh said ," We missed you too beta. You would have loved the trip."
Zoya cleared her throat and said "Hum bhi hai yahan. Koi humein bhi miss kar lein thoda."

Harsh laughed and Mri said "Obviously Zo, we missed you too, more than we missed Adi."
Zoya said ,"I will believe it if you tell all your stories to me before you tell them to Adi."
Mri giggled and said  "Deal."

They all chattered happily while Aditya set the table and served them hot pancakes and waffles along with Zoya's blueberry cheesecake.

Harsh and Mri narrated funny stories from their one month long trip. Aditya laughed but Zoya noticed that his laughter didn't quiet meet his eyes.

After they finished eating, Harsh said "Main aur Mrinalini thoda aaram kar lete hai . Jet lag se jaan nikal rhi hai."
Zoya said "Haan baba. Maine aap dono ke liye garam paani ready rakha hai aur aapka sleepwear bhi bed pe hai. Naha ke sredha bed mein ghus jaaiyega. Shaam ko main aur Aditya ek dost ki sagai mein ja rhe hai. Toh phir raat ko aaram se milte hai."

They went and Aditya helped Zoya clear the table.
Zoya noticed how quiet Aditya was the entire time. They both went upstairs and Zoya said "Aditya aap theek toh hai na?"
Aditya said "Haan . Bas thoda sar mein dard ho rha hai. Thodi der so jata hoon. Theek ho jayega."

Though it seemed like the perfect excuse for his behavior, Zoya still wasn't convinced. However she didn't push him any further and let him rest.

After a few hours , Aditya and Zoya started getting ready for the engagement.
Aditya decided to wear a black and golden kurta, while Zoya opted for a peach coloured saree with a golden backless blouse.

Zoya came out from bathroom and saw Aditya was already ready. He was wearing his was watch and Zoya just kept staring at the handsome sight in front of her. He looked utterly alluring and hot wearing that kurta , especially with the folded cuffs. Aditya caught her staring and smirked. His smirk made Zoya's heart beat faster.

Aditya said "How do I look Zoya?"
Zoya whispered "Damn Hooda , I could eat you up. You look like a snack."

Aditya started laughing and Zoya joined him. Zoya came towards him and hugged him from behind and said "Aap aise hi ache lagte hai humein. Haste , hasaate. Bataiye ab , kya baat thi jo aapko dupahar ko khatak rhi thi."

Aditya stopped laughing and clutched Zoya's hands so that her hug could become tighter and said "Hai ek baat. Lekin abhi jald baazi mein bata nhi paaonga. Raat ko aakar baat karenge. "
Zoya pressed her cheeks on his back and said "Okay. But let it out whatever it is. We will find a solution together."
Aditya turned around and gave her a kiss and said "Yeah I know. With you around , half of my problems get solved anyway. Now get ready , we need to leave."
Zoya put on her make up and wore her jewellery. And then they left saying goodbye to a very sleepy Harsh and Mri.

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Precap: Zoya meets her family at Sahir's engagement.
Aditya talks to Zoya's mom about her and they both share an emotional conversation.

Hi Readers.
This was a quick update. Let me know what you think of the upcoming track and your views on this chapter.
Next chapter to be uploaded soon.
Do check out my new book "Humein Tumse Pyaar Kitna.

Please stay safe and take all necessary precautions against the Corona virus.

Lots of love
Cold Dragon