Both Zoya and Shawn turned their heads to the person who has interrupted their conversation. As soon as her eyes fall on the stunning lady at the door smiling at her, Zoya got up from her chair & ran to hug her. All her tension evaporated in a minute as she tightly wrapped her arms around her friend.

"Oh My God! Ishuu! I can't believe you're here", Zoya exclaimed pulling back from the hug.

"Kyun de diya na jhatka?", Ishita smiled.

Zoya held Ishita's hand and dragged her towards the couch in the corner of cabin. "Aap yahan aaiye hmare saath. Der saari baatein krni h hume aapse", she smiled like a child. Ishita kept her handbag on the table and both of them settled on the couch.

Shawn who was silently watching the 2 ladies who had gotten busy in their chat, smiled and turned to leave the cabin to give two friends their privacy. Just when he was about to leave, Zoya stopped him.

"Shawn paas wale Cafe se two Pizzas and two Cold Coffee order kr dijiye please", she instructed and turned to Ishita.

"Yes ma'am", he smiled & left.

"So how was the surprise Zoya Madam?", Ishita asked in her usual flaunting voice.

"Hum bata nhi skte hum kitne khush h. Aap kl bhi gayab ho gyi thi lekin aaj hum aapko kahin nhi jane denge", she warned her in a strict voice.

"Sorry about last night! You know Vatsal na. Kl fir se ussne overdrink kr li and we had to leave the party early", Ishita told her with an irritation in her voice.

"To mtlb Janab abhi tk nhi badle. He still behaves like a teenager. Waise iss me na unn ki koi galti h hi nhi. Aap ne hi apne Shauhar ko kuch zyada dheel de rkhi h", Zoya teased her.

"Oh please Zoi! Now don't side with your friend okk", Ishita rolled her eyes at her causing Zoya to grin sheepishly and so they chatted for a while.

"By the way main ek important baat krne aayi.....", Ishita was saying when the door opened and Shawn entered in managing both Pizza boxes and Coffee cans in his hands.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Kabhi hamare liye bhi fursat nikal liya kijiye", Waseem said taking his seat next to Roshnaq who was cutting vegetables.

Roshnaq smiled at her husband's wish. "Kya baat h bahut khush lag rahe h aaj", keeping the tray aside, she gave him the little attention he was craving for weeks. She has kept herself busy with one thing or the other after Zoya left resulting in her giving less time to her husband. The silence Zoya had left behind in the big Siddiqui House was enough to take away anyone's sanity. And the couple has been feeling that loneliness for quiet sometime now.

"Ab baat hi aisi h. Aap sunegi to aap bhi khushi se jhoom uthengi", his eyes were glistening.

"Achcha aisa bhi kya h. Zaraa hume bhi bataiye Zoya be Abbu", she fondly called him so sometimes.

And suddenly as if the atmosphere had turned romantic for them. Waseem held her hand in between his palms & looked into her eyes.

"Hmmm....to baat kuch yun h ki jo vaada hum ne aapse kia tha usse ab poora krne ka waqt aa gaya h", he told her.

A bright smile lit on her face, "Sach? Aap sach keh rahe h Waseem?".

"Koi shaq? Aap bas apni beti se milne ki tayaari kijiye. Hum bahut jald Delhi jaa rahe h", his lips curved into a wide smile. Roshnaq's eyes flooded with happy tears. Zoya's absence had affected her lately, so Waseem promised to take her to Delhi.

"To hume kb leke chal rahe h hamari beti ke paas?", she asked wiping her tears.

"Ek client ke saath meeting h Delhi me. Do hafte baad ki tickets h".

"Achcha h hume Zoya aur unke sasuraal walo ke liye thodi shopping bhi krni thi. Hum kl hi jayenge aur market se Zoya ke favourite cookies ka samaan le aaenge", Roshnaq told him in a cheerful voice.

"Lijiye beti ki baat aate hi apne Shauhar ko phir bhool gayi aap", he complaint in a cute voice as she had picked the knife & resumed her work.

"Waseem aap bhi na", she laughed at his antics and shook her head in the air.

"Beti aur damaad ke saath saath cookies thode se zyada bana hi lijiyega. Hum bhi taste kr lenge. Baad me mile na mile", he requested when she picked the chopped vegetables and started walking towards the kitchen.

"Itni achchi khabar sunane ka hume kya milega?", he asked in a loud voice as she was doing something in the kitchen.

Roshnaq returned from kitchen with the tray of tea cups and snacks in her hands. "Adrak wali chai aapke favourite toasts ke saath", she passed him a lovely smile.

"Chaliye filhaal ke liye issi se kaam chala lete h", Waseem taunted his wife in light note with a positive smile as she passed him the cup. Roshnaq joined him taking the adjacent seat and both of them spent some time together over the tea laughing and talking.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Mnmm wow! This tastes soo good Zoii", Ishita said stuffing another slice of Pizza in her mouth.

Zoya was watching Ishita enjoying Cold Pizza while she sipped her Cold Coffee. "Aapka na taste hume smjh hi nhi aata h. Hum College se dekh rahe h pr aaj tk yeh nhi smjh paye ki yeh Cold Pizza khane ke peeche aap itna obsessed kyun h", taking another sip of Coffee she commented on the weird tastes of her friend.

"Zoii, how can you say that without even trying? Trust me, it's tastes even better!! You need to try this once", Ishita insisted extending a slice towards Zoya's mouth. She quickly put her palms in front of her mouth clearly denying the offer.

"No Ishu, please hume yeh try nhi krna", Zoya muttered causing Ishita to roll her eyes and stuffed the cold Pizza slice back into her mouth.

"You are hating it without even giving it a try. Life me sab kuch try krna chahiye. You never know kb kya achcha lag jaye", Ishita quoted casually and as usual Zoya let the words go into the air not knowing the deep meaning behind them.

"Aap aur aapki baatein! Ya Allah, hum to yeh soch rahe h ki itne saalon se bechare hamare dost ki kya halat hoti hogi aapke saath", she giggled pulling Ishita's leg & at the same time earning a slap on hand from her.

"Please haan koi bechara-vechara nahi h woh. Tumhe usski itni tarafdaari krne ki zaroorat nhi h", Ishita replied picking up her coffee.

"Theek h nahi krenge. Lekin hume aapse bahut saari shikayatein krni h. Aap janti h kitna miss kia hum ne aapko. Itne saal tk na koi call na koi message. Achanak se hi gayab ho gayi thi aap", Zoya complaint Ishita about her absence.

"Achcha jii? Waise shikayat to mujhe bhi bahut saari krni h tujhse. Zoya ki bachhi tune chupke chupke Shaadi kr li. Doston ko bhool gayi. I want to know everything. Aditya se kb-kahan-kaise mili? Because mujhe jitna yaad h School me to tera koi boyfriend nhi tha. To yeh Aditya ki entry ki kaise hui haan?", Ishita asked giving a teasing look with her eyebrows to Zoya.

Dumping the plastic coffee mug into the bin Zoya answered in a low tone, "Aditya aur hamari arrange marriage h. Abbu ne tay kia tha yeh rishta humare liye. Aditya se hum pehli baar hamare ghar Mumbai me hi mile the unki family ke saath".

"Tu Aditya se pyaar to krti h na?", Ishita asked & for a while the situation turned serious as Zoya turned to look at her.

Not letting the awkward silences take up the space, Zoya quickly change the topic to not let Ishita doubt, "Aap kuch keh rhi thi na. Kuch important baat krni wali thi na?". She asked showing curiosity & sat next to Ishita on the couch.

Ishita slapped her forehead, "Oh yeahh I almost forgot about that. I have got a surprise for you Zoya baby!!". Cleaning her hands with the tissue, she turned to face Zoya. "So next month hamari travel agency Shimla Hiking organize kr rhi h. Sid and Roshni would be joining us too. AND", she paused and get up in a way of declaring & clapped her hands in the air before continuing. "You both are coming with us", she recited her plans happily.

Zoya immediately got up from her place. "Hiking? Shimla? Next month?".

"Yes I am so excited already", excitement was oozing out of Ishita's tone.

"Sorry Ishuu pr hum nhi aa paenge", she finally said walking towards her desk.

"Kyu?", Ishita asked keeping her hand on her waist.

"Hum ne yahan abhi to kaam start kia h. Bahut orders pending h. Aur phir Aditya ne bhi abhi join kia h......woh bhi busy h", Zoya stuttered as she lied while trying to avoid Ishita's eyes which were towering over her. Her face turned pale. Clearly the surprise came more as a shock to her.

It wasn't even a month to their marriage and she had a terrible fight with Aditya. She had said very rude things to him the night before. She didn't have any courage  left to confront him after what happened last night. She was ashamed of what she did. And her mother-in-law's words this morning had added to her guilt.

Ishita folded her hands & spoke to Zoya whose back was facing her, "Madam for your information, Sid ne already Aditya ko call kr dia h yeh batane ke liye ki tum dono hamare saath Shimla chal rahe ho".

"What?", Zoya turned to her with shock.

"Yes", Ishita smiled confidently.

"AND I don't think Aditya will deny Sid. After all, Sid is his friend & his business partner", she further said walking to her.

"Ishita pr hum nhi......".

"Now don't be a spoil sport na Zoi. Bahut mazaa aayega", Ishita said cutting her.

Zoya look at her with blank expressions. She opened her mouth to say something but then shut it. Ishita had come with all the preparations and sounded confident but Zoya knew the things aren't same as the night before.

She was lost in her thoughts when Ishita held her shoulders to gain her attention. "Zoi are you listening to me?", she asked. She noticed Ishita had already picked up her handbag. She was ready to leave.

"I have to leave now. Vatsal ghr pr wait kr raha hoga", she said giving a hug to Zoya.

"See you soon haan. Bye", she pressed the door & disappeared.

"Bye Ish", Zoya's smiled had faded by the time she left as tension climbed over her mind.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was almost night when Aditya got out from the Airport and sat inside his car. He had long tiring flight to Kathmandu. He thought of checking his phone on his way home. There were 10 missed calls - 1 from Paa, 2 from Maa and 7 from Sid. But not a single one from that one person he wanted to see. He scrolled Sid's number on the contact list and without thinking pressed his thumb on the dial button. It was picked on the first ring itself.

"Kaisa h bhai?", Siddharth's cheery voice asked him.

"Sorry yaar abhi dekha tera call. Raaste me hu Airport se ghar jaa hi raha hu", he spoke in a weak voice.

"Its ok I understand Adi. I hope kal raat tum dono safely ghar pahunch gaye the? Kyuki bahut tej baarish ho rahi thi", Sid asked with genuine concern in his voice.

The painful hole in his heart was opened again with the mention of the last night. Aditya was having hard time not letting his mind ponder over those things again.

"Adi? Hello?? Are you there?".

"Yeah yeah ofcourse hum ghar pahunch gaye the safely. Don't worry about that", Aditya said brushing off the topic that's only gonna cause him pain.

"By the way 7 missed calls? Kya hua kuch urgent tha?".

"Maine ek bahut hi zaroori soochna dene ke liye call kia tha".

"Soochna?".

"Umm hmm", Aditya heard Siddharth's smile as he hummed from the other end.

He continued, "To soochna yeh h ki next month Shimla me Hiking Camp h jahan hum sb friends jaa rahe h aur tum dono bhi hume join kr rahe ho".

"Hiking Camp? Shimla? Pr mujhe kahan hiking aati h", Aditya said in a dry voice.

"Dekh iss baar koi bahana nahi chalega. Ishita ne Zoya ko bol dia h ki tu aur Zoya hamare saath aa rahe ho", Sid declared.

Last night had cleared things in front of his eyes that he was not paying to until now. The horrible night had made him understood his place in her life. He got to know how his wife feel about him. She had voiced her intentions to him in very clear words. The words that still rang in his ears. 

"Sid main nahi join kr paunga. Tujhe to pata h na Captain ki post pe maine abhi abhi duty resume ki h. Itni jaldi doobara chutti ke liye permission nhi milegi", he felt bad for lying but now he knew that she didn't him anywhere near her.

"Adi this is not done! Tu har baar koi na koi bahane se bach jata h. Pr main kuch nhi janta iss baar tujhe aana hi padega", Siddharth commanded disappointed by Aditya's refusal.

Since it was clear that he had no right to decide anything on her behalf, there was no  use of dragging this topic.

"Try to understand main nhi aa paunga".

"Aur Zoya ke baare me bhi to soch. Tum dono ki abhi abhi Shaadi hui h. Thoda time apni biwi ke saath bhi to spend kr. Kaam to life long chalta hi rahega bhai", he insisted to reconsider the decision.

Adi chuckled weakly, "Ussi ke baare me to soch raha hu".

"Hum aapki shakal bhi nhi dekhna chahte h".

The words were haunting him since past night.

"Main dekh raha hu kitna soch raha h", Siddharth was little annoyed clearly not understanding Aditya's reference. "Apne hi Honeymoon ke liye chutti nhi le skta", he scolded.

"Nahi yaar main nahi aa paunga. Sorry!", saying that Aditya cut the call and threw his phone on the seat. He closed his eyes for the rest of the time relaxing a bit.

~~~~~~~~~~

He found his mother waiting for him as he reached home. Anjana walked to him as soon as her eyes fell upon him. Harsh & Arjun were sitting on the dining table who were having dinner. But Zoya wasn't there with them.

"Adi kitni der lga di aaj. Kb se wait kr rhi hu tera", she helped him in removing his court.

"Maa bahut bhook lag rahi h. Please jaldi se khana lga do", Aditya said rubbing his stomach.

Anjana smiled at her Cheeku & lovingly placed her hand on his cheeks. "Tu baith main abhi laayi", she told him & went to the kitchen.

"Aa jaa Adi. Teri Maa ne aaj tere favorite Aloo ke paranthe banaye h", Papa Hooda called him from the table.

"Jii Paa", he glanced once in the direction of his room whose lights were off before joining them on the table. Maybe she has slept already, he thought.

"Bhai aaj aap late kaise ho gaye?", Arjun asked his brother as soon as he settled on the adjacent seat.

Just then their mother returned with the casserole of hot paranthas she had made. "Le Adi Garam garam paranthe aur saath me teri favorite pudine ki chutney. Mane apne haatho se khaas tere liye banayi h", Anjana pressed her lips into a motherly smile as she served food on his plate.

Aditya took her hands & kissed on them. "Thanks Maa", the only words that came from his mouth along with a weak smile. She sat next to him and fed Aditya by her hands who ate like a small hungry child craving for love & care.

**********

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