*2 weeks later*
Tara: Zo-Zo, Chalo, bus aa gayi hai!

Zoya: Abhi aaye! Yeh lo, dabba, pura khaana theek hai?

Tara: Haan,theek hai, Bye!

Zoya: Bye!

[Tara left for school and Zoya returned to the living room to collect her books and continue her work until she realised she hadn't checked up on Aditya.]

Zoya: (Entering his room) Suniye, aap nashtaa—-Haye Allah!

[She covered her eyes when she saw him half naked with a towel wrapped around his torso, and Aditya screamed before running in to the bathroom.]

Aditya: Dekho, Mujhe pata hai tumhe meri 'hot' body dekhna ka bahut shaukh hai, lekin manners naam ki cheez bhi hoti hai!

Zoya: Tauba! Hume koi shaukh nahi hai! Sharam naam ki cheez toh hai hi nahi aapko!

Aditya: Kyun aayi Ho?

Zoya: Aap naashta khaayenge?

Aditya: Haan, khaaonga...Aur Kuch?

Zoya: Ek toh aapke liye naashta banaaya hai, Upar se aap aise baat kar rahe hai!

Aditya: Uffo, Accha Sorry meri Maa! Ab Main taiyaar Ho jaaon?

Zoya: Haan

[Zoya went back to the kitchen and sat on the high chair besides the counter rather annoyed, but also slightly appalled by how shameless Aditya had become.

Sigh, if only Zoya knew that this meant that Aditya was beginning to get comfortable with her!]

Aditya:(Buttoning up his shirt) Yaar, yeh shirt bhi...

Zoya: Ab Kya Hua hai?

Aditya: Kuch nahi...Waise Mujhe bahut Bhook lagi thi, so thanks

Zoya: Koi baat nahi...

Aditya:Kal Main naashta banaaonga

Zoya: Kyun?

Aditya: Ainvayi

Zoya: Kya?

Aditya:Matlab, aise Hi

Zoya: Accha...

Aditya: Kal Main Tara ka dabba bhi banaaonga

Zoya: Kyun?

Aditya: Kyun ki tum iss Ghar ki ghulaam nahi Ho...hum dono ko saath saath zimmedaari leni chahiye

Zoya:Woh toh sahi hai, lekin aap kaam par bhi jaate hain...

Aditya: Toh?

Zoya: Accha, Kuch nahi...Aap naashta kijiye, Hum namaaz padhkar aate hai

[Aditya quickly ate his breakfast before standing besides Zoya's room and watching her pray. He didn't even realise he was caught when she opened her eyes a few minutes later, and when he did, he immediately turned around pretended like he was looking for something.]

Zoya: (Smiling) Bhaagne ki zaroorat nahi hai...Hume pata hai ki aap hume hi dekh rahe the...Waise aap isse itne 'fascinated' kyun lagte hai?

Aditya: Kya Dua karti Ho? Itni shiddhat se?

Zoya: Dua ko zaahir nahi karte, Aditya, yeh humaare Aur Allah miyaan ke darmiyaan hai...

Aditya: Haan pata hai...Woh...Tumse Kuch puchna tha

Zoya: Ji?

Aditya: Aaj...Aaj Dadi ki barsi hai, aur Aaj shaam ko main mandir jaane ka soch raha tha...

Zoya: Hum aayenge aapke saath

Aditya: Kya? Sach?

Zoya: Haan...Kyun nahi aayenge? Aap itne darr kyun rahe hai?

Aditya: Main kabhi mandir jaana pasand nahi karta...Jab bhi jaata hoon, Ghar ki yaad aati hai

Zoya: Aap apne gharwaalo ko phone nahi karenge?

Aditya: Nahi, Bilqul nahi

Zoya: Aditya, Agar bacche Galtiyaan kar sakte hai, toh bade kyun nahi?

Aditya: Matlab?

Zoya: Matlab yeh ki unhone galti ki hai, maafi maangi hai, Toh maaf kar dijiye...Zindagi bahut choti hai Aditya...

Aditya: Phir se shuru kar diya apna lecture?

Zoya: Aditya...

Aditya: Yeh mera personal matter hai, tum iss mein mat padho

Zoya: Kya zidd hai aapki? Aur samajhte Kya hai aap khud ko? Jab mann chahe humse apni personal baatein share karte Ho, Jab Mann chahe share nahi karte...Itna confusion kiss baat ka?

Aditya: Mujhe kaam ke liye deri Ho rahi hai, Main jaa raha hoon

Zoya: Jaayie! Lekin humaari ek baat sunn lijiye...Aapko apne Maa-baap pe gussa hona hai, toh hoyie! Lekin yeh mat bhuliye ki maa-baap Zindagi bhar nahi rehte! Aapke iss ghamand ke chakkar mein kahi aap unse kabhi baat na kar paayein!

[All Zoya heard after that was the door slam loudly. She didn't understand why Aditya was so volatile, why he changed and flipped sides so quickly. One minute he'd want to talk to her about all his problems, the other minute he'd just completely shut himself off from the rest of the world.

That afternoon, at around 3 pm, Zoya fell asleep on the couch, marking notebooks, when suddenly her phone rang. She saw it was Aditya and picked it up, still bitter from the way he spoke to her in the morning.]

Zoya: Haan, Boliye

Aditya: (Crying) Zoya...

Zoya: (Worried) Aditya? Kya hua? Aap ro rahe hai?

Aditya: P-P...

Zoya: (Worried) Kya? Aditya, Kya Hua? Kuch toh boliye!

Aditya: (Crying) Papa...Papa ka...Accident...Zoya...P-Papa ka accident...ICU...ICU

[Zoya covered her mouth in shock, she didn't know what to say.]

Zoya: (Worried) Aap Officer mein hain kya? Ya khuda...Aap...Aap wohi rahiye, hum abhi aa rahe hai...Kuch nahi hoga——

[Suddenly she heard the doorbell ring and ran to the door to find Aditya, and Jameel standing besides him.]

Jameel: Aapse baat karne ki zidd kar raha tha, Adi...Office mein almost collapse Ho Gaya

Zoya: (Helping Aditya) Ya Allah! Aditya...Yahaan Dekhiye...Humaari taraf

Aditya: (Crying) Dad...Papa ko kuch nahi Ho sakta hai, Zoya!

[Zoya calmly placed her hands on his face, gently cupping it, in a bid to calm him down. This was probably the first time Zoya saw Aditya shatter in such a manner. He was a wreck, and he couldn't stop crying.

Zoya saw the guilt on his face, the regret, and she mentally cursed herself for saying those words to Aditya.]

Zoya: Kuch nahi hoga unhe, Kuch nahi hoga...Aditya, Khuda Sab dekh rahe hai, woh Aisa Kuch hone nahi denge

Jameel: Aaj shaam ki koi flight nahi hai Bhabhi, Kal Subah jaana padega Mumbai

Zoya: Theek hai, book kar lo Jameel, aap humaara ek aur kaam kar sakte hai?

Jameel: Ji Bhabhi, boliye

Zoya: Tara ko Bass Ghar drop kar dein, aur Mumbai ki 3 tickets book kar dein

Jameel: Ji Bhabhi, Ho jaayega...Main abhi nikalta hoon, tickets Aaj shaam ko de Dunga

Zoya: Thank you, Jameel!

[Aditya was inconsolable, but Zoya vowed to never leave his side.

She called up Arjun to check up on what was happening, and informed him that they were coming the next morning.]

Aditya: (Crying) Meri galti hai Zoya...Main...Main Itna ghamandi——

Zoya: (Wiping his tears) Shh...Kuch nahi hai unhe Adi...Hausla barqaraar rakho, Kuch nahi hoga unhe

[That night after Tara went to sleep, Zoya sat on Aditya's bed, not leaving his side even for a moment. She didn't sleep the entire night, just to make sure that he wouldn't be alone, because for some reason, all that mattered to her was Aditya being okay. She gently rested his head on her shoulder and patted his cheeks, trying to console him, but deep down, she prayed her hardest to her god to fix things, and somehow she knew he would.

He always did.]

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