Part 164- Season Finale (Part 3)

As narrated by Aara

I looked around my room as I lay in my hammock. I was really going to miss home

Our bags were packed and we would be gone early tomorrow morning. Laeeka, Zainab and Mari were downstairs with the others. I swayed in my hammock. ..my eyes closing. .wanting to embrace the warm feeling of sleep. I drifted off and I could see his face almost immediately. ..

Those eyes…those dimples. ..and he touched my face gently. I held his hand against my cheek not wanting this moment to end.

“Do you trust me Aara?”…I could hear him say. He repeated his question and all I did was smile as he leaned forward and kissed me

And that’s when I realised that I wasn’t completely asleep. ..Zoheb was right there in my room, leaning over me with his hand under my cheek.

The way in which he smiled at me made me remember the night that he sang for me..and unlike earlier, his eyes had nothing else in them except me…

Zoheb : do you trust me Aara?

Me : with my life. .

Zoheb : ( kissing my hand) I would never do anything to hurt you. .whatever I do is always and only because I love you. .Remember that ok..

I looked at him worriedly..

Me: ( sitting up ) Zoheb. ..

Zoheb : (putting his finger on my lips)shhhhh

My heart started pounding and a strange feeling exploded inside me…like the feeling that rushes through your body when you’re in a swimming pool and you realise that you can’t feel the ground anymore, like the feeling when you’re holding onto a rope and you can feel it slipping through your fingers. ..like the feeling that you get when you’re loosing something that you have no control over. A wave of panic swept through me and I jumped forward and threw my arms around him and held him tightly against me.

No words were spoken during those moments…as I held onto him and as I felt the gentle thud of his heart..and our every moment flashed before my eyes. As if my brain was trying to tell my heart something but my heart wouldn’t listen.

Me: I’m sorry. ..I didn’t think that today would hurt you

Zoheb : (his face buried in my hair) I know. ..

Me: why do I feel as though you’re going away from me. ..

Zoheb : ( cupping my face) that’s impossible (kissing my forehead) you’re my life, my love and Insha Allah my destiny. .Aara sometimes the right thing and the hardest thing are the same and we just need to have faith in the choices that we make

Me:(holding onto his hand) something doesn’t feel right you are hiding something from me

Zoheb : ( smiling) everything is as it should be (holding the pendent that hung on the chain around my neck) today I was just thinking about the first few times that we met…and in particular the day that I made you walk on my shoes. .do you know that it was on that day that my descent began..I started falling slowly but surely in love with you and I didn’t realise it then…(Laughing softly ) you couldn’t stand me!

Those memories brought a huge smile on my face. ..

Me: you couldn’t stand me either! You used to be so rude to me remember!

Zoheb : so..how did you fall in love with me?

Me : ( rubbing my nose against his nose) because of the small little things that you never knew you were doing. .and those little things came straight from your heart

Zoheb : ( whispering)I love you…

Me: (whispering back) and I love you. ..

I don’t know for how long he had stayed with me. ..but he stayed until I had drifted off into a deep sleep. ..

———————-

As narrated by Nemo :

”Just because I have larger than life ideas and just because I push my friends into doing larger than life things and well Arshoo I’ll help you plan a larger than life proposal…doesn’t mean I want mines to be that way. .no..mines must be simple… I love the sea..I love the feeling of sea sand under my feet..I love curling my toes in it…there’s just something else about being on the beach, it makes me feel free, it takes me to another world..so what better place than that? Add a few candles and maybe a few roses and I will be on cloud nine…if whoever I’m with had to go and decorate it in such a way that it looks like a mini wedding I would totally run away!”

Those were her words. ..the words that she spoke while talking to Arshad on our way back up after bungee jumping at Bloukrans. I know that Aara would probably be shocked and surprised, but I couldn’t keep it in any longer. Many may feel that what I was doing was wrong because she was now with someone else..but life waits for no one. I had to tell her and I hoped upon hope that she wouldn’t say no….that she would atleast consider it. We have a lifetime of memories behind us, a lifetime of mistakes and regrets, a lifetime of happiness and laughter…surely I deserved a second chance.

And if she said no…well then, I don’t know. I never thought that I would be so madly in love with someone that imagining my future with anyone but her was impossible.

I just hoped that she had gotten my note… asking her to meet me here. I tried to keep it as simple as possible, and I chose a spot that we used to frequent often when we were younger.

I looked at my watch nervously…she would be coming any time now. I neatened my collar and checked everything again. My heart pounded so violently in my chest…the moment of truth would finally be here. I exhaled as I remembered Aara at my sisters engagement. Her hand linked in mine. The expression on her face when I had asked her to wear the same colour as me. The sound of her laughter as we walked hand in hand on this very shore. I had regretted enough…it ate at me constantly…and Zoheb…Zoheb was a reminder of it.

I looked at my watch again…she was half an hour late. I purposely didn’t take my phone so that no one could contact me and Aara would have no choice but to come.

I stared off into the distance, watching the waves come crashing onto the shore…each time a little harder, each time a little rougher. As if the thing that she loved so much, was mocking me by her absence.

And then a sound that filled my heart with joy…the gentle creaking of the wooden boards on the little wooden staircase. She was here! I took in a deep breath before I turned around…

Me: (turning around) Aara I thought you weren’t going to show up sweeth…

I froze. I had nothing to feel guilty about so I didn’t look down…instead I looked him in the eye and didn’t say anything.

Zoheb: (putting his hands in his pocket and walking towards me) She isn’t coming

He knew???

I still didn’t say anything.

Zoheb: (as if he were reading my thoughts) she isn’t coming because she doesn’t know (and he took out the note from his pocket)

Me: that wasn’t for you

Zoheb: yes I know, it was for the woman I want to marry, for the woman who loves me

A slight pang of guilt swept over me…

Me: look, Zoheb it’s..

Zoheb: complicated?

Me: yes, it’s complicated

Zoheb: well then, let’s uncomplicate it shall we?

And before I could say anything and within seconds, the wind was knocked out of me as Zoheb’s fist met my jaw with such vicious might, as he stared at me with a strange mixture of anger and confusion…

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Author’s Note:

Last post for this season is tomorrow…what happened between Nemo and Zoheb will come as a bonus post during the course of this month 😉

Much Love,

Shazia