Crossroads (Completed✅)

Chapter 11: Muddy path

Zoya watched the ocean waves crashing against the rocks. She was scared and confused. After the incident with the Habibis, Zoya thought a lot and she realized how rude she was to them. Though Arshad’s marriage proposal came as a shock for her, it didn’t give her the right to disrespect them by running away from the dinner and locking herself in the room. Zoya was ashamed of her actions and wanted to apologize to the Habibis but she didn’t get the courage to call them. Zoya’s Abbu apologized to the Habibis on her behalf and they accepted it. It has been two weeks and she still hadn’t called them. Zoya looked at the Maya who was standing a few feet away from her. Maya had her eyes closed and was listening to the sound of the waves. She looked calm and composed.
Zoya: Maya, please say something.
Maya opened her eyes and smiled.
Maya: What do you want to hear?
Zoya: What I asked you five minutes back.
Maya: What you should do about Arshad and how to tell him that you don’t want to marry him without being impolite. Okay, I was thinking about it.
Zoya: So what do you think? How should I tell him? He is my childhood friend and I don’t want to hurt him. I am confused. Abbu told me that Arshad liked me since years and never told me because he was scared and now when he heard about the proposal, he was very happy and came to India to meet me.
Maya was a bit shocked when she heard it.
Maya: I want to ask you this. Why do you want to reject Arshad? He seems like a good person.
Zoya: He has always been a good person Maya. But that’s not the issue. I do not want to marry him. I do not want to marry anyone. But I can’t say it to Abbu. I have already hurt him enough and now I want to see him happy. I can’t think about a marriage now. I am not ready.
Maya: Why are you not ready?
Zoya: You know what happened with me. I loved Yash more than anything else in this world and he left me for another girl. I keep on thinking about it and I can’t figure out what was wrong with me that made Yash leave. I came to know about his debts lately. I know I had been a stupid and careless wife for him and I don’t want to hurt another person like I hurt him. I will never make a good wife or even a good person. I am a failure.
Zoya closed her eyes after saying this and a lone tear drop fell from her eyes.
Maya was shocked hearing what Zoya said and she walked towards Zoya and held both her hands.
Maya: Zoya, look at me.
Zoya raised her head and looked straight in to Maya’s eyes and Zoya’s eyes were red with tears and pain.
Maya: Zoya, you are not a failure. You never were. You are an amazing person.
Zoya: No, I am not. I failed my Abbu, then I failed Yash.
Maya: No Zoya, you didn’t fail anyone. You married a person whom you loved. I don’t consider it a mistake. It’s your choice to choose who you want to spend your life with. And as for Yash, he chose not to tell you about his financial issues. He decided it himself that you won’t be able to understand his situation just like I did by not telling you about my parents. But when you finally learned about me, the maturity that you showed in taking care of me spoke volumes about how understanding you really are. Yash misunderstood you, that’s his problem. He left you, that’s also his problem. None of it was ever your fault. Stop hurting yourself thinking otherwise.
Zoya: But Maya.
Maya: No, I don’t want to hear anything. You are that one person who can make people happy by just being there. Someone who cares without a reason and loves selflessly. Arshad or Harshad, whoever he is, should be proud for having you as his wife. So what I am saying is, give him a chance. Speak to him and figure out what you want to do.
Zoya took a deep breath. Maya slowly touched Zoya’s finger and took off her wedding ring. Zoya was surprised.
Maya: You are no longer Yash’s wife. So why do you need his ring? Throw it away and say your last goodbye.
Zoya didn’t have the courage to take off that ring till then but when Maya finally did it, she felt as though a weight had been lifted from her heart and Zoya took the ring from Maya’s hand and looked at it for some time and threw it to the sea where it won’t ever haunt her dreams again. Zoya looked at Maya and smiled. Maya smiled too. Suddenly there was a heavy downpour and both Zoya and Maya were totally wet. Maya tried to hold Zoya’s hand and pull her in to the car but Zoya didn’t agree. She stayed in the rain and enjoyed every drop of it on her body. The people who were standing around ran away to escape the rain but for Zoya it was a beautiful experience. The feeling of freedom.
Maya looked at Zoya and smiled. She looked at her face, her hands and then at her wet torso and something inside Maya’s heart snapped. She was overwhelmed by the desire to touch Zoya and it surprised her and scared her at the same time. It was not like the usual times, it was different. The feeling that she had in her mind was not friendship it was something else and Maya was ashamed that even a thought of that sort crossed her mind. She looked away from Zoya to the sea and closed her eyes and hid her tears.

***

Zoya couldn’t believe that she was getting engaged. It had been a month since she talked to Arshad about what was in her mind. He was open minded and patient and listened to everything. He said he would wait for her to be ready and he did. Zoya met Arshad many times and they spoke a lot. Slowly Zoya’s insecurity about having another relationship vanished. She agreed to give life another chance.

The last one month Zoya missed Maya a lot. Maya was always busy and never wanted to speak to Zoya. She always ignored Zoya and Zoya couldn’t comprehend the reason behind it. There were nights when Zoya went to sleep crying even when Noor told Zoya that Maya might be giving space for Zoya and Arshad. Zoya thought that way too but days without Maya felt incomplete. The kind of void she never felt before, even for Yash.

Zoya had told Maya about the engagement date and asked her to come. There were so many guests and all Zoya cared about was Maya. It suffocated Zoya to be there with everyone and without Maya. Zoya’s eyes became watery. There were only a few more hours left for the engagement and what Zoya had to do was to get ready. But her heart didn’t allow it. She wanted to see Maya. She couldn’t let anything important to happen in her life without Maya with her. And Zoya was not even sure whether she loved Arshad or not. He was a good person and Maya asked her to live her life and Zoya wanted to give living a try again.

Zoya informed Noor that she was going to meet Maya and bring her there and also asked Noor to make sure that her parents and guests were taken care off. Zoya booked a cab and went to Maya’s apartment. She was wearing the engagement dress but had no ornaments on her. Zoya got out of the cab and walked towards Maya’s apartment. She found the spare key in her purse which was given to her by Maya. Zoya opened the door and got in to the main hall. It was all dark and she stumbled upon something and almost fell. Zoya switched on the light and she was shocked to see that everything was a mess. Chairs, tables, statues, everything were thrown here and there and most were broken. Zoya was scared. She called Maya’s name loudly and ran to her room. Zoya opened the door to see broken things and glass pieces and dried flower petals and blood droplets on the floor. Maya was sitting near the window and her hair and clothes were a mess. Zoya was scared to death. She carefully walked through the mess and reached Maya. The few seconds felt like hours. She went and sat near Maya and called her name. Maya didn’t respond. She was sitting there looking at the window glass and hitting her head on it again and again. Zoya called Maya again and when she didn’t respond, Zoya hugged Maya from the side and softly caressed her hair. Maya woke up as though from a dream and suddenly moved away from Zoya. Zoya was scared and tears fell from her eyes.
Zoya: What is this Maya? What happened to you? Please tell me.
Maya was confused and tried to maintain a distance from Zoya. She didn’t say anything. Zoya tried to reach out to Maya again but Maya blocked Zoya with her hands.
Maya: Zoya, leave me here and go. I am not a good person; I am not a good friend. I don’t deserve your concern.
Zoya: Why? What happened? You are the best person I know and you are my only friend Maya. I have no one else.
Maya: I am not even a friend, let alone a good friend. I am a terrible person.
Zoya: Why? Why are you speaking like this? What happened? If I am important to you, please tell me.
Maya: Its wrong Zoya. When I first felt it I tried to control it. But the more I met you later the feeling increased.
Zoya: What feeling?
Maya: I love you Zoya. I am in love with you. Trust me, this never happened before. With anyone. I am not lying. It’s the first time. Whenever I see you, I want to kiss you and hug you and I have shameful thoughts in my mind. I tried to erase them but they won’t go. So I tried to stay away from you and the more I try, the more I want to be close to you. And when I heard that you are getting engaged to someone else I couldn’t bear it. I can’t live without you Zoya. I am sorry that I messed everything. I am sorry.

Maya kept on crying and Zoya was shocked to an extend that she was numb.
Zoya: Maya, I can’t really understand what you are saying. But whatever it is, it’s okay. I am here now. We will figure this out together. You are not alone and you are not a bad person.

Zoya hugged Maya and she sat there with her caressing her hair. Zoya’s engagement was in a couple of hours and her family would be waiting for her. Maya just shocked her by confessing her love to Zoya. But Zoya just sat there. Everything was confusing and troublesome but what that mattered to Zoya at that moment was that Maya was hurt and scared and needed her and everything else felt like a blur. Maya was crying and Zoya was all she had, the rest can wait for the night.

Amrutha

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Hi everyone, from this chapter onwards everything is gonna get complicated. So please do give your feedbacks about what you feel. ❤️❤️