A SIGH left lips as she looks at the moon, the starry night above the London Bridge. The memories of her father are still there. A gulp.

A gulp.

And she remembers it all.

"Yaad ati hai apki Baba" She smiled looking at her tiny bump. Four months old tiny bump, her Peanut's abode.

"Kaash ap yaha hote, hum khush hote." A sad smile again.

Sometimes she does wonders what the love for power can make you do, how low one scoop to. Was it worth it all, in the end? Was it worth leaving the loved ones behind? How can a friendship for decades end like that? And whom she was kidding, her brother betrayed her too, her husband did that too. The love for power is precarious, it kills, it end, it ruins lives.

It's been years to the day, she left her soul here, her childhood there, where her Baba breathed his last breath in the shattered heart of betrayals. She had lived life after that but time, that had stopped somehow.

Waqt wahi ruk sa gaya tha uskey lia,

Waqt wahi theher sa gaya tha uskey lia.

"Aarzu?" Zaheer's call brings her back to the present.

"...Ghar chale?" She nodded as she holds his hand. Years of friendship and a decade of companionship had given her this and no matter what, she is going to cherish this, hold on to this.

"You look happy today," She said while walking down the lanes, a hand resting on her little bump.

"Well, I have my reason for that."

"And that is?"

"For starters, I am going to be Chachu soon enough"

"And that's something you know for a month almost." She laughed and so did he.

"And we got the first sonogram" He smiled.

"Zaheer ab sach bhi keh doo"

"Woh ghar jake" She just shakes her head. Her mind going back to the day she got to know about her pregnancy two months back and to say she was not terrified would be a lie. She was but then the feeling of finally having someone for herself is way too overwhelming for, she is going to be a mother, she is going to have a family, finally.

Of course, the thoughts of certain amber eyes, of him taking her baby away was there, but that was way too far for her happiness. For now, she wants to live here, live her happiness with her baby. And having Zaheer always around is just another blessing, that idiot is doing everything that makes her smile stars.

The darkness of the late hour has fallen upon them as they enter their apartment. She smiles as she walks through the gates, a place she has learnt to call her home.

"Aarzu tum andar jao I'll be there a few minutes" She frowns as Zaheer said these words and walks away without even waiting for a reply. Something is definitely wrong but it's not the time to think along the lines, for now, all she wants is sleep. A good sleep.

She opens the door and walks in, the aroma of lavender fills her, lavender mix with woods to be specific, an essence so known, so unknown. A gulp. He can't be here, he shouldn't be here. Unknowingly her hand covers her bump, she needs to protect her child.

"Aarzu Zamaan Shah I think it's time for us to have a chat." A voice so close yet so afar, a voice that's enough to run chill through her bones.

"Zamaan" She whispers as she steps back. A fear engulfs her as he steps towards her from the dark corner where he had been standing for God knows how long.

Mohabaat key andaaz bhi zuda hote hai

Jisse tutke chaha woh chor gya

"So mind you telling me about my baby? Or were you planning to keep it away from me?" His sharp words cut through her soul. As she looks up she gets a proper look at the man standing few steps away. A bread, red eyes, tiredness filled all his bones yet he holds the demeanour of a king.

She walks past him and takes a sit upon her couch slowly removing the shoes. A sigh left her lips and for a minute his face softens, she noticed it too. She is tired now, tired of everything.

"I wasn't planning to tell you about it anytime soon Zamaan" She speaks after quite a few minutes of tense silence. Another silence follows back and this time the wind's sigh. Lovers are lost somewhere, love is faded somehow, now they are only known strangers.

"But I deserve to know," He said with a frown.

"You sure does Zamaan but if I didn't want you too" She replies not holding back anything.

"Why?"

"I never asked you this right? Even if I did you never bothered to answer me, so I don't think I owe you anything" Her words were loud and clear, no mercy of those who took her granted, took her love granted.

"Aarzu"

"Zamaan I can't.

"What do you mean by that you can?"

"I can't live with you like you want me to. I can't do that to myself Zamaan"

"We are having a baby Aarzu"

"And that shouldn't be a reason for us to be together, we can go for co-parenting but nothing more."

"You have lost it Aarzu.

"I haven't rather I am just learning to value myself now."

Aarzu"

"Ten years Zamaan. A decade. I have waited that long for you to come back to me, for you to take me back to you. I have wasted that long time for you, for us but now no more. There was no us Zamaan, there won't be any maybe. Or maybe there will be but not right. For now, all I want is to enjoy this period of my pregnancy, my life at the present."

"So you will be coming back to me someday" He still holds on to the hope, the hope to be with his lover, with his wife, with his child, with his family."

"Maybe or maybe not. I don't know Zamaan and I don't want you to keep waiting for me, you co-parent our child I won't be having any issue with that but about anything else, I don't know."

"I'll be waiting for you then"

"Zamaan?"

"Maan ko toh hamesha sey uske Aarzu key mohabaat ka intezaar tha, bas usne kabhi mud key nahi dekha" A gulp. With that she walks back to her room, so does he.

That night neither of them slept, neither of them tried to. All they were thinking was about moons of the past and the shooting stars they had wished to. Perhaps not all wishes come true.

Deep down she knows, she will eventually need to go back to him, for a child needs his father too. But what about her then. Alas, a lover would have left him, a wife would have but a mother can't and that's the bitter reality of the society, of her love.

He knows she is right. Ten years is long and he just couldn't ask her to come back for the sake of their child. But he is not wrong too. Maybe it's just better to let it be as it is. For now, even he is tired of everything.

Jab jab dard ka baadal chhaya

Jab gham ka saya lehraaya

Jab aansoo palkon tak aaya

Jab yeh tanha dil ghabraaya

Hum ne dil ko yeh samjhaya

Dil aakhir tu kyun rota hai?

Duniya mein yun hi hota hai

Yeh jo gehre sannate hain

Waqt ne sabko hi baante hain

Thoda gham hai sabka qissa

Thodi dhoop hai sabka hissa

Aankh teri bekaar hi nam hai

Har pal ek naya mausam hai

Kyun tu aise pal khota hai

Dil aakhir tu kyun rota hai

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