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"Our first meeting was in college which you forgot." Kabir said and paused to look at her reaction.

"Kabir, Say whatever you want to say, clearly and completely without unnecessary pauses." Zara said trying to sound strong when her heart was beating wild with possibilities.

"We first met when you were filling admission form in IIMR, your pen stopped working and I was the one who offered you one. You didn't look up as there was crowd and your father was  standing besides you. You didn't notice me but I did.

You were wearing long red top and light blue jeans and had a small blue coloured scarf around your neck. Your hairs were tied in a ponytail and your face was frowned with worry because office was going to be closed soon and you wanted to get over with admission process before it did." Kabir described their first meet and Zara's eyes widened at his detailed description.

Dear Lord! He noticed her this much? Then why the hell was this idiotic man doing from past ten years?

"I noticed you. I can't help but do. This newbie was interesting. And I think that was the moment I felt that instant connection with you. I didn't know what that feeling exactly was. I just knew that I had to make this girl notice me.

So I waited on the first day of your session outside your lecture hall. When you didn't arrive, I decided to look out for you and saw you standing beside my friends feeling all nervous and confused and that was the time when I had to make sure that you notice me.

And so I collided with you, purposefully." Kabir said and Zara felt her as if the earth stopped rotating.

He remembered more than she did. He planned it.

Why? Why in the hell then he didn't talk to her?

"I helped you on your first day Sunshine. I gave the instructions to you, if you remember." Kabir asked with hope and Zara stiffly nodded even though she wanted to jump in happiness and then kill this man.

"But after that day you avoided me like plague and I thought that maybe I scared you. May be you are those studious kind of girls who didn't want distractions. So, I made sure that you got all the help you needed. The markings, the ragging free environment and the help from seniors, I arranged it all very discreetly.

But sweetie pie got the doubt on me. And she was starting to understand my feelings, but thankfully our understanding allowed us to give each other space when needed. She waited for me to speak if I was seriously considering anything but I never did.

I saw that after first year you were no longer avoiding me but you still made sure to never speak in my presence or if you did speak then it was less and to the point. I thought you are shy, studious girl and didn't want to involve yourself in any relationships at that point of time.

So, I never approached you directly because at that point even I was concentrating on my studies, planning to destroy Mr. Malik and didn't want to get into something that I could not commit whole heartedly. So, I decided that I won't approach you but if you ever did than I will definitely peruse it."

Kabir explained his reasons and Zara knew that in a way they were making sense.

Both of them had to concentrate on their careers at that point. He was proving a point to Mr. Malik and she was proving herself by staying away from her dad for first time in her life. She didn't approach him because he felt out of her league and also at that time she wasn't into this stuff.

"I noticed your presence in the wards or when I was playing with kids, observed you always, secretly saw you observing me too but tried to ignore that connection that I felt because I didn't want to get distracted from my goals. I thought that it was a phase that will pass away."

He explained and Zara closed her eyes taking deep breaths. She understood it because she herself tried to deny her feelings thinking of them as a crush.

"You intrigued me Sunshine, genuinely but I wasn't ready at that moment and so I never pursued you. I noticed you walking away after your graduation, while I was working as a resident for time being but didn't do anything to stay connected to you. I left it all on fate. And that's how our first meeting ended." Kabir said and Zara just sat there thinking about his words.

***

About this first meeting she understood his side because she was on the same page as him.

"When was the next time you saw me? While you were in coma? You decided to come after me then?" Zara asked her next doubt and noticed Kabir scratching his neck.

He was either feeling guilty or shy? Now what is he hiding?

"Actually Sunshine, we met once again after that when you were teaching in St. Xavier's." Kabir said and Zara stopped breathing for a second and Kabir wondered if his idea to speak truth was right or not.

"Breath in, breath out." He slowly said and she followed his instructions and closed her eyes.

Was she suffering from some kind of amnesia? Did she got into any accident before him and that why's she doesn't remember meeting him?

"Tell everything, without omitting any details. Clearly." Zara said once she regained her breathing.

Silly, stupid, idiotic man! Good God, just where did she get stuck?

"You left and after sometime even I left. I was in depression and was searching for some hope and that's when I came across you, in St. Xavier's. I listened to almost all your lectures and they helped me surviving that phase. I was able to cope up with my depression because of your talks.

I decided to approach you initially but I was not in a good condition so decided to listen to your lectures and get well before finally asking you out.

But in your last lecture I heard the talk between you and your friend. Your father was ill and I wanted to be there to support you but you were very clear at that time that you don't want any distractions. You wanted to be the best daughter and being with me will distract you from that. My problems will take all your time and I can't do that to you when I have gone through the pain of seeing my mom in her illness for four years.

And to this day, I feel like I should have done more for her than I already did. It's never enough. Hence, I decided to go away and complete my post grad in Mumbai where you will come with your dad after he gets well. I left our second meeting without coming in front of you. But promised myself that if you ever come in front of me again then I won't let you go." Kabir explained and looked at her expecting to see any reaction.

But Zara kept her face neutral though she was finding it very hard to. Kabir should have met her once, but then again... he was correct. His reasons were valid.

She really wanted to be the best daughter at that moment and she didn't want any distractions.

But one question did come to her mind though, "I understand your reasons till now. Why did you come to that town only? Why not anywhere else? Was it a coincidence?"

"It's near my mother's hometown, which is your hometown too. I didn't want to go to her hometown as sweetie pie could find me there. The town that I chose was small, peaceful, away from crowd and also it was the place where you did your high schooling. So there were chances to see you..." Kabir said the last part in whisper and Zara didn't know what to feel.

Of course there mother's hometowns are similar. They were best friends.

What should she feel?

Happy; that she mattered to him that much?

Angry; that he thought so much about her and yet left without talking to her?

But then decided to go with understanding; She chose to understand his reasons and his decisions. Till now she could understand him.

***

"Did we meet again or was the next time was when you were in coma?" Zara asked moving to the next conversation.

At this point she won't be surprised if he says that he saw her somewhere again and they met but not exactly talk. What a complicated life they have?

"No, I didn't see you after that. I was in coma and you operated on me and that was the third time we met and as promised I decided to find you and come after you." Kabir replied.

"How do you know that I was the one who treated you? I asked the hospital staff to hide the details." Zara asked.

"Your voice. It has always stayed with me even if you didn't." Kabir answered looking into her eyes.

"You talked to me so much, fulfilling the void that we had between us from so many years. I can't remember most of it. But I did listen all of it. May be in the final days when I was waking up. But I listened what you were talking, I listened when you encouraged me to get up from coma, I listened it all." Kabir said and intently looked at her.

Those conversations were the point where he started understanding her thought process. She talked to him about so many things and he forgot many of them, because he was not in proper shape but from what he remembered he started getting an idea about her mentality. How she thinks and how her brain works. That's why he knows her so much.

"So when you woke up from coma you knew in that moment that I was the one who treated you?" Zara asked with her voice shivering and Kabir just nodded his head, not saying anything.

Her voice was shivering and her heart was beating wildly.

Was it anxiety or anticipation? She didn't know.

He knew about her. He knew the only thing that she hid from him and yet he took her down the guilt trip so many times. She should feel angry. But why was she feeling flattered that he recognised her from her voice? That he actually listened when she was pouring her heart out?

She was going mad. That was the only explanation. Perhaps it's the effect of his company. Yes, that must be it. She was getting mad because she is staying with this psychotic man.

She needed to get a grip on her emotions. Shenu told her to be strong and she has to stay strong to know the truth; the complete truth. She can't let her emotions cloud her judgement. She needed to know the truth.

"So you knew that it was me who treated you and you decided to find me and got me investigated. And then you came to know the truth about my mother being the cause of your mother's destruction. That's when you planned your revenge? That's why you pretended not to know me in the hospital where we talked for the first time?"

Zara asked the questions that were eating her alive from the moment she found out the truth. The questions which were making her doubt herself and her choice.

"You also pretended to not know me. Were you also planning something?" Kabir now questioned her with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Zara gaped at the audacity of his questioning. She pretended not to know him because she didn't want him to know that she was the one who treated him and to tell about her crush on him.

"It's outrageous isn't it? Dr. Kabir Shah is questioning Dr. Zara Inayat Ali's intentions? It makes me look all the more evil and heartless right? Because who am I to have any right to question you when I am hiding an ocean of information from you?" Kabir said with a bitter laugh.

"I will answer your question about revenge, clearly with all honesty. But before that I just want to know what you think about it. Do you think that I pretended and planned everything to take revenge from your mother through you?" Kabir asked not showing any emotion on his face and waiting for Zara to answer.

"I do not trust you after knowing the truth." Zara said and Kabir took a sharp breath.

He deserved it, may be. Definitely he did for all the hiding he did but damn, why it has to hurt so badly?

***

Oopsies.... That hurts...

Anyways, Kabir... what can I say about his reasons? If you think they make sense because even if we want them to be together from the first time he saw her, we all now know the importance of All in Time (;

But you have to admit, Kabir's thinking till now is not so bad. The justification by far is fair, I hope.

And 2 more chapters left! So fingers crossed.

So, stay tuned, vote, comment as much as you can and share the story on your wall and withyour friends!