Chapter 9

Zoya stared in shock as she saw whom he was standing with.

"Ms. Farooqui, I ca-,"

"Raabart!" Zoya said, rushing forward and throwing her arms around the younger Khan brother's neck.

"Mona," he laughed as he hugged her back. Zoya pulled away from Ayaan and stared at him with a bright smile on her face.

"It's been ages since I last saw you. How are you?" Zoya asked.

"I'm alright. I came here to check on Bhaijaan," Ayaan said. Zoya flinched as she remembered that Mr. Khan was still standing there, watching the two with a raised eyebrow. She quickly detached herself from Ayaan and looked at him.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Khan. I hadn't seen Raa-Ayaan for a long time and I got over-excited," Zoya said.

"It's okay, Ms. Farooqui. I understand," he said. Zoya smiled softly and turned her attention back to Ayaan.

"Mona, I can't thank you enough for saving Bhaijaan's life," Ayaan said. Zoya swallowed and nodded.

Asad, on the other hand, had gone still as a previous conversation struck through his mind.

"Think about it, Jammy. She wants to stay here. So the only way she can do that is by getting closer to you. What better way to do that than saying she saved you so that you will be forever in her debt."

"Ms. Farooqui didn't save me, Ayaan," Asad said. He saw Zoya visibly freeze at his words.

"Huh?"
"Tanveer did. Except Ms. Farooqui is being very selfish and not admitting it that Tanveer did in fact help me," Asad said. Ayaan looked down at Zoya who was staring into space with an expression that looked very similar to that of being shattered. How could he forget the conversation they had just had? She had told him that she would never betray him. Not even if her life depended on it.

"Bhaijaan, that's stupid. If Tanveer saved you then how come Zoya has the burns?" He asked. Asad blinked and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What burns?" He asked. Ayaan grabbed Zoya's left hand, wrenching her out of her trance, and displayed it to Asad.

Asad's eyes went wide as he saw the angry red marks that lapped the inside of her arm.

"Ow!" Zoya flinched when Ayaan's fingers accidently grazed her burnt skin.

"Sorry. See Bhaijaan. Your beloved Tanu is lying. Bring her here and ask for proof that she saved you from the fire," Ayaan said.

"Ayaan!" Asad said sharply. "Say anything about me, but don't call my best friend a liar."

Zoya looked at him sharply and she felt her blood start to boil.

"If you care about her so much, why did you even try to kiss me?" Zoya hissed. It was Asad's turn to turn pink.

"Ms. Farooqui, that was nothing."

"Really? So the way you kissed my forehead, whispered sweet nothings into my ear, held me close as we slept, all that was NOTHING TO YOU?" Zoya screamed, her voice getting louder and louder with every word.

"Zoya," Asad tried to calm her down but she stalked up to him and poked his chest.

"Get your act together Mr. Asad Ahmed Khan. You are one confused idiot that needs to seriously go and stick your head in a toilet seat and flush that crap out of your brain," Zoya said.

"Ms. Farooqui, you're crossing your limits," Asad warned.

"I am not crossing any limits. You call yourself a man with loads of dignity, what happened to that dignity when you yourself took me into your arms and held me as if your life depended on it," Zoya said. Asad opened his mouth to say something but closed it. He had no idea what to say to her.

"I'm not angry at you Mr. Khan. I'm angered with myself! Angered with how I practically died when I saw you lying in the middle of a room with a fire, angered at how my heart broke thinking of how would I survive if you weren't here. Angered at myself for letting you touch me and rouse feelings within me that I had never even imagined I would feel. Angered that even though I couldn't stand you and wanted to hate you to my souls last breath, I fell in lo-," Zoya broke off here, angry tears running down her cheeks, her hands fisted in his shirt.

"Zoya, calm down," Ayaan said placing a hand on her shoulder and pulling her away from his older brother, whose face had been drained of all colour. Zoya was shaking. She was scared and angry. She had almost admitted her feelings for him.

"No, Ayaan. Your brother has hurt me way too much. More than I can handle it. You tell me, should I be mad or not?" Zoya asked, her voice now quiet.

"Ms. Farooqui, I-I think you should l-leave," Asad stuttered out. Zoya looked at him disbelievingly. Asad couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes, to see the pain and the accusation lying there, all because of him.

"He's right, Zoya. Go to your room," Ayaan said, gently.

"Not to your room," Asad said. Zoya and Ayaan looked at him. Zoya's heart pounded as his hands balled into fists and started to shake. Was he going to hit her? Her eyes darted from Ayaan's face to Asad's, trying to figure out what was about to happen.

"I think you should leave," Asad said, desperately trying to hold back the tears that had formed and ignoring the sound of his heart shattering into microscopic pieces as he formed the next words. He didn't want to feel this pain. He couldn't take it anymore.

"I think you should leave this country and go back to New York."

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