"Zoya" Asad closed his eyes. "I'm in love with..."
"Asad bhaijaan?" Aleem was surprised finding Asad in his house. Asad turned around, startled. He looked at his phone and then back at Aleem's questioning eyes.
"Ammi, I will speak to you later" Asad disconnected the call not being able to hear Dilshad on the other side. He had to deal with this later. If he can gather the courage again. "Aleem, you're back." Asad said with a hint of disappointment.
"How are you?" Aleem shook his hand before hugging him. "Everything okay?" His eyes went over his sister's room alarmed.
"I am okay, how are you?" Asad asked him, "Miss Farooqui is unwell" He didn't think he could exactly get away with lying. Aleem's eyes widened before rushing towards his sister's room.
"Aapi?" Aleem called his sister, he knew something was off. She wasn't receiving his calls knowing he would catch on. She always comes running to him when he enters the house like she has that sixth sense that one of her little kid had come home and needed her. Today seemed different. He looked on from the door as her body lay still on the bed, her face pale. He slowly stepped towards her before holding her hand falling to his knees. He held her hand against his face as his free hand went over her forehead, caressing her face. "I'm so sorry, I cannot believe I didn't sense that you were in pain, you were ill. You always take care of us, you always know we are going to fall ill before we fall ill. And I know, I'm your brother. And I left you alone. We left you alone when you needed us the most." He kissed her forehead. Zoya's forehead creased, Aleem looked over his shoulder at Asad finding her temperature high. "Thank you. I don't know what would have happened if you weren't here. Thank you!" He thanked him. Asad placed his hand on his shoulder and reassured him.
"We all care about her" Asad's eyes admired Zoya. Aleem looked up at him before following his gaze to Zoya's face. He wiped his face slowly getting up. "She'll be fine" Asad faced Aleem with a smile. "She really cares about you guys." Aleem nodded to his comment.
"She needs someone to hold her hand and take care of her." Aleem told Asad with a look he couldn't quite read.
"She has you three" Asad smiled again. He observed Aleem's eyes portray a mixture of emotions.
"That's not what I meant." Aleem shrugged it off; "I'm going to call a doctor" His eyes went over his mother like sister. "Would you like something to drink?"
"No no, I am fine. I've had someone check her up. Najma is coming over, she will monitor her tonight. If she worsens, we can get a doctor to check her again or take her into the hospital." Asad explained. "She'll be fine. I'll take your leave." Asad smiled glancing back at Zoya one last time capturing her every detail in his eyes. He didn't know how he would sleep tonight seeing her state. He shook his head at Aleem tapping his shoulder and walked out of the house. Asad breathed out a sigh raking his hair. He didn't know how he felt at this moment in time. He just didn't know. He sat inside his car and stared towards her front door longingly. What is destiny he questioned.
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Dilshad knocked on Asad's door and entered hearing no reply. She paused opening the door finding Asad lying across the bed flat, fast asleep. His lights were on and the windows were open wide. This was not like Asad at all. She closed the windows before sitting down next to him brushing her fingers through his hair and caressing his forehead.
"What is bothering you my bacha" Dilshad asked him, "Tell your Ammi, speak to me." She sighed. "Just the once, just tell me. I will sort everything out" She kissed his forehead.
Aleem watched from afar as Najma changed the wet towel and placed it over Zoya's forehead. She glanced over at him and smiled. He nodded back at her wondering whether he should call Aaliyah and inform her regarding Zoya's health. He placed his phone beside him deciding against it. He smiled sadly as Najma sat next to him with a reassuring smile on her face.
"She'll be fine. She's a strong woman" Najma leaned back against the wall.
"I know she is." He leaned back too. He looked at her, "Strongest women have suffered the most, and they have gone through the most hardships." He closed his eyes praying for his sister's happiness and wellbeing. "But they become wary of ever sharing their pain with anyone. Only if she would let us share her pain. Only if she will let him enter her life."
"Him?"
"Him" He held a picture in front of her without opening his eyes. He allowed her to slip the picture from his hold. He slouched his shoulders in defeat.
"If she doesn't let him, we will have to find a way for her to enter his life and understand that she doesn't have to handle everything alone" Najma smiled looking at the picture. Aleem opened his eyes and looked at her. She nodded at him.
"We?"
"Yes, we will have to do this. Because she will never let herself feel anything for him. We have to make her open up about her feelings; we will have to bring them together" She spoke excitedly, "Right?"
"Wrong" Aleem got up and walked out of the room. Najma followed behind him.
"Why?"
"Because she will never let it happen. She will never be selfish when it comes to finding love. She will never accept it. She will not..." Aleem pressed his temples frustrated. "You know our baba; he had all these big dreams for my aapi to find true love. Finding a life partner who will love her more than he loved her. And then baba left us, without fulfilling his promise. He gave her false hopes, he made her dream of the beautiful fairy tale... and then he left her to grow up wanting to create that fairy-tale for us rather than searching for it for herself." Aleem sat down, almost in tears hating himself for not being able to give his sister any happiness.
"Aleem, you cannot break down like this." Najma placed her hand on his shoulder, he looked up at her. "Your baba has left this responsibility on you to take care of your sister, she has done enough. You need to take care of her now." She sighed looking towards the door. Aleem followed her eyes.
"I need help!" He spoke softly. Najma laughed seeing his innocent expressions.
"At your service" Najma saluted him before putting her hand out to him. He placed his hand on hers and held it tightly.
"Where do we start?" Aleem asked her eagerly. Najma blew her fringe out of the way.
"I thought you had an idea." She sat down next to him and picked up the album from the table. Her eyes widened as a light bulb flashed on top of her head. He looked at her curiously; Najma stared at the pictures in front of her.
"When was this picture taken?" Najma inspected the picture with a close eye.
"Erm, I don't know let me see." He took the picture off her while she scanned through the rest of the pictures. "I think this was a few years back. 2 years ago I think during a holi event. She organised this event with a few other sponsors. We got DRENCHED in colour that year." Aleem laughed slowly remembering everything.
"Aleem"
"Yeah?" Aleem smiled reminiscing some old memories.
"Look closely" She pointed at the picture, he glanced at her shaking his head; what? She pointed towards the picture; he followed her eyes towards the picture. He stared at it confused for a few minutes.
"What?" Aleem shrugged his shoulders giving up. "Am I meant to see something that I don't see right now?" Najma laughed placing her finger on the picture.
"Are you serious?" Aleem scanned through rest of the pictures.
"Yes." Najma nodded.
"Plan sorted?"
"Sorted"
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Zoya stirred in her sleep as images of her father and Asad ran over each other. Her nails clawed the bedsheet finding Asad come towards her; she stepped backwards away from him. She found her father besides her pushing her forward; Zoya shook her head side wards in her sleep. She blinked finding Asad putting his hand towards her, she stared at his hand in her frozen state. Asad smiled at her, comforting her with his eyes.
"Take my hand" Asad whispered softly.
"Go for it" Zoya's baba pressed her shoulder. Zoya's eyes moved from her father to Asad and from Asad to her father. Their eyes said the same thing. Her heart started beating frantically knowing what she should do but her mind stopped her. She lifted her hand slowly towards Asad's when her eyes fell on her three siblings stood in a line watching her.
"She will steal all your rights" Zoya remembered her uncle's words staring at Aaliyah's face.
"Take my hand Zoya" Asad shook his hand.
"She will ruin you"
"Go for it beautiful" Her father pushed her. Her eyes remained glued onto her sister's face as everyone's voices echoed back into her ears. Tears streamed down her eyes, guilt filling up every bit of her inside.
"NOOO" Zoya shot upright, her heart threatening to burst out of her. Her head felt heavy, her eyes scanned the room she was in. She threw the duvet away from her body to cool herself down; she placed her foot onto the ground only to fall back on the bed losing her balance. Her hands massaged her throat which felt dry. She pushed herself forward onto her feet and jumped up before rushing towards the bathroom. She shut the door behind her and held the sink for dear life. She splashed water onto her face before staring into the mirror at her reflection. She brushed her hair back as her lips quivered being able to see more than she wanted to in her reflection.
"I'm here" She closed her eyes hearing his voice. "Take my hand Zoya" Her eyes snapped open, she placed her hand over her heart.
"No, it's okay Zoya." She told herself splashing more water over her face. She grabbed the towel and walked out of the bathroom, she was taken aback finding Aleem engulfing her into a hug. She clutched onto him tightly finding solace in her brother's arms.
"How are you feeling?" He whispered kissing the side of her forehead.
"My baby's back. I am fine" Zoya assured him breathing out a sigh. He pulled back and cupped her face. Zoya stared up at him confused. "What are you looking at?"
"You" He smiled kissing her forehead. "Asad bhaijaan was here last night." He watched as her face flashed a mixture of emotions. Zoya looked away.
"I know" She whispered wondering if it all was a dream.
"Najma was here, she only left half an hour back." Aleem continued.
"I troubled them so much." Zoya placed her hand over her mouth. "Let me ring her" She moved towards her phone. Aleem held her hand and pulled her back.
"Why didn't you tell us?" He asked her in the most serious tone ever.
"Tell you what?" Zoya's lips quivered.
"How could you do this to us?" Aleem stepped back, Zoya's teary eyes watched him let go of her hand.
"I I" Zoya stuttered.
"Uncle was right, you don't really consider us family" Aleem turned around. Zoya stumbled back a few steps in shock, she didn't expect to hear that from her brother. She burst into tears shaking her head. Aleem rushed back towards her hearing her cry, he held her shoulders. "Why didn't you tell us you were ill? You obviously do not care about us. You, why do you do this? Why do you never tell us when you are in pain?" Zoya shook her head closing her eyes and pressing out her tears. Aleem clutched his sister against his chest. "Give us the chance to take care of you. We will never be able to face baba and mama."
"I'm sorry" She whispered in between her sobs. He cupped her face brushing her tears away.
"No I'm sorry. I'm sorry" Aleem held his hand up at her asking for her forgiveness.
"No, it's okay. No look at me. I should have rang you. It's my fault" She placed her hand over his before hugging him tightly and closing her eyes.
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"I am fine" Zoya closed her eyes taking another spoonful of the soup her brother had prepared for her. She held her folders under her arm as she picked up the glass and drank from it.
"You are not going anywhere" Aleem pulled the folder from her. Zoya took it back.
"This is important. I just spoke to Malik, he left a message with Mr Khan yesterday. This is urgent. I need to go check on those samples." Zoya told him picking up the clothes from the sofa and cleaning the table. Aleem followed behind her in protest. She turned around and bumped into him.
"You aren't going anywhere otherwise I will ring Aaliyah" He warned her. Zoya raised her hand and hit his shoulder playfully. Aleem ran from her as she chased behind him.
"You're going to threaten your big sister now are you?" She laughed. Aleem held his ear.
"You're not well, come on" Aleem spoke concerned.
"I am fine. I am just going to check the dyes and the fabrics. I'll be 2 hours max. I feel much better today. Honestly. By the way, Najma is coming over. I will see you both later." Zoya picked up the keys placing a kiss on his cheek and walking out. Aleem looked on sulking. He sipped a bit of the soup and made a face; what on earth was he feeding his sister?
"You are a loser Aleem" He told himself walking towards the kitchen, "You need to get your act together."
"I AGREE!" Came a voice from behind. Aleem spun on his feet, surprised. He found Najma stood there with a grin on her face. He rolled his eyes. He smiled finding Asad following inside behind her engrossed on his phone and bumping into his sister. Najma moved away instantly.
"Tamater, why are you stood here?" Asad looked up to find Aleem stood rooted to his spot holding a bowl, staring at him. Asad nodded at him, his eyes running over Zoya's room.
"Aapi just left for the factory" Aleem answered his question.
"WHAT?" Asad snapped. "How could you let her go out of the house in her state?" He rushed inside the house in panic.
"I tried to stop her, but she is so stubborn. I didn't want to get knocked out by her." Aleem held his hands up defensively, he coughed realising Asad wasn't finding his joke funny. "She is feeling much better, fever has gone down. I've spoken to the doctor. I have given her the medicines." He told an anxious Asad.
"Okay, this Miss Farooqui" Asad pressed his temples, he wouldn't be able to find peace until he saw her himself. "Tamater, you sit. Here take these bags. I just have some work to do, I will be right back" Asad passed the bags to Najma and walked out of the house. Najma nodded her head towards the door trying to contain her laughter. Aleem rushed towards the drawers and grabbed something before rushing out behind Asad.
"Can you give these to aapi?" Aleem panted holding an envelope at Asad.
"I'm not..." Asad voice trailed off, how on earth did Aleem know he was going to see Zoya?
"You know if you happen to see her, on your way back from wherever you're going." Asim tried to keep a straight face leaning against the car, Asad didn't know how to react. He felt flustered in his seat. He took the envelope off him trying not to look into his eyes.
"Thank you" Aleem hit the side of the car and walked off chuckling. "Make sure you use the side entrance!" Aleem shouted at him, Asad nodded and drove off awkwardly.
Najma stood watching the whole scene feeling amused at her brother's behaviour. Aleem winked walking towards her. He hi-fived her.
"Let's get started!" Najma smiled excitedly. Aleem's eyes fell on Saniya coming out of the door.
"Let's go inside first!" Aleem dragged Najma inside while Saniya stretched forward to see what was going on, she just about missed a glimpse of her prince charming.
Zoya smiled watching the colourful prints hung around her. She spun on her feet watching the air blow on them making them dance in a frenzy. She closed her eyes and breathed out a sigh.
"I fall in love with your job every day baba" Zoya whispered. She placed her hand against the material and slowly walked along the path running her fingers over the material. She felt a familiar touch on the other side of the material; she continued trailing her fingers on the material until she stopped. She opened her eyes and slowly looked to her left. She blinked a few times being able to see his face faintly. His hand trailed over her face, Zoya removed the material out of the way to find no one there. She searched crazily but he was nowhere to be found. She was imagining him. Why? She didn't know. But her heart knew.
"Why are you doing this Zoya? Why?" Zoya pressed her forehead. Everywhere she looked, she could only see him. He had taken over her mind in such a way that she didn't know how to get herself out of this. She had never accepted it before, but Asad affects her. Yes, he affects her. She took a few steps back and collided with someone. She turned around quickly to find Malik stand there.
"Hey, I didn't know you were coming in today. I have checked the samples, these ones look absolutely beautiful" Zoya tried to divert her mind that was chanting one thing at this point in time.
"They are beautiful" Malik agreed, his eyes swaying over her. Zoya ignored him and carried on walking trying to examine every sample out there. Malik's hand went over her shoulder, Zoya moved away feeling startled.
"What happened?" She asked him.
"I wanted to ask you something." He stepped closer towards her, Zoya didn't like his growing proximity.
"What happened?" She browsed the empty factory, if the windows weren't open, she would have felt isolated from the world.
"What do you think about me?"
"What?" Zoya raised her eyebrow. "What do you mean?" She stepped backwards suddenly feeling uncomfortable by her employee. She looked into his eyes, what she saw in them made her shudder. This was the same guy she has been working for the past 2 and a half years. She held on to the rope beside her waiting for his reply.
"I mean, what do you feel for me?" He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. Zoya's other hand pushed against his chest and rebounded back. His grip didn't loosen on her hand.
"Let go of me Malik!" Zoya ordered. He smirked at her. "What is wrong with you? I don't feel anything for you. You're my employee Malik" Zoya twisted her hand trying to get rid of his hold.
"Come on Zoya, we're past that now. You know I find you beautiful" He tried to caress her cheek but Zoya tilted her head back, disgusted. She cringed remembering his compliments over the years that may have had some other hidden meaning.
"Please let go of my hand" Zoya pleaded. "You really don't want to be doing this" She warned him of the consequences.
"Do what" He closed in on her. He inhaled her scent, Zoya pushed him with force making him stumble back a few steps. He laughed chasing behind her, the material hanging in between them made this fun for him. He caught her within a few seconds and yanked her back. Zoya came spinning back and fell into his arms. His hands went over her neck, trailing them upwards onto her cheek. She squirmed in his hold, he neared her face. Zoya faced the other way as she struggled in his arms. She finally let out a desperate cry feeling his breath on her neck. She tried to jump up but her feet tangled around his legs making her go flying forward onto the floor. She winced feeling the impact of the fall. She turned on her back instantly and stared up at him grinning at her.
"Malik, please! I'm begging you stop it." She crawled backwards helplessly, "We have worked together for so long and you..."
"Exactly and I knew I wanted to the first moment I laid my eyes on you. I don't know why I waited so long." He licked his lips. Zoya closed her eyes cringing at his comment. She was horrified finding him playing with his pants, her mind refusing to understand what was going to happen. She held both of her hands against her chest crawling back with every step he took towards her. Her lips trembled looking around the factory and finding no one to help her. Both of their heads shot towards one of the windows that shut loudly due to the wind outside. Zoya jumped up onto her feet and ran for the side doors.
"Zoya, don't make this too hard for yourself" Malik shook his head seeing her run, Zoya ran as fast she could towards the exit which seemed further than it was. She wiped her tears with the back of her hands, she looked back to see him coming behind her. She collided with someone at the door, she felt his hand go around her waist. Zoya's hand attacked this person before realising who it was.
"Asad" She jumped up into his arms, his arms wrapped around her tightly while his venomous eyes went over her attacker. Malik stumbled back a few steps. Asad tried to remove her from his arms but she clutched onto to him tightly not wanting to let go. He reluctantly removed her from him and pushed her behind him. He dropped the envelope he was holding before fisting his hands. His jaw tightened as he breathed sharply ready to shred him to bits. He paced forward, Malik ran away from Asad. In a few long strides, Asad caught hold of his shirt and yanked him back forcefully making him go flying across the floor.
"Zoya, go!" Asad spoke calmly. Zoya shook her head in a no stumbling back a few steps. Her hands went over her mouth watching Asad throw a punch at Malik bruising the side of his face as blood spluttered from his mouth. She closed her eyes watching Asad kick the living daylights out of him.
"Mr Khan" Zoya called out to him. "Mr Khan let him go." She cried. She ran towards him and tugged at his arm. Asad struggled with her still kicking Malik as he shivered with rage wanting to end him. How dare he touch her?
"ASAD! You'll kill him" Zoya shouted breathless.
"He deserves to die!" Asad spat at him.
"Please, let him go. Please. For me" Zoya held on to his arm, Asad froze. He turned to face her slowly. He brought his shaky hands towards her face.
"Are you okay?" He whispered softly trying to calm his racing heart. She nodded in his hold trying to hold back her tears. He brushed her hair back before engulfing her into a hug. She clutched at his shirt trying to stop herself from shaking. She felt safe in his arms. She knew no one would be able to touch her when he is around.
"Thank you" Zoya whispered closing her eyes. They both didn't realise when Malik ran off as they both stood there in each other's arms. Asad's wrap around her tightened. It took them both a few long minutes to understand what they were doing. They slowly drifted apart from one another; Zoya tucked her hair back while Asad coughed trying to straighten up. Zoya tried walking away but she lost her balance, Asad held her arm and pulled her up. He wrapped his arm over her shoulder before walking her towards the chairs. He made her sit down and fetched some water for her. He sat down beside her and helped her drink a few sips.
"Was it necessary for you to come here alone? You're not well either" Asad scolded her. Zoya looked up at him with teary eyes. He paused see her tear filled eyes, Asad winced not being able to take it any longer.
"I had work to do" Zoya's voice faltered.
"Where are all the workers?" Asad questioned looking around the factory. He tried not to look at her.
"It's Sunday." Zoya answered in a whisper. Asad looked at her.
"It's a Sunday for everyone" He held onto her eyes. Zoya pressed away her tears. Asad lifted his hand and brushed away her tears with his thumb. He removed his coat and placed it over her seeing tears on the side of her top. He unbuttoned his shirt a bit and folded his sleeves. "What's left to do?" He asked her determined. She shook her head in a no. "What is there left do?" He repeated, his voice stern. Zoya pointed towards a pot of colours, feeling defeated. She watched as he walked towards the pot of colours and stared at them not knowing what to do. Zoya slowly got up and joined his side.
"These need mixing." Zoya told him brushing her hands over her face to calm herself down and get in control of her emotions.
"And you were intending on doing all this yourself?" Asad looked at her in disbelief.
"There isn't many prints left to do, I can do this alone" She replied. He looked at the massive pots and then back at her.
"When will you understand you don't have to do this alone?" Asad told her, his voice filled with sadness.
"After today, I don't really know if I can rely on anyone else..." Zoya held the mixer; Asad placed his hand over hers and pulled it towards him. He started mixing the colour, Zoya didn't move, she watched as he stirred the colours, her hands still under his.
"You know, that is not what I really meant" Asad stared as the thick mixture softened. He looked over at the other pots; she really needed a lot of strength to get through these all because of how thick they all were and how big the pots were. He was wondering why she wasn't using the machines for this kind of work. "I know you're a hard working woman, Miss Farooqui, but this is ridiculous." He removed her hands from under his before stirring the mixture. Zoya walked towards another pot and started mixing. Asad stopped her. "You can go and lift something that is not half your size and double your body weight." He spoke sarcastically. Zoya pleaded with her eyes, but Asad's eyes ordered her to stop. He was in no mood to fight with her, for her own good, because she didn't know what that really was. She did not care about her health, she did not care about anyone else that cares about her and neither did she understand the pain suffered by her loved ones seeing her going through pain.
"Mr Khan..." Zoya blinked watching him get back to work. She stood there and for the very first time in her life, she didn't feel like she was hiding anything. It's as if he tore down every wall she has ever put up to hide her emotions. It was like he could see right through her soul. Zoya leaned back against the work top and admired the man in front of her. And she finally realised what her heart had already acknowledged. She was in love with this man. She was in love with this man whom she admires and respects so much.
"You know, I'm starting to fall in love with your job" Asad excitedly mixed the colours. His glistening eyes admired all the colours in the room. "I have never seen so many colours together in my entire life. These colours, these colours are life" He sighed. Zoya smiled seeing him so happy mixing the colours. Her eyes fell on an envelope near the exit; she walked towards it and picked it up.
"Is this yours?" Zoya asked him. He turned towards her,
"Aleem asked me to give it to you" He informed her. Zoya stared at it confused for a moment wondering what it could be. Asad's eyes went over the red mixture, Zoya's face flashed before his eyes. Aleem and Najma walked in stealthily and ran up the stairs to hide behind the pillar. Both of them looked down at Asad and Zoya.
"Did he say what this was?" Zoya asked him.
"No, he just asked me to give it to you. What do you want me to do with this?" He turned around picking the pot up.
"No no, be careful. They're heavy" Zoya ran forward to help him. Najma watched Aleem get up and grab a pot of the colours from the upstairs worktop.
"Red one" Najma whispered. Aleem nodded and positioned it on top of the ledge. "NOW" She ordered. Aleem tipped the pot.
"WHAT ON EARTH?" Zoya and Asad froze feeling something wet over them before covering them instantly in red. Asad dropped the pot he was holding, which tilt over and flooded the floor. Aleem and Najma hi-fived each other before going back and watching everything unfold in front of them. Asad and Zoya skated on the slippery floor grabbing each other to try holding each other up. Zoya squealed slipping and falling backwards. Asad's hand wrapped around her waist and fell on top of her. It took them a few minutes to realise what was happening, Asad lifted his head slowly and stared at her red painted face. She slowly opened her eyes to find another pair staring at her. Asad's heart thumped against her chest, as they both refused to move their eyes off each other. The girl in white getting painted red flashed before his eyes, he blinked a few times. He watched as her hair crashed against his face as she spun around in her long white dress. Her laughter echoed back into his ears as she brushed past his arm and ran into the crowd.
"Are you okay?" Asad asked her, their lips centimetres apart. Zoya's grip on his shirt tightened, his scent intoxicating her every sense. Their erratic heartbeats ran over each other, they didn't know whether it was their own heart that was threatening to burst or the other's. They both broke their eye contact and looked around them. They remained silent for a moment before bursting out laughing.
"Early holi" Zoya joked. Asad got onto his feet watching her laugh openly, she looked so beautiful. It's like her face had never known sadness, it's like she has never hidden any pain. Asad put his hand out towards her; Zoya stared at his hand and remembered her dream. She looked away instantly pretending she didn't see his hand. Asad didn't fail to notice her hesitation. She picked up the envelope from the floor and opened it. Her forehead creased in confusion finding a picture of herself from the holi party two years ago. "Why did he send me these pictures?" She wondered. She looked up at Asad who wanted to see the pictures, she was about to hand them over when her eyes caught something. She passed the other pictures to him and held onto the first one to have a closer look. She slowly got up with wide eyes realising Asad was in the picture standing behind her in deep conversation with someone else. She looked up at him; he shook his head questioning why she was looking at him like that. She shook her head in a no and walked off towards the entrance of her office building.
"Holi party?" Asad questioned staring at the pictures in his hand. "Is this picture from the same moment I have been dreaming about for the past two years?" He stood wondering about his dreams.
Zoya rushed into her office washroom and splashed water onto her face to wash off the colour. She stared at her reflection, with the colour dripping from the side of her face.
"Red will be the colour of your love, my love." Zoya wiped her forehead and stared at the colour smeared on her hand remembering her baba's words. "He will come and swipe you off your feet" She placed her hand over her heart.
"Baba, I won't ever leave you. I love you so much"
"This is life's custom beta. You are that God's gift given to your parents only for a short period of time until your life partner comes along. Every time you turn around you will find me, but every time you look ahead... you will see him waiting with his hand out towards you. Because he is your future."
"But baba, why can I not stay with you forever?"
"Hahaha. I won't live forever beta."
"I will hold onto you forever baba."
"No beta, I want you to look ahead at your bright future. I want you to grab your happiness with both hands."
"I don't understand your talk about love sometimes baba. I am going to stay with you forever."
"Love is a way of life beta. Your mother is that happiness I grabbed with both of my hands and changed my life for the better. To be honest, I started living when I fell in love with her. Everyone needs a companion in their lives who can share your sorrows, double your happiness and fight every battle with you. Your mother is that and more. Every moment spent with her has been a gift. I want the same happiness for you; I want you to experience this kind of love. I want someone to love you more than I love your mother. Because with my every breath, I am thankful for having her in life. You my daughter, my love, are very special. And you deserve someone who will cherish you." A lone tear escaped her eyes remembering her father's words. He had wished for so much for her. His words about love, she never understood before, but he continued to teach her so that one day she could.
"Are you okay in there?" Came a voice. Zoya brushed away her tears and turned around. Asad pushed the door open and entered the bathroom. He watched her hands go over her face trying to get the colour off her. "Are you okay?" He asked again. She nodded not being able to get a word out of her. She pointed towards the sink; Asad went over and tried to wash his face. They were both startled hearing the door shut behind them. They glanced at each other worriedly; Asad rushed towards the door and tried to open it.
"Is there something faulty with this door?" Asad tried to twist the handle to open it. He hit the door.
"It can be locked from the outside... does that mean someone is out there?" Zoya gasped.
"Don't worry, the security guard won't let anyone enter that isn't supposed to be here. I think it might just be stuck" He tried to calm her down.
"What if... what if it's Malik?" Asad turned around; he walked over towards her seeing her panic.
"It's not. Don't worry, he won't dare come back." He held her shoulders and nodded at her. He lifted his hand and caressed her cheek. She placed her hand on top of his and nodded back, her lips still trembling. He shook his head in a no, "It's okay. I'm here. I'm here; I won't let anything happen to you."
Aleem and Najma hi-fived each other.
"Will Aaliyah bh- aapi be okay with this?" Najma asked unsure.
"She was doing all this for aapi's happiness. She will be the happiest person ever finding out aapi has found her love" Aleem replied sitting down.
"So how long is that door staying locked?"
"As long as it takes for your brother to make her realise she loves him too. And basically when he breaks the door open and comes to kill us" Aleem shrugged his shoulders. "Or maybe we aren't at the stage yet. Well let's just hope they both feel something..." Najma giggled.
"Thank you for today" Zoya stepped back and slipped on a piece of cloth. Her hands grabbed for the nearest handle, well that's what she thought it was until the water started sprinkling over her. Asad stepped forward to help her but froze feeling the water over him too. They both stared at one another, trying to keep their eyes open feeling the water fall over them vigorously washing away every bit of colour on them. Her hands went over her chest feeling cold and in an attempt to hide her chest that was now visible through her wet top. Asad's eyes went over hercheeks, she still had colour smeared on her cheek. He stepped forward towards her, stopping the shower from hitting her directly. His hand went over her cheek to wipe away the colour. His touch against her skin made her heat up instantly under the cold shower. His proximity giving rise to all sorts of feelings. He placed his free hand on the wall over her shoulder and gazed down at her. Both of their eyes conveyed something that cannot be easily described. Asad didn't realise how he got so close to her, the back of his fingers trailed up her cheek. His thumb brushed the side of her lips, Zoya's breathing shortened as she tried to steady her beating heart. Zoya's hands pressed against his bare chest, he cupped her face almost lifting her. She closed her eyes feeling his breath over her.
XOXO
P.S. I don't know what I am doing with this story because it has been that long. Sighs. Forgive me! Ignore mistakes. Work is taking over my life, literally sat down and wrote this in one day like today. LOVE YA <3
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