OS: Hollow (Part 2 Page 2)

Hollow

"Yeah everything was fine," she sniffled, "Crying? No Appi!" she wiped her tears, "Yes I'm sure, we can search for Abbu later on, I don't think I want to do this by myself without you guys," she finally broke down and finally after composing herself she spoke.

"No it's just I'm feeling homesick and I really miss you guys," she lied as she wiped her tears and listen to her Appi console her. "No Appi! Don't get me wrong, everyone here was wonderful, it felt just like home. I had practically become a member of the family, Aunty... Najma..." she named them reminiscing their time together, "They were just wonderful, so don't worry about that. Just remember if they ever come to New York we have to match their khatirdaari," she giggled. "Asad? He took wonderful care of me, never let a tear come to my eye," she lied not knowing that he was standing right behind her.

Wonderful care? Never let a tear come to her eye? Why was she lying? And that too for him?

He recalled their fight earlier.

"I don't think 'Mr. Khan' is the answer to my question Zoya,"

"Well I wanted it to be a surprise for you tomorrow," she mumbled as she pulled something out of her bedside drawer, "SURPRISE!" she cheered with enthusiasm that had hurt written all over it.

"What is this?" he said snatching her possession to get a better look.

"My ticket back to New York," she explained as he read the ticket.

"What? What kind of sick joke is this? You know very well I don't like jokes!" He almost shouted.

"I'm not joking Mr. Khan! Really! Mubarak ho, you're wish has been granted!" She attempted to cheerfully explain.

"My wish?"

"Pata nahi who din kab ayega jab aap yahan se chali jayegi," she mocked his voice.

"Alright 1st of all I don't sound like that and 2nd of all..." he paused... Did he even have a '2nd of all' statement?

Didn't he want her to go?

Wasn't she a...

"Main museebat hoon, aur hamesha rahoongi Mr. Khan! But I think you've had your fair share of this museebat, it's time I go back," she completed his thought with a smile plastered on her face acting like the words didn't break her down to pieces.

She heard that... But he didn't mean it like th... God Damnit! He didn't know how to respond? Isn't that what he's always firmly believed in? Zoya was a museebat, a chalti phirti destruction magnet.

But for some reason, now he was able to see that under all of that she had a heart that was made of the purest of all gold.

That she wasn't really a museebat, she just went out of her way for others, she took that extra step people like himself would think at least a hundred times about before taking, and if that made her a museebat, than he respected that museebat and possibly even...

He stopped himself from thinking further. Instead he just...

"I thought we had established that already," he agreed.

f**k.

WHY?

The poor girl was hurt enough by his idiotic words, did he have to make himself look like more of asshole than he already probably seemed to be.

"But what I was saying is that you can't just leave like that, I mean as much of a pleasant surprise it may be to me, I'm sure Najma and Ammi will not be happy campers when they see you're gone tomorrow."

"But that's why your there Mr. Khan, you can handle every situation no?" she reminded him whilst packing her bags, "I mean considering that episode back in Mangalpur I'm sure they'll be fine. I mean you saved ME! The girl you hate and probably secretly prayed dies! And Najm..."

"I DO NOT," he grabbed her arm diverting her attention from the clothes to him.

This is where he drew the line. He wasn't going to carry on this act to that point.

"I DO NOT secretly pray for you to die," he gave looked straight into her eyes. "And if I'm lying right now than Khuda kare let me die right now before because Zoya," he brushed back a few strands of her hair while placing a hand firmly on her cheek caressing it a bit. He looked into her dark brown eyes, "I wouldn't in my worst nightmare want for someone like you to stop existing," he spoke in a deadly serious tone whilst a tear rolled down his cheek as he remembered the despair he felt when he thought he had lost her forever.

For a moment no one spoke, and then she reached for his palm and removed it from her cheek.

Without saying another word, she pulled two letters out of her bag.

"The pink one's for Najma and the yellow one's for Aunty. I'm bad with goodbyes which is another I'd rather leave without them knowing. Give it to them in the morning for me will you?"

He was left in complete admiration for the ways of this strange women he called a museebat. He felt like the biggest jerk in the world for finally breaking her down.

"Sure," he spoke in a tone barely audible.

She finally zipped up her bag, "Alright well I'll get going now," she walked past him and then stopped. Still not facing him she spoke, "Aapka ghar aapko wapis kiya. And I did clean my room, not to your perfection but I tried. Now it'll be back to the way it was, clean, quiet, calm," she finally turned around to see him one last time, "Bye Mr. Khan, thanks for everything," she smiled holding back her tears.

And then the room's door snapped shut leaving him and his world hollow.

So he did it! Congratulations! He managed to cover his tears with his the mask of disinterest and hate!

And now she was gone.

And he was letting this happen.

She just walked right past him and left.

Just like that.

Without a single complain.

After being the sole reason behind this, he was letting this happen...

Inside Asad's Body:

The Brain: Syntax Error. Unreadable Emotions Overdrive.

System Failure. Hand over control to Heart.

Heart: It was ABOUT TIME.

Rewind.