AsYa SS: T.L.C. Chap 16, pg 100 - Page 40

Originally posted by: er_alka

when are we getting the next chapter on this SS...

Chapter 13: Healing

Zoya woke up feeling like a new person. She smiled to herself, thinking about the wonderful moments with Asad the previous night. The buzzing sound of her phone brought her back to reality... it was her mother.

"Zoya beta, how are you?" her mother's soft voice on the other end of the phone made Zoya home-sick. But it also reminded her of Ayaan and all the painful things that she'd put behind her in the recent months.

"Ammi, I'm fine. I miss you," she replied.

"We miss you too, sweetheart. Come back na? Ayaan will be there soon. Come back with him," her mother's voice brimmed with hope.

"I heard. But Ammi, things have changed since we last spoke. I don't know if I want to come back. I've... I think... well it's too early to say anything but Asad and I..." Zoya paused not knowing how to complete the sentence.

"What?!" her mother exclaimed. "What's happening?"

"Ammi, I don't think I can get over what Ayaan and his family did. I know Ayaan realizes the error of his ways, or so I heard. But it's over, I've moved on. Asad and I realize we like each other. We spoke about it yesterday," she explained patiently.

There was silence at the other end.

"Are you sure you're not on the rebound, Zoe? I don't want you to get hurt again, that's all beta," her mother sighed.

"Trust me Ammi. I know what I'm doing," Zoya soothed her mother's concerns.

"Hmm. I hope you find happiness beta, whoever you're with and whatever you do. We didn't mean to hurt you, you know that. You're precious to us." The sincerity in Ammi's voice was unmistakable.

"Ammi, please! Don't hold yourself responsible... things just happened. It's all in the past. I love you and Abu, don't ever think that I was hurt by you. I was disappointed with Ayaan," Zoya replied.

"You're generous beta, and kind hearted. May Allah bless you and give you all the happiness," her mother answered.

There was another long silence. Zoya knew it was inevitable. The unsaid words would be spoken.

"Have you made any progress with what sent you to India?" The strain in Ammi's voice was apparent to Zoya. At some level, she treated this as Zoya's rejection of her adoptive family, and since it had been triggered by the incident with Ayaan, she held herself and Abu responsible.

"Na," Zoya sighed. "But I'm going to ask Asad to help me."

When there was no answer, she continued, "Ammi, I love you both very much. But I have to do this, I hope you understand."

"I think I do beta. I just miss you. I hope to see you soon. Anyway, I'll ring off now. Need to go give your Abu his meds. It's getting late here," her mother replied. They bid each other goodbye and her mother rang off.

Zoya headed for a shower. She was relieved to have spoken to her mother and even more relieved that her mother wasn't pushing Ayaan's case and understood her. Facing Ayaan wouldn't be so tough. She had her mother's blessing. One major load off my chest.

***

Asad knocked on Zoya's bedroom door. There was no response, perhaps she wasn't in.

Just then Zoya stepped out of the bathroom, in a camisole and pajamas.

Asad was taken aback. "Sorry, I thought you weren't in. I came to tell you that..." his voice trailed off as his eyes traveled over her body. He turned away, realizing he'd been staring unashamedly. "Sorry, I'll see you in a bit. I'm in my room," and without waiting for a response, he let himself out.

Zoya cursed herself for having forgotten to lock the bedroom door and rushed to shut it.

She missed a step, stumbled near the carpet and came crashing down.

"Aa... ouch!" she yelled, as she came into contact with the floor, shoulder first, hip next.

"Zoya, are you ok?!" Asad was by her side in an instant.

"I don't know... I hope so," she whimpered, in pain.

He lifted her and laid her down on the bed.

" Zoya, your shoulder's bruising up. Let me get Ammi or Najma to help you," he offered.

She cringed in pain... she could barely move her shoulder, forget lift it. And her hip hurt like hell! Using her other hand, she lifted her camisole and pushed her pajamas, to check her hip.

Just then Asad walked in, ice-pack in hand. The sight of her bare skin stopped him in his tracks. Against the very smooth skin was puckered scar tissue. He'd guessed right. It looked like tissue from a bad burn injury.

Asad clenched his fists, hoping that this was caused by an accident. If it was anything else, he'd hunt down the person responsible for it and... He paused that thought as he realized the depth of his feelings for this woman. It scared him. But he realized he'd beat fear in every sphere of his life except when it came to love. But not for long, things were going to be different.

He recovered quickly, and cleared his throat. "Zoya... you okay?"

Zoya nodded, covering herself up in a hurry. Asad's impassive expression made her think he might not have seen her burns.

He placed the icepack near her shoulder and covered her with a quilt. "I'm going to call a doctor and check if there's anything we should be doing."

***

The painkillers had taken effect. Fortunately, there was no swelling to indicate a fracture but Asad was keen they visit an orthopedic surgeon in the evening anyway.

He'd cancelled all appointments again, and spent his time working by her bedside. This was getting to be a habit. Watching her sleep, and taking time off from work to be with her. But it was a good one to cultivate. His mind was made up - he was going to tell her how he felt when she woke up.

***

Zoya was feeling much better when Najma served her coffee in bed.

"Bhai jaan will be back soon. He had to catch up on some stuff," Najma clarified. "Thank God he was here when you fell. Imagine if you'd been alone!"

Zoya nodded. Asad was becoming her rock, her support; it was reassuring to know he was there for her. She had to tell him about Ammi's call.

Asad walked in a few minutes later, his eyes on Zoya as he leaned against the doorframe. She couldn't take her eyes off him either.

Najma discreetly made her way out.

"Asad... I didn't get a chance to tell you this morning..." Zoya started.

"Remember when I told Ammi I liked you?" Asad said at the same time.

They both stopped at the same time. "Go on..."

Then he smiled. "Ok, I'll go first because it's been on my mind all day and I was waiting for you to work up. To say I like you is a gross understatement. I think over the past few months, I've been too busy denying anything I felt for you. I was deliberately standoffish so many times because I was scared I'd let the truth out."

"Me too," Zoya responded. "I thought it was just a silly crush and I hated the way you were around me. So you're not being nice made it easier to stay away but I couldn't get you out of my thoughts completely. I told Ammi about us today, and we have her blessings. She understands it's over with Ayaan."

Asad's eyes lit up. He settled down beside her and held her hands in his. Their backs were against the headboard of the bed, and their legs, aligned.

"Could this be love, Asad?" Zoya asked hesitantly.

"Zo... I don't know if what we have is called love, but I'm done with trying to define it. I thought I had something with Ayesha but now, I'm not looking for labels."

Zoya felt uneasy. "Does that mean you're not looking for love? Love is important to me, you know. I'm not going to settle for anything less."

Asad turned her towards him and looked into the depth of her eyes. "Zoya, hear me out here before you say anything. I don't know if this is what you want to hear from me, but I'm going to tell you anyway."

Zoya looked at him confused, but he placed his thumb on her lips.

"Remember when we stopped kissing abruptly? I thought I felt some scar tissue and today, when I walked in on you, I saw the marks. I'm sorry to invade your privacy... but I want you to know, they don't matter. You do. My first thought when I saw them was I'd like to kill the person who caused you so much pain. I don't know if that is love, but I can tell you that I'm going to be here with you through thick and thin, no matter what."

He looked at her expectantly. Zoya's eyes were tearing up. He cupped her chin and thumbed the tears rolling down her cheeks, kissing her nose and then her forehead. "Sorry hon... I shouldn't have brought it up."

She rested her head on his shoulder and cried for a while. He just held her and stroked her hair. After eons, she spoke.

"Asad, I'm not upset with you. I was scared you might hate the sight of those marks... hate me. I'm sorry I wanted declarations of love from you...think it's stupid of me to believe in labels after what Ayaan did. Let's take it as it comes. Knowing you are with me for better or for worse is more than good for now."

He hugged her gently, careful not to touch her injured shoulder.

Zoya continued. She wanted to tell Asad everything. "I got those marks in a fire accident that resulted in my biological mother's death. The hotel we were staying at was razed to the ground almost, there were few survivors. I escaped relatively unharmed as I was in one of the lower rooms.

I was taken to a shelter and they took care of my medical expenses. I was apparently too shocked to speak for the first few weeks but I told them that I was alone with my mom and my father hadn't joined us. The police tried hard to establish my identity and locate my family but it was difficult as my documents were lost in the fire. No one came to claim me. So I stayed on in the shelter, and a year later, the Farooquis met me."

"But if you were staying at a hotel, it might have meant you were from out of town. Why are you looking for your father here?" Asad asked, trying to be helpful.

"I don't know... I seem to have memories of this old palatial house that I once described to Jiju. He said he'd seen something similar in the old part of the city. I went to a few therapy sessions back home and the therapist thought I might have repressed memories of the accident and revisiting the place might trigger my memory."

He kissed her forehead, to comfort her and looked down at this beautiful, strong yet fragile woman he was in love with. He was going to do everything he could to help her find her father. If that would help her heal, he'd move the earth.

Sorry! I haven't proofed it - please PM if there are any errors, will fix them! thanks much and hope you like this longish chapter.

Chapter 14: The unwelcome guest

Originally posted by: BrunoMars

Ahw! So much development! I totally love the update. How you went from steamy hawt to cute and caring. The depth of their unnamed/unlabeled relationship is so well felt in this update. How their feelings chaneged from the first chapter to the 13th, it has changed so much. Yet it feels likeI read about their days. Like in real life. Awesome update! Love your work!

Originally posted by: Anjinie

So sweet of Asad to help Zoya find her dad loved it pls cont,,,