Last part of their journey, here you go (:
Mangalpur Madness: Part 35
Zoya lifted her head off Asad's chest as the noise from a car whizzing by them broke her out of her reverie. Asad too looked down at her at the same time, their faces only inches apart. Zoya couldn't help but tilt her chin upwards and close the gap between them, as she pressed her lips against his. Asad responded immediately by separating his lips ever so slightly and taking her lower lip in between them, suppressing a soft moan as they began kissing fervently.
Asad stroked a portion of Zoya's bare waist as he took steps forward until Zoya's back hit the car door. Zoya ran her fingers through Asad's hair and applied a slight pressure to his head to move it even closer to her than it already was. Asad complied easily, as his hands found their way into her hair as well, cupping the back of her head to angle it properly.
This went on for longer than they both could keep track of, until wolf-whistles from the next car that passed by them made them back off from each other suddenly, as situational awareness began to set in. But Asad made sure not to back off totally, his forehead still resting on hers and his thumb gently stroking her cheek, where her dimple had formed.
"We need to figure out a way to go home," Asad reluctantly whispered, after they'd smiled at each other silently for long enough. Zoya laughed softly and nodded at him, agreeing to what he had said. They could do this forever, but just not here. Asad placed his hands on either side of Zoya's waist as he lifted her effortlessly and sat her down on the car hood.
"You've been standing for quite long now, I really don't want your ankle to act up again. Just wait here while I find some transportation for us," Asad explained, as he let go of Zoya. He took a step away from the car to take a look at the road, when he felt Zoya grab his hand and stop him from going any further. He smiled at her simple gesture and stopped, lacing his fingers with hers.
He was about to reassure her that he wasn't going anywhere when they both heard a sound in the distance and turned to look at the source. There was a nice red tractor coasting down the road, making Asad and Zoya turn back to each other and share a knowing smile. They'd found their ride home. Asad used his free hand to wave at the tractor and attract the driver's attention.
The driver turned out to be an affectionate old man who gladly agreed to drive them to the main highway. Asad helped Zoya step down from the car hood, holding her hand firmly as he guided her towards the back of the tractor. He climbed onto the tractor himself first, and then stretched his arm down to lend support to Zoya as she climbed up as well. Soon they'd comfortably settled themselves down on the hay in the tractor, and the driver began chugging along.
Zoya was sitting next to Asad, her head resting on his shoulder and her arm entwined with his. Asad could feel Zoya's body shiver next to him as the breeze from the travelling tractor hit them and their damp clothes. Asad wordlessly removed her arm from his and wrapped his arm around her waist instead; shifting her to sit in between his slightly separated legs, her back resting against his chest. Zoya settled her head on Asad's chest as Asad wrapped his arms around her, and both of them sighed collectively, out of content.
"When we get back, hum ammi se baat karenge, nikaah ke baare mein," Asad whispered into Zoya's hair, rubbing his nose against the back of her head. Zoya's eyes widened considerably. Was he proposing to her? Zoya decided to investigate cautiously.
"Accha, you mean tell her about Mehnaaz's nikaah? Yes it was a beautiful ceremony wasn't it?" Zoya replied, and she felt Asad's body tense up a little behind her. She smiled to herself, he really was proposing to her! In a really strange way though.
"NO! I mean... yes it was a beautiful ceremony. But I'm not talking about Mehnaaz's nikaah," Asad tried to explain, hoping that Zoya would read between the lines again. She was usually pretty good at that anyway. The problem was that he couldn't really see her face from behind her, so he couldn't tell what she was actually thinking.
"Accha accha, you're talking about your own nikaah! Mubarak ho Mr Khan, who's the badnaseeb girl?" Zoya asked laughingly, her whole body vibrating from controlling her chuckle. Asad rolled his eyes at her response; this girl really loved messing with him.
"I'm talking about OUR nikaah Zoya, but I'm pretty sure you've already figured that out," Asad said, as he poked her at her waist in jest, causing her to jump a little at the ticklishness. Zoya giggled openly this time, and Asad tightened his arms around her as he nuzzled her neck.
"Our nikaah?? But I don't remember getting proposed to!!" Zoya exclaimed after a while, realizing that he hadn't even asked her, technically. She turned in his arms to face him, and Asad simply smiled at her lovingly before leaning down and claiming her lips. Zoya kissed him back, the feel of his lips on hers becoming an extremely natural sensation.
She knew then that this was as close to a proposal as she was going to get from her emotionally... no, her verbally challenged Mr Khan. And for some reason, she didn't even mind. He wouldn't quite be himself if he changed too much, and she loved him just the way he was.
"I'm so glad we're going home Zoya," Asad said throatily once they'd broken the kiss. Zoya realized something when she looked at herself enveloped in Asad's strong arms, her own hand stroking his jaw softly, and his eyes closing contentedly at her touch.
"I'm already home Mr Khan," Zoya replied simply, as she reached up to seal his lips with hers again. And she knew in her heart that there was no other place she would rather be.
The End (:
XXX
The trip to Mangalpur ended, so Mangalpur Madness had to end as well! I wanna thank all of my readers for taking this journey with me (: And I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Lovelots,
goingreen!