AsYa FF: Destiny Comes Calling *CH 20* 11/11/13 Pg 134 - Page 18

1. About the new characters: I am debating between Jennifer and Kritika Kamra for Rukhsaars character. For the male character - since I want someone to look similar in age to Asad and also be clean shaven (very important) I am stuck between Avinash (Choti Bahu, IPKKND2) and Karan G (PV2, YMAAK). I am leaning towards the other Karan since he did flirt well with Zoya during the gold awards...them made a cute couple. Can you atleast help me pick the final choice?
2. Thanks for the response to ULJHAN. I am going to continue to write it, but start posting it only after I am half way done with this.
3. For PMs buddy me or post a comment.

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Chapter 7: New beginnings

Zoya had spent a wonderful day at home relaxing and getting to know her hosts better. Najma and Phoopi had helped her to her room and provided her with painkillers to help ease her pain. They even offered to take her to the doctor to make sure nothing was broken, but she straight out refused.

The painkiller had helped her rest that morning. She had talked to her Aapi and Jeeju and had ensured them that she had reached without an incident and was very well taken care of. She did not want them to worry about her and hence did not tell them about her accident this morning.

Soon after lunch, Najma was back and the three ladies spent most of their time in Zoyas room. They kept laughing about how it was a good thing that they had put Zoya up in the ground floor room, else she would have hurt herself on a daily basis when Zoya told them about her love/hate relationship with the floor. Najma loved the moniker " Mishap Queen, that her friends has bestowed upon her and started call her MQ for short.

She also learnt about the long list of rules they had in the house and smiled to herself when she realized she had already broken a few of them, albeit unknowingly. She had stepped out of the house alone in the middle of the night, eaten in a place other than the dining table, and stepped into Asads private domain without his permission. Infact, Phoopi was giving her food in the room and even on the sofa, she was breaking rules too. Afterall rules are made to be broken.

All in all, it was a good day for Zoya. Just that the turn of events had pushed back her original plans by a few days and this left her dejected.

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Asad wondered out loud if she was faking her injury as he went out for his dinner. Aami heard him and gave him another one of her angry looks.

"Kyon bechari ke peeche pade ho? [Why are you being so mean to her?]" She asked.

"Kyonki jise sach much dard hota hai who is tarah se hasta nahi [Because the one who is truly in pain, cannot life like that]." He said, his finger pointing in the direction of the room, where Zoya and Najma were still sitting chit-chatting.

Dilshaad explained that she had examined her bruises and she was truly hurt. However, she was taking things in her stride and not letting the pain bring her spirits down.

"Yeah spirits! She is very spirited, the way her tongue runs." Asad said with a straight face making Dilshaad laugh.

Zoya came out for dinner, hobbling on one foot, using Najmas shoulder for support. Her face scrunched up with pain for every step she took. Asad stood up to help her, but she refused. She would do this without his help, even if it killed her.

Post dinner, Zoya asked Najma if she could take Jaan out for a walk since he had been holed up indoors all day long.

"No, Tamatar cannot" Asad responded for her.

Zoya who opened her mouth to protest was shut out out by a staying hand put up by Asad.

" but I will do it. Its dark outside and I dont think it's safe for Najma to be out alone." Asad offered.

Zoya had learned from Najma earlier that Asad had developed a dislike for dogs since the time he was chased by one and almost bitten when he was about 5 years old. She was surprised that he was still afraid, but then a lot of people have some of the strangest fears in life. However, she was impressed to see that he did care for his baby sister, enough to deal with his demons. Not that my baby is a demon.

Post dinner, Asad grabbed MyJaan and took him looking extremely uncomfortable as he did so.

"Tamatar? Really?" Zoya asked when they sat down with their coffees. "Oh dont answer, I get why" She added when she saw the color on Najmas cheeks. Wow this girl surely does look like a tomato when she is embarrassed.

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When Asad came back from his walk, everyone had retired to their rooms. He walked MyJaan to Zoya's room and raised his hand to knock when the door moved. From the slightly ajar door, he could see her bent over her ankle, trying to apply an ointment to a very nasty looking blue ankle. She winced due to the effort she was making in order to bend. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as she closed her eyes and hissed in pain.

Asad left MyJaan at the door and turned around to return only a couple of minutes later. He noticed that MyJaan had already curled up on the bed besides her.

"Hmm" he cleared his throat in order to get Zoya's attention.

She looked up to see him standing with his hands full, no wonder he did not knock, and quickly looked away to wipe her eyes and her face with the sleeve of her dress.

"May I come in?" he asked in the most polite tone she had ever heard coming out of his mouth.

He dropped everything he carried near the foot of her bed and pulled the ottoman to the edge of the bed and sat down. He brought forth a hand as if asking for something. A wide-eyed Zoya kept staring at him as if he had sprung out a second head.

"Aapka per is aage kijiye. [Bring your leg forward.] Let me take a look." He said, his hand gesturing the same.

"Aap kya doctor hain?[Are you a doctor?]" Zoya responded, feeling slightly uncomfortable with him around.

"Ms. Farooqui, main doctor na sahi, insaan to hoon. [I may not be a doctor, but atleast I am a human being.] I saw you in pain and am just seeing what I can do to help ease it. Why did you not ask Najma or Aami to apply the ointment? Sometimes, you have to swallow your pride you know, it does not make you less independent." He picked up the ice pack from the floor, in his one hand and gently held Zoya's foot with the other. Zoya was too shocked with his behavior to protest.

"You should have used an ice pack sooner. It would have brought down the swelling considerably." He spoke as he softly applied the cold compress to her ankle. He noticed that Zoya was shifting uncomfortably on her seat "I'll be right back" he said and left the room abruptly.

Zoya was still staring at the door he had just exited from when he came back with a hot water bag and politely asked her to sit on it."It will help with the pain."

Zoya wondered Is he bipolar? He alternates between hot and cold without batting his eyelids and now he behaves as if he knows exactly how much pain I am in. The all-knowing Jahanpanah Ahmed Khan!

"You know I could have said the same about you" She heard Asad talk and realized that she might have just spoken aloud her thoughts. Flustered, she looked up from her leg to his face and noticed that he was smiling, a half smile but still smiling. So miracles do happen!!!

She noticed that when he smiled a slight dimple peeped, making his handsome face look even more perfect if it was possible. "You should smile more often." She spoke up before even realizing it.

"I would never get any work done at the office if I were to smile at everyone." He responded, looking up at her, the smile from his face was replaced by the same straight face he always carried around.

"May I?" He asked as he moved on to applying the ointment on her ankle and messaging it in. They both sat silently for the next few minutes. Asad working diligently on her injured ankle and Zoya staring at his face, trying to read what he was thinking. But his face wore a mask she could not penetrate. Such a complex man! She sighed, making him look up at her. She nodded no in response to his arched eyebrow.

Zoya was rendered speechless by this gentleness of this man. If he is shouting and being rude, at least u can give back in kind. But how do you respond to this behavior? Zoya felt like she was in unchartered territory.

Asad too was feeling awkward with the silence and the intimacy of the situation they were in.

"Hmmm. so is he accident prone too?" he asked out of nowhere.

"He?" Zoya wondered out loud.

"MyJaan?" his voice felt like a soft caress.

"I noticed he limps." Asad explained see the confused look on her face.

"Its a birth defect. He was born with a short hind leg. People who adopt poodles do it for the perfections and beauty. His breeders found no takers for him so they left him at the shelter I used to volunteer at. He was only a few weeks old and looked so lost and confused and lonely in his new surroundings. I could not bear to see him there like that. So I adopted him. His physical defect did not bother me, the loneliness in his eyes did." She said in a very solemn voice. How can I explain to you that we were kindred spirits that latched on to each other the moment we met?

Asad's head jerked up to look at her face when she spoke those last words. Her voice had a raw emotion to him that took him by surprise. How wrong he had been in supposing that she was just another frivolous American who carried around an arm candy in the form of a boutique dog. Asad gave himself a mental slap for his prejudiced thinking. He looked at her eyes and was surprised by the depth he saw in those deep brown pools. There is more to this girl than meets the eye.

"Why MyJaan? It is such a weird and uncommon name for a dog." Asad asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Salman Khan's dog is called MyJaan. So there is no way I would consider another name." she was back to her smiling self at the mention of Salman Khan. Not another Salman Khan fan. What do girls see in him is beyond me? That man cannot even act.

He finished up the massage by tying an elastic wrap around her ankle.

"Try to stay off of that leg, if you can help it. And pass me the hot water bag, I'll refresh it. Wohwould you like some coffee?" He said standing up. Zoya nodded her head in a yes and he smiled.

That Zoya was discomfited with what had happened between them in the last half hour, would be an understatement. The slight current she felt, when their hands brushed, as she passed him the bag just added to her dilemma. Whoa!!! What was that? She wondered as Asad left the room.

Asad returned a short while later, the bag in his armpit and two coffee in each of his hands. He kept the coffee down on her side table and handed her the bag.

"Sleep tight. And call me if you need anything, I am just across the corridor." He told her.

"I dont have an Indian number yet. I did not get a chance to get one."She explained.

"Koi baat nahi. Main darwaza khula rakh deta hoon, awaaz de dena.[No worries, I will keep the doors open. Just call for me.]" He said as he made to exit her room.

Zoya nodded. "Thanksfor everything. Good night." She added.

"Isse coffee kehte hain? [Is this coffee?]" Zoya splurted out the warm brown liquid she had just drank. "No milk? No Sugar? Black and bitter. YUCK!!!" she said with her over dramatic gestures, looking at Asad who had just reached the door. He just nodded his head and left the room. Typical!!

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