AsYa FF: Only in the darkness can you see the stars THREAD #1 - Page 16

Originally posted by: maha2012

when will u update???😭

That was a lovely update !

A/N: Hi guys! *waves*

I am back with the next installment of the story. I have had some crazy weeks from hell and have gone berserk trying to get my life together.😵

I am working on this story with only little bits at a time.

Pardon any typos or other mistakes; I haven't had time to edit the thing out! I just wanted to get this done and out there!

Chapter 5: A Beautiful lie

Zoya was sitting cross-legged on her bed, having a staring contest with the search engine on her laptop; the blinking bar on the screen was waiting for her to start her search. Why was it so hard for her to start for something that she had journeyed across the globe? It was just a simple name; only alphabets, but her shaking fingers could not hit the keys and type in; and her body shook. This was harder than she had thought.

Before she could launch into a panic attack, the door to her room opened and she heard Najma's bubbly voice. Sighing with relief, she closed the computer and looked over Najma.

"Zoya!" Najma skipped over, "Are you free? You are right? Good! Come on, we are going out! I want you to meet my cousins. They are going to join us. It's going to be so much fun!" she said all that in one breath and squealed. She dragged Zoya out of her room without giving her the chance to say anything.

In the living, two girls, who appeared to be just about their age were waiting for them. Najma went over to them and did the introductions.

"Zoya, meet my cousins, Nikhat and Nuzzat. They are twins. They are my Phuppi's daughters. We are the same age and it's such a blast in college!"

Zoya looked at the sweet girls. Nikhat was a beauty, Zoya noticed. Although her skin was a little darker than her twin, her features were gorgeous and full of innocence. Nuzzat's face on the other hand screamed of mischief and naughtiness. It was so strange how two similar faces can be so different.

"Hi, I am Zoya. It's nice to meet you." She said politely and extended her hand for them to shake. The twins looked at each other, giggled and then pulled Zoya in a hug.

"We hug, Zoya, hand shaking is so lame! Welcome to the crazy family!" Nuzzat laughed.

The girls decided to go out for movies and then have a late lunch. They invited Dilshad to tag along with them but she refused - saying that Ayaan had informed her that he was going to be late coming from his center where he coached soccer to middle school kids and someone had to stay home for when Aadil came back from school.

Just the four of them then, the girls went to the Cineplex and they decided to watch a crazy movie that had just released and raved about. It was supposed to be a scary movie but the girls only managed to laugh and scoff at the implausible plotlines of the movie. After the movie had finished, they entered a caf down the street to have a late lunch. They ordered their food and discussed the movie as they waited for their order to come up.

Nuzzat was laughing hysterically, clutching her stomach, "I mean, seriously! Who hides in knight armor in a hotel and attacks? So hilarious! It was supposed to be scary?"

"We got a good deal! Horror and comedy on the price of one!" Najma wheezed out in between laughs.

They were all laughing at some other stupid scenes when Zoya's eyes wandered over to a family of three sitting in one of the tables of the caf. She could not hear what they were saying, but it was clear for Zoya to make out that the father was yelling at his son for something.

Zoya wanted to look away but she couldn't tear her eyes off the scene. As she kept looking at the scene unfold, her vision blurred and suddenly in her mind, she was seeing herself with her parents and not the boy. And Aashif Farooqui' s voice echoed in her head.

"When are you going to learn to eat properly, stupid girl? Huh?" Aashif grabbed her arms harshly and pulled her close to him.

"I am sorry, Abbu." A seven-year-old Zoya cried and apologized for the spilled drink.

"We should have never brought you along with us in public. You are such a disappointment to the family." He growled at her. "If you keep this up, you are going to find yourself locked at home, get it girl?"

"I am sorry, Abbu." Zoya whimpered.

"Zoya? Zoya? ZOYA!!!!"

She jumped a little at the sudden sound and out of her black memories. She looked around, realized that she was still sitting with the girls in the caf and saw that Najma, Nikhat and Nuzzat were staring at her, worriedly.

"Are you okay, Zoya? We were calling your name for some time." Nikhat frowned.

Zoya nodded and cleared her head, "I am fine, just spaced out for a second there. No worries!?

They resumed their chatter after Zoya reassured them repeatedly. She tried her best to look normal and hide the turmoil within her.

When they reached home, later the evening, they found Rashid, Dilshad and Asad in the kitchen and it seemed as if they were in a deep conversation. Asad was frowning and telling them something while Rashid and Dilshad looked at him with worry. They stopped talking when the girls entered the house. They masked their features and asked them about their days, but Zoya caught the look of worry on Dilshad's face.

***

Later that night, Zoya was in her bed; it was around two in the morning. She had been tossing and turning the entire time. Those words, the voice, the complaints, the venom; it wouldn't leave her alone. Her dreams were unrelenting. One dream would merge into another and they were all muddled with the presence of a hooded figure yelling at her and telling her how she was a worthless human being, her mind making up stories about how even her own father did not want her and had abandoned her.

Gasping, sweating, Zoya let out a scream as the oppressive dreams threatened to overpower her. She shot up straight in her bed and looked around. She was a sweaty mess. Her hair was sticking to her forehead and her heart on the verge of breaking free from her chest with the rate of its thumping.

The door to her room flew open and Asad rushed inside.

"Zo-Ms. Farooqui?! Are you alright? I heard you scream!" his words panicked and he rushed over to where she was sitting on her bed and looked at her panting self with concern. She looked back at him and nodded. She took the glass of water he offered from her bedside and gulped down the contents.

"I am fine, Mr. Khan. Just a bad dream, nothing to worry about. I am sorry I disturbed your sleep." She gave him a small smile.

"Oh. Um, it's fine. I was worried. Just...um, call for me if you need anything, okay? Or I can get Ammi or Najma for you, if you will be more comfortable?" he looked around the room, totally out of his element.

Zoya shook her head at him, "I am fine, Mr. Khan. Don't worry. I am just going to lay back down. It was just a dream."

Assured that she really was fine, Asad left her room. As the door shut after him, Zoya laid back and tried to settle herself. The incident at the caf had evoked Zoya's senses and had brought back some bitter memories. It wasn't the worst memory, but it was one of the most vivid ones that she had from when she was only a child. She kept repeating the explanation she had just told Asad. It was just a dream, Zoya. It was just a dream. Just a dream. Just a dream. Just a dream.

Alas! As much as she tried to think otherwise, it still did not change the truth. And the truth was that it was not just a dream. The real demons of her life were simply taking the route of unconscious.

And just like many other nights of her life, she drifted off to a troubled sleep, crying herself to slumber.

Lie awake in bed at night
And think about your life
Do you want to be different?
Try to let go of the truth
The battles of your youth
'Cause this is just a game

- A Beautiful lie by 30 Seconds to Mars

A/N: So that was the next part!

I know not much has been happening. It's just that I have the big stuff mapped out but I want to really want to have time on my hands to write the big guns. I want to get those out just right.

In the mean time, I hope you enjoy the character-building parts (a fancy term for filler chapters! hahaha)😆😆😆

If you enjoyed it, please leave a comment - that helps me a lot!

Much love,❤️

Simi

Simmi :)

wonder what was worrying Rashid,
Dilshad and Asad. Nice to see everyone mingling around.

Originally posted by: DancingDiva.

Simmi :)

Happy Diwali Hun :)

Well the update was interesting, wonder what was eating Rashid, Dilshad and Asad. Glad to know that Asad cares for Zoya. Nice to see everyone mingling around. Just a perfect post-diwali update :)

Nisha

Nice update. Enjoyed reading it. Somehow ur story, the way it's being told is so so good that it doesn't bother me to have no or minimal asya interaction still the story seems complete.

Love reading this chapter. Please update soon n pm me for the next part too.

Loved the update.you are a awesome writer.

Nice part
thanx for pm
do pm me for next part
continue soon