AsYa FF: Only in the darkness can you see the stars THREAD #1 - Page 45

Originally posted by: saida.m

Thank you for such a lovely comment!

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A/N: Hola!

Asad and Zoya are going on a date!! I am excited, are you? Well, let's get to it, then!

I hope you like this update!

Chapter 11: First day of my life

"Allah Miyan! I have nothing appropriate to wear for tonight! Why did I not bring anything for such a potential situation? What am I going to do? Najma? What are you doing sitting there, I am going crazy here! Help me, please!" Zoya screamed in dramatic fashion.

Zoya was standing in front of her open cupboard, sifting through the clothes that she had inside. She so did not pack for a date. She had come to India with the mission of finding her father; and hence the idea of a date was furthest away. And Najma was simply sitting there, laughing at Zoya fretting over her lack of what she deemed as "date appropriate" clothing.

Zoya scowled at a laughing Najma.

"You are finding this funny aren't you, Tamatar? Just wait when it's your turn. When you have a date that you are excited and nervous about, I'll be just sitting, laughing and not helping you then! Just you wait!" Zoya exclaimed, without realizing that she had just alluded to the fact that she planned to stay with the Khans for a long time.

Najma however, caught that and her eyes shone with happiness.

"You promise, Zoya? That you'll be here to tease me? That you are not going anywhere?" they had formed a very strong bond over the time of Zoya's stay in Bhopal.

Zoya blushed at Najma's statement but did not say anything. Everything that was going on with Asad and her was very premature at the moment and Zoya did not want to say anything. Let the chips fall wherever.

Najma finally had enough of Zoya's whining about her clothes and dragged Zoya upstairs to her room while Zoya whined about not having enough time to select a dress and get ready. They reached Najma's room and leaving Zoya by the bed, Najma went over to her closet and fished out a beautiful black Anarkali dress and held it out for Zoya to see. It was simple and elegant with a thin golden border along the neck and sleeves.

Zoya squealed,"TAMATAR! This is perfect! It's so beautiful." Then she pouted, "Did you enjoy watching me fret while you had a dress all along, you little sadistic sister?"

Najma laughed at Zoya's antic and gave her a mischievous smile and turned the dress so that Zoya could see the back of the dress. Najma giggled at the expression on Zoya's face.

Zoya's eyes widened after taking a look at the back of the dress. Wait! Let's rephrase that - her eyes widened after taking a look at the lack of fabric on the back of the dress.

"Ba-backl-less?" Zoya spluttered.

Najma nodded and wiggled her eyebrows, "Oh, yes! Bhaijaan will go crazy! You are going to look so perfect, sexy and hot in this!"

Zoya gave the dress and Najma a dubious look, "I don't know, Najma. There are backless dresses, and then there is this! It practically has nothing! I don't even know what to call this! I.."

"No over thinking, please! Now go and change. It's almost six and Bhaijaan said six-thirty. So, chop-chop!"

***

Asad was pacing the floor of his room and looking at the time over and over again. He was thinking and over thinking and then rethinking over their date. Zoya had decided that she wanted to wait before contacting her father. She had told him that she needed to get herself together and prepare her heart and mind before heading towards the greatest first meeting of her life. Asad had promised her that he will stand by her side and with whatever she decided to do.

And now, today they were going out on their first date! He chuckled when he remembered how her eyes had bugged out when he had asked her out on the date.

*flashback*

"Wha-at?" she had managed to get out at his totally unexpected question.

Asad stepped closer to her and tugged her to him. He gently caressed her right cheek and whispered, "Will you, Zoya? I promised you that I have no plans of ever hurting you."

Zoya had swooned and clung to him. His eyes boring into hers left her dumbfounded and all she could do was nod at him. Her voice seemed to have deserted her.

*end of flashback*

Asad ran his fingers through his hair and looked at the time once again. It was obvious that he was nervous.

Aadil sat on his father's bed and was looking at Asad pacing from here and there with a very amused expression on his face. He could no longer take his father's constant worrying and he leapt off the bed. Reaching over to his father, he tugged at his arm and motioned him to listen to him.

"Abbu! What are doing? Are there butterflies in your tummy?" he wondered.

Asad nodded at his solemnly, "Yes, bud, Abbu is very nervous for his date, you see. I am taking Ms. Zoya out for dinner and I am just worrying over it."

Aadil looked at his father like he had gone crazy, "But why? You don't have to worry! It's just Ms. Zoya, Abbu."

Asad looked at his son and then smiled. Of course, it was just Zoya. And just like that, the nerves relaxed.

***

Zoya finally made it out of Najma's room just before six-thirty. She climbed down the stairs very carefully. The little devil Tamatar had put her in five inch heels. Death traps, really. She made it down the stairs in one piece and saw that Asad was sitting on the couch in the living room. Aadil who was sitting next to his father saw Zoya first and jumped up and down.

"WOW, Ms. Zoya. You look so pretty!" he yelled at her, effectively grabbing Asad's attention and made him quickly turn around and look at her.

All the primping and beautifying torture that Najma had put Zoya through was suddenly all worth it when she saw Asad's eyes bug out and widen when he looked at her. Giving herself an internal self-five and pep talk, she walked over to the father-son duo.

Aadil reached over to her and restated his compliments.

"Thank you, Aadil. You are such a sweet and charming little man!" Zoya leaned down to peck his head, careful not to smudge her lipstick.

Aadil beamed at her and looked at his father and and whisper-yelled at his father to compliment her as well.

Stumbling and stuttering, Asad managed to say, "Yo-you look gorg-goreous, Zoya. Are you ready to go?"

Zoya nodded at him. Najma walked down as well and stood by Aadil. After kissing the little man ag gopd night and sweet dreams, Aasd and Zoya proceeded towards the door. As she walked ahead of him, deliberately, Zoya gathered her hair and pulled it over her left shoulder. She smirked victoriously when she heard him groan at her exposed back.

***

Asad took them to the Italian place by the lake. He got out of the car, ran to the other side and opened the door for her.

"Very smooth, Asad." she laughed gently.

Asad shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to show her how nervous he really was, "Eh, I try. Shall we?"

Asad placed his hand on her back and led her towards the entrance. Both of them shivered when his hands made contact with the soft skin of her back. They entered the restaurant and Asad gave his name to the host and they were led to their reserved table. After being seated, their server introduced himself and left them with appetizer menus.

They ordered their drinks and appetizers. Asad gave a pointed glare to their server who happened to pay a little more than required attention to Zoya while collecting their orders. Having caught in his ogling, the server looked bashful and left to get their starters.

"Jealous, Mr. Khan?" Zoya teased him as the server left.

Asad looked her dead in the eyes and said, "You bet, Ms. Farooqui." And she had to look so damn sexy in that dress!

They were both lost in each others' eyes for an untold amount of time. A throat clearing brought them out of their trace. The server was back with their drinks.

Over the appetizers and entrees, the couple talked about everything and anything. Although they had been living in the same house for some time now, they were still oblivious to each others' many likes and dislikes. They talked about various mundane things and about favorite colors, books, music and what not. Asad smirked over how passionate Zoya was for cricket and Dhoni, her hilarious couplets and her disturbing about of love for Cinderalla.

"Cinderella?" he had asked her about a story that had taught her a great lesson in life.

"Of course! It is one of the best stories, Asad" she replied.

"Zoya, it is a fairytale."

"Well! Who said that those tales do not teach you anything? You only need to understand the messages! And in Cinderella, it's fate, Asad! When I was a kid, I understood what fate was through that story! Whatever happens, you will always find that one special person, even if you do by the strangest of means, but you do!"

They looked at each other with shy smiles as she said that. It did seem true, after all.

Asad was amazed at the woman in front of him. Instead of getting entangled in the cruelties of life, she still tried to focus on what was good. Had it been someone in her place, with what she had experienced, Asad could bet that person would not have been able to look past the evil step-mother. It hit too close to home in her case, but she decided to take the best out of it.

"Have I told you how beautiful you are, Zoya?" he whispered and reached across the table to take hold of her hand.

Zoya blushed and nodded at him.

"Well, it can't hurt to say it one more time, can it?" he murmured, "You look so beautiful today. And you are beautiful in and out. I am awe of your strength. Thank you so much for saying yes for this dinner and giving me a chance." He brought her hand to his lips and gently pecked each knuckle.

Zoya shivered at his touch and smiled. She seemed to smiling a lot today, and she liked that revelation.

After their entre, they were too full to have dessert but too reluctant to end their night. So they decided to forgo the dessert and instead they decided to walk down the lake near the restaurant.

***

The lake was beautiful at night. The moon shone proudly in the cloudless night and was reflected perfectly in the later waters.

They walked down the lake, hand-in-hand.

"I had a really good time, Asad." She said quietly, not wanting to disturb the quietness of the night.

He smiled and looked down to her, "I am glad and I did too."

"Zoya?" he whispered after some minutes of peaceful silence and strolling.

"Hmmm?" she looked at up with a smile.

"We have known each other only for a little while, but what I am feeling for you is so powerful and beyond anything I have ever left. I know that you are scared and worried and there are still many things in our lives that are unclear. You have to meet your father and I still have Aadil's biological father's menace looming over my head.

"But even in all this, you are the one thing, besides Aadil, that keeps me smiling. I look at you and all my day's tension seems to melt." He stopped them and turned her to face him.

Taking her face in his hands, he very gently leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a feather light kiss. It was just a brush of his lips but it made her breath catch.

"Zoya" he murmured, "I will say it again that I will never hurt you. I want you to know that I am falling for you, Zoya Farooqui. And from here, it will be easier than breathing to let myself love you." The sincerity in his eyes supported every word that left his mouth.

Zoya's eyes shone with affection and she leaned her forehead against his. "I know what you mean, Asad. I feel the same. I have never felt the foray of emotions that I do when I am with you. I don't know what love is and I have nothing to compare these strange emotions with, but I am sure that with you, I'll find out soon enough."

The pair looked at each other, smiled and then both of them leaned forward, meeting in the middle to seal their confessions with another gentle kiss.

I think I was blind before I met you.
Now I don't know where I am,
I don't know where I've been,
But I know where I want to go.

- First Day of My Life, by Bright Eyes

A/N: How was it?

I wanted the date to be more about talking than being about romantic gestures. They are after all just getting to know each other.

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Cheers,

Simi