AsYa SS: Written in the Stars (Ch 3 POSTED!) - Page 2

Chapter 2

A series of ASalam Alekums were given out when they entered the house. They were lead to be seated on the cream coloured sofas placed strategically in the drawing room. Once seated, Zoya conspicuously glanced around. The house had looked pretty big when they had entered and its interior was decorated carefully and tastefully. A woman in her late 50s had greeted them with a pleasant smile and Zoya had instantly felt at ease with her. She was Dilshaad, her Jiju's family friend and the prospective groom's mother.

She felt the sofa dip as someone sat next to her. Zoya turned to the side to see a pretty girl about her age smiling sweetly at her. Zoya tentatively smiled back.

"Hi! I am Najma. Asad bhaijaan's younger and only sister. And obviously you must be Zoya right?"

Zoya only nodded mutely. Her heart fluttered when she heard Asad's name. She shrugged it off to anxiousness and uneasiness.

"Hey, don't look so nervous. Its okay. You know I already like you and think you are perfect for bhai and I know for a fact that Ammi likes you as well if the smile she is giving you is any indication." At this Zoya looked around to find Dilshaad smiling at her wistfully. Before she had a time to process everything that Najma had said Dilshaad spoke softly.

"Actually Asad is running a bit late. A sudden meeting came up. He called to tell me that he will be here in 5 minutes."

"Oh bhai jaan and his work. He is a complete workaholic. But I am sure that will completely change once he gets married. Right?"

Najma said with a teasing smile and bumped her shoulder with Zoya's. Everyone laughed softly. Zoya felt extremely uncomfortable with the whole debacle and fidgeted at the attention she was getting. She sighed with relief as a trolley laden with tea and snacks was pushed into the room and the conversation was directed away from her. Idle chit chat on various topics flowed along with tea and Zoya felt herself acting more like herself. She animatedly talked to Najma and Dilshaad, her feelings of apprehension drifting away with their warming personalities. She felt more like herself right now than she had felt for a while, since they had found out about Zeenat's illness. Just as she was explaining to Najma why she had chosen photojournalism as her career, the sound of the front door opening came in the room.

"Oh that must be Asad. I will be right back." Dilshaad exclaimed happily and went outside. Zoya's heart started pounding in her chest and her throat felt unusually dry. Come on Zo! Get a grip on yourself. You have never been nervous in your entire life. Its not like he's gonna eat you alive.

She took a deep breath to calm herself and mentally gave herself a pep talk to bring out the confident Zoya out from her hiding place to which she had disappeared to since last night. She concentrated on Najma's talk of her dreams of having her designs being worn by Bollywood stars when the doors to the drawing room opened and her heart once again jumped to her throat. She looked as Dilshaad entered the room and after a minute entered Asad.

Her heart started beating faster as she looked at him. He was tall, well over 6 feet with a lean built. But that is not to say he was not muscular. Oh no Zoya could see the outline of his well - toned arms under his well stitched button up shirt. He was lean and well - toned but not overdone like some guys who looked like they had steroids for breakfast. Exactly like I prefer her heart sang. Stop it! She reprimanded herself. She moved her gaze up towards his perfectly proportioned face to find him staring at her. She let out a quite gasp as she became trapped in his grey coloured eyes.

She didn't know what was happening to her. All she could do was gaze mesmerized into his intense stare. He was looking at her with various emotions flittering across his face. Her whole body was tingling with warm and there was a strange attraction between them which prevented either of them from looking away. It wasn't until someone cleared their throat tactically that the spell was broken.

Zoya looked away embarrassed, her face feeling unusually warm with her pulse racing. She conspicuously put her hand to her warm cheek to realize that she was blushing! Oh God what was happening to her? She was turning into gushing, swooning teenage girl faced with her first crush.

She trying to distract herself and avoided looking in Asad's direction where he was politely conversing with Anwar and Zeenat. Najma had definitely seen the quite moment that had passed between her prospective bhabhi and bhai but whenever she tried to tease Zoya about it, Zoya tactfully changed the subject.

It was all working out very well actually. All she had to do was continue ignoring him till it was time for them to leave. Then when they got home she would calmly explain to her sister that she couldn't marry Asad. He had some kind of a weird spell over her and she refused to let herself succumb to it.

Alas! All her hopes were dashed to the ground with one sentence uttered by Zeenat.

"Dilshaad Aapa, if you don't mind we would like for Asad and Zoya to talk to each other somewhere alone. After all, they are the ones who have to make an important decision today and they cant possibly do make the right choice without talking to each other first. I hope you don't mind what I am suggesting."

"Oh no problem Zeenat. It is perfectly alright with me. If you hadn't suggested it first then I was about to say the same thing. Najma please take Asad and Zoya to the balcony and then come back."

Zoya didn't know how to react when Najma happily got up and gestured for her to follow her. She watched as Asad respectfully held the door open for her and she couldn't help but feel as if she was walking to the guillotine. Please God help me not make a fool of myself. My feminist couldn't take it if I suddenly turned into those regency era heroines who swooned and simpered at the mere touch from their beloveds.

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Hope you liked it. I tried to dig deeper into Zoya's personality with this part. Also can somewhere please make a siggie for this fic. Whoever wants to just PM me and I will get back to you.

Dont forget to like/comment!