Sorry for the late update loves! Next updates will be faster,i promise!! Bear with me?
Chapter 3
Asad awoke to the alarm clock on his night stand, and sprung out of bed. The clock read 6:00am so he had about an hour to get ready. For the past four days, Asad made sure to get up extra early to get ready. He stood at his closet for about ten minutes deciphering what to wear.
Hmm what shirt should I wear? Monday I wore black, then Tuesday I wore the grey one, Wednesday I think I wore blue, and yesterday I wore the white shirt. Should I wear blue again? She did say it was her favorite color…
While Asad contemplated what to wear, he heard a loud knock on his front door. He quickly threw on the light blue collared shirt, and heard another loud knock.
"One second!" Asad yelled, and quickly looked at his reflection in the mirror to fix his short raven hair. This time there was a final knock, which was even louder than the last two.
"Who the hell is at my house at 6:15 in the freaking morning?" Asad grumbled to himself.
Maybe it's Zoya…
At this thought, Asad's heart rate picked up speed.
No she doesn't know where I live though, but maybe…
Asad quickly sprayed a dash of cologne and sprinted to the door. He quickly opened the door with a huge smile on his face, but it quickly turned into a frown when he realized that the person had grey eyes instead of the big hazel eyes he dreamed about.
"Expecting someone else?" Ayaan chuckled when he noticed Asad's bright smile fade to an angry look.
Asad grunted, "No, uh, no." He quickly spat out. Changing the subject, "What are you doing here so damn early man?"
Ayaan walked inside the big beach house, "Oh well you left the playbook at my house last night, so I figure you would need it today."
Asad gave Ayaan a perplexed look "You could've just brought it with you to practice this afternoon…"
Ayaan suddenly had a guilty look on his face "Alright you caught me. Humaira didn't go food shopping so we have no food, or coffee."
Asad laughed, "Dude you're so freaking cheap. Why couldn't you go to like Starbucks or something?"
"Eh. I'm an author, I don't make money like you do Asad. Not everyone can be in the NBA…"
Asad's head suddenly shot up and gave Ayaan a nasty look.
"Sorry man, I forgot… Speaking of which, how's your back?"
Asad clenched his jaw "I don't want to talk about it. Just drop it."
Ayaan held his hands up. "Sorry. So you've been in an abnormally good mood all week. What's up with that? You're actually nice to me. And you look… presentable." Ayaan chuckled.
Asad playfully rolled his eyes. "Nothing."
Asad quickly looked toward the window to think of some lame excuse.
There's no way I can tell him I have some lame crush on my new co-worker…
"Riiight." Ayaan drawled out.
"The weather's just been.. um... nice."
"Seriously man? That's weak. What's up? I'm getting kind of freaked out. You woke up before seven, you have waaay to much cologne on, and it looks like you tried on like six shirts!" Ayaan said pointing to Asads open bedroom door which had clothes scattered all around.
Asad discreetely smelled himself,
Do I really have too much cologne on? Shit!
Ayaan kept rambling on "…And what's with you at practice? You always jump whenever the door opens in the gym. And your hair…?"
"What's wrong with my hair?" Asad quickly asked.
Ayaan snickered "Nothing. You just keep making sure it's like perfect. When did you start caring so much what you look like? You've never cared. And I don't think I've seen you this happy in a while. What's the sudden change? What are you in love or something?"
Asad choked on his coffee.
Love? No way! Now there's no way I'm telling Ayaan about Zoya…
"Ha! Good one Ay! You know me… definitely not."
"Then what is it? You must be really trying to impress someone because I've never seen you try this hard before."
Asad just shrugged. "I just figured it's time for a change. I don't need a reason to be happy. I'm tired of being bitter."
Ayaan didn't believe him but decided to save the interrogation for another time. "Okay, if that's your story."
"So, are you helping me coach the Crows tomorrow?' Asad asked.
"That's the four year old league, right?"
Asad nodded.
"Sure. Sounds fun. Well listen man I gotta run, I'll see you later. Thanks for the coffee."
"No problem. Later Ay." Asad said, and as soon as Ayaan left he quickly ran back to his room to change his shirt again.
A&F
"I love that shirt Zoe." Humaira said.
"Thanks, look I'd love to stay and chat but I really can't be late for work." Zoya explained.
"Oh right, you gotta see hot, teacher guy." Humaira winked.
Zoya playfully rolled her eyes. "Humaira…" She warned.
"Hey what time do you have lunch? Wanna meet me and Fahad at the diner?"
Zoya bit her lip "Uhh, I'd love to but I have a lot of work to do…"
"That's bull, and you know it! Come on Zoya, pleaseee?" Humaira begged.
Zoya was torn. She loved her son and Humaira, and normally she wouldn't think twice about going to lunch with them but she really enjoyed having lunch with Asad every day.
"Do you really want to eat lunch by yourself?" Humaira asked again.
Zoya figured that she might as well go otherwise she'd have to tell Humaira about Asad.
"Uh, okay I can meet you around 12, sound good?"
Humaira clapped, and smiled. "Perfect!"
Zoya quickly kissed Fahad goodbye, and hugged Humaira.
"Okay see you guys later."
With that, Zoya walked away and made her way to the High School. Once she parked her car, and signed in, she ran to her class, forgetting to tell Asad that she couldn't have lunch with him today.
A&F
Asad paced around his office for a good fifteen minutes. He was starting to get worried. He walked by Zoya's class but the lights were off, and the door was shut. He blew out a deep breath.
Maybe she went to get lunch? Why didn't she tell me? Dude, quit being such a girl about it!
Asad cursed himself for overreacting. He stared at the two bowls of mac n cheese on his desk. He was going to surprise Zoya with it since she told him it was her favorite, and he made fun of her, saying how it was for five year olds, but she said it was 'food of the gods'. He knew his aunt Shireen made the best, so he quickly drove there and back before sixth period started. He was really looking forward to getting to know Zoya better. So far they've only really talked about trivial things, like their favorite foods and colors. They usually just talked about work, and gossiped about staff. Asad wanted to know about Zoya's past though. Normally if he liked a girl, or basically just wanted to sleep with her, he wouldn't care about anything. He normally forgot the girl's name in the morning. With Zoya, it was different. She was like a magnet, and Asad was so attracted to her. He genuinely liked her, and wanted to know everything about her. She was a bit mysterious, and that's one of the reasons he kept gravitating toward her. This was the first time he didn't just want to sleep with a girl. He was finally ready to commit to someone. Did he want to sleep with Zoya? Hell yeah! But he wouldn't and couldn't just sleep with her and treat her like just another girl. She wasn't just another girl. Zoya was different, and Asad really liked that about her. She was kind, intelligent, beautiful, funny, and compassionate. Every second of every day, she was all Asad could think about. The way her eyes sparkled in the light, or the way she laughed at something stupid he did, or when she crinkled her nose, and bit her lip, or fiddled with her pinky ring. Somehow Asad could relate something to her all the time. Like today he heard a song on the radio, and instantly thought of Zoya. He smiled as he thought of the song.
When I saw you over there
I didn't mean to stare
But my mind was everywhere
I wanna know you
Gonna guess that you're the kind
to say whats on your mind
But you listen when I have something to show you
There's a mark above your eye
You got it in July
fighting for your sister's reputation
You remember people's names
and valentines are lame
So I bring you flowers just for no occasion, Oh
Whoa oh, whoa oh, whoa oh
I wanna know you
Whoa oh, whoa oh, whoa oh
I wanna go there where you go
I wanna find out what you know
And maybe someday down the road
Sit back and say to myself
"Yeah, I thought so"
You smile, never shout
You stand out in a crown
You make the best of every situation
Correct me if I'm wrong
You're fragile and you're strong
A beautiful and perfect combination
Whoa oh, whoa oh, whoa oh
I wanna know you
Whoa oh, whoa oh, whoa oh
I wanna go there where you go
I wanna find out what you know
And maybe someday down the road
Sit back and say to myself
"Yeah, I thought so"
I like how you are with me
In our future history
And maybe somewhere down the road
Sit back and say to myself
"Yeah, I thought so"
Yeah I thought so, whoa, yeah
Whoa oh, whoa oh, whoa oh
I wanna know you
Whoa oh, whoa oh, whoa oh
I wanna go there where you go
I wanna find out what you know
And maybe someday down the road
Sit back and say to myself
I like how you are with me
In our future history
And maybe somewhere down the road
Sit back and say to myself
"Yeah, I thought so"
Asad also had a dream about her last night. He couldn't remember much but all he knew was that he woke up and needed a cold shower. He was falling hard, and he was falling fast.
Get a freaking grip. I'm starting to act like Ayaan… ew!
Asad put a hand to his temples and rubbed them. It was way to early to have a relationship. He only met her four days ago. He was fine with being friends first, but he knew that friends shouldn't feel this way about each other. Asad was honestly scarred for his life. He never had a real girlfriend before, but he knew Zoya was the type of girl who had long term relationships, and that's what she deserved. He would never be a jerk to Zoya, he just couldn't. She was one of the sweetest people he had ever met, and he was going to change for her. He was so sick of sleeping around, and parties, and breaking girls hearts. He wasn't going to be that guy anymore, and definitely not to Zoya. He wanted what his friends had. Ayaan and Humaira were so in love it was sickening, that he always made fun of them. But in all honesty, he was just jealous. He wanted a love like they had. He wanted someone to love him. Asad lived a hard life. His father, Rashid always pushed him too hard when he played basketball. His mother was always traveling for work, so they barely had a relationship.
Asad went to a basketball High School in Wilmington, from 9th grade to 11th grade. It was about 20 minutes from Sera Buena, so he hardly got to see his friends and family. He played basketball every day, and worked vigorously. Sometimes he would come home on the weekend, but even if he did Rashid would make him go to the gym for four hours, then play basketball for the rest of the day. Senior year, Asad was sick of missing out on the high school experience. He transferred here for his senior year and played for the Ravens. He loved it. He instantly became the most popular guy in school, and he was following in his cousin Ayaan Khan's footsteps. Unfortunately Ayaan and his friends were all a year older than him, so he didn't get to hang out with them. Ayaan and Asad were actually really close. Sometimes people thought they were brothers. Asad was always a little jealous of Ayaan though. Ayaan had a laid back lifestyle, and his parents were compassionate and tight-knit. His Uncle Gaffur and Aunt Shireen always treated Asad like their son. In fact, Asad felt closer to them then his own parents. Ayaan went to Chapel Hill to play basketball, and study English. However, Ayaan quit the basketball team after his second year because he was diagnosed with a heart condition called HCM.
Once Asad graduated High school, he went on a full ride to Duke, his dream college. He then got to play on the Blue Devils and he carried them to the Championship his senior year. Asad was always better at basketball then Ayaan, but only because Dan pushed him so hard. Ayaan played basketball for fun, and was naturally good. Asad loved it, and he was good too, but to Rashid good, wasn't good enough. Once Asad graduated from Duke, he got called up to the NBA, which was his dream since he learned how to hold a ball. He played his first year on the New York Knicks, and then transferred to the Charlotte Bobcats since he missed home. Asad Scott was a complete bad boy. He partied every night, and used his status in the NBA to get any girl he wanted. He took it all for granted though because he was at the top of his game until…
Asad suddenly felt a wave of anger hit him. He hasn't been angry since Monday but the more he thought about it, the more he got upset. He looked across his office and saw his NCAA 'Player of the Year' award and grabbed it. Before he could think he chucked it at the wall. The trophy shattered into a thousand pieces across the floor and Asad just stood there like a statue, with his jaw clenched. After a few minutes, he ran a hand over his face and sighed. He grabbed a broom and dust pan from the near janitor closet and swept up the mess.
Suddenly he heard his door open, and he looked up.
"Asad! Hi, look, I'm so so so so sorry, something came up and I forgot to tell you. I hope you didn't think I ditched you! I feel so bad!" Zoya rushed out.
Asad just smiled. "It's cool, don't worry. Are you alright?" he asked concerned.
"Oh yeah, no, I'm fine. I promised my friend I'd meet for lunch today, and I just forgot to tell you because I was in a rush. I hope you're not mad."
"No I totally understand, don't worry." Asad put the broom back in the corner and took a seat at his desk. "You probably already ate, but I got us mac n cheese, and I didn't want to eat it without you so…"
Zoya's heart swelled with happiness. "Aw Asad, now you're making me feel bad." She pouted.
Asad smiled "No, I don't want you to feel bad. Here have some-" He directed the fork to her mouth, and she giggled.
"Asad! I just ate, I'm full…"
"One bite! Please?" He begged.
"Oh alright.." Zoya opened her mouth, and Asad fed her a forkful of the macaroni.
"Mhmm, sooo good!" She moaned.
Asad closed his eyes to try and cool himself down. Zoya was really getting him turned on, by a simple action of eating her food.
He put the fork down, and chugged his water.
"If I get fat, I'm blaming you." Zoya pointed her finger at him, and took another bite of the food.
Asad smirked. "You weigh like 40 pounds; I don't think you can ever be fat."
Zoya blushed, "Ha! I wish!"
Asad laughed again "I bet I can throw you across a basketball court with one hand, and dunk you. Want me to try?" He said getting up.
Zoya laughed hard "Don't you dare Asad.. Asad something Khan!"
Asad chuckled, "Something, really, that's the best you could come up with?"
Zoya looked down "I don't know your middle name"
"It's 'Stud'." Asad said, trying not to laugh.
"Asad Stud Khan.. hey wait a second." Zoya said blowing a piece of hair away from her face.
Asad laughed "Did you actually believe me?"
Zoya shrugged, "I'm really gullible."
"Good to know… here I was thinking you were some genius."
Zoya smiled and rolled her eyes.
A&F
Saturday morning finally approached, and Asad made sure to get to the gym early. The practice started at 10am, and children were starting to arrive with their parents. Asad bounced on the balls of his feet, and bit his lip. He searched the crowd for his hearts desire but didn't see her anywhere.
"Hey man, who are you looking for?" Ayaan came up next to Asad.
"No one." Asad rushed out.
"Something's definitely wrong with you." Ayaan chuckled. "Anyway, I gotta go check attendance, can you watch him for a second?" Ayaan asked.
Asad looked down and realized a short boy around the age of four with hazel eyes and dark hair was standing behind Ayaan.
"Sure."
Why does this kid look so familiar?
He was probably here last year.
Asad bent down so he was eye level with the little boy.
"Hey little man, I'm Asad. What's your name?"
"Fahad." The little boy smiled a cheeky smile.
"Nice to meet you Fahad. Are you excited to play basketball?"
Fahad's smile grew even bigger. "Yeah!" He shouted. "I wanna be in the NBA, but momma says I'm too short." He pouted.
Asad smiled and put a hand on the little boys shoulder "Don't let anything stop you from chasing after your dreams. If someone says you can't do something, you prove them wrong."
"But momma's smart."
Asad laughed. "I'm sure she is, but you shouldn't give up. I believe in you, no matter how short you are. Besides, you got a lotta time to grow. Now let's see what you got, little man."
Fahad smiled and high fived Asad.
"You're cool. I like you" Fahad said looking up at Asad.
Asad smiled, but quickly looked up when he heard the gym door open. He saw another man with a little girl walk in.
Dammit, where is she? I thought she said she was bringing her son
Asad began to grow impatient, and didn't hear Fahad calling his name.
"Asad! Asad! Did you see? Did you see? I made the shot!" Fahad smiled.
Asad looked at the little boy and smiled. "I sure did! Good job! See I told you that you could do it!" Asad high fived Fahad again.
"Thanks!"
Just then Ayaan walked over and patted Asad on the back, "Everyone's here we're ready to start."
"Are you sure?" Asad asked?
"Yeah, why were you expecting someone?"
"Um, kinda, but it's fine. I guess she didn't sign him up.." Asad said to himself.
"Who's 'she'?" Ayaan asked as he raised his eye brow.
"Just a friend I met at work. She said she was signing her son up, I guess not."
"I knew it! You like her don't you?" Ayaan shouted.
"No!"
Ayaan laughed "Oh yes you do! You're turning beet red! This is great!"
Asad snarled "Shut up!"
"Is she married?"
"No, why?"
"Go after her then." Ayaan advised him.
"Uh, I don't know."
"Why not, you're Asad Khan!?"
"She's different…"
"Different how?"
"I can't stop thinkin' about her man. She's just perfect. She's kind, funny, beautiful, the list goes on forever."
Ayaan smiled, "You got it bad man."
Asad exhaled deeply. "I know."
"Congrats man, I'm happy for you. But I have to say- I freaking knew it!"
"Shut up Ayaan."
Ayaan laughed, "Alright well are you sure she's not here? I can check the list again."
"Nah it's alright, I would've seen her. Thanks."
"Okay, I'll talk to you later then, let's get started." With that, Ayaan blew his whistle.
…
Fahad hung by Asad the entire practice, and watched intently as Asad demonstrated how to do a layup, and Fahad cheered loudly.
"That was awesome!" He shouted, and Asad smiled.
"Okay, your turn." Asad said as he handed him the ball.
Fahad tried to do the drill, but he missed the hoop.
"Aw man! I stink at this!" Fahad pouted.
Asad knelt down and helped him, "Here try holding the ball like this."
Fahad did what he was told and the ball went through the basket.
"I did it!"
"Good job Fahad! That was awesome!" Asad clapped, and Ayaan walked over.
"Hey Fahad, you want me to show you how to play real basketball?" Ayaan joked.
"It's ok; I want to stay by Asad."
Asad smirked at Ayaan, and he rolled his eyes.
"Okay let's see what you got kid."
Asad and Fahad played for a little longer, and Asad lifted Fahad on his shoulders so that he can try and dunk the ball.
Zoya walked in the back doors and watched the entire exchange take place, with tears in her eyes. Fahad never had a father figure in his life, besides a few of Zoya's brothers, her dad, and Ayaan, but he barely saw them since Zoya and him were in California.
Asad put Fahad down, and he kept running drills. By now Zoya, Ayaan, Fahad, and Asad were the only ones left in the gym. Zoya still lurked in the background watching her son play with Asad.
"Asad, did you see that? I just scored again!" Fahad started to jump up and down with excitement.
Asad had a huge smile on his face, "That was great! I think you're even better then Ayaan over here." He joked as he high fived Fahad.
"I wanna be as good as you!" Fahad shouted.
"I bet you'll be better than me!" Asad praised.
Fahad was about to say something when he turned around and saw Zoya.
"Mommas here!" He shouted and ran to her.
Asad looked up, his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. He felt his heart stop in his chest.
Holy crap!
How was it?? Honest opinions please loves!!
Anupamaa
Real Estate
127