Hello Peeps! *waving wildly*
I'm Batman. Unh-uh! Okay. That was beyond lame.
*Trying again* Am Pallo, the eternally jobless one. And this is (thankfully-not-my-autobiography) my OS. 😆
My first attempt in this forum. Hope you people like it.
~YEARN ~
Her eyes sought her suitcase. It sat propped against the creamy wall, empty.
All she had to do was grab her clothes, throw them in, zip it up and leave. Leave behind a whole world of hurt. Leave behind her purposeless stay. Leave behind her hopeless heart. Leave behind...Mr. Asad Ahmed Khan.
It sounded tempting. Running away from all the suffocating cheer and festivity that engulfed the house.
"Mr. Khan's marriage to his childhood friend, Tanveer" she mumbled into the dark room. Not a sham of a wedding, this was the real deal. An ache gathered behind her chest, effectively stamping out all else. On cue, rebellious tears found their way down her cheeks. She firmly wiped them away, "You'll not run, Zoya. You'll not." She never ran away from situations however humiliating, however embarrassing, however hurtful they seemed. She wasn't going to start now.
She closed her eyes, willing sleep to ensnare her. Wouldn't it be funny if she slept through the Nikaah? 'It would,' she convinced herself, letting a bitter smile creep upon her lips. She could a little Rip Van Winkle, nobody'd ever now.
The sound of footsteps just outside her door snagged her attention . She found herself holding her breath as the doorknob squeaked open in mutiny. A slice of light slithered in, sneaking across the cold tiles of the floor. She shut her eyes against the familiar silhouette, her heart pounding against her ribcage. A second ticked by, another dragged past and then a third. Everything around her suspended as the knowledge that Asad was standing there, outside her door, trickled through her head.
Hesitation and something else clogged the air.
The whiny creak of the door as it was being shut was the last straw. "Mr. Khan," she softly murmured. The stillness in the lines of the shadow indicated he'd heard her.
"Is it really that hard?" She hated that her voice sounded oddly small.
"Go to sleep, Miss Farooqui" came the prompt reply.
She wasn't a child. And he wasn't Wee Willie-frikkin'-Winkie. She threw back the bed covers and walked towards the root of all her misery.
The bright light in the hallway momentarily blinded her. When her eyes tuned to the intensity, she took in man standing before her. Deliciously tousled hair, light stubble roughening his jaw and an unfair amount of good looks. She avoided his eyes. She couldn't risk looking into them. Never again.
"You know for someone who hangs his macho man image like a neon sign, you're a joke. You know what am talking about. Don't even pretend otherwise. Very well, Mr. Asad Ahmed Khan, I wish you a great life ahead. May you dupe many more people with your tough guy act."
She stepped back, her head throbbing explosively. "And cause my sleep seems so important to your existence, I'll make you happy and go to sleep. Take that as my magnanimous wedding present. Good Night."
She turned on her heel and slammed the door shut, locking it on an impulse. The fury bouncing off him seared through the wood, but she chose to ignore it. Even his bellows of "Zoya, Open the door" did nothing for her. She felt numb.
She waited till the footsteps faded away before letting her tears make a reappearance. It wasn't the end of the world. "But the end of your world," a smartass voice sounded inside her head. They suited each other very well. Mr. Asad-chickenshizz-Khan and Tanveer.
A scream lodged in her throat as she was grabbed and trapped against the wall. The moonlight streaming in through her now open window illumined the harsh features staring down at her. She forgot her resolve and looked into his eyes. They were dark and stormy with anger.
"Don't ever again close the door on me," he growled low into her ear. The pressure of his fingers on her arm tightened making her wince. "I can't afford two wedding presents Mr. Khan. Am not some hotshot business tycoon," she flippantly threw back at him. His eyes narrowed dangerously but she was past caring.
"Will you shut up Zoya?" he warned.
"Ofcourse you could give me a crash course in that Mr. Khan. Cause you're a champion at keeping silent. Just a step away from Jannat and all" she dimpled at him mockingly.
She was hyper aware of his lips hovering just inches away from hers, the smell of him- clean male and dark spices wreaking havoc on her senses and the tension arcing through him as he held her against the wall. Her eyes closed of their own accord.
And suddenly she was released. Her eyes fluttered open to the sight of Asad running his fingers through his hair as he paced to and fro, muttering under his breath.
"You think all this is easy for me?" he hoarsely intoned, stunning her. "It's not easy Ms. Farooqui. And more importantly, it's not right. You and me," his hand motioned back and forth between them, "will never work out."
Zoya couldn't stop the snort from escaping her lips, her shoulders shook as she silently laughed. "Mr. Khan, I think you were making more sense when were silent. But good one, Mr. Khan. A li'l more hardwork and you'll be almost as funny as me." She was deranged and then some, she mused.
"This isn't funny okay," he snarled, shackling her wrist and pulling her against him.
Her mood darkened immediately. "Why are you here, Mr. Khan? To tuck me in? Sing soft kitty maybe?"
"No. I'm here cause..." his voice trailed off as he brought his forehead to rest against hers. The temperature shot up by a few degrees. His warm breath fanned her cheeks and she knew he'd be pushing her away again. That was the routine. Mess with her head and then walk away. She wondered why she put up with this?
"Am here cause," he began again with difficulty, "I can't stay away. Cause even though you're all wrong for me, this feels so right. Being with you." He groaned and pulled her closer, his lips grazing the nape of neck.
It wasn't his words that made her freeze. It wasn't the rush of desire that was twining them together. It was the raw yearning she saw in the depths of his eyes. It punctured her lungs and slammed her heart to the ground.
"Then be with me," she whispered.
She felt him tremble at her words. "Tanu is pregnant. She's my best friend. I couldn't do that to her." He wasn't pushing her away still, his hand now spanned across her waist.
She felt torn. Tanveer was his best friend and she could understand that he felt obligated to help her. But it wasn't like he was going to marry every pregnant friend of his. He was consciously making a choice here. And the choice was trampling over her heart.
"Just once..." he imperceptibly choked on the words, "Just once...say my name."
Her throat constricted, victim to an agonizing burn. "Just once..." he urged.
"Asad..."
Hidden in the shadows, she couldn't stop her fingers from tracing his jaw. She heard him suck in a shocked breath, before his mouth crashed down on hers.
The kiss held everything he wanted to convey, the torment, the crave and the love. She took it all. She grabbed every ounce of it greedily. His lips tasted of rich passion and blazing fire. His hands were locked on her hips, obliterating every phantom of space. He felt this for her. Only for her. Her heart soared gloriously. Her pulse thrummed at an alarming pace. Molten desire had her reaching up for more, her hands plunging into the silken mass of his hair.
"Asad..." she repeated against his lips. Tentatively balanced on the edge of reality, she felt him draw away. His breathing was uneven and his fists balled tightly at his sides with restraint.
He turned away, struggling to rein in his rampant emotions. Without a word, he climbed out of the window, disappearing into rustlings of the moon, leaving her in an abyss of sheer yearning.
PS- It's been very long since I wrote anything so I hope all the mistakes are overlooked. I just kinda needed to write something...so this. Criticism is most welcome. Compliments too 😉
CID
Music Corner
125