Zoya locked her car and swiftly ran up to the house, knowing very well that Asad would probably eat her alive if she didn't escape soon. And she was right. She was stopped from going in when she felt a tug at her elbow and was made to spin around, crashing into his rock hard chest.
"You" Asad growled out, his eyes stormy, his expression unfathomable. "How dare you? Even when I'd repeatedly asked you to let those men be and get back home, how could you be so reckless?" Zoya snatched her arm back and glared at him.
"My car, my rules. Don't always try to tell me what to do because I just might reach the end of my patience and stop listening to you, altogether!" she snapped.
Asad grabbed her by both her arms and pulled her towards himself. "Do not test my patience, Miss Farooqui. What you did, tonight, was very wrong. Do you have any idea what might have happened if you'd lost control even for a second! You could've- I mean, we both could've died! And for what? Just to prove to some brainless drunkards that you were better than them? What's gotten into you, Miss Farooqui? Do you have any idea how scared I was? What if something happened to you? What if they'd managed to stop us? What if-"
"So what, Mr. Khan? Why does it matter to you so much? FYI, that was my car! I can do whatever the hell I want with it! I would've raced them even if you hadn't been there! Zoya Farooqui never backs down from a challenge, okay? And they were challenging me openly. I'm not some weak, whimpering little idiot who just roams around the house, answering in monosyllables and replying only when spoken to! I am not a doormat and I'm extremely capable of voicing my own opinions and taking my own decisions! And I don't need you breathing down my neck all the bloody time! I can take care of myself! I have absolutely no idea why-"
"Enough!" Asad bellowed and pushed her backwards, releasing his hold on her and making her stumble and fall down. "I will not be spoken to like that, especially by someone as spoilt and ill-mannered as you!" he shouted at her while Zoya struggled to get up. She looked at him stonily once she'd managed to haul herself up.
"I think you have a multiple personality disorder, Mr. Khan. You need a psychiatrist" she told him, while dusting her clothes and the storming off into the house, without waiting for his reply.
*****
"Allah miyaan! What does he think of himself?!" she finally exclaimed, once she'd banged her door shut with all her might. "One moment he's all sweet and charming, playing the perfect gentleman and everything. And the next moment he's this angry troll, just waiting to crush me under his huge, ugly feet! Ugh!" she cried and threw her dupatta on the bed and turned to look into the mirror.
"Just look at the state of my clothes! I'm gonna have to change them again" she sighed, eyeing the huge blob of dirt sticking to her salwar, thanks to the push she'd just received from Asad. She turned and eyed her bed warily. "Can this day get any worse? I just had to dump all my clothes on the bed, didn't I? Never mind. I'll just push them to one side and sleep. I'll clean up the mess in the morning" Zoya muttered to herself and grabbed a towel, before heading off into the bathroom. She had just come out when the lights went off.
"f**k" she muttered, blinded by the sudden darkness. "Damn! How do I find my phone now? I don't have a torch in my room, either". It suddenly struck her that she'd seen candles in her room a few days ago. She just needed to figure out which drawer they were in. Zoya slowly made her way to her dressing table, her arms stretched out in front of her face. She fumbled around in the darkness for a while before she finally found a candle and a box of matchsticks and lit them up. There was a knock on her door.
"Miss Farooqui?"
"What?"
"I think there's something wrong with the main switch. It's too dark to see anything. The generator's not working, either. Plus, it looks like it's about to rain. We'll have to wait till tomorrow morning before anything can be done. Will you be able to manage without any lights, tonight?"
"I'll be fine" Zoya replied curtly, not wanting to initiate any sort of conversation with him, at the moment. She was just about to walk away when she stumbled on the corner of her room's carpet and the candle flew out of her hand, landing squarely on the bed. Zoya watched in horror as her clothes slowly caught fire, while she stood there, unable to move a muscle. Her scream got stuck in her throat as horrifying memories came flooding back. She was in this room, all alone. And there was a fire in front of her. She was stuck… The door to her room flew open.
"Miss Farooqui! What's happ- Oh My God!" Asad shouted and dashed into the washroom, picking up a bucket full of water and going back to throw it on Zoya's bed in order to douse the fire. It took a couple of more buckets for the fire to die down completely. Asad immediately turned his attention to Zoya who stood nearby, paralyzed with shock. He ran to her and shook her by her shoulders.
"Zoya! It's okay! The fire's gone. You're safe. Look at me, Zoya.. Zoya!" he watched as her eyes slowly moved to lock into his own. "Fire" she whispered, before her eyes rolled back into her head and she fainted in his arms.
sorry for the short update as this was all i could manage to write after i got back... didn't have time to edit or re-read the chapter so please ignore my misakes! lots of asya romance coming up in the next update... so stay tuned! and yes, asad will apologize for his behaviour, don't worry! 😃 jootas.. chappals... sab qubool hai! 😆 comments and reviews please!!! i promise to reply!
*An apple a day most certainly doesn't keep the doctor away*
