AsYa SS- Autumn To Ashes ❤️ Complete - Page 37

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Chapter 8 (a)

CHOICES

"A?" Zoya repeated. "Kon hai?"

Neha who by now was gripped in nervousness and tension started stumbling over her words, looking for an apt excuse.

"Ummm'. Its'it's a surprise!"

Zoya didn't like it. "What do you mean surprise? Batao na'"

"Bata dun gi'bata dun gi' oh I remember I have some important work to do'and am getting late'gotta rush!" She jumped to her feat in a haste leaving Zoya in chaos.

"But'.you didn't even finish with your lunch'"

"'iam done'Bye!"

She rushed out. Zoya started at her in confuzzlement; and took a deep breath in a fit of anxiety, trying to tame it as soon as possible.

'Whats wrong with her?' She thought, shrugged and got back to her lunch.

An hour later she decided to head for the downtown to fish out some stuff for herself.

She swiftly strolled on the pavement near the shopping area, the fine chiffon Yellow tunic of her with the even finer intricate patterns of chikankari work flew behind her with the wafts of the steady breeze sweeping through the open spaces between the blocks. The torches of the sun were making the fine dust particles dance like spangles of golden glitter. The evening was a pleasant one for the otherwise cold winter; the sun perfectly warm, the winds pleasing and temperature moderate enough to be enjoyed.

She exchanged the bunch of shopping bags from one hand to another when suddenly colliding into someone loosened her grip on them making them spread out on the ground.

"I am so sorry'." The guy apologized.

Zoya looked up, "Its okay''.Ali?" A fresh sea of memories dawned in her already occupied mind.

"Zoya?...Zoya Farooqi?" He clearly remembered her too.

"What ae surprise seeing you here'."

"Its either way'." He replied back much more gaily.

Zoya unexpectedly found herself inadvertently winning back to her college days, when she used to pester Ali to help her in her studies ever so often. He was only a year senior to her and was well known for being the over smart, self obsessed hunk who had an amazing dexterity when it came to programming and code hacking. His computer whiz brains always took Zoya to him. Despite his ever so obnoxious and detestable behavior Zoya and Ali surprisingly got along well. For her Ali was an entirely different guy when it came to friends, which were not many to no one's surprise. Zoya unaware of the intentions Ali held in his mind misjudged their relationship to be mere friendship only. Their one sided affair cum friendship went smooth until when Ali, finally deciding to open up his heart to her, proposed her. Till then her relationship with Asad wasn't disclosed to the public, although in its initial stages, Zoya's sincerity towards her commitment made her reject Ali's proposal without any delay. His sudden proposal proved a major setback in their relationship. Eventually leading to dreadfully awkward meetings later, however, they both didn't let go of the very little left their so called friendship.

Now after such a long time, things felt different, the incident their pasts shared was very distant and blurred in their memories giving space to a new beginning to which both were willing to give way quite unknowingly.

Ali snapped his fingers in front of her.

"Kaha gai?" He asked. She realized he had been addressing her, forcing a half generous and half pushed smile she replied back,

"Nah,' Kahin nai'long time hun! Where have you been?"

He let out a hearty laugh. "Mein tu yehin tha'par shayad tumhe sat salon ke liye Europe kha gaya tha'"

"Not Europe'actually'." Asia Minor she was going to say but abruptly stopped'.

"Wait'how do you know?" she frowned.

He smiled nonchalantly. "I was curious'so'.. learned a little tracking recently'" he disclosed.

She stared at him blatantly and heat sprang up her cheeks and she stood frozen; there were certain things that were new but certain things gave her the same sense of euphoria.

"The same old bloody hacker'.." she mocked. He cracked up laughing again. After regaining stability and straightening his posture he began again.

"Anyways, heard about your Grand dad'.. im so sorry'."

She pushed a sad smile. "I appreciate that' thankyou!"

A few minutes of silence followed by slow goodbyes and Zoya turned back to leave when he called back,

"uu'Zoya?"

"Yeah?"

"Ummm'. Are you free tonight?"

She took a few minutes to digest his question, thinking of all the possibilities his offer could hold.

"Yeah!"

"Well'ummm' I thought' maybe'if you wish of course' we could have dinner together'."

"Why not!" she smiled.

"My place then'"

"Sure'."

"I'll be waiting.. "

She nodded heading to the store- a computer shop, right next to the place both were.

"How can I help you ma'am'.?" The guy on the counter asked even before she could make it to him.

"I want a bug." She said.

"A bug?" he looked startled.

She nodded.

"We don't have them ma'am."

"I know you do."

She rolled her eyes, tracing her finger on the bundle of currency in her clutch bag. The keeper understood it.

"'but of course we can arrange one for you'"

"So when should I came to pick it up?"

"Coming Saturday'."

"Thanks'"

She was about to leave when another man- a worker of the same shop- came to the other one standing on the counter.

"Listen'.do we have a replacement for a broken 'd'?"

"Keyboard?"

"No a typewriter'."

Zoya stood still.

"I don't think so'.."

"Oh okay'."

He was about to leave when Zoya couldn't just hold back' "Wait'"

(I hope everyone remembers that in chap 3 the letter she received had been typed using a typewriter with a broken 'd'' like all the previous letters.)

The guy looked startled. "Yes?"

"You have a typewriter with a broken 'd'?"

He nodded still quite confused at being stopped like this.

"Can I know who left it here?"

"Aaa'"The other guy suddenly replied instead'

"The guy you were just talking to outside.." he announced.

Her face shriveled with shock, "Ali?" She whispered to herself.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Thankyou!" She left without knowing that everything she was told was intended to be told to her only.

She walked out totally lost in the web of the sudden shift of the events which had taken place in her life, all thanks to her ever black fate, which left no stone unturned in masking her existence with this whiff of anxiety she always dreaded. She felt quite unreal there, walking on the empty pavement, trying to connect and reconnect all the dots. Failing in any attempt she made to even the situation she sighed in grave disappointment.

Her eyes went up to the horizon and quite aimlessly fixed there. As she stared into nothingness; the sun now felt unusually ruby as if masked with a layer of hot red blood, it wasn't anymore warm, the wind was now rather restless and the evening dreadfully cold. The previously steady evening breeze was roaring and rasping the already swaying movement of the trees. For once everything felt to have missing its color, she felt lost in a 60's over-romantic sappy movie. She tried cloaking her ever accelerating thoughts; sighing heavily, closing her eyes and shaking her head in sheer desperation.

'I have to find out'.'

She thought retarding her mind with all the moves she had to take now. She was now going to find out who this ill-willed beast was, who still thought of her as the same old weak Zoya. She knew how to take care of herself and anyone who tried to exploit her already wounded continuance.

'Once I find you'. I am not going to spare a bone of you'.' She pledged. She had once walked away when everything was finished, she didn't have another choice, but not this time. She was more alive now and her ghosts were gone, she had had all the share of the pain, she was all alone but stronger then she had ever been. This was her start to a new beginning.

** *

Zoya slumped on the couch holding a box in her hands. Resting her head with the back support she worked up mentally to be ready for further more replenishment in her mind. Her eyes wandered here and there aimlessly finally resting on a scenery hanging on the wall.

'I have to be careful'he always knows where to find me'.means I have to act pretty normal'leaving no traces for him to be doubtful'at all''

Her mind clicked with the images of the two suspects on her list. The first one being Akram and the little information she had on his whereabouts recently lead her to think of Neha as her ultimate source of information on him; hence, she texted her to call in as soon as possible.

She finally stared at the box in her hand, which she was purposefully ignoring for the past couple of minutes. It had all the letters she had been receiving since day one. She disregarded the paranoia creeping over her and opened a letter to start afresh with her investigation. Everyone leaves loopholes, there had to be something in them too. After an hour of agony filled scanning of the letters she felt like throwing them away and burning them until they were nothing but unaided ashes. They were very smartly written, since they had no phrase and propos of the one writing- at all.

After another hour of futile brainstorming she finally decided to ask the stalker himself. Hoping that it wont prove out to be an impromptu act, she took out her cell phone to drop in a text in the stalkers inbox to find one waiting for her instead. She sighed and opened it unwillingly'.

'Trying to find out about me?'

A huge wave of tremor swept over her; sucking away all the energy she had collected to work up anything against him. She stared at the words mocking at her again with all the plight playing on her face. What was going to take her to turn everything around?- she had no idea. Suddenly every alphabet started dancing in front of her eyes and she dropped her head in her hands again.

"Oh God'give me the strength!" She prayed.

For a minute she thought of flying back to Turkey to continue the forlorn but peaceful life she was living there. There were a million reasons to leave and only one to stay back. She shook her head embracing the one reason of staying back again.

'Not without trying'.'

Even if it took whatever left of her. Even if she had to die every minute to live the next. She grabbed the cell phone in her hand again almost crushing it she typed back ferociously.

'Give me a hint...'

The reply was faster then she had expected but it made no sense to her at all.

'You must be really desperate to come to me for help Zoya dear.

Here let e make things easier for you'..

Hint:-

56-39-21-6-15-12-27-24-31-1-28-21-1-13-8-23-21-3-44-45-23-16-6-16-

10-56-16-8-46-9-10-28-31-21-8-9-6-22-10-16-7-27-12-23-10-16-21-3

-CB.

Lets see if you can make it! Good Luck!

"What nonsense?" She exclaimed.

'All he has to offer is this? These obnoxious set of dim-witted digits?' Anger took over her and she tried calming down herself.

Glaring at the screen again she felt stupid asking him anything.

'Why would he ever want me to know about him'.? That filthy rat'..!'

She gaped at the screen yet again trying to sense out anything these numbers could mean, but to no use they were nothing but high class gibberish to her.

** *

In the evening:-

Zoya decided to walk to Ali's place which was only two blocks down. Half way through it unpredictably started showering, heavy drops of water started trailing down. As the rain geared up it left her no choice but to make a run for shelter soon, by the time she was knocking at his door she was fatefully half soaked thanks to the huge merciless drops of rain.

'Hell!' she sighed pulling up her jacket which was darker then the upper she was wearing. Ali opened the door sooner then she expected, as if he was already standing next to it.

"Finally'." He said giving her way to come in.

Zoya entered in to be greeted by the most appealing aroma of Italian food he must have been preparing, her likes and dislikes were very remarkably imprinted in his mind, and she was pretty aware of the fact. The only thing was this time it didn't make her feel awkward. It is said that your eyes are the windows to your inside, if it was true then she would have sworn on her life that it isn't Ali who is behind the plight she was being made to suffer. But it is also said appearances are deceptive. For the moment she pushed these thoughts out of her mind, she will be playing her cards in a while.

"Goodness'.you walked here?" He blurted looking at her half drenched.

She rolled her eyes smiling at the same time."My dear, your apartment is just two blocks down my house'of course I had to walk, didn't know rain was waiting for me half way through."

He shook his head in disapproval. "Acha' you can at least change'.Nida(His sister)must be in her room'let me go ask her." He offered her.

"Oh no please I am fine'. By the way Nida is also home?"

"Come on'you wont be fine after a while, the weather is killing and you can save your guts for later'' and yeah Nida is here." He said leading her to his sis'z room.

Zoya would have protested again if it weren't for the row of sneezes which followed.

Nida was just heading out of her room and was pretty cheerful seeing Zoya there. She embraced her in a hug.

"Uff Allah'kaha ghum ho gain the Zoya?"

She just smiled in return; Nida and Zoya were classmates and knew each other quite well because of Ali of course.

"Anyways, I would have loved to join you two, but am committed to someone else for the evening'. I hope you wont mind?"

"Of course not'."

"And yeah Zoya needs to get rid of these clothes'so I hope she can borrow some of yours?" Ali interrupted the two.

"My wardrobe is all yours'.Bye!" She rushed out, passing a flying kiss to Zoya and a meaningful glare and then a wink at Ali, who just rolled his eyes, not bothering to see if Zoya caught any of it or not.

"I'll be waiting downstairs'"

She nodded and headed for Nida's wardrobe. She took out the first comfortable thing she got, as she took it out something slacked on the floor with a thud. They were some photographs, picking them up she couldn't help not sneak a look in. the very next moment she regretted peeking in.

** *

Okay this is it for now'. The chapter aint complete'. I will be updating its part b in a while'may be tomorrow.

Dont ask me Ali aur Nida ka character ku introduce kia hai! you will soon know!

Can anyone make out those numbers?...of course you cant but still...what can thay be?

and Maha and Zubi You ppl are obsessed!😆

Enjoy reading, don't forget to leave your comments!

I'll be thinking about this over and over again.

add little more asya scenes yr...tht will be cherry on top...

Originally posted by: SaneWhispers

I love your take too it,...

by far you are the best at predicting here! and i love that!

keep matching the pace!😉