Link to Part 2
Halloween Horror: Part 1
"Najma, did you receive the picture I sent you on Whatsapp? What do you think? Convincing enough?" Zoya asked excitedly over the phone as she paced up and down her room. She stopped in front of the mirror and admired her handiwork as she waited for Najma to answer her.
"Haan mila... but I don't understand why you're planning for Halloween from now. It's still a month away! Besides, maine aapse pehle bhi kaha tha, nobody celebrates Halloween in our house! I'm pretty sure Bhaijaan would never allow it," Najma replied, shaking her head amusedly. Zoya was always finding new ways to get under her brother's skin.
"Tabhi toh! I'm more motivated to do things that your bhaijaan is against, mazaa hi kuch aur hai. Okay woh sab chodo aur yeh bataao, does it look convincing enough? Did I apply enough powder to look as pale as a corpse?" Zoya asked again, not satisfied with Najma's earlier response. She picked up her compact and dabbed more powder around her eyes.
"I guess so! Accha dekho ab main rakhti hoon. Ammi is done with her shopping so I think we'll be heading home now. See you soon!" Najma replied quickly before hanging up. Zoya wrinkled her nose in annoyance. Just a flimsy 'I guess so' wasn't enough for Zoya.
Zoya pouted unhappily as she wondered about her plan to dress up as a corpse on Halloween, but her pout slowly turned into a mischievous smile as a thought crossed her mind. Najma had just said that she and Phuphi were going to be coming home soon right? Maybe she could test her make-up on Phuphi!
She hurried to the living room and waited, pacing impatiently around the area in front of the main door. After a while, she heard the sound of a car pulling over outside. Biting her lower lip to control her laughter, Zoya rushed to the long sofa and laid down on it, closing her eyes and crossing her arms over her stomach.
With her eyes closed, her sense of hearing was the only thing that could help her decipher what was going on. Soon enough, she heard the front door swing open, and she held her breath immediately, hoping that it would hide the rise and fall of her chest. She heard the clutter of something dropping on the floor seconds later, and then heavy footsteps approaching her. She stopped herself from swallowing nervously, trying her best to keep in character.
"Zoya?!" She heard someone say in a familiar male voice, laced with panic. Asad! She felt a wave of panic run through her own body, suddenly realizing that she was stuck. Whether she snapped out of the act or not, Asad was going to yell at her. She found herself unable to open her eyes because of the fear of making eye contact with Asad. The smell of Asad's familiar cologne wafted up to her nose as she sensed his face nearing hers.
"ZOYA?!?!" Asad yelled, as he forcefully grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a firm hug. Her eyes flew open at the suddenness of it all, and she gasped out loud, her hot breath hitting Asad's neck where her face was buried.
Asad felt the worry and tension ease out of his body in a jiffy as he felt Zoya's breathing against his skin, and it suddenly occurred to him as he hugged her that her entire body was warm. As warm as the body of the person who's alive should be. He slowly pulled away from the hug, holding Zoya's face in his palms as he sat next to her on the sofa.
"Yeh sab kya hai Miss Farooqui?" Asad asked sternly, making sure his question came out without the quiver. Zoya blinked absent-mindedly in response, before looking down after a while, a sheepish expression on her face. Asad removed his hands from her face, easily understanding that it was one of Zoya's childish pranks yet again.
"I'm sorry Mr Khan, maine yeh sab Halloween ki tayaari mein ki thi. I just wanted to see if my make-up was convincing enough. Anyway my plan was to scare Phuphi, not you," Zoya replied nervously, playing with the lapel of her shirt as she avoided eye contact.
"Scare my mother?! Whose heart is still recovering from a gunshot wound from not too long ago? Aap kitni irresponsible ho Miss Farooqui! Allah ka lakh lakh shukr hai ke main pehle aagaya. I managed to save Ammi from receiving that horrible scare that I got," Asad bit out in anger, as he got up from the sofa. He walked over to the area in front of the main door to pick up the briefcase he had dropped in horror earlier.
"You got a horrible scare when you thought I was dead?" Zoya asked, a tinge of triumph in her voice. She looked earnestly at Asad who froze for a second, but then resumed picking up his briefcase and walking off, ignoring her completely.
Zoya sighed loudly and exaggeratedly after Asad disappeared into his room and slammed the door shut. She may not have managed to get Asad to express what he was feeling as usual, but at least now she knew for a fact that her make-up was definitely very convincing.
XXXI really am wondering what I should say here, but I don't wanna say anything or it'll just spoil the fun for the next part hahaha. So I'll keep quiet till then!! (:
Other Works:
Woh Raat, Main Aur Aap - My Writing Index
