AsYa SS ~ Vaada ~ Updated on PG 116 ~ 04/08 - Page 66

Sometime in December 2013

*ring ring*

Zoya's jumped as she heard the familiar ringtone on her iPad. Who's calling me, she wondered. And yet the second she saw the name flashing on the screen, she felt her eyes tear up from nostalgia.

"Hey Zo!" a cheery male voice greeted her. Zoya smiled faintly at him, and immediately he knew something was wrong. His Zoya was always cheerful. But even when she was upset, she'd smile brightly in an attempt to hide her pain. The Zoya in front of him now, wasn't even trying. She was defeated, broken. Something was really wrong.

"Hey Jamil..." she trailed off. Jamil frowned.

"Talk."

Zoya blinked. "Huh?"

"Zo, I know you. So before you sift through the dozen or so excuses and lame lies you always have on hand, tell me what's wrong. Now." Zoya chocked back a sob, and Jamil's gaze softened. "Come on, Zo. You know you can tell me anything. I should be pissed at you for ignoring me for so many weeks. But I can see something's really wrong, so we'll leave how you can make it up to me for later," he added, winking cheekily at her.

Zoya felt herself smile despite everything. Something about Jamil always put her in a better mood, and made her forget her troubles. She sighed. How did she get here?

"Mona?" Ayaan's voice from behind her made her freeze, and Zoya turned around to look at him questioningly. Ayaan looked past her, his eyes widening at the familiar face on her iPad's screen.

"Ayaan?!" came Jamil's equally shocked voice. Zoya blinked several times, utterly confused. They know each other?

"Jamil?! What the hell, man! How do you know Mona?" He walked into her room, unaware of Zoya's bewildered expression. But before Jamil could answer him, Zoya snapped out of her confused state.

"Ayaan," she snapped coldly. Both men looked at her, taken aback by her icy demeanour. "This is a private conversation. Do you mind?" Ayaan hung his head low, and took one last look at Jamil before leaving her room. Jamil looked at Ayaan's retreating figure, and then at Zoya. What the hell was that about?

"Zoya, what's going on? Why are you in Ayaan's house, and why are you pissed at him?" Jamil didn't waste a second, and fired away with his questions. He'd recognize the interior to that house on any screen or picture. But Zoya's Aapi had said she was staying with someone else. So how did she end up there?

Zoya's eyes widened yet again. "Before I say anything, how do you know Ayaan? You live in different continents." Jamil chuckled and it riled Zoya up even more. He knew how much she hated being out of the loop. They had that in common. "Jamil, I swear if you don't tell me right now, I'm hanging up on you and ignoring you for another 6 months," she threatened half-heartedly. He smirked at her before giving in.

"Okay okay chill dude. I came to India on an exchange a few years ago, remember? Turns out, I ended up staying at Ayaan's house for 6 months. And he and I became buds. We've kept in touch ever since. Well, sort of," he explained finally.

"Sort of? What are you not telling me?"

"Zo, this isn't about my drama. It's about yours. I showed you mine, now you show me yours. What are you doing in Ayaan's house? Does this have to do with why you're so upset?" Zoya just stared at him, unable to understand where to begin.

How could she explain everything to him now, without making him hate Ayaan?

**********

Ayaan went through security at the airport, removing and replacing his belongings from the conveyor belt. He couldn't believe, Jamil of all people, led him to her. He thought back to the months they'd spent back then in India. It was unfortunate that they'd lost touch some time after he went back to the States. But he had never imagined he had any connection to Zoya.

Once he was sure he had everything, he made his way to the airline lounge, waiting for his flight to board.

Ayaan sighed. Zoya's pure-heartedness never ceased to amaze him. She obviously hadn't told Jamil about what happened, or he would have never told him anything about Zoya's whereabouts. He gulped. She may not have told him yet, but Jamil wasn't one to stay out of the loop. He'd find out sooner or later. He had his ways. And when he did, Ayaan was certain Jamil wouldn't let Zoya come within 100 miles of either Khan brother.

"Flight CX889 with service to..."

**********

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the world...

"Zo when are you going to tell me whats really going on? All you've told me is that you had bad fight with the people you were staying with, and thats why you ended up at Ayaan's. Which by the way, I'm still not sure makes any logical sense. And now you won't tell me why you left the country so suddenly! What's going on?" Jamil ran an exasperated hand through his hair as he plopped himself on the bed next to a quiet and pensive Zoya. He sighed.

"I can't, Jamil. Please... I just, I can't talk about it. It's too hard..." she pleaded for the umpteenth time. Her throat dried up with a lump the size of a pool ball every time he brought it up. It had only been a day since she'd gotten there, and already he had berated her with a never ending stream of questions.

Jamil put his hands up in defeat. He could be stubborn, and he always got to the bottom of things. But Zoya's tears were his weakness, and he'd seen enough of them from the moment she had gotten off the plane. He didn't want to make her cry. Her eyes were so full of hurt and betrayal, that it hurt him too. He took her hand in his, and traced her knuckles with his fingertips.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I just hate seeing you like this. This isn't the Zo that I knew a year ago. I'm sorry okay? I won't ask again, I promise." Zoya smiled weakly, but gratefully at him. The truth was, that a part of her didn't want to think about India at all. But there was another part of her, that couldn't hurt her best friend, now that she knew Ayaan was his friend. He didn't deserve her mercy, and she knew it. But Jamil did. And that alone was reason enough for her to postpone telling him why she really left India, for as long as she could humanly manage.

"Alright then. I'm still not happy about this mopey Zoya though. We'll have to so something about that. Hmm..." But before Jamil could finish his train of thought, they heard a knock at the door. "Did you order room service while I was gone?" he asked playfully. Zoya glared at him and shook her head in mock anger. Jamil chuckled. Anything that isn't you crying, Zo. Shaking his head, Jamil jumped off the bed to answer the door.

"Yes?" he asked, opening the door to a room service attendant.

"Sir, someone left a note for you at the desk. They asked tha it be hand delivered to you personally," the attendant explained. Jamil raised an eyebrow. He took the note and thanked the attendant, closing the door behind them. Opening the envelope, he looked at the note curiously. And then he smacked his forehead.

"Meet me downstairs in an hour.

-A"

Always pretending you're a secret agent, huh buddy? thought an equally annoyed and amused Jamil. He chuckled at the note, and put it in his back pocket.

Maybe he'd find out what happened after all.

**********

So there we go! Where is Zoya? And who sent that note?

Where is Ayaan going? And what happened between him and Jamil?

More questions with every update, I know! But at least you now know I didn't make Zoya work for pennies to make ends meet. Our lioness is smarter than that ;)

Hope there are still readers interested in this! If so, please do like and comment. It'll make my day, week, month, year! And of course it'll motivate me to update again :)