Prologue
Zoya felt the sun shining on her face so she nuzzled her face closer in Asad's neck but he stirred awake. Asad sat up slowly from his leaned back into the couch position. Asad noticed that Zoya was moving closer to him.
He smiled as he watched her sleep, she was breathtaking. After the Mangulpur Incident, he had realized how much she had meant to him. He in his stupidity had lost her so many times.
He knew that he needed to be careful because he could hurt her and become his father. Growing up, Asad never had felt the need to fall in love and if he did, it would be with someone like him: traditional and quiet.
But then Zoya came in his life like a storm, she was loud and messy not how she looked like in the dargaah, she was peaceful yet crying. And still he could not stop looking at her.
Her tears brought tears to his eyes, she looked beautiful in her red joda. Asad let out a small smile before he kissed her forehead slowly and he looked at her peaceful face.
"I love you Zoya ever since I saw you in the Dargaah." He whispered before he looked at his watch to see that he was late so he quickly sat up, waking up Zoya up with a jostle.
"Mr. Khan," she yawned as Asad rushed into the other room where he left his other clothes to dry. Zoya, disoriented as ever sat up and she shook her head and then went to the other room.
They both came out at the same time, she was dressed back in her jeans and he was in his three piece suit. Asad was trying to break open the door.
"Mr. Khan do you remember anything?" Zoya asked curious as Asad shook his head in the form of a 'no'
Zoya pulled him away from the and told him, "Wait Mr. Khan, what the court verdict is already made and Dost is innocent."
Asad glared at her as he continued to walk away but she stopped in front of him, ranting how she and Ayan made this plan to stop him and locked them here.
Asad is very furious with her and kicks the door with such anger and force that it then slams open . Asad screamed at her "Ms. Farooqui, you knew how important this court hearing was for me and I know you were against it but I don't care yet you still have behaved in that same irritating stupid irresponsible manner . If I don't make it in time to the court Ms.Farooqui, I will not spare you if that man gets out alive. "
He shoved her out of the way slamming her in the wall, Zoya stood there with a shocked tear stained face as she watched him sped away, leaving her alone.
She pulled out her phone and sent Dilshad a quick text explaining that Asad is coming there, the plan is a total flop. Zoya after she sent the message before her phone died on her.
Meanwhile
Asad was still very furious as he watched his father hug his Ammi and Ayaan. He hated Zoya at this moment as he blamed her for the lost time.
He went to the construction site and drove himself into work so he can keep his mind busy from thinking about Zoya and his anger. As he entered his home in the evening he found his Dilshad and Najma very worried and tired.
"What's wrong Ammi? Why are you both so worried?" Asad asked knowing that they were worried about Zoya.
"Asad, Zoya has still not returned." As soon as Asad heard her name he clenched his fists and glared at that ground
"Ammi, relax , don't worry she will come back and after all its Zo- Ms. Farooqui and its normal for her to be irresponsible." Dilshad told him it's very late and that Zoya is never this late. He looked at his watch and it read 11:30 pm.
He groaned with frustration as he closed his eyes, but ignored Dilshad and Najma.
His ego and anger overtook his rational thinking as he walked into his room. He waited in his room as he sat on his blue sofa.
He was waiting for her until sleep overtook him.
Meanwhile
12:50 am
Zoya walked to the bus stop and saw the last bus so she quickly got on after paying the fare.
The radio was playing as Zoya fell asleep but the intercom kept her awake.
"THERE HAS BEEN A TERRORIST ATTACK AT THE HOLY LAND OF ISRAEL. MANY AMERICANS AND ISRAELIS WERE KILLED BUT A FEW INJURED. TWO PEOPLE ARE MISSING: CHRISTOPHER TORRES AND RINA TORRES. THE UNITED STATES AND UN HAVE LAUNCHED A WAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE TALIBAN AND AL-QUEDA IN ISRAEL. DEPLOYMENT AND ENLISTMENTS ARE ON HIGH DEMAND."
Zoya's eyes widen when she heard those two names: Christopher and Rina Torres, they were her good friends from high school. She got tears in her eyes thinking about Chris' older sister Angela and Rina's parents. Zoya let out a sob as she thought about how she lost everyone: Her Ammi and Abbu, Jesse and now her friends.
She then heard a scream and a bone-crushing sound so she looked at her side window and saw the bus crash into a large truck. Her head was pounding as she hit her head.
Her eyes went blurry and then she woke up on a cot at a Christian Church, she slowly stood up and went out of the room and pass a mirror to see a bandaid wrapped around her forehead.
"Beta, do you need anything?" She turned around and saw a nun with a name tag that read 'Sister Ann'
"Nothing, I'm fine." She walked backward and turned around and ran away.
She had managed to get to Khan Villa but she stopped in front of it thinking, that she had hurt Mr. Khan so she decided to sneak into her room and took her belongings then left.
At The airport,
they let her in quickly and she was seated next to a female Marine, "Hey." the Marine greeted her.
"I'm Staff Sergeant Indira Sethi." the Marine stared at her, Zoya had immediately recognized that this person was a Marine by the uniform because she had seen her sister and brother in their uniforms, many times.
"Zoya Farooqui, It's nice to meet you Ma'am, my siblings are marines." Zoya smiled as the two women shook hands.
"Ah! so you come from a military family." Staff Sergeant Sethi smirked.
"well no, my biological sister and I are not marines but my adopted siblings are. We were adopted by my mom's sister and her husband" Zoya explained.
"I see so do you want to join?" Staff Sergeant Sethi asked.
Zoya looked at her with a shocked look. Many thoughts ran through her head and she said"I don't know"
"Well here's my card and you can let me know. But first where do you live?" Staff Sergeant Sethi asked again.
"Twentynine Palms, California. I'm staying with my sister Lance Corporal Ariel Kingston and her husband Ryan. "
"Okay and tell your sister I say hi, I know her from boot camp. I will see you then." Staff Sergeant Sethi got up and then walked out of the plane as the seat belt sign came up.
"Me?A Marine?" Zoya asked herself.
Edited by StephyM - 11 years ago
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