Chapter 8
Zoya made her way down, she still had a slight limp but her leg was much better. Karan was already waiting for when she got there, as she got a little closer she noticed he was having a heated discussion with someone on the phone, Zoya held back for a while until he finished his conversation, she didn't want to interrupt or pry.
She watched him as he continued to wave his arms around in annoyance, anger and upset was evident on his face, and she could see his eyes turn darker, she hadn't known him long and this was a side she had never really witnessed. Karan cut the call and raked his hands through his hair he looked up and took in a few deep breaths at the same time Zoya came out from behind the door. She went and stood behind him she could hear his heavy breathing, whatever it was had upset him considerably she was about to place her hand on his shoulder then withdrew it, she decided to call out to him instead 'Karan' Karan turned around to see her and instantly his whole demeanor changed, his eyes lit up and he gave a her a smile that was enough to be the death of any girl.
'Hi, how you feeling, how is your leg?' 'I am ok, and the leg is fine, I just need to stay out of the gym for a few days' she said with a smile.
The pair of them slowly walked towards the canteen talking about their respective courses and how they were getting on, Zoya told him about the test and he filled her in on how he did in his first assignment with his group. Like Zoya Karan was also an A* student however, unlike Zoya he never dedicated half of his time to studying.
Zoya ordered a salad and Karan opted for the pasta, they took their seats and started eating, the canteen was pretty much empty being Friday a lot of the students bodies had ventured out and because of the ten O clock curfew they always started their evenings early.
Zoya thought about asking him why he was so upset earlier but then refrained she didn't want to come across as being nosy or being too personal. Karan on the other hand wasn't so hesitant, in the short time they had been here he had noticed how distant Zoya always was, something that bothered him, she didn't come across as arrogant she was a nice girl so he never understood why she always chose to be by herself 'Zoya can I ask you something?' 'Sure' 'um...since we have been here I kind of noticed that you keep yourself to yourself, I mean I know you have friends but a lot of the time you seem a little distant...you never seem to go out or join in'.
Zoya looked at him a little stunned what was she going to say to him 'I don't know really , I suppose I like being by myself, and I prefer to use my time studying' Zoya tried her best to sound convincing but it didn't really work, Karan could sense it was more than that but didn't push the subject any further. Zoya and Karan were amongst the last people to leave, he walked her back to her halls and said good night 'thank you, I had a nice time' she said honestly, Karan gave her a half smile 'me too...I'll see you tomorrow?' 'Yeah sure...good night'.
As days and weeks continued to pass Karan and Zoya became closer, they had become good friends they spent a lot of time together, well whenever their busy student life allowed them to. When Zoya and Karan became good friends a lot of other friendships bloomed some becoming a little more than just good friends. Zoya was friendly and had a lot of friends or people she liaised with but in particular had become close to Kiran, Aliza, and Abdul. The first semester was coming to an end and with the Christmas holidays a few days away Zoya planned to go back to Delhi to see her sister and brother in law, she missed hem a lot and seeing she had two weeks off it worked out perfectly.
Zoya started to pack her bags when Kiran, Indu and Aliza came in 'where are you going?' Kiran said seeing Zoya's bag 'oh I thought with the Christmas holidays I would go home for a week or so'. Kiran was a little upset that she had not shared her plans with her earlier 'when are you going?' 'Tomorrow' Kiran looked at her wide eyed 'tomorrow...and you are telling me now, what about the end of semester party, are you going to miss that too?'
Zoya looked at her apologetically and smiled. 'Zoya you should really stay, why don't you go back after we officially break up, it will be fun, there are no lectures and we can all hang out' Aliza said as she walked up to her and sat on the edge of her bed yeah Zoya stay' Indu added.
Zoya smiled at them 'I would but I have already booked my tickets, you guys carry on and have fun I will come back just before the New Year' Kiran slumped on her bed with a pout, she wasn't going home and didn't like the idea of being here on her own 'and what am I supposed to do when you are not here?' Zoya walked up to her and sat next to her, she placed her arm around her shoulder 'you are going to catch up on all the studying that you missed and will have fun with Rohan' Zoya said to her with a wink.
Kiran had known Rohan for years and had developed something a lot more than a soft spot for him, they both had feelings for each other that went beyond the conventional we are friends but neither of them was brave enough to admit it. In the past month Indu and Karan played cupid trying to get the two to open up to each other, it was working but there was still some ground to cover. Kiran started blushing and then started to giggle as did Indu and Aliza 'ok...but come back quick' she said turning around pointing her finger at her, Zoya raised her hand I promise' she said before she hugged her.
Zoya finished her packing and decided to go for a walk to get some fresh air, as she came out she saw Karan standing by his car with Indu, Leya and Yash. Leya made her laugh with her never ending antics, she openly flirted with Karan who was none the wiser, he just thought of her as being childish, where everyone else could see that she had a crush on him that surpassed any teenager, he remained totally oblivious.
As Zoya walked up to them Yash dragged Leya away towards the canteen leaving Indu and Karan standing there Zoya continued to walk towards them then suddenly stopped as she saw Karan embrace Indu into a tight hug. Zoya instantly felt something heavy in her heart she lowered her gaze and was about to turn around when she heard Karan call out to her, faking a smile she walked up to them. Indu still had her arm around his waist 'why hasn't Karan told me about them' she thought to herself, they had become good friends over the last three months, although they didn't know absolutely everything about each other she felt that him being in a relationship with Indu would have been important enough to share. 'Hi, how are you' she said 'am good, just glad it's the end of the semester, at least we can relax a little more' Zoya didn't say anything just smiled instead.
Indu looked at Karan 'I need to call dad and find out where he will be staying, can you come with me when I go later to see him, he will be happy to see you too' 'sure, it's been ages since I met him' Zoya listened to their conversation, she suddenly remembered that Karan and Indu were childhood family friends all of a sudden she felt lighter 'I mean its normal to hug your childhood friend...right?' she said to herself.
'Zoya have you finished your packing...what time is your flight? Indu asked, Zoya looked at Karan who looked back at her quizzically 'packing...flight...where are you going Zoya?' the change in the tone of his voice didn't go unnoticed by her, she knew he would be annoyed as she hadn't mentioned her going away to him. 'I'm going back home for a week' Zoya replied trying to avert his gaze. 'You guys carry on I need to get going, Karan I'll call you as soon as I speak with dad' Karan looked at Indu and just nodded then turned to look back at Zoya.
'And when were you planning to tell me?' Zoya took in a deep breath, 'I only decided this morning when Zaynah called and she booked my ticket for me there and then, I am going tomorrow afternoon, its only for ten days, I will be back before the new year' Karan leaned back against his car what could he say to that, he was visible upset that she was going, he was going to miss her, he had become used to seeing her every day.
'You are going to miss out on all the activities not to forget the party' Zoya stepped closer to him, being in close proximity to him was not an issue anymore, over the months they had become very comfortable with each other, it took Zoya a lot longer than Karan as she had never really had a friend that was a guy before so and all this was new to her.
Their relationship was defined by a friendship that strengthened with time and this was something everyone was very aware of, those who knew Karan and Zoya were fully aware of their relationship but not everyone understood it, they were poles apart totally different yet they found common ground to build upon. Zoya was becoming more open and sociable as compared to when she started, however there were still times when she would shy away or become a recluse. It was only Karan that would be able to draw her out.
'I know but it's not like I would have attended anyway, I really miss home and want to go back to see my family, its only for a short while...now stop with baby face it doesn't suit you' she said playfully punching his shoulder' Karan smiled 'ok...fine go...but I want you back before new years'.
Zoya had hoped to spend some time with Karan but he had accompanied Indu to visit her dad leaving her with nothing to do. In the end she decided to go with Naveen, Aliza and Kiran to a nearby restaurant. As always Zoya's participation was minimal, only engaging in conversation when directly questioned as the waiter brought their food out everyone got stuck in 'are you a vegetarian?' Naveen asked seeing that Zoya had only ordered a salad 'no...um actually I can always be a hundred percent sure if the meat served is halal so I always opt for vegetarian food when I eat out' Zoya looked at the three of them staring back at her she quickly lowered her gaze and started to fork through her salad 'oh' was the only response she received making her withdraw further.
Walking back to the halls they saw Karan and Indu step out of a black Mercedes 'wow, nice ride' Naveen said admiring the car 'you know just by looking at them you would never guess that they are from such affluent backgrounds...you think they will end up together?' Zoya looked at Kiran 'I mean they have been together since childhood right?' 'It would make sense, look at them they look good together, they are a perfect fit' Naveen replied.
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Salaam All
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