Thread #2 for Asad-Zoya FF: The Monster I Loved (new update 3 on pg 6) - Page 2

"Zoya, where exactly are we going?" Asad asked for the third time. The first two times his question had been greeted with a non-committal grunt from her.

"To the most dangerous battlefield on the Earth." Her eyes were fixated on the road ahead, but there was a hint of smile in her voice.

Asad had practically no idea why he bothered to meet her in the first place. His confusion was heightened by her silence for the past forty minutes or so she had been driving.

*What on earth am I doing here?* he wondered, the distinct smell of rose and vanilla wafting in the car could only heighten his senses, which were already high-strung.

*She's acting weird again! Yesterday, we won't even see eye to eye, and suddenly I am the one sitting in her car, accompanying her to God-knows-where!* He stole a quick glance at his co-passenger, looking otherwise ravishing in pink top and snugly fitted jeans.

She remained tight-lipped, her focus seemed to be fixed on the road ahead.

Asad watched her from the corner of his eyes as an unruly strand of hair caressed her cheek. The orange hues of the afternoon sun had rendered an ethereal glow to her angelic face.

He would be lying if he said he's not enjoying this unexpected road trip.

Asad had a hard time digesting the scenario around them.

A bunch of teenagers and young adults were running around busily, wearing helmets and goggles; all of them carrying some slick weapons in their hands.

"What place is this?" He turned around to ask Zoya, only to find her missing.

"Hands up!" a tiny kid was pointing a mean looking machine gun at him.

"What! Huh." Asad stared at the kid in part confusion and part amusement.

"I said HANDS UP', you dummy." The kid poked the barrel of the gun against his chest.

"Looks like somebody needs to be taught some manners!" Asad murmured, but nevertheless raised his hands above his head.

"Team Nightwatcher, we have one man down here." The kid took out a gadget that resembled a walkie-talkie and shouted on the mouth piece.

Asad couldn't help smiling at the kid's antics. He was too funny.

"Nobody laughs at my face. Be prepared to die, enemy." The kid raised the gun and placed his fingers on the trigger.

"Asad, get down." Zoya shouted from behind. A gunshot was fired behind him. Asad ducked just in time, only to catch a glimpse of the warrior kid getting hit by something.

The kid stood stunned, holding his hand, where a red patch had started spreading on his arm.

"What the hell! Are you okay?" Asad ran to his rescue, but the kid shrugged of his hand.

"Get off me! It's only a paintball, dummy." He begrudgingly walked out of the battlefield, yelling on his walkie-talkie, "I am hit. Mission aborted. Send some medics here."

"A paintball fight? Really?" Asad looked at Zoya as if she's a toddler "I thought this is only for teenagers."

"Are you kidding me? This is the biggest stress buster of all time." Zoya handed him a machine gun (a paintball thrower, actually) and checked the trigger of her own gun.

"That still doesn't explain why you decided to bring ME, out of all people, here." Asad threw his hands in the air.

"For THIS!" Zoya's shot got him squarely on the chest. Asad staggered back clutching his chest, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"WHOA! That was...like totally unfair." He tried to catch his breath.

"Everything is fair in Love and War, Mr.Khan...and now that we have pretty much established that we are at war, this looks like the perfect battlefield to sort things out between us." Zoya aimed the gun at him again, but Asad was faster this time.

"Go slow, Miss Siddiqui. Things are gonna get rough." Asad yelled as yellow paint splashed all over Zoya's leg. He let out a victorious laugh and jumped over the trench to get on the other side.

"Do you think it's gonna rain?" Zoya leaned against the car window, watching as the sky overhead was turning slate with thick, grey clouds.

"Yeah, it might." Asad accelerated the car. They might have a few minutes before the storm hit.

Zoya watched her breath fogging the glass. It reminded her of those childhood days. How she used to draw stick figures on the foggy glass; a small figure depicting Zoya, always accompanied by a larger figure, her Ammi.

*Ammi, if only you were here today...aap ki Zoya aaj sab pe bojh ban gayi hai!" Zoya quickly brushed off the tears. She absolutely couldn't let other people see her crying.

Asad watched her from the corner of his eyes, but said nothing. He knew better than anyone else when to keep quiet.

"Zoya, tumhara ghar aa gaya." He stopped the car in front of her palatial home.

It was a classy villa at the outskirt of Bhopal city. A pebbled road through the front garden led to the main entrance. A little fountain adorned the lush greenery of the garden. Three cherubs of Italian marble poured water into the artificial fountain.

"Tum andar nahi aaoge?" he could sense the pleading in her voice, like she was scared to go inside alone.

"Phir kabhi." He smiled.

Zoya went silent for a few moments, then she leaned forward and gave him a quick hug.

"Thanks for everything. I really had a nice time today." She breathed against his neck. The warm touch of his skin felt oddly comforting, like she had turned into a little bird who had finally found her nest.

"It's okay. It's fine." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave a little squeeze. "Zoya, everything will be alright." He had no idea why he'd said that, but it seemed like the right thing to say at that moment.

Zoya pulled herself away and looked into his dark brown eyes. They were too expressive.

*One look into them and you could practically see his soul.*

Zoya gave him a weak smile "Thanks, means a lot to me."

"Of course, what are enemies for, then?" Asad flashed his dimpled smile. Zoya playfully slapped his arm.

"What? We are still enemies, right? I mean, I pretty much assumed our equation doesn't change with this one little outing. It's strictly out of the books, hmm?"

"I don't know." Zoya laughed. "May be I don't want to kill you now as much as I used to do."

"Wow! That means a lot coming from someone who had almost popped an eye out of a kid with a machine gun a few hours ago." Asad laughter echoed inside the car.

"Ouch! That made me feel like I'm the most horrible person on the earth. Perhaps this is the reason my father desperately wants to set me up with one of these prospective grooms and throw me out of the house." Zoya suddenly averted her gaze, trying to hide the tears that threatened to overcome her once again.

"No, you are not a horrible person. You're far from it. Here, look at me, Zoya." Asad cupped her face and forced her to look up. "Listen very carefully to what I say. You are a beautiful, brave, courageous girl...and one of the toughest fighters I have ever seen...be it on a boxing ring, or a paintball fight."

Zoya couldn't find her voice. She didn't know what to say. The only sound in the car was the deep, rhythmic sound of Asad's breathing, and her own heart pounding frantically in her chest.

"I don't know what else to say..." she finally managed to mumble. "Except that I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart."

"You don't have to thank me for anything." Asad gently brushed away the teardrops streaming down her cheek.

"Yes, I do." Zoya planted a chaste kiss on his cheek. "That's my way of thanking you." She breathed against his skin.

The kiss lasted a little longer than she expected. When she finally pulled back, her eyes meet those fathomless dark brown orbs of his, but this time, they had darkened with an unreadable emotion which unnerved her.

"Asad? Are you okay?" she whispered.

"No, I am not." He never, for once, took his eyes off her as he spoke.

"What's wrong?" she frowned, though her subconscious told me she already knew the answer. He, too, were aware of this "thing" between them.

That "thing", which neither allowed her to think nor breathe whenever he's around her

It had started affecting him too!

"Zoya, I think you should probably leave." Asad opened the car door with an unnecessary thud and pointed towards the gate. His features had stiffened, like he was wearing a mask.

The humiliation hurt her like a million broken shards of glass. She nodded her head once and got off the car without another word.

"See you soon. Take care." Asad recited lifelessly. Then the glass window of the car rolled up and the engine roared to life.

(to be continued)