CHAPTER 1
It is Friday night; New York has already started with celebration for weekends. Many people who are tired with their boredom come here to loosen up for a while, few people comes to avoid someone, some problem and the rest have many reason. These people waste their life in drinking and partying themselves to the stupor and well, Asad khan and his Buddy Ayaan are no different from anyone they came to a dance club called hyphe down on the main street that is usually populated by young crowds. The energy is high and loud.
"Dekh yar main pak chukka hun. Tune adhe se zyada dorzen ladkiyo ko mana kardiya! I mean dude. Tu chahta kya hai...meri setting ho ke nahi!" ayaan had to yell to be heard from the rowdy music, picking up a glass of beer and pouring inside his system.
Asad narrowed eyes at him, while sipping on his drink casually, he shrugs. Since the time when he has turned 14 he had experienced and met many types of girls. Dating and dumping is always a good excitement for him. But lately as he had turned an old those girls who could provide only monotonous flirting and meaningless night stand bored to death him. He started to miss the thrill to chase, most of the girls already falls head over heels just by his mere presence, without try. Which is why he finds himself mostly in bar this days and not in the arm of any woman.
"chal ghar chal. Mujhe neend aa rahi hai." Asad grabbed his keys from the table on which he is sitting and stands up.
Ayaan eyes him warily up and down.
"abhi to aye hai! Rukte hai na yaar. Do bottle vodka peeyenge." Ayaan said in slurry voice
Asad chuckled and turned to his side; he holds ayaan from one elbow and helps him to stand up.
"bhai wait! See there! Oh my god. She looks pretty no scratch that, she is damn sexy!" ayaan ogled at the dance floor followed by a whistle.
Asad followed his eyes in the track of ayaan just to find a girl, sorry scratch it...DYNAMITE, ready to explode.
She looked so sensuous that he couldn't tear his eyes after laying it on her. She moved like ...sex! Damn nothing else is coming to his mind. She is on dance floor and almost every guy in the room has their eyes on her. She is wearing a short red dress which is hugging her every curve perfectly like second skin. Her high heels have jut emphasized her long milky legs.
Asad involuntarily drooled a little as she performed on the dance. She moves like water!!
"Smoking...man! I want this girl." ayaan yelled excitedly
This was enough for asad to get distract from his ogling. Something in his tone made him angry.
Ayaan glared at him but before asad could say, he heard a voice from the same direction.
"zoe!! Here." Another beautiful girl appeared from sidelong and the red dress girl waved her hand back at her.
Hmm...So her name is zoe. He smiled inwardly.
Asad left ayaan with his blabbering trying to concentrate on the girls and their talk.
Another tan girl reached up to red dress one- zoe and pulled her in a hug.
"You were so amazing." She claps her both hands. The childishness in her voice made asad laugh and he shook his head. Asad creased his brow when the other girl came to zoe and said something in her ears. And zoe giggle back at her. Gosh! She looks so amazing he thought.
After then, his eyes never left her any move, whether she is laughing, drinking or having fun with her two friends. Once In a while or two zoe too caught him starring at her shamelessly to which she gave a polite smile and ignored it.
Ah! But Asad found this very interesting and he continued to keep his gaze at on her fearlessly. He saw when the one amongst the two pointed a finger at him and said something to which zoe giggled again. He just likes the way she is dealing with the glares he was shooting at her. Each time she smiled cutely at him he felt a stronger pull towards her.
Asad face falls long when zoe checked the watch and soon the trio got up to leave.
Shit! I want her number. He rushed in the moment to catch her. She was half way out when he saw the distance between him to the DJ is less than the distance between her. He turned behind and said something in dj's ear. Dj shook his head and they shared a friendly punch on fist.
"Okay people. Here is the next track on request by the handsome man here, Mr asad khan for the lucky girl, zoe" people hooted loudly while asad desperately looked at the door watching her leave. Just when he lost hope, he saw her retreating form. She was approaching dj with all confuse look.
"Hey! That's my name. Who placed you the request." The song has already begun and crowd started to dance close on it.
"I don't know it's the guy in blue." dj continued to play the music while zoya scanned the room for any sign of blue.
"Looking for me?" someone close, very close to her whispered in her ear from behind.
"Shit! You scared me. So you are the one who played this for me?" she asked with uncertainty and jumpy. Definitely this guy is smouldering but is she the zoe he has announced there?
"yes." he outstretched his arm. "I am asad khan." He smiled. Zoya stared at his hand and then at his face, "zoya farooqui." She took the hand and shakes it.
"A drink?" he offered immediately.
Zoya looks here and there and politely rejects his offer. She says a quick bye and left. He stood there clueless as if what had happened. Why was her leaving, hurting him? Giving a mindless behaviour. He too ran out of the hyphe.
When he came to the parking, He saw the two girls were taking a cab. He watched her very closely as she let them sit and then shut the door. They asked her to call them when she reached home. She said yes and turned to catch another cab for herself. Which by luck was nowhere in sight.
That's the time. He thought and walked back to his car. He searched for the key, hoped in and started the engine, driving it calmly in her way.
He passed by her and then stopped when he knew he had caught her attention.
"hey! You. here so alone?" he faked up the surprise which she definitely didn't buy it.
"Stop faking it. I have already seen you watching me from there. "she confidently said with a smile. Damn! This girl is so good! Asad got out of his car and smirked shamelessly.
"Allow me to drop you." he said softly this time with sincerity.
"Hmm...no thanks. I hardly know you." she searched for traces of any cab around but nothing could be seen in dark.
"Think about it. I am sure you have given time to someone and I am sure the hunt for the cab won't help you to reach there on time." he leaned on his car folding his hand on his chest. He watched as she pondered over some thought. She checked for the time once more before walking to the other side of car and taking the front seat.
Asad laughed a little before wiping out the victory mask. He got inside the car. It only had been a minute after the car had hit the road when he thought to start the chitchat.
"You look sober." He scanned her face to lap once and then checked with the rear mirror.
"huh! Excuse me?" she scrunched up the nose and turned her head sideway.
"Yes, and you are not with your friends either. So this makes me think. Why were you there?" this man was getting under her skin she though. Zoya ignored his question and decided to play with her hair. Asad smiled warily and took of the keys from a running car.
Zoya jolted back her head at him. "What is wrong?" she said in surprise.
"asad folded his hand above his chest and played with the key.
"What?" she inquired and he gave a look which meant, " I want you to answer."
"okay fine. We will talk. Now please start the car." She begged at him. asad smiled boyishly and ignited the engine.
"Answer me." he reminded her.
She looked irritated first but when she began she seemed to be lost, "I want to forget some reality in the loud music." She relied.
Asad thought he saw something flash in her eyes but it was gone in an instant that he almost thought he had imagined it.
That was his clue to understand where to take this discussion. He breathed deep and turned his attention back to her. "You know loud noises could only give you illusion, I have a better place which can help you to relax and think about the situation."
She leaned behind and her smile disappeared. "I think you are taking me wrong." She sat straight and turned around to see outside the window.
"No. waits. I don't mean in double way. I can actually take you a place which can relax you." asad gave a friendly smile which forced her to believe him.
"Okay. But it's too late I have to return home. Someone is waiting for me." she confirmed on what he had said earlier. Asad scanned his eyes on her hand and neck and smiled.
"Oh come on you won't get more scolding than you expect for just half hour." He smiled and set his eyes on the road, "besides I am sure you know the ways to calm your mother."
Zoya eyes popped out in shock, "how do you know that? This is weird." She panicked. He was guessing almost everything right! She noticed
"Oh ..Okay sorry. I will stop reading you." he admitted openly. Zoya crossed her arm and tried to pretend she is normal which she wasn't at the time.
"so your coming?" zoya didn't even realized when the car has stopped. She looked here and there just to know she haven't realized many thing apart from that.
"Where are we?" she asked in a defence.
"Don't worry. We are at the place where music is everywhere." Zoya could hear the splashes of water. Her face instantly brightened up to see they were at sea shore. She turned behind with a smile. "Is this your place?" asad nods in a reply.
He watched her quietly as she played with waves and sand. He felt a strange warmness building inside him.
After few minute passed she looked drain out of energy, zoya looked back at asad and smiled.
Asad sat on the sand and she took the place beside him.
"Where do you live?" he asked for the first time, realizing he didn't actually took the address when he asked her to drop home. Strange!
Asad got surprised when he heard this as a response, "nowhere. This is the answer I need to find." She said in trance.
"Oh wait. You want the pain to get rid of you?" he asked jolly. Zoya nods her head in yes.
"Then lets drink for a while till you forget the pain." he smiled and got back to his car taking the cans out he came back to her.
Zoya looked at car cautiously but then took it in her hand and drank it.
It didn't take long before she had finished 5 cans in a row and she could hardly sit without falling.
Asad checked with the time. "zoya get up. I need to drop you home. Tell me where you live?" he asked again.
This time she had lost her sense and was drown in the alcohol effect.
"Homeless..." She whispered while falling on his shoulder.
Asad asked for the few times before picking her up and putting in the car.
He paused for a while. Now what? He could drop her off to any hotel room. But seeing her condition this was not safe. He checked her handbag for any clue but found nothing accept few cash and a very old photograph which he didn't care to check. His eyes lay on her face. She was sleeping, her breathe even and shallow. This girl who looked so fierce in the dance floor looked so vulnerable now.
Suddenly, asad don't know what came to him, that he burned the engine and decided to take her home. He knew that he had no option left. He could have checked for her cell phone but she didn't carry one.
Determined on helping her from getting rape, he took her home. he was sure she was going to have a hell of a hangover when she wakes up tomorrow morning.
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