"Agar ainda aapne mere zindagi mein dakhal dene ki koshish ki, to I swear, mein aapki jaan le loonga," seethed Asad, as he snatched the paper in Zoya's hands and ripped it to pieces. Zoya's eyes grew wide, glistening with unshed tears.
A loud crackle echoed in the Khan Villa as her hand flew across his face. Asad stood there with his face turned to one side, stunned. He looked back at her with anger, but found he couldn't say a word. The look of utter rage in Zoya's eyes stopped him mid word.
"Yeh aapne kya kiya, Mr. Khan!? Aapko wakei lagta meri niyaat itni kharab hai? Meine aapko aapke bhai se milani ki koshish ki, taaki aapka dard kam ho jai, aur badle mein aap meri bezati kar rahe hain?" She paused, realizing they'd taken a few steps away from the pillar to which he has essentially pinned her. Her ever word cause her to take a determined and angry step forward, while Asad mirrored her steps, in retreat.
"Dekhie aapne jo kiya-"
"Nahin, Mr. Khan!" Zoya cut him off sternly, watching his eyes widen for a change. "Meri baat khatam nahin hui abhi tak." Asad's hand fisted themselves, as he fought against himself from pinning her to the wall once again. "Aapko pata hai, ki jo kagaz aapne abhi abhi phada usme kya tha? Kaise pata hoga," she continued, sarcastically. "Aapko aapke gusse aur gham ke alawa kuch aur dikhai nahin deta. Uss kagaz par mer talash ki ek lothi clue thi..." Her voice cracked as she let out the last word, looking down to hide her tears.
Asad's ears perked up. Talashi?
"Ab mein apne abbu ko kaise dhundhungi..." whispered a distraught and tired Zoya. Asad's eyes widened again, and he felt himself go numb. Woh, apne, abbu ko, dhund rahi hai...?
Before he could form another thought, she pushed him aside and ran to her room, closing the door with a loud thud behind her. Asad stood frozen in the same spot, her last few words repeating themselves incessantly in his head. She was here to find her father, her abbu. And in his anger, he destroyed her only clue in months. His hands fisted themselves again, but this time, from self-loathing.
Sure she annoyed him. She was messy, she was loud, she was incredibly rude and overly curious. But she made his ammi laugh, and smile. And he had to admit, Najma adored her as a friend. She may be a nuisance to him, but she was a joy to his mother and sister, and all her messes were failed attempts at helping their family. He sighed. Despite how he felt about her, she didn't deserve what he'd done.
How was he going to fix this?
***************
Do leave comments and likes if it tickled your fancy 😳
Until next time! 🤗
46