Hey guys, sorry for disappearing again. From a minor slip accident to being bed bound to depression to giving up my job. Have had a rough few weeks but doing good. Life eh. Anyhoo, I have so much to write but could not get myself to do it. Slowly getting back into it, I became a bookworm for a month, preferred reading to writing. This is the first TS that I want to start off with. Hope you enjoy it. I don't think I can do PM's yet, will have to be in a few days. Love you all! MWAH!
An ASYA/KaBhi TS: Taking a risk
So far this night, Zoya had bought a random guy a drink, danced on a bar and serenaded another girl during a karaoke song. However, this night was far from over.
"You're up again Zoyaaa!" Nikhat sang passing her another shot. Zoya grabbed the shot and tipped it back, the slow burning eased her insides more than she could ever understand. She glanced down at the list and gripped the bar tightly. She slowly met Nikhat's eyes having read the 11th act on the 10 wild acts before adulthood list. If anyone was going to win, it was Zoya damn Farooqui. She was fiercely competitive, from sports to running times, to bets on who would graduate first... well her last name was before theirs so that still counts for something. She was a winner.
It was the Saturday night before their first real jobs started. Zoya was going to start her job as an Account Manager at Harvey-Lowe, her friend Nikhat as an Assistant Curator and Janine as a Junior Buyer. Zoya had always walked on a straight line, always fearing to steer in any other direction scared of failing. However tonight, she wanted to push herself, have this one crazy night before she threw herself head first into her career.
She sighed staring at the final task on the list, her head and vision blurring from one too many shots.
"What does that say?" Zoya narrowed her eyes at her friends. Janine laughed tying her hair back into a pony tail causing many of the guys at the bar to look over. She was one of those pretty girls that caused people to walk into things which she always used to her advantage. Nikhat grinned from beside her.
"We made some last minute addition to the list."
"Yeah I figured when 10 wild things suddenly had an 11" Zoya rolled her eyes. Janine grinned before that stupid grin turned wider, her bright red lips stretching across her face. Zoya blinked trying to fight to clear her head knowing how hard they were going to make this for her. Zoya eyed the list again taking her sweet time to decipher each excruciating word.
Hook up with a random guy.
A shiver crept down her back. She was twenty three without having a one night stand, even a minor one. No awkward make out sessions or no getting too drunk and losing control. Her responsible side would never allow her to take such a risk but now...
Both of her friends bounced on their heels, Nikhat springing into a dance causing more looks from the guys in the bar.
"We cannot make additions to the list." Heck, they spat and shook hands all. It was like an oath.
"Ofcourse we can" Janine said in a singsong voice, Nikhat nodded her head in agreement. The whole point was becoming clear; this was for her to step out of her shell. Take chances. Live a little. All words not used to describe Zoya.
"Now go find your guy. We'll even go easy on you and let you off by counting kissing as hooking up" Janine winked.
"What, no this is stupid-"
"Alright, she forfeits" Nikhat smirked. "It's just me and you now Janine. Or you could just give me your 100 dollars now. You don't need the money anyways."
"NO" Zoya squeaked a little too loudly. Those shots were definitely taking effect. She cursed under her breath, why couldn't she have shy friends? She clearly needed new friends. Closing her eyes, she told herself to stop being ridiculous. She has kissed guys before, 3, 5 maybe? They counted as something. And she certainly was not a virgin being in a relationship for years. Eurgh, coming to that another day.
But she had never kissed a random guy. She drew a breath. She could do this, this is normal. Just go over to a guy and ask him to kiss her. Easy. Or she could say no and lose? What was wrong with losing? Nothing. I could lose. Zoya, the loser.
"I need another" Her eyes shot open, "Scratch that I need five more. Make them all doubles or whatever. Strong" She glanced over at Janine and Nikhat. "What kind of kiss, I have already been kissed tonight..."
"Yeah you kissing that chick does not count" Nikhat shook her head and pointed to the list. Zoya started to argue when a soft chuckle hit her ears and instead of pleading her case, she whipped her head to the left to find a guy sat beside her, with a white baseball cap with a giant orange T pulled low over his eyes.
"This is a private conversation."
"Well, then you might want to tell your voice that. Pretty sure the whole bar heard you" He grinned. Zoya's eyes widened before narrowing in on him.
"Let me guess, you want to be the one to sweep in and save my ass?" This time, he turned around to face her, leaning in his scent hit her full force. Wow. Goodness. She drew her breath, fighting the urge to sigh. Mild cologne. Sexy. Entirely sexy. Uh no. Too many shots.
Chocolate brown eyes, framed in full, dark lashes stared from below the bill of his hat, hints of dark hair peeking out at his temples, tickling his neck. Suddenly, she wanted to start this conversation again to "Hi I'm Zoya" and "Holy Shots, you're hot". She drew another breath to calm herself, he edged closer to her.
"Look, I get it. You're the good girl to their bad. Every group has one. And now they are forcing you on to the bad side. One night right?" His gaze raked over her, no hint of subtlety, a part of her wanting to kick his ass and tell him to take his roaming eyes elsewhere but another, annoyingly dominant part was curious. "And I bet you're tempted." He said reading her thoughts. "I bet you told yourself you needed this and you'd be right. You do."
"What do you know about me? With your UT hat and starched T-shirt. I mean who the hell dresses like that?" He laughed. The ass but the sound was so sexy that her insides screamed for her to shut up and go along with whatever he had to say.
"Not a Tennessee fan?" He cocked his head. "Let me guess, Georgia girl goes to NYU to prove she's bigger than her small town?" He stared at her with those sexy eyes. She swallowed hard, her insides boiling at his suggestion and at how very he close he was. Somehow being read so easily made her want to run from him.
"Think whatever you like, I should get back to my friends." But when she turned around her friends were out in the bar talking it up with different guys well on their way to winning the final task.
"Looks like bad girls are going to win this round." Zoya's stomach tightened peering over at him. How could someone so hot be so infuriating?
"Listen, I don't really need your opinion."
"Perhaps not. But I'm guessing you could use my lips right about now." He nodded toward the back of the bar, where Nikhat was already sat beside a guy with her hand on his chest. She leaned toward him as the UT guy flipped around his baseball cap. "Ready whenever you are, good girl." Zoya spun back to tell him to take his lips elsewhere but then his eyes found hers, all wicked fire and sex, he legs slightly open and room for her to step between them. He took her hand and tugged her closer. "Don't think, just do." And with that, his mouth found hers, first soft and warm testing the feel of her lips, the way they moved together. But then the alcohol in her veins seemed to spike, attraction taking over, she parted her lips, inviting him in and their tongues tangling as he secured her to him. Warmth spread all through her, pooling lower and lower until she felt sure she would lose himself right there in his arms. She had never been kissed like this, like nothing else mattered, like time had stood still.
Finally, she pulled away unsure of what she was going to see, but she was pleased to see the same heat in his eyes that she felt in her chest. Her thoughts jumbled together, rational thinking giving away to temptation. Three years with the same guy, just to watch him leave. Then date after date, all trying to find the same spark, something, anything to find herself alone. Her entire life, she thought she would leave college and move in with her boyfriend, then later get married. But no, she was alone. She didn't want to be alone. Maybe for one night, she didn't have to be. Biting her lips, she leaned towards him, allowing her attraction to replace reason and pressed her lips to his unsure of where this was going. But for once, she didn't care.
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"YOU" Zoya shot out of her bed in nothing more than a white tank top and barely there panties. Her cheeks warmed at the memory of his lips on hers, cheeks, her neck and her hand reaching out in invitation to come home with her.
"Me" He grinned at her, bare chest exposed and her white duvet covering his lower half. Without his UT hat on, he appeared older than her by a few years, late twenties and oddly familiar. But in a city of millions, it could have been anywhere.
"What are you doing here?" His mouth quirked at her as he raised his eyebrows as if to say shouldn't that be obvious?
"I don't do this" She breathed out.
"Clearly."
"What's that supposed to mean?" His arms stretched out behind him, showing off his defined biceps, then pushed out of the bed causing her heart to jump out of her until she realized he wasn't completely naked. A pair of black boxer briefs covered his ass like they were made for him. She scowled taking in his perfectly mussed hair, perfectly broad shoulders and unnaturally cut abs. Real people do not look like this guy. Real people were scarred, freckled and flawed. She preferred guys with the right mix of flaws. Crinkled clothes, glasses... Her thoughts stopped short as he slipped into his jeans and reached for his pocket pulling out a pair of black frames.
"I had to toss my contacts last night, so it's this or I'll need you to walk me home." He flashed her a grin and then fixed his glasses in place.
"Glasses?" She didn't know what surprised her more, glasses or how comfortable he seemed in them.
"Yet another reason for that glare of yours? You know, you weren't nearly so mean last night" He pulled his shirt and peered over at her. Last night. Her gaze dropped in embarrassment. She had thrown herself at this man last night after the first kiss, desperate for another. "I am not a serial killer or anything if that's what has you worried."
"Funny" She puffed crossing her arms.
"I thought so." He grinned. Eurgh, the sexy ass. He took a step towards her, she took another back. "Why don't we grab coffee, I can give you a rundown of my resume. Prove I am worthy of your time." She stared at him with her crossed arms. She had seen many men come and go from Nikhat's room but none of them talked about resumes and proving their worth. The glasses may have given her pause but she needed to let go of this embarrassment and end this before she fell for his charm and wound up getting burned.
"Actually, I have a lot to do so could you just..." She motioned to the door. How exactly did a one night stand end? He opened his mouth to say more, then cocked his head, taking her in and closed it back.
"It was nice meeting you Zoya. I wouldn't be sorry if I ran into you again sometime." Neither would I her mind thought but then immediately pushed it to the back of her mind.
"Thanks for..." She waved her hand towards the bed, her face burning bright enough to light all of New York, "That." He bit his lip fighting another smile.
"Maybe you could give me your number to see if you'd like me better if we started at hello?" He studied her and although a part of her was tempted, this wasn't the kind of relationship she wanted. At her hesitation, "All right then, I'll just head on. Hope to see you around Zoya." Her body buzzed the way he said her name, reminder of him whispering it against her neck last night. As soon as the door closed behind him, she slumped down onto the bed.
God. It was going to take weeks for her to recover from this.
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"It was a mistake Nikhat. Nothing more to talk about" Zoya got out of the taxi after paying the driver.
"It didn't look like a mistake. He was hot."
"I know. It's just I have never done this. I don't want to be one of those girls, you know?"
"Hey, I'm one of those girls"
"I didn't mean it like that. I just like structure. I like to know the person I'm in bed with. I like-"
"Commitment." The word hit her square in the chest, bringing her back to how close she was to having it all. Serious boyfriend, degree from NYU and career all on its way, and then he destroyed her with one blow. And what made it all that much worse, Haleem wasn't a jerk about it. He didn't cheat on her or dump her via text. He just didn't love her.
"It doesn't have to be one or the other Zoe." Nikhat told her. "You're a good person and having fun isn't going to make you a less of a good person."
"Eurgh" Zoya made a noise. "I hate this, why did I do this with the UT guy."
"UT guy?"
"He was wearing a UT hat."
"Ah, do you know anything about him? Where he works? Last name? Anything?"
"Yeah, because I didn't catch his first name but somehow the last name stuck?" She rolled her eyes.
"Good point."
"I have no idea. For all I know, he doesn't have a job, just floats from bar to bar, tempting girls with perfect hair and glasses."
"Glasses?" She grinned.
"Don't ask. I can't believe I'm here. We're here." She looked up at the building.
"Here we come world" Nikhat cheered. "Good luck babe."
"Good luck Nikkie, kick some serious ass" Zoya threw her phone into the bag. She couldn't blink as excitement grew in her chest. So what if she was just an account manager. Soon, she would prove her worth and move up the ranks. Slipping through the revolving doors, her eyes scanned the main level- the ivory marble floors and ornate area rungs and mahogany wooden benches. It was a beautiful building. Her phone read 8.15 as she entered the building, she wanted to be seated at the meeting by 8.25, which just gave her enough time to grab coffee upstairs, put her things in the cube and make it to the meeting, where she decided she would listen with her mouth shut, smiling and nodding along appropriately. Then after a long few days of this, she would strike. They would be wowed and her career would soar from there. Alright that may be a stretch, but a girl could only hope. That thought made her smile but then the elevators closed and her chest tightened. She started to sing silently, twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are... She continued singing fighting the urge to panic finding the space closing in on her.
She had become claustrophobic after her dad died and she felt the walls closing in all around her. She couldn't breathe in her room, the bathroom, the outdoors becoming her refuge. Eventually it became easier to handle however with elevators and airplanes still not quite there. Nursery rhymes on elevators helped. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.
She relaxed stepping out of the elevators and peered around remembering the first time she came to Harvey Lowe floor for her interview and toured the building on her second interview. The receptionist, a redhead around her age smiled when she saw Zoya.
"Hi, I'm Zoya Farooqui. A new accountant manager" She tried not to grin as she said the title but failed.
"Welcome to Harvey-Lowe" She said, her voice kind. "My name is Helen, you can meet the others in the conference room A, just down the hall there." She pointed to her left. Zoya became nervous staring at the door in the hallway. Helen smiled as she could read her thoughts. "Why don't you grab coffee first. It helps. The lounge is down that way" She pointed to the right this time.
"Thanks, it's just a little... intimidating."
"Oh I know. I have been here for 5 months and I still get nervous every time Asad Ahmed Khan walks by."
Asad Ahmed Khan, aka the Chief Creative Director. He was Sarah's boss, so her boss's boss and she thought she might have little interaction with him. Now she felt her nervousness spiking in, she had not researched him. She only researched Sarah and Harvey Lowe. It never occurred to research the others in the company; she should have been prepared better by researching everyone in her division.
"Are you okay?" Helen asked. "Don't worry, I'll go in with you." She stepped around her desk and pushed through the door holding it open for Zoya to slip inside.
"I didn't get to meet him when I was interviewed. Is he scary?" Helen turned around immediately with a to go coffee cup with HL logo printed on it in her hand.
"You haven't met Asad?"
Zoya shook her head and took the cup off her and began making coffee. "No, though Sarah made him sound intense."
"Yeah, intensely hot!"
"He's what?" Zoya did a double take. Did she say hot? She was imagining an older man, graying, with a slight hunch. But then again, maybe Helen was into sixty year olds with back problems? She peered over at the closed door and then leaned closer.
"You have no freaking idea. Rumour has it he's the reason for the no-fraternizing policy"
"No fraternizing... you mean he's...?
"Not is, presently, but yeah certainly did. A lot. That's why there's been such a turnover. They couldn't get a female staff on below the age of 30 to stay away from him so the partners issued a strict no fraternizing policy and Asad hasn't touched a Harvey Lowe employee since. Not that I could blame the girls." Just then, Sarah walked in and Zoya had to rein in her crazy beating heart.
"Good, Zoya. You're here. I was looking for you. Are you ready? The meetings about to begin and I wanted to introduce you to the staff before it gets started."
"Ofcourse." Zoya said a little too loudly following Sarah quickly. There were a mix of men and women, each dressed differently and it was impossible to know what was appropriate. Sarah stood behind a pair of open chairs.
"Everyone this is Zoya Farooqui, our newest account manager. She'll be assisting on all my accounts." They both sat down and one by one the people around her introduced themselves. She tried to follow their names before reaching forward for a notebook and pen from the middle of the table. A guy name Zack, maybe, pushed it forward to make it easier for her to grab.
"Thanks." She smiled. The table sectioned out into different conversations. Sarah turned to Zoya sensing her unease.
"They're all nice. Don't worry."
"Yeah they seem great."
"And Asad is brilliant. You'll learn a lot from him."
"I didn't think I would actually work with him much." Damn, why didn't she research Asad Ahmed Khan.
"You won't really but he likes to be involved with our team. He leads all the meetings, likes to have a hand in everything. Some say he micro manages but I think he just wants us to know we are not in the thick of it all alone. Plus he is young for the job and I think a part of him misses the creative side." Her gaze shifted to the door. "And speaking of..."
Zoya turned just as the door opened. A man stood inside the doorframe, head facing away from them as he said something to Helen. He wore an impeccably tailored navy suit, his dark hair styled back with a hint of gel. Zoya could see why Helen said he was hot, even from behind. She nodded to him, then he stepped into the room and suddenly Zoya's world turned on its axis, like she had entered some alternate reality.
Her heart jumped into her throat, her pulse speeding up as her stomach flipped. A memory of warm breath on her neck and she jolted back, her hand colliding with the coffee cup and sending its content across the table.
"Shit" She leaped up at the same time as everyone else, one of the guys grabbed a pack of paper towels and blotted the mess. The women smiled at her encouragingly like they'd all been here before. But they had no freaking idea.
And that's when his gaze landed on her. He froze just as he was setting down his iPad, his eyes wide, his mouth slack. Another traitorous memory slipped through, that mouth on hers, his teeth biting her bottom lip before his tongue...
"You"
She drew a breath. "Me." Sarah was at her side in a second.
"I'm sorry." She said in an attempt to save Zoya. "It's her first day. I'm sure she's a little nervous."
If only that was the problem.
Collecting himself, he straightened, licking his lips once, his eyes on Zoya. "Easy mistake. Could happen to anyone." He grinned, a hint of amusement crossing his face at the double meaning. Zoya's teeth ground together as she fought to rein in her emotions.
"Well introduce me to our newest member" He said to Sarah.
"This is Zoya Farooqui, our newest account manager. She will be helping on all my accounts, including Blast, which was I requested she attend our meeting today. Zoya, meet Asad Ahmed Khan. Our chief executive director."
Zoya lifted her eyes to his, her heart now wallowing on the ground, never to emerge again. Asad Ahmed Khan. Her boss. Her boss's boss.
Aka - UT guy.
"Welcome to the team Zoya" He held his hand for her to shake and as she started to place hers in his, it was though every bit of her wanted to back away, to disappear - to run. But this was adulthood. No running allowed. She placed her hand in his, their eyes locked and for a moment, they went back there. At the bar, laughing, fingers interlaced, electricity moving between them both. The man before wasn't the UT guy yet somewhere in his gaze, she saw the guy she had met, felt the spark, understood why he had made it back to her apartment.
She smiled at the memory of their time together at the bar, the easy conversation, and he smiled back at her before they both remembered that everyone's eyes were on them. He cleared his throat and took the seat at the end of the table, the seat directly beside her. Taking her seat, she concentrated on the notepad accidently marking it but it took every ounce of her not to flip the page and start all over again. Asad settled in his seat and as though someone flipped a switch, he was all business and not the carefree person from the bar.
"Right, Sarah, where were we?" He started. It was as though he had two personalities. Sarah launched into the project details.
"Eurgh, why couldn't you keep your mouth shut Zoya" Zoya rested her head on her desk. She grunted remembering speaking and Asad shutting her down. Why did she have to run her mouth with all that textbook stuff. Yes she was good, but not real life good. What was she expecting, an award?
"Asad's hard" Sarah continued with her tone kind. "But it's because he is good and he just wants you to be that good. Shake it off okay? I have some work to do, I've got some research I need you to do. I've emailed the info to you, think you could do that for me?" Sarah asked, Zoya nodded. She winked at her before heading for her office. She started her email so that she could find what Sarah had sent her but something came her way and immediately sat in her inbox. It wasn't from Sarah, it was from Asad.
Clicking the email, she cycled through possible scenarios. Getting employed at Harvey Lowe had proved that all her hard work had paid off. And now, one drunken moment of weakness, it could all slip away from her. Her attention fell on the email and her heart speeded up as she read the words:
Can you come to my office please?
And there it was. He was going to fire her or transfer her to a different department. But surely, he won't do that. He wouldn't have known. It could happen to anyone. She sat up and smoothed out her dress, she walked over towards Asad's office, the walk of death painful only being able to hear clicking of computer keys and occasional phone conversation in the background. A nice older lady sat outside his office.
"Can I help you?"
"I'm here to see Asa- Mr Khan."
Ofcourse" She reached for her phone to let him know, just as he glanced up from his desk and called her in. Closing the door behind her, she glanced around the room trying to reconcile UT guy with Asad.
"Have a seat."
She sat down one of the yellow chairs in front of his desk. Asad leaned forward, his forearms resting on his desk and as she looked up, into his eyes she wondered if she would have kissed this version of him. Would she have laughed like she did? Would she have asked him back to her apartment?
"I like to relax when I'm not here, shake off the business week. So you'll find me in jeans and that UT hat, I've had it for years..." He trailed off. "Sorry. Anyways, you do realise how complicated this is?"
Zoya nodded.
"I asked for your number before, but that's not really appropriate now." He grinned, the smile almost boyish. God, he was handsome. Not just sexy or hot. He was handsome. Rough, yet polished. It was a beautiful combination.
"Right..." She trailed off.
"As a rule I don't date women at the office." He laughed. "Actually I don't date at all."
Her eyes flashed up in anger sparking up inside of her. Let it go Zoe, let it go. Shit. "A little presumptuous, don't you think? I never asked you for a date. I never asked you for your number and I didn't offer you mine." There, she said it.
"Was that all?" She got up.
"Yes."
"Good while we're discussing appropriate. I'd like to make a few requests."
"I'm listening."
"None of those half laughing smiles" She pointed, his mouth twitched. "See there, none of those."
"Anything else?"
"Just one." She drew a breath watching his eyes roam over her body quickly before returning to her face like he couldn't control himself. "No picturing me naked. Not even a little. To you I am forever clothed. Got it?" And with that she bolted out of his office and she was sure she could hear his laughter long after the door closed behind her.
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
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