Where art tho Mr Right (Asad)? LOOOL! Someone give the dude a MAP.
Asya/KaBhi OS: Designed by his love
The dynamics of an architecture firm harken back to the stone ages. Over her morning coffee, Zoya researched the employee section of the Khan Design's website. Out of the fifty-eight employees, there were fourteen females. Out of those fourteen females, eight were in the design department, three of them were in the accounting department, two were in reception and as you would have guessed it, one female architect. She was so sure the disparity in gender was not by design, but due to the fact that architecture doesn't excite most young girls. Even in Zoya's graduating class of seventy five, only fifteen were females. She had known all along that she was entering a world dominated by men. She has had an asshole professor question whether she would be able to delegate orders to general contractors or supervise rowdy construction workers. She walked out of the class tempted to flip him the bird but he received a slap on the face when she received the highest final grade in the class. A-hole.
Zoya distinctively smiled at the memory as she closed her laptop and exited the coffee shop to head for her interview at Khan Designs. She glanced at her phone having snapped a picture of her dress and sent it to her friend.
Zoya: Does this scream "sexy, confident worldly female architect?"
Freya: It screams "I could out design your flat ass any day. So give me this job with a signing bonus." Good luck babe.
Zoya: Thanks for the boost babe. But could do with another strong coffee instead with the sleep I've had.
Zoya stood in front of the Harling Bank Building, she had never actually ventured inside of it before but it was one of the tallest buildings in Boston and she had seen it a numerous times, from the outside of course. Its black metal with shiny black glass gave the building an industrial masculine feel. Even the heavy doors serve to intimidate guests as they entered the pristine lobby. Zoya took a deep breath to get her bearings; her outfit was wrinkle free and fit like a glove. Her portfolio was filled with extra copies of her resume and she had repeated answers to every possible question that could be asked.
Greatest weakness? My inability to settle for anything less than what I deserve. I'm stubborn and persistent.
Honest answer? My inability to overcome my schoolgirl crush on you and salivating when I come face to face with you.
She obviously was not going to be giving him the honest answer. She has come here for a reason and that is not to drool on some hot male architect. With her mind firm on what she was going to do, she headed for the lift when a businessman bumped into her. Zoya lost her balance and the folder went flying out of her hands.
"Watch it" He barked still on the phone and did not glance back at her. The old man walked out of the building, Zoya winced hitting her knee, the sound of her tights tearing was icing on the cake. She grounded her teeth together gathering the paperwork and jumping onto her feet. She hissed at the pain as her kneecaps had caught the brunt of the weight when she fell. She entered the lift, she looked down at her knees, she was bleeding. She slipped out of her heels and moved out of her tights. She dabbed it over the knees to clean the wound, she was running short on time. She didn't want to remove her tights as the dress looked too sexy without it but they would tear further the more she carried on walking. She threw it into her bag and fixed herself, inhaling and exhaling sharply. Asshole numero one.
The lifts opened and she exited holding her chin held high, a confident smile on her face. She stared at the placard for Khan Designs and headed straight for reception. She fanned her face with her portfolio realising her hair had come loose from her neat up do and she had absolutely no time to fix it.
"Asshole, smug no good asshole..." The receptionist muttered under her breath.
"Excuse me" Zoya spoke trying to get her attention, as quietly as she could. The woman looked up throwing a photo frame into the box with a heavy hand.
"I would love to help you out" She clipped out, "It's just that I am no longer employed by this company or by its prick boss." Zoya's mouth fell open while her brain tried to catch up with this woman. Another woman rushed out through the doors and headed for the receptionist having a meltdown.
"That's enough Joanna. Let me help" She tried to pry the stapler out of her hand.
"That is my stapler" Joanna snapped at her, the stapler clearly had KD on it. She grabbed hold of the box and stomped towards the other end of the room. The other woman turned towards Zoya with a smile no not everyone in this office is that crazy.
"Hello, I'm Vanessa, Asad's personal assistant. Interviews haven't started yet so you can take a seat with the other applicants and then we will begin shortly." She tried to salvage the situation but you could tell she was mentally cursing her job. Zoya found an empty seat near the door while the other applicants tried to size her up inconspicuously. There were two other girls that were giving her the death stare and Zoya wondered where the "go girl" mantra disappeared to. Zoya closed her eyes and pieced herself together; she grabbed tissue from the table and cleaned her knee. She combed through her hair with her fingers and sat straight in her seat. She got this shit.
It seemed like hours before her turn had come, she was the last one left for the interview. It made her wonder whether her name was even the list of interviewees today. Vanessa peered over at her.
"You're our last candidate Miss Farooqui." She spoke, Zoya got up and followed behind her but she swore she could hear violins playing in the background to dead man walking.
"Don't worry, Asad saves the best for last" Vanessa assured her holding the door open, here goes nothing. She inhaled a sharp breath and caught a glimpse of Asad sitting behind his large black desk with his phone tucked behind his ear and shoulder. He was furiously writing notes; his lips appeared to be in a small line.
"Wait here, he should be done soon" Vanessa whispered before she went back to her desk just a few feet away. Within minutes, she was busy on a call and she was left standing in front of his office awkwardly waiting for him to call her inside. She admired his traditional black suit, fitted across his shoulders and arms. He had paired it with a crisp white shirt and a sleek black tie. The soft light from the window hit his cheekbones, accentuating their sharp contours and putting special emphasis on his exquisitely defined jaw. He reached to rub his fingers along his chin and his eyes narrowed on the sheet of paper making Zoya wonder what he was studying. Unconsciously, she daringly took a step closer. Bad move Zoya.
He dropped the drafting pencil and after one excruciatingly long second, his eyes slid up to her. They were so sharp and light brown that they pinned her to her spot and she was caught in between fleeing for her life and taking another step inside. None of them moved.
"I will call you back Zane" He spoke into the phone with his deep authoritative tone, his gaze still on her. "I have one last interview." He dropped the phone and indicated for her to enter with a flick of his hand like she was an animal he was beckoning forward. She stared down at her feet.
"Take a seat Miss Farooqui." He sighed. "Do you always take this long to process instructions?" He asked annoyed. Her head shot up.
"Are you trying to intimidate me?" She narrowed her eyes at him. The left side of his lips hitched up defining a dimple.
"Perhaps, close the door behind you please." His dimple disappeared and replaced with a stern scowl. She closed the door and made her way towards the twin seats in front of Asad's desk. Zoya tried not to flinch under his scrutinizing eyes.
"Should I be concerned about your appearance" His eyes rested on her skinned knee and then back to her face. Zoya shook her head in a no. "Well let's cut to the chase then" He began, Zoya offered a timid nod. Where is the confidence at now girl? "I've had a look at your resume and I have seen your projects. You are a good designer much better than most of the people that have come to my office today" He tried not to let out a tired sigh but instantly became guarded again. She flicked her gaze to his face to see whether he was joking. "I don't feel like wasting my time with standard interview questions. The fact that I know you- You're fresh out of university and we have had good references from your tutors regarding your strengths and weaknesses." Zoya tried not to roll her eyes; he had a smug smile on his face as he leaned back in his chair.
"Out of all your studies, which building has stood out as your favourite? Don't limit yourself to Boston." Zoya was taken aback but she had this answer ready since she started her degree.
"The Eiffel tower" She said confidently.
"Really?" He arched his brow, his face almost mocking her. "Really Miss Farooqui? That answer is almost as trite as listing Picasso as your favourite artist." Zoya sat an inch higher in her seat and narrowed her eyes at him.
"Are you finished?" She almost scowled, he passed her a stern look, "Or did you want to hear my justification?" And then that bloody dimple appeared. He nodded for her to go ahead, genuinely seeming curious.
"During its construction, the Eiffel Tower was considered a colossal waste of money, resources and space. Most French creatives even protested the creation of the build. They saw it as a disgusting eyesore, metal waste..." He nodded, all too familiar with this story. "It was never intended to stay past 1889 Centennial celebrations. It was meant to be demolished straight after but when people had a chance to visit once complete, they were taken aback by its immense beauty. They knew M. Eiffel had created one of the world's greatest, the most phenomenal structures and today it's the world's most visited monument." She paused holding his eyes confidently, she smirked, "That isn't just a coincidence."
"Right..." His brows rose in interest.
"Back to your question. It's my favourite monument because it serves a reminder. A reminder that sometimes it's the architect's job to see things before others can envision. We are meant to be the visionaries for the communities around us." She did not dare remove her gaze away from his for two reasons, one because she knew her answer had him contemplating and two his gaze was too powerful to break.
"You're driven Miss Farooqui." He nodded. "The job is yours if you want it." Zoya blinked at him. That's it?
"You're hiring me?" She asked, dumbfounded.
"It would seem so."
"Right. Okay" She failed to form words, "I accept?" He nodded and stood up, clearly indicating that their 2 minute interview was over.
"You'll start in Joanna's position." Okay, hold on just a moment. What?
"Joanna's position?" She snapped contemplating whatever he just said. Joanna was a receptionist, that is not the job she wanted. She jumped to her feet to even the playing field. But the ass was taller than her despite being in heels.
"There's no better way to learn the company" He countered, "You'll get a feel for how we operate and how we treat our clients." He justified, there was something definitely amiss. She squared her shoulders for this silent battle and leaned forward over his desk so that he would hear loud and clear.
"I have a master's degree in architecture Mr Asad Ahmed Khan. Hire a monkey to answer your god damn phones." His brows arched at her outburst. He held her gaze for another minute before he held the buzzer for the intercom.
"Vanessa, hire a temp for Joanna's position." Asad spoke into the intercom. Zoya tried not to grin but she was damn proud of herself. "Go and find Janine in HR and she will give you your employee packet."
"Thank you Mr Khan." Zoya nodded composing herself and put her hand forward. He glanced at her hand before taking it and firmly shook it. Zoya tried to ignore the warm sensations spreading over her body. She searched his eyes, they were darkened with authority but there was another emotion lurking in the back. She shivered as he let go of her hand. Zoya turned around and headed for the doors.
"Miss Farooqui, that is the first and last time you speak to me like that." His calm voice warned.
"Start treating me like an equal and we won't have any problems" She answered over her shoulder not losing her sassiness. No one gets to look down on Zoya Farooqui not even her goddamn boss. She looked over her shoulder opening the door in front of her. "Have a good day." She shut the door tightly behind her. Asad stared at the door for a few moments, why on earth did he hire her? There were a countless reasons advising him against it but the fire within her demolished those reasons. And she was the only interviewee that had that potential to join the team. And she was sexy as heck. But he didn't consider that at all.
He closed his eyes- those green eyes, flushed cheeks, her messy hair flashed before him. He remembered details of her dress; it hugged her figure in the sexiest ways. He winced knowing every man she walks past today will get a view of her like that. He opened his eyes and shook off his attraction.
"She better be as good as she looks" Asad mumbled, knowing deep inside how wrong the words coming out of his mouth sounded. He knew she was good. She just had to show him she actually was.
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"Well you got the job, you go girl" Freya cheered jumping onto her bed. "Stop worrying now, I've got us covered this month" She wrapped her arms around Zoya and hugged her tightly.
"I am not worried, and I can cover this month's rent don't worry. You'll get my share. I am not doing that bad" Zoya laughed at her friend.
"Oh, then where the heck is my treat?" Freya raised her brow.
"Over there" Zoya pointed towards the empty bottles of wine.
"Ohhh" Freya placed her hand over her mouth.
"Ohh yes, you are drunk. Go to bed. Shooo, I have work tomorrow." Zoya pushed her off the bed, and Freya fell onto the floor with a loud thud.
"Ouchhh, you just got the job. How on earth do you start already?" Freya rubbed her bottom almost scowling at Zoya.
"I got the job on Thursday you turd. It's Sunday today, and Monday tomorrow. Which means you have work too. Now go to bed." She pointed towards the door.
"Chill out bossy boots. I'm going. Good luck, and refrain from eye-f**king your boss" She waved with her fingers and closed the door shut. Zoya threw her head back onto the pillow; she was excited for this job. She loved designing but she loved the labour too. She couldn't wait to get her hand stuck into the construction side too. If she ever gets the opportunity to do so. Capturing her bookcase in her eyes, she closed her eyes and allowed her dreams to take over.
The whole week dragged for Zoya, starting with her being sat in a conference room for three hours straight filling out all sorts of forms and listening to company policies. After her butt had a nap or two, Vanessa gave her a tour of the building. The next few days, Vanessa spent going through each department and explaining the work.
The accounting and engineering department was filled with usual boring suspects. The interior design department had left Zoya in a daze; the eight women that worked in that department were pretty and polished. The women raked over her outfit and mentally shredded it to pieces. One of the more polished woman stood up and scrutinised the three men next to her before landing on her.
"Ahh new batch of architects. My name is Sammie. I'll be your point person for most projects but you don't need to come to this department much. We work mainly with the senior associates. Will you be working with us, I wasn't aware we were getting a new interior designer" She pointed a look at Zoya. Vanessa shook her head.
"Zoya is the new associate designer in the architecture department." Vanessa clarified, Sammie's face dropped. And that was that. Vanessa ushered them out of the room. "They thought you were one of them" Vanessa spoke in a hushed tone nudging Zoya.
"I'd rather work under construction with 10 burly workers rather than those women in there. I would die from their scrutiny and the estragon levels." Zoya laughed. Vanessa chuckled along with her before showing the three men their work stations and introduced them to the team before pushing Zoya along. They walked past Asad's office, his door was left open. She couldn't help but sneak a peek inside the room. Her heart fluttered catching his back, staring out of the window while he spoke to someone on the phone. Just at that moment, he decided to turn around and caught her eyes. Zoya almost stumbled over in her heels and quickly glanced elsewhere pretending to check out the whole office.
"Miss Farooqui" He called holding the phone away from his ears, Zoya stilled in her spot and bumped into Vanessa who turned around hearing Asad. "Introduce her to the team and then send her over to my office" He instructed Vanessa who nodded before pulling her along. She was itching to turn back and look at him but she didn't dare. He wore a navy blue tailored suit and a red slim tie. That was all she needed to drool for the rest of the day. Vanessa led Zoya towards a clutter of rectangular desks. The corner desk was empty and waiting for her. She glanced back to realise her seat was facing Asad's office door. Great.
"This is your team Zoya." Vanessa introduced her to the three men, "Alan over other there will be supervising you. You report to him." Alan looked her up and down before returning back to his work. Zoya realised it was the same man she bumped into on her interview day. Shaf, one of the friendlier looking ones extended his hand.
"I'm Shaf as she said. I will be the person you will be staring at for foreseeable future" He joked. Zoya shook his hand before settling in her seat. Vanessa coughed, Zoya shot out of her seat.
"Asad wanted to see you." She reminded her. Zoya nodded following behind her towards his office. Vanessa sat at her desk and got busy. Zoya stood outside his office door before entering without knocking. She walked up towards the twin seats and sat down without waiting for his permission. Asad turned around a few minutes later and paused; he ended the call quickly before walking over towards her and leaning against his desk. Zoya gulped looking up at him towering over her. His eyes ran over her outfit before landing on her eyes.
"How are you Miss Farooqui?" He folded his arms, relaxing against the desk.
"I'm fine Mr Khan. You?" Zoya asked hesitantly.
"Good. So are you ready?" He raised his brow.
"For what exactly?"
"We have a busy few weeks ahead of us. I won't be attending this week's conference so I wanted to inform you that we are pairing some of the new starts with a senior team leader. They will get to shadow the leaders, follow them to job sites and learn how to run the business here at Khan Designs."
"Right..." So what?
"So, I have paired you with myself." He told her, Zoya squirmed in her seat.
"Ohhh" She trailed off.
"If you don't want to be paired with me just say so Miss Farooqui I can as"
"No" Zoya jumped up almost falling over him, his death grip on her arm steadied her. She looked up at his face, that smug smirk was annoying her. "I meant it is okay. I mean they were going to inform us at the conference then why..."
"Office attire won't do" He trailed his eyes down her body; she wore a green skirt with a white blouse tucked in. Her hair was in a messy bun at the back, some of the curls lay loose around her face. He coughed. "We're visiting a site around lunchtime Monday. You need to be prepared." He informed her.
"Sure Mr Khan" Zoya nodded, moving out of his hold but the instant she moved, she missed his touch. Her heart was beating erratically; she looked down at the floor.
"Miss Farooqui. I think you can call me Asad." Her gaze shot back up to his face.
"Zoya." She whispered. He nodded in acknowledgement.
"Zoya" He tested her name on his lips, Zoya tried not to react to the way it sounded, the familiarity of it on his lips warmed her. "Don't get so defensive. It has nothing to do with you being a female architect, rather just being an architect."
"I guess it's become an instinctual thing, too many people disapprove of female architects." She answered softly.
"They don't disapprove Zoya. They are just not used to it." Asad tone was comforting. Zoya laughed.
"Trust me when I say Mr K- Asad, the need to get them used to it is quite high" Asad smiled.
"Happy to hear." He nodded at her before staring at her silently for a few moments. "Have a good day."
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"I didn't explain the rules Zoha"
"It's Zoya." She cut him off.
"Zoha, when you get up to make yourself coffee, you bring me back a cup as well" Alan told her. Zoya gripped the cup tightly wanting to pour it over his head. She missed her lunch; he had been making her work her ass off the whole day. One cup of coffee and the asshole numero uno wanted to take that away from her too. She placed the coffee on the table and smiled at him. The fakest smile she had ever given anyone. She hated sucking up to people like that but if she insulted him, he would not include her in the projects and she was itching to get involved with all the big projects.
"No I don't want your coffee, I want a new one" He demanded.
"Of course" Zoya spoke through her teeth and walked towards the canteen. She pressed her temples, she was exhausted. She didn't realize when she bumped into someone and almost fell back. She held her hand out to stop whoever it was from holding her. "Sorry, sorry." She chanted trying to walk around them not having the strength to make eye contact and have a conversation. She stilled feeling someone's firm grip on her arm stopping her from moving forward. She turned around to verbally abuse whoever it was but couldn't. Her parched lips parted but no words came out.
"Are you okay?" Asad asked her concerned. Zoya stared at his perfect face unable to form words to answer his question.
"Great." She replied softly. He didn't seem convinced. "Let go of my hand Asad. Just because we're on first name basis doesn't mean you can pretend you really know me." Asad loosened his grip on her arm.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He hissed looking around himself.
"You don't have to care about me. I didn't exist for you for all these years and then you offer me an interview at your company. You've given me the job. Great. I'll manage. Thanks." She didn't know what she was saying, she wriggled out of his hold and stormed towards the canteen yanking it open and then closing it shut. She took a deep breath, what on earth did she just do? Hearing the door open, she scurried to make another cup of coffee for Alan. In the next moment, she was dragged into the closet room by strong arms and thrown against the wall. She couldn't focus for a second, she definitely needed food. Asad's face became clear slowly. He leaned his hand over her shoulder against the wall.
"What on earth was that Zoya?" He breathed harshly.
"What?!" She barked at him, feigning ignorance.
"Are you okay?" He asked her again.
"No I'm just tired. Sorry for whatever that was outside." She mumbled.
"I do care about you Zoya. I always have." He told her. "It's been 5 years." He sighed.
"Did I ever tell you that you were the reason I studied architecture?" She folded her arms, Asad leaned his body back a bit without removing his hand off the wall. "You're a great inspiration Mr Asad Ahmed Khan. Too bad you never stayed behind for me to ever thank you for guiding me. Thank you." She smiled sarcastically.
"Haroon's death was too hard for me to cope with. I really am sorry Zoya. I'm sorry I couldn't look after you." His voice was filled with pain.
"You have nothing to be sorry about. You didn't have to look out for your best friend's baby sister Asad. I did fine. I'm good. Just a little surprised that you turned up at my graduation to offer me an interview. Sorry for being judgy. 5 years is a lot of time. I don't like people sympathising with me."
"Haroon brought you up to be independent. He raised a fighter." He spoke proudly. "You've grown up." He looked her up and down.
"Yeah. I had to." She pushed him back.
"Don't think I have given you this job because I am sympathising with you or want to help you. You were the most deserving. You're going to make an amazing architect." He spoke truthfully. Zoya scoffed.
"Geez, thanks."
"What has gotten into you Zoya? I saw fire in your eyes the day I interviewed you. When I saw you on your graduation day, I saw determination. I don't understand what I am seeing in your eyes right now. Please tell me what's wrong?" He almost pleaded.
"This is hurt you see in my eyes. You hurt me. Please let me remain Haroon's little sister who you have ignored all your life and stop looking at me differently. I want you to continue to ignore my existence. Okay, you got that?" She moved towards the door. He held her back.
"I never ignored your existence. You were always there for me Zoya. I wish you knew that." He told her.
"Good" She rolled her eyes. He stiffened.
"What do you want from me Zoya?" He asked her.
"Nothing." She looked him in the eye and answered.
"You were too young for me you know that?" Zoya stopped struggling with his grip. "You were sixteen." He closed his eyes inching forward resting his forehead against hers, Zoya was pushed back against the wall. He remained there for a few minutes, inhaling her scent and feeling her warm breath over his face.
"You didn't come back" She whispered, "Even after his death. You were the only family I had left." He slowly opened his eyes and met her teary ones.
"I wanted to be there for you. I wanted to show you everything I have worked for. I wanted you to be the first to see the layout for that dream house Haroon and I talked about. But, I..." And that was all it took for her to snap out of whatever trance he had her in. No, she wasn't yearning for him. She didn't need him and neither did she want to be involved in whatever life he had set up for himself. Favour or not, she was going to prove to everyone that she was the most deserving to get this job. She was going to work for it like she had been all her life. She pushed him, but he didn't move an inch. Both of his hands gripped her arms and pulled her towards him, she grunted not being able withstand the intensity of his touch. She should be pissed but she was melting into him.
"I'm your employee Asad. Start treating me like one." She bit out. He groaned at her stubbornness, not understanding what she wanted from him or what he wanted her to feel for him. Before he could let her go, his mouth crashed against hers violently. It was an assault, it was him taking and Zoya submitting to whatever it was she felt for him for years. It was pain and need mixed together. It was how she wanted this kiss to be. Her thirst for him was so strong after starving for him for years and it couldn't be quenched. She felt her tears streaming down from her eyes as he continued to kiss her, tongue driving into her mouth. Nothing prepared her for the kiss as he made her his, taking every ounce of her and giving it to him. She sagged into him, her mouth sore and painful at his aggression. It was what she wanted. She wanted this to be passionate and painful. She deserved it to be painful so that it would make it real. He was there. He was finally there. He abruptly broke away, but his chest remained against hers as they both breathed hard. Her vision blurred from the tears in her eyes.
"You'll always be more for me my dear Architect. So much more and you will always be there for me. You always have been." He kissed her forehead before walking out of the room leaving her to piece together whatever just happened. Her quivering fingers went over her swollen lips; just moments ago they were dry as Sahara desert crying for a drop of water. She fell back against the wall whimpering. She was holding it together; she knew coming face to face with him after all these years wouldn't be easy. But she did know that her desire for him would grow beyond anything being in his proximity. Why did she agree to interview for a job here? Why could she say no to him when he turned up at her graduation? How did he even know where she was or when she was graduating? She wiped her tears away and walked out of the closet to make Alan's coffee, making sure to dump it in the bin, spit at it and then mix it properly. She wasn't going to allow Alan to treat her like shit.
She walked out of the canteen and paused coming in front of Asad's open door, as if feeling her eyes on him; he looked up from his desk. He leaned back against the chair, a smug smirk on his lips, he held the phone close to his ears, his eyes still on her. He brushed his thumb over his lips; Zoya's hand instantly flew over hers. Her eyes moved away and she ran towards her team before slamming the cup of coffee on Alan's desk. He glared at her but she ignored him and sat in her seat. She looked up to find Asad still staring at her through the open door. Her fingers went up to her temples to stop her headache; he moved his eyes towards his desk before bringing it back to her. She looked down at her desk to find something wrapped in foil. She opened it to reveal a warm toasted, chicken sandwich. She lifted her eyes back to him; he had a soft smile on his face. She lifted the sandwich and took a bite out of it before sighing. God, she was so still in love with him. She fell in love with him the day he built her the Eiffel tower book case when she was sixteen. He was twenty one and fresh out of university hoping to make it big as an architect. Five years later, he owns Khan Designs and is one of the most successful architects in Boston. So much for everything remaining professional. At least it lasted a week. She looked down at her phone.
Unknown Number: Next time he doesn't let you eat, I'm kicking his ass out.
She looked up at him. He seemed to be engrossed on his phone.
Zoya: Do I even want to know how you got my number?
She waited for a reply but didn't get one. It was an obvious answer hence he didn't reply. Smartass.
Zoya: I think you should do character checks before you employ anyone. I'd be lucky to last one more day with him.
Asad: That's it. He is going.
Zoya: As if I'd let you do that. I want you to watch him torture me.
Asad: I didn't realise you were that pissed at me.
Zoya: I am not pissed at you.
She looked up at him, he raised his brow. She typed out her message before throwing her phone into the drawer and getting on with her work. Asad stared at her before looking at his beeping phone.
Zoya: I want to throw you off the Eiffel tower.
Asad chuckled at her message. He missed her so damn much. He didn't want to stay away anymore. He wanted to hold her close. He has had enough of taking care of her from far away; he wanted her to be within his arm's reach, preferably in his arms. His little fiery architect. She's going to help him build their future. A future he has only dreamt of but now that she is back in his life, he is going to make it a reality.
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"I am going to murder Alan" Zoya ranted into her phone tucking her v neck tee into her sweatpants. "Freya, I have only been in the office for like 2 hours and he has made me sweat like a pig. He thinks I'm his personal maid or some shit. He told me to shut up and only listen in, apparently my ideas are useless. Unless they are in the kitchen. I am going to poison the little b" Zoya froze coming outside the bathroom to find Vanessa walking past. She shot her a smile before rushing towards the lifts. "Guess what though" Zoya whispered, "I drew up my own designs anyway and sent it to Asad. The guy can go suck on som- I think I'm losing it!" Zoya leaned against the elevator wall. "I just... what is wrong with me Freya?"
"You're a woman with power." Freya's motivational voice made her smile. "No one messes with Zoya Farooqui and tells her that she belongs in the kitchen. You did a good thing, keep fighting babygirl. You've worked damn hard and it is going to pay off. Ignore him and go makeout with your boss."
"Eurgh, I don't know why I tell you anything. I'm joining him at the construction site. He sent a frickin' car." Zoya puffed, Freya made a noise clearly not understanding what is wrong with that. "And I am still in love with him; I never fell out of love with him." She closed her eyes, "I tried to hate him for not trying to come back, for not coming back to see whether I was doing okay. And now this." She sighed. "I gotta jet" She ended the call. She walked out of the lift and headed for the car.
Zoya threw on her old work boots and stepped out of the car looking at the construction site. There was nothing more than concrete foundation and the rough exoskeleton of a future home. She glanced around the site before her eyes landed on Asad in dark jeans, and work boots leaning against his car talking to a few bulky workers. He shielded his eyes and looked up at the house for a moment just to admire it. The butterflies in her stomach stampeded like elephants. She took a deep breath and tied her hair up into a pony tail revealing her bare neck. She fanned herself. Asad caught her figure staring up at construction site, and instantly he wanted to know what she thought of the location. He strolled towards her, slow and steady, running his eyes down her bare neck before lingering on her chest that was revealing a bit too much with the V neck tee she wore, it was loose and outlined her bra. He smiled seeing her in sweat pants and work boots, gosh; he had never seen a woman look that hot. She totally rocked the work gear. She was made for this job.
"Heyy" He greeted her with his soft, husky voice. Zoya faced him and was almost thrown upside down inhaling his strong scent while he bent down and kissed her forehead. She steadied herself and blinked at him. How cute.
"Hello there professor. What's included in this lesson today?" She couldn't help but smile. He shook his head with a chuckle.
"Can you drop the idea of you wanting to throw me off the Eiffel tower for today? This one... well this visit here is a bit personal" He explained hesitantly. Zoya raised her brow expectantly. He went silent for a moment, struggling to find the right words to explain what he meant. He took her hand and laced it with his before bringing her hand to his lips.
"During office hours?" Was all she managed to choke out.
"I have a really special project for you Zoya. This has been waiting for you for a long time." He led her towards the house and stopped in front of the entrance. "This is the first time you have come here... I uh"
"Asad Ahmed Khan lost for words. Wow. I want to know what is special about this project that you are hesitating to speak. This is not you. I have seen and heard the way you speak about your job. Your passion for your buildings is something else. So what is it?" She stood beside him and looked up at him.
"This building... this home... I" Asad bit his tongue; he held her face in his hands. "This is Haroon's dream... of a home for you." He said softly, Zoya gasped. It was quiet but he nodded at her. "He mentioned it to me once, on your sixteenth birthday. He wanted me to design it but he never got the chance to see me draw up the actual design." He sighed. "But, I did it and I worked on it for the past 5 years trying to perfect it. But the inside, the heart of the home. I want you to design. I wanted you to design "our" home."
"Our home?" Zoya's breath hitched, she stared into his deep eyes. She felt something over her cheek, he brushed the lone tear away.
"Well it's your home. But I am going to spend however long it takes for you to make it our home." He laughed. She ignored his proposal and turned towards her home.
"You designed my brother's dream" She whispered, more to herself than him.
"For you." He answered. "Only for you." His hand rested on the small of her back before he pushed her forward gently and she allowed him to guide her inside the house. Zoya looked around her with awe and her newfound dream given to her by the man she considered family, the only family she had left in the world, he was her home. She could already picture how this was going to look without seeing his design. This was her home. Since Haroon died, she never thought she would ever be able to dream of a home.
"Hey Jim, meet Zoya. An associate architect at my firm. And the girl who's home you're currently constructing." Asad introduced told the men sitting on boxes enjoying their lunch.
"Hey Zoya, nice to meet you darlin'"Jim stepped forward and shook her hand. "It feels good to see a woman on site, even though it is your home. How did you get roped into architecture? It's not very glamorous work." Asad wandered towards the supposed kitchen smiling leaving her to answer his questions.
"Eyes up here love" Zoya snapped at one of the guys staring at her chest. Asad turned around instantly and glared at the men, his low growl rattled them. Having been told off, the guy quietly looked down and ate his lunch. Jim chuckled. "It's a very interesting story Jim, I was sixteen then. There was a guy, twenty two, fresh out of university with determination in his eyes to make his dreams a reality. My brother's friend, he inspired me. He built me an Eiffel tower bookcase and told me to dream big when I was crying having failed a test in my final year. He told me to fill it with the books I love; instead I filled it with the things that reminded me of him. Because he was the only book I loved." She met his eyes from across the room. "And every time I looked at the bookcase, I didn't see the Eiffel tower, I saw HIS design. It wasn't the Eiffel tower; it was a bookcase of him telling me that..." She trailed off.
"That every love story she filled the shelves with, it was his love for her that will remain carved deep within her home, in her heart." He completed.
"Wow, I might even cry. Deep stuff!" Jim joked, Zoya nodded with teary eyes before laughing with him. He waved her off, Zoya slowly walked towards him in the kitchen. She stood metres away from him; they both stared at one another in pure silence, absorbing each other's warmth. He tore his gaze away and led her towards the bedrooms. Zoya took a deep breath not being able to contain all the emotions building up inside her.
"I want you to be the head of this special build Zoya. It isn't a project, it is a dream built brick by brick and I want you to add your touch to it. It was designed with you in mind, every corner of this home will have your essence over it." He turned around to face her. Zoya pressed her tears away before leaping forward into him. Asad caught her petite frame with his muscular arms before wrapping them tightly around her, her legs wound around his waist. She rested her head on his shoulder.
"Thank you for designing this. I want you to complete our home with me Asad." She tilted her head back; Asad kissed her nose before placing his forehead against hers.
"Welcome home." He kissed her lips softly. "Thanks for making me sound like a paedophile out there." Zoya giggled.
"I was sixteen Asad so you sorta were."
"If Haroon ever found out about my feelings for you, he would have killed me." Asad laughed walking off towards the next part of the house, Zoya still wrapped around him.
"I think he knew Asad, that is why he told you about my dream home. He knew you would be only person to make it a reality. He knew you were my home." She placed her palm over his cheek and brushed the side of his lips with her thumb.
"And you mine." He placed a kiss on her neck before trailing them over her chest, jawline, her cheeks, nose and then lingered his lips on his forehead. He hovered his lips over hers, touching them lightly. "I love you." He kissed her sweetly and gently, making silent promises to her. She sighed into his mouth, feeling content after five long years. She was finally home, designed by his love.
XOXO
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