Sorry I took so long this time...I apologize. What can I say life happened!!
Chapter 5"Yes, Mr. Khan?" said Zoya
"So you are leaving Miss Farooqui and you didn't think you should ask me or at least consult me?" said Asad more sharply than he had intended. He was irritated thinking that she would think it was Zuhair who had come into her room."Mr Khan, since the first day I have been here you have been telling me to leave, now what is your problem? I thought you would be happy." Zoya said with defiance.
"Yes I have been telling you to leave but you decide to leave only when your boyfriend comes into the picture, right?" Asad snarled in anger, standing close to her. He was ignoring the little voice in his head telling him that he was doing it all wrong, he had come to apologize and ask her not to leave.
Zoya looked at him, her eyes wide; he could see the hurt in them and ignore that too. She finally said "Yes, Mr. Khan I was waiting for my boyfriend to come and rescue me from here. Are you happy now?"
Asad was furious; he couldn't believe she had just confessed that she loved that idiot. He stepped closer to her and grabbed her by her arms.
She struggled to free herself. "You are hurting me" she whispered. He looked at her for a long time and finally let go of her and stormed out of her room.
It was only after he left did she let her tears fall. She had not meant to lie to him about Zuhair being her boyfriend but she could not believe he had actually thought that. She was hoping that once she announced that she was leaving he would try to stop her but she had been foolish to think that he would. She would cherish all the moments they had spent together, she had thought it meant something to him too. Now memories were all she would have to take with her when she left for New York.
She rubbed her arms, they will bruise soon, she thought.
000
For the next few days Zoya avoided Asad as much as she could. Najma always accompanied her and Zuhair around town and Zoya loved to see a friendship developing between the two. The whole day they would devote their time to sightseeing. Najma would tell them in detail the history of all the places they visited, be it the Taj-ul-Masjid or the Shaukat Mahal or the Gufa Mandir. Days were filled with Zuhair entertaining them with his antics. They always came back home late at night. Zoya would say her goodbyes to Zuhair and immediately disappear into her room. She did not want to encounter Asad. If he had any objections to Najma and her coming home well past their curfew time she did not hear about it.
000
After their argument Asad wanted to apologize to Zoya but she was avoiding him like the plague. He waited for her every morning at the breakfast table but she never turned up. He asked Najma a couple of times about Zoya but was always informed that she was tired and sleeping in late. He waited up for them to return home every night but by the time he could go and talk to her she would retire for the night. He did not want to go to her room lest she get angrier with him after the last incident. He was still finding it difficult to accept that she liked Zuhair and not him.
000
"So, Zee all packed up?" asked Zuhair
It was early morning and Zuhair had just come from his hotel. He had seen her sitting on the bench in the backyard lost in thought and had come to cheer her up. They were leaving the next day. Their flight to Delhi was in the morning. They had decided to take it easy today and do some last minute shopping.
"Yes, almost." Zoya replied without looking at him.
"Zoya, are you okay?" Zuahir asked concerned. He went and stood in front of her. She had been crying, he could tell.
"Zee" he said softly "I know you are going to miss him, why don't you tell him you are in love with him. If you don't I will."
"No! Zuhair, if you do that I will never talk to you ever!" Zoya said jumping up from the bench, horrified that Zuhair would betray her trust. She had told him about Asad much before he had come to India.
Zuhair took her hands in his and took her in his arms and hugged her.
"I hate to see you like this Zee, you are my sunshine, I don't want any dark clouds near you" Zuhair whispered in her hair.
Asad was standing near his bedroom window. He had seen Zoya sitting on the bench and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to finally talk to her. She was leaving tomorrow Ammi had told him. He jumped out of his window not bothering to use the door but saw Zuhair approach Zoya and after a few minutes take her in his arms. The tender look Zuhair was giving her stabbed at his heart and made him stop in his tracks.
At that moment Asad knew he had lost her forever.
000
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