Chapter 20
Ammi hugged Zoya as they said their goodbyes. She was genuinely going to miss Ammi a lot, she knew it. It was surprising how close she had become to someone whom she had just met two weeks ago. She was the closest thing to a mother she would ever have.
"Take care my beta." Dilshad said as Zoya sat in the car.
To her surprise Asad got in the car as well. She had not seen him all morning. When she came down to have her breakfast he had already left, not that she was looking for him, she assured herself. He walked into the house a couple of hours before they were about to leave for the airport and went directly into his room.
Now here he was going to the airport with them. She had not expected him to come. His presence was making her nervous and she was trying her best to keep herself calm. She just hoped he was not able to hear her heart beat loudly against her chest. She just wanted to get away from him as soon as possible.
To her horror when they were boarding the plane for Delhi, Asad followed suit. It then struck her that he was coming to Delhi with them. Her heart skipped a beat. Maybe he was telling her something but soon her hopes were crashed when he chose to sit next to Ayaan on the flight. She was sitting directly behind him and Ayaan. Humaira came and happily plopped herself next to Zoya .
When the flight took off, the noise of the engine encouraged her to ask Humaira about Asad. Humaira gaily informed her that he was going to Delhi for a meeting. Disappointed, Zoya looked out of the window as the clouds engulfed them.
As Ayaan hauled her luggage from the domestic terminal to the international one, Zoya could not help but look at the love struck looks exchanged between Ayaan and Humaira. She felt guilty at indulging in her own pain and completely ignoring her sister's new found happiness. She brushed her own uneasiness aside and took Humaira's hand in her own.
"I will miss you Humi." Zoya said more brightly then she intended
"Zoya, I will miss you too but we are coming to New York next week."
"Of course"
Much to Zoya's discomfort she realized that Asad was following them to the international terminal. She willed him to leave, she did not want to say goodbye to him.
Once she was checked in she headed towards the book shop. She was leafing through a book when she looked up and saw Asad standing inches away from her, his expression grim.
"I think we have to talk" he said
Zoya took in the scene around them. Anger bubbled inside her as she buried her face into the book and said almost carelessly "I don't think we have anything to say to each other"
Asad studied her intently and a few seconds later almost bit out his words "Of course, you don't."
It was several seconds before Zoya realized that the strangely flat words masked an anger far greater than any Asad had ever exhibited before and when she did, he had already turned on his heels and left.
She saw him talk to Ayaan and after a few minutes leave through the exit. He did not even glance back. She knew for sure she had lost him forever. This would probably be the last time she ever saw him but she had made the right decision. There was nothing to talk about. She had had a momentary lapse, thinking she had fallen in love. No such thing had happened to her. It was one of the holiday romances that her colleagues talked about which inevitably came to an end when the holiday did. She was not meant for happily ever after and neither was Asad. She could not wait to go home and start her life again without any complications.
As the plane left the ground and took off she could not help but look forward to going home.
000
I hope you like it. Sorry no PMs. Next chapter will be the last one...I think :)
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