Yo! Here's another chapter! It's a bit short but has some revelations. Sorry, but the chapters' lengths might vary according to how much time I have hah. Hope you like it.
Lost Without You
Chapter 9: Can Anybody Find Me, Somebody To Love?
Dilshad Constructions had never been busier. The graphic designs made by Zoya's team were precise and impeccable, causing a lot more successful projects to form. Asad had to sign deals, forms, write analogs of the buildings, and most of all, monitor the graphic designing team. He loved watching Zoya work in her favorite field. She had this unique glow about her when she was leading the team. There was no doubt that she was doing an excellent job! All her designs had a distinctly artistic touch to them that caused the business to burgeon.
Eight weeks had whooshed past, and the stubborn pair had barely talked about what had transpired at the party! Asad would try and explain, while Zoya would ignore him and flit away. It was one such day like this in the office. Asad had called Zoya to his cabin to show him a final design, and Zoya had obliged. So here they were, talking busily about blueprints and constructions.
"So, Mr. Khan, I hope the project is up to your standards," Zoya said while turning off the projector with butterflies dancing in her stomach.
Argh! Why do I feel so jittery? It's not like I'm presenting to him for the first time. He just called me to his office, alone, and asked me to sho-
Oh. OH. Now I know what's going on here.
"Yes, Miss Farooqui. It certainly does. I daresay it goes even...higher." Zoya didn't miss the baritone husk in his voice as she sensed him take a step towards her turned back. Heartbeats resonated within her chest. She kept facing the white screen in the dark cabin. Several weeks had gone by, and she still couldn't get the damned kiss out of her mind! It had been so intense, so soft yet so passionate. She could feel his cold, ruthless casanova persona sear through his lips, yet she felt like there was a fire coursing through the touching of their lips.
Well, aren't I one confused idiot?
"Mr. Khan!" Came a horribly drawling voice from the cabin door that Zoya instantly recognized as Tanveerâs. "Mr. Qureshi's looking for you. He says he needs to talk to you about the latest New Jersey project, something about the Houstons wanting to invest in it."
"Something? Didn't he tell you what?" Asad asked irritably. After all these weeks of ignoring Zoya, he had finally gotten the courage to try again but WELL.
"He did, but I forgot," Tanveer said, blinking stupidly. Zoya stifled a giggle, looking at the irritation on Asad's face.
He looks so cute when heâs irritated!
Zoya realized her thoughts and gasped, ever so softly.
Zoya Farooqui, you need to sort your messed up self out.
***
âYo! Zoe!â Mitch yelled as he saw Zoya munching away on a scrumptious pizza. âWhatâre you doing here?â
âTrying to get my confused self sorted.â Zoya said nonchalantly and took a huge bite. âItâs worse than Sherlock and Moriarty.â
âOh I see. Itâs about Mr. Asshole isnât it?â Mitch said and folded his arms across his chest, exactly mimicking Asad.
âYes, but no.â
âHuh?â Mitch questioned and sat down on a chair beside her.
âWell, itâs more aboutâŚabout Abbu and, his f-family.â Zoya managed and stuffed the remaining crust into her mouth. Mitch stared at her with wide eyes.
âWow, Mr. Khan will be impressed.â He said naughtily. Zoya furrowed her brows at him for a second. Then realized what he meant and whacked him on his arm.
âGanda kaheenka.â She muttered and started on the last slice of her second pizza. âCanât you think about ANYTHING else?â
âDarling when a man is literally sex on legs-â
âYeah yeah okay. Fine. I donât need more details about the jerk.â Zoya cut him off. Although she did agree about the âsex on legsâ part.
âAnyways, whatâs bothering you so much Zoe? Iâve been noticing you from a few weeks. You always seem kind of on edge.â Mitch asked worriedly and placed a hand on her shoulder.
âI- uhâŚâ Zoya hesitated. She hadnât told anyone about âThe Kissâ. She was sure Mitch would freak if he found out, that too when she hadnât told him a thing for eight weeks!
Well shit.
âYou can trust me.â Mitch said comfortingly and gave her shoulder a warm squeeze, she beamed at him.
âI- well actually heâŚyou remember the party I had to go to? â
âThat b***hâs birthday party? Yeah, of course I do! I picked the dress, remember?â
âYeah soâŚduring that party Mr. Khan heâŚhe gisedmee.â Zoya mumbled the last two words hurriedly.
âHe what?â Mitch asked, clearly not understanding what she said.
âHegisedmee.â She mumbled again. Looking down to her feet.
âHUH?â
âHe kissed me!â Zoya said, loud and clear. Mitchâs jaw dropped to the floor.
âOh. My. God.â
âYeah, but I told him off. I-Iâm sure heâs only doing this to get me into bed. After all, heâs famous for being a player isnât he?â
âYouâve got a point there. But holy mackerel! Asad Ahmed Khan KISSED you!!â He said in shock.
âYeah but, I wasnât just kissing. It wasâŚmuch more than that. We made out.â Zoya said and a blush crept up her cheeks. âBut the problem isâŚI liked it.â
âHow is that a problem dumbass?!â Mitch said angrily.
âBecause heâs an asshole! Heâs kissed like, a hundred women! I was just one of them.â Zoya said, defeated. Sheâd felt this way so many times. The need to make herself noticed, to be seen, heard, loved. The one thing she ever wanted was for someone to love her, truly and never leave her side or break her trust. Alas, everyone she loved did the same.
âZoya, please listen to me.â
âNo!â she turned and faced away from him, her body quaking with sobs.
âZoya sweetheart-â
âDonât call me that. I canât believe you would do this!â She said, turning back around to face him. It was time she did.
âCan you stop whining and listen to me?!â He shouted back at her. Zoyaâs eyes grew wide and she gasped at his audacity, she took a step back.
âWhining? You jerk! You think Iâm WHINING after seeing all that bullshit in your room?!â
âZoya please try to understand,â
âThere is NOTHING to understand here! Everything was just a joke to you wasnât it? All the time I trusted you, l-loved you-â
âLoved? You donât love me now?â Farhan spat at her.
âIâll be lying if I say I do!â Zoya scoffed. âLying. Itâs what youâve been doing all this time right? Last nightâŚI believed thatâŚyou loved me. Truly, like no one had ever done. Whoever did, I had lost them the day before. You knew that, Farhan. You KNEW, that I was vulnerable and guess what? You did the exact same thing I never thought you could do. You used me!â She yelled at him.
âBECAUSE WHAT ELSE COULD I DO?â He roared. âYou were drunk! You came to my house and threw yourself into my arms! And I thought, well, why not make the best out of it-â He was cut off by a strong blow on his left cheek. The sound echoed around the empty drawing room.
âYou disgust me.â Zoya said through gritted teeth, turned to the door and walked out of his house. She removed the hoodie that she was wearing and threw on the ground, trampling over it deliberately. Just as she was about to reach the small gate at the corner of the fence, she heard her fatherâs voice from the kitchen. Her blood froze.
âGood job Farhan, youâll get your share of the property. And tell your father that our plan has succeeded and he can give me my money.â
âMoney? For what?â Farhan asked.
âFor the crack shipping. Now all we need is to get the remaining properties from Zoyaâs hands, for that we need to break her. Completely, you know what I mean?â Her fatherâs terrifying voice made her heart clench in fear.
âUm, Iâm afraid not.â
âHarass herâŚin the way no woman wants to be harassed.â
âGladly.â Farhan said and laughed mirthlessly.
And Zoya knew she had to run. Far away.
âHey!â Mitchâs voice broke her out of her trance. âHaving a flashback again?â To his surprise she nodded and burst into tears. Zoya placed her head on Mitchâs shoulder and sobbed silently, Mitch couldnât help the tears forming in his eyes too. Only he knew how much this amazing girl had been through, and how she had fought through it.
âWhy does every guy I like have to be an asshole?â She said between the sobs and Mitch chuckled lightly at her statement.
So, she likes him! FINALLY SHE ADMITS!
He smiled and kept stroking Zoyaâs back comfortingly.
Little did they know that there was another pair of eyes that had tears forming in them as they watched.
***
The afternoon blazed under the New York sun. It was a Sunday, but a very black one for two hearts in the city. They pined for the ones they had lost, grieving to feel their essence again.
âBhaijaan? Wake up, itâs time for breakfast. I know youâre feeling terrible today, so am I. But you canât just cut yourself off. Please Bhai.â Ayaan tugged at Asadâs arm to wake him up.
âAyaan Iâm not hungry, and Iâm not in the state to deal with anyoneâs shit right now. Please leave me alone.â Asad suddenly sprang up from his bed and ranted out on Ayaan. He looked staggered and took a step back. âIâm going out.â Asad mumbled to Ayaan and strode out of his bedroom. Ayaan stood in Asadâs room, dejected. Rashid walked into the room and placed a weak hand on Ayaan's shoulder, shaking it a bit saying that it was okay. Every year, on the 13th of November, Asad would shut himself off from everyone. Only Ayaan and Rashid knew why.
"AMMIIIIIII!!!" Asad screamed out of pure fear and shock.
There was his Ammi, lifeless, cold, dangling limply from the fan. Asad lost his footing and collapsed against the door frame.
"Ammi! Ammi nahi! ABBU!! Ammi, she's- she's....ABBUUUU!" He called out for his father desperately. A fourteen year old Asad had just lost his life.
Zoya sat on a chair in the balcony, sipping from her cup of creamy coffee and staring into the peaceful afternoon city. Last nights nightmare kept flashing through her mind. It had been exactly five years since she had lost everything, and everyone that mattered. Five years since her life had changed completely and had become from bad to worse.
Zoya almost ran after paying the taxi driver to the door of her house. After one year of learning design in her dream college in New York, she was finally back home! Her happiness couldn't be contained in the sky!
"Humi! Ammi! Where are you guys?!" She yelled from the lawn into the mansion. But frowned when she got no answer. She continued her path into the house when she saw a few sullen-looking people walking out of the main door. Zoya furrowed her brows and being the eternal helper she was, decided to ask them what was wrong. She walked towards the group and realised it was actually a family. She tapped on the man's shoulder.
"Yes?" He turned and asked.
"Why do you seem so-"
"Wait, you're Zoya right? Zoya Siddique?" He asked, seeming to recognise her.
"Farooqui, actually, what's wrong?"
"I'm so sorry Miss Farooqui. You must be having such a hard time." The man said looking down sadly, causing Zoya to look at him weirdly for his strange behavior.
"What? What's going on?" She asked him.
"What do you mean what's going on? How are you going to handle your step-sister without them?" He said, Zoya was convinced something was terribly wrong.
"Without whom?!" She asked panicking and without waiting for the man to answer she sprinted into the house, forgetting her bags on the lawn.
She burst open through the doors and saw a sight that made her fall to her knees. It couldn't be. One year, one year she left them and now...
Zeenat and Humeira Farooqui were lying lifeless on a plank, covered with a white cloth.
Zoya shut her eyes tight and shook her head. She decided she needed some air and quickly slipped into her shoes. Turning off the lights and locking the door, she climbed down the staircase of the building wearing a loose hoodie and jeggings, paired with simple flip-flops. She walked past the building where Rashid lived, not noticing Asad walking out of it as well and continued on her path to Central Park.
Asad had half a mind to drink down a bottle of whiskey, but thought better of it and continued his way to Central Park. He made a mental note to find a woman to have-
"Yeah, just like you 'wanted' every woman you f**ked,"
Zoya's words rang through his ears the moment he thought of it. He didn't know why, but her words mattered a hell lot more to him than he knew. Her words made his heart constrict with guilt. He cared what she thought of him, and what she thought of him was pretty clear.
"Why does every guy I like have to be an asshole?"
The faintest of smiles tugged at his lips. The simplicity and truth in her sentence made him smile.
She liked him. SHE LIKED HIM!!!
He was only getting some coffee when he saw Zoya stuffing her face with pizza. He'd never seen a girl eat so voraciously! He'd taken a step towards her but paused when he saw another man come and stand next to her, while she was busy stuffing the crust of the pizza into her mouth. The guy might've said something naughty because her eyes had widened comically and she whacked him on his arm. Asad had bit in a chuckle. There was a bit of conversation between them, which seemed pretty serious because Zoya had burst into tears right after! He'd heard the 'asshole' sentence when he passed by their table after not being able to see her cry.
He'd had the unknown urge to hold her in his arms, just hold, and tell her that he was there. That he would be there for her, forever. Her tears had made his heart ache for her, and he hadn't thought it would!
Asad was still in his thoughts when he felt a soft body bump into his chest, his arms instinctively wrapped around the person and he pulled them towards himself. His breath hitched as he looked at her, there were tear streaks marking her face. She'd been crying again? Her hair had strewn itself across her face and her eyes were closed tightly, anticipating the fall. Asad slowly lifted his free hand and tucked her hair behind her ear. His eyes met her honey-brown ones as she opened them slowly.
"Zoya..."
SOOO! Another chappy for you guys! I won't write a long note for this one since I have to goooo.
Love you guys and hope you liked the chapter!
P.S: Sorry, wasn't able to send PMs since my internet SUCKS.
Edited by Captain_Crash - 2 years ago
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