My first attempt at a short story! Yes I plan to keep it short, under 10 parts hopefully haha. Based on the time Zoya was going to leave for New York the first time (:
Index:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Something Anything: Part 1
Zoya blinked at the laptop screen repeatedly, her mouth hanging open in a gape. Did he really just say that? So did that mean he didn't actually want her to go? Zoya snapped the laptop screen shut, a small smile forming on her face. Well, this would work splendidly! She slung her backpack over her shoulder and tapped her own cheek lightly, forcing herself to wipe the smile off her face, as she walked out of room in what she hoped seemed like a reluctant and dejected way.
Asad watched stonily as Zoya dragged her feet out of her room, her silky locks falling on her face as she fixed her sight on the ground. He bit the very corner of his lip and crossed his arms as his mother and sister took Zoya into bear hugs, making last minute pleas, asking her to stay. He heard Tanveer wish Zoya a pleasant trip politely and he finally looked away, staring into space.
"Your cab is waiting for you," Asad announced curtly, cutting through the sniffles that echoed in the room. Yes, that stupid cab that she called for herself because she didn't find it of any importance to allow him to at least drive her to the airport. He sensed Zoya walking up to him slowly, before resting her palm on his upper arm gently; making his muscles tense up under her unexpected touch.
"Do you want to say anything before I leave Mr Khan?" Zoya asked directly, making his arms drop in shock as she quickly moved her hand away. He turned to her and found her staring at him earnestly, making his chest feel constricted all of a sudden. He shook his head sharply and looked away again, as he reached for Zoya's luggage.
"Wait Mr Khan, mujhe... um, mujhe nahi jaana," Zoya declared, earning squeals of glee from Dilshaad and Najma. She didn't catch the sight of Tanveer rolling her eyes behind them, since she was took busy taking in Asad's reaction. She watched his face relax in pure relief for a split second, before it hardened up again, as he let go of the bag.
"Nahi jaana? Toh yeh sab drama kyun kiya? Ammi aur Najma ko pareshaan karne mein aapko mazaa aa raha hoga," Asad spat out as he turned to her. He watched in surprise as she just smiled calmly in response, scratching her nose as if she was bored.
"Sirf Phuphi aur Najma pareshaan hue kya? Waise bhi, woh baat nahi hai. Actually woh kya hai na, mujhe decide hi nahi ho raha ke mujhe jaana hai ya nahi. Aap mujhe decision lene mein help karenge?" Zoya asked casually, still remaining as calm as ever. Asad raised his eyebrow in alarm.
"Woh... woh kaise?" Asad asked nervously, as Zoya took careful steps towards him. He was aware that everyone was staring at them, yet it seemed to make no difference to her. He had half a mind to step back and avoid her advancements, but that'd just make him look... cowardly.
"Coin toss," Zoya decided, hissing out the end of the word as emphasis right into Asad's ear before moving back just as suddenly, leaving Asad no opportunity to find his bearings. She waited for a short moment for Asad to regain his stance, and turn to glare at her.
"Ji, mujhe lagta hai Mahendra Singh Dhoni bhi apne problems coin toss se hi solve karte honge. Isliye, heads I'll stay, and tails I'll leave... theek hai?" Zoya explained, as she stuffed two fingers into the front pocket of her jeans, and pulled out a coin. Before Asad could retort, she flung the coin in the air, and everyone looked up at the same time to watch it.
The coin reached the peak of its trajectory and began cascading down, in what seemed to Asad, a very slow manner. His hand shot out before he could stop himself, and the coin landed squarely on his palm. The last thought in his head as he lifted his palm towards his face was how much he wished it would be heads.
"Heads," Asad whispered into the quiet room, after a momentary pause. The silence remained for about another two seconds before three shrieks of joy of different pitches pierced it. Asad stared at the coin in his palm long and hard, the tails side facing him, mocking him, distracting him.
"That's tails Jammy," Tanveer blurted out, the words escaping her mouth before she could even stop them. Asad snapped his head up at Tanveer in shock, beginning to close his palm immediately, but Zoya had already zipped to him, holding his index and middle finger down as she peered into his palm. She looked up at him, wide-eyed.
"Mr Khan, looks like you're not as big a cricket fan as I thought you were. Seems like you can't tell heads from tails, hai na? Unless, of course, you have something to say in your defence...?" Zoya probed, her eyes returning back to normal size, but the glint still very visible.
"No, nothing, you're right, I was mistaken," Asad quickly clarified, as he took his hand out of Zoya's gentle grasp. He clipped the coin between his fingers and dumped it in Zoya's hand, before crossing his arms across his chest again, clearly uncomfortable.
"Alright, since you don't have anything to say, and since it really was tails, I guess this means I have to leave. Chalo, Allah hafiz Phuphi, Allah hafiz Najma. Najma ke vacations mein New York zaroor aana," Zoya changed her mind again, much to the disappointment of Dilshaad, Najma, and Asad, even if he refused to express it. He growled in frustration and grabbed her luggage again, wheeling it out of the door in a rush. Zoya rolled her eyes and followed behind him, just to find him loading the bag into the boot of the cab as she stepped out of the house.
"Zoya, apna khayal rakna! Hum Skype pe baat karenge theek hai?" Najma bid Zoya her final farewell from the door, and Zoya smiled in response, still as cool as a cucumber as she finally settled herself down in the cab, passing and ignoring a surprisingly chivalrous Asad who held the backseat door open for her.
"Andar jao," Asad commanded Zoya, just as she reached out to close the door. She frowned and slid inwards on the seat a little. She'd known all along that Asad had strange habits, but this took the cake. Apparently you can't sit at the window if you're on the backseat...? She shifted herself till she was sitting on the centre seat, and then turned to look at Asad in confusion. He was still standing outside, staring at her with the door still wide open.
"Kya hua Mr Khan? Darwaza bandh kijiye! Or do you have something to say?" Zoya asked yet again, making Asad narrow his eyes at her in suspicion. He glared at her and then swiftly came to the front of the door and slipped into the cab, slamming the door next to him. Zoya's eyes widened again as she took in the sight of Asad sitting next to her, staring straight ahead as he avoided her gaze.
"Arre Asad, tum bhi airport jaa rahe ho?" Dilshaad asked, unable to keep the surprise out of her tone. Asad stayed mum for a short while, before finally nodding, still staring straight ahead as he tried to avoid his mother's gaze as well.
"Ji, woh, Miss Farooqui... I mean Miss Farooqui kitni absentminded hai, I'm just going to go there to make sure she reaches the airport safely. Driver, chalo," Asad fumbled out an explanation, before quickly asking the driver to get going and rolling up the window to cut off anymore questioning from his mother. Zoya rolled her eyes. If he so badly wanted to send her to the airport, why'd he call the cab in the first place? He could've just as easily sent her in his own car.
Dilshaad tried to suppress her laughter as she watched the cab drive out of the gates, but finally laughed out loud when Najma's giggles reached her ears. As both of them laughed heartily, Tanveer stood in the background, unable to keep herself from sulking. So much for calling a cab for Zoya, Asad ended up going along with her anyway.
A smile began to grow on her face after a while again, the evil sort, as thoughts ran through her mind. She'd created a big enough misunderstanding between the two of them regarding the flight tickets anyway, so there still wasn't any hope for these two egoistic creatures since neither of them was going to open their mouth and clear it. The smile turned into a huge grin as she turned around and walked back into the now Zoya-free house, wondering why a strange cat-like noise sounded in the background, but decided that she quite liked it anyway. Good riddance Zoya!
XXXIMPORTANT NOTE
Okay so the thing is, I usually get silent readers reveal themselves to me at the end of my stories, and I appreciate that you still bother, but now in an attempt to get people out of their shells earlier, I'm gonna try this out:
Give me 133 likes and 33 pages of comments, and I'll start writing the next part, promise (:
Lovelots,
goingreen
Other Works:
Woh Raat, Main Aur Aap - My Writing Index
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