Zoya stared breathlessly at the face...at the prominent jaw-line, the sharp nose, perfectly curved forehead, a pair of deep, brown eyes which registered no surprise on seeing her...and a scar, running deep above his left eyebrow towards the jaw-line, an infernal damage to the once handsome face...the face with which Zoya Farooqui was head over heels in love once.
"Asad! Tum zinda ho!" the words escaped her mouth in the form of an almost imperceptible whisper.
"Ruk kyon gayi, Zoya? Just pull the trigger." Asad pressed the barrel of the gun against his forehead, a maniacal grin spreading on his lips "Issi din ka toh intezaar tha mujhe...mujhe maarne ka haq abhi bhi sirf tumhe hai, Zoya. Let's put an end to this monster, which you have created with so much love."
The revolver slipped through Zoya's trembling fingers. *Had the world just stopped still on its axis for a moment!* The ground beneath her was shrinking fast. Zoya took a step backward, her hands fumbling in air for support. Her back touched the cold stone wall and her numb body dragged limply against it, only to collapse on the floor. Zoya closed her eyes, unable to take in the moment, which she'd seen in her dreams for so long that it had become a part of her existence.
*Is it even possible to feel like the most blessed and the most cursed person on the earth at the same time!* the question reverberated in the hollow chambers of her heart. A distant, rhythmic chant was ringing in her ears...it was coming back...it was all coming back from a long gone past to haunt her.
*Flashback*
'Zoya...Zoya...Zoya' the crowd almost exploded with excitement as the two fighters hit the boxing ring. The red banners hanging overhead swayed in the wind, probably matching up with the audience's enthusiasm. The words 'Ring of Fire' emblazoned on them proudly announced the main attraction of the annual college fest, the 'blindfolded kickboxing competition'.
Zoya stood at the center of the ring, every atom in her body soaking in the appreciation and cheering from the crowd. Nothing gave her an adrenaline rush like the moments before a fight; The light fluttering of the heart, the nervous apprehension of an unseen opponent, the deafening roars rising from the crowd chanting her name...and the final whistle from the referee, ensuring another victory for her.
Yes. She, Zoya Siddiqui, had been an undisputed queen of the kickboxing platform ever since she joined the college 2 years back. In fact, she was the person who single-handedly changed the reputation of this notorious game from being a knuckle-breaking fist fight between brawny boys to a cleverly crafted martial art which could be used by anyone for self defense.
"Zoya, suna hai iss baar ek naya contestant aaya hai...Architechture department se koi senior banda hai..." Her cousin Tanveer whispered in her ears while checking the blindfold on her eyes for one last time.
"Jab aankhen bandh ho, toh saamne kaun rahega yeh sochne ka kya faida, Tannu?" Zoya whispered back. "Don't worry, pichle do saal ki tarah iss baar bhi main hi jeetungi. Chal, aaj uss architect ke saare buildings gira dete hai." She lightly pinched her cousin.
"Nahi re, yeh banda pichle saal wala Avinash jaisa nahi hai, ke tu dus minute mein usse dhul chata degi. Guy's a hunk, I tell you. Nearly six feet tall...aur dole shole bhi ekdum zabardast...kya chaal hai yaar, jaise ring mein koi sher aa gaya ho...Zoya, tujhe darr toh nahi lag rahi? Hara payegi na iss baar bhi isse?" Tannu sounded a little concerned.
"Tannu my darling, tu mujhe wish karne aayi hai ya mujhe darane aayi hai! Duniya main aisa koi kaam hai kya, jo Zoya Siddiqui nahi kar sakti? Akhir beti kiski hoon main!" Zoya comforted her.
"Haan yaar, please haar na mat, okay?. I have put a Rs.1000 bet on your win. Best of luck." Tannu bumped her fists with Zoya's and left the ring.
"Arre Tannu, iss naya chidiya ka naam toh batati ja?" Zoya raised her voice over the deafening roar of the crowd, but Tannu was already gone.
"Team Venus, Team Alpha, you guys ready for the fight?" The games teacher of the college, Mr. Mathews, who was serving as the referee, asked both the fighters.
"Yes Sir." Zoya and the other guy said in unison. 'Team Venus' was the prestigious ensemble of the elitist kids in the college, whereas 'Team Alpha' was a mix of students belonging to the middle class and lower middle class families. Needless to say, both the groups pretty much loathed each other. In fact, 'Team Alpha' ended their last two seasons at the bottom of the championship table; however, this year, by some miraculous turn of events, the team had managed to redeem itself and reach the finals. 'Team Venus', on the other hand, was the defending champions, and the best bet to retain the trophy for the third time in a row.
"Both team, shake hands." Mr. Mathews took Zoya's hand and briefly brushed it against another hand. Zoya bowed her head keeping up with the custom.
"Remember guys, play fair, play safe and may the best team wins." The voice of Mr.Mathews drowned in the constant chanting of the crowd.
"Three...two...one...go."
Zoya's body went rigid for a moment, all her senses focused to pick up the faintest noise that would reveal her opponent's position. Curiously, this was the precise moment when she felt like she's the loneliest person on the earth, the spotlight above the huge crowd surrounding her notwithstanding. It was like battling blindfolded against all those challenges life had thrown at her mercilessly, and emerging victorious in each battle gave her a sense of freedom like nothing else.
Zoya thought she heard the slightest ruffling noise to her right. She hurled a deadly blow in that direction, mentally calculating the position of her opponent. To her surprise, her hands swished through air, hitting nothing. The next moment, the noise came from her left side. Zoya whirled around like a lightning bolt and launched a venomous attack, only to be greeted with empty space where her opponent's head should have been.
"Zoya, tere piche..." she recognized Tannu's voice in the crowd, but before she could work on her instructions, a strong hand gripped her shoulders from behind, yanked her around, and the next moment, a series of low impact jabs, followed by a definitive uppercut landing squarely on her chin, almost threw her off balance.
Before she could recover from the jaded state of mind, another powerful punch near her left ear nearly knocked the living daylight out of her, narrowly missing the soft spot on her neck. Zoya somehow managed to defend the second blow, but the third one below her chin sent her gum shield flying off and she collapsed on the ground.
The crowd had gone into a shocked silence. Nobody could believe that the defending champion Zoya Siddiqui had gone down so unceremoniously against a relatively unknown opponent. Only a handful of people from the back rows were jumping and chanting Alpha, Alpha', which echoed eerily in the large auditorium.
Zoya found herself pinned against the ground, her legs twisted at an odd angle. Her opponent had cornered herself so cleverly, that any movement from her side would endanger only herself and she might end up injuring her legs. Her hands, clasped in the iron fist of the enemy, were of no use either.
Even in her frenzied state, Zoya didn't fail to notice the sheer excellence of her rival in the art of kickboxing. The amount of blows Zoya received from him were sufficient to fatally wound an opponent, but the man had displayed amazing skills to temporarily immobilize his opponent, not brute force to hurt her.
"Team Venus, on the count of ten...10...9...8...7..." Mr.Mathews voice penetrated through the numbness that was clouding her senses. In a desperate attempt to move, Zoya twisted her arms frantically, but his grip tightened on her wrists and his body leaned forward to maintain the pressure on her.
*Aaarghhh! This man posses the strength of a bull. He's a freaking monster or what!* Zoya groaned inwardly. She could feel his pulse racing fast against her skin. His legs were pressing against her waist, making it impossible for her to move. A few strands of his hair, drenched in sweat, were touching her forehead. His hot, heavy breath burnt her cheeks. His face was perhaps a few inches away from her.
"4...3..." blood pounded in her head with each count. She had to do something...anything to save herself from a shameful defeat in the hands of a newcomer; but exactly what could work on a rival who seemed to have mastered the skills of a game enough to be unaffected by his surroundings.
"...2..." the word triggered a surge of panic in her heart. No longer aware of her surroundings or her actions, she did the unthinkable! Zoya lifted her head with all her might and crushed her lips against her enemy's, biting so hard that she could feel the tangy taste of blood in her mouth.
The effect was exactly what she desired it to be. The grip on her hand loosened instantly, the man pulling himself away in such haste as if he'd been electrocuted. Zoya raised her boxing gloves, hiding their face from the crowd and clung to his sore lips, the warmth and moistness sending unbearably sweet sensations through her nerves. She sensed him freezing over her body for a moment, and she knew this was her perfect opportunity to get back at him. She landed a vicious hook below his throat, followed by a well timed uppercut and the next moment, she was right on the top of him in what could be called a dramatic role reversal.
Seeing their favourite contestant spring to life, the crowd went berserk. Zoya could hear a few isolated cries "Sh*t man...that was a clear foul", but their voice drowned in a thunderous applause of the other spectators. The countdown had started again "10...9...8...7...6".
The renewed vigour in her body and mind was enough for Zoya to maintain her advantageous position over her opponent; but strangely, she felt lesser resistance from her opponent's side, too; as if the fellow could sense his impending defeat and had already given up.
"3...2...1...finish." Mr. Mathews landed the last thump on the floor and shouted "Team Venus Wins."
Waves of relief and happiness washed over Zoya, as she staggered to her feet. Moments later, she was locked into a tight embrace and Tanveer happy scream pierced through her ears "Zoya...tu jeet gayi...Ya Allah, meri behen jeet gayi." She was jumping like a 5 year old.
"Tannu yaar, please take off the blindfold first." Zoya never felt so exhausted after a fight.
"Ohh, right! Ek minute." Tannu untied the blindfold and remove it from her eyes. Zoya blinked rapidly to adjust her eyes to the glaring spot light...and when her blurry vision cleared a bit, she found herself standing face to face with the man, who, little did she know, would be her destiny one day!
The first thing that Zoya noticed, with much horror, was the blood dripping from his nose. The front of his blue and white striped shirt was soaked in blood. His lips were bruised and horribly swollen too.
*What the hell have you done, Zoya!* she immediately felt a sharp pang of guilt in her chest. She stole a guilty glance at his face, dreading to see a reflection of the hatred and rage which prompted her to launch such a nasty attack against his rival; but curiously, his deep, brown eyes were devoid of any emotion For once, she felt a deep disregard for herself and her disgraceful act.
Unable to meet his eyes any more, she hang her head down and took a few steps towards him. "Well played, Team Alpha. I'm sorry that you lost." She managed to mutter under her breath, without looking at him. Her cheeks were burning.
"Who said I lost?" the deep, captivating voice was exuding a lazy arrogance which forced Zoya to look up again. She swallowed hard and extended her hand "for the spirit of the game..."
"I will shake that hand the next time I see some fair play from your side...till then, you'll have to live with that." The man coolly walked away from her, without giving her a second look.
"Kamaal hai...haar ne ke baad bhi itna attitude...khud ko Baazigar' film ka Shahrukh Khan samajh ta hai kya!" Tanveer's eyes had widened to the size of saucers.
The man heard that and stopped in his track. "It's Asad...Asad Ahmed Khan." There was a mild hint of amusement in his voice, which made Zoya blush a shade deeper.
"Asad Ahmed Khan...ooh la la! Maar daala." Tanveer repeated in a mocking imitation of his tone.
"Shut up, Tannu." Zoya snapped, wiping the tears away from her cheeks. She choked back the lump in her throat. In her 22 years of life, she'd never felt so insignificant in front of anyone.
(to be continued)
Teddy ❤️
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