AsYa OS - Holding My Heart

"W-what are you doing?" Her voice was soft and laced with confusion.

I turned sideways to look at her. She was shorter than me. Out of nowhere, an urge of protectiveness washed over me, she just seemed so fragile. 

"What does it look like? I'm walking you to class." I said

Her dark brown eyes flickered to mine, a frown adorning her face, "Why?"

My eyes narrowed at her expression. The frown didn't belong there; a smile should've graced her face. Not because I, Asad Ahmed Khan, was walking beside her, but because, the frown didn't suit her. I wanted nothing more than to see her eyes crinkle with a wide smile spread across her beautiful face. It bothered me that I was the cause of her frown instead.

I could see that she was trying to speed up, but with my long legs I easily fell into pace next to her. "No reason." I said as I gave a small shrug. Obviously, the real reason was that I just wanted to be near her.

The frown was still in place as she turned away from me, clutching her backpack tightly.

"Asad!"

I turned around when someone called out for me and noticed one of my friends coming towards me. "What?" I bit out. Couldn't he see that I was trying to find a way to get Zoya Farooqui to speak to me?

I glanced behind me and saw her scurry away, her silky brown hair flowing past me.

"Who was that?" Ayaan asked me.

The love of my life. 

"No one."

 I muttered, regretting my words instantly as they left my mouth. I let out a long sigh and then turned to Ayaan again,

"What is it?"

Ayaan took in my expression and scoffed, "You look like I just squished your hamster with my foot."

I rolled my eyes, "Nice analogy. What is it?" I repeated. Classes would start in less than five minutes and I wasn't in the mood to have the entire student body stare at me as I entered late.

"Double date. You, me, Humeira and Tanveer ."

I raised my eyebrows, "I didn't know you were interested in me in that way."

Ayaan shot me a death glare and shoved me lightly, 

"Har, har. I'm serious Asad, I need you there."

"I can't believe you're dragging me into this." I hissed, "You like Humeira, take her out by yourself."

"You know I get nervous as hell when I'm around her by myself." Ayaan reminded me desperately. "Please, Asad."

"I can't."

 And I honestly couldn't and I didn't want to either. I had no interest in Tanveer. There was only one girl on my mind. 

"I have to work after classes."

"So? We'll come by the ice cream parlour."

"You want me to be on a date while I'm working?" My boss would fire me in an instant.

"Come on Asad. Please help me out man." Ayaan pleaded.

I knew Ayaan liked Humeira. Hell, he had a crush on her since the start of our freshman college year, but I couldn't believe he was dragging me into this.

"Can't you ask Farhaan to come with you?"

"Farhaan's a douche." Ayaan muttered. 

"Besides, Humeira told me that Tanveer really likes you. You two could totally hit it off!"

"No thanks." I declined.

"Asad, man, I really need you to be there." Ayaan even blinked his eyes and pouted. It looked very disturbing.

"You know what? Fine. Just this once. But you owe me big time."

Ayaan breathed a sigh of relief as his face broke out in a smile. "You are my saviour, Asad. I promise, I'll make it up to you!"

"Whatever. I'm heading off to class." I muttered. I can't believe I let Ayaan talk me into this. If this was going to ruin my chances with Zoya, I was going to kill him.

************

Classes had ended half an hour ago and now I was in the local ice cream parlour wiping the marble counter top. I seriously was not looking forward to that date.

"Smile, Bhaijaan." My younger sister hissed at me as she readjusted her pastel coloured apron.

"I don't want to." I said stubbornly as I washed my hands.

"You'll scare the customers away and it'll only piss our boss off." Najma warned me.

I forced a smile on my face. "Happy?"

"It'll do." She said, peering at my face. "Want to tell me what's wrong?"

"You're too young to understand anyway."

"I'm seventeen for God's sake." She said placing a hand on her hip. "I can already tell it's about a girl." An evil grin spread across her face. "It's Zoya, isn't it?"

The fake smile fell from my face and my eyes narrowed. "How do you know?"

Najma shrugged. "Her younger brother is in my Economics class. Apparently someone has been bothering his sister."

"I do not bother her." I retorted lamely.

"You follow her around in school and act like a huge idiot. Of course she would be freaked out by you."

I blinked, "Wait, I freak her out?" 

She's afraid of me?

Najma blew her hair out of her face and put a hand on my shoulder, "Bhaijaan, want my advice? Back off."

I frowned. "If I'm not around her, how will she know I like her?"

The evil grin returned, 

"So you like her? How much do you like her?"

I stared at her brown eyes which were nearly identical to my own.

 "A lot." I admitted. I had developed feelings for Zoya Farooqui ever since my junior year of high school. The only problem was that back then, she wasn't even aware of my existence.

"Aw, that is so cute!" Najma cooed. "My big brother's in love."

"Stop making fun of me."

Najma sighed and patted my shoulder, "Just give her some space. Don't hover around her all the time. Trust me, she'll notice you."

"And how come you're so knowledgeable about this subject?" I asked raising an eyebrow, "Do I have to worry about beating some guy up?"

Najma rolled her eyes, "Don't be a jerk, Bhaijaan."

The bell sounded as three people entered the establishment.

"Great." I groaned. I had nearly forgotten about that stupid double date.

Najma shot a questioning look at me but I just shook my head.

Ayaan walked in with Humeira by his side. Tanveer trailed behind them. Ayaan looked nervous as he casted a glance at me. "Asad, hi."

"Hi." I greeted him without much emotion. Not looking forward to this at all.

"Asad, this is Tanveer." Humeira introduced her friend. "I think you two are in the same marketing class.

I gave her a nod of acknowledgement. "Nice to meet you."

"You too." Tanveer said a she flashed me a smile. Tanveer seemed like a nice girl. But things could never work out between the two of us. Not when I already had someone else in my heart. Zoya's face flashed in my mind and for some reason, I already missed her. God, I was pathetic.

"What can I get you?" Najma said as she held the ice cream scoop ready in her hand.

"Hi Najma." Ayaan said, "I think we'll go for the strawberry sundae. It's Humeira's favourite."

I had to snort at Ayaan. I knew that he was allergic to anything closely related to strawberry. The fact that our ice cream was organic and contained real fruit was going to bite him in the butt later.

"Are you sure?" Najma said raising her eyebrow after she finished preparing one of the two sundaes. She had obviously not forgotten that time when Ayaan's entire face bloated up from trying one small bite of strawberry when he was fifteen. He wanted to taste them so badly.

Ayaan bit his lip. "Okay, fine change mine to a chocolate."

I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from laughing.

Humeira looked at Ayaan, "Is there something wrong?"

"I'm allergic to strawberries." Ayaan admitted sheepishly to his date.

A smile lit up Humeira's face, "And you wanted to eat it just to make me happy? That's so sweet of you."

I shook my head smiling. I had an inkling that those two were going to last. I glanced to my left. Shoot. Tanveer was still there. I had totally forgotten about her. I cleared my throat and addressed her, 

"What would you like?"

"I'll have a plain cone, thanks." She smiled.

I nodded and turned to prepare it. "Here you go."

"Thank you." She handed me her money.

I shook my head, "It's okay. My treat." The least I could do was pay for the cone.

Tanveer blushed and nodded.

"Come on, let's sit." Ayaan said, turning to the booths nearest to the counter.

Since they were the only customers in the store right now I figured I could just join them for a bit out of politeness. I didn't sit down; instead I stood with my body leaning against the wall.

After a few minutes of conversation I heard the bell chime again. I didn't look up since I knew that Najma was still behind the counter.

"Hi, what can I get for you?" Najma said cheerfully.

"Hi." A girl softly said.

My head shot up. I recognized that voice. I would recognize that voice everywhere. I glanced at her side profile. God, why did she have to be so gorgeous? Her soft hair was swept up in a pony tail and she had one hand in the pocket of her tan-coloured rain coat.

I quickly pushed myself from the wall and stalked behind the counter, bumping Najma aside with my hip.

She shot me a death glare as she stumbled to the side. "Ass." I heard her mutter.

"Hi," I greeted Zoya. Damn, I couldn't stop the smile on my face as I took her in.

She looked at me, her brown eyes startled. "Uh...,"

"What can I get for you?" I asked, trying to keep the creep factor low.

She cleared her throat and gained her composure, "May I have one tub of green tea ice cream?"

I nodded and turned to Najma, "You heard her."

Najma rolled her eyes and grabbed one empty ice cream tub and started filling it. I still noticed her faint grin though, so I knew my sister wasn't pissed at me.

"So, what are you doing here?" I asked Zoya in an attempt to strike up a conversation. This was the first time that I've ever seen her enter the store. It was making me giddy. God, internally I was acting like a little school girl.

Zoya blinked, "Buying ice cream."

Oh. "Right." Of course. This was an ice cream parlour after all. Nice going, Asad. "Green tea your favourite?"

Zoya nodded slowly.

"I've never tried that flavour, actually." I didn't know why I just said that. I should've told her that it was also my favourite flavour. This was my moment to bond with Zoya Farooqui and I screwed up!

"Oh." She said. "W-well, it's really good."

I nodded, making a mental note to try it as soon as I could. I glanced over to Najma and noticed that she just put the lid on the ice cream tub. I snatched it from her and handed it to Zoya. "Here you go." I said cheerfully.

"T-thank you." She murmured as she accepted it. She put a 15 rupees bill down on the counter.

"Oh, you don't have to do that." I said, pushing it back towards her. "Just take it."

"N-no." Zoya stammered. "I can't." She pushed the bill into my hand.

My face flushed as our hands touched. OUR HANDS TOUCHED.

Zoya turned around and quickly disappeared from the store.

"You are such a loser, Bhaijaan" Najma commented as soon as Zoya was gone.

I let my head drop and sighed, my hand still tingling from the contact,

"I can't help it."

"Oh, my love-struck brother." Najma exclaimed dramatically, "First of all, stop treating me like crap."

I nodded guiltily, "I'm really sorry Najma. I was kind of out of it." I felt bad about what I did to her just minutes ago.

"I saw that. You're so whipped. And did you notice the look on her face? She found you rude." Najma pointed out.

My heart dropped. "I was being a total jerk to you."

"I know you didn't mean it, Bhaijaan." Najma reassured me kindly. "But be on your best behaviour from now on - like how you usually are."

I nodded.

"Remember what I said; just leave her alone for a while. Give her some space so she can breathe."

"Do you think she likes me?" I asked my sister. Maybe she picked up on something. Females usually read females well, right?

Najma pondered at that, "I don't know. She doesn't hate you, that's for sure."

"Really?" That was a good thing right? "How do you know?"

"Well, for starters, I noticed a faint blush when you started talking to her."

Hope seared within me, "Really?"

"Yeah. But perhaps it was a blush of anger, because you pushed me aside."

I pouted. "Great."

"I'm kidding." Najma laughed as she patted my back. "I also noticed that she looked kind of nervous around you. Might be a good sign, I'm not sure. All I know is that you don't repel her."

"Thanks." I muttered dryly.

"You're a good guy Bhaijaan. My favourite brother."

"Your only brother." I reminded her.

She shrugged, "And you're not exactly ugly. Ew, can't believe I just said that." Her nose crinkled.

"Again. Thank you." I deadpanned.

"Pssst." Najma whispered.

"What?" I murmured back at her.

"That girl is staring at you."

I turned my head. "Crap. Tanveer." I forgot about her.

****************

"So I take it the date went well?" I asked as I twirled my pencil in-between my fingers.

Ayaan nodded excitedly, "We're going out to dinner tomorrow. Thanks so much again, Asad for agreeing to that date back then."

I just shrugged as I stared at the case study in front of me. I hated homework.

"What about you and Tanveer?"

I looked up and met his eyes, "I only went as a favour for you. I'm not interested in Tanveer."

Ayaan nodded, "I understand. It's just that she really seemed to like you, and since you're not really dating anyo-,"

I interrupted my friend, "Actually, there's someone I already like."

Ayaan's eyebrows shot up. "Who?"

I shifted in my seat as I glanced down at my papers, "Someone." I wasn't sure if I was ready to tell Ayaan, even though he was my best friend.

"I won't pry." Ayaan said as he continued to look at me. "You like her a lot."

 It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Was I that obvious?

I nodded as I rubbed my left temple. It had already been a week since I last spoke to Zoya. After our brief meeting in the ice cream parlour I had followed Najma's advice and backed off. I now only saw several glimpses of Zoya in class. God, I missed her. At least when I was still hovering around her I had opportunities to hear her lovely voice.

"You'll figure something out." Ayaan said encouragingly.

"Thanks." I muttered.

That was it. It had been two full weeks since I had last spoken to Zoya Farooqui and I was seriously suffering from withdrawal. Even though I had backed off completely, I often found myself following her around from a distance and just staring at her like a total creepo. Thank God she hadn't realised or I had a full restraining order on my hands.

I couldn't take this anymore. I had to talk to her, I had to do something. Should I tell her how I feel?

After classes ended for the day I spotted her standing outside on campus all by herself. This is it, Asad. I prepared myself mentally. Go up to her and talk.

"Hey." I said as I neared her.

Zoya turned around at the sound of my voice and her eyes widened in surprise. "H-hi. Asad."

My heart fluttered. She knew my name. She was aware of the fact that I existed! She knew my name! "How are you?" I managed to ask her despite my giddiness.

"Good." She gave me a small nod as she tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ears.

God, what I wouldn't give to be able to run my hand through her silky hair. Easy Asad, entering creepy territory here, I reminded myself.

"You?" She asked me softly.

She was so beautiful. Her dark brown eyes, her fair complexion, her cute nose, the faint blush on her cheeks... and her lips...I couldn't tear my gaze away from her pink full lips.

"Are you okay?" She asked, pulling me from my trance.

I blinked several times and tried to compose myself. I ran a hand nonchalantly through my hair and hoped that she hadn't realised what I was thinking of just seconds before.

 "Sorry." I said as I smiled at her shyly. "I'm good." 

I was doing very well now I was finally able to speak to her again.

She raised one of her eyebrows but didn't say anything.

"Wait. Where are you going?" I asked as she turned away. Anxiety swept over me. I couldn't let her leave just yet. I hadn't even told her what I was doing here. I wasn't even sure what I was doing here. Was I going to confess right now? Would she run away from me if I did?

She looked back at me as she slightly bit her bottom lip, "I have to go. Farhaan is waiting for me."

My eyes narrowed. "You're hanging out with him? Farhaan's a jerk." Farhaan Qureshi was probably the biggest jerk of our class. Scratch that, he was probably the biggest jerk on campus.

She nervously grabbed the strap of her bag, "I need to give him something."

"Do you like him?" I blurted out. 

She probably thought it was none of my business, but I really had to know even if I was afraid of hearing the answer. 

Was she going to give him a love letter in which she confessed her deep feelings for him?

She shot me a surprised look, "What? No...,"

"Then why...?" I trailed off, confused. Why was she meeting up with Farhaan if she didn't like him? But I couldn't ignore the relief that surged through me as she said that she wasn't interested in him.

"Aaliyah asked me for a favour." She muttered. To her credit she didn't seem too excited about it.

"Can I come with?" Shit. Was that a weird question? 

Why did I even want to be with her so badly? Duh, because I really, really liked her. 

She seemed a bit perplexed by my question, "O-okay?"

"Cool." I said, feeling much more confident now that she had given me some kind of permission. I walked up towards her and took her hand in mine.

 Pretty bold move Asad, I flinched inwardly. What if she was going to hit me over the head? I couldn't help but revel in the fact that I was actually holding Zoya Farooqui's hand right now. Her small hand felt soft and warm in mine. I was almost getting sad at the prospect that I would have to let her go sometime later. Why was I being such a creep?

She stared at me with wide eyes. "W-what are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I said, grinning at her. I was so glad that she wasn't hitting me over the head or inflicting some other kind of violence on me. "I'm coming with you to see Jerkface Farhaan." I said cheerfully.

"O-okay." Zoya stuttered. But she didn't remove herself from my grasp. Somehow, that small fact made my heart feel elated.

Together we walked, side by side and I had to admit that this had to be one of the best moments of my life. Never had I imagined that I was able to hold Zoya's hand in mine.

After a while, I spotted Farhaan standing with his friends at the school gate. Zoya removed her hand from my hold and my heart dropped a little.

She rummaged through her backpack and retrieved a small notebook. I walked beside her as we neared Farhaan. I noticed that she had visibly tensed and was trying to calm herself by taking deep breaths.

"Aaliyah asked me to hand this to you." Zoya murmured softly as she held out the notebook to Farhaan.

"What was that?" Farhaan laughed. His Jerkface friends that were standing next to him also sniggered.

I balled my hands into fists. Did he have to be so rude?

Zoya blinked and I saw her face flush, 

"A-aliyah asked me to give this to you." She tried to control her voice.

"Still can't hear you." Farhaan grinned lazily as he crossed his arms over his chest.

My insides boiled. It was official; Farhaan was the jerk of the century. 

I heard Zoya let out a shaky breath and I tried to calm her down by gently placing my hand against her back. I flashed her a soft smile as her eyes met mine. God, I could already see some moisture forming in her eyes.

 A sharp pain flashed through me as I noticed that she was close to crying.

I took the notebook from her hand and slapped it against Farhaan's chest.

 "Here you go Qureshi!." I spat before wrapping an arm around Zoya and guiding her away from them.

I walked slowly so that she could keep up with me. A small part of my brain registered that I was actually holding her right now, but I pushed that thought away. This was not the time. Before I realised it, we were already standing in the parking lot.

"T-thank you." Zoya spoke up first, her voice still slightly shaking.

"Don't worry about it. Farhaan was being a total ass. I could hear you perfectly fine." I reassured her. I was glad that she seemed to feel better.

She stared at me with those gorgeous brown eyes of hers and I was a goner again. Zoya gave me a soft smile, "Thank you Asad."

Shit. I loved it when I heard her say my name. The way she said it, so soft and sweet at the same time... it was addicting. I was falling deeper and deeper for her. 

"Anytime." I breathed. My phone started to buzz and I pulled it from my pocket. "Hello?"

"Bhaijaan, you're late." I heard my sister say.

"Crap." I cursed. "Be right there." I ended the call and turned to Zoya. "I'm sorry. I was supposed to be at work ten minutes ago."

A look of guilt passed her face and it nearly broke my heart. "I'm sorry. I made you late for work."

"No!" I exclaimed. 

"It's not your fault. It was my idea to come along with you. Don't worry about it. My boss is pretty lenient." White lie. "He probably won't even notice." He'll bite my head off.

"I'll... I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Zoya still looked uncertain, but she nodded. "I'd like that."

My heart stammered. She'd like that? She wanted to talk to me again? A grin spread across my face, "Great! I'll see you in class Zoya." I said before I sprinted off.

She gave me a small wave and my heart fluttered again. I was a total sucker for her and I didn't even care.

It was so worth it. My boss chewed me out when I turned up twenty minutes late for work, but it was so worth it.

"I see you're grinning goofily." Najma remarked as she raised one of her eyebrows.

"I talked to Zoya today." I told her. "She knew my name."

Najma laughed, "Yeah, I'd think she'd know your name by now."

"What do you mean?" My eyebrows shot up as I turned to my sister.

Najma stared at me, "You're kidding right? I thought you said you went to the same high school?"

"We did." I confirmed.

"Well, then why wouldn't she know your name?"

I sighed, "Because she wasn't even aware that I existed back then."

Najma slapped the back of my neck.

"Hey!" I said indignantly, "That hurt." I rubbed the sore spot.

"Are you dense?" Najma hissed.

"What are you talking about?"

"You remember that year you received that watch for Secret Santa at school?"

I frowned and glanced at my wrist. "Yeah." It was a good watch. Very durable, I had it since junior year.

"Hand it over." Najma held out her palm.

"What? Why?" I said as my fingers worked to take the watch off. I put it in her open hand.

"What does the back say?" Najma said as she held it out in front of me.

I squinted at the small lettering. "Farooqui's Clockwork." I murmured. Wait... what?! I glanced at my younger sister, not really grasping what I was seeing.

"You really think that just anyone's going to gift you a 30,000 rupees watch for Secret Santa?"

I almost choked. 30,000?! I sputtered. "What are you saying?"

Najma rolled her eyes, "Do I really have to spell it out for you Bhaijaan? Zoya Farooqui likes you. She has to like you, because why else would she gift you something so precious?"

"How do you know she's not handing out watches every year since her family's the one making them?" I countered. I couldn't get my hopes up.

"Her brother mentioned that the following year she gave her recipient a box of chocolate. I think that says something about how she feels about you."

I blinked. It was still so unreal to me. Zoya knew who I was all along? She might have even liked me? Oh my God, Zoya Farooqui might have feelings for me. Hundreds of different emotions swirled through me. "Do you know where she lives?"

Najma cleared her throat as she jerked her head to the side.

I blinked and turned my head. Zoya Farooqui met my eyes. "Hi." My throat felt awfully dry. She hadn't heard us talking right? I quickly glanced at Najma who shook her head. Apparently not.

"Hi." She offered me a soft smile.

My insides warmed. "What can I get you?"

"One tub of green tea ice cream please." Zoya replied. I noticed the faint flush on her cheeks. She looked so lovely.

I nodded and prepared the ice cream for her.

"Y-you didn't get in much trouble, right?" Zoya asked me.

I blinked, touched that she was worried about me. "No, my boss didn't even mind." I told her. Just a little fib, I didn't want to make her feel bad about it.

Zoya nodded, her cheeks an adorable shade of pink.

Najma giggled beside me and I nudged her.

"Here you go." I smiled as I handed her the ice cream.

Zoya paid for the ice cream and thanked me.

"Have a nice day." I finished lamely as she disappeared.

"You are so head over heels, it's ridiculous." Najma poked my cheek. "But it's so adorable at the same time!"

I swatted her hand away. "Thank you, dear sister."

It was past ten o'clock when I finished my shift at the ice cream parlour. As soon as I dropped my younger sister home, I immediately drove over to Zoya's apartment.

Najma had given me her address. My heart was beating heavily against my chest as I parked the car in front of the building. Now that I was here, what was I going to do? I gathered all my courage and walked up to her floor. The third floor, apartment 36.

I let out a couple of deep breaths before I found the strength to knock on her front door.

Her appearance surprised me. Her hair had been curled at some point and was now pulled back into a loose ponytail. She was wearing her pyjamas which were covered in yellow ducks. A pair of large glasses was perched upon her nose. She looked undeniably attractive.

The spoon that was hanging from her mouth fell to the floor. Her jaw dropped. "Asad." She said, incredulously.

"Hi." I breathed. "You're probably wondering what I'm doing here." I rushed out. My nerves were killing me. Man up Asad!

She slowly nodded the confusion still visible in her eyes.

I raked a hand through my hair, "Can I come in?"

She stepped aside to give me access.

"Thanks." I said as I took a few steps forward. My heart was beating crazily against my chest and I wondered whether coming here tonight was a big mistake.

 I hastily took in my surroundings. Her apartment was small but had a comfortable atmosphere. It was slightly crowded with all the furniture cramped together in such a tiny space. I almost felt like a giant in her apartment.

"Sit down." Zoya said softly as she gestured to the couch which was buried under fleece blankets. The TV was on but the sound was muted.

I lowered myself onto the couch and spotted a half empty tub of ice cream on the coffee table. I noticed that it was from the ice cream parlour where I worked at. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep me from smiling. 

She was eating the ice cream that I had scooped for her! Damn, I was being a total dork.

Zoya came to sit beside me. She cleared her throat and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before looking at me. 

"...S-so, what brings you here?" she slightly stammered.

I turned my body slightly towards her, so that I could look into her eyes. Okay Asad, this is it. 

"What is one plus one?"

She stared at me, puzzled, "What?"

"What's one plus one?" I ask her again, my heart thudding loudly against my chest.

"...Two?" She said uncertainly, drawing out the word.

I took that opportunity to brush my lips softly against hers. I felt her freeze in shock.

I slowly pulled back, afraid that she was going to punch me in the face.

She was staring at me, the surprise visible in her eyes. Her lips formed a small 'o'.

"I like you, Zoya." I told her sincerely, my cheeks turning warm. I finally did it. As the words had left my lips I felt immense lighter. Was this what confessions did to you?

But then the lightness disappeared as she sat there, still frozen.

Crap, I hadn't even thought about what it would do to me if she didn't return my feelings. 

Dread washed over me as I continued to stare at her. 

"I've liked you for a while now," I started as she was still gazing at me with her clear beautiful eyes.

 "In fact, I've liked you for over four years from the moment you said 'excuse me', because I was blocking the doorway to class like a total idiot. I've liked you since you flashed your pretty smile in thanks at me. But I thought that you'd never notice me. You don't know how happy I was when I found out that we ended up going to the same college, even ending up in the same class. I like you so much that I'm suffering from withdrawal if I don't speak to you at least once a day. I like you so much that I've... fallen in love with you." I confessed to her, baring my soul.

After a moment of silence, Zoya started to move again. She blinked several times, her brown eyes still holding my gaze. I could tell she was hesitant. She wasn't sure whether I was telling the truth.

It hurt. I didn't want her to think that I was just saying these things. I really meant them, with all my heart. It was crazy, the effect she had on me.

Her eyes seemed to search mine for a while before she closed hers. After a second she let out a deep breath.

 "...Asad."

I took her hands in mine, fearing her rejection.

She broke out in a smile. It was the most beautiful smile I had ever seen.

My heart fluttered as I stared at her.

Her cheeks flushed as she spoke, 

"I've always noticed you Asad. You're always so kind to everyone and you're always so friendly. Even though I'm so shy and soft spoken, you always listen to what I have to say. That means a lot to me. I fell for you pretty quickly, and it always scared me - how my body seems to react when I'm around you. My heart does crazy things when you get near and I don't know how to deal with that... that's why I've always tried to keep my distance."

The words sunk in. Zoya Farooqui likes me. Zoya Farooqui has always liked me. Even though I was a fool and an idiot, she likes me.

"Asad?"

I couldn't stop the wide grin from spreading across my face. "Yes?"

"What colour is the sky?"

I blinked at her as her eyes entranced me, "Blu-," but she cut me off before I could finish.

Her lips pressed softly against mine and I couldn't help melting into her. She kissed me! Oh my God. Zoya was kissing me and I was kissing her back. I wrapped my arms around her, eliminating the distance between us. I faintly tasted the green tea ice cream and knew for a fact that it would forever be my favourite flavour.

**********

Finished!

A/N: This was a lot of fun to write. Asad is such a fool here, haha!

Am so glad to read it..

Thanks for the pm..

loved it

amazing os

i really loved this totally lattu wala asad😆