*At Home*

Zoya had just woken up,  and she found Tara fast asleep, next to her.
It was 8AM.

She decided to check up on Aditya, and walked to his room, before knocking.

Aditya: Haan aa Jaao,

Zoya walked in, and found a shirtless Aditya doing push-ups on the bare floor, and immediately covered her eyes in embarrassment.

Zoya: Aapne shirt nahi pehni hai?

Aditya: Itni garmi hai, exercise karte waqt shirt kyun pehenu?

Zoya: Please pehen lijiye...Humein sharam aati hai...

Aditya laughs and wears the t-shirt.

Aditya: lo, pehen lia

Zoya gently opens her eyes, and finds Aditya smiling at her.

Zoya: Muskura kyun rahe hai?

Aditya slowly walks towards her, and Zoya walks back, until her back hits the wall behind her.

Zoya: Aditya...

Aditya: Tum jab sharmaati ho, tab bohot pyaari lagti ho

Zoya simply blushes, while slowly raising her gaze to meet Aditya's piercing eyes.

Aditya: Waise, aapki yahaan aane ki wajah?

Zoya: Wajah? Matlab hum bewajah aa bhi nahi sakte kya?

Aditya: Nahi, aisi bhi koi baat nahi hai...

Zoya: Hum yeh puchne aaye thay ki aap kal raat theek tarah se so paaye thay na?

Aditya smiles.

Aditya: Haan.

Zoya smiles back.

Zoya: Dawai ka accha asar ho raha hai phir.

Aditya: Thoda aapka bhi.

Aditya begins coming closer.

Zoya: Chee! Nahi, Aap pehle nahaayie, paseene mein poore gile ho chuke hai aap!

Zoya scurries off, while Aditya simply looks on and blushes to himself.

*At the dining table*

Zoya is neck deep in her thoughts, and writing away when Aditya walks past her, and then stops in his tracks to look at her.

Her lowered gaze, the way she so delicately held the pen as she wrote, the slight smile that appeared on her face as she flipped the pages. She looked so peaceful whilst writing.

Aditya clears his throat to get Zoya's attention.

Zoya: Arre aap...aap kabse khade hain? Sorry, likhne mein itne mashroof ho gaye ki humne aapko dekha bhi nahi...

Aditya: Kya likh rahi ho?

Zoya: Kuch nahi...bas...nazm likhne ki koshish kar rahe thay...

Aditya: Accha...tumhari job ka kya hua? Tum apply karne wali thi na?

Zoya: Woh...Aap sach mein chahte hai ki hum naukari karein? Matlab...aapko koi aitraaz nahi?

Aditya: Mujhe kyun aitraaz hoga bhala...Uss din toh kaha tha na

Zoya: Woh...humein laga aap mazaak kar rahe thay...

Aditya: Tum bhi na...kamaal karti ho Zoya. Accha ruko.

Aditya walks to his room and returns with a laptop in his hand. He sits next to her and pushes the laptop to her side.

Zoya: Yeh...

Aditya: Tum iss website pe dhoond lo...yahaan pe log apne qualifications wagairah likhte hai, toh hum bhi ek profile banaayenge

Zoya: A-Accha...

As Zoya created her profile, Aditya took all the time to look at her. Why was he behaving like this? What was even going on?

Zoya: Bann Gaya!

Aditya: Accha, ab wait karenge. Mai bhi apne doston se puchta hun...kal tak toh kuch pata chal hi jaayega

Zoya: (Softly) Ji

Just then, Aditya takes a peek into Zoya's notebook.

Aditya: Hain? Tumne apni poetry Urdu mein likhi hai? Badi chaalak ho tum yaar!

Zoya: Chaalak kyun?

Aditya: Tumhe pata hai mujhe Urdu nahi aati, ab yeh padhunga kaise?

Zoya begins to giggle.

Zoya: Toh acchi baat hai...waise bhi kisi ka diary padhna accha nahi hota...

Aditya: Haan, Haan whatever. Accha, Urdu mein mera naam kaise likhte hai?

Zoya opens a blank page of her notebook and begins to write when Aditya stops her.

Aditya: Nahi, Nahi, Tum mujhe sikhao

Aditya takes the pen, and gently; Zoya places her hand on his, guiding him to write his name. Aditya can't help but blush at the mere sensation of her hand on his.

Aditya: Wah, Zoya ji!

Zoya: Accha, Hindi mein likhna toh humein aata hai...par Punjabi mein likhna nahi aata...Punjabi mein humaara naam kaise likha jaata hai?

Aditya ever so slightly stands behind her, and places his hand on hers, his hot breathe gently hitting against the nape of her neck. Something about this felt so intimate and timely, and just like that, her name was written next to his.

Zoya simply looked back and up at him, and it felt like all they could see was each other. Perhaps for Zoya it was just an innocent liking, but for Aditya, it was something stronger, it was a profound feeling of falling in love.

Zoya shyly breaks away. Aditya begins to read the page.

Aditya: Zoya...aur

Zoya: Aditya.

Aditya looks at her and smiles, and Zoya coyly smiles back.

Zoya: Accha...agar naukri mil gayi toh Tara ka kya hoga?

Aditya: Kya hoga? Woh school jaayegi, aur hum dono kaam?

Zoya: Aur Khaana? Ghar kon sambhalega? Dekhiye-

Aditya places his hand on hers, as a reassurance.

Aditya: Jo bhi hoga, saath mein karenge. Remember?

Zoya: Thank you.

Aditya: Tum Thank you kyun bol rahi ho? Zoya...tum meri biwi ho aur...

Zoya immediately looks up at him, surprised.

Aditya: Kya Hua, Aise kyun dekh rahi Ho?

Zoya: A-Aapne...aapne pehle kabhi akele mein humein biwi nahi bulaya hai...

Aditya : Arre...toh? Ab biwi ko biwi nahi bulaoonga toh kya, girlfriend bulaaoonga?

Zoya simply laughed.

Zoya: Accha, theek hai. Hum karenge naukri

Aditya: Very good, aur mujhse thank you kehne ki zarurat nahi hai...

Zoya: Haan baba, haan!

Aditya: Ek baat batao, tumhe kabhi laga hoga, ki hum dono aise gappe maar rahe honge, doston ki tarah?

Zoya: Bilqul nahi....par ab toh accha lag raha hai...hum dost toh hai, nahi?

Aditya: (Smiling) Haan

Zoya simply smiles back.

Aditya: Zoya...tum...tum mujhe acchi lagne lagi ho

Zoya's face goes blank, almost a bit surprised.

Zoya: Kya?

Aditya: Yaar tum aisi shakal mat banao, mujhe darr lagta hai

Zoya: Toh phir Yeh kya bol rahe thay aap?

Aditya: Wohi, jo mann mein tha.

Zoya: Aise kaise, jo mann mein tha, aapne bol diya?

Aditya: Haan! Main waise kaafi straightforward hun toh-

Zoya: Aap kya jawaab sunna chahte hai?

Aditya: Jawaab? Kuch bhi toh nahi....main toh tumhe bass...sorry, nahi bolna chahiye tha kya? Ab mann mein atka tha, isliye socha ki agar bol dun toh theek ho jaayega, aur-

Zoya: Aap bhi na...

Aditya: Mai  chahta hun ki tum Iss baat ko jaan lo, bass

Zoya smiles before walking away. If only she knew that his feelings for her were beyond just a mere liking.

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I hope you liked this! x