It was 5:30 am and Aditya and Zoya had been at this all night.

See, Zoya was adamant that she could fix his issue, and to prove her point she had led out the plot of his house, dimmed the lights and held a torch underneath her chin while speaking in an ominous voice as she went through minute details about the plan that would save him from a life of despair, or as she'd put it- "A life with Mahi as your wife when it would suit you much better to have me as your partner through life".

Aditya had nodded off several times only to be woken back up by a blaring klaxon in his left ear that was now ringing like his mobile that she wouldn't allow him to pick up. Shoving his hands through his hair, he looked up desperately through red-rimmed eyes "I can't take this anymore, please" his voice cracked, "Just let me sleep". These few hours had taught him she'd be amazing working in interrogation, one, because she had somehow found out exactly where his house was and gotten her hands on the layout plan, secondly, because her methods were mad, but would leave the suspect in tatters or crazy, or both, the only issue was he felt this urge to confess his crimes, but he hadn't committed any, therefore the agonising pain went on.

"Hooda, listen" she slammed her fist down. "If you do not listen, you will not learn," she said with complete seriousness.

"But I'm tired" he groaned, a pout on his lips. "Can't we do this tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow isn't promised, all we have is today" She stared off into the distance, then scowled back at him, "So, no, no we cannot". Noticing his head dropping to the side, she brushed his hair back and knelt beside him, in her most soothing voice she sang: "A duck walked up to a lemonade stand and he said to the man running the stand, hey-" she was cut off by him leaping onto her, knocking her onto the ground and shoving his fist between her lips.

"I cannot hear that song one more time" he was practically hearing it in his sleep at this point. "Please, shut the fuck up" he growled, letting her go.

"You mean before you make me?" Zoya brushed herself off, "If you're going to threaten me, at least do it properly, gosh".

Alright, that was enough. "You know what, I'm done" he threw his hands up, "Imagine a man like me falling to the feet of a negligent naukar" Yes, that was right, time to hit her where it hurt.

She gasped loudly "Did you just call me a slave? Oh, now it's on, Hooda" she warned, walking backwards out the door till she fell back. "I meant to do that".

"Oh, sure you did" he spat.

"I did" she shouted back. She did not, if that wasn't already glaringly obvious.

+++

After trying every door and every window, Aditya had no choice but to swallow his pride, accept his fate as her hostage and beg for forgiveness. Fluttering his eyelashes, he bent his head to the side "Zoya, I'm sorry, can you please unlock a door so I may leave?"

"Oh, so it's Zoya now?" She crossed her arms, eyes narrowing as she watched him, "On a first-name basis now are we? Well, if you wouldn't have called me that thing, I wouldn't have had to lock you in, in the first place, take this as adult time out, and remember" she bopped his nose, "You asked for it" she continued to tidy the office around him.

Usually, he wouldn't give in so easily, but if he didn't sleep soon, he was going to go mad. "Okay, fine" he huffed, "I apologise for calling you a servant, you are my assistant, happy now?"

"Say you mean it" she ordered, hands on her hips.

"I mean it" he gritted his teeth in exasperation before standing up to face her.

"Now say you love me".

"I lo-" he stopped, "Are you mad?"

"No" she giggled, "But I nearly got you there, now if I can catch you out, so can Mahi, that, Mr Hooda is lesson uno" She held up a finger.

Slamming the butt of his hand onto his forehead, he fell back against the desk "You're still on this? Why can't you just let it go? It shouldn't even matter to you" he stated exasperatedly, he didn't understand her concern.

"Because, you big idiot, no one deserves to live a life of misery, is it so bad that I want you to be happy?" Zoya looked up, tears in her eyes, "I just, I just want to make people happy, that's all, okay, that's all and every time" her voice split, turning slightly raspier. Her eyes fell shut to stop the tears from falling, "Every time I look at you" her eyes opened, "You look so sad, the last time someone looked at me that way I did nothing and now-" her head shook.

Aditya stood before her, his voice barely audible "Now what, Zoya?"

"And now they're dead" she shouted, eyes glassy. "And that's on me" her hand was on his wrist, "I see what others don't" she gestured to his scars, "I see you and I will not let you suffer the same fate, not if I can stop it and I know I can, please just let me, please?" It felt weird to be so open, it made her feel more vulnerable than she'd ever felt before, but she also felt a sense of freedom.

He gulped, pulling his arm away "Okay" he held her shoulder, "Okay, you win".

Her smile widened "Of course I do" she clapped, "Here, take the keys" throwing them at him, she waited till he reached the door before muttering under her breath: "Peasant".

Spinning on his heel, he raised a brow "I heard that you know, is that really how you're going to speak to your boss?"

Without looking up, she responded: "You mean my boss who just called me a slave? Yes, that's what I'm going for, that will teach you to undermine your workers, hm, now, I'm willing to forget all your previous blunders today, if" she faced him, "If you allow me to go through my plan one more time".

At this point, it was probably a good idea to accept his early death, but he was a Hooda and Hoodas were fighters! "That's blackmail" his eyes widened, "Which is also not okay" he took a deep breath, willing himself not to shout or strangle her, though both were becoming irresistible options.

"Uhhhh" Zoya smiled bashfully, "Yeah it is, can't take it back now, can I? I learnt from the best, I believe someone else in this room also used that tactic" She raised a brow as he sighed in defeat. "Ohhh, look at the time, way past my bedtime, isn't it past yours?" She turned around quickly only to walk into the fire exit door as it opened, falling back, she looked up at the woman in a dazed state "If you're the angel here to take me to heaven, tell them I want a refund" sitting up, she rubbed her head, a pout on her lips. "I'm tired of the workplace abuse, who even are you, anyway?"

The woman scowled, eyes jet black and empty "Mahi, as you already know" her eyes rolled back. "And I don't appreciate you keeping my fiancé here so late, come on, let's go" she held the door open.

Aditya nodded "Goodnight, Zoya" he held his hand out for her to take.

His fiancée slammed his hand down "Don't touch" she warned, voice like venom. "Why must you help her? You're the boss, she's just your assistant".

"And yet, I'm still more important than you" she jumped up.

"Whatever, Adi, I'll be outside" Then she was gone as quickly as she came.

Watching her carefully, he stepped closer and kept his voice low, "You really can't be talking to her like that" is what he said, but what he felt was completely different, the one and only time he'd lost his temper at Mahi, he'd been blamed, afterall it was always the same, a woman can do no wrong, but a man always could. Now someone had stuck their neck out for him, perhaps he would never understand why, but that didn't make him any less grateful.

She blinked slowly "Don't you mean I shouldn't speak to her like that? The word can't would imply that it isn't possible, which it is, as I did it" she shrugged. "Shouldn't you go? Wouldn't want Moody Mahi to get impatient and turn me to stone with one glare".

He frowned at the sudden coldness in her tone "Yeah, yeah, I guess I should" he stopped at the door. "Goodnight, Zoya" then under his breath, he whispered, "Thank you".

+++

Rain poured from the sky, pelting down on Zoya's barely clothed back as she reached outside her home. Though she shivered, she wouldn't move from her spot, her eyes fused on the only star she could see "I'm trying, I'm really trying, but I'm terrified" she sobbed, shoulders shaking from the strength of her cries rather than the cold. "I'm terrified that I'm too late, that I can't save him, but I won't give up, I promise".

Aman shoved open the window "Hey, you okay?"

She shook her head as she turned to face him "No, no I'm not".

He nodded in understanding "Hot chocolate and marshmallows fix it?"

"Only if you put lots and lots of cream" wiping her eyes, she smiled, ruffling his hair before her hand dropped to his arm to trace the old scars.

Noticing where her hand was, he wrapped an arm around her "We can't save them all, sometimes one life is more than enough" he soothed, hand rubbing her back to warm her from the cold pain within her soul.

But Zoya wasn't sure one life would ever be enough to pay for the life lost that cowered over her like a looming storm.