Chapter-15

Hope, you like it...❤️

The cool breeze entered the room from the window and made her hair fall on her face. She put them behind her ear and resumed doing her work. She was sitting on her desk with her laptop open, making notes and studying. She has been finally be able to complete her backlogs and now she doesn't want to lag behind by even something. Her test had been pathetic but she promised herself to score more the next time and that she will give her best. When she was writing her test, she didn't got panicked and worried for he ensured her. Her thinking came to a halt when her mother entered the room.

"Ohho Zoya, you always keep studying now...It feels as if you are preparing for a really difficult entrance exam...you don't have any time to spend with your mother...?" She said making a sad face and standing behind her chair.

"I am studying Ammi...I don't want to lag behind anyone...and besides every study is difficult..." She said paying her whole attention towards her notebook. Her mother came in front and shut her notebook and laptop.

"We are going out !"

"No way, I have to study..."

"How much will you study...we are going out and that's final!"

"Bu-"

"No ifs and buts...Also, Eid is round the corner...now don't tell me that you didn't knew this..." She said looking at her surprised expression.

"I-I.."

"Get ready and come down..."Her mother said in a breath and stormed out of the room without listening to her answer.

Zoya didn't had a choice now. Sometimes elders behave like kids! She let out a sigh and started getting ready.

•••

They entered the mall through the gate and instantly felt relieved of the scorching heat as the cool air from the air conditioner welcomed them. People were moving round the mall carrying bags. Children were running around. The bright ceiling lights reflected on the shining white floor and made it look more luminous. The mall had three floors in total and they could see and feel the festivity in the air as it was highly crowded.

The center of the mall had huge decorations. The steel railings were also decorated with lights and colorful hangings. Smell of coffee entered their nostrils along with other fruity smells. Several delicacies were showcased to attract the customers. Shops were labelled with big names written in different styles. The mannequins were made to dress like a bride with heavy embroidered clothes and bright colors. Some shops had very less people in it and that showed how much great and expensive that brand is. The shops that attracted most of the crowd were the stalls that were lined at the ground floor. Cheap stuff always attract more!

They visited several shops and bought the necessary and the unnecessary things. They bought clothes, jewelry, footwear, hair accessories and what not! When their stomach started making growling noise only then did they put a 'comma' to their shopping and thought to fill their stomachs first. The food hall was also crowded with people and had very less vacant seats. her mother went to order something while she searched for a seat. Her searching gaze stopped when she saw someone with someone.

"Aditya...?" She said in a low voice. He was sitting with a girl and was talking to her. He had the same smile which he offered her, the same emotion in his eyes which were when he talked to her, everything was same except her. She did not wanted to admit but she was feeling a bit jealous. The jealousy which you have when you see your best friend giggling with someone else. She wanted to reach out to him and ask him but she stopped herself from creating a scene. She must be his patient and she shouldn't think otherwise but she wasn't able to help it.

One table finally got vacant and she sat on it, kept the bags on the other chair and saw him with her peripheral sight. Her mother came with the food and they had their food talking about random stuff but something seemed off. Zoya's mood was spoilt and the reason was as stupid as it could be but maybe her hormones are being over active and mood swings are having best of her. She couldn't decide what was bringing out this feeling from her but she felt uneasy and uncomfortable. They did not shop more and came back home as they both got extremely tired.

•••

Zoya was roaming in her room from one corner to the other. Her new clothes were lying on her bed, her books on the desk unattended and her mind somewhere else. She was moving restlessly around her room thinking about something with the phone in her hand.

With much courage she dialled his number. He didn't pick up in the first try. She tried again and he picked up.

"Hi.." She said thinking of what to say next.

"Hey...how are you?"

"I'm good..."

"The-"

"Can we meet, please? I'm feeling really uneasy..."

"I'm sorry Zoya I don't think that we ca-"

"Why!?" She asked out of frustration. Her head was hurting, so was her heart.

"Actually, umm..."

"Just tell me!" She shouted on the phone.

"Why are you shouting at me? I was just about to tell you that we will not able to meet for some days...and I don't know for how many days..."

"Just because you got a new patient!? A new friend?! It's not your fault...It's usual to forget me..."

"Listen, Zoya..."

"Don't try your sweet talks now...I know people want to get rid of me..." She sniffed.

"Why are you thinking all this!? I'm saying tha-"

"No ple-"

"I'm saying that I'm in London!!!" He didn't let her complete this time and yelled on the phone to stop her from ranting senseless stuff.

"London?"

"Yes...I had to come here urgently, there was some emergency..." He sounded a little low at the end of his sentence.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I also got to know today itself..."

"You should have at least dropped a message..."

"I was in a hurry, Zoya...try to understand..."

"Yeah, why would you like to inform me...you don't take me as your friend na?" She said thinking of the sight she saw in the mall.

"Are you drunk!?" He was fed up with her senseless talks. He already had dealt with a lot today and now she is saying things which have no meaning. It felt as if all his hard work has went down the drain.

"You assume me to be drunk!?" She shouted.

"Yes! Because you are talking nonsense!" He shouted in a more louder voice. She flinched at his voice but didn't lose.

"Oh...so now my talks are senseless...what could be expected of me? I'm just an ordinary girl with a spoiled past and no friend..." If Tanya would be here, she would have smashed her head with something really hard to set her mind right.

"I thought I was your friend..." She spoke. "But, no...I wasn't..." Her voice cracked at the end and she started crying in a low voice.

"What did you had today?"

"I-why?"

"Because you are uttering all nonsense...why are you even thinking like th-"

"When will you come back?" She asked cutting his sentence in the middle.

"I don't know...it may take time..." Something was missing today in his voice.

"You will message me na...when you'll be returning..." She asked in a low and breaking voice.

"Ok...I will message you but I don't know for how much time I'll be away... "

"I will wait for your message..." She was about to cut the call when he spoke.

"Listen Zoya, don't wait for it...I may not remember..." He said the last sentence lowly to himself.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that don't wait for my message...I may not remember messaging you..."

"But you only said in our first meeting that I may consider you as a friend..."

"Wo to aise hi..." (I said that casually)

"What 'aise hi'?"

"Aise hi means aise hi!...Listen Zoya, I already had to deal with a lot today just don't double it up..."

"So now I've started causing you a headache...you know what Dr. Hooda just stop making friends casually and value their friendship...for you it may be your thousandth friend but, for the other it may be just the first...like for...me..."

"Zoya I-"

"Don't you worry from now on this 'casual' friend wouldn't trouble or cause you any headache...I valued our friendship so much...it held so much importance in my life...but even one sided friendship hurts...I should've known earlier...I wanted to be like you one day, but now...I will be better than you...far better than you...and I will not offer friendship when I don't have the time and heart to value it..." She bit her lower lip to stop it from quivering. "Khuda hafiz, Aditya..." (Goodbye) She said and cut the call.

She sat on her window seat with a thud and started weeping. She lost her first friend just in a snap of seconds. It's her fault after all, she expects too much from the other person whether it be love or friendship And, she also moves around keeping her heart on her palm. Anyone could come, play with it and then crush it but not from now! She wiped her tears and determined something. Her eyes were bloodshot red with agony and pain.

"I will not cry for others from now on...I WILL VALUE MYSELF...I will not let people play with my feelings, not anymore !" She said and looked out of the window. She looked up in the sky and made this promise to her God and to herself.

_________________________________________

Well, that was actually a BOOM! Didn't expected that right? From the next chapter, everything is gonna change and I just hope that you like it...can you guess what the change maybe? Oh come on you must have guessed till now...😃

Anyways, hope you are liking the story...and thank you so much for having patience with it...😊

It's a chapter longer than usual..😉

Have a great day and yes, we have reached 3k reads...YAY!!!! Stay hooked for the next one, I'll be back soon with it..❤️