Dedicated to @how-about-no for her book 'Boys? Ew' was the very first book I read on Wattpad, and it eventually inspired me to write a story of my own :)
Plz VOTE + COMMENT + PROMOTE
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Zahra was eagerly waiting for the next day to arrive, for it was to be the day when she would be relieved from the ties of her bed. It was to be the day when she could make full use of her legs and move without any support. Oh! What pleasure, to walk freely, without any danger of falling down or hurting the now healing limb. But the doctor had advised her to be careful, not to put too much stress on her legs, and not stand for too long at a stretch.
After about two and a half months of bed rest, under Laura's able and persistent care, Zahra's health had flourished and the color had returned to her pallid cheeks. Her doctor had finally gave her the go-ahead to resume going on about her usual routine, and make good use of her almost stiff legs. She couldn't rule out the help she had received from her superior, the Walworth Jr. and she felt tied to him by the bonds of indebtedness. She had never liked to owe anything to any human being, ever. She wanted to be independent and make her own way in the world. And this particular debt was taking a toll on her mind.
Zahra had decided she would return him the money he had paid for her treatment at the hospital. Laura had been fervently against it, because she knew he would never take back the money. But when that stubborn head had decided on something, nothing could dissuade her from it. "You think too much Zee," was her quiet argument, and she didn't speak anymore.
Laura had been very much afraid these two months, lest someone might suddenly barge into their apartment and attack them, but she kept her fears hidden from Zahra. She felt the incident she had witnesses at the Hospital come to her lips many a time, but she held it back, and never breathed a word. It would alarm Zahra extremely and she would worry herself to death, which she knew of perfectly well.
Sometimes, she had felt as if they were being watched but she hadn't been able to find any suspicious character anywhere near their apartment building, and she had dismissed it as the work of her own wary imaginings. Nevertheless, she would always tuck Zahra comfortably well, close all the doors and windows of her room, leaving just one open upon Zahra's ardent entreaties, and double-check the lock on each door. "What are you so afraid of?" Zahra asked her worriedly, again and again. "Do you fear that the aliens will attack us or some psychopath would slip in and kill us in our sleep?" "Shut up, okay. Don't utter such ominous things like that so late at night," Laura always chided her severely. She was very much frightened that the latter might prove true.
"Who do you think was that man at the Hospital, David?" Laura asked him one day, when he came to check upon them without Zahra knowing about it. She was still quite cool with him, although she never stopped him from coming. "I don't know, really. But I'm trying to find out. He looked pretty mercenary, if you ask me," David replied.
David had come in casuals that day. He was wearing a black Armani tee-shirt, khaki cargo pants and a black leather jacket. The ensemble looked remarkable upon him. And, it was with extreme reluctance Zahra sullenly accepted the fact that David was a very handsome and a well-built man. She imagined how he looked when he was shirtless, but shook the thought out of her mind with disgust. Astaghfirullah. How could she ever think such a thing?!
Jennifer too had been a regular visitor at their apartment. She was full with Office gossip whenever she came, like who was going out with whom and who had proposed to whom. She had also told her one day that the new babe who had joined Office a week before her accident as the P.A to the Regional Manager was even more striking than Demetria Torres. Her name was Ciara or something like that. She looked like a former model.
Some rumors were also taking rounds about David Walworth and the babe going out together. Paparazzi was abuzz with it, but David had strongly denied the reports unlike the time when he had been asked the same about Demetria. He hadn't probably gotten over her yet, poor boy! She listened to all this, but since Zahra was not into those things, she ended up getting bored. Why Walworth Jr. seemed so interesting to these girls was beyond her. Unlike Zahra, Laura very much enjoyed those visits of her friend and liked to hear her talk. She was quite amazed by David's popularity with the girls. He was a favorite topic with them!
They had been talking casually like that once, when someone had knocked out of the blue, making them startled. When Laura had opened the door, she had been surprised to see a very gorgeous girl standing in the doorway. "Is this Zahra Fatimah's apartment?" she had asked in a sweet voice. "Y...yes. She is my flat mate. How do you know her?" Laura had asked her, surprised. "Oh. You probably don't know me. I've actually come from her Office." "Um...can I know your name?" "Of course. It's Ciara, Ciara Jackson."
"What?! Ciara Jackson and here? Does she know you Zahra? You never told me, you sly girl!" had been Jennifer's shocked response when Laura had broken the news to them. "I don't know her personally, nor does she know me. How did she find out where I live?" Zahra had asked suspiciously. "I don't know. Ask her yourself when I let her in," Laura had replied.
"You must be wondering why I came to see you," Ciara had said addressing Zahra, once she had come inside. "I've heard a lot about you." "Me! From whom?" Zahra had asked, incredulous. "Oh, many people. They say you write awesome reports, you know." Her answer had been vague and she had totally avoided the question. "No. I don't know. And my reports are trash, according to some sources," Zahra had said, remembering the painful incident of the Conference Room.
"Please don't say that. You are belittling your successes. So......when are you resuming Office? The thing is that, I need your help about something," Ciara had admitted. She hadn't acknowledged Jennifer's presence in the room at all! "It might take me about two weeks to return back to my routine. You can tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it at home," Zahra had reasoned. "You don't need to take so much trouble for me, really. Do inform me a day or two beforehand when you plan to get back, and I'll ask you at the Office about it." "For your information, my leave ends on the 20th of this month," Zahra called out, as the girl had begun to retreat from the room.
"Oh! Thank you so much for telling me," she had chimed like a church bell. "I'll wait for you, then. Bye."
"That was weird," Laura had said, closing the door behind her. "I know right," Zahra had replied, wondering how she had become so popular with the elite group of the country.
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"Zahra! Hey. Welcome back," David called, delighted to see the girl again after so many days. Zahra had just reached the Walworth Tower and was getting out of the taxi. David had been standing at the entrance gates talking to a man Zahra had seen only once before. "You should have called me. I could've picked you from your apartment," he said. "You have already helped me so much, sir. I didn't want to bother you. By the way, I can walk now," Zahra replied, annoyed. He was being extra cheesy to her. She didn't like it at all. She was hoping he would stay away from her, so that people didn't begin to wonder all kinds of absurdities.
But, David's minds didn't function like hers at all, it seemed. He felt that he would be more than happy if people began to mark them as a couple. "Oh! Yeah, I know that," he told her, smiling. "I'm sure you must've seen Mr. Peter Williamson before. He is the new Regional Manager. He was inducted a week before you took your leave. Mr. Williamson, this is Zahra Fatimah, my...," David paused, realizing his mistake. Zahra's glare shot up in his direction. She was shocked. What could he mean?! He gave her a brief glance and then completed what he was saying with a shrug, "I mean, she is one of our employees in the HR department." "Nice to meet you, Ms. Fatimah," Mr. Williamson vocalized smilingly.
"Nice to meet you too, sir," she replied straightly, and then went inside. "Oh Hello Zahra! Glad to see you back," the receptionist welcomed her with a wide smile. "How are you?" "Hi, Nancy, I'm fine, thank you. So, where do I have to sign today, then?" Zahra asked. Both of them had become quite good friends in these past few months. Nancy was the only person in the whole place who always greeted everyone with a smile. "Uh...just let me get the file, okay," the receptionist replied, and ducked under the table to look for the said file. 'The girl has become inefficient,' Zahra thought, impatiently tapping her fingers on the desk.
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"So, what do you suggest I do, Mr. Walworth?" Mr. Williamson was asking David. But his mind was not interested in his talk. David was looking inside the building across the glass doors. Zahra was standing near the reception desk. She was probably waiting to register her name into the files for the day. He couldn't see even an inch of her skin except her hands and her face. 'Her religion must have some logic for her to follow it so thoroughly,' he thought, impressed. Suddenly, she looked out, only to catch him staring in her direction. Their eyes met for a brief second, but when she realized what she was doing, Zahra quickly looked away. In spite of himself, David smiled. The girl was too modest for her own good.
"Uh...I'll tell you in a few days," David finally replied, leaving the manager confused. "Oh...okay. I wanted to ask you one more thing. There are some personal things of the former manager left in the drawers of my desk. Should I leave them there or transfer them to some other place." The man was boring him terribly with his nonsense.
Most of his talk flew from above his head as David kept looking inside. There was something wrong with the set-up today, but he couldn't put his finger on the exact thing. Wait a minute! Was the ceiling lower than usual? The chandelier just above the reception desk was looking as if it had come down a notch or two from its usual height. Were his eyes deceiving him or was it actually detaching itself from the ceiling?!
All thoughts left David when he finally grasped the situation. Zahra was still standing over there, and the chandelier was just above her head. He dropped all his pretensions of listening to the guy he was talking to, and he made his way inside the building as fast as his legs could carry her. He couldn't even bear to think what would happen if he didn't reach the spot on time and get the girl away from there.
The chandelier was coming down slowly, but surely. Couldn't the girl hear it creaking above her? He threw open the glass doors and shouted, "Zahra."
Everything was slow motion for Zahra from that moment. She turned her head towards David. Her eyes opened wide when she saw him running towards her at top speed. There was no way she could avoid the collision! And then, she looked above her head. All thoughts left her. The chandelier was falling down and she would be mince-meat in a few seconds.
Two strong hands hit her shoulders with full force throwing her backwards onto the floor, and she fell with a thud. She had been saved by mere inches. Because just then, Zahra heard a loud crash echoing throughout the huge hall. A million pieces of glass fell like showers from the ceiling, entirely covering the hall floor. The beautiful chandelier glimmering a few seconds before had broken. She couldn't even imagine what could've happened if she hadn't been thrown away from danger like that.
She was lying flat on the floor with David on top of her. They were so close that their noses almost touched each other. "You okay?" he asked her, softly. Zahra forced herself to look at him in the eyes. His tone held suppressed pain. His eyes were beginning to water. "I...I'm fine, thank you," she managed to say. After a few moments of confused staring on Zahra's part, and painful glances on David's, they separated. "Oh my God! Mr. Walworth, sir, you're bleeding," Nancy suddenly ejaculated. She was ducked under the table when the thing fell, so she was saved. But she had seen the whole episode and was thankful that nobody was hurt. But, she had been wrong, her boss was seriously wounded.
David breathed a deep sigh of pain, and slowly pulled up his trousers to see the extent of his injuries. Shards of glass had pierced the skin on his right leg in several places, and blood was rapidly oozing out from them. They had sliced the flesh off his leg. Zahra sympathetically screamed in a low voice at the bloody sight before she could stop herself. He looked up at her and gave her a weak smile as if to say that it was nothing.
Hearing all the commotion, people ran towards the duo to help them. Zahra still had her blank, expressionless gaze fixed on him when they began to take her away to safety. David bestowed a caressing glance at her and smiled once again. He was satisfied with his task. He had succeeded in saving her, somehow. It seemed hopeless to him just a few minutes ago that he would manage to get her away unscathed from there. But he had. And that was all he wanted.
A small bunch of paramedics hovered around him tending to his wounds. His leg was badly hurt. He hadn't been able to get his right leg away from the danger zone at the right time. He would have to hobble around the whole place with a stick while his leg healed, he thought. Zahra was in a dazed state. The whole episode kept playing in her mind again and again. David had been very quick. If he hadn't moved her from there, she wouldn't have been alive right now.
Was this really a proof of his affection or was it just a sense of duty? Because had there been somebody else in her place, he would've surely helped her like he did right now. She couldn't be sure what exactly was going on his mind at the moment. In fact, her case seemed even more complicated than ever before. She didn't know what to think. People were murmuring around her in strange voices but she was oblivious to every single one of them. Maybe, they were saying something about mental shock. Someone suggested to move her to the nurse's chamber for the time being and let her rest. They were urging her to get up but she resisted. She just kept staring at her savior who was still squatted on the ground. The medics were now preparing to take him away on the stretcher.
As they took him away, David looked at her one last time, imploring her to say something. He wanted her to smile but it seemed as if her features had frozen in their places and couldn't move, even if she tried. After he was gone, unable to hold herself anymore, Zahra broke down. She herself wasn't sure as to why she was crying. But it made her feel good, feel calm. She felt like she was letting out something she had held inside for so long.
It was only after about fifteen minutes or so that she finally agreed to go to the nurse's room and rest. She really needed to sleep for a while, undisturbed.
An angry voice made Zahra wake up from her deep sleep. It was coming from the hall outside. She opened her eyes, only to find herself in a dimly lit room. It seemed so peaceful. Where was she? As she slowly comprehended her surroundings, she came to remember the whole episode of the morning. The strange truth of David saving her from imminent death flashed in her mind. "How can you take all this so lightly, Mr. Potter? The girl had nearly died," the voice was growling angrily. It seemed too familiar. Yes, it was David's voice. 'How is his leg?' Zahra thought to herself. She felt sorry for him.
"I'm deeply sorry Master Walworth, but I checked everything myself last night before locking up, and it was fine, believe me," the other voice replied in a pleading tone, supposedly belonging to Mr. Potter. "Nonsense. You've become old and incompetent, and you should resign. It would be best for all of us." "Please master, you cannot do this. I'm a poor man. And I cannot think of getting another job at this age. I'll be even more careful from now on," the man pleaded in a weak voice. "No. I've made my decision. I'll sign your resignation letter, you can pick up your bags and go. I cannot afford to give you another chance and get my employees' life in danger. They are too precious to me. You are dismissed," David replied relentlessly.
'Were all of them really precious to him or was he implying something else?' Zahra wondered. How cruel he was! She didn't feel sorry for him anymore. The poor man. It could be only a mistake. And to dismiss him like that over just a small incident, it was really hard. She would talk to him about it, if he listened to her.
The door to the nurse's room suddenly opened, and a man got in. Zahra couldn't see anything clearly due to the dim light. He switched on a strong light and it was revealed to her who the intruder was. She kept her eyes closed. "How are you?" David asked her, leaning on his stick. "You shouldn't have done that," Zahra replied, referring to the dismissal of the old caretaker. "So you heard everything. I knew you would say something like that. But, he deserved it. I can't see my people live in fear of uncertainties. It affects their minds." "All the same, it wasn't right," Zahra persisted. "I know what's wrong and what's right, okay. You don't need to tell me that," David replied, infuriated. "Well then, I don't think I need to answer any of your queries." With a swift movement, David picked her up from her shoulders and shaking her vigorously, he said with clenched teeth, "Don't_ you_ ever_ talk_ to_ me_ like_ that." Realizing what he had done, he quickly dropped his hands. Zahra was shaking hysterically, scared out of her wits.
"I'm sorry. I...I shouldn't have done that. I'm really angry at the moment, because...because I feel protective towards you. And the incident was just intolerable." "I don't care, okay. Just stay out of my way," Zahra hissed in a low voice. And before David could say anything more, she grabbed her bag and ran out, slamming the door in his face.
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"Oh my God! This is soo amazing," Laura exclaimed loudly from her room when Zahra reached their apartment from her Office. "What is so amazing? Do tell me," she said, surprised. "Hey, Zee. Come in quick. See what I've got in my mail. The 'Royale' label of Paris has accepted some of my designs, and I've got an offer from them to go and work there. Isn't that wonderful?" "It sure is," Zahra perked up, happily. "But, that means you'll leave Clydesville, right? And who will stay with me?" A sense of gloom washed over her as she contemplated the prospect of her friend and flat-mate leaving the country for who knew how long. "Yeah, I'm sorry dear. But I'll have to go," Laura replied sadly.
"When do you have to go?" "At the end of this week, I think. They want me to join early," Laura told her friend, wondering how she'd manage to clear up in such a short span of time. "Okay," Zahra replied, sighing deeply. She wanted to say so much more, but she refrained from telling her friend the strange events of the day, lest she might begin to worry and exceed her stay at Trapeze.
"How was your day?" Laura asked suddenly. "Hunh? It was...fine." "Did David say something to you?" "Of course not. Why would he say anything to me?" Zahra replied, frustrated. All that girl thought of was David! "Don't tell me you didn't even meet him today," Laura persisted, prodding her friend further. "Why? Would seeing his face make my day better?" Zahra asked, scrunching up her face. "You are hopeless, Zee."
"No, you are hopeless. You know what, you should stop all this fashion designing thing and open a match-making business. You'll gather big bucks, I tell you," Zahra said, at which Laura laughed loudly. "No...no, I'll just content myself by making your match. Such beautiful girls shouldn't stay single for long, you know. It's not good for them," Laura replied, making Zahra roll her eyes exaggeratedly.
"By the way, did you get any proofs of his 'Affection'?" she asked twinkling her eyes, air quoting the word affection with her fingers. She had hit the bull's eye, but Zahra preferred to keep silent upon the subject.
"Shut up. And pack your bags. Ah! I'll be so glad when you leave," Zahra replied with a knowing smile, and went back to her room, just in time to dodge a pillow Laura threw at her.