Meri Dil Ki Dua- Adiya Short Story

Restlessness

Part Three

" Aditya yeh sab humara saman hai! I mean my choice of soap and my actual clothes," she exclaimed.

Aditya chuckled.

She greeted this with a frown.

" What's so funny?"

" Did you think I had a premonition that you would get stuck here and go shopping for you? You forgot this bag and it was sent to the hotel you are staying in Seattle. This detour wasn't exactly planned I am guessing," he stated.

A faint memory came to mind.

" Yes we or should I say I only wanted to come here to see Vancouver," she stated.

He did not want to pursue the topic too much. She would have to remember on her own. He actually would love to defy Wasim Siddqui and tell her everything now itself. But he had morals and concern for her. Just because he loved patronizing her father, he wasn't going to put her health at risk. Not now and not ever.

He let her go get freshened up.

Perhaps he could arrange for them to go to Vancouver first. Besides it would give them time to plan to teach that Yash Arora a lesson.

Zoya let the warm water caress her skin before she applied her soap and shampooed her hair. Another memory came to mind. It was vivid but she recalled someone yelling at her for hiding in the bathroom.

" Shower mein kaum chupta hai?"

"Sorry aap ki aami aur unke saaliyah barr thi. Hum bas intezaar kare the," she stammered.

He rolled his eyes and put back the shower handle. They were both drenched.

He handed her a towel as she picked up her handbag from the floor.

Aditya smiled at her mischievously.

"You know next time you need to hide from my mom and her gundi friends, just hide under the bed. It's not as wet," he joked.

She rolled her eyes at him and stepped out of the bathroom.

Zoya snapped out of her reverie when she heard knocking on the door.

" Are you all right in there?"

"Hum theek hain, bus abhi aare hain," she called out as she dressed.

She winced at her scraped up knee and rolled her nightgown down.

Wrapping a towel around the end of her long wet strands she stepped out to meet his searing gaze.

Sensing her discomfort he withdrew his gaze.

She noticed the first aid kit and reached for it.

He covered his hand over hers and said, " Allow me. Relax I won't bite."

She blushed not knowing why. But maybe because of the memory surfacing in her mind in the shower.

They used to be friends if not something more in the past before she forgot some things. She wasn't sure how much she forgot. She just knew Aditya and Yash were in her life before whatever happened to cause her to forget.

He gently rolled up her dress up to expose her knee.

"You always seemed to be a klutz Zoya Siddqui," he muttered as he took out the antiseptic.

Unknown to her mind as to how the upcoming words came out of mouth in reply, she said, " You must attract me to be more of klutz. I was just fine before you showed up then these incidents somehow became more often."

Aditya looked at her stunned.

Did she remember everything, was she playing a game he was yet to know he was part of all along?

Before he could ask, his phone buzzed with a message.

"One second, let me see who it is," he excused himself.

It was his "boss" for this trip.

" Does she remember anything?"

Aditya glanced over at Zoya and typed back.

"Not yet but it's only a matter of time."

He put away the phone in his pocket.

He turned back to Zoya and finished dressing her wound and then gently rolled down her nightgown.

" Don't look at me like that, pyaar ho jayaga," he hissed.

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Thanks for your help. Now what about sleeping arrangements? The bed is big but will you behave?"

He chuckled. They had once sometime back gone to do arrangements for a wedding in Manali and gotten stuck in a room together. She had been more hesitant to even be an inch close to him.

" Don't worry I always behave. You can take the window side and I will take the right as it is closer to the door. By the way I have made arrangements for Vancouver. It will buy us time to figure out what to do next," he stated.

"Thanks I appreciate it," she replied.

She slowly laid down on her side. He headed to go change and freshen up himself.

Zoya felt the bed dip.

One side she felt like she should turn around and hug him and the other side she was like no because she had no idea how close they were. If they were friends in the not so distant past he may think her feelings have changed. She didn't want to be abandoned for the second time in twenty-four hours.

She had to figure out why her memory was hazy. Why had Yash bothered to talk to her in the first place if he was going to leave her here. Also why did Aditya care so much to track down her luggage and then come find her here?

She mulled over it for sometime.

"Relax and get some sleep!," Aditya muttered.

Before she could comment,

"You always get this restless when you are overthinking."

She sighed.

He was right. Nothing she could do about her questions now. Maybe she could prod him later about her concerns. She hoped she would find an answer soon.