Saiyyan - Adiya FF

Chapter 13

*The Next Morning*

The Hoodas sat around the dining table as breakfast was being served. Anjana passed a plate of parathas to Zoya, "Try these beta...I made them especially for you."

As Zoya reached out to take the plate, Aditya snatched it and started filling his plate. Harshvardhan, Anjana, and Arjun looked on surprised as Zoya simply stared at Aditya.

"What?" Aditya asked, as if nothing happened. "You can eat something else...I want these." Aditya said to Zoya, waiting for her to pass a smart remark.

Zoya said nothing. She reached out and took an omelet instead. Aditya frowned at Zoya's behavior. He started eating the parathas, the wheels in his head turning for a plan B.

The rest of the Hoodas shared glances with each other, extremely confused at what just happened.

*St. Xavier University*

"I'm watching a new show on tv...uff! The actor is so handsome!" Pooja gushed at Noor and Zoya. Pooja and Noor did not leave Zoya's side since the morning. It was Zoya's first day back to college after the wedding and they tried their best to talk about anything to keep Zoya busy.

They were standing by the lockers as Pooja and Noor talked non-stop. Zoya didn't respond to Pooja's comment. She took out her books from her locker and closed it. As they turned to walk to their respective classes, Zoya walked straight into Aditya.

"Oye freckle face! Watch where you are going." Aditya said, knowing well how much Zoya hated that nick name.

Aditya smirked and waited for Zoya to blow up. She will definitely react now. Zoya looked at Aditya. "Sorry..." Zoya replied in a low voice. She turned and then walked away.

Aditya's jaw dropped. Did she just say 'sorry' to him? No 'chicken legs'...no 'get out of my way'...just 'sorry'?

"Bhai..." Aditya was shaken out of his thoughts when Arjun called him. Arjun looked at his Bhai, confusion etched on his face. "Why did you bump into Zoya di on purpose?" Arjun asked, trying to make sense of the interaction.

Pooja and Noor had confused looks on their faces too. Aditya looked at the three of them and shrugged. "I don't know what you are talking about." Aditya replied. He turned around and walked in the opposite direction, the wheels in his head turning for plan C.

Arjun, Noor, and Pooja looked at each other confused. "What the hell is going on?" Arjun voiced, to no one in particular.

*St. Xavier Cafeteria*

Aditya, Zoya, Noor, Pooja and a few other friends sat around the table during lunch time. They all chatted about various things and tried to keep the atmosphere as light as possible.

Zoya quietly played with her food, her mind somewhere else. She didn't hear any of the conversation taking place around her nor was she hungry. And so she quietly sat and played with her food.

Aditya watched her, noticing that Zoya has not eaten and she has not joined in any conversation either. He could tell that her mind was somewhere else.

Aditya looked behind Zoya and saw Arjun approaching them with juice. An idea formed in Aditya's head and a naughty glint entered his eyes. "Yeh loh Bhai...aapka juice" Arjun said, about to pass the juice to Aditya.

"Thanks Arjun" Aditya said, and as Arjun reached out to give the juice, Aditya pretended to lose his grip and spilled the drink all over Zoya's clothes.

"Oh no! Zoya appi are you ok!?" Noor asked, taking some napkins to wipe down the liquid.

"Sorry Zoya...I'm so clumsy" Aditya said, his face anything but apologetic. 'She will react now...' Aditya thought wickedly, 'in 3...2...1...'

"It's ok. I'll be back" Zoya said, again, in a monotone voice. She stood up and left for the washroom without any further reaction.

Aditya huffed, frustrated. He sat back down and stabbed at his lunch. Arjun frowned and looked at his Bhai. He turned and saw Zoya's retreating back and then looked at Aditya again. He had a clear view of Aditya's 'accidental' spill on Zoya.

Arjun's own wheels starting turning in his head as he started putting two and two together. "Yeh Bhai toh genius hai..." Arjun muttered as he took his seat next to Noor.

"What do you mean?" Noor asked, confused.

"I've noticed since this morning..Aditya bhai has been bothering Zoya di nonstop. Poking her at every chance he gets...He's trying to get a reaction out of her." Arjun said, keeping his voice low so only Noor could hear. Realization dawned as Noor glanced at Aditya stabbing his food in an irate manner.

It was weird. The person who Zoya thought was her number one enemy...was actually the person doing the most for her in her time of need. The thought brought a smile to Noor's face.

*Aditya's Bedroom – Later in the evening*

Zoya wiped her wet hair with a towel and sat on the bed. She was lost in her own thoughts. Staring into space as she wiped off the excess water.

When she felt the other side of the bed shift she turned to see Aditya lying down. She gave him a questioning look.

"I'll sleep on my bed tonight. My back hurts on the couch." Aditya said, "You will sleep on the couch tonight" Aditya ordered, waiting to see Zoya's response to him. She will definitely react to this. Zoya hated it whenever Aditya bullied her.

Zoya stared at Aditya, studying his mischievous face. She then grabbed a pillow and made her way to the couch.

"Zoya seriously!?" Aditya asked frustrated. "Are you my loyal dog or something!? Meri har baath maan rahi ho?" He got off the bed and walked toward Zoya. He stopped in front of her and and placed both his hands on Zoya's arms, his face now serious.

"I've been trying since this morning for you to act normal...react to things...lekin nahin...tum toh zinda lash bann gayi ho yaar. Aise kaise chale ga?" Aditya asked, trying to reason with Zoya.

Aditya pulled Zoya closer to him. The movement almost intimate, if it weren't during these circumstances. "Kuch toh bolo...come on Zoya...fight with me...mujhe gaali doh...mujhe maro...kya ho gaya tumhe?" Aditya pleaded. He looked into his childhood friend's eyes, searching for any signs of the person Zoya used to be. His own eyes were swimming with emotion.

There was a moment of silence. And then Zoya spoke, "I'm tired Aditya. I want to sleep." With that being said, Zoya removed Aditya's hands from her arms and fixed her pillow on the couch. Without another glance at Aditya, Zoya laid down on the couch and closed her eyes.

Aditya stood there for a moment. Not sure what to do anymore. Feeling defeated, Aditya walked back to his bed, laid down, and turned off the lights.

Late into the night, Zoya lay awake. She hasn't been able to sleep since the wedding night. How is it possible to sleep when the heart is broken? One's soul needed to be at peace for sleep to come...and Zoya's soul was in turmoil. There was too much pain...too much heartbreak...too many unanswered questions for Zoya.

Zoya heard someone shift, and when her eyes looked into the dark room she noticed Aditya getting off his bed. Zoya closed her eyes, pretending to sleep, but kept her ears perked to hear for his movements.

She heard Aditya's footsteps come closer to her and she tried her best to remain still. What happened next surprised her. Aditya gently picked up Zoya in his arms, bridal style, and walked over to the bed. He then placed her on the mattress, trying his best not to wake her, and then placed a blanket over her, tucking her in.

When Zoya felt it was safe to open her eyes, she saw that Aditya was lying down on the couch, getting into a comfortable position so he can go back to sleep.

Zoya continued to stare at Aditya's silhouette in the dark, trying to process what just happened...and not realizing that the sweet gesture touched her.

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Author's Note

Certain parts in this chapter where inspired by zoya's suicide track in the show...where adi tries to get a reaction out of her after the suicide attempt. everything I wrote in this chapter is mine...but the IDEA is from the show...so all copy rights for that goes to the writers. I want no credit for that.