' The car is out of benzin,' said Aly as he made a u turn towards the petrol station.
'Do you want to have hotdog at the gas station?'
'Yes, I am a little hungry. '
'What , the Mr . BT did not feed you!' he said mockingly as he raised his eyebrow.
' Well, he did offer us drinks but i refused and he had just shifted,' replied Zara as she exhaled.
'Feed me , please .'
They would always eat the chilli hotdog at the station together as Aly was of course always hungry, given the build he had and the amount of work out he did.
' I didn't get to eat much today from all the running,' replied Zara.
'You aren't eating much, i noticed,' he said as he parked the car near the petrol pump.
'No i am, i really am,' she said a little panicked.
' I did for a while to be honest, but lately all are feeding me including you. So i am much taken care of,' she stated gullibly.
' Aaaacha ji,' he said Aly as a matter of fact in her language. He had picked a few phrases and letters from her hindi whenever he heard her speak to her Indian friends and he did date one of them. The relation ended as her friends internship was over and both parties mutually opted out for a long distance relationship.
Half an hour had passed since they had finished their hot dog and they were both leaning at the car bonnet and looking up at the sky. It was almost nine and dusk was settling. There were golden hues in the sky and Aly took out his phone to take a picture of the clouds. Zara leaned over to see his shot and as expected of a professional photographer. The picture was great.
'You have still got it,' she spoke.
'Yeah, i just wanted to do this and other stuff as well,' came the honest reply.
'I cannot completely rely on this and well business does need attention.'
'I relied too much on Adam, I travelled, I fucked around a little where as he worked and worked and married. And now he has kids with whom he hardly gets to spend time with.'
'With the third one coming now, he needs a breather and i need to step up,' he said as he folded his hands while looking at the sky getting darker.
'Aly, what's this about?' Zara leaned in closer looking at him.
There was something else in his eyes, for some reason he did not look like the carefree Aly. He looked like someone preparing for the next step.
He just shrugged and Zara got to que not to interrogate him further.
'I won't be surprised if one day one of you might find Serena making the kid wear a dog collar,' she said casually. The silence was making are uncomfortable.
'Ash told me you guys will be sharing an apartment,' said Aly straight out .
'You can stay in the studio as long as you want and i am sure even if you stay with Selena it isn't a problem.'
'I know it isn't, but its just that,'replied Zara but was cut by Aly who spoke a little assertively.
'Why do you have to spend so much time with Ash and Leo and move in with one of them?'
'Wait, Aly first of all my reason are the same as yours. I am working with them. I do not want to burden Selena and especially when i am taking up a lot of their personal space. And for the studio, i cannot stay there because i want my home and working space apart and if you don't mind can i keep using it?'
'You guys are close eh?' she understood.
'Also, i will never share your apartment because you are as messy as Johnny bravo!'
'Bravo!!' laughed Aly
' and you have your personal life to cater too.... ,'Zara was about to say all that but she stopped, her face looked like a red ballon when she got mad at Aly which didn't always happen. That both went quiet for a moment and she spoke again.
'Aly, i wanted to tell you. But things have been so confusing and you were so stressed lately.'
'Everything has been so hectic since...,'
'Since you met Leo,' said Aly as he completed her sentence.
'No since i fainted the other day.'
' There is a part of my life which just evaporated and you all know it and have seen it.'
'And then there were these images and scenes which pooped up in my head they ... they terrified me Aly.'
'What images?' asked Aly with worry laced over his face.
' Something tells me Ash and Leo were part of that as well and i know you know but you and Selena keep to your selves. I am not an idiot.'
'It is exactly because you fainted that we don't say much. We just don't want you to go back in that phase again.'
'I cannot Zara, i cannot see you like that,' he said urgently as he held on to her with urgency, more like begging her.
Then he continued speaking.
'Especially knowing that there was nothing i could do or say.'
'Yes, you and Ash knew each other not directly, as you know she and Adam were getting married but then everything went down hill and things went out of control and I...I...could not do anything about it all.'
'Ash says i was a kid, but you were too Zara.'
'Why did it have to be you?' he said regretfully.
Zara realized he was talking about the unfaithful night when they all had found her gravely injured.
' We are all just happy that we are all out of that time, and Selena and i, we love you very much. Last time when you disappeared in India. You have no idea how difficult it was for us to take in what you went through. Selena went hysterical and I just wish we had come there sooner to had taken you with us, then your would not have gone through what you did, ' he said with clenched teeth and Zara could see the pain he went through all worried for her.
She stopped him then and there.
'I am sorry, Aly,'
'I am sorry to both of you for causing you to worry for me', she said to him holding on to him.
But Aly held on to his stance and continued, he wanted to address it in a go.
'There is a part of you that knew Ash and Leo but the part of you who is knowing them now is equally greater and more meaningful.'
'Zara… I know… Knowing how uneasy the whole situation of us all getting together like this after years. It makes me... well it makes me a little uneasy. Especially how Adam and Ash had to cancel their wedding and you and Selena.. Well maybe ... i dont know,' he seemed frustrated.
It seemed to Zara he wanted her to give up on her efforts in finding what had happened exactly and now it seemed they all went through some shit somewhat around the same time and she was too dozed out under heavy medicines even after she had regained consciousness .
Zara remembered that the first thing she asked Aly privately after she woke up was if she were assaulted? And as she said that in an effort to make him laugh he had started crying and then she found out form her doctor that there was no assault but they had found her badly injured and the trauma had shaken her up and Zara decided not to ever bring up the issue with Aly again, he seemed to take all the guilt over himself and she knew none of what happened was his fault, it could never be.
'Well, i do have to tell you something?' she said looking at her shoes. Her heels were killing her, she made a mental note of wearing block heels or sport shoes tomorrow. She then looked at the side and then finally looked at him.
'Well, we kissed. We have been kissing a bit here and there.'
Zara went quite after saying what she had been wanting to say and looked up expectantly at Aly who took in sharp breath.
'Tell me he didn't get agressive with you,'asked Aly looking like he would murder Leo if he hurt her.
'No, well we were a bit agressive today, but it was more like i don't know. We were both into it,' she said as if admitting some mistake to her grandfather when he caught her doing something she musn't.
'Well, why would you think him aggressive, he actually asked for my consent for the first time.'
Seriously Aly, have you know no faith in me?' she said a little ruffled.
'Firstly, that is too much information Zara, and you have Selena for that.'
' And I am going to kill that bastard,' said Aly while he gritted his teeth.
Zara giggled a little at the intertia of their conversation.
'So this isn't the first time?' he asked a little amused.
'No, we kissed first at the umm club and you were all at the dance floor and you know how i cannot cope well in crowd and well Leo stayed behind and he asked me if he cold kiss me and then we...'
'Woah... i got the gist Zara,' said Aly.
They went quiet for a moment and Zara finally interrupted the silence.
'Well, what is it?'
'You don't like him? I thought you did?'
'No i do like him, he is Adams best mate and i have known the guy for ages.
'Growing up i used to look up at them both. I used to think him very cool with and how casually he acted like he did not give a rats ass .'
'Really?'
'Yeah, i mean they were the only adults at the time in school i had around me,' he stated it as a matter of fact.
'I noticed you taking a liking to him and thats why i told you his past entanglement with Selena. '
Aly scratched his head thinking hard to say what he wanted to.
'Well, i am waiting,' encouraged Zara.
'Leo, is a little unpredictable. I remember Adam once told me that he has the best heart but i always saw something diabolical about him. He was always best at everything and i am not talking about his work. He has been there for Aly when they were at school together. He was the scary senior no one messed with, he owned all the fights and all the girls used to swarm towards him.'
'But then he changed, more like disappeared for an year and Adam went ballistic looking for him.'
'and finally when he came back, he was the same Leo but he was not. He will act in the best interest of the people he loves without letting them know but the same time he might appear twisted until you are not the same space as him. Like Adam has been… nothing to dwell into much. But that was long time ago.'
'I never bothered much about it as he and Adam bullied me the same and protected me the same.'
'You know i wasn't this ...,'
'Beastly,' teased Zara as they both laughed about it as once Selena showed her him adolescent pic and he was stick.
'Did he say anything to Selena?' asked Zara.
'Well that when he and Selena stared dating and then ...well,' said Aly as he stopped short.
'Bottom line, its your choice.'
' I am always here for you for everything,' said Aly as he gestured a bow.
'I should get going now, have an early morning start,' saying that Aly gave a her a tight squeeze and left.
Zara went upstairs to the studio and looked at herself in the mirror as she talked to herself. Should i let go of the past and build a new me.
She shook her head thinking a half moon is a half moon and a full moon is full moon.
I am not listening to anyone but myself. But she did not want to hurt her friends. For now she decided she will keep things to herself.
But she will hurt the people who loved her so much. She cannot risk the happiness they have and would like to protect it.