FAASLE: Fan fic AsYa Part 19 pg 141 Jul 29 - Page 14

This is just so good. I m love with the plot. Please, continue soon and PM me whenever you do so.

Originally posted by: ..vidhi..

awesome update...love hw asad is already protecting zoya...continue soon!!!!!

Originally posted by: Enchantress

This is just so good. I m love with the plot. Please, continue soon and PM me whenever you do so.

~Dee~

PART 4:

Jahan main jaati hoon

wahin chale aate ho...

After calming his nerves from his interaction with Zoya, Asad walked down to the lower floors where the staff cabins were located. A windowless cabin with a folded twin bed and a tiny shower stall was enough for Asad's needs. Despite the lack of space, he had managed to arrange all his belongings in neat folds and hung his uniform in the space provided in the tiny closet. Known for his fetish for organization and neatness, his room represented the man he was. Always immaculately dressed, clean shaven with a spotless white uniform, clear headed and direct.

As he changed out of his uniform, a stain on his trousers annoyed him.

He stared at the stain and imagined what might have happened. While trying to light her cigarette, Zoya's drink had spilled a little. His nostrils flared at the thought, "of course she was really enjoying that drink! I bet that was her first time with alcohol. No wonder, she couldn't even control that glass. What a show off!"

Despite all his efforts, the stain didn't come off completely. His white trousers had been ruined. Thankfully, he had carried enough replacements. Once in Mumbai, he would have to get it thoroughly dry-cleaned. For some reason, he had a gut feel that this girl would create more problems for him; the stain was just the beginning.

"Allah kare, uska chehra phir na dekhna padhe. Mere liye aur museebat na khadi kare kahin." He sighed and stepped out of the cabin to check out the shops on the ship. He was off duty, and wanted to buy some gifts for ammi and Najma. They had never traveled abroad; this would be a good opportunity to pick some foreign knick-knacks.

At the same time, Zoya too decided to spend some cash at the shops. She wanted some quiet and peace after her clash with the Indian officer. He was being too inquisitive and she didn't want him to get suspicious about her escapade on the ship.

She checked out some clothes and jewelry, but nothing caught her fancy. Back home in NY, she was used to shopping at the best department stores. Her dad had given her freedom to spend as much as she wanted on clothes, accessories and jewelry as long it met his conservative tastes.

The swimsuit and summer wear shop caught her attention. Given her abbu's fear of water, Zoya had never learnt to swim properly. She had paddled in water at friend's houses but had never been allowed to swim in public. Her friends often sunbathed near the pool or at the beach. She recalled that the pool on the deck wasn't very deep. This was her chance to try it out and lounge at the pool-side like everyone else.

"Hola senorita!" An accented voice interrupted her thoughts, "can I help you with something?" A handsome Spaniard came forward, "I think you should wear the pink one." His piercing gaze made her a little uncomfortable, "come join me for a drink senorita! My cabin is on the 7^th floor." Not used to being courted by men so openly, she stepped away, "gracias! I am fine. I-I don't need any help."

"Alright senorita! Adios!" The man smiled flirtatiously and waved at her; "I am always available for beautiful women like you." Zoya nodded sheepishly and hid behind a section of sundresses, pretending to check them out.

Zoya had always envied her American friends for the freedom their parents had given them. She had heard her friends talk about their flings on vacations; how they had flirted with some random handsome guy. Her heart was still racing as she realized how easy it was to fall trap to such open flirtation.

At heart, she was still a 'Simran' from DDLJ. She had always dreamt of meeting her 'Raj' on a vacation in another country. Someone who would sing for her, sweep her off her feet, and give her the classic 'palat' look when they would say good byes at the airport. The Spaniard had scared her a little; he was no 'Raj' and she shuddered at the thought of what could happen if she was not cautious.

At the other end of the floor, Asad checked out some jewelry for his mom and sister. He turned around to check a pair of earrings on display, when he saw Zoya talking to a stranger in the store across the floor. On an impulse, he kept the earring down and wondered what she was up to now. He could tell by their body language that the man was aggressively pursuing Zoya, while she looked uncomfortable with his advances.

"Yeh ladki kuch bhi kahe, she is too immature. Wonder what that man wants?" His protective instinct kicked in; he left the jewelry store and started walking towards the summer wear store.

Zoya held a summer dress in front of her to shield herself from the Spaniard who was still gazing at her from a distance. As she lifted her gaze, she saw Asad advancing towards the store. His presence melted her fear but she gnashed her teeth angrily.

"Yeh officer phir mere peeche peeche kyun aa raha hai? Kahin bhi mujhey chain se nahin rehne deta. Kahin yeh abbu ka undercover spy tho nahin hai?" Zoya suspected that her father had sent Asad as a private detective. "Agar abbu mujhpar nazar rakh rahe hain, tho main bhi koi kam nahin hoon!" She mumbled to herself.

As if to spite Asad, she placed the dress back on the hanger and smiled at the Spaniard.

"I would love to join you for a drink senor!" With the corner of her eyes, she made sure Asad could see her.

"Ricardo! My name is Ricardo. My pleasure senorita," the Spaniard hooked her arm with his and walked out of the store with her. Hesitantly, Zoya let him lead the way, her arm tucked into the Spaniard's elbow.

Asad's temples throbbed with anger. "How immature!" Training in the defense services gave him a good sense of reading body language. He knew she was not going with the man willingly.

He saw they take the elevator. A bit worried, he showed his ID to the store manager and logged into the ship's passenger database. All the passengers had their passports scanned into the database. It didn't take much time to identify the man.

"Ricardo Reyes! Cabin 705!"

Asad had to make a quick decision. The cabin would be the most ominous place for Zoya; any other place would be safer as it would be open to the public. He decided to go for the cabin first.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Who is it?" A voice asked in Spanish.

"It's time for the emergency drill! Everyone out of their rooms!" Asad yelled back.

Ricardo opened the door partially, gave Asad an angry look, "I am busy here. Go away. Who are you?"

"I am one of the officers here. No exceptions. Everyone needs to attend the emergency drill on the top deck."

Ricardo growled but relented, "alright. I will be there is a few minutes," and tried to shut the door.

Asad placed his foot as a barrier; the door crushed his foot but didn't close. "I am sorry sir. No exceptions. Is there anyone else in the room with you?"

"NO!" Ricardo tried to push Asad away.

With all his force, Asad pushed back and yanked the door back. A trembling Zoya stood in the corner. A table with two wine glasses and an open bottle of wine with a small medicine-like bottle on the side raised an alarm in Asad's mind. The medicine bottle was probably some kind of drug that Ricardo was planning to mix in her drink.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Ricardo screamed back, "you can't force yourself in my room!"

"MS FAROOQUI! LEAVE!" Asad held the door open and walked in. He ignored the bellowing Spaniard and started angrily at Zoya. Her color pale, she continued to tremble in the corner, too frozen to move. In her heart, she thanked Allah for sending Asad at the right time, but she felt too embarrassed to say anything.

"AAP MERI BAAT SUN NAHIN RAHI HAIN?" Asad raised his voice.

"Aap mere peeche peeche kyon aa rahe hain?" Zoya averted her gaze and asked.

"Aapne suna nahin, emergency drills ho rahi hain? As an officer it's my duty to take all the passengers to the deck for the drill."

A frustrated Ricardo mouthed some foul words in Spanish and left the cabin.

"I don't need a drill. I am a great swimmer!" She crossed her arms and walked out of the cabin. She gathered her strength back as she realized Ricardo was no longer a threat.

"Even the best swimmers can drown in the sea."

"I can take care of myself!"

"Allah kare aapko kabhi samundar mein swim na karna padhe Ms. Farooqui! Aapko bachaane koi nahin aayega!" Asad yelled from behind.

She turned around and yelled back, "Allah kare agar main doob bhi rahi hoon na, tho aapse help kabhie na maangu! Doobna behtar hoga mere liye!"

"INSHALLAH!" He retorted.

With her heart in her mouth, she ran as fast as she could. She had narrowly escaped a disastrous situation and resolved that she would never act so foolish again. She was even more convinced that Asad was a private detective or a spy sent by her abbu to keep an eye on her. Even though she didn't like being followed, but thanked her abbu silently.

Asad checked out Ricardo's room to make sure there were no other clues. As he walked back, his pager went off.

'IMORTANT CALL FROM MUMBAI'

He feared the worst. What if something was wrong with ammi or Najma? He rushed to the office to take the call behind closed doors.

"Hello Asad! This is Admiral Arora." Asad was relieved to hear that it was an official call.

"Yes sir!"

"I know you are on vacation but we have just received a message from Interpol. There might be a couple of drug dealers on your cruise ship."

"What?" Asad was stunned.

"They are a part of a larger international gang. One of them might be a woman."

With a frown on his face, he clenched the phone firmly, "what do I need to do sir?"

"Just keep an eye. If you see anyone suspicious, just send us a message."

"Absolutely sir. I will be vigilant." He hung up but his mind was already doing somersaults.

As he pondered, he scratched his head trying to recall what he had just seen in Ricardo's room. "A man and a woman'suspicious'drug dealers." His heart didn't want to believe it, but he wondered if that's why Zoya had caught his attention. There was always something mysterious and suspicious about her.

He logged into the computer and searched for her passport.

"MS ZOYA FAROOQUI." She had a US passport. It was an international gang, so that was possible.

Unfortunately, unlike the Indian passports, the US passports never listed the father's or spouse's name.

He checked the address and mapped it on Google maps.

"Chinatown address?" Why would an Indian Muslim girl live in Chinatown? It didn't add up.

His worst fears were coming true. This girl was not as innocent as she seemed. Was she really a member of that gang? Ricardo was her partner? Was she just putting up a faade just to mislead him?

His heart said otherwise. He wanted more evidence. "Let me search for her name."

Asad did a Google search on ZOYA FAROOQUI but came up with no results.

His heart sank as he thought he had been fooled all along. Suddenly, his protective instincts were replaced by his defensive instincts. He would have to corner the duo, follow them closely and if they were guilty, he would make sure that they would get arrested at the nearest port.

He sank into his chair and pounded his fists on the armrests, "never trust an innocent face again Asad."

'.to be continued'.

loved the update...the story just got more interesting...and this time, i don't want to predict wat might happen next...do update sooon...

Verh interesting. Please continue sooon.

Great chapter, the story is becoming more intriguing with the introduction of drug dealers, Interpol, and more misunderstandings between Asad & Zoya.

fabulous update di!!!!

story is getting more nd more interesting with each part!!!!

the convo in which they talk about drowning nd all...was it like the meteor shower scene...i mean is it going to come true...zoya will drown nd asad will save her???

UPDATE DI 👏👏

Thanks for the PM. Really enjoying it. Asad was in his protective mode again and loved it how he sensed Zoya might be in some danger and hence the emergency drill scenario. And with the drug dealers bit you've put in, it is getting more and more interesting. Waiting for more 😊