Secrets And Lies [Completed]

52. bad idea

Song of the chapter is
False God by Taylor Swift

-52-
-Zoya Afreen-
-Present-

____________

Duggal Residence
9 December, 2030
5:30 p.m

As I keep my eyes trained at the murder board in his office, Officer Ravi offers me a slice of the mouth watering pepperoni pizza that we had mutually decided to order an hour ago, after an onslaught of arguments about the appetizing quality of pepperoni over barbeque pizza.

And as usual, I had won the argument with pepperoni.

"You've designed this quite aptly, Ravi. I must say." I commented as I glanced at my picture safely pinned up under the victim list. "Although you could've picked a better picture for me."

He chuckled under his breath as he came and stood next to me. "My apologies, miss."

"Apology accepted." I smirked at him. "Next time, I'll provide you with the best one myself."

"The next time?" He laughed. "I'm sorry, how many more times do you want to be on a murder board, Zoya?"

"Well with me, you'll never know." I shrugged, finishing off the crust. "The thing is... I lack patience...to the core. Like, I'm as patient as a potato. So if someone gets on my bad side,... only Allah knows what consequences would await them."

He puckered his lips in understanding.

"So you're saying that you have a potential to kill? Or at best.... harm someone?" He asked next. I glanced at him gingerly.

"Are you interrogating me right now, Officer?" I asked, in a ludicrous seductive tone. "Am I in trouble?"

"No,.... I'm just thinking."

"Thinking what?"

"Whether I should move your picture from the victim list....to the suspect list?" He replied, equalling my tone. A blush crept up my cheeks.

I held my chest and gasped dramatically, feigning accusation. "Are you suspecting that I'm the killer?"

"I wouldn't put it past you." Ravi responded, laughing slightly.

I gasped even harder. "Well, I'll be damned."

As we both fell into laughter, the air around us changed. It was almost as if for that moment, I wasn't Zoya Afreen, and he wasn't a freaking police officer. For a second, we were just two people.... laughing at the absurdity of life in all.

God knew how much I had craved these moments of normalcy.

"But on a serious note, though....your suspicion makes sense." I said, as our laughs died down slowly. "How do you know that I'm not the killer?"