As The Sun Sets

Chapter 13 - Thanks for being in my life 👝💐

Did Aditya just address me darling ? Why did it feel as if he was flirting with me? No way, I'm just having weird thoughts because of my tiredness after running here and there for days, that too for Aditya. He was flirting with Mahi last night but that was because she was a pretty girl, whom he got to know at his b'day party and later on who danced with him right? Does he even realize he was flirting with Mahi and not talking?

I haven't seen Aditya necessarily flirting with a girl before probably since I haven't seen him at his college and who are girls that he talks to as friends, that I've no clue. He only talks about Sameer, Anshumann and Daksh every day after he returns from college and when we meet. What if Aditya really has a 'girlfriend' about whom he has been hiding from every one? Is he that type of a person?

Geez Zoya, you need to stop overthinking nonsense because Aditya just said a while ago that he doesn't believe in 'pyaar and mohabbat', so why would he be having an affair with anyone? And why do I feel upset over his words? I'm Aditya's best friend and then again what did he mean when he just spoke to me minutes back?

Zoya couldn't help but ponder over Aditya's behaviour and Aditya had taken his hand off her shoulder by then which Zoya didn't realize. She was puzzled when she noticed that she was up on the attic at Aditya's house when she gained consciousness finally.

That's when the screen shifted to show a photograph of a tiny Zoya, who was just months old and lying inside her cot, sound asleep. Zoya's eyes glistened with happiness getting to know about Aditya's surprise for her.

She felt her heart beaming with happiness with the next picture which showed herself and Aditya, basically their first photograph together which was clicked by Harshwardhan where the two kids were seated on the old sofa that was placed on the Hooda's living room, back in time. Little Zoya and Aditya were looking at the camera, sitting at the corners of the sofa with no smile on their faces. Zoya chuckled remembering how hard it was to make her sit with Aditya, who was a stranger back then.

"Tu has rahi hai? Yaad hai is photo ko lene keliye Paa ne kitna try kiya aur Rosh aunty ko pareshani bhi hui tujhe convince karne keliye ki I'm not a monster jo tujhe khayega? Kitni badi buddhu thi tum Zozo!"

Aditya was chuckling to himself remembering Zoya's tantrums that he got to witness in her orange dress with two pigtails waving around, whenever she jumped up and down refusing to take the photograph with Aditya and Zoya nodded her head smiling.

"Ha aur Aditya, hume kaise patha ki Barney is not a monster! He's huge, purple and it wasn't a t-shirt of Barney that you were wearing for heavens sake. Hum do saal ke the aur hume kisi cartoon character ke baare mein kuch patha nahi tha. You were wearing that costume of Barney for a fancy dress competition aur jab aap ghar aaye toh hum vahi par the. Humare parents ko hum dono ki mulaqat yaadgaar banane keliye hum dono ki tasveer usi waqt hi kichani thi! I'm happy that snap exists anyway..."

"Ha Zoya, even I'm glad we took that photograph. Aisi unplanned incidents hi hum dono ke saath humesha hote aarahe hai! Arjun bhaiyya ne baad mein bataya ki tu Barney ko nahi jaanti, isliye darr gayi thi. Tu pagal thi par kamse kam woh din achchi memory toh bangayi, right?"

Aditya made a comment while teasing Zoya to which she slapped the back of his head softly and he started rubbing his head with a smile.

"Ouch, tu dekhna screen ko! No no, wait a sec. Before I forget, tere liye ek aur surprise hai mere pass. Rukh.."

With that Aditya walked down the attic and was gone for about five minutes. Zoya finished drinking her Pepsi and placed the can by her side when Aditya reached the attic with something hidden behind him. He had a cheeky smile on his lips.