Zoya was sitting in her room, grooming Billu when her phone rang. Carelessly grabbing it, she watched it ring. It was a private number. She didn't know who it was and why they were calling her. Curiosity was killing her, but she didn't do calls even if it was her Baba calling her. But then Baba usually called to ask her to open the gate. If calls were from unknown numbers the chances of her picking the phone reduced to zero.

Mujhe yeh mere personal number pay kon call kar raha hai ? ( Who is calling on my personal number?)

Bhai? Par bhai nay tu bola tha k jahan woh ja rahain hain wahan signals nai hoon gay. Bhai tu nai ho saktay. ( Bhai? But bhai said that he was going to remote areas where network didn't work. It cant be bhai! )

Mama Baba dono ghar hain . Sub kheriyat hai. Phr kon hai jo private number say call kar raha hai. ( Mama Baba are both at hum. Everything is fine. The who can be calling on this number?)

Koi agency ka banda tu nai!!! ( Some one from the agency?)

Bhai nay mana bhi kiya tha, Zoya army k khilaf memes na post kiya karo. It's a criminal offense.

( Bhai stopped me from posting anti-army memes)

Getting up from her bed, Zoya tiptoped to the window. Staring down at the empty road she took a breath of relief. There was no black Vigo waiting for her.

Then who?

She was still trying to figure out who, when she got a text from the number.

Uff Allah, this person knows my name! Duh Zoya its no biggie. He might have that true caller app. But but he knows my ringtone too...

With shaking hands,she typed another message.

Holding her phone in her hand she smiled as she waited for his message.

She was acting like a schoolgirl whose crush had just texted her. Truth be told she had expected him to forget her. Although she hadn't. She had stared at their pictures from Mehndi and Valima. Mehdni pictures when they were dancing were kinda cute. And she might have even edited them just for herself and saved them into the Snapchat vault. She wasn't in love with him. No no no ! But their Mendi photos had come out so cute that she had edited them and saved them after doing the "Kya bakwas picture hai meri. Isi kharoos k sath pair karna tha mujhe "( Crappy pictures ! You guys had to pair me with this snob!) drama on the video chat with her friends.

If you can tell your friends about the crush , then are you even friends. She had been the one making fun of her friends crushes so she definately knew it wasn't wise to tell them about Irtaza. Defo when they themselves have been plotting to get her and Irtaza togather.

Gosh!!! Did he just ask for my permission! Why is he acting all cute.

Zoya, you are forgetting all the bezati(insult) . Remember he said to Sara that he doesnt like you.

He needs help .....insaniyat ki khatir kar rahi hoon yeh sub . ( I am doing all this for sake of humanity)

Insaniyat ki khatir hi(Because of humanity) you are losing your shit and chanting cute cute cute . Haina ?

Her phone pinged again after 3 minutes and this time it was an audio message. That too 1 min long. Zoya touched the screen to play his audio and soon his voice echoed in her room.

" Okay I know this is weird. Like really really weird but you are the only person I think who can help me with. Minaal wants to get married. Can you believe it ? She is just a kid. I don't know from where she got the idea. Actually, I know. Hashim's wedding got to her head. She wants to get married, and Ammi can't see the issue."

"Ammi ko samaj nai arahi abhi woh bachi hai. Parhai bhi complete nai hoe uski. Is saal uska final year projects hoon gay. Kese karay ge? Shadi ki zimadariyan. Sauhar ka khayal?"

(Ammi isn't getting it. She is just a kid. She aint even graduated. This year she got her hands full with FYPS how is she going to manage a husband and all those wifey things? )

"She wouldn't be able to manage it. You need to convince her!" He said in one breath.

Zoya smiled. And then replayed his voice note. He really did sound distraught. But she found all that cute. He was losing his calm just because his baby sister wanted to get married. That was all it took to make the 'cucumber guy' uncool.

She knew this Menu ki shadi was coming and was actually glad that Minaal had taken her advice to make it halal. Going through her gallery she found the picture that suited the situation most.

SHIT SHIT SHIT !!! CUTIE... I Called him cutie. What if he thinks I am flirting. Oh no....

Zoya stared hard at the scene of her phone and at the emoji ! This was the first emoji he had used and she found that immensely adorable.

Did he just use an emoji . Uff Irtaza stop acting cute . I am already simping real bad. Is this the time to tell him that his sister was advised by me to get married....

No !!!! NEVER. Just try to make him realize that it's a good thing. Bus! Aur koi bakwas karnay ki zaroorat nai hai.

And why did you have to call him cute do dafa. He is going to think you are a shameless flirt!

Par woh tu main hoon.

Grabbing her phone, she began typing only to erase the essay she had typed. What was she supposed to say in response to the face palm emoji? Frustrated she threw her head in her hands as she waited for his text.Hoping he would text. Her phone pinged again and she opened the message.

Shoot! Now pretend you don't know. Otherwise, he is going to know you are behind it.

Phir tu gae kam say.

I think I have overdone it.

What a crap acting that was.

If he finds out, you are dead.

I dont think he will. Considering he thinks I am real 'smart'

Zoya stared at her phone hard after sending the final text of 'khuda hafiz'. It would be a lie if she said she hadn't thought about him in the months. She stared at the chats. Then saved his contact as "Mr Stuck Up suits" . Why was she smiling like a freak? He wasn't a crush. But he could be. A voice told her. Throwing her head back in the pillow she closed her eyes.

After five minutes her phone pings again and she sits up in bed all excited.

The next morning Zoya kept checking her phone every now and then. Sitting at the breakfast table she wondered what if he came to a conclusion on not.

"Zoya !" Her mother shouted, shaking her head she turned towards her mother who was looking at her sharply.

"Adhe ghanta say awaz day rahi hoon. Zoya nashta kar lo samnay rakha hai thanda ho raha hai . Lekin Zoya k kan pay joo nay nai raing rahi"

(I have been shouting for 30 minutes. Zoya breakfast is waiting, but Zoya's ghost isn't even listening)

"Sorry. Woh main kuch soch rahi the....( I was wool gathering)" She said as she smiled at her mother ruefully.

The practice of staring at her phone and zoning out continued throughout the day. Her colleagues thought that there was something seriously wrong with her but didn't voice it out.

At night after dinner she sat on her desk checking the assignments, but no matter what she did , her mind kept going back to him.

Frustrated with herself , she pulled her hair.

Masala kya hai is banday ka. ( What is wrong with this guy)

Kahin sakoon nai lenay detay ( Cant let me have peace )

Ab mushwara manga that u batana nai tha k kya faisla kiya ( Should have told me what he decided to do after asking for an advice)

Should I text him and ask him?

Nai pagal ho kya..... ( Are you crazy)

You'd look like needy , attention seeker

Needy tu hoon main ! Kahin dehan nai lag raha. ( I am needy. I cant focus on anything)

What if he thinks you are getting 'extra friendly' with him.....

What if he considers you a bother ?

What if he......

Stop !!! I am not texting him. Kush !

Closing the flap of her laptop, she took her headphones and lied in her bed. She wasn't in mood to listen to cheery songs so she went with Indie's instead. Shamoon Ismail's "Taare" played as she closed her eyes and let her brain rest.

"Takdaaa main teriiii rahhhhh", she sang out loud .

The song was playing when he her phone pinged. Sitting in her bed, she quickly grabbed the phone from the side table when she had placed it.

Ufone ! She hissed staring at the screen !

Funk off ! Nai chahiye mujhe free minutes. Nai hai mera koi bae jis say raat ko baat karon ! AJeeb ! ( I don't need free minutes. I have no bae who I am going to call. )

With exasperation she placed the phone back on the side table.

"Meow" her cat called her as he walked with grace and curled to her side begging for her attention.

"Kya hua mere chotu ? Ajj tumhare bhi dost nai aye ?"( What happened? Even your friends ditched you?) She asked as she rubbed his chin with her index finger.

"Hain he saray begairt." (Everyone is a bish) She spoke .

"Koi baat nai. I got you. You got me. "

"Meoww!" her cat said in agreement and Zoya couldn't help but smile. Grabbing Billu she kissed him on the top of his head as she squeezed him hard.

Her phone pinged again. But this time she wasn't thrilled as she reached for it.

She shouldn't have replied foran (immediately) to him. She wanted to pretend that she was busy and hadn't spent whole day waiting for his message. But she couldn't help it. Grabbing her phone, she replied.

Cute ! DID HE JUST CALL ME CUTE ! But everyone calls me cute. I wanna be hot ! Not cute. UFF ZOYA ! FOCUS FOCUS !

She didn't know why she was in such a great mood. But she was. Was it the start of their friendship because it definitely felt like it? Putting her phone aside, Zoya got up from the bed and opened her laptop again. She now hummed happy tunes and in her happy mood she might have been a little too lenient on the plagiarized assignments. Radhika's dad from Desi boyz had said, "Haar rishtay main ek galti tu maaf hoti hai" ( In every relationship, one mistake is forgivable ! ) and in this student teacher relationship, she could forgo cheating.