She lets out a deep breath, watching it fog up in front of her face, the cold air whipping through her hair.
"I don't hate you, you know?" She says, and he almost doesn't hear her, words lost in the wind.
He chuckles softly and rubs his hands together, his eyes bright and hers dark, and her lips rubbed red and cheeks flushed. "I find that hard to believe," He replies and there's a tight wistfulness in his voice that almost breaks her heart.
"You're just mildly annoying sometimes," Her bland attempt at softening the mood doesn't quite work, and his face is set of stone as he shifts closer to her almost inconspicuously and she could almost feel his body heat in the cold.
"So are you."
"I said I was sorry, Mr. Khan!"
"I don't want your apologies, Ms. Farooki!" He bit back at her, blinking back unnecessary tears, and there was a knot in his throat he couldn't swallow. "I don't care if you're sorry! Your apologies don't mean anything. Just go back to your stupid games," He whispered and she grabbed his wrist as he tried to walk away from her.
He didn't pull back so much he was surprised by her move, but just stood there, watching her unblinkingly.
"Just hear me out for a second, please," She muttered and he still couldn't move, although she had enough common sense to pull her wrist out of his grip. "I really didn't mean to humiliate you, or Tanveer. I just – I just really... I really..." She trailed off and swallowed, and he just continued to watch her with raised eyebrows. "Just admit you like me? Please?" She begged and for a brief second, his heart softened and he couldn't look at her face.
But it was only for a second, and then he scowled and shook his head. "You're a child, Zoya. And I can't fall in love with a child," He said, and then he was walking away, missing the completely crestfallen look on her face, and the sound of her heart breaking in her chest.
"I'm not annoying!" She retorts indignantly, although a small smile lingers on her lips, but his face is as stiff as ever.
"You're right, you're not annoying. You're rude and cynical, and you broke my heart." He finally replies and his voice breaks her heart.
She looks away from his face, onto the horizon descending over the grounds, and thinks he's not serious, she didn't break his heart, he was a liar, he doesn't care, and yet the look on his face is making funny knots in her stomach and her heart beat a million times faster.
"I never meant to."
"It was because of Tanveer, wasn't it?" She finally says, and his gaze snaps back to her. "You like her, don't you?"
He's taken aback from what she says and for a moment, he's lost for words. "I – I – what – no – I don't, how dare you –"
She chuckles and her dimpled grin melts his heart. "I don't like Tanveer. I might have, once...but not anymore." He finally says and she nods slowly, brushing a stray eyelash from his cheek, her fingers lingering only a second too long, and he hasn't noticed how close she has gotten.
"But she likes you, doesn't he? Might always will..." She trails off, and he thinks the expression she's wearing is almost pained.
"Do you?"
"I love you!"
She grinned as Najma ran up and hugged her tightly, thanking her for the Diwali present she always wanted, and she could almost feel Asad's eyes burning a hole in the back of her head.
She turned around and caught his gaze and he didn't even look embarrassed at being caught staring. He smiled almost imperceptibly, and she couldn't look away from his face.
"Zoya!" The sound of her name snapped her out of her trance and she looked back at Najma and smiled, taking her present from her friend, and brushing away the image of his burning eyes.
Later, when the fire had died down and everyone had gone to bed, he came and sat by her side, setting two mugs of coffee between them.
She looked at him, her eyes wide and questioning and he smiled softly.
"Happy Diwali."
"No, I don't love you," He replies and she can't explain the sadness that washes over her. "I don't even know you, Zoya."
"Do you want to?" She asks and he frowns.
"Do I want to what?" He asks and she takes a step forward, the tip of their shoes touching, their chest moving at the same rhythm.
"Love me? Know me? Hug me? Kiss me? Marry me?"
He smiles softly. "Can I start with one thing?"
Her heart beats madly and thoughts of - this is it, he's going to, he's going to kiss me - run wildly through her head and her tongue is parched as he takes a step closer to her. "What's that?" She breathes, and his smile makes her heart swell to an abnormal size in her chest.
"I want to hug you."
He doesn't give her a chance to react, instead wraps her up in his arms, feeling every sinew of her form, running his hands down her back, through her hair, across her face, and she almost wants to cry.
He is so warm and he is kissing the top of her head, and her forehead and her nose and her cheeks and her eyes, and she is turning into a pile of mush in his arms, the only thing she's capable of doing is holding on to him, holding on for dear life.
His lips finally reach hers and he suddenly stops, not moving at all, only touching his lips to hers and she has never felt so connected to anyone in her life.
"In order to marry you, I have to love you, and to love you I have to know you, and to know you I have to kiss you, and to kiss you I have to hug you."
Nonsense, complete nonsense to her ears. She can't pay attention to what he's saying, not when his lips and tongue kept brushing against hers, not when his cold hands were sliding beneath her shirt, pressing against the small of her back, not when the delicious smell of soap and grass and snow were filling her nose.
"That girl is so annoying," Asad was complaining, as he furiously paced back and forth. "How dares she accuse me of – of taking part, in completely, completely illicit activities with Tanveer –"
Najma chuckled, cutting off her brother's angry tirade. "Illicit activities? Honestly Asad, she only asked if the reason you were late for the meeting was because you were helping Tanveer prepare a sandwich."
Asad growled. "Stupid, insolent riff-raff. I hate her bloody guts."
Najma shook her heard amusedly, and smiled. "Actually, I do believe you two will be married someday."
Asad scowled. "Over my dead body."