Ayesha's P.O.V:

I slowly open my eyes as I turn onto my side. I search the empty side beside me until I can feel my phone, I pick it up and press the only button on the screen of my S5.

The bright colours hit my eyes like acid and I close them almost immediately. I wait for a few seconds before I decide to try again, when I look at the screen it says seven o'clock. I put the phone aside and try to go back to sleep but it's as if the sleep has vanished.

I sit up and wrap my arms around my legs pulling them closer towards me while I rest my head on top of my knees. I look at the mirror on my left side and stare at myself until my vision becomes clear.

I stay like that for minutes just staring at myself, one mind says I should lie down whereas the other says I should go and freshen up. I decide to go with the latter and I pull the duvet off.

I get out of bed and stretch before I start making my bed; I fold the duvet covers and put them alongside the edge of my bed then I head into the bathroom.

After I've finished brushing my teeth and washed my face, I go downstairs to watch some TV.

Third person P.O.V:

As Ayesha flicks through the different TV channels, the home phone starts ringing.

At first she ignores it and continues watching the songs playing on B4U music but when the phone continues ringing she slowly gets up from the sofa.

As she gets up she mumbles, "Who's this, calling at half seven in the morning? Don't people have other work to do than gossip?"

She angrily strolls to phone, hoping it would stop ringing by the time she reaches it.

However, to her luck or bad luck, the phone just keeps ringing.

Ayesha's P.O.V:

I press the receive button and take a deep breath to calm myself.

"Hello," I say in an uninterested tone.

"Hey, it's Abhi," he says softly and I feel my posture change.

My disinterest is replaced with curiosity, why did it take him so long to pick up the phone and dial a number, I wondered as I stood frozen to the spot.

"Ayesha?"

"Hmm, I'm here," I say quickly.

"It took you a while to dial a number didn't it?" I ask bluntly.

"So, you were waiting for me to call?" He asks, and I could bet there's a smirk on his lips as he said that.

I scoff, "No."

"Aww, it's ok. You can tell me if you were missing me, I won't judge," he says playfully.

I roll my eyes, "Nothing like that, just Aayat and Ulfat were saying you had something important to tell me so..." I pause, I needed to think of a way to say it without making it sound like I missed him or I'd been waiting for him to call.

"So?" He asks, breaking my trance.

"What did you have to say?" I ask with genuine interest.

He doesn't say anything and I know it's my turn to make him stutter.

"Please don't say you're in love with me," I say with a gasp.

"I mean I know I'm quite irresistible but still," I add while I try to contain my laughter, thinking about it I'm quite resistible...

Anyway, I bet Abhi would be bright red right now, I wish I could see his face.

Abhimanyu's P.O.V:

I stayed awake the whole night, not even for a second did I blink.

My senses had never been so alert before, I'm not the type of guy who stays awake thinking about girls but I've found one who has aroused my curiosity and rightly so.

I used to think she's shy and damn cute. She's cute but shy? No! Yeh toh pura item bomb hai (she's a firecracker), I mean which girl doesn't like Rohan and admits to it so openly?

Maybe that's what I like about her, she's so straightforward... She says what she thinks as if there's no filter in her mind and you know what the best thing is about her?

She's kept that little child inside her alive and believe me, when you get to see glimpses of it you're left spellbound.

Is it just me or do I sound like I'm in love?

Well, newsflash, I'm not. I just enjoy her company.

* * F l a s h b a c k * *

As I walked towards Rohan's house all I could think of was talking to her again, I wanted to hear her voice but how? She didn't even give me her number.

She said, "If you want it you'll have to work for it."

Maybe she wants to talk to me too but she's playing hard to get?

You know how these girls are, they say something but mean something completely different.

I get an idea and pull my phone out of my pocket. I log onto my Facebook and look for Aayat in my friends list.

I find her name 'Aayat Haider,' without thinking I quickly type out a message and send it to her.

Hey, I was wondering if you could give me Ayesha's number? I really need to talk to her, it's important.

I wait for a while, just pacing Rohan's front garden as I wait for a reply.

I look at the time I sent the message.

"It's been two minutes already!" I mentally shout.

I decide to send the same message to Ulfat, she replies after a few minutes but she gives me Ayesha's home number. I mean who does that? Well, at least she replied.

***

I look at the message, "Should I call her?" I ask myself.

"Dude, seriously? How long are you going to stare at that screen?" Rohan's sudden voice startles me and I juggle my phone between two hands.

I look at him and he throws the wireless phone at me.

As I catch it he says, "Just dial the number and press green. Simple."

"What if her mum picks it up?" I ask him.

"It could be her dad too," he suggests and I glare at him.

"Look, if you think so much, someone else will dial that number and say what you have to. Now come on, you can do this." Wow, I never thought Rohan could say something so inspirational.

"Thanks Rohan," I smile at him.

"No problem, but who's the girl?" He asks me.

What, I thought he knew?

"Ayesha..." I say slowly and his smile fades, his forehead creases and he frowns at me.

"You like that... that khatta nimbo (sour lemon)?" he asks me in shock.

"Don't you?" I smirk at him.

"She's not my type," he says as he fans himself.

"Or should we say, you're not her type?" I shoot back.

He glares at me, "We'll see how much you talk when she picks up the phone but that can only happen if you call her," he snaps at me.

"Yeah, yeah," I say as I dial the number.

The phone rings and I squeeze the stress ball in my hand as I wait for her to answer.

"The number you have dialled is currently unavailable, please try again later." An automated voice says.

I hang up and look at Rohan, "What happened?" He asks me.

I shake my head, he sits beside me and rests his hand on my shoulder. I look at him and he's smirking at me, "Looks like the other guy beat you to it."

I grab the pillow beside me and smack him with it.

"Alright, alright, I was just joking!" Rohan says and I stop.

He gets up and runs to the door, "I bet they've already been to 'Thailand'," his voice echoes behind him as he runs out of the bedroom.

I wonder what he meant by 'Thailand?'

* * F l a s h b a c k f i n i s h e s * *

I look at the wireless phone laying beside me, I pick it up and dial Ayesha's home number. I think it's time we talk.

The phone starts ringing and I wait patiently for her to answer. Well, I hope it'll be her.

The phone just keeps ringing, I pick up my mobile phone from the bedside table and take a look at the time.

Shit, it's seven thirty! I doubt they'll be awake; I should have thought about this before I dialled the number I think to myself.

I'm about to hang up when I hear a voice on the other side, "Hello."

Wow, she does not sound happy. Well, that's what you get for calling so early.

"Hey, it's Abhi," I say and wait for her to say something.

The phone goes silent and I wonder, 'Has she hung up on me?'

"Ayesha?" I call her name.

"Hmm, I'm here," she says quickly.

"It took you a while to dial a number didn't it?" She adds.

See, told you she's straightforward.

"So, you were waiting for me to call?" I ask as a smirk makes its way onto my lips.

She scoffs and denies it, "No."

"Aww, it's ok. You can tell me if you were missing me, I won't judge," I say as I can't resist a little teasing.

She begins saying,"Nothing like that, just Aayat and Ulfat were saying you had something important to tell me so..." She pauses.

"So?" I ask her.

"What did you have to say?" She asks me.

I pause to think, I had nearly forgotten about them.

When I was asking both Aayat and Ulfat for Ayesha's number I'd known they'll tell her that I had. I guess it's kind of what I wanted. I wanted to know whether she was as excited to talk to me as I was to talk to her.

I liked talking to her but I didn't know why, although I knew it wasn't because I was in love with her.

However, my actions were beginning to contradict my words. A prime example of this was last night, why did I go back to wish her good night? And that hug, what was I thinking?

"Please don't say you're in love with me," she says with a gasp.

My jaw drops as she says that and I wonder, 'How does she know what I was thinking about?'

She continues, "I mean I know I'm quite irresistible but still."

I can sense the humour in her tone and I relax. When I look up, I see I'm bright red in the mirror.

I let out a little chuckle and say, "Honestly, till last night I had nothing I really needed to say but now I do."

I had thought about everything in such detail, I'd managed to prepare a mini speech due to all the thinking I had done.

"I'm listening," she says and I begin my speech.

"I don't know where to begin. Last night I spent a lot of my time thinking. I realised, we've wasted three years living in a bubble, literally! We thought this and that about one another but we never bothered to get to know each other.

I used to think you're this shy girl but clearly you're not, you're much more than that and I want to get to know you for who you are.

Also, I know you're probably thinking I'm being desperate but the way I see it is, tomorrow I don't want to regret the fact I didn't try. So what say, will you give me the opportunity to know you?"

Okay, what the hell did I just say? I think I have verbal diarrhea.

I sit and wait for her to say something.

"Wow, that was quite a speech. You could have simply said, 'Will you be my friend?' To be honest, you don't even have to ask. We're like unspoken friends," she says in response.

Ok, she thinks we're friends, that's good.

"Actually, that was supposed to be the moment you gave me your number," I indirectly ask for her phone number.

She giggles, "Yeah, it's 078********"

I send her a text with my name so she has my number too.

I yawn and it occurs to me how tired I am.

"I'm going to get some sleep, talk to you later," I tell her.

Ayesha's P.O.V:

"Talk to you later," I say as I hang up.

I put the phone on charge and sit down to watch some TV.

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Author's note:

~ As promised, here's a long chapter. (Just wanted to inform you all, I've not forgotten about the bonus chapter but I won't be putting it up yet as it comes after a few more chapters.)

~ I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
Make sure to let me know what you thought by leaving a little comment and if you had a favourite scene, do share it with me in the comments section.

P. S. I will be introducing Ayesha's brother in the next chapter; so if you have any suggestions as to who could play him, I would appreciate them.

~ Kirren☺
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