"Well well well, what do we have here?" They sprang apart from each other as they heard the mocking tone and she saw Liam visibly stiffening.
"Hughes" Liam gritted his teeth as a form of greeting and Zada furrowed her eyebrows.
Where had she seen this guy before? And the name Hughes did strike familiar. She tried shuffling her brain cells to come up with the answer for her question.
"Fredrick. I didn't quite believe it when I heard that you were seen walking into the library. Seems like there is a slight change in your taste recently," the guy drawled lazily, giving Zada a leisurely once over, making her squirm.
Liam pushed Zada behind him in a swift move surprising all three of them.
"F*ck off Noah," Liam warned, taking a step towards the other guy.
"Woah. Liam Fredrick is being protective over a girl. What has this world come down to?" Noah mocked tilting his head sideways to get another glimpse of Zada.
"What have you done to the f*ck boy, sweetheart?" Noah asked, looking at Zada making her frown.
"Leave her out of this, Noah. Your problem is with me." Liam said, placing a hand on Noah's chest and pushing him a little, making him chuckle.
"Are you becoming a softie, Fredrick?" Noah asked.
"Stop talking rubbish." Liam gritted his teeth in annoyance.
"Rubbish? Really? You are forgetting, Liam, I have know. you since we were in diapers. And I know you a great deal better than your current so-called best friends." Noah's voice hardened at the mention of best friends and Zada saw a flash of pain in his eyes which he was quick to mask and she would have totally missed it if she weren't paying full attention.
And then it clicked. Noah Hughes. Her brother's college rival!
"Noah. Don't start again." Liam warned and Noah raised his hands in surrender and took steps back to leave.
"Bye sweetheart. See you later," he blew a flying kiss in her direction, laughing aloud when he earned a glare from Liam.
Once Noah left, Liam walked out of the library stiffly without even giving her a backward glance, making her frown.
Should she follow him?
That would be insane!!
But he seemed disturbed.
That shouldn't be your concern.
But he is always so carefree.
Yeah, you know him for ages.
Zada huffed as her brain and heart had a fight among themselves.
Her brain is telling her to let him go.
And her heart is asking her to follow him.
Seems like she is her father's daughter after all. Her mother has told them multiple times that Zayed Ahmed's brain and heart is always at loggerheads.
And unlike her father, who had been stupid for a while, she decided to follow her heart.
After all that was the advice their father always gave them.
Always follow your heart!
Zada roamed around the university for a while and finally found him sitting under a tree and smoking.
Her lips thinned in annoyance.
She hates smoking.
She is okay with drinking.. Albeit occasionally.
But smoking is a big No No.
Even her bad-boy brother Zahir doesn't smoke.
"Smoking is injurious to health," she said as she sat next to him.
He threw her a sideway glance and took in another puff of smoke making her roll her eyes in irritation.
"Haven't you seen the ad on lungs being like a sponge??" Zada asked.
"Of course I have. Such an irritating ad that always spoils the fun at the theatre," he said taking another puff.
"It can cause cancer" Zada pointed out.
"Really? Thank-you for the information, Mirrie," he drawled lazily, taking another puff.
"It can cause respiratory arrest and death." Zada added.
"Woah," he took in a deep puff and let out rings of smoke into the air.
"Long term use can lead to sperm damage and impotence," she said, making him choke on the smoke.
"What??" He asked, coughing badly.
Zada grinned. That finally caught his attention.
"You are kidding," he said glaring at her when he saw her grin.
"Of course no. You can google if you want. After all you like googling things," Zada said teasingly and Liam threw away the cigar after looking at it warily.
"Those pick up lines were not from Google," he said stubbornly like a child.
"When did I talk about the pick up lines? I was talking generally. People tend to Google for every little information." Zada said, making him scowl which soon turned to a sexy smirk.
Sexy? Really Zada?
"So you are worried about me being impotent in the future? I know babe. You might have even planned our sixth baby by now." Liam said, winking at her.
"And he is back," Zada rolled her eyes and and tried to get up but slipped and Liam caught her immediately
"Falling for me again, Mirrie?" he asked, holding onto her arms and she felt those damn tingles again.
"Er.. Now might be a good time to let go off me," she said standing straight.
"Give me one good reason why I should??" He countered lazily.
"My knees reckoning on an upward trajectory??" She questioned.
Grinning, he let go off her and raised his hands as if to surrender.
"Haa.. I caught myself a wildcat. I can imagine how wild you could be in the bed babe," he whispered in her ears.
"Go to hell," she huffed and walked away.
Liam threw his head back and laughed loudly, looking at the retreating figure of the angry bird.
No one had ever managed to cheer him up so quickly after having an encounter with Noah and Mirrie did that without even trying.
Noah! He sighed thinking of his childhood best friend and wondered yet again what really went wrong between them.
*****
Emma was walking through the corridor in a world of her own when she bumped into a tall broad obstruction.
As soon as they touched, she felt a current passing through her body and she jerked back and looked up to see one of the infamous twins frowning down at her.
Zian looked down at the girl in front of him and wondered what just happened.
He was talking on the phone and suddenly a girl bumped into him and some kind of electricity passed through him.
Emma touched him again with her index finger and her eyes widened when she felt it again.
"Current" she said.
"Static," he said at the same time.
"Where were your eyes? Can't you watch ahead and walk??" he asked. He is not usually an arrogant boy. But what he felt now kind of freaked him out and he reacted in an unusual manner.
"My eyes were on my tongue," she said and he looked at her weirdly.
"Tongue? Why were you looking at your tongue??" Zian asked in confusion.
"You see. I was trying to touch my nose with the tip of my tongue. See like this," she said, darting her tongue out and trying to reach her nose and in the process both her eyes squinted downwards.
"Are you crazy?" He asked and she sighed.
"Everyone asks me the same thing. I don't know why!!" She pouted adorably.
Adorably?? What is wrong with you, Zian. You found this crazy girl adorable?
"Well! That just proves that you are crazy," he said shaking his head.
"By the way. Who are you??" Emma asked curiously.
Zian raised a single eyebrow at the question.
"Heyy! How do you do that?? Whenever I try I always end up raising both my eyebrows together." Emma asked without giving him an opportunity to talk.
Zian groaned at the misery of having caught with this ridiculous girl
"Heyy you didn't tell me who you are??" Emma asked again.
"Are you telling me you have no idea who I am??" Zian asked
No!! He is not a pompous jerk unlike his brother. But hey, the whole college knows them. So he can't really believe this weird girl doesn't know him.
"Duh. Of course I know who you are. But I don't know who you are" she said shrugging her shoulders.
"Where have you trapped me dear lord." Zian looked heavensward and murmured.
Emma followed his gaze and looked upwards with a frown.
"Who are you talking to??" Emma asked, making Zian roll his eyes.
"I was talking to myself," Zian said with an Insufferable sigh.
"Wow. You talk to yourself. I do too. Same pinch," she said going to pinch him on his arms, but he stepped back quickly.
"Don't touch," he warned.
"Oh yes, current. I mean static" Emma nodded understanding.
"Well I would say it was nice meeting you, but then I don't like lying. So bye," he said and tried to walk past her.
"That was rude," she said, folding her arms across her chest like a kid.
"That's life sweetheart," he said sarcastically and walked forward.
"Hey!! You didn't tell me who you are? Z1 or Z2?" Emma called out loudly.
"Keep wondering," Zian said and raised his hands in a mock wave without even turning back to look at her, making her huff in frustration.
That was a wonderful opportunity and she got sidetracked with some stupid talks.
But then that always happens with her!