Zaid's POV

What is she doing here?! After all this time, she's decided to come back now? She can't be the new receptionist. I turn around to face her and tense up again when I see her standing behind my desk. She is smiling at me, just like she used to. She has that same smile, she looks exactly the same. She's pretty, I can't deny that. I can see past her smile, though.

Layla is wearing a skin-tight white blouse, which is see-through. She has paired it with tight black trousers, and she is wearing red heels which must be at least 5 inches tall. Her hair is curled and styled perfectly, and her makeup is done professionally. She looks exactly the same as she did over a year ago. Layla is pretty, but she isn't beautiful like Zara.

Speaking of Zara, where is she?

Layla is smiling at me, showing off her pearly whites. Her smile won't deceive me again. I can see past it. I fell for that smile once, but not again. I know exactly what a cunning, deceitful girl she is.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I ask, angrily. She has no right to walk back into my life like this, like nothing happened.

She comes over to me and hugs me, kissing both my cheeks. I tense, throwing a dirty look at her. That's when my office door opens again, revealing a very shocked-looking Zara. Shit.

'I-I'll come back later,' Zara mutters, but I stop her before she leaves.

"No. Come in," I tell her. So she does, hesitantly. Zara looks upset.

'I'm the new receptionist!' Layla says, cheerfully. I glare at her.

"No, you're not. Who took your interview and gave you the job?" I ask her. Zara looks confused.

Layla shrugs, glancing over at Zara.

'And who is this pretty young lady?' Layla asks me.

"I'm Zara. Zaid's PA," Zara answers. I don't want Zara to just think of herself as my PA. She means a hell of a lot more than that. How can I make her understand?

'I'm Layla. You might have heard of me before?' Layla asks, raising an eyebrow. Then she places her hand forward, for Zara to shake. What the hell is she doing here, though? Why is she back, so suddenly? If she thinks that she can come back to me like that, then she is in for something else. I've moved on, completely. Seeing Layla again confirms this. I don't feel anything for her now. Nothing at all.

Zara doesn't answer her. She hands me my coffee, and turns to leave my cabin. 'Zara, stay. Please,' I say, looking into her eyes. Layla frowns at me, but doesn't say anything.

"I...hope I'm not interrupting anything?" Zara asks, frowning at me.

I quickly shake my head. 'Of course not. Layla was just going.'

Layla frowns again. "Zaid, don't be like this, baby! I'm sorry! I apologised so many times, and you didn't forgive me! Now we're going to be working together, so you can at least forgive me now!"

'Layla, if you want this job, you will do as you're told. I'm your boss, nothing else. Move away from me. Now,' I order, angrily.

She looks hurt, but I won't fall for her expressions now. She's not what she may seem like from the outside. "Zaid? Have you moved on?" She asks, quietly.

I nod. 'Yes. Now go to reception, Alicia will tell you what to do. If you don't do your job properly, you're fired.'

I then turn to Zara. 'Zara, thanks for the coffee. I really need it now.'

Layla looks at me, frowning. "So, you're Zaid's PA? Zaid, I didn't know she's so pretty! Wait a second..you look familiar!" She looks like she's stuck deep in thought. I roll my eyes. She is not fit for this company, whatsoever. I can already tell that she's going to give me a hard time.

'Yeah, I'm Zara Ahmed,' Zara says to her. I frown. Why is she talking to Zara now?

Layla frowns in thought for a few seconds, and then her eyes widen. I can't stop noticing how much more beautiful Zara is than Layla. Zara is beautiful inside and out, whereas Layla...

"Oh, wait a sec! Zara Ahmed. No! Zaid, no way! Seriously?! Are you Hafsa's best friend?!" Layla asks, shocked.

Zara nods. 'Yep.'

"Well, I didn't think Zaid would ever hire someone who is a friend or family member. But, it's cool. I'm glad to have finally met you. I mean, I've seen pictures of you and Hafsa, ages ago, but I haven't ever met you in person," Layla says, smiling widely at Zara. I have a feeling this isn't a real smile, though.

If she tries to hurt Zara in any way...

'Layla, please go and do your work. I need to talk to Zara,' I mutter, rubbing my forehead. I'm getting a headache.

"Okay, Zaid! Do you want to get a coffee later, though? Or maybe lunch?" Layla asks, trying to make her voice sound sensual. It's not working, though.

'No, Layla. I'm your boss. And I'm not interested. As I've already told you, I've moved on. It's Mr Malik to you, not Zaid. Now please, get out.' She's on my last nerve.

She frowns at me, before smiling. "Okay. If you need any help, I'm just at reception! You know where to find me! If you need me for...anything. It was nice meeting you, Zara!" Layla says, smiling at Zara before leaving my office.

When she's out, I slump into my chair and breathe a sigh of relief. 'I have a headache.'

Zara stands up, coming over to my desk and taking a seat opposite me. She looks so beautiful today. She always does, but I can never get used to how beautiful she is. She's like an angel. She looks innocent and beautiful without even trying. Layla always wears a huge amount of makeup. She's pretty, but no one is comparable to Zara. Zara also wears makeup most days, but hers is always natural. Zara is much more beautiful. In every way.

"Well, she's pretty!" Zara says, chuckling.

I frown at her, shaking my head. 'She isn't. You're beautiful,' I say, truthfully.

Zara blushes, making me smile even though my head has started to hurt. I can never get enough of her beautiful face and her blush. When I see Zara, I forget everyone else. Layla included.

"You're just saying that. You're crazy," Zara says, laughing. Her cheeks are scarlet.

'Only for you, Zara. Only for you.' This makes her blush deeper, making me smile. She is the only girl who can make me feel so happy, just by seeing her. It's crazy, how my feelings for her have developed. I don't know the exact moment I fell for her. Was it when we went to London together, and those girls were trying to flirt with me?

Did I fall for Zara at the moment when she told me the whole truth about Hamza and her past, on the top floor of this building? When she broke down completely in front of me?

Did I fall for her when she fainted in my office? When that Rayyan guy brought her that parcel from Hamza?

No. I have a strong feeling that the moment I fell for Zara was when she spilt that coffee on me, on her first day at work. I smile, remembering that day. She was so nervous, so scared at that time. She thought I was going to fire her right there and then. As if I could ever fire Zara. The coffee burned my skin, it hurt badly, but I wasn't mad at her. Seeing her so scared and nervous made me want to smile. She looked so innocent and beautiful, I forgot about the pain.

"So she's the new receptionist? That's kind of crazy!" She says, laughing.

'Talk about crazy. I don't know why she's back. What does she want?' I frown.

"It's obvious why she's back, Zaid. Can't you see? She's back for you," Zara says, a small frown on her forehead.

'Well, that's not going to happen. Not in a million years. She disgusts me,' I tell Zara.

Zara frowns, looking confused. "Zaid, I will get started on the work in just a minute, don't worry. If you don't mind me asking, what happened between you two? You loved her, and she hurt you?"

I chuckle, humourlessly. 'Zara, I was never in love with her. Thinking back to it now, that clearly wasn't love. I liked Layla, she was my longest relationship. We were together for nearly four months. Yes, I know that's crazy. But it's true. I've never been in a relationship for longer than that. I've never wanted anything more, before. Yes, Zara. I guess I liked her, and she hurt me. She used me.'

Zara looks shocked. "I'm so sorry, Zaid. She obviously didn't deserve you. What did she do?"

'Yes, she didn't deserve me. She was with me for money. We were both happy, or so it seemed. Can you believe that we were even talking about marriage? Imagine what would have happened if I had married her. That would have been a disaster. One evening, I went to her apartment to pick her up. We were going on a date that evening. The front door was open, no one else was at home. I was looking for her, and I found her. She was in her bedroom, and she was talking to someone on the phone. I still don't know who she was talking to, but I overheard them talking. She was telling the guy on the phone, that she had tricked me, and that she was using me. She was just with me for money. Nothing else.'

Remembering my past doesn't even hurt me now. I feel absolutely nothing. I've moved on completely. I don't care about Layla anymore. I was so stupid back then, when I thought that I was in love with her. Layla doesn't know anything about love, and neither did I back then. I didn't know a single thing about love, not until I met a certain someone who is sitting opposite me right at this moment, frowning innocently and looking absolutely perfect.

"I'm so sorry, Zaid. You..you didn't deserve that. I can't believe that! You're such an amazing guy, any girl would be more than lucky to be with you! She was so lucky, but she ruined everything. I'm so sorry. Zaid, do you still like her?" She asks me.

I laugh loudly. 'No, Zara. I don't like her. I don't like her anymore, but I don't dislike her. I don't think about her, she means nothing to me.'

Zara smiles. "I hope she doesn't give you too much of a hard time. I feel like she will try to meet you, to come into your office, at every opportunity she gets, though."

I nod. 'Yes, I know she will. She can try whatever she wants, though, because nothing will work. I've moved on, Zara.'

"That's great, Zaid. I'm happy for you. You deserve someone who isn't like her in any way. Someone who will love you for who you are. You deserve the best, Zaid," Zara says, smiling.

I feel my heart constrict. She's so sweet, caring. She's the opposite of Layla. 'Someone like you, Zara?' I ask.

Zara blushes again, hard. "What?" She asks, quietly.

I smile. 'You're amazing. You're the best.'

"Zaid! Why are you so damn sweet? I could literally hug you right now!" Zara says, laughing.

'Why don't you, then?' I ask, looking into her eyes.

She looks at me, and swallows, before looking back down at the desk. "Zaid, I...I need to talk to you about something." She looks upset now. It seems as though she has just remembered something.

'You can talk to me about anything, Zara. Tell me, what's wrong?' I ask, gently touching her hand.

She glances up at me, her eyes filled with tears. What happened? Why is she suddenly upset?!

"No, you must be busy. I'm always getting emotional for nothing, and wasting your time. I'll go," she says, standing up. I quickly go over to her, gently grabbing her arm.

'It's not nothing, Zara. Nothing else is important for me, you're upset. What's wrong? Tell me, please,' I say, looking into her eyes.

A tear spills, she quickly wipes it away. She shakes her head. "Zaid, I have to go. I can't...I can't stay here like this. I can't see you like this. I don't want to see your face."

What is she saying? She doesn't want to see me? Why?! What did I do to her? Why is she upset with me? Is it because of Layla?

'Zara, are you upset because of Layla? I'll get rid of her, I will fire her. You know I will, if she's making you so upset,' I promise.

She shakes her head. "She's not making me upset, Zaid. You are! I need to go."

'Zara, look at me. Please. Look at me,' I say to her. She shakes her head, crying.

"I don't want to look at you! Zaid, let go of me. Let go of my arm! This is all your fault! Why did you come back into my life? I was perfectly happy!" She cries.

What is she saying? Does she even know what she's saying right now? Her words are hurting me, piercing into my heart.

'Zara, what did I do? Tell me. What did I do to you?' I ask, hurt.

"Let go of my arm, someone will come in," she cries.

'Zara, no one will dare enter my office without knocking. Please tell me, what have I done? I didn't mean to hurt you in any way. I'm sorry,' I apologise.

"You came back. You came back from the US. Why couldn't you just stay there? Why did you have to come back?! Why did you have to choose me to be your PA? I don't want this job anymore, I can't be here with you!"

'Zara, stop crying. You're coming with me, right now. To the top floor. Then we will talk properly.' I can't see her cry like this, knowing that I'm the reason why she's crying. It hurts me more than it hurts her. What have I done, though? She seemed perfectly fine a few minutes ago, and out of nowhere, she starts crying like this.

"I'm not going up there. I'm not going anywhere with you! Why can't you just leave me alone, Zaid?! I don't want to be here with you! I didn't feel this much pain when Hamza hurt me!" She cries.

I tense. I go and lock the door of my cabin, before going back to Zara. 'Zara, tell me. How did I hurt you? What did I do to you?' I ask her. I honestly have no idea what I did to her. I can't see her crying like this because of me.

Zara's POV

You came back into my life, after two years. I had a crush on you two years ago, but I had nearly forgotten about you. You came back into my life, and you changed everything. You made me fall for you, Zaid. You made me fall in love with you.

"You came back into my life. Who do you think you are, coming back into my life like that?!" I cry.

He grabs me by the shoulders, turning me around to face him. I glance up at him for a second, and I feel my heart break again. Why do I love him so much?! Why can't I do anything to get rid of these stupid feelings I have for him!? It hurts so bad. I hate loving him so damn much.

'I'll leave. If I've hurt you so much, I'll leave. I'll leave right now, if that's what you want. At least tell me what I've done, that was so wrong, Zara. Are you mad at me because of my behaviour yesterday? I apologise for that. I had no right in doing that,' Zaid says, hurt.

"Yeah, why don't you leave again? Just leave. You don't care about anyone except yourself, do you?! You don't care about anyone. Only yourself."

'Fine, I will leave. I'll go far away, and I won't show you my face again. Okay, Zara?' Zaid asks, grabbing me by the shoulders.

I glance up at him with tear-filled eyes. His eyes are also bloodshot red. I feel so much pain right now, even more than before because I know I've hurt him. He hasn't done anything wrong to me, ever. He's always been amazing, perfect. He's always been here for me, in anything. And here I am, being so rude to him. For what? For making me fall for him?!

"Why did you do this to me?" I cry, defeated. I've never felt this upset before. I am in love with him, and I've never felt something so strong before. I hate loving him so much! Why do I love him?

'What did I do to you?!' He asks, pushing me against the wall of the office.

"You came back into my life. Why did you..come back? Why did you hurt me?" I can't stop crying. I've lost it completely right now. I grab his arms, digging my fingernails into his skin.

'Zara, what's wrong with you? What have I ever done to you? I've always tried to help you, I've always tried to make you happy.' He says, looking defeated.

My head is hurting so badly. I feel sick. I don't want to love him so much. It hurts so bad. Why can't he love me back?! Or why can't I get rid of these feelings and forget about him? I hate unrequited love. It's the worst thing anyone can ever experience.

When did I fall for him so hard? I don't know what that moment was, but I feel like I've always loved him.

"Zaid, I will go away from here. I will quit this job. I can't work here, with you everyday," I cry.

He looks hurt and shocked. 'Zara, please tell me what I did to you. You were perfectly fine before. What happened?'

I hold onto his arms tighter, as if not to ever let go of him. I'm telling him to go away from me, to leave me and never show his face again, but I don't want him to go. I want to stay with him always. I don't want to leave him even for a single second. I can't.

"Why were you always so nice to me? Why did you offer a helping hand always? Why did you always give me your support, Zaid?" I cry, clutching his arms as if for life support.

'What's so wrong in being nice to you, Zara? I'm sorry, but I will always be here to support you. Whenever you need me,' he answers. He's still being nice to me! He's still being as amazing as always, even though I'm being a bitch to him.

"No. I don't want your support, or your anything. I can help myself. I don't need you, or your help, or your...your stupid smirks! I don't need you. Stop helping me! Okay?! Stop being there for me all the time! I don't want your support, just stay away from me! If you want to see me happy, then stay away from me!" I cry even harder, clutching onto him and resting my head on his chest. He holds me gently as if not to break me, and I sob harder, holding onto him as tight as I can, hugging him close to me. I cry and cry into his chest for what feels like forever.

'Shh, Zara. Don't cry. Please, shhh,' he whispers gently, holding me close.

"Why did you come back?" I cry. I've gone crazy.

He gently tries to break the hug, but I don't let him. I hold onto him tighter, not letting go. I dig my fingernails into his back. Why do I love him so much?! Why does it hurt so much?

'I'm sorry, Zara,' he whispers.

HE'S sorry?!

"Just hold me, please," I cry into his chest. So he does. My tears don't seem to be able to stop. All I'm aware of right now, is that I love Zaid Malik more than I've ever loved anyone. I love him more than anyone can love anyone. I didn't know it's possible to love anyone so much.

He holds me gently, but close to himself. 'You're a crazy girl, you know that? You're the only girl who is able to hurt me so much, but also make me so happy.'

"I know I always hurt you. But you can't leave. Ever. You can't go anywhere. I didn't mean it. I don't want you to go away. You hurt me so much, Zaid, but you can't leave me," I cry, holding him tighter.

I feel him gently kiss the top of my head. Wait, did I just imagine this, or did he really...? Why would he? 'Zara, I won't leave you even if you tell me to. I can't. You were crying this much because you thought I was going to leave you?'

I don't say anything, I just close my eyes and enjoy his warm, comforting embrace. This is my favourite place in the world. His arms. Is this wrong? It can't be wrong, because it feels too right.

"No. I didn't think that you would leave me. But you can't," I cry, hiccupping.

He chuckles, making his body vibrate. 'Do you want me to get you some water?'

"No." I hold onto him tighter, not wanting to let go. I don't know what I'm doing right now, I'm probably going to be blushing like crazy when I look at his face later, I'm probably going to regret it, but I don't care right now. All I want to do is hug him. I don't want to think about the fact that I love him, and that he doesn't love me back.

He holds me close. 'How did I hurt you, Zara? Tell me, please. I hate knowing that I hurt you so much.'

"Do you remember when I spilt the coffee on you?" I ask him randomly.

I hear him chuckle. 'Yes, Zara. I remember that very well. How can I ever forget that?'

"I remember that too," I mutter into his chest. I feel so comfortable and protected right now, it's crazy.

'Hmm. Do you remember when you gave me first aid?' He asks me.

"Yeah. I hurt you then, too. And today," I whisper. I'm the biggest idiot in the whole world.

'I don't mind, Zara. I can't see you in so much pain, though. Did I really hurt you more than Hamza did?' He asks me.

"He hurt me in a bad way. You....you're the best guy in the world." I slowly break the hug, looking into his eyes. His eyes are still bloodshot red, like he has also been crying.

'And you're the best girl in the world. I won't leave you, Zara. Not now, not ever. By the way, you didn't have to cry so much just to hug me? You could just hug me without crying also,' he jokes.

I playfully slap him on the arm. It honestly hurts so much seeing his beautiful, handsome face that I love so much. "Shut up."

'Zara, I will tell you something very soon. A secret. Just between you and me,' he says, smiling slightly, looking into my eyes.

"No, tell me now! I want to know now!" I argue, giving him a small smile.

He grins. 'Not now, Zara. I'm waiting for the right time. I will tell you very soon, I promise. Trust me, you'll be happier if I tell you at the right time.'

I frown. "Okay, it'd better be worth the wait, though!"

I smile. 'It will be worth anything, Zara.'

"I'm sorry," I say, looking down towards the ground.

'Don't apologise, honestly it's fine. Although you are the first girl who has ever made me cry. Don't tell anyone that, though,' he says, chuckling.

My head shoots up to look at him. I made him cry?! My eyes again fill up with tears. I gently touch his face, feeling the light stubble. He looks surprised, but happy. "I made you cry?" I ask, gently caressing his cheek.

He doesn't say anything, he just continues to stare at me. Probably for touching his face. I don't care, though. "I'm so sorry," I whisper. I then add, "I promise never to make you cry again."

'I wish I could tell you right now, Zara. I really want to, but I will wait for the right time. I will tell you very soon. You promise me that you'll never cry again. Or if you do decide to cry, then come to me and cry.' My eyes water up again. Why is he so damn cute?! It hurts my heart.

"I promise that whenever I feel like crying, I'll go to your apartment, I'll ask Aunty or Hafsa where you are, then I'll go to you and I'll cry to my hearts' content," I say, laughing lightly.

He smiles, wiping away a stray tear which has fallen out of my left eye. 'Good. Now, let's start work, shall we? Or do you want to stand here in this corner for the rest of the day?'

"I want to stand here," I say, making him chuckle.

'Zara Ahmed, you're really crazy, you know that? Crazy, but beautiful.' I blush, biting my lip and looking down. This makes him smirk.

********

Guys, second update in a day! This chapter is longer than my usual chapters, too! I laughed while writing this chapter, but I also felt emotional writing it. I hope you guys love Zaid and Zara as much as I do! Please let me know, what did you think of this chapter? Ignore my writing in this chapter, because I sat here and wrote this entire chapter in one sitting and now my hands hurt like hell.

Zara is rude to Zaid, she hurts him and even makes Zaid cry. Yes, Zaid Malik cries! What do you think? Zara suddenly felt so many different emotions, thinking of how much she loves Zaid. What do you think will happen next?

Did you like this chapter? Did you not like it?

So much drama is coming up in this book, stay tuned, guys! Thank you for all your lovely comments and all your support, it means the world to me, and also to Zaid and Zara! I love you all more than you can imagine! Stay beautiful! ❤️ x