Call

Zoa had found a spare blanket in the cottage. She covered herself with that filthy blanket and lay down on the floor.

"Are you going to sleep here?", Asher asked.

"None of your concern.", Zoa replied.

"Hey, I'm tied here on the bed, and you are sleeping on the floor. I can't bear to see you like this. Can you please untie me?", Asher pleaded. But Zoa didn't respond at all.

"OK, fine. Don't untie me. Can you please come here? You can kick me out of the bed. But please, sleep here. There is a dead man on the floor. How can I see you like this?", Asher pleaded again.

"Are you afraid to see this dead body? Are you afraid that you'll also become a dead meat like him?", Zoa asked.

"No, I'm not afraid. I'm used to it. I'm a doctor. And I'm not afraid to die as well. Because I know that you can't stop death. You will die one day. But if you will honor to take my life. Then I can die happily."

"Stop spouting nonsense. How it can be an honor to die at the hands of your loved ones? It is not an honor. It is a betrayal. You don't even know me. How could you say anything like this?", Zoa yelled.

"I don't care whatever you say. But it is my choice. I have the right to choose this.", Asher responded.

Zoa threw the blanket away and jumped on the bed. She was sitting on Asher's legs. "You are eager to die with my hands. You are my admirer, and you owe me, right.", Zoa touched the bared chest of the Asher.

Her hands kept moving, strolling slowly over the bare body of him. He had removed his shirt when Zoa was wrapping the bandages around his chest. Asher was lying in an upright position. He felt tension and heat in his body. He wanted to free his hands and embrace Zoa.

Zoa's hand kept moving and reached the neck of the Asher. "Should I honor you?", Zoa's hand clawed his neck. She clenched his neck tightly, and a strangled cry escaped from his lips.

The pressure on their windpipe caused their eyes to bulge. But he didn't struggle to stop Zoa. He didn't try to change his position as well. Zoa's hand stopped. Her right arm had started to bleed again.

Zoa loosened her grip with trembling hands. She slapped on Asher's face. The sound of the slap overcame the sound of the storm outside. "Why did you not try to stop me?", Zoa shouted.

Asher struggled to breathe, "Because of this.", He pointed at his tied hands with a zip tie. Zoa's grabbed the knife and moved to Asher's tied hands. She was still sitting on him.

As she leaned forward to untie his hands. Her hair gently stroked his face. Zoa broke the zip ties with the knife. "It's done.", Zoa lowered her head to face him. Zoa's face was very close to him.

Their bodies were entangled as well. But Zoa's rose abruptly and shifted to the other side. She untied his legs as well. Asher gently stroked her back as she was sitting on the bed struggling to untie his legs.

Asher also sat on the bed. After untying Asher, Zoa warned him by showing him the knife, "Keep your distance."

"Can't you see my feelings for you?", Asher asked.

"Feelings?", Zoa started to laugh at this. "Are you talking about the feelings? You have developed for me after receiving the scholarship from our company. The feelings, you have experienced after feeding on my money."

"Then you don't need to have these feelings for me. You deserved that money. You had worked hard for this. Thanks for your feelings.", Zoa's gently touched Asher's face. But her face was pale. She was on the edge of crying.

"But everyone has these feelings for my money. They love me until I feed them. When I stop feeding them. They threw me under the bus. I've raised snakes to bite me.", Zoa turned her face in the opposite direction.

She was sitting on the bed with her back facing Asher. Zoa had turned her face to hide her tears. She had never cried in front of anyone except her late father.

Asher gently embraced her from behind. Zoa didn't push him either. They remained silent for a long time. Asher had wished for the time to freeze. He wanted to embrace Zoa' till eternity.

Asher pecked Zoa's neck. He kept brushing her neck with her soft lips. Zoa had kept her head lowered. She focused that she was wearing her favorite blue and white skirt.

The skirt was torn from different places. The white and blue colors were gone. Her dress was all red now. Her body was injured but her heart was aching more. She was looking for comfort in the arms of a stranger.

 "I don't have money to pay you.", Zoa murmured. Asher had placed his head on her shoulder and was embracing her firmly. "Huh? Are you talking about my medical services or my comfort services?", Asher asked this to lighten the mood.

Zoa raised her head and their eyes met. "To pay you for both.", Zoa replied.

Asher started to laugh. He kissed her forehead and murmured, "You can pay me later."

"But I don't think so I'll be able to ever pay you back.", Zoa replied with a serious face. Asher felt that something was wrong. He loosened his grip and grabbed Zoa's arm. He tried to turn her face. But Zoa didn't look in his direction.

Asher lifted Zoa's face. Her eyes were teary. Asher asked, "What's wrong? Are you hurt anywhere?" He was panicked to see Zoa like this.

He held her in his arms. Zoa also cuddled him. Zoa started to cry aloud. Asher didn't ask anything. Zoa kept crying and crying. Asher wanted to cut his ears. He couldn't bear to hear her cry.

'I'll destroy everyone. Who is responsible for Zoa's this situation.', Asher pledged in his heart.

Zoa wiped her tears with his hands and said, "I'm sorry. You have to witness an ugly slight." Zoa pushed him away and looked up. She was shocked to see that Asher's face was full of tears.

"Hey, why are you crying? Did I open your wounds? Please stop crying.", Zoa wiped his tears rapidly with her hands. Asher nodded his head. He clasped Zoa's hands and rubbed them on his face.

"No, I couldn't control myself after seeing you like this.", Asher said. "What? Are you serious? You are a doctor. How do you even treat your patient?", Zoa yelled at him.

"I never cry for my patients.", Asher responded. "Then are you a crybaby?", Zoa was giggling. "I'm not a crybaby.", Asher pouted.

"Oh my, crybaby is pouting as well.", Zoa pinched his cheeks and started to laugh. Zoa was laughing when she recalled an old and faint memory when she was a small eight-year-old kid and she was crying like this. Her father had embraced her like this and cried with her.

The smile that was on Zoa's face disappeared after recalling those memories. Asher tapped her face. Zoa smiled and looked at him. 'He is not my father. He is my admirer. But can I believe him.', Zoa thought.

Asher asked, "Is there any problem?" Zoa nodded her head in response. She encircled her head around Asher's face. "Should we?", Asher asked with a heavy and desperate voice.

Zoa sat on his legs and leaned her face on Asher's face and murmured, "Yes." Asher rolled her hand around Zoa's waist. His hands were going to find the curves of her body.

"𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮"

The room was filled with the music sound. Asher ignored that music and focused on Zoa. But Zoa pushed him away hardly. and picked up a phone from the floor. Asher's head hit the bed. But Zoa didn't notice.

"He is calling.", Zoa said with a trembling voice. Asher sat with his hand on his head and asked, "Who is calling?"

"The one who had paid him to kill me.", Zoa replied by aiming his hand toward the dead body.

"Here, pick the call and talk. You must tell them that I'm dead. Act natural. Please them like you have been pleasing me.", Zoa commanded.

"Pleasing you?", Asher's mind was stuck on these words. He took the phone. It was a private number, and the number was not saved.

Asher picked up the phone and put it on loudspeaker, "Yes?"

"Did you finish your task?", A woman's voice came from the other side of the phone.