Emma was sulking.

CSK lost the match and she was on the verge of tears.

Most of the students have left the cafe except Emma ,the twins, Liam and Izzy. 

Liam was in a hurry to leave once the match got over and Zian wondered why.

"It's just a match Emma. There would be more matches. Don't cry over this please." Zian said and Emma's lips trembled.

"You are going to brag aren't you. Your team won," Emma pouted.

Zahir who was watching this exchange lazily took some of the leftover popcorn in his hands and threw it at her.

She jerked in his direction and he grinned mischievously and took a little more popcorn in his hands.

Emma is fast to retaliate and she took some popcorn in her hands and threw it at him which he expertly caught them with his mouth.

"How did you do that? Once more once more please," Emma said excitedly and took some popcorn and threw it at him again, already forgetting IPL and CSK.

Zahir caught it in his mouth and winked at Zian saying this is how you cheer up a sulking girl.

"How do you do that so easily?"

"I inherited this talent from my momma, sweetheart. She is an expert in throwing and catching food with her mouth," Zahir said proudly.

"Wow. Can you teach me also?" Emma asked giving him some popcorn and asked him to throw it at her.

"Stop playing with food you two," Zian chided them irritatedly.

"You are just jealous," Zahir accused him playfully and Zian looked panicked for a moment.

"What?? I am not. Why would I be jealous? There is nothing like that. You are simply imagining things," Zian said in a rush and Zahir smirked at his brother's plight. 

"Of course you are jealous, Zi. You can't do this like I do. And you are jealous of that," Zahir said and Zian visibly relaxed.

Okay. So that's what he meant.

"Zi. That's a cute name." Emma chirped in between.

"My sister calls me that." He said smiling at Emma and turned towards Zahir "And Zahir it's not that I can't do this. I simply don't like playing with food and certainly don't want to choke to death."

"He is so boring, isn't he?" Zahir whispered to Emma loud enough so that everyone around could hear. 

Emma giggled and hi fied Zahir agreeing to that earning a glare from Zian.

"Now teach me how to do this," Emma asked Zahir.

"For that you need practice and focus. Lots and lots." Zahir said and Zian snorted loudly.

"Focus and Emma. I have known her for only three days, but I can easily say that, focus is one thing dear Emma here is incapable of.She has the attention span of a toddler," Zian said and Emma pouted.

"You are team Mila right? I know .But I will prove to you that I can focus," Emma said.

"And how are you going to do that?" Zian asked with a smile.

She looked utterly adorable with that pout and the defiant tilt of her chin.

Emma got down from the table and took a chair right across him.

"Now we are going to play eye to eye. Let's see who wins," she said, rubbing her hands together in competition mode.

"Eye to eye?? What is that??" Zian asked, confused.

"I will look into your eyes. You will look into my eyes. Whoever blinks first loses," Emma declared.

"How does that determine your focus? Zian asked, confused. 

"Simple. We are focusing on our eyes. F.O.C.U.S.I.N.G," Emma stressed.

"That's nonsense," Zian said, shaking his head in disbelief. 

"Why brother?? Scared of losing??" Zahir asked, enjoying this very much. He had never seen his brother like this and he is enjoying this very much.

"Why would I be scared? There is nothing to be scared of."

"Then let's start,"

And there began the induced eye lock.

Zian was already regretting the decision looking into her doe shaped eyes.

They are black. Pure black and beautiful.

He felt as if he was drowning in the depth of her eyes.

Damn!!  And now he is becoming poetic.

That was one thing that he didn't inherit from his father. 

He doesn't say poetry. Never had.

After about thirty seconds Emma blinked and Zian pressed his lips together to stop himself from smiling.

"Okay. We can blink every thirty seconds. But the one who averts their eyes first loses," Emma declared swiftly,

"Really? Changing rules according to your convenience? That's unfair." Zian teased.

"You are playing unfair now. You are talking and trying to distract me," Emma complained, earning a chuckle from the twins.

Emma was adamant on winning this.

How dare he say that she doesn't have focus.

And to compare her to a toddler. Unacceptable!!! 

She was focusing hard on his chocolate brown eyes.

Oh how she wished to eat chocolate now. She is getting hungry again. Maybe she could take a chocolate break and then continue the FOCUS game.

Should she ask him for a break?  He could also take a break along with her. She didn't really mind.

Maybe a kit-kat break is what everyone needs. She loves kit Kat. 

Maybe she should buy a box of kit Kat while leaving the cafe so that she could eat it once she is in the room. 

And she has a single room in the hostel. So there is no worry about someone stealing her chocolates. 

At home she always had to hide her secret stash of chocolates because she absolutely didn't trust Mila. 

Next time she goes home, she will have to find a new place to hide her things ,because she is darn sure Mila already found her current place. 

That little brat has free reign in her home. 

It's all her momma's fault. She even cooks special sweets for that baby devil.

She wondered what her momma might be cooking now. Her mouth watered at the thought of her mother's special Fruit Pastilles.

Maybe she could take a week off at university and go home. 

She was planning on taking a week leave, when she got that smell. 

She sniffed

"Is that pizza I smell??" She asked and was tempted to turn around to see who is having pizza.

No!!  She wouldn't turn. She is FOCUSING.

Zahir chuckled at her cuteness.

What was it that his Uncle Basim used to say when he narrated the Ahmed Brothers love stories?? 

Yeah SIL vibes.

He is really getting that now.

"Yes sweetheart" Zahir said, already taking a slice to give it to her.

"Can you pass me one? I am really very hungry," Emma said and Zian was tempted to roll his eyes,

So much for focusing.

Emma took the pizza slice and finished it in two bites without taking her eyes off Zian.

Zian's eyes finally betrayed him as it strayed to her lips where he saw a little sauce at the corner.

He gulped hard and his hands, as if they had a brain of its own, moved towards her lips and wiped them with her thumb.

Emma sucked in a sharp breath at that tender touch and the game somehow turned into a real eyelock.

Zian's thumb left her lips and his knuckles slowly started caressing her cheeks.

"Oh my virgin eyes," Zahir cried dramatically, closing his eyes with his hands bringing those two back to reality. 

Zian jerked his hand away and Emma stood up quickly.

Her heart was beating so fast. 

Is she having a heart attack?? 

No.. She is too young for a heart attack. Isn't she?? 

Maybe it's just acidity. She ate a lot today. 

She should just go and eat some medicine 

"I won," she declared. Just because she got acidity, she wouldn't let her victory go unnoticed. 

With that she ran out of the cafe.

Zian rubbed his face with both his hands in frustration.

What the hell was that?

How could he do that? 

She might be thinking that he is some sort of pervert.

How will he face her again? 

"I think I need to be somewhere?" He stood up and hurried out of the cafe.

Zahir smirked and looked beside him to see the guy who came with Emma sitting there looking at Emma's retreating figure.

"I think, you never had a chance kiddo," Zahir chuckled, patting his shoulder, but his smile died on his face when he saw Izzy sitting there, her heartbreak clearly visible.

"Izzy, sweetheart," Zahir called gently and she looked up at him.

"Don't say anything, Zahir. It's okay. I am okay." she said and forced a smile before walking out of the cafe.