Challenge

Silent Hearts

Banter turns to bonding as Zara and Adam clash over bananas and cotton candy — but is there something sweeter brewing beneath all the jokes?

Adam: "A banana-eating contest."

He spun around, eyes locked on a table piled high with bananas. Zara just stood there, stunned, blinking at him. A banana-eating contest? Really? Was this the best competition they could come up with? She couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry.

Zara: "Fine. But I have one condition." (She smirked playfully.)

Adam raised an eyebrow, clearly confused.

Adam: "Alright, Miss Zara. What's your condition?"

Zara: (Pointing at the table) "How many bananas are there?"

Adam: "One hundred. Fifty for you, fifty for me."

Zara: "And how much time do we get to eat them?"

Adam: "Ugh. Can't you ask all your questions at once? Twenty minutes. Whoever finishes their fifty first wins. I already paid for them, so no worries there. Now, your condition?"

Zara: "After ten minutes, I'm taking a short break and going for a walk. If I win — see that cotton candy stand? I want ten cotton candies. And then you have to answer all my questions."

Adam: "Wow, confident much? Assuming you're gonna win already?"

Zara laughed but didn't say anything else. She pulled out her phone, made a quick call, then turned back to him.

Zara: "Let's start."

A small crowd gathered. Adam and Zara faced each other. The boy nearby counted down, "Three, two, one..." and they dug in.

Zara ate surprisingly fast — banana after banana. Adam was trying to keep up but kept glancing at her curiously. She winked a few times and giggled, which only made him more confused.

After exactly ten minutes, the boy called time. Both stopped.

Zara had eaten 25 bananas. Adam had eaten 28.

People chuckled around them. Zara ignored it and said,

Zara: "I'm taking a two-minute break, then going for a quick walk."

As she moved through the crowd, the boy teased,

Boy: "Adam, I think Zara's running away! She knows you're winning!"

Zara paused, handed her bag to the boy and said,

Zara: "Hey Max, don't lose this — it's my favorite bag. I never let anyone touch it, but I'm trusting you. And don't go thinking Zara Khan's a coward. I'll be back before you blink!" (She took off running.)

Boy: "But Sister, my name's sam..." (He frowned. The crowd burst out laughing.)

Adam sat down, stomach full. He needed a break too.

Four minutes later, Zara returned, weaving back through the crowd. Adam noticed she wasn't looking his way.

The contest resumed. Adam struggled; each bite made him feel sick. Meanwhile, Zara devoured bananas like a machine. The crowd started to look worried — was Adam going to lose?

At last, Zara finished her 50 bananas and won. Adam still had 16 left. Without a word, Zara ran off again, leaving everyone confused. She came back minutes later, grinning triumphantly.

Zara: "Well, Mr. Adam Rahman, you lost! Zara Khan doesn't lose easily. Now, return my chain, and I'll give you back your helmet."

Adam chuckled and handed over the chain. Zara grabbed her bag from sam.

Zara: "Max, give me my bag." (Snatching it back.)

Sam: "My name's Sam, not Max!"

Zara: "Whatever, max-Sam. Bleh!" (She stuck out her tongue.) "Let's start, mister!" (She pointed at Adam.)

The crowd began to leave. Zara sat down.

Adam: "Miss Zara Khan, tell me something about yourself. I'm really curious. How did you eat so many bananas? Is your stomach bottomless or what?"

Zara: "If I had two warehouses, I'd definitely win! But no, I won't say anything about myself. Secrets." (She whispered into his ear.)

People glanced at them, but Zara didn't care. Adam shivered at her whisper. He'd never met anyone like her and wanted to know more. But she refused to talk. She asked Adam some questions, which he answered clearly.

Zara took her ten cotton candies, returned Adam's helmet, and headed home. She met Nora on the way and gave her five cotton candies. They walked back together.

At Adam's home...

Adam sat next to his father in the living room.

Father: "I heard you held a banana-eating contest today. With whom? Everyone's talking."

Before Adam could answer, someone teased,

Amir: "Our prince lost to a girl in a banana-eating contest. Tsk."

Adam: "Amir, don't embarrass me! You'd lose too if you tried. It all started with the chain-snatching. Even Uncle didn't say anything — why are you upset?"

Father: "Fine. But what happened?"

Adam: "Zara Khan eats more bananas than a monkey!"

Amir: "Nice name — Zara Khan."

Father: "Do you have her photo? Who's her dad? What does he do? Where does she live? How far did she study?"

Amir: "Are you planning to make her our daughter-in-law or what?" (He laughed.)

Adam glared.

Father: "Never heard of anyone named Zara. Show me a picture."

Sma: "Chacha, I've got it! I recorded the contest. You'll see how Adam lost!" (Laughs.)

Adam lunged at him.

Adam: "Sma! You little—"

Sam ran off. The cousins chased each other around the house.

Nora: "What you did was wrong, Zara. You cheated! What if Adam finds out? How did you get the chain back anyway? How do you even think like that?"

Ugh, you've been lecturing me forever. Listen—Adam's uncle is the local council leader. He has three brothers, and Adam's dad is the middle one. The guys who stole my necklace? Just a bunch of local junkies. After a few complaints, the council leader got involved, and Adam teamed up with the police to catch them. Thankfully, they hadn't pawned my necklace yet, so I got it back. They're in jail now. End of story. And no, I didn't cheat! We're twins — practically one person — so stop yelling. You helped too, Nora!"

Nora: "I can't handle you. I've only been here a few days, took two tuitions, and now you're taking two too. The landlord said we might get teaching jobs at the local kindergarten."

Zara: "Isla (the landlord's daughter) is giving me her cooking page before her wedding. I'm a huge fan of Keka aunty. I'll sell food online and get rich!"

Nora: "You'll make people faint with your weird recipes."

Zara: "I heard that!"

Nora narrowed her eyes, then laughed.

Nora: "If we get caught, they'll call us scammers. But we've been like this since childhood." (She smiled.)

Amir: "Sam, show me that video!"

Father: "I want to see it too. Who is this girl that beat my son?"

Adam sat quietly, arms folded. While watching the video...

Amir: "Nora Khan! Father, that's the girl I told you about!"

Adam: "No, her name's Zara Khan!"

Amir: "No way, she told me Nora Khan just two days ago!"

Adam: "She said her name's Zara Khan. Ask Sam!"

Sam nodded. The brothers argued, one said "Zara Khan," the other "Nora Khan."

Azizul Rahman (Adam's father) watched silently, unsure what to make of it.

Their mother, Niyati Begum, rushed in, frowning.

After hearing everything, suspicion filled the room.

Who is this girl — Zara or Nora?

To Be Continued..