Irresistible

4. Beli thugs

"Karishma Singh aap?" She asked.

"Ji hum. Ab andar bhi bulayengey yar phir ammi ko call lagwana padega uske liye" She said crossing her arms.

"Ji please andar ayiye woh hum bhool gaye." Haseena stuttered.

"Aap aaj thaane kyun nahi aayi? Aur apki tabiyat? Kal toh theek thi aap maddam sir? Aur humare call kaahe utha nahi rahe hai aap?" She said unaware of the accusing tone her voice had taken on.

Haseena was avoiding eye contact yet again but Karishma continued

"Kal toh badi badi baatein kar rahi thi aap maddam sir ki aapko aapki dost ki zaroorat hai woh aap humko miss kar rahi hai aur humme yeh tak bataya nahi aapne ki aapki tabiyat karaab hai." She said placing both her hands on the either side of her hips.

Haseena's blush started reappearing at the mention of the moment.

"Aur aap humari taraf dekh kyun nahi rahi hai?" She asked. She herself was looking at Haseena from head to toe taking in her outfit, her dishevelled hair, the natural colour of her lips... Karishma shook herself out of thoughts.
It was not everyday that she got to witness her maddam sir in casuals.

"Karishma Singh humein todi der akela rehna hai. Bum bilkul theek hai par hum yeh time apne aap ke saath bitane ke liye le rahe hai." Haseena said.

"Toh humare call kyun nahi uthaya aapne."
"Woh hum busy tey." Haseena blabbered.
Karishma slowly shifted her gaze to the unfinished popcorn bowl and the paused movie on the tv.

"Ji dikh raha hai humme ki aap kitni busy hai. Kya aap humsey kal ke liye naraaz hai?" Karishma asked straight away.

"Kal kya hua tha? Kuch bhi toh nahi? Aur hum bache hai kya joh aapse naraaz hone ke wajah se thaane aana band kardein?Aur haam hum aapko explanations dene ke paaband nahi hai." Haseena said crossing her arms. She spoke without thinking because she was provoked by Karishma talking about the moment they shared. As if it was one sided. As if Haseena had not leaned into her hand finding its warmth soothing. And as if she didn't yearn for it. Even now.

"Theek hai. Humme maaf kar dijiye. Khyaal rakhiye apna." Karishma said in low voice and left abruptly

Haseena smacked her palm on her forehead. Yeh hum kya bol diya unse. Waise bhi woh humko lekar kitni pareshaan hoti hai. Aise bhari bandook bankar ghoomna toh Karishma Singh ki department hai. Hum itne badak kyun gaye bhala. She thought to herself.

Meanwhile Karishma started her bike and was heading towards the thaana.She was still processing all of this when her phone rang bringing her out of her reverie.

"Ama koun hai." she inquired impatiently. She parked her bike on the roadside to speak.

The caller was a tip on the robbery case. Apparently one of the road side vendors had seen a person similar to the descriptions provided of one of the victims who had succumbed to their wounds near Beli. Karishma immediately left on her bike.

On reaching Beli she walked towards the vendor who was also her informant. She was inquiring about the whereabouts of the person whom he had seen.

Karishma was busy speaking with the vendor all the while unaware of being watched by various pairs of eyes.

"Aur ka bola woh aadmi."

"Woh yahi aas paas kuch mechanic wagera ka pooch taach kar raha tha maddam. Aur pir woh sarsavan connecting road ki tarah chala gaya. Uske saat ek aurat bhi thi." He offered tea to Karishma which she drank right away.

"Theek hai. Contact mein raho samjein?" She placed the glass back on the counter and left the place on her bike towards the directions indicated by the vendor. She found no person matching the descriptions but one thing was sure. The perpetrators were nearing the city.