Ishq-e-Watan

Chapter 56- Hostility

CHAPTER 56

HOSTILITY

Karan eyed Faizi. He was acting... strange, to say the least. His plate was almost untouched. He poked at the fruit, chasing a grape around the plate idly. What was going on?

"Faizi... kya hua?" He asked.

His gaze lifted. "Woh..." He looked down. "Karan, woh..." He took a deep breath. "Hume lagta hai..."

An unbearable pain sprang up in his lungs suddenly, and Karan's hand flew to his chest, suppressing a groan. The pain dulled, before fading into a slightly lingering ache. He opened his eyes.

"Karan", Faizi said, alarmed. "Kya hua?"

"Kuchh nahi", he said, rubbing his sternum. "Tu bol. Kya keh raha tha?"

His face fell again. "Woh... hum keh rahe the... hume lagta hai..."

"Faizi!" Koel said. He almost froze. Karan's eyebrows furrowed, looking between the two. Koel approached them, smiling at Karan politely. "Hello, Sir. Faizi! Woh..." She trailed off when he stood up abruptly.

"Hume jaana hai", Faizi said, looking at Karan. "Hum baad mein milte hain."

"Faizi?" Karan called, tilting his head as he stared after him. He looked at Koel, finding her just as quizzical. She looked at him, and then at the cadets and then back at the door.

"Isne mujhe ignore kyun kara?" She asked quietly. She looked at Karan hopefully. "Sir?"

"I think woh bas pareshaan hai", he said slowly. "Tum dono ka kuchh jhagdha hua hai kya?"

"Sir, jhagdha toh tab hoga, na, jab dhang se milenge. Exams ke time se dhang se baat hi nahi hui. Woh hi toh puchhne aayi thi abhi since Raawat Sir chale gaye hain. Par..." Hurt flickered on her face, and Karan scowled, seeing the tears well up in her eyes. She turned around, quietly walking out of the mess. He glanced at the Foxtrot cadets, finding them staring after her in concern too.

'Yeh Faizi ko ho kya gaya hai? Koel ke saath chodho, yeh toh kisi ke saath aisa behave nahi karta hai.'

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Monami peeked up from behind her book, eyeing her best friend. He was staring up at the ceiling, a contemplative look on her face. She nudged him with her knee, kicking him harshly when he didn't even twitch. Sid looked up. "Kya hai?" He asked, kicking her back slightly.

"Kya soch raha hai?" She asked.

He glanced around. He leaned closer. "Main soch raha hoon... main Sanju ma'am ko ek date ke liye puchhoon."

Her eyebrows shot up. She kept the book aside, looking at him in interest. "Yeh sudden decision kyun? Kuchh hua hai kya?"

"Bro, kal, na, main raat ko chatt par tha. And I talked to Faizi Sir there. Unhe pata hai ki main Sanju ma'am ko pasand karta hoon. And he told me to go for it."

She tilted her head. "So, you think Sanju ma'am confessed to Faizi Sir ki woh tujhe pasand karte hain? Faizi Sir ne yeh kaha tujhe?"

He shook his head. "Nahi. But I do think Sanju ma'am ne Faizi Sir ko bola. Or at the very least, Faizi Sir ko yeh lagta hai ki Sanju ma'am bhi mujhe pasand karti hai, because if that wasn't the case, Faizi Sir mujhe kabhi maut ke muh mein nahi bhejte."

Monami eyed him, thinking it over. "Gear pehenkar jaayi", she said after a moment. "Helmet wagera. Ma'am ka raudra roop bahar aa gaya toh pit jaayega."

He frowned. "Who's raudra?"