Solace

Chapter 17

Sitting in her office, Karishma was looking at a picture, with a serene smile on her face. The picture had teenage Karishma and Haseena riding on Amar's bike. She remembered that was the time when she decided she wanted a bike of her own. Vijay Singh first hesitated as he found his daughter was too young to get a bike but Karishma was stubborn. She eventually got a bike on her 18th birthday.

Karishma used to roam around the town on her bike with Haseena, without caring about time or day. Days were passing beautifully but then Karishma was sent to college in Bangalore. Santosh and Cheetah were already gonna follow her there. She wanted Haseena to come with her as Haseena had good grades and she could easily get into the same college. But Haseena's mother didn't allow her to go.

Taking a trip to the memory lane, Karishma thought how it's been long since they went on a bike ride. But it seemed difficult now to go any closer to Haseena. Although Karishma didn't want to accept it but it was clear as day that she was attracted to Haseena.

"Jab bhi mai uski kareeb jaati hu yeh sab kyu feel horaha hai mujhe! Pehle toh kabhi aisa nahi hua. Ya phir hua hai and I didn't care to notice", Karishma was confused. "Nahi nahi, yeh sab nahi sochna hai. Karishma Singh, get a hold on yourself."

Karishma tried to focus on her work but couldn't, as her mind went to the yesterday's incident, when she was close enough to feel Haseena's breath on her skin and how it made her feel like. She found her body acting on its own. At that moment, she couldn't think of anything right or wrong, as if she was under a spell. The fact that Haseena didn't stop her once crossed her mind. But she felt like it was just justifying her wrong doing.

"Iss infatuation ke chakkar mein humari dosti kharab nahi kar sakti. Aur Hasi kya sochegi ke uske liye aise thoughts hai mere! But things are getting out of my hands", she shut her eyes in anguish.

Soon enough a knock on the door broke her chain of thoughts and she looked up. "Mam, apse Santosh Sharma milne ayi hai", Neha informed her.

"Andar bulaiye unhe", Karishma instructed and Neha obliged.

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"Ammi hum khana lekar aye hai", Haseena said entering Salma's room with a radiant smile on her face.

"Kya baat hai. Aj chehra bohut khil raha hai tera", Salma said looking at her daughter, whose smile was reaching her eyes.

Haseena was indeed happy, owing to the beautiful surprise she got yesterday from her ahmaq insan. "Bas aajka din bohut accha hai. Bahar ake dekhiye zara", she replied, keeping the tray on the side table.

"Nahi, hume nahi jana. Kal thoda bahar kya gaye ghutno mein dard badh gaya hai", Salma informed, standing up with difficulty. "Ajka kam sara kuch tu dekh lena aur haan, kal jaisi galati nahi honi chahiye", she warned.

"Ji thik hai", Haseena assured her mother.

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Karishma was having her lunch with Santosh beside her, who seemed to be in a chirpy mood.

"Toh kya socha tumne?", Santosh asked, sipping on her strawberry milkshake.

"Kis bare mei?", Karishma said, taking a bite of food.

"Tumhare aur Haseena ke baare mein", she replied and Karishma choked on her food. Santosh gave her water and rubbed her back, trying to control her laugh.

"kya ss..sochna kya hai!", Karishma managed to speak. Although it seemed like a harmless question, still for an unknown reason, Karishma felt uncomfortable. "Maine ek galati ki thi. And I would make sure that it won't happen again", she said lowering her head.

Santosh held her hand in assurance and said, "Karu, you can feel guilty for how you behaved but don't feel guilty about your feelings. Woh galat nahi hai."

"Kaise galat nahi hai? Uske bare mein aisa kaise soch sakti hu mai? She is my bestfriend aur mai aise uski advantage nahi le sakti", Karishma retorted back.

"Isliye kyunki pyaar karna kabse galat hone lag gaya?", Santosh uttered, taking a bite of her muffin.

"Kuch bhi bolti ho santu tum", Karishma said in an irked manner. "Isse tum pyaar kehti ho?", she added, indicating that it was only a physical attraction.

"Shayad tumhe yeh sab naya lag raha hoga, but you feel for her from a long time ago. Tum usse chahti ho, lekin uska ehsaas abhi ho raha hai, in every way", Santosh voiced her observation. "Tum samjh rahi ho na?", she added.

"Aisa hargiz nahi hai", Karishma dismissed her claim sternly. "I was just attracted to her. Tum isse pyar ka naam dena bandh karo and help me to get out of this freaking mess", she added.

"Accha? Toh tum uski shadi tudwane mein itni interested kyun thi?", Santosh asked.

"Woh ladka Hasi ke layak nahi tha, I have already told you right? Characterless tha woh. She deserves better, the best actually", Karishma said with utmost care and love in her voice.

"Like who?", Santu came closer to her and whispered, "Like you, right?"

Karishma got irritated as she couldn't find the correct answer. "Lekin iss baat ka humari conversation se kya lena dena hai, Santu!", she chided.

"Kya tum uske mamle mein overprotective nahi ho? Kya tum uske age dhal banke khadi nahi hoti ho, jaise ke woh tumhari responsibility ho? Bas yehi lena dena hai", Santosh tried to make her understand.

"Ha toh yeh sach hai. Hasi ko mai koi bhi taklif mein nahi dekhna chahti hu. Aur yeh toh tumhare yaa Cheteeh ke liye bhi ekhi hai. Isme aisi konsi baat hai jo tum mujhe yaad dila rahi ho?", Karishma reasoned.

"Toh tum mujhe aur Cheteeh ko bhi wohi nazar se dekhti ho, jaise Haseena ko dekhti ho?", Santosh provoked her. Karishma gave her a death glare in response.

"Aise look dene se mai darne wali nahi hu. Sach kya hai woh tum bhi janti ho", Santosh spoke again. "Dosti aur pyaar mein ek bohut hi thin line hoti hai aur tum na uss line bohut pehle hi cross kar chuki ho, Karu baby", Santosh said with a smirk, indicating towards Karishma's previous actions.

"Kyunki Haseena hamesha se tumhare saath hai isliye tumhe uska ehsaas mamuli lagta hoga. Par socho whenever she is not with you, don't you crave her presence? Accha ya bura koi bhi baat ho, sabse pehle tum Haseena se share nahi karna chahti? Kahi bahar se ghar aake sabse pehle tum Kiska chehra dekhna pasand karti ho? Aur jab bhi dekh nahi pati tab sabke upar apne gusse ki baarish nahi karti ho?", Santosh stated the indisputable truth, leaving Karishma baffled.

"Aur bhi clearly baatau?", Santosh said.
"Tum Haseena pe aise hukum chalati ho jaise uspar tumhara pura haq ho. Aur tum jab chahti ho, jaise marzi chahti ho woh haq jatati bhi ho. Tum chahti ho ke uska centre of attention tum ho. Uska sara waqt, sara pyaar, sab kuch tumhare liye ho. Tum chahti ho ke woh bas tumhari ho kar rahe. Shayad tum yeh baat mere samne accept na karo lekin inkar bhi nahi kar sakti", she added.
"Aur yeh sab tum mere ya Cheteeh ke liye bhi feel karti ho?", she asked contracting her eyebrows and Karishma shook her head sideways, still in daze.

Karishma felt the loss of words because every word Santu was uttering was true and it was overwhelming at so many levels. Her mind refused to believe what her heart already knew.

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Hello beautiful people, I hope you all are doing well.
So, that was chapter 17 of Solace. Feel free to give your opinion in the comment section. Do vote, comment and follow. It will motivate me to write better.
See you in the next chapter.