HIDDEN LOVE (Part 2 of SECRET LOVE)

CHP 5

It had been a week since Haseena began her internship, and she was excelling as a trainee teacher, with Karishma guiding her through the process. Amid her mentoring, Karishma’s usual behaviors—admiring Haseena, staring at her with an intensity that often made Haseena's heart skip a beat, and occasionally flirting (sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally)—were ever-present. As always, Haseena found herself confused by Karishma ma'am's unpredictable behavior.

Furthermore, just like in high school, Karishma began assigning Haseena more of her tasks, under the guise of supervision. But the real motivation behind it was simple—Karishma just wanted to keep Haseena close, to spend more time together, even if it was hidden beneath the surface of work.

On Monday, Haseena was in the staff room, trying to create a PDF on her phone. However, the mobile network was acting up, making the process frustratingly difficult. She had already tried multiple times, but each attempt failed because of the poor signal. Exasperated, she let out a sigh of frustration and decided to step out of the staff room to find better network coverage.

With her eyes glued to her phone, searching for a signal, she stomped out in anger, oblivious to her surroundings. As fate would have it, she unknowingly walked under a jujube tree laden with sharp thorns. Suddenly, the thorns tangled in her hair, pulling painfully.

"Aahhhh!" Haseena winced, her footsteps coming to an abrupt halt. A sharp sting ran through her scalp as her hair tugged against the merciless thorns. "Haan, bas isi ki kami thi!" she muttered bitterly, her voice filled with irritation. "ek to vese hi is network ne pareshan kar rakha tha ab ye ek aur musibat. Ab hum kaise niklein in kaanto se?" Her helpless words hung in the air as she struggled to free her hair.

She reached up, trying to carefully untangle her hair from the thorns, but her efforts only seemed to make things worse. In a surge of frustration, she muttered under her breath, "Nikal ja, saale!" Her tone dripped with exasperation as she gave up momentarily, feeling utterly defeated.

Suddenly, Karishma appeared and spotted Haseena under the jujube tree. With a curious smile, she approached her and asked, "Kya hua, Haseena? Yahan kya kar rahi ho? Ber khane aayi ho kya?"

Already frustrated, Haseena’s irritation only grew at Karishma's unnecessary question. She shot back sarcastically, her tone dripping with annoyance, "Nahi nahi, aisi hamari kismat kahan! Vo to kuch logon ke faltu sawalon se dimag kharab ho gaya tha, toh socha kaanton se ulajh le, maja aayega. Aur waise bhi, ye kaante hamare baalon mein kitne stylish lag rahe hain, accessories ka kaam kar rahe hain," her tone dripping with frustration.

Karishma couldn’t help but smile inwardly, knowing Haseena’s fiery personality all too well. "Tum bilkul nahi badli na," she remarked softly, taking slow, deliberate steps closer to Haseena.

Haseena, still engrossed in her predicament and bubbling with anger, didn’t notice Karishma closing the distance. Still fuming, she retorted, "Ji nahi, ham kyun badlein? Hum girgit hain kya?"

Karishma chuckled softly and moved closer until she was standing just behind Haseena. Leaning in, she whispered in a low, husky voice, "Accha laga yeh jaan kar ki tum nahi badli."

Haseena froze in place as Karishma’s warm breath fanned against her neck. Her heart skipped a beat, and a shiver ran down her spine as she realized Karishma’s proximity. "Aap... aap... k...k..." she stammered, her voice trembling. Karishma’s sudden proximity overwhelmed her senses, leaving her unable to form coherent words.

Karishma smirked, her tone teasing yet intimate. "Mat bolo, tumse waise bhi bola nahi jayega," she murmured near Haseena’s neck, sending a wave of goosebumps cascading down her skin. Haseena’s cheeks turned a deep shade of red, her breath hitching as the closeness became too much to bear.