[Madam Sir] Zindagi Ke Jazbaat - Stories of Life and Love

#1.2 Reunited..?

In Last part we ended the part where Karishma and her new friends offered Naina and Haseena to drop nearby at public transport.
 

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Santu—Santosh Sharma—and Cheeta Chaturvedi had offered to drop Naina and me at the nearby metro station, while taking it upon themselves to decide that Karishma would join them on a spontaneous 150-kilometer drive to Murthal. Their forwardness, their assumption that they could just pull Karishma along, didn't sit well with Naina. The minute she heard their plan, she quietly put back everything she'd picked up from Karishma's collection—her way of silently signaling her disapproval, without causing a scene.

I didn't catch all of this in the moment. I was already a bit resigned to Karishma not coming with us. She had her reasons, and I understood them. Maybe she felt some hesitation about staying with Naina's roommate, or maybe it was just the way we all adjust as we grow up. Sometimes, wanting to be with everyone has to take a backseat to other priorities, and Karishma, being the sensible one, likely felt the weight of that.

It's funny how you can be both happy for your friends to have new people in their lives, and yet feel a pang when those new bonds clash with the old. That night, as we walked toward the metro, Naina's silence spoke volumes, and I felt the bittersweet tug of watching things change, even as we tried to hold onto them.

When Naina and I finally reached her place, she was fuming. Karishma had tried calling both of us—repeatedly—but Naina wouldn't pick up. She even snatched my phone away when I tried to answer.

"Hasi, tune agar Karishma se baat ki, toh tu dekh lena," Naina warned, pushing my phone out of my reach.

"Arrey, par hua kya? Call kar rahi hai, baat toh karne de," I tried reasoning with her.

"Nahi, tu nahi uthayegi," Naina insisted, eyes narrowed. "Uthaya toh mein baat nahi karungi."

"Fine, let me just text her, then," I suggested, hoping to find a middle ground.

"Nope. Tu kuch bhi baat nahi karegi. Usne hamare saath aane se mana kiya aur apne naye doston ke saath chaldi" Naina snapped, the hurt clear in her voice.

"Par kya hua?" I replied, trying to keep things calm. "Usne pehle hi bola tha ki vo hamare saath nahi rukegi."

"Jo bhi ho," Naina shot back, crossing her arms. "Hamare saath nahi aayi, toh unke saath kyun chali gayi?"