As the two women sat in quiet understanding, a shared yet unspoken sense of purpose hung between them. The silence wasn’t awkward it was reflective, heavy with emotions neither fully understood.
After a moment, Haseena broke the silence, a slight hesitation in her tone. She asked to confirm, “Toh aap shaadi shuda nahi hain? Nakli se bhi shaadi nahi hui aapki?” The question seemed out of place, and even Haseena wondered why she was asking it.
Karishma replied earnestly, “Ji, Madamsir, nakli se bhi nahi. Aur shaadi toh bahut gambhir baat hai, Madamsir. Woh jhooth ya natak ke liye koi khel ka cheez nahi hai.”
Haseena asked again, her curiosity evident, “Toh kya aapki zindagi mein koi hai bhi nahi? Aur aapko kabhi kisi se pyaar hua nhai?”
Karishma’s eyes widened in surprise at the directness of the question. “Kya, Madamsir?” She met Haseena’s gaze briefly and shook her head faintly, a small smile playing on her lips. “Ji nahi, Madamsir. Aap bhi na… Hum toh humara farz nibhaane aur Pushpa ji ka khayal rakhne mein busy hain. Humare paas yeh sab sochne ka waqt hi kahan hai? Aur hum ko nahi pata ki isse koi hai ya nahi ”
Haseena leaned forward slightly, her voice soft but insistent. “Achha? Toh phir ek kaam karte hain,let’s find out. Pata chalegee ki koi hain ya nahi. Aap bas apni aankhen band kariye.”
Karishma looked at her incredulously. “Madamsir, yeh kya ...”
Haseena gave her a knowing look. “Bas kariye na Karishma Singh. Apni aankhen band kariye, aur sochiye ki hum jo pooch rahe hain, uska jawab aapke dil se aayega.”
Karishma sighed but followed Haseena’s instructions, hesitantly closing her eyes. “Theek hai, Madamsir.”
Haseena’s voice softened further, her words deliberate and measured. “Aapne kabhi kisi ko aise mehsoos kiya hai ki bas uske paas hone se sukoon milta ho? Jaise zindagi ki saari pareshaaniyaan ek pal ke liye khatam ho jaati hain?”
Karishma’s brows furrowed slightly as the question lingered in her mind. Her expression gradually shifted, her features relaxing into a calm serenity. A faint smile graced her lips as an image formed in her mind a face, familiar and comforting.
Haseena observed the subtle changes in Karishma’s expression, her own curiosity deepening. She asked her next question, her tone careful but probing. “Kya aapko kabhi lagta hai ki bas unka chehra ya unki muskaan dekh kar hi aapko sukoon milta hai?”
Karishma’s serene expression grew softer, and her lips curved into a peaceful smile. She felt the warmth of the thought of the person and the person's smile her mind unknowingly showed her, filling her with inexplicable calm.
Haseena’s voice grew gentler. “Aur kya aap kabhi unse ek pal ke liye door rehne ki soch se pareshan hui hain?”
Karishma’s brows furrowed momentarily as a tinge of unease crossed her face. The thought of distance from the person made her heart ache slightly, though she didn’t fully understand why.
Haseena continued, her tone a little more hesitant, as if her own heart was now involved. “Kya aapne kabhi unhe dekh kar apne dil ko zor se dhadakte mehsoos kiya hai?”
At this question, Karishma’s eyes moved faintly under her closed lids. Her heartbeat quickened as she felt a rush of emotions. The image of the person in her mind grew clearer, more vivid, and her hand instinctively moved near her heart.
Unbeknownst to her, Haseena was experiencing something similar. As she asked these questions, her own mind conjured an image of a face she didn’t expect to see. Her breath caught slightly as her heartbeat picked up pace. She too pressed a hand near her heart, as though trying to calm the unexpected rhythm.
After a brief pause, Haseena asked softly, her voice almost trembling now, “Kya aap kabhi sochti hain ki agar woh kisi mushkil halat mein hote aap unke saath hoti par unki madad nahi kar paati, toh aapko kaisa lagta?”
The question lingered in the air, both women unknowingly thinking of each other, their emotions stirring deeper than they anticipated. Neither spoke, the silence between them heavy with unspoken feelings as their hearts wrestled with this newfound realization.
Each found themselves transported to moments of pain and helplessness moments tied to each other.
For Karishma, her mind flashed back to the day she saw her Madamsir lying in a pool of blood, the aftermath of three bullets tearing into her. The vision of Haseena falling from the cliff replayed in vivid detail, tormenting her. Each day since then, Karishma carried the weight of guilt and worthlessness, haunted by the fact that she hadn’t been able to protect Haseena when it mattered most. But in that moment, with her eyes closed, her mind didn’t just stop at the pain it lingered on Haseena’s face, her strength, her smile.
For Haseena, the memories were no less harrowing. She saw Karishma’s broken spirit after that tragic day how the guilt had been etched into her every expression, the pain of loss shining in her eyes. Haseena saw how Karishma had been tormented by nightmares, reliving the scene over and over, and how each day she had buried her pain to support others. Haseena as Urmila had tried to remain strong, to be a pillar, but deep down, she blamed herself for causing the anguish Karishma had endured. The helplessness of not being able to console her, to take away her suffering, had been a wound Haseena carried silently. Yet now, as her thoughts lingered on Karishma’s face, she felt a flicker of light comfort and warmth she hadn’t expected.
Suddenly, Karishma’s eyes shot open, her breaths uneven. Her eyes were red, a mix of unshed tears and emotions she couldn’t suppress anymore. She turned to look at Haseena, only to find her gazing back, her own eyes equally red, filled with emotions she wasn’t ready to confront.
The silence between them stretched for a moment longer before Karishma, unable to hold back, spoke, her voice trembling. “Madamsir, hum…” She trailed off, unsure of how to put her feelings into words.
Haseena blinked, trying to steady herself. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. “Karishma Singh… shayad ab humein sona chahiye. Raat bohot ho gayi hai.”
Karishma nodded wordlessly, unable to find her voice. The weight of their unspoken emotions hung heavily between them. Both women retreated to the room, lying down, but sleep eluded them.
In the silence of the night, their minds replayed the strange moments they had just shared how their thoughts had conjured each other’s images, how their hearts had felt lighter when they were together, and how they had ached when they thought of the pain the other had endured.
Karishma turned on her side, staring at the darkened ceiling, her mind racing. “Woh kyun mere dimaag mein aayi? Har baat, har ehsaas… sab Madamsir se hi kyun juda lagta hai?” She pressed her hand over her heart, feeling its erratic beats. “Kya hum madamsir se… nahin, yeh toh… she sighs, pata nahi hum kya soch rahe hai” She trailed off, unsure how to make sense of the feelings stirring inside her.
On the other side, Haseena was no different. Her hand rested over her chest as she replayed Karishma’s serene expression when she’d asked those questions, the way her lips had curved into a soft smile. Her mind whispered a truth she wasn’t ready to acknowledge. “Karishma Singh… aap mere liye itne zaruri kyun hain? Har sukoon, har dard, bas aap se hi toh hai. Aur aapka pass jo sukoon mehsoos karti hai ki khabi kisi pass bhi nahi ”
Unknowingly, both women are revisiting the same memory lane their first meeting, the initial misunderstandings, the countless moments of friction and camaraderie that had defined their journey together. Each recalled their shared struggles and triumphs, their arguments and reconciliations, the push and pull that had drawn them closer in ways neither could fully articulate.
Both women had feelings for each other, emotions they had buried so deeply that when they began to surface, they left them shaken and unsure. Lying awake, their hearts raced with a mix of confusion and longing, neither knowing how to confront these emotions but unable to deny the profound connection that had grown between them.
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I
don't know what I have written now, Sorry for any mistakes.
If this part seems silly or anything else apologies
Continue...
By:-ZJ
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Jab Duty meets LOVE 💕
FanfictionThis story starts from Urmila track with more twist and turns
