Ishq-e-Watan

Chapter 110- Wait

CHAPTER 110

WAIT

Karan hadn't been able to sleep at all. The bomb blast would be done at 0900 hours, coordinated by his brother primarily. He went about the morning drills, feeling tense and heavy and tired and exhausted and miserable. Monami hasn't looked at him, not even once. Not even a glance. Not even accidentally.

Faizi sighed in annoyance. "Tum jaakar baat kar lo, na, usse?" He said, and Karan looked up from his breakfast. He had barely touched it. "Murjhaaye hua phool bhi tumse zyaada khila hua hota hai."

He didn't want to retort. He merely dropped his head, staring at the plate again. Monami hadn't even looked at him. He barely glanced up when Koel slid in the seat next to Faizi, staring at him quietly. "Karan Sir?" He didn't reply, busy glaring at his plate. "Karan Sir ko matar nahi pasand kya?" He vaguely heard her ask. "Yeh aise kyun dekh rahe hain?"

"Kuchh nahi hua", Faizi replied to her. "He's just throwing a tantrum. Hota hai kabhi kabhi."

Karan lifted his head to glare at him. Tantrum? Really? "Sab teri galti hai", he accused.

Faizi shook his head. "Achha", he said. "Kaise?"

"Mujhe nahi pata. Par maine decide kar liya hai- teri hi galti hai", he said. Faizi sighed tiredly, rubbing his face.

Karan didn't end up eating much, plopping down on his bed, face down. Okay, so maybe he was throwing a tantrum. But he hated this. Why did Monami have to ask for that of all things? Maybe he should sleep. There were no classes. He closed his eyes. Barely a minute later, his alarm rang. He glanced at it blearily, his eyes snapping open when he registered the time. 0900 hours.

He sat up more, texting his brother. His text came before he could ask. Done.

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

'...100 dead, the official numbers say.'

Faizi listened to the news nervously, reading over the text Param had sent. 'None dead. A few injured. But nothing life altering. Some burns and scrapes.' He looked back up at the news, repeating to himself. None dead. The figures were fake. They had faked it. He could barely register the news.

'...One of the deadliest attacks...'

'A terrorist group...'

'None had come forward yet...'

Karan leaned next to him, just as quiet, but he didn't seem nervous anymore. He seemed to actually be listening to the news. "Kya hua?" Faizi asked.

"Kuchh nahi", he said quietly. He didn't seem as miserable as this morning, although Faizi had noticed that Monami still seemed to avoid him.

Param walked into the mess, a grim look on his face, and he patted Karan's back in greeting gently. "Now... we wait", he said softly, eyes flickering to the news.

Wait. Wait for their little matchstick to blow up into a flame.

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

Sanju leaned over the balcony of the tiny apartment, dressed in the old, worn clothes that suited the character she was playing. The entire day had reminded her why exactly she could never fit in to be just a housewife. Ashish had left early morning, going to meet the minister and checking on the orphanage, and she had spent the morning, talking to some of the neighbors, pretending to be interested in their gossips, all while her gaze lingered on the house.