Destined to be Together

Chapter 42

Karishma was standing motionless with her head bowed down, processing what she had just blurted out in her rage. She regretted it immediately because she had promised herself that she would bury this secret forever. She wondered how she could say that out loud to Haseena, whom she had known for just a few months. Even her own mother has given up on the topic after confronting her so many times. She closed her eyes and clenched her fist tightly as she tried to stave off all the exasperation and dismay she had absorbed from the heartbreak. The emotions she had kept inside her for years were now on the verge of flooding out in front of Haseena. She does not want to be seen in such a vulnerable state, as she has always faced her own demons of misery all alone.

Haseena was stuck on the spot and suddenly Haseena snapped out of the trance and murmured, "Kya kaha aapne dokha? Jasmeet ne dokha diya tha!”

Anyone could understand why Karishma's heartbreak was so painful. Why does she have trust issues???? Why would she have kept their breakup a secret from her own mother? Pushpaji has always loved Jasmeet as her own daughter, and it would have been unbearable for her to believe that Jasmeet would have cheated on her daughter.

Haseena stepped towards Karishma, but she opened her eyes immediately and ran into the house, leaving Haseena in a daze. She too followed her inside, where Karishma had already grabbed her jacket and was searching for her bike keys, which she must have misplaced after yesterday's drinking fiasco.

“Kaha ja rahi hai aap” asked Haseena in a stern voice.

Karishma was busy looking for the bike keys instead of responding, while Haseena understood her behavior and once again asked, "Hum kuch puch rahe hai kaha ja rahi hai aap.”

This time Karishma replied while fumbling “Vo mai thoda bahar jakar aati hu” without looking at her.

"Aap Bhaag rahi hai na??? Kahi aapko humare sawalo k jawab na dene pade, hai na??? Par saach maniye hum aapse kuch nahi puchenge is baare mein”, said Haseena in the most genuine voice leaving Karishma stunned. She stood on the spot as Haseena continued "Jo kuch bhi hua vo aapke aur Jasmeet k bich ki baat hai aur is baare mai baat karna na karna aapka faisla hai......Par sirf ek darkhwast hai sharab ka sahara mat lijiye, aapne liye na sahi aap ke aapno k liye......

“Sach mano Galib aapno k liye khudko dur rakhti hu…… Daar lagta hai khud se k mere andaar jo tufan utha hai kahin woh mere aapno ki khushiya tabha na karde'' replied Karishma, gritting her teeth in a furious yet dejected voice.

“Agar hum kahe k hume Tabha hona bhi manzoor hai toh……Vo kya hai na itne saal baad hume ek ghar mila hai ek Ammi mile hai aur ek dost mili hai aur hum in sab ko khone se darte hai…… Ek kaam kijiye apne andar ki saara gussa yahi hum par nikal lijiye, hum uff tak nahi karenge par khudko uski saza mat dijiye jo gaalti aap ne ki hi nahi hai” urged Haseena, but Karishma was still standing with her back to her, tears streaming down her cheeks.

As Karishma wiped away her tears, she turned toward Haseena and spoke softly “Ajeeb baat hai na ek insan mere zindagi ka sukoon hua karta tha par aaj uski zikr bhi mere andar aag laga deta hai, aur ji karta hai k usi aag se puri duniya jala du….. Fir daar bhi lagta hai kahi wohi aag mere ghar ko na jala de, isliye is daar ki wajah se khudko sab se dur rakhti hoon” and took a deep breath and continued “We never had so much money before, but I worked hard to earn it not just for myself but for my mother as well. Amma must have told you about our struggle. After seeing how much effort and arduous work she had put into providing me with a sustainable life, my only aim was to provide her with a luxurious life that she had never dreamed of. Was I wrong in thinking this about my mother? Coming from a troubled childhood in India, it was extremely difficult for me to adjust to a foreign language school in a foreign country. Especially for someone with average language knowledge. Having put in lots of effort and given 100%, I was accepted into one of the most prestigious aviation colleges. Meet has always supported me in my decisions and motivated me. She trusted me even when I was not capable of trusting myself. Since I moved to the U.S. for my studies, we were unable to maintain a long-distance relationship. Because I had to give my most devoted effort to college, I couldn't devote much time to Meet, and it began to affect our relationship. We used to fight a lot. Then she started spending more time with her other friends and I became jealous, which resulted in more fights between us. We started to grow apart instead of together. Every relationship has its ups and downs, isn't it?”