COME, BURN WITH ME!

36. LOVE IS NOT A WORD!~

"Acha... to phir aapke ye hosh kyu ude h? Aur ye kanpur ki thand mein ye aadhi raat ko mathe pe paseena kyu h?"

"Wa...wo kidhr paseena...", she quickly wiped her forehead and gulped down the lump formed in her dry throat.

"...koi haseena... hamara mtb paseena... koi paseena nhi h... aur... aur aap eha itni durr ka kr rhi h hamare saath, jaiye aur ammi aur papa ke saath jaakr enjoy kriye!", anxiously mentioned karishma and left from there.

"Issshhhh!!!!", pj murmured under her breath and then left from there too, to join others with a smile on her face.

____________________________

About an hour later, all of a sudden a group of few children engaged in playing came running towards karishma with burning sparklers in their hands. As soon as karishma noticed the approaching toddlers and then their hands, she felt herself paralyzed, with every step of them approaching towards her, the terror mounted and fought a raising panic.

Karishma's hands were cold and clammy, she sweated with fear and felt sick! She abruptly moved out from there. 

"Inhe kya hua pj?"

"Pata nhi ms, kuch ajeeb si lagi hame!"

"Ham dekh kr aaye?"

"Ha, ha jaiye... isse acha mauka nhi milega unse baat krne ke liye aapko!", said pj with a glint in her eyes.

Haseena, too, felt hopeful with that glint. She nodded seeing pj and then followed karishma.

____________________________

Haseena was sure that she'll find karishma in her room. So, she followed her there but she nowhere found her. She was returning when she felt some bustling in karishma's mother's room. She tip toed to the door and slightly aparted the door and looked inside. She saw karishma standing in the balcony.

Haseena was contented to find her that too in her room, thus, without a second thought she went inside.

"Chale jaiye yaha se haseena!"

"To aaj bhi aapne hame pehchan liya kashu?", playfully asked haseena.

"Ham aapko kabhi bhi aur kahi bhi pehchan skte h hasu... haseena!", said karishma with a heavy voice.

Haseena's heart escaped a beat. She knew that her ears haven't misheard but she didn't feel the guts to ask karishma to repeat her what she just corrected.

Haseena silently came and stood beside karishma. Karishma's gaze were fixed in the sky where one after other dazzling and glittering fireworks were exploding. Haseena looked at her face and tried to analyze it.

"Kya baat h? Aap kuch pareshan lag rhi h hame!"

"Wo dekhiye haseena waha wo aatishbazi... kitni khoobsurat h na?"

Haseena looked into the direction and her eyes widened too at the view but then she again looked back at karishma and repeated her question.

"Koi baat aapko pareshan kr rhi kya kashu?"

"Are haseena waha dekhiye... aapne to sabse khoobsurat wali aatishbazi hi miss kr di!", said karishma with a fake excitement in her voice and looked back at haseena who was already staring at her, thus their eyes met!

Haseena pleaded through her eyes to share what is wrong with her but karishma turned away her face back to the sky and remained silent.

Haseena patiently waited for another half an hour looking at karishma. But when karishma didn't appreciate her feelings, something broke inside her which led ending up her patience!

Haseena for the last time patiently asked karishma, "kashu, ham jante h koi baat h jo aapko pareshan kr rhi h, aap use share kr skti h hamare saath... ham hai na? Ham sunenge aapki saari baatein.... please boliye na kashu!"

But karishma was still looking outside and was laughing seeing the children playing in the lawn. This ignorant behavior ended up haseena's patience. She held karishma's one of the upper arms and turned her towards herself.

"Ahh haseena, aaram se, hame dard ho rha h!"

"Dard?" "...aap samajhti bhi h kya ki dard kya hota h?"

"Ham puch puch kr thak chuke h ki kya dikkat h aapke saath, please share kariye hamse pr aap SI KARISHMA SINGH h, aapki ego sayad choti pr jayegi aapni baat share krne mein ya phir aap hame kabil hi nhi samajhti kuch bhi batane ke!", haseena harshly bashed her in a go.

Karishma kept looking at her in silence. She still didn't utter a word. This enraged haseena even more.

"Aap abhi bhi khamosh rhne ko mufeed manti h! Excellent!", scoffed haseena.

"Aapne khana khaya haseena?"

At this haseena unbelievably looked at karishma. She didn't understand whether she wanted to mock this care or was concerned about karishma's condition.

"Aap hamari baatein sun bhi rhi h kya karishma? Ya hamari koi jagah hi nhi h aapke nazro mein?"

"Ham yaha kab se is baat ko lekr pareshan h ki aap kis cheez se guzar rhi h wo share kre hamse, wo nikaliye apne andar se... aur aap h yaha ki aapko hamare khane ki pari h????", haseena rebuffed.

"Ham sab sun bhi rhe h aur samajh rhe h phir bhi puch rhe h aapse ki khana khaya ya nhi aapne?"

"Nhi khana hame khana... ham kuch puch rhe h na aapse kashu? Jawab dijiye pahle hame!"

"Ham bhi wahi keh rhe h haseena ki ham bhi kuch puch rhe h... aap bhi jawab de dijiye hame!"

"Nhi, dikkat ye nhi kashu... hamara matlab karishma! Dikkat ye h ki aap mahan h, aapne tooti hui, bikhri hui ek bewa ko sahara diya... hamesha uski jaroorton ka khyal rkha h! Aap ek bahut hi daani aur apne kartavya ki pakki insaan h... ham kahan aapke tulna mein h kahi? Ham to bas jyada se jyada aapki khushiyon mein hissa le skte h pr aapke problems ko sunne layak bhi nhi h ham! Yahi baat h bas!"

Karishma was listening to these heart piercing accusations of haseena on herself but still she didn't break her silence.

"Isse to behtar hota h ki Aabid ke saath hamne jo apni jaan dene ka faisla kiya tha use anzam tak le jaana chahiye tha! Na yaha aaj tak aabid ke qatil ko khoj paye h aur aap to hame kisi kabil smjhti hi nhi h!"

"Bas khatm kr lena chahiye tha khud ko!", and a tear escaped from karishma's eyes as these words echoed again and again in karishma's ears.

____________________________

That is it for this part guys. Bye 👋 milte h next part mein.