"What are you playing?" SP Malik is confused by the whole act that has been pulled. He is not mad at the spontaneous claim but he is mad that he was kept out of it.
"Dad." Haseena holds up her hand to stop her dad from saying anything more; stop him from lecturing her with long lessons. "I'm not throwing Karishma under the bus."
"Love, this is not doing anyone any good." Her dad starts to explain quietly. He is the man of patience and he remains like that throughout everything. "This... publicity stunt of yours will knock your career off track and although it saves Detective Singh from kidnapping charges, she will still be investigated by internal affairs. None of you will gain anything from this."
"So you're basically saying that... if I went along with those detectives and falsely accused Karishma of something she wasn't even a part of, that would gain me something? How would I live with myself?"
"I'm trying to get you out of jail, Haseena."
"By throwing the innocent in?"
"Haseena..." Her mom calls her name after a while of observation. She can see that Haseena is not herself right now and by pushing this conversation further, it will also gain no one anything.
"Let's get you ready, shall we?" Aanya jumps in to break what seem to be the beginning of a heated fight that has never happened before between this father-and-daughter duo. "I'll call the makeup team. They are in the lobby."
"Yeah." Haseena whispers as she covers her face exhaustedly. She is running on the imagination fuel and her engine is about to burn into flame. She is dying from the inside.
Haseena is wearing a long-sleeve dress just to cover all the fainted bruises on her arms and to make sure that her bruised wrists that are covered in the concealer will not make any obvious appearance. This premiere event used to be something she looked forward to. She was so excited for it as it could be the official big break of her career in Hollywood but now, she just wants to get it over with. It is hard for her to be present. It is hard for her to feel what she felt all over again. Her sleepless nights have yet to find the end and the flashing lights of the cameras have yet to do her any goods. Right when she is about to step into the spotlight, her eyes catch Will and she politely smiles at him although he doesn't do the same. He looks so confused by her appearance that he has to pause his steps. He stares a quick while before forcing out a cool smile that go along with a cool posture as he approaches.
"He Hi-- Hey." Will finally says after a few seconds of stuttering. He gives her a hug and tries to act natural.
"Hi." Haseena hugs back and hangs confusion on her face as he pulls back. "You look a bit surprised?"
"Surprised?" Will smirks. "Why would I be surprised? This is our show. We should be here."
"Right."
"You look beautiful by the way."
"Thank you."
"Let's go out there together, shall we?"
Haseena nods and links her arm in his. She sighs quietly before putting on her fakest smile and steps out in her fanciest heels. As soon as she lands on the bright-color carpet, the camera men start shouting their names. She poses. He poses. His arm is now around her waist as their bodies are right by one another. Later, they are joined by their co-stars and group photos are taken. It takes Haseena awhile to settle in the groove of the atmosphere. She finds the spot where she can act like nothing happen; like the whole world is not falling apart right before her eyes. After the photo session, there are interviews waiting. The line of reports awaits with questions regarding the show, her relationship with Will and random trivia. Haseena manages to answer them all with a smile and a cheerful mind. Then, at the corner of her eyes, she sees James and Aanya discussing something so intensely. Haseena's mouth is still forming answers while her mind is clearly distracted now. As soon as Aanya's eyes meet hers, Aanya knows she is left with no choice so she gestures James to go to Haseena with the news he has just received.
"Detective Singh just woke up." James whispers as low as he can by Haseena's ear. "She has started to breathe on her own."
"Excuse me." Haseena turns to the reporter and immediately flees the scene. James is left there to explain to the reporter of the situation that he needs to come up on the spot. Aanya tries to stop Haseena as she swiftly moves past her but as always, Aanya fails. Haseena cannot be stopped. Haseena can only be stopped when she wants to be.
"There should be a button for selecting the nurse I want." Karishma says quietly as she examines the remote-control panel for the adjustable bed she is lying on. Her eyes are still half-close but her mind is fully-awake.
"Nurse Carter is married." Officer Maria says as she sits on the armchair nearby. Her eyes are not on Karishma at all as they find their destination on the monitor that shows several graphs and sends out low beeping sound.
"She can get divorced." Karishma mumbles and puts the remote-control panel back where it belongs.
"Does that actress know that you're this horrible?" Officer Maria narrows her eyes as she watches Karishma throws her head back against the bed that has been adjusted for her back to be semi-upright. She closes her eyes but her smile comes out in the open.
"Her name is -"
"Haseena." Officer Maria says.
"So you know..." Karishma opens her eyes to the scene she only hoped it would happen. "...her name."
The scene before her eyes is Haseena; catching her breath in her beautiful short dress. Karishma smiles as she tilts her head to have a better look at the girl. Karishma's beam gets Haseena to smile although she is right on the verge of tears. She smiles and rubs her chest gently to at least get her heartbeat back into the normal pace.
"I'll get some coffee." Officer Maria announces quietly and makes her exit. She says a few words to the officers who stand guard in front of the room. Whatever she says, it seems to make them take a few steps further from the door to give the pair some more privacy.
"Hi." Haseena says underneath her breath. It sounds so low; too low, but it still finds its way to Karishma's ears.
Karishma doesn't respond as she closes her eyes again. She clears her throat lightly and keeps her eyes close for a little longer.
"Are you alright?" Haseena quickly puts her smile away and approaches the bed with worries on her face. She looks at the monitor by the bed. Although she doesn't know how to read those graphs, she still looks for anything that doesn't seem right.
"Yeah. I just need to close my eyes for a bit. To make sure..." Karishma can feel that Haseena is right by her bed. Her sweet scent catches her nose and her warmth is just a small reach away. Still, she refuses to open her eyes right away. "...that I'm not dreaming or having some sort of hallucinations. You know. It is very unlikely for an angel to burst through that door."
Haseena giggles with tears in her eyes as she reaches over to caress Karishma's cheek. "You can just say that I'm beautiful, Karishma."
Karishma opens her eyes to meet Haseena's blues that feels like fresh cold water during the drought. Haseena touch has become Karishma's favorite as she sneaks a kiss right onto her hand. "That's not what I said."
"That's exactly what you said." Haseena leans in for a kiss and a hug that gradually wipe away troubles and weights that have been hanging out on her mind. She finally takes a long deep sigh of relief. "I was so scared."
"I'm sorry." Karishma mumbles as she buries her face in the crook of Haseena's neck. "I'm so sorry."
Haseena's tears start to fall as she is in Karishma's arm. Karishma doesn't say anything more. She doesn't compose comforting words. She lets her embrace play the leading role and lets her love play the extra. It takes a minute for Haseena to finally fully breakdown. It has been hard. She has been lost. She wishes the pain will go away. She wishes the pain will be gone forever when Karishma is here.
_________
Take care
Bye'll 👋 👋
Chapter 17
Start from the beginning
