Solace

Chapter 48

"Tumhare haath se maut bhi manzoor hai mujhe. Iss dafa agar galatfehmi khatam na hua toh phir yeh zindagi sahi", Adeel replied, directly looking into her eyes. He didn't wait for another second and left the place instantly.

"Galatfehmi nahi bewafayi kehte hai usse", Antara closed her eyes in agony.

"Zaroori nahi hai ke har ankhon dekha sach ho", she heard Karishma saying. She looked back at her with surprise etched in her face. "Tumhe kya laga, bataogi nahi toh pata nahi chalega? I know I was drowned in my problems, but I can see through my friend's fake smile", Karishma muttered and saw tears welling up in Antara's eyes, "Mai Adeel bhai ko bachpan se janti hu, he is anything but a cheater. Go and talk to him, would you?" Antara nodded her head with a tearful smile.

Haseena, who witnessed the scene unfolding in front of her, smiled wholeheartedly. "How can one person have so many shades in her personality!" she wondered, staring at Karishma endearingly. But her lips went back to a straight line as soon as she saw Karishma glancing back at her.

"Naraz mat ho. Masti kar rahi thi mai bas!" Karishma reached out to hold her hand. Haseena turned her face to the other side but their hands remained entangled. "I'm sorry! Chhod do yeh narazgi please", Karishma uttered with pleading eyes this time.

Haseena couldn't help but smile at this adorable sight. Karishma went in front of Haseena and tucked a pink rose near her ear. "You are beautiful, Hasi", she complimented, kissing her cheeks with all her love and affection and Haseena closed her eyes in acceptance, her face glowing with happiness just like a freshly bloomed rose.

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"Hasi bohut ho gaya ab please niche utro. It's dangerous", Karishma pleaded, making her grip stronger on Haseena's left hand, who had her right hand in the air, trying to balance herself as she walked along the rugged edge of the hill. "Agar galati se pair slip ho gaya...", she couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence but the sweatbands formed in her forehead were the indication of the worst possible scenarios created by her jittery mind.

But Haseena didn't seem to pay any heed to her request as she continued to trail along the edge saying, "bas do minute aur", her nasal bridge turned slightly red owing to the chilly breezes caressing her face every now and then.

"Okay, that's enough!" Karishma murmured as she was also at the very edge of her patience level. In a swift movement, she pulled Haseena downwards and held securely in her arms, who closed her eyes at this suddenness of this action.

"Why would you do that!" Haseena uttered in a slight complaining tone but then she felt the rhythm of the latter's uneven heartbeat against her palm. She opened her eyes only to find herself looming over Karishma, who had panic written all over her face, panic that resulted from the concern for Haseena's well being.

"Why would YOU do that? It's a freaking mountain top! Agar gir jati toh?" Karishma chided, ignoring the fact that she was lying on the ground with Haseena on top of her.

"Aisa kuch bhi nahi hota", she heard Haseena saying as her panic-gripped eyes found Haseena's deep brown ones, warm and serene as ever. "Kyuki ap humare saath the. Aur hume khudse zyada aap pe bharosa hai ki aap hume kuch nahi hone dengi", she said with a smile as genuine as her words but she wasn't aware of the fact that she made someone else wordless.

"Karishma yaar! Stop zoning out", Antara uttered, smacking Karishma's shoulder in annoyance. It's the second time she had lost the game to Santosh, owing to Karishma's absent mindness.

"I shouldn't have left Haseena alone", Karishma said, disregarding her words.

"She is in her house, with her mother! Akeli thodi hai!" Soon Santosh chimed in.