Take Me Home

23. The Place I belong

"Hum khush hai aapke saat..aur isss baar hum bhaagna nahi chahte..
I don't want to run away but I am scared I'll lose this. This- This." She gestured between herself and Karishma not really in the state to find the right description.

Haseena then looked at Karishma with furrowed brows thinking deeply. "Hum donon ko shaadi kar lena chahiye." Haseena suggested in a childish manner and walked away, leaving behind a surprised Karishma. She plopped down on the bed wanting to let slumber take over her confusion. Karishma recovered quickly enough to walk over to her tuck her in.

"Theek hai kal shaadi karenge okay?. Abhi soh jao and remember I have handcuffs if you decide to run." She whispered to Haseena's sleeping form and kissed her on her forehead before turning off the night lamp leaving the room.

Haseena returned from the flood of memories from last night. She had asked Karishma to marry her! How embarrassing she was when drunk, she wondered to herself. Kiara wriggled in her arms so she put her down near Karishma and she herself laid beside her sandwiching their baby between them, she softly placed her hand on Karishma's waist hugging her. Kiara seemed happy with the arrangement and randomly mumbled Babita making Haseena chuckle.

She wanted to figure out her jumbled thoughts and being near Karishma was somehow peaceful yet chaotic. Realisation hit her at how Karishma hadn't let her kiss her because she thought she was doing that only because she was drunk. Little did Karishma know how Haseena wanted her and her alone to be the witness of her deepest desires. She desired Karishma and it was also the result of the blooming love she felt for her. She did find her attractive when she had first laid her eyes on her when they were supposed to go on that date two years ago but she had never desired her until recently and to her those were two entirely different things.

Wait a minute. What about that mark? The reasonable part of her brain brought her out of her train of not very pg-13 thoughts.

She pulled Karishma's collar slightly and rubbed the mark and gaped when the colour came off and she recognised it to be her own lipstick which she noticed was missing from her vanity.

"Kitni badi nautanki hai ye!" She whispered in awe. She wondered why Karishma would create such a drama for her to just cook lunch for her Senior. Who did this drama queen invite over? It's not like she knew any of her colleagues. She thought to herself laying down on Karishma's shoulder again and her mind reminded of one person from the department who she did know. For whom Karishma would go to such an extent.

The oven dinged indicating that the food she put in it was cooked so she got up carrying Kiara with her to the kitchen not wanting to leave her unattended.

Karishma stirred in her sleep inhaling deeply the delicious smell of her favourite dish, smiling in her sleep.

"Haseena." She mumbled in her sleep hugging a soft toy with a goofy smile and then realized that she wasn't supposed to be sleeping. That she was responsible for looking after Ki when Haseena cooked. She ran towards the kitchen and panicked much like last night and then started checking the rooms only to find Kia in her crib sound asleep. She realised with guilt that Haseena had managed to cook AND also looked after their kid at the same time.

Wanting to apologise to Haseena she moved towards the master bedroom but remembered she had to reapply lipstick to the fake mark, for Haseena's eyes were keen and she couldn't afford getting caught at the moment.

She had chosen to wear a black flannel with the collar buttoned high enough to hide the supposed "mark". She couldn't help but wonder what the evening had in store. Growing up, her constant support was from Cheetah who was also her age. She had no parents to teach her how to deal with her problems and she had to learn in her own childish manner how to deal with stuffs. Maybe that explained the tantrums she threw today to get what she wanted from Haseena.