"Hey." Officer Maria is not far behind. She greets Haseena and gives Cheeta a polite nod.
"How did they know?" Haseena asks Karishma who is approaching her with worry in her eyes. She doesn't expect any answers from Karishma who was possibly on her patrol when the news broke. She keeps Karishma's touch that lands on her arm while listening to Aanya on the phone. "Karishma's here with Officer Maria."
"I'm Cheeta. Haseena's brother." Cheeta takes his long stride towards Officer Maria with his hand extending out.
"Officer Maria." The officer shakes it with a polite smile. "There are already a few paparazzi waiting outside. There will be more in a bit with some reporters and everything."
Haseena hangs up the phone from Aanya and sighs through her mouth. She doesn't say anything more as she gets another phone on the coffee table and hands it to Karishma. She exhaustedly rubs her eye.
Karishma bends down to look at Haseena's eyes. She tucks her hair behind her ears and whispers. "Are you alright?"
"Of course, I'm fine, Karishma. My girlfriend basically betrayed me and now the news broke with half of it sending straight out of Taken's writing room. I have no choice but to relive the whole thing just to make the entire story straight and save my career. So I'm perfectly fine, Karishma."
Karishma places her hands on her duty belt and takes a deep breath. She sees and feels Haseena's frustration and she doesn't want to say anything more to make anything worse. Although she hates the comment Haseena has made on her, she chooses silence over madness she might bring.
"I think you should reschedule your flight and leave as soon as you can." Haseena turns to Cheeta who is right next to Officer Maria with his hands in his pockets and his eyes on his sister. He is evaluating the situation to decide what his next move should be. "Before you're dragged into this mess."
"Dad will kick my bum if I leave you now." Cheeta doesn't move an inch and doesn't intent on following Haseena's advice.
"I'll kick your bum if you stay." Haseena glares at Cheeta and makes sure he knows that there is no bit of a joke in her words.
Cheeta takes a moment to consider what he has heard before nodding slowly. He knows better than to fight Haseena. "Alright, then. I'll leave through the back and call a taxi."
"Hmm, Chez." Karishma gets his attention as he grabs his duffle bag from the couch. "Officer Maria can-"
"Hold on one second here." Haseena interrupts Karishma and closes her eyes to quickly gather her thoughts. "Chez? You called him Chez?"
Karishma pauses. She doesn't look all anxious or all suspicious but she knows well that while her mind is on Haseena, her brain skips some details that were discussed.
"My name is Chez." Cheeta steps up trying to hopelessly salvage the situation that is about to be trashed to the ground by his sister.
"You don't just go by nicknames after meeting for 5 minutes." Haseena looks at Karishma who tries her best to not show any expression on her face and looks at Cheeta who is ready to rebut anything. "You met. Why did you meet? Oh my god, what did you two do?"
"We just hung out." Cheeta squeezes himself through a tiny hole and hopes Karishma will be able to do the same. He knows his sister well. If they don't get away while they can, they might not be able to at all.
Haseena locks her eyes on the target who also looks at her like there is no one else in the room. Her heart is now too heavy to flutter by the brown eyes she loves to have on her. "What did you do with him?"
"Haseena, don't be ridiculous." Cheeta steps up again as he can see that Karishma is being pushed inch by inch into the corner.
"Cheeta, shut it." Haseena takes her eyes off of Karishma for one second and when she looks back, those brown eyes have already taken a short journey to somewhere else.
"I don't think it concerned you." Karishma says with such a tone that distances herself far far away from Haseena.
"It seems to concern me a lot. Considering how you came running trying to get your hand on this whole situation. What did you do? Worked together to ruin my career?"
Karishma takes another deep breath. Her patience is running thin and Haseena is too pissed off at everything to see that.
"Let's just..." Officer Maria is playing a firefighter and trying to put out the flame that is about to turn into a wildfire. Karishma's temper should not be messed with. "I'll give Mr. Malik a ride to the airport and... Maybe we all should just get out of here. There will be a crowd out there for sure. It will be harder to get out."
Haseena can feel so strongly that she is about to burst into thousands of pieces and whatever is happening with her and Karishma is not helping her one bit. "Yeah. I guess that's what we should do."
"Just let Karishma take care of you, Hasz." Cheeta says gently; almost like a beg that he prays his sister will comply. "Just let her get you to Aanya or James, alright?"
"Yeah." Haseena mumbles as she lets Cheeta kiss her on the head and wraps his arms around her for a goodbye hug. She misses her brother; that's for sure, but she doesn't want him to get tangled up in a thing that might mess up his life also.
"See you in a few months?"
"Yeah." Haseena crosses her arms after Cheeta pulls back. She can see that he glances at Karishma for a quick second as if they are exchanging some sort of a secret code. Whatever they did together, she is almost certain that it directly concerns her. She is the only thing both of them have in common; apart from being a cop.
Cheeta leaves with Officer Maria through the garden gate. The patrol car is parked a block away and it is away from the eyes that are settling in front of Haseena's house. He will be on his way safe and sound. Now, there is Haseena who has a table read to attend while there are more and more people who want to talk about the incident that has just reached the media. She leaves Karishma where she is and heads to the bathroom where she can find some medicine that can cure this terrible headache. Karishma takes her gentle steps towards the bathroom and stands in the hall across the room; giving Haseena all the time and space she needs to have her medicine down and her mind collected.
"I have a table read at the studio." Haseena lets Karishma in on the business. "If I still have that job. I mean who would want an actress who comes with a scandal in their movie."
"Well, I'll drive you to Aanya and James. I'm sure they are with your publicist?"
"And my lawyer, yes." Haseena continues her steps to the laundry room nearby to grab Karishma a hoodie and a pair of jeans that are freshly out of the washing machine.
Having a uniform police officer with her might not be the best for her right now; although it is Karishma. "I'm going to let you go with me only because my brother asked me to."
"Alright." Karishma takes the clothes and feels the cold that is spreading out of Haseena's heart. "I'm sorry, Haseena."
"You're sorry that you kept everything from me or you're sorry that I found out." Haseena shoots. Karishma with the sight of emptiness that causes Karishma pain more than the actual bullet. "What did you do with Cheeta?"
Karishma doesn't answer as she takes off the body cam and the navy-blue shirt before putting on the hoodie that was passed to her. She adjusts the duty belt while keeping her eyes on the girl who is clearly upset by her answer. Nothing is in her favor. She cannot lie and she cannot tell the truth.
"Did you read the article?" Haseena changes the question; the one she knows Karishma will answer.
"I did."
"So you know that they called you my 'incompetent cop girlfriend"."
"I do."
"Is that why you're here? To prove them wrong."
"Haseena." Karishma couldn't hate what she has heard more and her patience is running thinner by minutes. The fight they are having is unnecessarily getting bigger. From what Karishma could see, Haseena is getting further and further out of her mind. She is throwing everything she can get her hand on at her now. "How can you even think of that?"
"Because you gave me a reason to." Haseena raises her voice and begins to walk away.
Karishma takes the badge from her shirt and puts it in the hoodie before following Haseena who is heading towards the garage. Although she knows that Haseena wouldn't leave without her, she still cannot leave Haseena out of her sights.
"Haseena, give me the key." Karishma announces once she sees Haseena opening the driver seat door. "I'll drive."
"Why?"
"Can you just give me the key?" Karishma finally reaches Haseena and places her hand on the door so that Haseena cannot close it without crushing her hand. "I know you're mad at me and at the whole world but please stop acting like a baby for one second."
Haseena scoffs and gets even madder. This is not the first time they are on each other's nerves but this is the first time either one of them are having it. "I am acting like a baby? Karishma, seriously?"
"Just give me the key." Karishma sighs harshly and tries to calm down as her hand extends out for the key that has yet to make it halfway to her hand.
Instead of handing the key over nicely, Haseena throws it at Karishma and that's the exact moment when Karishma's patience with Haseena completely runs out. She cracks and she breaks. They are two separated active volcanos that happen to be in the same area. It is not Pompeii but it is something very close to it.
"Oh God." Karishma leans down to get the key from the floor. As soon as she straightens herself back up with the key in her hand, another version of her emerges. It is not gentle. It is not lovable. It is everything Haseena doesn't want to see. Karishma pulls Haseena away from the car and slams the door shut so loudly that Haseena shakes to the core. "I asked your brother to take Brian from his driveway. And his wife. I tied them up and took them through the wonderful ride he had given you. Then, I locked them up in the storage unit and left them in the hands of their own fates."
"What?" Haseena exclaims underneath her breath. This is not what she has anticipated. This is way more than her mind can take at this moment. She cannot even bare to look at this version of Karishma that is standing right in front of her. "So you've become him?
"Haseena." Karishma whines.
"You don't have the right to just grab anyone-
"I do. I do, Haseena." Karishma smirks. "I do have the right to do everything in my power to protect the person I love. You can't win by the rules. The rules were already bended and broken. I had listened to that recording for hundreds and hundreds of times. He didn't admit to a kidnapping. He didn't even say your name. He could possibly say that he mentioned my ex-girlfriend. He could possibly say that the date on the recording was distorted. Haseena, it is basically garbage."
"Do you know what else is garbage?" Haseena gathers every ounce of courage she still has left within her and heads for a battle with this furious version of Karishma. She is not letting Karishma or anyone win with their unreasonable reason. "You thinking that you can think for me."
"I didn't think for you." Karishma stops Haseena who is about to turn the table and flips it back up. Her temper is still boiling and doesn't seem to turn into simmer soon. "That's rich coming from you when you thought, without telling me, that I couldn't afford to pay Hughes's medical bill. I mean... was that even for the medical bill or something else?"
"What are you implying?"
"It's obvious, isn't it? Before me, there was him. Now that everyone's talking about you. Are you ditching me now? Are you going to pay me too?"
"Karishma!" Haseena groans through her teeth with her both hands holding fists. Karishma deserves at least a punch on the face right now but she doesn't want to make anything worse than it already is. She still wants Karishma although Karishma is not being as amazing as she has proclaimed to everyone. "Is that really what you think of me?"
"I don't know. Can you think for me?" Karishma fights Haseena's raising voice. She knows what she is doing will make things worse but she can't really stop. Words are free-falling out of her mouth.
"You know what?" Haseena grabs Karishma's hand and forces the car key out of it. "Alright, I'll think for you. If that's what you think of me, I'll think for us. Get in the car."
Karishma closes her eyes and collects pieces of herself that had been blown up. She counts 1 to 10 and sighs through her mouth. "Where are you going? Just tell me where you're going and I'll drive you. There is a small mob of paparazzi outside. It'll be safer if I drive."
"We... are going to a chapel. We... are going to get married." Haseena refuses to follow what Karishma has suggested and settles on the driver seat. She closes the door and lowers the window down when she sees Karishma chuckling ridiculously without approaching the passenger side.
"Right." Karishma watches Haseena start the engine and sees how there isn't one bit of expression on her face to suggest that she was joking. "You're serious."
"Yes!" Haseena shows no sign that she will take back her words. "If you think I am only with you for a publicity stunt and if you want to prove that you genuinely want to be with me, then let's get married. So we can settle on this and don't have to fight about this ever again. Because, honestly, Karishma, this is exhausted."
"This is ridiculous."
"Are you coming or not?"
_________
Take care
Bye'll 👋 👋