The suspense and tension were building as everyone waited for Noor's decision. They were all anxious to know what she would say and what the outcome would be.
"Ammi, please kya hum jaan sakte hai?? ki Kya decision liya hai apne??" Karishma's words were dripping with a sense of desperation and concern.
Noor was Still silent and Suddenly a knock on the door surprised everyone
The door then opened, Haseena entered the room,She did not quite understand the reason for the tension yet, as she approached with a casual and laid-back attitude.
"Oh, aap sab yahi hai, kya hora hai yaha pe, am i missing something??" she said, completely oblivious to the fact that everything was about to change.
Her eyes quickly turned towards Shivani, who she had not seen before until that moment.
She was confused, as she had not realized that there was a new person present. Her face showed no change, as she maintained a cheerful and friendly attitude despite the underlying tension.
"And you are?" she said, looking curiously at Shivani.
The tension in the room heightened at her question, as Hasseena's presence was suddenly the center of everyone's focus.
" Hi, I'm shivani"
"She's my bestfriend"
"She's my Ex"
Karishma, Santu, and Shivani all spoke at once, with each one giving a different answer to Hasseena's question.
Karishma's response was "she's my best friend," while Santu said "she's my ex." Meanwhile, Shivani simply introduced herself as she said "I'm Shivani."
Haseena was now even more confused, as she quickly looked between the three of them and saw the differences between their explanations.
From across the room, Shivani shot a murderous glare to both Santu and Karishma, as if she was extremely angered by their misleading replies to Hasseena’s simple question.
While their responses were not technically falsehoods, she was clearly not okay with the manner in which they had given their responses.
“itna bhi bolne ki zaroorat nahi thi, She just asked about who I am!! Not what I relate to you guys,” Shivani whispers-yelled to Santu and Karishma.
Karishma and santu looked at each other with an embarrassed smile.
Haseena’s eyes were now focused on Santu, as she had just learned that Shivani was his ex.
"Santu kya ye wahi hai? Jo tumne us din bataya tha hame??"
Santu was now in the spotlight, as it was she who would have to explain their relationship to Hasseena.
Santu was hesitant to confirm their former relationship, and she was quite careful with how she responded.
“Um, yes, ye wahi hai” she said, sounding quite cautious in her response.
Haseena’s eyes widened as she absorbed the sudden revelation. She was clearly shocked to know that Santu and Shivani are again involved in any kind of relationship.
"Toh ap dono firse relationship me ho?" Haseena directly asked santu
"Nahi, nahi haseena aisa kuch bhi nahi hai, ye toh bas aise hi ...ka..rishma liye..ayi thi" santu said
Hasseena's eyes now turned to Karishma, as she was hoping to get some clarification on their relationship.
Clearly, she was trying to make sense of the confusing information she was being given.
"And she is also your best friend?" Hasseena asked as she looked expectantly at Karishma.
"Yes, she's my best friend," she said, confirming what had previously been said about her and Shivani's relationship.
Haseena was clearly shocked at the new information, but she also felt a sense of anger and annoyance towards Shivani.
She was angry and upset with Shivani for betraying Santu and being dishonest about her relationship with her.
But it appears that she had already made up her mind about Shivani's character, as she was not willing to hear her side of the story.
“And what is she doing here?” Hasseena asked everyone in the room.
Haseena was now directing her question to the entire group, as she wanted to understand why this person (Shivani) was present at all.
She was clearly unhappy to see Shivani, and she was not going along with anyone’s attempts to justify Shivany's presence in the room.
"She's here for me"
"She's here for me"
Once again, Karishma and Santu spoke at the same time to provide answers to Hasseena's question.
The responses were conflicting again, as they both claimed that Shivani was present for their respective reasons.
Haseena was now even more confused, and she looked from Karishma to Santu, unsure of who to believe.
"Oh my god, for gods sake Can you both please shut up for once?" Shivani whispers-yelled at both Santu and Karishma.
She felt that they both needed to stop talking and just let her handle the situation from here on out.
Shivani took the charge of this whole situation
"Yes, I came here for both Karishma and Santu," Shivani said to Hasseena, as she tried to come up with an explanation that would help her save face.
"I wanted to make things work with Santu, aur karishma ne kaha ki wo yahi hai toh mujhe laga yehi accha mauka hai santu ko explain karne ka toh mai aagayi," she said, trying to sound convincing.
"I don't know what your intentions are towards Santu now, but you cheated on her with another person before," Hasseena said, her voice dripping with contempt for Shivani.
She was clearly angry at the revelation that Shivani had betrayed her girlfriend, and she was not afraid to make it clear to Shivani that she disapprove of her behavior.
"Now please don't hurt her again," she ended, as if giving her last warning to Shivani.
Shivani was visibly shaken by Hasseena's words, as they had hit her in a very sensitive spot.
Her eyes had started to tear up, and she was silent as she tried to maintain control of her emotions.
She was clearly angry and hurt by Hasseena's comments about her cheating on Santu, and she knew that there was nothing she could say to defend herself without making matters worse.
"Yeah, I'll remember that" Shivani replied.
Karishma quickly tried to interrupt the conversation by saying
"Haseena, it's a misunderstanding between Shivani and Santu."
She was trying to come to Shivani's defense and find a way to diffuse the tension that has risen between them and Hasseena.
Santu was silent all along but there is something in her that was feeling sorry for shivani but before anyone can speak any further noor jumped into the conversation and said "aap log ek minute ke liya shant ho jayenge???"
And now all eyes were on Noor, as if they were waiting for her to provide some sort of solution to this awkward situation.
"Haseena hame tumse kuch baat karni hai, and it's important" Noor’s words caught the attention of both Hasseena and the other individuals present in the room immediately.
Hasseena remained silent and attentive as she awaited the reveal of Noor’s decision.
"Kya baat hai ammi, bathaye na ?? Hum sun rahe hai" haseena said
All of them, Shivani, Karishma, and
Santu, were fearful that Noor was about to make a decision that would ruin their plan of making Hasseena and Karishma a couple.
Karishma’s voice cracked with tension and anxiety when Noor said she had taken a decision about something, and she quickly jumped in
“What decision ammi? Hum baad me bhi baat kar sakte haina iske bareme, ab...abhi baat karne ki kya zaroorat hai, hum itminaan se thodi der ke baad bat karte haina ?” she begged.
"Haan, Karishma sahi keh rahi hai" shivani said
"Haan haan, aaj toh haseena aur karishma ka date day hai na, toh let them enjoy noor aunt, we can talk later" santu jumped into the conversation
They all wanted to hold off on any sort of decision being made until much later, in hopes that Noor would have changed her mind or at least have softened her stance towards the relationship.
It seemed like Noor was building up the suspense on purpose to increase her dramatic effect, and this was making everyone increasingly anxious.
"Kya baat hai ammi? Aap hame boliye na hum sun rahe hai," Haseena asked her mother in a frantic, as she was now very eager to know what her decision was about.
Noor's gaze now shifted towards Karishma, and she waved her head in a firm, abrupt NO, as if trying to warn Noor against sharing whatever it was she was planning to tell Hasseena next.
Noor took a deep breath and looked back at Haseena, to see if she should proceed with her decision or wait for the group to calm down a bit.
“hum ne ye faisla liya hai ki, aaj se karishma yahi rahegi hamare saath, isi ghar me,” Noor said, in a bold and confident voice.
Haseena’s eyes widened with disbelief when Noor announced that Karishma would be staying with them in the house from now on.
"Ammi ye aap kya keh rahi hai? W..why would Karishma stay here?" Haseena quickly asked Noor, trying to find a way to make her rethink her decision.
She was not at all pleased with noor's choice, and she desperately tried to stop her from making it a reality.
"Why not?" Noor replied to Haseena's question, in a manner that was almost as if she was mocking her hesitation.
She was fully aware of the reason why Haseena had a problem with the idea of Karishha staying in the house, and her decision was clearly meant to provoke her further.
"Her parents live abroad, she's staying alone in India, and more importantly she is your girlfriend, right?" Noor continued, now looking straight into Haseena's eyes as she challenged her directly.
"Y..yeah," Haseena replied, not able to meet her mother's stare.
She found herself backing down in this argument with her mother, as she felt that her objections were not being taken seriously.
"She's my girlfriend ammi lekin it's too early, aur faisla lene se pehle hame karishma se toh ek baar puch Lena chahiye na ammi, ki wo comfortable hai ya nahi" she said
Haseena looked at Karishma with desperation in her eyes, hoping that she would support her in this argument and not let her mother make this decision.
"K..arishma, you.. won't say anything??" she desperately asked for her support.
Karishma, who was the main focus of the decision, could not believe that Noor had actually decided to let her move in with them.
Santu and Shivani, who were both witnesses to this decision and would be affected by it, also found themselves stunned and speechless at the shocking twist that had just occurred.
"Karishma ap sun rahi hame ??? Hum aphi ko bula rahe hai" haseena called her again as karishma was not out of shock yet.
Shivani now jumps into the situation as well, taking over from Haseena when she noticed that she was getting nowhere with Karishma.
"Karishma apna mu band kar....aur haseena bula rahi hai tujhe come back from the shock" she whispers, only audible to Karishma, hoping that this would be enough to pull Karishma out of her trance.
"Yes Haseena, what is it?" she answered quickly, now ready to engage with the situation at hand again.
Karishma was now fully awake and alert, as if ready to re-enter the discussion with her mother with new found energy and confidence.
"Ap kuch nahi kahengi?? Ammi apko move in karneke liye puch rahe hai, kuch boliye na aap, ye toh nahi ho sakta hai na ? Aap kaise move in kar sakti hai?? "
"Yes, Haseena is right, I can't move in," Karishma said, surprising everyone.
Karishma's words were like a bucket of cold water poured down on everyone's heads. There was a slight pause after she spoke, as everyone tried to process her response.
"What the hell is she saying?" Santu whispered to Shivani's ear, indicating her disbelief about what Karishma had said.
"How would I know?" Shivaani replied to Santu, also indicating her helplessness in the situation.
"Tumari hi toh bestfriend hai na wo"
"Haan toh tumari badi behen hai, yahi toh expect kar sakte hai ap dono se, sahi waqt pe hand dena"
"Shivani tum...." Santu was about to say something but pushpa interjected and said
"Can you guys please shut up for a while?"
And both santu and Shivani become silent.
"Koi baat nahi hum ne shaadi karne thodi bola hai tum dono ko, I'm just asking for her to stay her aur hum permission nahi puch rahe hai ab hum faisla le chuke hai toh karishma will move in and that's the final decision,"
Noor's statement made it clear that she was not going to accept any further discussion, and that Karishma would be living with them whether she or anyone else liked it.
It was quite evident that Noor favored karishma over Haseena in this situation.
With no other choice left, Hasseena finally gave in and accepted her mother's decision.
"Jaisa apko theek lage ammi," she said, and then left the room. Haseena was clearly unhappy about having to accept this situation, but there was nothing she could do other than accept it.
As soon as Haseena left the room, Karishma jumped to her feet and hugged Noor tightly, giving her a kiss as well.
"Thank you, thank you ammi," she said excitedly, expressing her gratitude for the support that Noor had shown her.
"Ye pushpa ka idea tha" noor said
"Thank you, amma," she said, clinging to her tightly. "And I'm so sorry for lying to you guys. I'll never do that again."
Karishma's words were accompanied by her tight grip on her mother, as if she was trying to compensate for her lies by showing her utmost affection.
"Ek baat yaad rakhna beta, you are not alone, sab kuch akele akele karneki zaroorat nahi hai , hum sab hai tere saath, and we are in this together, hum sab milke haseena ka saath denge" pushpa said creasing her daughter's cheeks.
Karishma hugged her mother tightly.
Noor couldn't help but chuckle as she thought of her angry bird daughter Hasseena.
"Haseena will be sitting there all upset with my Decision, but she'll be happy for this in future," Noor said as if talking to herself.
The whole room began to chuckle at Noor's statement about her "angry bird daughter" Hasseena.
.
.
.
As everyone was having a light-hearted moment of amusement, one person was left out.
Haseena, who had been disappointed by the decision of her mother, was sitting alone at the swimming pool of her house.
It was evident that she was feeling hurt and betrayed by the decision to let Karishma move in with them.
Karishma slowly approached Hasseena from behind, but she remained unnoticed.
"What's wrong, Haseena?" Karishma asked gently and softly.
Haseena noticed karishma presence she remained quiet for a moment, thinking of what she could possibly say to explain her feelings of disappointment.
"Kya hoga agar ek din inn sab ko pata chalega ki ye sab ek natak hai aur kuch bhi sach nahi hai? Tumhe pata hai karishma Ammi ne hamesha hamara khayal rhaka abba ke jaane ke baad ammi ne sabkuch chod diya unke dreams, goals aisa mano ki unhone apni poori zindagi sirf hamare liye hi jiya hai, aur santu, pushpe ye log ko hamare Zindagi aaye hue bhale hi ek saal hua hai lekin pyar toh itna diya hai ki kabhi bhi akela mehsoos hone nahi diya hame"
Haseena's words echoed her fears, and she tried to hide her concerns a lone tear escaped her left eye as she continued speaking
"Aur hame ab aisa lag raha hai ki hum in sabko dhoka de rahe hai, i can't even look right in the eyes of my mother"
Karishma felt a sting of pain in her heart when she saw Haseena's tears and she immediately worried about her.
"Haseena apne kuch bhi galat nahi kiya, apne jo bhi kiya unhi ke liye toh kiya hai, you got nothing wrong here please stop blaming yourself, apke tarikhe bhale hi galat ho lekin apke niyyat kabhi bhi galat nahi thi aur ho bhi nahi sakti, ab ap karti bhi toh kya karti, ye apki majboori thi"
karishma said comforting haseena little did karishma know it's not haseena that's betraying her family but it's the family that is hiding the truth from haseena or even we can say they are the ones who is betraying haseena because they got no other option to save her??
Karishma continued saying:
"And please don't worry about them finding the truth about our real relationship, i promise i won't let that happen and by that time they found out about us you'll find all the answers to your past and you yourself will realize the truth about our relationship, who knows?"
And haseena ek baar ap shanti se baithkar soch lijiye ki....
You might not need your past to be happy? Sometimes it's not necessary to find answers to the past in order to find happiness. The future is more important than the past, and that's where you need to focus your attention"
Haseena had been fixated on finding out the truth of her past, but Karishma was suggesting that it might not be necessary.
Karishma's statement raised a valid point.
It was clear that Karishma's words had given Haseena some pause for thought.
Haseena gave a warm smile to karishma
Even tho She wasn't completely sold on the idea of letting go of the past, but it was clear that she was beginning to consider it as an option.
"Andar chale?? You'll catch cold" karishma said
"Ji, chaliye" haseena replied
Karishma felt somewhat relieved.
She was under the impression that Haseena was upset about her moving in, but it turned out that her concern was different.This revelation made her feel a bit better, as her moving in wasn't actually the source of Haseena's distress.
"Hum wada karte hai haseena, hum sab kuch theek kardenge, bas hame thoda waqt dedi jiye" karishma whispered to herself and went behind haseena.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Hey readers,
Don't forget to share your thoughts on this chapter,
Meet you in the next chapter ;)