KarMi OS Collection: Kahaaniyan - Page 3

GALATFEHMI:

Karan tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, caressing her face softly with his thumb.

Her arms were wrapped around his neck, and she tugged lightly, pulling him closer. He leaned down, kissing her forehead gently.

Movement caught his eye, and he turned his head slightly, his gaze scanning the area. It was a fairly secluded area, and at this time of the hour, there shouldn't be any people around.

A bright colored shirt caught his eye, and his jaw clenched a little as he recognized the familiar built of Aneesh.

"Kya hua?" Monami asked, scanning the area as well. She probably couldn't see him though, because of the unnatural angle.

"Kuch nahi", he said, a devious idea springing in his mind. His eyes traced her features, and he leaned closer, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth. His head ducked down, and he kissed her neck gently.

She let out a slight moan above him, and his arms snaked around her waist, pushing her against the wall gently. He pulled away slightly, meeting her eyes, and leaning closer.

She stared back, her cheeks reddening lightly in a blush and she kept a finger on his lips, halting him. "Patience... Agent Shergill." She stared at him shyly, a hand on his chest. "Late ho raha hai. So jaana chahiye."

His gaze flicked to Aneesh, who was watching with a clenched jaw and fisted hands. He bent down, picking her up in his arms, and she laughed a little, hands around his neck.

"Karan, koi dekh lega", she said, glancing around.

"Tumhaare pair mein chot lagi hai", he gave her an excuse and her smile widened. She reached up, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Phir toh tumhe mujhe room tak chodhkar aana hi chahiye", she said, lightly trailing a finger down his face.

"Jo hukum", he said, walking to her room.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Aneesh entered the mess, where the cadets were all lounging around, talking about random things. Faizi and Sanju listened quietly as well, occasionally pitching in their opinions.

"Dr. Aneesh, aap itne pareshaan kyun lag rahe hain?" Suman ji asked.

He suppressed a smile of victory. He shook his head. "Kuch nahi", he said.

"Kuch samasya hai toh bataiye. Hum sab milkar pareshaani ka hal nikaalenge", Prem ji said.

"Wo... actually, maine... Karan Sir aur Monami ko... ek saath kamre mein dekha tha", he said. "Abhi abhi."

They looked at each other, and Aneesh eyed them, unsure of what they were thinking.

"Haan, toh wo dono toh #friends hain, na?" Chitra asked. "Sid bhi toh Monami ke #room mein bahut baar jaata hai. Is mein pareshaan hone ki kya baat hai?"

"Matlab... never mind."

"Nahi, nahi, bol", Sanju said. She seemed ready to pull out her gun and use him as target practice. "Ke keh raho tha tu? Baat adhuri nahi chodhte."

"Wo... wo hug kar rahe the aur... aur kiss rahe the", Aneesh said. "Aur phir, bed..."

"Aneesh, tumhe pata hai, na, tum kya keh rahe ho?" Faizi asked.

"Haan, #big deal hai yeh", Chitra said.

"Aur kar bhi rahe the, toh aise sab ke saamne kyun bol rahe ho tum?" Sid said. "Unka personal matter hai."

"Tumne hi toh poochha pareshaan kyun ho?"

"Haan, toh je wo yeh sab kar bhi raho hain, toh tu kaahe ke laane pareshaan ho raho hai?" Sanju asked.

"Wo... actually..."

"Aneesh, iss baat ka kya saboot hai aapke paas?" Suman ji asked. "Aise Karan Sir ji aur Monami ke baare mein yeh sab baatein bolna achha nahi hai."

"Ek kaam karte hain", Faizi said. "Hum jaakar khud hi poochh lete hain. Hume poora vishwaas hai ki Aneesh ko koi galatfehmi hui hai."

Sid immediately nodded in agreement. They might not know what was happening exactly, but they knew their best friends inside out. They were dating for a total of 2 weeks. The most the two might have done is a kiss, and Sid was doubtful about that too.

'Yeh dono abhi bhi Monami ke kamre mein hi hone chahiye', he thought. 'Karan itni jaldi nahi jayega. Yeh toh aur bhi better hai.'

"Theek hai", he agreed, acting a little reluctant.

Faizi discreetly took his phone out, texting Karan as they all walked to the girls' dorm. 'Karan, tum kahan ho?'

The reply was immediate, and Faizi didn't even need to read the message to know he wasn't with Monami. 'Kamre mein. Kyun?'

'Kiske kamre mein? Aur Monami tumhaare saath hai?'

'Main humaare kamre mein hoon, aur Monami apne mein hai. Kya hua hai?'

'Aakar batate hain. Hum sambhaal lete hain sab kuch. Abhi ke liye bas Monami ke kamre se door rehna.'

Karan replied with a 'thumbs up' and Faizi pocketed his phone back.

"Distraction ki zaroorat hai?" Sid muttered to him and Faizi shook his head.

"Karan apne kamre mein hi hai, aur Monami apne mein", he muttered back. "Isko sach mein koi galatfehmi hi hui hai."

They all paused, before Sanjana hesitantly peeked in. She looked back at the cadets, before pushing open the door. Monami, of course, was the only one in, tidying her bed and clearly, getting ready to go to sleep.

"Kya hua?" She asked. "Aap sab yahan?"

"Karan kahan hai?" Aneesh asked.

"Mujhe nahi pata. Aneesh, tum... tum mujhse kyun poochh rahe ho? Mujhe kaise pata hoga?"

"Monami, Aneesh keh raha tha ki tu aur Karan Sir ji... bistar par..." Suman ji said.

Her eyes widened, and her eyes darted to Aneesh, glaring at him. She looked at the rest. "Aisa kuch nahi hai!"

"Hume bhi #yahi laga tha, Monami", Chitra said. "Zaroor Aneesh ko koi #misunderstanding hui hogi."

"Par tumhe itni badhi baat kehne se pehle ek baar pushtikaran toh karni chahiye thi", Prem ji said.

"Push-what?" Sid asked.

"Confirmation", Faizi filled in.

"Haan, karna chahiye tha. Aap se yeh umeed nahi thi", Bala said.

"Chalo, ho gaya saara naatak?" Sanju asked. "Sab jhingoor jao, aur apne apne kamre mein se jao. Faizi Sir ji, hum bhi sote hain."

They all dispersed, nodding. "Sanju madam ne Doctor sahab ko bhi jhingoor kaha", Bala said, and Aneesh glared at them, as everyone chuckled.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Monami crossed her arms, blocking his path out of the way. Sid rested his elbow on her shoulder, raising an eyebrow as well.

"Baad mein baat karte hain, Monami", Aneesh said. "Abhi thoda kaam hai." He turned around, coming face to face with Karan and Faizi.

"Doc, itna kya busy ho?" Karan asked. "Abhi toh dispensary bhi khaali hai. Siddharth, darwaaza band karo."

"Lock kar dena", Faizi said. "Pata nahi kaun kya kya dekh le, aur samajh le. Nahi?"

"Copy that", Sid said, shutting the door and sliding the lock on.

"Toh, doc, kya bol rahe the aap?" Karan said. "Main aur Monami... one bed? Kuch aisa sa hi bol rahe the, na?"

"Wo... wo mujhe galatfehmi ho gayi thi", Aneesh said. "I'm... I'm sorry."

"Galatfehmi ho bhi gayi toh sabke saamne bolne ki kya zaroorat thi, bro?" Sid asked. "Tum seedha Monu se bhi toh poochh sakte ho?"

"Haan, tum dono toh college ke friends ho", Faizi agreed. "Old friends."

"Tum log kehna kya chahte ho?" Aneesh asked.

"Tum batao, Aneesh", Monami said. "Tum kya karna chahte the kal? Yeh toh pata hai tumhe ki main aur Karan ek saath hain, toh phir sabko yeh bataane ka kya point tha?"

"Wo... wo..."

"Aur yeh bol rahe the tum sabko, Aneesh?" She asked, taking a step forward threateningly, and Aneesh swallowed a little at her fierce eyes. "Bolo! Tum... tum mere baare mein yeh sab keh rahe the? Wo bhi sabke saamne?"

"Tum toh dost ho uske", Faizi said. "Tum yeh kaise kar sakte ho?"

"Answer me, Aneesh!" She demanded. "Mujhe lag raha tha ki shayad Karan ko hi koi galatfehmi thi tumhaare baare mein, par ab lag raha hai ki wo sahi hi tha. Tum mere baare mein yeh sab kuch kaho, maine yeh socha bhi nahi tha!"

Sid raised his eyebrows, watching interestedly as Monami slapped him straight in the face.

"Ooh", Faizi said, as Aneesh stumbled a little, clutching his red cheek.

"What the hell, Monami?"

"Yahi toh main tumse poochh rahi hoon. What the hell, Aneesh?" She asked, slapping him again.

The other three men watched in interest and satisfaction as Monami walked closer, giving him a few more slaps. His face was red by then, and he was pressed against a wall.

He pushed her back, and she instinctively punched his nose, his nose cracking. Sid hissed in sympathy as blood flowed out of his nose.

"Bolo, na!" She shouted. "Kyun bola yeh sab tumne?"

"Kyunki main pyaar karta hoon tumse!" He snapped back. "Aur yeh Karan humaare beech aa raha hai. Pehle bhi ise hataane ki koshish kari thi maine, par yeh phir bhi bach gaya, uss cave ke time."

Karan's fist found his face, and he fell to the ground. "Teri wajah se agar Monami ko kuch ho jaata, toh tadpa tadpa kar maarta tujhe", he hissed.

"Tum paagal ho!" Monami screeched, kicking him in the stomach. "Karan humaare beech nahi aaya hai, tum mere aur Karan ke beech mein aane ki koshish kar rahe ho. Maine kabhi nahi socha tha ki tum itna neeche bhi gir sakte ho, Aneesh." She kicked him again and again and he groaned in pain. "How dare you! Karan ko maarne ki koshish kari tumne! Aur mere baare mein yeh rumors spread kar rahe ho tum. Main trust karti thi tum par."

"Monu, bas", Sid said, pulling her back.

She glared at him, and Karan leaned down, clutching his collar. "Doctor, aapka career, zindagi toh barbaad ho hi chuki hai ab. Koi bhi aap jaise insaan ko job nahi dega. Par ek aur baat sun lijiye. Monami meri hai. Tujhe dost maanti thi wo, teri parwaah karti thi, usse khush rehta. Ab job, career, ladki sab gaya tere paas se, aur ab jail mein rehna. I hope you have a good life, doc. Oh sorry. Wo toh ab hoga nahi."

"Chalo", Faizi said. "Batra Sir ko bhi bata dete hain ab sab kuch. Unhe bhi thoda toh entertainment milega iss academy mein."

"Bro", Sid said, leaning over. "Tujhe hamesha yeh alien types hi kyun pasand karte hain? Pehle, yeh Khadoos Shergill aur phir yeh Aneesh." He looked her up and down, before gasping dramatically. "Tu khud toh alien nahi hai?"

SAU GULAABON KI DASTAAN:

Karan peeked out from behind his coffee mug, staring at Monami as she laughed. Three months in, and their relationship couldn’t be better. When the chandelier had fallen, and his world had changed, he couldn’t think he could have fallen more in love with her. She was his jaan, his dhadkan, what else could she possibly be? But four months from that night, and he was deeper than ever.

“Janaab, aise mat dekhiye”, Faizi whispered, leaning over. “Hum aur Siddharth kab tak bachaate rahenge aap dono ko?”

He tore his eyes away from Monami, narrowing them at Faizi. “Koel ko jab tu date par lekar gaya tha, aur academy ke rules todh kar, use 1 baje waapas lekar aaya tha, aur stupidly Batra Sir se pakda gaya tha, toh kisne madat kari thi?”

“Arey, hum toh mazaak kar rahe the”, he said. “Dil par mat lijiye. Dekhiye, dekhiye, aapki hi hai.”

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

“#Wow”, Chitra said, and he looked up, finding the cadets staring at something. He followed their gaze, finding an extravagant bouquet, and his eyebrows quirked up in surprise.

The man kept it down on their table, turning it to face Monami. “Monami ma’am”, he said. “Yeh aapke liye hai.”

Karan’s eyes widened, and he turned to his girlfriend, staring at her for an explanation. She was too intrigued by the flowers to notice his silent question, and she reached for the card that was attached to it.

Sid yanked it before she could get it, opening it up. “Dr. Monami Mahajan. Bol toh diya tha wo jo mann mein tha, aur aapne maan bhi liya tha. Par sau baar bol kar bhi mann ko chain nahi milega, toh yeh sau gulaab hi sahi.”

“Ooh”, the cadets said, almost in sync.

It wasn’t signed, but Monami seemed to understand who the card was from. A wide smile spread on her face, genuine happiness reflecting in her eyes. Sid’s gaze lifted to Karan, and he quirked an eyebrow up, tilting his head in question. He shook his head, nodding to the flowers and giving him a questioning look back. He shrugged cluelessly.

“Janaab, aap nahi hai, yeh toh hume pata hai”, Faizi muttered. “Itne phool toh kya, aap ek nahi dete use.”

Karan glared at him. He glanced at the roses, and then up at Monami’s smiling and impressed face. His jaw and hands clenched, as Suman ji teased her about a potential boyfriend.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---

The bag swung wildly, the sweat flicking off from his hair.

‘Bol toh diya tha wo jo mann mein tha, aur aapne maan bhil iya tha.’

‘Kya maan liya tha? Kya bol diya tha?’ He thought bitterly, his fist finding the bag again. His jaw clenched tighter, and he hit the bag again.

“Garmi nahi hain iss room mein zyaada?” A voice said, and he turned around, finding her with her sweet smile. She tilted her head, walking closer. She looked him up and down, before fanning her face.

“Tum yahan kya kar rahi ho? Apne gulaab soongne se fursat mil gayi?”

She frowned a little. “Gulaab se kya problem hai tumhe?”

‘Gulaab nahi. Jis ne diye hain, usse problem hai. Kya zaroorat hai use gulaab bhejne ki? Hai kaun wo?’ he thought. ‘Itna kyun khush ho rahi thi tum? Chahiye the, toh mujhe bol deti. Main mana thodi naa karta.’

“Mujhe kyun problem hogi?” He said, ripping the gloves off. “Mujhe koi problem nahi hai.”

She blinked, tilting her head as she stared at him quizzically. He threw the gloves to the ground, walking off.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---

“Kya problem hai?” She demanded, barging into the room.

Karan looked up from the laptop he was working on. She took it, keeping it aside as she sat down on the bed across him, before staring at him with narrowed eyes. “Kya hai?”

“Kya kya hai?” She snapped back. “Do din se dekh rahi hoon. Bhagwaan ne itni achhi shakal di hai, par nahi! Tumhe toh sade hue kele jaise expressions rakhne hain us par. Bhagwaan ne muh bhi diya hai, par yeh nahi ki kabhi muh kholkar bol do ki kya problem hai.”

“Ho gaya?” He asked. “Ab mujhe kaam karne do.” She moved the laptop away before he could take it. “Arey? Kaam karne do na, Monami.”

“Kya kaam? Girlfriend saamne hai, aur tumhe kaam karna hai?”

“Tum jaakar apne phoolon se baat karo, na? Waise bhi, pedh paudhe zyaada hi pasand hai tumhe.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “Tum dobara un roses par aa gaye?” She asked. “Tumhe chahiye wo phool?”

“Mujhe nahi chahiye. Mujhe kyun chahiye honge?”

“Mujhe kya pata? Par pichhle do din mein yeh panchvi baar hai jab tum un roses ko ghaseet kar le aaye ho. Tumhe roses chahiye, ya phir unse problem hain? Mujhe samajh nahi aa raha hai, Karan.”

“Tumhe waise bhi kuch nahi aata samajh. Itne din se samjhaane ki koshish kar raha hoon, par tumhe samajh hi nahi aata!”

Her mouth dropped open, and she looked at him with wide eyes. “Tum samjha rahe ho? Oh hello. Jo tum kar rahe ho, use ignore karna kehte hain. Shabdon ke matlab mat badlo.”

“Main koi matlab nahi badal raha hoon. Tumhe samajh hi nahi aata.”

She took a deep breath, holding her up hands. “Ab tum mere questions ka answer do.”

“Main kyun doon?” He retorted.

She gritted her teeth, glaring at him. “Kyunki tum mere boyfriend ho aur tum wo karoge jo main kahoongi, WARNA I SWEAR-“ She took a deep breath. “Tumhe un roses se problem hai ya tumhe chahiye?”

“Mujhe kyun chahiye honge? Naa mujhe wo chahiye, naa un roses se koi problem hai. Mujhe problem hai unhe dene waalon se.”

She tilted her head. “Kyun?”

“Kya kyun? Jo bhi hai, wo… wo tumhe… wo tumhe phool kyun bhej raha hai? Aur itne saare? Aur tum itna khush kyun ho rahi thi? Phool hi toh the. Agar itna mann tha ki tumhe koi phool de, toh mujhe bol deti. Main hoon, na? Main deta phool. Sau chahiye the, sau deta. Par nahi! Tumhe toh wahi phool chahiye. Aur… aur kya maan liya tumne? Kya bola usne tumhe? Aur yeh kya reaction hai?”

She removed her hands from her face, allowing Karan to see the big smile on her face. She laughed, biting her lip to stifle it.

“Tumhe hasi aa rahi hai?” He said in disbelief. “Mujhe baat hi nahi karni tumse.”

She laughed, keeping a hand on her mouth. “Sorry. Par ab main kya karoon? Mujhe nahi laga tha ki Special Agent Karan Shergill ko jealous hote hue dekhne ka mauka milega.”

“Main koi jealous wealous nahi hoon”, he snapped. “Mujhe bas achha nahi laga ki kisi aur ne tumhe phool bheje.”

“Use hi jealous hona kehte hain, Buddhu Shergill”, she said, chuckling and hitting him lightly on the forehead. She pulled out her phone. “Ruko. Jisse jealous ho rahe ho, uski photo bhi dekh lo.”

“Tumhaare paas uski photo kyun hai? Delete karo! Aur mujhe koi interest nahi hai.”

She turned the screen. It was of a kid in a hospital gown, sitting on a wheel chair smiling widely. Monami was kneeling down next to him, smiling at the camera. “Shubham Malhotra”, she said. “13 saal ka baccha hai. Mera patient. Accident victim. Bahut saari corrective surgeries karni thi iski. Poora dramebaaz hai. ‘Mona Didi’ bulaata hai mujhe aur main jab bhi iske paas jaati thi, mujhe thank you bolta tha aur ek rose deta tha. Jab hospital mein mera aakhri din tha, tab isne mujhe promise kara ki jab yeh poori tarah theek ho jayega, tab yeh mujhe hundred roses bhejega academy mein.” She pinched his cheek and he batted them away, scowling a little. “Ab tumhe main Khadoos Shergill bulaoon ya phir Jealous Shergill? Ek bacche se jealous ho gaye tum. Bacche ho tum.”

“Tum pehle nahi bata sakti thi?”

“Tumne poocha hi nahi.” She laughed. She leaned forward, kissing his cheek. “Tumhe jealous hone ki koi zaroorat nahi hai. Main sirf tumhaari hoon, Khadoos Shergill.”

His lips quirked up in a smile, and he pulled her into a hug, kissing her head.

"Waise... wo phool phenk diye na, tumne?"

"Karan!"

A JUDGEMENTAL MEETING:

Note: This is written with the post called 'Bundelkhand' in mind. It can be read as a stand alone, but it might be more enjoyable with keeping it in mind. It's on Page 3 of this thread.
In the one hour that the cadets spent without Karan-Monami, I imagined something like this happening...

Faizi hopped down from the jeep, stretching slightly, sighing as his bones popped. It really was a long journey.

"Yeh Sanju madam ko itna door kyun rehna tha?" Suman ji said, groaning a little. "Suman ji toh gaadi mein baithe baithe tang ho gayi hain."

"#Me too", Chitra said.

The sound of an anklet made them look up, and they saw Sanju running up to them, wearing more make up and jewelry than they had ever seen her wear.

"Kya baat hai, Sanju?" Faizi said. "Itne gehne?"

She rolled her eyes. "Kya bataye, Faizi Sir ji?" She said, scratching her wrists. "Hum tang aa gayo hain in sab se. Par humaari saas kehto hai ki yeh sab suhaag ki nishaani hoto hai. Pati se badhkar ke suhaag ki nishaani? Wo hogo, na?"

"Chalti phirti gehnon ki dukaan alert", Bala said, and they all turned to see a middle aged woman and a young man following. The man, Faizi recognized as Kundan.

"Yeh humaari saas hogo, Bala", Sanju said.

"Lag toh dukaan hi rahi hai", Suman ji said. "Shaadi aapki hai aur gehne unhone zyaada pehne hain."

"Namaste, namaste", she said, as they reached closer. "Modhi bahut baat karto hai aap sab ke baaro mein. Iske Faizi sir ji aur Karan Sir ji ke baare mein toh sab se zyaada."

"Amma ji, yeh Faizi Sir ji", Sanju said, pointing to him, before pausing and glancing around. "Karan Sir ji kahan hogo?"

"Wo Monami madam ke saath apni jeep mein aa rahe hain", Bala said. "Wo raat ko tyre puncture ho gaya tha toh thodi der ho jayegi."

"Sirf wo dono?" She asked.

The cadets and Faizi looked at each other, before nodding, confused at her strange reaction.

"Haan, #sirf wo dono", Chitra said.

"Haaye, Ram. Poori raat wo maura aur mauri ek saath? Shaadi shuda hogo ka?"

"Nahi, nahi", Suman ji said. "Monami toh Karan Sir ji ki cadet hai."

"Waise, thode time mein ho jayenge", Faizi muttered to himself.

"Aur poori raat akele? Haaye, Ram! Shehar ki hawo mein hi kuch aiso hogo ki saari mauriyan bilkul besharam ho jaato hai."

"Humaare TV serial 'Maa ke Poot' mein deshpremi ki maa bhi aise hi pichde khayalon waali thi."

"Aur phir unhe ek shock laga aur unke khayalat badal gaye", Suman ji completed.

"Hain?" Bala said. "Shock laga aur khayalat badal gaye?" He looked at her. "Inhe lagaakar dekhein?"

"#Fiction, Bala", Chitra said.

"Je mauri", Amma ji said, pointing to Chitra. "Je ke kapde pehen rakho hain tune?"

Everyone looked at her clothes. "#Problem kya hai?"

She covered her arms and neckline with the dupatta, looking her up and down. She shook her head. "Yeh shehar ki mauriyan bhi na! Naa kapde pehne ki akal, naa baat karne ki. Ladke phasa lo bas inse."

"Wahi toh #phaste nahi, Aunty", Chitra said. Faizi chuckled along with everyone else, as Chitra smiled slyly at her.

"Haaye, Ram! Badtameez. Tu", Amma ji said, pointing to Suman ji. "Shaadi ho gayo teri?"

"Haan. Suman ji ke pati, Rajesh ji, bade hi nek insaan hain", Suman ji said, sighing dreamily.

"Toh sindoor kahan hogo tera?" She demanded.

"Aap in sab ki inspection kyun kar rahi hai?" Faizi asked, confused. "Nahi mann kara hoga lagaane ka. Is mein kya badhi baat hai?"

"#Why?" Chitra agreed.

"Chup reh, mauri", she scolded, and the academy people scowled. "Je shehar ke logon toh hum sehen naa kar sakto hain. Ay mauri, inki aadatein naa paal le tu", she said to Sanju. "Batere kaam hogo hume. Apne saathiyon ko andar le aa."

"Humaari aadatein?" Suman ji asked, after the two were out of hearing range. "Inhe pata chala ki Sanju madam kitno ko peetti hain, aur academy mein shorts pehenti thi, toh kya hoga?"

"Sanju, tumhaare iss Kundan ka toh pata nahi, par aisi saas ke saath reh logi?" Faizi asked. "Hum galti se goli woli chala de inpar?"

"Sir ji", she protested. "Aap mat shuru ho jaiye. Please bol raho hain."

"What's wrong with my #clothes?" Chitra said grumpily.

"Karan Sir ji ko aane do", Suman ji said. "Wahi inki akad set karenge."

YAADEIN (PART 1):

TUJHE BHULA DIYA:

"It's a serious head injury", the doctor said. "Repercussions could be anything. Unke uthne se pehle hum kuch nahi keh sakte hain."

"Par wo... wo uthegi, right?" Karan asked.

"Unke brain mein activity toh hai, toh we're hopeful ki wo itna damage nahi hua hai", he continued. "Jitni jaldi hosh aa jaaye, utna better hai. It'll be the best agar unko agle 6 ghante mein hosh aa gaya."

"Main... main mil sakta hoon?"

"Ji, zaroor." He pointed to the room, and Karan dashed to it, entering the room. Her left arm was in a cast, and there were various cuts on her face. A bandage was covering most of her head, and he felt the knife in his heart twist.

'Monami!' He yelled, the tires of the car squealing. A thud as the car rammed into the tree, but he barely cared.

He raced to his girlfriend, cradling her gently as crowd gathered around her. Blood leaked from her head like a broken pipe leaking water, and he kept his hand on it, gently pressing down to it to stop the bleeding.

Her eyes stared up at him, her breathing hitched. "Karan..." Her eyes slid close.

He sat down next to her on the stool, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Please. Jaldi se theek ho jao", he muttered. "Please. I love you."

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

The devices were going crazy and Karan's heartbeat had shot up, matching the frantic rate of the monitor. She was... awake. But she was panicking. Confused. They won't let him near. It was dangerous, they had said.

Shouts. Orders. An injection. And then, her heart rate dropped down. Slowly. His didn't. He was still staring at his girlfriend, his heart pounding in his ears and his gaze unblinking.

She was awake. The doctors kept him back, asking him politely to be patient, and then, talking gently to Monami. She wasn't speaking. She stared at them. Wide eyed. Confused. Her eyes roamed the room, skipping right over him. She didn't see him there, perhaps, he reasoned, just watching silently.

"Sir", a nurse said. "Hume kuch check up karne hain. Aap please bahar jaaiye."

He looked at his confused girlfriend, and he almost protested. He didn't want to leave her. She was scared, he could tell. She was confused. How could he leave her?

"Sister... main reh nahi sakta, please?" He said. "Main beech mein nahi aaonga."

"Nahi. Sorry. Par jaise hi aap aa sakte hain, main aapko bula loongi", she said, patting his arm sympathetically. "Aap please bahar wait kijiye."

He nodded, casting a look to Monami before walking out of the room. Her health was the priority. If this was the best, then so be it.

He fell into a chair, sighing tiredly. His bones seemed to hurt. A hand on his shoulder made him look up and he saw his friends there.

"Karan, kya hua andar?" Faizi asked.

"Use hosh aa gaya hai", he answered. "Par she was... panicking, confused, pata nahi. Doctors use check up kar rahe hain."

His eyes slid to Sid. Sanju had an arm around him in comfort, his eyes bright red with all the tears he had shed. He didn't doubt his looked the same. They were aching and sore.

"Excuse me?" A voice said almost 20 minutes later. They looked up. "Aap log sab andar aa sakte hain?"

"Sure", Faizi said, casting a confused look to the others. It was a strange request.

"Patient ko zyaada excited ya worked up mat karna", she instructed them. "Usual se zyaada calm aur thoda drowsy rahegi. Don't worry about it. And please, aisa kuch mat karna jisse uski heart beat badh jaaye."

"Sure, sister", Koel said, nodding.

Monami looked up when they entered, but neither happiness nor any other emotion crossed her face.

"Monami", Karan said, making a beeline to her. He clutched her hand, smiling at her. She stared back at him, before down at their hands. He frowned a little.

"I am sorry", she said. "Kya main aapko jaanti hoon?"

He stared at her, his grip on her hand loosening. "Monami..." He blinked. She looked back cluelessly, just waiting for his answer expectantly. "Monami, yeh... yeh mazaak hai, na? Yeh bahut ghatiya mazaak hai."

Her eyebrows furrowed, lightly shaking her head. "Nahi, yeh m-mazaak nahi hai. I'm... I'm sorry. I-I don't know you."

He released her hand, taking a step back from him. She was staring at him, and she opened her mouth, just looking back at him with a lost expression. She felt bad, he could tell.

He... didn't know what he was feeling. Numb perhaps would be the word for how he felt. She didn't remember him. She didn't remember him!

"I am sorry", she said. He looked away from her.

Her face was printed in his memory, the curl of her lips when she smiled at him, the slight redness of her cheeks when she laughed at him, the love in her eyes that was always, always there. It wasn't. Now.

"Monami", the doctor said. "Tumhe yeh yaad nahi?"

"N-Nahi", she said, looking at him. He closed his eyes, turning away from her. His eyes stung, and his hands curled into fists.

"Main tumse bahut zyaada pyaar karta hoon."

"I love you too, Khadoos Shergill."

"Soch rahi hoon tum jaise sadu, khadoos robo se pyaar kaise ho gaya mujhe?"
"Too late, madam. Ab toh ho gaya."

"Ek cheez hai jiske bina main nahi reh sakta. Tum."

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

He adjusted the pillows behind her back, covering her with the blanket. His gaze didn't lift up to her face, and he turned away from her.

"Sid drills karke aa jaayega", he said, not looking at her face. "Tab tak main rahoonga tumhaare saath. Main... main bahar hoon. Kuch chahiye toh bata dena."

A week later, she was discharged from the hospital. Her memory was wiped clean off the past 1 year, just a few days after she had gotten her acceptance letter from the academy. Just a couple of weeks before meeting him.

She had fallen down, Sid had explained. She had a concussion but she was fine. It wasn't anything too serious. Nothing life threatening, nothing critical, no surgeries needed. But it was the reason why her memory had wiped up to that particular point.

She only remembered Sid. He had introduced himself as her trainer, but she was smart enough to figure out that wasn't all they were. But she didn't ask. He was grateful for that.

"Karan", her voice said, stopping him just as the door of the doorway. "T-Tum andar reh lo. Mujhe problem nahi hai."

'Tumhe nahi, Monami. Par mujhe hai', he thought, not turning around. 'Tumhe injured chodh toh nahi sakta, par tumhaari aankhon mein dekhkar yeh ajnaabi waala ehsaas jo tum dila rahi ho, wo main tolerate nahi kar paa raha hoon.'

"I'll be outside", he said, walking out and sitting down on the chair just outside her room.

He leaned his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. She didn't remember him. Everything they had shared. Everything that was between them. She didn't remember.

Her eyes stared at him like he was a stranger, not a hint of recognition. The eyes that had held all of the world's love and care for him didn't even glint with recognition. The lips that turned up with the brightest smile every time he saw her didn't even twitch in happiness.

She didn't remember him.

Did she even love him if she didn't remember him?

YAADEIN (PART 2):

YAADON KI BAARAT:

"Agar kuch samajh nahi aaya toh tumhe pata toh hai hi ki main kahan hoonga", he said. She nodded, closing her notebook.

"Thanks, Karan", she said, standing up.

Three months. She was better now. No casts, no bandages.

No memories.

Every time they tried to make her remember, she would get an intense headache that would almost reduce her to tears, so they had reduced their efforts from pictures and videos to stories and places.

The pain hadn't faded. It flooded in every time he looked into her eyes, and didn't see the tenderness he was used to. It clutched his heart every time he see her offering a polite smile to him. He was a stranger.

She had dreams. She would smile in her dreams, cry sometimes, even laugh slightly but when she woke up. Blank.

She said she remembered flashes. Just faces. Random. It didn't make sense. They weren't in order. They went by too fast. Too blurry.

But she saw him. She saw Faizi. She saw Koel. She saw Sanju. She saw everyone. But she didn't remember memories.

It was progress, the doctor had said. But it would take time. It might not ever come back.

He had given up hope. Not because he was letting her go, but because he didn't want to let himself hope and then all came crashing down when she couldn't remember him. He couldn't. He wasn't strong enough to deal with that.

"Anytime", he said, nodding.

"Karan", her voice stopped him from leaving. He turned to her wordlessly. "Main tumse kuch poochh sakti hoon?"

She didn't mean to hurt him but damn, did those words hurt. When had she needed permission to ask questions from him? She had been right up his face, asking and demanding answers the moment they had met.

He jerked his head down in a nod, shoving his hands in his pockets to hide his clenched fist.

"Hum... dost the, na?" She asked. "Accident se pehle?"

An uncomfortable lump appeared in his throat. He was no stranger to it. He stared at her face.

She didn't remember.

He had proclaimed his love to her, he had kissed her, he had spent hours at ends with her. The best part of his days. And she didn't remember.

Was this fate's way of giving back the pain he had given Monami when he rejected her love? Unreciprocated love was... painful.

He turned around, walking right out of the door.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Monami knocked on the door, and it creaked open. She paused, hesitating before entering the room, looking around.

"Karan?" She called out, glancing around. The room was empty.

She wanted to apologize. She had struck a nerve with that question and she had instantly felt guilty when pain flooded in his eyes. He had stared at her and walked off without answering.

She sighed, turning to leave. She paused. What was that? Leather bound notebook. A diary.

'Yeh kis liye?'
'T-Tumne meri jaan bachayi, thank you, Karan.'
'Tumhaari jagah koi aur bhi hota, toh bhi main yeh hi karta. But... thanks for this.'

Her eyes snapped open. She had given him this? Her fingers brushed it lightly. Another flash. She was inside his room, searching for something.

It was briefer, and it didn't make sense, much like her dreams. Vague. Unclear.

Her eyes fell on another thing, and her feet moved on their own accord. A... charm? A keychain? She picked it up, turning it over in her hands.

'I love you, Karan Shergill.'

The charm slid from between her fingers, falling noiselessly on the bed. She was... in love with Karan? Was he too?

Sid! Sid would know. He knew everything about her. He would know.

She turned to leave, coming face to face with Karan as he entered the room.

"Monami?" He said, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Tum yahan kya kar rahi ho?" He looked at her closer, and his face fell from confusion to concern. "Kya hua, Monami? Tum... tum theek ho?"

"Karan, hum kya the?" She asked.

He paused, his hands hovering in mid-air, just inches from grabbing her shoulders. He let them fall back, walking past her to his desk. She turned slightly, following him with her eyes. "Tum meri cadet thi aur ho", he answered quietly. "Main already tumhe yeh bata chuka hoon."

"Hum close the, yeh baat toh main jaanti hoon", she said. "Par... mujhe laga ki hum dost the. Par hum kuch aur the, na?"

"Tumhe kya lagta hai?" He paused. His head shook slightly. "Tum meri cadet thi."

She moved around him, tugging on his arm to make him face him. "Meri aankhon mein dekho aur kaho ki hum cadet aur trainer ke alaawa kuch nahi the."

He stared into her eyes. They were moist, glossy. They shone brightly from the light.

'Ek baar meri aankhon mein dekhkar keh do ki tum mujhse pyaar nahi karte.'

'Just look into my eyes and say it.'
'I love you, Monami. I really, really love you.'
'I love you too, Khadoos Shergill.'

"Main tumse pyaar karta hoon." The words slipped out before he could stop them. "Aur tumse karti thi. Hum ek saath the. We were together, Monami. And we were... very, very happy."

She stared at him. His vision blurred slightly, and he took a deep breath, turning around. He closed his eyes, taking in a shaky breath.

"Tum meri poori zindagi thi. We were together for 6 months. Main tumse bahut zyaada pyaar karta tha, hoon aur hamesha karta rahoonga." He opened his eyes. "Par ab, jab tum mujhe dekhti ho, Monami, toh jis pyaar ko dekhne ki aadat thi, wo pyaar hai hi nahi. Aur yeh mujhse dekha nahi jaata. Par tumse door bhi nahi raha jaata."

"Karan..."

"Tum kuch bhi keh lo, Monami, par yeh waala pain tum bhi heal nahi kar sakti ho."

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Monami sat down on the bed, staring at the picture. It was her and Karan. He had an arm around her waist, hers on his chest, their gazes solely on each other.

She swiped. It was a video. She pressed down on the play button. Her head pounded, but she didn't want to stop. She couldn't. She had to remember. Karan. Her. Them.

It was a video. Karan and him. They were... being teased. No. Karan was being teased. She was right in on with everyone.

The words were confusing and she could barely hear it over the pounding headache. She could hear random strings.

Monu... Meri Monami... take her on a date... Khadoos Shergill.

'Dil jaisa hoga kuch seene mein, dil toh pakka nahi hai. Khadoos Shergill!'

'I love you, Monami. I really, really love you.'
'I love you too, Khadoos Shergill.'

'Kya hua?'
'Nahi, soch rahi hoon ki tum jaise sadu, robo khadoos se pyaar kaise ho gaya?'
'Too late, madam. Ab toh ho gaya.'

Her hands flew to her head, the headache increasing to a unbearably piercing one, and she whimpered.

Memories flooded her. Everything she had forgotten. Playing like a movie.

Her vision grew black at the edges, narrowing it down, and she felt her head connect to the pillow. The last image was of Karan cradling her in his lap, saying her name.

"Karan..."

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

"Karan, mujhe tumse kuch baat karni hai", Monami said.

"Not now, Monami", he said. His gaze didn't even flicker down to her. He couldn't face her. Pity, sympathy. That was what he would see.

"But it's important", she insisted. "It's very important."

"Not now", he said. "Drills ke liye late ho raha hai." Monami sighed in frustration, pausing a few steps behind. His heart clenched a little.

"Hey, you", she snapped, and his feet stopped.

'Hey, you!'
'Hey, stay out!'

"Samajhte kya ho tum apne aap ko?" She snapped. "Khadoos! Khadoos Shergill!"

He whirled around, facing her. "Kya bola tumne mujhe?"

"Khadoos Shergill", she said, walking closer to him. "Khadoos Shergill. Mere... Khadoos Shergill."

His eyes slid over to hers, and his breath was knocked out of his chest.

Her eyes stared at him with tenderness, with love, with care. Her mouth was twisted in a smile. The brightest smile.

"Tumhe... tumhe yaad hai?" He muttered.

She nodded.

A tear slid down his face, and he hugged her tightly, pulling her closer. "Tumhe sab yaad hai? Main? Hum? Sab kuch?"

"Sab kuch", she muttered, hugging him back. "Sab kuch yaad hai, Karan. I am sorry. I am sorry main tumhe bhool gayi thi. I am sorry maine tumhe itna hurt kara."

He pulled back, gently cupping her cheeks. His vision blurred and he sniffled, staring into her love-filled eyes.

"I love you", he croaked out. "I really, really love you."

"I love you too, Khadoos Shergill."