Car shehar ke outer road par dheere-dheere aakar rukti hai. Shaam ka waqt tha, aasman halka sa gulabi aur hawa me ajeeb si thandak. Yasha door se us gaadi ko dekh rahi thi, par uske pair jaise zameen me jam gaye the. Dil itni tez dhadak raha tha ki use lag raha tha, agar ek aur second khadi rahi toh shayad wahi gir padegi. Ye wahi pal tha jiska intezaar usne mahino ki baaton, calls aur chats ke beech kiya tha… aur ab jab pal saamne tha, darr ne uski saari himmat ghont li.
Gaadi ka gate khula. Anuvardhan bahar nikla. Real. Bilkul saamne.
Yasha ki saans atak si gayi. Ye woh ladka tha jisse wo roz baat karti thi, par saamne dekhna… ye alag tha. Uski aankhon me wahi nervousness thi jo phone ke uss side mehsoos hoti thi, par aaj wo aankhein usi ko dekh rahi thi. Dono ke beech kuch seconds ka sannaata tha. Na koi shabd, na koi movement. Bas do log, pehli baar ek-dusre ke saamne.
"Hi…" Anuvardhan ne dheere se kaha.
Yasha ne sirf halka sa sar hila diya. Awaaz jaise gale me hi atak gayi ho.
Wo car ke paas hi khade rahe. Bahar jaane ka sawaal hi nahi tha. Yasha ko bheed se darr lagta tha, logon se nazrein milane se darr lagta tha, aur sabse zyada… is baat se darr lagta tha ki agar wo zyada paas aayi toh uska control hi na toot jaaye. Anuvardhan ne bhi koi zabardasti nahi ki. Shayad wo darr ko samajh raha tha.
"Tum thik ho?" usne poocha, thoda sa jhuk kar, taaki awaaz sirf us tak hi rahe.
Yasha ne haan me sir hila diya, par uski ungliyaan dupatte ke kone ko zor se pakde hue thi.
Anuvardhan wapas car ki taraf muda aur dicky khol di. Usne ek-ek karke cheezein nikaalni shuru ki—chilli paneer ka packet, kuch aur khane ke boxes, aur chhoti-chhoti cheezein jo shayad usne raaste bhar soch-soch kar li thi.
"Tumhe pasand hai na?" usne chilli paneer ko thoda upar karke poocha.
Yasha pehli baar thoda sa muskurayi. "Haan… bahut."
Us pal kuch toot sa gaya. Darr ka wo mota sa parda halka ho gaya. Wo car ke andar baith gaye—side by side, par ek-dusre se thoda sa door. Gaadi ke andar bhi khamoshi thi, par ab ye khamoshi ajeeb nahi lag rahi thi. Ye wo wali khamoshi thi jisme sab kuch kehne ki zarurat nahi hoti.
Anuvardhan ne packet khola. Chilli paneer ki khushboo gaadi me phail gayi.
"Ye first time hai…" usne haste hue kaha, "main kisi ke liye itna kuch laaya hoon."
Yasha ne uski taraf dekha. "Aur main first time kisi se aise mil rahi hoon," usne dheere se kaha.
Unki baatein chhoti-chhoti thi—raaste ki thakaan, shehar ka traffic, mausam. Par har sentence ke beech ek feeling thi jo lafzon se zyada gehri thi. Kabhi-kabhi unki nazrein mil jaati aur dono hi turant idhar-udhar dekhne lagte. Jaise aankhon ka milna bhi ek risk ho.
"Tum dar rahi ho na?" Anuvardhan ne achanak poocha.
Yasha ne kuch seconds socha, phir sach bol diya. "Haan. Par tum se nahi… khud se."
Wo kuch nahi bola. Bas halka sa sar hila diya. Shayad samajh gaya tha.
Chilli paneer khate-khate waqt ka pata hi nahi chala. Gaadi ke sheeshe ke bahar andhera gehra ho raha tha, par andar ek alag hi roshni thi—awkward, soft, aur thodi si dangerous. Kyunki jab real log real feelings ke saath milte hain, toh cheezein control me nahi rehti.
Ek pal ko Anuvardhan ka haath galti se Yasha ke haath se chhoo gaya.
Bas ek second.
Par dono jaise freeze ho gaye.
Yasha ne turant haath peeche kheench liya. Dil zor se dhadka. Anuvardhan ne bhi aankhein neeche kar li.
"Sorry…" usne dheere se kaha.
"It's okay," Yasha ne bhi utni hi dheemi awaaz me jawab diya.
Par okay sab kuch nahi tha. Kuch badal chuka tha.
Thodi der baad Yasha ne clock dekhi. "Mujhe… mujhe jaana chahiye."
Anuvardhan ne haan me sir hila diya, par uski aankhon me ek chhupa sa sawaal tha—itni jaldi?
Gaadi se utarte waqt dono ke beech phir wahi thodi si doori aa gayi. Jaate-jaate Yasha ne peechhe mud kar dekha. Anuvardhan wahi khada tha, haath pocket me, aankhon me ek ajeeb si umeed.
"Phir milenge?" usne poocha.
Yasha ne bina soche jawab diya, "Haan."
Par jab wo mud kar chal padi, uske dimaag me sirf ek hi sawaal ghoom raha tha—
ye sirf ek mulakaat thi… ya kisi kahani ki shuruaat?
Aur car ka engine start hone ke saath hi, us kahani ne apna pehla raaz bana liya...