**Chapter 1 — Ibtidaa
(Wisaal se Wabasta Ishq)**
Dil dhadak raha tha jaise har dhadkan ke saath koi raaz sa raaz khul raha ho.
Shehzaan ne apni aankhon ko us se alag karna chaaha — lekin mumkin na tha. Woh uski zindagi ke har kone mein goonj raha tha, jaise ek purani dhun jo baar-baar dil ke taaron ko chhoo jaye.
Us raat barish halki si ger rahi thi jab Zara us library ke purane kamre mein pehli dafa us se mili thi — puri duniya ki roshni band ho chuki thi, sirf qalam aur kitaabon ki khushboo bach gayi thi. Zara ke baal uske kandhon par barish ke boondon ki tarah bikhar rahe thay, aur Shehzaan ne mehsoos kiya ke uski saansein kisi gehri kahani ki pehli sargam bajaa rahi thi.
"Tum… yahan akeli?" Shehzaan ki awaaz halki si, par uske andar ikhtiyar ka ek junoon tha.
Zara ne nazar uthai. Uski aankhon mein ek shiddat thi — dil ko chhoo lene wali, par kisi dard ka hissa bhi lagi. "Haan," woh boli, "yeh kitaaben… aur yeh khamoshi… dono mujhe baat karne par majboor karti hain."
Shehzaan ek qadam nazdeek aaya. Kitabon ki purani si rekh uske chehre par roshni ki tarah jagi. "Kabhi kabhi khamoshi bolti hai zyada taaqat se," usne kaha.
Un dono ke darmiyan jo hawa chal rahi thi, us mein intezaar tha — wo intezaar jo sirf un do dilon ke darmiyan honay wali dastaan ka pehla saahil tha. Shehzaan ne Jazbaat ko rokne ki koshish ki, par har lamha uski soch Zara ki taraf jhukti chali gayi.
Aur Zara? Uski har muskuraahat ek gehri kahani likh rahi thi — jise Shehzaan har roz phir se padna chahta tha.
Aankhon mein rangon ka ujala tha, magar dono ke dilon mein abhi tak khaamoshi ki haiwan si saans le rahi thi — us waqt tak jab tak unka pehla ehsaas puri tarah rooh mein samajh nahi leta.
"Jo mehsoos ho raha hai…" Zara ne dheere se kaha, "shayad alfaaz mein bayaan na ho paaye."
Aur Shehzaan ne sirf ek baar aankhon se jawab diya — ek lamha jise alfaaz ki zoar ki zaroorat nahi thi.
Yeh tha unka pehla qadam — wisaal-e-jism se nahi, lekin wisaal-e-dil se wabasta ek ishq ki shuruaat.
Khamoshi Ka Aitiraaf
Subah ki roshni parde se hoti hui Zara ke chehre par utar rahi thi, lekin uski aankhein raat bhar jaagi hui lag rahi thi. Neend us se jaise rooth gayi ho. Dimagh mein sirf ek hi khayal tha — Shehzaan.
Kisi ka naam sirf lafz nahi hota, kabhi kabhi woh poori kaifiyat ban jata hai.
Usne chai ka cup uthaya, magar haath kaanp raha tha. Dil ke kone mein jo mehsoosat pal rahe thay, woh naye bhi thay aur khaufnaak bhi. Mohabbat jab be-ikhteyar ho jaaye, to sab se pehle khamoshi zakhmi hoti hai.
"Khamoshi bhi kabhi bayaan kar deti hai,
wo baatein jo zubaan se kahi nahi jaateen."
Shehzaan apni study table par baitha tha, kitaab khuli hui thi magar nazar lafzon par tik hi nahi rahi thi. Zara ka chehra, uski baat karne ka andaaz, uski aankhon ki gehraayi — sab kuch zehan par naqsh ho chuka tha.
Usne khud se sawaal kiya,
kya har mulaqat ittefaq hoti hai?
Ya kuch log zindagi mein is liye aate hain ke hamein apni rooh se milwa dein?
"Kuch log nazar aate hi apne lagte hain,
shayad roohon ka ta'aruf pehle se hota hai."
Dopahar ko phir se unka saamna hua. Corridor mein guzarte hue sirf chand second ki mulaqat thi, lekin woh chand second dono ke liye poori sadi ban gaye.
Zara ne nazar jhuka li, par uske hont ek halki si muskurahat se ghire hue thay. Shehzaan ne us lamhe ko tham lena chaha, jaise waqt ko rok dena mumkin ho.
"Kal raat ke baad…" Shehzaan ne baat adhoori chhor di.
Zara ne uski taraf dekha. "Baatein poori ho jaati hain kya?" usne dheere se kaha. "Kuch ehsaas sirf mehsoos kiye jaate hain."
"Woh jo kaha na ja saka,
wahi dil ka sab se sachcha hissa tha."
Un dono ke darmiyan ab ek ankahee si qasam band chuki thi — na izhaar, na inkaar. Magar har mulaqat ke saath qadam rooh ke qareeb aur jism se door hota ja raha tha… ya shayad dono ka faasla dheere dheere mit raha tha.
Zara chal di, lekin uski khamoshi peeche reh gayi — Shehzaan ke paas.
Aur Shehzaan ko us din pehli baar ehsaas hua,
yeh ishq sirf wisaal ka talabgaar nahi…
yeh hukoomat chahta hai.
"Ishq jab had se barh jaye,
to ijazat nahi, sirf qabza karta hai."