Phone bed par pada hua tha, par Yasha ki nazar usse hatt hi nahi rahi thi.
Unknown number ka message ab bhi screen par tha, jaise use dekh kar hi uska dil tez dhadakne lagta ho.
"Hi… mujhe maaf kar do."
Maafi?
Par kis baat ki?
Yasha ne thodi himmat juta kar phone uthaya. Ungliyan kaanp rahi thi.
Usne reply type kiya… phir ruk gayi.
Delete.
Phir likha.
Yasha: Aap kaun ho?
Message send hote hi usne phone seedha bed par rakh diya, jaise screen ko dekhna bhi mushkil ho.
Kuch seconds…
Phir phone vibrate hua.
Unknown: Tum sach me mujhe bhool gayi?
Yasha ka dimaag blank ho gaya.
Uske dil me ek ajeeb sa darr uthne laga.
Yasha: Sorry, wrong number hoga.
Reply ke baad usne turant number block karne ka socha…
Par agla message aate hi uski saans atak gayi.
Unknown: rudra.
Bas ek shabd.
Par us shabd ne Yasha ke haath se phone gira diya.
"Rudra…?"
usne dheere se kaha, jaise naam bolte hi purani yaadein zinda ho jaayengi.
Rudra.
Ek naam jo usne saalon se apne dimaag ke kisi band kone me chhupa diya tha.
College ke din.
Late-night chats.
Promises jo kabhi poore nahi hue.
Yasha ne kaanpte haathon se phone uthaya aur chat kholi. Block remove ho chuka tha… usse pata bhi nahi chala kab.
Yasha: Tum… ye tum ho?
Reply almost turant aaya.
Rudra: Haan. Mujhe laga tum pehchaan jaogi.
Yasha bed par baith gayi. Dil zor-zor se dhadak raha tha.
Yasha: Ab message kyun? Itne time baad?
Typing dots dikhe… phir ruk gaye…
Phir message aaya.
Rudra: Kyuki mujhe pata chala tum kisi aur ke kareeb ho rahi ho.
Yasha ka dil aur tez ho gaya.
"Usse kaise pata?"
Usne apne aap se poocha.
Udhar Anuvardhan apne room me baitha tha.
Phone haath me tha, par wo baar-baar screen lock kar raha tha.
Uska dil ajeeb sa heavy tha.
Na koi wajah… na koi reason.
"Bas overthinking hai,"
usne khud ko samjhaya.
Par phir bhi usne Yasha ka chat open kiya.
Last seen abhi ka tha.
Online.
Uski chest me ek chubhan si hui.
Par usne kuch nahi likha.
"Trust,"
usne khud se kaha,
"agar main serious hoon, to trust bhi karna hoga."
Yasha wapas Kush ke messages padh rahi thi.
Rudra: Main jaanta hoon maine galti ki thi.
Rudra: Par tumhe bina bataye jaana meri sabse badi galti thi.
Yasha ki aankhen bhar aayi, par awaaz me gussa tha.
Yasha: Tumhari galti sirf jaana nahi tha,
Rudra. Tumhara chup rehna tha.
Kuch der tak koi reply nahi aaya.
Phir ek message.
Rudra: Mujhe laga tum khush ho jaogi mere bina.
Yasha ke hothon par halki si hansi aayi… dard bhari.
Yasha: Galat lage tum.
Usne phone side me rakh diya.
Uska dimaag Anuvardhan ke chehre par chala gaya…
uski awaaz…
uske aansu…
"Wo bina maange ruk gaya,"
Yasha ne socha,
"aur tum bina bataye chale gaye."
Par kahani yahin khatam nahi thi.
Rudra ka ek aur message aaya.
Rudra: Mujhe pata hai tum usse mil chuki ho.
Yasha uth kar khadi ho gayi.
Yasha: Tum ye sab kaise jaante ho?
Is baar reply thoda late aaya.
Rudra: Duniya chhoti hai, Yasha.
Uske dil me darr baith gaya.
Ye sirf coincidence nahi lag raha tha.
Aur usi waqt…
Anuvardhan ke phone par Yasha ka message pop up hua.
Yasha: Kya hum kal baat kar sakte hain? Zaroori hai.
Anuvardhan ne bina soche reply kiya.
Anuvardhan: Haan. Main hoon.
Yasha ne screen dekhi… aur phir Kush ka chat.
Do raaste.
Do kahaniyan.
Aur ek decision.
Par use abhi ye nahi pata tha ki rudra ka aana sirf purani yaadon ke liye nahi tha…
balki ek aise sach ke liye,
jo uske aur Anuvardhan ke beech sab kuch badal sakta tha.
Ab aage…