Next din school me ajeeb si khamoshi thi.
Jaise walls bhi sun rahi ho.
Sana apni seat par baithi thi, par uski nazar baar-baar Aliyar par ja rahi thi.
Wo aaj unusually calm lag raha tha.
Too calm.
"Kal ke baare me baat karni hai," Sana ne low voice me kaha.
Aliyar ne sir hila diya.
"Last period ke baad."
Time slow chal raha tha.
Har bell ek warning jaisi lag rahi thi.
Last period khatam hote hi Aliyar uth kar corridor ki taraf chal diya.
Sana uske peeche.
Library ke pichhe wali passage me roshni kam thi.
Yahan rarely koi aata tha.
"Tumne kaha tha poora sach nahi bataya," Sana ne seedha kaha.
"Toh ab batao."
Aliyar ne deewar se peeth laga li.
Uski aankhen neeche thi.
"Us raat," wo bola,
"main akela nahi tha."
Sana ka dil zor se dhadak utha.
"Tumne kaha tha sirf tum aur—"
"Ek aur tha," Aliyar ne baat kaat di.
"Jo hum dono ko dekh raha tha."
Silence.
"Rehan?" Sana ne poocha.
Aliyar ne dheere se sir hila diya.
"Par wo saamne nahi aaya," Aliyar bola.
"Wo chhupa hua tha."
Sana ko yaad aaya—
blank calls, warnings, messages.
"Tumne police ko kyun nahi bataya?" Sana ne poocha.
Aliyar ne kadvi hansi hasi.
"Kyuki us raat… main bhaag gaya tha."
Sana ka saans ruk gaya.
"Tum chhod kar aa gaye?"
"Main darr gaya," Aliyar ne kaha.
"Aur isi darr ne mujhe guilty bana diya."
Sana ne uske haath ko pakad li.
"Darr aur jurm same nahi hote."
Aliyar ne pehli baar uski taraf dekha.
Uski aankhon me relief tha.
Aur kuch aur bhi.
Us pal dono ke beech faasla khatam ho gaya.
Itna paas…
ki Sana ko uski saans mehsoos ho rahi thi.
Par tabhi—
"Kitna emotional scene hai."
Dono ghoom gaye.
Rehan passage ke end par khada tha.
Taali bajata hua.
"Problem ye hai," Rehan bola,
"tum dono aadha sach bolte ho…
aur poora sach mujhe pata hai."
Aliyar aage badha.
"Tum chahte kya ho?"
Rehan ne phone uthaya.
Screen on ki.
Ek photo.
Terrace ki.
Aliyar aur Sana ki.
Kal ki.
Sana ka chehra peela pad gaya.
"Tum hume follow kar rahe the."
Rehan muskuraya.
"Hamesha se."
Phir wo Sana ki taraf jhuk kar bola—
"Tum sochti ho Aliyar ko bacha rahi ho…"
Aliyar ne usse pakadne ki koshish ki,
par Rehan peeche hat gaya.
"…par shayad tum usse aur phansa rahi ho."
Rehan mud kar jaane laga.
Par ruk kar bola—
"Next time jab milenge,
sirf baatein nahi hongi."
Footsteps door ho gaye.
Sana ka haath ab bhi Aliyar ke haath me tha.
Par is baar kaanp raha tha.
"Aliyar," Sana ne dheere se kaha,
"agar poora sach bahar aaya…
tum taiyaar ho?"
Aliyar ne ek gehri saans li.
"Is baar," usne kaha,
"bhaagunga nahi."