I Wish We Never Met You 3rd chapter

Chapter 3 — The Voice Behind the Text

"Kuch awaazein sirf kaano tak nahi pahunchti..."

"Woh seedha dil tak utar jaati hain."

"Aur phir ek din wahi awaaz..."

"Khamoshi se bhi zyada shor karne lagti hai."

Raat ke 1:57 baj rahe the.

Aarav apne kamre mein bed ke kone par baitha tha.

Uske saamne study table thi.

Table par kuch engineering ki books padi thi jin par pichhle kai dino se dhool jamne lagi thi.

Ek aadhi bhari coffee ki mug.

Kuch pen.

Aur ek purani black diary.

Wahi diary...

Jisme woh apni woh baatein likhta tha jo kisi ko kabhi nahi bata pata tha.

Kamre ki deewarein bilkul simple thi.

Na koi expensive decoration.

Na koi fancy lights.

Bas ek chhoti si bookshelf.

Ek khidki.

Aur ek ladka jo har raat 2 baje kisi ke message ka intezar karta tha.

College mein bhi Aarav kuch khaas popular nahi tha.

Na woh topper tha.

Na backbencher.

Na kisi group ka center.

Woh bas...

Tha.

Log usse jaante the.

Lekin samajhte nahi the.

Aur shayad usse bhi aadat ho gayi thi.

Us din bhi college mein poora din ajeeb guzra tha.

Sab log canteen mein maze kar rahe the.

Hass rahe the.

Photos le rahe the.

Aur Aarav...

Ek kone mein baitha sab dekh raha tha.

Kabhi-kabhi usse lagta tha ki woh har jagah maujood hai...

Lekin kisi ki kahani ka hissa nahi hai.

Raat hui.

Aur jaise har raat hota tha...

Uska dil 2 baje ka intezar karne laga.

Phone vibrate hua.

Naina:

"Kya kar rahe ho?"

Aarav:

"Tumhara intezar."

Message bhejne ke baad usne khud hi facepalm kar liya.

"Ye kya bhej diya?"

Lekin surprisingly...

Naina ne reply kiya.

"Accha ji?"

"Nahi matlab... baat ka intezar."

"Damage control successful."

Dono hans pade.

Aaj kuch alag lag raha tha.

Pata nahi kyun.

Jaise dono ke beech ki doori pehle se thodi kam ho gayi ho.

Achanak Naina ka message aaya.

"Ek baat poochun?"

"Poocho."

"Tumhari awaaz bhi tumhari tarah boring hai ya thodi normal hai?"

Aarav ne aankhen ghumayi.

"Meri awaaz boring?"

"Haan."

"Suna hai kya kabhi?"

"Nahi."

"To phir?"

"Bas feeling aa rahi hai."

Aarav muskuraya.

Phir screen ko dekhta reh gaya.

Aur tab...

Phone par ek notification aayi.

Incoming Call

Naina Calling...

Uska dil ek second ke liye ruk gaya.

Sach mein.

Haath halka sa kaanp gaya.

Teen hafte.

Roz baat.

Hazaaron messages.

Lekin aaj pehli baar...

Call.

Usne gehri saans li.

Aur receive kar li.

"Kya haal hai, boring aadmi?"

Aarav kuch seconds tak kuch bol hi nahi paaya.

Woh awaaz...

Bilkul waise nahi thi jaise usne imagine ki thi.

Woh bahut soft thi.

Shaant thi.

Aur ajeeb tarah se sukoon dene wali thi.

Jaise baarish ke baad mitti ki khushboo.

Jaise thake hue din ke baad ghar.

"Aarav?"

"Ha... haan."

Naina zor se hans padi.

"Main itni bhi scary nahi hoon."

Aur us hansi ne...

Kuch kar diya.

Aarav ko samajh nahi aaya kya.

Lekin kuch badal gaya tha.

Ab tak Naina sirf messages thi.

Words thi.

Ek naam thi.

Lekin ab...

Woh ek awaaz ban chuki thi.

Aur awaazein...

Text se zyada yaad rehti hain.

Us raat dono ne lagbhag teen ghante call par baat ki.

Bachpan.

School.

Teachers.

Embarrassing moments.

Dreams.

Failures.

Sab.

Pehli baar Aarav itna hasa tha.

Itna ki uski aankhon se paani aa gaya.

"Yaad hai school mein ek baar speech dene gaya tha?"

Aarav ne poocha.

"Haan?"

"Stage par chadhte hi behosh ho gaya tha."

Do second ki khamoshi.

Phir...

Naina itni zor se hansi ki Aarav ko phone thoda door karna pada.

"Tum seriously behosh ho gaye the?"

"Haan."

"Speech shuru hone se pehle?"

"Haan.

"Talent hai tum mein."

Dono phir hans pade.

Raat ke 4 baj gaye.

Lekin kisi ko neend nahi aa rahi thi.

Achanak Naina chup ho gayi.

"Kya hua?"

Aarav ne poocha.

"Kuch nahi."

"Jhooth."

Kuch second ki khamoshi.

Phir dheere se Naina boli,

"Pata hai..."

"Bahut time baad itna hasi hoon."

Aarav ke chehre ki muskaan dheere se gayab ho gayi.

Usne mehsoos kiya.

Us ek line ke peeche kitna dard chhupa tha.

"Kabhi-kabhi lagta hai..."

Naina dheere se boli.

"Ki main sabke beech hoon..."

"Phir bhi akeli hoon."

Aarav ne jawab nahi diya.

Woh bas sunta raha.

Kyuki kabhi-kabhi khamoshi hi sabse accha jawab hoti hai.

Us raat call cut hone ke baad Aarav ne apni diary kholi.

Date likhi.

Aur neeche likha:

*"Aaj pehli baar uski awaaz suni."*

*"Aur mujhe lag raha hai..."*

*"Main musibat mein hoon."*

Phir kuch second baad usne ek aur line likhi.

*"Kyunki ab main uske messages ka nahi..."*

*"Uski awaaz ka bhi intezar karunga."*

Diary band karne ke baad bhi uske chehre par muskaan thi.

Usse nahi pata tha...

Ki kuch rishton ki shuruaat "I love you" se nahi hoti.

Woh shuru hote hain...

Ek awaaz se.

Ek aadat se.

Ek intezar se.

Aur phir dheere-dheere...

Dil unhe apna ghar bana leta hai.

Chapter End

"Pehle main uske messages padhkar muskuraata tha..."

"Aaj uski awaaz sunkar khamosh ho gaya."

"Shayad isliye kyunki kuch log likhe hue lafzon se nahi..."

"Apni awaaz se dil mein utar jaate hain." ❤️

"Aur jab dil mein utar jaayein..."

"To phir nikalna unke bas mein bhi nahi rehta."🌙💔