Kuch Adhura Tha

Ritu ko Hyderabad aana tha client meeting ke liye — 2 din. Woh jaanti thi ki Aarav Hyderabad mein tha, teen saal se woh jabse move kiya tha. Usne apne aap se promise kiya tha ki nahi milega — kya zaroorat thi. Sab kuch theek tha. 5 saal ho gaye. Naukri achi thi, Pune mein apna flat tha, maata-pita khush the, kuch naye dost the. Woh chapter band tha. Lekin chapter band hona aur forgotten hona alag cheezein hain. Woh restaurant mein kisi client ke saath dinner le rahi thi jab usne dekha — ek table door pe, Aarav. Woh bhi akela tha. Unki nazar mili. Ek second. Phir Ritu ne dekha apne plate mein. Phir phir dekha. Aarav uth ke paas aaya.

'Ritu.' 'Aarav.' Client ne presence mehsoos ki — 'koi dost hai?' Ritu ne kaha, 'Haan, purana dost.' Jo sach tha aur sach nahi tha. Client ne jaan liya situation ki kisi tarah aur bola usski meeting kal bhi extend ho sakti hai, aaj ke liye free karo. Gracefully woh chala gaya. Ritu aur Aarav wahaan reh gaye — ek table pe, 5 saal ke silence ke saath. 'Acha laga tumhe dekh ke,' Aarav ne bola. Yeh simple tha aur complicated tha. 'Tum yahaan ho.' 'Kaam ke liye aayi thi.' 'Haan, pata tha. Suno... main samajhta hoon agar tum nahi—' 'Nahi, ruko, baith jaao.' Kyon bola Ritu ne yeh nahi jaanti thi. Lekin unhe ek conversation tha 5 saal se due — unfinished, hanging.

Woh ghante bhar baat ki — pehle careful, phir asli. Aarav ne bataya ki woh bhi kuch saalon baad sorry tha — us tarike se nahi jab koi sirf formality mein kehta hai, asli waala. 'Main us time pe tum jo chahti thi woh de nahi sakta tha. Kisila ke liye nahi, apni wajah se.' Ritu jaanti thi — wohi toh hua tha. Aarav ka commitment phobia tha — real, diagnosed nahi tha lekin real tha. Usne baar baar door kar diya tha jab cheezein serious hone lagi thi. 'Main uss time pe dar gaya tha,' Aarav ne bola. 'Mujhe pata tha,' Ritu ne bola, 'Tab bhi.' 'Tab bhi kyon ruki rahi?' Ritu ne soch ke bola: 'Kyunki main chahti thi ki tum khud se dar ke jeeto. Nahi hua. Aur phir ek din mujhe jaana pada.'

Aarav ne bataya ki abhi woh therapy le raha tha — kuch saalon mein. 'Better ho raha hoon. Date kiya hai kabhi kabhi. Lekin Ritu... honestly, tum ek standard thi. Jo baad mein mila woh compare ho jaata.' Ritu ne yeh suna. Ek saal pehle yeh kehne pe woh ro padti. Aaj dekha Aarav ko — theek tha, grow kar raha tha, honest tha — aur feel kiya ek cheez jo pyaar se alag thi, jo compassion ke zyada close thi. 'Aarav, main khush hoon ki tum better ho rahe ho. Seriously. Aur main chahti hoon ki tum kisi ke saath sach mein khush ho.' 'Tum?' 'Main theek hoon. Sach mein. Tum 5 saal pehle ka mera dard the — aaj memory ho. Memory rehna chahiye.' Aarav ne sir hilaya.

Ritu hotel pe wapas gayi — raat mein, Hyderabad ki lights se. Lift mein andar hote hue sochne lagi. Woh seedha expect nahi kar rahi thi iss meeting ko aur iss conversation ko — lekin ek cheez aayi woh nahi expect ki thi: halkapan. 5 saal se ek andar ka tension tha — jo khatam hua tha lekin complete nahi hua tha. Aaj complete hua. Aarav achha insaan tha, woh bura nahi tha, dono ki timing galat thi, dono ki jagah nahi mili thi. Yeh sach tha. Aur yeh sach accept karne ke baad jo tha woh bura nahi tha — woh khali jagah thi jo abhi bhar sakti thi kuch aur se. Ritu ne apni maa ko call kiya — bas aise hi, baat karne. 'Sab theek hai na beta?' 'Haan maa, bahut theek hai aaj.' Woh sach bol rahi thi.