Dard Ka Naam Ishq
Chapter 23
Flashback Series Part 15
"Haan" Dorte dorte us ki saans phool gayi thi. Us ne pal ko gehri gehri saansein lete hue sar haan mein hilaaya aur saath hi dheemi si awaaz mein sargoshi ke andaaz mein boli.
"Tum ne mujhe itni asaani se pehchaan kese liya?" Abhijeet ne us ki taraf dekhte hue yunhi tajasus ki khaatir poocha.
"Meine kaha tha na ke tum mujhe pehchano ya na pehchano, mein tumhe pehchaan lun gi" Geet ne us ki aankhon mein dekh kar poore aitemaad se muskura kar kaha.
"Han, tum ne kaha tha aur tum ne to waqaie apni baat sach kar di" Abhijeet ne beyaqeeni se Geet ki taraf dekha.
"Khush ho mujhe dekh kar?" Geet nazrein jhuka kar muskurayi.
"Han, khush hun. Tum jaisi achi dost ko dekh kar khush kyun nahi hoonga?" Abhijeet pheeki si muskaan chehre pe sajaaye bola tha. Pata nahi woh utna khush kyun nahi tha jitna khush woh aane se pehle tha. Kya badal gaya tha itne se arse mein. Us ki khawahish poori ho gayi thi. Dil ko to sakoon a jana chahiye tha magar phir bhi kuch khaali sa tha dil mein. Woh bol raha tha magar ab use samajh hi nahi a raha tha ke woh khush hai bhi ya nahi magar dimaag kehta tha ke khush hona chahiye warna dil to koi aur hi sochon mein gum tha.
"Mein bhi tumhe dekh kar bohat khush hun Abhijeet. Tum aik bohat ache dost ho. Tum se milne ka bohat dil karta tha aur aj bilaakhir tum mere saamne ho, mujh se baatein kar rahe ho. Mujhe yaqeen nahi a raha hai" Geet ne beyaqeeni se hans kar kaha. Use laga woh apni manzil ke bohat qareeb khadi hai. Bas choone ki dair hai.
"Yaqeen to mujhe bhi nahi a raha ke tum waqaie mere saamne ho. Dil maan hi nahi raha. Kya tum waqaie mere saamne ho?" Abhijeet ne ulajh ke poocha. Pata nahi dil kis baat pe raazi na tha. Kuch ajeeb sa tha. Kuch mukhtalif tha. Kuch badal gaya tha. Na jaane kya badal gaya tha.
"Mein waqaie tumhaare saamne hun aur ab tumhe yaqeen kar lena chahiye" Geet ne jhainp kar kaha. Us ki muskurahat madham si par gayi thi.
"Han shayad tum theek keh rahi ho. Waise mein aik baat pooch sakta hun?" Abhijeet ne apne ap ko yaqeen dilaane ki koshish karte hue apne dil mein ayi baat poochne ki koshish ki.
"Haan, kya baat hai?" Geet muskura kar boli.
"Tumhari awaaz, woh kuch mukhtalif si hai aaj" Abhijeet ne uljhan se Geet ki taraf dekha. Geet aik pal ko ghabra si gayi magar doosre hi pal woh apne ap ko sambhal chuki thi. Geet aur Purvi ki awaazein bohat milti theen, isi liye Geet aane se pehle kaafi mutmain thi magar lagta tha ke Abhijeet ne is be maaini se faraq ko bhi bhaanp liya tha.
"Are woh phone par meri awaaz kuch mukhtalif sunayi deti hai. Jaise tum..tumhari awaaz bhi to phone pe kitni mukhtalif lag rahi thi, asal mein to tumhari awaaz aur bhi achi hai" Geet itni asaani se ghabrati nahi thi. Mun phat hone ke saath saath use jaldi jaldi jawaab banane bhi aate the. Shayad yeh bhi us ki shakhsiyat ka aik hissa tha.
"Han, shayad yahi baat hai" Abhijeet jhainp ke hansta hai.
"Chalo kahin bethte hain" Geet ne use qareeb hi pade aik bench pe bethne ki daawat di jis par woh dono hi wahan aik doosre ke saamne beth gaye.
"Itne khamosh kyun hain? Kya soch rahe hain?" Kuch pal guzar gaye magar un ke darmiyaan dafan yeh khamoshi mit ke nahi de rahi thi. Woh jaise kisi soch mein tha, kisi anjaani uljhan mein tha jis ka maqsad bhi samajh mein nahi ata tha. Aur woh bas us ke hi bolne ka intezaar kar rahi thi. Geet ka zehan thoda sa pareshaan hua magar us ne apne chehre se yeh pareshaani zaahir na hone di.
"Pata nahi kya ho gaya hai. Samajh hi nahi a raha ke kahun to kya kahun. Zehan kahin atak sa gaya hai" Abhijeet ba mushkil muskuraya. Na jaane us ki woh khushi hawa ban kar kahan ud gayi thi.
"Ap ko abhi tak yaqeen nahi aaya. Wese mujhe bhi bohat mushkil se yaqeen aaya hai" Geet aik masnooyi kehkaha lagaati hai.
Kuch dair tak woh donon kuch sarsari si baatein karte rehte hain. Abhijeet ka josh kuch halka sa ho gaya tha.
"Abhijeet, kyun na aik selfie li jaaye?" Geet ne kuch dair baad apne purse mein se apna phone nikal kar Abhijeet se muskura kar poocha.
"Han, zaroor" Abhijeet muskurate hue phone us ke haath se leta hai aur woh dono pose banate hain aur Abhijeet selfie kheench leta hai.
"Bohat achi ayi hai" Geet ne tasveer mein nazar aate Abhijeet aur apne ap ko akhatta dekh kar muskurahat ke saath kaha.
Raat ke 8 baj chuke the. Geet abhi tak ghar wapas nahi ayi thi. Purvi lounge mein hi sofe pe taik laga kar bethi hui thi. Us ke saamne tv chal raha tha. Magar tv ka shor bhi use tv ki taraf mutawaja nahi kar pa raha tha. Us ki sochein us ka saath nahi chod rahi theen. Use lag raha tha ke woh soch soch kar pagal ho jaaye gi. Raat ne bahar aasmaan par apne par phaila liye the. Andhera phail chuka tha. Woh us kashmakash mein thi jis ne us ka saath kabhi choda hi na tha. Kya us ne sahi kiya tha ya ghalat. Us ka dil itna udaas kyun tha. Woh jaanti thi ab us ki Abhijeet se aj ke baad kabhi baat nahi hogi. Woh us ki awaaz nahi sun paaye gi. Aik dost jo paaya tha woh bhi kahin kho sa jaaye ga. Us ki qurbat mein jo sukoon milta tha woh bhi kahin kho jaaye ga. Abhi woh inhi sochon mein gum thi ke darwaaza khulne ki awaaz ayi. Us ne darwaaze ki taraf dekha to Geet ko wahan khada paaya. Woh khush dikhayi de rahi thi. Purvi ne bhi khush hone ki koshish ki. Geet ki aankhon mein khushi chamak rahi thi. Woh Purvi ki taraf chalti hui ayi aur use gale se laga liya.
"Kaisi rahi tumhari mulaqaat?" Purvi ne muskuraane ki koshish ki. Halanke yeh bohat mushkil tha.
"Bohat achi" Geet ne araam se sofe pe baithte hue gehri muskurahat ke saath kaha.
"Hum ne itni baatein kein aj. Use to yaqeen hi nahi a raha tha par woh bohat khush dikh raha tha" Geet muskura muskura ke aik aik cheez Purvi ko bataane lagi.
"Yeh to bohat achi baat hai" Purvi baat Geet se kar rahi thi magar us ki aankhon mein itni sakat nahi thi ke woh Geet ki aankhon ka saamna kar sakein. Us ne apni aankhein daainsta jhuka lein thein. Use dar tha ke in aankhon se koi bedard aansun ne beh jaaye.
"Woh, aik chota sa masla hai" Is pal Geet ke chehre se muskurahat pal ko simti aur us ne kuch sanjeedgi ka izhaar karte hue kaha.
"Kaisa masla?" Purvi ne us ki taraf mutajasus nazron se dekha.
"Mujhe laga tha ke Abhijeet tumhari awaaz sun kar meri awaaz ko bhi tum se mukhtalif nahi paaye ga. Aakhir, itni miltein jo hain awaazein hamaari. Magar shayad use yeh ahsaas ho gaya hai. Meine use waise yeh keh kar taal diya tha ke phone pe awaaz kuch to mukhtalif sunayi degi hi. Lekin mujhe lagta hai ke agar mein us se phone pe baat karun gi to woh shayad meri awaaz ko mukhtalif paaye. To isi liye, mein chahti hun ke ab bhi agar woh phone kare to tum hi us se baat karna. Mujhe yaqeen hai ke tumhe is baat pe koi aitraaz nahi hoga" Geet ki lambi tamheed aur us ki baat sunne ke baat jaane kyun Purvi ko aik anjaana sa sukoon aur aik anjaani si khushi dil mein ubharti hui mehsoos hui. Is ahsaas mein tasalli thi shayad us taaluq ke na tootne ki, jo anjaane mein ban gaya tha, bina kisi iraade ke.
To Be Continued