Subah ka waqt tha…
Haya ke ghar ka mahaul aaj thoda alag tha.
Drawing room mein uske Abbu Yusuf Siddiqui kisi se phone par baat kar rahe the.
"Aray bhai jaan, aap kab aa rahe hain? Itne saalon baad milna ho raha hai…"
Haya kitchen se yeh sab sun rahi thi.
Usne Ammi se poocha,
"Kaun aa rahe hain?"
Farah Begum muskurayi,
"Tumhare Abbu ke cousin… bilkul bhaiyon jaisa rishta hai unka."
Haya ne casually poocha,
"Naam kya hai?"
Ammi ne jawab diya…
"Imran Khan."
Haya ek pal ke liye ruk gayi.
Yeh naam usne pehle bhi suna tha…
Lekin kahan?
Usi waqt…
University mein Sameer apne dost Faizan ke saath baitha tha.
Faizan ne poocha,
"Bhai, tum itne tense kyun lag rahe ho?"
Sameer ne halka sa sigh liya,
"Ghar jaana hai aaj… Abbu ne bulaya hai."
"Special kya hai?" Faizan ne tease kiya.
Sameer ne kaha,
"Keh rahe the kisi rishtedaar ke ghar jaana hai… bohot saalon baad."
Faizan hansa,
"Bas dua karo koi rishta na nikal aaye 😄"
Sameer ne kuch nahi kaha…
Lekin uska dimagh kahin aur tha.
Shaam ko…
Haya ke ghar mehmaan aa gaye.
Doorbell baji…
Haya ne ja kar darwaza khola.
Aur saamne…
Sameer.
Dono ek dum freeze ho gaye.
Sameer bhi shock mein tha.
"Haya…?"
Haya ki awaaz dheemi ho gayi,
"Tum… yahan?"
Peeche se awaaz aayi:
"Aray beta andar aao!"
Yusuf Siddiqui aur Imran Khan (Sameer ke Abbu) ek dusre ko gale laga rahe the.
"Yeh mera beta Sameer hai," Imran Khan ne kaha.
Haya ka dil zor se dhadakne laga.
Aur phir…
"Yeh meri beti Haya hai," Yusuf Siddiqui ne muskurate hue kaha.
Dono ki nazar ek dusre par tik gayi…
Ab sirf ek ajnabi connection nahi tha…
Ab woh rishtedaar bhi the.
Room mein sab log baith gaye.
Atmosphere normal tha…
Lekin Haya aur Sameer ke liye sab kuch change ho chuka tha.
"Tumne bataya nahi ke tum…" Haya ne dheere se kaha.
Sameer ne halki si smile ke saath kaha,
"Mujhe khud nahi pata tha…"
Dono ke beech ek ajeeb si comfort aa gayi…
Aur saath hi ek naya darr bhi.
Tabhi ek ladka room mein enter hua —
Sameer ka bada bhai Zaid Khan.
"Sorry, main late ho gaya… exam tha," usne casual tone mein kaha.
Zaid energetic aur thoda fun type tha.
Usne Haya ko dekh kar muskurate hue kaha,
"Hello… lagta hai ab family gatherings interesting hone wali hain."
Sab hans diye…
Lekin Sameer chup tha.
Raat ko…
Sab log dinner kar rahe the.
Families purani yaadein discuss kar rahi thi.
Sameer ne dheere se Haya ki taraf dekha…
Is baar uski nazar mein sirf curiosity nahi thi…
Kuch aur bhi tha.
Haya ne diary mein likha:
"Woh ajnabi tha… phir apna lagne laga… aur ab sach mein apna nikla. Yeh kaisa rishta hai?"
Dusri taraf…
Ahaan apne kamre mein tha.
Usse abhi bhi kuch pata nahi tha…
Ke kahani ek naya twist le chuki hai.