Chapter 1-It started with a message
Kabhi-kabhi zindagi ki sabse important stories kisi grand moment se start nahi hoti.
Na koi dramatic meeting.
Na koi movie jaisa first sight.
Bas ek simple sa message.
Aur phir… sab kuch badal jaata hai.
Us din bhi sab kuch normal tha.
Main apne bed par leti hui phone scroll kar rahi thi. Bahar shaam ho chuki thi aur room mein sirf phone ki light thi. Din bilkul ordinary tha—school, homework, thodi si bakwaas scrolling aur phir wahi boring routine.
Mujhe bilkul idea nahi tha ki kuch hi minutes mein meri life mein ek aisa insaan enter hone wala hai jise main kuch time baad apni duniya ka sabse important hissa samajhne lagungi.
Phone vibrate hua.
New message.
Maine bina zyada soche notification open ki.
“Hey.”
Bas ek word.
Maine screen ko dekha aur halki si smile ki.
“Hi?”
Mujhe nahi pata tha ki us conversation ko continue karna chahiye ya nahi. Sach kahun toh us waqt mere liye woh bas ek normal conversation thi.
Lekin phir uska reply aaya.
“Busy ho?”
“Not really.”
“Good.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Good kyun?”
Uska reply turant aaya.
“Because mujhe tumse baat karni thi.”
Maine kuch seconds tak screen ko dekha.
Pata nahi kyun, lekin us ek sentence ne mujhe smile karwa diya.
“Achha? Kyun?”
“Bas. Karni thi.”
Itni simple baat thi.
Lekin kabhi-kabhi simple baatein hi sabse zyada yaad reh jaati hain.
Us raat humne bahut zyada important baatein nahi ki. Random topics, stupid jokes, school ki complaints aur beech-beech mein awkward silence.
Lekin mujhe usse baat karna achha laga.
Aur shayad usse bhi.
Agle din uska message phir aaya.
Phir uske agle din bhi.
Dheere-dheere “Hey” ki jagah “Good morning” aa gaya.
“Good morning” ki jagah long conversations.
Aur long conversations ki jagah woh feeling aa gayi jahan mujhe uske message ka wait rehne laga.
Main khud se kehti—
“Bas friend hai.”
Phir phone vibrate hota aur main bina soche smile kar deti.
Kabhi-kabhi woh mujhe tease karta.
Kabhi main usse.
Kabhi hum bina kisi reason ke ek ghante tak baat karte.
Aur kabhi sirf do messages ke baad conversation khatam ho jaati.
Lekin chahe baat paanch minutes ki ho ya do ghante ki…
Mujhe uska message aana pasand tha.
Mujhe tab tak ye samajh nahi aaya tha ki attachment hamesha loud nahi hoti.
Kabhi-kabhi woh bilkul quietly grow karti hai.
Tum kisi ko miss karna tab shuru karte ho jab woh online na ho.
Tum unka naam notification mein dekh kar smile karte ho.
Tum unki chhoti-chhoti baatein yaad rakhte ho.
Aur phir ek din tum realize karte ho—
“Oh.”
“I actually like this person.”
Mere saath bhi kuch aisa hi hua.
Lekin mujhe nahi pata tha ki jis person ka message meri smile ka reason ban raha tha…
Ek din wahi person meri aankhon ke aansuon ka reason bhi banega.
Us waqt mujhe sirf itna pata tha ki main khush thi.
Bahut zyada khush.
Aur shayad isi liye mujhe aane wale heartbreak ka andaaza bilkul nahi tha.
Because some endings are impossible to imagine…
when you're still living in the beginning.
