Baarish

"Woh... woh alag hai, Aai. Bahut alag. Nature pasand hai usko. Trekking karti hai. Aur haske baat karti hai, jaise koi tension hi nahi hai zindagi mein."

Mummy thodi der chup rahi. Phir boli, "Rahulya, tu Solapur ka hai. Simple, practical. Lekin Pune ki ladkiyaan... woh alag hoti hain. Modern. Tujhe samajhna hoga."

"Main samajh sakta hoon, Aai."

"Thik hai. Lekin jab usse mil, toh dhyan se dekh. Kya woh sirf time pass kar rahi hai, ya sach mein..."

"Aai!" maine interrupt kiya. "Abhi toh pehli mulakat thi. Dekhte hain."

Lekin sach bolun toh, maine bhi socha tha. Tanvi itni cheerful, itni open — kya woh sach mein interested thi, ya bas friendly thi?

Mummy ne kaha, "Thik hai. Lekin agli baar jab baat ho, toh usse kehna — Lata aai bol rahi hain, theple bhejengi."

Main has pada. "Pakka, Aai."

---

Chapter 3: Sinhagad Trek — Pehli Date?

Saturday subah, 5:30 baje. Main Amit ke saath Sinhagad ke base pahuncha. Amit mera colleague tha, aur uski girlfriend Priya bhi aayi thi.

"Bhai, yeh Tanvi kaun hai?" Amit ne pucha.

"Woh... ek dost. Kal bus stop pe mili."

"Bus stop pe? Romantic!" Priya ne kaha.

"Nahi, aisa kuch nahi. Bas... common interests hain."

6 baje, Tanvi aayi. Trekking shoes, cargo pants, ek simple t-shirt, aur woh smile. Usne kuch makeup nahi kiya tha, lekhin woh fresh lag rahi thi. Natural.

"Hi everyone!" usne wave kiya. "Main Tanvi."

Introductions hue. Aur hum chalne lage.

Sinhagad ka raasta monsoon mein alag hi lagta hai. Hara-bhara, slippery, aur woh mist — jaise pahad ne koi secret chhupa rakha ho.

"Rahul, aapne kahan tak trek kiya hai?" Tanvi ne pucha.

"Rajgad, Torna, Lohagad. Lekin yeh sab pehle. Ab toh..."

"Ab toh office, Excel sheets, aur deadlines?"

"Haan," maine kaha. "Data analyst hoon na. Numbers ke beech mein rehta hoon."

Tanvi ruki. Usne mudkar dekha.

"Numbers mein beauty nahi hoti, Rahul. Nature mein hoti hai. Dekho na..." usne haath se ishara kiya surrounding ki taraf. "Yeh mist, yeh hariyali, yeh awaaz — patakon ki, ret ki, aur hawa ki. Yeh sab free hai. Bas dekhna padta hai."

Maine uski baat suni. Aur sach mein, maine dekha. Pehli baar itne dhyan se. Yeh wahi Sinhagad tha jahan main pehle bhi aaya tha, lekin aaj alag lag raha tha.

Thodi der baad, baarish shuru hui. Halki si, phir tez.

"Chalo, shelter lete hain!" Amit ne kaha.

Lekin Tanvi nahi ruki. Woh aage badhti rahi, haath failake baarish mein. "Rahul! Aao na! Yeh baarish hai, enemy nahi!"

Main thoda uncomfortable hua. Practical Rahul — gile kapde, beemari, cold — yeh sab sochta tha. Lekin Tanvi ke chehre pe woh khushi... main nahi ruk saka.

Main bhi aage badha. Baarish ne hume bheega diya. Tanvi ne zor se chillaya, kuch Marathi gaana gaya — "Malhar vari..." ya kuch similar. Usne mujhse mera haath pakda.

"Chalo! Race karte hain top tak!"

"Race? Yeh slippery hai!"

"Exactly! Adventure!"

Aur woh daud gayi. Main peeche-peeche. Haath pakde hue. Hamari ungliyaan interlocked thi, garam-garam, baarish ke thand mein.

Hum top pahunche. Saans phooli hui. Tanvi ka chehra laal. Aur hum dono... has rahe the. Jaise koi bachpan ki dost mil gayi ho.

"Rahul," usne kaha, saans lete hue, "yeh dekho."

Woh hill ki taraf mudi. Neeche, clouds ke beech se Pune city dikhti thi. Chhota sa, lekin pyaara. Aur upar, poora sky grey, lekin beautiful.

"Beautiful," maine kaha. Lekin main city nahi dekh raha tha. Main Tanvi ko dekh raha tha. Uske gile baal, uski smile, uski aankhein — jo kuch keh rahi thi, jo shayad woh khud nahi jaanti thi.

Amit aur Priya neeche shelter mein the. Tanvi aur main, ek rock pe baith gaye. Baarish ab halki ho gayi thi.

"Rahul, aapko pata hai," Tanvi ne kaha, "main HR mein kyun gayi?"

"Kyun?"

"Kyunki main logon ko dekhna pasand karti hoon. Unki stories samajhna. Lekin... kuch mahine se lag raha tha ki main khud hi kho gayi hoon. Office, parties, fake smiles — sab mein ghum ho gayi thi."

"Toh phir aaj?"

"Aaj..." usne meri taraf dekha. "Aaj mujhe woh Tanvi wapas mili hai. Jo trekking karti thi, baarish mein bheegti thi, aur..."

Maine uska haath pakda. Properly. Dono haathon se.

"Main bhi," maine kaha. "Main bhi woh Rahul wapas paana chahta hoon. Jo Solapur mein the, jo nature pasand karta tha."

Hum dono chup rahe. Sirf baarish ki awaaz. Aur phir...

"Rahul, dekho!" Tanvi ne kaha, pointing.

Ek rainbow tha. Poora, bright, Sinhagad ke upar.

"Wow," maine kaha.

"Yeh Pune ki baarish ka gift hai," Tanvi ne kaha. "Aur aaj... aaj yeh humara hai."

Humne ek dusre ko dekha. Main thoda aage jhuka, uske kaan ke paas, "Thank you, Tanvi. Aaj ke liye."

Usne mudkar dekha. Hamari aankhein mili. Aur maine... haan, maine himmat ki. Maine uske forehead pe ek chhota sa kiss kiya. Soft, respectful, grateful.

Woh sharma gayi. Lekin hasi bhi.

"Rahul Deshmukh," usne kaha, "aap bold nikle."

"Nature ki tarah," maine kaha. "Dheere-dheere khulta hoon."

---

Chapter 4: Colonel Sahab

Agle hafte, Tanvi ne kaha, "Rahul, mere papa aapse milna chahte hain."

Main nervous ho gaya. "Milna? Kyun?"

"Kyunki maine unhe aapke baare mein bataya. Aur unhone kaha — 'Jo ladka meri beti ko trekking pe le jaaye baarish mein, woh special hai.'"

"Woh gussa toh nahi?"

"Gussa? Arre, woh retired colonel hain. Unhe acha ladka chahiye jo unki beti ka khayal rakhe. Aur aap... aapne toh jacket bhi share ki thi."

Main has pada.

Sham ko, Tanvi ke ghar. Kothrud mein ek chhota sa bungalow. Colonel Raghav Mehra — 6 feet, white hair, sharp eyes, aur woh military posture.

"Rahul," unhone haath milaya. "Baitho."

Main baitha. Tanvi kitchen mein thi, chai banane.

"Toh, Solapur se ho?" Colonel ne pucha.

"Ji, sir."

"Data analyst?"

"Ji."

"Kitna kama lete ho?"

Maine amount bataya. Colonel ne kuch nahi kaha. Bas dekhte rahe.

"Rahul, main sidha sawal puchunga. Tanvi meri beti hai. Meri jaan. Main uski khushi dekhna chahta hoon. Aap uske saath... comfortable ho?"

"Ji, sir. Bahut."