Hyderabadi Biryani, Chai aur Ishq

"Yeh touristy places nahi. Real Hyderabad. Chai ke baad, main tumhe ek jagah le ke chalunga. Wahan ke samose... bas mar jaogi."

"Deal!" maine excitedly kaha.

Chacha ne chai laaya. Aaj unhone zara zyada paise nahi liye. "Aap dono toh regular ho gaye ho. Family ban gaye ho cafe ki."

"Thanks Chacha," Aditya ne kaha.

"Kya thanks-wanks, beta. Tum dono ko dekh ke achha lagta hai. Aaj kal ke youngsters phone pe hi rehte hain. Tum dono actually baat karte ho. Woh bhi dekh ke achha lagta hai."

Maine aur Aditya ne ek doosre ko dekha. Thoda awkward, thoda sweet.

"Waise Shruti," Aditya ne chai peete hue kaha, "tumhara Warangal mein kya chhod ke aayi ho?"

"Bahut kuch," maine kaha. "Woh choti si galliyan, jahan sab ek doosre ko jaante the. Papa ka bank, jahan roz subah jaate the. Mummy ki yaadein... woh ghar mein har jagah hai. Lekin job yahan thi, toh aana pada."

"Tough tha?"

"Bahut. Lekin ab theek hai. Papa bhi adjust kar gaye. Ab toh unke bhi yahan dost ban gaye hain. Woh retired bank clerks ki gang hai – subah park mein walk, phir chai, phir ghar."

Aditya ne muskuraaya. "Woh toh achha hai. Mere papa bhi... unke saath yahi routine thi. Ab bhaiya ne unki jagah le li hai. Rahul bhaiya... woh strict hain, lekin dil ke bahut ache hain."

"Unse milna hoga kabhi."

"Jaldi hi. Actually, woh poochhte rehte hain – 'Woh ladki kaun hai jiske saath roz cafe jaata hai?'"

Maine cheeks pe heat feel ki. "Kya... kya bola aapne?"

"Kuch nahi," Aditya ne jhooth bola, lekin uska chehra laal ho gaya. "Bas... dosti hai, bola."

"Hmm," maine tease kiya. "Dosti?"

"Haan, dosti. Abhi toh... dosti hi hai na?"

Maine uski aankhon mein dekha. Woh poochh raha tha, permission maang raha tha. Main thoda serious hoke boli, "Haan. Abhi dosti hai. Lekin... achhi dosti. Important dosti."

Usne relief mein saans li. "Bahut important."

Uss din, chai ke baad, usne mujhe ek choti si shop pe le gaya. Gali ke andar, koi board nahi, bas ek uncle samose tal rahe the.

"Yeh... mere school ke dinon se hai," Aditya ne kaha. "Mummy yahan se laati thi."

Humne samose khaye – aloo ke, spicy, chutney ke saath. Best samose jo maine kabhi khaye.

"Aditya," maine kaha, "yeh... yeh special hai. Thank you."

"Koi baat nahi," usne kaha. "Hyderabad ki cheezein share karna... achha lagta hai."

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Week 3 – Families aur Confessions

Din beete, aur humari dosti gehri hoti gayi. Baatein personal hoti gayi. Families, dreams, fears... sab share karne lage.

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"Aaj main late hoon, sorry!" maine bhagte hue kaha, table pe baithi.

Aditya ne dekha. "Kya hua?"

"Papa ki tabiyat thodi kharab thi. Subah se unki care kar rahi thi. Bas thoda cold hai, lekin unki age mein..."

"Samajh sakta hoon," Aditya ne concerned hoke kaha. "Woh theek hain ab?"

"Haan, so gaye hain. Medicine de di. Lekin... pata nahi, tension hoti hai. Main akeli hoon unka dekhne wali."

"Nahi ho tum akeli," Aditya ne softly kaha. "Main hoon na. Help chahiye toh bolna."

Maine uski taraf dekha. Itna genuine concern. "Thank you. Seriously."

"By the way," usne topic change kiya, "kal Rahul bhaiya ne poocha... ki agar tum comfortable ho toh... ghar pe aake dinner kar lo."

"Ghar pe? Aapke ghar pe?"

"Haan. Bhaiya bhi milna chahte hain. Woh kehte hain, main roz kahan jaata hoon, kisse milta hoon... unhe dekhna hai ki kaun hai yeh mystery girl."

Maine hasi. "Mystery girl? Main toh... bilkul normal hoon."

"Nahi," Aditya ne seriously kaha. "Tum bilkul normal nahi ho. Tum... special ho."

Woh moment tha. Cafe mein shor tha, lekin hum dono ke beech silence tha. Comfortable silence.

"Main aaungi," maine finally kaha. "Lekin pehle... mere papa se milna hoga. Unhe bhi pata hona chahiye ki main kahan ja rahi hoon, kisse mil rahi hoon."

"Fair enough," Aditya ne kaha. "Next weekend?"

"Deal."

---

Agle hafte, Aditya mere ghar aaya. Papa se milne. Main nervous thi, lekin Aditya... woh toh jaise interview dene aaya ho.

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"Namaste uncle," Aditya ne jhukke pranaam kiya.

Papa ne spectacles upar kiye. "Baitho beta."

Aditya baitha. Seedha, nervous.

"Aap kya karte ho?" papa ne poocha.

"Software testing, uncle. Company mein."

"Family mein kaun kaun hai?"

"Papa nahi rahe uncle. Maa bhi nahi. Bas bade bhaiya hain – Rahul. Business karte hain. Hyderabad mein hi rehte hain."

Papa ne kuch socha. "Aur... meri beti?"

"Uncle," Aditya ne sachche dil se kaha, "Shruti... bahut special hai. Main uski respect karta hoon. Aur aapki bhi. Main sirf yeh kehna chahta hoon ki main... achhe iraadon se usse milna chahta hoon. Koi galat intention nahi hai."

Papa ne mujhe dekha. Maine haath jode. Please Papa, samajh lo.

"Thik hai," papa ne finally kaha. "Jaa sakti hai. Lekin time se ghar aa jaana. Aur haan... Aditya beta, aap bhi kabhi ghar aaiye. Khana khake jaana."

Aditya ne relief mein saans li. "Zaroor uncle. Shukriya."

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Aditya ke ghar ka dinner... woh alag tha. Rahul bhaiya ne mujhe garamjoshi se welcome kiya. Woh strict nahi, protective the. Aur unhone jo kaha... woh main kabhi nahi bhoolungi.

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"Shruti," Rahul bhaiya ne kaha, khana khaate hue, "Aditya ne tumhare baare mein bahut kuch bataya hai. Pehli baar itna excited dekha hai isko kisi cheez ko leke."

"Bhaiya bas..." Aditya ne sharmate hue kaha.

"Nahi, sach hai," Rahul bhaiya ne kaha. "Yeh ladka... shy hai, quiet hai. Lekin dil ka bahut saaf hai. Mujhe bas yeh dekhna tha ki jisse yeh itna mil raha hai, woh kaun hai. Aur tum... tum theek ho. Achhi ho."

"Thank you bhaiya," maine kaha.

"Ek baat bataun?" Rahul bhaiya ne muskuraake kaha. "Yeh roz cafe jaata tha, lekin pehli baar kisi ne iske saath table share ki. Woh bhi itni bheed mein. Kismat hai tumhari."

Maine Aditya ki taraf dekha. Woh sharma raha tha, lekin uski aankhon mein woh special look tha. Woh look jo sirf mujhe hi milta tha.

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