Roommate Ka “Bas 5 Minute”

Ab scene pura reverse ho gaya tha. Sameer jo hamesha “bas 5 minute” bolta tha, aaj ekdam speed mode mein tha. Usne jaldi se shower liya, kapde pehne, hair set kiye, aur kitchen mein jaake toast bana liya. Itna efficient Sameer ko uske flatmate ne shayad hi kabhi dekha ho.

While butter lagate hue Sameer khud se bola, “Abe, main toh actually time pe ready ho sakta hoon.”

Usne laptop khola, earphones lagaye, aur client call join kar li. “Good morning, ma’am. Yes, files are ready. I’ll share the updated version in ten minutes.”

Call ke baad Sameer kuch pal ke liye kitchen ke counter pe lean karke khada raha. Flat mein silence tha. Na Aarav ki chai ki smell, na uska “keys le le”, na “lunch box mat bhoolna.” Aaj ghar ajeeb laga. Empty nahi, bas… incomplete.

Sameer hall mein aaya aur couch pe Aarav ka folded hoodie dekha. Tabhi usko dimag mein poora picture clear hua. Roz subah Aarav ka face, uska stressed tone, uska repeated “Sameer uth ja.” Sameer ko pehli baar genuinely feel hua ki uska mazaak, uski laziness, uska “5 minute” Aarav ke liye kitna exhausting tha.

Woh chair pe baith gaya aur phone mein Aarav ko message type kiya:

“Bro, sorry. Aaj pehli baar samajh aaya ki subah uthna kitna difficult hai jab koi aur tumhare schedule ka load bhi carry kar raha ho. I’m really sorry.”

Message send karne ke baad Sameer ne laptop bag side mein rakha aur khud se bola, “Theek hai. Ab se alarm khud set karunga. Aur khud uthunga. Bas 5 minute nahi.”

Idhar Aarav metro mein crowded coach ke corner mein khada tha. Office bag ko chest se lagaye hue, uska mind bar-bar sameer ke room ki taraf ja raha tha. Kya kar raha hoga? Utha hoga ya nahi? Late hua toh? Aur agar usko meri zarurat padi toh?

Par phir usne gussa bhi yaad kiya. Roz ka gussa. Roz ka stress. Roz ka “bas 5 minute.” Metro ke window mein usne apna reflection dekha aur khud se kaha, “Bhai, tu bhi toh zinda hai. Har kisi ko uthane ka ठेका liya hai kya?”

Office pahunchte hi Khurana ka mood already badal chuka tha. Conference room mein client on time tha. Aarav bhi on time tha. And surprisingly, meeting smooth rahi. Aarav ne data present kiya, queries handle ki, aur boss ne bhi ek baar nod kiya. That tiny nod felt like a medal.

Meeting ke baad boss ne casually bola, “Good work, Aarav. Timely prep. Keep it up.”

Aarav ko laga kisi ne uske shoulders se ek aur invisible bag utar diya ho. Par phir bhi, guilt ka ek chhota sa kona baaki tha. Sameer ka message aaya toh usne metro ke baad office lobby mein hi padh liya. Aarav ne usse reply kiya:

“Thanks. Main bhi over kar gaya tha. But yaar, roz ka ho gaya tha. Let’s fix this.”

Aarav ne send kar diya aur ek second ke liye phone ko dekhte reh gaya. Shuruat toh ho gayi thi.

Shaam ko jab Aarav ghar lauta, toh flat mein ek alag hi vibe thi. Sameer living room mein laptop ke saath baitha tha, aur uske paas ek notebook thi—alarm timings, client deadlines, shower schedule, sab kuch likha hua. Aarav ko dekh ke Sameer khada ho gaya.

Dono ek second ke liye bas dekhte reh gaye. Na hug, na dramatic apology. Bas ek awkward silence, jisme dono ki saari subah ki frustration aur realization chipki hui thi.

Finally Sameer ne hi bola, “Tu… gussa tha na?”

Aarav ne bag sofa pe rakha. “Haan. Bahut.”

Sameer ne head down kar liya. “Fair. Main seriously lazy ho gaya tha. Mujhe lagta tha tu mujhe uthata rahega, toh problem nahi. But…” Usne ek chhota sa breath liya. “Aaj jab tu nahi tha, tab samajh aaya—main actually dependent ho gaya tha. And not in a good way.”

Aarav ne ek thodi der ke liye kuch nahi bola. Phir usne apni tie kholte hue kaha, “Aur main bhi shayad thoda control freak ban gaya tha. Mujhe lagta tha agar main tujhe fix kar dunga, toh meri life perfect ho jayegi. But life waise kaam nahi karti.”

Sameer ne half-smile di. “Toh kya karna hai?”

Aarav ne shrug kiya. “Simple. Respect each other’s time. Tu apna alarm set karega. Main tera babysitter nahi hoon.”

“Deal,” Sameer bola. “Aur main tujhe subah disturb nahi karunga. Matlab… zyada nahi.”

Aarav hansa. “That ‘zyada nahi’ was suspicious, but okay.”

Dono hase, aur pehli baar din bhar ki tension thodi si melt hui.

Us raat, Sameer ne apne phone mein teen alarms set kiye. Aarav ne apna lunch box next day ke liye ready kiya. Kitchen mein chai ban rahi thi, aur hall mein awkwardness ki jagah ek naya understanding settle ho raha tha. Yeh understanding dramatic nahi thi. Koi big emotional speech nahi. Bas ek simple realization—room share karna sirf rent share karna nahi hota; time, space aur responsibility bhi share karni padti hai.

Aarav ne apni coffee cup side mein rakhi aur bola, “Waise, aaj first time office time pe pahunch gaya.”

Sameer ne grin kiya. “Proud of you, bro. Main bhi aaj time pe uth gaya. So technically, hum dono ne miracle kiya.”

Aarav ne eyebrow raise ki. “Miracle? Teri language mein?”

“Arre haan,” Sameer bola. “Bas 5 minute ka system upgrade ho gaya.”

Aarav ne cushion utha ke uski taraf throw kiya. “Bakwas mat kar.”

Sameer ne cushion catch kar liya aur bola, “But seriously, thanks. Mujhe aaj samajh aaya ki independence boring nahi hoti. It’s actually responsible.”

Aarav ne nod kiya. “Aur mujhe samajh aaya ki har cheez control karke bhi life manageable nahi hoti. Kabhi-kabhi let go karna padta hai.”