“Coffee lao koi,” Kabir yelled as he entered the studio, his tie askew and the top button of his coat undone.

“Is he drunk?” Ronnie asked in astonishment as he saw him stumble onto his seat.

Malvika shot him a worried glance and rushed into the studio. She set his tie and coat button right even as he protested.

“Kabir. Tum bulletin padhne ki halat mein nahin ho. Hamein Manav ko bolna chahiye…”

“Leave me to do my job, Malvika,” he said curtly even as his voice slurred.

He read the bulletin, but its dullness didn’t escape anyone’s notice. Trisha was getting ready for reading the weather news, when he stumbled back into the green room.

“Sir? Aap theek hain?” she had watched the bulletin and his unsteady walk confirmed his drunkennes.

“Oh, shut up, Ananya! As if you care.”

“Trisha! I am Trisha, Sir,” she replied staring at him questioningly.

“Right. Trisha. You should go now. It’s time for your bulletin.”

“Yes Sir. It is.”

—

“Ronnie!

Mujhe pata hai ki main tujhse selfish demand kar rahi hoon. Mera ye chahna ki sab kuchh pahle jaisa ho jaye shayad unreasonable hai. Lekin yebhi sach hai Ronnie ki hamari dosti mere liye bahut important hai.

Mujhe nahin pata ki main kissi aur se pyaar karti hoon ki nahin. Mujhe ye bhi nahin pata ki agar kissi se main pyaar karti hoon woh mere liye sahi hai ki nahin. Lekin Ronnie, agar woh sahi nahin bhi hai, to iska matlab ye to nahin ki main tere pyaar ko backup option ki tarah use karoongi. Ye to hamari dosti ki insult hogi na, jahan par teri jagah koi nahin le sakta.

Maine bahut akeli ho gayi hoon, Ronnie. Tu to hum sab se zyada samajhdaar hai na. Tujhe to pata hoga ki ye sab kaise theek karna hai.

Please mujhse baat kar, Ronnie. Mujhe mere best friend ki zaroorat hai.

Teri dost
Ananya”

Ronnie folded the letter back and dropped it on his table, as Trisha watched him from a distance. Then he left and Trisha made for his desk.

—

“Ananya!”

“Trisha? Aa. Thodi der baith ja. Phir lecture sunana aur jhagda karna.”

“Aise kyon bol rahi hai?”

“Kya boloon, Trisha? Richa aur Ronnie mujhse gussa hain kyonki main Ronnie ko apna best friend maanti hoon, lekin honestly use ek lover ki tarah nahin dekh sakti. Unhein lagta hai ki main Ronnie ko Kabir Sir ke liye reject kar rahi hoon. Aur Kabir Sir to mujhse baat bhi nahin karna chahte. Nafrat karte hain woh mujhse–”

“Nafrat? Woh tujhse kyon nafrat karenge? Tu to unki favorite hai.”

“Favorite?” she chuckled bitterly, “Thi shayad. Jab tak unhein ye nahin pata tha ki mere Papa kaun hain. Ab unhein lagta hai ki main ek criminal ki beti hoon. Lekin chhod na. Kya farq padta hai ki woh kya sochte hain, jab mere dost–”

“Farq nahin padta kya? Tu pyaar nahin karti unse?”

“Rahne de na yaar, Trisha. Kyon life complicate kar rahi hai–”

“Tujhe pata hai kal raat unka accident hua hai. Drink kar ke drive kar rahe the. Hospital mein hain woh.”

“Kya!” Ananya flung out of her chair. “Kab? Kahan hain woh? Is he all right?”

“I think tujhe ja kar hi dekhna padega. Apollo hospital mein hain.”

“Mujhe us area mein hi jaana hai aaj news cover karne. Main… main jaldi nikal jaati hoon. ”

She rushed out.

—

Kabir was lost in recalling his conversation with Trisha that morning. She had visited him in the hospital on her way to the office.

“Kaise hain aap, Sir?”

“Zinda hoon. Dekh rahi ho.”

“Aur jiski wajah se ye halat hui hai aapki, use pata hai ki aap yahan hain?”

“Excuse me?”

“Jab Ananya ko ye pata hi nahin hai ki aapki kya halat hai to how will she care.”

“Kya bakwaas kar rahi ho, Trisha?”

“Main to kuchh dinon mein ja hi rahi hoon, Sir. Isliye risk le sakti hoon bakwaas karne ka, badtameezi karne ka. Zyada-se-zyada nikaal hi to denge na aap mujhe job se.”

“Shaadi kar ke bahut log pagal ho jaate hain. Tum usse pahle hi ho gayi ho.”

“Aap bhi. Agar aap Ananya se pyaar karte hain to batate kyon nahin?”

“Ananya Ronnie se pyaar karti hai.”

Trisha smiled, “Ronnie Ananya se pyaar karta hai. Ananya – well – main kyon bataun ki uske man mein kya hai. Itna pata hai mujhe ki woh Ronnie se pyaar nahin karti hai. Ye lijiye. Main aapke liye, especially, Ronnie ki desk se ye Ananya ka letter chura kar layi hoon. I hope ki iske badle mein mujhe ek coffee date to mil jayegi aapke saath.”

“Tum pagal ho, Trisha. You expect me to read somebody else’s letter.”

She shrugged. “Main late ho rahi hoon, Sir. Chalti hoon. Get well soon. I want to dance with you at my wedding.”

“Kiski yaadon mein khoye hue ho Kabir?” Taraini came in, breaking his reverie.

“Tumhari, aur kiski?”

“Jhoothe! Mera naam Ananya nahin hai. Kya halat hai pairon ki?”

“Pairon se hi pochho. Ye meri to sun nahin rahe.”

“Tumne kissi ki suni thi, drink karne se pahle?”

“Sab taane de chuke hain, Tarini. Tum to chup ho jao.”

“Kaise chup ho jaun, Kabir? Tumhein wapas se us depression mein jaate dekh kar kaise chup ho jaun? Tum Ananya se baat kyon nahin karte?”

“Uska mujhme sirf ek interest tha, Tarini. Ki main use uske Papa tak ya unki sachchai tak pahuncha sakta hoon. Woh dono hi ummedein uski khatam ho chuki hain. Ab use mujhme interest lene ki koi zaroorat nahin hai.”

“Agar jo tum kah rahe ho woh sach hai, to uski jagah main to kabhi woh baingan ka bharta nahin laati itni raat mein apne ghar se. Woh bhi tab jab mujhe pata bhi nahin hota ki main kiske liye le ja rahi hoon. Use sirf ye pata tha ki tum kissi ke liye chahte the.”

“Mere aur uske beech sirf ye sawaal nahin khada hai ki woh mere liye kya feel karti hai. Mere aur uske beech ek past bhi khada hai. Jiske liye woh shayad mujhe kabhi maaf nahin kar payegi. Mere chup rahne se kam-se-kam woh mujhse nafrat to nahin karegi. Pyaar kare ya na kare.”

“Shayad woh samjhegi. Lekin you won’t know unless you talk.”

—

Ananya retreated her steps from the door of Kabir’s room. Tarini was there; she recognized her from the sting operation’s video. The way she sat near him and fussed over him authoritatively left Ananya in no doubt that they were close. Perhaps Richa was right. He hadn’t married Tarini, but was using her for all these years. The man she had fallen in love with was a compulsive flirt and a womanizer. Not only that, he hated her for no fault of her own. For no fault of even her father, she was sure of that. And the time had come to move on from her grief of losing her father, and to start trying to find out the truth.

—

To be continued