Humko Pyar Hai Sirf Tumse
-Part 1-
"Tumhara naam kya hai?"
"Bani…Tumhara naam kya hai?"
"Jai…"
"Tumari age kya hai?"
"10…"
"Tum Rano ko kaise janthe ho?"
"Meri cousin hai…"
"Accha. Main uski best friend hoon."
"Tum kaunsi school mein padthi ho?"
"Ashram Public School. Kyun?"
"Kaal mera phele din hai naa aur main kisiko bhi nahin jaantha hoon."
"Its okay. Main tumhe saab se mila doongi."
Jai smiled.
"Main tumhe Jai bulha sakthi hoon na?"
"Haan, kyun?"
"Tum mujse bade ho naa, isliye."
Bani sighed as she opened her eyes. She remembered a conversation that happened more than fourteen years ago… word-to-word. And of course, with the first talk, came millions more.
"Jai, kal tum aaoge na?"
"Kyun? Kal kya hai?"
"Tum bhool gaye?"
"Kya bhool gaya?"
"MERI BIRTHDAY!!"
"Haan haan silly…pata hain. Ek mahine se keh rahi ho. Sun sun kar, mere kaan phak gaye."
"Very funny! Pata hain, I am turning 13 tomorrow!!!"
"Haan, yeh bhi tum har roz kehti ho."
"Yeh koi mamuli birthday thodi na hai. I am a teenager tomorrow."
"But I am still one year older than you!"
Bani looked at the huge soft toy that she got on her thirteenth birthday from him. It used to be as tall as her, but now she was not the 13-year-old Bani. She was graduating from her MBA course in a few days time.
"Jai mujhe kuch samaj mein nahin aa raha hai."
"Physics hi toh hai Bani. Practice karo, phir asaani se ho jaye ga."
"Easy for you to say."
"10th standard ki physics ko lekar tum inti fikar kar rahi ho. College mein aaogi, toh tab kya karogi?"
"Tum ho na… tumse copy kar loongi."
"Tumari class mein thodi hoon, jo tum copy kar logi."
"Iss liye kehti hoon Jai. Ek saal fail ho jao."
"Ha ha very funny. Ab concentrate karo!"
Bani laughed. She herself couldn't believe that there was a time when she hated physics, when now, she was the topper of that subject. Time changes so quickly…
"YAY!!!"
"Results ka kya hua?"
"Jai main paas ho gayi!!"
"Congrats. Party kab doogi?"
"Aaj shaam saath bajhe. Ghar aa jana."
"Teek hai. Phir main jaaun?"
"Kahan?"
"Tumhari results ke liye main raath bhaar soya nahin. Ab toh mujhe chain se soone do!"
Bani smiled as Jai turned to his car.
"Jai!"
"Haan?"
"Thank you."
She walked forward and kissed him on the cheek. Before he could say something, she ran away, leaving him dazed.
A small kiss… Bani's heart leapt in joy at that memory. Her first kiss.
"Main kya karoongi wahan aake?"
"Chalo na Bani… mere liya."
"Tumhari graduation party mein, main kya karungi. Waise, wahan saab seniors hoonge."
"Tum mere saath aa rahi ho. Koi kuch nahin kahe ga."
"Tum kyun mujhe force kar rahe ho? Tumhare friends aa rahe hain naa? Unke saath jao."
"Tum bhi toh meri friend ho Bani."
"Itna zid kyun kar rahi ho?"
"Sab wahan ek ladki ke saath aa rahe hain."
"Toh yeh baath hain. Then, ask someone out. Problem solved!"
"Nahin! I can't ask someone out."
"Why?"
"Because…because I am uncomfortable dating."
Bani laughed.
"Please, ek friend ke liya itna toh kar sakthi ho na?"
"Agar main aaungi toh, sab sochenge ki main tumari girlfriend hoon."
"Hum toh saach janthe hain na."
"But…"
"Bani you will always be my friend…there won't be anything beyond that and you know that too… then whats the point in worrying over what people are going say?"
A small pang of pain hit Bani as she remembered the last night she spent with him at the graduation party. Jai's words calmed her nerves, but gave an uncomfortable feeling to her. 'Just friends…nothing beyond that.'
"I am leaving to America tomorrow."
"WHAT?"
"Yeah… Papa decided and I had no choice."
"Magar itni jaldi?"
"Haan… but tum toh papa ke baare mein jaanthi ho. Even mama can't say anything against him. What am I infront of him?"
"I don't care. I am not going to let you go."
"How are you going to do that?"
"I will kidnapp you."
"You can't even lift me Bani."
"Okay, I will make your car break down."
"I will take a taxi."
"I will rip your ticket."
"I will get another one."
"I will… I will do something. But, I am not going to let you go."
"You can't stop whats coming Bani. I have to go."
"That means we will never see each other?"
Jai kept quiet. He had no answer. He will miss Bani too. After spending so much time together in the past few years, he couldn't suddenly say goodbye to all those memories. Without even thinking, he gave her a bear hug, promising to keep in touch.
A tear drop rolled down her cheek. More than six years passed since she talked to Jai, and yet she remembered every single conversation they had. They couldn't keep in touch… the emails lessened to twice a week… once a month… once in a blue moon.
Her parents decided to move from Delhi to Bombay, after which she lost his phone number and e-mail address. That was the last of what she remembered of Jai Walia… her best friend, even to this day.
Bani wiped away her tears. It was her 23rd birthday, and like all the years before, she wished to see her long lost friend atleast once to say a proper goodbye.
As she took her mom's blessing during breakfast, an awkward conversation sprang up.
"Pushkar ka phone aya tha."
"Aur?"
"Umm… tum khud hi check karlo. Messages mein hai."
Since when was her mom giving her privacy? She knew everything about Bani, starting from her friends to her friend's conversations. She walked to the phone and listened to the messages.
"Hi Bani… this is Pushkar. Umm… I actually wanted to talk to you. Tomorrow night are you free? I was wondering if we could go out somewhere. You know to dinner or something. Just call me back, okay?"
Did Pushkar just ask her out? Bani stood there, processing his message. But another message interrupted her thoughts.
"Hey Bani, its me Pushkar again. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I can't believe you didn't tell me. Wait till I meet you. Anyway, I never got your call back yesterday. But plans changed. Can you call me AS SOON AS you get this message. Please."
'Plans changed.' What did that mean?, Bani thought.
"So are you going?" Bani turned around to see Kiran looking at her curiously.
"Of course NOT Ma."
"But you are free this evening," her mother said brightly.
"He just asked me for a date!"
"I know." Bani stared incredulously at Kiran.
"You are telling me to DATE?"
"When did I say that? Its only dinner."
"Ma, you have gone crazy!"
"Look Bani. This is your age to have fun. And I think its high time you start looking for guys."
"Looking for guys? What do you mean?"
"You are 23 Bani… you have to get married."
Bani rolled her eyes. "Do you have to ruin my birthday?"
"I am serious Bani."
"How about you look for a guy? I don't mind."
"But my choice is not your choice. I want you to pick a guy."
"How many guys do I know to pick?"
"That is my point. Start hanging out with them"
"For heavens sake Ma!" Bani picked up her bag and walked to the door. "By the way, Pushkar said plans changed, so I can't go any way." She saw her mom's disappointed face, before closing the door.
Bani smiled at her mother's silliness, as she caught a taxi to the institue (her car was still in servicing). Marriage? She was only 23… she still had time… lots of time. She dialed Pushkar's number.
"Hi Bani!"
"Hi Pushkar. Why did you want me to call?"
"Actually, are you free today?"
"I thought you said plans changed."
"They did. We can't go to dinner because there is a party my company is hosting. And being a Manager, I have to go."
"Then go."
"Yeah… but can you come with me?"
Bani remembered another conversation she had a few years ago. Except, then Jai wanted her to come as a friend, while Pushkar wantes her to come as something else. How much she wished, it was switched around.
"Ummm… I can't Pushkar," she slowly, not wanting to hurt his feelings. She had done this lots of times before. But all the people who asked her were strangers. Pushkar was her good friend and she didn't want to upset him.
"But you were okay with coming to dinner with me. Whats the matter now?" he asked. Obviously, he was blined enough to see the rejection.
"I never said I was okay with coming to dinner in the first place. Either way, I can't come, whether its to the party or to dinner."
"Don't say that Bani… please. I am your best friend right?"
How wrong he was! Unfortunetly for him, that place was already taken. But Bani kept quiet, not wanting to upset him even more.
"Please…" He asked again.
"No Pushkar…"
"Why are you saying no?"
"Because I am."
"Please…"
Bani thought about it. What was the harm in saying yes to him? After all, it was not a date. And why was she so worried about their relationship, when she knew that they could be nothing more than friends?
Bani suddenly took pity on him. She knew exactly how it felt to be just friends, when one person wanted something else. She suffered that pain for years now, and yet she was putting Pushkar into the same thing.
"Teek hai…"
Pushkar whooped in joy. Bani smiled and put down the phone. It was going to be a long birthday.
Edited by archu_319 - 17 years ago
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