~~~THE ROSE BETWEEN THE PAGES~~~

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इश्क से ही सारी खुशियाँ इश्क ही बर्बादी

इश्क है पाबंदी लेकिन इश्क ही आजादी

इश्क की दुनिया में यारों ख्वाब की आबादी

हो गया वो जिसको मंजिल इश्क ये दिखलादी

देखो प्यारे ये नज़ारे ये दीवाने ये परवाने

ये इश्क में कैसे गुम

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Ishivita’s POV

I walked into the library, my heart racing in anticipation, wondering if he had read the letter. A song played in my earplugs while keeping me grounded in the moment.

I hurriedly greeted Mrs Kapoor and hurried towards the shelves where the books are placed.

While looking for the desi rom-com section, I picked up the same book again; it was kept exactly where I had placed it last evening, but a bit moved.

[Tumse milkar

Na jaane kyon

Tumse milkarr

Na jaane kyon

Aur bhi kuchhhhh]

Probably he came.

Probably he read it.

I quickly opened page number 18 again, and tucked in was a letter.

Not the one written by me. No. This was different.

The ink was still fresh, like no one had opened it since it was written. Probably it is kept for me.

I opened the letter, my excitement growing.

[ Aaj ka apnaa

Pyaar nahin hain]

Hey Anaamya.

He greeted, and I replied with a small ‘hello’ as he could hear it. I didn’t understand what exactly he meant by Anaamya. He had written that in the note also.

As if he could see through my sudden confusion, or probably just answering what I had asked in the last letter.

It said.

Aapne pucha tha ki yeh Anaamya kya hota hai. Toh woh koi aur nahi aap ho. Jo ab mere dil mai bas gayi hai par mai uska naam nahi jaanta. Aapko kabhi dekha bhi nahi hai sahi se par fir bhi esa lagta hai barso se aapse baat karta aa raha hu.

[Janmo kaaa yeh naata hai]

(You asked that what Anaamya is? So it's no one but you. The person who is reserved in my heart now, even if I don’t know your name. I haven’t even seen you buy it still feels like I am talking to you for decades)

A smile touched my lips, growing with each next word I read.

Aapne bataya tha ki aapki job lag gayi. Congratulations, Anaamya ji. I wish you all the success in the world. And when you wrote that, you felt I was the reason behind it. Trust me, Anaamya, it felt like I had won the world.

(You told me that you have got a job. Congratulations Anaamya……………)

Thank you so much.

“Aap bhi na…” I whispered, slightly flustered, while continuing to read.

(You…)

[Oo pyaar key kaatil

Pyaar ki dushman

Laakh bani ye

Duniya deewaani]

Accha waise kal mai Vivaah movie dekh raha tha. Kitni pyaari story hai na unki? Bas milte hi pyaar ho gaya jaise kismat ne sab kuch unke liye pehle se hi likh rakha ho.

(I saw the Vivaah movie yesterday. It's such a beautiful story, right? They just met and fell in love as if destiny had everything already planned for them.)

“Mujhe toh lagta hai hamare liye bhi likha hai… nahi toh ham ese baat nahi kar rahe hote aur aapki baato se meri dil ki dhadkan na badhti.” She whispered to herself with a smile

(I think it has something written for us too, or we wouldn’t have been talking like this, and your words wouldn’t have been making my heart beat faster.)

Aapko pata hai… Kal kuch toh hua. Mai bahot pareshan tha par aapki paayal ki chan-chan ne mera dil ek dam shant kar diya. Maano ki meri saari pareshani esi gayab hui jaise kabhi thi hi nahi.

(You know… Yesterday, something happened. I was really tensed but then your anklets chime calmed my heart. As if it made all my worries vanish.)

[Oo hamne wafa ki

Raah naa chhori

Hamne toh apni haar na maani]

Aapke baare mai soch raha tha mai puri raat aur fir maine socha woh saksh kitna khoobsurat hoga na jiski srif payal ki awaz se kisi ki saari pareshani mit jaye.

(I was thinking about you the entire night yesterday and realised that the person must be so beautiful whose only anklets chime could also vanish someone’s troubles.)

Accha aaj bahot baate ho gayi. Samay ka pata bhi nahi chala. Mujhse pucho toh, mujhe yakeen hi nahi ho raha ki mai itni baate kar raha hu. chuckles

(Ohh, we have talked a lot today. I didn’t even process the time. If you’d ask me, I can’t even believe that I am talking so much.)

I also laughed while reading.

Chaliye fir aata hu kal… aapki chitthi ka intezar rahega.

(Okay then, I’ll come tomorrow… I’ll wait for your letter.)

[Uss mod se bhi ham gujre hai

Jis mod pe sabb lut jaata hai]

Aasha karta hu aap likhengi.

(I hope you will write.)

“Bilkul likhungi Anjaane…” She promised him through the letter.

(Of course, I will write.)

~Aapka Anjaana… The guy with the blue eyes

I got up and picked up a sheet from the librarian’s desk. And began writing, now it became an unsaid ritual between us.

And somehow… I loved it more than anything.

[Tumse milkar

Na jaane kyon

Aur bhi kuchh yaad aata hai]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Avinash’s POV

I walked into the library while talking to my boss on the phone. That man is such a… never mind. But he surely makes me go crazy over his orders.

Avinash, finish this file.

Avinash call that client.

Avinash, do this… Avinash do that…

He makes me do everything but not just the work for which I was hired.

My mind was already in chaos when I greeted the librarian.

[Gummsumm gummsumm rehne wali

Humri ek guzareya re]

And just then, my mind clicked.

The book. The letter. Her.

I had almost forgotten about that in this chaos.

I picked up the book. Now slightly worn out at the edges, yet looked like love itself.

I instinctively opened page number 18. Knowing that this is the place that has been a store and a witness to our secret messages.

And my heart raced as I found a letter waiting for me there.

I quickly opened it excitedly, completely forgetting about the earlier chaos.

Hii Anjaane…

Kaise ho??

(How are you?)

[Kal-kal kal-kal behne lagi

Jaise prem ki nadiya re]

“Mai badhiya hu… tum batao?” He replied and then asked as if talking in person, but then bit his tongue as realisation struck him.

(I am good. You?)

But to my surprise, the next line awaited me as if she had read my thoughts.

Ji mai bhi acchi hu. Nayi job par aaj maine 2 dost bhi banaye. Aur fir ham ice cream khane bhi gaye.

(I am fine too. Today I made two new friends at my new job, and we also went to eat ice cream.)

Accha waise aapne puchi than a mujhse ki maine Vivaah movie dekhi hai ya nahi? Toh mai bata du meri favourite hai woh. Pata nahi kitne hi baar dekh chuki hu.

(Anyways, you asked me if I had watched the Vivaah movie or not? So, it's my favourite movie. I don’t even remember how many times I have watched it.)

[Tujh sang preet humne lagai hai

Tab jaake yeh rutt aayi hai]

Aur is se ek aur cheez pata chali aapko bhi purani movies pasand hai? Mujhe bhi.

Aapne dekha kal raat ko jab pehli bearish aayi toh puri jagah kaise mitti ki pyaari si khushbu se mehek gayi thi maano jaise baarish aur zameen ka milan hua.

(And from this, I got to know one more thing: you also like old movies? Me too. And did you see last night the first rain that was falling and how a soothing smell was coming from the soil like the rain and the land were finally meeting.)

Aur pata hai mujhe us se kya yaad aaya?

(Do you know what I remembered from that?)

“Kya?” I whispered to myself while continuing to read.

(What?)

[Tune toh pal bhar mein

Chori kiya re jiya mora jiya]

Hamari aankhe. Yours is blue like the sky, and mine is green like grass on the ground.

(Our eyes……..)

Aur jabse dono ki aankhe mili hai dil bhi mil rahe hai… aur dekha jaye toh kya yeh bhi khoobsurat nahi hai?

(From the time our eyes have met, our hearts are meeting too… and if we see it from a perspective, isn’t it beautiful too?)

“Bahot zyaada Anaamya. Dil srif mil nahi rahe hai… Ab toh esa lag raha hai jaise mera dil tum chura rahi ho aur mai jaante hue bhi khushi khushi tumhe apna dil dene ko taiyaar hu.” I said to myself with a smile I couldn’t control, as I knew that I liked her.

(A lot, Anaamya. Not just the heart…. It feels like you are stealing my heart, and I am handing it over to you happily, knowingly.)

Not from now but from the very day I saw her eyes.

But now it felt like it won't take much time for the liking to convert into something more beautiful.

Love.

[Hooo.. tune bhi pal bhar mein

Chori kiya re jiya more piya]

Waise aapne hame jo naam diya hai ‘Anaamya’, mujhe uska logic bahot hi pyaara laga.

(Anyways, the name you gave me, ‘Anaamya’, I loved its logic.)

Accha aaj na mujhe thoda jaldi jaana hoga kyuki aaj mere maa-baba ki anniversary hai aur maine unhe surprise dene ka plan kiya hai.

(Okay, I have to go a bit early today as it's my parents' anniversary and I have planned to give them a surprise.)

Kal aake aapko uske baare mai pura bataungi.

(I’ll tell you about that tomorrow.)

Aapki chitthi ka dil se intezar rahega.

(Waited wholeheartedly for your letter.)

[Gupchup gupchup dil mein aaya

Sajna swaang rachaiya re]

~Aapki Anaamya. The girl with the hazel green orbs.

I smiled and gently closed the letter.

My heart’s chaos had calmed into a form of serenity.

I retrieved a sheet of paper that I had brought with myself knowingly me today and began writing the letter.

After I was done writing, I took out a rose that I had plucked earlier from the office garden and placed it along with the letter, on page number 18.

Then I closed the book and put it back in its place.

[Pal pal har pal jiski chhaya

Apna paar lagiya re]

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