February ki subah thi, thandi hawa abhi bhi school ke andar ghus rahi thi. Main class 10 ke board exam dene ja rahi thi — pehla paper, Hindi. Dil mein woh saara pressure tha jo saal bhar ke "beta 95+ laana hai" sunne se jam gaya tha. Backpack mein do blue pens, ek extra pencil,aur admit card, —
Centre ek bada government school tha
Pukhuriy ke paas hi, jahan bahar se hi gate pe crowd dikhta tha. Log selfie le rahe the, parents instructions de rahe the, kuch ladkiyan last-minute formulas ratat rahi thi. Main line mein lagi, admit card check karwaya, aur andar chali gayi.
Exam hall bilkul typical tha — purane wooden benches, ceiling fans jo dheeme-dheeme ghoom rahe the, blackboard pe chalk se "Silence" likha hua, aur har taraf se woh nervous energy. Invigilator uncle ne bola, "Seat pe baith jao, paper 10:30 se distribute hoga."
Meri seat second row mein thi, window ke paas. Main bag rakha, bottle side mein, aur thoda sa paani piya. Tabhi nazar padi uspe.
Woh ladki meri taraf se almost 45-degree angle pe baithi thi, do benches piche. Pehle toh maine sirf uska back dekha — black hoodie pehni hui thi, hood thoda sa peeche gira hua, aur neeche se short, messy hair dikhte the jo bilkul boy-cut jaise the, par thodi si curly. Haath mein ak formal sa watch tha — ,simple wala. Pehle to samajhna mushkil ho raha tha ke wo ladki hai ya ladka...phir kuch der bad pata laga ke ladki hai
Woh kuch nahi kar rahi thi. Bas apne admit card ko ghoor rahi thi jaise usmein koi secret code ho. Phir usne pen uthaya, cap kholi, aur kuch doodle karne lagi — shayad koi pattern ya guitar, mujhe door se clear nahi dikha. Par movement mein kuch aisa tha… confident, careless, bilkul apne mein mast.
Main stare kar rahi thi. Dil ki dhadkan badh gayi thi — woh wali dhadkan jo normally sirf result declaration ke time aati hai. Maine socha, "Arre ye kya ho raha hai? Focus kar, paper aane wala hai!" Par nazar hat nahi rahi thi.
Tab usne suddenly peeche mudkar dekha. Shayad mujhe feel hua tha ki koi dekh raha hai. Hamari nazrein mili — sirf 2-3 second ke liye. Uski aankhein brown thi, sharp, par thodi si masti wali. Ek taraf lips ka corner thoda sa utha, jaise smile karne ka mann tha par usne rok liya. Phir woh wapas aage mud gayi, jaise kuch hua hi nahi.
Par mere liye sab kuch ho gaya tha.
Paper aaya. Hindi .Par mera dimaag sirf uske baare mein soch raha tha. Kaun hai ye? Kis school se? Naam kya hoga? Kyun itni cool lag rahi hai? Kyun meri heartbeat abhi bhi race kar rahi hai?
Main question paper khol rahi thi, par haath thande ho rahe the. Pehla question dekha — ak question jo ki mujhe ati thi . Par dimag mein sirf ek hi question chal raha tha:
Main + Woh = ??
Exam khatam hone tak maine 70% questions attempt kiye the, shayad. Baaki time main chupke-chupke uski taraf dekh rahi thi. Jab woh pen chhodti, baal peeche karti, ya stretch leti — har chhoti movement mujhe filmy scene lag rahi thi.
Bell baji. Sab uthne lage. Main jaldi se bag pack kiya, par woh pehle hi nikal chuki thi. Gate ke bahar bheed mein maine try kiya usko dhoondhne ka, par woh gayab.
Us din se mera board exam sirf ek cheez ban gaya — us ladki ko dobara dekhne ka bahana.
Aur main nahi jaanti thi ki yeh sirf shuruaat thi.