“Isliye phone repair bill aaya,” Mehak boli.
Zafar Chacha ne veg galouti counter se kebab liya aur four leads ko bula kar kaha, “Is baar plate stable.” Sameer ne ceremonial distance rakha. Sana ne photo li—same food, same people, par koi saand nahi, koi crack screen nahi. Accident ab memory ban chuka tha.
Edge par Chirag ne Mehak se haath badhaya. “Dance?”
“Aapko aata?”
“Machine alignment aata. Pair align kar lenge.”
“Yahi answer darr deta.”
Phir bhi usne haath diya. Woh crowd ke edge par slow sway karne lage. Chirag unusually quiet tha.
“Kya soch rahe?” Mehak ne poocha.
“Yeh. Kabhi hum bhi.”
Mehak ne uski aankhon mein dekha. “Kabhi. Lekin mujhe kisi problem se bachane ke liye shaadi nahi. Na family pressure, na job.”
“Tum rescue nahi. Partner.”
“Aur aap?”
Chirag ne mazaak ke bina jawab diya. “Abhi learner.”
Mehak ne head uske shoulder ke paas laaya, touch nahi kiya. “Good answer.”
Pushpa door se dekh rahi thiं. Unhone Sarita Dixit ko photo bhejne ka mann kiya, phir phone bandh kar diya. Har cheez advance mein announce karna zaroori nahi.
***
Raat ke end mein guests kam hue. Sana aur Sameer room mein envelopes aur gift list lekar baithe. Mehak aur Chirag doorway par help ke liye, Panditji register ke saath.
“Envelope yahin open karna awkward hai,” Sameer bola.
Sana ne kaha, “Amount greed ke liye nahi. Thank-you record aur safe deposit.”
Panditji बोले, “Cash count witness ke saamne. Kal bank. Har giver ka naam.”
Total buri nahi thi, par Sameer ke dimaag wala full setup plus household dono safely cover nahi karte the. Kitchen basics, advance rent, moving, emergency reserve—sab list mein the.
“Deposit gifts se poora nahi,” Sameer ne maana.
Sana ne figures dekhe. “Small documented loan compare kar sakte. Ya setup postpone. Ya cheaper equipment.”
“Slot?”
“Representative se extension poochho. Written.”
Sameer ne turant mail draft ki. Sana ne sirf spelling correct ki, decision nahi.
Panditji ne register band kiya. “Shaadi ka pehla lesson: gift ko income mat samjho.”
Chirag bola, “Doosra?”
“Jo pooche bina paisa lagaye, usko chai bhi udhaar nahi.”
Sameer ne Sana ki taraf dekha. “Hum pass?”
“Today.”
***
Unka rented flat Shanti Devi ke building se do lanes door ek chhota one-bedroom tha. Boxes, borrowed mattress, two steel plates, wedding flowers ki leftover smell. Raat bahut ho chuki thi. Sameer ne plan kiya tha candlelight dinner—actually battery candles, kyunki fire risk—but catering se pack karaya food thanda tha.
“Romantic setup,” usne lights off karke kaha.
Usi pal poore flat ki power chali gayi.
“Aapne main switch off kar diya?” Sana ne poocha.
“Nahi.”
“Breaker?”
Sameer phone torch lekar board tak gaya. Kettle aur room heater ek extension par lage the; overload trip.
“Electrical romance heavy ho gaya,” usne kaha.
Sana lehenga mein floor par boxes ke beech baith gayi aur hansi. Sameer ne breaker reset kiya. Light wapas. Unhone cold paneer aur roti cartons par baithkar khayi.
Sameer ne battery candle table par rakhi. “Ab asli shift.”
Sana ne steel plate mein uske liye sabzi daali. “Attendance laga do.”
Dono hase. Bahar kisi dog ne bark kiya, upar fan uneven sound mein ghuma. Room mein unpaid rent ka next date, deposit deadline aur Monday ki Sana ki shift bhi maujood thi—quiet guests ki tarah.
Par us raat unhone unhe naam nahi diya.
Sameer ne phone silent karke carton ke neeche rakh diya. Sana ne apni loose ring safe pouch mein daali aur pouch dono ke documents wale bag mein rakha—na sirf uska, na sirf Sameer ka. Chhota gesture tha, lekin room mein pehli shared cheez wahi bani jiska decision bhi shared tha.
“Kal kitne baje uthna?” Sameer ne poocha.
“Jab relatives door pe aayen, usse paanch minute pehle.”
“Matlab impossible planning.”
“Marriage orientation.”
Abhi shaadi hui thi.
Kal se ledger khulna tha.