Balcony mein halki si thand thi.

Trinit kursi par aaram se baitha hua tha, aankhen band… jaise bas thodi der ke liye so gaya ho. Uske seene par ek kitab khuli hui thi—

“Did You Forget Me… Or Not?”

Uska ek haath ab bhi us kitab par tikka hua tha, jaise neend mein bhi usse chhodna nahi chahta ho.

Hawa ke saath pages halka sa hil rahe the.

Kuch der baad uski neend dheere-dheere khuli. Usne aankhen kholi aur kuch pal tak seedha saamne dekhta raha… phir dheere se utha aur kitab side mein rakh di.

“Andar aao…” kisi ne awaaz lagayi.

“Okay…” usne dheere se jawab diya.

Ghar ke andar aate hi usne aas-paas dekha, phir thoda sa aage badh kar poocha,

“Tum kahan ho?”

“I’m in the study room,” andar se awaaz aayi.

Trinit seedha study room ki taraf badh gaya.

Darwaze ke paas pahunch kar usne haath handle par rakha… lekin achanak ruk gaya.

Jaise ek pal ke liye soch mein pad gaya ho.

Kuch seconds baad usne dheere se darwaza khola.

Andar aate hi usne poocha,

“What are you doing?”

Bina upar dekhe jawab aaya,

“I’m drawing someone.”

Trinit thoda sa ruk gaya.

“Someone?” usne dheere se poocha.

Samne baithi ladki ne halki si muskaan ke saath uski taraf dekha… lekin kuch nahi kaha.

Trinit dheere-dheere uske paas aaya, uski nazar ab uss paper par thi…

lekin abhi tak woh clearly dekh nahi pa raha tha.

“Kaun?” usne phir poocha.

Uski taraf dekhte hue, halki si muskaan ke saath usne kaha—

“You’ll see…”

Trinit: “Ok… then let me—”

But she suddenly hid the painting, a teasing smile on her lips.

“Wait… pehle tumhe mujhe ek promise karna padega,” she said.

“Promise? What promise?” Trinit asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m gonna ask you a question… and you have to tell me the truth only. No lies, ok?” she said, rolling her eyes playfully.

Trinit hesitated for a moment, then grinned. “Ok… I promise. Now please… let me see the painting.”

She waved her hand dramatically and said, “Yeh lo… ab dekh lo.”

Trinit leaned closer, and the moment his eyes fell on the painting… everything froze.

Uski aankhen emotions se bhar gayi—thodi nostalgia, thoda pain, aur halki si khushi… sab ek saath. Dil tez tez dhadak raha tha, saans ruk si gayi. Andar se uske emotions ekdum overflow kar rahe the… par wo bahar se calm rehne ki koshish kar raha tha. Har detail, har line… jaise ek flashback suddenly uske saamne chalne lag gaya ho. As-paas ki duniya blur ho gayi; bas wo ek face hi clearly uske saamne tha.

Then the girl tilted her head, smirking.

“Hmm… like it?” she asked, pretending to be casual.

Trinit forced a small smile, trying to hide the storm inside.

“Yeah… it’s… amazing,” usne dheere se kaha, almost whisper karte hue.

She leaned back slightly, watching him.

“Hey bro… tell me, do you really know her? Or are you just saying that?”

Trinit shook his head slowly, still staring at the painting, and said,

“No… I don’t. I mean… I don’t think I do,” he said carefully, masking the emotions that were threatening to spill over.

Her eyes sparkled mischievously.

“Bro… no cap, please,” she said, rolling her eyes.

Trinit didn’t take his eyes off the painting. For a few seconds, he stayed silent… then said slowly,

“I don’t know her… but your painting is beautiful.”

Ladki ka expression turant change ho gaya. Her smile faded, irritation clearly uski aankhon me dikh raha tha.

“Seriously?” she said, her tone turning sharp.

Wo thodi side hui, drawer khola, aur wahan se ek photo nikaali.

Bina kuch bole, usne wo photo uske saamne kar di and said,

“Then what is this?”

Jaise hi Trinit ki nazar us par padi… his face went stiff. The calm in his eyes disappeared instantly.

“Where did you find this?” he asked, his voice suddenly cold and harsh.

“From your room,” usne seedha jawab diya.

“It was inside a book… I was just—”

“Tum mere room me gayi thi?” Trinit ne uski baat kaat di. Uski awaaz ab clearly angry thi.

“Who gave you permission to enter my room and go through my things?”

The girl froze for a second, slightly taken aback.

“I was just looking for a book, I didn’t mean to—”

“I said don’t!” Trinit snapped.

Ab uska patience bilkul khatam ho chuka tha.

Wo ek step aage badha, aankhon me gussa saaf dikh raha tha.

“Next time, don’t even think about stepping into my room without my permission… and don’t touch my things. Got it?”

For a moment, everything just went silent.

Ladki kuch bolna chahti thi… par Trinit ne usse ek chance hi nahi diya.

He turned away angrily and walked off with fast, hard steps.

His footsteps echoed through the house… and the very next second—

BANG!

The door slammed shut so hard that the sound echoed everywhere.

Silence.

Ladki wahi khadi reh gayi… haath me wo photo tightly pakdi hui.

Use samajh hi nahi aa raha tha ki abhi kya ho gaya.

Her eyes filled with tears, lekin usne unhe girne nahi diya.

Bas wahi khadi rahi… confused, hurt, aur bilkul blank.

The door had barely stopped shaking from the slam.

Trinit entered his room…

But he didn’t stop.

He started pacing, restless. From one corner to another. Back and forth.

Dil aur dimaag ek ajeeb bechaini mein the, jaise andar se sab kuch hil gaya ho.

He paused for a moment, trying to steady himself.

Then… he walked straight to the bookshelf.

Uski aankhen shelves par idhar-udhar ghoom rahi thi… phir suddenly, his gaze locked on one particular spot.

He slowly pulled out a book.

Vintage style. The cover was a deep, worn shade — old-looking but perfectly intact. Clean. Carefully kept. Not a single page torn, not a single mark out of place.

Jaise koi sirf protect kar raha ho… bhoolne ke liye nahi.

Trinit bas wahaan khada raha, holding the book tightly with both hands.

The way you hold something irreplaceable… something that carries pieces of your soul.

Fingers traced the edge of the cover for a moment…

Phir, ek quiet hesitation ke saath, almost reverently, usne book open ki.

His eyes fell on the first page.

And the moment he saw that handwriting—

His breath caught.

That familiar handwriting. Neat. Gentle. The kind that carried warmth, weight, and quiet love, even on paper.

"The ones who stay beside you…

never take them for granted.

Your words have power —

they can heal a heart…

or quietly break one.

Be gentle.

Be kind.

Adore the ones you love…

not someday, not later —

right now. Today.

Because the people who make your ordinary days feel alive…

don’t stay forever.

Nothing does.

So before you raise your voice…

before you say something you can’t take back…

pause.

Look at them.

Really look.

Because one day —

you will give up everything.

Every single thing.

Just to have them back."

Trinit didn’t move.

The words blurred slightly… memories flooding in.

Haath thode se kamp rahe the, saans tez, aankhon ke kone mein aansu… par unhe girne nahi diya.

Slowly… usne book close ki.

Aur apni baahon mein gently pakad liya, jaise vah us pal ko dobara ji raha ho.

Eyes shut. Jaw tight.

"I’m sorry…" he whispered.

To no one.

Ya shayad… to someone he could never reach again. 💔

He carefully placed the book back on the shelf, and thought -

"Some memories can be hidden, but they can never be completely erased......"