"Tujhe kya problem hai? Masti kar rahi hai life tere saath," Naina teased.

Aziza groaned. "Masti? MASTI? Naina, main jis haal me hoon, waise sirf woh log dikhte hain jo horror movie ke pehle murder ka shikaar bante hain!"

Naina nodded seriously. "Aankhon ke neeche ke yeh dark circles bata rahe hain ki tu ya toh raat bhar rone wali heroine hai ya phir tujhe serious insomnia hai.

"Rohan ka phone laye kya?? usse message krte h usse" Aziza suggested

"Rohannn!" Aziza ran to him. "Mujhe tere phone se ek kaam karna hai!"

"Raat ko kyu jagre ho tum dono aur phone chhiye? yaha banda soora h aur tum baccho jaise phone mangre ho!"

Rohan raised an eyebrow. " Aur Nahi. Last time bhi bola tha, aur tune kya kiya? Mere WhatsApp se mere crush ko 'main tere bina jee nahi sakta' bhej diya tha!"

Naina clapped dramatically. "Respect, Aziza. Respect!"

"Nhi milega so jao"

"ARE! aziza mera phone hai toh"

"toh kuttiya ye pehle yaad nhi aya tha?" Aziza said as they ran away from there

📩 Naina (from her number): "Bhai, ek sawaal ka jawab de... tujhe Airtel ka free data kaha se mila?"

Silence.

Aziza and Naina leaned in, watching the screen.

Aur phir-

📩 Unknown Number: "Yaar, seriously? Yeh level tak gir gaye ho?"

Aziza's eyes widened. "WOH ONLINE HAI!"

Naina grabbed her hand. "Agar yeh banda sach mein bhoot hota na toh tujhe yehi bolta-'Main tere pichhe khada hoon'."

Aziza gasped. "Mat bol!"

Suddenly, Aziza's phone buzzed again.

📩 Unknown Number: "Pehla Nasha, Ho Gaya Hai Tujhse Pyaar... ab agla gaana kya hona chahiye?"

"Mummmmyyyyyy" they both gasped and shut their phones.

***

Aziza dragged herself into class, looking like she had fought a war last night. Naina, fresh as a daisy, was munching on a packet of chips.

Aziza groaned. "Behen, mujhe samajh nahi aa raha ki main ek mystery thriller jee rahi hoon ya slow-burn romance."

Naina winked. "Pyaar mein slow burn zaroori hota hai, warna instant Maggi jaisa ho jata hai-2 minute mein shuru, 2 minute mein khatam."

Aziza rolled her eyes. "Main Maggi nahi hoon, okay?"

Just then Rohan entered with purpose.

"Tu Maggi ho ya Manchurian, mujhe farak nahi padta," Rohan said, arms crossed. "Mujhe bas yeh bata, raat ko kis se baat kar rahi thi?"

Aziza froze. "Kya?"

Rohan narrowed his eyes. "Haan, mujhe pata chala hai ki tu kisi unknown number se roz baat karti hai! ye chudail Naina bigad rhi haina tujhe?"

Aziza aur Naina exchanged a look.

Naina whispered, "Behen, tera Radio Majnu FM viral ho gaya."

Aziza forced a laugh. "Arre, bhai, bas ek wrong number tha."

Rohan wasn't convinced. "Ek baar hota toh thik tha. Roz ho raha hai!"

Naina, trying to save Aziza, added, "Actually, it's not a wrong number, it's a dedicated customer care service jo sirf Aziza ko call karta hai!"

Rohan shot her a look. "Tu chup reh, Naina. Tu toh har baar yeh sab support karti hai!"

Naina gasped. "KYA?! Mujhe kyu drag kar raha?!"

Aziza sighed. "Bhai, trust me, kuch nahi hai."

Rohan leaned forward, serious af. "Koi bhi ladka agar tere aas paas dikha na, dekh lena phir."

Aziza facepalmed. "Bhai, main college mein hoon, yahan ladke toh honge hi!"

Rohan deadpan. "Mujhe un ladko se problem hai jo raat ko mystery caller banke call karte hain."

Naina whispered, "Bro, tera asli villain woh mystery caller nahi, tera bhai hai."

Aziza groaned. "Bhai, seriously, tu bohot zyada overthink kar raha hai!"

Rohan stood up dramatically. "Agar woh banda phir call kare, toh usko clearly bol dena-Tera bhai abhi bhi zinda hai."

And as he said this Rohan exited in full Bollywood big brother style villain.

Naina shook her head. "Behen, ek taraf tera mystery caller, doosri taraf tera CID bhai. Tera love story hone se pehle hi RIP ho jayega."

Aziza slammed her head on the table. "Mujhe ek naya bhai chahiye."

Ayaan had officially lost it. Matlab, koi banda padhai likhai se zyada ek ladki ke interests pe research kare, toh ya toh woh scientist hota hai... ya phir banda full aashiq mode mein hota hai.

Aur Ayaan?

He was both.

He was just... secretly making notes to surprise her on her birthday. That's it. Not a simp. Definitely not.

Lekin agar koi uski notebook check karta, toh waha ek full research document milta, jisme likha tha:

Books: She LOVES them. Like, she could marry a book if she had the chance. Last week, in the library she spent 20 minutes just admiring The Night Circus ka cover. Matlab? Get her that book. ✅

Flowers: Library ke bahar wale garden mein Aziza hamesha ek bench pe baithti thi-aur hamesha yellow roses ke paas. Ayaan ne dekha tha ki jab hawa chalte hue woh roses hilte, toh Aziza bas unhe dekh ke muskurati thi. Matlab? Usko yellow roses pasand hai.

Music: Obvio! Is point pe toh Ayaan was an expert. Usko pata tha Aziza old Bollywood classics ki deewani hai. Pehla Nasha? Check. Tujhse Naraz Nahi Zindagi? Check. Next step? Usko uske bday pe ek playlist dedicate karna.

Coffee: Ek din canteen mein, Aziza ne full emotional hokar kaha tha, "Agar kisi din mujhe unlimited coffee mil jaaye na, toh main duniya jeet sakti hoon." Ayaan tabse yeh soch raha tha ki kya ek poora coffee hamper uske liye best gift hoga? Matlab, banda birthday pe bhi caffeine overdose dene ki soch raha tha.

Journals & Pens: Class ke beech Aziza hamesha apne journal me kuch na kuch likhti rehti thi. Ayaan ne ek baar notice kiya tha ki uske pen ke nib toot chuki thi, par Aziza phir bhi usi se likh rahi thi. Agar koi banda ek broken pen se likhne ki aadat na chhode, toh usko naye fancy pens ka surprise toh banta hai.

📌 "Aziza's Bday Plan"

The Night Circus ✅Yellow roses ✅Custom playlist ✅Coffee hamper (Still thinking )Fancy pens & journals ✅

Aur jab tak usko yeh sab likhne ka realization aaya, tab tak toh woh full filmy lover zone me ghus chuka tha.

Rohan agar yeh dekh leta, toh banda pehli flight leke Ayaan ka khoon karne aa jata.

"Bro... main yeh sab kyu kar raha hoon?"

Then his mind painted a vivid image-Aziza, ek chhoti si khushi ke liye full bright smile karte hue.

Aur bas, jawab mil gaya

"Isiliye"

***

Aziza sat on her bed, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees as she stared at the wall. She felt... small. Insignificant. Like a single raindrop lost in an ocean of storms.

Everyone had their battles. Everyone had scars deeper than hers.

"Mera dukh... kya sach mein dukh hai?" she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible.

She thought of the world outside-people struggling to survive, children sleeping on footpaths, mothers working endlessly just to put food on the table. She thought of families being torn apart, cheaters, abuse victims.

And then she thought of herself.

She had a house. She had food on her plate. She wasn't starving, she wasn't dying, she wasn't suffering like others were.

So why did she still feel this unbearable ache in her chest?

She blinked rapidly, shaking her head. "Bas Aziza, stop being so selfish."

Her pain felt... stupid. Unnecessary. Like she was making a big deal out of nothing. Like she was just weak.

Other people had real problems. "Agar main kisi aur se ye sab kahungi toh bas ek hi jawab milega-'logon ko tere se zyada problems hain.'"

Her throat tightened. Her hands trembled as she wiped away a tear she hadn't even realized had fallen.

Maybe she wasn't allowed to feel this way. Maybe her sadness wasn't valid.

Maybe... she didn't matter.

The thought made her stomach twist painfully, but she swallowed it down, forcing herself to breathe. "Chup ho ja Aziza. You're fine. You're okay. It's nothing."

And just like always, she locked it all away.

Because if the world didn't think her pain was big enough, then maybe it wasn't.

Just as she was drowning deep in her ocean of sadness the clock struck 1 am.

And -her phone vibrated.

📞 Radio Majnu FM 1 am...

She stared at the screen. Again.

Her fingers hovered over the answer button. She could ignore it. She should ignore it.

But she didn't.

She picked up. Silence.

And then, a soft melody floated into the night.

🎶 "Jaane wo kaise log the jinke pyaar ko pyaar mila..." 🎶

Her breath hitched. The melody was soft, almost like a whisper in the dark. The singer's voice, filled with quiet longing, wrapped around her like a warm hug on a cold night.

🎶 "Humne toh jab kaliyan maangi, kaanton ka haar mila..." 🎶

🎶 Bichhad gaya har saathi dekar pal do pal ka saath...
Kisko fursat hai jo thaame deewano ka haath... 🎶

Her fingers clutched the bedsheet. Why this song? Why tonight?

It was old. Timeless. A song filled with longing, with unspoken pain. It felt like a question, like a wound that never healed.

Aziza closed her eyes, letting the song seep into her bones.

Who was he? Why did he always seem to understand?

Her chest ached. She bit her lip, her fingers curling into her blanket.

Why did this stranger always show up at the right time?

She wanted to say something, anything. But her throat was tight, her emotions tangled. So she did the only thing she could-she held the phone closer to her ear and let the music fill the silence between them.

Somewhere, in the quiet corners of the night, she didn't feel so alone anymore.

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