When he had read this couplet for the first time, he could feel as if it was an elegy for not just his stay in Mumbai but also for others who lived with him in the kholi. He continued to recite further:

Hubahu meri tarha chupchap, mujh ko dekhta hai.

Ek larzta, khubsurat aks, saghar mein akela.

(Exactly like me, it silently stares back.

A lonely reflection from the goblet.)

‘Exactly like me.’ After saying this, he paused for a moment to look at Hina. Hina looked away at the last rays of the sun melting into the ocean but her heart was still under the effect of his words—‘exactly like me … It silently stares back … silently’. Hina could not stop herself from turning towards him. She could feel the suppressed spark in Asrar’s heart which if kept hidden for long could turn into internal grief. Asrar tried smiling. Hina joined in to make it a collective attempt. There was a faint smile on their lips. Asrar completed the couplet with a smile on his face, ‘Exactly like me, it silently stares back.’ Hina could feel the influence of those lines on her heart at that time. He completed the couplet and started looking at the sea. The last yellowish-red line of the sun had also vanished from the horizon.

The ghazal had seeped into her. Her heart had restlessly churned. For a moment she wished that Asrar would intertwine his fingers with hers, which would have been a significant consolation. Later, this thought made her laugh. Innumerable thoughts were rushing to her heart, but none of them was able to articulate itself well. Darkness had spread itself on the sea surface. The lights from the areas around tried to rush and scatter on the water. Soon, the wall on which Hina and Asrar sat became crowded. They sat silently in the midst of the crowd but within them there were rivers that were overflowing and flooding. Both looked relaxed as if they had discovered each other. Theirs was an adoration sewed together by love.

Asrar was impatiently thinking of ways to learn what there was in Hina’s heart. He could not come up with anything. Finally, he gathered courage and asked, ‘Do you know?’

Hina looked at him. She was always amazed and didn’t understand why people in Mumbai always said, ‘Do you know’ before initiating a conversation. Whenever someone used this phrase she would answer, ‘Yes, I know.’ And the speaker would fumble. When Asrar asked, ‘Do you know?’ Hina said, ‘Yes, I do.’

‘I knew that you would know,’ Asrar answered unexpectedly.

Hina expressed happiness through the flutter of her eyelashes. ‘What do you know that I know?’

This was the only opportunity that Asrar had. ‘I missed you the entire last week.’