The Beginning
Rahul returned home after the Manali trip, but something had changed. His heart was no longer his own—it lingered somewhere in between the mountains… with Reena.
She had unknowingly become a part of his world. Her laugh echoed in his thoughts, her silly jokes made him smile at random moments, and her absence felt heavier with each passing day.
One evening, Rahul’s phone lit up.
Unknown Number: “Still missing the mountains?”
He instantly knew it was her.
“Guess who?”
“You’ve got a second number?”
“Haha, just for masti. Surprised?”
Their conversation resumed, flowing naturally like it did on the trip. But Rahul noticed… something had shifted within him. What felt like friendship on those snowy days had now grown into attachment. Maybe more.
A few days later, Rahul met Rony, his childhood friend back from Bangalore.
Over chai on the roadside bench, Rony noticed Rahul smiling at his phone.
Rony: “Yeh naya glow kis wajah se hai ?”
Rahul: “Met someone… Reena. She’s different.”
Rony (serious): “You’re falling, aren’t you? Be careful. Sometimes the ones who make you feel alive… don’t feel anything back.”
Rahul laughed it off, but somewhere inside, Rony’s words stuck.
That weekend, Reena invited Rahul for coffee. She brought along Zoya, her loud and lively college best friend.
Zoya: “So, this is the Rahul. Reena mentioned your wild dance moves!”
Reena (teasing): “He also screamed the loudest when he slipped on ice.”
Rahul (half-laughing): “Wow. Thanks for the roast session.”
But what Rahul noticed more than jokes… was distance. Reena wasn’t the same girl from Manali. She laughed, but there was a layer between them now.
Later, while Rahul waited outside the café for his cab, Zoya came out.
Zoya (softly): “You’re sweet, Rahul. But Reena… she’s not looking for anything serious. She says you’re a good friend. That’s all.”
Rahul felt something crack quietly within him. He nodded, forced a smile, and left.
That night, he stared at their chat. Typed:
“Reena, do you ever feel like… we’re more than friends?”
Then deleted it.
He didn’t want to lose what little he had.
The next day, Reena didn’t text. Nor the day after.
Rahul tried focusing on studies, on Rony’s jokes, on life. But Reena had become a rhythm he couldn’t unhear. And the silence felt like punishment.
On the third night, Reena texted:
“Sorry! Busy with college drama. Talked to Zoya?”
“Yeah, she mentioned you said I’m just a friend.”
“Haha. What else would I say? That you’re my crazy trip buddy? 😂 Chill, Rahul.”
He replied with a smile emoji. But behind the screen, his heart stayed silent.
He realized then…
He was playing a role in her life she didn’t even know she’d written for him.
Sometimes, the most painful thing isn’t unrequited love—it’s being stuck in someone’s maybe.
That night, unable to sleep, Rahul called Rony and asked him to meet.
Sitting once again at the same roadside bench, Rahul told him everything—Zoya’s words, Reena’s silence, and the growing ache in his heart.
Rony listened quietly, then sighed.
Rony: “Tu usse door bhi nahi jaa sakta, aur paas bhi nahi reh sakta. It’s your call, bhai. Stay and hurt… or walk away and still hurt.”
Rahul stared at the sky.
Rahul: “I don’t know why… but I still want to stay. Maybe I’m stupid. But I have hope. Even if it’s small.”
Rony: “Bas yeh yaad rakh… hope can heal, but it can also destroy.”
Rahul nodded. He didn’t know what the future held. But he knew this—he wasn’t ready to let go. Not yet.
Even if she only saw him as a friend.
Even if she never saw him the way he saw her.
He decided to stay.
With hope.
With heartbreak.
With love.
“Sometimes,the heart holds on to people who were only meant to teach us how to let go .
Not every connection leads toa destination some just remind us of the journey. And in that
Journey ,we learn: the hardest battles are the ones we fight silently with hope as our only weapon”
-By Kshitij Gharat
Stay tuned for part 3
The crossroads..!
