I decided to stay back in Pune for a few days. I needed a change from my hectic life. Rohan and I ended up missing a family function just to hang out together. We needed a reason to skip it anyway, and hanging out together seemed like the best one. So, we decided to chill and enjoy our time together at 'Dhuaa'. The place served one of the best hookahs in the city. It had an amazing ambience and the beautiful rooftop view of the city was utter perfection. We ordered 'Jannat Hookah' that had a special base of vodka and whiskey.

'You want to order starters?' I asked Rohan once our Hookah was served.

'Let's order some Pattaya?'

Pattaya was his favourite dish-a Malaysian dish made by wrapping chicken fried rice in fried egg.

Rohan inhaled the drags of smoke one after the other, excitedly, and felt a little tipsy after sometime because of the alcohol base of the hookah.

'You are acting like a guy who, upon seeing a naked girl after years, pounces on her instantly and climaxes within minutes. You're only human, Rohan, so enjoy the foreplay, the flavour,' I teased s.n.a.t.c.hing the pipe from him.

'I am just bit upset because of Zoya. I'm confused if I should let her go or hold on to her,' he added.

'Let time decide. You don't have to think about it. Nothing's in our hands. Ultimately the person who is meant to be with you will stay and the rest will leave, in their own time,' I said trying to console him.

'I hope the surprise date that I have planned for her changes her decision of moving on.'

'Take it easy, Rohan. I mean, go slow on the hookah. It will be difficult to handle you later,' I joked to lighten up his mood. We soon left for Rohan's house.

Due to the family get together, everyone had gone to our farmhouse in Baner, so there'd be only the two of us in his house at night. I was partially happy about that since I would not have to worry about getting Rohan home so drunk, even though Rohan was having difficulty to walk even a few metres by himself.

Somehow I managed to drag Rohan out of Dhuaa in his intoxicated state. We searched for an auto as we had no other mode of conveyance. His parents had taken the car with them, and he had left his bike at the service centre. I had always hated public transport facilities in Pune and that night was no different. No one was ready to come to NIBM area and with no options left, we started walking to his home. Rohan kept his hands around my shoulder and was walking with my support. Suddenly, a gang of girls on bikes slowed down near us and started pa.s.sing lewd comments.

'Champu, are you both gay?' one of the girls shouted.

I couldn't see their faces as they had scarves covering it-typical Punekar biker style. When I turned towards Rohan, I realized why they were teasing us. Rohan was leaning on my shoulder, and it almost looked like he was kissing me. By the time I shifted Rohan's weight on my other shoulder, an auto stopped beside us. Without telling him where to go, we both sat inside and told the driver to drive straight. The girls disappeared after a few seconds.

'Rohan yaar. You embarra.s.sed me in front of the hot chicks! Behave, you a.s.shole,' I shouted.

'What did I do? I was just resting my head because of the terrible headache I have,' Rohan muttered.

Dammit. Do you realize how hot they were? Your drunkenness has cost me a chance to score with them. They looked so ravishing in those tiny shorts. We could have...'

I was about to complete my statement when the gang appeared again and started pa.s.sing the same comments. Rohan was again leaning on my shoulder the way a girlfriend leans on her boyfriend.

'You both look like you're made for each other. You can continue romancing. We are not looking at you,' one of them shouted and they all started laughing loudly.

Rohan looked at them but didn't react.

'If they're so interested in our love-life, ask them to join us and we can have a group-some! ' I whispered in Rohan's ears.

Rohan, clearly not in his senses, asked them if they were interested in joining us.

'No, we're not gay like you,' one girl in teeny-tiny shorts replied.

I couldn't control my laughter any longer. I knew they would tease him more and that's why I provoked him to tease them as well. The trick worked and soon the girls left us to our misery. Rohan started insisting I drop him off at his French tutor's house. I tried to calm him down and change his mind, but he kept insisting, saying that he would be back in an hour. I took the house keys from him and dropped him at his tutor's apartment which was not that far from his place. I waited in the auto till Rohan entered her apartment. Once he did, I left.

Her apartment was on the second floor. Rohan rang the bell to her apartment a couple of times.

'Riddhima, it's me, Rohan. Open the door.'

'Coming! Just hold on for a second,' Riddhima shouted from the kitchen.

After completing her education in Pune, Riddhima had chosen to stay in the city that she had grown to love over the years. She taught French in her free time. She was short, with a wheatish complexion and sharp, bright eyes. With her amazing way of speaking and great presence of mind, she could win anyone's heart. She always lived for the moment and believed 'Unplanned moments are always better than planned ones'. Her short hair suited her personality and her perfect curves made her look amazing, no matter what she wore. She had a tattoo on her upper back that give her an edgy look. She was an independent girl who would spend hours wearing makeup. She also loved wearing junk jewellery. She had been teaching Rohan for quite some time now and since they belonged to the same age group, they just clicked. She treated Rohan more as a friend than a student. Somewhere in the corner of her heart, she had developed feelings for Rohan despite knowing that he loved Zoya. However, she kept her hopes up as she was also aware of the complications in Rohan and Zoya's relationship.

'Rohan, what are you doing here so late?' she asked.

'Nothing. I have a terrible headache.'

Rohan was so drunk that he almost lost his balance. Riddhima helped him sit on the sofa.

'Are you drunk?' she asked just to confirm.

'No. I tried hookah with a liquor base. I am feeling a little tipsy, that's all. I am really ok,' he answered.

'You said that your cousin Aditya was in town. Where is he now?' She was still confused by Rohan's unexpected visit.

'Yeah, I was with him. He dropped me here and went back home,' Rohan said trying to regain his senses.

'So why aren't you going home? You parents must be worried about you, Rohan,' she said in concern.

'Don't worry, they are not at home. I will go back in a while. I'm meeting Zoya tomorrow,' Rohan stammered.

He rested his head on Riddhima's shoulder and kept repeating Zoya's name as he slowly dozed off to sleep. The closeness made Riddhima feel a bit uncomfortable. She gently put his head down on the sofa while running her fingers through his hair. She felt an urge to hug him back and to continue doing so the entire night. She wished he would utter her name instead of Zoya's, and make love to her, but that clearly wasn't going to happen. Somehow, she managed to keep a check on her emotions. She wished they were dating but knew that he liked someone else. She thought that she was the right one for him.

Sadly, some people are meant to fall in love and even meant to be together, but not as couples. Only as friends.

It 's Hard to Let Go.

'Rohan, your cell has been vibrating since ages. Get up sleepyhead; it's eight in the morning!'

Riddhima screamed holding a cup of coffee in her hand. 'Riddhi...you...I slept here? Oh G.o.d! Aditya must be so worried about me,' Rohan said jumping out of the bed.

He had spent the night at Riddhima's home, unable to recall anything about the previous night.

Riddhima reminded him that he had to meet Zoya. Rohan rushed out of her house without drinking the cup of coffee she had made for him.

I was fast asleep in Rohan's bedroom when he suddenly entered and quickly latched the door behind him.

'What the f.u.c.k? Is this the time to come home? b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you told me that you were dating Zoya, and now here you are, coming back after spending the night at Riddhima's home!' I screamed.

'Shut up, Adi. I will explain everything to you later. And yes, I am still dating Zoya, and I'm going to spend the entire day with her today. Do you have a problem with that?' he said recklessly and hurriedly left to take a shower.

Within minutes, he was dressed. He took his bag and tiptoed to the exit door. I was worried because I knew I'd be the one in trouble. No excuse sounded good enough.

'What am I going to tell your parents? They reached at dawn, so they are fast asleep at the minute,' I said in a hushed tone, afraid the noise would wake up our parents.

'Oh, thank G.o.d. That means the car is back. I was worried I'd have to take the auto again. Tell them anything you wish. I am leaving. Bye.'

Saying that he left. I looked at him leave and broke into a huge smile, because it was exactly the thing I would've done had I been in his place. After all, you tend to act stupid when you're in love. There are three things a person needs to be happy: work, friends, and somebody to love. Rohan was fighting for the third one. The love of his life, Zoya!

Zoya was a simple girl hailing from a conservative Muslim family in Pune. She had been in a relationship with Rohan for almost a year now. She was tall, fair, with black eyes that were always outlined with dark kohl. She looked extremely cute with her nose ring and jhumkaas. She had a flawless skin that anyone could gaze at for hours without blinking. She preferred wearing Indian clothes, and salwar-kameez was her favourite choice of outfit. She looked pretty elegant in one as well. She was not a regular city girl who spent too much time bothering about her looks. The simplicity in her thoughts made her different from the rest. Her dimpled smile drove guys crazy and Rohan would constantly tease her that if their children didn't get the same dimples, he would divorce her. She was a regular blood donor and wanted to work for a NGO.

Her family was against love marriage and especially against an inter-caste one. Hence, she decided to hit the brakes on her relationship with Rohan even though she loved him. It was a big day for Rohan as he wanted to convince Zoya to change her decision and fight for their relationship. He picked Zoya up from the main highway. She looked cute in her white salwar-kameez. She wore the earrings Rohan had given her on her birthday.

'Where are we going?' she asked in her mesmeric voice.

'Shush. You are not going to ask any questions today. You are just going to enjoy our date,' Rohan smiled looking at her and kissed her hand. They both took their respective seats and Rohan soon drove away to the outskirts of Pune.

'Anything special today?' she asked again.

'How is it possible for someone to be this cute? You are, seriously, one cute baby. I love you so much,' said Rohan pulling her cheeks as she leaned on him.

Rohan had planned to spend some time with Zoya at Tiger Point in Lonavla. He had even planned a few surprises for her just to make her feel special. As they reached the express highway, he played soft music and asked her to open the box kept on the dashboard.

'What is this?' she asked in amazement.

'Open it. It's full of love. I know I don't need to prove my love but I just wanted to express it to you this one time.'

She opened it to find a letter hidden inside. A letter written on a red paper that was shaped like a rose petal. She glanced at Rohan once and started reading it.

I love you. Ever since you came into my life, I've looked forward to each day-watching the early morning sunrise with you in my bed, dozing off under the dark blue skies, beneath a zillion stars. You make me feel as no one else does. I like the person I am when I'm with you. You bring out a part of me that I never knew existed. You made me turn into a better person. I now have a reason to live; a cause, a reason to believe in all the wonderful moments in life. You took my heart away and turned me into an ocean of love, and you saw in me all the qualities that no one else could ever see. You gave me respect, love, care, and peace. Yes, I love you, for all these special qualities and so much more. I love you for being yourself, and I love you because of the person you made me. Please, be with me forever. As long as you are by my side, I can fight the whole world but I can't stand to be alone. I love you, Zoya. I really do.

Zoya had tears in her eyes. She tumed her gaze away to avoid eye contact with Rohan. She felt helpless and wanted to run away, leaving everything else behind her, but couldn't. Rohan held her hand and tumed her around to face him. It takes a minute to like someone but it takes a lifetime to forget someone. It was not easy for Zoya to live like this.

'Rohan, can I ask you something?' she asked.

Rohan nodded.

'You think I'll be able to live happily without you?' she said as tear rolled down her cheek.

'Zoya, I know you can't. I know that you really love me. That's why I am asking you to hold on. I've always wanted to tell you that you have changed my life. I have started noticing the happiness that exists around me. I really don't know how or when you became this huge part of my life, but I do know that I want to be with you, forever.'

Silence filled the air and both of them remained quiet, holding hands until they reached Tiger point.

Rohan parked his car and made Zoya sit on the bonnet. He sat beside her and placed his head on her shoulder.

'It's so pleasant here. Thank you for making my day so special,' Zoya smiled.

'I have another surprise for you,' Rohan said as he came down to retrieve his laptop that was kept on the back seat.

Climbing back on the bonnet again, he played a video that he had made especially for her. The video was a montage of their pictures while her favourite song 'Tum ho toh gaata hai dil' played in the background. A few lines appeared on the screen at the end of the video.

Jahan yaad na aaye teri, Woh tanhaai kis kaam ki.

Bigde rishte na bane, To khudaai kis kaam ki.

Beshak apni manzil tak jaana hai hamein, Lekin jahaan se apne na dikhein, Woh oonchaai kis kaam ki!

Each photograph of theirs made her smile. She got nostalgic about all the good times they had spent together in the past one year. These few minutes had revived all those past memories. She was speechless and wanted to freeze that moment. She didn't know what life had in store for her; she just wanted to tell the world how much she loved Rohan.

When we are in love, it feels like it will last forever. We put all our trust in the person we are in love with and share our darkest secrets with them too. But there comes a time when you have to take a decision against your choice, even when no one is at fault.

The most difficult thing to explain in life is the simplest truth called love. Zoya was not able to express her emotions but she, too, cried from within.

'Rohan, it's not working anymore. I don't want to go against my parents and we should have thought about it long back. It would be better if we stopped everything now. It's not easy for me either, but it's the only option I have left,' Zoya cried.

'We can handle this, Zoya. Please, be patient. We will make them understand and tell them about us.

Everyone will approve,' Rohan pleaded with her.

'No, Rohan. It's not possible. You know how my family is. They are very conservative and they will never approve of our relationship. I thought about it a few days back when I heard Abbu talking about my marriage and he got angry when my mom requested him to ask for my approval first.

'Please, Zoya. Don't give up like this. We should give it another shot. It's better than regretting it our entire lives,' Rohan said with tears in his eyes.

'Why don't you understand? I am already so tense; please don't make me weaker. You are my strength and you must always smile. I talked to your sister and she agrees with me, too.

'When did you talk to her?'

'A few days back, post my discussion with Abbu about our marriage.'

Rohan tried to make her understand that everything would work out if they both stayed firm on their decision, but Zoya didn't have the courage to go against her family. Rohan stopped the conversation short and bought some Pakodas for them. To lighten the mood, he told her about what had happened the night before. She managed to smile. Rohan continuously checked the time on his watch, waiting for the right moment to surprise her, one last time.

He kept his fingers crossed and a few minutes later, Zoya received the final surprise of the day. She received a text message on her mobile from Rohan. He had sent her a message through an online SMS site. Zoya was surprised to receive the sudden text message and started reading it aloud, When I met you, I thought it would last forever. I never thought that there would l be a moment in our lives when we would part ways. I know you love me and really care about me. I know you want me to smile even when you're no longer by my side. I know you want me to enjoy my life even when you won't be with me. I know that you want me to always take care of myself. Ok, I will. I will do everything that you want me to. I promise. I won't hurt myself. I will eat my food on time and even sleep on time.

But it's not just about me, sweetheart. I a.s.sure you that I will do everything that you want, but can you give me the same a.s.surance? I know that this our last date, probably...

Zoya put the phone away. She did not have the courage to read any further. There were tears streaming down her cheeks. She kept her mobile inside and hugged Rohan. They were so engrossed in hugging each other that they didn't even realize that it had started to rain. Each raindrop that fell on them brought them closer and Zoya was able to hide her tears behind the raindrops. They hugged like there was no tomorrow. Probably even their soul could feel that it would be their last touch. It started raining heavily but Rohan and Zoya didn't move an inch from the bonnet of the car. Resting their back on the gla.s.s, they made love to each other, one last time.

Rohan dropped Zoya home in the evening and requested her to think over her decision once more.

Though she agreed, somehow he knew that it was over. But as always, his heart ruled over his brain and even the thought of living a life without her made him shiver. He was not ready to accept it, and entertained the fantasies of things somehow working out. He saw a hidden glimmer of hope somewhere though he had a clear indication it was over.

'Nothing seems to be working anymore,' Rohan said as he reached home.

'If you are not meant to be together then it's not going to work. I know it's easy to say all this but that's the fact, and you can't change it,' I said trying to make him understand.

'For the first time I've known what it feels like to love someone. I know Riddhima has feelings for me too. But I somehow want to be with Zoya though it seems like a distant possibility now. But I don't want to give up on Zoya so easily.'

'Look Rohan, you can't force someone to love you, and by forcing, you don't prove your love, you prove that you are weak and immature. So don't behave like one.'

I knew it was not easy to forget someone so easily. I had gone through a similar situation in my life as well. It doesn't matter how long you were together, the mere thought of being alone leads to depression and a feeling of hopelessness encloses you. Strange is the world of love where you find so many reasons to keep going, yet you choose to avoid listening to your heart and just one reason is reason enough to move on.