Love Never Ends - Episode 5

Akhil and Riya had been together since Middle school. They were besties. Both were intelligent and all-rounders. Akhil Rai and Riya Sathe were two names always on top of the list everywhere.

Riya had been brought up in cosmo culture. Her father worked with a private bank and her mother was a teacher. Her brother was 7 years younger than her. Theirs was a typical middle-class family with great respect for individuality and family values. They used to travel a lot during vacations, watched movies on weekends, enjoyed eating outside.

Akhil belonged to a typical joint family. All his uncles jointly managed their family business of cloth. All decisions were taken by men of the house.Women were not allowed to work outside. His family was affluent but quite conservative. Family outings were restricted to visiting places of pilgrimage or family functions. Akhil had 2 elder sisters. Akhil being the youngest was pampered by all especially his mother. He was very close to his mother.

Akhil liked the free atmosphere at Riya's house. Riya had occasionally visited Akhil's house and could sense that his mother didn't like her much. They preferred studying together at Riya's house. On weekends they used to go for a cycle ride or long run. How years passed by they dint even realize in fun and being together. Geet was a witness to the beautiful bond they shared. She sometimes envied their strong connection but Riya was very close to her too. Riya had always confided in her.

They both excelled in boards and it was time to choose their respective fields. Riya had decided to opt for commerce and prepare for the Chartered accountancy course. Akhil was getting admission to one of the top research institutes in India. Akhil had always dreamt of enrolling in this institute. But his mind was not ready to leave the city especially Riya. Till then they were just besties but both knew it was not just friendship. Riya knew he would never leave unless she forced him to. Also, his family was not so willing to send him outside Mumbai. But Riya insisted and somehow convinced him to go. Riya helped him convince the family too. Meanwhile, his mother had stopped talking to her completely. She found this quite weird and Akhil won't share anything. Finally, the moment came for Akhil to leave. During their last meet, they had cried a lot hugging each other. They had shared their first kiss too. They had been inseparable for so many years. It was not going to be easy for both of them.

Initially, Akhil used to call her regularly. They used to mail each other detailed happenings. Later the calls reduced to once a week. Both were busy in their respective courses. The first time they met during Diwali after, he seemed to have changed. Akhil had moved out of the cocoon. His world had changed. He was enjoying freedom which he never got since childhood. They had few common topics to talk about. They were still fond of each other but Riya could sense the emotional connection weakening. One month prior to the final exams he called her. His voice sounded quite serious. She was worried about whether everything was fine. Was he feeling lonely or stressed? She could not understand what was bothering him. But he just said henceforth it won't be possible for him to call her. Better they both focus on studies. She thought it was just a phase and hung up the call. But he actually stopped calling or receiving her calls. He didn't even reply to her emails or messages. Worried she tried to have a word with his mother. She just asked her to stay away and let Akhil grow. Riya was heartbroken. Akhil was her world. She had loved him dearly. Geet had tried to talk to him but he had given no proper reason to her too. Was there another girl in his life? Riya was ready to accept that too for his happiness. Circumstances change and so do people. Seeing her depressed her parents thought it was just a matter of time. They never thought she was actually in love with Akhil. Only Geet knew this. All thought they had some problems which would be sorted. But it never happened.

To overcome the pain, Riya got fully engrossed in her studies and training. She had many friends and colleagues but nobody could take his place. She cleared all her exams with top ranks and began with her corporate career. She never dated anyone as was common with her friends. After many years, she met Akhil at Geet's wedding. He was in the US and had come for a short visit to India. There was an awkward silence between them. Riya was angry with the way he had shelved her out of his life but still, she could feel her heart racing. Akhil tried to have a word with her but she left the wedding in middle unable to tackle the situation. .She had realized it was high time to let go of the feelings that she had been holding for so long. After that meeting, Akhil had sent her a friend request on a professional networking site which she had kept pending for a year. After that, he tried to message her but she never replied. It had been 2 years since that last meeting now.