STORY ABOUT YOU AND ME

Episode 3: The Unspoken Truth

The days seemed to stretch endlessly for both Rudra and Ishani. The world around them continued to move, but everything felt still—frozen in time. They could no longer ignore the growing tension between their hearts and their destinies.

One evening, as the sky turned shades of orange and pink, Ishani found herself wandering to the familiar spot by the river. The place where she and Rudra had spent countless hours in their childhood, dreaming of a future they believed would always be within reach. Now, that future seemed so far away.

As she approached the riverbank, she saw him. Rudra stood there, his hands shoved into his pockets, staring out at the water, lost in thought. The wind tugged at his hair, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“I didn’t think you’d be here today,” Ishani said softly, stepping closer.

Rudra turned at the sound of her voice, his eyes softening for a moment. “I had to see you, Ishani.”

She smiled faintly, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ve been wondering when you’d come. It feels like we’ve been avoiding each other lately.”

He nodded, taking a step toward her. There was a distance between them now, not physical, but emotional. It felt like something was shifting, something neither of them could quite grasp.

“Ishani, I…” Rudra hesitated, his gaze dropping to the ground. “I need to tell you something. Something I should have said earlier.”

Ishani’s heart skipped a beat. “What is it?”

Rudra’s voice faltered as he spoke. “My father… He’s made it clear to me that I can’t marry someone from a middle-class family. As the heir to this family, I have to marry someone of my status, someone who can help strengthen the family’s position.”

Ishani blinked, trying to process his words. "What do you mean? You don’t want to marry someone else, do you?"

Rudra’s eyes met hers, filled with regret. "I never wanted this, Ishani. But my father… He says it’s the way things must be. He says the family’s reputation and wealth come first, and I have no say in it."

A cold silence lingered between them as the truth sank in. Rudra’s eyes were dark with frustration and helplessness. Ishani’s heart ached for him. She had always known that their love would be a challenge, but she never imagined it would come to this—so much pain, so much division, all because of the circumstances they could not change.

"So, what does this mean for us?" Ishani asked, her voice steady but filled with an undercurrent of sadness.

Rudra stepped closer, his tone apologetic. “Ishani… I can’t marry you. But I don’t want to lose you either. I can’t imagine a life without you in it. But I also can’t change my fate.”

Ishani looked at him, her heart torn. She had always known the world would try to keep them apart, but hearing Rudra speak the words so plainly, with so much pain in his voice, made it all the more real.

“We don’t have to end everything,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “I understand, Rudra. I never wanted you to feel like you had to choose. We can still be together... just not the way we imagined.”

Rudra looked at her, a flicker of relief crossing his face. “You mean… as friends?”

Ishani nodded slowly, her eyes filled with both love and sorrow. “Yes, as friends. We can still spend time together, still be a part of each other’s lives. Maybe it’s not what we wanted, but it’s something. And I’m not ready to lose you completely.”

Rudra let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “I don’t want to lose you either, Ishani.”

They stood there for a long while, the sounds of the river and the quiet evening wrapping around them. They were no longer the carefree children they once were, but in that moment, they both realized they could still find a way to be in each other’s lives—if not as lovers, then as something else, something that could still hold meaning despite everything else.

“I guess,” Ishani said, breaking the silence, “we’ll find our own way. We don’t have to say goodbye just yet.”

Rudra smiled weakly, his heart aching with the bittersweetness of the situation. “I’m glad. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you completely.”

And so, without saying the words that could never be spoken, they made a quiet agreement to hold onto whatever they could. The love they shared might not be enough to change the world they lived in, but they would fight to preserve their bond in the only way they could—by being there for each other, in the quiet spaces between the roles the world had set for them.

As the sun set, painting the sky with hues of purple and gold, they walked side by side, no longer lovers, but still connected by the thread of a love that, though never fully realized, would never truly fade.