A Thing of Love

The Desire for a New Beginning

Things were slowly getting back to normal between Aaradhya and Rohan. Both had realized that their love was true, but patience and understanding would be needed to maintain it. Waiting for time was the only option, but in the meantime many questions and uncertainties had crept into their relationship.

One day, Aaradhya was sitting in her room and looking at old photographs. She saw a photograph in which she and Rohan were standing smiling and laughing at a fair. That photograph was reminding her how innocent and true their love was. A slight tear came to her eyes, but she controlled herself and thought, “Is love so weak that it breaks due to fear of family? No, I have to save my and Rohan's relationship.”

At that moment her phone rang. Rohan's name was flashing on the screen. She immediately picked up the phone, and Rohan's voice came from the other side, “Are you free now? I want to talk to you about something special.”

Aaradhya said eagerly, “Yes, of course. Tell me, what happened?”

“I want to think about how we can give a new direction to this relationship. Can you meet me this evening?”

Aaradhya felt some seriousness in Rohan’s proposal, and she immediately agreed to meet. Both of them decided to meet at a small quiet cafe in the city, where they used to go often. That cafe was special for them, because it was here that they had first met.

Aaradhya reached the cafe in the evening. She sat at a table and looked around. The atmosphere of the cafe was the same as it used to be earlier—quiet, peaceful, and comfortable. In a short while, Rohan also came there. There was a light smile on his face, but seriousness was visible in his eyes.

Both of them sat face to face, and there was silence for a few moments. Then Rohan said softly, “Aaradhya, I have thought a lot. There are many problems in our relationship now, and both of us are living in this tension. I want to know from you what direction do you want to take this relationship?”

Aradhya looked into Rohan’s eyes and replied, “Rohan, I truly love you. But I don’t understand how we can save it. Our families, society—everything is against us. What do you think?”

Rohan took a deep breath and said, “I love you equally, but I fear that if we make any hasty decisions, our love may get even more complicated. We should give some time—to our relationship, to our families and to ourselves.”

Aradhya paid attention to his words and remained silent for a while. Then he said, “Do you believe that everything will be fine with time? Or is this just an excuse to convince ourselves?”

Rohan looked into her eyes and said, “I believe that time can solve a lot of things. But we have to try too. We cannot just wait. We have to tell our families the truth of our love, make them realize that we both are incomplete without each other.”

Hearing this, a light smile came on Aaradhya's face. She said, "You are right. We have to talk openly to our families, but at the same time we ourselves have to understand that this fight can go on for a long time. We have to be patient."

Rohan agreed with her and said, "If we are together, no difficulty can defeat us. I know it will not be easy, but I am standing with you at every step. We should just not leave each other."

Both of them decided to give a new start to their relationship. They decided that they would talk to their families slowly and sensibly, so that the misunderstandings between them could be cleared.

After this conversation, a strange peace came in the hearts of both. Now they were convinced that their love will remain strong in any situation, if they keep faith in each other.

Aaradhya and Rohan started talking to their families again after a few days. Aaradhya decided to talk to her mother first. She called her mother to her room one evening and said, “Maa, I need to talk to you about something important.”

Her mother said with a little surprise, “What is it, beta? Why are you looking so serious?”

Aaradhya said softly, “Maa, I love Rohan. I know you and papa are against this relationship, but I want you to understand him and give us a chance.”

Her mother remained silent for a few moments, then said seriously, “Beta, we don’t want to see you unhappy, but Rohan’s family is not like ours. How will you get along with them?”

Aaradhya took a deep breath and replied, “Maa, love doesn’t depend on family background or money. Rohan and I understand each other, and we are sure that we both can make this relationship work. We just need your support.”

Her mother thought for a while and then said, “I will talk to Papa, but you have to understand that it will not be so easy. We just want your happiness, but we also have to think whether this decision will prove right for you in the future or not.”

Aradhya listened to her mother carefully and said, “I am sure, Maa. You just talk to Papa and try to make him understand.”

After this conversation, Aaradhya felt a little relieved. She felt that maybe her mother had started understanding her. However, she knew that convincing Papa would still be the biggest challenge.

Rohan also tried to talk to his parents the same night. He told his father, “Papa, I need to talk to you about something important. I love Aaradhya, and we want to get married.”

His father said seriously, “Rohan, we have talked about this before. We have no problem with this relationship, but have you talked to Aaradhya’s family? Are they ready for this relationship?”

Rohan said softly, “Not completely yet, but we are trying. I want you and mother to support this relationship too.”

His father shook his head and said, “Son, we want you to be happy, but we have to make sure that this relationship works out for both families. If it was just between you two, we would probably accept it immediately, but it is a matter of family. We would like to meet Aaradhya’s family and talk about it openly.”

Rohan heaved a sigh of relief. It was the first step, but it was in the right direction. She thanked her father and called Aaradhya to share the good news.

Now the biggest question before both of them was how their families would meet each other and how this relationship would be taken forward. But at least now they were sure that efforts had started from both sides.

Aradhya and Rohan decided that they would organize a meeting between their families, where both the families could meet each other and express their views openly. They would have to face many difficulties and questions in this meeting, but they were now ready for it.

In the next chapter: The first meeting between the families, where many new twists and emotional conflicts will come to the fore. Will this meeting give a new direction to their relationship or will it create more challenges?