It's Hard to move on

Arjun leaned against the weathered fence, the sharp chill of the evening air biting at his skin. The sun hung low on the horizon, a fiery orb sinking slowly, casting long shadows across the sprawling field. The crowd around him buzzed with energy, their cheers and claps blending into an indistinguishable roar. Despite the commotion, Arjun's gaze remained fixed, locked on the slender figure of Maya in the distance.

She stood poised, her figure silhouetted against the fading light, waiting for her name to be called for the final event. Today was a significant day—an annual college event that Maya had been preparing for months. Her dedication, discipline, and passion were nothing short of inspiring. Arjun admired her for it, but today felt different. This was more than just another event. For Maya, it was a culmination of months of hard work, and for Arjun, it was a promise fulfilled.

Arjun, despite his demanding schedule as the president of the sports committee, had made a solemn promise to Maya. He would be there for her, cheering her on, no matter what obstacles came his way. And though his days had been consumed with meetings, planning, and organizing the upcoming four-day sports event, today, he had set everything aside just for her.

As he stood there, waiting for her name to be announced, his thoughts wandered. His responsibilities weighed heavily on him, pulling him in different directions, but Maya was always his center. Every cheer, every shout from the crowd around him faded into the background as he focused on her.

Hours passed like minutes, and Arjun clapped enthusiastically each time Maya's name echoed through the loudspeakers. He watched her compete, her movements graceful yet strong, her concentration unwavering. When the final results were announced, and Maya was awarded second place, Arjun's heart swelled with pride. He couldn't stop smiling as he watched her accept the medal, her face glowing with a mix of relief and joy. Her radiant smile was a moment he would forever treasure.

As she walked toward him, her eyes searching for his in the crowd, Arjun waved, catching her attention. Maya's smile grew wider as she hurried over. They walked home together, their fingers intertwined, sharing a quiet intimacy that spoke volumes more than words ever could.

---

The days following Maya's event should have been filled with celebration, but instead, they were consumed by the relentless demands of college life. Arjun found himself drowning in a sea of meetings, event planning, and managing his responsibilities as the sports committee president. Every day, he was pulled deeper into the chaos of the upcoming sports festival, a massive event that had become his primary focus.

Maya, too, was overwhelmed. She had her own commitments—academic responsibilities, cultural committee meetings, and a relentless stream of extracurricular activities. Their schedules barely aligned, and the time they once spent together became fleeting moments, hurried exchanges in passing hallways, and rushed phone calls late at night.

For weeks, their relationship felt like a waiting game—waiting for the right time to talk, waiting for things to slow down, waiting for a moment when they could just be with each other. But that moment never seemed to come.

One evening, as Arjun sat in yet another meeting with the event organizers, his phone buzzed. He glanced down at the screen and saw Maya's name flash across it. A pang of guilt shot through him. He had barely spoken to her in days, too consumed by the event's preparations. He silenced the phone, intending to call her back once the meeting was over. But by the time he was free, it was late, and exhaustion took over. He fell asleep without returning her call.

Maya, on the other hand, stared at her phone, the silence on the other end more deafening than any words could have been. She had grown used to waiting for Arjun—waiting for a call back, waiting for him to show up, waiting for him to find a moment for her. But how much longer could she wait?

The days melded into weeks, and the anticipation of the four-day sports event grew. Arjun was at the epicenter of it all, managing every detail, ensuring everything ran smoothly. Maya, though understanding the importance of his role, felt the growing void between them. She missed the long conversations, the spontaneous outings, the late-night talks where they shared their dreams and fears. But now, it seemed like Arjun's world revolved around the event, leaving little room for her.

On the third day of the sports event, Maya couldn't take it anymore. The loneliness that had been creeping into her life became unbearable. She missed Arjun, not just his presence, but the emotional connection they once shared. Driven by a desire to reconnect, she decided to surprise him, hoping to steal a moment of his attention.

Navigating through the maze of people at the event, Maya finally spotted Arjun on the sidelines, intensely focused on the ongoing matches. His posture was rigid, his gaze fixed on the athletes, as he jotted down notes, managing the logistics.

Maya's heart raced with a mix of hope and apprehension as she approached him. She took a deep breath, willing herself to stay calm.

"Hey," she said softly, her voice almost lost in the din of the crowd.

Arjun looked up, momentarily pulled away from his duties. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw her standing there. "Maya! I didn't see you there. How are you?"

Maya forced a smile, trying to mask the disappointment that was slowly creeping in. "I'm fine. I just thought I'd drop by and see how you're doing."

Arjun's attention flickered back to the match. "Just a bit busy, but everything's going well," he replied, his tone absent, distracted.

Maya's smile faltered. She had hoped for more than a brief acknowledgment, for a moment of connection. She took a deep breath, gathering her courage. "Do you think you could take a break? Maybe we could go for a walk?"

Arjun hesitated, his eyes darting between Maya and the ongoing event. Torn between his obligations and his affection for her, he struggled to find the right words. "I wish I could, but things are really hectic right now. Can you wait a bit? I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Maya's patience, already worn thin from weeks of feeling neglected, snapped. She couldn't hold back any longer. "Arjun, I've been waiting. I waited through your meetings, your event planning, and I'm waiting now. But how much longer can I wait?"

Her words hit Arjun like a punch to the gut. A sharp pang of guilt mixed with frustration. He felt torn—he wanted to be there for her, but his responsibilities were overwhelming. "Maya, I was there all day during your event too. Can't you understand that I have responsibilities here?"

Maya turned away, her heart aching. Tears threatened to spill, but she swallowed them down. "I do understand. But sometimes, I just need you to be here with me, not just in the same place but actually with me."

Arjun sighed deeply, rubbing his temples as if trying to banish the growing frustration. He cared for Maya deeply, but the weight of everything was too much to bear. "Maya, please. Just a little more time. I'll be with you as soon as this is over."

Maya's disappointment turned into quiet resolve. She had heard those words before—too many times. "I'll go home alone then."

Arjun's friend, Ravi, who had been observing from a distance, approached Maya. "Maya, I can drop you off. It's getting late."

Maya shook her head, her resolve hardening. "No, thanks. I'll manage." And with that, she walked away, leaving Arjun standing there, torn between his duties and his heart.

---

The Tragic Accident: A Night to Forget

The silence between Arjun and Maya stretched over seven long days. Each day weighed heavily on Arjun's heart. He missed Maya, missed the way they used to talk for hours, the way her laughter would brighten even his most stressful days. He had tried calling her, but each call went unanswered. His messages remained unread. Maya had shut him out, and the distance between them had grown unbearable.

One evening, unable to bear the silence any longer, Arjun decided to seek solace in the familiar company of his friends. He called two of his closest friends, Aditya and Vikram, and suggested they meet at a small hillside bar, a retreat where he often went to clear his mind.

The three of them gathered at the bar, sitting at a small wooden table overlooking the city. The view was beautiful, but Arjun could barely appreciate it. His thoughts were consumed by Maya.

"I don't know what to do, man," Arjun muttered, taking a sip of his drink. "She won't talk to me. I've tried everything."

Aditya, sitting across from him, gave him a sympathetic look. "She's probably just hurt, bro. You both have been under a lot of stress lately. Give her some time."

Arjun shook his head, frustration bubbling to the surface. "I've given her time. I've tried to explain, but she doesn't want to hear it. I know I messed up, but it feels like she's slipping away, and I don't know how to stop it."

Vikram leaned back in his chair, giving Arjun a long look. "Sometimes, people just need space. But if she means that much to you, maybe you shouldn't wait for her to come around. Maybe you should go to her."

Arjun set his drink down, the weight of Vikram's words hitting him hard. Go to her. It sounded so simple, yet the thought filled him with both hope and dread. Could he fix this, or had too much time passed? He wasn't sure, but the idea of not trying felt worse than any fear of rejection.

He pulled out his phone, his fingers trembling slightly as he dialed Ravi's number. He needed someone to ground him, and Ravi had always been that friend who could provide perspective when things felt too chaotic.

"Ravi, I'm going to see Maya," Arjun said, his voice firm with decision. "I can't keep sitting here, waiting for her to come around. I need to make things right."

On the other end of the line, Ravi hesitated. "Arjun, are you sure? It's late, and emotions are running high. Maybe give it another day—let things cool down first."

"I've already waited too long," Arjun replied, the frustration and longing clear in his voice. "I can't wait anymore. I have to see her now."

Ravi sighed, concerned. "Alright, but listen—wait for me. I'll come with you. I don't want you going alone, especially since you've been drinking."

Arjun agreed, but as he hung up, his impatience grew. Ravi was caught up with his own commitments, and Arjun felt the minutes dragging on like hours. His two friends, sensing his agitation, exchanged glances.

"We can go with you," Aditya offered. "You don't need to wait for Ravi. The three of us can go together."

Arjun nodded, grateful for the support. Without waiting any longer, the three of them piled onto Aditya's bike, squeezed tightly, and sped off into the night. The wind rushed past them as they navigated through the dimly lit streets, Arjun's heart racing with a mix of anticipation and anxiety. His mind was clouded with thoughts of Maya—how she would react, what he would say. He just wanted to see her, to tell her how much he regretted everything.

---

As they drew closer to the area where Maya lived, the streets became quieter. The noise of the city faded into the background, replaced by the hum of their bike engine and Arjun's restless thoughts. The closer they got, the more nervous he became. He imagined how Maya's face would look when she opened the door—would she be angry? Hurt? Or would she be relieved, finally ready to talk?

But before they could reach their destination, something went terribly wrong.

It happened in an instant—too fast for any of them to react. As they approached a sharp turn, a car suddenly swerved into their path. Aditya tried to maneuver the bike out of the way, but it was too late. The bike skidded, the tires losing traction, and in a blur of metal and screeching brakes, the three of them were thrown onto the asphalt.

Arjun hit the ground hard, his body slamming against the pavement. Pain shot through him, sharp and blinding, but all he could think about was Maya. The world around him spun, the distant sounds of people shouting and footsteps rushing toward them barely registering in his mind. His head throbbed, his vision blurred, and everything started to fade.

Somewhere in the chaos, he heard Aditya groaning in pain, and Vikram's voice calling out, but the darkness closed in too quickly.

---

Meanwhile, Maya sat on the bus, her heart heavy with worry. She had spent the last few days trying to sort through her emotions—anger, sadness, disappointment. But deep down, she missed Arjun. Every time she thought about the argument, about the distance between them, it gnawed at her. She wanted to hear his voice, to see him, to know that things could still be okay.

Unable to shake the growing sense of unease, she pulled out her phone and called him again. No answer. She tried one more time, but the call went straight to voicemail. Frustration and worry tangled inside her, making it impossible to sit still.

"Why won't he pick up?" she muttered under her breath, biting her lip as she stared out the bus window. The city lights blurred past her, but she wasn't paying attention to any of it. All she could think about was Arjun.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed, and she answered it in a heartbeat, hoping it was him.

"Maya," Ravi's voice came through the line, tense and urgent. "Where are you?"

"I'm on the bus," Maya said, her stomach tightening at the tone of his voice. "Why? What's going on?"

"Get off the bus," Ravi instructed, his voice strained. "Now. There's been an accident."

Maya's heart dropped. "What? What do you mean?"

"Just get off and head toward the crowd. I'll meet you there."

Fear seized her as she hurriedly pressed the button to stop the bus. As soon as it slowed, she rushed off, her legs shaky, her heart pounding in her chest. She ran down the street, following Ravi's instructions, and soon enough, she saw the flashing lights of an ambulance. A crowd had gathered, and her breath caught in her throat as dread washed over her.

Her worst fears were realized when she saw Arjun, bloodied and unconscious, being lifted into the ambulance. Ravi stood nearby, his face ashen, his hands trembling. Maya rushed toward him, her voice breaking with panic.

"Ravi, where is he? What happened?"

Ravi's face contorted with a mixture of anger and sorrow. Without saying a word, he delivered a hard, unexpected slap to Maya's face. The shock of it stunned her, but it was the anguish in his eyes that cut deeper than the physical pain.

"This is all because of you," he spat, his voice shaking. "He was coming to see you. He wouldn't have left if it weren't for you."

Maya felt like the world was crumbling beneath her feet. The air seemed to vanish from her lungs as she stared at Arjun, now barely conscious, being loaded into the ambulance. Tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision as Ravi's words echoed in her mind.

The ambulance doors slammed shut, and the sirens wailed as it sped away. Maya stood there, rooted to the spot, overwhelmed by a tidal wave of guilt and fear. She had pushed him away, and now… now he might never come back.

---

The years that followed were a blur of grief for Maya. Every day felt like walking through a fog, the weight of that fateful night hanging over her like a dark cloud. Arjun never recovered from the accident, and the loss of him left a gaping hole in her heart that no amount of time could heal.

Maya couldn't shake the guilt that gnawed at her constantly—the unspoken words, the unresolved argument, the way she had let her anger drive a wedge between them. If she had just told him how much she loved him, if she had been more patient, maybe things would have been different. Maybe he wouldn't have felt the need to rush to her that night.

Her friends and family tried to help her move on, but the grief was a relentless companion. She couldn't forget. Every memory of Arjun was tinged with the regret of all the things left unsaid. The nights they spent talking about their dreams, the laughter they shared, the quiet moments of comfort—they were all tainted by the knowledge that their story had ended too soon.

Each year, on Arjun's birthday and the anniversary of his death, Maya visited his grave. She would sit there for hours, talking to him as if he could still hear her. She told him about her life, about how she was trying to move on but couldn't, about the deep emptiness that lingered in his absence. She told him about the future they had once imagined together, now lost to time.

In an effort to honor his memory, Maya began donating to a charity in his name every year. It was a small gesture, but it brought her a sliver of peace. It was her way of ensuring that Arjun's spirit lived on, even if only in her heart. Through these donations, she hoped to keep his memory alive, to remind herself and the world that Arjun had mattered, that his life had been filled with love, and that he was missed.

But no matter how much time passed, Maya could never shake the feeling that she had lost a part of herself the night Arjun was taken from her. The unspoken words haunted her, a constant reminder that love, once lost, could never truly be reclaimed.

And so, she continued her life, haunted by the ghosts of what could have been, longing for the one person she could never have back.

A Life Without Arjun: The Loneliness That Lingers

Days turned into months, and months into years, yet Maya's world remained shadowed by the memory of Arjun. Each morning she woke up feeling the weight of his absence. The air seemed thinner, the colors less vibrant, and even the moments of joy felt tainted with the knowledge that he wasn't there to share them with her. Every corner of her life seemed to whisper his name—an old text message thread she couldn't bear to delete, a favorite restaurant they used to visit, even the quiet sound of rain tapping on her window reminded her of the nights they would sit together in comfortable silence.

Her heart ached, not just from missing him but from the deep regret that gnawed at her soul. She had let her impatience, her frustration, and her loneliness push him away. How could she have known that their last argument would be the last time they ever spoke? It was a question that haunted her, and the answer seemed as elusive as ever. Life felt incomplete, as if she were living in the shadow of an alternate reality where they had made up, where he hadn't left that night, where they had been given another chance.

Maya threw herself into her studies after the accident, partly as a distraction, partly as a way to keep Arjun's spirit alive. She knew how much he had believed in her, how he had always supported her aspirations. "You can do anything," he'd always say, his voice full of warmth and certainty. "You're stronger than you think." Now, she clung to those words, trying to convince herself they were true. But every achievement, every step forward, felt hollow without him by her side to celebrate.

Despite her success, there was a void she couldn't fill. No amount of academic recognition or career advancement could replace the piece of her heart that had been lost with Arjun. And though she tried to move on, dating others, opening herself to the idea of a new relationship, it never felt right. Every new person she met seemed pale in comparison to the memories of Arjun. His presence lingered in the back of her mind, a constant reminder of a love that had ended too soon, of conversations that would never be finished.

Maya's friends encouraged her to move on. "You need to let go," they'd say gently. "Arjun wouldn't want you to live like this, stuck in the past." But how could she? How could she simply let go of someone who had shaped her life so profoundly? How could she forget the nights they'd spent dreaming of a future together, or the way his smile had made her feel like everything would be okay, no matter what? Letting go felt like a betrayal, like erasing the most important part of her life.

And so, Maya continued to live in the in-between—between the present and the past, between grief and healing, between longing for what was and accepting what would never be.

---

A Glimpse of Healing: The Journey Back to Herself

It wasn't until years later, after countless sleepless nights and days spent in quiet reflection, that Maya began to understand the depth of her grief. It wasn't just the loss of Arjun that had shattered her—it was the loss of who she had been with him. In their relationship, she had found a version of herself that was brave, hopeful, and full of dreams. With him gone, she felt like a different person, someone who was merely surviving rather than living.

The turning point came during one of her annual visits to Arjun's grave. It was a cold, drizzly afternoon, and she had brought flowers, as she always did. Sitting by his gravestone, she began to speak, as she had so many times before. But this time, the words that came out surprised even her.

"I don't know how to do this without you," she whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions. "I don't know how to be whole again. But I think… I think I need to try."

As the words left her mouth, something shifted inside her. For the first time, she realized that holding on to the past wasn't keeping Arjun's memory alive—it was trapping her in a cycle of pain and regret. Arjun had always wanted the best for her, and deep down, she knew that he wouldn't have wanted her to spend her life mourning him. He had believed in her, in her strength, in her ability to create a meaningful life, even without him. And perhaps it was time she started believing in herself, too.

It wasn't an easy realization, and it didn't come without tears. But over the next few months, Maya began to take small steps toward healing. She started attending therapy, something she had resisted for years, thinking she could manage the pain on her own. But as she opened up to a professional, she found that talking about her grief, her guilt, and her love for Arjun helped her untangle the complicated emotions she had been carrying.

Slowly, she learned to forgive herself. Forgive herself for the argument, for the things she hadn't said, for the moments she had taken for granted. She came to understand that relationships, even the most beautiful ones, are never perfect, and that the love she and Arjun had shared would always be a part of her, no matter where life took her.

She also began to reconnect with her passions—the things that had once brought her joy but had been overshadowed by her grief. Maya threw herself into her work with renewed purpose, dedicating herself to causes she cared about, particularly mental health advocacy. She wanted to help others who, like her, had been consumed by loss and didn't know how to move forward. It became her way of honoring Arjun, of carrying on his belief in her strength, and of using her pain to bring light to others.

---

Moving Forward, Never Forgetting

Maya never stopped loving Arjun. That much was certain. But as the years passed, she began to understand that moving forward didn't mean letting go of him entirely. It meant carrying him with her, in her heart, in her actions, and in the lessons he had taught her about love, patience, and resilience.

She continued to visit his grave every year, always with flowers, always with stories about her life. She talked to him as if he were still there, telling him about her work, her friendships, and the small moments of joy she had begun to rediscover. And though the pain of his loss never fully went away, it became something she could live with, something that no longer held her back but instead propelled her forward.

One particularly cold winter's day, as Maya sat by Arjun's grave, a gentle breeze rustled through the trees, carrying with it the scent of pine and earth. She smiled softly, placing a hand on the gravestone.

"Thank you," she whispered. "For everything. For loving me. For believing in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. I think I'm going to be okay."

And for the first time in what felt like forever, Maya truly believed it.

In the years that followed, Maya found love again—not the same kind of love she had shared with Arjun, but a new love, one that was built on the foundation of the person she had become through her grief and healing. She allowed herself to be open to the possibility of happiness, to the idea that life could still hold beauty, even after so much loss.

But no matter where life took her, Arjun remained a part of her story. His memory was woven into the fabric of who she was, shaping her into someone stronger, more compassionate, and more aware of the fleeting nature of time and love.

In the end, Maya realized that life wasn't about erasing the pain or forgetting the people we've lost. It was about carrying them with us, letting their presence guide us, and using their love to build something new. And in that realization, Maya finally found peace.