When “Later” Meant “Never”

Chapter 2: Happiness is a Choice

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The endurance of what happened over those months remains a heavy burden. A year of quiet friendship caused far less pain than a few short months of a relationship — a brief collision that will now take years to forget.

Can two entirely opposite people ever fit into a relationship? And if so, what could possibly be their binding force? Language, caste, religion, region, ideology — what else?

When someone is truly determined to stay, they look past all of this, and the bond becomes inseparable. But when they are silently looking for a way out, these differences do not surface slowly; they arrive swiftly. Blaming one of these aspects simply becomes part of the game.

This story, too, fell victim to one of these very aspects: region.

It started with the one who kept her feelings veiled for an entire year. Casual, daily texting slowly shifted, eventually leading to the inevitable, heavy question: “What are we?”

The answer given — “let it go as it is going” — was seemingly appreciated as a mature response. But soon, the realisation set in: the conversations over all those days were never just innocent friendship talks. They were the slow, unfolding collision between a hopeless romantic and a strict realist.

During that year of friendship, both were unknowing victims of their own pasts. But who knew that in a story of two victims, one would end up doubly victimised?

Looking back at the friendship stage, did it ever feel like the other had deeper feelings? The answer would be a resounding NO. Especially in situations where one had completely given up, only to be bombarded with relentless questions the moment they showed a slight lack of energy.

Things turn harsh when no one understands the whole picture. Who knew that slight discussions could morph into heavy arguments, and friendly banter could turn into real fights? Bitter labels became real — red flag, unromantic, emotionally unavailable — terms that were once supposed to be purely sarcastic.

So, where did all of this begin? It found its place during a normal discussion sparked by the passing of a simple statement: “Happiness is a choice.”

Trying to understand and debate such statements was once just the normal, everyday dynamic of the friendship.

The idea that this friendship could evolve into something more was never a deeply planted belief. But what it turned into slipped entirely out of control, right up until the moment it finally sank.

Who could have known that the accidental meetings at the same spots, the simple candy gifts, the exchange of quiet sorrows, the deep conversations, and the late-night walks would eventually evolve into a hopeful life – only for it to be destroyed without even knowing the reason for its collapse?

Selective vs. social.

Gloomy vs. energetic.

A pessimist vs. an optimist.

An introvert vs. an extrovert.

A wide-toothed smile vs. a dimpled cheek.

Struggling to express vs. overly expressive.

The differences heavily outweighed the commonalities.

So, what exactly made them fall for each other?