I’m nothing, if not a man of my words and here I am with the Part 2 of Bittersweet as promised – the tale of Aaryan and Sheryl.
Sheryl read his letter and rolled with the thought for about a week, may be a few nights without sleep in her bed too !! Like I said, we have no clue. And Aaryan didn’t want to disturb her and let her come to a conclusion of this relationship on her own terms. But after a week, he just couldn’t resist as he had to leave in a few days and needed a closure. So, he mustered the courage and pinged her, for her to either accept him wholeheartedly or hate him enough to help him move on.
But on the other hand, Sheryl wanted to let him down gently without hurting him and keep him in her life as a friend, which he had been in her head the whole time. So, instead of texting, she was gracious and courteous enough to give him a call to let him know her decision that she wanted no more than a friend in him.
Aaryan accepted her decision but was unwilling to reciprocate. Aaryan was not the type of person to mince his words and not a “cat on the wall” person to stay on in her life with the hope that he might be accepted someday, pretending to be her friend. He had enough scars in his life to have the clarity that it was unwise to stay friends with someone you loved. You always either end up hurting them and hating each other or you hurt yourself with each passing day.
He remembered the words from The Dark Knight - “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain”.
And Aaryan chose to end it as a hero. He conveyed that he couldn’t be the friend she wanted but will always be there in case she needed. At Aaryan’s farewell, she gave him a final hug which would stay with him for the rest of his life as a symbol of their precious moments together, that he would cherish for the rest of his life. To be honest, I guess there were moments of tension whenever their eyes met during his farewell, but both were mature enough to not let it be a discomfort for the others.
And Aaryan flew, to chase another dream of his with just her memories and glimpses of the future they could have shared. But if its not to be, its not to be. You cannot force someone into a relationship and it never lasts even if you somehow manage to do so. So, he closed that door by respecting her choices and her own dreams for her future with no intention of intruding in her life again.
May be they were not meant for each other. Although, his gesture was sweet and love for her was true, there might have been some flaws in him which were beyond repair or acceptance. So with a heavy heart, I assume, she had to turn him down. As always, we never know for sure since this is Aaryan's version.
Everybody has their flaws and to find the acceptance and love of that deeply flawed self is what every human being wants. Aaryan was no different.
Someday, someone shall find his imperfections as the perfect match and there shall also be a “and they lived happily ever after” moment for him. And someday, Sheryl shall also find the man of her dreams and live happily ever after. I wish them both well and thank them for sharing this chapter of their life with me.
I shall be back with another episode of something interesting. Till then, Adios and Cheers!!
