A cool breeze across the distance

Cool breeze between distances

Far from the hustle and bustle of the city, a small town nestled in the lap of the mountains – Naingiri. There was a different kind of freshness in the air here, as if an old memory returned with every breath. In this place adorned with ups and downs, time moved very slowly. The people of Naingiri would wake up with the first ray of the morning and return to their homes as the sun set in the evening. There was an old story in the cold air here, which even today could not be suppressed under the layers of time.

The story of Riya and Arjun was also something like this – deep, but incomplete. Both were together since childhood, but the storm of time separated them. Riya's father was a well-known doctor of the town and Arjun's family was a simple farmer family. There were social and economic distances between the families of both, but there was no gap in their hearts.

The most favourite thing for both of them in childhood was to sit on the high peak of the mountains and watch the sunset. Riya was very fond of touching the clouds, and Arjun always tried to fulfill this dream of hers. He would make her sit on his strong shoulders and say, "Look, now you are closest to the sky!" Riya would burst out laughing.

But with time everything changed.

Riya went to the city to study. Her father wanted her to become a doctor and move towards a better future. Arjun stayed there, lost in the peace of the mountains. He started working in the fields with his father and adjusted his life in the same town.

The conversation between Riya and Arjun started decreasing. Riya got busy in the fast pace of the city, and Arjun's life also got entangled in his responsibilities. Sometimes they would write letters to each other, but gradually that also ended.

After twelve years, when Riya returned to her town, the air had the same old fragrance. But this time the reason for her return was not happiness, but compulsion. Her father was not well, and he needed care.

Leaving the busy life of the city, when she felt the cool breeze of Nainagiri, she felt a strange peace in her heart. But somewhere inside her, there was also a restlessness. Would Arjun still be the same? Would he have forgotten her? Would their friendship have faded with time?

One evening, when she reached the same old path on the hill, where she and Arjun used to talk for hours, suddenly a soft voice came from behind,

"Do you still close your eyes to feel the cool breeze?"

Riya turned back in surprise - the same deep gaze, the same confidence, only the face had become more mature now.

Time had made him more serious, but the innocence in his eyes was the same. Riya did not understand what to say, but seeing Arjun's smile, all the nervousness in her mind seemed to have gone away.

Both of them started walking together, on the hill paths.

"Seeing you, it felt as if I have returned to the past," Arjun said, smiling lightly.

Riya smiled and nodded in response, but remained silent.

Arjun brought her to the same old spot from where they both used to watch the sunset in their childhood. Riya stood quietly and felt the orange rays of the sun on her face.

"Everything has changed so much..." Riya said in a soft voice.

"Not everything... some things are still the same," Arjun said looking at her.

Riya's eyes became moist. "Are you angry with me?" she asked in a hesitant tone.

Arjun took a deep breath. "It took many years to understand that you had not gone away from me, but were making your life better. If I wanted, I could have stopped you... but I did not want to stop your flight, Riya."

Riya's eyes became moist. "But I thought that maybe you have forgotten me..."

Arjun looked into her eyes, smiled and said, "When the winds become cold, some memories also stay, just like the wind blowing on this hill still has your fragrance, Riya."

Both of them remained silent for some time. They kept looking at each other. The silence had reconnected the time separated between them.

Riya and Arjun's paths had separated, but the strings of their hearts were connected. Arjun was still the same - the same innocent, truthful and loving. But there was a shadow of experience in his eyes now. He felt proud that he had seen that little child transform into a wise man.

Riya took a deep breath. The same cold wind of Naingiri, the same mountains, the same paths. Only this time her destination was clear. She silently looked into Arjun's eyes and smiled.

Arjun moved forward and took her palms in his and said, "Time can change, cities can change, but is it necessary that we also change?"

Riya lowered her eyes. Her mind was saying - "Not any further."

The sun was hiding behind the mountains, and a new freshness had started to spread in the air.

Because true love never ends, it just waits for its right time.