Arjun & Krystle Part I: Summer Love

Goodbye… Possibly the hardest word for anyone to say, let alone someone in a long-distance relationship. 

He didn't want to leave. 

He had to. 

She didn't want him to leave. 

But she didn't stop him from leaving. 

She couldn't. 

They were standing on the shores of the Kite beach as the waves rolled and crashed onto the sand. A clear blue sea and a crimson-red sky against the setting sun; it was a beautiful sight, as romantic as it gets. There was no doubt it was Instagram-worthy! 

“One last selfie before I leave?”, asked Arjun. 

“Of course, but please don’t say last”, Krystle chided him. She was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he was going back to Manchester. She herself would be going back to Bangalore in a week’s time, but that seemed a long way away. 

“I love you Krystle, but I have to leave now. Else I’ll miss my flight”, Arjun said, breaking the silence that had enveloped the atmosphere. It was a comfortable silence, the sort where words aren’t needed for two people to express their feelings even as they looked deeply into each other’s eyes. 

“I love you. Take care”, said Krystle with a maturity that was well beyond her age.

“Love you”, he said again and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her beautiful face glistened against the backdrop of the setting sun and her lips bore the slightest semblance of a smile. 

They both turned around and walked towards the main road where Arjun’s cream-coloured taxi, a Dubai staple, was waiting for him. They both sighed, almost simultaneously and held each other in a tight hug, not wanting to let go of each other. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they released themselves from the embrace. In that very moment, Arjun felt a strong urge to kiss her, but something, just something didn’t feel right. He gathered all his strength and somehow restrained himself. Krystle was still lost in her thoughts, her body numb and mind completely unprepared to face the prospect that her boyfriend was leaving. 

“Let’s go”, said Arjun tapping her shoulder and slowly began to walk towards the car, before placing his luggage into the boot. 

“I’ll text you once I reach the airport”, said Arjun as he reluctantly settled into his seat and put on the seatbelt. 

“Have a safe journey”, he heard Krystle’s voice fading away into the distance as the driver accelerated the car along the main road of the Dubai coastline. 

 

As the car sped away along the main road, memories of the summer gone by came rushing back to Arjun. Overwhelmed with emotion, he felt a tear roll down his cheek. He looked out of the window, almost in a daze as the gentle breeze ruffled his hair. 

The driver, noticing Arjun’s emotions, decided to change the mood by sparking a conversation with him.   

“Saying goodbye to people we love is always hard sir”, said the driver, without a hint of hesitation in his voice. 

“Y… Yes… yes, it is”, Arjun replied. “Your English is quite good, how come?”, Arjun asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.  

“What can I say sir, it is from the experience of meeting tourists from Europe and the US for almost 5 years now”. 

“Sir, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but how did you two meet?”, the driver asked earnestly. 

Arjun smiled immediately, a mild blush creeping into his cheeks as they turned ever so slightly red. Almost instantaneously, his mind transported him back to the house party where he’d seen Krystle for the first time. 

“10th August 2022, yeah that’s the date, how can I ever forget that day!”, Arjun began narrating the story. 

“It was at a party organised by Rohan, our mutual friend. It was halfway through the party when I spotted her, and by then we’d both had a few drinks. My memory is actually not so great, but to this day I clearly remember how she looked. She looked extremely pretty in her shimmery black dress with dark brown highlights at the end of her soft wavy hair and a blush pink lipstick adorned her lips. But it was her eyes… I felt an instant spark when I looked into her eyes, one that I’d never felt before. Right then and there, I fell in love with her eyes. The image of her deep, soft brown eyes was forever entrenched in my memory. I didn’t have the courage to ask for her number that night, but I asked Rohan the next day. Thoughts of a future with her began to swirl through my head as I sweated over the decision to send her a message. Even I don’t know how, but somehow, I gathered enough courage to send her a text. I was so nervous that my hands were shaking even as I was about to hit the ‘send’ button on my phone”, Arjun said letting out a light chuckle. 

“In fact, I was preparing myself for the worst as I didn’t even think that she would reply to my text, said Arjun, smiling sheepishly. Phew! Those 3 days felt like an eternity. But I only began to grow more nervous, as I waited with bated breath for her response.”

“But I’m so happy that I was proven wrong. She responded and 1 year later, here we are today”, said Arjun jubilantly, a sense of triumph evident in his voice.

“She’s not in the same city as you sir?”, asked the driver. 

“Sadly not, I attend The University of Manchester in the UK and she studies at Christ University, Bangalore”, Arjun responded. 

“Sir, long-distance, must be difficult no?”, asked the cab driver.

Upon hearing that, Arjun was genuinely amazed at the knowledge and maturity of the driver. Having got into the car in a sombre mood, he found the conversation to be a welcome distraction from his thoughts. He had not opened up about his relationship with Krystle in this way to anyone else in the past. He was completely drawn into the conversation now and there was no stopping until they reached the airport. 

“Long-distance is… is hard, in fact, it’s very hard, especially because we are young and want to be close to each other. But we appreciate the time that we spend with each other much more. We celebrated our first Valentine’s and even each other’s birthdays online. We’ve had our issues and disagreements too, quite a few in fact. Mostly because of the toxic and high-pressure environment at her university. I can’t even keep track of how many times she’s cried her heart out to me on the phone after a bad day at university.”  

The smile on Arjun’s face had been wiped out and was replaced with the same dejected look he had when getting into the car.

 

“Cheer up sir”, the driver said. “A smiling face suits you”. 

The smile returned to Arjun’s face upon hearing this compliment. 

“How much time until we reach the airport?”, Arjun asked the driver. 

“Just ten minutes more”, the driver responded. 

“That leaves us with enough time for you to tell me your story”, quipped Arjun as they stopped at a red signal.  

What can I say, sir, the driver began with a slight laugh. It was not an amused or funny laugh, but more one of wisdom and lived experience.

“What can I say sir”, the driver began letting out a slight laugh. It was a rueful laugh, one of lived experience. 

“My story is simple sir. Her name was Aafrah. We met at a wedding, fell in love and were in a relationship for 5 years. We wanted to get married, but her family didn’t allow it since we belonged to different religions. Still, we were stubborn and completely in love with each other so we ran away and got married. But it didn’t last long…” 

“What happened then?”, Arjun asked inquisitively. 

“Her family members found our address and sent constant threats. We were together but were neither happy nor peaceful. Unable to tolerate the constant harassment and threats, she decided to give up and run away one day, leaving behind a note for me on the dining table. I wanted to find her and bring her back home; tell her how much I loved her and… and that I would protect her no matter what. She knew me so well that she expected I would come to find her as soon as I read the note. But in the note, she specifically asked me not to come find her or even worry about her - all she wanted was for I to continue to live happily. I always respected her wishes, so even though it was really painful, I decided to carry on living my life. Since that day, I’ve not been in love with anyone else sir”, the driver ended his story with a wry smile on his face.  

Arjun was taken aback by the simplicity of the story. He was definitely expecting something more or at least something different. Given his upbringing, he was unable to fathom how two people who genuinely loved each other were separated because they belonged to different religions. 

“But that doesn’t mean I have lost my belief in love sir. I… I love my job, sir. I love meeting new, interesting people like you every day”, said the driver. 

Wow! Now that was smooth, real smooth, Arjun thought to himself. 

They reached the airport and Arjun didn’t even realise how the time had flown by. No doubt the conversation had been a welcome distraction. Arjun got out of the car and shook hands with the driver, thanking him for the ride and the conversation.

 

“Sir, I’m no expert, but I think you two should live in the same city, together…You both are truly in love with each other. I looked at both of your eyes and the eyes always tell a story; they never lie”, said the driver.

Arjun smiled heartily this time, feeling that the driver was speaking from his own experience. 

“Sorry, but what’s your name? I completely forgot to ask you”, Arjun asked the driver. 

“I’m Krishna”, replied the driver. 

Arjun laughed, leaving Krishna bemused. 

“What happened sir?”, Krishna asked. 

“It’s our names! Who better for Arjun to take advice from than Krishna”, Arjun replied. 

They shook hands again before Arjun took his luggage and entered the Dubai International Airport for his check-in. 

Arjun was waiting to board the flight when he started thinking about what the driver had said earlier. Maybe she could transfer to Manchester, he thought to himself. But how will she adjust, the winters are extremely harsh and she catches a cold in the wink of an eye. He found himself lost in these thoughts, which were halted with a sudden announcement on the loudspeaker for passengers to start boarding the flight to Manchester; his flight. 

Arjun boarded the plane and settled into his seat. He looked out of the window, and then out of nowhere, found himself longing for Krystle’s presence. He experienced a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach, almost a feeling of acute emptiness as if all the joys in the world had been sucked out of his life. His heart was definitely not in the plane, it was back home with Krystle. 

He closed his eyes and tried his best to fall asleep, hoping to land in Manchester by the time he opened his eyes. Arjun woke up just as the plane descended upon the runway of the Manchester International Airport. He collected his baggage and was heading outside the airport when he stopped in his tracks at what he saw. 

He saw someone. 

It seemed like a familiar face. 

Someone he knew quite well. 

It was Shreya. 

Shreya was a fellow student at The University of Manchester and had lived in the same halls of residence as Arjun in the first year. 

He was confused, was this a pleasant surprise or more a shock out of the blue? How could she be waiting for me, he thought to himself. Maybe she’s waiting for someone else. Just then, Shreya spotted Arjun and waved at him with a smile on her face. Actually, it was not a smile, but a look… a smile combined with some mischief and shyness. Arjun hesitated for a few moments, and then slowly lifted his hand and waved back at her. 

Did he miss the hints she’d been giving him before they left for the summer? But she knew that he was dating Krystle. Then why wait for him at the airport? All these questions were circling on a loop in his head as he walked towards Shreya, who was eager to meet him after 3 months. 

Little did he know that by the time the next summer rolled around, his life would be completely different…