One afternoon, right after a lecture, Jenny came to my desk, her expression somber.

  “Shrishti, I want to tell you something. I’m sure you don’t know about this.”

  I looked at her, confused and instantly nervous.

  “Aditya is leaving,” she said.

  “Leaving?” I asked, my voice thin.

  “He is leaving for the US for further studies. He is here for today only.”

  My heart plummeted.

  “You can meet him if you want, he is in the ground.”

  I didn’t think; I acted. I picked up my books in a hurry and ran towards the ground.

  He was sitting on the benches with his friends, his posture as commanding as ever. His friends quickly dispersed, seeing me approach.

  “Jenny said you are leaving? Is it... Is it true?” I asked, my voice restless, trembling.

  He remained silent, not even looking up. I got my answer. The light of my life was going away from me, leaving me to fall into the darkness. My heart was aching; I felt like I was losing my life. But what right did I have to stop him?

  With immense difficulty, I managed one more question: “When?”

  He finally looked at me, holding my gaze for a few seconds.

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  “What brought you here?” he asked, his voice laced with the cold authority of the mentor, catching me completely off guard.

  I scrambled to console my bleeding heart, to find the right words. I couldn’t beg, and I couldn’t tell the truth. Gaining all my strength, I forced a composed voice.

  “Aditya, I could have never got a better mentor than you. I know I have disappointed you many times but still you always helped me. I don’t know how to say Thanks to you.”

  I was on the verge of crying, desperately hiding my emotions behind forced gratitude.

  A sad smile spread on his lips, but in a blink, it vanished, replaced by a devastating anger. He looked directly into my eyes.

  “You are right. You should be thankful to me. Do you really wanna say Thanks?”

  With conviction, I said, “Yes.”

  “THEN KISS ME!” he demanded, the words a raw, final test of my love and resolve.

  I went numb. He wanted me to accept his love one last time, to break my solemn vow. But I couldn’t. No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t betray my family. I couldn’t break their trust.

  Unknowingly, a tear dropped. I lowered my eyes, ashamed of my weakness and my impossible situation.

  But I know I couldn’t hide anything from him. He came closer, standing so near I could feel the heat radiating off him. His hands were in his pockets, a sign of his immense, agonizing control.

  “I am already jealous of that bastard husband of yours,” he said slowly, the bitterness in his voice a mirror of the pain I had caused him.

  I looked at him with pleading eyes. I felt his pain, his anger, his disappointment, but I was standing there, helpless, bound by my promise.

  “I’m leaving tonight. You have my number, call me if you need any help. Don’t hesitate,” he added, the words a lifeline I knew I could never grab.

  I couldn’t hold back anymore. My tears streamed down my face. His eyes softened, and he reached out, gently wiping my tears with his thumb.

  “So stubborn you are! hmm... Don’t cry. Take good care of yourself.”

  He looked at my face one last time, with profound love and longing. Then, he reluctantly removed his hand, took a final step back, and left. He didn’t look back even once. Watching him walk away, knowing I would never see him again, I felt truly lifeless. I fell on my knees on the cold ground and cried hard.