I met a guy in a foreign language class that I had joined during class 12. Our class had people of different age groups. I was the youngest in our group while he had just completed his graduation.

We developed a good bond, not just the two of us, but all of us as a group.

I always found support and comfort in them. We studied together, did our projects together and had a lot of fun. It was like the friendship shown in ‘Dil Chahta Hai’.

As time passed, all of us moved on in our lives but continued to stay in touch. Life changed from Orkut to Facebook. In between, I stopped my language class but this guy and another person from our group went on to complete the advanced levels.

WhatsApp came into our lives and our chats continued.

Then came a turning point in my life. My mom was fighting the last stage of cancer.

At that time, I was completing my post-graduation. During a casual chat, I happened to tell him about my mom’s situation. He consoled me.

He was also facing a tough time as he was going through a breakup.

He was madly in love with a girl and his entire family was ready for his wedding. But somehow, things did not work out. I helped him overcome this difficult phase.

My mom's dying wish was to see me get married.

I shared this with him. He suggested, "If it doesn't bother you, we could get married. Even I’m looking for a partner and so are you. We belong to the same caste and have known each other for 8 long years. It is better to marry a known person."

However, before we could make a decision, my mom died.

He helped me through that depressing time. After a year or so, the discussion of my marriage started again.

Meanwhile, he was settling into his new business. My father agreed to our match and was even ready to support him in his business.

I started thinking about us. But the problem was that he lived 500 km away.

I was way too attached to my dad and couldn't imagine leaving him alone after mom’s death.

I thought it would be better to get married in the same city where my dad lived. I told him how I felt.

He said, "You will probably never be happy after our marriage as your mind will always be with your dad. It’s better that we end this topic and just remain friends."

After this, my name was registered on a matrimonial site.

I found a match and on our first meeting, I honestly told him about my friend and how we had planned to get married.

He said, "See, I don't know how deep your relationship was, but if you continue to remain friends with him, I may get suspicious. It can create problems in the future. You are mature enough to take the right decision."

I found this match to be perfect as per all my all expectations.

But what he said did make sense. So I messaged my friend and told him that I was starting a new life and hence, we should limit our regular chats. He was disturbed but agreed to my request.

I don't know why but I didn't even invite him to my wedding.

He obviously felt left out. Soon, he blocked me from everywhere to avoid any disturbance in my married life. I still message him on Friendship Day and his birthday but he never says anything except for a ‘thank you’.

As my husband got to know me as a person, he suggested that I call my friend and even invite him over, if I wished to.

But somehow, I felt that burying the past was the best thing.

We were never in a relationship but we respected each other. We knew many aspects of each other’s lives. We’d shared our problems, helped each other and been a part of the beginning of each other's lives.

He taught me how a true friend should be.

Today, I get updates on his progress from our common friends. Seeing him grow makes me really proud.

But I miss my friend. And I know he misses his friend too.

Some people come into your life for a very short period but they leave a mark forever. I hope to meet him someday. And I want my husband to be part of our celebration.

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