No

I have a friend of mine, N, and she is getting married in the next few days. I have known N quite well for about three years. While she was at college, she had two good friends in S and A. S and A where aliens to eachother though. N being the girl she was, it was difficult for S and A not to take the relationship to the next level. A was this very sauve, social guy and had movie-star looks. S was very average, but a simple and intelligent guy, who had a very small friends circle. Both were nice. But N had started liking S; she could not think of A as anyone more than a friend. She had no radical reason for that though. It so happened that S had finally mustered enough courage to tell N, and she did accept his proposal as well.

Unaware of all this, a few weeks later A did open his heart to N too. N said that she was not interested in his proposal and requested him that they still be just good friends. N did not tell him anything about S though. A did not lose hope; he rather hoped that she will accept his proposal one day atleast, if not today. so A waited for about two months; during which they were talking to each other normally. Again A brought up the topic to N casually and asked her again for her reply; this time she could not hold it and told him that they can only be friends. She also told him that she was already in a relationship with S. That left A breathless.

A then regained his composure after a couple of minutes and told N that this was the last she would hear of him (No, not suicide and all, this is not Tamil cinema!). His explanation was that he would never be able to see her as a friend again and that would mean living a lie through out. And now that she is somebody's GF, it was only natural that he wanted to slowly change his heart. Sure, it took him a couple of years or so, but true to his word, he never made any attempts to contact her. He also never responded to any of her many means to contact him after that.

N has developed a soft corner for A. She wants him to forget her totally, and move on, and be happy. She did not want to be the reason for A's pain. She somehow feels guilty about the whole thing and wished all of this had not happened in the first place. Whenever N talks to me about A, she gets really happy; and starts saying things like - he talked to my paati so lovingly, he played with my niece and even helped my mom in the kitchen once.

She wanted to invite him for her marriage with S. She also knew that the news of her marriage would definitely cause him one 'final' pain. But she thought it would be better if he hears from the horse's mouth, rather than through friends.

So she did send him a postcard a few days ago. A replied thanking her for inviting him and said he will definitely try to attend the wedding. On reading that email she smirked, for she knew, that she will never meet him anyday henceforth. Even if the wedding was in the same town that A lived, he would definitely come up with a zillion reasons as to why he could not attend the wedding, after it is over. She knows it. Can do nothing about it though.

After I saw N's case, I am beginning to see the point of view of the person who 'SAID' no. Before that, I had always thought that a one-way love would only have a toll on the person that was in love, and not the one being loved.

Reason: Tamil Cinema le adhellam cleara sonnadhille yaarum! So allarum 'No' solradhuku munnadi konjam oru dabaikku rendu daba yosichu sollungo! Ungalukku yaaru kittayum 'Amam' sollara madhiri chance illainu, close-a pazahaguradhe nippatteekongo, indirecta yaarayum encourase pannadheeno. Plus ungalukku yaaru 'Amam' solluvange, yaaru maatangonu, korricta judge panne therinjikkongo. Gear-a tappu tappunu munnadiye maathi tholachuradheengo. Relationships le manasthabam appo than varadhu. Rendu perukkum adhaan nalladhu. Purinjikineengella allam!?